Chronicles of a Journey to the North: Zhang Bei

Starting from Jimingyi, we went straight to Zhangjiakou, where we were going to have lunch.

Zhangjiakou was just a fort in the Ming Dynasty, Zhangjiakou Fort.

The original function of Zhangjiakou Fort was armament, that is, defense.

From the point of view of the terrain, this place is indeed dangerous with a man in charge.

Only in the later period, Zhangjiakou Fort gradually changed and became a small commercial city. With the labor pains in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, some people ascended to the sky, and some people drilled grass.

It used to be a fortress, and later it was a place where merchants concentrated, and now it has become a city, a big city beyond my expectations.

I searched all the way and finally found a noodle restaurant.

The name of the noodle shop is very interesting, I called a bowl of noodles. The soup was good, so I made an exception and didn't add chili.

A person's attitude towards life can be seen from eating noodles.

I drank it all in one gulp, like drinking alcohol, and ate the noodles without stopping. Sister Yu is also like this. I think we are probably supporters of the argument that 'food is only to maintain life'.

The leader eats noodles very slowly, he seems to be enjoying life more than food.

Is it better to maintain life, or to enjoy life? I think this is a problem.

There is food in the belly, and there is no panic in the heart. We set off again, all the way to the grassland Tianlu easily.

Before I came here, I had heard of the Grassland Road, and I thought it would be a scene of the sky, the wild, and the wind blowing the grass to see the cattle and sheep.

"Take you to see the snow."

The leader said so, but the reality has made our thoughts come to nothing.

The north in the early spring gave our group a lot of face, and the sun was shining brightly.

The wind is not too strong. For a person who temporarily lives in the coastal area, such a wind is just normal.

But what's the matter with the withered yellow in front of me?

Yes, the eyes are all yellow.

In the south, peaches and plums are fragrant, and young grasses and branches are vying for their heads, but here it is still a cold winter scene.

Somewhat disappointed,

But since we are here, we naturally have to take this heavenly path.

Long-distance driving was very tiring, so the driver of this car was changed, Sister Yu rested, and the daughter of the leader took over.

"Driving license test."

The leader's introduction gave me a chill. I took a sneak peek at the new driver and found... a little excited.

Sister Yu sat in the back, just said some precautions for this car, and then began to rest.

And I was also driven to the front co-driver, the leader joked: "For my safety, I will sit in the back."

The start was a little slow, but at least I didn't use the accelerator as a brake, so I gradually felt relieved.

The Tianlu Road is very narrow, all the way is withered and yellow, and some of the withered and yellow grass looks as neat as wheat grass.

I hardly encountered a car on the road, because it was written at the entrance: closed for business.

After choosing a place, everyone got out of the car and started taking pictures.

I was probably the least good at taking pictures in the group, and I felt awkward even asking for a pose, so I was criticized.

There is a slope on the right. After taking the photo, Xiaobai went down to take a look, and then said that the scenery was good, so I followed.

The soil is very loose and floating, I leaned over and pinched the withered yellow grass, smashed it!

This is the North!

Unlike the south where small bridges and flowing water, drizzle like silk, can make literati and poets flourish in poetry, the natural environment here is obviously much harsher.

And those are like planted grass, I think it should be used to fix the soil, otherwise when the wind blows, the floating soil will go with the wind and turn into dust haze.

The slope ended abruptly at a cliff ahead.

The bottom is like a grand canyon born out of thin air, no, it can't be called a canyon either.

On the way back, I asked the leader, this kind of terrain is called under the dam.

You can never see such terrain from both sides of the road, it's like... a basin with rolling hills below and small rivers flowing. Residential houses are dotted among them.

The first impression is the shock, the shock brought by the completely different landforms.

It's like a new world suddenly appeared in front of your eyes, making you want to explore it.

We lingered here for a long time, and then continued to set off reluctantly.

Because the withered yellow was taking over our sight, we decided to go to another place.

——Zhang Bei!

Zhangbei has a long history, and has been changing ownership in the back and forth between the nomads and the Central Plains. It was once the central capital of the Yuan Dynasty.

In the early Ming Dynasty, this place was Xinghe Mansion. After a counterattack, it was regained again, and it was returned to the territory of the Ming Dynasty, and became the Xinghe Guard of the Thousand Households of the Ming Dynasty.

Here is the final point of our trip - Xinghebao in the book!

Naturally, there is no way to see Xinghe Fort. Standing on a high slope, I look at Zhangbei County, and there is a small river below.

The frozen river looks white. If it is not for the time constraint, I think I will go down and have a look, and re-experience the fun of breaking ice by the river when I was a child.

There is a windmill on the top of the slope, and the huge fan blades are blown by the wind, making a whining sound.

Naturally, there are no historical sites to be seen here. Except for some buildings in the county town, the surrounding fields are vast.

"Xinghe Bo cast Jingguan here, let's have one too."

The leader suggested that everyone built a pile of stones with stones to chat with each other.

But when it came to Yanniang's eye, there was nothing he could do, whether it was 8000 or Xiaobai who carved an eye on the stone, and he was done.

The knight started the live broadcast and asked Sister Yu: "Sister Jazz, is your next book a female video?"

Sister Yu replied solemnly: "Yes, female frequency."

A group of people leaned forward and back together laughing.

Happiness is never complicated. If you relax your heart, all you see is beautiful scenery, so you will be happy naturally.

Come with pleasure, come back with excitement!

I think this is the highest state of travel!

We started our return journey, and when we entered a hilly area, I think this should be the Yehuling area back then.

I still remember that the origin of Yehuling is that there are many foxes. The mountains and ridges in front of him were undulating, and the fox was nowhere to be seen, just silent.

This is the dividing line between nomadism and farming. Entering this place is farming.

When the nomads are strong, this is the entrance to the southward invasion.

When the Central Plains is strong, this is the exit to attack.

Looking at the gray mountains, I have witnessed the rise and fall of the millennium, and also witnessed countless joys and sorrows.

All the way back to Zhangjiakou, the room has been booked here.

The last day is always a bit sad, and then the leader is happy again, because he found that he lost his coat, and he lost it during lunch at noon, and he lost it in the noodle shop.

Don't worry about the coat, but the ID card inside is a headache.

Fortunately, I was lucky, and after some phone calls, the clothes and ID card were still there.

Drinking, chatting all over the world, in the end there were only three people left, and it lasted until after two o'clock in the morning.

...

In order to avoid the rush hour of traffic, we set off to return to Beijing before dawn the next morning, thus ending our trip to the north.

Thanks to the leader and Sister Yu for the preparation and hospitality. This was a successful party, and it was also a joyous one. I think no matter how long it takes, it will be retrieved from memory from time to time, and slowly recollected...