"In our industry, there is no tomorrow, and it's not bad to say that you can exchange your life for money. Lao Zhou, Lao Wang, and Xiao Li have been prepared for it for a long time. We are all the same, aren't we?"
After a moment of silence, the burly man spoke slowly, his voice heavy and helpless.
His name is Wang Shengkui, and he is the leader of a caravan. Caravan originally refers to the gathering of horse drivers and their teams of mules and horses. Later, it gradually evolved into a code for businessmen who use horses as their main means of transportation and trafficking. They belong to the latter group. kind.
Moreover, they are not general caravans that travel long distances and traffic goods, but businessmen who specialize in cross-border trafficking and transactions.
Specifically, they mainly traveled between Chu and Yan. They, the Chu people, have lived in the northern Xinjiang for generations. Further north, across the Gobi, desert, and bitter cold snowfields, is the country of Yan.
At the beginning of the four kingdoms of Yan, Chu, Qi, and Wei, they were divided into the You Dynasty. Because of the feeling of the whole country fighting against You, the friendship of sharing the joys and sorrows, coupled with the long-term war, the people were in dire straits, and all countries needed to recuperate and recuperate. Therefore, the two countries had good relations, opened markets, and conducted business trips with each other. There were frequent exchanges. The Yan State was rich in horses, copper and iron and other metal minerals, while the Chu State was rich in silk, tea and other goods. The two sides exchanged what they had, forming the famous Tea Horse Road in history.
History books say: In the early days of Yan and Chu, there were ancient roads leading from the north to the south, with camel bells ringing day and night, and business travelers coming and going like running water, day and night, which was called a prosperous age.
It can be seen the prosperous scene at that time.
Organizations such as caravans and camel gangs also emerged at that time.
It's just that the success is a neighboring country, and the failure is a neighboring country. As time goes by, time is wasted, and the two countries have recovered from the war. Moreover, after the emperor has changed several times, the friendship of the past has disappeared. How can the so-called side of the bed accommodate others? As a result, frictions and disputes began to occur on the border between the two countries, and the relationship between the two countries gradually became tense.
In view of this, both countries began to restrict their respective business travel and trade, causing the ancient Tea Horse Road to decline and never regain its former prosperity.
Especially since Emperor Tianwu of the Yan Kingdom came to the throne, the relationship between Yan and Chu has become increasingly tense.
Emperor Tianwu of the Yan State was a man of great talent and ambition. Since he came to the throne, he had strengthened his internal forces, cut off domestic noble families and feudal officials, concentrated power in the central government, and fought externally in the south and north. He drove dogs and soldiers to the snowy plains and drove Bai Fang to the east. At the foot of the mountain, the hills and mountains were destroyed in the desert, and the worries of future troubles were settled.
On the contrary, the State of Chu is located in the hinterland of the Central Plains, with a superior environment, fertile fields, and rich products. The people are rich and healthy, and wealth leads to extravagance. Therefore, the literary style of Chu is at its peak, and etiquette and music are respected. From the government and the countryside to the rivers and lakes, the extravagant style prevails, emphasizing literature over literature. Wu.
Since Emperor Jingrun of Chu State came to the throne, he has also indulged in playing music, chess, calligraphy, painting, sensuality, dogs and horses, building gardens and pavilions wantonly, being lazy in government affairs, and not cultivating military affairs, so the military affairs are weak.
Therefore, in the eyes of Yan State and other neighboring countries, Chu State is like a sheep on the side of a tiger, with fine skin and tender meat. Everyone wants to take a bite of it, especially Emperor Tianwu of Yan State, who frequently provokes troubles on the border of Chu State.
Emperor Jingrun was also aware of Emperor Tianwu's ambition. In recent years, he has been aggressively recruiting troops and building fortifications in northern Xinjiang to prepare for the Yan Kingdom.
prosperity, the people suffer;
If they die, the people will suffer.
In the confrontation between the two countries, the unlucky ones are ordinary people like Wang Shengkui. As the friction between the two countries continues and the border is strictly closed, they, the caravans and business travelers traveling between the two places, cannot leave the country at will. Materials such as salt, iron, food, etc. It was even regarded as contraband and was not allowed to be trafficked at will. The Ancient Tea Horse Road gradually declined and was occupied by bandits and weirdos. Naturally, they no longer had a good life.
Many people have been forced to change careers and careers.
They are left with no other crafts and no other means of making a living. This is the only way to go.
Life must go on.
Therefore, half a year ago, they were a group of more than 100 people, loaded with goods such as silk, silk fabrics, tea, etc., and left northern Xinjiang for Northern Yan. They followed the abandoned Tea Horse Road and went through untold hardships before arriving at Yan State.
Due to the closure of the two countries, items such as silk, silk, tea, etc. became in hot demand in Yan State, so they made a lot of money.
Of course, the price paid was not small. We encountered countless strange mountain bandits and dangerous places along the way. Many people lost their lives, including Lao Zhou, Lao Wang, Xiao An and others. There were only more than fifty people left in the caravan of one hundred people, and almost half of them died. It was not a tragedy.
Those who died were all relatives and friends who fought side by side with them. They were not family members, but more like family members. They went together, but could not return together. They could not even bring their bodies back and return them to their roots.
To say I'm not sad would be a lie.
But what can we do? Those who are alive must live;
Life must go on.
This is their fate and their sorrow.
"Uncle Qi, prepare all the settlement expenses for those brothers. By the way, take an extra share from me and give it to the brothers' families. Set them up well and don't let them suffer any injustice."
Wang Shengkui looked at a man in his fifties and warned: "Although the brothers are dead, we are still there. Their parents are our parents from now on, and their brothers and sisters are our brothers and sisters." , their wives and children are our brothers, sisters-in-law, and children, we must take good care of them and not let the brothers underground feel cold."
"The boss is right, count me in too."
"count me in."
"Uncle Qi, count me in too."
…
The firm voices, one after another, represent hope and protection, as well as human kindness and warmth.
"Boss, look, there's someone here."
Suddenly, Sun Bo pointed at the fairy spring in the distance.
Wang Shengkui looked around and saw a group of people sitting around the Fairy Spring, cooking, chatting and laughing. Among them was a child, running back and forth among the crowd. The laughter kept ringing, adding to the desolate Gobi desert. It added a bit of joy and vitality.
"Maybe it's a business traveler passing by and stopping at the Immortal Spring. But everyone should be careful."
Wang Shengkui warned, looking at the attire of those people and the fact that they were bringing children with them, they should not be thieves and bandits. After all, who would come out to rob and bring children with them?
The Fairy Spring is the only oasis and water source within a hundred miles of the Gobi Desert. The name and origin of the Fairy Spring are also very legendary.
According to legend, this Gobi was originally extremely desolate, without any vegetation or water sources. Even the most tenacious Populus euphratica and thorns could not survive in this Gobi. Therefore, this Gobi was devoid of any vitality and life. It was dead and desolate, hence its name. beach.
Therefore, even when the Ancient Tea Horse Road was prosperous, the deserted beach was also a forbidden area for business travelers from Yan and Chu. Countless business travelers died in the Gobi desert because of crossing the deserted beach.
There was an immortal riding an ox passing by here. He saw a corpse for five miles and a skeleton for ten miles on the deserted beach. They were so miserable that they couldn't bear it, so they took their bags into their hands and poured water into a spring.
The name of Immortal Spring also comes from this.
Of course, the legend is just a legend after all. It is unknown whether it is true or false. It is probably just one of the stories handed down during the heyday of the Tea Horse Road.
But it is undeniable that there are many strange things about Xianren Spring. For example, the spring water is sweet and delicious. No matter how cold it is, the spring water will never freeze. No matter how hot it is, the spring water will never dry up. Good luck, and so on.
Therefore, Xianren Spring has become a good place for caravans and business travelers to stop, rest and recuperate within a radius of hundreds of miles.
