Late Tang Dynasty Floating Life

Chapter 1429 Geng Bridge
As far as Hebei is concerned, the main traffic artery is not the three post roads running through the north and south, but the Yongji Canal.

This canal, which was dug in the Sui Dynasty, was once abandoned in the early Tang Dynasty.The Tang Dynasty spent great efforts in dredging and dredging to bring it back to life.

Before the Anshi Rebellion, Beizhou on the banks of the Yongji Canal was named "Tianxia Beiku", and it hoarded more than [-] million pieces of cloth, more than [-] pieces of silk, more than [-] yuan of money, and more than [-] hu of grain for feeding. Military supplies-these materials were all transported from Huainan and Henan through the canal.

After the Anshi Rebellion, the feudal towns in Hebei became self-reliant and did not respect the orders of the imperial court.But when it comes to matters of vital interest, they still work very hard.

For example, Weibo Town cooperated with Xuanwu Town, which was loyal to the imperial court, to control the Yellow River and build water conservancy projects.

The four towns of Weibo, Chengde, Cangjing, and Youzhou also made great efforts to dredge the Yongji Canal to maintain its navigable function, so that at the end of the Tang Dynasty and the beginning of the Liang Dynasty, the logistics required for the war between Liu Rengong and Zhu Quanzhong were still transported through the Yongji Canal .

The Yongji Canal runs northwards to Duliukou (today's Duliu Town in Jinjinghai), where it joins the Baihe River and the Chaohe River and flows eastward into the sea——Zhigu is near the mouth of the sea.

From Yongji Canal to Youzhou, there is still a canal, roughly west of Duliukou, there is Juma River, passing Yukou Pass, Wuqing County, Anci County, and reaching the southeast of Youzhou City.

The channel condition of this canal is quite good, and the nearby water system is rich, there are many rivers, there are many options to use, and the radiation range is also very large.

In the third year of Changxing in the later Tang Dynasty, Zhao Dejun, the envoy of Lulong Jiedu, played: "The newly opened Dongnan River, from Wangmakou to Yukou, is 160 five miles long, 65 steps wide, and one foot and two feet deep. To offer."

The river channel that can handle thousands of stones is quite good, and even sea ships below the middle level can sail in.

However, the Daxia court did not try it, and inland boats were still used for transportation in this section.

When Xiao Dilu and others went north, they took this kind of boat, and now they have left Zhigu and entered the southern border of Wuqing County.

"Liaoze also has such a place with abundant water and grass, but it's a pity that it is mostly used for grazing cattle and sheep." Xiao Dilu stood at the bow of the boat, looking at the densely packed mulberry forests and rice fields on both sides, and sighed.

In the Tang and Song dynasties, the area around Beijing and Tianjin in later generations was extremely abundant in water resources, and the swamps were flooded and covered with fresh and juicy pastures.During the Five Dynasties, a large number of rice fields were opened up to grow rice.During the Northern Song Dynasty, due to changes in the situation between the enemy and ourselves, most of the rice fields were re-destroyed as swamps and planted with trees.

"General Xiao, why should you sigh?" Qiu Zengxiang came out of the cabin and said, "Liaoze has been completely controlled by the imperial court. When the time comes, we can still grow rice and wheat."

"That's right." Xiao Dilu was startled, knowing that he shouldn't miss Khitan on such an occasion, so he remedied: "Liaozehe should belong to the imperial court, and Bohai should also perish. The Dashi failed to solve the problem for 200 years, but the sage You can tell the difference by training them to be obedient.”

The Mohe people and Jurchens who were originally sitting in the cabin also rushed out, pointing at the two sides.

Wuqing County has a total of more than 7200 households and 36400 populations, most of which are concentrated in the northern half. There are actually not many people in the southern border. After all, this place was originally a swamp.But after so many years of development, many people have been registered as households, and the southern part of Wuqing County has gradually improved. Even the veterans of the Forbidden Army who were born in Wuqing mostly live in this area.

Years of martial arts career allowed them to save a lot of wealth.For their new home, they spared no expense, hired boats to bring wood, bricks and tiles from afar, and then built a series of magnificent farm houses.There was a fellow from a small school who mixed with Xiangzuo and Lizheng, and even managed to arrange two stone lions in front of the gate, which can be described as extravagant.

The Mohe people were almost dumbfounded.

They built houses out of birch bark, dug holes in the ground, and their lips turned blue in winter.For those who raise pigs at home, there is no clear boundary between humans and pigs, and the smell is suffocating, "clean and hygienic".

Compared with these beautiful houses, the dilapidated house at home can be burned down.

"You——" Xiao Dilu said in his half-baked Mohe language, "you can also have a house like this, and you can live a good life of drinking and eating meat."

When the Mohe people heard this, their faces were filled with joy.

A short, stocky man even directly grabbed Xiao Dilu's arm, and said, "What can I do? Teach me!"

"For you, there is only one way." Xiao Dilu gently pulled out his arms, and said: "Work hard for the saint, make meritorious deeds, and get rewards. If you sell your life for a few years, you will have everything."

"It's not too late now, is it?" Someone asked, "Is there still a chance?"

"The sage is benevolent, and you are not allowed to go to the hot south to die. In the future, you may be able to conquer the Western Regions. This is also the only chance. Whether you can be rich or not depends entirely on this time." Xiao Dilu said at the right time.

"Can I not go back after I have done meritorious service?" Someone asked again.

"Of course." Xiao Dilu smiled and said, "Which clan do you belong to?"

"Bald Dan."

"Fight well. These days, life is worthless, and most people don't have the chance to die. It is rare that there is an emperor who is just and selfless, does not discriminate against anyone, and gives everyone a fair chance to die, so we must seize it." Xiao Di Lu said, "Did you see the orchard on the shore?"

The crowd nodded.

"It belonged to a military academy who was rewarded for his meritorious service. He used to be a member of the Silver Spear Army, a native of Tubo. He galloped on horseback for 20 years, fearless of death, and accumulated a large fortune." Xiao Dilu said: Wouldn’t it be beautiful to buy land and a house, with children and grandchildren? In the orchard, in August, there were chestnuts, hazelnuts, and grapes. In September, walnuts and plums are ripe again. There is also a rice field at home, which is half plowed by oneself and half given. Neighbors cultivate and just pay some rent when they harvest. How are these days compared to you?"

Everyone was silent.But everyone could see that there was undisguised desire in their eyes.

"As for the wine you like." Xiao Dilu laughed, asked someone to bring a jug of dirty wine, shook it, and said: "I reward you, two drinks per person, not many."

Everyone thanked them one after another and fought endlessly.

"Hold on!" Xiao Dilu's face fell, and he said, "I know you are used to laxity, but when you join the army, you must know the rules. Do as you are told, and don't go beyond the rules. Come one by one, whoever grabs you I don't have to drink..."

While still on the road, Xiao Dilu began to explain the rules to these savages.

Qiu Zengxiang watched with a smile.Everyone came from this step. If these savages can abide by the rules, obey orders, and train them well, they will be of great use in the future when they march west.

******
On the fourth day of November, the fleet stopped at Gengqiaoxing City outside Dongguo, Anci County.

The scale of the market is not small, and it sells all kinds of things, ranging from horses and cattle to small needles and threads.

"Hey, iron horse!" A merchant shouted after seeing the harness horse pulling the boats.

"Is this horse for sale?" Someone asked stupidly.

The crowd burst into laughter.

"This is the imperial court's official horse, and I asked if it will be sold."

"Iron horse, I haven't seen any flow outside so far."

"Not exactly. I went to Hedong a while ago, and I heard that iron horses are sold there. Unfortunately, only [-] horses were sold in a year, and the supply exceeds demand."

"Even if the imperial court has spares, they don't dare to sell them indiscriminately, lest you take them home to breed donkeys."

"Haha!" There was another burst of laughter.

Indeed, after someone bought back the iron horse, he bred the donkey, but the result is unknown.Everyone looked at the tall figure of the iron horse, and their eyes gradually moved down again, uh—there was nothing below.

However, indiscriminate breeding was not uncommon in the former Tang Dynasty.It's a pity that all the good horses are gone.

Daxiazi has been in charge of horse management for 30 years, and has successively launched batches of new breeds of horses, most of which are in high demand, even though everyone knows that these are actually out-of-stock products of the horse government.

And with these waves of baptism, many people gradually came to a concept: good horses cannot be bred with bad horses at will, and the result of random breeding is that the horse breed degenerates, and in the end it is no different from a donkey or a mule.

Good things like iron horses are not something you can buy and breed casually at home. You should keep the blood as pure as possible.

After the captain of the boat put the gangplank in place, Xiao Dilu walked ashore.

His current hairstyle has been changed, and there is no trace of Khitan at all.I just had a son this year, named Xiao Qian. As soon as he was born, he decided to train him in the Han way, study and practice martial arts, in order to become a talent.

The Khitan is gone, there is no need to mourn the spring and autumn, and we have to look forward in the future.After several generations, who would mention that their family was from Khitan?
"Just a foot of silk, and embroider seven volumes of the "Lotus Sutra". The size of the characters is no larger than a grain of millet, but the stippling is clear and finer than a hair. There are no gaps in the inscriptions and sentences." At the entrance of the market, a young man Holding white silk in his hand, he was amazed.

Xiao Dilu smiled slightly after hearing this.This person spoke with a southern accent. Obviously, he came to the Northland for the first time and was shocked by the textile technology here.

"In the old days, there was a poem that said, 'Seek pearls to drive the sea, and pick jade to go to Jingheng. Buy party horses in the north, and capture Tubo parrots in the west. Yanzhou is clothed with fire, and Shu is brocade. .' This is the scene of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, how much has the current Gengqiao City recovered?" Someone said loudly not far ahead.

Xiao Dilu secretly laughed, it must be Suanding making noise.

"The Ministry of Internal Affairs took Dongzhu from the land densely covered with Mohe Rivers and lakes. How is it compared? The envoys from Khotan lived in Yunju Temple for several months. Obviously, they came here for tribute. Why should they go to Jingheng to pick jade? Dangxiang Ma, Tubo Parrot Yes! There are even famous products such as Tieli horse and Haidong Jianfalcon. How is it compared? The ingenious Sichuan brocade and the slippery Yue maidservant are available! Xi Tong has never seen it today, but saw it half a month ago I found one, with delicate features and incomparable suppleness, and was bought back by a thick and strong soldier, who didn’t know what to use for it.”

Hearing the last sentence, all the merchants and customers in the market laughed, extremely obscene.

They are entitled to laugh.

Because today he healed the wounds of the world for 50 years and played unparalleled glory for the people of China.

The rare treasures of the four directions converge in the Central Plains.

Heroes from all directions came in droves.

Envoys from all directions sing praises.

Xiao Dilu, who used to be a high-ranking and powerful person in Khitan, now has to rack his brains to make false claims with vulgar savages for the sake of their future.

This is what is happening today.

"Others do exist, but what about Huo Ranch?" Someone challenged.

"When the Western Expedition defeats the enemy, don't you want as much Huanbu as you want?" Xiao Dilu smirked inwardly, then turned around and walked towards the wharf where the fleet was.

There are still some people in the Luoyan Army who are not convinced, thinking that the last defeat was a bit inexplicable.Even if A Baoji dominates Khitan and Bohai for these idiots, so what?The rewards he bestowed with all his might are not as many as the rewards that he gave away casually today.

The white silk embroidered with seven volumes of the Lotus Sutra could not be produced by all the artisans of Khitan.

Uh, just thinking about this verse, the young man bought the white silk, put it away carefully, and turned around.

"Qian Ya Nei?" Xiao Dilu asked in surprise.

"General Xiao?" Qian Chuanjuan was also a little surprised to meet an old friend here.

He often travels between Luoyang, Beiping and Hangzhou. When he lived in Wangjing Pavilion in Shunyi, he once had a relationship with Xiao Dilu who was under house arrest here.

"Didn't the yamen go back to Hangzhou?" Xiao Dilu asked.

"He was sent by Jiazun again." Qian Chuanjuan said unnaturally: "Wang Shenzhi broke through Chaozhou and killed Liu Yan. Lingnan Xidao, Annan, and Ningyuan troops joined forces to enter the territory of the Qing Navy. Jiazun couldn't sit still Then send me to the north to go to the holy place."

"Haha! The king of Yuhang County reacted quickly." Xiao Di Lu was overjoyed, and patted Qian Chuanjuan on the shoulder vigorously, saying: "It's just a matter of time to go back to Beijing together and have a drink on the way. It's also a pleasure."

"I can't ask for it." Qian Chuanjuan said with a smile.

(End of this chapter)