On the mighty canal, there is an endless stream of ships going north and south. The most common ones are tank ships used to transport goods, also known as flat-bottomed shallow boats. According to customization, the bottom of the shallow boat is five feet and two feet long, and the bow and
The length of the stern is nine feet and five inches, and the width of the bottom is nine feet and five inches. Each ship can carry 2,000 stones of grain.
These ships followed the canal from south to north, continuously transporting rice produced in the south of the Yangtze River to the north, supplying it to the emperor, officials in the capital, and soldiers at the northern borders. On their return journey, they often carried some rice with them.
Coal and other products produced in the north were transported to the south. In the era before the advent of railways, the canal was the main artery connecting the north and the south of China.
Among these tank ships, there is also a kind of passenger ship that is modified from the tank ship. These passenger ships have spacious cabins, and the doors and windows are decorated with dragons and phoenixes, which are beautiful. Some ships also have balconies.
VIPs on the ship can sit on the balcony, drink and watch the scenery, turning a boring journey into a luxurious experience.
In the early winter of the 18th year of Wanli, an ordinary passenger ship left Zhangjiawan, Tongzhou, and sailed southward along the canal. In Zhangjiawan, many ships arrived and departed from the port every day. The departure of this passenger ship,
Naturally it won't attract anyone's attention.
In the cabin, Su Hao was lighting a small charcoal stove and drinking wine with veteran Xu Guangzu. To be precise, Xu Guangzu was mainly drinking, and Su Hao was drinking tea. After Xu Guangzu drank a few glasses of wine, he started to chatter.
:
"Su Gaizhi, Su Gaizhi, you said that you were demoted to Huai'an to build river embankments, and it was your own fault. Why did you insist on dragging me along with you, little old man?"
Su Hao chuckled and said: "Uncle Xu, I asked you to take you out of Beijing to relax with good intentions, why do you have to take the back seat? Huai'an is famous all over the world, especially the exquisite Huaiyang cuisine. I invite you to Huai'an because it is
You are here to enjoy your happiness, so please don’t misunderstand me.”
"Pull him down, what a blessing!" Xu Guangzu said disdainfully, "Don't think that I don't know what Su Gaizhi is thinking. You are worried that after arriving in Huai'an, you will not be able to get along with the officers and soldiers of the Huai'an Guards and Caoyun General Military Mansion.
So you asked me, Lao Xu, to shield you from the arrows. Tell me yourself, do you have this bad intention?"
Su Hao said: "Uncle Xu Shengming. However, talking about blocking arrows is too hurtful. After all, my survey camp is also an officer and soldier of the Ming Dynasty. How can I block any arrows?"
Xu Guangzu said: "I have heard about it a long time ago. It was the emperor who said that your survey camp will not listen to the orders of the Huai'an Guards. Everything is up to you, Su Gaizhi. The commander of the Huai'an Guards... let me
Think about it, it seems to be Li Shida, it would be strange for him to be happy."
Su Hao said: "Uncle Xu, it seems that I have found the right person when I ask you to come out. You can name any of these guards' commanders. I don't think even Wang Shangshu can do it with this skill alone."
arrive."
"That's natural." Xu Guangzu said proudly, "When these generals come to the capital to do business, I, Old Xu, pick them up and send them off. Who else can be more familiar with them than me?"
"That's it. Uncle Xu, the veteran general, takes action, one can stand up to the three of them. Whether my nephew can stand in Huai'an this time depends entirely on you, Uncle Xu." Su Hao tried his best to put a high hat on Xu Guangzu, which made Xu Guangzu even more proud.
stand up.
"Su Hao, if you want me to help you, you have to give me some official title, right? Your survey camp is now a Qianhu Office, what kind of position do you want to give your Uncle Xu?" Xu Guangzu asked.
Su Hao said solemnly: "Advisor! Uncle Xu, you will be my consultant for the survey camp from now on."
"Consultant, what do you mean?" Xu Guangzu asked in surprise.
Su Hao said: "What this means is that you don't have to take on any responsibilities. When you can take care of it, just ask. When you can't take care of it, you don't have to ask. What do you think of this position?"
"This sounds interesting." Xu Guangzu said, "Then what grade is this?"
"It's hard to say what your level is." Su Hao said, "If you want to determine the level, then the Martial Arts Department will have to report you. If you want to get this report, you must first take a test. You can get it by taking the Four Books and Five Classics."
? We don’t determine the rank of this consultant position. You just need to know one thing, that is, this position is the largest in the survey camp, and it is higher than my title."
"Haha, it's settled then." Xu Guangzu burst into laughter. Of course he knew that Su Hao was talking nonsense, but this kind of nonsense was quite offensive to his temper. At Xu Guangzu's age, he had already lost all interest in power and interests.
He was indifferent, and what he cared more about was whether he could gain the respect of others. Although Su Hao was promoted to a thousand households, he was still able to serve as his juniors one by one in front of him. This alone was enough to satisfy Xu Guangzu.
"Uncle Xu, please drink slowly first. This 40-year-old daughter's red wine has great stamina. After you drink too much, don't go to the side of the ship. Remember to ask someone to accompany you when you go in and out, okay?" After chatting for a while, Su Hao stood up.
He stood up and gave instructions to Xu Guangzu.
"Where are you going?" Xu Guangzu pointed at Su Hao with the finger holding the wine glass and asked.
Su Hao said: "I'll go find Ma Yu and the others and talk to them about river management."
"Why are you so anxious? This river has been cured for hundreds of years, and you only need a moment of time?" Xu Guangzu muttered, but before he said a few words, his upper and lower eyelids started to fight, and soon it was over.
He fell to the ground and fell into a deep sleep.
Su Hao stepped forward, pulled a quilt to cover Xu Guangzu, called a soldier and asked him to guard Xu Guangzu, and then walked to the back cabin of the ship.
This boat carried more than 60 people, including the more than 50 soldiers from the survey camp who came to Beijing with Su Hao, and five embroiderers in charge of embroidery. In addition, Xu Guangzu, Chen Guanyu and Ma Yu,
Jiang Yida and others were the right-hand men that Su Hao brought to Huai'an Mansion.
When Su Hao went to Huai'an Mansion, to use a saying from later generations, it is called challenges and opportunities coexist. From the perspective of opportunities, this gave him a platform to do things, allowing him to display his talents. From the perspective of challenges, it was
He has to face Huai'an Mansion, Huai'an Guards, Hedao Governor's Yamen, Caoyun Governor's Yamen and other forces. Each force is much stronger than him, and it is still unclear whether it is friend or foe. Su Hao will face the situation in the future.
Very intricate.
Under such circumstances, Su Hao naturally could not go to Huai'an with his mother Yang Gendi and sister Lu Xiuer. Both mother and daughter were a little sad about this, but there was nothing they could do about it. In that era, men went out to work and women stayed at home.
It is a matter of course that Su Hao has a lot of money in the capital. He needs someone to take care of him, and Lu Xiuer is such a role.
Those who were not able to follow Su Hao to Huai'an Mansion include Hao Qing, Luo Yuqing and Xu Guangqi. The three of them are now the persons in charge of the industrial park and it is impossible for them to leave. According to Su Hao's calculations, if the industrial park is completed, the initial
With a few products such as high manganese steel waist knives and vanity mirrors, he can earn tens of thousands of taels of silver a year. These profits are crucial for Su Hao to start his own business.
Ma Yu and others did not undertake the specific projects of the industrial park, so after Su Hao was appointed to be the director of the river in Huai'an Prefecture, he cordially invited these people to go with him. Ma Yu and others had already been convinced by Su Hao
, otherwise they would not have rushed all the way from Jiangxi to the capital just because of a letter from Su Hao. Now, when they heard that Su Hao was going to Huai'an Prefecture to regulate the river, they naturally had to go with him without hesitation.
Su Hao asked someone to send a message to Wang Xijue, requesting that Ma Yu and others also have a title. This request was of course extremely simple for a cabinet minister. Shortly after Su Hao was appointed as the director of the Ministry of Industry,
Ma Yu and others were also appointed by the Ministry of Personnel. Among them, Ma Yu served as the director of the Hedao Camp Repair Office, with a rank of seven, while Jiang Yida and another student, Tan Qi, served as deputy directors, with a rank of eight.
According to normal procedures, a scholar has to pass the imperial examination to become an official, and sometimes it may take decades to reach a seventh-grade official position. Ma Yu and others only got a position in the cabinet because they followed Su Hao.
The opportunity that appeared in front of him made him reach the sky in one fell swoop, which was undoubtedly extremely lucky. Thinking of these benefits, they naturally became even more respectful to Su Hao.
While Su Hao was drinking with Xu Guangzu, Ma Yu and others stayed in the back cabin and concentrated on studying information about Huai'an Mansion, the Yellow River, and the Huaihe River. Seeing Su Hao come in, several people stood up, bowed and saluted: "
Chief Su is here."
"Stop it, stop it!" Su Hao waved his hands repeatedly, "If you don't welcome me here, there's no need to disgust me like this, right?"
"Why did you say this?" Ma Yu asked in surprise. He had been calling Su Hao's official title along with everyone else, but when Su Hao interrupted him, he subconsciously called out Su Hao's nickname again.
Su Hao smiled and said: "That's right. You usually call me by my younger brother's cousin. Why are you suddenly so polite now and calling me by my official title?"
Tan Qidao: "Mr. Su, you are our superior officer now. We still have to observe the necessary etiquette."
Su Hao said: "Why go up and down? Maybe in a few days, I, the head of the sixth rank, will be beaten, but one of you may be promoted to the sixth or fifth rank because of your outstanding merits. In this officialdom,
Who can tell me clearly? I only know one thing, no matter what grade someone is, we are all students who took the exam in the same year, and we will still treat each other as brothers from now on, unless you don’t want to recognize me, Su Hao, as your brother."
"Haha, Gai Zhi is indeed a sweet-tempered person. I told you before that if you call Gai Zhi his official title, he will be angry." Jiang Yida laughed and said to everyone.
Su Hao asked: "Who came up with the idea for you to call me by my official title?"
The three people looked at each other, waved their hands at the same time and said: "It's okay not to mention this matter. It's just my fault that I used my villain's heart to judge my brother's gentleman's belly."
"When it comes to villains, I am definitely the youngest." Su Hao said, "Okay, these three dear brothers have been studying the information of Huai'an Prefecture these days. What have they learned and what can they teach me?" (To be continued. Please search Gone with the Wind.