Datang New Giants

Chapter 57

From Suzhou to Chang'an, the most comfortable way is to go north along the canal by boat, and then take a carriage from Luoyang to Chang'an after arriving in Luoyang. If you encounter bad luck, you have to give way. If you are unlucky, you may not be able to reach Chang'an in two months.

Lu Ting chose to take a horse-drawn carriage, from Suzhou to Yangzhou first, then went north, passing through Sizhou, Bianzhou, Luoyang, and then from Luoyang to Chang'an.

As we go north, the weather gets colder and colder. When we first set off, we saw green trees outside the window, wild flowers blooming, and birds singing. The more we went north, the more monotonous it became. With the melodious singing of birds, the color also changed from green to white, which is the color of snow.

Walking northward from Suzhou, Lu Ting found a pattern. Except for the big city and the suburbs that were slightly prosperous along the way, most of the other places looked dilapidated and desolate. There were not many people, and most of them wore half-new and old clothes. Most of the caravans and wealthy families were equipped with guards with weapons, guarding their faces with vigilance.

It has been seven years since Wude, the Tang Dynasty is still in peace, the world has not returned to Li Tang, and this year has not passed, not counting small battles, there are as many as seven battles that have been recorded in the annals of history:
From February to May, the Liao people in Pingshu of Tang Dynasty rebelled;
In June, Tang Pinglong and Fu Erzhou officials rebelled;

From June to July, Tang and Jiang Shan jointly attacked the battle of Tuyuhun;

In July, Tang Ping and Yang Wengan rebelled;
In July, the battle of Yuan Junzhang's attack on Shuozhou;

Battle of Longban on August [-]th;
September Tangping Jiang Zilu rebellion;
Not only did Wude fight for more than seven years, Li Yuan spent a lot of manpower and material resources every year to suppress all kinds of invasions and rebellions during the seven years when Li Yuan became emperor. There are as many as nineteen wars that can be recorded in history every year. From the New Year to the end of the year, the aftermath of many wars is that the economy collapses and prices soar. , dilapidated, I thought other places would be much better, but I didn't expect the outside to be worse.

In the first seven days of departure from Suzhou, Lu Ting was still enthusiastic about enjoying the scenery along the way, but on the eighth day, he lost interest. The ancient roads were not good. Due to the war, many official roads were in disrepair, and the carriages did not have shock absorbers. This kind of high-tech, sitting in it one up and one down, you will feel dizzy after a while, and the whole person will not be energetic. It is good if you don’t vomit, and you don’t have the energy to look at the scenery.

Lu Ting felt that his luck was pretty good, and he drove all the way to Chang'an along the Grand Canal, got up early to catch the dark, and finally arrived at Qingshiyi on the seventh day of December, which was less than fifty miles away from Chang'an City.

The Grand Canal is the economic link between the north and the south. It spans the most prosperous economic zones at that time, namely the Guanzhong, Central Plains, Hebei, and Huaihe regions. Ting and Fuzhi, master and servant, drove a luxury carriage for more than a month without any accident.

"My lord, look, Qingshiyi, the sun is about to set, why don't you stay here for the night." Fu Zhi stopped the carriage, breathed on his hands with his mouth, and said expectantly.

There was light snow falling in the sky, and there was a lot of snow on the side of the road and on the treetops, and it was getting dark. Driving in this kind of weather, Lu Ting, who was sitting in the carriage with a warm stove, didn't feel anything. Fuzhi, who was driving the car, felt that his hands didn't feel like his own, and the cold wind blowing on his face was as sharp as a knife. How nice it is to have a warm bed and a bowl of steaming broth at this time.

Lu Ting handed over the stove in his hand to Fu Zhi: "Wan warm, I'll try my luck and see if there is any room."

The post station is owned by the imperial court, and it is mainly used for entertaining post envoys and government personnel. If there are spare rooms, it can also be convenient for passing business travelers. Of course, ordinary people do not have preferential treatment when staying in a post station, and they have to pay for their own accommodation and meals.

Now that it is winter, the snow is falling and the breath is foggy. Few people go out in this cold weather. It would be nice to stay at home with a hot kang. The guards in strong clothes and with horizontal knives on their waists patrolled back and forth. Needless to say, there was a big man coming to the post station. Even if Lu Ting was willing to spend money, he didn't have the confidence to get a house.

Before approaching the post station, Lu Ting felt several pairs of eyes on him, and those patrolling guards naturally put their hands on the handle of the knife.

"Young gentleman, I don't know what is the purpose of going to the Qingshi post station?" The postman guarding the post gate stopped Lu Ting, looked Lu Ting up and down, and asked politely.

People rely on clothes and horses rely on saddles. If it is an ordinary business traveler, the postman will drive away without saying a word. When he saw Lu Ting getting off a well-dressed carriage, he was well-dressed and personable. He didn't know where he came from, so he politely asked road.

"It's getting dark, and I haven't found a place to rest yet. I want to stay overnight in Qingshiyi. I wonder if my brother can make it easier?" Lu Ting said politely.

The weather was not cold when I just went out. I used the carriage as a caravan, and I could find a place for a night. Now it is freezing and snowy, and it is still dark. It must be comfortable to sleep in the hot pit and eat hot food.

"Does Mr. Xiao Lang have official status or official documents?"

"No, is it okay to get by?" Lu Ting looked around, and passed a silver bean calmly: "It's convenient."

It is a silver bean in one shot, which is considered generous. This trick has always been very effective, but this time it encountered a soft nail. Shaking his head: "It's not a little unaccommodating, a few nobles came here today, and they have taken over the inn, and ordered that no outsiders be allowed in, young master, please go ahead."

Money is a good thing, but the people living there are too noble, even the postman has to be careful in serving him, even though the postman is greedy for the silver beans, he dare not agree to Lu Ting.

Qingshi Station is only a few tens of miles away from Chang'an, and there are so many high-ranking officials and nobles who have entered Chang'an, and few of them said that they want to rent an entire station.

Lu Ting looked at the tall guards with stern expressions, hesitated, and said in a low voice: "We won't go in, brother, find a way to help take care of the horses, it's best to get some food, the horse feed and food will be settled together tomorrow. "

While speaking, Lu Ting stuffed the silver beans into the postman's hand.

The postman got the silver, squeezed it casually, stuffed it into his sleeve pocket calmly, and said with a smile on his face: "As long as people don't go in, this matter is easy to handle. The younger one will lead the horse into the stable for a while and feed the youngest." Good fine ingredients, but eating is a bit troublesome, the nobleman brings too many followers, the cook is too busy, and I am afraid that I will not be able to take care of Xiao Langjun for a while."

There used to be two cooks in the post station, but one of the cooks took a leave of absence, leaving only one cook and two handymen, and now they have to cook meals for three or forty people.

"It's okay, just get some ingredients. By the way, it's okay to spend the night in that woods."

It's much safer to camp by the post station, and I don't know what kind of nobles live in the post station, so many capable guards, if something happens, they don't just stand by and watch.

"No, but there are nobles living in the post house, Mr. Xiao Lang, don't make noise, disturb the rest of those nobles, and dare not guarantee that something small will happen."

It is very common to spend a night in the wild without finding a place to stay. In the small forest not far from the post station, people who are reluctant to pay for the rent often camp for the night. The postmen have long seen it.

Lu Ting thanked him, discussed a few words with the postman, and asked Fu Zhi to drive the carriage to a small forest about seven or eight feet away from the post station. The postman who received the benefits brought two slaughtered chickens, and then pulled the big The white horse went to the stable to feed and rest.

"My lord, it's still snowing now, it's cold, it's bad if you catch the wind and cold, go back to the carriage and rest, and send the little ones to you when you're ready." Fu Dao saw the two chickens, his eyes lit up .

When going out, there are pots, bowls, chopsticks, salt, and seasonings. There is also a bundle of dry firewood tied to the bottom of the car. If you can’t stay in time, you can cook by yourself. At this time, boil a pot of fragrant and hot chicken soup. The taste is just I swallowed just thinking about it.

Lu Ting looked at the two fat chickens that had been slaughtered, waved his hands and said, "Forget it, I will make enough food and clothing by myself, so you can help me. I'll get you something good today to open your eyes."

Fuzhi is a good servant, loyal and careful, but he is not a good cook, and his cooking skills can only be said to be passable. When these two fat chickens fell into his hands, he just chopped them into pieces and put them in the pot. Throw it away, add some salt and water, boil it for a while, and the chicken soup will come out. Lu Ting vomited all the way.

If you want to eat good food, you have to do it yourself.

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(End of this chapter)