The sound of gongs and drums at the Suzhou Water Transport Terminal was loud, and flags were fluttering. More than a thousand canal troops lined up neatly on both sides of the strait. More than 400 boatmen, naked to the waist and tied with fiber ropes, shouted slogans and pulled the huge canal into the sluice step by step.
The Suzhou Water Transport Terminal is located at the junction of the canal and the Yangtze River, and is the starting point of the Grand Canal of the Ming Dynasty. The canal is half a foot higher than the water level of the Yangtze River. The river embankments are built with stones on both sides, and a sluice is built in the middle to allow only one watercraft to pass through at a time.
The sluice is nearly two feet deep and seven feet wide, with an upward slope supported by stone slabs at the bottom.
There are huge winches installed on both sides of the canal, which require more than a hundred sailors to operate at the same time to raise the canal. It is said to be "like rising in the sky and falling into a well." When the tide of the Yangtze River reaches the level of the water level in the lock and the canal, hundreds of boatmen
Taking advantage of the water's momentum, they worked together to pull the canal from the Yangtze River into the canal.
Wang Shiqi, who was barely a year old, stood on the deck, looking through the drizzle at the Cao army commanding and dispatching on the dock, the sailors loading cargo, the boatmen pulling fibers, and the endless flow of cars and horses. Everything was lively but orderly.
Restaurants, restaurants, and shops on both sides of the river are lined up with various signboards along the streets paved with bluestones. Pedestrians holding umbrellas, vendors carrying burdens, and officials on horseback are mixed in the bustling crowd.
In the fields in the distance, farmers wearing raincoats and driving buffaloes are plowing in the fields, trying to plant the second season of rice this year during the rainy season. Smoke is already rising from the village houses beside the fields, and the scene is like a
A dynamic landscape painting.
"The scenery in the south of the Yangtze River is really beautiful. It is indeed a paradise on earth and the most blessed place in the world..." Wang Shiqi couldn't help but sigh.
Wang Shiqi came from a well-known family. His father was the famous literary figure Wang Shizhen. He himself was quite successful. He passed the Jiangnan rural examination in the tenth year of Wanli and became a Jinshi in the seventeenth year. He was in the same class as Yuan Keli of Suizhou and Dong Qichang of Yunjian.
"There are strong winds and waves on the boat, so please be careful not to get cold, Mr. Wang."
Wang Shiqi turned around and saw a man with dark skin and a short stature. His legs were firmly planted on the deck like heavy weights. A few white hairs were exposed on his temples. He looked about forty years old. The left side of his face had an eyebrow.
There is a long and deep scar from the corner to the earlobe, which is obviously caused by a knife wound in the early years. It makes people feel shocked when they see it.
"It turns out that this is Shu Qianhu, deputy commander of Qianhu. I have admired you for a long time." Wang Shiqi bowed politely to Shu Qingping. This Shu Qingping was the commander of ten yellow ships for this water transport. The dispatch and arrangement of more than a thousand Cao troops depended on him alone.
There are also hundreds of household chiefs below, who deploy the general flag and small flags.
"Wang was ordered by the imperial court to supervise the water transportation. He is new here, so he should treat him as an elder brother. I also ask Brother Shu for your advice."
Wang Shiqi was a civil servant who was a Jinshi. How could Shu Qingping dare to be polite to him? When he saw this, he hurriedly returned the greeting and said respectfully: "Don't you dare? The king is responsible for the young and talented people. The future of becoming a marquis and becoming a prime minister in the future is not the same as that of us old men."
It’s comparable, but you have orders, just do as you are told.”
After saying that, Shu Qingping led Wang Shiqi into the cabin. There was a black tea table in the middle of the cabin, and the tea tray carved from fine nanmu was exquisite and grand. There was a poem engraved on the blank space of the tea tray: "I traveled far away from Jingmen to travel from the Kingdom of Chu.
The mountains end with the plains, and the river flows into the wilderness. Under the moon, there is a flying mirror, and clouds form sea towers. I still feel sorry for the water in my hometown, and send my boat sailing thousands of miles away." It turned out to be Li Bai's "Farewell at the Jingmen Gate".
"Drinking is not allowed on board the boat. When I have free time on weekdays, I drink tea with my brothers." Shu Qingping bent down and took out a paper bag and said: "This is the top-quality fragrant incense sent as tribute by Suzhou Prefecture this year. Please give it a try, Lord."
"Scaring Fragrance" is the old name of Biluochun, which has always been a treasure in Suzhou. Through the hot steam exhaled from the purple clay pot, Shu Qingping looked at the young man in front of him. He had explored Wang Shiqi's background and heard that he came from a famous family, but he didn't know where he was.
He comes from a well-known family, but he previously served as the head of the Household Department in the capital. Although it is not clear which province he was the head of the Household Department, he is undoubtedly a powerful person.
Half a month ago, Wang Shiqi was suddenly ordered to take charge of this trip. It was very strange that there was no foreshadowing before and no explanation after. "When things go wrong, there must be monsters. You should act cautiously in front of this kid." Shu Qingping thought to himself.
"There is green everywhere in the south of the Yangtze River, and the fragrance of green snails is intoxicating for thousands of miles." Wang Shiqi took a sip and said: "Good tea, refreshing!" Then he put down the tea cup, changed the topic and asked: "Brother Shu, from what I can see, this ship
It only took an hour for the ship to pass through the lock. There are more than 500 ships transported by water this time. How long will it take if they all enter the canal?"
"Back to the king, our ship plus the next nine are called yellow ships. They are specially responsible for transporting royal tributes and important goods. They are twice as big as the other grain transport ships, so the passage time is longer. The gate can pass twenty
In about a month, all ships will be able to sail northward."
Shu Qingping picked up the tea cup and drank it down in one gulp, and continued: "Sluices are particularly important for the passage of canal ships. The water level of the Yangtze River decreases during the dry season, and canal ships are easily stranded and damaged. The sluices keep the water level of the river stable. Every time the canal ship rises and falls, the impact is
The force is very strong and can easily damage the sluice gate.
Therefore, more than a hundred craftsmen were specially assigned to repair the sluices. Every time the water transport fleet set sail, they had to be soaked in the water for more than a month. Some craftsmen had ulcers on their lower bodies and were infested with maggots, but they still dared not slack off at all.
.”
After speaking, Shu Qingping glanced at Wang Shiqi. Wang Shiqi seemed to be touched, and sighed softly: "Serving the imperial court, you and I should dedicate ourselves to this." Then he turned around, cast his eyes on the cargo warehouse behind the ship, and asked: "Brother Shu
,What kind of goods are loaded on this yellow boat?"
Shu Qingping paused and replied: "They are all tributes from various places, and they are loaded in categories. The upper floor stores cloth and silk woven from the four prefectures in the south of the Yangtze River, cotton from South Zhili, Hangzhou Longjing, Fujian Tieguanyin, Suzhou Xingsharenxiang and other teas;
The middle layer stores the medicinal materials provided by the southern provinces for the Imperial Hospital, as well as palace dyes such as raw lacquer, alum, and tung oil, and special papers such as red paper, green paper, and white paper from Huguang;
The lower floor stores Jingdezhen porcelain and white rice produced in Liangjiang. In addition, gold and silver cast by the imperial court are wrapped in bundles of one hundred taels each and placed in the inner cabin for safekeeping. Each yellow ship is limited to ten thousand taels.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! In recent years, nine-sided wars have been frequent. Bows, arrows, armor, swords and gunpowder raw materials produced by five provinces and twelve prefectures including South Zhili, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Fujian
Sulfur and nitric acid were also transported to the capital by yellow ships.
All goods are registered after being loaded onto the ship, and are checked and signed by local officials at each stop along the way, which serves as a checkpoint for the passage of watercraft. After the fleet arrives at Chongwenmen Wharf in the capital, it is inspected by the Imperial Envoy, the Eunuch, the Minister of Household Affairs, and the Inspectorate.
The goods can only be unloaded after being verified by the Censor of the Warehouse and signed jointly."
After more than 20 years of water transportation career, Shu Qingping knew this very well, and he thought Wang Shiqi should be very satisfied with this answer.
However, Wang Shiqi remained silent for a long time. He walked slowly towards the back warehouse and then said leisurely: "Brother Shu spoke clearly and clearly, and it sounded really seamless."
This sentence made Shu Qingping break into a cold sweat. He didn't know what he said wrong, so he could only quickly follow behind Wang Shiqi and whispered: "Every sentence of this official is the truth. I dare not hide anything. If there is anything wrong,
I hope the king will give me some instructions."
Wang Shiqi ignored him and continued: "Since Taizu, the imperial court has adopted the national policy of moving borders and banning seas. The canal is the only transportation channel from south to north. It is more than 3,000 miles from Suzhou to the capital, and passes through eight provinces for more than 20 years.
It crosses the Yangtze River, Huaihe River and Yellow River.
The imperial court spent millions of taels of silver every year to dredge rivers, repair ships, and maintain smooth water transportation. Canals are the lifeblood of the country, and grain transportation is to provide food for the imperial court!
Therefore, every grain of grain on the canal ships is extremely precious, and today I saw that all the ships were only half loaded with grain, and a large number of cabins were empty with nothing in them. How to explain this? Do we have to set sail northward like this?"
Shu Qingping did not expect that Wang Shiqi was so familiar with canal transportation, and was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to respond. Of course it was true that half of the food was loaded, but the empty part was for the canal army to carry private goods. This was a long-standing "rule", but it was inconvenient to say clearly.
.At this time, this young man put this matter directly on the table. What is his intention?
Fortunately, at this moment, a hundred families hurried in and said breathlessly: "Two gentlemen, Jin...Jin Yiwei is going to board the boat to investigate the case."
Shu Qingping frowned, turned around and asked, "The Cao Army and the Jin Yiwei have always kept their peace, so what are they doing here?"
Baihu replied: "The incident happened suddenly, and we didn't receive any news, but at this moment, more than ten of them have arrived at the shore quickly..."
Before Baihu could finish speaking, Shu Qingping strode out of the cabin and stood on the deck to see a small group of people dressed in black official uniforms coming to the pier in an aggressive manner. The leader was wearing a bright red sash, with a hand from his left shoulder to his chest.
The gold and green thread shows a flying fish-like giant python, with teeth and claws, and it is menacing. At the waist is an official embroidered spring knife. The handle is long and straight, the blade is narrow, the back is thick, the blade is thin, and the tail is slightly upward.
The red silk silk flying fish was scattered, and one could tell by his attire that he was a high-ranking official of the Jinyiwei, and he could not afford to offend him. Shu Qingping immediately ordered the sailors to build a bridge to the shore, and he trotted off the boat to greet him.
"Zhang Ao, Fusi of Jinyiwei North Town, is here to investigate the case!" Zhang Ao rode a majestic horse.
"My subordinate is Shu Qingping, Deputy Qianhu of the Cao Army. I wonder if Mr. Zhang has come to investigate the case if he has a warrant from Shu Zhijun?" Shu Qingping stood in front of the horse, raised his head and asked Zhang Ao. The "Shu Zhijun" he mentioned was the water transport.
Although Governor Shu Yinglong has the same surname as him, they are not relatives. It is purely a coincidence.
Zhang Ao glanced at Shu Qingping, turned over and jumped off the horse, took out a silver hand sign and almost punched Shu Qingping in the face. The words "Beizhen Fusi Zhang Ao" were engraved on it. This was a hand sign only for officials with more than 1,000 households.
.
Zhang Ao said disdainfully: "Beizhen Fusi has always been under secret orders to handle cases. Even the Three Law Divisions have no right to intervene. Naturally, you, Shu Zhijun, don't know about it. We hope Shu Qianhu will cooperate." After Zhang Ao finished speaking, he went straight to the police.
The yellow boat went away.
Shu Qingping followed up and half-knelt in front of Zhang Ao, clasped his hands in his fists, and said almost as if begging: "The Cao Army has strict discipline. No outsider can board the ship without Shu Zhijun's order. Please forgive me, Zhang Qianrong, and don't embarrass me."
At this time, hundreds of Cao soldiers on the pier surrounded them. Seeing this scene, no one dared to step forward, even though they were facing only ten people.
Zhang Ao's eyes narrowed, showing a bit of impatience, but after a pause, he still lowered his head and said in Shu Qingping's ear: "Lu Qianrong should know that Jinyiwei is on errands for the emperor, and if he can't get along with us, he can't get along with the emperor. Is it possible that Cao Cao is now in trouble?"
The army is so bold and reckless, and Lu Qianrong...are you trying to resist the order?" After Zhang Ao finished speaking, he pushed Shu Qingping away and was about to board the ship.
"Brother Zhang, you're fine." Wang Shiqi appeared on the deck at some unknown time and said to Zhang Ao on the dock.
Zhang Ao was startled when he heard this, stopped in his tracks, looked at Wang Shiqi on the boat in amazement, and then smiled: "It turns out to be Mr. Wang. Isn't he always working as an errand in the household department of the capital? Why do you have time to go back to the south of the Yangtze River to travel in the mountains?"
water?"
"Brother Zhang and I are here on errands under the orders of the imperial court. Let's not talk about this for now. Brother Zhang has come all the way and has been working hard all the way. Please come on board for a cup of tea to quench your thirst." After Wang Shiqi finished speaking, he turned to Shu Qingping and said:
"Please Shu Qianrong take these royal guards to the nearby inn for a drink of water and a rest."
Zhang Ao remained silent and winked at the Jin Yiwei behind him, and the group followed Shu Qingping into the inn. Zhang Ao quickly jumped onto the deck and followed Wang Shiqi into the cabin.
"I wonder what business Brother Zhang has here this time?" Wang Shiqi asked while making tea.
"A few days ago, news came out from the East Factory that there was a secret agent on the Suzhou canal ship, and Jin Yiwei was ordered to come and investigate the matter." Zhang Ao said.
"Brother Zhang, this should be done by Nanzhen Fusi, who is in charge of the guards' arrests in prisons. Your North Town Fusi specializes in imperial edicts. When did you come to take care of these nosy matters? Could it be that this matter also has the emperor's will?"
Wang Shiqi glanced at Zhang Ao while pouring tea.
Zhang Ao smiled bitterly and said: "Hey...it's all Dongchang's suspicions. We can only investigate closely. Jinyiwei and Dongchang have no affiliation at all. However, they get along with the emperor day and night, so their words naturally carry weight. Nowadays, everyone says that Jinyiwei is the butcher of the imperial court.
, Dongchang lackey, both officials and common people will avoid Jin Yiwei as if they have seen a ghost. If it is not important, I would not want to come all the way to make others uncomfortable."
Zhang Ao paused for a moment, seeing no one around, and continued: "But there is nothing we can do. We are also under supervision of the Dongchang everywhere. Everyone is in danger. The people of the Dongchang can put us to death with just a word!"
"Yes, yes, Dongchang is really annoying. However, Brother Zhang should know that the Cao Army has always been not under the jurisdiction of the Fifth Army Governor's Office and local administration. It only takes orders from the Governor of Cao Transport. The officers and soldiers are hereditary. How many families can there be?
People from all generations are Caojun, and it is difficult for outsiders to get in. It is like a piece of iron.
This time Dongchang wants to intervene in Cao Jun's affairs. I don't know why. If it weren't for the emperor's explicit decree, Brother Zhang, it would be difficult for you to handle this errand." After Wang Shiqi finished speaking, he took a sip of tea.
Zhang Ao sighed and said: "Qiu Ba, the next official, doesn't understand the affairs of the imperial court. However, as a minister, you should always do your job well, not seeking merit, but seeking no faults, just to protect yourself."
"What Brother Zhang is saying is that now Shu Zhijun is a popular figure around Shen Yuanfu. A year ago, he was transferred from the Minister of Industry to the Governor of Water Transport and the Right Deputy Imperial Envoy. He is also the Admiral of Shandong, Henan, Beizhili and
He is responsible for the grain production and coastal defense of the provinces in Southern Zhili. He is the most powerful figure in the Ming Dynasty besides the cabinet ministers and the six ministers. If Brother Zhang wants to use the Cao army, he must be careful not to be used as a weapon and offended.
If you try to control Shu Zhijun, you will become a scapegoat in the end."
Zhang Ao frowned, thinking that he was caught between Dongchang and Cao Army and was in a dilemma. Although he was on board the ship, he was helpless.
Wang Shiqi understood Zhang Ao's thoughts and said: "Brother Zhang has already boarded the ship and found out that there is no fine work on the Suzhou canal ship. He will write more beautiful words when he goes back, and then he has an explanation. I will return to the capital next time.
After that, I will also report the matter to the Jinyiwei commander in person, so Brother Zhang can rest assured."
"Thank you very much, Mr. Wang, for your help!" Zhang Ao took a sip of tea and said with relief: "Now the country is in trouble, the residual Yuan has been in trouble for a long time, and Gao Jinglue is on an expedition. As soldiers, I should have been on the battlefield, wrapped in horse leather.
Now I am being ridden on my head by a bunch of eggless geldings all day long, I am really a loser!"
"Brother Zhang cares about his family, country, and the world. I admire him... Well, it's a long way back to Beijing to return to life. Brother Zhang, take care of yourself all the way!" After saying that, Wang Shiqi sent Zhang Ao out of the boat. Seeing this, the rest of the Jinyi Guards hurriedly came out from the inn to gather.
, after exchanging a few words, Zhang Ao got on his horse and led the team away from the dock.
Shu Qingping came over and breathed a sigh of relief and said: "Thanks to the presence of Chief Wang, we were able to send away the Jin Yiwei in such a short time, which is really impressive. Speaking of which, if they are allowed to board the ship to search, this matter will be reported to the army.
I have nothing to do with this group of brothers... I would like to thank you for this."
Wang Shiqi said calmly: "Brother Shu does not need to say thank you for Wang's duties. Let's stop today's matter and there is no need to report it. Please also ask Brother Shu to inform the people below and be sure not to let the news leak out!"
"Yes, yes, I obey your orders!"
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