Chapter 93: On the Road to Chang'an, Liu Zhongwu Meets a Strange Scholar (Part 1)

Liu Zhongwu, having been hit by such a misfortune, resigned himself to his fate and stopped struggling. The next day, he obediently followed Han Gang on the road to Chang'an.

From Xianyang to Tongguan, there are two routes: one continues downstream along the Wei River, and the other first heads south to Jingzhao Prefecture. The latter route takes one more day than the former. However, Han Gang decided from the beginning to take the route to Chang'an, wanting to experience this ancient city up close. The route written on the travel permit was also arranged this way.

Leaving Xianyang, their journey left the Wei River and turned southeast. The number of travelers on the road increased, all heading to Jingzhao Prefecture. As the capital for thousands of years and the center of the Shaanxi region, Jingzhao Prefecture, originally known as Chang'an, was densely populated. Emerging from the western mountains of Shaanxi, the fertile Guanzhong Plain appeared before Han Gang's eyes.

The vast land of the Guanzhong Plain, stretching for eight hundred miles, was boundless. No matter which direction he looked, he saw a flat horizon. The fertile fields on both sides of the official road numbered in the millions. The Zhou, Qin, Han, and Tang dynasties all rose to power here, truly the foundation of imperial rule.

On the road to Jingzhao Prefecture, they occasionally passed by the pack animals and caravans of merchants. Merchants value profit and are quick to leave, and despite the Lantern Festival not yet having passed, some impatient merchants had already left their families behind to travel with their goods.

"Wow!" As they traveled, Li Xiaoliu suddenly pointed ahead and exclaimed, "That mule can really carry a load."

Han Gang looked far ahead, and a small mountain appeared before them. Under the mountain-like load was a mule. If not for the visible four legs and tail, one might think the load was walking on its own.

Han Gang's group quickly passed the mule, galloping by. He only glanced once but was surprised to see a person sitting on the front of the load. Carrying the load and a rider, Han Gang felt pity for the old mule, swaying and at risk of collapsing at any moment. 'Alas, in a past life, it must have lacked virtue and failed to be reborn into a better form!'

After passing the mule, they didn't travel far before the road ahead was blocked. Han Gang was accustomed to this; it was a local tax checkpoint, marking the boundary of the prefecture. He had passed through many such checkpoints on his journey. However, no matter how strict the checkpoint, it could not inspect an official. The snow on both sides of the road made it inconvenient to detour, and the queue ahead was not long, so Han Gang and Liu Zhongwu patiently waited.

Several tax officials, along with about thirty soldiers, were inspecting each traveler and merchant. Their task was similar to that of customs officials in later times, collecting taxes on goods and confiscating contraband. Especially salt from the Qingbai Salt Lake in Western Xia, which was the primary target of inspection. In addition, wine, tea, alum, and weapons were also strictly prohibited from private transport and listed in the inspection directory.

The tax officials inspected everyone, whether travelers or ordinary merchants, opening every package, large or small, and conducting thorough searches. A fat merchant, who had unfortunately placed a dozen cakes of tea in his package, was pulled out. Not only were his goods confiscated, but he also had to pay a fine.

The fat merchant argued with the tax officials, his Sichuan accent making it hard to understand what he was saying, but from his不服气 (unwilling to accept) attitude, it was clear that the dozen cakes of tea were