After February has passed, it will be the imperial examination month that attracts the attention of the whole country.
There are too many topics in this year's imperial examination.
Although the Jinshi subject still tests the old Nine Classics, many people are already thinking about the New Nine Classics three years later.
People with poor academic performance are anxious. Because if they fail the exam this time, they will have to change the content next time, which will increase the cost of learning.
People who are good at school are also damn anxious. Because of the increased uncertainty, they are not as stable as before.
The happiest people were the agricultural students, because they finally got the opportunity to step into the center of the imperial political stage.
Against this background, not many people paid attention to the few personnel appointments issued by the imperial court.
On the fifth day of March in the fourth year of Tongguang's reign, the imperial decree reached Nanjing, and Wei King Shao Mianren was transferred to Beijing to stay behind to replace Feng Heng, who died of illness.
After receiving the order, Shao Mianren left Nanjing on March 10th and went to Beijing to take up his post.
He has been in Nanjing for seven years since he took office in the twelfth year of Jianji's reign.
In seven years, he watched Nanjing transform from a wasteland into a city with increasing popularity.
In seven years, he watched Jiangnan transform from a war-torn place to a land of plenty where people can live and work in peace and contentment.
In seven years, he watched the people of Wuyue go from being hesitant and restless at the beginning to enjoying this peaceful and prosperous age.
"Seven years ago, this place was full of weeds." Shao Mianren pointed to the location of Yang Gong Linhua Hall and said.
"I still remember that day, His Highness sent me to survey the scenic spot in the south of the Yangtze River. When I came here, I saw three or five children playing in the grass. When digging the foundation, I could often see broken porcelain tiles from the previous dynasty." Jiang Ning
Li Guizhen, the young governor of the Prefecture, said with emotion: "Nanjing was built hand by hand, and His Highness deserves the most credit."
The capital city, which was extremely prosperous during the Southern Dynasties, was completely razed to ruins and the people were moved away in order to "lock the king's spirit".
At the end of the former Tang Dynasty, Feng Hongduo was the governor of Shengzhou and was a prince of one party. He was soon destroyed by Yang Xingmi.
Lao Yang also took a fancy to this place, so he promoted Yang Jie to be the governor of the state and began to operate this area. However, the so-called operation was only limited to agriculture, and the palace city was not restored.
When Shao Mianren first came, the place where Yang Wong was located was full of weeds, puddles, vegetable fields, and farmland.
Although he did not start the construction of Nanjing Palace City, he did make great efforts.
The imperial court moved people from Guanxi, Henan, and Hebei south to Shengzhou, and the resettlement alone took a lot of effort.
The servants recruited from all over the country were also managed by him.
The imperial court sent tens of thousands of prisoners from Yunnan, and they also needed his attention.
After serving for seven years, he felt that there was no merit but hard work. He left so suddenly, and for a while he was a little reluctant to leave.
His wife and children were riding in several carriages. At this time, they also opened the curtains and looked outside silently.
As northerners, they are already used to life in Nanjing, the weather here, the environment here, the products here, and the people here.
Jiangnan is actually very good.
Rich in products, convenient transportation, and a peaceful place far away from right and wrong.
There are also many products from overseas on the market that can satisfy their various enjoyments.
After staying for a long time, a lazy thought arose in my heart, and I just wanted to live like this without thinking about anything.
Shao Mianren actually feels this way too.
When I was the governor of Zhangzhou, my mind was always tense, and I was always worried that there would be civil unrest somewhere and needed to be suppressed.
It's not rich materially, but once you get used to it, it's nothing.
Only Jiangnan is the most demoralizing place for people. No wonder there have always been partialist regimes since ancient times.
"There is no such thing as a long banquet." After arriving at the pier, Shao Mianren turned around, saluted the Nanjing officials who were seeing him off, and said, "Gentlemen, please go back."
****
The ship sailed into the river that afternoon and headed down the river towards Guangling.
There are not many ships on the river in March. A few ships are occasionally seen, but most of them have left.
Overseas ships do not only operate in coastal cities. In fact, many inland cities are also their targets. In other words, they will go upstream along the inland rivers to sell goods and purchase goods.
During the reign of Emperor Xianzong of the Tang Dynasty, Shi Jianwu, the number one scholar, once passed through Tonglu County, and met Hu Shang at that time - "Zheng Jun of Xingyang was lobbying, and he came to Tonglu occasionally to discuss tea... Hu Shang's big nose went left and right, and Zhao Concubine's thin eyebrows were straight forward and backward."
It is worth mentioning that in his later years, Shi Jianwu and his family immigrated to the Penghu Islands. He found that there were no permanent residents on the islands, only "island barbarians" who came seasonally to go for pearls and fish, and there was a fishy smell everywhere. There was a "Title"
A poem called "Penghu Island".
It's like this along the Qiantang River, and it's even worse on both sides of the Yangtze River.
Suzhou, Runzhou, Changzhou, and Yangzhou are densely populated with ports, and merchants gather there. Because the land is connected to the north with richer products and richer resources, Yangzhou Guangling has become the largest port, and tens of thousands of Hu people live there all year round.
Since the mid-Tang Dynasty, Hu merchants have been repeatedly extorted and robbed by Guangling's Jiedu envoys and soldiers, but they refused to leave "without changing their original intentions."
"It's really a river flowing with gold." Shao Mianren said with emotion, holding the side of the boat.
The foreign merchant ships passing by had a very deep draft and were obviously fully loaded.
They may return directly to their country, or they may sell their goods elsewhere and return to Daxia in the summer - the latter is more likely.
The Great Cannibal is not just engaged in long-distance ocean trade between the mainland and Daxia.
They are often seen in shipping between states within Daxia and surrounding countries.
"Your Highness, the imperial court is paying more and more attention to maritime trade. This business is really amazing. If I had not come to Nanjing, it would be hard to believe it." Wang Zhenbai, the chief minister of the Palace of Wei, held a wine glass in his hand and stood against the wind, looking very chic.
Shao Mianren glanced at him and said, "It's better to drink less of this wine."
This is what a bohemian and talented man looks like.
Wang Zhenbai still had a lot of nostalgia for the former Tang Dynasty in his heart, and Shao Mianren knew this very well. If he hadn't repeatedly invited him, he might not have been willing to come out and serve as an aide in his palace, which had little future.
What he was holding in his hand at this time was the so-called "fragrance wine" made with borneol oil (camphor), which was very popular among scholars.
Shao Mianren thought the food was strange and did not want to drink it. He also advised Wang Zhenbai not to drink it.
"Your Highness." Wang Zhenbai smiled, hid the wine glass behind his back, and said: "It is mentioned in "Zhizhi·Geography" that the weather gets colder every year. After so many years, I have the same feeling. Take Jiangxi as an example.
The swamps receded and a lot of land was silted out. People rushed to cultivate it and harvested a lot. If it continues to be cold for several decades, Jiangnan will become more livable and comfortable. More fields will lead to more products. Overseas
There will also be more businessmen."
"You are right." Shao Mianren looked at the mighty river and said, "Don't talk about anything else. Today, coal is used everywhere in the world. There are few rivers in the north and there are not many places that can be transported by ship. In some states and counties, even
We are using horse-drawn carriages and camels to transport coal, which is very expensive."
"Let's talk about the iron tools. The mine superintendent Yang Xingmi set up in Xuanzhou made iron tools and armored wars. Tens of thousands of them could be transported down the river. One ship could transport tens of thousands of them. They arrived in Nanjing and Guangling in a few days. They were very cheap."
"Tea, silk, porcelain, medicinal materials, etc. are all transported by rivers, so everything is very convenient."
Transportation costs, whether ancient or modern, are an unavoidable problem.
The production side needs to reduce transportation costs, and the sales side also needs to reduce transportation costs.
In this regard, the advantages of Jiangnan are really great. It is not only the transportation trunk Yangtze River, but also many tributaries, which together form a huge water transportation network, which is naturally suitable for the development of industry and commerce.
Shao Mianren lived in Nanjing for seven years and had a deep understanding of the benefits of water transportation in the south of the Yangtze River.
Last year, he went directly to Nanjing to build a shipyard and build large-scale ships in Nanjing to facilitate maritime trade.
The sage promised, but he did not ask the court to come forward directly. Instead, he ordered the Annan Trading Company to send people to Jiangning Mansion to find a place to build a shipyard. If it is built, this trading company will own two wharves and shipyards in Quanzhou and Nanjing. Its strength cannot be underestimated.
watch for.
"His Royal Highness once said that the wealth from the south of the Yangtze River should be used to support the powerful soldiers from the north..." Wang Zhenbai said.
"These are the saint's original words." Shao Mianren interrupted and corrected.
Wang Zhenbai didn't take it seriously and continued: "This is actually the truth. No matter how hard you work with the many ports in the north, how much money can you get? The wealth sent to Luoyang every year by Huainan, Jiangdong, and Jiangxi will sooner or later exceed
Henan and Hebei. A hundred years after the founding of Daxia, Huainan and Jiangnan became the most important areas of wealth."
Wang Zhenbai is from Jiangxi and is very proud of her hometown.
In his view, after three hundred years of vigorous development during the Tang Dynasty, Jiangnan had reached the point of surpassing Hebei and Henan.
After the Anshi Rebellion, the former Tang Dynasty could not receive taxes from Hebei, so the money and grain from Henan and Hedong should be kept there as much as possible to support hundreds of thousands of warriors. The emperor of Chang'an, hundreds of officials, and the imperial army all relied on the money and grain shipped from the south of the Yangtze River to support them.
Today, there is no shortage of people in the south of the Yangtze River - during the late Tang Dynasty, in the densely populated Taihu Lake Basin, ordinary households had more than ten acres of land, five acres, or seven acres, which was much less than in the north.
, but you can grow rice stably and get more harvest.
In Wang Zhenbai's view, Jiangnan no longer needs immigrants. It can develop rapidly and become a wealth center for the dynasty simply by relying on the existing population.
As long as the Xia Dynasty comes, it will be the model of Jiangnan taxing to support northern troops - food from the south may not be needed, but money is definitely needed.
It's a pity that because it was the old land of Yang and Wu, it was conquered late, so Jiangnan's status is a bit low.
Huainan, Jiangdong, and Jiangxi Provinces each have only five Jinshi and one quota for agriculture. But Longyou and Hexi Provinces can all get four Jinshi and one for agriculture. How can they compare with Jiangnan, a place where people gather together?
?
Hedong Road, which has more than a dozen states, has only as many registered permanent residences as two or three large states in the south of the Yangtze River, but it has five Jinshi quotas and one agricultural science quota. Isn't this bullying?
Hedong, is that important?
"Let you drink less." Shao Mianren shook his head and laughed.
Although he is also optimistic about the development of Jiangnan, it is really not about money.
But then again, we talked about "military" in the early years of the founding of the People's Republic of China, and "money" a hundred years after the founding of the People's Republic of China. Jiangnan has unique conditions, and its status will definitely rise slowly in the future. As for how far it can rise, it depends on their
Good fortune.
The boat arrived at Guazhoupu that evening.
Even at night, the place is still brightly lit and lined with masts, which is very shocking to see.