The Dongfang Road is flat and smooth. Although it is more than 2,000 miles from Qi County to Xianyang, Chen Xu and others can travel more than 300 miles in a day while they are rushing. Although they have to take care of the injured female family members such as Xia Zijin and Jiang Chuxing on the road, the team successfully arrived in Luoyang after five days of rest.

Luoyang is only more than 300 miles away from Hangu Pass, and after passing Hangu Pass, he enters Guanzhong.

According to the mouths of Yu Wuya, Xia Zijin and Shui Qingrou, Chen Xu had obtained more detailed information. According to Xiang Jing, Zhong Limei, who had a close relationship with the head of the Xiang family, followed Chen Xu and others to Langya County, and then left alone to Guanzhong to find the Ji brothers to assassinate Chen Xu, and Xiang Yu also followed to stop this incident. Chen Xu later arranged for Xiao He and Liu Bang to go to Guanzhong in advance to inquire about the Ji brothers, but now more than two months have passed, and the two have not heard any news back, so Chen Xu became more and more careful.

Although he was surrounded by three martial arts masters, Yu Wuya and Xia Zijin, both Yu Wuya and Xia Zijin were injured. Although Shui Qingrou was not seriously injured, it was hard to guard against assassination. There was no clue about where Zhonglimei and Ji brothers would assassinate him. Facing historical celebrities such as Ji brothers and Zhonglimei, Chen Xu did not dare to be too careless. After all, muskets and grenades are not omnipotent. Only an archer needs to hide in a place and snipe him, a famous immortal disciple, would be burping.

Therefore, after arriving in Luoyang, Chen Xu stopped to rest and ordered the accompanying guards to protect the strong day and night. At the same time, he also arranged some guards to go to Hangu Pass in advance to inquire about the movements of the Ji brothers.

As a famous hero in Guanzhong, Chen Xu believes that as long as he carefully inquire, he can still find some clues.

Just when Chen Xu arrived in Luoyang for a short time, some of the men who followed Chen Xu and others along the way with Zhong Limei and Chen Xu and others also left for Guanzhong.

When did this statement originate in Guanzhong be unexplained, and the specific meaning of it has been different in the past dynasties, but generally speaking, the scope of Guanzhong should be the Wei River Plain, which is the old nest of Qin.

The most widely said in later generations is that the Guanzhong area refers to the four fortresses, including Dongtongguan (Hangu Pass), Xisanguan (Dazhen Pass), Nanwuguan (Languan), and Beixiaoguan (Jinsuo Pass). This area is the main body of the Wei River Basin. After the Zheng State Canal was repaired, the Wei River Plain became a huge granary. When Zhang Yi offered Qin's strategy for a long journey, he once said, "The fields in Guanzhong are rich, the people are rich, the chariots are ten thousand chariots, and the fertile fields are thousands of miles, and the accumulation of fertile fertility is a so-called Tianfu, the world is the mighty country in the world."

Therefore, the name of the Kingdom of Heavenly Mansion in the Guanzhong Plain is half a century earlier than that of the Chengdu Plain.

Hangu Pass is the throat of Guanzhong and the east and west roads of the princes of the Central Plains. It is located in the Plateau in the west, Juejian in the east, Qinling in the south, and Yellow River in the north. It is one of the earliest fortresses built in Chinese history. It has been a battleground for military strategists since ancient times. It has a very similar military status to Jianmen Pass, which is a man who can only open tens of thousands of men. However, Qin Pass is still there now, and the Jiange Pass built by Zhuge Liang is still not even slag.

After staying in Luoyang for three days, as the guards exploring the road conditions continued to report information, although they had not yet found any information about the Ji brothers, Chen Xu finally decided to start the journey. The closer they were to Xianyang, he became more and more anxious. It had been more than four months since he left the house. Although the guards who returned to Xianyang and Zhang Cang who went to Langya to help, they all said that the fifth princess gave birth to a daughter and that the mother and daughter were safe. The whole of Xianyang had been lively for a long time because of this incident. Even the Daqin Metropolis Daily published a news notice to the world to congratulate him, but as the culprit, Chen Xu had not seen his daughter yet, so he was very eager to go home to visit him quickly.

In order to ensure Chen Xu's safety, at the request of Yu Wuya Shui Qingrou Jiang Chuxing and others and a group of guards, Chen Xu was forcibly placed in a dilapidated but thickened carriage. After all, anyone can die in this group, but Chen Xu cannot die. Once Chen Xu is assassinated, the world may be in chaos in an instant. Because the Qin Dynasty lost the protection of the disciples of the immortal family, the princes and nobles of the first six countries will definitely jump out and promote hype, which will make the people panic.

Chen Xu sat in the carriage, and he didn't even dare to stretch his head out the window to see, because once he stretched out, he would be forced into it by Yu Wuya, and he repeatedly reminded him not to show his head.

After passing Luoyang, the Oriental Road became more and more prosperous and busy, with cars and horses coming and going in an endless stream. In order to ensure Chen Xu's safety, the team could only choose to avoid a large number of caravans and crowds and move forward slowly. One day after passing Mianchi, and finally arrived in Taolin County the next afternoon, less than five miles from Hangu Pass.

Hangu Pass was named after it was in the valley, which was as deep as a dangerous place as a Han. From Wushan in the east to Tongjin in the west, it was commonly known as Hangu, which was known as a natural danger. Since its construction, there have been garrisons at the gate. Although the Great Qin now unified the six kingdoms, as the throat of the Great Qin capital, there are still two thousand soldiers here, led by a commander, and there are also special guards, with a fourth-rank official position. It can be seen that Hangu Pass is still very important in the minds of the court.

The city gate is ten feet high, with the slits and the squarellis of the arrow tower, and it stands in the narrow canyon, looking extremely majestic. Although it has never been closed, businessmen and traveling from east to west must get off the horse and get out of the car for inspection. Any suspicious person will be arrested and interrogated by soldiers. The walls on both sides of the pass are hung with wanted criminals. Zhang Liang, who assassinated the emperor three years ago, is still on the list.

There were bustling in front of Hangu Pass, and a large number of caravans and caravans got off here and lined up through the pass. More than a dozen soldiers were staring at the hands of long spears and staring at the people entering and leaving. Anyone who found suspicious images would be forced to drag them to the side and carefully checked them. If they did not have waist cards or hesitated, they would be dragged directly to the barracks and detained.

A group of people dressed up and stood on the edge of the Eastern Road half a mile away from Chengguan. Looking at the crowded and slightly chaotic traffic situation, Chen Xu couldn't help but frown, "Why are there so many people at the gate?"

"Marty, Hangu Pass is the only way to Guanzhong, and it is not surprising that there are many people!" Jiang Chuxing said.

"No, I often come and go to and from Dongfang Road to Hangu Pass, but there are not so many business trips and pedestrians gathering on weekdays!" Zhang Cang shook his head.

"Mr. Marquis, there are too many messy people here and the passage is slow. Once you enter the pass, Hangu is as narrow as a sheep's intestine, and you can only pass by bicycle. If an assassin ambushes, the crowd will inevitably cause chaos. The subordinates recommend diverting the route to Wuguan. Although it will take half a month to go, it is better to be safe!" The leader of the guard whispered beside him.

Chen Xu knew very well about the situation of Hangu Pass. He had walked back and forth several times, because behind Hangu Pass there was an extremely narrow canyon. The steep and narrow bottom on both sides is called Hangu. This extremely narrow valley is the origin of the name of Hangu Pass. The carriages do not have square tracks and horses do not reinforcing each other. This is the description of Hangu in history books. The narrowest place can only accommodate a carriage. Both sides are cliffs dozens of feet high, and the terrain is extremely dangerous.

Once you enter the pass and enter Hangu, you can only pass slowly between the caravans and pedestrians in front and behind. You can't even think about it. Once you are ambushed, you have no chance to avoid or escape.

Chen Xu pinched his chin and pondered for a long time and couldn't make a decision.

It takes several times more time to take a detour to Wuguan, and it is not safe. Wuguan Road is still an old road, also sandwiched in the deep valleys of mountains and ridges. Not to mention the rugged and bumpy places, some places are still narrow and dangerous, and even the roads are washed and collapsed by heavy rain. Not to mention whether they are ambushed in the deep mountains and valleys, if the terrain cannot be unfolded, there is no guarantee of safety. Although the muskets are sharp, they are actually far less convenient than bows and arrows, and they are even less powerful than strong bows and crossbows. They do not have much advantage except that they can disturb the enemy by making a lot of noise. Moreover, the Ji brothers are famous rangers, and they must be powerful people with high martial arts skills. If dozens or even hundreds of people are summoned to attack suddenly, apart from a group of brave guards, these young men may suffer heavy casualties and injuries in panic.

Of course, in addition to Wu Pass and Hangu Pass, you can also take a boat to take a waterway and go up the river to return to Xianyang, but it consumes more time and energy, and there are also huge risks. Once you are attacked on the river, the possibility of the ship being destroyed is greater.

Your mother drank a gourd!

Chen Xu was so depressed that he almost slapped his chin off.

He finally understood the reason why the monarchs in the prosperous Han and Tang dynasties had to arrange the imperial capital in Chang'an. As long as they guarded the four natural dangers, Guanzhong would be almost impossible to break.

"Marty, someone is approaching!" Just when Chen Xu was worried and depressed, a guard whispered to remind him. Chen Xu came back to his senses and looked in the direction pointed by the guard. Sure enough, he saw three men with hats riding horses from the direction of the city gate. His movements were concealed, but it was obvious that the target was in his own direction.

Soon three horses approached, and a guard came forward to interrogate for a while before bringing the three of them over. The leader lifted his hat and showed his face. It was Liu Bang, and both of them were guards of the Qinghe Marquis' Mansion.

"Marty~" Liu Bang and the two guards bowed happily.

Chen Xu finally breathed a sigh of relief and waved his hand and said, "This is not a place to speak, let's go!"

A group of people rode their horses and left in front of the city gate. Soon after, they came to a secluded place. The guards scattered around them. After Chen Xu dismounted, he asked: "How did you find out about the situation of the Ji brothers?"

"Marty, Xiao He and I have not found out the whereabouts of the Ji brothers, but the two must have colluded with Zhongli to prepare to assassinate the Marquis. Over the past month, many of the guys gathered in the county seats near Wuguan and Hanguguan have disappeared. Therefore, Ji advised the Marquis not to rush to return to Xianyang, and make arrangements after they have investigated the situation more clearly!" Liu Bang replied with a serious expression.

"It's too late. A few days ago, I heard in Luoyang that the emperor had arrived in Nanyang County, and he would go to Dongfang Road to return to Xianyang at most half a month. I must go back before the emperor returns to Xianyang, not to mention that there is another thing that is very urgent. This marquis cannot continue to wait!" Chen Xu shook his head.

After hesitating for a while, Liu Bang said, "If the Marquis wants to return to Xianyang quickly, Hangu Pass is the only way, but the Hangu Road in the Pass is extremely steep and narrow, and the traffic is very slow. Ji observed the pass around the pass for more than half a month and found that the number of merchants and vehicles and cars entering and leaving Hangu Pass in and out of Hangu Pass in recent days has suddenly increased by nearly twice. If the Marquis rashly enters the pass, he may encounter an unexpected accident. Ji is worried that the Marquis' identity has been investigated by the Ji brothers. The best way is to abandon the carriage and horses to pass the pass quickly. As long as you pass through Hangu, even if you encounter an ambush, it must be much safer!"

"My benefactor, Liu Ji said it well. The best way is to divide it into two routes. The convoy passes the level normally as usual, while we disguised ourselves as business travelers to pass the level separately!" Yu Wuya nodded and said.
Chapter completed!