"Xiuniang, take care of the children. Third Brother, Fourth Brother, take care of Father and Mother. Father, Mother, your son is leaving."
The sky had only just begun to brighten when, after breakfast, Li He donned his full gear. He glanced at his three sleeping children, then stepped into the courtyard and knelt before his parents, knocking his head loudly against the ground. Looking at his reluctant parents, his wife with tears streaming down her face as she clenched her teeth, and his two younger brothers standing stiffly as they nodded heavily, he said nothing more. He mounted his warhorse and rode south.
His family stepped out into the courtyard and stood at the gate, silently watching the figure in the distance for a long while. At last, the wife named Xiuniang burst into tears. They all knew that once he left, it might be forever...
Liu Bo rode his warhorse along the village path and onto the broad, solid road. They had built this road together back then.
There were four brothers and two sisters in his family. During Zhang Chun's rebellion, they had been swept onto the grasslands. Later, people sent by the General rescued them and relocated them to Changchun, where they received land and settled down. His eldest brother had some strength, and after a year of militia training, he had proudly been drafted into the army. He served in the Xingwu Guard stationed in Changchun, not far away.
He had been two years younger at the time. Because he was in good health, he had been selected for the navy. He had trained for over four years now. This time, for the ocean voyage, 2,500 men were selected from 5,000, and he had been chosen.
The warships had been completed, and it was time to