The Western Regions have always been famous for their dance music. "Qiuci Music", "Gaochang Music" and "Shule Music" are collectively known as the three major systems of music and art in the Western Regions. Among them, "Qiuci Music" has the highest reputation. The eminent monk Xuanzang went to the Western Heaven After studying the scriptures and traveling to more than a hundred city-states, he praised Qiuci music and dance as "orchestral music, especially good for all countries", which can be seen from this.
Following Longying's suggestion, the brigade rested for a night at the exit oasis and set off before dawn the next day. Under the leadership of Shengdu, they left the oasis area through a secret passage in the mountains and ended their magnificent journey through Taklimakan. The mountain road is not easy to walk, especially It also had to transport giant sky stones weighing thousands of kilograms. It was a huge hardship, but everyone knew it, but they successfully avoided all enemies who might block the way and reached the south bank of the Tarim River.
This inland river, which is the longest and has the largest flow in the Western Region, did not disappoint them. The scenery on both sides was picturesque. In early spring, it was even more beautiful, like a fairyland on earth.
Since they were still in danger, they did not dare to stay. They immediately cut down trees and borrowed ropes to cross the river. They spent the whole day transporting the camels and horses to the other side. By now they were exhausted, but they were indeed out of danger. Even if the enemy was chasing them, they were still trapped by the river. block.
The next day the group headed east along the river. Three days later, Kucha City finally appeared in the distance. They rested for one night and continued their journey before dawn.
Kucha and Qiemo have always had a friendly and close relationship. Feng Mo led more than a dozen of his men, riding on the war horses they had captured from the Remei people, and headed to Kucha City as early as possible to arrange everything.
The brigade moved forward slowly and vigorously with a relaxed mood of relief.
The wilderness dance is not exaggerated, the uncanny natural scenery along the way is breathtaking. They walked eastward along the Kucha River, and there stood a magnificent Buddhist temple on the other side. It was reminiscent of the Kucha people who believed in Buddhism. The temple was surrounded by mountains and primeval forests. It is almost doubtless that there is no way to climb the temple, it is quaint and comfortable.
Different types of trees along the coast are competing with each other in different colors, and the snow-capped peaks of the Tianshan Mountains in the distance are undulating. The gentle breeze, combined with the towering birches, oaks and various conifers, makes people feel calm and relaxed. And, forget your worries.
The closer you get to Kucha City, the more vast fields you see, dotted with sparse felt tents and farms, but it still gives people the feeling of being sparsely populated. The low houses fit perfectly with the endless grasslands and rolling mountains.
Dragon Eagle, Wan Renyu, Feng Guoting and Shengdu landed at the end of the queue, admiring the amazing scenery of Qiuci River on the back of a camel.
Longying thought of Laozi Li Er's "a small country with few people". Dasheng was moved and said: "Any war is a blasphemy to this beautiful land."
Wan Renyu said leisurely and fascinated: "After leaving Yumen Pass, we set foot in the Western Region and came to this place surrounded by mountains and where water flows. There are Altai Mountains in the north, Tianshan Mountains in the middle, Kunlun Mountains in the south, and Congling Ridge across the west. , the grasslands and deserts are endless. Just thinking that we have traveled south and north in this vast and unique area will give you a moving feeling of flying away."
Shengdu said: "The Western Region in your mouth is the sacred land of "three mountains and two basins" for us. The mountains are the Altai Mountains, Tianshan Mountains and Kunlun Mountains mentioned by Wan Ye, and the basins are the two major basins of Junggar and Tarim, which are spread all over the country. The grasslands and deserts are also the battlefields where our various ethnic groups wield their arms and leap horses to compete for supremacy."
Feng Guoting said: "It was early winter when we left Chang'an. Now the winter has just passed, spring has warmed and the flowers are blooming. We finally arrived in Qiuci. It has been more than a year."
Long Ying said: "How far are we from Chang'an now?"
Wan Renyu said accurately: "It's seven thousand four hundred and eighty miles, ha! I have indeed worked hard."
Long Ying exclaimed: "A difference of more than two thousand miles is enough to reach ten thousand miles, ha! So, we must have traveled more than ten thousand miles since we left Chang'an, which is equivalent to reading more than ten thousand books. Ha! It's so cool!"
At this time, we were less than five miles away from the city. Since it was still early and the sun had just risen above the horizon, we met people from Kucha who were going to the city to go to the market, and they all looked at them curiously.
The means of transportation for farmers and herdsmen in Kucha are very advanced. Most of them drive donkey carts, carrying various goods in a leisurely manner towards the city.
Long Ying paid special attention to the women he met. They were all beautiful women with beautiful faces. They were draped in silk and had bright colors.
, they were very happy to see them. Some of them were particularly beautiful, and it was hard for Long Ying to look away, and he was so happy.
There are so many beauties in Qiuci, it is indeed an untrue lie.
Less than half a mile away from the city, Feng Mo and a large group of Qiuci soldiers came out of the city to meet them. According to the original plan, the four Longying people fled immediately after entering the city and went their separate ways.
The Qiuci River comes from the west and passes through the city, dividing the magnificent city into two. The river is gentle, with green trees on the banks. The water surges into a canal. The city is built on the river, forming a unique city in which the city and river are interdependent.
scene.
Kucha City stands majestically like a frontline sentinel on the edge of the desert. It is obviously a powerful town outside the pass and a battleground for military strategists. It is surrounded by city walls, with earth inside and bricks outside, and many battlements. There are turrets at the four corners.
There are two gates on the east and west side of the city wall. Each gate protrudes from the outside of the wall. It has two gates, inside and outside. It is in the shape of an urn and has strong defensive power. No wonder Suo Ge is so tyrannical that he still dare not invade easily.
Its scale is equal to a city in China, second only to Shendu and Chang'an. This also shows that the depth of Qiuci's sinicization is very different from that of the advanced countries in the Western Regions such as Khotan.
Another feature of Kucha City is that the royal castle was built in the center of the city, across the river, and formed the center of gravity of the entire city. With the royal castle as the center, the streets and alleys spread out like spider webs, forming a city-like
The huge pattern of the Bagua. Ancient temples, markets, streets, residential areas, pagodas, and tributaries of the main river are all the elements that form the pattern.
The four of them walked along the long street, relaxed and freehand.
Long Ying had already taken off his mask and returned to his true appearance as the Evil Emperor. He just received two casual glances and said happily: "Out of the ten people, at least six are women. What about Xia Jiasi?"
In terms of architecture, we can see the influence of Han culture on Qiuci. The city has the main street running through the east and west gates as the central axis, and the Wangbao as the axis. The main street is also a trade avenue, which is two miles long and has a collection of shops.
There have been more than 200 of them. Such a scale is beyond the reach of cities such as Khotan. As you stroll along, you can see large and small signboards echoing each other. Silk and satin shops, grocery stores, cattle and sheep shops, almost all businesses are covered. The streets
In addition to the locals, there were also business travelers from the east and west. Especially since they had been walking all the way through the desert and barren land, what they saw in front of them gave them a strange and unreal feeling.
Shengdu was admiring a Qiuci girl who was selling mutton kebabs and eating sunflower seeds leisurely. Hearing Long Ying's words, she smiled and replied: "In our place, only two out of ten people are men. Ha!"
"
Long Ying said with itching heart: "If I have the chance, I will definitely come to your place to experience this wonderful experience."
Wan Renyu scolded: "You have a weak heart. Do you still lack women? If I were you, I would definitely be annoyed to death."
Long Ying said with a smile: "You can think about it!"
What Feng Guoting paid attention to was the shop specializing in ironware, and he stopped to take a look. The three of them stopped with him. The former said: "Just looking at the iron pots and weapons, they all have exquisite casters. It can be seen that the iron casting workshops here have extremely high standards."
level."
Longying lightly bumped into Shengdu and said with a smile: "You are expected to become a master swordsmith. The first thing you forge is the Heavenly Sword. It will definitely be a good story for future generations."
Shengdu took two quick breaths and was speechless.
The owner of the iron shop came out, smiled, and said in Turkic dialect: "Although you speak Turkic dialect, you are definitely not Turkic. May I ask where your distinguished guest is from?"
Shengdu was afraid that he would expose Long Ying and others, so he replied: "I am from Xijiasi and they are from Qiemo. May I ask which workshop the goods in the shop come from?"
The boss said proudly: "Everything from a needle to a big shovel in my shop is made by the largest Tarim foundry in Shaya City on the north bank of the Tarim River in the southwest. They are not only of high quality and durable, but also reasonably priced. It will be your loss if you don't buy it."
.”
Feng Guoting was happy when he got the answer he wanted to know. He took out his gold and bought four knives, one for each person, as souvenirs.
Wan Renyu asked again for the way to the Dance Hall, and the four of them left the main street, went straight to the west city wall, and turned left to go north.
Outside the main street of Qiuci City is like another world, with whirling trees and trees. Most of the houses are simple flat-roofed houses, showing the original color of the earth, but they are sturdy and practical. They are sparsely distributed. When they meet the river, there is a bridge connecting the two sides. There are not many pedestrians, but there are no shortage of people.
They are leisurely and contented, and they all look like they don’t have to work.
Wan Renyu stared ahead and said with great emotion: "We are finally here!"
The stone road leading to the Kucha Dance Theater is very charming and has a great first-in-class effect. The stone paving material is clear and smooth, and feels heavy to the feet. However, after hundreds of years of people stepping on it, the stone road has become a trace.
, the vicissitudes of life along the way, full of scars, uneven depth and unevenness.
After entering the gatehouse of the dance hall, their eyes immediately brightened and they saw a group of purely wooden buildings hidden in the woods. Even though they were a hundred steps away, everyone still seemed to smell the scent of wood. One person came out to greet them.
He laughed and said: "My three eldest brothers of Wasteland Dance have finally arrived. It is not only an honor for us two brothers and sisters, but also the glory of the dance hall. My sister-in-law has been waiting for you day and night, and I don't know how hard she has been waiting for you."
In the wilderness dance in Qiuci, he was more free and unrestrained than ever before. He hugged the three of them one by one, and then Wan Renyu introduced him to Shengdu.
The four of them were overjoyed to meet again after a long absence, but they also had profound feelings that they could not express in words.
Showing unprecedented enthusiasm, Huang Yuan Wu led them through the forest path, bypassed the main building, and went deeper into the inner courtyard. He explained: "My sister-in-law is rehearsing a song and dance in the main hall. I haven't had a chance to inform her yet. I will give it to her later."
It was a surprise for her."
The main hall faintly heard the sound of nature. Except for the wind passing through the courtyard, Long Ying and others did not know the music, but they could clearly hear the unique style and charm of Qiuci music. Walking in the side corridor next to the hall, it was like entering
A world of dance and music, far away from all disputes and troubles.