The third emperor of the Sui Dynasty

Chapter 874 A Letter from Home

A few days passed by, and the royal family who had been in Guanzhong for several months finally returned to Luoyang. This made the people of Luoyang breathe a sigh of relief. Daxing is the capital. After all, Daxing used to be the capital of the country. There is not only the large-scale Daxing Palace, but also Changchun Palace, Bu Shou Palace, Taiping Palace, Ganquan Palace, Yishou Palace, Hot Spring Palace, Xianyou Palace, Renshou Palace, etc. The palace, in addition, has more convenient transportation, and even the imperial mausoleum is in Guanzhong. It is normal for the imperial court to move to Daxing, both legally and logically.

But once the capital is moved to Daxing, it will bring a huge wealth impact to the people of Luoyang. The soaring land and housing prices in Luoyang make many businessmen hoarding houses worth a hundred times. Once the imperial court moves away, Luoyang housing prices will inevitably plummet, and their wealth will also increase significantly Shrinking, this is the situation that the people of Luoyang are most worried about. Although the court has repeatedly stated in the "Half Moon Talk", the people of Luoyang have been talking about moving the capital since the day Yang Tong went to Daxing to celebrate the New Year.When the emperor returned from Guanzhong with the court, everyone was completely relieved.

Yang Tong went to Daxing because he wanted to fight against Tubo, Tuyuhun, and Li-Tang alliances to appease the people in Guanzhong. However, the war has ended and people’s hearts are stable. To deter the Silk Road, and there are generals guarding the northwest, the rear is stable, and it is unnecessary to stay in Daxing at this time.

What's more, Daxing's westward position is not conducive to the imperial court's control of Liaodong, Youzhou, Jizhou, Qingzhou, Xuzhou, Yangzhou, and Jiaozhou. The capital of Luoyang, which is known as the heart of the world, is more conducive to the development of the east, and it is more in line with the economic and cultural requirements of the Sui Dynasty. development strategy.

The more important reason is that the land of Hebei is where the descendants of the frontier soldiers of the six towns gather. The folk customs are tough and difficult to control. In addition, there may be some old and young of the Northern Qi among the people who are not convinced by the Sui Dynasty. It is far from being as simple as other places. Yang Tong had to consider hidden dangers; of course, there is also the south, where the situation is also very complicated. First, the division between the north and the south has lasted for a long time, and the gap between people’s hearts still exists. , the imperial court can't take care of that much.

What's more, in order to break the standard system in Guanzhong and realize the world strategy of pivoting the world and temporarily controlling the world, Yang Guang did not hesitate to turn against the nobles of Guanlong.How stupid would Yang Tong be if he moved back?

This time, returning to Luoyang in a Shengwu car, the speed of more than 20 miles per hour is nothing to Yang Tong, but in this era, it is already an epoch-making speed. Not only the royal family, but the goods, the speed must be increased by at least half, but even so, it is much faster than when entering the customs.

The whole family sat in the same car, enjoying the journey happily, but not too anxious.

After all, Luoyang is the capital of the Sui Dynasty. Although Yang Tong is not there, news will appear on the table every day. Luoyang is already a land of peace. The weather is good, the people basically have surplus food, and with the gradual prosperity of commerce, the commercial tax revenue alone is enough to make up for the lack of land tax every year, and then buy the excess food in the hands of the people at a fair price, and store it in the Luokou warehouse in Henan County. Including Jiacang, Huiluo Cang, Heyang Cang, and Changping Cang in the three cities of Luoyang.

With sufficient food and no need to worry about food, most of the people will go out to find work during the slack season.Either build water conservancy and roads nearby; or stay away from home and participate in the construction of large projects with higher income.

After nearly two years of hard work and development, Henan County, and even the surrounding counties, are no longer as difficult as they were when Yang Tong first took over.

This entry is because of the plateau war, which is related to the stability of the western frontier of the Sui Dynasty for a hundred years, and on the other hand, to see whether the people's hearts and opinions are in the Sui Dynasty after the Yongliang land is recovered. For now, it has basically been achieved. Target.

……

When Yang Tong returned to Luoyang, the communication program for the public, which had been in preparation since the end of the year, was officially put into use.

Under the planning of Dai Zhou, the doctor of the driving department, and the full cooperation of the Ministry of Industry, in just over a month, [-] horse-drawn carriages dedicated to transporting letters were already in place.

There seems to be a lot of carriages, and they can be allocated to more than 1000 post stations in the Sui Dynasty, and they are only equipped for one-way. However, there will not be too many letters at the beginning, and it should be enough in the short term. At least the same number of carriages will be invested in the later stage , for cross-interaction, as for the more than 2000 postmen who specialize in sending letters to the people, they are all retired veterans.

The common people are not unfamiliar with this matter, just because every issue of "Half Moon Talk" publicizes the layout of the station, people are no strangers to the communication of the station, and they all look forward to it.

On the 28th day of the first lunar month, the sky had just dawned, and the city of Luoyang, which had been quiet all night, was noisy again. Many people found that there was an object similar to a small house in front of each square gate, with the word "mailbox" written on it.

"According to the "Ban Yue Tan", as long as the letter is put into the mailbox, the postman can send the letter to any place in the Sui Dynasty just like sending official documents."

"Even if it's a small village?"

"Of course." The trained soldier explained: "The post stations are all over the Sui Dynasty, and the imperial court sent official documents to the counties and counties of the Sui Dynasty through the post stations. Since the official documents can be sent, they can also send letters."

Everyone nodded their heads when they heard it. The post stations are spread all over the world, and there are thousands of hundreds of Lu stations and Shui stations.

Some business travelers are thrilled. Three hundred urgent letters can be delivered home for only one penny. Doesn’t it only take three to five days at most to reach thousands of miles away?
In the past, they often entrusted people from their hometown to send letters home, not to mention favors, and the fact that the other party did not go home directly caused the letter to be delayed on the road for a month or more.

Now, no matter how slow it is for the official post station dedicated to sending letters, it only takes about ten days, right?
Some people couldn't hold back their homesickness immediately, and immediately went to a nearby post station to buy stamps, envelopes and letter paper, and immediately immersed themselves in writing letters.

After writing the letter eloquently and checking that it is correct, it is put into the envelope, sealed with the paste prepared by the post station, the addressee is written, the stamp is pasted, and the letter is put into the mailbox.

Luoyang was the capital of the Sui Dynasty, and there were a lot of merchants in the city and students studying in the Luoyang Academy. When they saw the mailbox mentioned many times in the "Half Moon Talk" appearing in the academy and in front of each workshop, they all mentioned it. Write a letter to your family, and then post it in the mailbox of your hometown according to the divisions of Yanzhou, Yuzhou, Liaodong, Youzhou, Jizhou, Bingzhou, Yongzhou, Liangzhou, Qingzhou, Xuzhou, Jingzhou, and Yangzhou.

This is also the mailbox set up for the convenience of the sorting personnel. Not only is the big state marked on each mailbox, but the county to which they belong is also written on it.

Soon, the mailboxes in front of Luoyang Academy and various workshops were filled with letters.

The military camps distributed inside and outside the city were also the focus of the court's consideration.The soldiers of the Sui Army were elite soldiers recruited from all corners of the country and from all over the world. They came from all corners of the country. It was a very luxurious thing to go home and visit relatives.

When the long-awaited mailboxes were placed at the four gates of the major barracks, the soldiers all cheered.

Wanderers outside already make their families worry about them, but soldiers who are engaged in the most dangerous career in the world, their relatives worry about and worry about them ten thousand times more than ordinary business travelers and students.It's better for officers, they can ask someone to send a message home, but how can ordinary soldiers have this opportunity?So when they learned through the "Half Moon Talk" and the political commissar that the post station could deliver letters for people, the whole army was ecstatic and looking forward to it.

The officers who were instructed by their superiors have already promoted at various levels in the army, so that illiterate soldiers who need to write letters home should find someone to write them for them in advance, so as not to overwhelm political commissars and literate soldiers at all levels.

Soldiers are the most important objects of care of the imperial court. After the stamps, envelopes, and letter paper are made, they are dispatched to the barracks immediately. After the early publicity and preparation, each soldier has a complete letter that needs to be sent urgently in the political commissars at all levels. In his hands, when the letter box arrived, the political commissars delivered the bundles of letters tied according to the state and county standards to the letter box, and directly handed them over to the postman who was waiting here.

When the political commissars returned to the camp and told the soldiers that the letters had been sent away, they clearly felt that the spirits of the soldiers were refreshed. Each letter, which seemed thin, entrusted each soldier with a deep sense of homesickness. , Presumably when they receive a reply from their relatives, the homesickness of the soldiers will surely heal without medicine.

……

Jizhou is the place where Yang Tong made his fortune. The three counties of Hejian, Xindu and Boling were the key places where he placed his military subordinates. The legion holds an important position, or serves as a defense attaché in an important border area, and it is difficult to go home after fighting outside for a long time.

Occasionally, when I go home, I come and go in a hurry.

Yangliu Village in Yixian County, Xindu County is a military village. It is close to Zhangshui River and Yongji Canal. Because of the fertile land and the generous treatment in the army, every family has a good life.

After years of fighting, the soldiers who took root here have retired one after another and returned home, and some soldiers died in battle. Today, only Zhang's son in the whole village is still serving in the army.

Mrs. Zhang has two sons, both married and established businesses. The eldest son’s family responded to the call of the court and established his own business. Because he was literate, he was elected by the villagers as the deputy village head, and he and the village head volunteered to take care of the righteous warehouse in the village; A school lieutenant, so she lives with the second son's wife and children, although the son and the two daughters-in-law are very filial and live well.But she misses her second son, who hasn't been home for two years, and worries that one day she will receive her son's ashes. When she goes to Zhangshui to release ducks, she often stares at the rushing Zhangshui in a daze.

On this day, the old Mrs. Zhang was releasing ducks by the Zhangshui River as usual. As soon as he drove the ducks to the river, he saw the eldest son running and shouted from a distance: "Mother, the second child has written."

"Who sent the letter? I'm going to thank him and ask about the situation of the second child by the way." Mrs. Zhang was overjoyed.

The eldest son said with a smile, "Mother, the second letter is not from a fellow villager, but from a courier."

"Is the second child using power for personal gain? Is he wronging the Holy Majesty and the court?" Mrs. Zhang asked sharply.

The three of them, mother and son, were originally refugees from Qi County. They followed many refugees to escape from the military disaster and went to Luoyang to seek a living. At that time, Yang Tong had just won the Battle of Xingyang and was ordered to go north. The fledgling Yang Shidao brought the victims to the north to settle down.

Mrs. Zhang knew that if it wasn't for the imperial court, their family would probably freeze to death and starve to death in Luoyang. Mrs. Zhang never forgot this heavy gift of life, and specially set up a shrine for Yang Tong, and dedicated it every three o'clock and five festivals. incense.Every time the second son returns home, he must be told to do his duty faithfully and not to forget the grace of God.

As a member of the army, the Zhang family also knew that the postman could only deliver official documents to the court. Now that the eldest son said that the postposter delivered letters for the second son, he instinctively thought that the second son was using power for personal gain and doing things that could not do the court, and he became annoyed all of a sudden.

"Mother, don't be angry, the second child did not do anything wrong to the imperial court. The imperial court has restructured post stations across the country. Now the post stations not only send official documents for the imperial court, but also deliver letters for us ordinary people, and the price is extremely low, only a symbolic fee. One penny." The eldest son comforted his mother, and introduced: "The Holy Majesty attaches great importance to soldiers, and family members have always been the priority. The second child is a general in the army. He must have known about it immediately, so I wrote you this letter."

"Is this really the case?" Mrs. Zhang was skeptical.

"It is true. The county magistrate also issued a special order to let the village chiefs and mile chiefs go back to their hometowns to publicize. If anyone needs it, they can write the letter and then buy stamps and envelopes from the postman; if they are in a hurry, send them away. You can also go to the county to post."

"The policy of the imperial court is getting better and better." Zhang's heart was relieved, and she couldn't wait to say: "Quickly read it to me!"

"Mother..." The eldest son carefully tore open the envelope, took out the letter paper, and read the letter aloud.

The content of the letter is easy to understand, plain and straightforward, telling how he misses his mother, wife and children, and then informs him of his recent situation.Although there are no fancy words, the plain language is full of deep feelings.

"Okay, mother is fine, your wife is fine, your son's studies are fine, everything is fine at home..." Ms. Zhang burst into tears and murmured in response to her son's inquiry.

Seeing this, the eldest son quickly changed the subject: "Mother, the letter from the second child is an express letter sent four days ago. If we reply to him now, maybe he will still be in Luoyang when the letter arrives at the Luoyang military camp and can receive it in time." Our reply."

"Write, let's go home now, let your sister-in-law and nephew listen to it, and then write a letter to the second child. Let him be dedicated to his duties, protect the family and the country, and don't worry about him at home." Zhang choked up.

Such a warm scene also happened everywhere in the north and south of the country. The family members of soldiers, officials, and business travelers who received letters from relatives far away all wept with joy.

Letters carrying strong family affection, friendship, and love were sent to the terminal station by postmen from all walks of life. Through their hard work, thousands of families in the Sui Dynasty were filled with joy and laughter.

At the same time, two fads were sparked. One was to subscribe to newspapers. Since "Ban Yue Tan" was an exclusive publication, in addition to government orders, the published content included characters, poems, legal system, medical skills, disaster prevention, etc. The column, every column is closely related to everyone, and the audience is very wide, so that the scalpers can double the sales. Now, "Half Moon Talk" not only has a price tag, but also opens a renewal point at the station. If you subscribe for one year at a time, The price will be lower again, which also makes people in need flock to renew.

The second is philately. The tax exemption of philately was Yang Tong’s whim. When he calmed down, everyone rejected this system because everyone thought it was a big loophole for postmen to seek illegal benefits. Seal it with a bang bang bang, and then sell it to the common people at a price of [-]% of the tax. The common people will definitely buy it. If the common people with all the stamps in their hands are not exempted from taxation, then the imperial court will implement it. Therefore, the idea of ​​stamp collection tax exemption was abandoned.However, because of the high quality of the stamps and the lifelike portraits of the characters, they are deeply loved by people.In addition, more than [-]% of the stamps belong to the twelve zodiac signs, and the character stamps only account for [-]%. Since things are rare and expensive, the people spontaneously and voluntarily collected the stamps of these famous ministers and generals, and some people even paid for them at post stations. A complete set of stamps for collection and gift.

In the next few days, as stamps of famous ministers and generals ceased to be issued, there was a wave of crazy collection in Luoyang.

Moreover, this trend was specially written by "Ban Yue Tan" as news, so that the craze for collecting this set of stamps spread to all counties and counties of the Sui Dynasty, and a shocking trend of stamp collecting was set off throughout the Sui Dynasty.Affected by this, the twelve zodiac signs have also entered the collection objects.

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(End of this chapter)