The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

It was already past the hour of Yin, and a rooster's crow came from somewhere on the distant shore.

The voice is high-pitched and loud.

With the crowing of roosters, a ray of dawn slowly emerged from the clouds.

"It's dawn!" Zhang Ping'an murmured, looking at the sky.

The old bald man walked over with a heavy look on his face, holding his sword, and asked in a low voice, "Are you still okay?"

Zhang Pingan then sat up and rested for a while. He felt much better.

He nodded and replied, "Very good!"

"The scene has been counted, and many people have died!"

"How much damage was there?"

"Almost half!" the bald old man said in a low voice, wiping his face. "My two close followers who were going to lay the underwater mines are gone too!"

"The weather is still cold now, so put their bodies in the cabin of the last ship. When we arrive at Huaiyang Pass at noon, we will find a Feng Shui treasure land to bury them!" Zhang Pingan replied in a low voice after a moment of silence.

"Well, that's the only way!" The bald old man nodded.

After the problem was resolved, the canal boat set sail again.

The remaining surviving soldiers did not dare to rest. After a simple bandage and a meal, they patrolled around the ship.

The sails are hoisted to the highest point!

As the sky grew brighter, we were getting closer to Huaiyang Pass.

By 1:15 PM, the appearance of Huaiyang Pass could already be vaguely seen.

According to the "Geographical Records", Huaiyang was called "Chen" in ancient times. It was surrounded by the Huai River and Ying River. Therefore, Huaiyang Pass was a pass controlled by both land and water. The city wall extended for several miles along the river bank, and the wharf was connected to the city gate.

Different from the steepness of Shanhaiguan, Huaiyangguan is more like a giant beast in the wilderness. Its walls are towering above the Huanghuai Plain, with unobstructed views in all directions. It controls the official roads from north to south and is an important strategic location!

Seeing it with my own eyes now, it is indeed true!

The watchtowers and beacon towers on the city walls stand tall, looking majestic and mysterious!

This was also Lao Tu’s first time to come to Huaiyang Pass.

He placed his hands over his eyes and looked into the distance, then exclaimed, "How magnificent!"

When we arrived at the waters near Huaiyang Pass, there were sentries guarding the way, one every hundred steps, and the security was very strict.

He carefully checked everyone's identities, looked at their somewhat disheveled condition, and then looked at the full load of grain on the canal boat.

It is not difficult to guess that a fierce battle had recently taken place.

The sentries raised their spears to show their admiration and quickly let everyone pass!

The spirit and energy of these people are much stronger than those of the garrisons in Yangzhou and Ze County, and they are full of the aura of solemnity and iron cavalry.

You can tell at a glance that it was honed repeatedly on the battlefield!

To put it simply, it's called murderous intent!

Seeing this, the old bald man couldn't help but feel a little itchy and said with a smile: "After the task is completed, I must exchange martial arts with them. They are obviously good soldiers. Alas, it has been a long time since I went to the battlefield. I am a little rusty and my spirit is not as good as before!"

There was some regret in his tone!

Zhang Pingan smiled and said, "There's definitely a chance!"

More than half an hour later, everyone finally arrived in front of Huaiyang Pass, the thousand-year-old fortress!

The outer layer of the city wall is mottled with blue bricks, and the inner layer is rammed earth. The wall is about five meters high.

The moat was formed by diverting the Huai River into a river, which is about ten feet wide.

There were caltrops buried in the water, and the suspension bridge over the river had been raised, giving the impression of martial law.

A gate can be vaguely seen in the doorway.

In the middle of the city gate, the three characters "Huaiyang Pass" are written in a vigorous and powerful style, conveying the momentum of "one man guarding the pass, ten thousand men unable to break through"!

The guards on the watchtower and beacon tower were not surprised to see everyone coming, as the outposts had already reported it.

He immediately ordered people to lower the drawbridge and let everyone into the city.

The man guarding the city knew Lao Tu and was very excited to see that it was Lao Tu who was escorting the grain. He ran down the city wall and patted Lao Tu's shoulder, saying with a smile: "Why are you here, Lao Tu?!"

The old bald man was very tired and had no energy to exchange pleasantries. After returning a punch, he pulled himself together and said, "Nonsense, if I don't come, who will? Where's Mr. Zhou?!"

"Master Zhou said that the grain escort officer should go directly to see him when he arrives. I'll take you there!"