Chapter 693 Cangzhou Iron Lion
Sun Shan and his party were forced to stop and stay in Jingzhou for three days before they could continue their journey north. They then passed through Fucheng County, Dongguan County, Botouyi, and finally stopped in Cangzhou.
Sun Shan and his companions walked and stopped in Hejian Prefecture but could not get out. They did not expect that the boat traffic was so severe.
Of course, another reason is that the longest mileage of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is in Cangzhou, not in Yangzhou or Hangzhou.
Manager Chen sighed and said, "Why is it so difficult to travel this year? This is a once-in-a-century opportunity."
Gui Ge'er secretly glanced at Manager Chen and whispered, "Brother Shan, Manager Chen is not honest."
Sun Shan was stunned and asked in confusion: "Gui Ge'er, why do you say that?"
Gui Ge'er once again looked at Manager Chen furtively, and after making sure that he hadn't looked at him, he said, "Brother Shan, Manager Chen is only in his forties or fifties. How can he be considered a once-in-a-century talent? He is not honest."
Sun Shan was speechless and gave Gui Ge'er a sugar-roasted chestnut without saying a word.
Gui Ge'er looked at Sun Shan with grievance.
Sun Shan ignored him and continued to stay in the small courtyard of the inn, looking at the world from afar.
Sun Shan understood why the ships were so congested this year, because too many people were going to Beijing.
After getting off the boat, I looked around the dock and saw many scholars in long gowns walking around. It seems that there will be a lot of people participating in next year's imperial examination.
Well, Old Master He San thought of letting them go to Beijing ahead of time, and the same goes for students from other provinces. They would also send their own students to Beijing ahead of time.
As a result, if everyone arrives early, it means that no one arrives early.
Everyone is trying to travel at the same time, resulting in huge traffic jams.
You are all very smart!
Sun Shan couldn't help but think of the group of scholars who were admitted to the provincial examination. Maybe they were even faster than this group of early candidates. Maybe they would meet at the dock in Beijing.
Thinking of this, I couldn't help but feel depressed.
Leaving early, experiencing loneliness early, being completely suspended on the road, it will probably be too late by the time you arrive in the capital.
No matter what, we have already left early and the ship is stuck on the road, so we can only take things as they come.
After Manager Chen and Chen Dongling arranged accommodation, they went out to do business.
His companions left Sun Shan behind and rushed to travel around and, of course, enjoy the delicious food.
He Shujun, the nominal cousin, said, "Ashan, please stay at the inn and help look after our luggage. I heard that the donkey meat hotpot in Hejian is delicious. I will come back after trying it and tell you if it tastes good. I won't bring any back."
If He Shujun wasn't Yun Jie'er's cousin, Sun Shan would really have asked Gui Ge'er to put him in a sack and have Sun Dali beat him up.
The lively and active Third Brother Chen said cheerfully, "Ashan, I heard that hot pot chicken is not bad. I will go and try it later. If you stay at the inn, you can ask your brother Gui to make chicken soup for you. Haha, Ashan, let's not talk about it anymore. Let's go now."
So a group of people, led by Brother Chen San and assisted by Brother Chen Lao, hurriedly ran out of the inn to eat Hejian food.
Of course, the expenses are shared equally. When you are out, you should not only help each other, but also keep the amounts clear.
Since we are all so familiar with each other, we must go Dutch. Only those who are not familiar with each other will treat each other. Hejian donkey meat hotpot is very delicious. You can try Cangzhou, which is named after the Bohai Sea in the east, meaning the state of the sea.
Cangzhou was born because of the canal and prospered because of the canal.
Lin Chong in "Water Margin" was exiled to Cangzhou.
Of course, it was not Lin Chong who left a deep impression on Sun Shan in Cangzhou.
Speaking of Cangzhou, Sun Shan thought of the most unlucky lion in history - the Cangzhou Iron Lion, also known as the Zhenhai Roar.
I can still see the Iron Lion at this moment, but it’s a pity that I can’t leave the inn.
Otherwise, Sun Shan would definitely go and meet this most miserable lion in history.
Around 953 AD, Iron Lion was born. Its father was Li Yun. In the summer of 1803, after Iron Lion was born, Cangzhou City encountered a rare storm.
The "Zhenhaihou", which had been standing tall in the wind and rain, collapsed in this catastrophe.
The storm not only caused the Iron Lion to lose its jaw, but also caused serious damage to its abdomen. The once majestic "Lion King" broke one leg and lay on the ground.
In this way, the Iron Lion slept for 90 years, until the Guangxu period, when, after many efforts, the Iron Lion finally stood up again.
But the wounds on its body have not been truly healed, and it remains a crippled lion.
However, this was not the most tragic time for the Iron Lion, there were even more tragic things to come.
First, Soviet experts suggested building a pavilion on top of the iron lion to protect it from wind and rain. However, the effect was completely opposite. Due to the obstruction of the pavilion, the moisture on the iron lion could not evaporate, and the iron lion turned into a rusty lion.
Later, experts thought that the iron lion was stuck in the mud and difficult to protect, so they built a high platform for it. During the lifting process, the already disabled and rusty iron lion was seriously injured again, and its head, tail, legs, etc. were seriously damaged.
However, the tragic fate of the iron lion was only halfway through its operation, and experts wanted to make the iron lion stand firmly.
They actually added high-tech material - cement - to its legs.
Due to different expansion coefficients, thermal expansion and contraction, the iron lion's legs were completely gone, and it became a three-legged iron lion.
Everyone thought that the Iron Lion couldn't be that miserable.
As a result, another smart expert came forward and said that in order to prevent the iron lion from continuing to rust, a layer of anti-corrosion layer should be applied on the iron lion.
Finally, the most precious inscription on the Iron Lion was corroded.
The Cangzhou Iron Lion has completely turned into rotten copper and iron. The miserable Cangzhou Iron Lion The most unlucky lion in history --- Cangzhou Iron Lion The most unlucky lion in history --- Cangzhou Iron Lion When Sun Shan heard this story, he understood a truth: doing bad things with good intentions will only make more mistakes.
Some things should just be left alone and not tossed around.
Likewise, Sun Shan would rather stay in the small courtyard of the inn without any freedom than go out and cause trouble.
He didn't want to be the Iron Lion of Cangzhou. What he wanted was to take part in the imperial examination smoothly and safely pass the journey to the exam.
In the evening, Lu Yuming and others returned. They all had full stomachs and drank Cang wine.
When Gui Ge'er saw this, he said with a tut-tut sound, "Brother Shan, don't learn from them. Just eat and drink. Drinking will only make things worse."
Speaking of drinking, Sun Shan really doesn't drink much. He thinks that he will become a high-ranking official in the future and will have to drink. Not drinking will make him seem out of place, but he can't drink and doesn't know what to do.
After thinking for a while, he said, "Gui Ge'er, men have to learn how to drink. But your brother Shan is busy with his studies now. After I pass the test, I will definitely have a good drink with them."
Gui Ge'er said anxiously: "Brother Shan, this won't do. Before I left, my aunt told me to keep an eye on you and not let you drink or become a drunkard.
Brother Shan, it’s not good to be a drunkard. Do you remember Sun Fatou from our village?
He likes drinking the most. Once he drinks, he gets drunk and goes crazy, beating his wife and children. Oh, Brother Shan, you can't be such a person.
You can’t hit your sister-in-law, let alone your son or daughter. We are scholars, we can’t hit others. If someone sees us hitting others, it will be embarrassing and will also bring bad reputation.”
Sun Shan was also impressed by Gui Ge'er. He didn't know what was wrong with his brain. He often had wild thoughts. He could think of a hundred things at once, and his thoughts were always irrelevant.
Sun Shan decided to block Gui Ge'er's words and play deaf and dumb.