Win the Ding 1617

Just as Wang Dehua was about to continue to question, the Chinese army outside the door came in to ask for instructions. It was time to hold the lanterns. The reception banquet prepared for the imperial envoy was ready, can we start the banquet?

"All the officials and generals in Wuyang City will clean up the dust for the angel, and hope that the father-in-law will reward him."

The banquet was placed on the Yuexiu Building, and by opening the wooden lattice windows, one could watch the lights of thousands of houses in Guangzhou City.The prince wears a three-mountain cap inlaid with gold, a brocade robe with a tufted collar, an exquisite white jade belt around his waist, and a pair of civil and military soap boots under his feet. , but also majestic and energetic.

The lights outside the window reflected the bright stars in the sky, the whole city of Guangzhou could be faintly seen in the night, and the shadows of sails and fishing lights flickered on the Pearl River. Wang Dehua couldn't help but exclaimed: "Guangzhou, what a wonderful place!"

"Elder-in-law has never seen the scenery of Hejing, Hue and other places in Nanzhong, so it can be regarded as a paradise." Jiang Yihong has got rid of the entangled emotions, and found a reason for himself to stay in Guangdong, " The chief envoy of Guangdong is still an official of the imperial court, not under Governor Li. Staying in Lingnan administration, you can show what you have learned in your life, isn't it great?!"

"Oh? I also ask Mr. Jiang to give some advice."

Jiang Yihong was about to talk about Nanzhong's scenery and knowledge, when the banquet officer at the side came and invited all the adults to the table.According to the honorable etiquette, all the officials gave way to their seats.Father-in-law Wang Dehua, as an imperial envoy, naturally sat in the chief position, and Lord Jiang Yihong, as the host of Guangdong, took the chief seat.And Li Huayu, Liao Dongzhi, Liang Kuan, Wu Liuqi, Wu Biao and others took the guest seats.The rest of the officials sat on both sides.

With the development of the economy in the late Ming Dynasty, the whole society became extravagant and extravagant. Someone recorded in his notes: "Today's rich family and rich family, the treasure of the poor mountain, the fault of dry water, the oyster house in the south, the treasure in the north. Bear's paws, broiled oysters from the East China Sea, and mare's milk from the Western Regions are really what people in the past called rich people from all over the world. The cost of a feast can't be done by exhausting the family's property."

And this banquet for the imperial envoy to receive the wind, naturally cannot be missed.Wang Dehua claimed to be the eunuch in charge of the supervisor of ceremonies, and he had experienced countless big scenes.but.I saw the scene that greeted him today.Can't help being a little surprised.

On the table is a set of gold-made noodles, from the spoons to the plates and wine utensils are all made of high-quality red gold, a pair of chopsticks inlaid with gold teeth are placed neatly on the right hand side.An extremely eye-catching fruit tower was carefully placed in the middle of the table by the servants.I'm afraid that the fruit on it will roll down accidentally and ruin the fruit of everyone's half-day labor.

In the midwinter season, fruit towers are piled up on the banquet. This kind of pie can only be done in the city of Guangzhou.In the hinterland of Ming Dynasty, Songjiang Mansion, which is known as the rich and prosperous, is the home of the gentry. When encountering birthday events or banquet officials, "there are dozens of rare delicacies in water and land during a meal. There are two or thirty pieces of banquets for new relatives. If there are more than ten pieces, it is a common meeting. However, the fruits are made of wood and lacquered like a pagoda, the vegetables are made of small porcelain plates, and the small pieces are made of boxes. All of them are elevated with wooden lacquer, whichever suits the view.”

"Eating [-] lychees a day will not hesitate to grow up to be a Lingnan native." The prince took a lychee and peeled it lightly, letting the sweet juice spread in his mouth, carefully enjoying the taste that once almost made Datang The allure of the fruit of the extinct country.

The servants lit the lamps in the hall, and in an instant, the entire Yuexiu upstairs was brightly lit, filled with soft and warm dim yellow light.

The dinner has begun.

In order to entertain Wang Gonggong and his party, the Nanzhong Army took great pains.Not to mention the banquet for the prince, even the accompanying soldiers of the Shenji Battalion and the Sanqian Battalion each had four dishes of fruits and vegetables, four dishes of cold dishes, and four bowls of rice: one cup of steamed rice. Roasted duck, one cup of crystal legs, one cup of white fried pork, and one cup of stir-fried kidney.Behind is the blue and white porcelain plate inside and outside, which holds a roasted fragrant sea fish, and dozens of jars of roasted rice wine are piled up in the open space for the soldiers to drink at will.

And Yuexiu upstairs, it is the standard of five cuts and three soups.

Roasted goose, roasted suckling pig, roasted deer, brocade wrapped sheep, when each dish was served, the chef would kneel down in front of the imperial envoy and tell the adults where the dish came from.

For a time, the ducks and geese from Hejing, the grass deer from Taiwan, the old sea from Fusang, and the roasted pigs from Siam all dazzled people.

After the five cuts, there were three sweet soups, which made Wang Da's palm prints smile.After the ceremony was over, someone arranged for actors to come up and invite the adults to order a play. The prince refused, so he ordered a full bed wat first. There is an allusion to Li Shouhan secretly, as long as he is fighting for the country, it will be a good thing for fame, wealth and longevity.

At this time, the first wave** of the feast begins.Amidst the babbling tunes of the actors, all the officials got up to toast the prince one after another, reported their official titles and resumes, and muttered, "Should live for the emperor, live for the father-in-law!"

In this way, it is impossible not to drink this wine.Fortunately, the officials didn't dare to strain their ears to drink a toast, and the prince also dealt with Yu Ru.At this time, it is up to the chefs to mix in the dishes.Water and land delicacies, as many as dozens of dishes and snacks were delivered at a low price.The prince could not help but click his tongue secretly. .

In addition to luxurious dishes, gourmet food also needs beautiful utensils, and it goes without saying that the utensils are exquisite.Even wine is also rich in variety.Jasmine wine, osmanthus lotus wine, and river sake are common in the mainland.Needless to say, bamboo leaf sake, chrysanthemum wine and other wines, there is also shochu brewed by Nanzhong itself. The mouth is like a fire burning in the mouth. .”

Wang Dehua ordered someone to give a pot of shochu to Liao Dongzhi, Wu Liuqi, and Wu Biao. Wu and Liao stood up and declined, claiming that they would patrol the camp at night.Only Wu Biao left his seat and kowtowed to Wang Dehua to thank him.

"Master Jiang, please explain how this Nanzhong is a paradise?"

"Ha! Father-in-law, you are going to Nanzhong to meet the general anyway. You will have a good look at the scenery of Nanzhong. The official said at this time that there will be flowers drying clothes, cooking cranes and burning pianos." feel."

"Hey! My lord is wrong to say that! Whether it is Nanzhong or Guangdong, they are all in the territory of my Ming Dynasty, so how can I distinguish between them? I hope my lord will tell the truth!"

"Then, let me check a few things and talk about them. I hope that the father-in-law will forgive me for the inadequacy. What does the father-in-law think of the city of Guangdong Province and the surrounding prefectures, prefectures and counties?"

"Our family has seen it all the way. There are thoroughfares everywhere. It is convenient for soldiers, civilians, etc. to come and go. As the saying goes, things flow smoothly and people benefit."

"To be honest, if my father-in-law comes back from Nanzhong and looks at the roads in Guangdong, he will feel narrow and rough."

This word.Hearing this, Wang Dehua couldn't help but gasped.

The boat enters the Pearl River.He looked at the scenery on both sides of the bank from the side of the boat, and the sounds of envy kept ringing out.Compared with inland towns where refugees are everywhere and beggars are everywhere.The situation in Guangdong seems to be the scene of a peaceful and prosperous age.There are no refugees or beggars here, or even idlers. Everywhere you look, there are construction projects everywhere, and busy people can be seen everywhere.

Among the crowd were not only Cantonese people wearing bamboo hats and black trousers and jackets, but also a large number of Japanese people wearing clogs with bare feet and bald hair on their heads. Under the leadership of their leaders, they were busy repairing roads, farmland, and water conservancy.Although people are covered in mud and sweat, they have smiles on their faces and are full of hope for the future. The various slang songs that come from time to time show their numbness and innocence when they are struggling with the people in the mainland. Helpless is very different.

Especially the seemingly endless road, the wide and flat road can accommodate three or four carriages galloping side by side, and the sound of horseshoes and wheels is like thunder and drums.

As the Chief Eunuch of the Supervisor of Rituals, he has studied the official documents and inscriptions of various places, and he knows that building roads and digging rivers consume a lot of people's resources.Among other things, road construction alone requires not only a large number of civilians, but also a large amount of wood and stone, and a large amount of food and money.Although there are no high mountains and dangerous obstacles around Guangzhou, there are many rivers and rivers. If you want to build a bridge, you must consume a lot of stones.

Logging mills, quarries, these all cost a lot of money to build.This move, Shou Han once proposed to the big bosses and the emperor himself in the capital, suggesting that the court implement work-for-relief in the Gyeonggi area, build roads, dig rivers, and build cities, so that the refugees and common people can find a place to eat. Lest they take the risk.However, the treasury of the Chaozhong government was empty, and after a period of implementation, the Tonghui River and the Beiyun River, the Ziya River, the Haihe River and other rivers were simply dredged, so that the ships that connected and transferred the Nancao on the sea could directly enter the Chaoyang Gate.As for the road, after a calculation, if it is paved with ashes as Shou Han said, it will cost at least 200 taels of silver for a mile, and hundreds of thousands of silver for a few hundred miles from Nigu to the capital. , This is simply paving the road with silver, how can this be done?

What's more, the censor found an opportunity to impeach Li Shouhan and sue him for taking the opportunity to amass money.

(I’m wronged! When I was in Nanzhong, it cost only tens of yuan to build a road for a mile. How come it turned into 200 taels of silver when I arrived in Beijing?)

The matter came to an end.

I don't want to see such a scene again in Guangdong today.As if overnight, there was a wave of large-scale road construction in the entire Pearl River Delta.Coupled with the accumulation of a large number of labor forces and the constant traffic of vehicles, they all show a vigorous vitality.

"Where is this road going to be built?"

"My father-in-law doesn't know. My father-in-law wants to rebuild the official roads between Guangdong and Guangxi, and connect all the prefectures, prefectures, and counties with roads. Widen the narrow places and build bridges where the rivers are blocked. , set up a station every fifty miles."

"Hiss."

It seemed to be a toothache, Wang Dehua kept sucking in air-conditioning.

"This is clearly a sign of national subjugation!" This was the first thought in Wang Dehua's mind.

Back then, Qin Shihuang built the Chidao, the Lingqu, the Great Wall, and the Straight Road. Although it played a great role in resisting foreign enemies and connecting the north and the south, it also consumed a lot of people's energy.

Not to mention that Emperor Sui Yang of the later generations dug a canal and transported the grain and products from the south to the north, but he died because of this, and made a canal into someone else's wedding dress in vain.

Shou Han's move, although the Guangdong and Guangxi will no longer have a separate regime, the officials, soldiers, horses, and horses can be easily mobilized, and the money, food, and goods can be moved flexibly.However, the huge cost of this is also conceivable.

"Master Li, the dry city of the country!"

"But in this way, the cost is bound to be huge, and it is conceivable that it will consume a lot of manpower and material resources."

"Don't worry too much, father-in-law. My father-in-law built a large-scale road in Nanzhong a few years ago, and used the road to be flat and convenient to deal with those who rely on the danger of mountains and rivers and intend to resist. Compared with the military pay and food spent on suppressing rebellion and bandits Come on, the money and food spent on building roads and bridges is just a drop in the bucket.”

Today's dinner was an eye-opener for Wang Dehua. For the first time, he realized that the suppression of bandits can also rely on a big project.To quell civil unrest, large-scale construction can be used instead of large-scale army suppression!

"If you want to get rich, build roads first." This is the true saying of later generations.After the development of the manufacturing industry dominated by agriculture and handicrafts.What is faced is the problem of circulation.How to transport the grain, oil, and meat products produced in various places to various towns to supply the industrial population and the army, and at the same time transport various industrial products produced in the city to various places, and transport a large amount of wood and ore from the mountains and forests to all directions.Naturally, a very smooth road is needed.

And use a lot of national infrastructure to stimulate the economy.Create jobs.However, the effect was tested by Mustache and the most famous polio patient in history.

Those refugees and hungry people have nothing but strength, but for them.Who would be stingy and work hard to find a job that can earn money, eat rice and stew fish and stew meat from time to time?

In the road construction plan jointly formulated by Shouhan and Guangdong and Guangxi officials, the road connecting Guangdong and Guangxi is the main line, and the road leading to Nanzhong is the main line. From east to west, from south to north, Guangzhou and Guilin are connected, and then all the way Go to Leizhou Peninsula from Qinzhou and Lianzhou, board a ship at the southern end of Leizhou Peninsula, or go to Qiongzhou, or go to Hue, Jiulong River, Taiwan, Chai stick, Chao Phraya River, etc., or even more distant ten states , Manlajia, Tianzhu and other places.The other way is to cross the river from Guangxi and directly enter the Nanzhong area by land, and then be assigned to various forts for reclamation activities.

Moreover, due to the huge project of the three roads, it is afraid that the construction will last for several years, and a large number of hired labor will be needed. Not only will the hungry and refugees in Guangdong and Guangxi be absorbed, but Shouhan also reluctantly transferred 30 Japanese laborers day and night in order to fill the labor gap. Road construction does not stop.There are even more refugees who are far away from Guangdong and Guangxi. As the news spreads like wildfire, refugees from all over Huguang and Jiangxi also began to vote with their feet, and they continued to pour into Guangdong and Guangxi.

After hearing such a grand plan, Eunuch Wang Dehua couldn't help but feel a little crazy.

"Our family's errand was indeed not in vain. It is our family's fortune to see such a magnificent event."

Not to mention anything else, just to say that millions of people can be gathered on the construction site, and their food, clothing and wages can be guaranteed, which is the same number as a sea every day.

What's more, the various materials needed for road construction, such as wood, stone, and ashes, all kinds of tools in the hands of the workers, all the metal components when building bridges, the construction of houses in the workers' camp area, and those that need to be built every fifty miles A post station made a large number of orders for various factories in Nanzhong.

Ha Tinh Manufacturing, Ha Tinh Metallurgy, and ash yards all produce without working overtime day and night.

Shouhan's big investment not only turned the gold and silver accumulated in the warehouse into construction funds, but also provided another opportunity for rapid development of factories and mines everywhere.Even ordinary people in Shengdou felt the changes brought about by the construction of roads in Guangdong and Guangxi.The pigs raised in the pen, the fish raised in the fish pond, the grain in the barn, and the rapeseed in the field were all swallowed by the huge black hole of road construction, leaving them with strings of Tongbao and One silver dollar after another.

However, if such a big thing is in operation, if you can't say anything and don't attract people's envy, then you will really see a ghost.

"Elder-in-law, we found it."

In the exquisitely furnished mansion for Wang Dehua, the accompanying Jin Yiwei hundreds of households reported to Wang Dehua the result of the beating incident in a low voice.

"Master Li has something urgent to rush back to Nanzhong to deal with."

"Where did you find out?"

Gently flicking the bubbles on the tea with a teacup as thin as cicada's wings, Wang Dehua took a sip leisurely.

"The brigade commander of the Chaomei Police Brigade, deputy general Wu Biao, expressed his gratitude to the imperial court for the kindness that was promoted and reused, and revealed it to his subordinates and others!"

"What did he say?"

Wang Dehua was very satisfied with the results of his subordinates' work, so he put down the teacup, ready to hear what happened to the Nanzhong Army, which made Li Shouhan rush back to Nanzhong in such a hurry that he didn't even accept the imperial edict.

"My subordinates learned from Wu Biao that there should be two things that are bothering Mr. Li now."

"speak!"

"One thing is related to Mu Tianbo, the Duke of Guizhou. It is said that there are many lawless chieftains in Yunnan, who often cross the river and invade the border of Nanzhong. Bullying. In the spring, Master Li once wrote a letter to Mu Guogong, asking him to restrain the chieftains under his command and keep each other in peace. I don’t want Mu Tianbo to protect his shortcomings. During the autumn harvest, another chieftain crossed the river to plunder and was captured and killed by the South China Army. The government issued a document demanding that Mr. Li hand over the general who caused the accident, and make an apology."

"Snapped!"

With a flick of his robe sleeves, the prince was sweeping away the teacup.

"This guy! How rude! It's just relying on the shadow of our ancestors, the world is in Yunnan. Has his Mu family achieved great achievements in the past generations?!"

Wang Dehua's butt was obviously sitting on the side of Li Shouhan and Nan Zhongjun.

"Our family will definitely play the Son of Heaven truthfully, so that we can deal with this guy in a good way!"

"One more thing, it's purely the internal affairs of the South China Army."

Because of the large-scale road construction, it is unavoidable to open mountains and blast rocks. In order to meet the gunpowder consumption of [-] shi per month for road construction in Guangdong and Guangxi, the gunpowder factory worked overtime day and night.

Not wanting the workers to miss their hands, the gunpowder workshop exploded, killing and injuring hundreds of people, and a mountain was shaved off by the power of the gunpowder explosion!

"These two incidents forced Mr. Li to rush back to Nanzhong to make some arrangements!" (To be continued...)

ps: I wish everyone a happy Dragon Boat Festival and Children's Day!In addition, it's the end of the month, so don't be reluctant to give up your monthly pass.