During the continuous autumn rain, Xiangcheng's canals are extremely busy.
Due to the abundant rainfall, the reservoirs built in the Wanye Corridor have sufficient reserves. Therefore, even if the gates are opened and closed many times, there is still enough water flowing into the Doumen along the diversion canal to lift the ships.
On the canal on the top of the mountain behind the lock, the driver holds a whip and leads a strong iron horse to tow the ship on the calm canal river.
In fact, don't underestimate the cargo capacity of inland river ships. Because there is no need to consider wind and waves, their ship shapes can be built to be very extreme. One word to describe them is "big belly".
The cargo hold is very deep and the draft is extremely deep. When driving on the river, it seems that the slightest wind and waves can sink it. However, there are no winds and waves in most inland rivers, so this kind of severely specialized ship can carry more than people imagine.
A lot of goods go to and from everywhere.
Of course, if it is at sea, this kind of ship will sink after sailing very far, and it has no ability to withstand wind and waves at all.
A prosperous town has been formed inside and outside the Xiangcheng Cao Canal.
Cities and towns formed spontaneously, starting from one or two small country shops selling rice, and gradually expanded to include all walks of life, and business was booming.
This process is also inevitable.
In order to save water resources, the gates of the canal are not always open, and a certain number of boats must be gathered to do so, so the queues are very serious.
Ordinary boatmen need food and drink, while merchants who escort goods on ships need higher-end services, so demand arises and a market emerges.
On September 27, Wang Erlang spent a day cutting firewood on the mountain.
His two sons helped him carry firewood down the mountain, while he sat on the hillside, checking the mushrooms in the bamboo basket.
Under the setting sun, the canal is covered with red clouds, which is extremely beautiful.
On the first-class national highway far away from the canal, the four-wheeled carriages that used to come and go were gone, replaced by the army as far as the eye could see.
First came the cavalry, then the infantry, then the cavalry, then the infantry... If you were someone who could count, you would know that in just a short while, nearly 10,000 cavalrymen had passed by on the post road.
"What a majestic military power!" Wang Erlang put down the bamboo basket and stood up subconsciously.
His eldest son serves in the Golden Sword Army, and the Golden Sword Army is based in Dengzhou. Last year, the army mobilized 4,000 people to accompany them on patrols, and they have not returned yet.
Wang Erlang hoped in his heart that the accompanying troops would not go to Luoyang, and at least the four thousand men of the Golden Sword Army could return to their garrison.
"There is no baggage carriage." Lu Dalang came over, patted Wang Erlang on the shoulder and said.
Wang Erlang turned his head and glanced at him.
Lu Dalang held the bow tip in his left hand and two hares in his right hand. The hares had been dead for a long time and their whole bodies were stiff. Their long ears were pulled into the hunter's hands, looking very funny.
"There is another hunt." Wang Erlang said enviously.
Lu Dalang is from his same village, a native of Yanzhou, a former warrior of the Golden Sword Army, and he is already fifty this year. After he retired from the Forbidden Army, he once tried to send his son to join the Forbidden Army, but failed. The half-grown boy was so ashamed that he ran away angrily.
, I heard that I went to Bakhanna, and I didn’t know whether I would die or live.
Lu Dalang was the first person to build a brick house in the village. It has three main rooms and bright and clean windows, which makes people very enviable. When he has nothing to do, he likes to go hunting in the mountains. Today is the day, and he got two hares. For Wang Erlang
He knows that after a while he will go to the restaurant down the mountain to buy some old wine, and then groom the hare, and then go home and drink by himself. Don't live too happily.
Alas, in the final analysis, those who live happily are all warriors, and their lives are not comparable to those of ordinary people. Although his family also has a warrior, his son has gone out to live in another family after all, so it is incomparable.
"It turns out that all the baggage was transported by ship. Alas, it's a bit of a waste." Lu Dalang looked at it for a while and sighed: "Water is so precious, it would be a pity not to take the opportunity to transport more goods."
"It's raining continuously in autumn, so I'm afraid there won't be much water shortage," Wang Erlang said.
He knew that after Lu Dalang and several of his comrades retired from the army, they collected medicinal materials in the county and sold them to Luoyang. From his standpoint, he should have hoped that the Xiangcheng Cao Canal would transport goods all day long, rather than transport the army's baggage.
.
"That's true." Lu Dalang said, "But it's still a waste."
"Perhaps the saint would like to take a look at the canal?" Wang Erlang said.
Lu Dalang opened his mouth, but finally said nothing. This possibility does exist, and it is not small.
When he was in the army, he heard that the saint was very shrewd, but he didn't completely believe it. It seemed reasonable to transport part of the baggage away by ship and test the canal.
Just as I was thinking about it, a large group of carriages appeared on the post road, and the carriages were fully loaded with luggage.
"Sure enough, it's just as you said." Lu Dalang said with a smile: "The saint loaded part of the baggage onto the ship to see if the canal can hold up."
Wang Er stood on tiptoes and looked carefully.
Under the twilight, there was an endless stream of carriages heading north. In addition to the baggage, the carriages seemed to also contain a lot of copper coins and silk, which made people very greedy - these should be the rewards that the warriors received for accompanying them.
"Hurry up and finish the battle." Lu Dalang withdrew his gaze and muttered: "I'm still in a hurry to transport the goods."
Wang Er was jealous in his heart and couldn't help but said: "This canal lasted more than ten years. If it hadn't been for the saint's insistence, it would have been abandoned long ago, right?"
When Xiangcheng Cao Canal was being built, "menstruation" was a topic in Ruzhou and Dengzhou. It took too long, and there were accidents during the period. Sometimes there was less rain, the pond dried up, and the canal was even interrupted.
.
I heard that some people in the Wanye Corridor were scolding them, saying that since more than a dozen ponds were built to ensure the water storage and release of the canals and ship locks, irrigation of their farmland has become a problem.
But even so, the saint still wanted to open it without giving in at all. It can be seen that the promotion was entirely based on his personal will.
"You are right to say that." Lu Dalang nodded and said: "Without Jinshang, the canal would not have been built. Without Jinshang, Dengzhou would not be in such a good situation today. Your home is in Jingzhao
When we were in the government, we only had five acres of land, right? Now we have more than twenty acres of land, and life is good."
Wang Er agreed casually.
Isn't life good or bad based on comparison? No matter what, there is still no way to compare with the warriors of the Forbidden Army.
"I'm leaving, can you go down the mountain?" Lu Dalang tightened the hare in his hand and asked.
"Go down the mountain." Wang Erlang had already checked the mushrooms in the basket and decided to sell them to a restaurant down the mountain soon. He also bought two ounces of wine and went back to reward himself.
As the sun set, the two of them went down the mountain one after the other.
****
On another hillside on the east side, a yellow umbrella canopy stood high. Shao Shude sat on a tiger-skin chair and looked at the busy canal.
Remember when Shannan East Road was split for the first time, Tang and Deng were separated from the three prefectures, and Zhe Zongben served as the Jiedu envoy.
At that time, Dengzhou, which was close to Ruzhou, was still the front line. Based on this, the Zhejia army repeatedly moved northward and invaded Zhu Quanzhong's hinterland.
Ding Hui, who was stationed in Ruzhou, was also a capable general. He was appointed by Zhu Quanzhong as the governor of the Youguo Army. With less than 20,000 troops at his disposal, he defeated the Zhejia Army many times and even invaded the territory of Tang and Deng, plundering and conquering the country.
Return.
Perhaps it was those arduous battles that made the originally arrogant Zhe family army realize their shortcomings.
You are great, and there is someone more powerful than you.
Ding Hui's troops are not even the elite of Liang Jun's direct lineage, but they can still suppress you to death, and even gain the upper hand by attacking more with less.
The Zhejia Army finally became a powerful force, and that was because they had more powerful troops to "train" with them. If they were fighting against the likes of Shannan Dongdao, they probably wouldn't have been trained yet.
The Zhe family finally moved to Huaixi. You can say that they were loyal, but they still had a clear understanding of their own abilities and chose to surrender.
The past is like a smoke, and Shao Shude just casually spreads his thoughts. After all, an "old bastard" like him has been scheming people all day long and guessing other people's inner thoughts.
"With the Xiangcheng Cao Canal, Luoyang's status has become even more unshakable." Shao Shude pointed to the ships loaded with cargo and said.
"This is all your Majesty's fault." Xiao Yu said.
Shao Shude seemed oblivious and continued to look at the cargo ships lining up in the distance waiting to enter the lock.
"After walking around Jiangnan, I probably know it." Shao Shude smiled and said: "Hunan sugar, porcelain, Jiangling medicinal materials, lacquerware, Eyue dried fish, tea, etc., and even various goods transferred from Shuzhong
, all can be transported to the south of Longmen via waterways. From now on, the population in the south will increase, Xiangyang and Nanyang will become important places of wealth, and Luoyang will not be short of anything."
Xiao Yu stroked his beard and felt very emotional in his heart.
Saints like to persevere. At best, they are called tough-willed, but at worst, they are stubborn and unable to listen to advice.
But most of what he insisted on was proved to be correct later.
This Xiangcheng Canal failed many times during the construction process, but it was finally completed at a high cost. Now it has become one of the transportation hubs, effectively ensuring Luoyang's supply.
This is the founding emperor, and the emperor will soon be able to do it. If we change to an emperor with less prestige, if he fails once, the entire project will be in danger. If he fails twice, there is a high probability that he will give up completely and never mention it again - even if you want to,
The ministers will not give you a chance.
"Now Hanjiacang City's food mainly relies on Henan and Hebei, but I can't say what will happen in the future." Shao Shude said: "Perhaps the south will catch up, especially between Jianghan and Han, which is thousands of miles of fertile wilderness and extremely flat.
It’s most suitable for growing food.”
Xiao Qun was a little startled after hearing this.
He originally didn't think it was possible. During the Southern Dynasties, the Jingxiang area was certainly an important area with a large number of troops stationed there, but he had never heard of that place being able to support so many troops on its own. But following the saint's journey,
He also had to admit that the conditions in Hubei, Yue, Xiang, Ying, Fu and other states were very good. If vigorously developed, they could become the hinterland to support Luoyang.
Perhaps one day, the rice shipped from the south will surpass the millet shipped from the north and become the mainstream of the millions of grains stored in Hanjiacang City. The "Grain Road" in Luoyang envisioned by the sage is indeed well-founded and very reliable.
Even if grain is not transported, all fruits, medicinal materials, porcelain, silk, tea, lacquer, bambooware and other materials are transported instead. The rich products of the south can still benefit the people of Luoyang greatly.
After all, in the land of Henan, Luoyang, Bianzhou, and Xuzhou have the best transportation conditions and can be used as capitals.
The imperial court chose Luoyang, and the water transportation route from here to the south, all the way to Jingzhou, was naturally the top priority.
However, this probably has nothing to do with them. It will take generations of relays to finally achieve this ambitious goal.
Shao Shude stayed in Dengzhou for about five days.
On the third day of October, Shengjia continued his journey north, with tens of thousands of people marching by land and water, passing through the Wanye Corridor, passing through the increasingly densely populated Ruzhou, and returned to Luoyang at the end of the month.
After a long detour, the tour that lasted more than a year came to an end.