The Rise of the Cold Gate in the Eastern Jin Dynasty

Chapter 134

In the depths of Gu Garden and in Pijiang Garden, among the pavilions and waterside pavilions, there are green bamboos and cang trees, hugging the water and surrounding the mountains. The cold light flickered, making it difficult for mosquitoes and flies to enter, but the silk and bamboo orchestras and dancing clothes were still there, and the crane-necked lamps on the four walls exuded fiery light. Several old people under the lamps were admiring the "Luoshui Picture" just now.

Gu Yuezhi was forty years old, with black beard and brows, and a weak figure. He once resisted Yin Hao's Northern Expedition, and had a close friendship with Sima Yu, the great Situ of the dynasty. Putting it on that poem, my eyes are hidden, I don't know its meaning.

Yan Juncheng is the uncle of Yan Lin and Yan Ruoyu, and Dai Changli is the uncle of the fat old man. The two looked at each other, frowning, and looked at the patriarch Xiao Qing, who shook his head secretly, and then Diao Taishou With a light cough, he commented on the painting, deliberately ignoring the poem.

Of the five surnames in Jinling, only the Diao family in Jingkou is comparable to the Gu family in Wuxi, but in terms of family prestige, they are far behind. Yong, Gu Rong.
Gu Yuezhi looked at the head of the clan, Xiao Qing, and said: "I lived in Situ's mansion in Jiankang last year. There were many celebrities under my seat, and the waves were like rivers, and they were all in one place. Situ suddenly asked everyone, do you know where Wuxi Fenglindu is? Everyone answered in unison. Said: Don't bully young people into poverty. Jiangzuo Xiao Lang has since become famous in Jiankang. Tonight, I occasionally heard the young man's demeanor, and the garden is shining brightly. If you don't want to invite me to have a look, what does Patriarch Xiao want to do?"

Patriarch Xiao Qing remained calm and said with a smile: "My nephew is very stubborn, relying on his talent, he is proud of his talent. Jiangzuo has always had talents, how can it be his turn?"

Yan Juncheng also said: "Qinzhi suffered from cold illness in the cold winter last year, and he recovered in the spring. This book was written by Lu Chu. It must have been a long time since several young people met, chatting and laughing happily, so we will not disturb them."

Yan Juncheng followed the patriarch to speak, using the tone of an elder, which was thought-provoking. Xixi Yefeng was involved, and Gu Yuezhi dealt with it while laughing and chatting.

The atmosphere in Pijiang Garden froze suddenly. Prefect Diao was as calm as a pine, sipped a glass of wine, stood up and looked at the entrance. Yan Juncheng, Dai Changli, and patriarch Xiao Qing stood behind one by one, waiting for him.

On the eve of the Taihu Lake Gathering, the five surnames of Jinling and the four surnames of Wujun held a private night party in Wuxi Pijiang Garden. The relationship between them is intriguing.

Singing, drinking and dancing by the Xihu Lake, young people laughing and whipping their horses, talking about the world, under the Huifeng Pavilion, a young man will come to report later, but Xiao Qinzhi knows nothing about it, but his intuition tells him that something big is going to happen tonight , can not help but feel a little upset.

It was late at night, everyone in Gu Yuan dispersed, Xiao Qinzhi declined Gu Hutou's request to stay, and hurried back to Fenglindu, Xu Miao and Zhao Yunfei followed closely, all with solemn faces.

Xiao Qinzhi asked Xiao's young servant: "Has the patriarch returned?"

The boy shook his head.

The lake wind was blowing, but Xiao Qinzhi became more and more worried, suddenly remembered Cui Laitou's words on the Immortal Terrace a few days ago, his thoughts were racing, and he had a rough inference in his mind.

Xu Miao asked anxiously, "Brother Qin, what did you think of?"

Combined with recent events, Xiao Qinzhi did not shy away from the presence of Zhao Yunfei, and said: "Xie Wanshi is the prefect of Wu Xing, Xie Shishi will go, Wu Renzhi is in the prefect of Wu Xing, Diao Yi is the Minister of the Ministry of Officials, if it is recommended by him, I am afraid it will not be a problem. "

"It's widely rumored that Lord Anshi will come out of the mountain, how could it be Xie Wanshi?" Xu Miao asked in puzzlement.

"It's probably Xie Wanshi. Wu Jun should have got the exact news. This is to make arrangements in advance, otherwise he won't come to Wuxi overnight." Xiao Qinzhi deduced.

The people of Wu were squeezed out by the northerners, and most of the people above the court were idle officials. However, the position of Wu Xing's prefect, a local official, with real power in his hands, was extremely important. However, it was also certain that Xie Inspector Xie's life might not be long. Well, and she will stay in Jiankang for three years.

Thinking of this, Xiao Qinzhi couldn't help but let out a long breath.

Xu Miao followed Xiao Qinzhi's train of thought and wondered, "If a Wu man gets the post of Wu Xing prefect, how can he repay this favor?"

Suddenly, the teacup in Xiao Qinzhi's hand fell into the cabin of the boat. Gu Hutou was too weird tonight, just for Qu Qu's poem, so his posture was too low. This is hiding his thoughts. A bold idea rose in my heart, and I couldn't help being startled.

Xiao Qinzhi's strangeness aroused Xu Miao's curiosity, and he said eagerly: "Oh, brother Qin, tell me quickly, I am so anxious to death."

"Xianmin, Yun Fei, I might have messed up Gu Hutou's calculations!" Xiao Qinzhi narrowed his eyes and lamented: "The world says Gu Hutou is stupid, and they have misjudged people. It doesn't show water."

After Xiao Qinzhi's detailed analysis, the eyes of Xu Miao and Zhao Yunfei became strange, especially Xu Miao, who was very shocked. First there was Xie Daoyun, then there was Yan Ruoyu, and then there was Gu Yini, only Zhang Tongyun, Jiang The four talented women from the left are all together.

The point is, judging by Xiao Qinzhi's attitude, he seemed to have no interest in the other two, which made Xu Miao feel very hurt.

Zhao Yunfei was stunned when she heard this. Earlier there were rumors that the Yan family had fallen in love with Xiao Qinzhi, and the engagement was imminent. All parties received the news, but the Gu family from Jiangzuo's well-known family got involved. What's the situation?
"It should be Gu Hutou who got your poem by himself, and the name is justified." Xu Miao guessed, and couldn't help wondering: "Is Gu's original plan to be Diao Cheng? The lintel is only Diao's and Gu's."

"Not necessarily. Judging from what's been reported tonight, there is no doubt that Wujun and Jinling are married, but it's hard to decide who it is, but I think it's only the Diao family. I'm afraid Gu Hutou didn't like it. It's the decision, so I chose Qin's brother." Zhao Yunfei said.

"Then is there any change to our original plan?" Xu Miao asked worriedly.

"Consider all changes with the same, go to Xuzhou!" Xiao Qinzhi said calmly.

Zhao Yunfei's eyeballs were about to drop from shock. Jinling County Mansion, Xi Mansion, and Situ Mansion were not going, but she was going to Xuzhou, the place where the Fourth World War was fought. Moreover, it seemed that Xiao Qinzhi and Xu Miao had secretly planned it long ago. up.

Xu Miao frowned, looked at Xiao Qinzhi, and saw that he nodded secretly, Xu Miao thought for a moment, looked at Zhao Yunfei, and said sincerely: "Brother Yunfei, is it trustworthy?"

Zhao Yunfei took a deep breath of the night breeze, raised her hand and swore to the crescent moon, "I heard it, and no one knows it."

"Brother Qin and I will go to Xuzhou after we have settled in the state. There is an important matter that needs brother Yunfei's help, but we must not tell anyone. We must act in secret." Xu Miao said in a deep voice, relieved.

"Together with Fat Lao Ba, take the Yunlong Chamber of Commerce into your hands, then integrate the Wuxi business houses, and transport the goods along the waterway, via Xuzhou, to Yu, Xu, Qing, Yan, You, and Liao."

Zhao Yunfei's eyes widened in an instant, panicked, startled by this bold plan, and asked, "Xianmin, give me a pen and paper!"

Zhao Yunfei said while writing: "The big one can carry 500 people; the medium one can carry 300 people; the small one can carry [-] to [-] people."

Material is the Jin people's unit of measurement for the load of ships. One material is about one stone, which is equivalent to 120 catties today. The load of a sea ship with more than [-] materials exceeds [-] tons.

"My Zhao family has fifteen ships with four sails, which can carry [-] materials, thirty ships with two sails, which can carry [-] materials, and more than a hundred ships with small materials." Zhao Yunfei stopped writing and continued: "Small materials go to inland rivers, which consumes a lot of money and damages too much. It is best to go to Yangzhou by large ships, go back to Huaiyin, and then transport small materials to Xiapi-Pengcheng, which saves time and effort."

From the Han Dynasty to the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the shipping industry was unprecedentedly developed, especially the opening of the Maritime Silk Road. The big merchants of the Jin Dynasty, or from the Jiankang-Jingkou line went north along the Yang, Qing, You, and Liao prefectures, and crossed the sea to Korea. When the ports of Xuwen and Hepu were abandoned in the Han Dynasty, the Pearl River system was reused, and Guangzhou Port rose up. Ships sailed south around Hainan Island, passed through the South China Sea, and could reach Southeast Asian countries, cross the Strait of Malacca to India, and the farthest to the coast of the Persian Gulf.

One thousand more than 600 years ago, the merchants of the Jin Dynasty had already arrived in the Middle East. The four-sail large ship with a maximum full load of [-] tons sailed offshore. Starting from Guangzhou Port, it was possible to travel to Southeast Asia without sailing for a month. country.

In ancient wars, in the final analysis, the supply of grain and grass was relied on. Xiao Qinzhi and Xu Miao calculated in private that the ratio of grain to supply in the northern expeditions of the Jin Dynasty was one to six, that is to say, six grain-carrying farmers provided one soldier, and the limit distance was feasible. The army is three hundred miles, and the water transportation can be done one to three, and the loss is reduced by half.

Therefore, water transportation plays a vital role in Xuzhou. As long as the supply line is normal, Xuzhou and Yanzhou can always be held in their hands, and they can always resist the pressure of the Yan people going south. , Beheaded Jia Jian, as long as he continued to attack Jinan County in the north, he could advance the front to the south bank of the Yellow River, and the threat of the Yan people dropped sharply.

What's more, if you want to make a difference in Xuzhou, the Jiankang court is unreliable. With Zu Ti leading the northern expedition, the five surnames in Jiangzuo are the foundation. As long as you can get their support, everything is easy.

Gentlemen and businessmen, this is the key to Xiao Qinzhi's breakthrough in Xuzhou, and it is also a major reliance in the future.

Xuzhou, Xiao Qinzhi couldn't help being fascinated.

Compared with the constraints of the gentry, Xu Miao wanted to use merchants to build a chamber of commerce out of clear tea, so Zhao's firm was the entry point.

(End of this chapter)