Chapter 25 Treasure (Part 1)
The 800-li Qinchuan Plain is bordered by the Qinling Mountains in the south and the Beishan Mountains in the north. Eight rivers irrigate the vast fertile plains demarcated by these mountains. Because of its strategic and economic advantages, this place has been favored by successive monarchs since ancient times. The Zhou, Qin, Han, Western Jin, Former Zhao, Former Qin, Later Qin, Western Wei, Northern Zhou, and Sui all built their capitals here.
Chang'an, actually also known as Daxing, was the capital rebuilt after the establishment of the Sui Dynasty. It took only a dozen years for it to be truly completed. In history, it was renovated and expanded during the Tang Dynasty to make it more magnificent.
At present, Chang'an City consists of three parts: the Outer City, the Palace City and the Imperial City. The Palace City and the Imperial City are located in the north center of the capital. The various quarters in the Outer City guard the Palace City and the Imperial City from the left, right and south. The Suzaku Street in the middle is the boundary, and the east and west belong to Wannian and Chang'an counties.
The palace city and the imperial city are the residences of the royal family, while the outer city is where the common people live, and each has its own layout.
Thousands of houses are like a Go board, and the twelve streets are like vegetable fields.
Chang'an Guocheng had 11 main streets running north-south and 14 main streets running east-west, dividing the inner part of Guocheng into 110 districts. The widest one was Zhuque Street, which was as wide as the streets in Luoyang. It was 40 meters wide, and its scale was imaginable. It was indeed the largest city in the world.
It was almost dusk when Zhang Xuanning entered the city. After walking for a few more moments on the long streets, he saw that the city was prosperous and thriving. The lights of each house were on, illuminating the nearby streets as bright as day. The four main streets in a well-shaped layout were full of shops of all walks of life. In addition to selling local products and general merchandise, other rare items were also available. Wine shops and food shops were lined up on both sides. Pedestrians were shoulder to shoulder, and it was very lively.
Zhang Xuanning squeezed in the crowd, as if he was stepping into a dream. This ancient imperial capital was right under his feet. It was so luxurious and magnificent that even he, who came from the future, was shocked, not to mention the outsiders from all over the world in ancient times.
At this time, it was already February of the eleventh year of Daye, and time was extremely urgent. There was only a year and a half left before Emperor Yang of Sui moved to Jiangdu (now Yangzhou).
Of course, the Battle of Yanmen should also come soon. It will appear whether according to history or books. The reason is very simple. Before the fifth year of Daye, the Sui Dynasty was extremely powerful. After the fifth year of Daye, Qimin Khan of the Turkic region died and Duoji became Shibi Khan. After several years of hard work, Shibi became increasingly powerful and therefore stopped entering the court.
In August of the eleventh year, Emperor Yang went on a tour to the north. The attack led by Shibi Khan was determined by internal and external factors, which were irreversible. Zhang Xuanning was waiting for this moment. He smiled, took out some silver coins, walked towards a man, and asked with a bow: "Sir, I am new to Chang'an. Can you please show me the streets? This silver is your reward."
As he spoke, a confident look appeared on his face.
The man was impatient at first, but when he saw the silver, his eyes lit up and he said, "Ah, we in Chang'an love guests the most. I will introduce you to the streets of Chang'an, but you can't walk through them all in one night."
"It doesn't matter. You walk around and I'll ask. Walk as much as you can." Zhang Xuanning said with a smile. He had already decided to spend half the night like this.
There was the sound of drums again late at night.
At that time, Chang'an was still in the hands of the Sui Dynasty. Although there were patrol troops, there was definitely no special surveillance like that later.
The secret ship from Luoyang suddenly disappeared, and then left overnight. They wandered outside for a month, circling hundreds of miles before they reached Chang'an and opened the treasure.
Under the moonlight, there was no one around. Zhang Xuanning stared silently. The night is long and dreams are many, so he had to make a quick decision.
The Yong'an Canal is connected to Huashui in the north and is the largest artificial canal that runs through the north and south of Chang'an City... The Yuema Bridge majestically spans it. The bridge body is built with exquisitely carved stones into a large arch like a rainbow, with a span of more than ten feet. The pedestrian horse paths on both sides can accommodate four carriages in parallel. Two small arches are built on each shoulder of the large arch, which is conducive to drainage and can reduce the load of the large arch. The clever coordination makes the bridge light and beautiful, with a gentle slope and outstanding shape.
The stone railings on the bridge are engraved with bas-reliefs of cloud and dragon patterns. The six pillars in the middle are different from the other pillars. They are six stone dragon heads overlooking the bridge.
Zhang Xuanning knew long ago that Yang Gong's treasury might be an underground fortress, which could be used for attack or defense. Before the mechanism was activated, all entrances and exits were closed. Therefore, if one did not know the inside story, no matter how many people turned Chang'an upside down, they would still not be able to find the treasure house.
Zhang Xuanning took a deep breath and stared at the six dragon head pillars. He then flipped over the bridge railing and used his inner strength to absorb himself under the bridge. He focused his eyes and looked towards the bottom of the pillars. Sure enough, there was a faint circle of connection between the pillars and the bridge body.
His heart was pounding, he gritted his teeth, and used his mysterious skills. He pressed his thumb against the center of the circle and pushed up hard. With a slight sound, the cylinder sank upwards, forming a two-inch deep depression.
Although he knew this, when the time came, Zhang Xuanning still felt a shock all over his body. Even with his training, he found it difficult .
After being quiet for a few minutes, it suddenly moved, finding the other five button locks as quickly as possible and activated them according to the instruction. Then, without hesitation, it turned back to the bridge, holding a dragon head and pulled it up nearly two inches. Without any hesitation, it exerted force to the right, and the dragon pillar turned a circle. When Zhang Xuanning let go, the dragon pillar returned to its original position, and it was indeed exactly the same as before.
Zhang Xuanning repeated the same method and opened the other five dragon pillars one by one. While twisting them, he felt a slight vibration. He leaned over to look under the bridge and saw strange ripples on the river surface under the bridge, with bubbles coming out and making popping sounds.
However, these phenomena are not boiling and last for a very short time. If someone pays attention, they can find them. But if it is intentional, this is not a problem at all.
The mechanism has been opened, but according to his original memory, the entrance is not here, but somewhere else. However, when he was looking at Chang'an Street just now, he had found the Xiji Garden of the Dugu family. No one would forget such a famous mansion. He went straight to the target. In just a moment, he saw the back wall of the Dugu family's Xiji Garden. He immediately flipped over and went straight in.
Remembering it was the North Well, Zhang Xuanning jumped into the well. It was February at this time, but the water in the well was relatively warm. He held his breath and went straight to the bottom of the well. He couldn't hold his breath underwater for a long time, but he had a target. After a few tries, he touched a stone that protruded about an inch from the wall of the well, and he pressed it hard.
There was a creaking sound, and above my head, the wall of the well slowly caved in, revealing an entrance that was only wide enough for one person to pass through.
Zhang Xuanning now does not have the breath-holding ability that Er Xiaoqiang had at that time. When he knew that the treasure had just been opened, the air inside was very stuffy and turbid, and might even contain some suffocating gases, he had to wait for time to release and exchange the gases. So he was not anxious and just floated in the well and waited.
When I dived into the water just now, the water surface was of course broken, but now it is motionless, and a bright moon emerges around my body.
Clouds crossed the sky, the moon appeared and disappeared, and Zhang Xuanning felt an indescribable feeling in his heart.
He closed his eyes quietly, and it seemed like only a moment, and he entered a state of mind similar to the water in a well, free of thoughts and obstacles, and being one with the heaven and earth.
Half an hour later, Zhang Xuanning suddenly woke up and felt refreshed.
The higher the level of cultivation, the more emphasis is placed on the connection with heaven, earth and the state of mind.
Zhang Xuanning came from the future and had a different state of mind, so at the beginning, he had to honestly lay the foundation slowly like ordinary people, but once the foundation was completed, the speed of cultivation would continue to accelerate.
At that moment, he rushed straight into the secret passage made of granite. As expected, although the air was still turbid, it was no problem for breathing. It was relatively safe and he could enter.
