Chapter 226 Seven hundred miles from the Three Gorges
"I never thought that I could still see the Three Gorges before it was submerged!"
In mid-April, Heifu stood on a mountaintop twenty miles west of Yiling County. He was blown by the soaring river wind. He felt a little dazed and a little lucky. At the same time, he began to feel that this trip to the county with the county guard was still a good one.
Somewhat rewarding.
He was so ignorant that he didn't know that this section of the Three Gorges was not flooded in later generations...
"In the seven hundred miles from the Three Gorges, there are mountains on both sides, with no gaps, heavy rocks and mountains, hiding the sky and the sun. At midnight, there is no sun or moon in the pavilion"... If I remember correctly, this is how it is described in the text,
And Heifu couldn't find any more suitable words to describe the scenery he saw in front of him.
The top of the mountain where Heifu is located is called "Xiling Gorge Mouth", which is the end point of Xiling Gorge, one of the Three Gorges. The seven hundred miles of the Three Gorges are full of mountains, and the dangerous shoals of the vast river end here. From here to the east, the mountains on both sides become
After passing the small hills, the swirling and turbulent river gradually became a flat stream.
So the local people said: The water reaches here and the hills are formed, so it is named "Yiling".
Yiling County is located one hundred and fifty miles west of Zhijiang County, and it is the second stop of the county guard's tour.
In Yiling, Sheriff Ye first inspected the winter wheat grown locally and saw how the harvest was after using the compost retting method. The yield was also increased by about 30%. The Sheriff was very satisfied, and then went on to check out the implementation of water-repellent rice in the county.
Condition.
Yiling is high in the west and low in the east. There are many rapid streams, which is a good place for implementing water dams. In addition, the county's population is only more than 20,000, so setting up more water dams can just make up for the lack of manpower.
This time, the county guard did not let Hei Fu go with him, so Hei Fu felt relaxed. After spending a day checking the local military registration and confirming the recruitment regulations, the official business was done. Seeing that the county guard was still wandering around the countryside, he was momentarily worried.
Feeling itchy, he asked several local officials to act as guides and take him on a one-day trip to Xiling Gorge in the name of inspecting the waterway at the mouth of Xiling Gorge.
Time was limited, so this trip could only be a quick trip. After taking a look at the scenery of Xiling Gorge, Heifu had to return in a hurry. He did not return to Yiling County until the afternoon.
Yiling County is very small, less than half of Anlu County. Most of the buildings are spread out along the river. At the gentle bend of the river, there is a dock. At this time, several ships from Bashu are moored.
.
In the morning, Bai Di arrived, and in the evening he arrived at Jiangling. During the journey, he traveled a thousand and two hundred miles. Although he rode against the wind, he did not suffer from illness.
Having said that, these days, it is dangerous to leave the Three Gorges and enter Nanjun from Bashu. After all, the Three Gorges is densely covered with dangerous shoals. If it is not an experienced boatman, it is easy for an accident to happen. These Bashu ships have just experienced a frightening seven to eight hundred miles voyage.
The crew members on board urgently needed a break and had a sip of local rice wine to calm down.
On his way back to the county temple, Heifu passed by the dock and happened to see the governor of the county, Teng Changshi, sitting here with several entourages, as if they were waiting for someone.
The chief historian's name was Lu Dang. When he saw Hei Fu, Lu Dang took the initiative to stand up and bow his hands to him. The chief history official was a five-hundred-stone official, so Hei Fu had to bow to him in return and chatted with him for a few words.
"Can Zuo Bing Cao Shi see the scenery of Xiling Gorge?"
After coming out of Zhijiang, Lu Dang suddenly became enthusiastic towards Hei Fu.
Hei Fu did not dare to neglect: "I saw it, and it is indeed well-deserved."
Lu Dang smiled and said: "Actually, Xiling Gorge is not the most beautiful and dangerous. The last time the county governor visited the county, he took us all the way to the west, to Zigui, passed Wu Gorge, and then to Wu County to take a look at Qutang Gorge.
It is a strange mountain and a unique river, unique in the world!"
Heifu smiled and said, "I wonder if I will be lucky enough to see this wonderful scene this time."
"I'm afraid not."
Lu Dang revealed: "The county governor only went as far west as Yiling. The day after tomorrow, he will take a boat down the east river, either to Yidao or back to Jiangling to rest, and then take the waterway directly to Jingling and Zhouzhou.
Mausoleum, and then it was the turn of Anlu County, the hometown of Zuo Bing Cao Shi..."
"I still want to return home more than the wonderful sights."
Heifu said: "When we get to Anlu, I will lead the way for the county governor and the chief historian."
The two of them were silent for a moment, and then Lu Dang pointed at the Yiling city and talked about the military affairs that Heifu was interested in.
"Cao Shi, the Zuo Bing, must have also seen that from Badi to the east of the Three Gorges, there are mountains and mountains. Until here, the water gradually leveled off and the mountains gradually eased. Therefore, Yiling was the west gate of Jianghan. The Chu State built a city here back then.
He even set up this place as the Mausoleum of the Western Kings. It is said that many Chu kings and ministers are buried in these mountains..."
Hei Fu nodded: "Two years ago, when I was the pavilion chief in Anlu County, I arrested a group of tomb thieves. The leader of the thieves had robbed and excavated Chu tombs in Yiling."
"I remember that case too."
Lu Dang said: "But the tombs of the Chu kings built on the outskirts of the city were burned by Lord Wu An and General Sima Cuo more than fifty years ago."
It turns out that more than fifty years ago, the Qin State attacked Chu and first obtained Shangyong and the land north of Han Dynasty. Then it divided its troops into two groups. Heifu was more familiar with the one group. Bai Qi, Lord of Wu'an, led tens of thousands of soldiers to attack Yan.
The king of Chu at that time was unable to mobilize enough troops to resist Bai Qi because another army of the Qin State, led by Sima Cuo, set out from Bashu and marched eastward with naval forces, attracting Chu
The main force of the army...
Lu Dang said: "I heard that at that time General Sima Cuo led 30,000 people from Bashu, with dozens of large ships and hundreds of small boats, starting from Wenshan and floating down the river. From Bajun City to Jiangzhou, to Chu Yingdu,
That is to say, today's Jiangling is more than 1,300 miles away. Although there are many miles, the current is so fast that it can travel more than 300 miles in a day without any effort from oxen and horses."
"The army set out from Bajun City and arrived at the defending pass on the western border of Chu State within two days. Once the defending pass was defeated, Wu County and Zigui to the east surrendered without a fight. Chu State's Qianzhong and Wu County were all returned to Qin
The country, Yiling cannot be defended anymore."
"It happened that at that time, Lord Wu'an broke Yan City and passed through Jingmen to Yiling to meet General Sima Cuo. He used the food from Bashu to feed the soldiers who had defeated the Chu Kingdom and burned Yiling to intimidate the King of Chu. After that,
The navy also invaded eastward and reached Jingling. When the sound of golden drums was heard in the palace of Lantai, King Xiang of Chu was indeed frightened and fled eastward, abandoning Ying with his royal family members."
Speaking of this, Lu Dang couldn't help but laugh at King Chu Xiang's cowardice and incompetence. The Wushan goddess who had fascinated King Chu Xiang was lost to the powerful crossbows of the Qin army, but he could only look west in a hurry.
Heifu suddenly felt that the history of the Chu State during the Warring States Period was somewhat similar to that of the Song Dynasty in later generations. Perhaps in the eyes of Xiang Yan, Dou Ran, Zhong Lizhen and others, the humiliation of Yan Ying was probably the same as the Jingkang War in the eyes of the Song people.
It's almost a shame.
At the same time, Hei Fu couldn't help but admire Sima Cuo, and said: "I heard that General Sima Cuo had already advocated the attack on Bashu during the reign of King Huiwen. If Qin occupied Bashu, it could threaten the state of Chu with its power upstream. It was really far-sighted!
"
Although this general was born unlucky, he was overshadowed by the glorious achievements of his younger brother Bai Qi, and his reputation was not that great. But if Bai Qi is better than tactics and strength, then Sima Cuo is better than strategy, whether he advocated the annexation of Bashu or
Sending troops from Bashu to attack Chu showed that he had unique vision.
If Bashu was not the land of Qin, Hei Fu only felt that he would not be able to sleep well overnight in Jiangling City.
"Therefore, Yiling is a key point and a national barrier. If it is lost, it will not damage a city, but the whole county will be worried."
Lu Dang still looked worried. Heifu knew that as the chief historian, he was responsible for checking for omissions for the county governor. He had emphasized the importance of Yiling several times, so there must be reasons for his worries.
So Heifu pretended to be relaxed and said: "Bashu is now a county of Qin. Although I have heard that there have been several rebellions by Shu princes, since Li Bing County Governor took over the rule, the place is peaceful and has water conservancy and irrigation.
Every year, excess grain is shipped out, and Yiling is well equipped with weapons. Is Chang Shi worrying too much?"
"Although external troubles are minor, there are many internal worries..."
Lu Dangyang stopped here, he really had something on his mind.
Before Heifu could ask a question, the clerk next to him who had been looking at the river suddenly shouted: "Chang Shi, the boat is coming!"
Heifu and Lu Dang looked up the river together, and saw a large wooden boat with a deep draft slowly sailing out of the Xiling Gorge in the distance. The oarsmen rowed desperately in the opposite direction, causing the boat to gradually slow down, and finally stopped in the river.
When we turned the corner and docked at Yiling Pier, the sailors on the ship let out a burst of cheers.
Heifu saw that Lu Dang was waiting for someone! That person should be on this boat.
"What kind of person can make the governor of Nanjun come and wait for him in person?" Heifu couldn't help but become curious.
At this time, he also saw clearly that the large wooden boat was painted with a pattern of a white tiger, and the crew members who came off the boat had different hairstyles and clothes. Most of them had animal skins wrapped around their waists and their upper bodies were naked.
Barbarians have their hair either bunned or shaved, leaving only a handful on the top of their heads...
When they got closer, Heifu also saw the willow leaf-shaped swords hanging on the waists of these people.
The identity of this group of people was immediately revealed: Ba people!
This is an ancient tribe. In addition to Ba County, there are also many Ba people in Yidao, Yiling, Jigui and Wu counties in the west of Nanjun. Heifu also occasionally saw a few Ba people in Jiangling City.
He is brave and often serves as a loyal warrior, looking after the homes and courtyards of local nobles.
However, walking towards this side, surrounded by a group of Ba people and stars, was a young man dressed like a Qin man. It looked like he was about the same age as Hei Fu, but he was already wearing a single-plate crown, as if he was
The title of doctor!
Could it be that this is the person Lu Dang is waiting for?
Heifu's question was soon revealed. Lu Dang explained to him in a low voice: "This man's name is Ba Zhong, and he is the son of Ba Widow Qing. At noon today, he sent a boat to tell me that he had something important to see.
Sheriff, so the Sheriff asked me to wait for him here..."
While talking, the young man seemed to understand the etiquette of Qin very well, and bowed to Lu Dang and Hei Fu from a distance.
"I am a barbarian, how dare I trouble my superiors to wait?"
Lu Dang immediately raised his hands to the young man and returned the salute: "This is the order of the county governor. You are also a senior official appointed by the king, so it should be like this."
"The son of Widow Qing?"
Hei Fu also came to his senses at this time, looked at the young man, and suddenly realized why this boy was so valued.
"It turns out he is the son of the largest mining boss in Qin!"