For a long period of time in Chinese history, Hangu Pass has been recognized as 'the world's first male pass', with the reputation of being a man and a man.

Because of the Hangu Guanxi plateau, the east is bordered by the absolute stream; It is connected to the Qinling Mountains in the south and the Yellow River in the north. Because it is located in the "Liangjing Ancient Road", close to the bank of the Yellow River, and locked in the valley, it is as dangerous as Han, so it is called "Hangu".

The earliest Hangu Pass, which was built by the Qin State that occupied the pass during the Warring States Period, is located in Wangduo Village, 15 kilometers north of Lingbao City, Henan Province, and is about 75 kilometers away from Sanmenxia City.

Hanhan Valley, on the basis of Qinhan Valley, moved eastward for nearly 150 kilometers, is located in the later Luoyang Xin'an County.

The reason why both Qinhan Valley and Hanhan Valley can take on the important task of 'guarding the gateway in the pass' in their respective times is because of the geographical location of Hangu Pass, which has formed two natural barriers for Hangu Pass: Qinling Mountains, and the Yellow River!

No, the Yellow River at this time is not called the Yellow River, it is called the Great River.

If Qinling is like a huge hand, holding the land of Guanzhong above the territory of the Han Dynasty, then the river is like a felt hat, covering the northeast direction of Guanzhong.

Hangu Pass is at the intersection of this hand and the felt hat, providing double protection for the pass.

If you want to enter the pass from Hangu Pass, the first problem you need to face is how to cross the big river - although the big river has not yet been silted up like in later generations, its water is still fierce, and it is by no means easy for ordinary people to cross.

After crossing the big river, there is a river beach about dozens of meters wide, and the Qinling Mountains rising from the ground at the end of the river beach!

On this river beach that is tens of kilometers long, the only 'gap' in the Qinling Mountains is where the Hangu Pass is located, and only from this relatively gentle canyon can one smoothly step into and cross the Qinling Mountains, and thus step into the pass.

This is the reason why Hangu Pass can be called a one-man pass, and it is impossible to open it - whether it is the mainstream arms of the Warring States Period: chariot soldiers, or the mainstream arms of the early Han Dynasty: heavy infantry and crossbow soldiers, it is difficult to cross the waves of the river safely in front of the Hangu Pass guards, land on the narrow river beach and form an array, and then successfully pass through the Hangu Pass, which is not more than ten meters wide.

It's spring and March, and there are few people near Hangu Pass - actually? Strictly control the flow of people in the Han Dynasty? On the premise of militarized defensive deployment for almost all passes, let alone Hangu Pass, which guards the gateway to the Middle East? Even the Wuguan in the south? It is also in a bleak state of 'no one cares' regardless of spring, summer, autumn and winter.

This makes it so that in the eyes of Hangu Guan? The team of people who had just crossed the river in a building boat and had not yet had time to fully set foot on the river beach? It stands out.

Waiting for that team to be dressed in fancy clothes? When the team of hundreds of people completed the landing on the river beach, a group of five guards appeared about a hundred paces away, vigilantly watching these uninvited guests.

The position of the five people is also quite interesting: one person stands at the front, carrying a bamboo pole about two feet long on his shoulder? Three others followed with bows and arrows? The last man, however, did not follow the other four men on, but walked a little towards the inner side of the river beach at a distance of about 100 paces, and then stopped.

After a few moments, the man in front could already see his face - this man was noticeably older and dark-faced than the sergeants? The eyebrows are full of slaughter!

Walking about fifty paces away, the man's footsteps sudden? Stop your back and slowly stand up with the bamboo pole on your shoulder? A military flag with black letters on a red background appeared on the river beach.

- Han!

No gold and jade embellishments, no bells and whistles calligraphy? Just this square word? Let this team of landed men and horses hurriedly untie the long sword at their waists? Hold it high above your head to show that you have no ill will.

Seeing this, the first person slowly approached with the military flag held high; But twenty paces behind the man, the three soldiers who had previously held the bow knelt on one knee, the bow full of the moon, and there was no doubt that the arrow was going to the team.

As for the young soldier in his early twenties, whose youthful face had not yet completely receded, he came to a dry mound a hundred paces away, removed the haystack he was carrying on his back, and set it on top of the mound; Holding a lit torch vigilantly in his right hand, he made a posture that he was ready to light the hay at any time and convey a message to the Kannai.

This battle, even if people who really want to attack Hangu Pass see it, I am afraid that endless despair will emerge in their hearts...

- These five people, without exception, are all without armor!

The young soldier in the distance was covered in his body, and he had no weight except for the torch on his right hand!

Perhaps in the local county, this dress means a poverty of armaments; But in Hangu Pass, a Xiongguan guard who is stable in the world, this can only prove that Hangu Pass is almost impossible to break through from the outside!

"Who are you waiting for? Why? ”

I saw that the officer was carrying the Han flag and slowly moving forward for dozens of steps, and a cold and rough cry resounded throughout the river beach.

I don't know if it was an illusion, but at that moment, everyone felt that the bowstrings of the three men seventy paces away were tighter, and the torches in the hands of the young soldier a hundred paces away were also closer to the haystack on the mound.

Seeing this, an old man with gray hair and a mouth that had begun to fall off walked out of the crowd and bowed down with admiration: "We are the envoys of the King of Chu, and we are in accordance with the edict of Your Majesty to enter the customs to meet us." ”

"Can there be a charm and a legend as proof?"

The officer's dark face was still cold, whether it was the name of 'King of Chu' or 'Your Majesty', it did not bend the officer's straightened spine in the slightest.

Seeing this, the old man's face did not show the slightest displeasure, and only obediently signaled to the entourage beside him to bring the talisman and pass it over.

After a while, the old man slowly handed the long sword in his hand to the attendant beside him, and then stepped forward himself, and handed over to the officer a bamboo talisman (1) that was six inches long and two inches wide on the left and right, and a scroll of bamboo slips sealed with seals of mud; After waiting for the officer to take it, he obediently took five steps back, hugging his stomach and waiting for the officer to check.

After a long while, the officer raised his gaze from the talisman in his hand, and although his face was still grim, he inadvertently brought a trace of kindness: "Dare to ask the old man's name?" ”

But seeing that the old man straightened up slightly, he didn't take it seriously, but said indifferently: "I don't dare to mention the surname of the country in vain, but I just revert to the name of Yingke..."

After that, the old man closed his eyes and brushed his beard for a moment, but he did not wait for the sentence 'It turned out to be the face of the prince of Chu', and when he opened his eyes in confusion, he saw that the officer's gaze had returned to the talisman.

After feeling the old man's gaze, the officer politely raised his head, and without being humble or arrogant, he dropped a sentence of 'no one accompanying him shall be allowed to enter the pass with weapons', then turned around, carried the Han flag, and walked to the pass hundreds of paces away.

As for the previous soldiers, they had already started to move the moment the officer turned around—the three archers had already stood up, but they had not disarmed themselves, their fingers still tightly pulling the bowstring, and slowly moving backwards in the direction of the pass.

The youngest 'messenger' had already thrown his torches and haystacks in place and ran briskly towards the pass.

Seeing all this, Rao is heart was already a little unhappy, Liu Yingke could only accept the reality, and the slave carried the large and small wooden boxes and baggage, followed by the officer carrying the flagpole, and the three soldiers who were still bending their bows in the distance, slowly approaching the pass.

When the group came to the beach directly opposite Hangu Pass in this strange formation, dozens of soldiers with complete armor and helmets had already walked out of the pass and waited in line.

Looking at the previous officer with a little doubt, and seeing that the officer also cast a confused look, Liu Yingke had no choice but to sigh helplessly, and let the slave retinue be disarmed, and the materials and baggage were checked one by one.

During the long inventory of materials, another building boat docked at the river beach directly opposite Hangu Pass; But after half a breath, a horse sped out of the building boat and came to the people who were being interrogated.

As soon as the officer raised his head slightly, he threw aside the investigation work in his hand, and stepped forward to negotiate with a serious face, and the rough roar sounded again on the river beach: "Prepare your horse quickly!" ”

Liu Yingke, who had been stranded for a long time, was a little dissatisfied on his face, and was about to step forward to ask, when he caught a glimpse of several crimson corner flags planted behind the knight!

Stopping the idea of expressing dissatisfaction first, Liu Yingke thought for a moment, but stepped forward cautiously and bowed to the officer who was looking at the knight's back from afar: "Dare to ask the general, but what happened to the Kanto?" ”

Liu Yingke could see clearly that the corner flag behind the knight was clearly six hundred miles expedited!

It is almost impossible for the military report from Hangu Pass to enter the customs that the northern border wall has changed - unless Yan Zhao has changed, otherwise the border pass battle report is undoubtedly closer to Xiaoguan!

What's more, now that the Xiongnu have just sent an envoy to Han, it is almost impossible for the Xiongnu to launch an attack on the border wall of the Han Dynasty before the mission returns to restore its fate.

In addition, at this point in time, the word 'almost' has also been removed - at the time when the Han people are about to spring ploughing, the Xiongnu will also have to migrate north, so that the southern part of the grassland that has just been tormented by the Huns for winter can be buffered.

I saw that the officer smashed his mouth, and after reacting to Liu Yingke's title, he scratched his head a little shyly: "I'm not too long, and I don't deserve the title of General Lao Weng." ”

However, Liu Yingke's promotion also made the officer let down his guard a little; Combined with the identity of this team, I feel that it is nothing to disclose the news to Liu Yingke.

"Fang Cai's rider is the post man of the Qi country, and the one who is in a hurry for six hundred miles is the king of Qi, and the ministers of the Qi country ask Your Majesty to set the heir temple of Qi."

The officer's relaxed and indifferent tone did not make Liu Yingke's increasingly knotted brows relax a little; After waiting for the inventory to be completed, Liu Yingke didn't care about stopping and resting, and hurriedly ordered the starry night to go forward and quickly march to Chang'an!

The officer looked at the back of Liu Yingke and his entourage leaving in a hurry, only smashed his mouth regretfully, looked back at the lonely pass, and became inexplicably irritable.

"Jiawu, go to the headhunter field!"

※※※※※※※※※※

Spring, the season of revival.

The afternoon sun in early spring will once again sprinkle the long-lost warmth on the land of Guanzhong; Whether it is the beasts hibernating in the mountains and forests, or the people who take refuge in the cold in simple houses, they have gradually woken up from the laziness of winter, and walked out of their residences to taste the breath of early spring.

The people in Chang'an City and outside the city also took their wives and children to the streets of Chang'an, and greedily breathed the air of early spring in the prosperous Changyi before the Western Era.

But there is one place, as if it does not belong to Guanzhong at all, it is still silent, still lonely, still exuding desolation, and treacherous.

What's even more unbelievable is that this place is not in the inaccessible mountains and forests, nor is it far from the outlying countryside of the city, but is precisely located in the political center of the Han Dynasty: Weiyang Palace!

As the earliest palace group with relics in feudal history, Weiyang Palace is undoubtedly magnificent compared to the Taiji Palace of the Tang Dynasty or the Ming Palace of the Ming Dynasty.

Because of Xiao He's sentence 'If it is not magnificent, it cannot stand mighty', so that the original Longshou Mountain has become the foundation of the entire Weiyang Palace - compared to the Guanzhong Plain a few miles outside the city, the Weiyang Palace is more than dozens of feet high!

In the low houses and low houses everywhere, even the residence of the nobles of the Han family, the highest is only five meters ago, and there are dozens of floors high Weiyang Palace, which is definitely called the Burj Khalifa before the AD!

Standing in the center of Weiyang Palace, that is, around the front hall composed of Qingliang Palace, Xuanshu Palace, and Greenhouse Palace, you can see the entire Chang'an City, and even the villages not far from the city.

It was in such an unbelievable place, which made the foreign envoys at that time exclaim that it was a 'temple', but at this time there was a bleak and deserted palace: Yutang Palace.

The distance between the Yutang Hall and the front hall of Weiyang Palace is not too far, and there is only a nullah between the two - the water in Weiyang Palace is introduced from the east of Chang'an City, flows through the north of Changle Palace, flows into Weiyang Palace from the north palace wall outside Tianlu Pavilion, and along the nullah between Yutang Hall and the front hall of Weiyang Palace, it gathers in Cangchi in the south of the palace, and finally joins Weishui from the southwest corner of Chang'an City into the Weishui (2).

There is only a nullah apart, but the two sides are worlds apart - the front hall, the Han family monarchs and ministers discuss state affairs, and the jade hall hall, but it seems to have been forgotten by the world...

"Yikes!"

A crisp sound of surprise broke the tranquility of the Jade Hall.

The palace maids and eunuchs who had surrounded a flustered servant girl turned their heads when they heard the sound, and after seeing the faces of the people who came, they reflexively lowered their heads deeply.

"Slaves and maids greet the queen."

Qi Qi bowed, so that the nominal owner of the Jade Hall had no choice but to dismiss the plan to leave quietly, and walked out of the corner, revealing the face that was as clear and jade as condensed cream.

Slender willow eyebrows, eyes that reveal a little sorrow in purity, small noses, slightly pursed cherry mouths, and cheeks without powder...

In the face of this stunning beauty, even the flowers that have just revealed a few petals in early spring (3) seem to shrank their little heads back in shame.

The woman also smiled as if sensing the grievances of the flowers, her little hands gently caressed the delicate petals, and the previous sorrow could no longer be heard in her tone: "Why are you so flustered? ”

There was a slight immature timbre in the tenderness, which provoked the palace maids who bowed down to listen to the training, and their eyes couldn't help but soften, and their hearts seemed to be washed away, and they suddenly calmed down.

"Queen Qiyu, when she was sweeping in the back hall, she heard a sound of footsteps, and hid behind the cabinet; And then..."

As she spoke, the tall palace maid made a frightened look and said in a trembling voice: "Then, the maid saw the spring peach with her own eyes and hid a golden hairpin!" ”

As soon as the palace maid's words fell, the little palace maid who had fallen to the ground because she was surrounded hurriedly crawled forward in panic, and kowtowed to the woman called the 'queen', and was wronged repeatedly.

The palace maid who complained was still trembling, but at an angle that the woman couldn't see, she showed a smug look.

"Go ahead."

"Let's go out of the palace."

The woman's bland tone suddenly stunned everyone, and the palace maid who complained dragged the little palace maid on the ground up: "The queen is merciful, forgive you for your capital crimes, don't you thank you quickly?" ”

But I heard that the woman's tone carried a little grievance and lingering exhaustion.

"Let's go."

With that, the woman slowly turned around and strolled towards the gazebo not far away.

The complaining palace maid's face suddenly tightened, and she was just about to kneel, but her arm was supported by a huge force, and she couldn't kneel down.

raised his head, a kind face appeared in front of him, but there was a coldness in his ears that made people fall into the abyss: "The queen has an order to drive these two out of the palace." ”

Gujing Wubo read out the trial of the two, and the old eunuch still faced the people behind him with that gentle expression: "Don't you come to help?" ”

When the sound fell, everyone barely suppressed the trembling of their bodies, pulled the two men up from under their armpits, and walked out of the hall.

Even the two palace maids who were expelled did not dare to say even a word begging for mercy under the gaze of the old eunuch.

Watching everyone slowly move away, the old eunuch's eyes suddenly turned cold!

This has happened countless times in the past few months!

Whether it is the method of punishing the 'thief' or expelling the 'whistleblower', the old eunuch has tried!

But in the end, the old eunuch reluctantly found that no matter what he did, the palace would send new maidservants to carry out the great cause that the 'predecessors' had practiced.

- Steal!

No matter how the old eunuch dealt with this kind of thing, the stolen things seemed to disappear between heaven and earth, and they couldn't grow three feet into the ground.

By now, even the master has become numb to this kind of thing...

"Ahh

After a lament, the old eunuch was about to walk to the woman's side, when he noticed another noise behind him.

Instinctively, he put on that kind face and came back to his senses, and when he saw the figure that was only six feet high, crying and running wildly, the old eunuch was stunned for a moment, not knowing what to do.

The figure did not care at all about the old eunuch's rudeness, and ran to the pavilion without moving forward, and when he saw the woman's face clearly, he knelt down heavily outside the pavilion and kowtowed to the stone bricks laid on the ground.

"Queen Mother's !!"

"The emperor is not filial!!"

The sudden change made the woman suddenly lean over like an old eunuch, and her eyes were stunned in place.

And the thin figure on the ground, as if he was unaware of all this, and was unaware of the blood flowing from his forehead, only kowtowed to himself, and hit the ground with his forehead.

As the blood flowers were printed on the stone bricks, even the flowers in the bush also poked out the stamens slightly, as if they wanted to compete with them...

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PS: 1. Fu and biography, which have been explained in a simple way before, have found accurate historical records this time.

"Shuowen": Fu, letter (thing) also, Han system with bamboo, six inches long, divided and combined.

"Zhou Li, Siguan" Note: Biography, now moved to the book.

In this way, the role of the symbol and the biography is clear: the symbol is a customs clearance token, judging from its size, the high probability of the record is the appearance characteristics of the holder, similar to today's ID card or household registration certificate; A preacher's itinerary should be a letter of introduction, or a passport similar to an enthronement travel record.

2. Regarding the geography and landform of Chang'an City and Weiyang Palace in the Han Dynasty, they all rely on the "Historical Atlas of Xi'an" written by Shi Nianhai (it is said that this book is still a gift from a reader, and the price is really not low. ）

3. The historical records of Zhang Yan, the queen of filial piety, are not as expected by the officials - there are only a few flirtatious sentences, and there are four points to sum up: the posture is beautiful, the sex is not disputed, the flowers are liked, and the body is buried.

The record of Zhang Yan's liking for flowers was only found from a folk legend: Zhang Yan became the god of flowers by folk romance.

Therefore, for Zhang Yan's character design in the book, the assistant only has this lost material to refer to, Zhang Yan's character may not be three-dimensional enough, and the identity of the protagonist is not too easy to overplay, so I say hello to readers in advance, I hope you don't be surprised.