Chapter 154: Jiangdu was built, strange things happened frequently
"The water is so clear, why don't you come and wash it?"
A man wearing phoenix-patterned clothes knelt on the shore, scooped up a handful of river water and slapped it on his face.
Not far away, a vigorous and healthy old man stood with his hands behind his hands, looking at the lower reaches of the river. He did not respond to the man's greeting, but said silently:
"How far is it?"
The man in phoenix clothes stood up, looked at the trend of the river, and said, "If nothing else happens, we can arrive before dark. Alas, we have been walking slowly these past two days."
The old man frowned slightly and turned around.
"You stop every two miles and rest every five miles. You avoid the heat when the sun is high and hit the peak after sunset. How can you not be slow?"
"Laoguan, Laoguan, don't say that." The man in phoenix clothes laughed.
The old man known as "Lao Guan" snorted, turned around and said, "Your sneaky and cunning character is somewhat like that of your disciple."
"Hehe, he is an honest man, better than me. Let's go."
The two of them walked downstream along the river. When the sun climbed above their heads, a city appeared on the riverside.
"This is Jiangdu!" The man in phoenix clothes shouted excitedly like a child. Lao Guan glanced at him and sighed.
At this time, Jiangdu was still under construction, and even the city wall was only half poured. There were countless bare-chested craftsmen busy under the city wall. Brick-burning kilns and mud-mixing ponds were scattered outside the city, and there were even vehicles transporting materials or finished products.
, the construction site is in full swing.
When they walked to the bottom of the city, they met dozens of workers using rolling logs to transport the huge city gate to the gap in the city wall.
A soldier patrolling the construction site spotted the two men and shouted: "Hey! Don't approach the fortification site without permission! Leave quickly!"
"We have been ordered by the Minister of Industry to assist the general as a young prisoner. Here is the document!" the man in phoenix clothes responded loudly.
When the soldiers heard that they were people sent by the imperial court, they quickly went to find the highest official in charge of Jiangdu city construction, Jiang Shaojian, a middle-aged man with sparse hair and short stature.
He read the document written by the Minister of Industry, and quickly exchanged a bow with the two of them, saying:
"Sun Qian, the lower official, has met these two!"
The two of them also returned the greeting and said: "The commoners are safe as Tao, and Guan Xuan does not dare to accept this gift."
"What are you talking about? You are the masters invited by Lord Shangshu. Please follow me into the city."
Sun Qian secretly observed the clothes of the two of them, a habit he had developed over a lifetime of working in the officialdom.
The old man named Guan Zhen wore a simple long coat. Although it was not suitable for trekking through mountains and rivers, it did not get stained at all during the journey.
As for An Rudao, Sun Qian was secretly shocked. The black clothes he wore actually had a lifelike phoenix embroidered with red thread!
The phoenix is a mythical beast that can only be used by the royal family for decoration. How dare this commoner wear such clothes that require beheading?
Sun Qian withdrew his gaze and drove away his distracting thoughts. This was a person personally invited by the Minister. He could not have any arrogance, and he might have some background. He was a young general, so he shouldn't worry about it.<
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Guan Zhen held his head high, walked slowly with his hands behind his back, and looked calm. Even the craftsmen who walked by carrying building materials couldn't help but look at him and said in their hearts that he was a good-spirited old man.
An Rudao, on the other hand, was like a child going to the market for the first time, looking around and seeming to be full of curiosity about everything. Together with Sun Qian in official uniform sandwiched between the two, they formed a very conspicuous combination.
"How many people can live in this city?" An Rudao turned to look at the workers passing by him and asked.
"According to the plan, the river can accommodate 600,000 people, and it will be the largest city on both sides of the river." Sun Qian, who will be a young eunuch, puffed up his chest, "but now there are only 10,000 craftsmen and soldiers in this city."
Guan Zhen thought for a while and said: "Jiangdu guards the middle and lower reaches of the river. The terrain is dangerous, so it should be an important military town, right? With the garrison, wouldn't it have a population of one million?"
"Not that much...but it's not much different," Sun Qian said.
An Rudao asked casually: "That's strange. Since the terrain here is so dangerous, why didn't a city be built here to guard it in many troubled times in ancient times, but now that the world is peaceful, a large military town is built?"
"Uh..." Sun Qian was speechless for a moment, "This is not something that a lower official should consider. You should be careful with your words."
Guan Zhen glanced at his companion, perhaps feeling that the question just now had a profound meaning.
"Ah, right in front!" Sun Qian suddenly pointed to the half-built Zhumen mansion on the roadside.
He greeted the soldiers guarding the door and led the two of them into the yard.
Judging from the appearance, this mansion has been basically completed, which is in sharp contrast to the private houses seen along the way that only have beams and columns without bricks and tiles.
An Rudao stroked his stubble and said with a bad smile: "We haven't installed the city gate yet, but we have to build the house first. Isn't this the wrong order?"
Sun Qian quickly said: "Sir, I don't know, but there is actually a reason for building this mansion first..."
Under Guan Zhen's stern gaze, he swallowed and continued: "Actually, this is the reason why you two are invited here. Just listen to me..."
The Jiangdu City project has been in its fifth year, and everything is going according to plan without any delays. However, when the city gate was being poured, strange things happened one after another.
First, the clay kiln for firing bricks cracked for no apparent reason, and strange patterns appeared on the bricks and tiles produced; then, the molten steel used to build the city gate cooled immediately as soon as it left the furnace, turning into a pile of scrap metal; and then, the river rose overnight and rolled up the city gate.
We walked away with a large amount of building materials that had just been transported from downstream and piled on the shore.
After that, the strange things became more and more bizarre. The bridge erected over the river broke without warning, and more than 20 workers on it fell into the rolling river; hundreds of earth kilns exploded at the same time, killing and injuring more than 100 people; the soldiers on duty at night
Reports say that before midnight, there will be strong winds outside the city, flying sand and rocks will cover the sky, and strange figures will appear on the city walls.
"The Ministry of Industry sent a letter saying that there might be evil spirits causing chaos in Jiangdu City, and asked me to build an official residence first to suppress the evil spirits, so the house was built quickly. However, strange things are still happening...
"Accidents are frequent and strange things happen. Now not only the workers are panic-stricken, but even the soldiers dare not leave the camp at night. If this continues, it will inevitably affect the construction period. So I wrote to the Ministry of Industry and asked for help. Unexpectedly, the Minister replied with a personal letter to me,
He said that two experts will come to help me in half a month..."
After Sun Qian finished speaking, he wiped the sweat from his forehead, as if recalling these strange things made him frightened.
At the same time, there is a bit of expectation and awe in his eyes. The person who can be invited by Lord Shangshu must be extraordinary.
Guan Zhen's expression became serious as he listened. He looked at An Rudao and found that he was not as carefree as usual and seemed to be deep in thought.
"When did the first strange thing happen?" An Rudao asked.
"The first strange thing reported was that the molten iron solidified during the pouring of the city gate. That happened four months ago."
"But when we entered the city, we happened to see the city gate being transported to the bottom of the city. What happened?"