Suddenly the weather gets warmer, the summer harvest is over, and autumn harvest crops are planted in the fields.
Since the Tiger Character Banner captured the Xuanda area, it has not used troops everywhere, but has begun to work on internal affairs. Strangely, there has been no movement at Juyongguan. The Ming Dynasty seems to have forgotten that there is such a place as Xuanda.
At the end of July, the weather is not as hot as in May and June (lunar calendar), and it is cooler in the morning and evening.
A team of fifty or sixty people set out from Taiyuan Prefecture and headed north to Datong Prefecture.
"Where are we? How long does it take to reach Datong Mansion?" In the carriage, an official wearing a black gauze hat poked his head out of the carriage and asked the people outside the carriage.
The people outside the car took a look around and then said: "Before we leave Yingzhou, we are in front of Yanmen Pass. After passing Yanmen Pass, we will reach Shanyin County. That side is already Liu Thief's territory."
"Everyone who told us should be alert and escort me back to Taiyuan immediately if something is wrong." The official in the carriage warned.
The people outside the car nodded and said: "Don't worry, sir. Even if we risk our lives, we will send you back to Taiyuan safely."
"With your words, sir, I feel more at ease. Okay, let's continue on our way!" The official in the car retracted his head into the carriage and lowered the curtain on one side.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, General Li Mu of the State of Zhao was stationed at Yanmen and defeated the Xiongnu's cavalry of more than 100,000, making the Xiongnu dare not attack Zhao. Qin unified the six kingdoms, and the First Emperor sent General Meng Tian to lead an army of 300,000 people to leave the fortress from Yanmen and attack northward. Hu took over the Hetao area, drove the Xiongnu to the north of Yinshan Mountain, and built the Great Wall again.
During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, famous generals such as Wei Qing, Huo Qubing and Li Guang all rode in and outside the Yanmen Ancient Fortress and fought against the Xiongnu many times. During the reign of Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty, Zhaojun came out of the fortress from here to make peace.
The name Yanmen Pass comes from the early Tang Dynasty. Due to frequent internal invasions by the Turks, the Tang garrisoned Yanmen Mountain, built a pass city, and garrisoned troops to defend it. Since then, it has been called Yanmen Pass.
Later in the early Northern Song Dynasty, the Yanmen Pass area was always a battlefield for fierce competition between the Song and Liao Dynasties. After millions of battles, until the city was destroyed, the Mongolian and Yuan Dynasties set up thousands of households here.
In the Ming Dynasty, although Yanmen Pass was repaired, its importance was not as important as before, so Yanmen Pass was no longer taken seriously. It was not until the rise of the Tiger Flag in Datong that the pass was again heavily guarded.
The team passed Yanmen Pass and entered Shanyin County.
The official sitting in the carriage noticed that the carriage was not as bumpy as before. He couldn't help but lift the curtain and took a look outside, only to find that the green fields on the roadside were filled with crops that were as tall as half a person.
"Stop!" the official shouted to the driver.
The driver pulled the reins and asked the animals to stop.
The official got out of the carriage, stepped on the wooden stool that had just been placed under the carriage, and got out of the carriage.
When I got off the car, I realized that the road under my feet was smooth and wide. Although it was not as good as the bluestone roads in Taiyuan City, it was smoother and easier to walk than many official roads outside the city.
No wonder the carriage was no longer as bumpy as before after entering Shanyin County.
"Sir, what's wrong with you?" The people at the front of the team noticed that the car was not leaving, and a man in cotton armor drove the general manager over on horseback.
The official ignored him, held up the hem of his official robe with one hand, and walked a few steps to the field next to the roadside.
"Okay, okay, I didn't expect that the food here grows so well. There will be a bumper harvest this year." The official said with emotion, holding a leaf of the crops in the field with one hand.
At this time, the general manager also dismounted and came over, saying: "These millet are growing really well, but they are a little short. No wonder the sorghum wine brewed by Liu Thief is delicious. It turns out that the millet used for winemaking is different from ordinary millet." Millet is different.”
"You know what? This thing is not millet. It is called jade and wheat. It's just that there are relatively few people growing this kind of food in Ming Dynasty. I didn't expect so much jade and wheat to be grown here in Shanyin County." The official looked around. look.
In the fields on both sides of the road, there are acres and acres of what he calls jade and wheat.
"So this thing is called jade wheat? I thought it was the millet used by Liu Thief to make wine." Mr. Li scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.
The sorghum brew brewed by Tiger Character Banner is strong enough and is not as difficult to drink as ordinary sorghum brew. It is quite popular among military generals like them. As for the name Yumai, this is the first time he has heard of it.
The official glanced at the boss next to him, not bothering to explain to such a crude person.
Jade and wheat were rarely grown in the Ming Dynasty. When he was a county magistrate, a squire planted a few jade and wheat plants at home as ornamental plants. He then learned about this plant and knew that it was a food crop. , the fruits produced can be used to satisfy hunger.
He did not expect that Shanyin County would grow so much jade and wheat.
Moreover, these jade and wheat are growing well, and the green jade and green jade in patches are so pleasing to look at.
"The ears of these jade wheat are a bit small, not as good as millet, and I don't know how much yield they can produce. If we only have this small amount now, the people of Shanyin County will have nothing but grass." General Manager looked at the ears on the top of the jade wheat. Talking to oneself.
In his eyes, there is not much difference between jade, wheat and millet. They are both the ears at the top that are the future harvest.
The official on the side almost became angry when he heard what Mr. Ba was talking to himself, and explained to him: "What Yumai eats is not the ears, but the fruit that grows in the middle."
As he spoke, he pointed to the fruit attached to the jade-wheat stalk.
"So this is what you eat!" The general manager pointed out to the other party, and then he realized that the things growing on the jade wheat stalks were the fruits of the jade wheat.
He stretched out his hand to pull the fruit on the jade-wheat stalk twice, then touched the beard on it, and said: "This thing is too small. Such a big jade-wheat tree only bears so few fruits, so it is better to plant sorghum and millet." The harvest is plentiful.”
"What do you know? This fruit will continue to grow. When the fruit matures, you will understand." After the official said, he turned and walked towards the carriage on the road.
"Can it still grow?" Mr. Ba touched it with his hand and said immediately, "I don't know if it will taste good after it's cooked."
With that, he retreated back to the road.
"Get on the road!" the official said and got into the carriage.
Turn the boss over and get on the horse.
However, before he could order the team to go on the road, his expression suddenly changed and he hurriedly shouted: "Someone, come and protect the great master."
As he shouted, soldiers began to gather around the carriage.
"What happened?" The official on the carriage heard the shout and stuck his head out of the carriage.
Mr. Jiang said nervously: "Please get back to the car quickly. There is a group of rioters in front of you. I am worried that they will hurt you."
Hearing this, the officials in the car looked curiously in the direction of the front of the team.
Just a few hundred steps away in front of the motorcade, dozens of people were seen walking menacingly in his direction.
