Late Tang Dynasty Floating Life

In early May, the first batch of officials and horses traveling eastward left Xijing for Luoyang.

I don't know when, the number of four-wheeled carriages driving on the post road suddenly increased.

One after the other, whether traveling east or west, they were all loaded with goods.

This new type of transportation has been born for some years.

In the beginning, it was actually a bit tepid, mainly because the imperial court was buying it.To be more precise, it is the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Privy Council who are buying—the imperial court also needs a large number of transport vehicles, which cannot always be collected from the people.

But in the past three years, hundreds of cars have been sold every year.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs opened three vehicle factories in Jicheng, Lingbao, and Baoji, which are basically operating at full capacity.After the Spring Society Festival this year, a new four-wheeled carriage workshop was found in the outskirts of Pengcheng County, Xuzhou.

Although there are various problems in the House of Internal Affairs, Chu Zhongye, the governor of the house, is very confident about his own ability, and also the ability of his subordinates. After asking the sage, he has made a decision: to spend three years Time slowly closed the major woolen workshops, because it became more and more difficult to make money.

While shutting down the wool spinning workshop, they added carriages, soaps, and sugar workshops. These are all things that they believe can continue to provide profits to the Ministry of Internal Affairs for a long period of time in the future—at least ten years. Business.

Cui Jujian, the young inspector of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and He Yunlian, the chancellor of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, felt that they might be too optimistic.

Although the imperial court severely cracked down, more and more private workshops began to build four-wheeled carriages for sale in private.Some even hid in the deep mountains, felled wood on the spot, dried it in the shade, and processed it.In fact, the investigation is very tight. Once the door is closed, go home and rest for a while. In short, it is difficult to completely eliminate it.

He Yunlian felt that when folk four-wheeled carriage workshops bloomed everywhere, it would be difficult for the imperial court to punish everyone.At that time, they can only collect a sum of money, issue them a license, and let them go, even if they are reluctant—in fact, the saint may not be reluctant.

"This four-wheeled carriage is definitely not made by the Ministry of Internal Affairs." On the way to Weinan County, He Yunlian pointed at the horsewhip and said.

The carriage was slightly larger than the one of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the interior of the carriage was filled with layers of woolen cloth. The scene was so spectacular that the original appearance of the carriage could hardly be seen.

"Why didn't this cart collapse?" Young Master Ge Gaolun looked at the four-wheeled carriages full of goods in amazement.

It was so full of cloth that even the driver's head had a corner of tied cloth extending from it.When walking on the first-class national road, it seems like a hill is moving. You can't see the carriages, you can't see the driver, only the "mountain"...

"You can only walk on the first-class national road like this." He Yunlian also laughed, and said: "The saints insisted on this way back then, and some people didn't think so. Now it seems that the four-wheeled carriage and the first-class national road are simply inexhaustible. Matching. An old-style two-wheeled carriage can pull twenty hu grains, which is considered big, but a four-wheeled carriage can pull fifty or sixty hu.”

"If it is replaced with an iron frame, and a few more heavy-duty horses, it should be able to pull more cargo." Gao Lun said.

He Yunlian laughed, only saying that this young master doesn't understand anything.

It is true that roads and carriages are the main limitation on the carrying capacity of a carriage.The wooden ceiling of the carriage is placed there, and it is impossible to load too much cargo.The road conditions are also very critical. On country roads with complicated road conditions, transporting goods in a four-wheeled carriage is asking for trouble.

Now there are two first-class national roads in the north and the south. If you change the iron frame and use more and stronger horses to tow, maybe you can try a hundred dendrobium.

But how is this possible?Iron is such a precious thing, it is actually used to make cars, is it affordable?
Gao Lun felt a little dissatisfied, the young master got angry, and almost called a servant on the spot, and told him to rush to Lingbao Carriage Shop to order a four-wheeled carriage with an iron frame, and then find another ten or eight horses. I don’t have to do anything with a heavy-duty draft horse, just pull goods for me every day for “play”.

"Pengcheng Chefang is completed this year, and there will probably be a new one in Jingyuan." He Yunlian subconsciously turned his head to look at the west.

On the straight and wide post road, there is an endless stream of royal chariots and horses.

The banners of the soldiers of the imperial army spread all over the mountains and plains, extending to the end of the west.

From Chang'an to the west, the post road is divided into two branches, namely the north and south lines.

The southern line runs through Fengxiang Town, Hewei Town, and Lanzhou at the end of the Tang Dynasty, and the northern line runs through Jingyuan Town, Huizhou, and the Hexi Corridor.

Baoji Chefang is located on the south line. This time, a car workshop has also been built in Jingzhou on the north line.

The reason is not just to make money.

The weather is getting colder and colder, the sericulture industry in Kansai is struggling to maintain, and the silk production is decreasing day by day.What's more, since the mid-Tang Dynasty, there were not so many people in Kansai who planted mulberry and silkworms. Many people planted fruit trees and elm trees in front of and behind their houses.

To put it bluntly, the sage is still trying to give Kansai people more opportunities to earn cash.

A family has about [-] to [-] jujube elm plants, which is a lot of wealth, but if they cannot be sold, they are nothing.

Lingbao Chefang buys calf car materials in Qizhou, and the wood cost of a car costs more than 2 yuan--elm, mulberry, and jujube wood that are more than 20 years old, not too small.

Twenty thousand yuan is definitely a huge sum of money for ordinary people.If his family had enough trees for a car and sold them all, even if they were spread over 20 years, they would still have a thousand dollars a year. After paying all kinds of cash taxes, there would still be more than half of the money left to subsidize the family. , and even save a few years to buy a steer to improve agricultural production efficiency.

The people of Qizhou are now enjoying this benefit.

Many farmers can sell a few trees every year. Although they are likely to be slaughtered by second-hand traffickers, they still get a lot, which is enough to improve their lives.

This is what peace and prosperity look like!
In the early years of the Tang Dynasty, the common people farmed for three years and had a surplus of grain for one year. After paying the rent and adjustments, there was still some cloth left in the family, which could be exchanged in the market to subsidize the family.

At that time, the common people could even go to the temple to donate money and goods, go out with the whole family, go to a hundred operas, and drink and eat meat during festivals—this can be seen in many rural life described in Tang poems.

After all, there are only over 1000 million people in the country, and the land has just been divided equally. You can plant as much land as you want, because there are too many abandoned.

What really broke their good life was the surging population, which led to the continuous division of family property.

The life of the people in Qizhou under Daxia's rule is still not as good as that in the early Tang Dynasty, but it is definitely better than that in the heyday of Tang Dynasty, much better.

And the sage is really kind to the people of Kansai, trying every means to create ways for them to make money.But his various methods may only work for a few decades, right?

Kansai was so well protected by him, there were too many people.Family property is divided from generation to generation. In the early years, households that could sell ten trees a year may only be able to sell two or three trees a few decades later. The gap is too great.

As far as this point is concerned, the article "Zhi Zhi Population" is really good. Tell the people of insight all over the world the bloody facts, and it depends on whether they are willing to change.

******
Outside Chang'an City, under Tie's jealous gaze, Yansun bowed to salute, bid farewell to his family, and prepared to go west, passing through central Shu to the Yalong Valley.

The only thing that made him "shame" was probably that his wife Cai Bangshi ran to the side of the road and retched before she had time to say a few words.

Seeing this situation, the Tubo envoys were overjoyed and stepped forward to congratulate them one after another.

Yansun's face changed drastically, and then he laughed loudly, saying: "I'm going to have a second son again."

The Tubo people were beaming, and some even proposed to send someone to visit Cai Bang's family to congratulate them.

Brother Tie sneered again and again, full of sarcasm.

Seeing the expression on her husband's face, Mei Lu's heart became even colder.This is the reason why when she served the Bodhisattva, she tightly clamped the Bodhisattva's waist at the end every time, and refused to let go.

There is no need to give up on this kind of man.

Pei Xiu, the son of Pei Yuan, the master of Honglu Temple and the governor of Huguang Road, stood aside and urged softly: "It's time for the prince to go on his way."

Behind him stood a hundred palace guards, who would escort the group to the Yalong Valley.

The Jianchuan Governor's Mansion has been officially abolished, and it has been set up in Sangzhou, named after the land of Sangchuan in Nanzhao.

Sangzhou is the sixth Zhengzhou under the jurisdiction of Yunnan Province, and it governs eight counties including Tieqiao, Jianchuan, and Yuhe.

It was originally intended to be entrusted, but before the vassal king took over the vassal, there were changes in the Yalong Valley, and this place was no longer suitable as a fiefdom.

The reason is also very simple. In order to maintain sufficient influence in the Yalong River Valley, the imperial court will station a certain number of troops in Sangzhou and set up office offices. The number of officials and generals from all walks of life will not be small. for development.If it is a vassal king's fiefdom, it will be very inconvenient, so we simply set up Zhengzhou and put it under the direct jurisdiction of Yunnan Road.

After sending Yansun and his party to the Yalong Valley, Pei Xiu will first return to Luoyang to report on his work, and then return to Sangzhou to prepare for the establishment of the office of Lifan Yuan.From now on, this yamen will be permanently stationed here, as the direct agency of the Great Xia court to exert influence in the Yalong Valley.

The sage obviously has a big plan, and Pei Xiu has already known about it.

"On the way, I'm sorry to trouble Mr. Pei." Yansun got on his horse and said with a smile.

"It's easy to say, it's easy to say, it's all for the court." Pei Xiuyi got on the horse and looked at a group of Tubo nobles surrounding Yansun, feeling a little worried.

These nobles are too enthusiastic.

Just now I heard the interpreter tell in secret that there are actually several noble families vying to send a woman to Yansun as his second concubine.

If Yansun gave birth to a little prince after returning home, would he still care about the eldest son who stayed in the capital as a hostage?
This is not necessarily the case!

At that point, with the prince's temperament, he will definitely not let it go, and it may be another battle.

But the terrain of Tubo is not so easy to fight.Although there were many reasons for the Battle of Dafeichuan in the Tang Dynasty, the army was full of diseases and diseases. The soldiers were out of breath after walking a few steps, and their physical exertion was much higher than before, which made them very uncomfortable. These are also important reasons that cannot be ignored.

But the prince really knows how to fight, he can't give up.This matter made it, alas!We can only hope that the Shengjie Army can gradually adapt to the local environment.

The sound of horseshoes slowly sounded, and dozens of people including Pei Xiu and Yansun disappeared slowly at the end of the west.

Mrs. Meilu handed the baby in her arms to the wet nurse, and walked over to support Cai Bangshi.

Brother Tie's eyes were fixed on the smoke and dust to the west.

Jed is gone, he already has a place to go, what about mine?

Jide is afraid that he can't even give birth to a child, so what's the use of going back?In the end, the Yalong River Valley was still ruled by the old traitor Shao and Cai Bangshi's adultery. Is it ridiculous?
But I still have a chance!

"The holy driver is on the road!" Suddenly someone shouted.

Brother Tie withdrew his gaze and looked in the direction of Chang'an City, only to see the gleaming silver saddle straight warriors, surrounded by a luxurious four-wheeled carriage, leaving Chunming Gate and heading east.

Brother Tie became more and more anxious, as if he went to Luoyang, he would be farther away from Zanpumeng.

But no one cared what he thought.

Even his wife is exchanging experience with Cai Bangshi on raising fetuses and raising children, just like good sisters.

I still remember that a few years ago, when they were in Zhongba Lazi, they fought openly and secretly, and quarreled fiercely, but now they are so close...

There was another sound of horseshoes, and everyone looked for prestige.

But I saw more than a hundred young men with a Henan accent, holding knives and bows, talking and laughing loudly, leading their horses through the southern path, all the way west.

Brother Tie suddenly had a heart palpitation.

After staying in the Central Plains for so long, I gradually learned some things.Most of these youngsters are the children of the army who practiced martial arts since childhood, unable to inherit their father's career as a soldier, so they traveled west alone to the Western Regions in search of wealth.

The more these people, the more stable the Western Regions under the Xia Dynasty would be.Correspondingly, the threat to the male is greater.

This - how can it be!

I've paid so much, it's impossible to have nothing.

The wind blew gently.

The sky is blue and blue, and the earth is full of greenery.