From the capital to Huai'an, we walked all the way by water, traveling day and night in the cabin. No one felt any hardship. Su Hao chatted with Xu Guangzu about marching and fighting every day, and discussed some ideas on river management with Ma Yu and others.
, and gradually formed some of my own ideas.
After the boat passed Weishan Lake, Su Hao asked the boatman not to take the middle canal, but to turn towards Xuzhou and take the section of the Yellow River between Xuzhou and Huai'an. This was the section of the Yellow River that the imperial court appointed Su Hao to assist Pan Jixun in managing.
The boat was sailing on the Yellow River. Su Hao and others stood on the bow of the boat. Looking up, they could see the majestic embankments on both sides of the river, which tightly bound the turbid water in the river and prevented it from spreading to both sides. On the embankments,
There were servants coming and going, carrying load carts and carrying earth and rocks to continue to raise the river embankment. Not far away, you could see several managers in official uniforms or junior official uniforms, facing the servants.
Pointing fingers. Several times, Su Hao even saw scenes of managers waving whips to beat slave laborers. This kind of thing could not be considered an atrocity at that time, and everyone around him was calm about it.
It was the dry season of the Yellow River, and the water level in the river was not high. People on the boat could not see the ground outside the river embankment. However, judging from the tops of the big trees exposed on the river embankment, Su Hao knew that this section of the river was already far higher.
The ground has become a new overhanging river. Once the levee breaks, it's unclear where the river will rush to.
"The Yellow River can be raised by more than three inches in a year, and can be raised by one foot in 30 years. If we don't break through and take another route, in the long run, the river will become a mountain ridge." Ma Yu said.
Jiang Yida also said: "Since the Song and Yuan Dynasties, up to the Guo Dynasty, the Yellow River has breached and changed its course many times. Each change of course left a section of mountain ridges like this, dividing the entire lower reaches of the Huaihe River into pieces of depressions. In many places, fertile farmland was lost due to accumulation.
The water has formed a lake and it is no longer possible to farm. This is the source of the suffering of the people."
"Our mission this time is called to regulate the river, but it actually means regulating the river, Huaihe River, and transportation. For so many years, the imperial court's strategy has been to sacrifice the people on both sides of the Huaihe River to ensure the transportation of the river. The price paid is too high. I hope we can come here
Coming here can bring some blessings to the people," Su Hao said.
The passenger ship traveled on the Yellow River for another three days, passing through Fangcun, Xiapi, Zhongwu, Taoyuan, Qingkou and other water stations along the way, and finally arrived at Huai'an Port.
From a distance, Su Hao saw a group of people standing on the pier of the port. They were all wearing thin clothes, standing in the cold wind and looking towards the canal. The closer the ship was, the more clearly they could see.
Most of the people were men, ranging from sixty or seventy to thirteen or fourteen years old. Occasionally there were a few women, mixed in the crowd of men, who seemed a little cramped, but unwilling to stay outside the circle.
All these people have some common characteristics, that is, their clothes are piled with patches, and their gray faces show a bit of color. They are obviously a group of people who are extremely poor.
Before the boat even docked, those people started shouting. Some people were speaking Huai'an dialect, while others were speaking Mandarin, but Su Hao couldn't tell what was happening amid the noise. He looked at those people and waved again.
, was shouting again, Su Hao was very surprised, and quickly called the boss of the ship to ask what was going on.
"These are all people who carry work on the dock." The ship boss said, "They are both long-term and short-term workers. If you give them a few buns, you can hire them to work for a whole day. If you catch up and become an official or do business in Huai'an, you want to buy a few
A servant, a girl, etc. can also be used, and the price is not expensive."
"They're just slaves, why are there girls?" Su Hao asked, "I think among these people, although there are a few women, they are just old mothers. There are no girls in their forties or fifties."
Shiplao Daodao: "Of course this little girl can't hang out with a group of grown men. They are all waiting by the side. After the ship docks, you will know when you go ashore and take a look. Squatting under the wall, there are five if not a hundred.
10. You can buy one for a few dozen coins."
"A few dozen coins..." Su Hao just felt like he was sweating. After all, he is still a person, so how can he be worth dozens of coins.
The boat boss shook his head and said: "My lord, you have been in the capital for a long time, and you don't know the sufferings of the people. Last year and this year, the Huaihe River swelled, and the crops in the fields were lost nine out of ten times. These people are all victims of the disaster in the surrounding countryside.
, it would be good to escape to the city of Huai'an. The government provides porridge every day, and you can do odd jobs to earn some money when you get the chance. If you can be sold to a wealthy family, you can at least eat. If you don't have the ability to escape,
Those who eat tree bark, eat Guanyin soil, and even eat people are miserable."
"Are you saying that if these people can sell themselves into slavery, they will be lucky?" Su Hao asked.
Mr. Chuanlao said: "What the official said is exactly what he said. Whether he is a slave or not, how can he have a full stomach?"
Su Hao really wanted to talk to the ship boss about the universal principle of "give me freedom or give me death". After thinking about it for a moment, he couldn't help but laugh at himself. Only people who have never been hungry would talk about the issue of survival if they don't eat food.
It can't be solved. Talking about other things is just a pain in the ass.
"Old Chen, come here." Su Hao turned around and shouted.
"Proprietor, I'm here." Chen Guanyu came in response. After Su Hao was appointed as the director of the Ministry of Industry, he officially hired Chen Guanyu as his master, and Chen Guanyu called Su Hao
, has also changed from the original "Master Su" to "the proprietor". If he wasn't afraid of calling Su Hao old, he would have wanted to call Su Hao "Dong Weng". It is said that it looks more arrogant.
Su Hao whispered something to Chen Guanyu, and Chen Guanyu nodded repeatedly. Su Hao called a few soldiers from the survey camp and asked them to change into civilian clothes, and later accompanied Chen Guanyu to handle some confidential matters.
matter.
When the boat docked, those who were carrying the labor on the shore swarmed up, and the shouts became even more urgent:
"Sir, do you want to carry your luggage?"
"My lord, do you want to hire a housekeeper? I have practiced in the Shaolin Temple."
"Master, do you want a girl who can warm the Kang? My daughter is only fourteen and she is very beautiful..."
Everyone shouted and shouted, but they kept some order and did not dare to block the passage for merchants to go ashore. Deng Kui shouted on the boat, and a group of soldiers from the survey camp got off the boat first with spears in their hands. The spear tips were shining with cold light, facing the
The group of people who were carrying the work immediately became silent, and each one subconsciously took a few steps back. They just looked at Su Hao and others who were disembarking from the boat with hopeful eyes, and did not dare to make too much noise.
times.
"I asked. In the past, there was a laborer who disturbed an official passing by Huai'an in order to grab business. The official's followers took action and hacked five of them to death on the spot." Jiang Yida walked beside Su Hao and introduced in a low voice.
"Who did it? What happened next?" Su Hao asked in shock.
Jiang Yida smiled coldly and said: "I didn't ask who did it. However, I heard afterwards that each victim's family was paid a few coins to settle the matter. For these people, being killed
Or starve to death, what difference does it make? No one will make a fuss about a few people dying."
"In troubled times, human life is as cheap as a dog. The ancients are sincere and I can't bully them." Su Hao sighed.
"What Brother Gai said is wrong. We are in a peaceful and prosperous age now. If your words are heard by the Yanguan and you read a copy, it will be enough for you." Ma Yu reminded from the side.
Su Hao shook his head and stopped arguing with them. Looking at the appearance of the victims in front of him, he felt heavy in his heart. In the late Ming Dynasty, famines continued in various places and people were displaced. This eventually led to the peasant uprising in the late Ming Dynasty and the destruction of the Ming Dynasty.
If only the imperial court could eliminate these hidden dangers in time, how could the powerful Ming Dynasty collapse?
Officials from the Ministry of Industry and Huai'an Guard who came to greet Su Hao and his party had also arrived. Since Su Hao was not a high-ranking official, there was no welcoming ceremony at the dock. They just met each other and exchanged a few words.
That's all.
Su Hao also had dual identities of the Ministry of Industry and the military. Regarding this, the Ministry of Industry and Huai'an Guard also coordinated. As a result of the coordination, the Ministry of Industry arranged an official office for Su Hao in Huai'an City, called
The main office of the river is called the main office for short. Su Hao, Chen Guanyu, Ma Yu, Jiang Yida, Tan Qi and others all live in the main office. The front office is the office and the back office is their residence.
As for the Huai'an Guards, they were responsible for providing places for Deng Kui and the soldiers of the Kanyu Camp, including the Qianhu Yamen of the Kanyu Camp in Huai'an City, and the barracks outside the city. The daily command of the Kanyu Camp was by the deputy
Deng Kui of Qianhu was in charge, so he was stationed in the Yamen of Kanyuying. In the future, Kanyuying would have to recruit and train soldiers, and these tasks would be completed in the barracks outside the city.
As a consultant specially hired by Su Hao, Xu Guangzu followed Su Hao to settle in the principal's Yamen. In addition, Su Hao also brought five embroiderers. Because he was worried that it would be inconvenient for them to live with the soldiers, they also settled in the principal's Yamen.
Su Hao himself did not bring his family to take office, so he just made room for these embroiderers to live in the small courtyard where the officials' families lived.
Su Hao brought more than fifty soldiers with him, so there was no need to hire porters to help carry the luggage. The people who carried the work on the dock watched for a while, and then left in anguish. No one noticed that Chen Guanyu brought
Several plainclothes soldiers from the Kanyu Camp were also among them, and they didn't know what they were doing.
The liaison person sent by the Ministry of Industry was named Zhang Xiang, a clerk from the Water Department of the Ministry of Industry. He led Su Hao and others on foot for two quarters of an hour before arriving at the Chief Yamen. Looking from the outside, the Chief Yamen
The gate is a bit dilapidated. According to Zhang Xiang, this was the Yamen of a warehouse ambassador in Huai'an Prefecture. Later, the warehouse was evacuated or moved for some reason, and the Yamen site was vacated.
After receiving the news from the court that Su Hao and others came to take up the post, the Huai'an Mansion specially sent people to clean up and repair the courtyard, put up a sign, and it became the Yamen in charge of the river.
When Su Hao and others arrived, the door of the principal's office was ajar, and there was no guard at the door. Zhang Xiang opened the door, walked in first, and shouted loudly into the yard:
"Old Zhang, Old Li, come out quickly, Chief Su is here!" (To be continued. Please search Piao Tian Literature, the novel is better and updated faster!)