Chapter 268: Fireworks Come Down to Yangzhou in March
Huang Zongxi did not read that paragraph, which made Zuo Mengeng quite regretful.
Looking back, it seems that Liu Zongzhou is also from Zhejiang.
or……
Thinking about the possibility of being beaten to death, Zuo Mengeng regretted giving up.
"Take a seat, there are officers and soldiers on the dock ahead. What's going on?"
Fu Yusun came to report.
Zuo Mengeng set up a pergola with his hands. After looking at it carefully, he burst into laughter.
"Gong Baoyu is here."
I saw a high-spirited man with a few soldiers looking over at the Xuzhou Waterway Pier in front of me.
When he saw Zuo Mengeng, he kept waving.
Zuo Mengeng, Huang Zongxi and others were even more happy and hurriedly ordered the boat to approach.
The big man jumped on board, it was none other than Gong Heng.
"You are so slow, it makes Mr. and others very anxious."
Huang Zongxi held hands with him and joked: "You are not the groom, why are you worried?"
Everyone laughed.
Zuo Mengeng introduced Gong Heng to Chen Zilong and others.
Chen Zilong and others were shocked to learn that this warrior was actually the son of Gong Nai and a dignified deputy general of Xuzhou.
Gong Heng had also admired Jiangnan celebrities for a long time and actually had a chat with them.
On the same day, Zuo Mengeng and his party rested in Xuzhou.
Zuo Mengeng and Gong Heng still have important things to talk about.
"My brother sent a letter saying that you haven't captured Mengyin yet? We must hurry up on this matter. With Yimeng in hand, Shandong will have everything."
Zuo Mengeng knew his good intentions and said: "Some things have changed, so we have to delay it. Furthermore, the White Lotus Sect's thieves are too difficult to fight. We are afraid that if we suppress the thieves too quickly, it will not be beautiful."
Raising bandits to respect themselves is a technical job that requires micromanagement.
Although Gong Heng is far away in Xuzhou, he still knows the situation in his hometown.
"A letter from home said that the number of thieves near Yimeng has increased significantly recently, and it has become quite popular. It is estimated that they were driven there by you. The Mengyin County magistrate has not yet been in place, and I am afraid that the county will be damaged."
Zuo Menggeng and Huang Zongxi smiled, and Huang Zongxi explained: "The Mengyin County magistrate Dang is still in Linqing, and he is one of our own. He cannot take office because the road is blocked."
Zuo Mengeng thought for a while and said to Gong Heng: "On the other side of your mansion, we need to make plans. Our army won't be able to get through it for a while. If it doesn't work, withdraw from the county and form a stronghold to protect ourselves. I'll send a small force first.
Go over and help you defend yourself, and don’t worry about being harassed by the monster White Lotus."
The new army will definitely not attack Yimeng Mountain too soon.
This is the last part of the plan, which will not be implemented until Zuo Menggeng returns from Jiangnan.
Gong Heng didn't want to affect the overall situation just because his own safety was in danger, so he agreed.
Zuo Mengeng was more concerned about him here.
"Are Xuzhou's officers and soldiers under control now?"
Gong Heng smiled confidently and gave Zuo Mengeng reassurance.
"The military here has been neglected for many years and has become unbearable. Except for me, the deputy general, there are no other generals. There is no military equipment at the government, and no one can control it. Now all the armies have been replaced by my cronies, such as
If you use your arms and your fingers, no one will fail to follow you."
Zuo Mengeng was relieved now.
"You will be of great use here within a year or two at most. You must also be prepared to avoid being caught off guard."
Gong Heng was quite surprised when he heard that he was going to be put to use, but he also explained the difficulties.
"Xuzhou's military preparations are in disrepair. The imperial court has not allocated funds for a long time. Even if you want to strengthen your troops, it will be very difficult. You have to think of some ways to do this. Otherwise, a group of hungry generals and tired troops may not be of much use."
Regarding this, Zuo Menggeng is still very generous.
"I'll ask Linqing to send you 10,000 taels of silver every month later. Is it enough?"
Gong Heng was overjoyed.
"That's completely enough. In today's world, as long as the soldiers have enough to eat, they will be willing to sacrifice their lives."
Zuo Mengeng didn't have high hopes for the army controlled by Gong Heng. As long as he didn't pull any strings, the follow-up plan would be foolproof.
The next day, the fleet set off and continued southward.
Chen Zilong and others came together to find him, obviously there was some unsolved problem.
"General Zuo, yesterday you said that the two Huaihe Rivers are not a battleground for military strategists. Can you help clarify the confusion for students and others?"
Seeing that several people were asking for advice humbly, Zuo Mengeng explained to them using actual examples.
"Whether Lianghuai is a strategic location or not depends on this river."
Everyone looked around and saw a rolling yellow dragon coming from the northwest. It was the Yellow River that took the Huaihe River and flowed into the sea.
"Why is this?"
Xia Yunyi was very studious and asked on behalf of everyone.
Zuo Mengeng looked at the vast waterway of the Yellow River and was filled with emotion.
"Whenever the Yellow River flows southward into the sea, the Huaihe River and the Huaihe River lose their role. Whenever the Yellow River flows northward into the sea, the Huaihe River and the Huaihe River will become important military bases."
He knew that everyone didn't understand, so he started to give pointers.
"The consequence of the Yellow River entering the sea from here is that a large amount of water is injected into the land, making the river network crisscrossing the Huaihe River and making transportation difficult. And like Jiangnan, the land is cut by the river network, and it is almost impossible to find a few large areas.
Flat area. This will undoubtedly increase the difficulty of combat."
Chen Zilong was still puzzled.
"If there were waterways, wouldn't it be more convenient to transport grain, grass, military supplies, troops and horses? Why would it be detrimental to combat?"
Sure enough, it was similar to the thoughts of many people in later generations.
Zuo Mengeng pointed to a river delta not far away in front of him and asked: "Look, if there is such terrain everywhere, and the army can be transported through the river, how will it be deployed in battle? Especially in the north, there are many cavalry here.
If you can't run at all, how can you fight? If you don't knock down the cities in the Huaihe River area, how can you invade Jiangnan?"
Everyone stared blankly at the broken land on both sides of the strait, and if they had some enlightenment, they finally realized that they had thought too little in the past.
Zuo Mengeng took the Battle of Chibi as an example and explained it in more detail.
"During the Three Kingdoms period, although the Yellow River flowed northward into the sea, it was only a hundred years old. There were still a large number of lakes and water systems in the Huaihe River area, so they were the same as today. When Cao Wei went south, he could only conquer Jingxiang and get a glimpse of the south of the Yangtze River. At that time,
Henan is a fertile land and the essence of the world. Cao Wei can gather supplies from Henan and go down the Han River, which is much more convenient than conquering the Huaihe River."
They are all smart people. When he said this, everyone understood.
Li Wen clapped her hands and sighed: "No wonder Meng Yuan insisted on attacking Xiangyang and did not choose this way to cross the river."
Looking at the unfamiliar Yellow River in front of him, Zuo Mengeng thought even more profoundly.
"It is actually not a good thing that the Yellow River diverts the Huaihe River and flows into the sea. Not only is it isolating the center and places, it also has a great impact on the water supply in the north. If possible, it is better to make it flow northward."
Due to the amount of precipitation, the north is very short of water.
Originally, with the presence of the Yellow River, North China could receive a certain amount of water replenishment. However, as the Yellow River moves southwards, North China's water shortage becomes increasingly serious.
Even from the perspective of the Ming Dynasty's national defense, the water shortage in the north greatly increased defense costs.
If the Yellow River is returned to its original course, the water shortage problem in North China will be solved to a large extent.
How to do it, Zuo Mengeng secretly remembered it in his heart. When the time is right in the future, he will definitely find water conservancy experts to prove it.
The canals of this era had very developed transport capacity and the width of the water area was far beyond what would be possible in later generations.
As everyone went south, they also saw the hardships of the people along the river.
Wherever you look, the most common thing you see is the ragged cannon workers.
They are all sallow and thin, and they are distributed on both sides of the canal. They are often driven by people, and they are as active as ants everywhere along the river.
Even so, on the way south, everyone stopped many times due to river congestion. The journey from Xuzhou to Yangzhou actually took eleven days.
"The lifeline of a country must be checked. Zhongheng, remember that this river is related to the livelihood of the people in the world."
Liu Zongzhou looked at the busy scene of the canal and took the opportunity to remind Zuo Mengeng.
But Zuo Mengeng didn’t see it that way.
"Although this river is good, it is far inferior to sea transportation. Whether it is transportation capacity or speed, it is far behind."
Liu Zongzhou was puzzled to see that Zuo Menggeng actually looked down on water transportation.
"Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, countless people have mentioned sea transportation, but in the end they all return to water transportation. There must be a reason. The sea is dangerous, and if you are not careful, you will suffer huge losses. How can water transportation be reliable and support such a large population?
"
Of course Zuo Menggeng knew the advantages and disadvantages of water transportation and sea transportation.
"Teacher, sea transportation is accessible in all directions. It not only has the advantages of high speed and large transportation capacity, but can also connect with domestic and foreign countries and expand the world's horizons. When it comes to feeding the population, water transportation cannot compare with sea transportation. The cost of water transportation has already embarrassed the imperial court.
.On the contrary, there is no cost in shipping. Compared with the two, the risks of shipping are negligible.”
Liu Zongzhou originally intended to teach Zuo Menggeng, but he didn't expect that he would be educated instead.
But he couldn't prove whether Zuo Menggen's words were right or wrong.
Fortunately, he was from Zhejiang and had experienced sea trade since he was a child, so he was not pedantic. He decided to study the nature of sea transport and water transport after returning home, and then discuss it with Zuo Mengeng.
While he was talking, a shout suddenly came from the bow of the boat.
"Yangzhou is here!"
Zuo Mengeng and Liu Zongzhou woke up and looked up, only to see that the originally narrow canal suddenly widened, as if the world suddenly opened up.
On the vast water surface, boats are weaving, coming and going, spreading out across the river in an endless stream.
The undulating pavilions and pavilions on the shore are as far as the eye can see. Only the faint sound of silk and bamboo is mixed with the hawking in the market, and there is a special kind of fireworks.
This is Yangzhou, the gateway to Jiangnan.
Thousands of years of Jiangnan elegance seem to have gathered here and are presented in front of tourists.
If you want to be intoxicated with Jiangnan, you should go to Suzhou and Hangzhou; if you want to know Jiangnan, you should go to Yangzhou.