The natural conditions outside the 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 had a large flow and could break through the desert barrier to the west and flow directly into Lop Nur......

However, with the climate change, coupled with the serious leakage along the thousands of miles of flow, the flow of the Shule River gradually became smaller, and in recent decades, the imperial court sent Zhao Guo to experiment with the "Daitian method" in Dunhuang to engage in large-scale intensive intensive farming, which used a lot of water and also had a certain impact.

So after the Shule River left Yumen Pass for dozens of kilometers, the water potential gradually decreased, but it still struggled to flow forward, and left lakes and swamps along the way, as well as a long oasis belt.

After leaving the Yumen Pass, the envoys only need to move forward along the green belt, although these lake swamps have been far away from the reclamation area, and the noise is rare, but there are withered dense reeds by the lake, and there are large poplar forests, there are birds and animals for hunting, so you can still often see the nomadic Qiang tribe nearby, and they are not afraid to see the mission, but bring the sheep to do business with them.

On the first night of leaving Yumen Pass, the mission spent the night by a small lake, with thick reeds and grass on their heads, listening to the wind on the lake, and although they were covered with sheepskin blankets, they were still cold.

By the next day, the Shule River had grown smaller, and was eventually completely drained by the cracked land, leaving only a dry riverbed with the Gobi Desert in front of it.

But the signs of life have not completely disappeared, for example, Ren Hong was next to a low-lying sandy land 90 miles away from Yumen Pass, and saw a large area of reeds, licorice, baici and other things, as well as an abandoned post station, and a large and deep well next to the post station, and the water that came up was different from the saltiness of the lake, and it was extremely sweet......

"Elm Springs."

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

"Legend has it that the Marquis of Bowang returned to the Central Plains for the first time when he went to the Western Regions to pass through this place, there was no fresh water, he was dry and thirsty, and he saw that the surface of the ground here was wet and shady, and he thought that there would be a spring underneath, so he dug more than a zhang, and sure enough, there was a spring gushing out, rising to three feet from the mouth of the spring, and then he did not rise, if he scooped shallow, he would rise again."

"To the second envoy to the Western Regions, let people plant a few elm trees here as a marker, so it is called the elm spring, and then gradually there is a post station, but it is a pity that eleven years ago, all outside the Yumen Pass was abandoned, and this place was abandoned......"

Now that the few elm trees planted by Zhang Qian have already grown tall, they can be seen from a few miles away, Ren Hong looked up at the branches that were about to bud and sighed:

"The predecessors planted trees, and the descendants enjoyed the shade."

They are stepping on the footprints of the forerunners, and it is still so difficult, which shows how much courage Zhang Qian needs to chisel into the air. Running the Silk Road is by no means a succession of one generation, but must be maintained by every dynasty and every generation.

Fu Jiezi also sat by the spring to drink water, and in the face of Ren Hong's exclamation, he gave the officials a good news:

"The imperial court has issued an edict to Dunhuang Taishou to restore the pavilion barrier post station outside the Yumen Pass, and when we return from Loulan, there will be a waiting officer here, a big fried waiting official, which is subordinate to the Yumen Governor's Mansion!"

"The new candidate will work in this tuntian, build a dock stopper, and in the future, the envoys and merchants will go to the Western Regions, and they will not have to supply in Hecang City, and this will become a new starting point!"

In this way, the empire can stretch its fingertips to the West and extend forward for 90 Han miles, which is already a difficult step taken again after 11 years of fierce controversy and compromise between the radical and conservative factions of the DPRK and China......

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

On the third day, the envoys saw the scenery, only a large area of the Gobi Desert, far and near sand mountains and valleys, hidden from time to time, there is not a single tree here, red willow and scorpion grass are difficult to take root, don't look at them short, but the root system is very deep, can absorb water from dozens of meters underground, occasionally crawling from the sand of the small lizard, is the only animal here.

After trekking on the Gobi for a whole day, at dusk, Zheng Ji, who was walking beside Ren Hong, suddenly let out an exclamation:

"There's a big city ahead!"

……

It's not that Han Dare has been dazzled by the sun for a long time, and it's not a mirage, but there is really a "city" in front of the mission, and the earthy yellow mounds stand on the blue-gray Gobi, stretching for dozens of miles......

From a distance, they look like tall city walls, and when you get closer, you can see that there are dense platforms in the "city", some like pavilions, some like pavilions, under the reflection of the setting sun, they change all kinds of postures, between the terraces, the streets and alleys, as well as crossroads, small squares, etc.

Lu Jiuyu patted his eyes dizzyingly, Zheng Ji and Han Dangdang, who were looking left and right, said with a smile: "Ridge City has arrived, it is said that this is the capital of Wusun before moving westward, it is really too big, no one has gone through it all." ”

What, the old capital of the Wusun people?

Ren Hong couldn't cry or laugh when he heard it, how could Wusun, a nomadic tribe, build such a big city.

Of course, it's not an ancient civilization, this is actually a joint ticket with Yumen Pass, Yadan Devil City......

Is it because of this beautiful misunderstanding that the Han Dynasty took a look at Wusun Guogao earlier and included it in the ranks of "civilized countries"?

Ren Hong couldn't help coughing and explained:

"In fact, these are not the ruins of the city, but the wind and sand blowing the mound."

The cause of this Yadan landform is the strong cold wind in the north of the Saibei, the wind rises and the sand flies, the coarse and fine sand and gravel blow the ground with the wind, like countless grinding wheels in the grinding, thousands of years of peeling, so that the loose sandy soil layer on the ground is all blown away, leaving only the hard clay layer, becoming a statue carved by the wind, so the shape is different.

In the sky, you can see that all the earthen platforms are arranged in a long strip of east and west, like a group of giant whales in the vast sand sea, or a column of warships cruising, magnificent......

When they heard this, they didn't believe it: "How powerful is the wind?" ”

"This is the wind of the Western Regions, the water drops and stones wear, as long as the days are long, the wind can also destroy the withering and decaying!" Ren Hong said.

Lu Jiuyu still didn't believe it, shook his head and said: "No matter what, I will rest in the ridge city tonight, the wind around here is indeed very strong, if you don't hide behind the mound, you will be buried in the sand tomorrow." Stay honest after nightfall, and don't walk around, for there are many forks in the road, and it is easy to get lost. ”

"That's right."

He turned his head again and smiled mysteriously: "There is also a rumor in this ridge city, that when pedestrians rode through the desert at night, they fell behind for some reason, and the wind was strong outside, so they had to spend the night here, and in the middle of the night they heard the sound of ghosts crying wolves. ”

"Like a woman choking, like a child crying, and like wild beasts and evil spirits howling, it was terrible, and when his companion came to see him the next day, his face was withered, and he had been dead for a long time!"

Lu Jiuyu deliberately threatened: "Back then, Wusun was attacked by the Yue Clan, and many people died here, most of them were their souls who couldn't stop here, and came out to harm people at night!" ”

"Really?"

Han Dangdang's face was a little bad, don't look at the old Han fighting bravely, as if he was not afraid of heaven and earth, but he was a little superstitious, at this time, the wind was blowing outside, whining, it was really a little inside.

"Don't panic, I have a way to make you not afraid of ghosts."

Lu Jiuyu patted himself and advertised: "I've passed by Longcheng several times, aren't they all good!" ”

As he spoke, he glanced at Fu Jiezi and Wu Zongnian in the distance, and saw that they didn't pay attention to this side, so he took out a few things from his arms and sent them to Ren Hong.

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

After taking over the object, he saw that it was a poplar wood split from the middle, the whole was in the shape of a wooden contract, the top was large and the bottom was sharp, and the middle part was flattened, and then the eyes, nose, mouth, teeth, and hair of the human face were painted with ink, and the expression was fierce and vicious.

Ren Hong is clear, the villain painted on it is "Shen Tu", "Yu Lei", it is the legend of the god who can subdue the evil ghosts, every New Year's Festival, the Han people will also insert peach charms at the door, and draw the name of the two gods to the town house.

As for the peach talisman that you carry with you when you go out, it is a wood to ward off evil spirits, and the effect is similar to the meaning of hanging a *** avatar in the car of the car driver in later generations - keep safe!

Lu Jiuyu is worthy of being a profiteer, and he never forgets to make money, and begins to shout in a low voice: "A hundred dollars can ensure a peaceful sleep in the city tonight, and ensure a safe journey to the Western Regions, how about it?" To buy or not to buy? ”

"I have it myself."

Zheng Ji, the auditor, took out the peace charm of the land of Wu Yue: incense sachets.

He also put the sachet in front of his nose and took a deep breath, although the vanilla zhilan inside had withered, he could still smell the smell of his hometown, and everyone was numb.

"This is made by my mother, and I took it to Wu Zixu Temple to pray for peace for me, but I can dispel obscurity and ward off evil spirits."

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

"I didn't."

Han Dang was in a hurry, panicked, and really paid for one.

Lu Jiuyu happily put away the money and looked at Ren Hong: "What about Ren Fake Official, why don't you buy one too?" ”

"I ......"

Ren Hong couldn't tell them that the terrible sounds of those nights were actually made by the wind blowing through the Yadan group, and it was not a ghost at all.

But after thinking about it, didn't he be blown to the Han Dynasty by a strange wind and became Ren Hong, since he couldn't find a scientific explanation, the phrase "there are no ghosts and gods in the world" really didn't have the confidence to say.

Ren Hong then picked up the old iron pot brought out by the broken flint, and said with a smile:

"I've got this!"

……

That night, the four felt tents of the envoys were erected at the southwest foot of a tall earthen platform, and the horses and livestock were placed on another earthen platform nearby, so that the camels were nested outside, and the horses and mules were inside.

The wind rose in the middle of the night, the sound of the wind from far to near, blowing in the Yadan Devil City, making a whining sound, it was really like a ghost crying wolf, whistling on the top of the felt tent, as if there were dozens of hands tearing, the terrible wind sound, making people creepy.

Ren Hong was unlucky, he didn't win the guessing boxing, so he could only lie on the edge of the felt tent, fortunately he was well prepared, and made a felt blanket similar to a sleeping bag before coming, wrapped himself tightly, but it was still warm, but the thighs were a little itchy, I don't know if it was scratched by wool, or raw fleas.

As for the others, the wind has been drilling into the felt tent, even if they sleep in the innermost, it is not warm at all, Ren Hong saw Han Dangdang and Sun Shiwan because of the cold, and they unconsciously hugged each other in their dreams, and couldn't help but laugh.

Slowly, the wind stopped, it was quiet outside, and even the livestock were sleeping soundly.

At this time, someone got up and wanted to step over Ren Hong and walk out, which woke him up, and couldn't help asking:

"Who? Why? ”

"Go pull the arrow." It was Lu Jiuyu's voice.

"Do you want me to go with you?"

Ren Hong remembered that Fu Jiezi had instructed everyone to go out in groups, otherwise it would be easy to get lost and get separated.

Although Lu Jiuyu didn't have any self-defense skills, he was much more courageous than Han Dang: "Joke, I can find a way to this city with my eyes closed." ”

"Then don't go far, just walk a few steps and squat."

"No, I'd better go farther away, don't smoke until you wait."

Lu Jiuyu is a particular person, he went out tremblingly, Ren Hong was also a little lazy, so he didn't go out with him, but he was still warm......

He fell asleep in a daze, and I don't know how long it had been before he was woken up by the sound of horses.

Ren Hong stood up suddenly, it was dark outside, and when he turned around, everyone in the account was still asleep, but there was only one empty position, and Lu Jiuyu hadn't come back yet!

Just then, there was another neighing of horses outside! It seems to be a turnip!

Without waiting for Ren Hong to get out of his sleeping bag, he heard Zhao Hu'er's loud warning from the felt tent next door:

"Someone stole a horse!"

……

PS: The outline of the second volume has to be finer, and there are still some information left in Loulan, and there is only one chapter today (in fact, I want to watch the game at night.,Take a leave.,Make up tomorrow)