Chapter 154 It feels like this road is paved with money
Xia Jiang took out a few dry flour cakes from the carriage and gave one to each of Xia Qingshan and Xia Dashu. "I'm afraid I won't have time to go out until after the autumn harvest this time. Are we going to open up wasteland this year?"
Xia Qingshan took the cake, listened to his words, and said: "Lingnan now has a small population and a lot of wasteland. If we don't buy more wasteland now, when the population of Lingnan increases, even if we want to open up wasteland, we won't be able to get it close to Fucheng."
It’s a wasteland.”
Xia Jiang paused while biting the cake, "Dad, how do you know that Lingnan's population will grow in the short term?"
Xia Qingshan glanced at him and chewed the dry flour cake slowly, without any intention of helping him to clear up his doubts.
Xia Dashu saw his eldest nephew's twitching cheeks and kindly helped him to clear up his doubts, "We went to Jingzhou twice to do business. In addition, we passed through Jingzhou when we were fleeing. It can be said that we have been to Jingzhou three times in total, and we went there every time.
Have you noticed any changes in Jingzhou?"
Xia Jiang looked at Xia Dashu, tried to think back, and shook his head: "Every time I go there, I find that the streets, people, and shops have not changed much. The only change is probably the weather. Is there any problem with this?"
After hearing what he said, Xia Dashu couldn't help laughing, "The biggest problem is the lack of change. Think about it, even the remote Lingnan is getting better, but Jingzhou, which occupies a land of plenty, has not changed. Once some natural or man-made disaster happens again, the state capital next door will
Will the people of the country run to Lingnan?"
People must live in peace and contentment to work happily. If the Central Plains region continues to be in turmoil, who of the local people will be able to farm with peace of mind? By then, the population may be completely lost, and there will be truly no human habitation for hundreds of miles.
Lingnan is separated from the Central Plains by a natural barrier, which is the Nanling Mountains where they are now.
For people in the Central Plains and other places, Lingnan is a remote and desolate place, and the people are still barbaric and uncivilized.
But little did they know that Lingnan was a quiet corner, which was perfect for recuperating in such troubled times.
Of course, recuperation requires hard work and hard work in order to live an ideal life, so the Xia family had to take advantage of the first year's autumn harvest to open up more land.
Xia Jiang opened his mouth and was about to say something when the bell rang again on the mountain road.
Everyone looked up at the mountain road they had just come down. Another mule and horse team appeared on the winding mountain road. There were dozens of mule and horse carriages, no smaller than their Xia family's car team.
And the ringing they just heard was the sound made by the bells hanging on the necks of the mules and horses.
This kind of bell is usually only hung on the necks of the first and last mules and horses.
Walking at the front reminds the mules and horses behind to keep up, and walking at the back reminds them not to fall behind.
As the team approached, the leader walking at the front naturally noticed the Xia family caravan.
The leader of the team noticed the flag that the Xia family caravan put on the carriage, with a big word "xia" on it. He smiled and stepped forward, cupping his hands and saying: "We are the Chen family caravan from Changsha County. We met your Xia family here today."
It’s fate that our caravan came here. Are you coming from Lingnan or Jingzhou?”
Xia Qingshan took a step forward, cupped his fists and replied: "Xia Qingshan, leader of the Xia family, we have just come down from the mountain and are preparing to return to Lingnan."
The leader of the other team returned the favor, "I'm the leader of the Chen family, Chen Yongtian. I have long admired you!"
Xia Qingshan smiled and said: "Brother Chen, you're welcome. We've had enough rest and are about to set off. It just so happens that this open space can be freed up for you to rest."
Chen Yongtian looked back at his caravan. He was tired and needed a rest, but he noticed that the guards of the Xia family caravan were all strong and energetic. Going on the road with such a caravan, safety was guaranteed.
Thinking of this, he immediately said: "It's getting late, and staying in the mountains will always be a safety hazard. Why don't we follow your caravan down the mountain together."
Xia Qingshan understands the other party's concerns very well. He must be very cautious when going out, otherwise, if an accident occurs, the caravan will be destroyed.
"Okay, let's go down the mountain together. We will go in front. The road down the mountain is difficult, so we will try to walk more steadily. Don't worry if you follow behind. We will take our time on the way down the mountain."
Chen Yongtian was grateful for Xia Qingshan's careful care, "Then I'll spare you the trouble of exploring the road ahead. Thank you for your hard work. When we get to Lingnan Fucheng, I'll treat you to a drink."
Xia Qingshan raised his hand to refuse, "Everyone should take care of each other when going out. It's not hard work. It's just a treat."
There were hundreds of people in a team, and he didn't want to treat the Chen family's caravan, which they met for the first time, as it would be too expensive!
It’s not easy for anyone to make some money while away from home.
The two caravans set off together, and it was already two days after they completely left the Nanling Mountains.
Xia Qingshan noticed that Chen Yongtian was wiping the sweat from his face and looking obviously relieved. He walked over and asked with a smile: "I think Brother Chen seems to be very nervous all the way?"
After hearing what he said, Chen Yongtian smiled bitterly and said: "It's really hard to make a living outside these days. I'm not afraid of Brother Xia's jokes. I've been a businessman for more than ten years, and it's only in the past few years that I've been worried every time I go out.
It’s so tight that it’s not safe to reach the destination, so I don’t dare to relax for a moment, for fear of being robbed along the way, and all my years of hard work will be in vain!”
When Xia Qingshan heard this, he couldn't help laughing: "Brother Chen is overly worried. I didn't dare to talk about it before Lingnan, but now Lingnan can be said to have been free of banditry."
When Chen Yongtian heard this, he had doubts in his eyes, "Brother Xia, what do you mean by this?"
Xia Qingshan had a proud look on his face and said, "Lingnan is now the fiefdom of King Qian. You should know this, right?"
Chen Yongtian nodded, "Everyone in the world will know about this if they pay a little attention to current affairs."
Xia Qingshan pointed to the farmland on the roadside. The rice in the field has turned yellow. "Since King Qian and Princess came to Lingnan, they re-measured the land, checked the hidden households, and re-registered the acres. Basically, the people at the bottom of Lingnan have farmland."
Farming, their enthusiasm for farming is unmatched by people in other places.
In addition, Prince Qian's Mansion has vigorously rectified the area and eliminated banditry. It can be said that the rogue bandits in Lingnan have basically been reduced, and the rest have flowed to the surrounding prefectures. So you no longer have to worry about encountering rogue bandits in the Lingnan boundary in the future.
.”
Chen Yongtian couldn't believe it and asked in confirmation: "Is this serious?"
"Haha, how could I lie to you about such a thing? Of course it is absolutely true."
Chen Yongtian breathed a sigh of relief. If this was true, he would wait until he got to Fucheng to find out.
The rest of the journey was just as Xia Qingshan said, the road was uneventful and we arrived at the boundary of Fucheng without any danger.
Xia Jiang was very excited when he saw the familiar scenery. He trotted to Xia Qingshan's side and shouted excitedly: "Dad, we are almost to Fucheng, we are finally home!"
Xia Qingshan was equally excited. This time he returned safely from a business trip, "Haha, it's been two months since I left home!"
Chen Yongtian trotted to the front of the Xia family's team on horseback, bowed his hands to Xia Qingshan and said, "Congratulations, you had a smooth journey home."
Xia Qingshan cupped his fists and returned the greeting, "Congratulations, Brother Chen has successfully arrived in Fucheng."
"Haha, brother Xia is right, we are all happy together!"
Talking and laughing all the way, the caravan turned a corner along the post road, and the city wall of Fucheng could be seen in the distance.
"Hey!" Chen Yongtian, who was riding a horse, could see farther than Xia Qingshan, who was sitting on the carriage.
He pointed to the front and asked: "Brother Xia, you see there seems to be a lot of people gathered in front of you. What's going on?"
Chen Yongtian did not doubt that there were bandits in front of him. After all, it was not far from Fucheng. There could not be bandits roaming so close to Fucheng.
Xia Qingshan stood on the carriage shaft and looked up into the distance. He saw clearly the heads shaking in front of him. He shook his head and said, "I don't know, maybe there is some dispute."
As the motorcade slowly moved forward, the line of sight became clearer, and it seemed that there were many people gathered around the roadside.
"It's not like two villages are gathering to fight, right?"
Chen Yongtian looked a little solemn, "If this is possible, I think we should send two people to explore the way. If there is really a fight between two villages, then we must avoid it to avoid being accidentally injured by them."
In fact, the accidental damage was minor, and it would only be troublesome if they took advantage of the chaos and snatched away their goods.
Xia Qingshan agreed very much with his proposal and immediately asked Xia Jiang to ride his horse to find out what was going on.
Not to be outdone, Chen Yongtian hurriedly sent his servant out and asked him to follow Xia Jiang to check.
While waiting for the news, Chen Yongtian chatted with Xia Qingshan again, "What kind of dispute is this? I see a lot of people gathered. If two villages are fighting, it is to grab water, but at this time, Tian
The rice here is almost ready to be harvested, so there is no need to add any more water."
Xia Qingshan didn't want to waste time guessing, so he said: "We'll find out later. Brother Chen, please be patient."
Chen Yongtian nodded, looked forward, and frowned unconsciously.
Not long after, Xia Jiang came back with Chen Yongtian's servant.
Xia Jiang said excitedly: "Dad, the road is being built ahead, and most of the people on the roadside are watching it."
Xia Qingshan felt relieved after hearing this. He relaxed and said disgustedly: "It's just a road construction, why are you excited?"
"That's right." Chen Yongtian also asked: "It's just road construction, why are there so many people standing around to see it?"
Seeing that they didn't take it seriously, Xia Jiang shouted excitedly: "Oh, you may not know who paid for the construction of this road. It's Princess Qian!"
As he said that, he blinked at Xia Qingshan. In front of outsiders, they didn't want to reveal their identity as Xia Jing's mother's family. Firstly, they wanted to avoid trouble, so that no one would come to them to ask for help. Secondly, they were also afraid of modesty.
The enemies of the Prince's Mansion could not deal with Prince Qian's Mansion, so they used the Xia family to threaten Prince Qian's Mansion.
Chen Yongtian found it unbelievable and said in surprise: "Just because Princess Qian paid for the road construction, these people came to see it. This road construction is not the same as the road construction. What is there to see?"
Xia Jiang was overjoyed after hearing what he said, "You only know one, but not the other. There are details."
Xia Qingshan thought of the cement used to build houses. He heard that it was used for infrastructure construction. His eyes flashed but he didn't say anything.
Chen Yongtian became interested and smiled slightly: "I would like to hear the details."
"The road built by the princess is as smooth as a mirror, do you believe it?" Xia Jiang raised an eyebrow at him.
Chen Yongtian expressed doubts, "Is there such a way in the world?"
In this era, even post roads cannot be as flat as a mirror unless the stone road is paved with no gaps.
Xia Jiang smiled very proudly, "Of course, the princess has already built it. If you don't believe it, let's go over and have a look."
As he spoke, his voice changed, "However, the road is being built now and it is a one-way street. Our progress may be very slow. You must be mentally prepared."
When the caravan's carriage slowly passed through the maintenance section, Chen Yongtian saw the craftsmen filling the road with a gray mud, and then the people behind them smoothed the mud. This method of road construction made him even more confused.
Can you drive a horse-drawn carriage? Are you not afraid of the horse-drawn carriage getting stuck in the mud?
However, his idea was quickly dashed. When their carriage drove onto the repaired and hardened road, everyone felt that the carriage drove smoothly on it with almost no bumps.
Chen Yongtian took out a piece of silver from his pocket, about three or four cents, and threw it to a craftsman who was watering the road. "May I ask where this road is going to be repaired?"
The craftsman who watered the water unexpectedly got a sum of money, and his smile narrowed into a straight line. He looked at the long caravan and said: "The original plan was to build the road to Qujiang, because Qujiang is there.
There is a branch factory of our princess, but the manpower is currently limited, so the construction will be temporarily carried out to the next town, and the construction will continue after the autumn harvest."
Not only Chen Yongtian, but everyone around him took a breath after hearing his words. Fucheng is not close to Qujiang. How much money does it cost to build to Qujiang?
In fact, Xia Jing doesn't have that much money to actually build the road to Qujiang for the time being. However, fortunately, the cement is produced by her own factory, and labor is still very cheap in this era. For the time being, she can build the road to the next town until the Annan rebellion is successfully suppressed.
After capturing more prisoners, they would let the prisoners build roads to save expenses.
Chen Yongtian didn't understand some of the conditions in Lingnan, so he asked again: "I see you are using this gray mud to pave the road. What kind of material is this gray mud? Why haven't I seen it before?"
"Haha." The watering craftsman laughed loudly after hearing this. He found that this rich man was not as knowledgeable as he was.
However, because he had received the money, he knew how to control his emotions a little. After laughing, he explained: "This gray mud is called cement. It is an adhesive specially used in construction. It is very easy to use. Look at laying this cement on it."
, when the road dries, it becomes as hard as stone, and carriages can drive on it without any problem."
"Where can I buy this kind of cement?" When Chen Yongtian heard this, his eyes lit up, as if he saw a road paved with gold ingots.
The watering craftsman looked at the dime and reminded: "There is a cement factory on the outskirts of Fucheng, and there are also shops specializing in selling cement in the city. If you want to buy it, you'd better go to these two places and ask."
Chen Yongtian got a general idea and wanted to know the details more clearly. He also knew that he could only wait until he entered the city, so he didn't delay any more. He thanked the craftsmen and asked the team to speed up.
Fortunately, this section of the road has been paved with hardened cement, which is flat and straight. The carriage can drive fast and steadily on it, which is really comfortable.
Xia Jiang looked at the paved road and felt a toothache. Girl, how much money will it cost to build this road?
When he actually walked on it, Xia Jiang felt that he was walking on the money. He didn't think it was the government building the road, so why did he think it was a waste of money if individuals paid money to build it?
Thanks to chaoqiong, light clouds, xiaozuyeye, book friend 20230319339, Dingding, white pigeon whirlwind, a! Ziye, 45. Looking up at your former innocence, book friend 20210605203749283, Minmin, Luo Jiuan, Feng
Ling, Yue Jianxi, Regret 845, Supreme Goddess-ac, Sea and Cliff, Ma Yingying (Chaoyang Primary School), Yearning for the Future-ad, Happy Swallow-ed, Wang Xiaoyan-bc, zx, Heart as Still as Water, Reader 1596063352795201536, Night Star 3399