As far as Hebei is concerned, the most important transportation artery is not the three post roads running from north to south, but the Yongji Canal.
This canal, which was dug in the Sui Dynasty, was once abandoned in the early Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty spent great efforts on dredging and dredging to restore its vitality.
Before the Anshi Rebellion, Beizhou on the bank of Yongji Canal was called "Tian Xia Bei Ku" and surrounded more than 3 million pieces of cloth, more than 800,000 pieces of silk, more than 300,000 pieces of money, and more than 300,000 dendrobiums of grain.
For military supplies—these supplies were transferred through canals from Huainan and Henan.
After the Anshi Rebellion, the vassal towns in Hebei became independent and independent, and did not respect the court's orders. However, they still worked hard on matters concerning their own interests.
For example, Weibo Town cooperated with Xuanwu Town, which was loyal to the imperial court, to regulate the Yellow River and build water conservancy projects.
The four towns of Weibo, Chengde, Cangjing and Youzhou also made great efforts to dredge the Yongji Canal to maintain its navigation function. So much so that at the end of the Tang Dynasty and the beginning of Liang Dynasty, the required logistics for the war between Liu Rengong and Zhu Quanzhong were still transported through the Yongji Canal.
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Yongji Canal went all the way north to Duliukou (today's Duliu Town, Jinjinghai), merged with Baihe River and Chaohe River, and flowed eastward into the sea - Zhigu is near the mouth of the sea.
From Yongji Canal to Youzhou, there is still a canal, which runs from Duliukou to the west, with the Juma River, passing through Yukou Pass, Wuqing County, and Anci County, and reaching the southeast of Youzhou City.
The condition of this canal is quite good, and there are rich water systems and numerous rivers nearby. There are many options to choose from, and the radiation range is also very large.
In the third year of Changxing in the Later Tang Dynasty, Zhao Dejun, the military governor of Lulong, reported: "The newly opened Southeast River, from Wangmakou to Yukou, is one hundred and sixty-five miles long, sixty-five paces wide, and one foot or two feet deep to facilitate canal transportation.
A boat is worth a thousand stones, so draw a picture to offer it."
A river capable of carrying a thousand rocks is quite good, and even sea-going ships of medium or below can sail in. However, the Great Xia court has not tried it, and this section still uses inland waterway ship transportation.
When Xiao Dilu and others went north, they took this kind of ship. They had already left Zhigu and entered the southern border of Wuqing County.
"Liaoze also has such a place with abundant water and grass, but it's a pity that most of it is used for grazing cattle and sheep." Xiao Dilu sighed as he stood on the bow of the boat, looking at the dense mulberry forests and rice fields on both sides of the bank.
In later generations, Beijing and Tianjin had abundant water resources during the Tang and Song Dynasties. The swamps overflowed and were covered with fresh and juicy pastures. During the Five Dynasties, a large number of rice fields were opened and rice was planted. During the Northern Song Dynasty, due to changes in the situation between the enemy and ourselves, most of the rice fields were replanted.
Destroyed into swamps and planted with trees, the area under rice field management has greatly shrunk, and it is no longer its former glory.
"Why should General Xiao sigh?" Qiu Zengxiang walked out of the cabin and said, "Liaoze is now in the hands of the imperial court. When the time comes, we can still grow rice and wheat."
"Yes." Xiao Dilu was shocked, knowing that he should not miss the Khitan on this occasion, so he compensated: "Liao Zehe should belong to the imperial court, and Bohai should also die. The Da family has not been able to solve Mohe for two hundred years, and the saint
But you train them to be obedient, you can see the difference."
The Mohe people and Jurchens who were originally sitting in the cabin also came out and pointed at both sides of the bank.
Wuqing County has a total of more than 7,200 households and a population of more than 36,400, most of which are concentrated in the northern half. There are not many people in the southern part. After all, it was originally a swamp. But after so many years of development, many people have been registered in Wuqing County.
The south is also gradually improving, and even the veterans of the Forbidden Army who settled in Wuqing mostly live in this area.
Their years of martial arts career allowed them to accumulate a rich fortune. For their new home, they spared no expense, hired ships to bring wood, bricks and tiles from far away, and then built a series of magnificent farmhouses. There was a man who was born in a small school.
This countryman was so upright that he even found a way to install two stone lions in front of the door, which was quite luxurious.
The Mohe people were almost dumbfounded.
They built houses with birch bark and dug holes in the ground. The cold in winter made their lips turn blue. There was no clear boundary between the pigs, humans and pigs in the house. The stench was overwhelming, but it was "clean and sanitary".
Compared with these beautiful houses, the shabby house at home can be burned down.
"You-" Xiao Dilu said in half-baked Mohe language: "You can also have a house like this, and you can also live a good life of drinking wine and eating meat."
When the Mohe people heard this, they looked happy.
A short, stocky man even grabbed Xiao Dilu's arm and said, "What can I do? Teach me quickly!"
"For you, there is only one way." Xiao Dilu gently pulled out his arm and said: "Work hard for the saint, establish meritorious deeds, and get rewards. If you sell your life like this for a few years, you will have everything."
"Isn't it too late to work hard now?" Someone asked, "Is there still a chance?"
"The saint's kindness will not allow you to go to the hot south to die. In the future, we may be able to conquer the Western Regions. This is also the only chance. Whether you can become rich or not depends on this time." Xiao Dilu said at the right time.
"Can I not go back if I have done meritorious service?" someone asked again.
"Of course." Xiao Dilu smiled and said, "Which clan are you from?" "Tudan clan."
"Fight hard. These days, life is worthless, and there are many people who do not sacrifice their lives until they die. It is rare to have an emperor who is fair and selfless, does not discriminate against anyone, and gives everyone a fair chance to sacrifice their lives, so we must seize it." Xiao
Dilu said: "Have you seen the orchard on the shore?"
Everyone nodded.
"That is owned by a military academy man who was rewarded for his meritorious service. He was originally a member of the Silver Spear Army and a Tibetan. He galloped for twenty years, was not afraid of death, and accumulated a large fortune." Xiao Dilu said: "Now
Wouldn’t it be nice to buy land and a house when you are old and have children and grandchildren? In the orchard, in August, there are chestnuts, hazelnuts, and grapes. In September, walnuts and plums are ripe again. There is also a rice field at home, half of which is cultivated by myself, and half of which is cultivated by myself.
Just farm for your neighbors and pay some rent when you harvest. How does this day compare to yours?"
Everyone was silent. But everyone could see that there was undisguised desire in their eyes.
"As for the wine you like." Xiao Dilu laughed, asked someone to bring a pot of turbid wine, shook it, and said, "I'll reward you, two sips per person, not much."
Everyone thanked them one after another and scrambled endlessly.
"Hold on!" Xiao Dilu's face fell and he said: "I know you are used to being undisciplined, but when you join the army, you have to know the rules. Do as you are told, and you must not exceed the rules. Come one by one, whoever grabs it
There’s no need to drink..."
While still on the road, Xiao Dilu began to tell these savages the rules.
Qiu Zengxiang looked on with a smile. Everyone has come from this step. If these savages can abide by the rules, obey orders, and train well, they will be of great use in the future Western Expedition.
On the fourth day of November, the fleet stopped at Gengqiao Market outside Dongguo, Anci County.
The scale of the market is not small, selling all kinds of things, ranging from horses and cattle to needles and threads. "Hey, iron horses!" A merchant shouted after seeing the draft horse pulling fibers for the ship.
"Is this horse for sale?" someone asked stupidly. Everyone burst into laughter.
"This is an official horse of the imperial court. I wonder if it can be sold." "I haven't seen any of the iron horses going outside so far."
"That's not entirely true. I went to Hedong a while ago and heard that iron horses are already being sold there. Unfortunately, only 400 horses were sold in a year, and the supply exceeds demand." "Even if the imperial court has excess, it doesn't dare to sell it randomly, for fear that you will take it.
Go home and breed the donkey."
"Haha!" Another burst of laughter came out.
Indeed, after someone bought the Iron Horse, he bred it to a donkey. I don’t know what the result was. Everyone looked at the tall figure of the Iron Horse, and their eyes gradually lowered, uh--
However, random breeding was common in the pre-Tang Dynasty. It was a pity that all good horses were lost.
Da Xiazi has been running the horse administration for thirty years, and has launched batches of new horse breeds, most of which are popular products, even though everyone knows that these are actually the eliminated products of the horse administration.
And with this wave of baptism, many people gradually came to a concept: good horses cannot be bred with bad horses at will. The result of this disorder is that the horse breed will degenerate, and in the end it will be no different from donkeys and mules.
A good thing like an iron horse is not something you can just buy and breed at home. The bloodline must be kept as pure as possible. After the ship boss put the springboard in place, Xiao Dilu strolled ashore.
His hairstyle has been changed now, and there is no trace of Khitan at all. He just gave birth to a son this year, named Xiao Qian. As soon as he was born, he decided to raise him in the Han way, study and practice martial arts, in order to become a talent.
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The Khitan has been destroyed, so there is no need to be sad about the spring and autumn. We have to look forward in the future. After a few generations, who will still mention that their family is from the Khitan?
"Only a foot of silk is used to embroider seven volumes of the Lotus Sutra. The size of the characters is no larger than a grain of millet, and the stippling is clear and finer than a hair. There are no gaps in the inscriptions and sentences." At the entrance of the market, a young man saw
Holding the white silk in his hand, he was amazed.
Xiao Dilu smiled slightly after hearing this. This person had a southern accent. It was obviously his first time in the North and he was shocked by the textile technology here.
"There is a poem in the past." I asked for pearls and sailed across the sea, and went to Jingheng to collect jade. I bought party horses in the north, and captured Tubo parrots in the west. Fire coats were clothed in Yanzhou, and brocade was woven in Shu. The maidservants in Yue were fat and fleshy, and Xi Tong had bright eyes.
"This is the scene of the prosperous Tang Dynasty. How much of the atmosphere has the Gengqiao Market restored today?" Someone not far ahead said loudly.
Xiao Dilu chuckled to himself, it must be Suan Ding who was making noise.
"How does it compare to the Eastern Pearl that the Ministry of Internal Affairs obtained from the land densely covered with Mohe Streams and Lakes? The envoy from Khotan stayed in the Yun Temple for several months. It was obvious that he came for tribute. Why did he need to go to Jingheng to collect jade? Party horses and Tubo parrots , yes! There are even famous products such as the Iron Horse and the Haidong Falcon. How do they compare? The ingenious Sichuan brocade and the smooth flesh of the Yue servant are there! Xi Tong has not seen it today, but he saw it half a month ago. I came across one, with delicate features and extremely supple features, and was bought back by a stout military man. I don’t know what it’s for.”
Hearing the last sentence, the merchants and customers in the market all laughed, extremely obscene.
They deserve to laugh.
Because today we have healed the wounds of the past 150 years for the world, and brought unparalleled glory to the Chinese people. Treasures from all over the world have gathered in the Central Plains.
Heroes from all over the world came in droves. Envoys from all over the world sang their praises.
People like Xiao Dilu, who used to be high-ranking Khitans, now have to rack their brains and compromise with vulgar savages for the sake of their future. This is the general trend today.
"There are indeed others, but what about Huo Huanbu?" someone said.
"How much more will it take to defeat the enemy Huo Huanbu in the Western Expedition?" Xiao Dilu thought to himself, then turned around and walked towards the dock where the fleet was located.
There are still some people in the Luoyan Army who are not convinced, thinking that the last defeat was a bit inexplicable. What can Abaoji do to these fools, even if he unified the Khitan and Bohai? The reward he gave out with all his strength is probably not there yet. There are many rewards for those who go up and down.
The white silk embroidered with seven volumes of the Lotus Sutra was exhausted even by all the Khitan craftsmen.
Well, just as I was thinking about this, the young man bought the white silk, put it away carefully, and turned around. "Qian Yanei?" Xiao Dilu said in surprise.
"General Xiao?" Qian Chuanqiong was also a little surprised to meet an old friend here.
He often traveled between Luoyang, Peiping and Hangzhou. When he lived in Wangjingguan, Shunyi, he had an encounter with Xiao Dilu, who was under house arrest there. "Didn't the yamen go back to Hangzhou?" Xiao Dilu asked.
"He was sent here again by the patriarch." Qian Chuanqiong said unnaturally: "Wang Shenzhi defeated Chaozhou and killed Liu Yan. The Lingnan West Road, Annan, and Ningyuan armies joined forces to enter the territory of the Qing Navy. The patriarch couldn't sit still. Then he sent me north to the Holy Spirit."
"Haha! The Prince of Yuhang County reacted quickly." Xiao Dilu was overjoyed. He patted Qian Chuanqiong's shoulder hard and said, "We just happened to be returning to Beijing together. It would be nice to have a drink on the way."
"It's not what I asked for." Qian Chuanhuang said with a smile.
