Late Tang Dynasty Floating Life

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.

In fact, don’t underestimate the cargo capacity of inland river vessels.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 wave can sink it.However, there are no winds and waves in most inland rivers, so this kind of heavily specialized ship can carry a lot of cargo beyond people's imagination and travel between places.

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 with one or two small country shops selling food, 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, and merchants who escort goods on ships need higher-end services, so the demand arises and a market emerges.

On September 27, Wang Erlang spent a day cutting firewood in the mountains.

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 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 [-] 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 served in the Golden Sword Army, and the Golden Sword Army was based in Dengzhou.Last year, the army deployed 4000 people to accompany them on patrols, and they have not returned yet.

Wang Erlang hoped in his heart that the troops accompanying him would not go to Luoyang. At least the 4000 people of the Golden Sword Army could return to their garrison.

"There is no baggage carriage." Lu Dalang walked 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 hare had been dead for a long time, and its whole body was stiff. Its long ears were pulled into the hunter's hands, and it looked very funny.

"Another catch." Wang Erlang said enviously.

Lu Dalang is from his same village, a native of Yanzhou, and a former warrior of the Golden Sword Army. He is already fifty this year.After he retired from the Forbidden Army, he tried to send his son to join the Forbidden Army, but failed.The half-grown boy was so ashamed that he ran away in anger. He heard that he had gone to Ba Khan, and he didn't know whether he was dead or alive.

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 is very enviable.When he has nothing to do, he likes to go hunting in the mountains, and today he got two hares.Based on Wang Erlang's understanding of him, he will definitely go to the restaurant at the foot of the mountain to buy some old wine, groom the rabbits, and go home to drink by himself. Don't live too happily.

Alas, in the final analysis, those who live happily are all warriors, and the life is not comparable to that of ordinary people. Although his family also has a warrior, but the son has gone out to separate the 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 point of view, he should hope that the Xiangcheng Cao Canal can transport goods all day long, rather than transport the army's baggage.

"It's true." Lu Dalang said, "But it's still a waste."

"Maybe the sage wants to see how the Caoqu is?" 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 and would not completely believe the words of the people below. He would definitely do everything in his own way and only be reassured after verifying it himself.In this case, it seems 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 car seemed to also contain a lot of copper coins and silk, which made people very greedy - these should be rewards that the warriors received when driving.

"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 has lasted for more than ten years. If the sage hadn't insisted, it might have been abandoned by now?"

When the Cao Canal was built in Xiangcheng, "menstruation" was a topic in Ruzhou and Dengzhou.The delay took too long, and there were accidents during the process. Sometimes there was less rain, the ponds dried up, and the canals were 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 it was driven entirely by his personal will.

"You are right." 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.

Whether life is good or bad, isn't it all about 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 taels of wine and went back to reward himself.

As the sun set, the two 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.

Thinking about the first split of Shannan Dongdao back then, Tang and Deng were separated along with the three prefectures, and Zhe Zongben served as Jiedushi.

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 2 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 Zhe family army finally became a powerful force, and that was also because there were more powerful troops "training" with them.If all he was fighting were Shannan Dongdao, he probably wouldn't have mastered it by now.

In the end, the Zhe family obediently moved to Huaixi. Although you can say that they are loyal, it may be that they are not aware of their own abilities, and there are factors such as choosing to surrender.

The past was like smoke, and Shao Shude just casually diverted his thoughts.After all, his kind of "old cunt" is calculating people all day long, speculating on 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, feeling 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 proven to be correct.

This Xiangcheng canal failed many times during the construction process, but it was finally completed at a great cost. Now it has become one of the transportation hubs, effectively ensuring Luoyang's supply.

This is something that only the founding emperor and the emperor could do.If you change to an emperor with less prestige, if you fail once, the whole project will be in danger. If you fail twice, there is a high probability that you will give up completely, and don't mention this matter again - even if you want to do it, the officials 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: "Maybe the south will catch up, especially between Jiang and Han, thousands of miles of fertile wilderness, extremely flat. It’s perfect 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 place, with a large number of soldiers and horses stationed, but it was never heard that that place could support so many troops on its own.But following the saint's journey, he 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 Hanjiacang City's million-stone grain storage.The "food road" in Luoyang envisioned by the sages is indeed well-founded and very reliable.

Even if food is not transported, all fruits, medicinal materials, porcelain, silk, tea, lacquer, bamboo utensils and other materials are transported instead. The rich products of the south can also 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. Tens of thousands of people marched by land and water, passed through the Wanye Corridor, crossed the increasingly densely populated Ruzhou, and returned to Luoyang at the end of the month.

After a long detour, the tour that lasted for more than a year came to an end.