Chastity Layman

  Chapter 755 Iron Bull

   "Lu Ben, Cheng Chumo!"

   "Habayashi, Zhang Daxiang!"

   "Zhen Fu Si, Liu Jiu!"

  ······

  Baqiao Station.

  Cheng Chumo waited for the file to enter, each reporting their names.

  The Lantern Festival has passed, and departure is imminent.

  Qin Lang was patrolling the southeast of the province, and the emperor ordered talented officials from various government offices in the capital to accompany him. There were a thousand horses serving as the guards this time. Those who didn't know thought Qin Lang was going to fight a war. Donggong Zuowei led the Brigade Army Zhonglang Cheng Chumo led five hundred brigades, and became the main guard for this patrol.

  Beiya Yulin Army's school captain Zhang Daxiang accompanied by a hundred flying cavalry, this is the flying cavalry battalion expanded from the Baiqi Battalion, all of which are the elite of the Forbidden Army. There is also Wu Shisheng, the lieutenant of the Qianniu Guard, who leads a hundred guards of Qianniu to accompany him.

  At the same time, there are three hundred Shenji Battalion accompanying them this time.

Both Zhang Daxiang and Wu Shisheng are the sons of meritorious officials. Zhang Daxiang is the son of Zhang Gongjin, the former governor of the state. Lao Zhang has just been re-elected as the governor of Xiangzhou. The vacancy left by Yu Chigong.

  Wu Shisheng's Lao Tzu was Wu Heikai who was transferred from Zuo Jinwuwei to Zuo Yulin General.

   "Wei Wenzhen, the inspector of Yushitai, the censor Wei Wenzhen, the clerk of the political affairs hall, came to pay a visit to the lord!"

   "Wai Lang Yuan Hongliang, a member of the Ministry of Officials, and Tang Xu, a member of the Ministry of Military Affairs...see you!"

  In the post station, before the double banners and double festivals erected in front of the house, a thousand soldiers gathered, extremely sturdy.

  After seeing the accompanying officials from various ministries, Qin Lang said a few words and started on the road.

Yuchi Baoqi submitted the proposed route, but after leaving Beijing, he went to Tongzhou, crossed the Yellow River through Pujin Bridge, entered the east of the river, went straight to Taiyuan, crossed the Taihang Mountains via Jingxing to Youzhou, then faced the sea in the east, and finally went south along the coast. .

   This trip does not pass through Tongguan, but Luoyang.

   "Since we're going to Youzhou, why don't we take a full tour of the coastline of the Tang Dynasty, don't start from Jieshi and Yuguan, and start directly at the mouth of the Liaohe River in Yingzhou!" Qin Lang glanced at the map.

  Yu Chi Baoqi was also transferred this time, and his job was to join the military and be in charge of supplies.

  I have no opinion on Qin Lang's adjustment, and even faintly excited, "I will find a chance to vote for Goguryeo at that time, and it would be even better if I can take Liaodong City by the way."

  Qin Lang didn't respond to his crazy words. How could Liaodong City be so easy to grab, not to mention the east bank of the Liaohe River, the key is that the Goguryeo people have always regarded Liaodong City as their first core in Liaodong.

  Since the Sui conquered Goguryeo, the Goguryeo people have not been as arrogant as before. Over the years, they have retreated to the east bank of the Liaohe River and dare not cross the Liaohe River easily, but they will never give up on Liaodong easily. The Liaohe River is the final bottom line.

  Back then, he carried the Sui army's three campaigns hard. Although his vitality was severely injured, since the Sui rebellion, he also gained a rare respite. Now he is still alive, and even has the spare energy to find trouble for Silla.

  Datang has no intention of resuming the war on the Eastern Front, and everything will take time.

  Qin Lang planned to patrol from the mouth of Liaohe River, and he just went to see the situation there.

  Emperor gave Qin Lang this inspection mission, the eastern and southern coastal areas are all within his inspection scope.

  It was freezing cold in the first month of the lunar year, and the iron hooves of the horses knocked on the hard road, making a crisp sound. The route from Chang'an to Taiyuan and then to Youzhou is a main national road in the Tang Dynasty. The road is very wide, and there are dense towns and villages along the way. There is a post station every twenty miles.

  While crossing the Pujin Bridge, Qin Lang was amazed at the big iron oxen pulling up the iron chains on both sides of the Yellow River. In order to ensure the safety of the Pujin Bridge, which runs through the main roads of Guanzhong and Hedong, the imperial court erected four iron oxen on each side of the bridge, thirty-six iron pillars at the front and back, and four iron mountains on each side.

  Before, during the Kaihuang period known as the prosperous age, this important river was only connected by floating boats and connected by bamboo ropes. Such a pontoon bridge is not stable, and even had to be dismantled during the ice age, and the passage was interrupted.

  At the beginning of Zhenguan, Qin Lang served as the transfer envoy Si Pingzhang Guo Ji, and agreed to promote the project, changing the bamboo cable pontoon bridge into an iron cable suspension bridge and becoming a permanent fixed bridge.

In order to ensure the safety of the bridge, a lot of iron materials were mobilized and many tools were conscripted. Iron mountains, iron oxen and iron pillars were cast as ground anchors. Eight big iron oxen pulled eight large iron cables against each other. Direct access to carriages and horses.

  In the third year of Zhenguan, the Pujin Bridge was completed, eight cattle locked Pujin, and one bridge connected three cities.

   From Guanzhong to Hebei, especially to the Youyan area, basically take the Pujin Bridge.

  After several years, the huge iron ox still stands motionless on both sides of the bank. What is even more rare is that it is completely naked and shiny, without any trace of embroidery.

  Qin Lang asked Yuanyuan.

"The Prime Minister of Qin didn't know something. Since the iron ox was cast, the Pujin Bridge has been connected. Since then, things have been unblocked, which has facilitated countless people's business trips, and even reduced the flood here. Uncle sent a general to town the water. During these four seasons and eight festivals, the common people would come to worship Hebo, sacrifice to the Yellow River, and offer offerings to the sacred cow."

  “Even if the people suffer from disasters and diseases, they can come to worship and touch it, and it can cure diseases and eliminate disasters, which is very effective.”

  According to the local officials, these eight big cows are omnipotent. They can suppress floods, drive away plagues, and can also cure diseases and exorcise evil spirits. Therefore, no matter they are nearby or passing by, they will worship and touch them.

  Qin Lang looked at the obviously brighter eggs under the buttocks of the big iron ox, "Could it be that this iron ox has the supernatural ability to deliver children?"

   "Yes, and it is very effective, even more powerful than the previous Son-Song Guanyin Bodhisattva!"

This is nonsense, the iron ox was cast by Qin Lang, he would not know, this iron ox may not be inconspicuous, but its smelting and casting technology is extremely advanced, only its weight, each weighs 68,000 If this weight is combined with thirty-six iron pillars and eight iron mountains, it can guarantee that eight large iron chains can be pulled up, which is as stable as a rock.

  Of course, the choice of iron ox instead of iron tiger and iron bear was a bit particular. It is said in the Book of Changes that the ox resembles Kun, Kun is earth, and earth wins water.

  But talking about other supernatural powers is nonsense.

Even in the past few years in Pujin, the wind and rain problems here, especially the flooding of the Yellow River, have nothing to do with Tieniu, but the imperial court spent a lot of money in the past few years to build flood control projects, control the Yellow River, and have a stronger The ability to resist floods naturally makes it less prone to disasters.

  When the iron bridge was first built, the river embankment was even raised and reinforced, and it was built into a stone embankment, and the river embankment up and down hundreds of miles was also repaired.

The natural moat of the Yellow River has become a thoroughfare, which has also greatly promoted the economy of Tongzhou City and Puzhou City on both sides of the strait, especially Puzhou City. Because the iron bridge was completed in only three years, Puzhou City has now become a Datang's largest iron smelting center and iron products center.

Its economic scale is outside the four major centers of Chang'an, Luoyang, Yangzhou, and Yizhou, together with Guangzhou, Zhengzhou, Shanzhou, Bianzhou, Huaizhou, Huaizhou, Jiangzhou, and Dengzhou. , It has even ranked above Bingzhou, Youzhou, Liangzhou, Jingzhou, Lanzhou, etc., even Hangzhou and Runzhou in the south of the Yangtze River can't compare, but you know Puzhou is amazing.

Relying on the geographical advantage of being located in the middle of the two capitals and communicating with Youzhou in Taiyuan, plus Puzhou also has the largest salt pond Jiechi in the entire Central Plains, with this precious salt industry resources, it has become a place to supply Guanzhong, Hedong and Henan. the center of the ground salt.

  After the imperial government implemented the salt monopoly, the price of salt increased greatly, but not only did not hit Puzhou's salt industry and economy, but it also made Puzhou's Yanchi salt industry more prosperous.

  Puzhou also has excellent and fertile arable land, which is the granary of the two capitals. In addition to understanding the two top economies of salt and iron smelting, Bozhou is also famous for its papermaking and wine making.

  The gentry in Puzhou is also very powerful. The three surnames of Pei Xueliu are the six major surnames in Guanlong, and the three surnames Zhang and Lu are also famous families.

At the beginning, Qin Langli mainly spent a lot of money to build the Pujin Iron Bridge, and it was because of the importance of Puzhou. In terms of military geography, business and economy, Pujin, which is located between the two capitals, has a unique geographical location. position, it is difficult not to develop it.

  Because of the importance of Puzhou's geography, the officials sent to Puzhou since the imperial court Wude were all carefully selected and capable officials. Even Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin once went out of the town to manage Puzhou in person.

  Pei Xueliu, one of the three famous families in Hedong, has spared no effort in the management of Puzhou.

  Qin Lang crossed the iron bridge, stayed in Puzhou City for a few days, socialized a few times with Pei Xueliu, Zhang Lu and other famous families, and even lived in the manor of the Peiju family.

  The Pei family lost Pei Ji and died of Pei Ju. They have been quiet for a few years, but only in Chang'an. When you arrive in Puzhou, you will find that the biggest force here is still the Pei family.

  In every aspect of Puzhou, there are shadows of the Pei family everywhere, and even the Liu Xue family is far less influential than the Pei family.

The current head of the Pei family is Pei Ju's son Pei Xuanji, who is currently working as an idler in the capital's secretary province. His rank is not low and he has no real power. Puzhou is managed by an uncle of Pei Xuanji's family. , very satisfied with Qin Lang's hospitality.

After staying for a few days, he carefully inspected the industries in Lower Bozhou. He found that the major industries here, such as salt, iron, paper, and wine, were basically controlled by several big families, and behind them were the noble families of Chang'an, such as Changsun Wuji has a lot of shares in Yantie.

  Prime Minister Gao Shilian's family has many members in the wine, Fang Xuanling has property in the paper, and even Li Yuan's son-in-laws have members here.

  Looking at a newly built tower in Puzhou City, it is actually all built with discarded iron smelting crucibles.

The land where Emperor Shun once established his capital is 250 miles from east to west and 170 miles from north to south. It is not as large as Qinlang's fief Wu'an Prefecture, but it is a basin and plain surrounded by mountains and rivers. The screen of the mountain, the salt benefits of the Jiechi, the fertile soil of the plain, and the center of the two capitals, the middle point of the three major regions of Guanzhong, Central Plains, and Hedong, this is something that Qinlang's fiefdom will never be able to catch up with.

   Its household registration has increased from more than 19,600 households in the early years of Wude to more than 79,000 households in the fifth year of Zhenguan, and now it is estimated to break through 80,000 in the sixth year of Zhenguan. As an economically powerful city, Puzhou still has a large number of craftsmen and businessmen who do not have local household registration. The population is huge, and the actual population has exceeded 100,000 households. It is a well-deserved city.

  After the mid-Tang Dynasty, Puzhou was established as the central capital, not without reason.

   But it is such a mighty city, and his Pingkangfang Qin family has no property here, so there are so many profitable transactions, it is impossible to intervene.

   This has to be said, but it is still a bit embarrassing.

Even Ma Zhou, with the help of his father-in-law, Du Chuke, the governor of Puzhou, has already started to enter the major industries of salt, iron, wine and paper here, but his Qin family has not even touched the door. This is too shocking. .

  Puzhou people are very xenophobic!

  (end of this chapter)