On the wide cement avenue, soldiers and horses were connected from front to back, like a big dragon, with great momentum.
The interior of the exquisite and spacious Luanyu.
Wu Nian opened the car window and the cold wind poured into the car, refreshing him.
Immediately, he looked down at the concrete road below and nodded with satisfaction.
Since the imperial court took control of Hebei, the work of cement paving has begun.
The current cement output is not very high. But building main roads is enough. With the capital as the center, cement roads have been built on the main roads in the Great Plains east of the Taihang Mountains and north of the Yellow River.
The various benefits brought by cement roads have also truly benefited the people.
If it's a dirt road, it won't rain and the dust will fly. When it rains, there are potholes.
It's very difficult to walk.
However, this is a small matter.
The real big deal was corvée.
There were also corvées in the Han Dynasty. The troops stationed in various departments on the Great Wall and the troops stationed on the Yellow River were all supplied with food from the local government in Hebei.
Liaodong is too far away, and it is too laborious to transport food there. Food from Liaodong was given priority to the defenders in the Sanhan area.
Corvee means letting commoners transport food.
Transporting food takes a long time, and anything can happen on the way. In these ancient times, when conditions were not good, corvée service was the difference between life and death for many people.
And it delays the busy farming work at home.
Now that the cement road is under construction, the journey that originally took one month may be shortened to half a month. This greatly reduced the burden on the people.
For the country, the loss of food on the road has also been reduced.
Cement roads have many benefits.
"I am changing China little by little." Wu Nian took a deep breath, with a look of satisfaction on his face.
After a while, he closed the car window, picked up a blanket, covered himself with it, and fell asleep.
The army walked on the cement road very fast. Riding on Luang Yu is also very comfortable. But after entering the Taihang Mountains, the marching speed slowed down.
The rugged road made Wu Nian very uncomfortable while sitting in Luanyu.
"Equalizing Shanxi will also allow Shanxi fellows to enjoy the convenience of cement roads." Wu Nian thought to himself.
After a long journey.
Wu Nian's drive finally arrived at Yanmen Pass in the morning.
General Xue Pingkou of Yanmen Pass, wearing armor, led his lieutenants Wang Baihui and Yan Changshan to open the gate and bowed his head to welcome the emperor.
"Greetings to Your Majesty." After the three of them saw Luan Yu, they immediately bowed and saluted.
"No courtesy." Wu Nian walked out of Luan Yu and said with a smile.
The accompanying Hojo Ushimasa, Shi Xian, Wu Min and others all got off their horses and stood around Wu Nian.
Wu Nian asked Xue Pingkou to raise his head and take a closer look. Said: "General Xue, I have long wanted to see you."
"It's a pity that you are guarding Yanmen Pass. Your position is very important and you cannot enter the court."
"Now I finally see you. You are truly a hero."
"Thank you for your attention, Your Majesty." Xue Pingkou saluted respectfully, feeling very excited inside.
More than twenty years ago, Wu Nian led 300 elite troops to resist the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty. He's still a little kid. After that, he grew up listening to the legend of Wu Nian.
Although the Chu State tarnished Wu Nian's image, true gold is not afraid of fire.
He could regain Liaodong, capture Goguryeo, cross the sea and destroy Fusang, and destroy the people of Meng Yuan.
Even if he is smeared, he is still a hero.
Now the Han Dynasty is rectifying the official administration in Hebei, and the Hebei area is prosperous. He looked very happy in his eyes.
What a blessing to the people.
Wu Nian talked with the three people for a while, and then introduced Shi Xian to the three people. Although the governor of Shanxi and the guard of Yanmen Gate are not in the same system.
But Yanmen Pass is located in Shanxi, and they will inevitably have to deal with it in the future.
The imperial driver entered Yanmen Pass and sat down in the general hall. Among the entourage of ministers, only those with high status came in, while those with low status waited outside.
After sitting firmly, Wu Nian's eyes flashed and he asked: "How is the training of the soldiers and horses?"
"I dare not deceive Your Majesty. Although I and the two generals are training with all their strength, it will take at least one or two years to reach the level of being able to go out and fight with the Slavs in the field."
Xue Pingkou looked ashamed, cupped his fists and said.
"General, there is no need to be ashamed. This is already very good. The soldiers of a few people are not always victorious from the beginning."
"Let's talk about it. I am focusing on the Chu Kingdom now, and the Slavs have to deal with it later. You can train the troops with peace of mind."
Wu Nian said with a smile.
"Yes." Xue Pingkou cheered up and responded loudly.
Forge ahead.
Xue Pingkou felt that Wu Nian was like a sharp knife, thinking about cutting people all the time.
This is awesome.
The monarch and his ministers talked for a while. Wu Nian left the general's mansion again and inspected the armies in the pass. We boarded Yanmen Pass again and overlooked the outside of the pass.
Outside here is Datong Mansion, occupied by Slavs.
Many Han people lived under Slavic rule. There are also many Slavs who immigrated to Datong Prefecture.
Han and Yi people live together.
There is also the Hetao area.
"Sooner or later, I will let you return to the embrace of China." Wu Nian's eyes flashed with determination and he thought to himself.
Wu Nian stayed in Yanmen Pass for a day. The next day. After Xue Pingkou and others respectfully sent him off, he headed south to Taiyuan Mansion.
Since ancient times, Taiyuan has been an important city in Shanxi.
At present, Taiyuan is occupied by a general named Zhu Zhongguo, with 30,000 troops.
Wu Nian sent someone to contact Zhu Zhongguo and promised him a reward. But Zhu Zhongguo didn't reply.
According to the information from the Imperial City Division. The State of Chu also sent people to contact Zhu Zhongguo, promoted him to a higher position, and asked him to guard Taiyuan.
This person is well-named, Zhongguo, but he behaves like a faggot.
This morning.
The army arrived at Qizhou City.
It is also an important city in Shanxi, located on the plains. Currently controlled by the Han Dynasty. The prefect Wang Ding led the officials and squires out of the city to greet Wu Nian.
"Your Majesty." Seeing Wu Nian getting off Luanyu, Wang Ding led everyone to kowtow and salute.
"No courtesy." Wu Nian raised his hands and said weakly. When Wang Ding stood up, Wu Nian said with a smile: "I won't leave for the time being when I arrive in Qizhou."
"First send people to recruit Zhu Zhongguo to surrender. If he is willing to surrender, that would be the best. If he refuses to surrender, I will lead my troops to defeat him."
"I'm disturbing Mr. Wang."
"Your Majesty has killed me." Wang Ding said quickly.
However, Wu Nian did not communicate with him in advance about this matter. How to arrange the emperor's residence became a problem.
After Wang Ding thought for a moment, he turned his head and spoke to a squire beside him. Then, he saluted Wu Nian and introduced: "Your Majesty. This is a local member, surnamed Cao Mingduan."
"I learned that His Majesty has led an army to Qizhou and met with the local squires. He has sent out a thousand pigs and sheep, hoping to provide food for the army."
"In addition. He has a mansion in the city. It can be used as his majesty's palace."
Wu Nian raised his head and looked at Cao Duan, a white, fat and wealthy official.
Seeing Wu Nian looking at him, Cao Duan quickly bent down and saluted.
"Grandpa Cao Yuan was loyal to the country. He was given an archway." Wu Nian's eyes flashed and he said with a smile. He didn't take it to heart.
They were just local squires who paid filial piety to the emperor.
Very common thing.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Cao Duan showed joy and quickly knelt down to thank him.
