Chapter 1085 You and I are both from the Tang Dynasty (first update, please subscribe)
On the sparkling river, an old wooden boat traveling down the river was sailing in the middle of the river.
On both sides of the Mekong River, the dense tropical rainforest is like a green barrier, cutting the sky into slender gaps. The sunlight shines through the gaps, giving this mysterious jungle a golden halo.
When the boatmen on the wooden boats are punting, they always carefully watch the rainforests on both sides of the river. They have been making a living on this river all year round, and they know that Lao bandits and robbers are hiding in the rainforests.
Unlike the nervousness of the boss of the ship, most of the passengers who had long since walked out of the cabin filled with groceries were sitting on the side of the ship, on the bow. They either lowered their heads in thought or looked into the distance, their eyes full of The deep sadness of leaving home.
Those familiar places, as well as the warm smiling faces of relatives and friends, all turned into unspeakable pain in my heart as the wooden boat drifted away.
Far away, home is far away, people are in a foreign land.
Zhang Xie looked at the north silently, with reluctance in his heart. But no matter how much reluctance you felt, it turned into a sigh in the end
"Dad, are we still in Lancang River now?"
The child on the side asked.
Zhang Xie said after listening to the child's question.
“After we leave the border and go abroad, the Lancang River is called the Mekong River.”
“Dad, where are we going?”
Yes, where are we going?
While Zhang Xie looked into the distance, Zhang Fuhua on the side said.
"Let's go to Nanyang."
After that, he sighed again, and only they themselves could understand the loneliness and bitterness in their eyes.
“If I leave now, I will never be able to set foot on my homeland again in this life!”
“I still carry the stigma...”
At this moment, a burst of A low roar broke the tranquility of the river.
An iron-hulled patrol boat approached quickly in the distance, its green hull glowing with metallic luster, and the muzzle at the bow of the boat flashed with a cold light. The soldiers on the patrol boat were dressed in military uniforms, wearing German-style steel helmets, and holding American carbines. Their eyes were fixed on the wooden boat, and the muzzles of the guns were also pointed at them.
"Stop! Who are you? Where are you from? Where are you going?"
The shout came from the patrol boat and echoed on the empty river. The passengers on the wooden boat were frightened by the sudden inquiry. They all raised their heads and looked at the patrol boat. They all looked at the boat nervously.
We have already gone abroad, how can anyone speak Mandarin?
For a time, there was a tense atmosphere on the river. The wooden boat slowly stopped under the intimidation of the patrol boat, and the passengers' hearts were in their throats. They didn't know what would happen next and could only pray that the encounter would be uneventful.
"Don't worry, don't worry, they are patrol boats from Shan State. They are all our own family members..."
The boat boss said quickly.
"Sir, they are all coming from the mainland and are going to Siam."
As they approached the wooden boat, the officer of the patrol boat looked at these people and their appearance. He asked in a calm tone:
“Are you teachers?”
"Yes, yes, sir."
The officer nodded and said:
"The world is not peaceful now, and the situation in Laos is turbulent. You should be careful along the way."
While reminding them to be careful, the officer gave instructions to the boss of the ship.
“After arriving at the Siam border, let them disembark at the nearest port. There are cars on the shore and they can go directly to Bangkok from there.”
The patrol boat soon sailed away. Looking at the patrol boat going away, Zhang Fuhua asked.
"Boss of the ship, this...are they?"
"The Shan State Army of Commander Li of Shan State."
After that, he lowered his voice and said.
“He was the one who fled to Myanmar from Yunnan Province and now controls the entire Shan State, so he can be considered his own family.”
The people on the boat couldn't help but be stunned when they heard it. They looked at the patrol boat going away and said:
"It's really hard to tell. The equipment is really not bad."
"That's not true. It depends on which big tree someone relies on. When the King of Siam was restored, they fought from the north and fought all the way to Chiang Mai. When the King of Siam returned to the throne, they would naturally have to discuss their merits. "Rewarded."
The ship boss's words made them all surprised.
“So, their backer is Siam?”
"No wonder there are gunboats!"
"Siam?"
The boss of the boat picked up the dry pipe, took a long puff, and then said contemptuously.
“Are they worthy? The King of Siam always leans against a big tree to enjoy the shade.”
“Otherwise, why would his name be changed to Zheng Xi?”
These people from Yunnan Province knew nothing about what the boatmen said. Even about the restoration of Siam, they only focused on the invasion of the Nanyang imperialists. A few years ago, they participated in the support Siam's activities to resist the invasion, but he knew nothing about the name change of the King of Siam.
The next morning, the ship docked at the port. The dozens of passengers on the ship felt the difference as soon as they landed. Most of the signs on the pier were written with Chinese characters. "This, is this Siam?"
The reason why I am so curious is that although this is just a port town, most of the signboards on the roadside are in Chinese characters, even Many people spoke Mandarin. Although their tone of voice was a bit stiff, it could be seen that they were studying hard. This was somewhat similar to the mountain people in Dian Province and other places.
As soon as these passengers landed, they attracted the attention of others. Two military policemen soon stopped them. After a simple inquiry, they did not ask for their passports or anything else. He enthusiastically guided them to the bus station. It seemed that they had long been used to all this.
From the border town to Chiang Rai, and then from Chiang Rai to Lampang to board the train, what they saw along the way made Zhang Xie, Zhang Fuhua and others so surprised that they couldn't even open their mouths from ear to ear, even in the former Bangkok train carriage. Here, Zhang Xie still looked at the train ticket in his hand, unable to speak for a long time.
“It’s actually Chinese characters.”
There are both Chinese characters and Sanskrit characters printed on the tickets, just like the passengers in the carriage, they both speak Mandarin and some speak Siamese .
“Of course it’s Chinese characters,”
The passenger sitting on the aisle said at this time.
"This is Siam. The Siam Dynasty was founded by Emperor Zheng Xin. Zheng Xin is from the Tang Dynasty. The country of the Tang Dynasty spoke Mandarin and used Chinese characters. Is there anything strange about it?"
The man looked at Zhang Xie and said .
“Besides, only if you can speak Mandarin can you do business with Nanyang and go to Nanyang to study. That’s why everyone learns Mandarin.”
Nanyang!
Once again, they heard about Nanyang. Along the way, what they heard the most was Nanyang. Even in small towns in Siam, when people mentioned Nanyang, their eyes were full of longing.
It seems that when everyone talks about Nanyang, they are talking about paradise!
In Nanyang, everyone has beautiful houses and cars, and everyone lives a prosperous and happy life...
Do those people really say it is Nanyang?
For Zhang Xie, Zhang Fuhua and others who have studied in the United States, they feel that the Nanyang mentioned by these people is not so much Nanyang as it is the United States. In their memories, that kind of Life seems a bit like that of Americans. Every family lives in a small Western-style house and drives a car.
That night, while sleeping on the bunk, Zhang Xie once again thought of the Nanyang movies he had watched in the past. In the movies, Nanyang people seemed to live an unimaginable life. After a while, He just said.
"Perhaps Nanyang is really like what is described in the movie."
In fact, for the most part, they have a certain understanding of Nanyang. It provides housing and jobs to immigrants, and provides free lunches and free meals to children. Education in Yunnan Province is free from primary school to university. Before the liberation of Yunnan Province, like other places, many students in Yunnan Province were not admitted to university due to quota restrictions and chose to study in Nanyang.
However, at that time, their understanding of Nanyang was vague. Now, seven years later, their understanding of Nanyang is only limited to a few old movies they have watched and their understanding of Nanyang hegemony. The behavior was criticized.
As for what Nanyang actually looks like, they know nothing about it.
……
In the evening two days later, Zhang Xie and his group of more than 20 people finally arrived in Bangkok. As soon as they walked out of the train station, they saw the prosperity of the city. The night fell, and the neon lights shone like stars, covering the streets of the city. A layer of gorgeous clothes. The shops on both sides of the street are brightly lit, and the various signboards intersect in the red light and shadow, like a flowing oil painting.
The air was filled with the sound of car horns. Although most of those cars were not big, the traffic flow on the streets was hard to imagine. This was a Southeast Asian city. The exhaust fumes of cars and the traffic on the streets were... The food aroma mixes to form a unique urban atmosphere. There is an endless stream of pedestrians, either in a hurry or strolling leisurely, with different neon colors reflected on everyone's face.
At this time, a bus drove by slowly, its lights leaving a long shadow under the neon lights.
Looking at the scene in front of him, Zhang Fuhua couldn't help but say.
“This place looks a bit like a metropolis.”
"Yeah, it's a bit like Shanghai. Look at the neon lights, look at the cars on the street..."
The wife pointed at the neon sign, her eyes full of doubts, and said.
"It seems to be more lively than Shanghai and Hainan."
But she subconsciously felt that was impossible. After all, it was Shanghai and Hainan, the Paris of the East.
This is just Bangkok.
However, while the women were immersed in the bustling city and the dazzling splendor of neon lights, Zhang Fuhua and others' eyes were on those neon signboards - Chinese characters, Chinese characters everywhere, those red, green, blue, and yellow neon lights The signboards are all Chinese characters bent out of neon lights, and even the vendors’ cries are in familiar Mandarin.
Although this is a strange country and a strange city, everything here seems not so strange to them because of the language and the characters here.
Even the people here.
“Is this really Siam?”
Being in this seemingly magical city, this question flashed in their hearts. Once upon a time, they were worried about the language barrier. Chang, but what now?
Just then, a taxi stopped in front of them, and the driver raised his head and shouted at them.
"Sir, do you want to take a taxi?"
The words that came to his ears were still in Mandarin, a bit stiff, with a slight Cantonese accent. Zhang Fuhua asked curiously:
"Sir, are you from Guangfu?"
Hearing this, the driver greeted him warmly.
"Are you also from Tang Dynasty?"
Suddenly, he said as if he thought of something.
"Look at me, here in Siam we are all Tang people..."
(End of this chapter)