In the Tang Dynasty, when traveling west from Chang'an, it was necessary to take the Longguan Road. From east to west, there are Dazhen Pass Posts, Dividing Water Posts and Red Deer Posts in the Longshan area, which provide food, lodging and horse change services for officials who come and go.

Longguan Road, also known as Longban Road, Longdi Road, Wanglong Road, is the Guanzhong Plain through Longshan to Longnan (southern Gansu) traffic artery, the opening time can be traced back to the Western Zhou Dynasty Qin people to Longnan development.

The terrain of Longshan is dangerous, and it is a natural barrier between Gansu and Shaanxi. It is a boundary mountain at the junction of Gansu and Shaanxi in the northwest-southeast direction, and it is also the dividing line between the Wei River, the Qianhe River (formerly known as Huangshui) and the Jing River.

The watershed is at the foot of the watershed, and the watershed is where this "adjective" comes from, where the river divides.

Outside the gate of the water dividing post, Fang Chongyong looked up at the vast mountains around him, but what he thought in his heart was: This place is the land of Longxing of the Qin and Han dynasties and even the Tang Dynasty, who would have thought that after a thousand years, this place will become lonely and nameless, completely far from the political and economic center?

The vicissitudes of life are nothing more than that.

However, the current water station is not only not deserted, but extremely lively.

Even if it is almost dark, there are still people coming and going, and many officials who want to go to other places to take up their posts after the beginning of the spring have to pass through this place, even at the expense of traveling at night.

There are only two major roads to the west of Chang'an, one is to the Hexi Corridor, and the other is to Longyou, which is the road that Fang Chongyong and they are walking now.

Compared with the merchants of the Western Regions who came and went to Hexi, most of the troops going to Longyou were bureaucrats and grain transporters. These people were in the dust, and after a little replenishment at the water distribution post, they hurried on the road, looking busy and shabby.

On the contrary, it was Fang Chongyong and his party, who didn't look so eager, typical of wanting to live in a post station.

"One post after another, the post ride is like a stream of stars. Pingming Xianyang, twilight and Longshantou. Longshui can't be heard, and the whimpering is sad. The sand and dust are sweating, and the fog and dew are condensed ......"

Cen Shen, who was beside Fang Chongyong, couldn't help but chant poems.

Now that it was getting dark, they would definitely have to stay at the Waterport's post for the night before leaving. As Fang Chongyong's attaché, although Cen Shen only serves as a "judge", his power is closely related to Fang Chongyong.

The "judge" in the Tang Dynasty actually has nothing to do with punishment, and if you really want to say it, it can be translated as "executive officer". That is, obey the orders of the chief officer, and do whatever the above asks him to do, and he does not need to ask the reason.

The supervising imperial history took the judge on the road, and Fang Chongyong's trip to Longyou was obviously a serious business trip and he was well prepared.

"Eh, that's good, this poem by Judge Cen is very good!"

Before Fang Chongyong could speak, Pei Xiu's exclamation came from behind him.

"Do you know poetry?"

Fang Chongyong turned around and asked, as if he was asking Brother Ji: Does Datang also talk about law?

"Why do you think I don't understand poetry?"

Pei Xiu asked inexplicably.

In order to prove that she is a person who "understands very well", Pei Xiu also specially added: "When I was a palace maid next to the saint, I listened to Li Taibai's poems, like the water of the Yellow River coming up from the sky, rushing into the sea and not returning, they are all good poems." ”

Pei Xiu said as he looked at Cen Shen and asked curiously, "Judge Cen, is your poem better, or Li Taibai's better?" ”

She asked a silly question that only a mallet would ask.

Cen Shen glanced at Fang Chongyong, and saw that Fang Yanei waved his hand very casually, Cen Shen understood and said: "Pei Niangzi said that she laughed, Wen Wu is the first and Wu is the second, who dares to say that his poems are the best?" There is nothing to compare with this kind of thing. ”

Seeing Fang Chongyong looking at him with interest, Cen Shen continued: "Poetry is just a trail, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it is useless. The big husband should make meritorious deeds, not be clever in poetry. Pei Niangzi's question, it doesn't matter if you don't answer it. ”

Although Cen Shen did not explicitly say that Li Taibai was like that, his words already implied the pride of "the Tao is not the same".

No matter how well Li Baishi writes, even if he can write better than him, what can he do?

Can you defend your home and country?

Can it bless the people?

Neither!

Cen Shen's ambition is not this, he wants to make a contribution at the border. Cen Shen now has the connections of Fang's father and son, which is equivalent to being an official entering the fast lane, who will step on the horse and go back to compare the poetry "trail" with that person!

If the poem is well written, can it be possible to grow an extra arm?

Sure enough, Fang Chongyong walked over with a smile on his face, patted Cen Shen's shoulder and said, "Judge Cen has a heavy burden, and when he arrives in Shanzhou, he has to be diligent in official business." ”

"With the support of Fang Yushi, how can the lower officials not be unreasonable, and they must do things before and after the saddle.

Please wait here for a while, and then go to the water post to do something. ”

Cen Shen bowed very attentively, then untied the noose of the carriage and led the horse into the post station. Cen Shen has a very high emotional intelligence, although he is a prodigy, he does not have the arrogance of a prodigy at all. Knowing that he is an official, he is very diligent in doing the work of a servant, and it can be said that he has understood the way of the world in the years he has been in Chang'an.

And Pei Xiu didn't even find the right direction with a mallet.

"You see, good men want to make a difference. The kind of wind and snow that writes poetry is what little ladies like you like. ”

After Cen Shen left, Fang Chongyong stabbed Pei Xiu coldly.

The latter hated it so much, but he knew that he was stupid, and he couldn't say Fang Chongyong at all. In fact, what Pei Xiu didn't know was that the number of "poems" in Fang Chongyong's stomach had far exceeded the limit she could imagine.

It's just that for Fang Chongyong, these are just gadgets when pretending to be forced, and they don't have any practical significance. If there is no need, taking the copied poems and putting gold on your face is just covering your ears and stealing the bell, slapping your face and filling the façade.

In the future, the Tang Dynasty will be the golden age of Qiu Ba after all! Copying poetry has a fart use!

Fang Chongyong sighed lightly, sighing for Du Fu's untimely life.

"Hey, I think you just can't write poetry."

Pei Xiu made a middle finger gesture behind Fang Chongyong, which she had learned from the other party.

Suddenly, Pei Xiu found that He Changqi was looking at him with strange eyes.

She immediately turned around and scolded the other party coldly: "General He, haven't you seen a beauty?" Need to stare at me like that? ”

"Hahaha, I've seen someone who can use a sword, and I've seen a mallet, but I've never seen a mallet like you who can play with a sword.

Hey, hey, go feed the horses, feed the horses. ”

Along the way, Pei Xiu already knew what the words "mallet" meant, and when he heard He Changqi making fun of himself, he hurriedly pulled out his sword and cut people, but saw that He Changqi had already run into the post station quickly, chasing Fang Chongyong's footsteps, as if he was saying something, and the two laughed and seemed to be very happy.

"I'm angry!"

Pei Xiu stomped her feet with hatred, but she was helpless. She also knows very well that she is just a pawn.

……

Fenshui Post is a large post station on the Tang Post Road, naturally there are many houses, and there are even three dining halls. It was dinner time, and there were a lot of people eating, but Fang Chongyong took a cursory look at it, except for a very few people who were eating here (such as their group), the others were very shabby.

At first glance, it is not a rich person or a bad mix.

Many of the people who ate were non-unscrupulous officials, and many of them looked like they had not changed their official robes for many years.

This situation is very common in the circle of non-unrunners in the Tang Dynasty, where A wears it and hands it over to B to wear after leaving office, and B gives it to C to wear after leaving office, and the establishment of the government does not give them to change clothes at public expense.

Many official robes are patched with patches, and the robes that were originally green are now washed white, and the colors and patterns are almost unrecognizable.

Not only are they dressed shabby, but these people are also "treated differently" by the post guards at the post station. Fang Chongyong's free meals at their table included minced mutton and white Ji buns, as well as spring fruits picked from nowhere, and some turbid wine.

And those people only have coarse "vegetable rice" on the table, plus a little "sauce" that I don't know what to do, and that's it.

There is a tradition for Guanzhong people to eat "sauce", which has been around since the pre-Qin era, and the Qin army has carried it forward as military food. In the Tang Dynasty, the types of sauces were even more so numerous that they could not be counted. Many places have their own unique sauce recipes and recipes.

It can be said that the nobles eat the sauce of the nobles, and the poor eat the sauce of the poor, without interfering with each other, and they do not understand what the other eats tastes like.

"Shanzhou and other places are heavily armed, and the grain and straw required every year are all from Guanzhong, and they are consumed by the long way and halfway, and they are countless.

If there was no Fang Yushi, we would probably eat the same as them. ”

Cen Shen pointed to the table not far away, and said in a low voice.

Pei Xiu glanced over there, she didn't recognize what was on the table, anyway, she had never eaten like that since she was a child.

"If the vegetable rice is delicious, it must be delicious.

But if it's not delicious, it's so coarse that it's hard to swallow, like a saw pulling in your throat repeatedly. ”

Fang Chongyong sighed lightly, he didn't want to say anything more, whether the vegetable rice on the table next door was good or not, just look at the expressions of these two non-rogue officials when they ate.

The grain price in Chang'an is quite stable, but the grain price in Guanzhong has actually been rising slowly, up one cut a year, and has not fallen in recent years.

Fang Chongyong had already noticed this phenomenon, but he didn't know what to do. Messing around has the potential to make the situation worse.

Seeing the subtleties, from the "pig food" of the non-rogue officials in the post station, you can realize how short of grain Guanzhong has become.

Of course, this is because the non-rogue officials don't want to pay extra money.

If they are willing to pay for the post keepers, they will also be able to eat well. After all, "pig food" is provided by the post station for free, and it is already very good to have food, so what do you want to do with the post station?

Not only are people eating differently, but officials with different official positions and different statuses also have different horses provided to them by the post station, and many people can't even get horses at all, so they can only ride donkeys!

It's still the same sentence, it's free to provide, love or not! If you want better service, you have to add money, and it is a matter of course.

At this moment, the distinction and strictness of the hierarchy are fully revealed, and only people like Pei Xiu, who have never suffered hardship, will not be untouched.

"Have you heard?"

"What's the matter? Let's talk about it. ”

"Over there in Shanzhou, the Tubo people seem to be ready to move."

"Who did you listen to?"

"It's no secret that a lot of people say that."

There was a whisper at the next table.

Fang Chongyong, Cen Shen and the others looked at each other, they never expected that when Li Longji was about to attack the Tubo people, the Tubo people actually wanted to strike first!

Although Brother Ji likes to mess around, and although chaos is frequent in Chang'an, the Tubo people don't know these things!

Besides, the news can't spread so fast!

Datang is still strong and invincible on the surface, how dare the Tubo people fight with Datang at this time?

Many people, including Cen Shen, can't figure this out.

The shadow of war seems to be slowly looming, people are tigers, and tigers are also people. Unlike others, Fang Chongyong knew very well that the Tang Dynasty needed to rely on the opening of the border to transfer the contradiction of land concentration, and Tubo also had the pressure of Tubo itself, and they also had their own demands for external expansion.

"There has been a quiet relationship between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo for four or five years, and it seems that they are going to continue the war and fight it out in Longyou."

Cen Shen said in a deep voice.

Fang Chongyong saw that he knew a lot, so he asked curiously, "Why did Judge Cen say this?" ”

"Fang Yushi, do you know why there was no such thing in Longyou in the dynasties before the Tang Dynasty, and there was no enemy like Tubo?"

Cen Shen did not answer Fang Chongyong, but instead asked a seemingly unrelated question.

"Why?"

Fang Chongyong said.

"Because, there has never been a dynasty that can hit the current location of the Longyou Jiedu Mansion.

This is where the glory of Datang lies.

Since you haven't even hit there, how can you talk about the enemy? ”

Cen Shen said proudly, and it could be seen that he was from the heart.

Cen Shen's meaning has been made very clear, the Tang Dynasty can confront the Tubo people in Shanzhou, which in itself is the prosperity of martial virtues! If Wude is not prosperous, the army of the Tang Dynasty will not be able to get there at all!

Fang Chongyong nodded slightly, he also had to admit that that part of Qinghai was indeed one of the fruits of the victory of the Tang Dynasty in the past century. And the Hexi Corridor is just a vote of the Sogdian Hu people back then, and it is not a "bloody battle", but more like after receiving the younger brother, everyone united to go out and cut people.

Every inch of land in Longyou of the Tang Dynasty was cut out by the soldiers of the Tang Army, reaching a distance that had not been reached by the predecessors.

Therefore, in the Han Dynasty, the vicinity of Liupan Mountain at the junction of Gansu and Shaanxi was Longyou.

By the time of the Tang Dynasty, even Qinghai Lake had become Longyou! The station of the envoy of Longyou Jiedu was directly moved to the foot of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau!

Fang Chongyong somewhat understood why Brother Ji asked for the first stop to go to Longyou to recruit the elite soldiers of the Silver Spear Filial Piety Festival.

If the Tang Army has a military soul, then the border army of Longyou must be the military soul.

"Bang!"

In a corner of the post hall hall, someone slapped the table hard!

"The People's Army hasn't been issued winter clothes for two years, so it's a dog! When the Tubo people came, the soldiers of the Anren army dropped their weapons and ran away! Look at what those do to drink the blood of soldiers! ”

A middle-aged man dressed in leather armor and Qiu Ba took a sip of stuffy wine and couldn't help but scold.

His voice was not small, probably because he heard someone discussing the possible conflict between Longyou Datang and Tubo, and this person couldn't help but complain to himself!

Fang Chongyong followed the sound and saw that this person's eyes were red, as if he was going crazy drunk, and he seemed to be sulking, and he was a little hesitant for a while to go over and take a look.

What this man said just now, that's really big or small! It depends on whether others want to clean him up.

At worst, it's just a drunken gaffe, but I don't hear it.

To put it mildly, it is a collusion with the Tubo people to surrender the city! It's worth it!

"Look at it, there is a kind of arrest of yes and I will be sent to Dali Temple!

Lao Tzu is called Guan Chonghei, if you don't change your name, you can't change your surname! ”

Naqiu Ba found that Fang Chongyong was looking at himself, slapped the table case fiercely, and shouted not to be outdone.

Hearing this, He Changqi, who was holding a piece of chicken in his hand, put down his chopsticks and looked at Fang Chongyong, as if he was asking for the other party's advice.

"Brother, you can eat randomly, but you can't talk nonsense."

Fang Chongyong walked over quietly, sat opposite the military man, and said indifferently.

(End of chapter)