The transport of grain and grass from the south of the Yangtze River to the capital by water was called Caoliang. It arose in the Han Dynasty and flourished in the Northern Song Dynasty.
During Huizong's reign, eight million shi of grain from the south of the Yangtze River were transported to Kaifeng Prefecture every year, which was two to three times the amount shipped to Chang'an during the heyday of the Tang Dynasty.
"There are always canals in the warehouse to transport rice, and when there is water in the river, the boats can be sailed."
Dates from Anyi, oranges from Jiangling, lacquer from Chenxia, hemp from Qilu, ginger, cinnamon, grain, silk, cotton, cloth, thread, fish...
All kinds of goods are scattered in Bianliang. Through the thick fog of history, we still cannot get a glimpse of the prosperity of Bianliang in those days.
No matter how comfortable the life of the scholar-bureaucrats in Bianliang was, how miserable the people in Jiangnan were. The land of plenty was starved to death, and the outline of flowers and stones fell into the hands of Zhu Meng, officially becoming a bad government that wasted people and cost money.
There was no hybrid rice in the Northern Song Dynasty. Eight million shi of grain was handed over a year, and how much was left to feed the people.
Zhu Meng and Li Yan set up checkpoints in the south of the Yangtze River, plundered passing merchants, and tortured the local people.
The people in the south of the Yangtze River are eager to eat their meat. Suzhou and Hangzhou and other places are already on the verge of eruption. All it takes is a spark to start a prairie fire.
At this time, Zhu Meng still had no idea, and continued to send his minions, a group of rogues he recruited, to search for rare stones and treasures in the south of the Yangtze River.
To the west of Tongqiao, there are silk willows, and the wild water of Tongqiao is wide.
Zhu Meng collected people's treasures and anointed from the people and built the Tongyuan Garden in Su. It is said that the garden is huge and the lakes and rocks are amazing, ranking first in the south of the Yangtze River.
Before dawn, the maid on duty would be beating gongs and calling out in the courtyard of the dormitory.
There were no less than 2,000 servants in the outer courtyard. They were dressed up, cleaned up, and began to serve the Zhu family and his son.
There are more than a dozen dining rooms in the Zhu family's paradise. Zhaodefang, which Yang Lin often boasts about, looks like a country villa compared with others.
The cabinets in the dining room are stacked with tableware in groups, with different shapes and colors, and even the number of pieces. Some are lacquered, some are porcelain, some are inlaid with copper, and some are inlaid with ivory. The wealth is evident.
In the hot porridge pot, snow-colored pearl waves are rolling thickly, the liquid is gushing out, and the fragrance of rice is coming to your nostrils.
There are also dishes such as Tianxing Grit Cake with jujube and bean stuffing, celery sprouts, dove meat, and other dishes with finely chopped snowflakes and celery. Nearly a hundred people have been busy all morning, and the breakfast is considered ready. Each stove is turned off one after another, leaving only food on the basin.
Steaming steam.
At this time, it was just dawn, and the maids were waiting outside Zhu Meng's bedroom with wooden plates, porcelain basins, soap towels, and toothbrushes, waiting for the master to get up and wash himself.
When the legs of these delicate and pretty girls started to feel sore, a bell rang inside. The elderly woman in the lead opened the door and led them into Zhu Meng's bedroom.
After Zhu Mian changed his clothes, he ate his breakfast casually and threw away half of it. Then Shi Shiran came to the lobby.
There have already been many scoundrels waiting here to claim credit with their looted treasures.
Zhu Meng was wearing a brocade robe and sat in front of the hall. The gangsters below him were respectful and even more attentive than when meeting the emperor.
A maid held a cup of fragrant tea and offered it to her. Zhu Meng smiled and said, "How about it? What kind of treasure did you get today?"
He was impatient for a long time, so he stepped forward and said with a flattering smile: "Master Zhu, look at what this is."
After saying that, he picked up a table from behind. The stone on it was as fine and warm as smooth as gelatin. The stone grains were tangled and wrinkled, and the texture was meticulous. The stone surface was undulating, with crisscrossing ravines. The shape was rough and majestic, with an ancient charm.
"Lingbi stone!" Zhu Meng's eyes lit up and he said: "Okay, this texture is the best among Lingbi stones."
The ruffian was very proud and said with a smile: "This stone originally belonged to a merchant named Zhou in Wujiang County. When my subordinates arrived, they asked for it from him. This old guy dared to disobey your order even though he didn't give up his life and wealth. The villain will kill his family."
He was hung on a wooden frame, his two young sons were beaten to death in front of him, and he and his brothers took turns feasting on his delicate daughter before this old thing took it out honestly."
Zhu Meng snorted and said: "These iron roosters will not hand over good things unless they are properly disciplined. Someone, please send this stone and the previous ones to Bianliang as a tribute to the officials."
Behind him were several young men in green clothes. They stepped forward and turned around carefully holding the stone. Zhu Meng smiled and said to the housekeeper: "This time when we enter Bianliang, in addition to sending 50,000 yuan to Taishi Cai's house as usual, we also have to prepare a gift."
This generous gift will be sent to the house of Young Master Yang Lin."
The butler looked puzzled, and Zhu Meng continued: "Yang Shaozai, like me, is a disciple of the Grand Master. Now he is in the ascendant and is your Majesty's first favorite minister. Moreover, he was born in the top 100, so he will not be able to escape the position of prime minister in the future.
, a hundred years after becoming the Grand Master, we will still have to rely on this person. As a human being, you have to make plans in advance. The reason why my father was able to rise is because he relied on his discerning eyes and caught the line of the Grand Master in advance. "
The gangsters around him immediately gathered around and flattered him, praising the Zhu family and his son for their sharp eyesight.
Not far away in Wujiang County, in an elegant small courtyard, Zhou Shijing, a originally wealthy Jiangnan gentry, was covered in blood and holding his two children.
Suddenly, a woman rushed in from outside and cried: "Master, come and have a look, Miss, she hanged herself from the beam."
Zhou Shijing left his son behind and rushed into his daughter's boudoir. He saw that the upright body had been taken down, with his tongue half hanging out, which was very shocking. His wife was lying on top of her, sobbing loudly.
Zhou Shijing looked up at the dim sky, his eyes tearing up:
"Oh my God, please open your eyes and see!"
Scenes like this are happening all over the south of the Yangtze River, and people's hearts are already boiling.
Kaifeng Mansion had been flooded for two months, and it was difficult to communicate with outsiders, which further fueled the arrogance of this group of people.
At this time, outside Kaifeng Mansion, in the woods by the river.
Song Jiang watched as corpses were dragged out one after another and arranged neatly under the tree, clenching his fists secretly.
After all, the Long Live Camp has only been established for a few months. Although the individual skills are outstanding, this is the first time for such a large-scale battle.
Most of these dead people were men he brought back from Shandong and died in a foreign land like this.
Lu Taixuan stepped forward, patted his shoulder, and said comfortingly: "People cannot be resurrected after death. These people are Jiangnan gangsters. We fought with them many times in the early days, and hundreds of brothers died. Sooner or later, one day,
We will clear it all together."
Song Jiang closed his eyes, breathed a long sigh of relief, and then opened his eyes again and asked: "Only eight thieves were caught last night, and the others fled and committed suicide. I want to go to Xianping County in person, inform Shaozai, and arrange
Human hands catch the fish that slip through the net.”
Hua Rong, who simply bandaged the wound, stepped forward and asked, "Brother, what should we do with these bird thieves?"