Firmament

The tongue is fluffy all the time.

- Wa proverb

In the summer of 1368, alarmist news was circulating throughout the northern kingdoms that the southern army had been killed. They saw that the steppes and the Caimu people were all beheaded. The steppe people and the Caimu people in the south have been killed. The property of the government and nobles was confiscated ......

For a time, the hearts of the people in the central capital were disheartened, the chickens flew and the dogs jumped, and the mess became a mess of twine, losing the grandeur and majesty of the past. The dignitaries and nobles were in a predicament of panic.

Ali's descendants are divided into two series: eunuchs and merchants because of their different occupations. The descendants of the eldest son, Nuhai, became a family of eunuchs who inherited father and son, and their political status was relatively high. The descendants of the second son, Amal, mainly worked in the government and were in a middle political position. The descendants of his youngest son, Arslan, were engaged in commercial trading in Niujie and had a low political status, but the family was very wealthy.

In the last years of the Northern Kingdom, Nuhai's descendant, Hasim, inherited the official position inherited from his ancestors and became the most prominent talent among Ali's many descendants.

In August, the king of the northern kingdom ordered his servants to pack up their valuables, take important officials, nobles, concubines, princes, and princesses, leave the palace and mansion compound, and under the escort of Badr's descendant Dorji and other henchmen, take advantage of the dead of night to escape from the central capital in a hurry, and flee to the vast steppe in the north.

Dorji fled north of the desert with the king of the northern kingdom and remained stationed in the northern steppes for nearly 300 years. The power of the Badr family gradually declined, and they became an insignificant force in the political arena.

Most of the Caimu people were important officials and royal merchants of the northern country, and belonged to the objects of liquidation in the southern country. However, only a very small number of them were given the opportunity to travel to the northern steppes, and most of them were discarded like garbage by the king in the central capital. They watched as the princes and nobles withdrew one after another, not knowing where they should go, let alone what their fate would be.

After intense and careful consideration, Hasim believes that it is more than auspicious to continue to stay in the central capital. He decided to lead his family, young and old, to flee to the west. Most of the Caimu people live in the western areas of Longyuan, Xihai and Sanqin. Besides, it is also close to the legendary Khorezm, so you can still run there and take refuge.

Hasim's eldest son, Majid, married an Oriental daughter-in-law. Although the daughter-in-law converted to religion, she heard that her in-laws' family was going to the far western border, and refused to leave Zhongdu and her parents.

Hashim thought to himself, "Now this situation is either the separation of my daughter-in-law from my parents, or the separation of my Hassim from my son, daughter-in-law and grandson. Relatives who are connected by flesh and blood always have a difference. Pity the nurturing grace of parents all over the world. Let me bear the pain and cut my love.

Majid's family of five stayed in Zhongdu as a result.

Early the next morning, Hasim ordered all the adult men in his family to shave off their beards, and asked them to change into Oriental clothes, bring gold and silver, and ride in six carriages, and come to Simon in a state of anxiety.

The steward was clever and clever by nature, took out some gold and silver to bribe the officers and soldiers guarding the city gate, and successfully escaped from the central capital with the Hasim family.

The

carriage rushed towards the west, and ran to the city of Bingzhou at the foot of Taihang Mountain.

Although the city of Bingzhou is still in the hands of the army of the northern country, the city has already shown a scene of chaos. To escape the war, shops were closed, few pedestrians lived, and the city was as quiet as a pool of stagnant water.

Hashim deliberately kept a low profile, planning to find an inconspicuous restaurant on the edge of the city to eat, but after looking around, he couldn't find a restaurant that opened. He ventured into the center of the city to look for it. After some twists and turns, he finally found a restaurant that was open in Willow Lane, where the green branches were fluttering and the green leaves were fluttering.

A plaque with vermilion paint hangs above the door of the restaurant. There are 5 large characters written on it in black ink:

Wong Kee Noodle Shop

Hassim gave the butler beside him a look, meaning to let him go in and take a look inside.

In the blink of an eye, the butler walked out of the shop with a dejected expression. He didn't say anything about the situation inside, but asked Hasim to go in and take a look.

Feeling a little strange, Hasim followed the butler into the shop.

The owner of the noodle shop is none other than Wang Jishan, a descendant of Wang Chen.

Wang Jishan has been in business for many years, has read countless people, and his vision is very poisonous, and he looks at people very accurately whether they are from their hometown or occupation. He saw that although Hasim was dressed in Oriental clothes, his appearance and temperament were unique, and he could see at a glance that he was an authentic man with colorful eyes.

Wang Jishan just wants to make money by trading, and he doesn't want to get involved in right and wrong. He greeted him quietly and asked kindly, "My lord, please sit inside." What would you like to eat?".

Instead of answering Wang's question, Hasim looked around the store with sharp eyes, not seeing the sign he hoped to see. At this time, he understood why the butler was very difficult. This is a restaurant owned by an Oriental person, and I am afraid that there is food that the Sarta people do not taste.

Hashim considered that the whole family had been traveling day and night, had been nibbling on dry cakes for days, had not eaten a decent hot meal, and was hungry today, and could not settle any longer. He thought of the scripture teaching: "It is also permissible to use unclean food in order to live." "

Thinking of this, Hasim sighed with relief and said to Wang Jishan: "Boss, please make 21 bowls of knife-cut noodles." All are vegetarian. No meat, but more vegetables can be added. Be sure to use canola oil for the boiling pot. I'm sorry for you. "

Wang Jishan listened to Hasim's words and immediately concluded that this guest was indeed a Caimu person. Isn't it just that he doesn't eat pork lard? Why don't you just say it? Maybe he has something unspeakable?

Wang Jishan hurriedly instructed the shopkeeper to prepare the meal.

Hashim and his family let go of the reserve of the rich and noble, and gobbled up knife-cut noodles. The long-distance travel made these nobles who had always been pampered feel very hard, and there was an experience that life was worse than death. After eating, their pale and tired faces glowed with a rosy glow. They wondered: how can simple noodles be better than delicacies from the mountains and seas?

Hasim's family stayed in a small inn, planning to stay in the city for two days to stretch their sore and aching muscles a little.

On September 14, the Northern Expeditionary Army launched a fierce attack on Zhongdu. They swarmed up with the same enemy, captured the eastern gate in one fell swoop, and broke into the capital of the northern country, which boasted of being impregnable.

Gong Bingliang's eyes were blazing with the flames of revenge, holding a cold and cold broadsword, and rushed to the front of the team. As long as he saw a person with curly hair and a high nose and deep eyes, he would slash with a knife, killing countless enemies at once. The robes were stained with the blood of the enemy.

Gong Bingliang eliminated the stubborn enemy, still feeling that he had not relieved the resentment accumulated in his heart, and rushed to the door of a large family nearby.

The doors of large families are decorated with grape patterns in the Western Regions. A discerning person will know at a glance that this is a wealthy family with color eyes.

Gong Bingliang kicked open the gate with a clatter, and broke into the compound first.

A man with a high nose, deep eye sockets, and a bearded beard and a woman wearing a pink scarf on her head stood in the middle of the compound. The man was Majid, the eldest son of Hasim. The woman was his daughter-in-law.

Gong Bingliang shouted: "Don't move! Your end has come!"

Seeing Gong Bingliang brandishing a big knife to cut herself and her husband, Majid's daughter-in-law hurriedly blocked the front with her body and reminded him loudly: "We are ordinary citizens, with parents and children. Please, be gracious, don't kill us!".

Gong Bingliang stared at his blood-red eyes and scolded angrily: "Adulteration with Caimu people, forgetting one's ancestors, shame and shame!

Gong Bingliang held his big knife high and slashed at Majid and his wife.

Majid hurriedly pulled out the decorative knife at his waist and prepared to fight Gong Bingliang to the death.

A crowd of officers and soldiers swarmed in from outside the gate, surrounding the Majid couple in the middle. They waved their knives and sticks in their hands, and they were slashed and beaten indiscriminately.

The Majid couple were so weak that they collapsed in a pool of blood after a few strokes.

When their children, who were not yet adults, ran out of the house and threw themselves on the bodies of their parents, crying loudly.

Gong Bingliang and others brandished knives and sticks again, and beat these children to death next to Majid and his wife.

Hashim rested in the city of Bingzhou for two days, and when he heard that the northern expeditionary army of the southern country had begun to march westward, he hurriedly fled from the city with his family and galloped southward. They crossed the Yellow River, turned due west, and came to Xijing, an important town in the Three Qin Dynasty.

Xijing is the first capital city in history known as Beijing, and also the first real city in history, the birthplace of oriental civilization, the cradle of oriental nations, and an outstanding representative of oriental culture, the world's largest city in the Sui and Tang dynasties, the eastern starting point of the Silk Road and the starting point of the Sui-Tang Grand Canal, with a permanent population of about 1.85 million in its heyday, and is known as one of the four ancient civilizations in the world.

The Hasim family came to Xijing's West Street and settled down.

West Street is located in the center of Xijing to the west, where 100,000 people live in the color eye. These people are mainly descendants of merchants from the Western Regions who have gone to the East to do business in the past. Hashim chose to live here, mainly from a safety point of view. Of course, the convenience of life is also an important reason.

Hashim took his family to taste local specialties such as mutton steamed buns, cured beef and cold skins, and soothed the disturbed heart with delicious snacks from Xijing.

After a few days in Xijing, Hasim realized that this was not a place to stay for long: Xijing had been the capital of the Orientals since ancient times. Now that they have gained power in Jiangnan, how can they abandon the old capital of their ancestors and ignore it? Sooner or later, Xijing will fall into the hands of the army of the southern country. Or go a little further west, until you reach a place that the Orientals don't pay much attention to. I'm afraid that's the safest way to go.

Hasim immediately took his family and got into the carriage again, and walked slowly towards the west where the sun had set.

They soon walked out of the Sanqin territory and entered the territory of Longyuan. There are two roads to choose from: one is the avenue leading to the Hexi Corridor, and the other is the road leading to Hazhou. Knowing that both places were inhabited by many Caimu people, Hasim inquired about the situation in both places. In the end, he decided to follow the southern route of the Silk Road to River State.

Since ancient times, Hezhou has been a transportation artery and commodity distribution center between the East and the West. You can see the faces and costumes of different ethnic groups in the market, and you can hear Oriental, Iranian, steppe, Salta, Salul and Tibetan languages. Everywhere there are mosques and minarets. The city looks like the Samarkand and Bukhara of Khorezm. There are a large number of Caimu people in the city, especially the Hui people, accounting for almost half of the total population, and most of them are engaged in business.

When Hasim came to Hezhou on the banks of the Great Xia River, his restless heart finally settled. He stood on the street in a comfortable mood, gazing affectionately at this familiar little city, and felt very intimate. He insisted that this was the best home in his mind, a place he could rely on.

Soon after Hasim fled the city of Bingzhou, the Northern Expeditionary Army of the Southern Kingdom conquered Bingzhou, Yuncheng and Xuanfu, and reached the northern border of the Orientals during their strongest period in history.

Gong Bingliang followed the Northern Expeditionary Army into the city of Bingzhou. The generals of the Northern Expeditionary Army led the soldiers to fight several beautiful victories in a row, and they were in a very happy mood, and specially gave the officers and soldiers a day off as a reward.

Gong Bingliang made an appointment with a few fellow villagers to go shopping on the street. At noon, they were a little hungry, so they walked into Liuxiang, an old commercial street, and found a restaurant with a plaque of "Wang Ji Noodle Shop".

Gong Bingliang said to Wang Jishan: "I heard that the noodles in Bingzhou City are the first in the world, so I will give each of us a bowl of knife-cut noodles to taste." "

Wang Jishan warmly invited the officers and men to take their seats and said courteously: "Thank you for coming." Have a seat. The knife-cut noodles in our shop are the top brand in the city of Namju. You ate the first bowl and thought about the second bowl. I'll add you the best side dish of dried tofu. You have made great contributions to the expulsion of foreign enemies and the restoration of the land. This meal is even if I, Wang, comfort the soldiers. Please be sure to look at your face. "

Gong Bingliang couldn't help but laugh when he saw Wang Jishan's sharp teeth and smart mind.

Gong Bingliang and his army continued to advance after pacifying Taihang and Sanqin, annihilating the elite main force of the northern country in the east of Jincheng, forcing the remaining 100,000 officers and soldiers to flee to the south of Longyuan. They followed the pursuit, attacked the city, and prepared to take Hezhou.

The Caimu people in the city of Hezhou panicked, fearing that the Northern Expedition would massacre and loot property. Many people fled with their families in a panic into the surrounding ravines and high clouds, intending to take shelter from the impending war.

Gong Bingliang and his comrades-in-arms quickly broke through the city of Hezhou, which was easy to attack and difficult to defend in the Loess Basin.

After entering the city, they did not plunder and massacre, executed the captured generals of the northern army, and only strengthened the surveillance of the Caimu people, and did not carry out large-scale purges as in Zhongdu. They pacified the Tibetan people near Hezhou, so that the Tubo tribes west of Hezhou, such as Duogan and Wusizang, were successively annexed to the southern state.