When talking about the Grand Canal, a water Silk Road that has lasted for thousands of years, we must trace its origins to Luoyang as the center, connecting the north and south of my country. It flows downstream from the Yongji Canal, Tongji Canal, and Shanyangdu, and is composed of the Yangtze River and the Jiangnan River. The huge canal water system.
The Grand Canal project has entered a new historical stage, pushing waterway water transportation to its heyday. At the same time, the old Hangou road was comprehensively dredged, widened and deepened, with a total length of about 300 miles and a water surface of 40 steps wide.
Hangou has become a hub for water transportation connecting the north and south waterways of the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers. From this, the food and materials that enrich the Yangtze River, Huaihe River and the lower reaches of the Yangtze River Golden Triangle will be continuously transported to Luoyang, Kyoto, through water transportation...
In the first year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Chengzu Zhu Di sent his trusted minister Pingjiang Bo Chen Xuan to serve as the general superintendent of transportation and stationed in Huai'an to manage water affairs. Huai'an has become a north-south water transport hub and is one of the four important prefectures on the water between the north and the south. Shanyang County's irreplaceable position makes it famous as the capital...
Just as AD 1506 entered the early 16th century, human history turned a new page. But it is said that one evening, the situation in the west of Shanyang County changed. After an inexplicable thunder exploded, I saw the fire cloud in the west suddenly changed. Two green dragons were hovering in the western sky, and the lifelike dragon seemed to be coming to the world.
The vision from the sky scared the people to the ground. At this moment, one person stood out among the crowd, and that was the famous Zhou Banxian of Shanyang City. He stood smiling and watched the changes in the western half of the sky.
Take a closer look at the crane-haired child-like face around him, his fairy-like spirit, and his unique bones. You can see that he is twirling his beard and mumbling words: "Don't be alarmed, don't be alarmed, this is an auspicious sign! With the blessing of the sky, two stars will come to Shanyang treasure land in the near future. .”
"What star? The half-immortal made it clear." Someone glanced at the two swimming dragons with various expressions and asked bravely.
"It's Wen Quxing and Wu Quxing." After saying that, he waved his flag and walked away laughing...
A strange phenomenon appeared in the sky, and his subordinates hurriedly reported to the magistrate of Shanyang Prefecture: "My lord, please go out and have a look."
"What's the matter? Why are you in such a panic?" the county magistrate who was drinking tea in the side hall asked calmly without raising his head, concentrating on playing with the purple clay pot in his hand.
"Sir, Wen, Wenquxing has descended to earth!" His subordinates came to report, and he exclaimed, pointing to the sky outside which was different from usual.
When the county magistrate heard that his favorite teapot fell on the table, he had no time to take care of it. He quickly straightened his official uniform and looked up. Sure enough, it was different from the past. The sky was a special color. He ran to the courtyard and looked west. .
The spectacle in front of him truly stunned him. He saw two giant cyan dragons soaring in the clouds and riding in the mist. Their bright lantern-like eyes overlooked Shanyang City. In an instant, the dragons swung their tails and suddenly disappeared...
Suddenly the sky darkened, a bolt of lightning pierced the darkness, rumbles of thunder came one after another, and heavy rain poured down...
The county magistrate really didn't look at it, and was shocked when he saw it. In the torrential rain, he ignored the dissuasion of his men and fell to his knees, shouting to the west sky: "The magistrate of Shanyang County congratulates the dragon!"
Looking up again, I saw two dragons running towards the north of Shanyang County. Hey, isn't that direction toward the ancient town of Hexia? The county magistrate stood up and wiped the rain off his body and said to himself, is Shanyang really going to have a Wenqu star come down to earth?
The heavy rain last night gave the people a good dream. The vision of the two dragons appearing at dusk had long been forgotten by most people, and they were more realistically concerned about food, rice, oil and salt. The idea that things have nothing to do with oneself has long been deeply ingrained, and it seems that only literary people like half immortals can't sleep at night.
The next morning, when the fiery red sun climbed up to the treetops, a strong summer wind came oncoming, and the cicadas on the willow trees on both sides of the road screamed summer. The continuous high temperature forced some people to fetch water from wells to cool off, while others sat in groups under the shade of trees at the entrance of the alley and shook cattail fans.
Naturally, people talk about the prophecies of half-immortals in the streets and alleys. Although half-immortals always predict things like gods, people are still skeptical. Both sides of the debate insist on their own opinions, and they are red-faced...
At this moment, the sound of a gong opened the way, and the county magistrate left Shanyang County in an official sedan.
He went all the way west to the canal embankment. The embankment was lined with green trees, and a cool feeling suddenly entered his heart. The water in the canal swirled and rushed southward, and boats came and went on the water.
A tow team went down the river, and flocks of birds chased the waves on the river. There were endless sounds of birds on both sides of the river. People can't help but think of Li Bai's popular poem: The apes on both sides of the strait can't stop crying, and the boat has passed the Ten Thousand Mountains.
Another big boat was going upstream, and the trackers were struggling to move forward. The hoarse boatman's call suddenly sounded in Ju Ling's ears: "Hey, hey, hey, hey, drag, drag, drag, drag..."
The trackers rowing against the current had their upper bodies bare, and five or six men were tanned. They lowered their heads and bent over, one foot deep and one foot shallow, to work together to pull the fiber. A huge wooden boat cut through the waves.
The sound of trackers' trumpets is low but powerful. The overwhelming sound of chants echoed in the river bend, startling the birds and cranes to soar into the sky...
The county magistrate opened the sedan window and looked at the dark faces of the trackers. There were grooves on their foreheads and sweat flowed down to the ground.
When it prospers, the people suffer; when it dies, the people suffer. The county magistrate secretly thought that before he knew it, the official sedan had arrived at the ancient town of Hexia.
"Get off the sedan chair." The Master looked at the Royal Pier, he smiled and folded his fan and shouted loudly, and the bearers quickly stopped the sedan chair.
The county magistrate stood on the river embankment and looked eastward, with a panoramic view of the ancient Hexia town with gray walls and black tiles. At this moment, the sounds of hawking are heard one after another on the ancient stone streets, and the streets are crowded with people.
"Sir, be careful of the steps." The master led the way, and he supported the county magistrate as he descended the steps.
"It's so slippery!" The county magistrate's foot slipped, but luckily he was caught by the master, who broke out in a cold sweat. There are more than ten levels of stone slabs two to three feet wide under the feet, which have been polished by the years until they are shiny.
"Smells, it smells so good!" The county magistrate couldn't help but exclaimed as he smelled the aroma of fried dumplings in the shop.
Finally, we arrived at the gentle stone street. The people had already retreated to both sides, consciously making way for them. The county magistrate put down his official authority at this moment and quickly walked on the green stone road to the depths of Hexia Street.
The magistrate of Shanyang County was shocked to see the sky. The vivid images of the two green dragons made him sleepless and uneasy. Early the next morning, he took an official sedan to track them down to the ancient town of Hexia. Stop the sedan chair and go down the stairs from the royal pier, step on the bluestones of different sizes, and stroll on the streets of the ancient town. You will find that the hub of the ancient town is really indispensable. It is adjacent to the canal and is closely related to the thousand-year water transportation. Huai'an Prefecture has thousands of years of history. Water transportation has a long history.
The bluestone slabs tell the story of the ancient town’s thousands of years of vicissitudes. The long streets bloom with the century-old style of Hexia. The hard-working and simple people shuttled through the narrow old-fashioned streets, and the atmosphere of market life was particularly strong. The county magistrate was very happy. Isn't it a great achievement for the people to live and work in peace and contentment in his jurisdiction?
If you want to know what happens next, listen to the explanation next time.
