There are four state capitals in Nanyu Prefecture. Taiming Prefecture is at the southernmost point, adjacent to Jiangchuan Prefecture and Xinqing Prefecture. The intersection line of the three prefectures is roughly in the shape of a "human" character.
If you open the map, it will be more obvious. Taiming Prefecture is under the character "人", with Jiangzhou Prefecture on the left and Xinqing Prefecture on the right. The main road to Zhongzhou is located above the character "人".
This section of the road is also a veritable no-no zone.
Wenwu looked at the rolling mountains on both sides of the official road and marveled at the snowy scene in front of him. It had been three days since he left Ninh Binh Town. This morning, the motorcade finally drove out of Taimingfu and entered Jiangchuan and Xinqingfu.
This is also the only official road leading to Zhongzhou, and there are thousands of miles of wild mountains on both sides.
The carriage was slightly bumpy, but quite stable.
Wenwu sat on the carport and admired the scenery along the way. Although it was classified as Nanyuzhou, Jiangchuan and Xinqing Prefecture were already on the edge of Zhongzhou, and the climate was completely different from that in the south. Early this morning, a cold wave hit, and frost
When the snow fell, the whole land turned white, as if it were covered with silver. When Wen Wu saw this scene for the first time, he couldn't help but marvel.
Suddenly, the groom called out, "Young master, there are some muddy puddles in front of you. Sit tight."
Wenwu came back to his senses and looked forward.
The so-called official road is actually flat hard ground. It is covered with frost and snow in the morning, but there are people clearing the road ahead, so there is no need to worry about slipping. But as the sunshine increases, the frost and snow melt some, and the ground becomes muddy, and trouble begins. This is also
The biggest trouble in Nanyuzhou is in winter. The temperature difference between day and night is huge, and frost and snow freeze and melt repeatedly.
The wheels sank into the mud, forming tracks, and the carriage rose and fell, making it extremely unstable. In order to prevent accidents, the convoy had no choice but to slow down its speed.
Wen Wu looked up at the sky and saw that it was already midnight.
Not long after, the convoy came to a complete stop. The Sigong convoy ahead was forced to stop because it was too long and the road conditions were getting worse.
Wen Wu stood up and looked, and saw that Li Kuang had assigned some people to cut trees on the mountains on both sides. He couldn't help but feel a little strange. It wasn't until he saw them spreading the cut branches on the ground that he suddenly realized. Although the workload was a bit heavy, it was still a good job.
It's a good idea, but it just takes a little time. However, it's just right to take advantage of this gap to rest.
"Young Master, please go and relieve yourself while you sit down."
"It doesn't matter."
"Hey, I'll be back soon, little man."
The groom jumped out of the car and ran to the woods not far away.
At this moment, there were people on both sides of the entire official road, from beginning to end. A rough visual inspection showed that there were not even a thousand but eight hundred people, going to the toilet together, which was a somewhat spectacular scene.
Wen Wu teased in his heart, and then looked into the distance.
On a hill a few hundred meters away, you can vaguely see several houses, or ruins, that have been abandoned for many years. If you don't look carefully, they are hidden in the forest and are inconspicuous.
"Young Master Wen, what are you looking at?"
"Huh?" Wen Wu turned his head and saw Li Kuang coming over on horseback for inspection, so he smiled and shook his head, "I saw a house over there just now, I thought it was inhabited."
"Oh?" Li Kuang turned to look over and squinted a few times, "Oh! You mean that? It was indeed a village before, but it was a long time ago."
"oh."
"In the past, many people lived in this mountain area, but since the pipeline was connected, many people have moved out."
"Oh? Move to Sanfu Town?"
Wenwu got off the carport. The junction lines of Taiming, Jiangchuan and Xinqing prefectures are roughly in the shape of a 'herringbone', and each has a main official road. The route and the junction of the three prefectures are roughly in the shape of a 'wood' shape. In the middle
One vertical line leads directly from Taiming Prefecture to Zhongzhou, and the upper one horizontally connects Jiangchuan and Xinqing. The intersection of this vertical and horizontal line is Sanfu Town, where the official roads of the three prefectures intersect.
"Not necessarily. There are people going north, people going south, people going to Jiangchuan, people going to Xinqing, etc." Li Kuang seemed like a rough guy, but he knew a lot. "There are also people who stayed, but there shouldn't be many.
"
"Is that so? Do you want tea?"
"I won't drink anymore. I'm too lazy to pee."
"Ha." Wen Wu smiled, stood on the pedals of the car, looked at the mountains and forests covered with frost and snow, and asked casually: "What are you doing here? Isn't it dangerous in the barren mountains?"
"There are definitely dangers, but the wild beasts in this area are not as ferocious as those in the Meteor Dragon Ruins." After a pause, Li Kuang added: "Besides, these people rely on this to make a living."
“Back on the mountain and eat the mountain.”
"Yeah, but, hehehe." Li Kuang smiled meaningfully and pointed out: "In this remote place, if you see a hunter or any stranger, you'd better be careful."
Wen Wu raised his eyebrows. He actually knew something about this.
Before the Daxing Dynasty, Nanyu Prefecture was once known as the "Land of the Southern Barbarians". Throughout the dynasties, it was a refuge for people escaping from wars, excessive taxes, and disasters, as well as a place of exile for criminals.
Wenwu looked at the mountain forest in the distance.
The name here is Guangxing Mountains, which is the largest and longest mountain range in Nanyuzhou. It spans three prefectures from west to east and stretches for thousands of miles. There are many mountains and ridges here, and they are all barren mountains and rivers. Wild animals are rampant, and miasma is everywhere. The terrain is
The environment is also harsh and dangerous; it is inaccessible, the residents are scattered, the customs are primitive and fierce, it is difficult for officials to govern, and the etiquette and law cannot be taught...
To put it bluntly, it is a place outside the law.
In this mountain range, there were originally many villages of various sizes hidden. These villages have a long history, and some of them can even be traced back to hundreds or thousands of years ago. Most of them were created by people who were forced to move south to escape wars and natural disasters.
The original purpose of establishing refugees is mostly to find a place of refuge to survive in troubled times and disasters.
However, as the Daxing Dynasty unified the Eastern Continent, most of the people here have moved away over the past few hundred years. After all, although this place can avoid man-made disasters, the environment is harsh and it is not a place to live permanently.
Although the Daxing Dynasty did not have good weather every year, it was generally stable and its business was prosperous. Even in bad times, it could barely survive.
Especially after the opening of the Sanfu official road, the road became accessible to people, which provided convenient conditions for nearby villagers to move out. Therefore, in the past hundreds of years, the surrounding villagers basically chose to leave and move elsewhere. According to
According to official records, there are probably only tens of thousands of residents still living in the Guangxing Mountains. Most of these people are descendants of the northerners who migrated south in the past. After hundreds of years of reproduction, they have already adapted to the culture of the Guangxing Mountains.
The environment, to a certain extent, can be regarded as the indigenous people of the mountains.
However, Guangxing Mountains has always been a wild land.
Since it is not suitable for farming, most people who want to survive in the Guangxing Mountains can only make a living by hunting. This is somewhat similar to the hunters of the Meteor Dragon Ruins, but after all, the periphery of the Meteor Dragon Ruins is still under the jurisdiction of the Taiming Mansion.
It has a somewhat deterrent effect, so that they dare not blatantly do so. In the Guangxing Mountains, outside the official roads, it is difficult for the three governments to control them. In addition to the wild and tough aborigines, there are also many criminals who are afraid of crime and abscond. Among them,
Danger is a completely different situation. There is a saying in Nanyuzhou that meeting a hunter in the Guangxing Mountains is more dangerous than meeting a criminal in the outside world. Because you don’t know whether the hunter is a wild beast or something else.
what.
If the year is good, that's okay. But if the year is bad, especially in winter, when the prey in the mountains decreases and the price of food increases in the outside world, anything may happen to them in order to survive. After all, they have
Living in the mountains for generations, whether it is the ferocious style of the northerners left behind by their ancestors or the hunting skills they later developed for survival, it is all just to survive. Not to mention, many of them are already carrying
The criminals are here to escape.
The so-called relying on the mountain to eat the mountain, occupying the mountain and becoming the king is also the mountain.
In this place, you have no idea whether the hunters you meet are a group of part-time robbers and thieves, or a group of part-time hunters, robbers and thieves.
"Let's go, hit the road, hit the road -"
The motorcade set off again, along the winding official road, deep into this sparsely populated mountain range.