(BGM in this chapter - "Qing Ping Le")

Xie Minyun poured some coffee beans into the quaint manual grinder, and she slowly turned the handle, and the gramophone-like grinder made a strange "rustle" sound. Xie Minyun said softly while grinding the coffee beans: "At the beginning, you wrote a poem mentioning 'marathon', which is about the battle of Athens against the Persian Empire, which reminds me of something similar. ”

The drunken Roman winter sun shines through the vines on the sides, through the wooden lattice glass windows, and casts a sparkling light on the bar and Xie Minyun, like the sparkling waves of summer in the blue water, and Xie Minyun is like a slim lotus.

Cheng Mo suddenly felt a quiet power, he held his breath on the staircase covered with nicks, and stared down at Xie Minyun who was standing behind the bar, listening carefully to her voice.

"In 755 AD, that is, during the Tianbao period of the Tang Dynasty, An Lushan launched a rebellion in Fanyang, led an army of 150,000 troops to drive straight in, and Xiatong Pass approached Chang'an, forcing Tang Xuanzong to flee to Sichuan, and also hanged his beloved concubine, known as the 'Anshi Rebellion'. This rebellion lasted eight years, and due to the decision-making mistakes of Tang Xuanzong, the entire Tang Dynasty turned sharply from a high degree of prosperity, and the prosperity came to an abrupt end. The Tang Dynasty also lost control of the ethnic minorities in the surrounding areas - together with the An Lushan rebellion, the Tang Dynasty sent heavy troops from Longyou, Hexi, and Shuofang back to the Central Plains, resulting in a weak border air defense, and the Tubo people in the west took the opportunity to enter and occupy the Longyou and Hexi corridor areas, and the Tang Dynasty only controlled the Anxi Northwest Court in the Western Regions. Decades later, around 790 AD, the Tang Dynasty lost the Anxi Courtyard of the Western Regions. Since then, the Tang Dynasty has been troubled internally and externally, and the dynasty is even more precarious......"

It was also around this time that Zhang Yichao, who was not recorded in the history books, was born, Zhang Yichao's family was a wealthy family in Shazhou for generations, but in the Western Regions under the rule of Tubo, except for the Tubo people, everyone was a lowly slave, especially the Tang people, who were livestock that could be trampled on. Even if the Zhang family is a wealthy family. As a Han Chinese, when he saw a Tibetan person on the street, he had to bend down and bow his head, and he was not allowed to look directly. The custom of the Tibetan people is that the noble, the strong and the lowly are old, and the young and middle-aged are taken prisoner by them, while the old, weak, sick and disabled Han people face the miserable situation of being all killed. Those who are dissatisfied and rebellious are treated as livestock by cutting off their hands and eyes, cutting off their feet and noses. In order to cut the connection with the Tang Dynasty, the Han people were not allowed to wear Han costumes, worship their ancestors, and return to their hometowns. ”

Zhang Yichao witnessed all this since he was a child, and secretly resolved in his heart that sooner or later he would expel the Tubo people and return to the Tang Dynasty...... So he studied military books since he was a child, practiced martial arts, and even used all his family wealth as military expenses, secretly recruited and trained the rebels, contacted the local wealthy families, collected other righteous men persecuted by Tibet, accumulated strength, and waited for the opportunity to overthrow the rule of Tibet and recover his homeland. ”

"A.D. 848. There was a famine in Tibet, and the internal power struggle continued, and at that time, the Tang Dynasty was in the middle of Huichang, and its national strength was gradually recovering, and it also recovered some of the previously fallen states and counties. Zhang Yichao felt that the opportunity for the uprising had come, so he led the recruited rebels to revolt and launched an attack on the Tubo army in the city. However, the Tubo people naturally will not give up, and after a short time, they soon gathered a large army to counterattack, Zhang Yichao led the righteous army to defeat the enemy several times, and after many fierce battles, finally controlled the base area of Shazhou. ”

Xie Minyun grinded coffee unhurriedly, telling the story about Zhang Yichao, although Cheng Mo was familiar with this history, but he did not interrupt Xie Minyun's thoughts at all, after all, the words on the paper and Xie Minyun's narrative are completely different, and the expressiveness of words is limited after all, especially some ancient texts that are simple and shocking, which are far less vivid than what Xie Minyun said.

Even if Cheng Mo had roughly guessed what Xie Minyun would say, he still listened with relish, and at the same time secretly guessed what kind of topic Xie Minyun would say.

However, in order to expel Tibet from the Western Regions, it was necessary to obtain the help of the Tang Dynasty, so Zhang Yichao sent a messenger to report to the Tang Dynasty, hoping to attack the Tibetan Dynasty on both sides with the imperial army. Zhang Yichao knew that the Tubo people would definitely chase and intercept him, and this time the letter delivery would be a lifelong process, but the process was even more tragic than he imagined. He excluded almost twenty teams of messengers from all directions of the sandbar to Chang'an, they will cross the Badain Jaran Desert, the Tengger Desert, the Kubuqi Desert, the vast Gobi, the boundless grassland, they not only have to walk thousands of miles, but also face the test of life and death, these more than ten teams of messengers, some are forever buried in the boundless desert, and some are ruthlessly killed by the ruthless scimitars of the Tibetans. In the end, only one team marched to the northeast, bypassing the reckless desert, after a lot of hardships, nine deaths, and finally arrived at the Tiande Army (now Inner Mongolia Urad Qianqi) station, with the assistance of Li Pi, the defense envoy of the Tiande Army, arrived in Chang'an in the fourth year of Dazhong...... At this time, two full years have passed since Zhang Yichao's sandbank uprising......"

Speaking of this, Xie Minyun stopped, did not continue to tell the story about Zhang Yichao, and did not continue to grind coffee beans, she picked up the glass kettle on the side and took a pot of water, put it on the electronic stove and began to boil water, then pulled a piece of filter paper, folded the semi-circular filter paper up, and then folded the entire filter paper in half and then folded it in half, and then propped the folded filter paper into a funnel shape, put it on the spout of the filter pot, and arranged it by hand to make it fully fit, and finally mixed the coffee powder that was ground very evenly into the filter paper, smoothed it as much as possible with a silver spoon, and poured it into the hand pot immediately after the water was boiled。

Suddenly, the small café was filled with the aroma of coffee......

Xie Minyun looked up at Cheng Mo and said softly: "Judging from the map, the straight-line distance from Shazhou to the Tiande Army is about 1.400 kilometers, and the straight-line distance from the Tiande Army to Chang'an is about 800 kilometers, about 2,200 kilometers...... What is a marathon of 42.195 kilometers in comparison?"

If it was in the past, Cheng Mo would only think that Xie Minyun's patriotic ideological education class was very clever, and debated with Xie Minyun loudly that the reason for Zhang Chaoyi's uprising was whether the Tubo people did not share power with the Han family, or it was indeed because of national feelings.

But after witnessing the tragic situation of the slums, Cheng Mo felt that although only monetary interests drive the world forward, sometimes, financial interests are not absolute.

Cheng Mo was silent for a moment and asked, "So..... What is the question you want to ask?"

"You know that the messenger in the Battle of Marathon is Fidipitz, so do you know who is the only messenger who delivered the news for Zhang Yichao and finally arrived in Chang'an?"

Maybe this somewhat sideways question can stump others, but it is not difficult for Cheng Mo, who is familiar with history, and after a little thought, he replied: "Master Wuzhen." ”

Cheng Mo was able to answer the question accurately, Xie Minyun was not surprised, just shook the silver coffee spoon, nodded and said: "In fact, when Master Wuzhen arrived in Chang'an, the situation in the Western Regions has been very different, Zhang Yichao took the sandbar as a base and took the initiative in Tubo, in 861 AD, after three years of tug-of-war, the Tang Guiyi army finally conquered Liangzhou, the last stronghold of Tubo in Hexi, so far, 'Hexi has been submerged for more than 100 years, until it has recovered its hometown', Zhang Yichao has gone through the Shazhou uprising, recovering Ganzhou, Suzhou, Yizhou, conquered the Huhu and Tuyuhun, and recovered the entire Hexi Corridor. ”

"The Han family holds a blade like frost and snow, and there is nowhere to escape from the captive riding the sky. The head is in the center of the arrow, and the blood is splashed through the battle jacket. Xie Minyun whispered softly, the voice was melodious and penetrating, like a trembling guzheng string, "In October 866, the battle of Langzhou, the Guiyi army broke through Tubo, captured the commander on phobia, and the bloody rule of Hexi was beheaded, and the head was sent to Chang'an, Zhang Yichao led the army all the way to capture Yizhou, Xizhou, Hezhou, Ganzhou, Suzhou, Lanzhou, Minzhou, Buzhou, Kuozhou Kyushu, and the Tang Dynasty lost a hundred years of Ganliang eleven states, all recovered. The triumphant officers and soldiers of the Tang Army sang "The Great Array Music", just like the momentum and majesty of the Tang Dynasty have returned. ”

Xie Minyun's poetry is not impassioned at all, and his tone is indifferent and distant, and it seems even more cold and vicissitudes. Even Cheng Mo couldn't help but sigh, sighed and said: "It's a pity that Zhang Yichao was born at the wrong time, not only has he always been suspicious of the court, but the end of the Zhang family is not good. The murder of Zhang Huaishen's family of six is still an unsolved case in the field of historiography. Of course, leaving aside the Zhang family, although Zhang Yichao was not listed in the "New and Old Tang Books", he recovered 4,000 miles of mountains and rivers by himself, and he was indeed a national hero forgotten by history. ”

Xie Minyun shook his head, "It's a pity that the late Tang Dynasty is not only Zhang Yichao, Wei Gao, Gao Yu, and Zhang Zhongwu..... There is also the little-known Gozhen, and the messengers who were buried in the depths of the desert by the wind and sand. Whether it is enough to establish a monument to the famous generals, or even the name of the ordinary people who have not been recorded, all with the courage to support the building in the general, in the extremely difficult conditions to try their best to help the Tang Dynasty has gone to the end of the world, they also once ushered in the country to usher in the return of the glory of the Zhongxing, I don't want to say that is the last afterglow of the Tang Dynasty, I would like to say that it is the backbone of China, the glory of a nation, not only in its peak how dazzling, but also in its stormy time, there will always be a group of people who work hard and stick to it.....”

Xie Minyun's voice is like a thawing stream in spring, cold and clear and full of life, Cheng Mo stood on the stairs and stared at Xie Minyun, although Xie Minyun grinded coffee beans, wore a down jacket and jeans, and there was no ancient rhyme, but Cheng Mo could glimpse the beacon fire of the Tang Dynasty from her long dark blue hair, and the warriors in broken armor under the bloody sun;

"Take the twelve states of Shanxi first,

Others will be beaten to the head.

Looking back at Qin Sai as low as a horse,

Gradually, the Yellow River flows straight north.

Tianwei swept across the Yellow River,

Thousands of miles of Hu people are full of Han songs.

Mo Kan crosses the mountains and rivers,

and went from the west of the church to be Enbo.

.......”

Neither of them spoke for a while, and there was a subtle silence in the café, Cheng Mo leaned on the railing and stared at Xie Minyun, Xie Minyun stirred the coffee, but did not drink the silver coffee spoon and pounded on the white porcelain cup, and the curling heat soared in the orange sunlight that slanted through the dust. After a long while, Cheng Mo spoke: "I'll go up and put the box." ”

Xie Minyun let out an "um" and asked, "Do you want a cup of coffee too?"

Cheng Mo hesitated and nodded, "Okay." Just don't add sugar. ””

"American?latte?"

"American style is too bitter. Latte I don't want milk froth ....."

"Then I'll bring you a glass of Xiaojin Special Mix. Xie Minyun replied, she took a sip of coffee from the white porcelain cup, then put down the cup and poured some coffee beans into the grinder.

Cheng Mo carried his suitcase upstairs, so there was a rhythmic "creak" sound in the café, and when he walked around the corner of the stairs, Cheng Mo glanced back at Xie Minyun again, and thought: Xie Minyun was intentional from beginning to end, it was intentional to be angry, it was intentional for a person to go first, and it was also intentional to exchange various qualifications by answering questions, but it was intentional but not deliberate, not only not disgusting, but also interesting. A girl who understands history and has a high IQ wants to change a person, and that's how she lifts weight.

——————————————————————————————

In fact, there is only one room and one bathroom on the second floor, and if Cheng Mo unfortunately answers wrong, he will probably have to sleep in the attic on the third floor. However, this is not the end of the story, there is only one big bed on the second floor, Cheng Mo wants to sleep better, it is estimated that he will have to answer Xie Minyun's question later, assuming that the answer is not correct, what awaits him is to make a bunk next to the bed.

Cheng Mo had no doubt that Xie Minyun would do this.

After putting the luggage, Cheng Mo washed his face and went downstairs, the two sat under the awning and drank Xie Minyun's hand-brewed coffee together, watching the sun move slowly, this ancient street was quiet, almost no pedestrians would pass here, although it had a strong and wonderful Renaissance style, but only the two of them appreciated.

After drinking the coffee, Cheng Mo not only felt warm and heartwarmed, but also couldn't help but praise Xie Minyun's coffee taste is very unique, the ratio of milk and coffee is just right, neither losing the mellowness of coffee, nor losing the smoothness of milk, the sweet hot milk just right neutralizes the bitterness of coffee, and the fusion of the two is like glue, just like coffee should be.

Then Xie Minyun closed the door of the coffee shop and took Cheng Mo to the EUR area first.

Little is known to visitors about the new city built by Mussoe Xini for the Rome Expo, but a large number of Faxes buildings have been preserved, the most famous of which is the Italian Palace of Labor and Civilization, also known as the square arena, which is now the headquarters of the luxury Fendi.

For Cheng Mo, who likes architecture, the magnificent buildings here are undoubtedly a feast of solidification, they are not only architecture, but also history and culture......

Xie Minyun then took Cheng Mo to the second highest mountain in Rome, Giacolo, which is not only close to the city center, but also the best place to overlook the city of Rome. The two walked past Paul Springs, the opening scene of "The Beautiful City", and overlooked the Vatican at sunset from the top of the hill, Rome has no towering skyscrapers, the skyline is low and flat, and only the occasional spire speaks of the city's extraordinary.

Here you can hardly see the pompous modernity, nor the orderly beauty, everything is a little disorganized, but this disorganization is a harmonious disorganization, not so messy that it is unsightly, but tells the traces of the evolution of Roman history, every spire and obela, every sculpture and portico is full of stories.

The next day, the two men continued to wander among the monuments everywhere, they walked from east to west, discussing the public facilities and urban layout of ancient Rome, looking at the remaining ruins, and speculating about the real face of the city during the ancient Roman Empire.

The two of them looked at the fountain in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican, chatting about the fountain and the drainage system of ancient Rome, they walked from the Circus Maximus to the river, and on the Knights' Square in Malta, there was a main church and a garden with a tree-lined avenue, Xie Minyun took Cheng Mo to the end, where he could see the most special view of Rome, and the opening was facing St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.

They discussed the public facilities of ancient Rome in the Baths of Caracalla, although ancient Rome already had toilets at this time, the city had a high level of sewage, and the government was trying to promote public baths, but they did not know that this would make the Romans sick, and they went to the Appian Way, a complex highway called the "Queen of the Road", which led from the city of Rome to the port of Brindisi at the end of the Apennine Peninsula, so that the influence and military power of ancient Rome originated in the port of Brindisi and radiated to the entire Mediterranean coast.

Because it doesn't have anything spectacular, only backpackers familiar with history come here to see ancient tombs, towers, aqueducts and other ruins......

Two people rode horses along the Appian Road, feeling the powerful force of the Roman legions, imagining that the bulls such as Hannibal and Spartacus were defeated by ancient Rome, and after Spartacus was killed, the Romans took all the 6,000 rebels captured to the Appian Road, crucified them alive, and then inserted them into the side of the road one by one, like a milestone, about 33 meters per person.

However, the demise of this mighty and unbeatable empire is somewhat inexplicable, and Cheng Mo and Xie Minyun discuss how the eternal city of Rome collapsed in the warm winter sun of the Apennine Peninsula, lamenting that there are so many incredible fortuitous factors in the torrent of history.

For Cheng Mo and Xie Minyun, travel is not a sightseeing spot, but an exploration, pursuit, and touch on the elusive scenes behind the terroir, history, and humanity.

Time was unimaginably fast for Cheng Mo and Xie Minyun, almost just a blink of an eye, the sun had already set, and half a bright moon shone on the blue Rome.

In the evening, Cheng Mo and Xie Minyun finished their meal at the Canova Sculpture Restaurant, the most literary and artistic sculpture restaurant in Rome, surrounded by a pile of marble and plaster sculptures, Cheng Mo asked, "Do you want to go back now?"

Xie Minyun picked up a towel and wiped his mouth, and said elegantly: "Let's go back for a walk!"

Cheng Mo nodded, called the waiter to pay, Xie Minyun walked out of the restaurant with Cheng Mo in his arms, and the two walked along the long street paved with stones, talking about unfinished topics during the day, they always had endless interesting stories and endless topics to argue.

Cheng Mo felt that this feeling was very comfortable, and Xie Minyun held him like an ordinary couple walking side by side through the theater, fountains, and squares full of pigeons. Even though it was only a day and a half, he already felt the leisurely life of Rome, where everyone was unhurried, eating pizza and pasta at noon, chatting about family life at dusk, and drinking and chatting at night.

They also slowed down, brewing memories between the two in an intoxicating night.

It's just that the pleasant time is always short-lived, back to the coffee shop, at twelve o'clock, Xie Minyun and Cheng Mo activated the carrier together, and the two of them will go to the Colosseum tonight.

Of course, their purpose is not to visit the Colosseum of the Table World, but to enter the Colosseum of the Inner World, where Cheng Mo will face the Colosseum, which is known as the Hell of the Chosen One......

They also slowed down, brewing memories between the two in an intoxicating night.

It's just that the pleasant time is always short-lived, back to the coffee shop, at twelve o'clock, Xie Minyun and Cheng Mo activated the carrier together, and the two of them will go to the Colosseum tonight.

Of course, their purpose is not to visit the Colosseum of the Table World, but to enter the Colosseum of the Inner World, where Cheng Mo will face the Colosseum, which is known as the Hell of the Chosen One......