The horses' hooves crunched on the frost-covered vegetation. Cui Dutian arched his hand and blew out, "What the hell is this weather, it's just August, and it's so cold." In winter, can people still live! ”

Chen Xizhi said with a smile: "General, the north is like this, the summer is short and the winter is long, and it is the most bitter cold." Where is it compared to the Central Plains, I heard that the climate there is warm, and the grass and trees do not wither in winter. The general is from the Central Plains, so naturally he can't adapt to the weather here. ”

Cui Dutian said: "The Central Plains is naturally much warmer than here, but it will be colder in winter. The further south you go, the warmer the weather gets. When I arrived in Lingnan, there was no winter all year round, and people died of heat there. ”

Chen Xizhi said: "We were born in the Western Regions since we were children, and we only heard about the Central Plains, and we didn't know where Lingnan was. ”

Cui Dutian smiled: "As long as you are sincere and obedient to the imperial court, you can go to the Central Plains in the future, or even go to Lingnan to have a look, it is a trivial matter." ”

Chen Xizhi shook his head: "I heard that the most prosperous Tokyo city in the Central Plains is thousands of miles away, and it will take a few years on the road, where can I go?" ”

Cui Dutian said: "That was before. Now it's different, as long as you get to Shengzhou, take the train, and get to the capital in two or three days, which is very convenient. ”

Chen Xizhi thought for a while and said: "I often hear people who go to Shengzhou say that there is a train there, which is as fast as a galloping horse, and there is no need to eat forage, and it can drive day and night. Thousands of miles in one day and night, thousands of miles can be reached in only a few days. I listened to it many times, and I couldn't think of what a sacred thing it was. ”

Cui Dutian said: "Don't worry, I'll see it before." This year, the train has reached Hezhou, and now it is being repaired from Hezhou to Blackwater City, and it is being repaired on the way, we will meet. This time you will go to Seongshu, and you will not only see the train, but also how the road will be built—"

While the two were walking and talking, they suddenly heard the neighing of horses from behind. Cui Dutian's face changed greatly, he picked up the riding gun by the saddle, and said in a loud voice: "Alert!" Who's in the back? Why don't you see the detective warning! ”

The soldiers on one side turned their horses and galloped backwards. After a while, he rushed back from behind and forked his hand to Cui Dutian: "General, it's our people." Qin commanded the envoy to protect Gao Chang's envoy, and they walked fast on the road and caught up. ”

Hearing this, Chen Xiliang's face changed greatly: "General, are the Uighurs coming from behind, the envoys of the Khan of Beiting?" They are our opponents in Illino, and they can't go along! Let's hurry up and get to Shengzhou early. ”

Cui Dutian said: "Aren't you all from Gaochangguo? The envoys of Yizhou and the envoys of Xizhou are all envoys, so why not go to see the festival commander together! ”

Chen Xiliang's face was not good, he shook his head, and he didn't know what to say. After thinking about it, he said: "Although they are all Gao Changguo, they are different. We are Han Chinese, and the city lord has been guarding Yizhou since the Tang Dynasty, how can we be the same as the Uighurs! ”

Cui Dutian ignored it and just waited for the team behind him to come up. If the two groups of people can't go together, Zhao Zi will inevitably stop the envoys behind him in Blackwater City, and no matter how fast they go, they won't catch up with him. Being able to catch up with himself means that Zhao Zi thinks he can go along.

It didn't take long to see Qin Xianpeng accompanied by a few envoys, hurrying over. Cui Dutian greeted him and greeted Qin Xianpeng.

After finishing the ceremony, Qin Xianpeng pointed to the people beside him: "This is the envoy of the King of the Northern Court Khan, you will arrive in Heishui City a few days late." The captain told me to walk haste on the road, catch up with you, and go to Shengzhou to meet the marshal. ”

The envoy saluted and saluted Cui Dutian, but he could speak fluent Chinese: "In Xia Liancheng, on the order of the king, he sent an envoy to the kingdom." I heard that Du Taiwei of Shengzhou led a large army to the north, defeated the Khitan party in a row, and Weijia was in the north, and my king specially ordered me to wait for an envoy to see Taiwei. ”

Cui Dutian said: "There is an envoy from Yizhou, and he is also about to go to Shengzhou to meet the festival marshal, let's go together." ”

After speaking, without waiting for that Lian Cheng to answer, he turned his horse back to his own position. Originally, Song Jun thought that Gaochang was a country and regarded it as a whole. The Song army occupied Heishui City, and when Gaochang sent envoys, everyone thought it was Toutie. Unexpectedly, more than ten days ago, I came first, not saying that I was sent by Gao Changguo, but only saying that I was an envoy from Yizhou. The envoys from the Western Regions to the Central Plains often used place names instead of country names, and everyone no longer cared about them. Halfway through, he was caught up by an envoy sent by the King of Beiting Khan, who claimed to be Gaochang, Cui Dutian didn't have to guess, the two groups of people must have something wrong. I escorted them to Shengzhou, just asking for a safe journey, and I was in the mood to listen to their stories.

The two teams merged into one team, and Chen Xiliang glared angrily at the envoy who came from behind, as if he was about to join him at any time. Cui Dutian and Qin Xianpeng saw it, but they just shook their heads, and tried to separate the two groups of people on the road, so as not to win the state, and they would merge first.

After walking for two days, looking at the tall mountains in front of him, Cui Dutian breathed a sigh of relief and said: "The front is Wolf Mountain, and after Wolf Mountain, you will arrive in Hezhou." We went to Haju to take the train, and we could get to Shengju in one day and night. ”

Chen Xiliang asked: "General, I don't know how far it is from Hezhou to Shengzhou?" Isn't it close to a day and a night? ”

Cui Dutian laughed when he heard it: "It's close? It's not close! Blackwater City to Hezhou is not much farther than Hezhou to Shengzhou. If you don't get to Hezhou, there is already a train, which is convenient. Let's drink some wine in the car, sleep beautifully, listen to the little song and go to Shengzhou. ”

Chen Xiliang looked confused when he heard this. He really couldn't think of what the train was like, running fast and still so comfortable.

Getting closer and closer to Wolf Mountain, suddenly Cui Du Yamada noticed that a figure appeared in front of him. Hurriedly recruited his own soldiers and asked him to go to the front to take a look.

After a while, he came back and crossed his hands and said: "General, the people in front of me are the people who built the road in this dynasty, and the train has been repaired here." ”

Cui Dutian was overjoyed when he heard this: "It's been repaired here?" I wonder if they'll keep repairing it in the winter. If you work hard like this, maybe the train will go to Blackwater City next year. At that point, we don't know how much more convenient it is! ”

After speaking, he said to Chen Xiliang: "Haven't you ever seen a train?" Let's go, I'll show you how the railroad was built! ”

Urging the horses forward, the group soon arrived at the place where the railway was being built.

This is the front end of the railroad to Blackwater City, and there are only two or three hundred people here, repairing the foundation. Next to them was their camp, led by a small officer, who hurried up to greet them.

After the ceremony, Cui Dutian asked, "Aren't tens of thousands of people building roads here?" Why are there so few of you here? ”

The junior officer forked his hand: "Back to the general, we are the front, just a rough roadbed." There is also rammed earth in the back, some people pave gravel, and then there are sleepers and railroad tracks in the back, and the team stretches for more than 100 miles. The railway is narrow, and it doesn't take many people to pave the roadbed. ”

Cui Dutian nodded, only to know that this was the case. In the past, he also thought that when tens of thousands of people paved a railway, the scene would be enthusiastic, and the place where the road was paved would be crowded. In fact, the railway is so narrow and the working surface is limited, how can so many people work? They are all divided into several processes, each doing its own thing, and the whole team stretches a long distance. Tens of thousands of people are scattered on the road more than 100 miles long, and it seems that there are not many people.

Begging for a drink, Cui Dutian asked, "Where has the paved railway gone?" Is it possible to take a train to Rivers State? ”

The little officer shook his head: "Back to the general, the repaired road has reached the mountains of the Wolf Mountain Road." There is a train there, but I don't know when it will come, and I don't know when it will come back, but I'm afraid the general can't afford to wait. ”

Cui Dutian listened and shook his head, a little disappointed. The main task of the train following the construction team is to transport materials and facilitate the construction personnel.

Chen Xiliang followed Cui Dutian's side, riding forward on horseback while turning back from time to time. I couldn't help it, and asked: "General, I see that the road built there is just a roadbed, nothing special." And this road is very narrow, but I am afraid that I will not be able to drive. ”

Hearing that he still has to go to Hezhou to get on the train, Cui Dutian was excited and said, "This is the front, naturally." Along the way, you'll see how the railroad was paved. ”

Everyone walked all the way and saw the construction team from time to time. After one night, the next day we entered Wolf Mountain, and the paved road was behind it.

Cui Dutian never stopped the team, and Chen Xiliang rode on his horse and watched the railroad repaired next to him. After walking for a long time, I couldn't help but ask Cui Dutian: "General, you all said that this is a railway." Could it be that this road is really paved with iron? ”

Cui Dutian looked at the sun in the sky and said, "Of course, it is paved with iron." No, what's so unusual! It was nearly noon, and we got off the horse and took two sips of water. Out of Wolf Mountain, there will be two days to Hezhou. It's too inconvenient to come back for ten days on the road and then go back for another ten days. This is the second time I've been back to Riverwater since I went to Blackwater City to defend it. ”

Chen Xiliang said: "General, the Western Regions are not as large as the Central Plains, the area is vast and sparsely populated. Ten days and half a month of travel is not a long way. ”

Cui Dutian shook his head: "That's you, we are used to taking trains." It's a long way to go, and it's only a few days in the car, where can you stand such a long journey? It's better to build the road quickly, wait a few months, and the train will arrive in Blackwater. ”

Chen Xiliang didn't know what it meant to build the railway to Blackwater City, so he just echoed Cui Dutian.

Yizhou is connected to Hexigua Prefecture in the east, which is the gateway of the Hexi Corridor into the Western Regions, and it is also the place where Blackwater City enters the Western Regions next to each other. Once Blackwater City has a railway, Yizhou will bear the brunt of it. Regardless of the relationship between the two sides at that time, it is destined that Illinois will never be able to maintain its former appearance.

The current Yizhou, which is the Hami area of the later generations, is the first place established in the Han Dynasty to open up the Western Regions, called Yiwu County. A large number of Han and Tang immigrants immigrated to Tuntian here, and many of the time they were mainly Han Chinese. In the late Tang Dynasty, the Tibetans fell to Yizhou, and the Tibetans moved westward to the Uighurs, and the Han Chinese were much less. When Zhang Chengfeng built the Jinshan Kingdom, he sent 1,000 soldiers and horses to recover Yizhou, but finally failed.

Although Zhang Chengfeng failed, a thousand soldiers and horses dared to attack Yizhou, and you can imagine how large-scale it is.

vertex