The canal ran from the south of the Yangtze River to Luoyang, turned a corner in the middle, straightened and then extended northward until it reached Youyan, which is the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal that we are familiar with in later generations.
The reason why the Yuan Dynasty took the straight canal was because its capital was located in the land of Youyan.
The center of all the Song Dynasty was Bianliang, Kaifeng Prefecture. Bianliang was the distribution center for all materials. Grain merchants from the south of the Yangtze River even came to Bianliang to buy grain and then transport it back to sell.
This pathological development caused serious setbacks to the development of various places in the Song Dynasty, and almost all the efforts of the country were exhausted to support a Kaifeng mansion.
This phenomenon was loved by all the scholar-bureaucrats and ministers in Bianliang, and it was also caused by them. It is not easy to change it.
Yang Lin is now taking the lead in regaining Youyan and wants to straighten the canal, but now he can't think of any help.
This time, it seems that I am about to have a break with Cai Jing. After all, Cai Jing’s new policy is more focused on supporting Bianliang with the power of the whole country. Many measures focus more on Bianliang and despise local areas. For example, Cai Jing’s salt and tea
By questioning the system, countless wealthy merchants in Huaihe and Huaihe became beggars, and all their wealth returned to Bianjing.
Thinking of this, Yang Lin had no intention of flinching, but smiled and said to Zhang An: "Anyway, be prepared, I will straighten this canal!"
Zhang An's expression became serious, he stood up and clasped his fists and said: "If the young master succeeds in this matter, I dare to use my loyalty and wisdom to get a straight canal for the Song Dynasty."
Yang Lin was a little surprised, why did Zhang An still feel grateful? Zhang An saw his confusion and said with a smile: "The good teacher learned that the official is from Qingzhou, Hebei East Road."
Yang Lin suddenly realized it, looked at Zhang An, and the two of them laughed together.
The civil servants of the Song Dynasty were immoral. In order to prevent the Khitans from going south and preserve the wealth of Bianjing, they sacrificed the entire Hebei East Road. They used the good official roads to plant trees and afforestation for you. They dug canals everywhere and made them muddy.
They also deliberately diverted the Yellow River, causing fertile farmland to be abandoned and roads to be blocked, making it difficult for people in Hebei to make a living.
Zhang An is from Hebei, so it's no wonder that he respects Yang Lin in awe. At this time, people still have a strong sense of locality.
Zhang An stood up and excused himself. Yang Lin personally took him off the boat and treated him with courtesy. When he returned to the top of the boat, he saw Zhe Huanxiang in a daze. Yang Lin walked over and said with a smile: "You must be exhausted from the journey.
We will enter Bianliang soon, and you can have a good rest then. I have a big yard in Bianliang, where I lived before I came to Zhaodefang. I have already ordered people to clean it up, and I also found something you like.
Peony."
Zhe Huanxiang sighed: "I like to be by your side, but I am so bored when you are dealing with official duties, and I have nothing to say to others. I wonder if you will still have time to accompany me when you return to Bianliang."
Yang Lin hugged her and talked sweetly, coaxing the beauty to smile. At this time, the ship had already entered the boundary of Kaifeng Mansion.
After all, Zhe Huanxiang still had a young widow. Yang Lin sent people to send them to his villa, and then took Lu Qian and others to land, preparing to ride into the city.
The great victory of Youyan really shocked Kaifeng Mansion. Everyone was beaming with joy along the way, and most of the chatter among the people was about the night battle at Zhuolu Mountain.
What they said became more and more mysterious. Even Yang Lin himself was shocked when he heard their descriptions. It turns out that I am so fierce.
When we were still more than ten miles away from Bianliang, a group of white-clothed scholars had been waiting on the official road for a long time. The leader was Wu Min, Yang Lin's eldest disciple.
Although Yang Lin has been away from Beijing for a year, he knows everything about Bianliang. So many people now should be his disciples and grandsons.
Wu Min and others held lectures under Yanqing Temple and accepted many disciples. Yang Lin supported it and secretly asked Yin Muhong to give them more gold, silver and copper coins, and also made suggestions to build momentum for them.
Otherwise, Wu Min and others alone would not be able to achieve today's situation. Yin Muhong has sufficient experience in building momentum and is a good hand. The planning is also flawless, but it is a pity that his character is a bit inferior.
"Student has met his mentor." Wu Min ran over from a distance, leading his junior fellow apprentices and apprentices to salute.
When Yang Lin saw his disciple, his back straightened unconsciously and his face became kind.
In the dignity of a teacher, after dismounting, Yang Lin walked with a group of people. Along the way there were many new students who asked various difficult questions, and Yang Lin answered them one by one.
My own subject is very simple, it means applying what you have learned, not making false and empty knowledge, but having a targeted aim.
According to your own interests and talents, choose a direction and delve into it to explore the laws. Insights in all things are knowledge. This is still very attractive to these young students, because Yang Lin's theory is indeed more interesting.
Of course, in the process of studying things to gain knowledge, you also need to learn the traditional classics and historical principles. After all, in this era, if you put these aside, you are not a literati.
In Yang Lin's mind, there are the research results of countless generations of sages in the world thousands of years later. These things are common sense in the eyes of future generations, and they are great cognitions in this era.
Yang Lin could almost answer all the questions raised by his disciples, disciples and grandsons, which further enhanced his status in the hearts of the Yang family students.
In their opinion, Yang Lin could become a saint like Confucius and Mencius long ago.
The group of people talked and walked, and unexpectedly arrived at the outskirts of Bianliang City. Yang Lin didn't feel tired at all, and the journey of more than ten miles was very easy for him.
Someone had already set up a colorful platform on the outskirts of the city, waiting to welcome him into the city and take back Youyan. No matter how grand the reception was, no matter how grand it was, it would be too much.
Yang Lin just wants to keep a low profile now, after all, he will have to raise the issue of straightening the canal in the near future.
At that time, most of the officials and gentry here will become their own resistance. They are the actual beneficiaries of the Bianliang central system and control the economy, culture and power of the entire Song Dynasty.
In the Song Dynasty, the trunk was strong and the branches were weak, and the main trunk was too strong, while the surrounding branches and leaves were sparse. Over time, it has become a disease.
There were many stubborn problems in the Song Dynasty, and this one in particular needed to be solved, so Yang Lin faced the difficulties and faced them.
Cai Jing may not be unable to see the dangers of this, but there is no way around it. As the prime minister, he is also the spokesperson of the Bianliang class and the biggest profiteer.
The crowd was full of familiar faces. He had been away from Beijing for a year, and the situation in the world had changed dramatically, but Bianliang had hardly changed.
It's still the same group of familiar people, doing familiar things, living their lives in the redundant and decadent officialdom system, having sex with prostitutes in Bianliang's flowery streets and willow lanes.
Looking around, Yang Lin shook his head and sighed: These Gonggun princes are all his enemies in the future, and they are much more terrifying than the Jurchens.