In mid-July in the first year of Yuanting (74 BC), Xiaogu County, Dunhuang County.

The dawn in the northwest is dry and cold, the outline of the Qilian Mountains becomes clear, the Silk Road to the Western Regions is looming, and the barking troops in the distance are heard.

These barkings woke Chang Hui up from his sleep. He had too many places to go along the way. After lying on the couch and thinking about it, he remembered where he was today.

"Hunquan...yes, it's Hanquan".

He dressed and walked towards the dockyard on the squeaking stairs.

Although there are a lot of green spaces in Dunhuang, wind and sand occasionally blow from afar, especially after autumn, only one night, the ground that had been swept clean before was added with a small layer of fine yellow sand. The army brought by Chang Hui also had some sand in the water of the swearing well, and was scolded by Chang Hui.

"This is true in the northern borders. Local officials drink every day. Why can't you drink it? When you arrive in the desert of the Western Regions, it's good to have a sip of water."

At this time, Xu Fengde, the husband of Xuanquan, whose hair was a little whiter than three years ago, limped over and bowed: "Doctor Chang, did you sleep well last night?"

Chang Hui was a minor official and knew the difficulties of fighting food. He smiled and said, "Okay, it was the best sleep I had since I left Chang'an. The mattress was thick enough. Xu Sefu was willing."

Xu Fengde only cares about one thing: "There are no fleas, aren't they?"

The official Chang Hui led beside him was weakly trying to say that there was, but was stared at by Doctor Guanglu.

What a joke? There may be no fleas in the room of the nobles in the post house. The large pavilion where the officials and soldiers lived was next to the horse shed. How could there be no insects? When I woke up the next day, I was a common thing for my whole body, and the Xuanquan was clean.

"It is worthy of being the place where the Marquis of Xi'an once stayed."

This small official store was managed in an orderly manner, and the team that hosted him more than 300 people was calm. Chang Hui saw it in his heart, even if it was in Sanfu, it was outstanding. No wonder he had become the "best" of the nine places in Dunhuang for four consecutive years.

That is, Ren Hong's honor is the "provincially-level excellent post office unit".

What's more, the food was very good. This morning, Chang Hui and the others were going to leave Xuanquanzhi and continue to rush west, so Xu Fengde asked the kitchen to arrange a lot of food.

"This is a famous dish made in Xuanquan, a large plate of chicken, and the favorite dish of Yiyang Hou. This is a mutton braised cake. You guys want to hurry up and keep your fill."

There were a few Shihuan's children who came to gilt with Chang Hui in the mission, staring at the Tang he brought up, "Xu Seifu, why is this soup full of hair?"

Xu Fengde laughed in his heart that they had no knowledge: "This is a hair vegetable, the wild vegetables in the sand. After drying, they are like human hair. Only available in Hexi, and you have to drink a bowl before traveling."

The foreigner felt disgusted and was still hesitating to drink. However, Lao Xu said casually: "I don't hide it from you. Hou Hong in Xi'an has been drinking this soup and eating vegetables since he was a child, and now he has gained great wealth."

When the younger officers of the delegation heard this, they immediately grabbed the vegetable soup.

"Xu Seifu, it's so abundant." Chang Hui thanked repeatedly.

Xu Fengde said, "Don't exceed the specifications, just as my Xi'an Hou said, as long as you are on a mission to the Han Dynasty, you must cook the best dishes to be worthy of your hard work."

What Lao Xu likes most now is to put his words into Ren Hong's shell, which makes passers-by nod.

Chang Hui tasted the mutton and his eyes lit up. His index finger touched the oil in his mouth and praised: "When the Marquis of Xi'an often said that the sheep in Chang'an is not as good as those in the northwest of Dunhuang. We still laughed at his hometown, but now we know what we say is true."

He toasted Xu Fengde with a cup of wine. This was awesome. Old Xu only had a hobby and took a few sips of yellow soup and started bragging.

Xu Fengdedao: "Doctor Chang doesn't know that the cooking skills of the Marquis of Xi'an and his family supervisor are actually learned from me!"

Chang Hui was surprised: "It's so?"

"That's of course, otherwise why did President Hou of Xi'an say that his family's dishes are Northwestern dishes?"

Xu Fengde blushed his nose and pointed at himself and smiled: "I taught him step by step. Ah Hong has been smart since he was a child. I am willing to teach him the arts."

"Just say that the baked naan in the army as dry food was what I realized after eating Hu cakes. After eating it, Ah Hong said it was really fragrant, and suggested that it might be even more fragrant with shisha. Doctor Chang put it in the fields outside the site to see. Huma and Anxiqin were planted many years earlier than in Chang'an. I heard that cumin ingredients are more expensive than gold in nine markets? Eat it casually in Xuanquan!"

Xu Feng's words were like the elders who were full of energy at the dinner table after drinking, and they were half true and half false. Chang Hui really believed them and had a little affection for Xu Sufu.

In fact, Xu Fengde has been lonely in the past two years. He has almost changed all the officials in the office. Xia Dingmao and Ren Hong left, Luo Xiaogou went to the county to work, and Lu Duoshu and his brother went to help Ren Hong run the manor in Bailuyuan.

The raccoon was lying in the granary and basking in the sun and didn't leave.

Ren Hong did not forget Xu Fengde, so he sent someone to invite him, but he still claimed to be a younger generation. Old Xu's ancestral home was in Guandong. When he was young, he was moved to Dunhuang in response to the call of the Han Dynasty to open the border. He stayed for decades, but he had not reached wealth, but he had a lame leg.

As long as he agreed, Ren Hong and Dunhuang County could take his wives, concubines, and descendants to the Xi'an Houguo next to Linzi for retirement.

Everyone in the family was moved, but Xu Fengde was unwilling to leave.

"Young people have shallow roots, just like grass that cannot survive in the desert. They run away as soon as the wind blows. But I, the old man, took root in Dunhuang, like a camel thorn, who is used to drinking the water from Hexi, and cannot move, so I die here."

Since he was appointed as the marquis of Hong, Xuan Quanzhi has attracted much attention from Dunhuang County. Not only the county magistrate, county magistrate, supervisor, and even the county magistrate have come in person. He is so polite to him and promised that Xu Fengde could be promoted, but he would rather stay in Xuan Quanzhi.

"I want talent but no talent, and I have no virtue. Not only do I like wine and talk nonsense, I even go to the Nvlu to be a model for a county? You should ask another one. I can manage dozens of people in the small office so that the post cavalry can be kept in order, and the messengers and officials will not be hungry... That's what I told the county magistrate."

Chang Hui praised: "The reason why the Han Dynasty is a great Han is that there are many local officials like Xu Sefu."

Although the young official has turned white, Chang Hui touched his hair, so it was the case.

When everyone left for a long time, Xu Fengde sent them out as usual. Everyone in the 37th place in the office followed the old man and bowed to Han Festival.

Chang Hui looked back at Xuan Quanzhi in the car. For some reason, he always felt that he would pass by these many times.

But after Chang Hui and the others left, Xu Fengde was not as good as before. He cursed and asked the soldiers to do their jobs to prepare for the next wave of people, but he didn't know whether the soldiers came or the army came.

He himself went to the second floor, scratching his gray hair, using his hand to write down every expense of Chang Hui's delegation.

"In July of the first year of Yuanting, the Guanglu Dafu protected the Wusun envoys for a long time."

Xu Fengde liked this year's title. He heard it was related to Ren Hong. When Ruzi boasted, Xuan Quanzhi often heard news and rumors about him, but he did not say anything big. Unfortunately, he changed his new emperor and would change next year. He just hoped to notify the replacement of the documents to come early. Many times, he changed his year name Dunhuang but didn't know, and he was still using last year.

He continued to record: "Five sheep are entered, two of them are lambs, three big sheep, and twelve chickens. Two envoys of Wusun and the chief of the army, eight military chiefs and two Sima Cheng, and thirteen people."

"Ten fish were produced and 180 kilograms of meat were produced, and fifty scouts were produced."

"Twenty-eight stones and eight dou of rice are produced, and eighteen dou of rice are produced. One stone is produced and two dou of soybean sauce is produced, and three hundred torturers are eaten."

For the military officials Chang Hui brought to support Wusun, Hexi, where supplies are not very rich, it can be considered a big fish and meat, and even three hundred stern soldiers can still take full control.

These records are naturally to report accounts to the boss. Whether to record too much depends largely on the conscience of the miser.

Xu Fengde dared not say that he had never been greedy at all, but he only occasionally gave him a chicken and two fish to eat meat for his children. He also asked Xiao Ren Hong, who was brought by Xia Dingmao, to chew a chicken leg. Otherwise, how could he grow tall and strong? Although his hand-to-hand sword skills are still poor.

If you think deeper, Xu Fengde actually doesn’t know what these trivial records mean to the entire Han Dynasty and this civilization. It’s just that the above rules say that you should remember them, so just write them down.

“It’s really edible.”

After remembering, Xu Fengde started cursing every day, and was proudly scolding: "Is the food I bought in Xuanquan really so delicious?"

"But does this doctor Chang have something to do? He is both a Han envoy, and his appetite is far less than that of the Duke of Yiyang, and he has only eaten half a chicken!"

...

After Chang Hui and his friends left Xuanquan, they met the central Dunhuang when they passed by Xiaogu County. The Duke of Yihe was transferred to Mingze and waited for the garrison of Zhao Chongguo and Ren Hong. The Central Duke of Kong Zhang was led by the central Duke of Kong. For four years, he had been cautious and unwilling to take risks. He was still sitting in his original position. Perhaps because he heard that he would work with his former subordinate Xiao Xiao Sui Chang Ren, and his face was sad.

In late July, Chang Hui finally arrived at Yumen Pass, and arrived here from Chang'an to Yumen.

Chang Hui arrived at Yumen Pass and according to the map of the dictionary, he went from Chang'an to Yumen for more than 4,000 miles.

And it is more than 4,000 miles from Yumen to Chigu City in Wusun.

It’s only halfway through this.

"Relieve worries, relieve worries."

Standing at Yumen Pass and looking at the West, Chang Hui, who was on the first mission to Wusun, whispered: "How far did you go back then?"

When Chang Hui learned that Wusun was attacked by the Huns, he was anxious and even volunteered to be the envoy. After walking along the way, Chang Hui understood that Princess Jieyou's marriage path was no easier than when he followed Su Wu to the Huns.

Yes, it’s hard. Now, there is no need to make things difficult for the other party about the past.

Just as I was thinking, in the poplar forest that was looming in the distance, a horse rushed along the avenue and reached the barrier. Now the Han Dynasty has begun to manage the Western Regions and set up a captain. The post station also extends from Yumen Pass, past the Devil City and the White Dragon Pile, to Loulan, and to Luntai.

Anything that happened in the Western Regions was so easy that Fu Jiezi could let the Yumen Commander know within ten days and then return to Chang'an. There were beacons along the way, so there was no need to be pursued by the Huns like Xi Chongguo and others three years ago.

The post cavalry was covered in yellow sand and had several small flags on his body. This was the sign of the most urgent military situation. Chang Hui's eyelids twitched, and he stood down and came to the Yumen Duwei's mansion. He learned about the news that had just been sent back from the Western Regions and was still warm.
Chapter completed!