Chapter 511: The First Pass of Southern Guangdong

Chapter 511: The First Pass of Southern Guangdong

Meiling refers to the ancient fortress area (Yuling) of the Dayuling Mountain Range to the east of the Five Ridges.

Meiling Ancient Road (also known as Meiguan Ancient Road) is located between Nanxiong and Dayu County.

If Sun Shan wants to go north to Beijing, he must cross this mountain. It is the only way to connect Guangnan Province and Yuzhang Province.

Dayu Mountain

There was no road between the two places originally. Later, the person who made the Meiling Ancient Road a reality was the talented man from Nanyue, Zhang Jiuling, a famous official of the Tang Dynasty who was known as "the first prime minister of Lingnan in a thousand years".

According to legend, this road was built by Zhang Jiuling himself. He led his "team" to the bushy mountain road, risked exploration, measurement, and design of the best plan.

After the project plan was agreed upon, he recruited a large number of workers to build the road during the winter when there was no farming work.

In just over two months, a large mountain depression about 2 meters long, meters wide and meters high was opened, and a mountain road more than meters wide and more than miles long was opened, which became the golden channel connecting the Yangtze River and the Pearl River.

Slowly, through the continuous construction of the road by our predecessors, a post road 5 meters wide was finally built.

The post road winds up the mountain, and the slope is much gentler than before.

The post road can be used not only by pedestrians, but also by horse-drawn and ox-drawn carts. There is no need to hire people to carry goods on their shoulders and take risks crossing the mountains.

There are many post stations, inns, and shops scattered on both sides of the post road, and soldiers are stationed to guard them, which greatly improves the safety factor.

According to legend, Meiling is not called Meiling but Yuling, because the ancient road is lined with plum trees, so it is called Meiling.

However, Sun Shan came at the wrong time. The plum blossoms were not in bloom at that time, so he had no chance to appreciate the scenery.

After crossing Meiling Mountain and continuing south, we needed an inn to rest.

Or you can start from Nanxiong Prefecture and continue north. If you rush, you will not be able to cross Dayuling before dark that day.

Therefore, whether going south or north, Zhuji Lane is a necessary stop.

Sun Shan and others were repairing in Zhuji Lane.

This is the first stop from Yuzhang Province to Guangnan Province.

The next morning, Manager Chen arranged the vehicle and asked Sun Shan and others to put their luggage on the vehicle and mark it to avoid confusion.

Of course, valuable goods must be carried with you. The Chen family didn't need to tell them, everyone knew how to do it.

After packing everything, Manager Chen said to the students, "Everyone, let's set off."

Sun Shan sat in the carriage and soon arrived at the first pass in Lingnan - Nanyue Pass.

Nanyue Pass

Nanyue Pass

Sun Shan got out of the carriage and saw the solemn and majestic stone pass.

I can't help but think of the following passage from "Three Chapters of Meiling":

How do you feel about being beheaded today? Starting a business is hard and full of battles.

Go to Quantai to recruit old troops, and kill Yama with a hundred thousand banners.

The war in the south has been going on for ten years, and this head must be hung at the gate of our country.

Those of you who die later should work harder, and the good news will be used as paper money.

The story happened in Meiling.

Sun Shan suddenly felt like he was just a drop in the ocean and that life was like a dream.

Sun Shan and his party passed through the Nanyue Pass and continued on their way.

Along the way, merchants traveling north and south were like flowing water, coming and going in an endless stream.

Of course, there were also many vendors selling water and food on both sides of the post road, which made everyone dazzled.

Ancient Trail Scenery

Ancient Trail Scenery

Ancient Trail Scenery

Dayu Mountain

Gui Ge'er said with a sigh: "Brother Shan, this road is much easier to walk than the road we took to Yuelu Academy."

It is indeed much easier to walk on. At least the road under your feet is no longer a road that can only be used by wheelbarrows, but has become a road that can be used by horse-drawn carriages.

Sun Dingnan looked at the luggage dragged by the mule and whispered, "Ashan, the Chen family is really rich. They hired a team to help transport the luggage. There is no need for people to carry it."

The Chen family is fully responsible for arranging the journey this time. Sun Shan will do whatever the Chen family asks him to do.

This time, the fleet hired by the Chen family not only transported their own goods, but also helped Sun Shan transport his luggage.

So Gui Ge'er, Sun Dingnan and Sun Dali can follow with nothing in their hands.

As for Sun Shan, he even arranged a carriage for him.

This service is better than five-star service. If it were on the list, Sun Shan would definitely spend money to buy DOU+ to help push the Chen family caravan to the first place and give them free publicity.

Although this trip is a long one, it is much better than traveling with the escort team.

It turns out that the Chen family is wealthy and powerful. Fortunately, I was able to get it.

Sun Dali followed closely behind the carriage, which was loaded with Sun Shan's luggage.

Sun Dali was an experienced countryman, so he didn't find it hard to climb the mountain. He smiled and said, "I thought the journey would be difficult, but it turned out to be easier than I thought. Haha, the Chen family is really nice. They helped us carry our luggage."

Seeing Sun Shan sweating profusely, he asked with concern: "Ashan, if you are tired, take a carriage. Although the road is easy to walk on, it is very tiring to walk."

Sun Shan shook his head and said, "I'm not tired. The scenery along the way is beautiful. I want to take a look."

Reading thousands of books is not as good as traveling thousands of miles, and riding in a carriage is also difficult.

Although the post road is called a post road, it is not a cement road, and the horse-drawn carriage is very bumpy when driving on it.

Sun Shan is not tired yet, so he might as well just walk.

It’s not too late to take the bus when you’re tired.

Sun Shan was not tired, but his classmate Chen Mibo was tired. Even sitting in the carriage, he was tired. He kept sticking his head out and asking, "Ashan, how long will it take to get there?"

Sun Shan no longer wanted to answer this question.

It was still early, and the queue had just passed, so there was still plenty of time to reach the destination.

Sun Shan asked Manager Chen and learned that it would take a day and a night to cross Dayu Mountain, so they would definitely need to rest in the mountains.

Manager Chen told Sun Shan not to worry. Although Dayu Mountain was a mountain, it was a mountain with a road. There were post stations on both sides of the road so there were places to stay.

Sun Shan felt relieved when he heard this, but even if he was not relieved, he seemed to have no energy to make himself feel at ease.

The Chen family caravan has been doing business for many years and is very experienced. If they can't figure out a problem, Sun Shan probably won't be able to solve it either.

We set out early in the morning and walked until noon, when Manager Chen arranged lunch for us.

The meal was simple and after eating we rested for a while before continuing on our journey.

At this moment, Chen Mibo and He Shujun were also walking along.

Sun Shan asked curiously, "Brother Mi Bo, why don't you take the carriage?"

Chen Mibo shook his head and said, "Sitting in the carriage is so jolting that I feel like vomiting. I don't want to sit here anymore."

He Shujun said with a smile: "Actually, it's not bad to walk. The harder the road is, the more I admire Brother Dong Ling. Winter comes and summer goes, autumn harvests and winter stores. Doing business is hard."

Generally, intellectuals don’t like businessmen, but Chen Dongling is a talented businessman, commonly known as a Confucian businessman. He gives people a different feeling and everyone admires him.

Lu Yuming agreed and said, "Brother Dong Ling has traveled all over the country, and I admire him very much. Only those who have been through it can understand the hardships along the way."

Sun Shan and his companions walked for a while, then took a car for a while, and when it was dark, they still had not left Dayu Mountain.

Manager Chen arranged the inn. After Sun Shan and his companions had dinner, they were too tired to talk. They hurriedly climbed into bed and snored away.