"Millions of water workers are responsible for food and clothing. If the livelihood of hundreds of thousands of families is suddenly taken away, there will naturally be injustice, bloodshed, and lives will be lost! This matter is difficult. I want to act tough in front of foreign ministers, so I take it lightly. I’m describing it in detail, but it’s not as easy to do as I said. Kan’er, have you thought clearly, do you really want to preside over the abolition of the canal?”
"Mr. Qiao Ge once had a long conversation with my son before his death, describing the bloody battle at Hunhe River. How difficult it was for my father when the Kaiyuan Army was founded! No matter how difficult it is for my son, it cannot be as difficult as it was for my father in those days. I am willing to share my worries for my father!"
On the first day of the first month of the second year of Guangde, Cining Palace.
According to the custom of his hometown Junzhou, Liu Zhaosun led the whole family to eat dumplings together early that morning.
The eldest princess Liu Yufei returned to Nanjing a few years ago, and the family finally got together.
As her children grew older, they all had their own thoughts. Liu Yufei no longer wanted to listen to her mother's urging to get married. After eating two bowls of dumplings, she and Daphne Tokugawa Chihime went to the Imperial Garden to listen to Kunqu opera.
Jin Yuji and Yang Qing'er were not interested in Kunqu Opera. The two queen mothers pulled Chen Yuanyuan and Liu Ruzhi, and the four of them gathered at a table and ran to the side hall to play horse hanging.
Only the Supreme Emperor Guangde and a few attendants were left in the main hall of the huge Cining Palace.
Liu Zhaosun heard that Liu Kan intended to preside over the abolition of the canal, so he wanted to persuade the young emperor.
Although Liu Kan presided over the Qing Dynasty in the second year of Guangde, it was successfully implemented in the end, but there were many twists and turns in the middle. There was a riot in Suzhou, nearly a thousand people were killed and injured in Taicang, and Wang Heng took a group of Jin gentry and fled to Japan. In short, the results were not satisfactory.
Liu Zhaosun had no doubts about his son's ability to govern. However, the matter of abolishing water transportation was not as simple as measuring the land of a state or a prefecture. A little carelessness could result in more than a thousand casualties.
"It is rare for you to have such filial piety. The matter of abolishing the canal is of great importance. You should think twice."
Liu Zhaosun raised his head and looked at Dongfang Zhu, who was standing next to him, and said to Liu Kan:
"The General Manager has been in Linqing for many years. He knows everything about the canal. The North and South Canals are similar. You might as well listen to what he has to say."
After hearing what his father said, Liu Kan looked at Eunuch Dongfang with bright eyes, stood up and cupped his hands.
Dongfang Zhu quickly returned the gift: "Your Majesty, you have insulted me."
The Supreme Emperor waved his hand and said to the two of them:
"Since Emperor Guangde is interested in Kao affairs, the Chief Supervisor explained to him in detail that Daqi is a vast territory with trillions of people. As a king, it is necessary to be knowledgeable and knowledgeable. There are specialists in the arts. From now on, If you encounter something you don’t understand, you should always seek advice from experienced ministers.”
"My son, please remember this."
Liu Kan bowed and accepted the order.
Dongfang Zhu saluted the little emperor again, raised his head and glanced at the Emperor, and then finally began to tell about what he knew about the Grand Canal:
"God's Coming"
"When the canal was opened in the previous dynasty, it was originally to facilitate Zhu Yuanzhang's Northern Expedition to transport grain and pay. Later, it was to facilitate Zhu Di's efforts to conquer the difficulties. Therefore, the people in charge of water transportation at first were all soldiers. The imperial court also set up a separate official position of chief water transportation officer. In the fourth year of Zhengtong, Jining was the In the border area, there was a minister in the north and south to manage water transportation, and later civilian officials served as governors of water transportation. After Xuande, a dual-track civil and military system was implemented. By the Wanli period, the general water transportation army was abolished, and all matters were handled by civilian officials." (Note 1)
When Dongfang Zhu said this, he paused for a moment and concluded: "Similar to the officialdom of the previous Ming Dynasty, in water transportation, it is also the nobles and the weak..."
Liu Zhaosun interrupted his father-in-law and urged: "Tell me the important things, no matter how small or small. Do you want to take a test on policy theory?"
Dongfang Zhu smiled awkwardly, and said with a smile: "Your Majesty is aware of everything, and he is telling the truth. I asked the great scholar about the past events of the Ming Dynasty's water transportation the day before yesterday. He wrote them down for me, and I recited the familiar ones."
"Qian Qianyi?"
Dongfang Zhu nodded repeatedly.
Liu Kan, who was standing next to him, was so attentive that he didn't notice Hu Hui coming up to offer tea.
Liu Zhaosun knocked on the coffee table and urged: "Okay, let's continue talking. Let's talk about the most important things. Let's talk about the Cao Army."
Dongfang Zhu agreed and continued:
"The food collection was carried out by the 120,000 Cao Army. The Cao Army was the soldiers of the 124 guard posts along the canal. Since they were guard soldiers, even though they were on the ship, they were under the jurisdiction of the local guards. Therefore, officials at all levels withheld military pay. , enslaving soldiers occurred from time to time. The Ming Dynasty Law also stipulates that if the food and salary of a Cao ship is reduced due to weather reasons or grounding and leaking, the Cao army will bear half of the responsibility." (Note 2)
Liu Kan heard this and said thoughtfully: "No wonder I heard my father say that smuggling in the canal is rampant. These people have to do this if they want to survive."
Dongfang Zhu added: "The Cao army was squeezed too much and lost its combat effectiveness early. It almost became a beggar soldier, existing in name only."
Liu Kan opened his eyes wide and asked: "In that case, why not dismantle the Cao Army and recruit again?"
"Your Majesty, you don't know. It was previously stated that there is one Caojun on each ship, and the remaining nine sailors are recruited to fill it. In other words, among the ten sailors on a ship, except one person in charge is a Caojun, the rest Nine of them were recruited on a temporary basis. To eliminate one would be to cut off the livelihood of the other nine people. When the Cao River was in its heyday, there were sailors on the grain boats and trackers on the river banks. There were more than millions of people in the towns and cities working with the Cao Army. People! These homeless people."
Liu Zhaosun waited for Dongfang Zhu to finish speaking, and waved to the high priest to fetch a map, which he slowly unfolded on the table. The dense and prosperous South Canal was displayed in front of several people.
"There are many gangs in Nanyun River, such as Xingwu Three Gang, Fengzhong Second Gang, and Ganzhou Gang. There are hundreds of them, and they are intertwined. There is also the Luo Sect and White Lotus Sect, a mixed bag, and the livelihood of millions of people. If it moves, the sky will collapse. If it doesn't move, this cancer will continue to grow, and although it won't lead to death, it will eventually suck away half of Qi's life."
Dongfang Zhu nodded repeatedly: "What the Supreme Emperor said is true. I have been in Linqing for many years and I am used to seeing these idle people. The Cao army, gangs, and tooth merchants collude with each other, causing both losses and prosperity. Most of these people are strong scoundrels. , let them abandon the money-making business in the canal and go back to plowing the fields, fearing that the court will be unable to restrain them. Those who have savings will sell off their property and squander it all. It is not uncommon for those who have no savings to stir up troubles. "
After Liu Kan heard what Dongfang Zhu said, he felt aggrieved and thought he was being alarmist.
"If water transportation is so difficult, how did my father abolish the Northern Canal in the first place?"
Dongfang Zhu looked at the Supreme Emperor quietly.
Liu Zhaosun was silent for a long time, his thoughts flying to the distant past.
That was when he survived the explosion at Wang Gongchang and led Zhang Dong and others to escape from the capital to Shandong.
In the third year of the Apocalypse, the year when Zhang Yan died, natural and man-made disasters followed one after another.
Zhang Chun rebelled in January, the plague broke out in April, and floods, droughts, and locust plagues continued in the north in July and August. Finally, the bandit Li Xianzhong led a hundred thousand bandits to besiege the capital.
By May of the following year, there was a big explosion in Wang Gong Factory and everything was reduced to zero.
"Back then, there was war and plague, and all ten provinces in Shandong and Northern Zhili were empty... At that time, I vigorously implemented the "Qi Dynasty Land Acquisition System", and the Qi army was thundering, killing gods when they met, and killing Buddhas when they met, in Linqing, Jining and other places Tens of thousands of Jin gentry were killed, not to mention the Luo Jiao Cao Gang, and even the canal canal army were killed. Several cities that had rebelled against Da Qi were massacred. Everyone was in danger, so naturally no one opposed the abolition of canal transport."
After hearing what his father said, Liu Kan was already dumbfounded. In his impression (at least as long as he could remember), his father had always been a benevolent king. He didn't expect that he had killed so many people back then.
He held his head high, as if a newborn calf was not afraid of tigers.
"I will go to Yangzhou and kill a few more until I kill them! Let's see who dares to object!"
Liu Zhaosun laughed.
Liu Kan said in surprise: "Father? Is your son wrong?"
"Today is different from the past." The Supreme Emperor patiently explained:
"When I was fighting against the world, there were natural disasters and man-made disasters, so tens of thousands of people died. Now you want to protect the world and just rely on killing people. How can you do that?"
Liu Zhaosun said this and asked Liu Kan again:
"Having said all that, do you still dare to go to Yangzhou to support the abolition of the canal?"
"How dare you not!"
Liu Kan said while taking out a list that had been prepared from his body and respectfully handed it to his father with both hands.
"Father, the last time I cleared my parents-in-law, I was not prepared enough. This time, I am fully prepared. This is the list of people I want to take to Yangzhou to assist me. For this matter, I also I checked the Yuetang newspaper and eucalyptus slips of the former Ming Dynasty, and after spending some time, I must go."
Liu Zhaosun nodded noncommittally.
"Oh? Let me see who is there."
He unfolded the folded page, looked at the names listed, and read in a low voice:
"Pu Gang, Xing Zhongyi, Shen Mo, Mao Chengdou, Yuan Zhaoji, Dongfang Zhu..."
Dongfang Zhu subconsciously took a step back when he heard the Supreme Emperor read out his name.
Liu Zhaosun stroked his beard and smiled, "Okay, let's not say whether it can be done or not. These people you picked are quite reliable."
Pu Gang and his Fifth Corps had been stationed in Linqing for a long time and were familiar with canal affairs.
Needless to say, Dongfang Zhu.
The leader of the Capricorn Guard is silent and alert. Like his uncle Shen Lian, he is a natural expert in investigating and reporting.
As for Mao Wenlong's son, Mao Chengdou, and Yuan Chonghuan's nephew, Yuan Zhaoji, they were all descendants of Zhongliang. Like Zhang Yunxiu, they were both people who could risk their lives to do things.
"My father has many things to deal with every day, and I am willing to share this matter with you! Father, please trust me!"
Liu Zhaosun put down the list. He was moved by Liu Kan's courage to clean up the world and dare to teach the sun and moon to change the sky. Suddenly he saw himself more than twenty years ago.
After this year, Liu Kan became one year older and turned seventeen this year.
The envoy sent to the Kingdom of Sweden for matchmaking has not returned yet, and it is time for Xiao Huangdi to get married.
Let him practice and practice.
"Okay, I agree. The Fifth Corps will mobilize three thousand soldiers, led by Pu Gang and Xing Zhongyi, to follow you to Yangzhou. They will all be at your disposal."
Liu Kan was overjoyed and said: "My son, I obey!"
~~~~
During the first month of the first lunar month, the Supreme Emperor was not idle for a single day. From the first to the tenth day of the lunar month, he accepted New Year greetings and congratulations from a group of civil and military ministers. This was a habit preserved from the Kaiyuan era.
The ministers of Qi State are also proud to be able to pay New Year greetings to the Emperor. According to custom, only close ministers can enjoy this treatment.
However, this year there were many new faces among the ministers who came to congratulate the Supreme Emperor on the New Year.
In addition to a group of distinguished children, there are also young talents recently promoted from workshops, schools, and farmers' associations.
On the tenth day of the first lunar month, all kinds of welcomes and deliveries finally came to an end. Emperor Guangde led Pugang Dongfangzhu and others, as well as three thousand soldiers, to Yangzhou and started to abolish water transportation.
The Emperor turned his attention to the southwest.
Under Liu Zhaosun's instructions, Qin Jianxun, the commander of the Fourth Corps, kept in frequent contact with his relatives, chieftains of Shizhu in the southwest.
Liu Zhaosun hoped to successfully realize the "return to return" plan he designed in Sichuan, Chongqing and other places, nationalize the large areas of land occupied by the chieftains, resettle prefectures and counties, and send imperial officials to rule directly.
The conditions offered by the Supreme Emperor to the chieftain were buyout and replacement. Specifically, a large sum of money was paid to a certain chieftain in one go to allow the local tribesmen to migrate to the Chengdu Plain or other nearby areas...
This idea sounds very unreliable.
But in any case, the busy and fulfilling three years of Guangde have just begun.
Note:
1. See "The Sequel to the Classics of the Imperial Dynasty"·"A Brief Talk on River Transport"
2. [1] Liu Jiejun. Research on the spatial form of cities along the Shandong section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal during the Ming and Qing Dynasties [D]. Shandong Jianzhu University, 2021. DOI: 10.27273/.gsajc.2021.000099.
