In early spring, the Jialing River flows slowly southward, with undulating mountains on both sides, but the sky is dark and full of haze.
In the first year of its rise, the Song Dynasty court issued a decree exempting Lizhou and Lizhou from paying taxes for three years, allowing the people to recuperate. As the imperial decree tilted towards Lizhou Road, the government built water conservancy projects, repaired official roads, added city walls, and the infrastructure of Lizhou Road, everything was under construction.
The official road of Lizhou West Road, from Mianzhou to Chengzhou to Xihezhou, is the western line; from Mianzhou to Chengzhou to Tianshui Army, this is the middle line; from Mianzhou to Fengzhou and then to Dashanguan , this is the Eastern Front.
These three lines are the three main lines, and the remaining branch lines go to various counties on Lizhou West Road.
Lizhou East Road, since the Hanzhong Plain is a straight line from east to west, runs from Lizhou West Road to Mianzhou, to Lizhou East Road to Xixian, to Xingyuanfu, and then to Yangzhou, running through the entire Lizhou East Road. road.
The construction of wide, straight official roads also facilitated civilian transportation, and was also intended to facilitate the transportation of food and supplies for the upcoming war.
After all, many supplies for the Shukou frontier fortress come from Sichuan.
For the people of the Song Dynasty in Lizhou and Lizhou, they naturally supported the tilt of the court's policy with both hands. As the imperial court reorganizes its military equipment and strengthens its border defenses, they will naturally gain more security.
The government built water conservancy facilities to facilitate irrigation, and the fields naturally became better and better.
The construction of roads, bridges and city repairs has brought endless employment opportunities. With income, people's lives will naturally become better and better.
Also benefiting are the old, weak, sick and disabled people who have been eliminated in the army. They have fields to cultivate, and they can also earn extra income by building roads and cities in their spare time.
As for those young and vigorous men, they joined the army one after another. They do not work peacefully in farming like their parents, but dream of making great achievements and carving out a world on the battlefield.
On the road construction site in the south of Mianzhou City, countless soldiers and civilians of the Song Dynasty were busy constructing and pouring cement pavement. Compared with the official road that was bumpy and not spacious a year or two ago, the newly built official road is not only flat, but also five feet wide, enough for six or seven carriages to pass side by side.
Every three to five miles, in all directions, there are always public toilets appearing at the right time to meet the needs of pedestrians and travelers.
His eyes swept across the towering walls of Mianzhou City. Among the people building the road, the young and thin Song Wu withdrew his gaze.
"Second brother, the height of the Mianzhou city wall is probably more than two and a half feet, right?"
Song Wu asked curiously to the burly man with a dark face next to him.
"After the heightening, it will be three feet. Use cement to reinforce and raise the height, which is strong and fast. The east of the city has been increased by five miles. Today's Mianzhou City is probably as good as Lin'an City!"
The second brother kept his head down while doing it without raising his head.
"Second brother, does the government have too much money and no place to spend it? Why are roads so wide?"
Song Wu continued to ask, glancing at the supervisor.
"Why do you care about all this? The wider and longer the better, we will always have something to do, we will always have something to do!"
The second brother worked with his head down, still not raising his head.
In his view, if you take other people's wages, you must do good things, otherwise you will offend your conscience.
"Second brother, do you still want to do this menial work for the rest of your life? Look at the two brothers Cao Youwen from Tongqing Mansion. They went to Jinling City and became generals when they came back. The governor of the state had to pay tribute to him. How majestic! "
Song Wu said with a smile again.
"Lao Wu, what do you mean?"
The second brother raised his head and glanced at Song Wu in surprise. He kept working on his hands.
Although the government supervisors do not beat or scold people, no one wants to be accused of being lazy.
"Second brother, didn't your brother pass the Jinling Martial Arts School? When he gets out, he will be an officer. Then you can enjoy a good life!"
Lao Wu was sweet and complimented his second brother.
"There are not many people in the entire Song Dynasty who are as prosperous as Brother Cao Youwen. Although he can become an officer after graduating from Jinling Martial Arts Hall, he just has a better life and has a better future. He just needs to take care of himself, I won't drag him down! "
After saying this, the second brother's face became much more relaxed.
His brother is a promising man, so being an older brother will naturally bring glory to his face.
"What the second brother said is true. Nowadays, the imperial court severely punishes corrupt officials. Anyone who dares to take bribes will be imprisoned or even be killed. The original Sichuan envoy Zheng Xianggong brought gold, silver and jewelry with him when he returned. A large boat was seized and all the people were beheaded!"
A disbanded officer joined the chat group.
Due to the popularity of newspapers in the Song Dynasty, anti-corruption incidents were published one after another. The people were no stranger to the fall of court officials such as Gu Song and Zheng Sun, and they applauded the fate of corrupt officials.
"That's what I say, but are there any officials who are not corrupt these days? I'm afraid they are treating the symptoms but not the root cause!"
Lao Wu shook his head and was not optimistic about the government's anti-corruption campaign.
"It's better to rebel than not to rebel at all, right? There were officials who were killed in the past. How could there be an Anti-Corruption Department before? I heard that the senior official of the Anti-Corruption Department was the uncle of the dynasty. In my opinion, the emperor really wants to punish Those corrupt officials. As long as there are no corrupt officials, life will be much easier!"
The words "turn the army into civilians" made everyone nod.
Killing the power of those corrupt officials is much better than doing nothing.
"This new emperor seems to want to do something. I heard that he abolished the status of all the prostitutes in the Jiaofang Division and let them all become good people. As a result, those corrupt officials were dumbfounded and could only return The family has a yellow-faced woman!"
Lao Wu's words made everyone laugh.
The supervisor took a look at everyone and saw that everyone was just joking and no one was slacking off, so he did not interfere.
Lunch is coming soon. After working all morning, some chatting is acceptable.
"Speaking of courtesans being good, I heard that the martial arts hall run by the emperor also admitted female students. The year before last, there were only a dozen, last year, nearly fifty, and this year, almost a hundred. Second brother, your brother didn't say this Something?"
"Military-to-civilian" asked enthusiastically.
"As I said, my brother asked old students who graduated from the martial arts hall to bring the letter. There were eleven in the first year, forty-eight last year, and ninety-five this year. My brother also said that the military uniform factories in Jinling City, There are many female workers in shoe factories, soap factories, etc., who can earn three or four dollars a month in addition to food and drink!"
There seemed to be some doubt in the eyes of the second brother.
Men farmed and women weaved, and women even helped with farm work. But will the women in Jinling City really work and earn money?
"It's really amazing that women go out to work!"
Lao Wu shook his head, his eyes full of yearning for Jinling.
"It's not a big deal for women to work. Let's just say that when it comes to making shoes and clothes, women are always more careful than men. If we make clothes and shoes, can we wear them?"
Song Wu's words made everyone laugh.
"What Lao Wu said is right. There are some things that women are much better than men. Chengdu's brocade is famous all over the world, but those needlework can only be done by those ingenious women. If men do it, it will ruin the silk !”
"Military to civilian" echoed Song Wu, then changed the topic and suddenly asked:
"Second brother, what is the population of Jinling City? Is it larger than Chengdu Prefecture?"
"Well..."
The second brother remembered what was in his younger brother's heart and started talking more.
"I heard my brother say in the letter that Jinling City is extremely lively. With a population of one million, it is more lively than Chengdu Prefecture, but it's incredible!"
"Of course it's incredible! The emperor established the Jinling Martial Arts Hall and the Jinling University Hall in Jinling, and implemented the New Deal and trained the new army on Jiangnan East Road. People from all over the world rushed to Jinling City. Jinling City must be lively and prosperous. It's different. . In my opinion, the emperor may want to move the capital to Jinling!"
The "military-to-civilian" analysis began with great interest.
"More than just moving the capital to Jinling City, if you ask me, it won't be long before the emperor will send troops northward to restore the Central Plains. Otherwise, why would he train so many soldiers and make so many firearms?"
Song Wu's very professional analysis made many people shake their heads.
"Don't fight anymore! Look at how many people there were on Lizhou West Road ten years ago and how many there are now. If we fight a few more times, everyone will be dead!"
An older man was worried and said with a sigh.
Lizhou West Road is located on the frontier, devastated by war, and already underpopulated. If we come here a few more times, the population will really wither away.
"Master Song, I don't like to hear what you are saying. There are so many people missing from Lizhou West Road. It is the fault of the Jin army, not us. Now the imperial court is training troops. This is a good thing. If nothing is done, , once there is a war, won’t more people die?”
The second brother was obviously brainwashed by his younger brother who taught martial arts, so he immediately retorted.
"That's what the second brother said! If you want to live a peaceful life, it depends on whether others are willing to do so. Look at those officers and soldiers training, they are all fierce, and the firearms in them are like thunder, which makes people feel scared! They deal with the Jin Army, It’s useful to keep!”
Lao Wu also agreed with the second brother's statement.
Shukou is located in a border fortress, and the folk customs are fierce. The same is true for these villagers. Most of them are not as afraid of war as the soldiers and civilians in the south.
"Recruitment is different now from before. Not only are you young and strong, but it is best to be literate. Once you enter the camp, you don't want to sashimi. It's just that the training is too hard. You only have one day off every seven days and practice every day. You said, those new recruits Can you recruit them?"
It seems that Master Song has done a lot of research on military camp training, and what he said is very clear and logical.
In fact, it is also because he has the habit of reading newspapers and is involved in all kinds of new things that he can talk eloquently and attract everyone's attention.
"We need to train well so that they don't have the strength to come out and cause trouble. Besides, if we don't train well, how can we protect you? Now there is a training every day in the camp, and they all teach the training methods of the martial arts hall. Don't underestimate them, they are awesome! "
"Transforming the army into civilians" he said solemnly and solemnly to everyone.
"dinner time!"
The overseer's voice sounded, and the people put down their tools and walked out.
The second brother was eating multigrain pancakes and pickles, looking at the majestic officers riding horses on the road, and thinking.
It won't be long before his brother will look like this.
On the official road southeast of Mianzhou City, several horses came from Juechen. The knights on the horses were fierce and vigorous, shouting loudly:
"Everyone, listen carefully. Lizhou Rongsi's military order is to clear the fields on both sides of Lizhou. Everyone, please go home quickly and pack up, and immediately withdraw into Mianzhou City!"
Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at each other, all in a daze.
For so many years, they no longer know what it means to maintain a strong wall and clear the country.
There's another war! This time, I wonder if it is the invasion of Jin soldiers or the invasion of the legendary Tatar army?
