Chapter 805: Fenshui

Chapter 805: Fenshui

Chapter 805: Fenshui (Part )

The two groups of envoys were sent to the Xianbei, and the task could not be completed in a short time.

The negotiation process was tortuous and had to take into account changes in the domestic situation of Xianbei, which would not happen overnight.

Therefore, until mid-to-late July, even though the mission had been going on for more than three months, there was still no news coming back.

Shao Xun was not in a hurry, as he also needed time to restore the country's gradually depleted national strength.

There were drastic changes happening now, and he was powerless to interfere.

Managing something is not as easy as you think.

On July 20th, there was no annoying heavy rain, only scorching sun. Shao Xun boarded a boat in the east of Pingyang City and went down the Fen River.

The North-South Post Road was almost parallel to this. A large group of government soldiers and Wansheng Army soldiers went south along the post road, training as they went.

Yes, Shao Zei is alive again.

Having harvested one season of summer wheat and about to harvest another season of millet and beans, everyone was in a good mood and relaxed, so they gathered some food and distributed it to the soldiers, and took them out for some practice so that they would not lose their skills in killing.

At noon on the 21st, the fleet stopped.

A total of 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers were deployed on the west bank of the Fen River. The sound of killing was deafening and the training was in great order.

The bow of the ship split the white waves and moved forward slowly.

"The autumn wind rises and the white clouds fly, the grass and trees turn yellow and the geese fly south..." A soft and graceful voice sounded from Congge's boat.

As an old artist, Jing is already in his thirties, but his voice is as good as ever. In fact, due to his experience, his voice has a lot more content and has reached a higher level.

Shao Xun sat in the cabin, closed the door and dozed off, gently pacing with his hands, looking relaxed and contented.

"The orchid is beautiful and the chrysanthemum is fragrant, I can't forget the beautiful woman in my heart..."

When he heard this, he gently squeezed Song Yi in his arms.

The once tender and green girl is now over thirty years old, with a mature smell all over her body. When she curled up in Shao Xun's arms, her eyes seemed timid and resentful, but she dared not say much.

There was wind on the river and the boat was shaking slightly.

Shao Xun looked down at the beauty in his arms, thinking that princesses have their own charms, and people like Song Yi also have their own charms.

Putting aside other things, Yang Xianrong would never be able to play the flute, she would think it was an insult to her, but Song Yi could, she was good at playing the flute.

Let alone a vixen like Zheng Yingtao. She has a very low bottom line and is willing to do anything.

Although Cui was often described by Liu Ye and others as an evil spirit who used her beauty to seduce men, she at most had more seductive methods but was unwilling to humiliate herself excessively.

The reason is actually very simple. Some women are ambitious, while others are low-self esteemed.

Men sometimes need a change of taste.

"The boat sails across the Fen River, crossing the middle of the stream and raising the white waves..." As the song played, the boat slowed down and slowly docked at the shore.

A moment later, Shao Xun came out of the cabin and went down to the shore.

"Open the mansion." He looked at the granary on the high slope in the distance and said.

The granary is an old residence from the Liu Han era. It was built against the mountain, with an outer wall and dozens of round, pointed-roof grain storages built in an orderly manner inside, which could store 600,000 hu of grain.

There are soldiers in the granary, but they are not permanent. Usually, young men are temporarily recruited to guard it. At this moment, it has been taken over by the soldiers of the Yellow Head Army.

They pushed open the heavy outer door with all their might, and then opened the partition doors of the grain storages one by one.

Shao Xun arrived soon.

After all, he is a talented killer who has practiced martial arts for many years. He had just finished the boat sex and walked such a long mountain road, but he was not out of breath at all.

He picked a grain bin at random, walked over to take a look, and saw that it was full of golden wheat.

"Newly harvested this summer?" Shao Xun grabbed a handful of wheat, looked at it carefully, and smelled it.

"The harvest will be in May, the shipment will start in June, and it will arrive here ten days ago." Yin Xian, the Minister of Agriculture who arrived early, replied.

The Minister of Agriculture was the chief official of the Sinong Temple, corresponding to the Grand Minister of Agriculture in Luoyang, who was in charge of granary and grain affairs.

Tang Jian, the former governor of Henei and current governor of Pingyang, followed behind Yin Xian and said softly, "Your Majesty, this pavilion has stored 200,000 bushels of summer wheat."

Shao Xun nodded slightly.

The designed storage capacity is 600,000, but only 200,000 is stored, which is only one third.

But it is understandable. For example, the war horse has just finished a long march and is skinny. Now is the time to fatten up.

After inspecting one grain storage, he looked at seven or eight more in succession.

Some are already filled with food, some just have a bottom, they are all different.

Judging from the visual observation, there were about 200,000 hu of grain. All this grain was sent by horse-drawn carriages from various manors and forts near and far according to their respective allocations.

"Another 50,000 hu of summer wheat will be delivered in a few days. After it is counted, it will be sent to Jinyang as soon as possible. This matter will be handled by the General of Revenue." Shao Xun looked at Yin Xian and said.

"Yes." Yin Xian's face didn't look very good, but he still responded.

Transportation was the responsibility of the General of Revenue and the Colonel of Revenue.

In February or March of this year, Yang Bao, the General of Revenue, came to Pingyang and expanded his "business" here.

When transporting grain and grass to Jinyang, of course, land transportation should be avoided as much as possible. This is also the main reason why Shao Xun came to inspect. He wanted to see the conditions of shipping on the Fen River.

"Liu Cong bought materials and built boats just for his own enjoyment, but he didn't make use of the canal." When he said this, Shao Xun didn't blush or feel nervous, and asked, "Haven't you heard about the boating campaign of Duke Mu of Qin? Were the beams and pillars on the Rui River removed?"

"They have been demolished." Tang Jian said, "I personally led the troops to demolish them. There are thirteen of them in total."

The thirteen wooden stakes mentioned by Tang Jian are located at the confluence of Fenshui and Huishui. The diameter of the stakes is five feet and they are cut on a horizontal plane. It is rumored that they are "the old beams of Duke Ping of Jin" and "things are in the water, so they can last without being defeated."

To put it simply, during the reign of Duke Ping of Jin, the capital was Jiang, and a waterside palace was built on the bank of the Fen River, named Siqi Palace. It is possible that part of the building was above the river surface, so it was supported by wooden piles. It is unknown how many piles there were originally, but there are only thirteen left now.

Shao Xun found it incredible. It had been more than 800 years, and how could the wooden piles still exist? Perhaps they were placed there by later generations, who spread rumors and said that they were from the time of Duke Ping of Jin. In history, these thirteen wooden piles still existed during the Northern Wei Dynasty, and were recorded by Li Daoyuan. They were removed during the Sui Dynasty, so that they no longer hindered shipping.

"There are countless fertile fields on both sides of the Huishui and Fenshui rivers. This summer, the harvest is very good. If we use ships to carry grain, each ship can carry 1,200 hu, while a bullock cart can only carry 40 hu. The cost is incomparable." Shao Xun said, "The Qin Mugong's boat trip was in the winter and spring dry season, and now it is the summer and autumn flood season. Liu Cong does not use it, but I want to use it. How is Gao Xiancang?"

"We'll start construction after the summer harvest." Yin Xian replied, "It will be completed this year."

"After the project is completed, grain and grass from Hedong and nearby counties and towns will be transported here." Shao Xun ordered: "Gao Xian can transport grain to Mengkeng in the north by land, and then transport it by water here, and go straight to Pingyang, Yangxian and other places."

Gao Xian is located in today's Quwo.

To the north of Gao Xian is the famous Mengkeng, located between present-day Quwo and Xiangfen counties.

Geographically, this is a loess gully running from north to south, but no one knows how it was formed. Perhaps the Fen River was quite violent in ancient times. Because it connects the two counties of Hedong and Pingyang, and the terrain is quite dangerous, many major battles have broken out in history. The Northern Wei, Later Qin, Northern Zhou, and Northern Qi all fought major battles here, and the winner basically unified the north.

The battle between Shao Xun and Liu Cong broke out in Wenxi.

After Hou Feihu defeated Liu Cong's main force, he crossed Gaoxian, entered Mengkeng, and drove 200 miles straight down to Pingyang without encountering any major obstacles during the journey. It can be seen that the Huns had completely lost their will to fight at that time.

This section is not navigable and is about several dozen miles long, so it needs to be transported by land.

Going upstream along the Fen River, passing Pingyang, Yangxian and other places, and entering Yong'an County, it is still navigable.

However, there are many reefs in the Fenshui River at Guanjuejin (Queshu Valley), making it impassable for navigation, so the water has to be transported by land to Jiexiu. This section is more than a hundred miles long from north to south.

After entering the Taiyuan Basin, the Fen River becomes relatively wide with a large amount of water, and is navigable all the way to Jinyang.

In general, the distance required for land transportation is not long, and shipping has been used as much as possible, which has greatly reduced road losses and the number of conscripted laborers, which is a relief for the people.

Last year's war with the Xianbei was too hasty.

Most of the food and fodder that was collected with great difficulty was consumed in land transportation, so that the people were dizzy and starving. The long-distance transportation was even more miserable, and countless families were broken up and people died.

There is no doubt that war consumes national strength, but where exactly is the loss? The conscription of conscripts to transport food and grain over long distances is the hardest hit area, not just the casualties on the battlefield.

It is best to use water transportation.

After inspecting the mansion, Shao Xun inspected the farmland accompanied by Yin Xian and Tang Jian.

"If the king wants to march north, he still has to rule Taiyuan." Yin Xian followed closely behind and said, "Fen, Qin, Zhang, Fu, Hutuo, Chihong and other rivers are all great rivers in Jin. Most of those who benefit from them are in Taiyuan."

"In Pingyang and Hedong south of Guanjuejin, the fields are high and the river flows down, making irrigation difficult and labor-intensive."

"In Xinxing and Yanmen counties, the water is strong and the sand is floating, and there is no fixed time for the water to dry up or overflow."

"The only one who enjoys the benefits of the Fen River is Taiyuan. If Taiyuan is well governed, the army will not have to worry about food."

"Oh? Hedong and Pingyang counties have always been known for their prosperity, but Hong Qiao actually thought that they couldn't benefit from the Fen River?" Shao Xun asked in surprise.

"That's right." Yin Xian said, "If we build more ponds, dredge more canals, and divert water for irrigation, we will reap great benefits."

“How many people are needed?”

"If we can recruit more young men from Hedong, Pingyang, Xihe, Shangdang, Hongnong, Henei and even Henan counties, we will see results in one or two years." Yin Xian glanced at Shao Xun cautiously and said with his head down.

"Is this what the Prime Minister intends?" Shao Xun asked back.

Yin Xian was speechless for a moment.

Shao Xun shook his head and laughed.

Is this the original wisdom of Zhengguo Canal?

Spent a lot of resources and manpower on the construction of water conservancy projects, and then was unable to launch the Northern Expedition?
"The Xianbei are ignorant and can be defeated with a few tricks." Yin Xian said, "Raising a large army to attack them would be bad."

Shao Xun was silent.

If he openly opposed it at this time, more people would probably accuse him of being warmongering and aggressive.

Yin Xian must have endured this for a long time.

When I heard him talking endlessly about how to stockpile supplies by transporting them by water to Jinyang, I guess he was cursing in his heart.

Tang Jian stared at Yin Xian, as if blaming him for talking to himself without knowing the truth.

Yin Xian didn't even look at him.

Yin Xian did not take Tang Jian, who was born into a wealthy family in Hebei, seriously. In fact, in his opinion, such people who only thought about fighting and getting promoted every day were very hateful.

"I didn't say we should march north now." Shao Xun sighed and said, "How can we prepare for a war in one year? Hong Qiao is worrying too much. You have spoken very well about the matter of Taiyuan. I will go to Taiyuan to take a look in a while, and you can come with me."

"Yes, sir." Yin Xian replied.

Shao Xun said nothing more.

In the eyes of these officials from Henan aristocratic families, the Northern Expedition to the Xianbei actually had no benefits and the cost was extremely staggering.

Henan had been stable for many years, and the children of prominent families flocked to Luoyang and Pingyang to serve as officials, and their influence gradually grew.

The output of their manors and forts became increasingly stable. They controlled a large number of farmhands, weapons, and food, and trained a large number of peasant soldiers.

In recent years, some people have opened schools to recruit disciples, go swimming, and have gatherings to chat. Everything is slowly returning to normal.

The three-year disaster in Hebei should be just a fuse, not the root cause of the problem.

The root cause is that they are dissatisfied with long-term blood draws.

Unexpectedly, I also enjoyed the treatment of being opposed by the gentry during the Southern Dynasty's Northern Expedition.

Fortunately, the degree is much lighter, and no one dares to openly drag their feet. They just complain verbally and continue to test and dissuade through various channels.

Haha! Fortunately, I still have the twenty counties of Liang State in my hands.

Without these twenty counties, things would be much more difficult. The gentry would not be as hostile as they are now. It would not just be people like Yin Xian who came out to test the waters. I'm afraid even my father-in-law would have to dissuade them in person.

"I'm thirty-five years old." Shao Xun looked at Yin Xian and said.

Yin Xian was shocked and didn't know how to answer.

"This field is nice." Shao Xun suddenly stopped and pointed to the farmland not far away, saying, "The west wind blows for a hundred miles and the fragrance of wheat and millet is everywhere. I seem to smell the scent of yellow rice cake."

Yin Xian seemed to want to make up for the unpleasantness just now, and said with a smile: "It's a good idea to eat fried cakes today."

Shao Xun smiled and walked towards the edge of the field.

Some farmers were weeding in the fields, and they all prostrated themselves when they saw this.

It is now July. In another month, the millet will begin to ear and fill with grain. The sparrows will then come to peck at the grains, and the farmers will have to be busy.

"Hong Qiao, if you don't do something, you won't see this scene." Shao Xun said, "The Xiongnu also attacked Chenjun in the past. There are some things that I don't need to say more. If you don't get rid of Tuoba Xianbei now, you will have to spend more effort in the future, and you may not succeed. You should think about it carefully."

After saying that, Shao Xun looked at Tang Jian and said, "Go, tell the farmers that they won't have to pay grain after the autumn harvest, so they can eat as much as they want this year."

Tang Jian immediately sent someone to pass the message.

After a moment, the farmers were stunned at first, and then cheered enthusiastically.

Shao Xun laughed and looked at Yin Xian again.

Yin Xian cupped his hands: "Your Majesty is benevolent."

(End of this chapter)