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

The feeling of the northwestern frontier is always associated with snow-capped mountains, yellow sand, lonely cities, and iron armor, with a sense of majestic desolation.

The further west you go, the stronger this feeling becomes.

Everyone was walking through the wind and snow, and they couldn't even talk much. It was not until after 3 p.m. that they arrived near the Guazhou camp.

This place was very close to Yumen Pass. Military officers like General Xu, who had the greatest respect for the soldiers guarding the border, pointed to a spot in the distance covered in white snow and said to everyone: "Look, that's Yumen Pass. Once you pass it, you'll be outside the Great Wall!"

"Is that Yumen Pass?" Qian Jie took off his hat and looked out.

"Yes, that is Yumen Pass, but it only looks close. It still takes one or two hours to get from Guazhou Camp to Yumen Pass. You've heard of the saying 'running to the mountain will kill the horse', right?" General Xu laughed out loud.

Unlike the well-behaved boy in Guazhou City, General Xu looked more casual at this time, and even hummed a few tunes.

As a result, his mouth was full of wind and snow. After coughing a few times, he quickly put on his hat again.

No scholar doesn't know Yumen Pass. Zhang Ping'an looked at the small town in the distance and thought of the famous frontier poem.

"The Yellow River flows far away among the white clouds, a lonely city stands on the ten-thousand-foot mountain. Why should the Qiang flute blame the willows? The spring breeze does not reach Yumen Pass."

Especially the last sentence "The spring breeze does not reach Yumen Pass", after understanding its meaning, every time I think of it, it always makes people feel a sour feeling in their hearts.

"Look, the people who come to pick us up are here," General Xu smiled as he looked at the people patrolling in the distance.

Then he explained to the people behind him: "The patrols in the Guazhou camp are dense. They have already discovered us. It would be better to let them lead the way so that I don't have to send people to report it."

Sure enough, after several soldiers on patrol on horseback discovered the group, they quickly rushed over here.

The leader obviously knew General Xu. After asking for his identity, he saluted everyone one by one, then led the way. Another soldier returned to the barracks to report the news.

Their aura is indeed stronger than that of soldiers from other places, and their eyes are sharper.

Zhang Ping'an observed carefully and found that their weapons and armor were quite good and not worn out. They even had fur on their necks to keep warm.

His voice was loud and powerful, proving that he was eating well.

In short, this is an army that lives a pretty good life. At least they have enough food and warm clothes.

"Why do we have to take a detour? Can't we go this way?" Zhang Ping'an looked at the side and asked when he saw the team suddenly turned a corner.

"Your Excellency, there is farmland next to it. It is covered by snow and cannot be seen now, but horses will get stuck in it if they pass by," the soldier replied.

"Oh? I see." Zhang Ping'an looked at the side and nodded without saying anything.

He had received secret reports long ago that ordinary soldiers in Guazhou were engaged in farming and planted large quantities of sweet potatoes and Annan rice to be self-sufficient, so he was not too surprised.

When they arrived at the camp gate, Wei Cunren, the deputy commander of the Guazhou camp, had already received a report from the soldier who had gone back to deliver the letter in advance, and knew that Zhang Pingan and his group had arrived.

They had already made preparations to welcome them and had full control over their movements.

Knowing that they come with ill intentions.

Therefore, he did not prepare too grandly. He simply made some preparations, changed his clothes, and brought his people here.

However, he was still very respectful to them for the sake of appearance, and there was nothing wrong with his greetings and etiquette.

"General Wei is not here today?" Qian Jie couldn't help but ask after scanning the crowd.

Wei Cunren's expression remained unchanged as he replied calmly, "I was just about to explain to you all that the general is away with his men on a border patrol at Yumen Pass today. He's not here and won't be back until tomorrow afternoon. Border defense is of vital importance and we cannot afford to lose anything. I hope you will forgive me and I'll go back to my tent and rest."

"What a coincidence! The general went on border patrol just after we arrived." Qian Jie smiled meaningfully after hearing this.

Wei Cunren was also very eloquent and not one to take a loss. He said lightly, "After all, you gentlemen will definitely have to wait until the beginning of next spring. A day earlier or later, what's the rush?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere became tense.

Qian Jie narrowed his eyes, still smiling, and said nothing.

"General Wei is right. Let's go in first!" Zhang Ping'an patted Qian Jie's arm and stopped talking in a gentle voice.

It seemed as if he didn't hear the hidden meaning of the previous sentence. It was only the first day, so there was no rush to engage in verbal litigation.

Afterwards, Zhang Pingan and his companions were settled in a large tent near the center, and their followers were also in several large tents nearby, not far away.

General Xu was kept for dinner and would return to Guazhou City the next morning.

He was a smart man. At the table, he just ate and acted crazy and stupid. He did not participate in any issues about current affairs or government affairs.

Wei Cunren and several of his generals were accompanying them. They did not say anything unpleasant. Their attitude was respectful but not warm. They introduced the dishes to everyone and after a few polite words, they began to eat at a leisurely pace.

I don't really look for topics to talk about.

It was obvious that they wanted to leave Zhang Pingan and his group out in the cold.

Zhang Pingan was not in a hurry when he saw this. He just picked the dishes he liked and was more silent than Wei Cunren and others.

He looks as steady as a rock.

Seeing Zhang Ping'an like this, Qian Jie and Zhao Renzhi naturally didn't say anything more, and the table was eerily quiet for a while.

Later on, General Xu felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, not because he didn't understand the situation.

But he hated eating this kind of food the most. It made him feel suffocated and depressed, and it would cause indigestion!

After finally making it to the end of the banquet, he immediately made the excuse that he was drunk and returned to his tent to rest.

Zhang Pingan waited until he finished his tea before saying, "Alas, I'm a little drunk, so I'll go back and rest. Since General Wei is not here, we can discuss it tomorrow."

Wei Cunren raised his eyebrows as he looked at the calm people and thought to himself, they are quite patient.

"Then I will arrange for someone to help you wash up so that you can have a good rest."

Zhang Pingan said "hmm" indifferently and went back to his tent with his hands behind his back. He took off his shoes and prepared to rest.

The tent was huge. Qian Jie lived with Zhang Pingan. Seeing that he was really ready to lie down and rest, he couldn't help but laugh, "It's not even completely dark yet, and you're going to sleep already? That's not like you."

Zhang Pingan put his hands under his head and said calmly, "If there's nothing to do, I might as well get some sleep. I'm exhausted from traveling all day and I haven't gotten enough sleep yet. What that guy surnamed Wei said was right. We have to wait until the beginning of next spring at least. Why rush?"

Mentioning Wei Cunren, Qian Jie sneered, "That Wei Cunren is quite arrogant and rude. He just ignored us at the banquet. Who do you think is stupid enough not to see that?"

"Alas, everyone knows we are here with bad intentions, so how can you expect them to treat you well? Just make do with it." Zhang Pingan turned over and said, "I'm going to sleep, don't bother me by talking anymore!"

"You are so careless!" Qian Jie was speechless.