Chapter 782: The Long Snowy Black Mountain Station
The plains of western Liaoning Province in early winter are desolate. Although it is still early winter, the early winter outside the Pass is as domineering as the deep winter in the Pass. Under the howling of the cold wind, people cannot feel a trace of warmth.
The heavy snowfall for two consecutive days has covered the mountains, rivers and land in western Liaoning with a layer of silver. At this moment, scattered snowflakes are still floating in the sky. And in the villages far and near on both sides of the post road, snowflakes are rising.
The curling white smoke and the occasional birds flying through the air became the only embellishments of this silvery world.
Yonghe, who was sitting in the back row by the window, curiously looked at everything outside. These scenes, which were common in the northern winter, were now presented to him from a unique perspective.
The Shengjing area is located in the plain of western Liaoning, with a flat terrain. In addition, the post roads here were well maintained by the Qing government, making it more suitable for vehicle traffic. So after the Liaodong Campaign ended, the Logistics Department of the Northern Navy allocated more than 20 troops through land and sea transport.
A car not only facilitates the transportation of personnel between Shengjing and Jinzhou front lines, but also ensures the rapid transfer of materials.
Ever since the car started on the road, Yonghe and his companion named Fu Chashan had been sweating from their foreheads to their backs, and felt a little uncomfortable in their stomachs. Even so, he kept his eyes wide open and carefully observed the inside of the car.
I tried to understand every detail of it, and tried to figure out why it could run without cows and horses. However, after looking at it for a long time, I became even more confused.
The length of the post road from Guangning City to Shengjing City is 340 miles, and there are six post stations along the way. If you are riding a horse, excluding meals and accommodation, the rest of the time, even if you ride hard, it will take at least three days.
Of course, the imperial court's six-hundred-mile express service could guarantee arrival in one day, but that was just a rush of a courier changing horses without changing people, and there were five of them sitting in a car.
So when the jeep was racing on the post road at a speed of fifty kilometers per hour, Yonghe felt that his cognition was completely subverted.
He has lived for almost forty years, and has ridden on Ujumqin horses that can travel hundreds of miles a day, and has ridden in fast mule carts, but he never imagined that there were carts in the world that did not use horses or mules.
We have already driven more than 20 miles since we set off. We are running like lightning and our speed has not slowed down at all. Those fairy magic weapons in storytelling books are nothing more than this!
There has been a rumor among the Eight Banners soldiers in the capital over the years that Zhao Xin and his men are good at using magic and manipulating all kinds of evil weapons; whether they are fast guns or cannons, or those that run in the rivers or fly in the sky
, all of which make people feel incredible.
The leading generals from all walks of life have also tried various methods to crack it, but whether it is inviting Taoist priests and monks to hold a magic meeting before the war, setting up a stage on the battlefield to hold an altar, or even soaking blunderbuss and shells in black dog blood, it is a big show.
The Yin Gate Formation has no effect.
Later, Qianlong issued an edict forbidding any use of gods or ghosts in front of the military formations. You must know that the more these useless things are done, the more the soldiers will feel that Zhao Xin is a god descended from the earth, and their morale will be low.
The breath from his mouth sprayed on the window glass of the back seat, forming a small cloud of white mist. Yonghe carefully wiped it with his sleeve, and in the blink of an eye it was crystal clear again.
In recent years, the shipping price of Beihai Trading Company's flat glass in Anping Port has been much lower than that of imported goods in Guangzhou, and the sales volume is also good. However, due to the cost of sea and land transportation, ordinary middle-class families still cannot afford it. The front and rear windshields are as big as those of a jeep.
A piece of flat glass sells for no less than one hundred taels of silver in the capital and Jiangnan areas.
Yonghe is a guard of the sixth rank, and his annual salary is 60 taels of silver, thirty shi per meter, plus the harvest of 24 acres of banner fields, 60 taels of horse feed money, rewards from the palace on festivals, and the income of two shops, six
One hundred taels are too much.
With a lot of income, there are also a lot of expenses; money is needed for food, clothing, and human relations, and there is not much left all year round. Let alone a hundred taels, he would not be willing to part with ten taels of silver to buy a piece of glass.
Because it was a snowy day and he came out early, there were no pedestrians or carriages on the post road, so Guisheng asked the driver to increase the speed appropriately. However, this made Yonghe and Fuchashan's motion sickness symptoms worse, and their chests became more and more tight.
, my stomach began to churn, and acid water kept pouring into my throat.
It is said that no matter how smooth the post roads of this era are, they cannot be compared with the county-level roads of later generations, or even worse than the township-level roads.
Just like the road that Guisheng and the others are taking now to Shengjing, it can be called the most important traffic artery in the northeastern region of the Qing Dynasty. It is twenty meters wide at its widest point and only three meters at its narrowest point. Don't look at the distance of this road.
During the emperor's eastward tour, the area was as smooth as a threshing floor, and it would be just that if the emperor didn't come. The puddles left after heavy rains in summer and the deep ruts made by the passing carriages made the people in the carriage feel bumpy.
"Stop the car! They both seem to be vomiting." The person who spoke was Lao Zhang, who was sitting in the middle of the back row. This person was the person who was sitting in the corner when Yonghe saw Guisheng yesterday.
Yonghe knew that Lao Zhang was a martial artist from the first moment he saw him. When he got in the car and sat next to each other today, he was even more sure that he was a master of internal martial arts. Such a person sat between him and Fu Chashan.
it goes without saying.
This person's brow bone is very high, the muscles at the cheekbones are slightly bulging, and the temples on both sides are bulging outward. Although there are no calluses on the back of the hands, the palms are thick and red. Furthermore, the joint bones on the back of the hands of ordinary people are
The bones between the peaks are concave, but this person's are flat. All these are in line with the characteristics of a master of internal martial arts.
When Guisheng heard what Lao Zhang said, he turned around and took a look, then asked the driver to slow down and pull over. Unexpectedly, the jeep happened to encounter an icy road, and when he braked, the wheels began to slip, and the rear of the car swerved to the left.
The whole car immediately made a ninety-degree turn and hit the low loess wall next to the post road, causing a piece of it to collapse.
At this moment, Yonghe and Fuchashan in the car could no longer control themselves, and they squirted.
After a while, Guisheng and the other five finally got out of the messy car. Almost everyone's clothes were stained with vomit, let alone the car.
The frightened driver got out of the car and hurriedly checked the situation at the front of the car. Although it was not serious, he felt very regretful in his heart. Before he came out, he felt that the snow on the ground was not serious, so he did not install anti-skid chains. If it were not blocked by an earth wall, he would have to
Don't rush downhill and hit a tree.
By the way, in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, there were usually two one-foot-high earthen walls on both sides of the post roads in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, especially Guanma Avenue. There were posts on them to mark the mileage, and they also served as guardrails.
Guisheng on the other side of the car was also speechless. It was a bad day for him to go out today! He turned around and looked at Yonghe and Fuchashan who were squatting outside the car door and vomiting. He thought to himself that people who can ride boats and ride fast horses, how can they do that?
What about motion sickness?
Among the five people, only Lao Zhang looked like he was fine. He first asked the driver about the situation and learned that the problem was not serious and he could still drive. Then he ran to a road sign and took a look. When he came back, he suggested to Guisheng: "There are still things ahead.
We'll reach Xiaoheishan Station in five miles. Let's pack up the car first, get some water when we get there, wipe the car clean, and then hit the road."
Guisheng nodded and said to Yonghe who was out of breath from vomiting: "Second Master Yong, you and your companions must hold it back and stop vomiting."
Yonghe didn't say anything, but rolled his eyes and thought to himself, what evil have I done? If I had known this would happen, I would rather ride a horse!
After a simple tidy up, the group of people hit the road again. This time the driver drove very slowly, and the windows on both sides of the car were lowered. The whistling northwest wind mixed with the fine snow rushed around in the car, and the unpleasant smell was blown away.
I took away a lot.
After driving for more than twenty minutes, a group of buildings that looked like a village appeared in front of everyone.
Xiaoheishan Post is not so much a post station as it is actually a large village with more than 300 households. It was a military important place in the Ming Dynasty. It was attached to the Zhenyuan Fort on the Great Wall Middle Road in Liaodong Town. In the Qing Dynasty, it became the gateway to Shanhaiguan.
There are dozens of people standing at important nodes on the Shengjing Post Road.
The core of the post station is a square earthen city. Each side of the city wall is nearly 300 meters long and eight meters high. There are two gates in the north and south. There is a post office in the city, as well as supporting official rooms, small rooms, stables, and straw sheds.
, material warehouse, etc.
This used to be the location of the "Luji Yamen", which took charge of the villages surrounding the post road to the south of Shengjing and north of Jinzhou. The Yamen was located next to the post office, with a fifth-grade defense officer serving as the official, commanding Xianghong
, two hundred soldiers with two white flags.
In addition, because the post stations in the Qing Dynasty only provided food, accommodation and rest for court officials and were not open to the people, some people started a carriage and horse shop business outside the inns.
The post station, the road record yamen, the flag soldiers, the station guards, the gang members, and the remaining members, plus their family members and servants, formed a condensed small society.
After the Northern Marine Brigade landed at Tianqiaochang a few months ago, in order to prevent the Qing army in Jinzhou from escaping, Tashan in the south and Xiaoheishan Station in the north had to be captured in advance. The Marine Brigade dispatched a battalion.
After a nightlong attack, none of the two hundred Eight Banners soldiers and dozens of postmen stationed on the garrison escaped, and they were all taken prisoner.
When Guisheng and the others were still one mile away from Xiaoheishan Post, they were spotted by the sentry on guard in Tucheng. The man waved to them excitedly, then ran down the city to report to the platoon leader.
At this moment, a few teenagers who were playing on the roadside also saw the slowly approaching jeep. As a result, they didn't care about the house sparrows they had just caught in the dustpan at their feet, and they all stared blankly.
Let the mucus flow down your nose.
In the carriage shop on the roadside outside the south gate of the inn, a young shop assistant carrying a bucket filled with dirty water had just arrived at the entrance of the courtyard, when a jeep happened to pass by him.
"Bang!" The barrel fell from his hand and fell to the ground, splashing sewage all over the store clerk.
"Kuanzi! What are you doing? Throw the good bucket to the ground! Be careful to turn around and slap you..." Hearing the noise, the shopkeeper opened the door and walked out of the house without saying anything.
After saying that, he burped and swallowed again, quickly walked out of the door, and looked around.
When the jeep came to the four-meter-wide city gate, a gun-wielding Beijun ran out of it, saluted and asked to check his ID. Well, although no one outside the customs except the Beijun had a car, this soldier
Or strictly enforce discipline.
At this time, more than 20 men, women, and children had gathered outside the south gate of Tucheng. No one dared to approach. They formed a semicircle about ten meters away to watch. Someone with a keen eye noticed that a hand stretched out from inside the jeep and handed someone to him.
He gave the soldier something as big as a palm.
The soldier took it, looked at it carefully, handed it in again, and then saluted. Then everyone heard a roar, and the jeep slowly entered the city gate. When the children who had caught birds before saw this, they led
I chased him out of curiosity and excitement.
The shopkeeper of the carriage and horse shop did not chase after him, but walked back to the door of his home three times, and said to a merchant standing at the door: "Boss Liu, you have traveled extensively and experienced a lot. Dare you ask me what that thing is?"
The businessman twirled his beard and said with an inscrutable expression: "I saw this thing outside Shengjing City a few days ago, but it was different in shape from the one just now. The one I saw was taller and bigger than this one, and there was another one behind it.
A carriage for loading things. I heard the soldiers call it a 'gas carriage'."
"A gas car?" the shopkeeper asked in confusion: "You don't have cattle or horses, how can you still call a car?"
The waiter on the side interjected: "Do you think you can just blow your breath and walk away? That's not Sun Monkey's somersault cloud! If you ask me, it's a monster! Haven't you heard that all Beihai soldiers are good at using magic?
.”
The shopkeeper shouted: "Kuanzi, you are talking nonsense, be careful that the Beihai soldiers hear this and come to arrest you!"
The businessman shook his head and said: "How can there be monsters in the bright day? People say that, and there must be some truth in it. I also heard from the soldiers that there are many such vehicles in the east of Jilin City, and they can hold more goods than horse-drawn carriages.
More than twice as much!”
The owner of the carriage and horse shop was shocked when he heard this. He couldn't help but look back at the horses grazing in the stable, and the idea of changing his career inexplicably arose in his mind.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! In fact, these people don’t know that just late at night more than two months ago, seven or eight vehicles, including this jeep, passed here loaded with supplies and headed for Guangning. Only
However, at that time, not long after the Liaodong Campaign, people everywhere were panicked, and the local residents were mainly bannermen. They were so afraid of the prestigious Beihai Navy that they closed their doors tightly as soon as it got dark and did not dare to show their faces if there was any movement.
On the other side, after parking the car, Guisheng and the others also met the platoon leader of the local garrison. His name was Sun Yuan, a native of Shangqiu, Henan, and he had been in the army for five years.
The two sides met, saluted and exchanged greetings. After learning of the situation, Platoon Leader Sun warmly welcomed them into the post station for a sip of hot tea. He also called a postman who was clearing the snow and asked him to tell the kitchen to boil a large pot of hot water for wiping the car. Then
The postman was wearing a cotton coat and trousers that were full of patches and stained with oil. He quickly stood up and said yes, turned around and ran towards the kitchen with a broom under his arm.
Everyone followed Sun Yuan to the official office of Yi Cheng Office. Lao Zhang, the driver, Yong He, and Fu Chashan sat in the outer room, while Guisheng and Sun Yuan entered the inner room. As soon as they entered, he asked: "I remember twenty days
"Previously, the regiment headquarters has sent two cartloads of new cotton-padded clothes to you. Why was the postman still wearing old clothes just now?"
While pouring water into the teapot, Sun Yuan explained: "I can't bear to part with it! I have a wife and children at home. I took it back and changed it. It's enough for three people."
Guisheng frowned and said, "How poor are you?"
Sun Yuan took out his cigarette case and signaled to Guisheng. Seeing the latter shaking his head, he lit one and took a deep breath before saying: "There must be hundreds of households. They are all armored soldiers from Luji Yamen. We can’t open the pot anymore. I’m planning to send people to Guangning City tomorrow to ask the battalion headquarters to transfer two trucks of sorghum. We can’t just watch a whole family starve to death!”
Guisheng was transferred here not long ago and didn't know much about the people's sentiments in the Shengjing area. He was surprised and said: "So many! I remember that there are only about three hundred households here, right? Besides, don't the banner people all have land? Can the harvest still feed them?”
"327 households." Sun Yuan showed a look of resentment on his face and explained: "Mr. Shen didn't know that these bannermen got together to make money when they had nothing to do, and many of them went bankrupt. I heard from the postmen here. , and now 40% of the flag fields in Xiaoheishanyi have been given to pawnshops in Guangning City. According to me, just arrest all these money makers and send them to the Songhua River reservoir construction site!"
Guisheng said: "Don't be anxious, take your time. Find out the situation clearly before taking action. Besides, it's useless to just catch the gamblers. If you want to catch the gamblers, you have to catch the bankers."
Since the middle period of Qianlong's reign, gambling has been booming in the Shengjing area. Even though the Qing government banned it many times, it was of no avail. The bannermen in these days were too naive to compete with the Han Chinese who opened casinos. Not to mention nine times out of ten they lost, they kept playing more and more. The more addicted they are, the more they lose all their money and sell their houses and land, leading to many bankruptcies.
In fact, there is gambling under the rule of Beihai Town, but because the land ownership in Beihai Town is nominally controlled by Zhao Xin, the people only have the right to use it, so it is impossible to sell houses and land. At most, they will lose all their money, and then Go borrow it again. Once these guys are caught by the security police, they will be given different punishments such as verbal admonishment, community work, and sentencing to perform hard labor in other places based on the amount of gambling money.
Guisheng was not Sun Yuan's direct superior, so he just listened to pass the time, packed up the car and hit the road quickly.
Unexpectedly, while the two were having a casual chat, someone outside the office room shouted a report. When the other party came in, Guisheng realized that this person was a squad leader under Sun Yuan.
"Platoon leader, a flagman told us that the Bagua cultivator is going to open a missionary in Kaoshantun tonight."
When Guisheng heard the words "Bagua Cult", his heart suddenly went off alarm.
He worked as an orderly for Zhao Xin for three years. He was influenced by what he heard and saw, and his perspective and perspective on problems were naturally different from others. Later, Zhao Xin sent him to the intelligence bureau, and from then on Xu Dayong traveled around and gained experience. There are a lot of things that go by the name of "Silent Mother".
He knows all too well the dangers of these Taoist sects!