Shu Yan was released by Jiang Liu and rewarded the horse sword, but what he didn't expect was that even the dark iron heavy bow was rewarded.

walked out of the gate of the county government, turned over and got on the horse, and was about to go west, but remembered that Zhao Shun and Liu Cai had been sent back to Luoyang by themselves, and the relevant documents were on the two of them, so they went alone empty-handed, what did they use as evidence? I have the heart to go back to Luoyang to chase, not to mention the many journeys in vain, and if I encounter Qi Wannian's rebels again, I may not be so lucky to get out this time.

I was worried, and suddenly I heard someone shouting under the tree on the left side of the road: "General, we have been waiting for you for a long time." ”

Shu Yan looked back and saw that it was Zhao Shun and Liu Cai. He couldn't help but rejoice: "Didn't you two go back to Luoyang, why are you still here?" ”

Liu Cai said with a grin: "General, why are you confused." Don't you hear, 'There are eggs under the nest?' 'If they have taken you, how can they release us separately?' ”

"After I was taken away, you two were also captured by them?"

"Of course."

"Then why did you let you go again?"

"Compared to you, we are just a foil, since they have plans to let you go, naturally they will not be difficult for us."

"That's very good. I'm worried that I'm empty-handed, I can't go to Dawan without Wenmu, so we continue to set off. It's just that we don't have a horse......" Shu Yan glanced at the tree, Zhao Shun's injury was no longer serious, and he found two horses, and said strangely, "Huh-who gave this horse?" ”

Liu Cai said: "The general actually told jokes, this kind of foot power is worth a lot of money, for no reason, who gave away the horse in vain?" ”

"Where did that come from?"

"Don't you think there's something missing?"

"What's missing?" Shu Yan took a look, "Ah, where is my wine?" ”

"Hee-hee, it's a different horse."

"What?" Shu Yan gritted his teeth angrily, "That barrel of wine is a rare wine in the Central Plains, and it was specially made for me by Xiao Mo, I haven't been willing to drink it yet, how dare you dispose of it without my consent?" ”

Liu Cai listened to Shu Yan's reprimand, pouted and said, "General, you can blame me for this." Do you think I'm trading wine for horses for me? Or can I control it? ”

"What do you mean by that?"

"Why don't you want to think about it? Why do you think your Darkiron Heavy Bow is back in your hands so smoothly? Why do you think our money and luggage can be returned so easily? Let me tell you, after this kind of military turmoil, it is already a blessing of God to be able to save the life of your family. Who can expect property to be preserved? Not to mention our valuable silk silk and your peerless bow? ”

For the rest of his life after the catastrophe, Zhao Shun also said happily: "It is indeed thanks to Liu Cai's clever tongue." He was afraid that his property would be divided among the soldiers below, so he preemptively told Captain Lin about the wine we were carrying. He only heard of the name of wine, but he did not see the fact, and immediately found it as a treasure. Liu Cai took the opportunity to make a condition to him, asking for the preservation of the property and the bow that had been stored, and a request for a horse. Captain Lin didn't dare to be self-absorbed and went in to give him the Qiang chieftain. It didn't take long for the things to be returned to us. It's a blessing! We might as well take a step back and say, what can we do if this man forcibly robs all the money, bows, swords, wine, etc., or directly knocks the wine barrel to the ground? Who to talk to? Don't you have to endure it the same way? ”

After listening to the words of the two people, Shu Yan also understood that this was the case, but he felt a little heartache, and sighed helplessly: "It's okay, it's okay." It's just that he finally lived up to Xiao Mo's big heart. Let's hit the road. ”

The three of them ran out of the border of Anding County in one breath without stopping, and a big river in front of them blocked the way. Shu Yan breathed a sigh of relief and said: "After crossing the Yellow River in front, even if you are completely out of Qi Wannian's sphere of influence." ”

Liu Cai suddenly sighed: "I have lived in Luoyang for decades, and I have never known that the Yellow River flows eastward; When I arrived in Chang'an, I learned that the Yellow River over there flowed southward; Now that we have reached the boundary of Liangzhou, the Yellow River is flowing northward! ”

Shu Yan looked at the surging river in front of him, and his mood was really much more relaxed. He jumped off his horse and said: "The Yellow River has its own unique characteristics compared to other big rivers: it flows eastward, then it turns north, then it turns east, then it turns south, and finally it goes east. With four major breakpoints and a long northward flow section, these are the two unique features of the Yellow River compared to other major rivers. ”

"The big rivers are basically in a fixed direction, but the Yellow River has so many abrupt flow turns, which is indeed rare, but what is unusual about flowing northward?" Liu Cai asked suspiciously.

Shu Yan said with a smile: "The general direction of the world's major rivers basically flows east or south, except for small roundabout sections, few flow north, and almost none flow westward. ”

"Why is that?"

"Hehe, don't you hear that the co-workers hit the Buzhou Mountain back then, the sky tilted to the northwest, and the ground fell to the southeast, causing the northwest to be high and the southeast to be low."

"Oh? In this way, we go all the way to the northwest, and we go up to the heavens. ”

"Hahaha, it's just a legend, how can it be true! However, this is indeed a reflection of the vastness of the Celestial Empire's territory. ”

Zhao Shun also dismounted with the help of Liu Cai, the wound was still painful, but his mood was hearty: "Although I was frightened, injured and labored on the road, I saw a lot of scenery and local customs, which can be regarded as an eye-opener." ”

"It's too early to say that. How far have you come? Shu Yan took out the road map and looked at it, "According to the general indication on the map, from Luoyang to here, we have only walked about 20% of the distance; After crossing the Yellow River, it is another two percent of the distance to Dunhuang; After Dunhuang, from Yumen Pass or Yangguan, it is considered to have reached the border of the Western Regions, but it is only about forty percent of the distance. After Dunhuang, the endless Gobi, you will know what suffering is; When you arrive in the Western Regions, the 36 countries are exotic, you know what it is to open your eyes. ”

When the two of them heard about the exotic customs of the 36 countries, they were a little yearning, but when they thought of the endless Gobi, they retreated again, but whether they yearned for it or not, it was impossible to retreat at this time.

I found a ferry and bought a boat to cross the Yellow River. According to the map, along the Hexi Corridor all the way to the west, passing through Zhangye County and Jiuquan County, it is becoming more and more desolate. On this day, when I arrived at the boundary of Dunhuang, it was a lively scene.

Merchants carrying all kinds of goods shuttled back and forth, dressed in various costumes, speaking various languages, leading caravans and horses to gather here, or to trade on the spot, or to rest and stay. The sound of camel bells, horses' hooves, the shouting of officials and soldiers, the sound of buying and selling, and the sound of loading and unloading are mixed together, which has become a major daily feature of this important border town. This is the western frontier under the direct control of the Great Jin Dynasty, and further west is the traditional Western Regions, which is controlled by the Western Regions Governor's Mansion set up by the imperial court. Although it is also under the jurisdiction of the Great Jin, it is somewhat different from Zhongyuan Prefecture.

Shu Yan and the three of them entered the city and found an inn to rest. It's about to embark on a journey to the desolation, and you need to rest and recuperate here. After staying for two days, recuperating and preparing enough food, water, medicine, and other necessary things, it is time to set off.

Zhao Shun asked Shu Yan: "I heard the people here say that there are two passes to the west of this Dunhuang City, one is the Yumen Pass in the north, and the other is the Yangguan Pass in the south. ”

Shu Yan said: "I haven't walked before, and I don't know at all." Good thing we have maps. Liu Cai, take out the map and take a look. ”

Liu Cai took out the map from the package and said, "The general actually told a joke, how can we understand this thing." ”

Shu Yan thought about it, these two didn't even know a few words, how could they understand the map? Then he unfolded it and looked at it, and said while studying: "One of Yumen Pass and Yangguan is in the northwest of Dunhuang and the other is in the southwest of Dunhuang, which is hundreds of miles apart, and Dunhuang City is in a triangular trend. The two passes to the west can reach Shanshan, the residence of the Western Regions Changshi Mansion. However, from Shanshan to the west, it is a large desert, and it is never feasible to cross the desert directly, so two routes are formed, one is to go west along the northern edge of the desert, and the other is to go west along the southern edge of the desert, but eventually they can reach Dawan. If you take the north line, you have to pass through the foot of the Tianshan Mountain, and pass through Yanqi Kingdom, Luntai Kingdom, Qiuci Country and other places; If you go to the south line, you have to pass through the foot of Kunlun, and pass through Ruoqiang country, Jingjue country, and Shache country. ”

"Forget it, General, we can't remember what you said so much, so let's be concise and just say which route to take."

"I don't know which route is easy to take, but the northern route seems to be closer, so let's take the northern route."

The three of them made up their minds, packed their bags, and led their horses out of the store.

The shopkeeper came up and said, "Are you going to Dawan like this?" ”

Zhao Shun's leg injury was basically healed, and he responded confidently: "Well, what else?" ”

"How?" The shopkeeper pouted, "I see that you haven't been to the Western Regions." I advise you, you to come from and go back as soon as possible. ”

Shu Yan has not had any experience in the trip to the Western Regions, and now he has been very worried about this, and now when he heard the shopkeeper say this, he asked very humbly: "I am indeed the first time to go to the Western Regions, it is inevitable that something will be wrong, and if there is anything wrong, please ask my brother for more instructions." ”

The shopkeeper glanced at Shu Yan and said, "I see that your attitude is quite sincere." I'll just tell you a few words, if you go to Shanshan, Yanqi and other places that are closer, it's just that, and the road to Dawan is so far, you have to cross thousands of miles of the entire desert. The night weather in the desert is very cold, and there are wild animals on the road from time to time, and the most terrible thing is the lack of water. You may not be able to find a water source for hundreds of miles. Even if a very experienced guide has to form a group of more than a dozen people, there is no guarantee of complete safety, and people like you who don't know anything and have no head to bump into each other are afraid that they will be buried in the desert? ”

Shu Yan listened to the shopkeeper's words and nodded incessantly: "The elder brother is very good at teaching, but we are not as unbearable as the elder brother said." All three of us had swords with us, and a few leopards, wolves, and beasts were not a problem; I also prepared a few more sets of warm clothes; There is also the problem of lack of water in the desert, and we have a road map with a very detailed map, which can be regarded as a guide. ”

"Roadmap?" The shopkeeper scoffed, "That thing can only give you a general direction, and you can't mark everything so carefully that you can't rely on it." If you want to cross the desert successfully, you need at least a few camels, even if you don't have a guide, how can you do it on horseback? ”

Shu Yan felt that what the store said made sense, camels are known as desert boats, and they should indeed be equipped. "We only have three horses, but no camels, what should we do?" 33

"Oh-," said the shopkeeper a moment later, "my guests here are both out and in; There are those who want to exchange camels for horses, and there are those who want to exchange horses for camels. I often act as an intermediary. If you want camels, I can help you to be a servant. ”

"How do you change it?"

"Three horses for three camels, and then you will stick five more silks to me for each horse."

"Three horses and fifteen silks for three camels......"

Shu Yan was thinking about whether to change it, but Liu Cai pulled the corner of his clothes, glanced at the store coldly and said, "Thank you for your kindness, but we don't need to." Then he pulled Shu Yan and Zhao Shun out of the store.

After walking far, Liu Caicai said to Shu Yan: "The general must not be fooled by him." ”

"What? Do you know the difference in the price of camels and horses, and the dealer said that we lost a lot of money? ”

"I don't know how much a camel or a horse costs. However, there is no one like this who opens a store that specializes in deceiving newcomers, and there is no one who will not be ruthlessly slaughtered by them. The so-called 'car and boat shop foot teeth' is not a good thing. The general should not listen to his nonsense, lest he be deceived. Back then, the Xiongnu and the Han Dynasty had expeditions to the Western Regions, could it be a camel army? Aren't they all on horseback? ”

Liu Cai's words seemed to make sense, and Shu Yan didn't know what to do, so he had to rely on him and continue to ride forward.

Some people died, but not completely......