Early the next morning, Liu Xun bid farewell to his father Liu Bei and went to find Zhuge Liang in Shu. Liu Bei was worried that Liu Xun was in danger alone, so he asked Zhao Yun to accompany him. Liu Xun prepared three hundred five baht coins, fifty taels of gold, two daggers and a map of Western Sichuan in a leather bag, all carried by Zhao Yun.
When going out, five baht and gold must be carried. It is used for expenses along the way, and the gatekeepers who guard the city must be managed along the way, and the short sword is used for self-defense. The map can prevent getting lost.
Liu Xun had no idea whether he could meet Zhuge Liang in Yizhou this time. Yizhou is so big, it is difficult to find a person. Liu Xun only used this behavior to show his sincerity, in order to encourage Zhuge Liang to come out of the mountain.
Liu Xun and Zhao Yun rode a fast horse to Yizhou. Yizhou is commonly known as Bashu.
Bashu is a land of abundance, with fertile land and fertile fields. Qin attacked the Kingdom of Ba and Shu, and set up a county in Bashu. Li Bing, the prefect of Shu County, built Dujiangyan in the Minjiang River Basin to irrigate farmland. Shu land became the large granary of Qin State, laying the foundation for Qin to conquer the six kingdoms.
Yizhou seemed strange to Liu Xun. He only knew that Liu Bang, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, "built the plank road in the Ming Dynasty and secretly kept Chen Cang" from the land of Shu, and took the land of the Three Qin Dynasty in one fell swoop, laying a solid foundation for the subsequent competition for the world.
Liu Xun and Zhao Yun drove through Maicheng for most of the day, and they saw a city on the mountain from a distance.
Zhao Yun took out the map and compared it to the map to find the location. "My son, Baidi City is in front of you." Zhao Yun said, pointing to the map.
The Baidi City was built by Gongsunshu, who ruled Shu lands at the end of the Western Han Dynasty. Gongsunshu was named Baidi, so the famous city was "Baidi City".
Baidi City is located on the north bank of Wuxia. Wu Gorge is beautiful and deep, famous for its show. It has long valleys and deep valleys, abrupt peaks, ridges and mountains, clouds and mists, winding rivers, hundreds of thousands of turns, boats, as if entering a beautiful gallery, full of poetry and painting. On both sides of the Gorge River, there are endless green hills, peaks like screens, boats in the gorge, and sometimes the mountains are now, and there is no way out of the stone. Suddenly, the peaks turn and the clouds open, like a winding gallery. The peaks on both sides of the Wu Gorge have their own characteristics.
Liu Xun looked around, and saw the river flowing down from the upper reaches, rushing to the Taolin Heights, spreading across the vast mountain plains, and Haohao headed eastward. In the early part of the eastward turn, Dahe opened up all kinds of precipitous wonders.
According to legend, Wushan was originally a solitary mountain, standing in charge, blocking the river from going east. Dayu governed the waters, and all the hills and tombs who acted as water, cut waterways. The river blocked Wushan, and Dayu broke through the mountain and passed the river. The river flows down, and Haohao rushes away.
"My son, it's already evening now, so why don't we go into the city, find a place, eat, rest, and go on our way again tomorrow morning." Zhao Yun suggested.
"Okay, we are here to find someone. We are not in a hurry. We can just take the opportunity to get to know the land of Shu." Zhao Yun's proposal was in line with Liu Xun's wish.
Twilight descended on Baidi City, and the remaining sunset glow reflected the white castle. The heavy and melodious horn of closing the city has been blown twice, the iron cables on both sides of the suspension bridge have been clawed down, and the farmers who have not entered the city have also accelerated their pace. Liu Xun looked at this majestic and weird white castle from a distance, and finally walked into the city with Zhao Yun before the third horn.
When he entered Decheng, Liu Xun led his horse on foot, and Zhao Yun followed closely to protect Liu Xun's safety at all times.
Baidi City is very small, about the size of Maicheng. Without asking for directions, Liu Xun and Zhao Yun wandered around the only four streets. These four streets are very short and narrow.
There are only five or six shops and two or three workshops in the entire city, all of which are low-rise brick houses. Although one of the inns is also a blue brick house, it is much higher than the other shops. The entrance hall is made of bluestone, and there are two stone cows squatting at the door. Two big white silk lanterns hung high under the porch, and the words "Drunk Xianju" on the front of the door are particularly conspicuous.
A tall screen wall faced the hall, blocking the view in the courtyard.
People from Shudi along the road say that the door of this inn is never closed and you can stay in the shop at any time. At the moment, it seems so. To be in Xiangyang, this inn can only be regarded as a small shop for small vendors to stay. But here, in this street, it stands out, as if standing out among the crowd.
"Two adults, please come inside." The shopkeeper hurriedly greeted the guests when he saw the guests.
Liu Xun and Zhao Yun handed the mounts to the handyman at the inn, and said, "Feed the fodder well."
"Okay." A quick answer.
"The store, we need two rooms, and some more food and wine." Zhao Yun said as he put down the packages around him.
Liu Xun also sat down.
"Shu, I've never been to Shu, it's really different from Jingzhou." Zhao Yun felt very fresh when he first came to Shu.
Liu Xun yawned and sighed, "I don't know where Mr. Wolong is?"
Seeing that Liu Xun was not in a high mood, Zhao Yun quickly comforted him: "The sincerity of the son will definitely move Mr. Wolong."
"Two adults, the wine and food are here." Following the Xiao Er's long voice, the wine and food arrived in front of her eyes. The shopkeeper put the wine and dishes on the table one by one.
There is a big pot in the middle, which contains a steamed fish. The fish is very big, weighing about a dozen catties. Put a large piece of green onion and garlic on it. The sauced beef next to it is tempting to look at. There are also two large bowls of vegetarian dishes, namely tofu and fresh leek. There are also two small pottery bowls, but they contain bright red rice vinegar and bright yellow garlic. There are also two bowls of white rice and a can of wine. The wine vessel is also a big pottery bowl. The food and wine in front of them really let Liu Xun and Zhao Yun see the ruggedness and boldness of the Shu people.
Liu Xun laughed and said: "Okay! It seems that the Shu people are really rough and unrestrained, I like it. Come on, let's have a drink first, and wish us the best of luck in finding Mr. Wolong."
Zhao Yun picked up a naive pottery bowl and said with a smile: "Okay! A toast." The two clinked their glasses and drank them.
"I didn't expect Shu wine to be quite exciting?" Liu Xun drank Shu wine, feeling very enjoyable.
Zhao Yun sighed and exclaimed, "This is Shujiu? It's so bitter?"
"Of course. It is the tiger wine of Shu, which is more powerful than Jingzhou." The shopkeeper on the side saw that the two people like Shu wine so much, and he was very happy.
"I happen to be a strong wine. I usually use Dukang wine as the top grade. I don't want Yizhou to have such a good wine!" Liu Xun was full of praise.
"People say that wine is a manifestation of the people's character. There is such a strong wine in Shu, which shows the awe-inspiring character of the Shu people." Zhao Yun saw the character of the Shu people from the wine.
"Shopkeeper, how do you eat this stewed fish?" Liu Xun said, pointing to the big fish on the table.
The shopkeeper smiled and pointed to the big pottery basin and said, "My lord, come here with a piece of fresh fish, mix rice vinegar and garlic mashed eggs, and chew it as a dip. You can try it? The chopsticks won't help."
Liu Xun and Zhao Yun followed the instructions, and they tore apart a large piece of fish with both hands, swallowing a hot bite, and it was fat, tender and fragrant! I couldn't help but had a strong appetite, and after a burst of tears, my cheeks were covered with soup and my head was sweaty.
Liu Xun picked up the square towel provided by the store, wiped it off, and admired it leisurely.
The store was very happy to hear Liu Xun praise his dishes. Pointing to the two plates of vegetarian dishes on the table, he said, "This vegetarian dish is made by the people of Shu. It is made in boiling water, mixed with oil, salt, vinegar and garlic, and it is even more authentic. This dish of leeks is wild and natural. Growing in wheat fields, it has a bit more bitter taste than ordinary leeks."
After Liu Xun heard the introduction from the store, he felt novel and immediately picked up chopsticks in the entrance. But I felt the bitterness of the tender and crispy weeds ooze out of the earthy taste. I chewed and swallowed, with a bitter taste stuck in my tongue. I sighed: "The rich family's food is delicious. If you make a regular dish, it is really a bitter dish. Life. Just like this dish, make fun in hardship."
"The restaurant, your dish is really good!" Zhao Yun gave a thumbs up, full of praise.
"This sauce beef is marinated by our ancestral recipe, and with this plate of bitter wild leeks, it tastes great." The store continued to point.
According to the store's statement, Liu Xun gave it a try and chewed it carefully, and the taste was really good. Zhao Yun nodded frequently after trying.
In this way, before long, all the food, wine and meat on the table were swept away.
"Store, check out, and count the room money together." Zhao Yun shouted.
The store hurried over and smiled, "A total of nine five baht coins."
"The food is good, I'll give you ten." Liu Xun said happily, as if he had forgotten the worries in his heart.
"Thank you so much, two adults. I just heard two adults mention Zhuge Liang, he is also our regular customer." The shopkeeper took the money and said in passing.
Hearing the words "Zhuge Liang", Liu Xun snorted out of his mouthwash.
Zhao Yun hurriedly passed the scarf over.
After Liu Xun finished wiping, he dragged the store over. "Shopkeeper, come and sit down and talk. We are just about to ask Zhuge Liang for some questions. You can tell us his situation in detail, and I will give you five more five baht coins."
When the store heard that he was making money, he quickly sat down and asked, "What do you want to know?"
"Tell everything you know." Liu Xun said hurriedly.
The shopkeeper said in a one-to-one manner: “In the past two years, there has been a person who looks like a scholar. He often comes to Yizhou and lives in our shop almost every time. Later, we learned that his name was Zhuge Liang. Everyone called him'Wolong Sir, I heard he is very talented."
"That's for sure, otherwise we can come to ask questions from far away?" Zhao Yun interjected.
"He has contacts with many officials in Yizhou. For example, Huang Quan, Zhang Song, and Fazheng are all his good friends. Zhuge Liang is also very generous every time he comes to sell. I heard that his father-in-law Huang Chengyan is very rich."
"Say what you are doing, pick what is useful." Liu Xun interrupted the store impatiently.
The shopkeeper cleared his throat, "Many times, I asked him what he was doing in Shu. He said it was just visiting relatives and friends. There are many celebrities in Shu, and they come to make friends."
Liu Xun understood that when Zhuge Liang came to Shu, he certainly didn't come to visit relatives and friends casually. He has worked so hard to come to Shu many times, and he must have a certain purpose. As for what purpose Liu Xun could not think of, it must be related to major events.
"It would be nice if you came a day earlier, Zhuge Liang just left here yesterday." The store owner added.
Liu Xun asked excitedly: "Do you know where he went?"
"Listen to him, starting from the beginning of June, the famous Xuanyuan Chess Club in Jiangzhou City will hold a three-day fighting chess tournament. He should go there."
The first day of June? Isn't it tomorrow? From the map, starting from Baidi City, it only takes half a day to ride on horseback, which is great. Liu Xun was overjoyed, "Zhao Yun, give the store ten more five baht coins, take a good rest tonight, and go to Jiangzhou tomorrow."
The store was stunned. This guest official is so rich!