Chapter 1: First Entering the Northern Territory In the third year of Chengshuo, the Northern Territory.
In the third year of Chengshuo, the northern border.
The reeds were lying flat, a tinge of burnt black, and the lake was frozen, covered in a blanket of snow.
Along with the sharp cold wind, the heavy clatter of horse hooves came from the snowy road.
The driver was wearing a felt hat, and his hands were stiffened by the cold wind, making it difficult for him to even curl up.
The people inside the car were not much better off.
Blankets and leather were like thin paper in the freezing cold, easily blown through. The charcoal stove had burned out, and the hot water bottle had turned into an ice water bottle.
"Master, my great and upright Lord! Why are you arguing with the Emperor?" The butler exhaled white air as he opened his mouth. "Zhenbei Prefecture governs four counties. Which one of them is not a bitter and cold place?"
"You said you were staying here for three to five years. How could your body bear it? Besides, your wife and children who stayed in the capital..."
"Alright, alright, don't say any more. It looks like we're about to enter the city."
Mr. Liu Shanyuan, who was over forty years old and the new prefect of Zhenbei Prefecture, was a great injustice who was banished to this place by the emperor because of a disagreement. He sighed deeply.
If I had known that the North was so wild and difficult, I would have kept a low profile and said nothing.
Now all we can do is accept what has happened.
Under the ice and snow, the rammed earth wall looked slightly dilapidated. It was filled with clay, sand and gravel, but it was not resistant to erosion by wind and rain and was easily destroyed by the enemy.
Not to mention the capital, even the slightly more ordinary provincial capitals have long been built with blue brick walls.
This place is so backward that Mr. Liu feels very disappointed.
I wonder if His Majesty has calmed down now? If I could use my connections to plead for mercy...
"Stop! Who is coming?"
The soldiers defending the city were wearing military uniforms made of silk and thick cotton, thick-soled boots, and holding hard wooden spear handles as thick as a fist. They came straight forward.
The soldier asked the question in a loud voice, but his eyes were full of vigilance, and even a hint of imperceptible fear.
“Whoa—”
The driver pulled the reins of the horses and looked up. Dozens of guards were already on the city wall, drawing their bowstrings and ready to go.
A cold wind blew by, and a row of conical copper spear tips shone with a sharp, cold light.
A solemn and murderous atmosphere hit me in the face.
"Don't do it, don't do it!"
The butler was so anxious that he jumped out of the carriage holding the customs documents. It was said that the people here were tough and it seemed to be true.
Walking on the crunching snow, the butler brought out a pass for the group.
Daliang Laws and Regulations: All military and civilians traveling beyond 100 miles must present a written permit.
A piece of beige paper, stamped with state and county seals, contained detailed information, including a horse-drawn carriage, four donkey carts, and twelve temporary escorts...
It's just that the portrait of this official is a little inconsistent.
The soldier tilted his head and looked at him for a moment. The new prefect drawn on the pass had a round face without a beard, small eyes, and a very friendly appearance.
The Mr. Liu in front of him looked gentle and elegant at first glance, with a few strands of silver in his black hair, but he seemed to have lost some weight, and his cheekbones were a little more prominent.
"Alas, my master has come all the way from the capital. He has been ill twice and is frail..."
The housekeeper observed the man's expression and grumbled with concern.
"Stop talking too much." Liu Shanyuan waved his hand majestically, then looked kindly at the soldier with a puzzled look on his face, "Sergeant, is there anything else you don't understand?"
It’s…nothing?
As long as the visitor was not a nomadic robber from the Qiyanwushi tribe, he would not understand the affairs between the bigwigs.
Facing Liu Shanyuan's increasingly sharp gaze, after checking the remaining donkey carts, the soldier waved a yellow pennant and tremblingly shouted:
"Open the city gates!"
The heavy bolt on the city gate was lowered.
The year was bad with severe cold, heavy snow and strong wind.
The carriages and pedestrians who came from the capital city walked on the snow and officially entered the Zhenbeifu City - the legendary exile place of the Daliang Dynasty.
"Meet the new prefect!"
The city defense commander saluted with his arms crossed and greeted respectfully, "I am General Cai Miao, and I am affiliated with the Third Army of the Northern Border Defense."
He was wearing a tattered armor full of traces of battles with cold weapons. He was tall and burly with a dark complexion.
Commander Cai's hands are covered with calluses and scars and should not be underestimated.
"No need for formalities. It won't be too late to call me that after we go to the government office to verify the fish token and complete the handover." Liu Shanyuan said with a kind smile.
Just now, when the soldier reported the situation, he saw Commander Cai's alert expression.
"Can I go up to the tower and take a look?"
"This way, sir."
The rammed earth on the steep city wall is hard and solid.
Before Liu Shanyuan could observe carefully, he smelled a strange mixed aroma.
Cinnamon, star anise, fennel...layer upon layer, intertwined with each other.
Looking for food, they saw soldiers guarding a hot pot cooked with firewood, looking at these outsiders curiously.
The pot looks like it contains hot braised duck, with peppercorns, ginger and garlic all in one, with bright color and guaranteed to have a rich flavor.
In such extreme weather, having a sip of hot soup is what I want most.
"Commander Cai, give us a few bowls to try. Is it convenient for our master to understand the people's sentiments?" The housekeeper said with a savory look on his face.
Liu Shanyuan secretly gave him a look of approval.
"This, this, that's fine." Cai Miao's heart ached. The monthly allowance was just distributed this month, and everyone pooled their money to buy Miss Gui's secret hot stew.
He is such a high-ranking official, yet he still steals some food. Bah.
When you pick up the bowl, you can feel the scalding temperature, a burst of hot steam hits your face, and it emits a pungent, fresh, spicy flavor.
A few duck wing tips, duck intestines and duck clavicles were floating on the soup.
The spicy and hot taste complement each other, and the warm feeling continues to spread in the mouth, intoxicating the taste buds.
After taking a bite, Liu Shanyuan felt a slight numbness on his tongue, and warmness from his throat to his stomach, and he felt like he was alive again.
Why should I fear the harsh and wild nature of the northern border?
A real man standing between heaven and earth should do things that are upright and honest!
"Absolutely delicious!" The butler's face was steaming from the spiciness. "It's a great way to keep the winter cold away! Wonderful!"
The Daliang Dynasty had a vast territory and diverse customs and cultures.
South of the Boyang Mountains and the Chuhuai River, the climate is warmer and more suitable for farming, so satisfying their appetites is not a problem.
The further north they went, the colder it became. Not only were they shivering with cold along the way, but the food also became less and less tasty.
I didn't expect to get a surprise as soon as I entered the central city.
"I wonder which restaurant this meal is from?" Liu Shanyuan asked.
Although the salary of a prefect is not high, it is still enough to satisfy your hunger occasionally.
"What a coincidence, it's right next to your residence, only ten feet away." Even his iron-like skin could not hide the reluctance on Cai Miao's face.
A higher-ranking official can crush a person to death.
Cai Miao stood on the city wall and stamped the loess and gravel under his feet. "There's no sign above the door, just a flag hanging - Guiji Braised Food."
As soon as the words fell.
"Look, Miss Gui is back in town!"
Accompanied by the sincere cheers of the soldiers defending the city, Liu Shanyuan looked up.
On the distant hillside, the blue sky and the light white snow are intertwined, with the boundary blurred and undulating.
A woman was wearing a vermilion cross-collared cotton robe with bright and deep patterns on the robe, and the horseshoe sleeves tightened at the wrists made her look neat and clean.
She was seen holding a wooden stick and standing on a wooden board.
They slid down the winding snow track at an extremely fast speed, splashing up a lot of ice and snow fragments.
In the cold winter, it rushes into everyone's sight passionately and ostentatiously.
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