The Songhua River flows mightily, and there are pastoral villages among the jungles on the other side of the river.
The Songhua River flows straight from the south to the north. Suddenly, it is blocked by a rugged cliff and turns to the northwest, turning a big bend.
This cliff is very famous. The newly appointed governor of Jilin Prefecture of Bohai Province, Yan Shuxun, and the commander of the Ming Dynasty's Blackwater Fleet, Lu Yicheng, climbed onto this cliff today.
There is a Dragon King Temple on this cliff, which was built during the Yongle period.
The Dragon King Temple was built more than 200 years ago. Although the Ming army later left, the Jurchen tribes here still protected the temple and often worshiped and prayed for good weather.
Both Nurhaci and Huang Taiji personally went up the mountain to the temple to worship.
The former Daming Shipyard has long since disappeared, and not even a single relic can be found, but the Dragon King Temple is still there, and is now called the Five Dragons Palace, which means the Five Dragons Hold the Saint.
Soldiers from the Heishui camp in red military robes carried pigs, cattle and sheep up the mountain to offer sacrifices.
At the foot of the mountain, eighteen crab boats of the Blackwater Fleet were parked near Ash Village on the north shore. On the other side, there were many simpler boats parked. These were the boats of the Jurchen leaders of various tribes in the Bohai Province.
They did not dare to neglect the Ming Dynasty officials' orders. Those Jurchen leaders who had been granted the title of Protector, Governor, Guard Commander, Suo Qianhu, etc. came over the mountains one after another on horseback, on foot, or by boat.
Today, they came here.
I saw the eighteen crab boats, with slender hulls, three sails, fifty oars per boat, and one hundred oarsmen.
These were not the most astonishing things. What frightened them was that each ship had seven cannons, two long cannons on the bow, one on the stern, and four on the sides.
A leader from Hunchun saw the armed merchant ships of the Pioneer Fleet last year. They were bigger and had more guns than this, but they were on the seaside, but now they are on the banks of the Songhua River inland. Half a month ago
, there were no ships here, and now eighteen such gunboats suddenly appeared out of thin air.
Mountain.
The Wulong Palace was also renovated by Yan Shuxun, and a new Ash Pavilion and a Cliff Pavilion were built at the foot of the mountain.
The leaders also didn't quite understand why this young Ming official asked them to come here to worship the Five Dragons Palace. It was only when the new official took office that he showed his face, but seeing the eighteen gunboats, they thought it might be to show off the power of the Ming Dynasty.
Or there may be some tribal leaders who are ignorant of life and death and failed to obey the Ming Dynasty, so now the Ming Dynasty may want to call them to send troops to attack.
But they were wondering why they came here. They knew that after the Ming Dynasty established Bohai Province, it established a governor's office, a governor's office, and a garrison. The leaders of the Jurchen tribe were still under the leadership of the Jurchen tribe. However, the Ming Dynasty also established new posts, border markets, etc. in the name of
There were some post cities or strongholds.
For example, Mokuowei, Vladivostok, Hunchun, Five Kingdoms City, and Haixi, Yitong, Changchun, Jilin, and at the confluence of the Ash River in the middle reaches of the Songhua River, the original site of Shangjing in the Jin Dynasty was built by the Jurchens
Near Alchukha, closer to the river mouth, a new city was built. This new city was named Goose City because of the many swans in the area. The Jurchens called it Harwin or Harbin.
This new city occupies the Heilongjiang River, with Alchuka and Hulan City on both sides, Wuguo City downstream, and Fuyu City upstream.
After more than a hundred years, the Ming Dynasty returned to the Haidong and Haixi regions again, but it did not directly seize those big cities and fortresses. Instead, it preferred to re-establish city gates.
These points are being connected in a line, from Mokuowei to Hunchun, then to Ninggu Pagoda, and then directly to Wuguo City on the bank of Songhua River, which is also the western gateway of Sanjiang Plain.
Another route is from Vladivostok along the Suifen River to Shuangchengzi, Dongning, Xingkai Lake, and into Niman at the confluence of seven rivers of the Ussuri River.
There is another route, which is exactly where they are now in Haixi, from Yingkou to Kaiyuan, then through the Dongliao River to Yitong, and then from Yitong to the Songhua River to connect with the shipyard. On this line, they established the Yitong
Tong, Changchun, Jilin, established a connection in the name of Yi Road and Border City.
Even after the Bohai Province was established, the original boundaries of Liaodong expanded a lot to the north and east. In the original Ming Dynasty, Liaodong had a border wall. The north side of the border wall was Kaiyuan, and the east side was not all bounded by the watershed, but farther west.
But now not only the northern part includes the Dongliao River, Zhaosu Taizi River, Yehe River, Qinghe River, etc. into Liaodong Province, but also the watersheds upstream of these rivers are demarcated as boundaries.
Xifeng was established at the source of Qinghe River, Liaoyuan was established at the source of Dongliao River, Siping was established at the source of Lianhuapao River, Lishu City was established at the source of Taizi River in Zhaosu, and Huaide was established at Dengzi Village, the upper reaches of Dongliao River.
.
Changchun in the upper reaches of the Yitong River, Yitong in the upper reaches, Jilin on the west bank of the Songhua River, as well as Harbin, the Five Kingdoms City, etc. were built because a large number of merchants came with the postmen of the Ming Dynasty.
There was the Border Patrol Camp, and now there's the Blackwater Camp.
"This Ash Village is said to be the descendants of the Han craftsmen and Jurchen tribe workers who were recruited during shipbuilding when the Ming Dynasty set up a shipyard here."
Yan Shuxun returned to Jilin with the Blackwater Battalion. The first thing he did was to look for traces of the old shipyard. The Jurchens who had lived at the foot of Ashhada Mountain for generations reported the clues and received a generous reward.
When Yan Shuxun came here, he not only confirmed that this was the Liaodong Shipyard of the Ming Dynasty, but also found the Dragon King Temple built that year and the two stone tablets erected there.
After years of vicissitudes, the two stone tablets have long been covered by vines and weeds. If the local villagers had not passed down the two tablets from generation to generation, it would be difficult for outsiders to discover them. However, the villagers of Ashe did not know what was written on the tablets.
It wasn't until Yan Shuxun led his men to clear out the two monuments again.
In fact, it cannot be called a monument, because it is carved directly on a rectangular blue-gray granite stone that is prominent on the cliff, facing the river from north to south, and several meters above the water surface.
The stele is more than four feet high and more than two feet wide, with three lines of inscriptions.
Although it has been eroded by wind and rain for more than 200 years, the writing can still be clearly seen after cleaning.
"Jiachen, Dingmao, Guichou... The Hussars General Liaodong Dusi Dusi Commander Liu Daming Yongle Shijiu Years Xin Chou first month... Ji"
Some words are missing, but basically the information above can still be inferred.
This was erected by Liu Qing, the commander of the Liaodong Capital Division. According to official historical records, Yan Shuxun found that Liu Qing led his troops to the Jilin Shipyard for the first time. Before leaving the next year, he instructed the craftsmen to engrave commemorative letters. This year was the 19th Yongle Festival of the Ming Dynasty.
Year.
The second tablet has clearer inscriptions.
Seven lines of vertical text are engraved.
"The imperial commissioned the chief shipbuilding officer, the hussar general, and the commander-in-chief of the Liaodong capital, Liu Qing, led the army here in the 18th year of Yongle, the first year of Hongxi, and the seventh year of Xuande. The Dragon King Temple was established here, and it was founded in the 18th year of Yongle.
, Reconstruction in the seventh year of Xuande. February 30, the seventh year of Xuande."
The inscription here records that Liu Qing came to Jilin three times to supervise the construction of warships and the construction of the Dragon King Temple, which coincides with the official record of the year when the imperial envoy Yishoha visited Nuergandusi and issued an edict to comfort him.
Liu Qing built ships three times in Jilin, and the eunuch Yi Shi Ha Ze visited Nuergan three times. Liu Qing built the Dragon King Temple in Jilin, and Yi Shi Ha Ze built Yongning Temple in Nuer Gan. A cliff stone carving records it, and a monument is erected to commemorate it.
This is an excellent proof of Ming's sovereignty over Liaodong since ancient times.
Yan Shuxun summoned a group of Bohai Jurchen leaders and read out the contents of the two inscriptions in front of them. Then he took out several official historical records and gave them a history lesson. The generals were careful and meticulous.
Translate these bit by bit to the leaders.
The new shipyard is located in the S Dawan Plain, more than 20 miles upstream of the upper river. The shipyard is located on the south bank, while the post city and bastion are located on the north bank. At the same time, there is also a town next to the castle on both sides of the river, which serves as a post station.
, the area where the families of the frontier troops lived, was also a trading point with the Jurchens on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and there was a fort and a farm in the northernmost part of the bend.
The Ming army set up three settlements in this big river bend, separated by two sections of river.
When the Ming Dynasty expelled the Tartars, in order to take over the vast northeastern territory of the Yuan Dynasty, the Liaodong Dusi was established in Liaoyang to govern the east and west areas of the Liaohe River outside Shanhaiguan.
When Zhu Di, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, was even more ambitious, he established the Nurgandusi at the entrance of Heilongjiang to the sea to extend his management of the Heilongjiang region.
However, at that time, the Ming Dynasty was still beyond the reach of the outside world.
At that time, Jilin was relatively close to Kaiyuan in the northeast of Ming and Liao Dynasties, and the Songhua River connected directly to Heilongjiang. The strategic location was very important. Therefore, Zhu Di sent Liu Qing to build warships, expand inns, and establish waterway transportation hubs to strengthen the control of the Jurchen tribes in the Northeast.
contact and control.
During the Ming Dynasty's Eastern Expedition, the navy relied on the Songhua River to assist, and Jilin was the beginning of the voyage.
When Liu Qing came to Jilin, he was particular about choosing this location for shipbuilding. First of all, in Ashhada, which is the Zhuque Mountain area named by the Ming army, there are dense ancient pines growing, which are excellent shipbuilding materials and are easy to obtain. After felling,
We went straight into the river and arrived at the shipyard.
In this section of Zhuque Mountain Pass, the river becomes wider and the water flow slows down, making it easier for shipyard craftsmen to retrieve the wood discharged from the upper reaches and dock it. There are also pools near the river, which is convenient for shipbuilding.
There are still many stories in the Jurchen tribe about the Ming Dynasty's shipbuilding here. However, when Zhu Di's grandson became emperor, he had actually begun to shrink his strategy and no longer took care of the Nuergan area. Later, he stopped the ship patrols and never did it again.
Didn't come back.
But now the Ming Dynasty is back, and even conjured up gunboats directly from the Dongliao River. This makes these savage Jurchens who have moved from the more remote and backward places of Baishan and Heishui even more amazed and awed.
Listening to the son of a bachelor talking about the old history of the shipyard here, and hearing him say that the Ming Dynasty actually built ships here, and even sailed directly down the Songhua River from here to the Heilongjiang estuary, they were really impressed.
It turns out that the Ming Dynasty was so powerful, but they had always thought that the Ming Dynasty was weak all these years. The Jianzhou Jurchens kept telling them to rob the west, and took them to the west to rob the Ming Dynasty, and rob women, livestock, and gold and silver.
Uruka, the Protector of the Ninggu Pagoda Prefecture, bowed respectfully and said, "If the envoy needs us to do any errands, just give us your orders."
At this time, the other savage Jurchen leaders all held the title of Protector, Governor, Commander, Qianhu, or Duke Bozinan and other foreign vassal titles. They just began to enjoy the huge dividends of direct trade with the Ming Dynasty. At this time, they were also very important to the Ming Dynasty.
Respectfully, they all said that if they have anything to do, they can just ask for it. Whether it's cutting down trees, building a city, or sending troops to fight against the unyielding idiots, we won't hesitate.
"Although we have also set up a new shipyard here, we don't need to build ships for the time being. We have prepared all the materials in the Central Plains and shipped them to assemble and paint for sealing. However, the shipyard will definitely build ships in the future, and good shipbuilding wood is also needed.
, if you have time, you can cut down the trees according to our shipyard's needs, then sell them to the shipyard, and earn money to buy silk, porcelain, tea, tobacco, wine, iron pots and other good things in the border market. It is always cost-effective."
"If you are willing to help build ships, build cities, or reclaim wasteland, we will also give you rewards, and you can exchange them for goods from the Central Plains."
Yan Shuxun took the opportunity to discuss cooperation with the leaders.
Build shipyards, cut down trees, build cities, reclaim wasteland, even hire them to hunt wild animals for furs, hire them as mercenaries, guides, transport on the Songhua River, and carry goods to Yitong. Anyway, as long as you are willing to work, the rewards will be generous.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t want to be hired. You have hunting furs, ginseng, mushrooms, pine nuts, etc., which you can trade in the border market.
We have a steady stream of goods being transported from the Liao River. Although the Songliao Canal has not yet been opened, Huaide Wharf and Zhaotong Wharf are now only a few hundred miles apart. The road is also being widened, and the transportation efficiency of large carriages is also very high. They have even been
We are studying to build a carriage track and use the track to improve the efficiency of the carriage. Then the transportation capacity will be increased several times, and a few horses can pull several carriages.
Anyway, there are many opportunities to make money now. If you are capable, you can hunt and dig. If you are not capable, you can herd cattle, sheep and sell horses. Or if you are good at weaving nets and fishing, then you can sell fish.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! If you have the ability to fish for pearls and can find Eastern pearls, you can sell more.
If you don't have these special skills, you can get a good salary by doing some hard work, logging, quarrying, building roads, building cities, transporting, running ships, or even helping to open up wasteland and cultivate land. A steady stream of goods will come in, and a large amount of local products will be exchanged.
It's opportunity.
The Blackwater Fleet is about to head south, and Lu Yicheng plans to recruit some wild Jurchen warriors, who will be both guides and hunters. The reward will be a blunderbuss, some ammunition and some silver. If they perform well, there will be rewards.
As soon as these words came out, many Jurchens were very excited. Bird guns are a good thing and everyone wants them.
I paid homage to the Dragon King and saw the stone carvings.
Yan Shuxun and Lu Yicheng returned to the boat on the riverside.
"What happened to General Liu?" Lu Yicheng asked. He was once a veteran of the Yongwei. He followed Huang Chuangzi to the Prince of Lu's Mansion and became Zhu Yihai's bodyguard with him. Yan Shuxun's father, Yan Wogong, was captured by Li Yuchun.
After the camp, the undercover business became popular, and later "incited" a large number of generals under King Lu to rebel.
There are a lot of generals with the seal of Bohou. Lu Yicheng was also on the list of rebels reported to the Qing court by Yan Wo. At that time, he was only the captain of King Lu's guard, but he also had the seal of an earl and the seal of General Anyang. He followed Yan Wo.
The Duke had been lurking in the enemy camp for a long time. After the Emperor Nanjing came to the throne, he was actually granted the title of earl.
Now, although he is not as good as Wang Chuangzi, he is the Duke of Jingguo and the governor. But he is also the founding county prince and a world-level feudal prince. When he comes to Bohai this time, his official title is the admiral of the Bohai Provincial Patrol and Guard Battalion and the admiral of the Blackwater Fleet. Because
Bohai Province is a Jisi province. Although it also has governors, admirals, and ministerial posts, the governors and governors below are all awarded Jurchen leaders. The imperial court only operates some points, using the name of inns and border markets to keep a low profile.
act.
His position as a provincial admiral is very different from that of a Han province. However, although the Blackwater Fleet has just been established, it is within the scope of patrol from Songhua River to Heilongjiang, so its authority is still very great.
"Liu Qing, his end was not good. In the third year after he came to the shipyard for the third time, he was ordered to lead a fleet to escort supplies to Nurgandusi. However, when the fleet reached the lower reaches of the Blackwater River, it was captured by the Jurchen tribe.
There was an attack and all supplies were looted.
Liu Qing deserved the death penalty, but because of his meritorious service, the imperial court dismissed him and sent him to Gansu, and later re-enabled him. However, during the northern expedition to Mobei, he failed to fight effectively, and was finally sentenced to death, which is deplorable."
Lu Yicheng thought that a general like Liu Qing who was expanding the border would have good results, but who knew it would be like this.
"It seems that when I cruise the Songhua River and Heilongjiang this time, I have to be extra careful with the Jurchen tribe downstream, so I can't be robbed too."
Yan Shuxun smiled and said, "You have eighteen ships, each with seven cannons. There are more than a hundred people on each ship, which is a full standard sentry of men and horses. Everyone has firecrackers and swords. How can you still be afraid of Jurchen attacks? How many are there?
It’s not enough to fill your teeth.”
"Only by being careful can you sail the ship of ten thousand years. I can't bear the responsibility for this failure, nor can I afford to lose that person."