T-shaped scrolls, the gains and losses, the first section
The official ship slowly sailed into the pier outside Zhangjiawan, Tongzhou.
Standing on the bow of the boat, the lingering warmth of the setting sun makes it difficult to feel much warmth, but the fierce north wind blows in your face, which lifts your spirits.
The Daguang Tower stands majestically. It is the customs office where goods entering Beijing are inspected. The Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Household Affairs both have branches here.
Ships traveling from south to north are stationed here, making Zhangjiawan a first-class dock outside the capital city.
Horse-drawn carriages and porters were rushing back and forth on the pier. In order to fight for the road, they kept swearing, sometimes threatening, sometimes begging...
There are also the vendors who are shouting and selling seasonal goods and are looking for buyers smartly. From time to time, they will show off and praise the items in their baskets in an attempt to attract customers. Occasionally, they will succeed, with bright smiles and a clatter of broken silver and copper coins.
Outline a picture of the various states of the human world.
The business travelers looking around for their companions may be confident, anxious, or timid, and the waiters at the inns and hostels who are greeting them for a break are very attentive and polite, which is even more wonderful.
The official standing reservedly with his hands behind his hands looked around, as if he was looking for prey, while the government servant with a knife on his hip had a burning gaze, like a cat looking at a mouse...
He or she beams with joy or points his finger at his calculations, greets his friends, and from time to time pats his chest and halberds proudly, seeming to express his generous stance, and everyone else laughs in agreement...
A beautiful picture of incomparable harmony and prosperity is displayed in front of everyone.
Hulutou behind the dam is a wharf specially used to transfer grain. Ordinary passenger and cargo ships are not allowed to enter, but official ships with special missions are naturally not included.
This line has now become the most prosperous area outside the capital city. Most of the guests traveling from south to north come here to rest, and bulk goods such as grain, cloth, salt, wood, medicinal materials, and porcelain also choose to be traded here.
Many merchants gathered here, making inns and various daily miscellaneous shops increasingly prosperous. In addition, all kinds of rest houses also chose this place as a place to communicate, so it has today's prosperous scene.
"The Qing Ming Dynasty contributed a lot to the development of Tongzhou. If not for this, our dynasty would have to spend a lot of effort here." Cui Jingrong looked at the prosperity of Caohe River outside here and couldn't help but sigh, "Yuanxi years ago, Tonghui was very important."
The dredging of the river laid the foundation for Chaoyangmenwai, which has been a water transportation site for hundreds of years. Don't underestimate this fifty miles of land. The annual savings in transshipment costs can exceed one hundred thousand taels. It only costs one to twenty thousand taels for dredging. It turns out that this
The transportation of grain alone will cost 150,000 taels of silver..."
Cui Jingrong is a veteran of the household, and he is well aware of the troubles involved in transporting grain to Beijing and other goods here.
During the Yuanxi period, the dredging and excavation from outside Chaoyang Gate to this section completely solved the problem. Although the ships in this line were much smaller in size, and their cargo capacity was more than 150 shi, they all weighed 20,000 jin.
Its size is enough for ordinary passenger and cargo ships to pass.
The official ship used by people like Feng Ziying and his group of ten people is a medium-sized ship with a carrying capacity of only about 10,000 kilograms. Because comfort is required, many cabins must have many objects and facilities. In fact, the number of people that can be accommodated is only
It can be used by thirty people.
For other ships of the same type, the passenger capacity is at least fifty or more, and can even reach seventy or eighty people.
Several separate cabins are undoubtedly prepared for several officials, including Feng Ziying. In addition, more senior officials can also be assigned to a narrower single cabin, and several Long Jinwei officers are also arranged.
Got a single room.
"This alone can save so much, which shows how much the water transportation costs. Mr. Cui, hasn't the Ministry of Revenue considered this from this perspective?" Feng Ziying asked with a smile.
"Ziying, you raised this question well. At least ten people have told me about this matter. However, water transportation is of great importance. Although there are drifts every year, they are within the acceptable range of the court. But if
If we switch to sea transportation, let alone other things, if we encounter a storm or get lost, what will happen to the court and the capital?" Cui Jingrong asked.
Several people stood on the bow and looked at the scenery on the docks on both sides of the river, and a feeling of pointing out the country came to their hearts.
"Not only that, in addition to sea storms, the rampage of Japanese pirates is also a major unpredictable worry." Wu Liangsi shook his head, "Beiyuan once opened a shipping channel, but it all depends on Fang Guozhen's face. Even Zhu Yuanzhang used Fang Guozhen in the same way.
There is no way, as long as the Japanese have the upper hand at sea, sea transportation will never be feasible..."
In fact, if one or two groups of ships encounter disaster or are robbed by Japanese pirates, it will not affect the demand for food in the capital city. However, people's hearts are the most unpredictable. Perhaps such a news may cause millions of uneasiness in the capital city.
Even panic buying, and the herd mentality is even more difficult to suppress.
Once this trend breaks out, it may not be easy to calm down. Feng Ziying can understand how big a threat it poses to the court, let alone others.
In a word, the lifeblood of the imperial court cannot be left to manpower. At the very least, any other risks on the canal are under the control of the imperial court, but once they go to the sea, they are really uncontrollable.
Of course, there are other reasons as well. For example, water transportation concerns the interests of thousands of people, and even officials along the route are involved. This is not fair to outsiders.
However, the costs and disadvantages of water transportation are in front of everyone. We can only think of ways to make up for and reduce them, but if we want to completely change to sea transportation, I am afraid no one will dare to take this risky attempt.
The advantages and disadvantages of water and sea transportation are actually very obvious, and the princes of the imperial court are also aware of it.
A court that lacked sea power would not be able to change this model in a short period of time. Feng Ziying did not expect to abolish water transportation at once. However, the impact of the canal on the management of the Yellow River and the amount of money the court spent every year on maintaining the water level of the canal.
It is truly astonishing and must be seriously considered.
"Actually, the risk of offshore transportation is not as great as imagined. It's just that this dynasty followed the system of the previous Ming Dynasty and the sea ban has been long-term, which has made coastal shipping stagnant. Including the shipbuilding industry, it is also far behind Xiyi. If this problem can be solved
The imperial court has paid more attention to this problem, organized and established a naval fleet, and eliminated Japanese pirates along the coast. It is not unfeasible for sea transportation to replace water transportation."
Feng Ziying saw that these people were all pricking up their ears to listen to her own opinions, and she also knew that she had become a well-known figure, especially since some new opinions and new ideas came from here, and she wanted to figure out something from it.
But now I am no longer a scholar, but a compilator of the Hanlin Academy, so I need to be more careful with my words to prevent others from taking advantage of me.
"Of course, short-distance transportation on the first line of the canal is still indispensable. The official just mentioned water transportation. Well, the type of bulk cargo transportation from Jiangnan to the capital can be replaced by sea transportation, but this is all a story for later.
How many changes there have been, no one can tell.”
Cui Jingrong nodded. Previously, he was worried that Feng Xiuzhan would be an arrogant and arrogant character. Now it seems that this guy is as stable and sophisticated as those old officials, but he occasionally shows it.
His sharpness also made people understand that it was no accident that this son was able to make such a big splash in the court in just one or two years.
Cui Jingrong naturally knew who was behind Feng Ziying, including Qi Yongtai, Qiao Yingjia, and even Chai Ke. The first two were his mentors, while Chai Ke was his admirer and now has a stake in it.
As long as Chai Ke is still serving as the governor of the three sides, he will need prominent figures like Feng Ziying, who has already emerged as a Jinshi in the fifth year of Yonglong, to cheer for him.
As northerners, Cui Jingrong, Qi Yongtai, and Qiao Yingjia were naturally on the same page. Before leaving, Qiao Yingjia and Qi Yongtai both said hello to him, hoping to take care of Feng Ziying during this trip south. Cui Jingrong naturally had no shirk in his duty.
Qi Qiao and Qi Qiao can now be regarded as the backbone of the Northern scholars in the court, especially Qi Yongtai, who is the leader of the Northern scholars. Cui Jingrong also feels that these two people want Feng Ziying to be the future Northern scholar.
The importance of cultivating people's successors is even more important than that of top undergraduates practicing state affairs, which Cui Jingrong still doesn't agree with.'
Not to mention anything else, he was the number one scholar in practicing state affairs, and he was born in a family of scholarly gentry. His family background was more solid than that of Feng Ziying, who was born in martial arts. He was also a native of Henan Province, Cui Jingrong.
And the most critical point is that Feng Ziying obviously lacks foundation in poetry and classics, which is difficult to accept or not recognized by many northern scholars, including Cui Jingrong.
In the opinion of many northern scholars, including Cui Jingrong, training must be done, but it should also be prioritized.
Lian Guoshi was born as the number one scholar. He was taught by the Hanlin Academy to compile compositions earlier than Feng Ziying. He was highly praised in the Hanlin Academy for more than a year. He was also highly praised by his colleagues. Huang Ruliang praised Lian Guoshi even more.
Although practicing state affairs is not as famous as Feng Ziying, who was involved in the Western Expedition to quell the rebellion and proposed the strategy of opening up the sea and borrowing money, in the eyes of many people, many of Feng Ziying's achievements and reputation are based on "accidental" and "luck". Some strategies
There is still a sense of sensationalism in it.
Even including this strategy of opening up the sea and borrowing money, as long as it does not succeed and the court fails to gain huge benefits from it, the doubts will never dissipate.
In other words, even if you succeed and gain huge benefits, there will still be many people who will question and object despite the advantages and disadvantages. There will never be a lack of opponents and critics for anything you do, and you will even oppose just for the sake of opposition.
"Ziying, there is no need to be too rigid. As long as it is beneficial to national affairs, many ideas and opinions can be discussed and debated." Cui Jingrong smiled and nodded, "Let's rest here today. We can solve the problem tomorrow morning.
The cable goes south, let's all have a good rest."