Wu Guangzan hurried back to Luoyang to entertain old friends and acquaintances who came from Liaodong.
"It's still warm in Luoyang." Gao Mohan just went out for a walk and said after returning.
"Is there any place colder than Liaodong?" Wu Guangzan said with a smile.
When he said this, Gao Mohan, the "hometown treasure", was a little unhappy, and argued: "Why did you say this? Liaodong is a little cold, but it is rich in products. There are countless crocodiles, and the emperor said it is good to eat them." Nowadays, there are probably dozens of fish shops opened in Longquan Prefecture, Muzhou, Xianzhou and other places, all of which are time-honored brands that have been tasted by saints."
Wu Guangzan: "..."
"After the Khitan was defeated, Liaodong is now very peaceful. Mohe has stopped making trouble, and Goryeo is also very peaceful. It is really a rare peaceful age." Gao Mohan added: "If I didn't want to make a name for myself, I would rather stay in this place all my life. Liaodong will not come out."
"Why are you talking so much?" Wu Guangzan said helplessly: "Didn't you dislike saints before? Why are you saying good things now?"
"This...where did I say anything nice?" Gao Mohan was embarrassed and said, "I just said that the world is peaceful."
Wu Guangzan did not argue with him and said: "You came out too late. Now there are few opportunities. Only in Yunnan and the Western Regions can there be wars."
Gao Mohan thought about it seriously and said: "I'm afraid I won't be able to get used to that place in Yunnan. I heard people say that there is a rebellion in Quzhou and Tonghai Dudu's Mansion now. It's not a big scene. I can't show off my skills if I go there." .”
"Are you going to the Western Regions?" Wu Guangzan asked curiously: "Your clan sister is serving the saint in Gaochang. You bring some gifts and treat it as a visiting relative. When the saint hears this, he can't pretend not to know you. If there is no chance, Are you coming?"
"Isn't this a bit embarrassing?" Gao Mohan was a little embarrassed.
In fact, he felt that it was quite outrageous that his sister was abducted by a saint, lost her virginity, and gave birth to a child. The Gao family is a famous family, and this kind of thing should not happen even if it is beneficial to the family.
However, the elders in the clan are all blind and deaf, pretending not to know that Rou Niang once had a husband.
When the 20th Prince was born, the news had not yet spread. No one knew who gave birth to the child. They only knew that the child was raised by the Queen. Now more than four years have passed, and everyone who is well-informed knows that this is the Gao family. Those born by "stealing people" are the seeds of saints.
The Gao family has also begun to move around now, and even run frequently.
In Liaodong, court officials would more or less give some face, and the family's reputation actually showed signs of recovery after falling to rock bottom.
As one of the more outstanding martial arts disciples of the new generation of the Gao family, Gao Mohan couldn't stand the pressure and finally left Longquan Mansion and went south to the capital with several fellow clan members, intending to start their journey to Guangmenlin.
There was a big age gap between Gao Mohan and Wu Guangzan, but they had a good relationship. As soon as they arrived in Luoyang, they came to visit them.
"There is nothing to be ashamed of." Wu Guangzan said earnestly: "But there are not so many warriors in the world to fight. Opportunities are limited. There are too many monks and too little food. If you want to get ahead, you have to think of something."
Gao Mohan nodded silently.
"But do you really want to understand? Are you going to the Western Regions to make meritorious deeds?" Wu Guangzan asked.
"Yes." Gao Mohan said: "I asked someone to find out about the Tonghai Dudu Mansion. It is a bit hot and humid. The imperial court has moved thousands of households from Jiangdong to the place. They all feel uncomfortable. I will definitely not be able to bear it."
From the perspective of Yunnan alone, Tonghai Dudu Mansion is actually not a bad place. The area of the mountainous plain is definitely not small, and the altitude is not too low. It is not as unbearable as Wuguan.
But the level of development is indeed very low. Master Wang killed too many people and forcibly relocated many Tibetan people. The vacant land was given to the new immigrants to clean up. The hostility of the local people will be difficult to eliminate for a while. Gao Mohan really doesn’t want to go there.
This muddy water.
After thinking about it, he still likes the Western Region more. Even if he really has to stay there in the future, except for the stronger wind and sand, the rest will not be difficult to endure.
"Now that you have made a decision, I can't say anything." Wu Guangzan sat down and unconsciously rubbed his chin with his left hand. After a long time, he suddenly smiled bitterly and said: "Maybe, I will go to the Western Regions to be with you.
I’m here to keep you company.”
"Why is this?" Gao Mohan asked curiously: "Aren't you an official in the Ministry of Industry? What kind of Prime Minister is that?"
"It's not the Ministry of Industry. It's the Chief of the Water Supervision and Canal Department." Wu Guangzan said: "After the Xiangcheng canal was repaired, he was promoted to the fourth level and became the canal commander. Now he will be transferred to the Western Regions, and he was promoted to the third level.
level, and serves as the governor of the capital city."
Hequ Shu Cheng is an official position below the ninth rank, Ling is from the eighth rank, and Du Shuicheng is from the seventh rank.
Don't look at the promotion of seven or eight levels, that is, from the ninth level to the seventh level.
In the former Tang Dynasty, some officials were even demoted by more than ten levels, which is scary.
When it comes to the Xiangcheng Cao Canal, there has been a lot of trouble recently.
Because Zhao Er of the Northern Song Dynasty repeatedly excavated Fangchengkou and ultimately failed, Shao Shude's strategy was to build a mountaintop canal on the higher-lying Wanye Corridor.
After many years of investigation and the construction of several ponds to store water, this strategy was officially started a few years ago.
The ship lift is not complicated. It is a technology from the Qin Dynasty and is widely used, so it was built quickly.
Just this summer, after the reservoir on the top of the mountain was filled with water, water began to be discharged into the ship lift. As the water level in the lock slowly rose, the first six ships were successfully lifted more than 20 meters and successfully entered the top of the mountain.
After sailing for more than ten miles, the canal entered the Henan water system, which extends in all directions, and reached Linru County in the upper reaches of Ru River in the north.
The goods were then unloaded at the dock, traveled the last few dozen miles on a four-wheeled carriage, and were successfully transported to Luoyang.
When the cargo ship was successfully lifted, officials from the Metropolitan Water Supervision and Ministry of Industry near the ship lift were filled with joy and cried with joy.
However, when the ship lock released water, it suddenly broke down the embankment of the downstream river and flooded a lot of farmland, which was unexpected.
Of course, this problem is not too big and can be solved. In fact, the two states of Tang and Deng have already recruited teachers to strengthen the river embankment. I believe that by next spring and summer, it will definitely be a different scene.
"The promotion is very fast." Gao Mohan immediately smiled and said when he heard about this promotion and that: "That's good, you and I will go west together, and we will have someone to take care of us in the future."
Wu Guangzan forced a smile, who would be willing to go to the Western Regions to eat sand?
I heard that together with many colleagues from the Ministry of Industry and the Capital Water Supervision, Luoyang and Chang'an will also send some craftsmen, a total of more than 300 people, to Xizhou, Yinzhou, and Tingzhou to guide the construction of water conservancy projects. What should I say?
Be good.
The saint has a very good impression of the Wu family. As long as he makes meritorious deeds, he will definitely be promoted, and the promotion will be greater than others. The reason? Wu Guangzan knows more or less. The saint wants to promote a few people from Bohai, and
By being a typical example of political achievements in the Han region, Bohai people can integrate into the entire country faster and no longer have any extraneous thoughts.
Of course, this is only the perspective of the Bohai people. If you focus on other ethnic groups, you will find that the saint's skills are very profound. He almost wants to absorb all talented people into the system he created.
Serve him and at the same time inspire more people to join this system, making the foundation of the court more solid.
Thinking of this, he suddenly asked: "Did you just say that the world in Liaodong is peaceful?"
"It's Taiping..." Gao Mohan was a little confused and said: "The Khitan has been destroyed. Abaoji only appeared once near Lisheng Prefecture in the past year. He robbed some cattle, sheep and horses and ran away, almost turning into a horse.
It’s a bandit. The twenty troops of Shiwei are fine. They rarely raid Liaodong anymore. If they come, they will be beaten away."
"Chinese people - is there anything you can't think about?" Wu Guangzan asked in a low voice.
"Not much." Gao Mohan shook his head and said, "No one is a fool. A few people came to see my father, but were scolded and ran away, saying that they were just daydreaming. Every year after the autumn harvest, soldiers from various states gather for training, and the momentum is astonishing.
, who is so determined to rebel at this time?"
For those Bohai people who had ambitions of rejuvenating their country, Shao Shude's government troops in Liaodong were really annoying.
Obviously during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, in line with the principle of "raise the troops in Guanzhong to attack all directions", most of the government troops were stationed in Guanzhong to suppress all parts of Guandong. But Shao Shude was really outrageous. He used the government troops in the border areas and was not afraid of being separated from his own.
Control - The possibility of rebellion by government soldiers is indeed much lower than that of recruited soldiers, but it does not mean that there is no danger at all.
"If you don't rebel at this time, why don't you wait until the end of the dynasty?" Wu Guangzan keenly heard the hidden meaning of Gao Mohan's words and asked.
Gao Mohan gave him a strange look and said: "At the end of the dynasty, even the Han people rebelled."
Wu Guangzan patted his head in annoyance, smiled to himself, and said: "Hu Tu. I feel relieved after hearing what you said. The most important thing is to live your own life, without Khitan plundering or the expense of suppressing Mohe.
The people of the Bohai Sea can take a big breather. And the government soldiers do not need to pay for it. The only cost is land. The most indispensable thing in Liaodong is land. Very good, very good!"
"The people's lives have become much better," Gao Mohan said.
There is more food surplus, less taxes, and fewer corvees. Although the progress in any single thing is not particularly great, it is indeed moving in a better direction.
And when life gets better, the nostalgia for the old dynasty will decrease, and the recognition of the new dynasty will also increase. This is the same thing and two sides.
Once Liaodong is stabilized, the imperial court will be free to step up its efforts in other two directions, such as Yunnan and the Western Regions.
"The Western Region may be the second Liaodong. But does the saint still have the time, the energy, and the heroic ambition to do it again?" Wu Guangzan thought to himself: "The cost of immigrating to the Western Region is much higher than that of immigrating to Liaodong. Liaodong
It is rich in products, and Bohai, a farming country with a population of more than one million, provides food, medicinal materials, ironware, daily necessities and other materials, and can also transport materials and personnel through water transportation. The current local reception capacity in the Western Region is extremely limited, and materials are very expensive and scarce.
This is the biggest difficulty.”
On the other side, Gao Mohan had already poured himself a drink and started drinking.
He didn't think as much as Wu Guangzan thought.
His idea is very simple and simple, that is, wherever he makes his achievements, he will make his home wherever he is, even if it is a desert oasis in the Western Regions.
As for his hometown in Bohai, that is all in the past, and he no longer misses it.