Western Fleet

Author: Du Guanghui
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-06-01
Features: For many years, the stories of Wu Laodai and the carters have never ceased to dance in my thoughts, tormenting me until my soul was restless for a moment. By the time I reached middle age, especially living in the flashy metropolis far from the primitive, wild, rugged, and sincere, I connected them together again. Those powerful and tragic stories shook me to the core of my soul. On the western official road, a long dragon of people, livestock, carts, and dogs slowly moved through the desert ancient road and steep mountain slopes. At the age of three, Wu Laodai embarked on the Great Wall of a thousand years to fulfill the great mission of regaining the brain of the cart gang and glorifying his ancestors, starting his life as a carter. The fierce wind, sudden snow, and stormy rain in the northern frontier, as well as the scorching sun of the desert and the fragrance of ancient trees and lonely smoke, tempered his robust physique and the charm of human nature. The carters often toiled on the ancient road, only able to relieve their thirst and scatter seeds along the way in opium dens, gambling dens, and brothels, while the women stayed dry at home all year round. Zhang Fucai, the head of Sanzhuang Village, was like an old donkey fully rested, wandering among the mares in the village, mounting whoever he pleased. He ruined the eldest daughter of the Hou family and then set his sights on the second daughter. Despite the carters' resistance, they couldn't do anything about him. The team leader, like a mountain, pressed down on the old carters. After liberation, Hou San finally became the master of Sanzhuang Village. He wanted to live like Zhang Fucai, enjoying delicious food and drinks, and choosing women as he pleased. When Hou San strolled, enjoying the nods and bows of the villagers, he felt great, like an emperor on a parade. If he met a woman he liked, he would slap his military satchel, which symbolized power and interests, and proudly ask, "Do you want to earn a certificate?" This book is the long work of Shaanxi writer Du Guanghui. With a rugged pen, he depicts the legends of the ancient official road and tells the life story of the northern frontier.