Dawn of the Empire

Chapter 106 Sighing Your Suave Talent (1)

The Chidao in Guanzhong was built with Chang'an as the center. It reaches Lingzhou in the north, Dunhuang in the west, and Lizhou in the south. The ditch formed by borrowing soil was built as a rainwater ditch.In the hinterland of Guanzhong, there are also channels for sailing parallel to Chidao.Therefore, Zhao Xingde set off from Tongzhou with the fifth lieutenant of the Iron Bone Army, first detoured Chang'an, and then drove along the galloping road between Chang'an and Dunhuang. All 16 of them rode strong horses, and two coachmen from Lu Cao drove two four-horse carts. The four-wheeled cart followed with the luggage, and changed horses at the post station every sixty miles.It was inconvenient for Li Ruoxue to travel with a horse, so Zhao Xingde paid Lu Cao to hire a light and comfortable carriage to go with him.

The voices of bustling people came from both sides of the road one after another. Li Ruoxue lifted the curtain of the car and looked at the bustling market. "Have you arrived in Chang'an?" She asked Zhao Xingde, Zhao Xingde hesitated for a moment, and then said: "It is considered to be here." Looking far away, there is no shadow of the city wall.

At the end of the Tang Dynasty, Zhu Wen coerced Tang Zhaozong to move the capital to Luoyang, and destroyed Chang'an palaces and private houses.Today's Chang'an City Wall is rebuilt on the basis of the remaining imperial city, which is less than one-tenth of Chang'an in Tang Dynasty.

After Daxia Dingding founded the country and the vitality of Guanzhong gradually recovered, the new Chang'an City gradually failed to meet the needs. Whether it needs to be expanded has sparked fierce debate in the Huguo Mansion.In the end, Kou Zhun, the prime minister of the Jianzhang Dynasty, personally went to the Huguo Mansion to state the pros and cons, explaining that the benefits that the expansion of Chang'an City could bring to the people in Guanzhong were far less than the construction of channels and roads, so the Huguo Mansion gave up rebuilding Chang'an Xiongcheng impulse.Cao, the coordinator of the Prime Minister's Mansion, then came up with an alternative plan. The land in the ruins of Chang'an City in the old days was not conducive to cultivation, so he sold it to merchants in pieces after planning, allowing them to set up chambers of commerce for self-government. Therefore, this area is now the most important place for Guanzhong workshops and shops. In a dense area, this is Chang'an without city walls.Chang'an, Samarkand, and Chengdu are now the three largest cities in the Xia Kingdom. Whether they are densely populated or bustling, they far exceed Dunhuang, the western capital that is a political and military hub.

Because it is far more convenient to do business in the outer area of ​​the Chamber of Commerce's autonomy than in Chang'an City, the Chang'an neighborhood inside the city wall has become increasingly deserted. Many closed shops have been bought back by the Prime Minister's Mansion and built into a contiguous giant warehouse, which is then leased to the Chamber of Commerce outside the city. .The rent set by the Prime Minister's Mansion for the warehouses in the city is not expensive, and it is very safe. The vendors keep the goods in the city, and use Jiaozi as a proof for picking up the goods. Large transactions outside the city are completed with Jiaozi. After more than a dozen hands, they still piled up in the warehouse in Chang'an City and did not move.Since then, cities in Guanzhong have followed suit, which not only facilitates industry and commerce, but also gradually gathers private savings into cities.Chen Wu, the emperor of Jianzhang, praised Kou Zhun for "enabling the country to save for three years without spending a penny". It happened that the water conservancy was successful and the people were happy. It has become a legend talked about by the people of Xia Kingdom.

However, the General's Mansion also supported the proposal of the Prime Minister's Mansion at the beginning, but they had other considerations.

"If the enemy's army strikes, the continuous fortification will not only allow the enemy to pay continuous casualties, but also allow us to counterattack and make it easier to enter and exit, which is better than the effect of shrinking the city." Sergeant Shi Wenhu pointed with his horsewhip at the extremely well-built buildings on both sides of the street. Strong commercial and residential buildings.Perhaps the protective effect of continuous fortification on the people may not be as good as the circular city wall, but this is not the primary issue considered by the General's Mansion.Although the Prime Minister's Mansion agreed to the autonomy of the Chamber of Commerce, there are certain standards for the material style and basic planning of the building.

Sixteen Iron Bone Army Fifth Captains rode three horse-drawn carriages slowly along the middle of the road in the market, the iron hoofs stepping out and making a pleasant crisp sound, the pedestrians on the stone roads on both sides stopped one after another, and expressed their goodwill, reverence or fear. Eyes, some still whispering softly, this is the iron-skeleton army in our Guanzhong.The people of Xia Guo traveled all over the world, if they didn't have a strong army to show off in their hometown, they would be ridiculed.

The Sergeant of the Iron Skeleton Army stood upright at this time, and his expression was not as casual as usual, but slightly reserved and proud, and he occasionally signaled to the street urchins who were cheering and making trouble with the cavalry, telling them to be careful not to get too close to the horses.Sitting high on the horse, Zhao Xingde followed the horse's back, feeling the respected status of the sergeants in the Xia Kingdom, and a strange feeling surged in his heart, "The soldiers of the Xia Kingdom went to the south for the people here. In the Northern War, even if you die on the battlefield and wrap your body in horse leather, there is nothing to regret. The general has such a strong army to serve, and he really doesn’t need to be trapped on the city wall. On the other hand, I am facing..." His heart turned cold, and there was a look of sadness in his eyes .

The captains of the Iron Bone Army are indeed worthy of the people here. In order to avoid causing turmoil in Guanzhong, even though they have not made great military achievements for many years, most of the captains in the Huguo Mansion still insisted that it is best not to fight against the Song State, and resisted it several times. A rash proposal to use troops in the Kanto region on a large scale.The people in Guanzhong have enjoyed decades of peace, building canals and roads, farming, weaving, animal husbandry and fishing, and business and industry simultaneously, and their lives have become more and more peaceful and prosperous.After entering Chang'an City, the lieutenants rested in the post station of Cao Cao, waiting for the other lieutenants of Anton's army to meet up and set off together. Taking advantage of these few days of leisure, Zhao Xingde took Li Ruoxue to wander around the city.

According to Shi Wenhu, there are places of interest in Chang'an that cannot be missed.The Xingqing Palace, Taimiao, where the emperor of the Xia Kingdom held his enthronement ceremony.Visitors are not usually prohibited. Even the emperor's dragon chair and bedroom can be viewed for free by Xia people, while foreigners have to pay 20 taels of copper.Only when the emperor Chen Xuan returned to Chang'an to offer sacrifices, or when the new emperor held the enthronement ceremony and the Xingqing Palace was to be used, the two places would be guarded by the Longya army to prohibit the entry and exit of idlers.This is a must-go place for people from the Guandong to Chang'an. The people of the Song Dynasty can use this to satisfy their curiosity about the royal life. The copper coins paid by the Song people who visit this place every year are actually more than enough for the maintenance of the Xingqing Palace. Of course This is also related to the grandness of the Xingqing palace, but the simple and simple furnishings.

Ever since he stepped into the front of the Xingqing Palace, which can accommodate thousands of people to worship, and looked up at the nine huge stone pillars symbolizing Kyushu at the gate of the palace, Zhao Xingde felt a sense of coercion coming towards his face.These nine Panlong pillars are also called slander pillars in the Xia Kingdom, and both soldiers and civilians can post posters here.

On the first dragon pillar from the left, there are two powerful characters "Qianlong" written on it. I think I have a plan and a strategy to respect those who are beneficial to the country, regardless of whether they are high or low, wise or foolish, and post their suggestions here.The second dragon pillar has the word "Jianlong" written on it. Those who have art but cannot display it, post it here and recommend themselves to the imperial court.The third dragon pillar has the word "Yinglong" written on it, and those who want to see the emperor should post it here.On the fourth dragon pillar, there is an inscription "Xi Vigil", which means that those who commit all kinds of crimes will surrender themselves and reduce their crimes, and the confession form will be posted here.The fifth dragon pillar wrote "No Blame", and those who have been wronged and cannot clear up their grievances can post their grievances here.The sixth dragon pillar wrote "Flying Dragon", recommending others to be used by the court. The people of Xia State often posted bulletins here to praise officials from all over the country.The seventh dragon pillar wrote "Kanglong", criticizing the "treacherous" power that harmed the country, just like Cai Jing and Tong Guan in Song Dynasty.The eighth dragon ball wrote "Qunlong" to expose other criminals who committed crimes, and post the list here.The ninth dragon pillar on the far right has a letter "Yuanheng". If the people can't decide which dragon pillar to paste their announcement on, they will post it here.

Maintaining these nine dragon pillars is the most important job of the royal courtiers of the Xingqing Palace, and they must send every list they get every day to Dunhuang for the emperor to read.The Emperor of the Xia Kingdom would not interfere with the decision of the Five Houses easily, but if the words in the announcement moved Shangyi, he would personally intervene and the Prime Minister's House would respond seriously.Over time, this Nine Dragon Pillar has become a sacred place in the Xia Kingdom. If the people in Guanzhong have grievances, they often come to the "No Blame" Pillar to post a list, and cry loudly, urging the ministers to report their grievances to the court. god listen.Because of the existence of these nine dragon pillars, although Chen Xuan, the emperor of the Xia Kingdom, was far away in Dunhuang, his position in Guanzhong's hearts was much stronger than that of Zhao You in Bianjing.

The basalt stone bricks on the ground of the empty main hall of Xingqing Palace were originally rough-ground, but over the past hundred years, countless tourists have polished them until they are shiny.The imperial courtiers who are in charge of managing the Xingqing Palace also need to replace some floor tiles that have been trampled from time to time.Stepping on the cold stone bricks, looking up at the high beamless dome, it feels so high and wide, as if you can hear the wind whistling above, Li Ruoxue can't help feeling a little chill on her body, "No wonder the Emperor Xia doesn't want to live in this place. Here, although the momentum is great, it is really not suitable for human habitation."

Zhao Xingde stood in this huge empty hall, but he felt a sense of awe under the star map of Bianliang Taishi Bureau, and secretly sighed: "Frozen three feet, it is not a day's cold, how many heroes are full of unrestrained talents. It is through hard work and dedication that we are willing to travel and work hard to create this brand new country that is in full swing.”