In the seventeenth year of Yongping, Yumen Pass. In the dusk, a dying Han envoy crawled through the door. His name was Zhao Yi, and he was trapped in Dayue clan for three years. When he escaped, he was the only one left among the nine people. Before he died, he thrust a copper cylinder into the hands of the garrison soldier Chen Jie - it contained ironclad evidence that Shi Wangbi, the governor of the Western Regions, had colluded with the Huns. And Wang Bi is the most trusted person around Ban Chao.
Chen Jie was illiterate and didn't even know what was written in the copper cylinder. He only remembered that Zhao Yi grabbed his hand and said: Send it to Ban Duhu.
Three hundred miles into the desert, assassins chased him all the way. The caravans on the ancient road are fake, but the hounds in the sandstorm are real. He relied on a fake copper cylinder to deceive his pursuers and survived on the skills he had developed during three years of guarding the border. After entering Shule City, Wang Ben publicly slandered him as a Huns spy and put him in prison. Whip, clamp, salt water. Three days and three nights. He carried it because Zhao Yi carried it for three years.
Ban Chao is back. Wang Ben's secret letter is irrefutable. During the confrontation in court, Wang Ben drew his sword and rushed at Chen Jie, and Ban Chao shot an arrow through the back of his hand.
"You are a garrison soldier, why?" Wang Ben asked hissingly.
"I promised a dead man to deliver something."
Chen Jie returned to Yumen Pass and took over as candidate. Three months later, a letter from Zhao Yi's wife came from Luoyang. Attached to the end of the letter was a copper coin that Zhao Yi left for her before leaving home. She said: Zhao Yi's death was not in vain, his wife and children were satisfied.
Chen Jie hung the copper coin on his waist and placed it next to the Huanshou knife. He boarded the beacon, looked northwest, and said softly: "Zhao Jun, your journey is finished. I will walk the rest of the journey for you."
The desert is windy and Populus euphratica bears witness. The mountains and rivers will not be forgotten, and the cultural context will never end.
