Rising day by day, Ning He and his entourage, dozens of fast horses, two carriages, twenty horse-drawn wagons, and a large team of more than 100 people, marched out of Pinglang West Gate.

Then I got on Gucci Road and went to Zhenxiguan along the road.

The road is paved with high-temperature cooked soil, which is also mixed with salt soil, lime, etc., after repeated tamping and leveling, plus occasional repairs in later generations, even if thousands of years have passed, there is no grass on the road, solid and smooth.

It is divided into three roads, the central nine zhang wide main road, only for the emperor's imperial drive or the mobilization of soldiers and horses, the left and right are each five zhang wide auxiliary road, one to go back and forth, for daily use.

Out of Pinglang City to Zhenxiguan this section of the gallop road, almost straight to the west, there are about 200 miles of distance.

The trail is built on top of the ridge, as if the entire ridge has been flattened and cut off, and the gentle slope on both sides of the road is downward, and within a distance of nearly 50 zhang, only the trees planted on both sides of the trail to mark the distance, and the grass stretches, which looks extraordinarily empty.

And this section of the road to the west, all the gentle slope up, the terrain continues to rise, close to the west of the town, the Cangyu mountain range suddenly concave more than ten miles, as if being trapped by the day gate.

People go to Zhenxi Guancheng to this way, the blue sky is vast, such as stepping on the road to the sky, climbing the gate of heaven, and the heart is indescribably heroic.

"Shujing, what do you think of the comparison between this Zhenxi Pass and the Zhenbei Pass."

Although the carriages used by He Lanqi and others to pull goods were all good horses, the goods pulled were not light, and the second was also sympathetic to horsepower, and the group did not go very fast, and there was also kung fu chatting on the road.

No, near the front of Zhenxi Pass, Cheng Chen asked Ning He curiously.

Although he has also walked through the south and the north, he has never been to the North Four Mansions, let alone Zhenbei Pass.

And in the various cities and passes he saw, the most majestic one was the most round-trip Zhenxi Pass.

The city wall of Zhenxi Pass is in all directions, there are twelve miles long, eight miles wide, the shortest place of the wall is also five zhang high, a city wall is extended in the north and south, such as the ear is attached to the city, and the mountains on both sides are connected.

In fact, there are two Weng cities and two watchtowers in front of the west, but they can't see them from now.

"Zhenxi Pass is majestic, Zhenbei Pass is desolate, if you really want to say that it is different, just in terms of perception, I think Zhenxi Pass is easier to boost morale."

Ning He didn't ride a horse, nor did he sit in the carriage, but set up the carriage that Gongye Ziyi was sitting in, and didn't bother Cheng Chen to send him a groom.

Gongye Ziyi has been stuck in the car since he got into the car, and it takes about five or six hours to talk about whether it is fast or slow along the way, and he can still tease her from time to time while driving.

When Cheng Chen asked, he said something about his feelings.

In fact, in the territory of the Daqin Dynasty, the four passes of Zhendong, Zhenxi, Zhennan, and Zhenbei are all the same regulations, the same size, and they are all similar to the city where the government is located, but they are smaller.

Therefore, in terms of area and city wall, there is not much difference, but there are slight differences according to local conditions.

However, Zhenxi Guan is located in a high place, and there is a condescending posture and a condescending attitude.

And Zhenbei Pass, where he stayed for five years, is actually not in a dangerous place, there are plains inside and outside, empty and reckless, more like a flat valley crouching tiger, which makes people's hearts palpitate and feel full of crisis.

Unlike Zhenxiguan here, if you are stationed in the generals, you will probably be arrogant, and you will feel that you will be a husband and a man.

He Lanqi continued: "The desolation of the border passes in the north, especially in autumn and winter, everything is silent, gray and white, covered with snow, although there is also a sense of vastness, but it also makes people feel that the vitality is exhausted, and the eight sides are slaughtered, and there is a crisis everywhere. ”

Mu Bai also participated in hearing this, and said together: "The so-called standing high and looking far, Zhenxi Pass is on top, I can't wait to see all the views of a hundred miles around, but I can see the first opportunity, and I have less sense of danger, but I feel that I am all in the palm of my hand." ”

"There was a celebration, and some people sighed during the banquet, saying that it was a pity that there was no danger of Bird Ridge in the north, otherwise why should there be 100,000 soldiers, even if there was only one army, the northern barbarians would not be allowed to plunder the border for half a step. The general said, the pass is not on the ground, but in the heart of the army, as long as I still have a man in armor in Daqin, who is strong in his heart, there will never be anyone who can take half a step lightly. ”

Ning He remembered what he had seen and heard at the moment, and told everyone about it.

Mu Bai sighed, "I'm afraid that the general himself has been torn down the cornerstone of his heart." ”

Zhenbei general Meng Wei, thirteen years old with his father in the army, although the noble background, but down-to-earth step by step, all by virtue of a military merits rose to the commander of the four armies in Zhenbei, more than 40 years of horses, three beheading of the commander of the army, has led the army to kill no less than 200,000 enemies, worthy of the name of the pillar of the country.

He is the idol of Ning He, the soldiers of the Zhenbei Army, and many, many people, and Mu Bai.

Mu Bai believes what Ning He said, and also believes that the general definitely has a strong foundation in his heart.

It's just that today, the general is getting older, not to mention, there are many people dragging his hind legs, he doesn't know how long this Daqin Xiongguan can stand, and he doesn't know if there will be another Xiongguan in Daqin.

"Uh, it's down." Ning He said speechlessly.

He just happened to remember this, and wanted to use it to express the meaning that the terrain was not as good as the army's heart.

After all, this town of Xiguan is not what it used to be, and it is only garrisoned by a government army, how can it be compared to the 100,000 tigers and wolves of their Zhenbei army.

The strategic significance of the two is not comparable at all.

Who Dao Mubai directly changed his way and went to the unspeakable.

"You don't know that the open space is the most private place." Mu Bai pouted.

There is no one in front of them, they are empty, and they are not afraid that the walls have ears and will be heard, so what to do carefully.

"He just doesn't want to talk about it, don't you know that you're good friends with him?" Gongye Ziyi's cold voice with some sarcasm also came out of the carriage, which directly made Mu Bai silent.

They all know that although Ning He is a captain, he is in charge of a battalion of wolf cavalry scouts, if he can endure it for a while, the position of captain of the Liezi battalion is already a certainty.

The twenty-year-old captain of the Wolf Cavalry Nine-Character Battalion, in the hundreds of years of the entire Zhenbei Army, was less than two tens, and he was not one of the cornerstones of the demolition of the Xiongguan.

Mu Bai sighed, and he did not feel sorry for him.

"Not really." Ning He smiled to himself, made a round, and then swept his eyes, looked at the caravan that came out of Zhenxi Pass on the other side of the auxiliary road, and said in surprise: "Huh? That's a slave trader? ”

I saw that the caravan was also a team of more than a dozen carriages, and there were thirty or fifty guards accompanying it, all of whom were fierce, carrying knives and sticks, and many of them were holding coiled long leather whips, as if they were not approaching the living.

It is especially different from most casual business trips.

The reason why Ning He was surprised was because there was no one in Daqin, although there were slaves and servants, but most of them were in employment relationships, or poor families could not afford to support them, so they sold them to others and the like, and they were not allowed to openly sell people in the market.

The only exception is a major case involving the family members of the person involved in the case, who were demoted to official slaves, and would be sold in various places or included in the workshop.

"Well, it's not Daqin, it's from Haixi." He Lanqi glanced at it and responded.

Although they didn't know Ning He's too detailed past, after Gongye Ziyi's words, they also planned to change the topic.

Now it is just right, the slave traders in the western part of the sea are common to them, but the new people in the southwest will inevitably find it a little novel.

Cheng Chen also took the words to Ning He and explained: "Haixi has been in chaos since the first war of the five countries of the Western Dynasty in the north of the Southern Xuan Kingdom ten years ago, although the five countries of the Western Dynasty won that battle, but the lord of Wuyuan died violently with a secret arrow, leaving only a young son Su Huan, the four countries are encroaching outside, some families are fighting for power internally, and the Wuyuan Kingdom is torn apart, and there is chaos everywhere, and some people have the opportunity to sell the people of Wuyuan, horses, gold, silver, copper and iron, anyway, the valuable ones are all sold." ”

"That's how this horse came about?" Ning He pointed to the big horse pulling the cart in front of him.

Cheng Chen nodded naturally, and the leopard's eyes glared: "Otherwise?" This used to be unique to the army of the lord of Wuyuan, which was some armored cavalry, and its combat power was known as the most in the Western Dynasty. ”

"I'm a real loser." Ning He already felt that this horse-drawn carriage was a pity, but now the corners of his mouth twitched, with armored horses, the wolf cavalry army was only five thousand, how expensive were those mounts, and they were actually pulled by him?

"It's okay, it's okay." Cheng Chen smiled.

Instead, he leaned down on horseback, leaned in front of Ning He with his big head, and whispered: "Most of the people who came over from Wuyuan are relatives of everyone who lost in internal and external struggles, all of them are well-read, proficient in the four arts, and there are a lot of eight elegances, why don't you get a few homes?" ”

"Pull it down, I'm afraid I won't be able to raise it." Ning He spread his hands and said.

"Buy it right, they can raise you. Many of them are already in charge of the family property and are quite capable. Cheng Chen raised his eyebrows, obviously experienced.

"Count 、、、" Ning He was just about to refuse, but Gongye Ziyi got out of the car and jumped directly out of the car and jumped to the opposite auxiliary road.

"Phew!" Ning He stopped the carriage, handed it to Cheng Chen temporarily, asked him to help watch it for a while, said that he didn't have to wait for them, and chased after him.

Gongye Ziyi studied under Yan Xia, and what he is good at is short knife knife technique and light body kung fu, although he can't be like a ghost like Yan Xia, but he is also like a glimpse of a spirit fox, and a few understatement dodges jumped forward to the opposite side.

Although Ning He's speed is faster, he doesn't have that smart beauty, like a brute tiger, he jumps on the ground and jumps to the ground, and a few ups and downs come to Gongye Ziyi's side.

"Don't get me wrong, Ning is the county lieutenant of Daqin Ying'an, and I happened to meet him on this trip, and I want to buy a few intimate servants and maids to keep on the way, I don't know if it can be convenient."

Grabbing Gongye Ziyi, Ning He looked at the people on the opposite side with a surprised and wary face, and spoke first.

"He hit that little girl." Gongye Ziyi looked at a person coldly, and pointed to a little girl who looked no more than cardamom in the slave cart like a prisoner car, and whispered to Ning He.

"Lieutenant Ning, please forgive the villain, there is no market town at this time, and there is no city bureau to transfer the deed, which is really inconvenient to trade." A person on the other side motioned to the person behind him to put down the half-unsheathed guy, and refused with a respectful salute on his face.

"It's okay, this place is not far away from Guancheng, it's just worth a round trip, in business, you talk about the price, Ning also weighed whether I can ask you to go back."

Signaling Gongye Ziyi to be calm and not to be impatient, Ning He said to the man again.