Chapter 349

"Ten thousand families depend on the water and mountains, Xiangyang has been rich and luxurious since ancient times.

Looking back from the North Pavilion in the second month, the red sun connects the city, all are flowers."

This poem "Xiangyang" comes from Jia An of the Northern Song Dynasty, which talks about the prosperity of this ancient city of Xiangyang.

Since the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, when the world was in chaos, the Jingsi region was under the governance of Liu Biao, "ten thousand miles of fertile land, rich in scholars and people," becoming a pure land, and famous families and high scholars emerged one after another.

The most famous ones are naturally the Crouching Dragon and the Young Phoenix.

The Yongjia Rebellion in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the southern crossing of the gentry, the Sanfu noble families, flowed to Fanmian, lived in the Han River, and brought a lot of wealth and population.

No matter how the dynasty changes, this place has always been a heavy town in Ezhou.

The reason for this is entirely due to the special location of Xiangyang.

Xiangyang connects Guanzhong and Han Zhong in the west, Nanyang and Luoyang in the north, and the Yangtze River and Wuchang in the south, communicating with the east, west, north, and south in the middle, which is irreplaceable.

Therefore, this place has always been a place that military strategists must fight for.

Cao Cao was defeated at Chibi, thanks to Cao Ren's firm defense of Xiangyang, Cao Wei was able to control the Xiangfan area and maintain suppression of Jingzhou in Eastern Wu...

Yue Wumu recovered the six counties of Xiangyang, reigniting the Southern Song Dynasty's fighting spirit against the Jin...

Daxiang of the previous dynasty defended Xiangyang for three years, only then did it withstand the southward trend of the Jin Account Wolf Country, and the Great Xuan Dynasty also started from Xiangyang to start the conquest of unifying the Shenzhou...

It can be said that Xiangyang City is made of blood and corpses.

Of course, now it is a prosperous age, and Xiangyang City has long since restored its prosperity, with all kinds of people gathering, and rich and powerful people gathering in the city.

It is July, and the Zhongyuan Festival has just passed.

On the wharf of Xiangyang City, the incense ash from the "Flaming Mouth" ritual during the Dharma rite has not yet dissipated, and people are already shuttling, and cars and boats are coming and going non-stop.

But those who are familiar with Xiangyang City know that although there are many people, it is much colder than in the past.

What is even stranger is that everyone's face is covered with a layer of cloth. High officials use silk, and ordinary people use coarse cloth. No matter what material it is, it is filled with a thick smell of vinegar.

Not only that, when people talk, they try their best to lower their heads, keeping a distance, and even strangers passing by avoid each other.

On the river in the distance, a warship is moving fast.

This warship is not large, with sharp and upturned ends, indistinguishable from head to tail, with neat bunkers made of thatch bamboo around it, and a row of gun holes left between the bamboo.

Those who know a little bit know that this is the "Eagle Ship" of the water division.

This kind of small warship is known for its fast advance and retreat and strong maneuverability, and is often used for reconnaissance and detection of enemy situations, or breaking into enemy formations.

Since the outbreak of the Southwest War, this ship can often be seen coming and going on the Yangtze River waterway, either delivering military orders or transporting important goods.

It hangs the war flag of the water division, and civilian ships along the way avoid it one after another.

No one can afford to provoke this kind of ship, especially seeing the row of gun barrels sticking out of those gun holes, which means it is performing a mission.

Once blocked, the other party can even fire directly.

Without any stop, after passing the wharves of Xiangyang and the opposite Fancheng, this Eagle Ship continued to move forward, heading towards the upper reaches of the Han River.

On the deck, Li Yan and the others were all there.

Accompanying them was Gu Hanzi from the Chenghuang Temple in Yunyang Prefecture.

His face was pale, and he was clearly injured.

Beside him were several other Daoists, all looking around with vigilance, pressing the hilts of their swords.

Li Yan had been looking at the Xiangyang wharf, and only after he couldn't see it did he turn his head back, frown and say: "The Xiangyang wharf is a bit wrong."

"A plague has broken out in Fancheng."

Gu Hanzi explained: "A few days ago, a boat of people on the Han River died suddenly, their death was strange, and their internal organs were covered with moss."

"It just so happened that the people from the Fancheng government office were patrolling, so they pulled the corpses back, examined the corpses and investigated the case, and also invited the brothers from the Law Enforcement Hall of Fancheng."

"Originally thought it was a curse, but the method of dispelling the curse had no effect, and there was no gloomy evil spirit on the deceased."

"The next day, several government runners who transported the corpses also died of the same symptoms. Finally, a physician judged that this was a rare plague."

"The Prefect of Xiangyang invited a Daoist physician from the Li family in Huangzhou to handle this matter, ordering the use of vinegar cloth to cover the mouth and nose to block the plague, temporarily controlling it in Fancheng without leaking..."

"Now Fancheng has been closed, but rumors are flying, saying that those people offended the Plague God on the river, causing panic."

"The Li family in Huangzhou?"

Wang Daoxuan became interested, "Medicine Saint Li Shizhen?"

"Hmm."

Gu Hanzi nodded and said: "The Li family of the Medicine Saint is also a big local family. Although many descendants have entered the officialdom, the family learning has never been interrupted. There is a Li Facheng who has become famous in recent years."

"Facheng... entered the Dharma sect?"

"That's right, this Li Facheng follows the ambition of the Medicine Saint, wants to travel all over the Shenzhou, and continue to expand the 'Compendium of Materia Medica'."

"As for the skills in the mountains, the Meishan Dharma sect is the strongest, so he found someone to apprentice and entered the Meishan Dharma sect..."

Listening to the two chatting, Li Yan looked at Lu San.

Lu San suddenly understood, looked at the falcon in the sky, made an "OK" gesture, indicating that everything was normal.

Li Yan breathed a sigh of relief.

After leaving Liangzi Lake, they returned to Wuchang, strolled around the Yellow Crane Tower and the Qingchuan Pavilion, and prepared to set off for Wudang.

Who knew that a Daoist suddenly came to ask for help.

It was Gu Hanzi and the others who went to the mountains near Huang Mei to capture a traitor, accidentally fell into an ancient tomb, found another blood jade cong, and were ambushed by monsters on the way.

The relationship between the Daoist sect and the Buddhist sect is a bit subtle.

Although they asked for help, the local Law Enforcement Hall would certainly help, but Gu Hanzi and the others were unwilling. It just so happened that they heard Li Yan was there, so they asked them to escort them along the way.

Li Yan was going to Mount Wudang anyway, so he naturally agreed, and asked the water army for help, borrowed an Eagle Ship, in order to reach Yunyang as quickly as possible.

Fortunately, they didn't encounter any danger along the way.

Hearing Wang Daoxuan ask about this strange plague, Li Yan's heart moved, and he asked: "Is this done by monsters?"

Gu Hanzi shook his head and said: "Fellow Daoist Li, I know that you are helping the Commandant to seek the position of the Water God of the Han River. If it can really make a great contribution, my Zhenwu Palace is also happy to see it happen."

"But in Xiangyang, it is afraid that it is difficult to gain a foothold, and its news is already lagging behind. That Nanmu Great King has long been executed."

Li Yan was surprised, "Oh, what's going on?" "This matter has to be said from more than ten years ago."

Gu Hanzi shook his head slightly and said: "The capital of the Daxiang of the previous dynasty was in Jin Ling. Xiao Chengyou, the Gao Zu of the Great Xuan, raised troops to seize the country's destiny. Although most of the old ministries of the previous dynasty responded, some people would rather die than surrender."

"Many people died at that time, and more than a dozen members of the royal family hanged themselves in the palace, burned the palace, and released blood curses, making a lot of noise, so that twenty years after the Great Xuan established the dynasty, the curse gradually dissipated."

"Coupled with the remnants of the Jin Account Wolf Country still moving in Mobei, Gao Zu issued the 'Edict of Moving the Capital' and changed Beiping to the capital."

He said this, was silent for a while, and sighed: "Nanmu is precious and auspicious, and has always been known as the 'head of all woods', but it is also called weeping blood wood. Fellow Daoist Li, do you know about this?"

Li Yan nodded, "I have heard of it."

Sha Lifei beside him was anxious when he heard it, "Sigh, don't talk in riddles. This is the first time I've heard of this. What's going on?"

Gu Hanzi said in a deep voice: "Nanmu is fine in texture, and has been the best choice for beams and pillars of palaces and temples since ancient times."

"There are three types of Nanmu: one is Kaiyang Nan; one is Hansi Nan, with yellow wood color, as bright as gold thread, which is the best; one is Shui Nan, with slightly green color and soft nature, which is the worst. After moving the capital, building palaces naturally requires Golden Thread Nan."

"The best Golden Thread Nan is produced in Yuzhang and the counties of Hubei, Hunan, Yunnan, and Guizhou. It not only has a long history, but also needs to be a treasure of heaven and earth. It is used for the wind and water array in the capital, and all of them are hidden in deep mountains and old forests."

"The imperial court has people who raise treasure seekers, specifically looking for this kind of big Nanmu in the mountains, often guarded by fierce beasts and poisonous things, and many died."

!.

"But finding the wood is only the first step. To harvest a Nanmu, seven feet long, one foot two or three feet in circumference, requires five hundred towing laborers, setting up ponds along the way, one pond every ten miles, one pond sending to another..."

"To put it bluntly, sometimes a good Nanmu, in order to be transported out smoothly, even needs to dig a small canal. Then go out of the Three Gorges, along the Yangtze and Huai Rivers, involving the Huai and Si Rivers, taking nearly a year, and countless deaths and injuries."

"There is a proverb in the Shu area, called 'one thousand enter the mountain, five hundred come out of the mountain'. People in Chu and Shu, when talking about harvesting wood, all choke up..."

Sha Lifei frowned and said: "Must use Golden Thread Nan?"

Li Yan shook his head, "Other things can also replace it, but Golden Thread Nan is the most precious. If you don't use this wood, how can you show nobility?"

Sha Lifei spat and said nothing more.

Gu Hanzi continued: "The Golden Thread Nan transported out of the mountain is originally a spiritual wood, absorbing blood and resentment along the way, and it is inevitable that something will happen. It must be sealed with secret methods to be transported to the capital smoothly."

"At that time, the Pai Sect and the Cao Gang expanded their power rapidly because of this, but even so, many things happened."

"Some Nanmu are psychic, will confuse people in the middle of the night, causing ships to be destroyed and people to die, sinking into the Yangtze River, absorbing the Yin Qi of the dragon vein, and turning into evil spirits."

"In the Three Gorges area, whenever there was a heavy rain, many Nanmu would float to the surface, colliding everywhere like alligators, until ships were destroyed and people died, known as Nanmu Left General, Right General, and Great General."

"Our master and Mount Qingcheng joined forces to perform Dharma rites in the Three Gorges for several months before suppressing and killing these things."

"Xiangyang has a longer history. In the Tang Dynasty, there was an old Nanmu, about a hundred feet long, which was originally to be transported to Chang'an for the construction of the Great Ming Palace."

"But halfway through, the cable broke inexplicably. Everyone on the ship died suddenly, and then the old Nanmu fell into the river, hid at the bottom of the river, and turned into an old monster."

"During the chaos at the end of the Tang Dynasty, this thing came out to make trouble, often causing wind and waves. Passing ships only had to chant 'Nanmu Great King bless us' to pass through. At that time, the common people along the coast built more than a hundred 'Nan Jun Temples' and worshipped them day and night to calm down."

"After the Great Xuan Dynasty was established, the Mystic Sect Daoist sect attacked lewd sacrifices, and this 'Nan Jun' was naturally our primary target. All temples were demolished, and a Dharma altar was set up in Xiangyang to capture it."

"After the Dharma rite at that time, an old Nanmu did float up from the river, lost its spiritual charm, and was bought by a rich merchant in Xiangyang to be used for the sacrifice of Crown Prince Zhaoming."

"But for many years after that, this Nanmu Great King still lingered, often making some right and wrong, and could not find the source."

"Until more than ten years ago, a scholar named Lu took a boat to Xiangyang. Strange winds suddenly rose on the river. The boatman was so scared that he hurriedly kowtowed and chanted 'Nanmu Great King bless us', and the strange wind and giant waves stopped."

"After the scholar asked, he was furious. After going ashore, he wrote a manifesto and reported it to the Water Mansion. Three days later, a giant wood floated from the river. At this point, the chaos of the Nanmu Great King was completely ended."

Li Yan was surprised, "Confucian sect's means?"

Gu Hanzi nodded: "That's right, Ezhou actually hides such a high person. The Law Enforcement Hall naturally wants to investigate. According to the information at the time, the other party came from Lushan."

"At that time, a senior brother of mine went to visit in person, but couldn't find anyone several times, and even several great Confucians from the Qiankun Academy went, but the other party sneered at them, and then disappeared strangely."

Wang Daoxuan laughed dumbly: "Lumen high scholars are proud of emperors, I didn't expect it to be still like this today."

Li Yan knew about this.

Outside Xiangyang City, there is Lumen Mountain, a place where famous scholars have lived in seclusion since ancient times.

Pang Degong, a famous scholar at the end of the Han Dynasty, ignored several banquets by the Inspector Liu Biao and took his family to Lumen Mountain to collect herbs...

Meng Haoran of the Tang Dynasty was frustrated in his official career and lived in seclusion on Lumen Mountain, chanting about mountains and rivers and finding fun in it. Pi Rixiu of the late Tang Dynasty also lived in Lumen Temple...

There are also some people in the Mystic Sect Confucianism who live in seclusion.

Gu Hanzi shook his head: "Lumen has long since changed its taste. Some are true recluses, but most of them borrow seclusion to become famous, chanting poems and painting all day long, and opening poetry meetings at every turn, making it smoky."

"That scholar named Lu has disappeared since then, and the Nanmu Great King has not made trouble since then, so we didn't continue to pursue it."

Lu San beside him said in a deep voice: "The Commandant practices secretly, rarely provoking right and wrong, and just learned about this matter, but why do you say it is difficult to gain a foothold in Xiangyang?"

Gu Hanzi laughed dumbly: "Don't you know about the 'Chuantian Festival' in Xiangyang?"

"During the Zhou Dynasty, Zheng Jiaofu often traveled on the Han River and saw two goddesses playing with pearls in the curve of Hangao. It is recorded in the 'Biographies of Immortals', named the two daughters of Jiang Fei."

"Since then, every twenty-first day of the first lunar month, the people of Xiangyang go to the banks of the Han River to play. Women look for white stones with holes, string them with colored silk, and hang them on their heads to seek the auspiciousness of children. This is the unique 'Chuantian Festival' in Xiangyang."

"On Peach Blossom Island outside Xiangyang City, there is also a Goddess Temple, dedicated to the two daughters of Jiang Fei, listed as a righteous god. Even when the Nanmu Great King was raging, the people of Xiangyang always believed that the two daughters of Jiang Fei were the water gods of this place."

"This is an ancient custom, and the imperial court has also listed it as a righteous sacrifice. If the Commandant wants to build a temple in the future, he must avoid it..."

Everyone chatted all the way, not feeling boring.

The Eagle Ship was fast, and it didn't take long to pass through Laohekou, pass through Danjiangkou, and when the sun set, it landed on a river bend.

On the shore, more than a dozen disciples of Zhenwu Palace were already waiting to meet them. When they arrived here, it was already the sphere of influence of Mount Wudang. Even if the monsters were more powerful, they would not dare to come to make trouble, which was considered completely safe.

When they arrived at the foot of Mount Wudang, seeing that the sky was already dark, Gu Hanzi opened his mouth and said: "Because of the war in the Southwest, most of the masters on the mountain have gone to the front line to support, and the mountain will be closed every night, forbidding going up the mountain."

"Let's stay in the village at the foot of the mountain for the time being, and go up the mountain tomorrow morning."

Li Yan nodded: "All listen to the arrangement of Fellow Daoist."

While talking, everyone came to a village.

This village is located at the foot of Mount Wudang, and the relationship is obviously not shallow. Along the way, the villagers saw the Daoists of Zhenwu Palace and greeted them enthusiastically.

A strange color flashed in Li Yan's eyes.

These commoners in the village, men, women, old and young, were all practicing martial arts.

"Hahaha... you kid finally came."

Halfway through, an old man strode over, it was the Ezhou martial arts tycoon Zhang Xiaoshan...

Second update at two o'clock

(End of chapter)