Chen Xing looked forward from the gap between the two front seats.
"Is the tone so big?"
Military vehicles are clearing the way. This is not a visit to an attraction. Visiting a secret base of national defense is nothing more than that.
Lu Jiarang was playing with his mobile phone and said without looking back: "Hey, buddy, they didn't tell you when you went to Bazhou to go through the formalities. There is a live-fire exercise here. Under normal circumstances, except for official scientific research groups from various places, no one will be released. Come in, at least that’s been the case for the past few months.”
Lu Feng looked at Chen Xing in the rearview mirror.
His brother was right. They had not seen single ordinary tourists going to the Loulan ruins for half a year. This was not only a problem with the local military region, but also because the protection procedures for the Loulan ruins had been raised again.
Although the tickets for Loulan Scenic Area were a little more expensive in the past few years, there are still a few waves of tourists willing to visit over the course of a year.
But in March this year, the Loulan ruins were permanently closed to ordinary people, and only scientific expedition teams could pass through.
Chen Xing is the first ordinary tourist they have received since the Chinese New Year this year.
Lu Feng thought about it, and it seemed that it was not very ordinary. They knew Chen Xing's identity when they received the news from the tourism bureau last night. Good Guy is an international photographer and a famous domestic traveler who revitalizes the travel industry wherever he goes.
It is probably because of this that the bureau approved Chen Xing's application so quickly.
At the same time, flying drones is not prohibited. Chen Xing's intention to make a Bazhou travel video is already very obvious.
But he didn't continue talking, and kept focusing on the car in front of him.
There are no roads in this vast desert, and the road is covered with yellow sand that is drier than the African desert. Lu Feng knows a few roads that can lead to the ruins, but now he can only follow the car in front of him under the control.
Losing track is not an uncommon thing.
In this desert, as soon as the vehicle in front passes by, the wheels are spinning and kicking up a lot of dust, like a heavy fog with visibility of only one or two meters, and there is no road on the ground to guide the direction. If you get closer, you can't see the front. car.
Stay farther away. If your view is accidentally blocked by the yellow sand, you will really be unable to see it after the car in front climbs a small hillside.
At this time, we can only rely on Lu Feng's experience to keep up.
Or say a few words into the intercom and wait where you are for the car in front to pick you up again.
Chen Xing fastened his seat belt and grasped the armrest of the car door, sighing: "I didn't expect that a trip to Loulan would be so troublesome."
"It's much better normally." Lu Jiarang said.
Chen Xing asked: "Do you work at the Tourism Bureau or do you live here?"
"Both, Lu Feng and I are both from Qiang County. If a tourist in Bazhou applies to go to Loulan, we will usually lead the way. Normally, we will also do some maintenance work for the ancient city, including Loulan."
There are also many ancient cities here. In addition to the famous Loulan ruins, there is also the Milan ruins and the ancient city of Milan. This is the next best alternative if you can't go to the Loulan ruins here.
Recently, the Loulan Ancient City was built. In the future, tourists can also visit the Loulan Ancient City.
There weren't many topics they could talk about, and everyone stopped talking halfway through the car.
Outside the car window is the desert as far as the horizon.
Occasionally, you can see some standing rocks, seven or eight meters high, but the distance is too far, and they look as small as toys.
As for the creatures, Chen Xing didn't see any of them.
Chen Xing trusted his eyes very much. If something ran past or changed its position within the field of vision, even if he couldn't see it at first glance, it would definitely attract his attention.
But there was no movement at all.
Except for the grass balls that were blown everywhere by the wind.
"It's almost here." Lu Jiarang said at some unknown time.
Chen Xing checked the time.
This trip was quite fast, and Chen Xing was prepared to ride for several hours like yesterday.
The car in front had stopped. Lu Feng drove a little to the side to avoid the exhaust fumes of the military green off-road vehicle in front, and stopped next to them.
A few people got out of the car, and two young soldiers greeted them, and the Lu family went up to disperse the smoke very skillfully. At this time, Lu Feng also opened the trunk of the car and took out a few bottles of Red Bull - maybe there was something to keep warm, but the Red Bull felt cold to the touch.
"A handsome guy is coming to Loulan at this time. Isn't it hot?" A soldier said to Chen Xing with a smile.
"The desert is full of smoke and the river is long and the sun is setting. It's the right time to come in late summer and early autumn." Chen Xing said while drinking water.
The sun is setting over the long river. There is no water here, so it should be invisible, but there is lonely smoke, which is the sand and soil kicked up after they drove over. Now it is getting higher and higher, but it is also getting lighter and lighter.
Chen Xing drank up the Red Bull in one breath and then looked at the surrounding scenery.
Most of the surroundings were still the same as before, but on the right was a group of buildings that could not be seen as buildings. Chen Xing stared here for a long time before he saw windows on some soil blocks.
"Is this Loulan?"
Lu Jiarang nodded, leaned against the car and smoked a cigarette, and said, "Yes, this is Loulan, there is a sign over there."
Chen Xing went over and looked at the erected stone tablet.
A national key cultural relic protection unit, Loulan Ancient City Site, established by the Xijiang Cultural Relics Administration Bureau in 1997.
A stone tablet from more than 20 years ago?
Why does it look like an ancient cultural relic?
Chen Xing has been to many scenic spots. Most ancient cities or ruins have such a stone tablet, but the one in Loulan is obviously much older than the other stone tablets. The lime on its surface is mottled and falling off, making the writing slightly blurry. , some corners are broken.
The base is two-layered. It was originally supposed to be an angular cement base like a staircase, but now the surface has fallen off a lot, resulting in pits.
Chen Xing didn't see that the monument was erected in 1997, but thought it was a stone monument from two to three hundred years ago.
Lu Jiarang came over and said, "Shall I take you in to take a look? We can't see much from here, but there are still many interesting things inside."
"OK."
Chen Xing nodded.
Brother Bing and Lu Feng both stayed here. Although according to the regulations, two tour guides should have brought Chen Xing in, but in daily life, most people came as convenient as they could. Since the Lu family let Chen Xing in, Lu Feng was also happy. rest.
The closer he walked to the ruins, the more Chen Xing felt that when he first came to Qiang County, the supermarket owner spoke very vividly.
It's just a big group of loess piles.
All valuable things were taken away, even a tile, a piece of furniture, and a few stones, which may be cultural relics, were taken away, so all that was left for people to see were the ruins, just like the hard times. A bunker built according to local conditions.
It's said to be a house, but people can't walk in. The building might collapse as soon as you enter.
It doesn't matter if you get injured a little, but damaging Loulan's cultural relics is a big deal.
Lu Jiarang pointed to some taller buildings and said: "This is the city wall of Loulan. The four walls are about 330 meters long. The total area is only 100,000 square meters. It is a small square city."
"The two-story building in front was the tallest building at that time. It was where the king lived before it was occupied, and it also served as a general's residence for a period of time. After all, Loulan was already under the Chinese military control area at that time."
Lu Jiarang said it was on the second floor, but in Chen Xing's opinion it was four walls side by side.
The wall tiles were still clearly visible, but Chen Xing did not dare to touch them with his hands when he was in front of him, fearing that if he touched them with his hands, the bricks would disintegrate and scatter like dust.
It's an exaggeration, isn't it?
But this is Chen Xing's true feelings about the Loulan ruins.
As if this place should have been buried by loess long ago and should not be exposed to the human world, the ruins of Loulan that people see now are just images left in the human world, which makes Chen Xing feel unreal.
"How many years has it been since Loulan disappeared?" Chen Xing asked.
"This place was established in 176 BC, during the Warring States Period in China. It disappeared in 630 AD, which is 1,400 years ago." Lu Jiarang said, and then he added, "It is precisely because it disappeared for so long , so we never paid attention to it. As a result, foreigners discovered it first, and many valuable cultural relics were taken abroad."
The two sighed at the same time, then looked at each other and laughed.
The solemn atmosphere also became more lively.
"I shouldn't say this, it's just that the atmosphere is here. Hey, do you have any questions about Loulan? You can fly a drone here, but the height should not exceed eighty meters, and the distance should preferably be within Loulan's range. "
Chen Xing expressed that he understood. Military vehicles were following him, so there was nothing he didn't understand.
"I don't have any more doubts. I've read a lot of information about this place on the Internet. It's just a pity. But I just thought about it seriously. If the secret of Loulan's disappearance is discovered, then this place will not be as mysterious as it is now. ”
"You're right, but curious, people are always curious."
Chen Xing heard that when Loulan was discovered, there were ancient coins, silks, and books here, so they probably didn't migrate away.
The specific reason for its disappearance is a mystery, but it is indeed clear how it gradually disappeared into history. The Silk Road changed its course, the climate became dry, and it gradually became uninhabitable.
Maybe there weren't many people living here before he disappeared overnight.
Chen Xing does not believe in ghosts and gods, but he believes that this world is somewhat mysterious.
It's impossible to say that all the people living in Loulan traveled through time that night.
Chen Xing took out the drone and looked at the signal.
The signal of the mobile phone was intermittent, and the same was true for the drone. In this case, Chen Xing was worried that the drone would run away to a place where he could not find it due to signal loss, so he looked around and found a relatively high platform. There are stairs next to it.
In fact, it is a normal building. The stairs are solid. If they are built along this building, it should be an important building here in ancient times.
"Can I go up here?"
Lu Jiarang looked at it, nodded and said, "Okay, I see many scientific expedition teams have gone up there, so it should be fine."
"you do not know?"
"How can I control them? Don't look at me as a tour guide for you tourists. To them, we are just a guide. On the way, I wanted to tell them a little story about Loulan, and someone immediately jumped out and told me. It's wrong, slap me in the face immediately."
"Haha." Chen Xing laughed when he thought of that scene.
"Later I found out that Lu Feng didn't say anything when he met the scientific expedition team. It was because of this that Lu Feng became reticent. Anyway, if you talk too much, you will make mistakes. It's better to listen to them tell their own stories. It's quite interesting. of."
Chen Xing thought about the way those teachers led their students, and he hummed and said, "Indeed, since they are here for inspection, they must know Loulan very well."
"So I quite like receiving you tourists. At least we can chat and talk."
Chen Xing carefully climbed onto the high platform.
Lu Jiarang also walked up.
This ladder and this wall are both very stable. The other sides of the wall have gone nowhere. Only the part facing the stairs is still standing firmly because of the traction of the stairs.
Nothing in Loulan has special protection.
It is also possible that it was discovered late and has some experience in protecting cultural relics.
Chen Xing likes ancient scenery, and of course he has heard some negative stories about protecting ancient buildings in his early years.
Does the threshold of an ancient building hinder passing cars?
Split!
Is the location of the stone monument in the middle of the road blocking traffic?
Move away!
The dust on the wall is too ugly, so wash it with water. If it can't be washed away in one day, it will take ten days. I'll rub it with sandpaper. I won't stop until the dust is removed. Some of the broken inscriptions on the tablets have fallen off in pieces?
Then clean it up first so as not to disturb tourists.
This type of 'cultural relic protection' existed everywhere from the 1960s to 2000.
Therefore, these ancient buildings that were protected later can still be preserved to this day.
Once you reach the top, you will have a clear view of the surrounding scenery.
Broken walls that are the same color as the yellow sand on the ground stand everywhere on all sides. The irregular buildings are high and low, but because there is some space in the middle, they look well-proportioned. It feels like looking at the forest of steles in a Buddhist temple.
But the Forest of Steles is much newer than here, and it also has a lot of colors.
The only color in Loulan is yellow sand. Maybe the blue in the sky is also one, but that's all. If Chen Xing were asked to color the photos he took now, the yellow would definitely be thicker and the blue would be deeper.
Coupled with this desolate urban scene, it highlights the deep suffering and hatred.
not feeling well……
While Chen Xing was using the drone, he was still thinking about color grading.
With the noise caused by the motor, the drone instantly flew into the sky.
It is still the time-travel machine modified by Chen Xing. Although the time-travel machine is inconvenient for shooting videos and has many fewer functions than an aerial camera, the flexible features of the time-travel machine are also very important to Chen Xing.
Just like in this Loulan ruins.
The Lu family gave up the eighty-meter height limit, but Chen Xing didn't even reach three meters above the ground. He stayed close to the ground all the way, walking through the ruins of Loulan, passing through the narrow window, and then flying out of the house with a leaky roof.
Lu Jiarang couldn't see what Chen Xing looked like in his flying glasses. He saw the time-travel machine flying around in the ruined building and was petrified.
"Stop flying!!! Oh my god, it won't collapse the house, right? Ouch, Chen Xing, you are so wild flying a drone! Be careful!"
"Don't worry, I used to fly a drone among tens of thousands of running animals. I succeeded once and it was as stable as an old dog."
But Chen Xing did not continue walking through the building, flying towards the distant sky, then turned back and looked at the ruins and the two small people.
Stay for a moment.
"I found the composition point..."
(End of chapter)
