In the early morning of the next day, Mu Sheng watched Guo Zhi's ship sail away from the dock, and then he also led the caravan aboard another merchant ship.
Standing on the bow of the boat, he looked at the foggy river surface. At this moment, he had a vague feeling in his heart that something big might happen this time...
Half an hour later, the big boat slowly sailed away from the pier. The river was turbulent and bumpy along the way. Fortunately, there was a waterway to Yue County, so we had to go down the river. If we had taken the land route, we would have been delayed for several months. Traveling far away is not easy in this day and age.
In just five days, the large caravan finally arrived at Liangcheng, the seat of Gaoyang County. The merchant ship slowly sailed into the huge water gate of Liangcheng. The large ship passed the water gate and transferred to the Grand Canal, then entered Jialing County and passed through Jialing County. , it takes several days of walking by water to actually reach the destination, Qucheng, the seat of the Yuejun government.
At this time, Mu Sheng stood on the bow of the boat and looked at the merchant ships coming and going on the river. Thousands of sails were passing by, and there was a steady flow of people. He couldn't help but sigh, the empire in this other world was really not as prosperous as usual.
After the big ship entered the water gate of Liangcheng, Mu Sheng called the ship owner and urged him to transfer to the Grand Canal as soon as possible. They had no time to go ashore to rest, so the ship owner naturally nodded in agreement.
He continued to admire the prosperous commercial center on the river bank, Liangcheng. Liangcheng was the capital of the Song Dynasty in the era of various countries. It was located in the middle of the world and in the middle reaches of the river. Liangcheng was crisscrossed by waterways and the transportation was extremely convenient. It is a place where commercial department stores gather and gather. It is extremely prosperous, and its prosperity is not weaker than that of Qingyang, the capital.
In the middle and late Warring States Period, after the demise of the Song Dynasty, the Jin Dynasty established Gaoyang County and Liangcheng as its administrative seat, under the rule of the empire. Thanks to Liangcheng's important strategic hub position, the imperial army was in the process of wiping out the Seven Kingdoms. Military supplies, grain and grass, etc. are transported here.
The Grand Canal was specially built for the empire's southern expedition after the world was unified, because it was so convenient to transport grain and grass here. The canal was the railway of this era and the main artery for the empire to prosper.
At first, the Grand Canal was only used for military purposes, and its scale was very small, as long as it could transport grain and grass. Later, after the canal was expanded on a large scale, it connected the north-south trade routes, and Liangcheng truly became a transportation hub in the world. The old times were even more prosperous.
After the big ship passed through the water gate and gradually turned into the canal, on the pier, five Jin soldiers rowed a small boat and boarded their big ship. They began to routinely check the customs clearance documents of the caravan, and then went to the warehouse to look at the goods. They are a river patrol team set up by the imperial court, and they inspect hundreds of merchant ships on the river every day.
I saw the leading soldier of the Jin army scolding the captain with a strong local accent. The old captain seemed to be a loyal old man in his fifties. For the sake of business, he had to nod and bow to apologize all the way, and he wisely took out hundreds of dollars. After the money was collected, the river patrol team went back with satisfaction.
After passing the Liangcheng Water Gate and passing through a crowded waterway, the ship officially entered the Grand Canal.
The Grand Canal is a straight waterway, leading directly to the end of the horizon at a glance. Rows of large trees are planted on both sides of the canal, which seems to be a guiding light.
Seeing this, Mu Sheng admired in his heart that the working people are really great and such a project is indeed magnificent.
Seeing that this was the first time for Mu Sheng to see the Grand Canal, the boat owner took the initiative to go to Mu Sheng and start a conversation.
"Is this the first time Boss Liu has seen the Grand Canal?"
Mu Sheng nodded in agreement: "It is indeed my first time to go to the south to do business. Isn't the scale of this Grand Canal really surprising?"
The ship owner sighed, "Boss Liu doesn't know something. The Grand Canal was not so wide at first. Earlier, the imperial army conquered the river south specifically to transport grain. Later, the imperial court issued an order to expand the canal and recruited millions of people from the old lands of the Seven Kingdoms to expand the river. Although it was It’s a good thing that benefits the country and the people, hey! But these officials don’t regard us people as human beings. Does Boss Liu know why the big trees planted on the river bank have grown so prosperously in less than ten years?”
Mu Sheng frowned. He was actually a little curious. Hearing the captain's tone, he probably guessed the reason...
The boat owner said with a sad expression, "Under the big trees on this river are hundreds of thousands of innocent souls who worked hard to build the canal..."
The captain said with a trembling tone, "These officials never take us ordinary people seriously. In the past, the nobles were like this. Now these Jin people and dog officials are more ruthless than those nobles in the past. My eldest son and nephew are all here." He died of exhaustion from doing corvée work and died on the river. My first wife also missed her son because of this."
"Old man, I had no choice but to sell my family property and come to this canal to run a boat. Every day, I look under these rows of trees. Maybe there is the soul of my son. If I am about to die in the future, I will let my apprentice bury me on this river bank. Plant a tree next to it, maybe in this way, our family can be reunited..."
Mu Sheng looked at the experienced face of the ship owner and couldn't help but respond silently. How is this different from what Emperor Sui Yang did back then? The construction of such a huge project is indeed a contemporary sin but a lasting fault. For this, the common people have to pay a huge price, but the dignitaries in the court may not have even a trace of compassion.
Mu Sheng was silent for a long time and said, "Water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it. The imperial court really doesn't care about the people. Alas!"
The old captain's expression changed slightly and he whispered, "Boss Liu, I don't dare to say that. Criticizing the government is a serious crime..."
Mu Sheng waved his hands, noncommittal. He knew that all the imperial edicts came from the emperor and his bureaucracy. To criticize the government was to criticize the emperor's policies. He secretly made up his mind on what he would do in the future.
Mu Sheng returned to the cabin and remembered that in ancient Chinese history, there were only a handful of emperors who were good to the people. People were born into different classes and had completely different perspectives when considering problems. This era had just ended the Warring States Period, and the gentry and the The influence of the aristocrats in power has not faded. If you want these elitist aristocratic bureaucrats to treat ordinary people as human beings, you have to use your sword. You can't persuade them with reason.
Not only poverty will limit a person's imagination, but wealth will also limit a person's ability to think more. Just like a rich second generation in later generations tweeted, wouldn't it? It’s the 21st century. Is there anyone who has never been abroad? The reality is that there are nearly one billion people in China who have never even flown on a plane, so why go abroad? Why don't you eat minced meat, go to the grassroots level to investigate the public sentiment, stand too high, and you don't even know that there are too many people who can't live what you think is an ordinary life? Your life is heaven in their eyes.
After sailing for eight days, the big ship finally passed through the Grand Canal and entered Jialing County, Yue County. A group of people changed boats in the Zhang River and went down the river again. The speed of the ship was much faster.
Mu Sheng also came here for the first time in his life. Yue County was established as a county after the Yue Kingdom collapsed in the Age of Nations. Yue County is the core area of the Yue Kingdom, and it can also be regarded as half of his hometown. His mother Zhao Ji and uncle Zhao Chu Yun'er is also from the Yue country. Coming here can't help but give him a sense of intimacy in his heart.
After docking at the pier, the group did not bother to appreciate the local customs, and hurriedly arrived at Qucheng, the seat of Yue County.
On the outskirts of Qucheng, Mu Sheng and his party saw Guo Sheng and his team camping in the suburbs from a distance, waiting for their arrival.
Mu Shengce immediately stepped forward to enter the camp, and Guo Zhi also stepped forward to greet him, "Uncle Liu."
"Where is your elder brother Guo Sheng?"
Guo Zhidao said, "I was about to tell my uncle. My eldest brother has taken a few of his followers to the city to find out the news. Let us just wait for the news..."
Mu Sheng nodded and said, "Okay, I'm a little tired from traveling these days. Let's go and rest first..."
Until late in the evening, when Mu Sheng was resting, he heard someone saying hello outside the tent.
"Uncle Liu, I am Guo Sheng. Can I come into the account to discuss the matter?"
"You come in."
Mu Sheng opened the tent and saw Guo Sheng with a solemn expression walking in and sitting down cross-legged.
Guo Sheng said, "Uncle Liu, I have sneaked into Qucheng and met my father at the post house. My father said that he would first let us take people into the city in batches. He also said that he had something important to discuss with my uncle."
"Okay! Brother has summoned us. We will leave for the city immediately."
In the Qucheng Posthouse, Guo Huan was pacing in the room, turning around and around. He always had a frown on his face, which showed that the matter in Yue County was not trivial.
At this time, footsteps were heard outside the door, and brothers Mu Sheng and Guo pushed the door open and entered.
When Guo Huan saw Mu Sheng arriving, he greeted him, "Brother Liu Xian, you are finally here. Come on, come and have a sip of hot tea first. The conditions in this post house are simple and we only have this sip of hot tea."
Mu Sheng waved his hand and said, "Brother, you're welcome. Don't you have something important to discuss with me tonight?"
Guo Huan frowned. Seeing this, Mu Sheng felt that something big happened here.
After Guo Huan sorted out his thoughts, he said, "Brother Liu Xian, I visited Fu Bao through personal relationships when I first came here. But the strange thing is that after more than ten years of friendship with him, I always feel like he is a different person." Likewise, he is very enthusiastic towards me, and he always looks away when the prince's envoy is detained."
Mu Sheng asked, "Does Fu Bao not even give eldest brother face?"
Guo Huan shook his head with a solemn expression and said, "I have now sent people to secretly investigate the place where the envoy was detained. Firstly, we are not familiar with the place. Secondly, the place where the envoy was detained is controlled by experts. I sent several waves of people there privately." Everyone who inquired for information came back in vain, and those who came back said that there were monks guarding the place, and they did not dare to act rashly, so I can only leave this matter to you, dear brother."
Guo Zhidao said, "Father, I suspect that the imperial envoy may have found out about Fu Bao, and that's why he was forcibly detained."
Mu Sheng agreed and said, "Brother, I think Fu Bao has been an official for many years. It is impossible that he does not know the consequences of detaining an imperial envoy. Local officials detaining an imperial envoy is tantamount to treason. I guess Fu Bao was forced to take this step. What will happen?" What could be more serious than detaining an imperial envoy?"
Guo Sheng touched his chin and suddenly said, "Does this Fu Bao really want to rebel?"
Mu Sheng, Guo Huan, and Guo Zhi were all shocked when they heard this. If it was really like this, the matter would be extremely serious.
Guo Huan shook his head and said, "It's impossible, absolutely impossible. I understand Fu Bao's character. He can't rebel against anyone who rebels. Besides, the imperial court has its own system. Even if he rebels, it's impossible for all the officials in the county to rebel." If you follow him to rebel, not to mention it will implicate His Highness the Crown Prince."
Mu Sheng said, "Brother, we can't come up with a solution here. If we can get in touch with the imperial envoy, maybe the situation will be clearer."
Guo Huan nodded slightly and said, "Well, the imperial envoy is being guarded by Fu Bao in the Qucheng granary. There are 800 soldiers patrolling there day and night. As far as I know, there are at least three monks guarding him in shifts."
Mu Sheng was suddenly a little surprised and said, "Three monks? This Fu Bao has a lot of money to spend. How is his strength?"
Guo Huan said, "The five senses of monks are different from ordinary people. I don't dare to let anyone get close to test them. I don't know the reality of these people in the granary."
Mu Sheng said, "Brother, I am willing to go and test it out. Maybe there is a way to contact the Imperial Envoy."
When Guo Huan heard this, he had no other choice but to let him test it first. Maybe it would work.
"If any of these three people have a higher level of cultivation than you, please retreat quickly. I will not force this matter on my dear brother. I will find another way."
Mu Sheng walked back and forth a few times, and he had a plan in mind. He ran to the window of the room and took a closer look at the sky. It was cloudy. Yes, it was rain clouds. The rainy season is common in the south. Mu Sheng took out a few copper coins and used The master taught him the six-line divination technique to roughly estimate the weather conditions in the future.
Mu Sheng's superficial ability can only make a rough calculation. Whether it is 50 or 50 is accurate. He mainly relies on observing the weather changes with the naked eye and testing the air humidity, wind direction and other comprehensive factors to judge the weather. After the calculation, everyone is very impressed with his attitude. It's a set of tricks, but I can see it in a fog, but I just know that he is doing divination.
Mu Sheng turned to Guo Huan and said, "Brother, in three days you give me a hundred people to gather near the granary to disrupt the enemy's eyes and ears. If it rains heavily in three days, I am more than 60% sure that I can kill these people." Several monks approach the granary."
Guo Huan said three good words in a row and said, "With these few words from you, I feel relieved, but isn't a hundred people too few?"
Mu Sheng shook his head and said, "The large number of people will get in the way. My purpose is just to let them distract the soldiers guarding the granary."
