If the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is a magnificent history book, recording the hard work of the Han family, then Liaocheng must be one of its thick chapters and pages. The intersection of the Yellow River and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal gave birth to Liaocheng, the "Pearl of the Two Rivers".
"There are Suzhou and Hangzhou in the south, and Linzhang in the north." There is no need to mention Suzhou and Hangzhou. Linzhang is Linqing and Zhangqiu under the jurisdiction of Liaocheng.
In the previous dynasty, at the end of the Yu Dynasty, Lulong Jiedu sent his envoy to the Yuan Dynasty, and the Mengwu went south and fought all the way to the Yangtze River. Du Chong, who was then Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi, ordered the Yellow River to be dug.
The Yuan people were cut off from their retreat and their entire army was wiped out. But the river overflowed and roared out of control for nearly ten years, finally ushering in the thirty years of chaos in the late Yu and Liangchu periods.
Eight years after bursting its banks, the Yellow River diverted the Huai River and flowed into the sea.
The newly established Great Liang lacked the entire North China, and had congenital deficiencies. Moreover, due to the flooding of the Yellow River, Guozuo had been competing with the Yellow River for more than two hundred years, and was always facing the invasion of the grasslands. It was exhausted and could not fully solve the Yellow River, or Solve the grassland.
But she left wide and smooth channels and canals to the emerging Daqi.
This Grand Canal, which starts from Hangzhou and leads directly to the anti-Yuan front line, is the best among them.
In the early years of the founding of the People's Republic of China, due to preparations for the Northern Expedition, the Grand Canal, which originally ended in Liaocheng, seemed to lack capacity.
In particular, they suffered heavy losses when they attempted sea transportation but were repeatedly harassed by the combined forces of Wang's Koryo, Canyuan Navy, coastal anti-King remnants, and Japanese pirates.
The newborn dynasty, which had already tried its best for the Northern Expedition, naturally had no extra energy to build a navy. The navy of the Wang family in Dongping County had already tried its best to defend the southeastern coast.
In order to maintain the food supply in the north, to maintain order in the Yellow River Flood Area, and to solve the survival problems of the remaining people in Caogang and along the canal.
Taizu ordered to use work-for-relief to extend the Grand Canal, and the canal from Liaocheng to the north directly to Yanjing came into being. This grand canal starts from Hangzhou in the south and ends at Yanjing in the north. It is called the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal.
Since then, millions of water workers' food and clothing have depended on this canal, and their loyalty to the country has reached its peak.
By the time of Taizong, the imperial dynasty had officially established a naval force to destroy the coastal pirates. The shogunate in the Eastern Expedition killed General Genji and shocked the world.
Since then, sea transportation and water transportation have been developed simultaneously, which together constitute Daqi’s south-to-north grain transportation system.
. . . . . .
It has been five days since we went down the river from Luoyang.
The fleet has arrived at Zhangqiu, and everyone will resupply here before heading north to Linqing.
Before we even got off the boat, we could feel the enthusiasm of the canal workers as soon as we entered the canal pier.
The pier was crowded with people, and the big customers who were usually treated warmly were now like stepmothers, being squeezed into the boat by the laborers in the corners.
A few big businessmen who had become too arrogant wanted to argue, but they were beaten up by the coolies who kept nodding and bowing to them and hung on the crane.
They hung there for two hours. It wasn't until the emperor's dragon boat arrived that they understood why these mud-legged people dared to beat them.
The great backers of millions of water workers, my own family, are here!
Of course, since most of the water workers have been transformed into soldiers of the Qi army, and the existence of sea transportation, the number of water workers is no longer what it used to be. Today there are only more than 300,000 people, and the so-called million water workers are just one Habitual name.
The dragon boat slowly docked, and a figure wearing apricot-yellow Tuanlong uniform appeared in front of the water workers.
The sound disappeared instantly, and the emperor slowly raised his right hand and waved it forward.
The cheers, louder than before, spread in all directions like a volcanic eruption.
The emperor did not wait for his guards and stepped off the ship without any hesitation. Fortunately, the water transport yamen had long been accustomed to it and skillfully discharged the canal soldiers to stop the crazy crowd, but he was still squeezed by the crowd until he was face to face with the emperor.
The emperor looked up to the sky and smiled, shaking hands on the left and chatting on the right. Only along the canal did the Qi emperors interact with the crowd without any worries.
Jia She and his son, who had already arrived on the dragon boat in a small boat, and the accompanying nobles also disembarked.
This was the first time that Jia Hui looked at her father and smiled so sincerely.
"Oh! Brother Enhou, this is the eldest son, he is worthy of being a member of our Cao Gang. He is beautiful in battle!" A bearded member held Jia Hui's hand and shouted excitedly towards Jia She.
"Hahaha, aren't you my son? Come on, my son, I will introduce you as a father. This is Xia He, the vice president of the Liaocheng Cao Trade Union. Just call him Uncle Xia!" Jia She patted Jia Hui's arm. .
"Oh, I don't dare to call the general an uncle..."
"Hey, that's wrong. You and I are brothers who grew up wearing crotchless pants. What's wrong with calling you uncle?" Jia She didn't want to.
"My nephew Jia Hui has met Uncle Xia." Jia Hui did not make it difficult for Xia He and did not use formal etiquette.
"This... then I, Xia He, will support me and accept it shamelessly."
"That's right, hahaha!" Jia She brushed his beard and laughed.
Taizu and Jia Shi both came from the Caobang, and the team that made their fortunes also accepted part of the remnants of the Caobang, so their feelings towards the Caobang are the most complicated.
It can be said that Daqi's army was formed with the Caobang as its backbone.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Taizu felt the chaos, violence and disorder of the Cao Gang, so he banned the Cao Gang, established the Cao Trade Union, was responsible for managing millions of Cao workers, and personally appointed all candidates for the president.
Every official of the Caobao Union has the two labels of "the founding father" and "the Caobang origin". It can be said that in Daqi, even if you are a founding hero, you are not from the Caobang. He is not worthy of joining the Cao Gang, even if his mother's family is from the Cao Gang.
It was also because of this that this group of water transport workers dared to break into the water transport yamen on odd days and hang the governor of water transport on even days.
It’s really because of someone’s backing.
The errands of the Caoyun Yamen also became a reminder in the court, becoming the most unpopular errands.
Other errands will at best ruin your future, but this water transportation yamen is very dangerous.
Of course, they would not make it difficult for their patriarch, the emperor.
If the Governor of Water Transport did not go too far - for example, embezzling 80% of Mo's wages, they would not have committed a bloodbath in the Water Transport Yamen.
The emperors of Qi in the past had unconditional trust in them, and the workers also showed endless loyalty to the emperor. They participated in every foreign campaign.
And the Xiahe in front of him was a member of the Caobang who was born in Hongmiaozheng and was one of the founders of the country. His grandfather was one of the first members of the Caobang to follow Taizu in the army, but he had no ability and was awarded the title of Viscount.
When it came to his father, he was demoted to the third rank of general because of his involvement in a smuggling case.
By his generation, he was just a fourth-class general.
But he was still very motivated, and continued to learn more about water transportation, and was eventually elected to the Water Transport Union. Now, he is the president of the branch of the important node of the Grand Canal.
After a few more shudders, several people knew that this was not the place to talk and hurried towards the palace.
When Jia She and his son entered the palace, the emperor had already begun chatting with a group of old people with white beards and hair.
"Hey, isn't this the eldest grandson of brother Jia She? Come here quickly and show me!" An old man who looked very old saw Jia She coming in and waved to Jia She happily.
"My grandson, Jia She, wishes to greet the old man. The old man is as blessed as the East Sea and lives longer than the Southern Mountains!" Jia She's eyes suddenly turned red, and he knelt on the ground and kowtowed to the old man. Jia Hui also knelt down.
"Huh?" The old man finally noticed Jia Hui next to him.
"Xiao She'er, this is... look at this, could it be Brother Jia's great-grandson?" The old man's eyes widened.
"Isn't he Xiao She'er's eldest son! Come on, brother Hui, call me ancestor! Ancestor is now one hundred and ten years old!" Jia She wiped his tears with his sleeves and turned his head to let Jia Hui call someone.
"Great-grandson Jia Hui pays respects to our ancestors!" Jia Hui knelt down and kowtowed. He didn't care about anything else. Just for his age, he had to kowtow to feel blessed.
"Hehehe, good, good, good, great-grandson, Brother Jia is so lucky!" The old man smiled with only two teeth left, grabbing Jia Hui's hand and rubbing it constantly.
"Hehehe..." Jia Hui, who had never been good at dealing with elders in his entire life, didn't know what to say and just kept giggling.
Jia She and his son took their seats.
The old man talked to the emperor and others again.
"Dad, who is this old man?"
"Ah, this is the old man of the Liu family. He used to hang out with your grandpa and the others, but he didn't go to Shandong with Taizu and stayed in the south.
Later, when Taizu went south, he helped integrate the Cao Gang and made great contributions in escorting supplies. He was awarded the title of Huai'an Bo of the founding of the country. Later, he was promoted to Xu Guogong during the reign of Emperor Taizong. He is the last living founding minister and is recognized by all nobles as the ancestor. . "
He turned around and said hello to a few people he knew before continuing.
"The old man has a loyal family. My two uncles from the Liu family died in the Mobei war. Three of the five sons they gave birth to were killed in the war, one died in infancy, and one died of smallpox. The old man is the only one left in the world..." Jia She sighed.
"Back then, the Mongol invaders killed all the people in the old man's village. He was the only one left to crawl out from among the dead. If he hadn't been begging for food all the way to the canal and met Grandpa You, he would probably..."
Xia He, who was sitting next to him, nudged Jia She with his elbow, but Jia She didn't say the next words.
"The old man has been in charge of water transportation since the founding of the People's Republic of China. He has maintained the canal and water transportation properly, supported the seventeen Northern Expeditions since the founding of the country, and called on the water workers to join the army time and time again. Even your expedition to the desert this time, food The old lady paid for those candy bars with her own money!"
"Hiss—" Jia Hui took a breath of cold air.
In this case, Mrs. Liu can indeed be regarded as the ancestor of all nobles.
Even the upstarts from the northwest who had no connection with the old man fought by eating candy canes given by the old man.
Zhang Qiu, who arrived in the evening, soon fell into the night.
The emperor hosted a banquet for the old relatives and dignitaries of the Cao Gang, and the guests and hosts enjoyed themselves along with the chants sung by the Cao workers.
The old man was getting older and his energy was getting weaker. He didn't even take a few bites of his favorite crab roe tofu.
Everyone saw the old man's performance and made some guesses in their hearts. For a while, the atmosphere in the palace became a little depressing.
"Why should you be sad? Birth, aging, illness and death are normal things. I have been over a hundred and ten years old. I have drank the strongest wine, ridden the strongest horses, fought the hardest battles, and played with the hottest girls.
If you use the three-foot sword, you will achieve extraordinary merit.
I have experienced all the ups and downs in the world. Even at the end of my life, I am still surrounded by children and grandchildren. What else can I be dissatisfied about?
Okay, don't mention those unpleasant things anymore, come on, keep drinking, and the boys outside, keep singing! "
After saying that, the old man drank the rice wine in the cup and curled his lips in disgust. The wine was not strong enough!
However, for the sake of the younger generation worrying about him, let's just drink it.
The old man was old after all, and he was already a little drunk even after a few sips.
Fortunately, everyone had already filled their stomachs, so the emperor simply announced that the banquet was over.
"Come, my two great-grandsons, help me go home!"
The old man, who had always been strong in life, refused to take the chariot home. He waved behind him and asked Jia Hui and Chen Jingyuan to help him go home.
"If anything goes wrong with the old man, you two should jump into the river and feed the bastard!"
The emperor warned the two young men severely.
The two young chicks nodded like they were pecking at rice.
. . . . . .
The crowd had dispersed and everyone had gone back to their homes to eat. Only the idlers who came out for a walk after dinner were left on the street. When they saw the old lady in person, they hurried over to say hello.
The old man responded one by one.
It was still a bit cold in the first month of the year, and a cold wind blew by. Jia Hui quickly took off his cloak and wrapped it around the old man.
Chen Jingyuan took a step slower and glared at the proud Jia Hui.
"Haha, boy from the Chen family, I heard that you have returned from training?" The old man looked at the two boys and stared happily. When he was about to take action, the old man spoke out.
"Back to the old man, Xiaoke has just come down from the plateau. Look, I'm tanned." Chen Jingyuan stretched his neck. His dark face was in sharp contrast with the white neck under his clothes.
"Yes, my lord, we were still Han before we came out of Yumen, but when we came down from the plateau, everyone was tanned like a Huns!" Jia Hui rolled up his sleeves, and the contrast between his black hands and white arms was also very pleasing.
"Haha, it's good to get some sunshine. A grown man has thin skin and tender flesh..." The old man curled his lips and shook his head.
Mr. Liu, who has been working under the sun all year round, has always believed that a better man is a tanner.
"Young man from the Chen family, after returning from this training, you are about to open a mansion. What kind of king are you?"
"Prince Yiyong!"
"Prince?" The old man raised his eyebrows.
"Prince, it seems that your grandpa and your father are very optimistic about you."
"Hey, you don't know if you like it or not, but there will definitely be trouble in the future." Chen Jingyuan chuckled.
"It's just troublesome, and your tone is not small."
"No, I have a brother who died!"
"But no, the quality and security of his job for the rest of his life will all depend on him." Jia Hui interjected.
"Hehehe, it's so good, it's so good." The old man murmured, thinking of his old brothers who had passed away, and fell silent.
The two young men also noticed that the circles under the old man's eyes were red and stopped talking. They just supported the old man and walked quietly...
. . . . . .
The next day, after the emperor said goodbye to the old man, he boarded the ship again and headed north.
They were all on their own, and no one used the ceremonial guard, including the emperor. The ceremonial guard did not even unload the boat. The other people's belongings were also moved from the large river boat to the canal boat last night.
The climate has been generally warm and humid in recent years, and the canals have not frozen.
The emperor's dragon boat was narrower than the big river boat, but it could barely navigate the canal.
The dragon boat still takes the lead, followed closely by the civil and military nobles.
After Linqing is the North Canal. Compared with the South Canal, which took a long time to build, the newly built North Canal is wider, has less silt, and the water is deeper.
The speed is much faster.
Another half month passed with stop and go, and finally, the nearly month-long journey that started on the seventeenth day of the first lunar month came to an end.
Jia Hui, who was almost sick from the boat ride, finally returned to the place where he grew up.
Yanjing.
. . . . . .
Tongzhou Pier.
The two brothers Jia Zhen and Jia Lian have been sitting in the teahouse next to the pier and waiting for more than an hour.
Yesterday, a messenger came to report that Jia She and his son were almost arriving in Tongzhou. Early this morning, Jia Zhen dragged Jia Lian to Tongzhou Pier to wait.
As the elders, Jia She was here to greet them. Jia Zhu was preparing for the exam, and Jia Cong and Jia Huan were still too young, so Jia Zhen and Jia Lian, who were old enough and idle, were sent.
Jia Lian was very excited. His father, whom he had not seen for several months, and his eldest brother who had been separated for four years were back. He was so excited yesterday that he stayed up all night. It was almost dawn before he managed to fall asleep. He was killed by Jia Zhen within two hours. Get up and rush to Tongzhou.
Jia Zhen was also very excited. He already knew the news that Jia Hui was awarded the title of Grand General Sima and Marquis of Wuwei County. Since the old masters of the East and West Prefectures passed away one after another, he, Jia Zhen, finally had a new backer.
He sounds bluffing as a third-rank general, but in fact, throwing a brick in the city can kill a group of third-rank officials, which is not as useful as his status as the head of the Jia clan.
But Jia Hui was different. Even if he threw away all his identities, his terrifying force was enough to shock the capital.
"Brother Zhen, here we come, here we come, I see the Tuanlong flag!"
Jia Lian, who was lying on the window and staring at the dock, shouted excitedly.
"We're finally here. Come on, third brother, go downstairs with your brother and wait!"
Jia Zhen seemed more excited than Jia Lian, her biological son and brother. She grabbed Jia Lian and rushed downstairs.
"Wait a minute, brother Zhen, the royal guard of honor and the duke's guard of honor have to leave first before it's their turn!" Jia Lian quickly grabbed Jia Zhen.
"Ah, yes, I almost forgot about this, so let's keep waiting. If you want to eat something, let's eat it first. Judging from the situation, we will probably have to wait until the afternoon." Jia Zhen finally reacted.
I was just thinking about Brother Hui, but I forgot that I had to kill two groups of people beforehand.
The emperor lined up a guard of honor and walked toward the capital in a mighty manner. Several piers in Tongzhou Pier were full of honor guards for the emperor. People were discharged from several piers together, and they were arranged in the corresponding positions in an orderly manner. They were quickly organized Alright team.
Immediately afterwards, the prince's ceremonial guard unloaded two more boats of people, followed by the Duke of the country and the Duke of the county...
After another two hours of tossing from noon, the boat with the Jia family's cloud pattern finally landed ashore.
Jia Zhen and Jia Lian rushed forward to greet him.
"My nephew pays homage to my uncle. Ah, I have met Brother Hui. You have worked hard all the way!"
"My child, Jia Lian, pays homage to the master and eldest brother!" The two of them greeted each other quickly.
"No gift, no gift, have you been waiting for a long time?"
"It didn't take long, we just arrived!"
"Brother Jia Hui has met Brother Zhen. Oh, brother Lian, he has grown so big!" Jia Lian threw himself at Jia Hui, and Jia Hui quickly caught Jia Lian.
"Brother, I miss you so much!" Jia Lian choked up.
"Haha, am I back? I'm going to stay at home for a long time from now on. I promise you won't want to see me again if you see me!"
Jia Hui patted Jia Lian on the back.
"Oh, by the way, I heard that your kid is engaged?"
Jia Hui smiled and whispered each word in Jia Lian's ear.
Jia Lian froze and scratched the back of his head, feeling shy.
"Okay, don't get stuck here, we'll talk about it on the way." Jia She reminded.
Jia She and Jia Zhen got on the carriage, while Jia Hui and Jia Lian got on the horses brought by the servants.
Jia She's concubine and Yue Liduo followed them in the car.
All the way west.
