In the afternoon, Pan Liao came as scheduled, and Guo Song met him in the study outside.
Pan Liao was Guo Song's most important right-hand man. Although he was not from the imperial examination, he was pragmatic, serious, and hard-working. Especially his loyalty and low profile, which allowed Guo Song to solve his worries when he led his army on an expedition. He has always been favored by Guo Song.
of trust.
"How have your Highness been these past few days? You seem to be very relaxed!" Pan Liao sat down and said with a smile.
"Forget it, my dear daughter wanted to paint a portrait of me. I sat there stupidly for two days, but in the end I still couldn't finish it."
"Your Highness, being with your children is a joy in itself, so you don't have to worry too much about the method."
"That's right."
The two exchanged a few words, and Pan Liao pondered and said: "I have been making plans for this year these past two days. Last time, His Highness said that he would move to Chang'an this year, but he did not elaborate on how to do it. It's a bit confusing to make plans in this humble position.
Please tell me in detail."
Guo Song smiled and said: "I can't go into details. The main reason is that the dredging progress of Tianbao Canal is unpredictable. But I have a preliminary idea. I consider moving to Taiyuan, and people will go there first.
Then the supplies slowly passed by.”
"Can your Highness tell you the specific time?"
Guo Song pondered for a moment and said: "People will go there first before summer, and then the materials will be transported before next autumn."
"And how the Southern Tang Dynasty moved back to Chang'an..."
Before Pan Liao finished speaking, Guo Song waved his hand and said, "You don't have to worry about this issue. In a few days, there will be news from Chengdu. They will not move back for the time being. The situation will be a bit tense recently. I
You will be rushing back to Chang'an this month, so you should notify the officials as soon as possible so that everyone can pack their luggage."
Pan Liao nodded silently, "I remember my humble position!"
At this time, Guo Song stood up and said with a smile: "I just want to visit the dock and warehouse, why don't we go together!"
...........
In early January, Taiyuan was still a world covered with snow. The Fen River was frozen solid, and thousands of tank boats were neatly moored by the river, completely frozen.
This year is the New Year, and the Fenhe River is very quiet. Not far away, a group of children living nearby are having a snowball fight, their shouts and laughter echoing in the snow.
"Your Highness, I'm afraid this year's imperial examination will not be as popular as last year's."
"Why do you say that?"
Pan Liao smiled bitterly and said: "All the vassal towns in Hebei strictly prohibit scholars from coming to Taiyuan to participate in the imperial examination. Zhu Si's side is similar. On the surface, their court has no objection, but the states and counties below are making it difficult for scholars to come to Taiyuan to participate in the imperial examination this year.
The taxes will be doubled, and the scholars from the south of the Yangtze River are not allowed to cross the Central Plains. They can only take the Bashu detour, which is too far for them. There were reference scholars arriving around the New Year last year, but they have not been seen so far this year.
"
Guo Song nodded and said: "If a tree is as beautiful as the forest, the wind will destroy it. Last year our imperial examination was so popular that it aroused jealousy from all over the country. It is inevitable that there will be various obstacles this year, but we should have countermeasures."
"What does Your Highness think our response should be?"
Guo Song smiled slightly and said: "We should announce the scope of the examination and the types of test questions, and announce that they will not change for at least ten years. In this way, even if they cannot come to participate in the imperial examination, the scholars will study hard at home and accumulate accumulated experience. As long as they are talented, they will be able to do so sooner or later.
Used by us."
"Your Highness is right, I will ask the Shibu Department to announce it as soon as possible."
At this time, a group of people came to the warehouse group. There are three warehouse groups in Taiyuan, two of which are in the city, each covering hundreds of acres. The north one is called the gold and iron warehouse, where gold and silver, copper ingots, pig iron, cloth, silk and satin, and armor are stored.
, jade, jewelry and other valuables, the south side is called the Grain and Grass Warehouse, which is mainly used to store grain, fodder and medicinal materials. In addition, there are icehouses for meat, cheese and wine underground.
But the largest warehouse group is still on the bank of the Fen River. It is surrounded by high walls and sentry towers, covering an area of about 60 hectares. There are thousands of various warehouses, guarded by 3,000 soldiers, and the security is extremely tight. There is abundant material storage here.
Saltpeter and kerosene, pig iron and copper ingots, grain and herbs, armor and war drums, wood and sheepskins, etc., as well as more than a dozen icehouses, which store a large amount of meat and wine.
In fact, there are 3.2 million shi of grain alone, millions of dans of fodder, and tens of millions of jins of pig iron.
Guo Song's visit to the warehouse to inspect was not a whim, it was closely related to their plan to move to Guanzhong.
There are two convenient ways to get into Guanzhong, not to mention the land route. There is a waterway and a waterway at the same time. The waterway is to take the Fenshui River to enter the Yellow River, and then take the Yellow River to the Weihe River. The key is that the section where the Yellow River enters the Weihe River is not convenient for boating.
In the early years of Tianbao, the Tianbao Canal was built to ensure that ships could enter the Weihe River smoothly. However, as decades passed, the river gradually became silted up, and dredging was necessary to restore the waterway of the Tianbao Canal.
In addition, using both water and land means first taking the waterway to Pujin Pass, then walking dozens of miles overland from Pujin Pass, and then passing through Luoshui into the Weihe River. Different methods can be used for different materials, such as grain, grass, copper and iron, saltpeter, etc.
Bulk goods such as timber are best transported by water, while armor, cloth, silk and satin can be transported through Pujin Pass on camels.
Warehouse material management is of great significance. In Hexi, Cangcao participated in the military affairs, and was later upgraded to Cangbu Department. The chief minister was still Zhang Shu. It consisted of the Copper and Iron Department, the Mugu Department, the Ordnance Department, the Money Department and the Distribution Department, which managed different materials respectively.
,Silang Zhang Xu happened to be at the Fenshui warehouse today.
Hearing the arrival of His Royal Highness the King of Jin and Chang Shi, Zhang Xu hurried over to greet him. Guo Songxiao asked, "It's still the New Year's holiday, why is Zhang Silang here?"
"The amount of snow this year is much greater than in previous years. The water level in Fenhe River is likely to rise after spring. The terrain near the warehouse is slightly lower. I am worried that the warehouse area will be flooded, so I came to take a look this year."
This is why Guo Song was worried. When he first built the warehouse, he mainly used the original warehouse and did not consider the problem of low terrain. Later, when he considered this problem, it was too late. This is really worrying.
matter.
"Go and have a look!"
The group of people walked to the west of the warehouse. The southwest corner of the warehouse is close to the Fen River. This is also where the dock is purchased. The dock is just dozens of steps away. Although it is still ice and snow, some things can still be seen from the height of the ice.
Clues.
The director of the warehouse, Tang Wenyao, was leading a dozen craftsmen to measure the current water level, which was the position of the ice surface. Tang Wenyao turned around to see the King of Jin. Chang Shi and Si Lang were both here. He was startled and hurriedly stepped forward to greet him.
"How is the situation now?" Guo Song asked.
"Reporting to Your Highness, the ice surface is only one foot from the embankment, and last year's record was two feet and five inches. It is almost certain that after the spring begins, the Fen River will definitely rise and the river water will overflow into the warehouse."
"Is there any good way?" Guo Song asked.
Tang Wenyao invited a middle-aged man in his fifties over and introduced him to Guo Song: "This is Zhao Zhi, the capital's water supervisor. His home is in Puzhou. He was specially invited here because of his humble position. He has been controlling water in Guanzhong for a long time.
Rich experience.”
The middle-aged man was dark-skinned, thin in stature, but in good spirits. He bowed deeply to Guo Song and said, "In this humble position, I see His Highness the King of Jin!"
Guo Song smiled slightly and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Zhao Jiancheng came here during the New Year."
"I dare not. It is a humble honor to serve His Highness."
Guo Song nodded and asked, "How should we deal with the current situation in Fenshui?"
Zhao Zhi smiled and said: "There are thousands of ways to control water, and the essence is nothing more than blocking and dredging. The simplest and most effective way is to use sand bags to heighten the embankment. But I have carefully looked at it in the past two days, and the dredging method will actually be more effective."
good."
Guo Song said happily: "I also like to be sparse and don't like to be blocked. I might as well explain it in detail."
"You can dig two ditches around the warehouse, and then connect the ditches to the moat, and then go south from the moat and flow into Baiyadang, which is thirty miles away. The area of Baiyadang will expand several times, but in the end it will only affect five or six villages.
, just move them in time."
"But if the Fenshui River rises, what should we do in the middle and lower reaches?"
"Your Highness, don't worry. The Fenshui River is not the Yellow River. If it overflows, it will not cause the consequences of dam failure. Especially after entering Jiexiu County, there are canyons on both sides. Don't worry. I have seen previous records of rising Fenshui River.
It happens almost every ten years, but the crops along the coast of Taiyuan Prefecture will suffer a little loss. Other problems are not big. This time it is mainly about threatening the warehouse and preserving the warehouse materials. There is no need to think too much about anything else."
Guo Song waved his hand and said: "Since it is only a threat to the warehouse, it is better to move all the warehouse materials away."
Pan Liao said with a smile: "Your Highness, overflowing water will still cause damage to the warehouses. Unless these thousands of warehouses are abandoned, it would be a pity. Dig a river channel, and then surround the warehouse with sandbags. Basically,
It’s absolutely foolproof. Your Highness, think about it. The food alone is 3.2 million dan. It’s really unrealistic to move it in a short time.”
Zhang Xu also said: "Pan Changshi is right. I suggest moving the meat supplies from the icehouse and basically leaving everything else alone."
Guo Song pondered for a moment and said: "Try to be more thoughtful and implement it as soon as possible. We actually only have more than a month to dig a canal of dozens of miles, so we must seize the time."
Pan Liao immediately said: "I humbly obey the order. We will start implementing it tomorrow and mobilize the people to participate!"