In the following time, Jiang Tian also got to know and understand the respective characteristics of these people.
As a driver, although Li Huan doesn't talk much in daily life, his driving skills are very good and he is also very experienced and diligent in his work. Basically, he can take care of all the details of daily life during the trip, so that people don't have to worry about these. trivia.
Although Xuan Cong Zhang Wusheng is young, he has a mature and sophisticated manner in dealing with others. And it seems that because he often travels on business, he is quite familiar with traveling between the two capitals. Even in his daily words, there is a hint of admiration for Jiang Tian.
As for Murong Wu, who was riding with several men on horseback, he had another cold demeanor that was taciturn and cherished his words like gold. He was very majestic even if he didn't speak in front of his subordinates. But when it came to in-person inquiries from Jiang Tian, he responded with courtesy.
Therefore, thanks to their presence, Jiang Tian's journey was not only less troublesome and less boring, but also not boring and lonely; instead, he was able to see and witness many unique scenery along the way that originated from this era.
For example, from Gyeonggi Province to Gwannae Province, there are almost ubiquitous water conservancy factories/workshops; groups of people go to and from the fields, and there are villagers and villages between the factories. Bustling towns have emerged along water conservancy and transportation nodes, and small and wild markets exist seasonally at intersections.
For example, there are a lot of passenger and cargo boats on the Jingwei River, and there are large and small official and private wharves, warehouses, inns, and hotels along the coast; a large area is distributed between Duling and Fanchuan, represented by the Pure Land, the Vinaya Sect, the Huayan Sect, and the Faxiang Sect. The temple complex is headed by the Six Sects and Eight Great Temples.
Another example is the various roads that are crisscrossed by spider webs. As the two capitals with the most developed transportation hubs in the world, there are also dozens of large and small roads crisscrossing outside the city of Chang'an, extending from the Guanzhong Plain to the princes and vassals all over the country and all over the world;
Among them, the most spacious, grand and solid is undoubtedly the road related to Tianjia. For example, there is a straight road for the emperor to visit the palace, an imperial road for viewing in the royal gardens, and an exclusive imperial road that leads directly to important border towns...
For example, when Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty came out of the country to show off to the Eastern and Western Turks, he left behind the so-called Shizhang Imperial Way, which is still in use today. Most of the pavements are made of raw cement called gypsum and large pebbles.
Then there are official roads and national roads that are regularly repaired and inspected. The main difference is that the former is the main road leading to the mainland, with many official and private posts, hotels and inns; while the latter is connected to many beacon posts in the border areas and is used primarily for military purposes;
In terms of the specific materials and types of uses of the official roads, they can be roughly divided into straight roads for general use, and relaxed roads specially used for horse riding and carriages. They are built with gravel as the foundation and then glued with Sanhe soil. Hardened pavement.
Then branch lines in counties, townships, and villages are separated from these main roads, and the road surface conditions become much more random. According to the local wealth and output, there are rammed earth, sand and gravel, gravel roads, and even stone roads. However, the roads leading directly to each county are maintained and inspected by special road protection teams.
On these main roads and branch lines, there is a square mound every five miles, and two every ten miles; they are called "dividing pillars". It is similar to the function of road signposts in later generations, so that pedestrians can judge the approximate distance they have traveled after seeing them from a distance.
And according to the location orientation of the "inner partition pillars", pedestrians don't have to worry about getting lost. It can be said to be a major feature of the Tang Dynasty. In addition, these "inner partition pillars" were also important reference materials for successive dynasties to survey and map the territory of the world, as well as calculate and revise the evolution of the calendar.
For example, the famous ancient scientists Seng Yixing, Nangong Shuo and others in history all used these "interior pillars" to calculate the ecliptic meridian and form an important reference for formulating the trajectory of the sun, moon and stars on the armillary sphere. There are signs and notice boards at every intersection.
However, regardless of whether it is an official road or a national highway, it is prohibited to cultivate and open ditches on the roadside, and it is also not allowed to cut down the shady trees on the roadside. The street trees between the two capitals are also quite distinctive. Almost all of them are fruit trees of all kinds. As time goes by, people still prune, cultivate and pick them regularly.
Therefore, when Jiang Tian's carriage was walking along the road, he could see large areas of jujube, persimmon, pear, apricot and other fruit trees. At this moment, the greenery is lush and the flowers are blooming; therefore, along with the faint fragrance that diffuses in the air, there are swarms of bees and butterflies flying back and forth.
At this time, the apricot fruits in clusters on the branches have begun to take shape, and have begun to turn white and yellow from green. Therefore, they are heavy on the branches and hang down by the roadside, as if they are within reach on the carriage. However, according to Zhang Wusheng's words, these street fruits are not very tasty.
Of course, the Tang Dynasty has been in prosperity for more than a hundred years, so there are almost no displaced people along the way; the scholars and common people have few dishes and are well-dressed. Even beggars, bad boys, idlers and scoundrels who are common in big cities are rarely seen.
According to Murong Wu, such idle social workers could just stay in the city. If they dare to stray on the road, they will soon be arrested as lawbreakers by the road protection team; then they will either be sent to the border fortress or sent to overseas development.
Therefore, the largest flow of people coming and going was mostly those with strong waists and strong backs, who were unusually strong and strong, carrying long and short parcels on their backs. They are the people of the martial arts with the characteristics of the times, special groups called knight-errants, swordsmen, swordsmen and the like.
They belong to a characteristic group that was spawned by the encouragement of successive imperial courts to join the army to expand borders and develop outside the territory, which led to the practice of martial arts among the people. Because according to the laws of the Tang Dynasty, except for rebellion, murder and other serious crimes, the crimes incurred by these knights in the process of using force to violate the ban can be forgiven.
On the other hand, in addition to the martial arts competition to select good family members, the imperial court held regular martial arts conferences for the best in the world, and used the resources, fame, and power of the system to restrain and absorb the relatively powerful beings among these knights-errants. They become one of the forces maintaining the ruling order.
But also because practicing martial arts from an early age and participating in various derivative competitive activities can become a relatively consistent outlet for all social strata. Even if you are not selected into the imperial court system, as long as you make a little bit of fame, you can still serve as a disciple of the princes. , or recruited by the vassal,
During this period, due to personal grudges or unintentional injuries, you can also take the initiative to redeem yourself. Therefore, even if the civil war has been maintained for a long time, the local security situation has not deteriorated, but has maintained a relatively delicate balance and a virtuous cycle.
Just like Jiang Tian himself, he was also a direct beneficiary of this state system; in theory, he was able to obtain the dual official status of the imperial edict, and he was also recognized by the court and the imperial court for his "unique talents". The emperor followed the custom of making special orders when the opportunity arises, and made an extraordinary decision.
Because of these two official statuses, Jiang can also enjoy corresponding conveniences and benefits according to his rank in the government-run hotels and inns along the way. In fact, after a long period of peaceful and prosperous development, these post offices on the main commercial roads can be compared to a comprehensive service area with complete functions.
It has everything from hotels, shops, warehouses, carriage shops, wine shops and restaurants, to bathhouses and markets; there are even entertainment staff who provide music and music, and even special custom services. Through these ancillary income, Guanyi not only supports public use but also turns over profits.
Therefore, although the person in charge/manager has a low status, he is still a good vacancy in the local area. As an official, you can use the buildings and materials for free; but if you want to obtain other additional items and value-added services, you will have to pay extra.
Therefore, as long as you are willing to pay for the subsidy, you can live a very comfortable life there; basically you will not have to suffer from the hardships of traveling. Coupled with the priority given by official status and rank, which separates them from ordinary people, even surreptitious security problems rarely occur.
During this period, it is not that there were not many officials passing by who happened to be in Guanyi, trying to make friends with Jiang Tian to discuss matters, or inviting friends to a small banquet with poems. However, he declined them all; after all, he did not go to the Eastern Capital to really become an official or seek career advancement.
Despite this, through Zhang Wusheng's activities, we can still get some scattered anecdotes along the way from the staff of the post office and the official attachés. For example, ferocious beasts often appear in the mountains and forests of a certain place to hurt people, and the cattle and sheep in a certain county and township give birth to monsters...
Of course, Jiang Tian never thought of using this inspiration to write down some classics along the way. However, when he passed Tongguan at noon the next day, he just wanted to "compose" a song "Sheep on the Hillside. Tong cares about the ancient times", but he saw "The rise and fall of the people" carved on the huge stone.
Well, obviously this senior time traveler has blocked most of the opportunities for future generations to become famous as copycats. According to various official and folk anecdotes, in the second half of his life, Liang Gong became a super-prolific poet of his generation.
In comparison, Cao Zijian, who wrote a poem in seven steps, is simply weak. Because this Liang Gong could appear anytime and anywhere, whether he was managing government affairs, having banquets and having fun, traveling around the world, or attending to food, clothing, daily life, and being courteous. An extremely large variety of handed down classics could appear anytime and anywhere.
So much so that in his daily life, he needed to be equipped with a daily care team consisting of dozens of people, who were on duty around the clock; otherwise, it is very likely that he would miss the classic masterpiece that came from Liang Gong's inspiration. Because the moment he opened his eyes, there was probably poetry.
Therefore, some good people later specially compiled a "Liang Gong Quotations" and re-edited "Liang's Wenhui". The total number of poems and short stories recorded in it actually reached dozens of volumes, tens of thousands. of length. Despite this, another legend is still circulating in the world.
Even before Liang Gong said goodbye to China in his later years and went to foreign lands to join the country in Daxia, before he thought he could take care of his old age, he also compiled his decades of experience and experience in overcoming difficulties and chaos, conquering all directions, and ruling the country into seven volumes of "Liang Gong" in different categories. "Book", together with some early harvests, are buried throughout the two capitals.
As long as the destined people discover it, they will naturally be able to obtain all kinds of knowledge and knowledge that can stabilize the country, manage the world and benefit the people, as well as many treasure collections as side rewards. Therefore, it has also been regarded as the treasure of Liang Gong and the secret treasure of Liang family, and has attracted many people in later generations to explore and excavate.
It's just that over the years, rumors and news about Liang Gong's treasure have been true and false. However, there are almost no clues that have been discovered. On the contrary, it has greatly spawned and promoted the vigorous development of the archeology/tomb robbing industry near the two capitals.
In fact, even the descendants of the Liang family were a little annoyed; they finally publicly announced that Liang Gong's treasure was indeed real, but it would require great luck and chance. Therefore, anyone who can obtain one of Liang Gong's treasures can use the token to receive the greatest courtesy and preferential treatment from one family or three families.
Only then did the turbulent situation gradually calm down, and it became one of the most talked-about topics among the many urban legends of the two capitals. Of course, if there is time and opportunity in the future, Jiang Tian would not mind exploring the legacy left by this senior time traveler.
