Xiangxi, which nominally still belongs to the Central Plains, but in fact it belongs to the southwestern border of Dayue.

The various ethnic groups here live together, each village is lined up, and it is connected to the southwest, and various customs are in their own style, which has reduced the influence of the government here to a very small extent.

Yanzhou is such a small place, but the power of the government is extremely shrinking, and even those who can really make ideas for the people of all ethnic groups in the territory are not officials appointed by the imperial court, but local officials at all levels.

Because of this, for hundreds of years, the relationship between Yanzhou and even the entire Xiangxi and the imperial court has often been repeated, surrendered or rebelled, and always wavered. As long as the local forces do not make it clear that they will rebel and cause chaos, the government at all levels will turn a blind eye to this matter.

When the Central Plains were unified and stable, this was the source of the world's troubles.

However, when the Central Plains is now swinging, and the mountains on all sides are lined up, and they are fighting each other endlessly, it is the Xiangxi area that seems to be extremely peaceful and calm.

At least Sun Ning couldn't help but feel such a feeling in his heart after entering Xiangxi all the way and seeing the stable scene here.

The local officials in Xiangxi may be greedy and brutal, and they oppress the people under their rule, but at least they can still ensure their basic living conditions.

In contrast, now the Central Plains has become a mess, and the rebellious Pingtian Army, the southbound ghosts, and the soldiers and horses on the top of the mountains are attacking each other and killing each other in full swing.

In this mid-spring season, you can see farmers busy plowing in the fields, and many people have a quiet and satisfied smile on their faces.

However, they did not go straight to Yanzhou City, because Yanjiabao was not in Yanzhou City, but was located at the foot of the mountain more than ten miles west of the city.

The scenery here is more beautiful, and there are mountains and rivers to follow, plus the circle of earthen walls outside Yanjia Fort that is five or six zhang high, it looks like a fortress here, and it is clearly a small market town.

Seeing that Sun Ning was observing the prospect with some curiosity, Yan Yifei deliberately introduced it to the side: "Brother Sun doesn't know, this Yanjiabao was established in the first place. ”

"Oh? But why? Let's hear it. ”

"My family was originally a family that moved from the Central Plains, and after taking root here, they were harassed and bullied by the local people. However, when we first arrived, we didn't dare to cause more trouble, so we endured it in many cases.

More than 100 years ago, there were five people and horses united to attack my Yanjiazhuang, wanting to exterminate my ancestors and rob our wealth.

"At this moment of crisis, the three brothers of my ancestor Xuanlong finally decided not to tolerate it anymore, so they gathered the whole clan, together with the local Han people, who were also oppressed by the barbarians, to fight back.

"At the foot of this Ying Mountain, by the Yushui River, we broke the barbarian tribe with more than 300 people......

When talking about the past glory and achievements of his ancestors, Yan Yifei's eyes were full of glory and yearning, and his face was a little red: "It is precisely because of this battle that our Yan family has really established a firm foothold in Yanzhou, and it has also made the local Han people who were bullied before straighten their waists from now on!"

After that, I read this again, and the ancestors spent more than ten years to build Yanjia Fort here. This is not only our home, but also the foundation of Yanzhou Hanmin.

"Therefore, whether it is to prevent wild beasts, or the counterattack of the barbarians later, there will be earthen walls around Yanjia Fort, and tens of thousands of soldiers and horses will not be able to attack it."

After listening to this story, Sun Ning's heart was also agitated: "I really can't imagine that the Yan family still has such a magnificent past, it's really disrespectful." ”

"Haha, that's all in the past. Now the relationship between the various ethnic groups in Yanzhou is still quite harmonious, and even if there are contradictions, it is more likely to sit down and talk slowly, and rarely use force. ”

Yan Yingjie also came over at this time, and explained with a smile: "Moreover, my Yan family has been here for a long time, in fact, it has long been integrated with various ethnic groups, and even the martial arts passed down by our family have long been influenced by local customs.

"So what Yifei said is all in the past, and no one mentions it anymore."

"I see, teachable." Sun Ning nodded, the integration of various ethnic groups is the trend of the times, and it is indeed a great thing for either party to be able to coexist in harmony like this.

"Okay, let's go into the fort, I think the family is already waiting for Yifei to come back." Yan Yingjie said, patted the horse under his crotch, and took the lead in moving forward.

Seeing this, the others were not far behind, and they shouted and rode their horses one after another, and rushed forward quickly, and in a blink of an eye they had arrived in front of the open gate of Yanjiabao.

However, Sun Ning was the three, but he was a little behind, especially Yan Yifei, who subconsciously slowed down his pace, and his face showed a little timidity and uneasiness.

"What, are you afraid of being blamed by your family when you go back?" Xiao Qian saw his thoughts at a glance and asked with a smile.

"Yes, sort of. When I didn't say goodbye, the family must have been in a hurry......"

"Then it's better to go back generously and admit your mistake to them. Don't you already know that you were wrong? Xiao Qian smiled again, picked up her most cherished big gourd, and poured a sip of wine.

Sun Ning also followed: "It's all back, don't think too much." I don't think your family will blame you too much for this, after all, they are your closest relatives. ”

Inspired and encouraged by the two, Yan Yifei finally cheered up, agreed, and rode forward quickly, keeping up with the team in front.

Sun Ning and Xiao Qian looked at each other and smiled, and then urged their horses to follow, and soon came to the gate of the rather magnificent fort.

The main gate of this Yanjia Fort is also seven or eight zhang high, and the thickness is five or six feet, covered with iron sheets, and there are strong men guarding with swords and guns on the left and right, which is really not much different from the military fort in northern Xinjiang.

Even on the wall above, you can see a few men on duty, looking into the distance, and there are words and flags fluttering in the wind, hunting sounds.

Of course, they are now guests of Yanjia Fort, so naturally they will not be hindered, and they will enter the gate of the fort unhindered.

There was a street that led straight into the distance, the same width as the city gate, three or four feet, which could accommodate two or three horse-drawn carriages in parallel, and on both sides it was like a town, and there were many shops and people's houses.

only entered the gate of Yanjiabao, and Sun Ning's first impression was that it was indeed a good place, and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment, as if there were more gangs in the town than in the rivers and lakes.

And this is exactly the case, Yanjiabao is actually an important town outside of Yanzhou.