"Clang, clang, clang~"
"Come on, come on, drink..."
Ye Jingtang led his fine horse through Jinyang City's southern gate, and the scenery before him abruptly changed. A long flagstone street came into view.
Both sides were lined with brightly lit pavilions and towers, the music of strings and pipes drifting out from within. Many pedestrians carried small umbrellas as they walked through the flurries of snow.
Fan Qinghe dismounted and walked ahead holding the reins. Though she was a visitor from a foreign land, she was introducing the place to Ye Jingtang, a Great Wei native:
"This is Golden Street. After the Southern and Northern Dynasties opened trade, Northern Liang's caravans mostly entered through Songyan Pass, Yazhou's gateway, for safety, then brought their goods to Jinyang City. They all held their banquets and conducted their business on this street. I came here before, back when I was running all over the place..."
In previous years, Ye Jingtang had mostly traveled around Liangzhou and Shazhou. This was his first visit here. Looking at the street full of glittering lights and revelry, he remarked:
"I thought the frontier was all poverty and hardship. I never expected Jinyang City to be so prosperous..."
"Liangzhou is poor because beyond it lie the Western Sea Tribes, ravenous as wolves and tigers. They have no money and are difficult to provoke, so there's no fat to skim off them. Yazhou is different. Mineral deposits cover its territory, and beyond the pass lies Northern Liang's heartland, ten thousand li of fertile soil practically dripping with wealth. Both countries station their strongest forces in the center because losing the eastern and western wings would still leave their national strength intact, but losing the center would mean a change of dynasty..."
Ye Jingtang knew little about such matters