After a day of courtesy in Linzi, I quickly led everyone south, because I learned a lot of other things at the dinner that day. I felt that I had to go south as soon as possible.
The terrain along the way is still flat, stretching all the way to the horizon. There are still soldiers stationed on the road, which somewhat destroys the tranquility of this early winter morning.
Xu Zijiang and I continued our conversation, while Yu Ji sat quietly in the car, looking at the bamboo slips. He had brought them with him, so I had no idea what they were. How much could be on the bamboo slips? He actually brought them out to look at them, and he looked at them for such a long time. This was what I found strange.
When Xu Zijiang saw me looking at Yu Ji, he told me to ignore that stinky old Taoist priest. Old man Yu always likes to think about some weird things, such as what is death, what is life, where we come from, where we are going. He also told me not to think about all kinds of messy things like that person, which is useless to the world.
I was very surprised, so I asked why Uncle Xu didn't enter the government. Since he cared so much about worldly affairs, why didn't he seek an official position to display his talents
"Only by staying out of things can you see things clearly. If I really become an official, I will be blocked by the government. Besides, I have no interest in entering the government. I just like to think about some things. I only hope to do something that can benefit the world. So I study the art of physiognomy, the opportunities of physiognomy, and have a deep understanding of current affairs in the world, thinking about the causes and consequences. But old man Yu believes that all kinds of rise and fall throughout the ages are inevitable, and there is no need to study them too much. It is enough to study the things he thinks should be studied. I still can't figure out why I am good friends with such a person. This kind of termite is of no use, it is better to find a river and throw it away." He looked at his good friend with a smile but deliberately vicious.
"Then Uncle Xu, what do you think should be done with Jingzhou in the future?" I was still a little confused. I wanted to ask my teacher before, but now I think there are more professional people around, so it's better to ask quickly.
"Come over and listen, the best way is..." Since I was the only one who heard what he said, I tried to act calm so that others would not come to ask what happened.
"Does it have to be this way?" My voice was already shaking.
"Can you hide? Can you reason? Can you control the government and rule the world?"
I shook my head.
"We have to hurry south." I calmed down. "From the Qinling Mountains to the south, floods and wars have occurred. Jingzhou needs me now."
"It was only at the dinner the day before yesterday that I learned that Jingzhou had been asked to send troops to the Jiangbei area of Yangzhou to quell the rebellion. It seems that He Jin wants to stir up a conflict between you and the Liu clan."
"Isn't the Yin of Jiangbei in Yangzhou Tao Qian? What's his connection with the Liu clan?"
"But there is Liu Yao, the Prince of Hefei. The turmoil in the north of the Yangtze River in Yangzhou this time is mainly in the counties under his jurisdiction. Tao Qian is a civil servant, and there are few good warriors under his command. I think He Jin does not want to damage his own strength, so he did not transfer Zhu Jun, the governor of nearby Xuzhou, to suppress the riots. He asked Jingzhou to help the army on the grounds that there was also a flood in the south of Xuzhou. It happened that your teacher took this opportunity to control the south bank of the river this summer. He Jin did not expect that there would be a flood this year. When he was helpless, he asked your teacher to go to Jiujiang County to pacify the riots. Liu Yao was not a big shot, but because he was of the Liu family, although he had no evil deeds, it was difficult to get along with him. He looked down on common people and regarded Hefei, Zhongli, Quanjiao and other places as "This time, if the rebellion is suppressed and you withdraw, He Jin will ask Yangzhou and other places in the south of the Yangtze River to follow the example of Jiujiang. If you do not withdraw, you will definitely be enemies with Liu Yao. Allow me to speak for you. Although the Liu clan is not as strong as the Han Dynasty, He Jin has become more arrogant and domineering since the defeat of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and even ignores the emperor, but He Jin can use this as an excuse to punish you for disrespecting the royal family, and at least this reason is reasonable, and you can be accused of disloyalty in one fell swoop. If so, he will finally find a reasonable excuse."
I was full of admiration for Xu Zijiang and said respectfully, "You have only just gotten the general idea of the matter, but now you can analyze it so thoroughly. I admire you, Zirui."
"Zirui, sometimes when you are involved in something, you can't see the essence of the matter clearly because of some interests. As long as you step out of it, you can do the same." I suddenly felt that this old fox was so lovable and respectable.
"Then what should I do in Jingzhou in the future?"
"You don't need to worry about this matter. It's very simple. Just let them stay in Heféi until something big happens somewhere else."
"It means that those of us who are there just sit there and do nothing."
"Yes, there will be a big chaos soon. He Jin has now entered the court with a sword, and he also beheaded a eunuch who dared to speak out and discuss politics. Although the eunuch should be killed, the emperor is in power, and blood will splatter seven steps below the steps, above the court, and in front of the ministers. This He Jin has no sense of national law and etiquette. This move has already left a root of disaster, and the Black Mountain bandits in the north have not been pacified, and Han Sui in Xiliang is about to move again. Within a year, I am afraid that there will be another big chaos when the spring begins next year."
"Uncle Xu, you claim to be a hermit and not an official, so how come you are so familiar with these things?" I had to ask this question because the amount of things Xu Zijiang knew was simply frightening.
"From the way I talk, you should know that I can chat with any kind of person in this world for hundreds of sentences, and when many people's affairs are unified with you, you have to sort them out and analyze them by yourself, and then you can come up with a complete cause and effect and explanation of everything. Moreover, I have a false reputation, and many dignitaries will also talk to me. Therefore, I even know some secret affairs of the palace. Don't look at me with such interest, I am just giving an example to show that I know a lot of things and know everything about it. I won't tell you about this. Why are kids nowadays like this? When your classmates heard what I said, they immediately had the same look as you do now. So full of expectations." These words made me feel embarrassed.
"Senior Xu," Long Xing suddenly rode forward and bowed, "I heard from my elder brother that you are good at judging people. I am curious and would like to ask what you think of me?"
"Zi Rui, why don't you tell him? Didn't I tell you?"
I leaned over, and Long Xing wanted to move closer to eavesdrop. I glared at him and scared him back two steps. I knew that my fierce look was more scary, but it could not scare a child. "You speak too highly of him. I'm afraid that after you tell him, he may become a little frivolous and no longer be as studious as he is now. After all, he is only seventeen years old. So, similarly, I don't want to hear your evaluation of me. If it's too high, I will be lazy and not make progress. If it's not good, I will be discouraged and not make progress. It's better not to know it, so that there will be no so many worries and troubles."
This is a rare good idea that I have, because it is not something that I think of in a hurry.
"Then could you please tell me how to recognize people and distinguish their colors? I think this will be very useful in the future, because I think some of you Han people are really scheming." Long Xing is really studious and wants to learn everything. He is right. I think Xu Zi will teach him, because he likes this senior young patriarch very much.
"No need. Without years of accumulation, you won't be able to learn it. Once you have years of accumulation, you won't need me to teach you. Just pay attention in the future and don't miss any details." Not only did Long Xing nod his head frequently, I also felt that I had some understanding.
Xu Zijiang looked at me twice and said, "I didn't expect you to be so open-minded. You are right. If the praise I gave to someone before causes any bad consequences, wouldn't I be wasting talent?"
"Not necessarily. If you can't control yourself and use these words as motivation, then it's not a pity to fail."
"What about you?" Xu Zijiang asked with a smile.
"Because I want to be something great. But I don't have much confidence in my ability to control myself. The teacher also said that people of our age are really not very trustworthy. Our minds and temperaments are unstable. I think it's better not to worry too much about this kind of thing."
"It seems that I need to re-examine you." Xu Zijiang half-jokingly and half-seriously replied, "Your stubble has appeared again."
Now my beard is growing uncontrollably, so I asked Xu Zijiang how to shave it safely without leaving any wounds. I know I might be able to see my classmates in Yangzhou and Jiujiang, so I think I have to be alert. I really miss them. In fact, I hope my sister is there. I hope she sees a young man who is full of energy, spirited, and handsome. When I think of this, I find that I don’t blush. I feel thick-skinned again; at least she will not see the unlucky brother with a full beard who is exhausted, decadent, and old when she left. Otherwise, I think she will feel very distressed. In the future, I can’t always ask the subordinates to help me with this kind of shaving work, but I have to do it myself. It just so happens that there is a worldly expert who knows almost everything next to me.
"You're asking me all this," Xu Zijiang was helpless, but he still taught me a method, mainly how to avoid getting my face scratched. In his jargon, that is, if you put on a disguise, you can't see the sunset and the moonrise. I asked him what he meant. He said that it was a joke among the Green Forest Army when they were fighting against Xinmang. Later, it was used as a cut. It means that if a thief has a scar on his face, the government will easily catch you because you are conspicuous, so you have to hide. Because the sun and the moon also refer to the division of yin and yang, and another reason is that it is not easy for girls to be attracted by scars on the face. So in general, the face is very important, but it seems that I am in good condition, and I haven't put on a disguise yet. I suddenly vaguely knew what the girls in Xiangyang were talking about, but my height might also be a topic of conversation for others. I know this, it was like this before, and now Xu Zijiang and Yu Ji are also discussing whether there is anyone taller than me, and finally came to a conclusion: there must be one in ancient history, that is the giant Wuba of Xinmang, who is 18 feet tall. In this world, I am afraid that only the general Lu Bu is 12 feet tall.
Later, they also talked about Lu Bu and Xu Zijiang, who had foreign blood and was indeed a martial arts prodigy. Although he was tall, he was not stupid. After they finished, they looked at me, and Xu Zijiang, the damned one, sighed deliberately. But I must admit that although I felt good, I did seem clumsy in some places.
But they still praised me more. Xu Zijiang even deliberately lowered the volume so that I could only hear it vaguely in order to satisfy my vanity and at the same time make me full of imagination about some words that I could not hear clearly.
Lu Bu was a soft-hearted person who was a bit biased and didn't have his own opinions. He had no problem with martial arts and morality. He could allow more people to beat him, but he would never allow more people to beat others. He might also be too confident, because he was indeed the best in martial arts. He also loved to recruit generals. He had many fierce generals under his command. Those fierce generals would not obey others, but only Lu Bu. If he had a good counselor, it would be very scary.
I also have this feeling. Sometimes it is useless to be outstanding. The key is to have no flaws. Like Dong Zhuo, I don't know if he has good counselors, but if he can't listen to the advice of his counselors or no one gives him advice, then even if he has 300,000 elite soldiers and good generals, he can only fall into the trap. When I think of Dong Zhuo, I grit my teeth. This bastard is definitely not a human being. After all, the common people are living people, just like me before I entered the officialdom. Without the common people, how could he be so domineering, but he can actually kill the common people like this. I am a monkey in this forest eating leaves and fruits from the trees, but I want to knock down all these trees. I don't know what he is thinking. Now I can only be lucky that this forest is big.
As I was thinking this, we were passing through a forest. Several monkeys in the forest were shaking the trees frantically, and many monkeys were running away deep into the forest as if frightened.
Long Xing came closer, and I thought before him what this meant: "They are afraid of people, but this is normal. People often pass by this road, and there should be no ambushes now. Otherwise, there shouldn't be monkeys here."
Long Xing kept his words to himself. I knew he was training his observation skills, and so was I.
Another day passed. That morning, we entered Xuzhou. Thinking about going home, I began to feel anxious. I wanted to go back now. Even if I didn't return to Jingzhou for a while, I would feel very happy when I saw my brothers. I missed them too much. I would think about other things when I saw them. My heart had already gone to the south before me. Xu Zijiang wanted to talk to me about the debate with Yuan Shao's strategist that day, but I would wait until I got back. My heart was no longer with you.
My heart has returned, and I can no longer allow other things to bother me. I know we have entered Xuzhou, and I also know that Yangzhou is to the south, and Jiujiang is to the southwest. I don't care about the rest.
My heart has returned, and I can no longer let any worries bother me. I think about seeing my sister, my teacher, my master, my classmates, and the lovely Kong Ming. I don't care about anything else.
My heart has returned, and I can no longer let the sadness bother me. I can only laugh out loud, talk with Long Xing and the others about the scenery and beauty of Jingzhou, and watch Nan and Wenwen play along the way. I don't even know what else to do.
By noon, I had sobered up a little from the morning's excitement and realized that we still had some distance to go and that there might be some accidents and dangers ahead.
This winter is not very cold. It feels like the winter nights in Xuzhou are warmer than ours. However, the water level of the river here is a bit high, and many floating bridges have been washed away, which affected our itinerary for the day. Many times, we had to rely on large ships to transport our carriages.
It seems that there is no flood in the south. I was so hot-headed and frolicking this morning that I didn't even notice the traces of erosion on the river bank here.
Zhu Jun's men also came to greet me. I just crossed a turbulent and muddy river by ferry. Sun Jian, the governor of Jiangdu County, came to greet me. He was a middle-aged man with a mustache on his chin, with a strong physique. He was full of vicissitudes, and his bright eyes showed some fatigue. His face was not very good, and he might still have some resentment towards me in his heart. I guess he was thinking: What are you doing here at this time
They didn't go out of the city for many miles to pick me up, but Lord Zhu couldn't come for the time being because of the flood. He was too busy to get away. The eastern part of Xuzhou was low-lying, and the entire Jiangdu County was already seven-tenths submerged. He also told us that if we wanted to go south, we had to go west, which was exactly what I wanted.
When I passed the East China Sea in the north of Xuzhou, no one came to pick me up. Looking at Sun Jian's eyes, I knew that they were helpless against the flood. On the way back to the city, we walked around. There were no obstacles on the ground. The terrain was very flat, but the road was a little muddy. I don't know why we took a detour.
But when I arrived at Sheyang County, I understood: this section of road is almost four She! They even picked a road that adds up to four She for me at this time, which seems to be He Jin's order. Because they are still thinking about this at such a critical moment of disaster, it is a bit unrealistic, and they have every reason not to come to pick me up. There are many refugees in and outside the city of Sheyang. I don't know how Yangzhou in the south is now.
It's hard to describe the feeling when entering Sheyang. The terrain here is relatively high, and many people who fled from all over the country temporarily settled down here, many of which were covered with a few straw mats. More people lived outside the city, and their shacks were made of reeds collected from the waterside.
I asked everyone to take out some money and clothes to help the people. This scene of fleeing was very uncomfortable. I think I wanted to cry. You can't describe the miserable situation: it was winter, cloudy, and we were begging all the way. Although Sun Jian's men kept driving us away, if we relaxed a little, someone would get on the side of our car. There were relief flags everywhere, but no one was putting rice there, only people were waiting there. There were people huddled in the corners everywhere.
"Lord Sun," I called out to Sun Jian.
"What do you want, Your Excellency?" Although he was very respectful, he was a little cold. This was the tone of his words throughout the journey.
"We will take care of dinner ourselves tonight, so you don't have to worry about it. Just go and do what you need to do." I felt that he was a diligent official, not a corrupt official. The hard work on his face told me this.
"Thank you, sir." For the first time, I heard a passionate and real taste in his voice, and he was a little moved.
We stayed at the post station, and I asked everyone to make their own dinner. I didn't eat because I had no appetite. I took some money and dry food and went out to see what was going on here.
The silver was all gone before I walked a hundred steps, and the dry food was gone after ten steps. When someone asked me to give some more, I could only say that I had no more. The folk customs here are still very simple, no one pestered me, and when they saw my apologetic look, they also looked apologetically in return. I didn't walk far, and quickly ran back, asking everyone to keep two days of dry food, and gave away all the rest. I also bought all the remaining food at the post station. The postman was a little reluctant, but I wrote my name and the amount of rice and flour I bought on the receipt, and stamped it for him. He felt a little relieved.
Late at night, I couldn't sleep. I felt sad for the suffering common people, because I was one of them, at least that's how I saw it. I grew up among them, although I didn't suffer the same hardship and toil as others. But as a teenager, I grew up among them, saw their laughter, sorrow and sadness, and although I didn't experience it myself, I could feel the hardship and toil.
The people are suffering!
I jumped up and danced my Sirius in the yard. I felt particularly good that night. I don’t know if it was because of the frustration in my heart, but it made my body more coordinated.
I suddenly felt a little angry. That night, I debated with others. Although they were all knowledgeable and talented, I was not defeated. Afterwards, although I was surprised that Yuan Shao had so many excellent counselors and advisers, I was also a little proud of my performance. But now I am extremely ashamed to think about those things. What does it matter if I win the argument? Can it give the people a good life? Now the people have become like this.
I smashed the Sirius to the ground. Sirius... I thought of something. Although my feelings for the Sirius are getting deeper and deeper, it seems I have to break up with it. After all, it is made of pure silver.
I held it in both hands and quietly walked out of my yard as if saying goodbye to it. I wanted Long Xing to do this because I was too hard-hearted to do it myself.
But things have been different from what I thought recently, because Long Xing refused. He also told me some things. When they distributed things, the food was snatched away, the clothes were taken away, but no one took the money. For them, silver is useless, because what they need most is food, food, food! They just want food, and because it is cold, they also need warm clothes, and money can't buy anything in Shiyang now.
"Brother, you are very considerate of the people, but you don't know what they need. Good intentions may not be accepted by others."
"I'll teach you." I was taught this by a foreigner, but I could accept it respectfully. Because I deeply realized that my thoughts seemed to be good and I could go on, but I couldn't really understand what others were thinking. Am I always avoiding something? I can't bear to see the people suffer, but I just run away and don't watch. I am such a jerk.
I repeated this sentence aloud, and my sister-in-law quickly advised me that I was a marquis and could still consider the people in this way, which was much better than many officials who were greedy for money and plundered the people. This was the case with the Haiyang County Lieutenant in the past.
"I'm not wrong. I'm a bastard, and a big bastard. I can only escape. I seem to be noble, but what's the difference between me and those officials?" I was a little too excited. It seems that this is not the first time that I think I am pretending to be noble. This time I feel it most deeply. Although it seems unintentional, I can't let myself forgive myself.
I decided to do something, dressed casually and rode my horse to find the county government office in Sheyang. On the way, I gave my cloak to someone else. Although the wind made me very cold, I felt much more comfortable.
It was already the first watch, and I suddenly thought that I might have been too excited and came at the wrong time, but I still decided to go and take a look. It might be Sun Jian's tired look that made me feel that they might still be dealing with official business.
Although the lights were not on, the gate of the yamen was open, and the yamen runner at the gate was dozing off. I got off the horse, tied it up, and went in. I knew that with my status, I didn't have to worry about anything. I didn't wake the man up and let him pass the message, but went in by myself.
There was still light in the lobby, but it was a little dim, and Sun Jian's majestic voice was suppressing the voices of his men. I also stopped and sat on the steps outside to listen, so that I wouldn't go in and hear some words that they thought were inconvenient.
"Calm down, we still have to pay the taxes for this winter."
"He Jin, don't you know that there's a disaster here this year? Why do you want us to pay according to the annual quota?" A loud and unfair voice sounded.
"The sound... we don't care, but won't that put Lord Zhu in danger?" Sun Jian said calmly but somewhat helplessly.
"But we really can't pay this way this year." Another thick-skinned middle-aged man's voice sounded, "Let's just figure out how to transport it out. How can we face the eyes of these tens of thousands of disaster victims? Although these people are fleeing, they haven't had any money so far. If they knew that we have been hoarding food, they would be surprised if they didn't have money."
"But Lord Zhu Jun is not a governor, only a provincial governor. He has no right to reduce or exempt us, and other places cannot pay. Lord Zhu Jun himself is also having a headache. We should think about Lord Zhu Jun." Sun Jian was still persuading.
"During the Yellow Turban Rebellion last year, Jiangdu did not collect taxes. If we had known this would happen, we would have let the people rebel and we could have helped to stir up trouble." A young man's voice sounded, with a hint of mockery and disdain.
"Don't be so loud." Sun Jian was a little nervous.
I was also a little nervous, so I hurried out and went outside again. Fortunately, nothing seemed to have happened, and there was no one patrolling the courtyard. I woke up the guard at the door, announced my identity, and asked him to go and report it quickly.
Sun Jian came out quickly to greet me. I said that it was a bit rude of me to come so late at night. He welcomed me in politely, and his men sat respectfully on both sides.
I came straight to the point and asked directly whether we could take out some grain from the government treasury to help the people. As I thought, he looked embarrassed. He probably handed over all the food except the food for the army and civilians in this county.
But I'm not afraid that he would suspect that I had overheard their conversation, especially those rebellious words. One of the tall young men's face changed obviously, obviously he suspected that I had overheard their conversation. But how could the yamen runner at the door admit that he was sleeping just now? He must have interrogated me in a formal manner, but when he knew that I was Ping An Fengyun Hou, he came to report. They didn't come to ask me if I had eavesdropped, which would show that they must have something to hide, and I wouldn't admit it either.
I sat there calmly, waiting for their reply. Sun Jian was relatively calm. He came out and said, "Your Excellency, I don't know that the imperial edict requires us to pay the taxes for the past two winters. This year, due to the disaster, we can reduce it, but we have to pay last year's taxes."
At first I thought his method was a little strange, but then I suddenly figured it out. At first it was because I couldn't imagine that he would make excuses for He Jin. What He Jin did was indeed excessive. But as soon as I thought about it, I came up with an idea. It might be because of my sudden identity as the descendant of King Jingzhao that made him a little suspicious. He might think that I was already He Jin's subordinate.
Suddenly I had an idea and decided to just take the loss.
"These taxes should be distributed to help the people. I wrote a letter to He Jin, asking him to exempt the taxes in Jiangdu and other flooded areas. I used my official rank to force you to do so. If he wants those taxes, he can ask my father for them."
After that, I wrote a letter to He Jin in front of them, saying how Sun Jian and his men did not release grain to help the people and wanted to transport it out, which was a tax collection, and then I stopped it and sent it down, because, according to He Jin's character, he would definitely agree to do so. Finally, I stamped it with my seal.
The whole article was full of flattery, and it also described the "ugly faces" of Sun Jian and others who strictly followed orders. Sun Jian wanted to laugh, and so did the others, because I wrote it in front of them and read it to them after I finished. They felt relieved, without any responsibilities, and they showed their loyalty to He Jin. Although I didn't see their loyalty to the Grand Marshal, I was very happy and felt that I had done a good thing after all.
I still explained some things to them, and this favor should be attributed to He Jin and them. If there is any need to add more, it should be attributed to my nominal father Shen Gongwang. In short, this matter has nothing to do with me. I am not the kind of person who seeks credit, because I think it is necessary to have some noble attitude.
But they disagreed, especially the young man, who was a young man with a strong will. He was straightforward and knelt down to me, saying that he had saved the people and that he must not forget his kindness. He must also tell the people about it so that they would remember it. The others were all middle-aged people in their thirties, very stable, and they all bowed to me to express their gratitude. I said it was nothing.
I left the government office, feeling relaxed. Although I couldn't see the moon and stars, I felt that the air was so fresh under the dark clouds today.
The next day I said I wanted to leave, no matter how Sun Jian tried to keep me, because there were hundreds of people and dozens of horses, and the daily consumption was very high. After all, they were still suffering from the disaster. Sun Jian finally relented.
Sun Jian acted quickly. The food had been dragged out and was beginning to be distributed. The most wonderful scene I saw in these days was the people on the roadside who waved and smiled at us and sent us off.
Sun Jian asked me if I wanted to meet Zhu Jun. I said I would not bother him. In the year of great disaster, etiquette was not popular. I would visit him again later. Sun Jian said yes. This time he sent me two full houses and returned to the ferry. His tone was obviously respectful and respectful. Jiangdu has a dense network of waterways. There may be few other things, but there must be a lot of boats. And now many counties are underwater or in the water, so there is no place for boats. Therefore, he arranged the route for the boats to send us along the way. We followed the Huaihe River and Yanghe River, went to Gaoyou Water Post, went down Hongze, went west from Quanjiao to Jiujiang in Yangzhou, because the terrain there is higher and there are floods, but not serious. I thanked him for his kindness, and he bowed to us respectfully on the shore, which moved me very much.
I didn't expect this place to have such a person. The men under him were obviously veteran generals, and their aura was quite similar to that of Brother Chen. It might be a waste of talent to let Sun Jian be a county governor. Although I had only known him for a short time, the fact that he could discuss government affairs with everyone late at night and talk to me in a respectful and cold tone when he met me made me feel that he was unusual.
There was a man on our ship who also bowed to him in return. It was very different from the way we bowed in return. This attracted everyone's attention. This man seemed to be the ceremonial officer who sent us out of Jiangdu. Upon closer inspection, I felt that he had some facial resemblance to Sun Jian. Upon closer questioning, it turned out to be Sun Jian's younger brother, Sun Jing. His brother specially asked him to send me off. Sun Jing was a very honest young man, about 20 years old. He told us some anecdotes along the way to prevent us from being bored on the road. In fact, he was overly worried. It was because of him that we were a little restrained. Other boats might be much better.
The weather has been gloomy, I can't remember when it started like this. The weather is not very cold, which is a bit strange. Because of the flood, there is no one on the road. Although we are in the river, it is actually more appropriate to call it a big lake, because in the mist, we can't see whether there is land around. It's just a gray ocean. The boatman occasionally uses a bamboo pole to measure the water depth to tell us that we are sailing along the right bank of Yanghe River. If we don't go in the river channel, we will be stranded because the boat is too big and has a deep draft. I can't wonder why we seem to be turning all the time, turning left and right from time to time.
We asked him about the origin of Yang River, and he told us a legend: There was no river here before, and Goddess Nuwa gave a divine sheep to dig a river for the people. The divine sheep gave birth to a lamb. When digging the river, the divine sheep used its huge horns to dig the soil, and every few steps it looked back to see how its child was doing. Due to repeated looking back, the horns turned east and west on the ground. Finally, the Yang River was like this.
We all have different opinions on this story. At least Longxing and his sister-in-law have different ideas from everyone else. They looked at each other and then looked down. Of course, I knew what was going on.
I walked over, with a somewhat bad look on my face, and asked them what they were going to name their child. They hadn't decided yet, but their faces were so red that everyone else started talking.
On the morning of October 9, the first year of Zhongping, it was cloudy, with no rain or snow, and a light mist. In fact, it seemed that the weather had been like this since we arrived in Xuzhou. That day, I woke up early, and everyone hadn't gotten up yet, and the boat hadn't raised anchor yet. I walked around the boat for a while, shook my arms, and moved around, and suddenly I found a boat coming in the mist. In the past two days, it was rare to see anyone except us, so I naturally waved to greet them, but I didn't expect to be pelted with arrows!