The Sixteen Kingdoms of the Eastern Jin Dynasty: The Competition in the Central Plains

After listening, the two followers nodded, thoughtfully. The oarsman listened, and although he no longer needed to row, he still held the oar in his hand. Tao Liao stared at the boundless sea for a long time, unable to calm down. After a while, Tao Liao withdrew his gaze and said to his two followers:"I wonder if this Xianbei man, Murong Xin, will accept your Majesty's reward. He has accepted all the rewards given to him by the previous dynasty. Not accepted"

"It's hard to say."The attendant Cheng Hui said, and the other attendant Wu Fu nodded.

When the sea was calm, Tao Liao and the two attendants sat at the table on the deck to drink tea and chat. When there was a strong sea breeze, except for those who sailed and paddled, The sailors and others took shelter in the cabin. Fortunately, for several days, there was neither northwest wind nor strong wind and waves. Except for the southeast wind that often blew, it was sunny and windless weather. Fishing boats in twos and threes passed overhead. The passing seabirds can be regarded as a good scenery around.

Whenever it rains, Tao Liao will order the soldiers and cupboards to bring the empty barrels to the deck. This trick is very effective, and the barrels will be filled with water. There was a lot of rain.

After eight consecutive days of all-night sailing, the two ships finally arrived at a pier in Liaodong. There were some large and small ships docked at the pier. As soon as the two ships docked at the pier and were about to go ashore, eight of them were holding knives. Xianbei soldiers gathered around. One of them, who seemed to be a small leader, asked loudly:"Where did it come from? What to do?!

Tao Liao saw this and stepped forward quickly. He took out the official document and seal and handed it to the little boss. The little leader looked at it and smiled:"It turns out to be an envoy from the Jin Dynasty. Sorry. There is a post station two miles away from the dock to the north. We have two box carriages here. I will ask the brothers to help you move the things on board. Get on the carriage. It's getting dark now. I'll send two brothers to take you there. Stop at the post station first and try our Xianbei people's delicacies. After breakfast tomorrow, the post station will send horses and vehicles to take you there. Jicheng has an audience with our great Chanyu."

Not long after, two soldiers dressed as Xianbei people came driving a carriage. The wooden wheels alone of these two carriages reached a person's chest. Tao Liao and others couldn't help but secretly marveled at how tall the Xianbei people's carriage was. Tao Liao said:"Perhaps it was influenced by the Gaoche people."

Adult men in the grassland tribes are all soldiers. No matter which tribe they belong to, Xianbei soldiers are very good at riding horses, archery, and driving carts. These two Murong soldiers became temporary handlebars. Two people stopped the carriage, and one of them said:"Please Mr. Tao Liao from Jiangnan, please get on the carriage!"

Tao Liao, two followers, and four sailors got on the first carriage. Several boxes he was carrying were also loaded onto the carriage. The two cooks, four other sailors, and two cooks got into the second carriage. A few soldiers at the dock were waving goodbye.

"drive!"The two Murong soldiers flicked their horse whips, and the carriage trotted away from the dock. Tao Liao and his party of fifteen people headed north along a path that could accommodate two carriages in parallel. The trees on both sides of the path quickly flashed back. , sparrows and some birds, chirping and jumping around on the branches. Looking into the distance, in addition to trees and woods, there are also some continuous hills of different heights. In just one meal, two carriages Two large tents appeared in front of them. The two carriages turned east and came to the open space in front of the tents. There was a circle of pine trees on the edge of the open space. Two Murong soldiers parked the carriages under the pine trees.

"arrive! Everyone, please get out of the car. This is our Murong tent, which is the post station for receiving guests from all over the world."A soldier walking in front said. Then the two soldiers tied their horses to the pine trees, and then went to find some grass for the horses to eat.

Tao Liao and others got off the two carriages one after another. They felt that this place was very novel. He began to look around at the surrounding scenery. The people in the tent heard a movement and two people came out. Both of them were dressed as Xianbei people, but unlike the soldiers, these two people did not carry knives. The tall man walking in front smiled He said:"Where did this distinguished guest come from? Did he come from afar? Please come into the big account and have a chat. My name is Murong Shan, and he is my brother Murong Shui."

A soldier who came together said:"Brother Shan and Brother Shui, these people are envoys from the Jin Dynasty in the south of the Yangtze River. They are going to Daji City to see us, Murong Da Chanyu. Please make arrangements and entertain us well."After the handover, the two Murong soldiers who came together unhooked their horses from the carriage because they had to go back to patrol the dock, and rode back to the dock first. It was getting dark. The two called The large circular tent known as the"Murong Tent" was set up on the east side of this north-south path. The entrances of the two large tents on the east and west faced south. To the south of the tent was a rectangular open space paved with stones. Behind the tent, the neighing of horses could occasionally be heard. To the east of the tent, tall or low grass grew. Tao Liao and the others followed the brothers to the west. In front of the tent door, Murong Shan said,"Please come in!"" Murong Shui raised the door curtain. Entering the tent, these Han people were really eye-opening. In the middle of the tent, there was a stove that was not too high, and there was a skylight on the tent roof above. I didn't know what was in the stove. Something was burning, and on the flame was a bronze kettle, and the water in it had just boiled. In addition, there were several candlesticks scattered inside the tent, and the candles on them illuminated the tent brightly. Except near the stove, everywhere else It was covered with carpet. Murong Shan led Tao Liao and others to a large carved wooden table in the west.

"Mr. Tao Liao, you have been traveling on the sea for more than ten days. You are distinguished guests from afar. Please sit down and rest. My brother Murong Shui and I are in charge of this Murong Inn."Murong Shan said. Tao Liao hurriedly said:"We are here to cause trouble for you two brothers.

Murong Shui said:"Sir, you don't have to be polite. This is our duty.""

"The last time I came to Liaodong, I remember it was not this pier. Tao Liao asked. Murong Shan smiled and said,"The last time Mr. Tao came here, he probably docked at the east dock." Our Xianbei Murong tribe has several docks along the coast, and there are also soldiers stationed there."

After being polite for a while, the Murong brothers, Tao Liao and other fifteen people took their seats respectively. The two cooks and the two cooks who came with them all sat on the west side of the wooden table. Tao Liao, two attendants, and Murong The two brothers sat on the north side of the wooden table. Eight sailors sat on the south side of the wooden table. There were seventeen people sitting around this rectangular carved wooden table, and it was not too crowded. Inside the tent, it still seemed a bit empty. Tao Liao The others kept looking around at everything inside. Murong Shan asked:"The distinguished guest came all the way from the south and was bumpy on the sea for many days. He must be thirsty, tired and sleepy, right? I would like to ask Mr. Tao Liao to introduce him so that we can talk more easily. The first time is raw, the second time is familiar. From now on, we will be acquaintances and friends."