Lei Feng and Niu Mo Wang
It was the first time Li Chengqian had been robbed, and he was completely at a loss, his eyes wide with fear, his mouth making strange noises. Yun Ye had practiced snatching food in school, and with a light touch, she stroked Li Chengqian's buttocks, and the grapes he was holding fell into her hands. The royal guard held the hilt of his sword, unsure whether to execute this daring thief on the spot. In the chaos, Yun Ye grabbed a large bunch of grapes and fled the bedroom under the gaze of the eunuch Gao Shan, who was frozen in shock.
No one was punished, and no one got their stolen goods back. Li Chengqian had grown accustomed to this game; he had snatched Yunyan's food many times before. All he could do was pound his chest and stamp his feet on the bed, vowing to avenge the humiliation of having his grapes stolen.
Yun Yan's simplified design of the single-wheeled cart was mass-produced, and this one-person operated transportation tool made Niu Jin Da gasp in amazement. Wherever a person could walk, the single-wheeled cart could also go. The powerful old cow allowed people to load 500 kilograms of grain on the cart, hang up a sail, and speed back and forth on the school field like a child who had just received a new toy.
In fact, Yun Yan didn't make any major changes. This transportation tool from the Shu region during the Three Kingdoms period had already evolved to be quite perfect. Yun Yan only added an iron axle, made the wooden wheels into lightweight wheels with spokes, and added an adjustable sail to harness the wind power and travel lightly and effortlessly.
Even if the other soldiers didn't have the abnormal strength of the old cow, loading two stones of grain was still no problem. Cheng Yaojin had long been preparing to turn the entire Left Guard into a grain transportation team. Except for the necessary defensive forces, he planned to take advantage of the opportunity when the large army returned to the capital and transport 100,000 stones of grain at once.
Yun Ye was unaware that he had accumulated a lot of wealth. Due to his appearance at the Crown Prince's commendation ceremony, the powerful families of Longyou were very concerned about this certain Marquis. The Nightlight Cups from Jiuquan, two pairs were sent as gifts, making San Hua Ju Ding Ren brother feel painful and tremble with fear. Yun Ye looked at the four black, irregularly-shaped cups and had the urge to throw them into the trash. In later generations, a pair of these cups would cost 30 yuan, which was much more exquisite than these, and through the cup wall, one could vaguely see human shadows, a top-quality item that could be bought for 20 yuan, which was already a friendly price. You directly served the expensive dishes, I don't despise gold and silver. With an expressionless face, these wealthy landowners were nervous, this Marquis from the capital had an unusual appetite, and cups worth 500 yuan were not even noticed. So, the silver ewer from Persia was taken out, and the jade stone from Hetian was also brought out, after receiving two human-head-sized agate stones, the Marquis finally smiled, which made the people of Longyou breathe a sigh of relief. Humming the tune "get rich, get rich", they returned to their camp, but found Li Chengqian, Cheng Chumou, Changsun Chong, and Li Huairan dividing up the spoils, Yun Ye's anger erupted, he shouted loudly, startling the four wolves, who scattered in all directions. It was unknown which wicked person intentionally or unintentionally bumped into Yun Ye's butt with their knee, amidst his mournful cries, the bandits returned loaded with loot, leaving behind only Yun Ye, who secretly wiped away tears...
The army set off towards the capital, and officials from all over Longyou came to bid farewell. After a cup of farewell wine, Niu Jin Da, dressed in a simple hemp robe, pushed his single-wheeled cart forward and shouted loudly: "Departure!" Five hundred fully armed cavalrymen marched ahead, while Cheng Chu Mo and Li Huai Ren rode side by side at the rear, leading the way back to the capital. Yun Heng led the logistics camp, driving hundreds of horse-drawn carts loaded with food and supplies, following closely behind. Niu Jin Da abandoned his noble status and followed closely with five thousand single-wheeled carts. Old Cheng and the Crown Prince were in the rear camp, escorting the captured spoils of war and ready to assist Niu Jin Da's cart team at any time, if necessary, they could take turns pushing the carts.
Fifty miles, this is the itinerary set by the army before departure. From sunrise to noon, rest for a while, and then march straight to the destination. Since it's a chariot ride, the logistics camp needs to be faster, preparing food, hot water, and waiting for the arrival of the cow-drawn carriage team. The Left Wuwei and Yun Ye suggested saving time on meals under the suggestion of Yun Ye. Unified cooking, large pots with a diameter of one meter were lined up in a row of over a hundred mouths, one scoop of meat and vegetables, one scoop of meat soup, and a large dry pancake was the entire dinner for the soldiers.
Yun Yan hobbled over to Niu Jin Da, who was eating with his head down, carrying a wine gourd. He filled a bamboo cup with strong liquor and presented it to Old Cow with both hands. Old Cow drained the cup in one gulp. Yun Yan knew that Old Cow loved good wine, so he refilled the cup and said, "Uncle Niu, have another cup to dispel your fatigue." Old Cow didn't even lift his head, but spoke in a warm voice, "Military rules don't allow it. One cup of wine per night is already a violation. As a military judge, how can I disregard the law? Are there any other brothers around?"
The old general still has a strict and just temperament, which may be the reason why he punished countless undisciplined generals without anyone holding a grudge against him.
"Everyone has a bowl, this cup is for Little Brother, so I'll trouble you to take it."
The old cow didn't say a word, and with one gulp, he downed another large cup. He returned the wine cup, waved his hand at Yun Ruo, and turned to inspect the camp.
The 2,300-mile road is the distance from Lanzhou to Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty. Marching 50 miles a day, it takes exactly one and a half months. Less than three days after leaving Lanzhou, they plunged into the vast mountains, with rugged and uneven roads, winding and twisting. The vanguard had already reached the top of the mountain, while the rear guard was still at the foot of the mountain. The road that could barely pass through a horse-drawn carriage in the Tang Dynasty was already a guarantee of convenient transportation. I used to read about the loss of the Western Regions in history and felt disappointed and sad about the weakening of the Tang Dynasty's control. Now I know that Chang'an needs to pay such a price to control the distant Western Regions. The stubborn Tang people have been sacrificing their lives for generations to open up their territory. Poor bones on the banks of the Wu Ding River, still in the dreams of the deep boudoir. I disagree with the poet's view, he only saw the corpses on the banks of the Wu Ding River, but did not see the prosperity of the Silk Road. Without a strong army to guard it, how can we talk about the prosperous Tang Dynasty? The nomads outside the territory are barbarians, without moral concepts, without courtesy and shame, the natural law of survival of the fittest gave them strong physique, but did not give them creativity, labor instinct. They robbed food from heaven, earth, and neighbors, if necessary, they didn't mind robbing their own parents. They ate everything, including humans, as long as their genes could be passed down, fists and curved knives were the foundation of their interests.
The old ox's neck had a bulging vein, the high pile of sacks on the wheelbarrow was as heavy as a mountain. He had overestimated his own strength after all, and the food on the wheelbarrow was too much for him to handle. The mighty general who had sworn that no one would starve again was drenched in sweat. Yun Ye quietly pulled up the rope of the wheelbarrow onto his shoulder, taking step by step towards the mountain. "Who could have thought that a duke is pushing a cart and a marquis is pulling one?" Yun Ye asked the old ox with bated breath.
"Damn it, Duke, Marquis, there are many Dukes and Marquises in this world, but have you ever seen anyone grow an extra limb? In the end, we all just eat, drink, shit, sleep, and that's it. If one becomes too comfortable, their heart will become numb, what's the difference between that and being a salted fish? I've rebelled, killed people, slept with countless women, but so what? If not for that one thought supporting me, who knows what kind of person I would have become? His Majesty has shown great kindness to me, this life is dedicated to him. In my youth, my parents and siblings starved to death, I hated myself for not dying too. My older brother gave me his last piece of flatbread, I swallowed it without thinking, I lived, he died, what he gave me was not just the flatbread, but life itself! This life is not just mine, but also that of my entire family of thirteen people, how can I not live with dignity? One day when I die and meet my brother in the afterlife, I will tell him, this life has been lived magnificently, freely, and with dignity, the life you gave me, I have not wasted it, not even for a single day."
Good heavens, the old cow has become a saint. Yun Yan swore that he saw golden light shining on the old cow's body, this golden light was so dazzling that it hurt his eyes and made his heart shrink. He had heard of saints like Lei Feng before, but always thought they were somewhat fake. Now it seems that it wasn't them who were fake, but rather himself who has been living a fake life. The small person under the sheepskin coat is referring to people like him.
