After coming over the Heavenly Mountain, we intermittently encountered several flat and straight horse paths along the way, either north or south, or east and west.

It hovers like a dragon between the desert and the mountains and plateaus.

My grandfather told me that these were royal gallops, which were first built by Qin Shi Huang 500 years ago.

In the years of Zhongxing of the Han Dynasty, it has been strengthened and rammed countless times before it has what it is today.

At that time, these gallops were built to meet the needs of the emperor to go out for inspection, and to smooth the government decrees within the dynasty.

Except for the emperor and the chariots and horses that delivered the documents of the imperial court, ordinary businessmen and scholars must not walk on it, otherwise they may attract the crime of destroying the king.

In the past 100 years since the end of the Han Dynasty, the road has fallen into disrepair and has long lost its former grandeur of Weida Quartet, and the livestock of the wilderness mountain people can walk on it.

There are many sections of Hexi Chi Road that have been completely buried between the yellow sand and withered grass, and the original trace has disappeared.

Perhaps it is the reason for the closest to Chang'an, although it has experienced the dynastic changes of Han, Jin, Qianliang, Qianqin, and Houqin, this galloping road in Hedong basically retains its original appearance.

The royal majesty is still there, and ten tall horses are on top of it without feeling crowded.

Playing horses galloping on the straight road, people can't help but think of the grand occasion of the Qin Emperor's western tour, the Han military horses galloped from here and roared by, straight to the magnificent scene of the Huns.

Although there were only more than 200 horsemen and 100 people, our caravan from the far western regions still attracted a lot of onlookers and commotion along the way.

The oncoming merchants and passers-by will give way to us from a distance, and the garrison officials of the Houqin Post Station on both sides of the road will often stop the caravan to fulfill our customs clearance documents.

Our attire is very similar to the envoys of the Western Regions during the Han Dynasty and the Western Regions to pay tribute to Dawan and Wusun Baoma.

Another example is the elite soldiers of the Huns who went deep alone and carried out the task of sneak attack.

Only on the back of each horse, the vermilion "Chang'an Fang" and "Qingfengze" merchant flags fluttered in the autumn wind, which revealed the identity of our merchants.

"Old Su, old lieutenant! Since Fu Jian's army was defeated in Weishui and Qiang Qin entered the main pass, the strength of these northern countries is not as good as before! The people of our little government are like facing a great enemy, and the rumors are loud! Hehe. ”

Grandpa and Uncle Su walked side by side, and they couldn't help laughing when they saw the scene on the road.

"Master, next time we come to Chang'an, let's ride a camel, businessmen should look like businessmen, so as to save unnecessary trouble on the way." Uncle Su cautiously suggested.

A day earlier, the local supervisors along the way had sent more than 500 men to surround us, believing that we were spies from the Northland.

Although it was a big misunderstanding, it also made Uncle Suder, a descendant of the Great Moon Clan in the Western Regions, a little apprehensive.

"If we ride a camel, we are still under the Heavenly Mountain in the west of Guzang City! I won't be able to reach Chang'an at the end of this year! Lao Su, where is your guts! Grandpa teased disdainfully.

"In troubled times, a family of soldiers and bandits! It's better to be careful! Uncle Su argued.

"If this is the case, the soldiers and bandits on camels will let us go? Ha ha! We're going to be even worse! It can only become fish in people's mouths! With the Humvee knife in hand, we can at least give it a fight! ”

Grandpa's heroic smile also attracted the unanimous praise of the two old men.

The controversy over horseback and camel riding has also come to an end.

"Grandpa, what do you call the rumors?"

I was puzzled and asked, on the way, I liked to listen to the three elders raise the bar and swing the dragon gate, and I could learn a lot of things.

"A few years ago, Qin King Fu Jian commanded 800,000 soldiers and horses to move south, but on the shore of Huainan County, he was defeated by the 50,000 troops and horses of Xie An, the prime minister of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Later, on the way to the north, he passed through the Bagong Mountains in Shouchun, and the night wind was noisy with the hustle and bustle of thousands of trees in the mountains, Fu Jian thought it was an ambush in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and was frightened. This is where the word "wind and crane" comes from, hehe. After this battle, Di Qin's vitality was greatly damaged, which gave Yao Chang, the Qiang man of the "King of Qin for Ten Thousand Years", an opportunity. 10 years ago, Yao Chang captured Fu Jian, 9 years ago captured Chang'an, three years ago Yao Chang's son Yao Xing swept away the rest of the Qin Fu clan, and only then did he have the world of Hou Qin today! ”

After introducing the changes in Chang'an in the past few decades, Grandpa took out the wine bag a little tired, and drank a few sips before relieving his strength again.

"Grandson, chaos and ignorance! In Qingfengze, the old gentleman said that Longxi Guanzhong is the foundation of the old Qin people, and he is talking about the Qin Dynasty of Qin Shi Huangdi. Now that there are these Di Qin and Qiang Qin again, it's really a mess, hehe. ”

I smiled bitterly and said, these Hu people in the north are really tendons, occupying the land of our Han family, and still inheriting the national name of the Han people, I really don't know what they think.

"Well said! Golden City! In the future, these 800 miles of Weishui Qinchuan will be called the land of Sanqin! Ha ha! Uncle Suder said approvingly.

"Master Su, what day is today?" Qin Chong, who was walking with me, asked coldly.

"Oops! You cold baby didn't remind me, but I forgot! Ha ha! Chongyang is not today! I'm going to make arrangements for us to spend the night on Oak Slope tonight! ”

Su Ye patted his head, and happily went forward to make arrangements.

"Qin Chong, is Chongyang in Oak Forest Slope different from other places? Isn't it climbing to drink chrysanthemums and wearing dogwoods? I asked, puzzled.

I remember that when the old gentleman was still in my Qingfengze Academy, on the ninth day of September every year, he would call our three or five children's disciples, bring carpet wine and food, climb high and overlook, and drink wine to the wind to relieve homesickness.

Only then did I slowly understand that there is such a festival of respecting the elderly, worshipping ancestors, and nostalgic for the homeland.

"Young master, at this time of year in this loess plateau in the east of the river, all the grains have been harvested. The old Qin people have been fond of excitement since ancient times, so various rural villages and communities will organize various activities within the harvest festival on the day of Chongyang, but only the harvest festival in this area of Oak Forest Slope is the most fun! Qin Chong smiled innocently.

"Young master, the men, women, and children of one of their village communities will climb the high slopes everywhere at night and throw torches!"

"It's all torches made of fallen leaves of oak trees, lit and thrown into the sky! At night, you can see that the river is full of fireballs flying and falling! That's called a spectacular! Pot Helmet Liu and Sha Mihan also rushed forward to join in the fun.

The four of us in the whole caravan were about the same age, so we smelled the same.

Since the last night visit to the Wolf Goddess Mountain, we have always met at each station to find all kinds of fun to pass the boring time on the way.

"The lord said that his hometown in Longxi also has this custom of harvest sacrifice, so every time we pass through the oak forest slope, we will wear torches like the locals, and go to the slope at night to raise fire to worship the sky, praying for the ancestors and gods to bless us with safety on the way!" Qin Chong continued.

I really learned a lot from him all the strange things I saw and heard along the way.

"There are also roasted whole sheep and Lao Qin's wine pipes, which are enough!"

Shamihan is very yearning for the campfire barbecue on the slope in the evening, and in the past few days, the coarse rice and rotten meat in the carriage and horse shops on both sides of the gallop road have faded out of the hearts of those who eat them.

"Corn pot helmets are definitely indispensable! Pot helmet Liu! I'm right! ”

"Young master! You're half right! I don't have a pot helmet, I can get you some roasted corn ears! Ha ha! ”

Imagining the happy hours of the evening, the fatigue of a day's travel has long since dissipated into the clouds.

A densely forested hillside appeared on the right side of the road as he spoke, and a few wine flags from the oak slope fluttered in the evening breeze, and the inn where he stayed tonight arrived.

Since the end of the day, oak is a very common tree species on the way, and the acorns it bears are said to be life-saving food in famine years.

But this is the first time I've seen an ancient oak tree as the slope of the oak forest.

After settling our belongings and horses in the inn, the four of us came to the oak grove behind the inn.

There are a lot of guys who have already come, and there are countless Han family men and women carrying rattan baskets.

While picking up the fallen acorns, they pierced the dead leaves of the oak trees on the slender hooked branches, which was the oak torch Qin Chong said.

I followed behind Shamihan and the others, and in a short time I made four or five of these fires.

The oak forest slowly darkened, and we hurriedly returned to the inn with the "results of the battle" that had been down for half a day--- about fifty torches.

According to my grandfather's request, the Harvest Festival is a solemn and grand festival of the Han people in Qinlong, and each of us needs to bathe and change clothes to show our piety.

After washing and changing, we followed the flow of people staying in the hotel and came to the back mountain.

The guy in charge of logistics that day had already set up a bonfire, and the fragrance of roasted sheep, millet and ears of millet filled the four fields.

The three elders of Grandpa, Grandpa, and Uncle Su have already come here, and the offerings to the heavens, the earth, and the ancestors have been placed on the stone platform that has been temporarily placed.

As Qin Chong said, on the hillsides in all directions, burning torches have begun to rise one after another, illuminating the night on the river like day.

After all the men bowed and worshiped before the offering, each lit their own torches on the bonfire.

"Raise fire and worship the sky! A good year! Heaven is as you wish! Fall on one's feet! ”

Grandpa raised his crossbow, and the flaming feathered arrows stained with mutton fat flew to the top of the dome with a scream.

And our oak leaf torches also flew high and low, and fell one after another under the cliff in front of us.

I threw five or six torches in total, but my arm strength was limited, and I never reached the height of my grandfather's feather arrows.

"Qin Chong, why don't you remind me, I knew that I would have brought the bow and crossbow too, so that throwing fireballs would be a good time! Ha ha! I shook my arm a little sore, a little regretful.

"That's the lord's prerogative! We can't get over it! ”

Before he finished speaking, these guys who were heavy on meat and light on friends went straight to Fat Sheep and Qin Jiu.

Qin Chong, who doesn't like to drink, is quite loyal, and when I poured the wine for myself, he had already cut off a large piece of barbecue and came over to share it with me.

Liu and Shamihan brought the freshly roasted ears of grain, and they kept making crackling and popping sounds.

At the beginning of the new month, the silver man is like smoke.

We, a hundred and ten merchants from the far west, sat in groups of three or five on the hillside.

With fat sheep and wine, as well as a pious heart, he shared the joy of the harvest of the Handi farmers.