Haisheng Mingdi

Chapter 786
Liaodong.

Numerous ships sailed and arrived at Yingkou Port with various flags on the bows. Some came from Tianjin, some came from Dengzhou, some were transshipped from Lushunkou, and some even came directly from Jiangnan.

Located at the estuary of the Daliao River, close to the Bohai Bay, and the natural advantage of the confluence of the river and the sea, Yingkou, an already important water transport port, has soared into the sky and become the most important port outside the customs. One of the famous seaports, especially at the mouth of the Liaohe Plain, as the imperial court went deeper into the northeast, it became more and more important here.

In the early Ming Dynasty, the imperial court’s water transport wharf on the Daliao River was at Niujiazhuang at the intersection of Liaohe River, Hunhe River, and Taizi River in the upper reaches of the river mouth. It was called Niuzhuang Wharf. Shipping to here, then transshipment.

Niuzhuang Wharf can go up the Liaohe River and reach Laomi Bay in Kaiyuan. Later, a water and land combined transportation route was opened up from Laomi Bay to Jilin via land, then into the Songhua River, and directly to the mouth of Heilongjiang River in Nuergan.

"During Hongwu and Yongle, the Liao army's supplies were all supplied by cloth yarn and cotton shipped from Shandong prefectures and counties, and they were transported from Zhili and Taicang to Niuzhuang for storage. Thousands of ships moved. What a spectacular scene it was. "

On a sea boat, Yan Shuxun looked at the countless ships in Yingkou and said with emotion.

Lu Yicheng said on the sidelines, "No matter how lively the Niujiazhuang Wharf was in Hongwu Yongle, it must not be as good as the current Lushun, Dalian, and Yingkou wharves. Especially Yingkou Port, it is a key port, and it is connected by rivers and seas. Originally, it was also connected to the Songhua River."

"The Songliao Canal is just in the stage of demonstration and investigation. As for whether it can be built or when it will be completed, it is still unknown." Yan Shuxun said with a smile.

Jilin is the original shipyard where the Blackwater Fleet of the Ming Dynasty set off. The Ming Dynasty established a shipyard in Jilin in later generations to build naval warships, and then went straight down the Songhua River to Heilongjiang every year, patrolling the mouth of the sea. They were called the Indian Protectors.

The reason why the Ming army chose to build ships in Jilin was because the Ming army crossed the sea from Denglai and landed at Niuzhuang Wharf, and then went straight from the Liaohe River to Kaiyuan in the north, where they turned overland to the north bank of the Songhua River. Kaiyuan could also change boats to the upper reaches of the Dongliao River. It takes only a hundred miles to reach the branch of the Songhua River and flow into the river by land, which greatly shortens the distance.

From Dengzhou Port to Lushun Port, it can be reached in one day and night under the wind, and it only takes one day from Lushun to Yingkou.

Moreover, the imperial court has operated Dengzhou and Lushun ports for several years, and the port management and material transfer here are very convenient and effective.

Niuzhuang Port is still in use now, and it is even still lively. It is much better than the depression caused by the Ming and Qing Dynasties in the early years, and it has regained prosperity.

Yingkou Port is a seaport, and the ships that come in and out are sea ships, while Niuzhuang Port is an inland port, and the inland river ships that come in and out mainly run the Liao River, mainly the Liao River route from Yingkou Port to Kaiyuan.

Because Niuzhuang is at the mouth of the Sancha River, its superior geographical location makes it an important cargo distribution center.

Yan Shuxun waited for the ship to enter the port, and then got off the ship.

He came from Qingdao Port, and what was loaded on the boat was not ordinary cotton cloth or grain, but boats.

The ship is loaded on the ship, and the sea ship is loaded with various ship parts to be sent to the Jilin Shipyard. They are all parts that have been produced in the Qingdao Shipyard. They are transported to Jilin for assembly and varnish, and then they can be used in the Songhua River.

He is the new magistrate and also the first magistrate. His first task is to build the Jilin shipyard.

On the boundary of the Jurchens, on the site of the former Daming Shipyard, the imperial court wanted to re-establish the shipyard and build a Jilin City based on it. It was not only a garrison castle, but also a post station, or a border city. The relocated shipbuilders and their families, as well as the families of newly built fleets, etc.

Going deep into the barbaric land, this magistrate is not easy to be.

"Let the dock be careful. These parts must not be damaged. Otherwise, it will be very troublesome to re-ship them from Qingdao to Jilin Shipyard. We can't afford to delay."

As the captain of the new fleet, Lu Yicheng reassured him. After he went ashore, he personally negotiated with the officials at the dock, and took out the official document from the Ministry of War, telling them to handle the goods carefully.

Seeing the official document from the Ministry of War, the wharf officials immediately reported it to the top official in charge, who had been notified earlier. Seeing the official document, they rushed to transfer the inland river fleet that was already on standby to transfer the goods.

Yan Shuxun didn't have time to be courteous with the port officials, and kept an eye on the goods the whole time.

I was relieved when I saw that all were transported onto the ship without damage.

"The lower official has already arranged a reception banquet..."

"It's not a resignation, it's really urgent, I can't delay for a moment, thank you for your kindness." Yan Shuxun, the son of a university scholar, is very concerned about this foreign appointment. Years, but know what is heavy and what is light.

Immediately, he and Lu Yicheng set off with the fleet and went up the Liaohe River.

The shipping on the Liaohe River is very smooth. Although it is against the current, it only takes seven or eight days to arrive, and it can travel hundreds of miles a day.Along the way, there are sailing boats going south and north everywhere. These boats are not big, and they are generally wooden boats carrying [-] to [-] catties.

The boss of the ship told Yan Shuxun that because the imperial court vigorously managed Liaodong, the Liaohe River has now become the most important line of communication. There are [-] boats on the [-]-mile waterway from Yingkou to Kaiyuan.

"It's too exaggerated, eight thousand?"

"That's about the same number. It's not an exaggeration. Now, how many immigrants from Liaodong come here every day, most of them come from the sea and land in Lushun, Yingkou and Lingkou. It is the most convenient way to go inland to Liaohe. Those who transport livestock and cloth, transport immigrants, transport soldiers, post soldiers, and transport garrisons have never been so lively in decades.

Just look at the bustle of Yingkou, how many big ships like tall buildings are parked, how many inland river boats are coming to transport goods, one by one, how many people are working on the wharf to make money, how many warehouses and inns have been built, let alone Besides, it's just that there are hundreds of brothels. "

Yan Shuxun is from Jiaxing in the west of Zhejiang Province. The south of the Yangtze River is rich and prosperous. The canals, Taihu Lake, and the sea are also very familiar with boats. He can tell how much a boat can hold at a glance. Although these boats on the Liaohe River are not big, there are indeed a lot of them.

When they pass by Niuzhuang, they also enter the wharf to check and register, declare taxes and pay money, and eat and buy food supplies by the way. The boats in Niuzhuang are also as crowded as Yingkou.

Three rivers fork here, but the port is not deep, so large ships cannot enter, and they are all in Yingkou.Yan Shuxun estimated that there would be hundreds of boats instead of a thousand, but the management of the docks was very neat, and the entry and exit were orderly. There was even a special tax police battalion at the docks, and the officials of the tax department did not collect taxes indiscriminately.

After resting at Niuzhuang Wharf, we continued to sail.

Fortunately, this trip was smooth, and the boss of the boat said that if the wind was not favorable, it might take half a month to run, and seven or eight days with favorable wind would be enough.

Eight days later, they ran the [-]-mile waterway and arrived at Laomi Bay in Kaiyuan, which used to be Liaohaiwei in Ming Dynasty.

To the west of Kaiyuan, there are Guangshun and Zhenbei Passes. Laomiwan is to the west of Liaohaiwei, and to the north is Xin'an Pass on the Liaohe River. This northern protruding part in the early Ming Dynasty is surrounded by pass walls on three sides.

This prominent Liaohaiwei, across the Liaohe River to the west is the Mongolian Korqin tribe, while to the east is the Haixi Jurchen tribe.

However, after the rise of Nurhaci, whether it was the Haixi Jurchen Sinara, the Mongolian tribes such as the Korqin in the west, or even the Mongolian Jurchen in the north, they were all conquered by the Hou Jin one by one.

But now, the Ming army regained Liaoshen, went up the Liaohe River, took Zhangwu in the west, Kangping in the middle, and Siping in the north. The Horqin tribe was also trembling and could only move northward.

Kaiyuan was originally named Kaiyuan, which was the Kaiyuan Road in the Yuan Dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang moved Kaiyuan to this place and changed it to Kaiyuan to avoid taboos.This is also the seat of Sanwanwei, Liaohaiwei and Anlezhou in the early Ming Dynasty.Zhu Yuanzhang once planned to set up 1000 guards in Wuguocheng, but later thought that the transportation of grain and grass was not easy, so he shrank it by more than [-] miles and set it in Kaiyuan.

It is located here because of Kaiyuan's convenient water transportation.

This is also an important border city between the Ming Dynasty and the Jurchen. The Yehe tribe of the Haixi Jurchen got its name because it lived on both sides of the Yehe River in the north.

Yan Shuxun didn't care about resting. The journey was relatively smooth and not too hard. Once he arrived at Laomiwan Wharf, he didn't even go to Kaiyuan City on the banks of the Daqing River, a tributary of the Liao River, and asked about the former Jilin.

"It's five or six hundred miles from Lao Miwan to the shipyard, right? Is it all by land?"

The boat boss took him to the pier and found another boat boss, "Usually you can reach Kaiyuan Laomi Bay from Niuzhuang, but if you still want to go north, it is also possible, but you have to change to a smaller boat. You have to be the boss of a boat that specializes in traveling upstream.”

The ship boss who was called told Yan Shuxun that if he wanted to go to the shipyard, he didn't need to travel hundreds of miles by land.

"It doesn't take a hundred miles of land at most."

After the Hou Jin conquered Haixi Jurchen and captured Kaiyuan Tieling and other places, they also used the Liaohe River to transport materials, especially the materials from Haixi Haidong and other places, all converged to Changchun City through the tributaries of the Songhua River and entered the Songhua River A tributary of Yitong River, stored in Yitong City.

After about a hundred miles of land, transport it to Dengzi Village (Gongzhuling City) on the upper reaches of the Dongliao River in the west, and then load it on a boat from here, and then go along the Dongliao River to Laomi Bay in Kaiyuan, and then change to a larger boat. After [-] miles of Liaohe River, it will reach Niuzhuang directly, or be transported to Shenyang.

The upper reaches of the Dongliao River are not navigable for much of the year, but as long as it is not dry or during heavy rains and floods, it can still be transported.

By taking this waterway, the Liaohe Songhua River can be transported through the Dongliao River and the Yitong River, reducing the original distance of five or six hundred miles to about one hundred miles.

The Ministry of Industry proposed to investigate and build a Songliao Canal, which is to connect the Yitong River with the Dongliao River.

Yan Shuxun breathed a sigh of relief when he heard about it, and hurried to find the officials at Laomiwan Wharf. After taking out the official documents from the Ministry of War, they were also very cooperative in helping him transfer ships and people.

The cargo was transferred from the ship to the smaller ship again, and it was up the river again that day.

From Laomiwan to Dengzi Village, after entering the Dongliao River, the lower reaches of the river are relatively wide and flat. Jianlu, this is already the northern border.

Fortunately, the imperial camp also set up many outposts along the Liaohe River. Siping City, Lishu City, Kangjiatun, Shuangliao (Zhengjiatun), Kangping (Kangjiatun), and Huaide (Gongzhuling) can probably protect the East Liaohe River. This line is to ensure the channel with Changchun and Jilin.

As for the line of the Xinkai River on the West Liao River, it hasn't gone too far yet.

From Laomiwan to Dengzi Village, the [-]-mile waterway took more than ten days. It took longer than Yan Shuxun’s journey from Qingdao Port via Dengzhou, Lushun, Yingkou, and then to Kaiyuan Laomiwan. Lao Miwan only took ten days and nights, but now it took twelve days for the five hundred miles.

When they arrived at Dengzi Village, they unloaded the boat and carried it with horses and horses. They traveled hundreds of miles to Yitong by land, and it took another three days to even load and unload it.

They stopped immediately in Yitong and loaded the boat again. Fortunately, Lu Yicheng had led people to ride the horses to the front station, and arranged the boat and manpower for him.

"It's only three hundred miles from Yitong to Jilin Shipyard via Changchun, it's almost there." Yan Shuxun's servant looked at the map and heaved a sigh of relief, but Yan Shuxun said, "There are still eight hundred miles."

"Isn't it only three hundred miles?"

"You are talking about the land route, but it is easier and more convenient for freight to go by water. We have to enter the Songhua River along the Yitong River first, and then enter the Songhua River, a tributary to the west, to reach the upstream Jilin Shipyard. It takes five hundred more to go around this circle. Lishui road, but it is more convenient and easy than land road.”

"Then why not directly set up the shipyard in Changchun?"

"Because the old shipyard is located in Jilin, which is located on the banks of the Songhua River flowing westward. It is not only the center of Haixi, but also has sufficient water in the river, which is convenient for large ships to sail, and is convenient for cruising the Songhua River and Heilongjiang."

The city was chosen to be built next to the big river, which naturally took into account many reasons, one is the convenience of transportation, and the other is of course that it can easily connect with other tributaries inland.

Only by occupying the center of the region can we better control the Haixi region.

Set sail again, this time going down the river, the water surface becomes wider as you go down, and after entering the main stream of the Songhua River, the river becomes wider, and when you turn into the second Songhua River, the river surface is also wide and smooth.

It took only five days to reach the eight hundred miles.

When they finally arrived at Jilin Shipyard, Lu Yiming, who arrived first, came to greet him.

The garrison who came earlier has built a bastion here, next to the bastion is a town, and on the other side is a new shipyard camp.

"It's been a full month of running from Qingdao to here, and it's finally here. Hurry up and unload the goods."

Lv Yicheng led people to help unload the cargo together, and unloaded a ship full of boxes of materials, and Yan Shuxun couldn't wait to direct the craftsmen of the shipyard to start unpacking and assembling.

More than ten days later, in the dock of Jilin Shipyard on the banks of the Songhua River, the Qingdao fast crab boat built by Qingdao Shipyard was finally fully displayed.

Looking at the ship, the old craftsman proudly said to Yan Shuming, Lu Yicheng and other officers and generals, "The sailing boat produced by our Qingdao No. [-] Shipyard is called Kuai Crab. It is an inland warship specially built for the Northeast Army. It is light and fast. , light and sensitive.

The captain is six feet long and one foot wide, larger than our traditional sailboats, with a pointed bow, so the speed is very fast.Compared with the previous centipede sailing boat, it is not one or two points more advanced. This boat has attracted some advantages of Western sailing boats, combined with the characteristics and advantages of our traditional Chinese sailing boats.

The old craftsman looked proud. After the ship was assembled, it was like a work of art.

The ship is divided into two layers, with ballast stones on the bottom layer, living quarters and cargo holds on the upper layer, and a watertight cabin structure on the hull.

There is a battle shed, and there is an artillery platform at the bow, which can be equipped with two artillery pieces. The long cannon of the battleship from Zhoushan Cannon Factory is used.

There are oars all over the hull, and there are fifty oars in total, which can be operated by a hundred people and have two sails.The speed can fly.

It can also be equipped with Francophone rapid-fire guns, coupled with the soldiers' guns and big nine-headed bird guns. This ship can fly freely in the Songhua River, Nenjiang River, Heilongjiang River, Jingqili River, and Wusuli River in the northeast. Invincible.

"Although this ship is not as good as a clipper ship that travels on the sea, it is very suitable for inland rivers, especially in the northeast to appease the Jurchen tribes, and to chase and suppress Russian bandits."

"This time there are a total of [-] fast crabs. The first batch of seven has been assembled, and the second batch has just arrived, and it will take about ten days to assemble."

Yan Shuxun and Lu Yicheng had seen such a ship in the Qingdao Shipyard, but at this time they saw the scattered parts they worked so hard to transport, and finally turned into seven ships and launched into the water.

The hull painted in red and black, as well as the red sun and moon flags on the white sails, all made them feel extremely excited, and felt that no amount of hard work was worth it.

The sailors and crew of the Blackwater Fleet couldn't wait to board the ship.

"Fucking Tsarist Russian robbers, my fast crab boat is finally ready, now let you try the power of our fast crab, hahaha, Yanfutai, choose a day and set sail!" Lu Yicheng was already a little forced Don't wait.

(End of this chapter)