"Brother Jing, I'll go up and take a look." Qin Feng bowed his hand to Jing Jian, and then performed light skills and followed Wei Ying from a distance.

Wei Ying did not ride a horse this time.

He knew that although horses could travel, in poor mountain villages, one was not much faster, and the other was that the burden of forage was difficult to solve.

Buyi hiking was nothing new to him, and he was exploring a country that was ready to take root for a long time, excited and pleasant, without the slightest bitter frustration.

He also did not look for companions among the scholars of the Zhaoxian Pavilion, and he believed that there must be hard-working people among so many scholars, and they would not be all impetuous and vain.

Even so, he was still willing to go alone. In his view, deep thinking is the result of lonely scrutiny, and it depends on arbitrariness, not public opinion. Visiting the mountains and wilderness in the depths of the mountains and the public will only focus on the behavior that hinders the mind, and will not help the clear thoughts.

Wei Martingale first headed west.

Before entering the Qin Dynasty, he carefully studied all the classics he could find about the Qin State, and had a deep impression of the bumpy footprints of the early Qin tribes, knowing that the remote west was the foundation of the Qin State, and the foundation of the Qin State was in the west, in the river valley area of the upper Jingwei Reach.

When the Qin tribe marched eastward to King Qin, it was secretly driven from the river valley area of Longxi. The Qin people were originally an ancient eastern tribe, starting from the Shang Dynasty, they were ordered to move westward and became the main force of the Yin Shang Dynasty against the Rongdi in the west.

After the fall of the Yin Shang, the Qin tribe was despised and forgotten as the remnants of the previous dynasty. The Qin tribe was unable to move back, so they fought bloodily in the Rongdi Ocean on the western border, and won the Jingwei River Valley.

In the era of King Mu of Zhou, the Qin tribe produced a father who tamed fierce horses and had driving skills, and the Qin tribe had to leak the clues at the beginning of the Western Zhou Dynasty.

During the reign of King Xiao of Zhou, the Qin tribe had a meritorious role in raising war horses for the Zhou family, and was sealed as a small "vassal" state that was not enough for the rank of the princes and only thirty miles of land, and the horns of the head were finally revealed.

Three generations later, Rong Di repeatedly violated the Central Plains, the Qin tribe was reused, and the leader Qin Zhong was named Zhou Tianzi's doctor, leading the Qin tribe to fight against Rong Di, and the Qin tribe reappeared. Unfortunately, Qin Zhong died in battle, Rong Di retreated, and the Qin tribe was forgotten again.

Decades later, King You of Zhou lost power, Rong Di occupied Haojing on a large scale, killed King You, burned Haojing, and the Zhou Dynasty faced a catastrophe. The crown prince Yijiu, who was later King Zhou Ping, once again remembered the Rong Dike Xingqin tribe. So he ventured west and asked for help in person.

The leader Qin Xiangqin led 50,000 fierce cavalry to the east, defeated Rong Di in the first battle, and escorted King Zhou Ping east to Luoyang.

The Qin tribe's great contribution to the rebuilding of the Zhou Dynasty finally made it a great vassal state that inherited all the Zhou Wangji. Breaking away from the civilization of the Central Plains and developing alone in the western frontier for hundreds of years, even the most powerful Wei state today, may not be able to do it.

However, the closure of Qin, the isolation of Qin, the poverty of Qin, and the reason why Qin's repeated defeats in the east without extinction should all be found in the west.

Wei Ying just wanted to go to the old roots in the western part of the Qin State to see if he could find something that others were ignoring?

It was still asking questions while walking, eating and sleeping in the open air, and it took ten days to walk through Yongcheng, the old capital of Qin, and to the mountain basin where the Qin tribe was named a "vassal" hundreds of years ago. Thirty or fifty miles to the west here, there is the Chencang dangerous road between the two mountains, and it is also the throat fortress of Qin Mugong to deal with Rong Di back then.

When Wei Ying walked to the top of Chencangkou Mountain, it was the time when the sun was about to set.

The ravines and ravines of the vast mountains are dyed golden, and the dwellings can be seen in the ditch, the smoke curls up, the stone surface of the mountain ridge is exposed, a small river flows through the ditch, and the rocky beaches on both sides are faintly visible.

It was summer, and it was rare to see a few green trees in the mountains and ravines, and what was full of eyes was either the green and white rocks or the green loess.

From time to time, the cow cries of "moo-moo-" echoed in the ravine, making the ravines look empty and desolate. Wei Ying stood on the ridge and looked at it from afar, and couldn't help but sigh heavily. It was the most desolate and barren place he had ever seen in all the nations.

It should be said that this is still one of the earliest foundations of the old Qin people, and it is definitely not the poorest place, that is to say, there are more poor mountains and bad rivers and more barren land in the Qin State. He has already seen the Weiping River in the heart of the heart, it is a kind of rich and barren.

Then this place is already really poor, but there are even poorer places than here, Qin State is really a desolate and extremely poor state! For such a country to become a strong and prosperous country full of verdant mountains, fertile fields, cattle and sheep, and rich people and a strong country is tantamount to a fool's dream. There is no earth-shaking ambition and big move, don't talk about the prosperity and strength of the Qin country.

As twilight fell, the martingale walked down the thorny path of stones and clods of earth.

It is a very small village, with about twenty or thirty families. There was still sunset on the top of the mountain, but it was already twilight in the ditch, but there was no light in the village. Wei Ying walked to a slightly neat courtyard and found that the thick wooden door was half-hidden, and a dilapidated wooden sign hung on the forehead of the door made of yellow mud, and the two big characters "Murazheng" were faintly visible. Wei Ying knocked on the wooden gang on the firewood door and asked in a loud voice, "Is the village at home?" As soon as the words fell, a big black dog pounced fiercely and roared.

"Hei'er, stop!" An old scolding came from the black room, and the black dog immediately nailed himself to the door and wheezed with his long tongue deep. The door of the black room squeaked open, and out came an old man with a stiff figure, coughing and hissing as he walked, "Who?" Wei Ying arched his hand and smiled: "Uncle Murazheng, I am a bachelor of travel, I am lost, and I want to stay overnight, okay?" ”

The old man opened the firewood door and looked Wei Ying up and down, "The black light is blind, can you enter the ditch?" Wei Ying smiled and said, "Uncle, I accidentally rolled down the ditch, not from the riverside road into the ditch." The old man nodded and said, "Oh, like, like, there are blood beads on my hands and feet." Come on, come in first. Hei'er, lie down! ”

Wei Yan walked into the courtyard. The big black dog lay quietly at the door of the black room. The old man said in a loud voice: "Mother-in-law, come out to meet the guests." Broken boy, go call someone, cage fire to welcome guests! ”

There were two responses in the dark room, and a bare-ass boy came out first, bowed to Wei Ying, and laughed sharply: "Far away, good!" And he jumped out of the door. A woman in a black cloth shorts and pants came out from behind, bowed to the waist of the martingale and smiled: "Hello? Wei Ying replied with a smile: "The master is good." The woman said, "Like-minded, like-minded." Guest seating. Crushed woman, tea. ”

Although it is the most rudimentary mountain entertainment, it is also a lot of etiquette, and it seems that the old village has seen some of the world after all.

Wei Ying bowed his hand and smiled: "Thank you for your care." The old man moved a wooden pier for Wei Ying, "Sit." Wei Ying sat down. The old man said, "Which country? Wei Ying said: "Chen Guo, it's too far. ”

The old man nodded, "Chen Guo? Fortunately, Lao Qin and Chen Guo have never been at war. No one scolded. At this time, a rather plump girl, barefoot, wearing a pair of patches and shorts of unknown color, brought a huge clay pot and a clay pot, put the clay pot in front of Wei Ying's feet, poured the big clay pot full of clay pots, and laughed in a low voice: "Herbal tea." Guest drink. ”

Wei Ying was indeed very thirsty, picked up the clay pot, and suddenly felt a strong earthy smell mixed with the smell of dried leaves, he still drank it all, and dipped his sleeve in his mouth and smiled: "Thank you." The old man smiled and said, "Everyone loves the herbal tea of the broken woman." Today, Hei'er will accompany you. ”

Wei Ying didn't hear the pronunciation clearly, thinking that the old man praised his daughter, so he also smiled: "Thank you Muramasa, the little girl is hardworking and smart, and she will definitely be able to marry a good family." The old man smiled happily: "Broken girl, praise you." The girl sneered, "Listen." The guests are also good. The old man smiled and said, "Fellow friends, broken women's blessings." ”

"The fire cage is ready——! The boy's screams came from outside the door.

The old man got up: "Let's go, the old Qin people will welcome guests if they have them, and it will be lively." Mother-in-law, woman, all go. ”

At the foot of the hill there was a bonfire in the threshing field, on which a wild sheep was hanging. The children of the mountain village excitedly brought the dead branches from the hillside and threw them into the fire, and the bonfire burned brightly, lighting up half of the village. There are no guests in the remote poor ravine for many years, and once there are guests, it is a big day for the whole village!

In both winter and summer, the mountain people will light bonfires to welcome guests. This is a simple custom formed by the old Qin people and Rong Di living together for hundreds of years. When Wei Ying traveled to the eastern countries, he had never seen his master so warm and welcoming a visitor.

He was very touched and very happy, and it was the most valuable place for him to meet the whole village. Although it was summer in July, the ravine valley was not hot at all. The villagers formed a large circle around the fire, and each person had a stoneware bowl in front of him, and men and women sat in a mixed manner. Wei Ying sat in the middle of the old village and a white-haired old man, which was regarded as a welcome gift.

Lao Murazheng's black and chubby daughter sat happily beside Wei Ying. When the moon was half a month, a bright moon in the sky, a bonfire on the ground, and in a trance, Wei Ying seemed to have returned to the years of ancient ancestors.

"On the bitter wine—" the white-haired old man beside Wei Ying commanded hoarsely. The old man is the "clan elder", the most authoritative in the clan, that is, the village chief appointed by the government, and he has to listen to him in major affairs in the clan.

A lame and shirtless middle-aged man carried a clay pot and poured red juice into the clay bowl in front of everyone. Because of his lameness, he flashed step by step, flashed a little, and it was a bowl, which was very rhythmic and neat, causing the villagers to admire. In an instant, the thick black pottery bowls in front of men, women, and children were full. The rickety old village was raising the pottery bowl and shaking it at Wei Ying, and then turned to the villagers, and hissed: "Distinguished guests come from afar, bitter wine, dry-" and drank it with a clatter.

Although Wei Ying doesn't know what bitter wine is, he has an instinctive preference for drinking, and he has always been a guest with the host, and when he saw that the village was drinking, he also raised the bowl and said, "Thank you to the old village, thank you to the father and brothers." ”

Drink it all in one go. As soon as he took his mouth, he felt a pungent sour choke on the top of his head, and if he hadn't had a good concentration, he might have vomited. I drank it strongly, but when I saw the villagers wiping their mouths, they exclaimed, "What a bitter wine!" "Sour enough!" "This is the last altar in the village, and it has been hidden for eight years, can it be?"