Chapter 367 Guangdong-Hunan Ancient Road
It takes about ten to twenty days to get from Zhangzhou Prefecture to Changsha Prefecture.
First, start from the Gonghe Street Wharf in Laopingshi Town, Zhangzhou Prefecture, cross the Nanling Mountains, reach Yizhang and Linwu in Huguang Province, take the land route to Chenzhou, enter the Xiangjiang River system, and reach the passage to Changsha.
Among them, the section of road from Zhangzhou Prefecture to Chenzhou Prefecture is called the Guangdong-Hunan Ancient Road, which is said to have been built in the Qin Dynasty.
In those days, Qin Shihuang mobilized an army of 50 to conquer Nanyue. Among them, a 15-strong force crossed Qitianling from Huguang Province and headed for Guangnan Province. The Qin soldiers "opened up" the passage between the two provinces with their feet. This ancient Guangdong-Hunan Road was originally "trampled out by these 15 troops."
The Guangdong-Hunan Ancient Road is also known as the "Salt and Iron Ancient Road" or the "Official Hat Avenue".
Since sea vessels were not able to pass through, goods from the south going north and goods from the north going south all passed through this route.
It is said that the lychees that were delivered to Yang Guifei along the ancient road and waterway were the reason why the saying “A horse gallops through the red dust and makes the concubine smile, but no one knows it is the lychees coming” was true.
Guangdong-Hunan Ancient Road-The Road Walked by Sun Shan
Since ancient times, Nanling Mountains has been a natural dividing line.
There are great differences between the north and the south in terms of climate, culture, language, personality, appearance, diet, customs, etc.
Although Guangnan Province and Huguang Province are adjacent to each other, due to the barrier of the Nanling Mountains, the communication between the two places is extremely rare and the distance between them is extremely far.
When the people of Sunjia Village heard that Sun Shan was going to study in Huguang Province, they thought that it was like going to Beijing to take the imperial examination. The road was long and rugged, and the place was difficult to reach.
Although he followed the escort team, Sun Bomin was very uneasy. He even spent a lot of money to bring the villagers of Sunjia Village to accompany Sun Shan to the academy.
In an unfamiliar place, only relatives with the same roots can make people feel at ease. Sun Bomin was worried that the escort team was unreliable, so he had to arrange more people to accompany Sun Shan. He would rather spend more money than let others be safe.
After bidding farewell to all his relatives and friends, Sun Shan got on a mule cart and quickly left Zhangzhou City and headed for his first stop, Lechang County.
Since Sun Bomin felt that the shipping fee of 5 taels per sack was too expensive, Sun Shan had to leave all the unnecessary things in Zhangzhou Prefecture.
Just bring a few sets of clothes, some books, and a few daily necessities.
Sun Boming, Sun Dali, Sun Dingnan, and Gui Ge'er's luggage was even simpler, with just two sets of thin clothes, a pot prepared by their family, a small bag of rice and pickled vegetables, a few wooden bowls, and a small sack of medicine prepared by their family, and that was all.
Sun Bomin put the things into each person's bag and asked them to carry it on their backs.
Sun Shan’s books were in cloth bags that Sun Dali and Gui Ge’er wore on their chests.
This way, there is no need to pack it in sacks, so there is no shipping fee.
Sun Bomin whispered, "Shanzi, when you are away from home, you have to pay for everything. We should save every penny we can and not spend money recklessly. The shipping fee of 5 taels is too expensive. It is enough for you and Gui Ge'er's food expenses for two months."
Sun Shan's nose was sour, he hummed, nodded and said, "Father, I understand. This trip is too expensive. Father, thank you for your hard work for my study."
Ever since Sun Shan passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, his family earned more and more money. The biggest expenses were usually Sun Shan's writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone, as well as the cost of socializing.
The cost of studying and food is actually not much.
Sun Bomin and his wife Su worked hard and accumulated a lot of wealth.
Su also secretly told Sun Shan that they had saved several hundred taels of silver, so Sun Shan didn't have to worry about the cost of studying, he just needed to focus on his studies.
With the help from relatives and friends, especially Aunt Sun, Sun Shan could still afford food, drink and studies as long as he didn't spend money recklessly.
Sun Bomin's dark face turned red, and he said shyly, "What's the hardship? Sooner or later, my father and mother's money will be yours. With a scholar like you in the family, my father's back has become straighter. In the village, who doesn't respect our family?"
After Sun heard this, he spoke up. Sun Bomin was originally an ordinary countryman, but now he has to accompany Sun Shan out of the province. Isn't this a challenge?
Sun Shan understood very well the uneasy feeling he had, especially since he was illiterate and couldn't speak the language, and had to take a path he would never have dared to think of in his entire life.
The villagers of Sunjia Village also felt uneasy with Sun Boming.
Sun Shan sat next to Gui Ge'er and said with concern, "Gui Ge'er, don't be afraid."
Sun Shan looked at Gui Ge'er, who was holding on to the handrail of the mule cart tightly with his hands, as if he was afraid of falling, and his face was slightly pale.
Gui Ge'er quickly shook his head and said, "Brother Shan, I'm not afraid."
Sitting next to Gui Ge'er was Sun Dingnan. Sun Shan still remembered going to school at Zheng's School with Brother Dingnan. In the blink of an eye, Brother Dingnan had become a husband and a father.
time flies.
Sun Shan thanked him and said, "Brother Dingnan, thank you for accompanying me to the academy this time. Thank you for your hard work."
Sun Dingnan is a genuine farmer's man, but he is more gentle and refined like a scholar.
He smiled and said, "Shanzi, don't be polite. It's not hard. I'm taking advantage of you. I can go on this long journey thanks to you. Many people in the village wanted to come with me, but they didn't have the chance."
This trip, which includes food, accommodation and travel expenses, is something many young men in Sunjia Village could not wait for.
Although there are risks in going out, the benefits are obviously also huge.
Whenever the villagers travelled outside the area, they would be looked up to.
To put it simply, being able to go out gives you something to brag about in front of your fellow villagers.
What's more, this trip out of the province sounded incredible to others.
Even though Sun Dingnan knew that the journey was long and difficult, he was still very happy to go out with Sun Shan.
Maybe this is the only chance he has in his life.
Next to Sun Bomin was Sun Dali, a big and strong man who looked no different from the escort team's bodyguards from a distance.
I arm wrestled with Gui Ge'er these past two days, and Gui Ge'er was completely defeated. However, Sun Dali said that Gui Ge'er is still young, and when he grows up, he will be stronger, and he should be called Sun Dali more than himself.
The reason why he was asked to accompany us this time was because I had a crush on Sun Dali.
Sun Dali sat quietly on the mule cart, but he was actually a little timid inside. He rarely went to Huangyang County, let alone other provinces.
Sun Dali was really flattered that the village chief arranged for him to accompany the "rising star" of Sunjia Village.
Aunt Li even sang "Big Character Poster" under the big banyan tree in the center of Bagua.
Sun Bomin sensed Sun Dali's fear and said to him in comfort, "Don't be afraid, Dali. Just don't leave us. Whether it's to rest or sleep, the five of us must go together. Don't wander around. If you get separated, you won't be able to return to Sunjia Village."
In fact, Sun Bomin was also afraid of getting lost. If they really got lost, it would be difficult for Sun Dali to return to Sunjia Village, and the same would be true for Sun Bomin.
Perhaps Guiger, Nanger and Shanzi, who are literate here, are able to return to Sunjia Village.
Sun Dali nodded nervously and said, "Brother Bomin, I understand. I will follow you closely."
This time Sun Dali came out to be a bodyguard. Sun Dali thought that he had to stick closely to Sun Shan, as the only hope of the village was very important.
Sun Shan leaned against the mule cart, watching the Zhangzhou Prefecture slowly disappearing into the distance, feeling an indescribable feeling in his heart.
Maybe there is hesitation in leaving a familiar place, or maybe there is fear about the future.