The new year has come to February, and due to an unexpected incident, it is no longer possible to complete the Hongshui River project on schedule...
According to the progress of each construction section, of the forty-three beaches required to open the navigation route, 36 beaches have been completed, leaving the seven most difficult beaches. Although the craftsmen worked hard to dig out, they are still surrounded by dangers and still need to be counted.
Only one transfer can pass.
Whether this section of the river, which is about a hundred miles long, can be opened is also the focus of controversy in all aspects. In view of the dangerous shoals and narrow rocks here, Chen Ke, Shen Kuo and Su Song, who came specially for the purpose, organized another survey to prepare for Gu.
Overall project, Chen Ke finally made a concession and agreed to temporarily avoid these seven beaches and use dry roads instead... While overhauling the river channel, the post roads along the river were also completed. Flat and wide cement roads, one post for sixty miles along the way.
, which is completely the standard of the Song Dynasty national highway.
In fact, in Chenke, nature is unwilling to leave anything behind and regret the failure, but the craftsmen have tried their best, so they can only use the dry road first and wait until next year to make it smoother. However, although there is no hope for the completion of Qitan,
However, he did not order a shutdown, but instead raised the reward standards, encouraging the exhausted officials and citizens not to relax and to chip away at the hard bones bit by bit.
In fact, the reason we ended up in this situation today was not because Shen Kuo underestimated the construction period, but because of natural disasters...
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Such a huge project naturally aroused attention and uneasiness in Dali.
It is normal to feel uneasy. In the past thousands of years, the Thousand Miles of Hongshui River has always been a natural barrier for barbarians and a fear for business travelers. It is also an important condition for Dali to be at peace. It is unimaginable that Dali would not have high mountains.
The deep water is a natural barrier. Back then, Song Taizu could say, "This place is not mine."
Although the monarchs and ministers of Dali have surrendered their land, everyone knows that it is only a nominal title. Isn't the so-called "the sky is high and the emperor is far away" the best portrayal of this place? But if the Song Dynasty built the Hongshui River into a channel, the natural chasm would change from then on.
With the thoroughfare, the imperial court's control over Dali will be greatly enhanced.
This is something that the princes from all walks of life who still want to be emperors in Dali do not want to see it anyway. But now Dali is the territory of the Song Dynasty, and they are the ministers of the Song Dynasty. The Song Dynasty wants to build rivers on its own land, and
There is no need to ask for their opinion.
The sky fell, and all eyes were focused on the three families. Of course, the Yang family was newly defeated, far away in western Yunnan, and it was obvious that it was only under the protection of the Song Dynasty that it maintained its three-legged status. At this time, it was absolutely impossible to
This will happen.
We can only look at the Duan family and the Gao family. Duan Silian is the king of Dian. The territory of Dali is theoretically under his control; while the Gao family is the actual master of eastern Yunnan. The Song Dynasty built rivers on their territory.
You should ask some questions.
In fact, Gao Shengtai came here after hearing the news from the beginning. When he saw such a huge project, he felt his calf muscles twisting. He said to Chen Ke, who had finally met him: "Sir, what is the Celestial Empire going to do?"
"How can the prince still say 'Celestial Dynasty'?" Chen Ke smiled lightly and said, "Aren't you an official of the imperial court?"
"Oh, I've been used to it for many years. It became smooth for a while." Gao Shengtai quickly changed his words: "It's the imperial court, not the Celestial Empire."
"Be careful. We are familiar with each other. It doesn't matter what you say." Chen Ke said, "But if others listen to it, they will inevitably think that a scholar has not considered himself a Song Dynasty person." He said with a half-smile but not a smile: "
Your Majesty, you won’t really let me talk, will you?”
"No, no, absolutely not!" Gao Shengtai denied it, and quickly expressed his position: "It is a great honor for me to be a member of the Song Dynasty!"
"That's good." Chen Ke said with a relieved smile: "The prince must not be a duplicitous person, right?"
"No, no. Absolutely not." Gao Shengtai shook his head like a rattle. Liu Yue'e, who was watching coldly, couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Another stupid cow was led by the nose...
"By the way, just now the Crown Prince asked the court why he built the river?" Chen Ke turned back and said, "Didn't your father tell you?"
"My father mentioned it before, saying that the imperial court wanted to build the Hongshui River in order to transport food to the Dongchuan garrison." Gao Shengtai was completely devastated and said, "I didn't expect it to be such a waste of people and money. It's really not worth it, so the Han family has to do it. Keep supplying the army."
"I have recorded the prince's kindness." Chen Ke said calmly: "This road is not only used to transport grain and grass, it is also a meeting gift from the imperial court to Dali! Dali is rich in products, including famous horses and famous tea, but In the past, the mountain roads were difficult to navigate and transportation could not be carried out, so the people's lives have been very difficult." He paused and smiled again: "Once the boats and boats are connected, the situation will be very different! Dali's goods can be transported out or sold to the mainland. Or sell it abroad, the people's lives will be much easier, and your treasury will be full..."
He was very eloquent, and when he spoke eloquently, he spoke so highly that he felt grateful to the court for a moment. He turned around and came back to his senses, shouting in his heart: "What, what, what? It's obviously the Song Dynasty who wants to keep him in power" Only when you control Dali can you spend this much money, okay?'
But Chen Ke had already spoken quickly, forcing him to stand as a loyal minister of the Song Dynasty and unable to move. Gao Shengtai had no choice but to listen to the speech with his head sullenly, and then went back dejectedly.
However, the Gao family couldn't just let it go. As local snakes in eastern Yunnan, they had no shortage of ways to make trouble in secret. Gao Shengtai first ordered the tribes along the coast to find ways to cause trouble for the river construction. But after waiting for a long time, there was no movement. After asking around, I found out that Chen Ke promised them various benefits such as shipping fees. These tribes were looking forward to the river channel being built soon, so how could they cause trouble?
When the first plan failed, I had to try another one. Soon, rumors spread among the tribes along the coast that the Song Dynasty people built countless dams on the upper reaches of the Hongshui River, which would cause the middle and lower reaches to cut off the flow, and the tribes along the coast would die of thirst... In the context of a severe drought that year, people in various tribes also saw that the rivers had completely dried up, so rumors spread very quickly.
A Tao brings unparalleled blessings, and misfortunes never come alone. At this time, a tribe along the coast launched another plague. The epidemic was very serious. It is said that one of the four people who were infected died, and the remaining three were disfigured. So there was Rumor has it that it was because the people of the Song Dynasty blew up reefs and built dams, cut off the river water, and harassed He Bo of the Hongshui River. He Bo became angry. If the work was not stopped immediately, more people would be punished.
In addition, in people's perception, winter is the time when the plague in Dali is at its mildest, but now a plague has broken out, making the natives completely unable to sit still. Although they love money, they also care about their lives. Although they respect the Song Dynasty, they still More reverent to the gods. Fortunately, Chen Ke had close personal relations with the leaders of various tribes. They were embarrassed to break up with each other immediately, so they did not take drastic action as soon as they came up. Instead, they recalled the tribesmen who were working on the construction site and found Chen Ke. Ask for each other.
Chen Ke naturally didn't believe anything about Uncle Hebo, but the support of the tribes along the coast was related to the protection of the waterway and even the Song Dynasty's foothold in Dali. He did not dare to be careless at all. Moreover, the rumors had spread among the people.
We are all panic-stricken. If we get into trouble, not only will all our previous efforts be wasted, but something big may happen!
Although the construction period was tight, he ordered a temporary suspension of work and rushed over immediately to check the epidemic situation. This was strongly opposed by Liu Yue'e. She heard that the plague was highly contagious and firmly disagreed with Chen Ke's risking his own life.
Although Chen Ke pretended to be calm on the surface, he was actually under great pressure. He thought that with a few words of teasing as usual, he would be able to make Liu Yue'e obedient, but who knew that this little girl insisted that Qingshan would not relax and would not let him go at all?
he goes.
"Get out of my way!" Chen Ke said in a deep voice.
Liu Yue'e blocked the door, shook her head firmly and said: "No!"
"The project has stopped, and one hundred thousand people are waiting there," Chen Ke said angrily, "but you are still here holding me back!"
"I'm going to delay." Liu Yue'e frowned and said stubbornly: "I can't control that much, and I can't let you go looking for death!"
"I can't die, my life is in danger."
"Do you think you are really descended from the stars?" Liu Yue'e was not a gentle woman to begin with. Now she was so anxious that she even said with a gun and a stick: "You can't survive even if you get infected by the plague!"
"I know medicine."
"Doctors also got sick and died..."
"You..." Chen Ke didn't expect that he would lose even to Liu Yue'e in a verbal battle, and said angrily: "Get out of my way!"
"No!"
"This is outrageous!" Chen Ke said angrily: "Who am I, and you still care about me?" What he meant was, are you my mother? You still don't let me go out.
"I..." Liu Yue'e thought differently and was immediately choked up. Yes, who am I to you, do I care if you die?
Taking advantage of her being stunned, Chen Ke stepped out, mounted his horse and galloped away. The guards quickly followed.
Less than twenty miles out, Liu Yue'e was chasing after her on her sweaty horse.
"What are you following?" Chen Ke reined in the horse and asked.
"You can't control it!" Liu Yue'e's eyes were red, as if she had just cried, and it took a long time to say something.
"Why can't I control it?" Chen Ke smiled bitterly in his heart, why is it the other way around?
"Am I your soldier, or am I an officer under you?" Liu Yue'e retorted coldly: "Who am I? Can you control me?"
"Okay, stop making trouble," Chen Ke said with a helpless smile: "I just had a bad attitude, I apologize. Don't follow me, okay?" After a pause, he said in a soft voice: "Someone will die."
"You also know that someone will die." Liu Yue'e had a stubborn face, but after listening to his words, her tears couldn't stop flowing down: "Why do you still want to go?"
"I have a reason to go." Chen Ke sighed.
"I also have a reason why I have to go..."
"What reason?"
"We will die together!" Liu Yue'e bit her lower lip, staring at him with a pair of beautiful phoenix eyes, but she said with a gloomy expression: "This will save me from having to deal with my little sister..."