Chapter 241: Leaving Yumen to the West and Black Mountain Stone Carvings
Yang Fang’s voice was not loud.
The cold wind is howling again between heaven and earth.
But just a few words sounded like thunder in everyone's ears.
Feng Lang lives in Xu and Le Shi Yanran.
Over the past two thousand years, it has been deeply rooted in everyone's bones.
Although they fell into the trap and became bandits, who has never seen the scene of the golden drums flying in the sky, the warriors and horses swallowing thousands of miles like tigers, holding knives and guns, and fighting in battle?
Especially.
At this moment, the wind is like a complaint.
In Jiayuguan, shrouded in snowflakes, the walls are mottled with marks, and the faint marks of blades and arrows can still be seen.
It was as if the Huozi Banner Hussars from a thousand years ago had reappeared in this narrow valley.
Chen Yulou raised his head and looked at the city gate.
He had seen a picture of it in a book.
Compared with the ancient city in front of me, it is more majestic and vast, but it is a little less chilling and bloody.
After all, it has been renovated.
How can it have the original momentum?
Seeing everyone standing silently in the wind and snow, letting the cold wind blow by like a knife.
After Yang Fang came back to his senses, he couldn't help but rub his hands. Obviously, he didn't expect that his casual sigh could cause such great damage.
"Well, shopkeeper Chen, do you want to go to the city first?"
"Okay."
Chen Yulou looked away from the top of the city.
He nodded slightly.
They set out from Zhangye City a few days ago and have run out of food and water.
In addition, the weather becomes colder as you go west, and it is already snowing. It is conceivable that by the time you pass Yumen Pass, it will be completely winter.
It is imperative to enter the city for supplies.
"Let's go!"
greeted.
Chen Yulou patted the horse's back and rode slowly towards the city.
As the most powerful pass in the world, Jiayuguan was not affected by the war at this time.
Because it is located at the throat of the Hexi Corridor, it is the only way to connect the countries in the Western Regions and has always been a fortress of the Silk Road.
After two thousand years, Jiayuguan is no longer as simple as a city.
The descendants of military households took root here and settled here for business trips.
Thus a prosperous city was derived.
There are thousands of teahouses, restaurants and shops alone.
In the late Qing Dynasty, Jiayuguan became a trading port between the countries in the Western Regions and the mainland.
Therefore, even in the past hundred years, among the endless stream of merchants outside the city gate, there is no shortage of Central Asian or Russian faces.
Because of this, when their team appeared outside the city, it did not cause as much of a sensation as it did on the way there, but it was just as sparse and ordinary.
Even standing outside the city and blocking the road caused a lot of dissatisfaction.
After all, whoever dares to do business on this road is not a ruthless person?
It is normal to carry a gun and a knife with you.
If you're not ruthless, let alone the goods, you won't even be able to save your life.
Jiayuguan City and Zhangye Ancient City are hundreds of miles apart. They are very similar in terms of terrain and folk customs. The only difference is that Jiayuguan City is an uninhabited area.
The city gate is wide open and unguarded.
This was also the first time they passed through the city without checking the road signs and were asked for toll money.
I am used to seeing the filthiness of this world, and this suddenly makes me uncomfortable.
Chen Yulou rode through the gate tower.
As soon as you enter the city.
There was a sense of noise, and there were countless pedestrians in the city, so crowded that it was almost difficult to move around.
Looking up, there are all kinds of faces in the city. The three brothers and sisters of the Partridge Whistle, who were originally walking around in the rivers and lakes, were not surprising when they arrived here.
Because of the Zagrama lineage.
They have not intermarryed with foreigners for generations.
So the bloodline has been extremely well preserved.
Even Hua Ling, who is the closest to a Han woman, has a high nose, light amber pupils, and skin as white as snow.
Not to mention the old foreigners.
He has high cheekbones, deep eyebrows, and long curly hair.
At this moment, wearing a Taoist robe and walking among countless Central Asian figures, he seemed a bit nondescript.
It frequently attracted surprised and stunned looks from those people.
It seems that I have never seen such a dress before.
"Guaizi, go find a restaurant and let the brothers have a hot meal first, and then prepare supplies."
Chen Yulou glanced at both sides of the street.
There are tea shops and restaurants everywhere.
Even the roadside is occupied by various stalls.
Looking around, in addition to tea, porcelain, silk, cotton and medicinal materials from the interior, there are also Hotan jade, cattle, sheep and camels from southern Xinjiang, as well as gems, spices, glass and silverware from Central Asian countries.
It is definitely a rare thing to see in Xiangyin.
The eyes of Hua Ling and Miss Hong were twinkling, especially the ornaments and rouge makeup with the characteristics of the Western Regions, which made them excited.
See this situation.
Chen Yulou couldn't help but think of the road to southern Yunnan that day.
The scene when passing through Amizhou.
I simply ordered Huamaguai.
“Yes, from the shopkeeper.”
Huamaguai nodded and immediately picked two guys to leave first.
Starting from Chenjiazhuang, they had almost no rest along the way. They were on the road from morning to night every day, so a night's rest was not bad.
“If you like it, buy it.”
“Maybe there won’t be this store after passing this village.”
Chen Yulou smiled and said.
"No need..."
Hua Ling shook her head subconsciously, worried that it would delay her schedule, but Miss Hong raised her eyebrows and said, "Shopkeeper, this is what you said."
"Of course."
Get confirmed.
The surprise in the red girl's eyes suddenly overflowed.
He jumped off the horse and handed it to Kunlun who was standing aside. Then he pulled Hua Ling, who was still a little confused, and quickly left the team, wandering all the way.
Seeing this, a group of young guys who were going down the mountain for the first time couldn't help but feel a little envious.
"You too."
"I have a night's rest in the city today. You can wander around as you please."
How could Chen Yulou not understand their thoughts.
"Thank you, shopkeeper."
"Let's take a walk, I just saw a Turkic knife, which seems to suit me very well."
"Don't worry, wait for me."
"I'll go too."
Hearing this, the group of people rushed away one by one without any delay.
Soon, there were only about fifty people left in the team.
They are all old people.
They are far more knowledgeable than those young people, and they don't have much interest in these rare objects.
The most important thing is.
They have been in the mountains for many years and know very well that at times like this they cannot let down their guard.
The shopkeeper is still there, how can he leave easily.
If something happens, the sky of Changsheng Mountain will collapse.
Seeing that they were always following behind them step by step, scanning the surroundings with vigilant eyes, Chen Yulou did not try to persuade them. These were the absolute mainstays of Changsheng Mountain.
The interests of the Chen family are deeply bound.
Just like Huamaguai.
In their opinion, they would rather die themselves than allow anything to happen to the shopkeeper.
Both the Partridge Whistle and the Partridge Whistle rode side by side in front.
Have a few words from time to time.
Although their lineage has not come back for thousands of years, some things are engraved in their blood, especially the customs, customs and folk customs of the countries in the Western Regions. He can tell everything about them.
And Chen Yulou is well-read and a man of two generations.
With insights far beyond this era.
You won’t fall behind at all when chatting.
"Shopkeeper, we have found the restaurant. Do you think we should go there now?"
A moment later, the two of them were pointing at a pair of antelope horns on the roadside and talking, and one followed Huama. The man who had turned away came back again.
“Go first.”
Chen Yulou stood up. He waved his hand to the old man setting up the stall, only to find that the latter was looking at the two of them in amazement, his eyes full of admiration.
Seems to be surprised by the knowledge and vision of the two people.
Take a group of people, bypass the crowded long street, pass through two alleys, and enter the inner city without realizing it.
The entire Jiayuguan City consists of two inner and outer cities, as well as Luocheng and Wengcheng.
However, hundreds of years have passed, and the defense system of one fire for five miles, one pier for ten miles, one fortress for thirty miles, and one city for one hundred miles has long since collapsed.
Many monuments were reduced to smoke and dust.
Even the guerrilla general's mansion was occupied.
What they didn’t expect was that the Guandi Temple was extremely popular.
As a man in the world, he respected Emperor Guan Sheng a lot, and he was one of the gods enshrined in the Juyi Hall of Changsheng Mountain. Chen Yulou could not turn a blind eye to both emotions and reasons.
He took a few people in and burned a stick of incense.
He could still calm down, but the few guys accompanying him were respectful and did not dare to be careless in the slightest.
When they came out, they walked around a theater and heard babbling singing from a distance.
Maybe it’s because we are thousands of miles away from the Gobi desert, but even the opera sounds like a golden sword and an iron armor.
Without listening much, a few people passed by on horseback.
Soon, they saw Guaizi standing outside the door of a restaurant and greeting them.
Compared to the outer city, this area is indeed much quieter.
Handling the horses over to the restaurant waiter, the group of people walked straight upstairs, found a seat by the window facing the street, and ordered a few special dishes. Chen Yulou chatted casually with the waiter who served the dishes.
Previous trips.
He is used to this.
Tea shops and restaurants have the most customers. They deal with those people all day long, and the information in the shop is also the best.
Wait until half the bottle of wine is in your stomach.
Chen Yulou threw a copper coin casually and sent him away.
"It seems that things are not going well."
Waiting for him to leave after thanking him profusely, Chen Yulou tapped his fingers lightly on the table, with a hint of depression in his eyebrows.
I just asked the guy and they found out.
Since the year before last, most of southern Xinjiang has been occupied by sand geese, while the deserts of northern Xinjiang have been plagued by bandits, and warlords have attacked each other, causing wars at every turn.
Trading merchants went to Central Asia to do business.
We can only risk crossing the Tianshan Mountains.
In this way, we often encounter sand bandits. They come from all ethnic groups, and many of them are troops who escaped from the defeat of Sand Goose. They kill people like crazy and rob everyone they see.
Passing through northern Xinjiang safely is as difficult as climbing to the sky.
So they saw so many people in the city.
Actually, quite a few of them were left behind due to banditry and war.
Thinking about waiting until the situation gets better before setting off.
After all, they still know how to choose between money and life.
"According to Brother Chen's wishes..."
Partridge Whistle's face also looked ugly.
He never thought that the Western Region, so remote, would be in such chaos.
If there were only three of them, brother and sister, they would not hesitate. After all, this trip was originally for their clan.
It’s such a big team now.
You can't act lightly.
You have to make a foolproof plan.
“What if we take a detour from here?”
Chen Yulou dipped his fingers into a little tea and drew a lake shape on the table.
“Western Sea?!”
A partridge whistle will clear the air.
The West Sea is located between the northern and southern borders, and far away from cities and towns. It is surrounded by uninhabited deserts. Looking northward is the black desert known as the Sea of Hell.
But at this time of year, it is actually much less difficult to go around the desert than to cross the Tianshan Mountains and enter the Kunlun Mountains.
The low temperature is tens of degrees below zero.
It is definitely a fatal difficulty for those who have never experienced it on the mountain.
Really better than Tianshan.
For a team of three hundred people, it would be considered good if half of them survived to enter Kunlun Mountain.
The Kunlun Mountains are farther west.
For them, what will come will not be dawn, but greater despair.
Also, although there will be an inevitable detour if you choose this route, you can reach Jingjue Ancient City first from the Kongquehe Ancient Road.
"That's fine..."
Partridge Whistle thought deeply for a moment.
The map left by our ancestors flashed through my mind, and I finally agreed.
"Then let's make this decision for the time being, and wait until we enter the Western Region, and then make changes."
"After all, is it possible for a living person to be suffocated to death by urinating?"
Lift the jug and fill the cup.
Chen Yulou smiled and comforted.
Hearing this, Partridge Whistle’s tense mind was also convinced.
Ten thousand steps back.
We really encountered sand bandits. There were three hundred of them, all armed with guns. It was still unclear who would win.
Not to mention that they still exist.
Unless the warlord is killed, ordinary banditry will not be a concern at all.
Time passes minute by minute.
Unconsciously, it was getting late outside, and the guys who were hanging out were returning one after another.
The next day.
Huamaguai took people to supply supplies early in the morning.
With the precedent of the past few days, he rushed directly to prepare for the three- to five-day trip. Although Yumen Pass was more than a hundred miles away, it could be reached in two days at most.
But be afraid of the unexpected.
Wait until everything is ready.
The team set off again.
In just one night, the entire ancient city seemed to have entered winter completely. The roofs of the courtyard walls and the treetops of the towers were all covered with white snow.
Even the city is rarely deserted.
When they passed through the city gate and headed to the west of the Hexi Corridor, they aroused many people's surprise.
There are also those who are disdainful, claiming that they will come back disgraced in a few days at most.
However, no one in the group paid attention.
Two days later, we arrived outside Yumenguan City on time.
Compared with the prosperity and bustle of Jiayuguan, Yumen Pass is like a forgotten monument, deserted and dilapidated, with only the mottled stone bricks on the city wall witnessing the past.
Enter the city to replenish supplies.
This time Huamaguai was even more creative.
At one time, enough water and food were prepared to supply their team of 300 people for a month.
The city of Yumenguan is far away and lonely, with thousands of miles of yellow sand and white grass drying up.
Further forward is the boundary of the Western Region.
The nearest ancient city, Kunwu City, is also thousands of miles away.
As for Dunhuang, it is far from the prosperity of later generations. Except for a few tribesmen, there are only a few ascetic monks serving Buddha, copying and reciting scriptures there.
However.
When leaving Yumen Pass.
What they had been worrying about finally came true.
The guys who were sent out to explore the road came back and sent a message, saying that the valleys that they must pass through on the way forward were occupied by people, and people were left on guard everywhere, and even city walls were built, making it clear that they were robbing those who passed by. .
And those people were obviously not ordinary bandits.
The reply even mentioned the turrets.
I also saw the faces of many people from foreign lands.
Chen Yulou immediately concluded that those people should be the Sha'e defeated troops mentioned by people in Jiayuguan City.
They are exhausted and have traveled a long distance, and the other party has the right time and place. With more versus less, even if they can get through, they will most likely have to pay a heavy price.
"Going through here?"
Partridge Whistle spread out the map, his fingers went around the valley and landed on the other side.
"Mozigou?"
Chen Yulou's heart moved. If he remembered correctly, this place is where the world-famous Black Mountain Stone Carvings are located.
Where can I refuse?
"Just listen to Brother Dao, take a detour from here, wait until you return, and then attack those guys before it's too late!"
(End of this chapter)