The natural conditions outside Yumen Pass in the Han Dynasty were much better than those two thousand years later.

In ancient times, at least in the Western Zhou Dynasty, the Shule River flowed very heavily, and it could break through the desert barriers westward and flow directly into Lop Nur...

However, with the change of climate and the serious leakage along the way, the Shule River flow gradually became smaller. In addition, in recent decades, the imperial court sent Zhao Guo to experiment with the "field agency method" in Dunhuang, carrying out large-scale intensive farming and agriculture, which consumes a lot of water, which also has a certain impact.

So after the Shule River exited Yumen Pass for dozens of kilometers, the water became smaller, but it still struggled to flow forward, leaving behind lakes and swamps along the way, as well as long oasis belts.

After leaving Yumen Pass, the envoys only had to go along the green belt. Although these lake swamps were far away from the reclamation area and were rarely heard, there were withered reeds by the lake, and large poplar forests, and birds and beasts for hunting. Therefore, you can still often see the nomadic Qiang tribes nearby. When they see the envoys, they are not afraid, but lead the sheep to do business with them.

The first night after leaving Yumen Pass, the delegation spent the night by a small lake. They rested on thick reeds and grass bars on their heads, and listened to the sound of the wind on the lake. Although they were covered with sheepskin fur blankets, they were still cold.

The next day, the water in Shule River became smaller and eventually it was completely absorbed by the cracked land, leaving only a dry riverbed, and the vast Gobi desert was conveniently located.

But the signs of life have not completely disappeared. For example, Ren Hong saw a large area of ​​reeds, licorice, Baici and other things next to the station, and a large and deep well next to the station. The water brought up was different from the salty and aquatic lake, and it was extremely sweet...

“Els Spring.”

Lu Jiushe is both a translator and a guide. He has walked on the Silk Road many times and has a clear understanding of the points he has to stay along the way every day, so he introduced the origin of this elm spring to Ren Hong.

"It is said that Bo Wanghou went to the Western Regions for the first time to return to the Central Plains. He passed by this place without fresh water, dry and thirsty. Seeing that the surface of the ground was wet and shaded, I thought there must be a spring underneath, so I dug more than one foot. Sure enough, a spring gushed out and rose to about three feet from the mouth of the spring, and then it would not rise again. If it were shallow and smooth."

"When Hou Bowang went to the Western Regions for the second time, he sent someone to plant a few elm trees here as a mark, so he called it the elm spring. Later, there was a post station gradually. Unfortunately, eleven years ago, everything outside Yumen Pass was abandoned, and this place was abandoned..."

Nowadays, several elm trees planted by Zhang Qian have grown taller and can be seen from a few miles away. Ren Hong looked up at the branches that were about to sprout and sighed:

"The predecessors plant trees, and the future generations enjoy the cool air."

It is still so difficult for them to follow the footsteps of the pioneers, which shows how courage it takes to open the hole. It is by no means a generation that can succeed in operating the Silk Road, but every dynasty and every generation must work hard to maintain it.

Fu Jiezi also sat by the spring and drank water. Facing Ren Hong's sigh, he gave the officials and soldiers good news:

"The court has issued an edict to the Dunhuang prefect to restore the pavilion station outside Yumen Pass. When we return from Loulan, a new guard will be established here, Dajian guardian, and will be affiliated with the Yumen Duwei Mansion!"

"The new waiting officials will cultivate farms and farm here, build docks and blocks, and then send a delegation to the Western Regions. If the merchants go to Hecang City, they will not have to replenish supplies. This place will become a new starting point!"

In this way, the empire's fingertips extending to the west can extend forward for 90 Hanli. This has been an eleven year-long period. The radical and conservative factions in the court and the country have been fiercely controversial. After the compromise, they have taken a difficult step again...

Walking further, Ren Hong realized that the Yushuquan Valley was probably the limit that Dunhuang County could control, because next, they began to enter the real no-man's land.

On the third day, the only scenery seen by the envoys was the large Gobi desert, with sandy mountains and valleys everywhere, and no tree was seen here. The red willows and seddens took root with difficulty. Although they were short, their roots were very deep, and they could absorb water from dozens of meters underground. The small lizard that occasionally crawled from the sand was the only animal here.

After trekking on the Gobi Desert for a whole day, at dusk, Zheng Ji, who was walking beside Ren Hong, suddenly exclaimed:

“There is a big city ahead!”

...

It’s not that Zheng Ji’s eyes were dazzled after the sun was shining for a long time, nor was it a mirage, but that there was really a “city” appearing in front of the mission, with yellow mounds standing on the blue-gray Gobi Desert, stretching for dozens of miles...

From a distance, they are like tall city walls. When they get close, they see dense terraces in the "city", some look like pavilions and some look like pavilions and pavilions. Under the reflection of the sunset, they change their postures, between the terraces, streets and alleys, crossroads, small squares, etc.

Lu Jiushu patted his eyes and looked at Zheng Ji and Han Gandang, laughing and said, "Longcheng has arrived. It is said that this is the capital before Wusun moved westward. It is so big that no one has left all."

What, the old capital of the Wusun people?

Ren Hong was amused and laughed when he heard this. How could a nomadic tribe in Wusun build such a large city?

Of course, it is not an ancient civilization. This is actually a scenic spot that is sold in conjunction with Yumen Pass, Yadan Devil City...

Is it because of this beautiful misunderstanding that the Han Dynasty looked up to the Wusun Kingdom in the early days and included it in the ranks of "civilized countries"?

Ren Hong couldn't help but cough and explained:

"In fact, these are not ruins of cities, but where the wind and sand blow over the hills."

What causes this Yadan landform is the strong cold wind in the north. The wind blows sand and the thick and fine sand gravel blows on the ground with the wind, just like countless grinding wheels grinding. After thousands of years of peeling, the loose sandy soil layer on the ground is blown away, leaving only the hard clay layer, which becomes a statue carved by the wind, so the shapes are different.

The magic of nature is beyond human imagination.

You can see from the sky that all the earth platforms are arranged in long strips, like a group of giant whales in the vast sea of ​​sand, or a row of warships cruising, majestic...

Everyone heard this but didn't believe it: "The wind is so capable?"

"This is the wind in the Western Regions. Water drops wear through the stones. As long as the days go by, the wind can destroy it wither and rotten it!" Ren Hong said so.

Lu Jiushe still didn't believe it and shook his head and said, "No matter what, I'll rest in Longcheng tonight. The wind is really strong nearby. If I don't hide behind the mound, I will be buried in the sand tomorrow. You can stay honestly after nightfall and don't walk around. There are many forks here and you can easily get lost."

“By the way.”

He turned around and smiled mysteriously, "There is another rumor in this Longcheng. It is said that when pedestrians rode through the desert at night, they were behind for some reason. The wind was strong outside. They had to spend the night here. In the middle of the night, they heard the sound of ghosts crying and wolf howling."

"It's like a woman choking, and a child crying. There are even wild beasts and ghosts howling endlessly. It's very scary. When his companions come to see him the next day, he saw that the man's face had withered and had been dead for a long time!"

Lu Jiushe deliberately intimidated: "Wusun was attacked by Yuezhi back then, and many people died here. Most of them, their souls were stagnant and came out to harm people at night!"

"really?"

Han Dandang's expression was a little bad. Although Old Han was brave in fighting, he seemed to be fearless, but he was a little superstitious. At this time, the wind was blowing outside, and it was really a bit of an inner taste.

"Don't panic, I have a way to prevent you from fearing ghosts."

Lu Jiushe patted himself and started a live advertisement: "I have passed by Longcheng several times, aren't they all good?"

As he said that, he glanced at Fu Jiezi and Wu Zongnian in the distance. Seeing that they were not paying attention to this place, he took out a few items from his arms and sent them to Ren Hong and the others.

"As long as I buy the evil spirits I asked for from Zhangye Dawu, the ghosts will not get involved!"

After taking the object, I saw a poplar wood splitting from the middle, and the whole thing was in the shape of a wooden trumpet, with a large upper and a sharp lower lower, and a flat cut in the middle, and then painted the eyes, nose, mouth, teeth, hair on the face with ink, and a fierce expression.

Ren Hongming said that the villain painted on it is "Shentu" and "Yulei", a god who is legendary able to subdue evil ghosts. During the New Year Festival, Han people would insert peach talismans at the door and paint the names of the two gods to defend the house.

As for the peach talisman I carry with me when I go out, it is a wood ward off evil spirits. Its function is similar to the meaning of a driver of a big car in the car in the future - to ensure safety!

Lu Jiushe is worthy of being a profiteer. He never forgets to make money and starts to shout in a low voice: "One hundred yuan can keep you sleeping in Longcheng tonight and keep you safe all the way to the Western Regions. How about it? Do you buy it?"

"I have it myself."

Zheng Ji, a native of Kuaiji, took out the peace talisman from the land of Wu and Yue: a sachet.

He also put the sachet in front of his nose and took a deep breath. Although the vanilla angelica inside had withered, he could still smell the water town of his hometown, which made everyone feel smeared.

"This is made by my mother, and I took it to Wu Zixu Temple to seek peace for me, so that I can eliminate evil and ward off evil spirits."

"I have it too." Zhao Han'er also took it out, it was a big wolf tooth hanging around his neck, which was the prey he had hit himself.

"I don't."

Han Dandang was anxious and panicked and actually paid for one.

Lu Jiush happily put away the money and looked at Ren Hong: "Where is Ren's fake official? Let's buy one?"

"I……"

Ren Hong just couldn't tell them that those terrible sounds at night were actually made by the wind blowing through the Yadan group, and they were not caused by any ghosts.

But after thinking about it, wouldn’t I be blown to the Han Dynasty by a strange wind and become Ren Hong? Since I couldn’t find a scientific explanation, I really don’t have the confidence to say the saying “There are no ghosts and gods in the world”.

Ren Hong then picked up the old iron pot brought out by the Polu Sui and said with a smile:

"I have this!"

...

That night, the four felt tents of the envoy were placed at the southwest foot of a tall earth platform, with horses and livestock at another earth platform next to it, allowing camels to nest outside and horses and mules inside.

The wind blew from far to near in the middle of the night, and the sound of the wind blew from far to near, making a whimpering sound, like a ghost crying and howling, whistling on the top of the felt tent, as if dozens of hands were tearing, and the shrill sound of the wind was creepy.

Ren Hong was not lucky and did not win the game. He could only lie on the edge of the felt tent. Fortunately, he was well prepared. Before coming, he made a felt blanket similar to a sleeping bag, wrapping himself tightly, and it was still warm, but his thighs were a little itchy. I don’t know if it was scratched by wool or fleas.

As for the others, the wind was hiking into the felt tent. Even though he was sleeping in the innermost part, he was not warm at all. Ren Hong saw Han Gandang and Sun Shiwan and hugged each other in his dream because they were cold, and couldn't help but laugh.

Slowly, the wind stopped, the outside became quiet, and even the animals were sleeping soundly.

At this time, someone stood up and wanted to step over Ren Hong and woke him up. He couldn't help but ask:

"Who? What?"

"Go and pull the arrow." It was the voice of Lu Jiushu.

"Do you want me to go with you?"

Ren Hong remembered that Fu Jiezi had instructed everyone to go out together, otherwise they would easily get lost.

Although Lu Jiushe has no self-defense ability, his courage is much better than Han Dandan: "Just, I can find a way in this Longcheng with my eyes closed."

"Then don't go far, just take a few steps and squat to finish."

"Don't, I'll go farther, don't get you there."

Lu Jiushu is a very particular person. He trembled and went out. Ren Hong was a little lazy, so he didn't go out, so he still stayed warm...

He fell asleep in a daze, and it was unknown how long it took before he was awakened by the sound of horses.

Ren Hong stood up suddenly, and the night was dark outside. When he turned around, he saw that everyone in the tent was still sleeping soundly, but there was only a empty space. Lu Jiushe had not come back yet!

At this moment, there was another neighing of horses from outside! It seemed to be a carrot!

Before Ren Hong could get out of his sleeping bag, he heard Zhao Haner's loud warning sound from the felt tent next door:

"Someone steals the horse!"

...
Chapter completed!