It was said that they would set off at the end of March. By the time Yu Huan and Zhang Jun made all preparations and left Xiangyang, it was already early April. Yu Huan went first, followed by Zhang Jun and his men, together with sisters Yu Nu and Ping Ping. On the tenth day of April, we arrived in Xinye City.
Seeing that the sun had set in the west, Zhang Jun said: "We will stay in Xinye City for one day and leave early tomorrow. In two days we will arrive in Nanyang County and enter Ruzhou via Lushanguan Pass. Last year, Zhenfusi paid for the road to Lushanguan Pass. It’s a lot easier to walk.”
Yu Nu said: "Why do you live here? Isn't it just Dengzhou?"
Zhang Jun said: "It takes an extra day to go to Dengzhou, so there is no need. Now, when going north from Xiangyang, you usually pass through Xinye to Nanyang County, and then go to Lushanguan. Dengzhou is too far to the west."
After Wang Xiaolie occupied Xiangyang and Dengzhou, he made great efforts to rebuild the road to the north, especially the road to Luoyang. If the destination of Xiangyang's journey north is Luoyang, Nanyang's status will be more important than before. In the past, the main destination for heading north was Kaifeng Prefecture. The road moved eastward and Tangzhou became a traffic artery. During the Tang Dynasty, the goal was Guanzhong, and Dengzhou's status was even more important.
With the power stabilized, Wang Xiaolie had a rough plan for the Northern Expedition. Unlike Li Heng and Yue Fei's Northern Expedition in history, Wang Xiaolie's main target was Luoyang. Before Luoyang is stabilized, there is no plan to attack Kaifeng Mansion. It had been the capital for two hundred years in the Five Dynasties and the Northern Song Dynasty. The status of Kaifeng Mansion was too sensitive and lacked practical benefits. Moreover, it was not as conducive to defense as Luoyang, so its strategic position was relatively unimportant.
The first step is to rebuild the road. The most convenient way to go north from Xiangyang to Luoyang is to go to Nanyang County via Xinye, take Lushanguan, reach Ruzhou and then turn to Luoyang. "That is to say, it passes through Wu Gorge from Ba Gorge and then goes down to Xiangyang to Luoyang." This is an important ancient road.
Xinye City is only three miles away from the newly built Xinye Military City. In two or three years, it has become extremely prosperous. There are various inns and restaurants in the city, one next to the other. There are many shops on the road, and there is a wine shop every three or five steps.
Not far away, Zhang Jun pointed ahead and said: "Look, there is the Yuelai Inn, a property owned by the Zhenfu Division. There is nothing wrong with staying in a place with this inn. The servant is diligent and tidy up. It’s the most worry-free.”
While talking, several people arrived outside the inn and were greeted by a young man in green clothes and blue socks. Several people registered their names and went through the formalities. The servant led him to the backyard, pointed to a row of three houses and said, "The three guest officials will live here. If you find it inconvenient, you can let the female relatives live in the courtyard next to it. There are all female guests there."
Zhang Jun said: "No need. This is just fine."
Several people entered the room, and the waiter brought hot water to wash their faces. I poured the wash water, brought the teapot, and made tea for several people.
I sat in the room for a while and watched Lu Cheng tidy everything up. Zhang Jun said: "It's getting late, let's go have dinner. Xinye City is close to the military city, and the guests are mainly soldiers from the military city. I heard that the food is unique. Today we have an early rest and have a few bowls of wine."
After leaving the room, they called Sister Yunu, and they left the inn.
At this time, some inns also served as warehouses, but few provided food and beverages. Most of them have a kitchen, where guests can bring their own rice and buy firewood from the inn to cook. If you don’t want to cook, just go out and eat.
Look at the fiery red sun lying on the Western Mountain, like a big fireball. Thousands of rays of rays of light are shining down, like a dream. Zhang Jun said: "Today is really a good weather! Look at the sun——"
Pingping on the side suddenly said: "Look there, what a strong man!"
Looking in the direction Pingping pointed, he saw five big men walking on the road ahead. One of them is more than seven feet long, with muscles on his body that look like an iron tower. The people around him were all tall, but this man was a head shorter.
After looking up and down for a few times, Zhang Jun said: "What a fool! People like this eat a few more bowls of rice in one meal than others, but it's of no use! You little ladies, you have never seen the world!"
Pingping looked at Zhang Jun with disdain and snorted.
Yunu didn't speak. That's all. As a sister, I have seen a lot of men, and I have never seen anything in the world.
When several people walked over, Zhang Jun lost his mood. Asked Yunu: "It's a rare trip to Xinye, and a few of us are going to drink. Where do you two go? Although Xinye City is small, it has everything."
Yunu said: "When I was in Xiangyang, I heard people say that Xinye Ban Mian is very famous. The Mai Ke Noodle House in Xiangyang even hired Dai Zhao from Xinye to make it. I have eaten it in Xiangyang, and it is indeed delicious. I arrived in Xinye today. , of course you have to try the ones here.”
"What's so good about noodles? Besides, it's not convenient to drink in a noodle shop." Zhang Jun frowned after hearing this. "Let's do this, you two go to eat noodles, and we go to drink. Remember, after eating noodles, go back to the inn and rest early. Xinye City now is no better than before. Not only is there a military city next to it, but it is also in the south On the main road going north."
Yunu didn't want to be with these rough guys like Zhang Jun, so he led Pingping to eat noodles.
Watching the two people leave, Zhang Jun said: "It's really inconvenient to go with a woman. If there were just a few of us, we could drink when we wanted and eat meat when we wanted. How happy! How inconvenient it would be to have these two women walking together! Alas, I don’t know why Yu Huan brought them along.”
After saying that, he, Lu Cheng, Wang Gan and Liu Jing walked towards the "Game of Worlds" not far away.
This stall is located along the waterfront and has a large area. There is a fence around it, and there are many small bamboo tables and chairs inside. The north side is the store's kitchen, which is half a barbecue grill and half a hot stove. There is also a large table of cold dishes next to it.
Arriving in front of the bamboo gate, Zhang Jun said: "Zhenfu is also interesting. The barbecue stall in Xiangyang is called Human Fireworks, and the business is very good. Later, I opened another one and gave it the name of 'Game of Red Dust'. The place is a good place, but the name is , it’s always a little weird.”
Wang dared to say: "The governor and the governor are like gods. When you come to this mortal world, maybe you are just playing in the world of mortals. Naturally, we ordinary people cannot understand the beauty of it. What does it matter? Only the food and wine inside are good. Happy, that’s enough!”
Zhang Jun laughed. He led the three people to push open the bamboo door and went inside.
There are not many servants here. After entering, you have to find a seat by yourself. After you sit down, the waiter will come over to greet you.
The weather in early summer, when the sun has just set, there is a slight breeze, not the slightest chill, and not very hot, is the best time. In the twilight, there were dragonflies flying outside the fence, and a few bats flew quickly through the air, creating a peaceful and harmonious scene.
Zhang Jun looked at it again and suddenly found five big men at the side. One of the men was extraordinarily tall. Sitting there, he was still much taller than the others. Aren't they the ones I saw outside the store just now?
