This matter is not urgent for the time being, and the car will not be found in a while. Everyone packed up their things and boarded the train from Jianghan.
Whistling and whistling all the way, they headed from Jianghan to Lancheng. After passing the Shaanxi Province Plateau, they saw that the verdant greenery was decreasing. When they arrived at Lancheng, they were only left with desolation. This was a world even more desolate than the Shaanxi Province Plateau.
After getting off the train, Song Siyuan passed through the capital and found the transport team heading to the Western Desert in Lancheng. Finally, they no longer had to rent a carriage. They got into the car without any danger and rushed to Dunhuang City amidst the roar of the wheels.
…
Western Region, Oasis, Dunhuang City
The desert Gobi is full of yellow sand, flying sand and rocks, and the summer wind is hot and dry.
Outside Dunhuang City, a line of cars roared like a roar, driving towards the city gate from a distance. Yue Guanchao and the others were sitting in the carriage, rocking like a boat, and their faces were all extremely tired.
Although they found a car that could get them to Dunhuang City quickly, they did not feel comfortable along the way. These cars were just trucks used to pull goods. They were noisy, bumpy, and in the open air, and the wind and sand hit their faces. It hurts, even if the roof fan is filled with windproof sand shelter, it only makes them feel a little better, the wind and sand will still get into the car through the gap of the shed, and a whole load of dust will fall.
At this time, it was already June or July. In the hot and dry climate of the northwest, their faces were red and their lips were chapped. Even the water they drank smelled of wind and sand, and their bodies were shaken to pieces.
Gurgling... Yue Guanchao opened the kettle and poured it into his heart. He wanted to use cold water to suppress the heat. Seeing that the skin of Song Siyuan's mouth was already dry, he poured a glass of water with the lid of the kettle and handed it over: "Why don't you take another drink? My mouth is chapped."
Song Siyuan took off her headscarf, picked up the telescope and looked into the distance, waving her hand to him: "No, I think Dunhuang City will be here soon. Let's replenish our strength when we find an inn or something. The water on the road always smells like sand. .”
Yue Guanchao closed the kettle: "That's right, we haven't really seen a few rivers along the way. The water in the northwest is more expensive than gold. We have to get this water from the inns along the way. Dunhuang City is on the edge of the desert. Come on, I guess the situation here will only get more serious."
When the car stopped, everyone stood on the car and looked at Dunhuang City not far away.
In front of them is the current Dunhuang City. This city is located on the west bank of the Longle River. It is neatly arranged in four directions and has a blue brick city wall. There are three gate towers on each city wall. Roughly speaking, it looks nothing like the ancient military town towers. The difference is that only the flag of the Republic of China hanging on the wall makes people realize that this is the era of the Republic of China.
Outside the city gate, there is a trench river dug along the perimeter of the city wall. This trench river draws water from the Longle River from the southwest. After circling the city for a week, it passes through the northeast corner and returns to the Longle River, thus forming trench running water. It is convenient to introduce clean water into the city.
In front of the city moat river and the city wall, there is another ring of sheep and horses that is common in northwest cities, surrounding the city.
What is Sheep and Horse City?
Among the important military towns in the northwest, the cities in the Hexi Corridor are particularly important, and can be regarded as the choke point for the Central Plains to control the Western Regions.
Whenever the Central Plains dynasty was weak, this was the frontline for the Central Plains people to resist foreigners. It was known as the territory-defending passage. As long as you defended this place, you could prevent foreign enemies from invading the pass and maintain territorial security.
If the Central Plains dynasty had a strong military, it would annex the Western Regions and the Desert along the Hexi Corridor. Then this place would turn from the front line of resistance against the enemy into a military stronghold guarding Hexi. To put it bluntly, the four towns in Hexi are geographically located to attack cities and seize territory, and to retreat to defend territory.
Such an important position has always been a battleground for military strategists. In history, if any foreign nation wanted to trap the Central Plains, the first thing they would do was the Hexi Corridor. These military towns have experienced countless wars. Of course, they have also developed A unique city mode, Sheep and Horse City, was launched.
This kind of Yangma City is an ancient defensive low wall, mostly square or oval, surrounding the city wall. The city wall is wide enough for people to walk around. Simple fortresses are built at intervals to echo the original towers of the city wall and prevent When the enemy attacks, there will be a defensive blind spot, making it easy to check the situation.
In history, Yangma City has played an important role in the past. The last time Yangma City outside Dunhuang played an important role was when Zuo Gong recovered the Western Regions.
Not mentioning the distance for the time being, they turned their attention to the outside of Dunhuang City - outside the city, there was rarely a yellow sand wasteland. The Longle River flowed near Dunhuang, bringing abundant water to nourish this dry land, and many tributaries also added to the river. Water sources are diverted to various places, forming a large oasis near the river. It can be seen that there are more desert-specific shrub forests on the oasis.
These oases are like green patches patched together in the desolate land of Hexi. For travelers who travel to the edge of the desert, this should be the biggest surprise.
They drove through the moat, sheep and horse city, and city wall to the ancient city of Dunhuang. Waiting for the opportunity for the car to enter the city for inspection, they walked up the city wall and carefully observed the layout of Dunhuang City.
Dunhuang City, known as Guazhou and Shazhou in ancient times, has been the westernmost city in the Hexi Corridor since ancient times. Before the Han Dynasty, it used to be the land of the Dayue clan, Wusun people and Se people. During the Qin and Han Dynasties, the Xiongnu rose up, and this place was subsequently occupied. Occupied by the Huns, they raised livestock here, controlled the land and stationed troops, and coveted Guanzhong with this choke point.
With the advent of the era of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty, Huo Qubing attacked the Xiongnu with his right and defeated the enemy. This area was incorporated into the Chinese territory for the first time and became the territory of the Western Han Dynasty. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty subsequently established four Hexi counties here, surrounded Hexi with elite troops and generals, and began to conquer the Western Regions and trade. trade routes.
In the past two thousand years, as Guanzhong became weak, it was occupied by foreigners several times. It was renamed and renamed many times, and the city was built and abandoned. It continued to change over the course of thousands of years, and finally formed the Dunhuang city they see today.
Today's Dunhuang City is divided into Luocheng and Guocheng according to the layout. Luocheng is located in the center of the city. It is a small city nested in the big city. The overall layout presents a "sun" shape. The northern half is used for various official offices in Dunhuang. , the southern half was in Mancheng, which used to belong to the Banner people. Later, after the founding of the Republic of China, the Banner people moved out one after another. Now three city walls have been demolished. It can only be seen from the outline that it is Mancheng. The rest, They are integrated with several nearby streets and lanes.
Guocheng outside Luocheng is where ordinary people live. Today's market shops are mostly concentrated in the streets and alleys around Luocheng, mixed with the renovated commercial areas throughout the city, called South Market!
If you look carefully, the city is centered on the "Sun" shaped Luocheng, and through a "X" shaped official road, the ancient city is divided into four corners: east, west, north and south. These four parts are divided into countless square streets and alleys. A pattern similar to a checkerboard pane is formed.
Every block, every street, and every house is composed of small and large ones, interlocking with each other, forming a link in a huge chessboard structure. The houses are lined up with ancient buildings, which look very regular and at the same time full of fireworks.
Looking further outside the city, the city is surrounded by oasis forests outside the city. It can be seen that countless oases and fertile fields stretch endlessly, and farmers are constantly working on it. As for farther away, only the earth-colored Mingsha Mountain is left. and Sanwei Mountain, they are like loess dunes, slightly undulating on the edge of the oasis, outlining the desolate and strange skyline of Saishang.
At this moment, the scorching sun has just risen from the horizon to the clouds. A red sun is hanging high in the sky, shining on the undulating sand dunes in the farthest place, reflecting the golden color of the mountains. The Gobi desert outside the oasis seems to be covered with golden sand, shining brightly. From time to time, smoke from cooking fires fills the air in Dunhuang City, like misty blue smoke flying over the desert.
In the desert, red-sun golden mountains, star-studded sand dunes, and ancient city oasis all come into view. The scenery is like an oil painting with rich colors and distinct layers. It is extremely shocking to see, and it sweeps away the depression and embarrassment of the past few days.
Sun Daqiao searched for the ink in his stomach and muttered: "The desert is so lonely and the sun is setting over the long river. They say that Dunhuang is blocked by Jiangnan. It really looks like that from here. From the place closest to the desert, you can see The trip to such beautiful scenery is well worth it.”
Yue Guanchao saw Sun Daqiao playing with the ink in his stomach and teased: "Old Suntou, the sun has just risen, what does it have to do with the setting sun."
Sun Daqiao didn't feel embarrassed, stroking his beard and jokingly said: "Hey, that's what I mean, this kind of stuffing with scenery is not common, ah... I feel it, I feel it."
Xu Xiake pointed to the commercial districts in the city and said: "I remember that when I came here last time, I stayed at the Yichao Inn next to Luocheng. I will take you there later."
While they were talking, the car inspection had been completed, so they separated from the car convoy, called a carriage and rushed to Nanjie Market.
The layout of Dunhuang City basically follows the city of the previous dynasties. Even now in the Republic of China, there are only more modern buildings based on local conditions. From the perspective of the city, most of them are ordinary residential buildings and ancient buildings, and the outer walls are mostly loess and gray-white. Combined with the old wooden red windows and deep-hole square windows, it feels like being in an ancient foreign land.
It wasn't until they approached Nan Market that they felt more like they were in the modern era!
The location of South Market is still an old street with ancient buildings, but it has a more commercial atmosphere. Shop signs are floating everywhere. Occasionally, you will encounter a few modern buildings and colorful billboards. Every place is lively and busy with people walking.
Nowadays, only a section of the city wall in the north of Luocheng has been preserved. Most of the walls in other locations have been cut off, and the remaining height is only as high as the waist and heart. The inside and outside have been replaced by modern buildings, forming along the original city wall ruins. After looking at the "concave"-shaped modern buildings facing the south, the "Yichao Inn" they were looking for was located in the courtyard building outside the east wall of Mancheng!
What is a courtyard building?
This is an architectural form evolved in the northwest based on local conditions. Most of them are framed with blue bricks and rammed yellow mud walls. The circular building body is tightly rammed with rammed earth. There is a doorway from the front. The external walls and windows are made thick and small to prevent wind and sand. It is tightly enclosed with wooden frames. The corridors facing the inner courtyard are mostly connected corridors. You can walk along the corridors to rooms in different directions. The walls of the corridors are tightly built, and there are often large windows with cylinder mouths for ventilation.
During the day, these huge windows can be propped up with sticks. At night, in order to prevent wind and sand and cool down, the window panels can be closed to form a closed corridor. At the same time, the bottom floor is unoccupied and used as stables and straw sheds.
In this way, it can be ventilated and transparent. As long as the door is closed, it can also prevent thieves and bandits. It is a bit similar to Fujian Tulou and Shaanxi Dikengyuan.
