Just after noon, the sky was filled with thick clouds that rolled over the city like a mountain, and heavy snow like goose feathers fell from the sky. In a moment, the square in front of the palace, where the guards had shoveled away the snow, was covered.
In front of the Qianqiu Palace, teams and rows of guards remained motionless in the heavy snow. Their palms clenched on the handles of their spears and they looked around with sharp eyes. The monarchs and ministers in the palace looked at the heavy snow falling again and couldn't help but feel worried again.
Since the end of last year, heavy snow has been falling in the north. It has been more than a month, but the snow has not stopped yet. The situation in Guanzhong and the southern region is not bad, but the disaster in Yongzhou, Bingzhou, and northern Youzhou is very serious. Almost every day, old houses are crushed by the thick snow, and almost every day, people freeze to death and starve to death. Even Liangzhou, which has relatively good infrastructure, is no exception.
The imperial court's order to provide all-out disaster relief had already been sent to all states. However, due to impassable roads and transportation difficulties, relief money, food and materials were delayed in reaching the disaster-stricken areas. During this period, many people died in the cold winter.
After discussing the Northeastern military affairs, Shangshu ordered Yang Su to stand up and said: "Sage, we have encountered a heavy snowfall that has been rare in decades. The north has been severely affected. For the people's livelihood, even if the road is blocked by heavy snow, we must urge all places to brave the dangers and Transport money and grain to various places as soon as possible... cough cough cough... and at the same time send out censors to supervise. If anyone dares to be afraid of difficulties and delay the disaster, he must be severely punished!"
Yang Su is old and frail, and her resistance has been greatly reduced. Now that those old injuries have recurred, how can her body and bones hold up? In the past few days, he had been working hard on military reform, and his physical strength was already exhausted. In addition, due to the severe cold weather, he was worried about the situation in the Northeast and the disaster in the north. He had been ill for many days, but he still refused to go home to rest and rest every day. Stick to Shangshu Province.
This disease made Yang Su as skinny as a stick, and she looked like she was about to collapse in the wind. Her skinny cheeks were deeply sunken, and her face was pale and without a trace of blood.
"What Yue Guo said makes sense. I will let people pay attention to this. You can rest assured." Yang Guang said quickly: "Yue Guo sat down and said it."
Yang Su felt grateful and bowed: "Thank you, saint!"
Yang Guang looked at the trembling Yang Su, feeling very sad in his heart.
When his father saw that Yang Yong was weak and mediocre in literature, indecisive and careless in doing things, without the stability of a prince or the grace of a king, he was ready to make him his heir apparent. In order to make Yi Chu successful, his father took the lead in finding Gao Jiong and expressed his strong relationship with Gao Jiong. However, because Yang Yong was his son-in-law, Gao Jiong said, "Young and old are in order, how can you depose the prince because of this?" Knowing that Gao Jiong's ambition was irretrievable, he approached Yang Su.
Although Yang Su was forced by the emperor's order, he had to obey, but after taking over the mission of Yi Chu, he had been loyal and loyal to him, Yang Guang, and finally secured his position as the prince and successfully ascended the throne of the emperor. , but now, the military god has become like this. He is still worried about national affairs and persists despite his illness.
Yang Guang was a generous and nostalgic person. He was always generous to his own people. He couldn't bear that Yang Su was so tired and asked him to go home to rest many times. However, the veteran always said that he couldn't rest and wanted to Before passing away, do a little more for the Sui Dynasty and the saints.
Meeting such a loyal but stubborn veteran, Yang Guang was both moved and helpless. He felt that the only way he could repay Yang Su was to follow him and make him happy and satisfied in his short time. Walk".
All the ministers in the hall could feel Yang Su's gratitude and the saint's love, and their hearts were filled with ups and downs.
If you are lucky enough to meet such a benevolent Lord in your life, how can you not work hard and give your whole heart?
"Saint!" After Yang Su sat down, he said: "Goguryeo has 600,000 troops, and because it has mastered the agricultural and industrial skills, military tactics and strategies of the Central Plains, its army is no less than that of our Sui Dynasty, plus its vassal countries There are more than 100,000 men who dare to die in Heishui Mohe, and Goguryeo has at least 700,000 to 800,000 strong soldiers. The veteran believes that his country is by no means the 'little Goguryeo' that people often say, but a country that is far more threatening than the Turks. Again Through his country's actions of encroaching on our territory in the Central Plains, we can see that its ambitions are extremely high."
"Old minister, I second the proposal!" The sixty-six-year-old white-haired Wei Chong stood up tremblingly, bowed his hands to Yang Guang and said, "Sage, the dangers of Goguryeo are greater than those of the Eastern and Western Turks, and we, the Sui Dynasty, must guard against them. . However, many people do not pay enough attention to Goguryeo and do not know much about Goguryeo. They always think that it is a small country that cannot be put on the stage. This statement and view are wrong."
"The future development direction of the Sui Dynasty is the west, but if Goguryeo is not solved, the veteran is worried that he will be in danger of being attacked from both sides. The veteran believes that if the Sui Dynasty wants to enter the Western Regions, it must first solve the problem of Goguryeo, and even if it cannot be destroyed in one battle, it must regain Liaodong. , force them to the south bank of the Yalu River, and then let the three kingdoms fight in a melee."
Yang Guang nodded and winked at Yang Zhao. Yang Zhao quickly stepped forward and helped the shaky Wei Chong to sit down again.
Looking at Wei Chong's old face and glancing at Yang Su from the corner of his eye, Yang Zhao sighed secretly: These two have been very ill since the cold winter last year, but they both don't worry about state affairs and always stick to their posts. and according to Dr. Chao Yuanfang, the imperial physician, these two have worked too hard and have reached the point where their oil is exhausted. I am afraid that in less than a year and a half, the Minister of Ling and the Ministry of Civil Affairs will have to be replaced.
If they go, the Sui Dynasty will lose two more white jade pillars holding the sky. But birth, old age, illness and death are the normal course of life and no one can avoid it. Even if we are reluctant to let go and feel heartache, what can we do?
"Someone told me before that the Eastern Turks were vassals of our Sui Dynasty, and Qimin Khan was loyal to our Sui Dynasty, so there was nothing to worry about. But what is the result? The Eastern Turks have hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers, and they have not yet fledged. The Feng Dynasty and the Sui Dynasty competed for the Great Lakes area. Some people also say that Goguryeo is nothing to worry about, but they have more than 600,000 elite soldiers. I really don’t know whether the officials who talk nonsense are really ignorant or have ulterior motives." Yang Guang glanced at everyone and continued: "Now it seems that the biggest threat to our Sui Dynasty is this 'little Goguryeo' that is very similar to our Sui Dynasty."
"Ignoring the above, but judging from this crisis, our Sui Dynasty's control over Youzhou is seriously insufficient. In terms of the existing transportation conditions, it is not enough to mobilize troops and transport food to Youzhou in the shortest possible time. "
"This time I am lucky. If a war breaks out in the Northeast next time, I am afraid that by the time the Beijing troops arrive, Youzhou will have been completely owned by Goguryeo. And when the army rides to Youzhou, it will be depleted of men and horses. Not only will it be unable to resist the invading enemy, but it will even It will also become a feat of the enemy. Therefore, the construction of the Northern Canal, which has a large transportation capacity and saves time and effort, is an urgent top priority."
After finishing it, Yang Guang straightened his back, looked at the ministers with a stern look, and asked word by word: "Who praises... Well, gentlemen, what do you think?"
Yang Guang looked very majestic and solemn at this moment, but in fact he was muttering in his heart: It's a good thing that he didn't tell Yang Ji's "who is in favor and who is against". Otherwise, it would be really embarrassing.
Although it feels good to say that kind of thing, it is no different from how people share stolen goods with city knights and bandits. How can this be what an emperor should say? If he said it himself, it would be a disgrace to the emperor.
Fortunately, it stopped!
In an instant, there was silence in Qianqiu Palace.
If the idea of building the Northern Canal was last year or at the beginning of the year, before the Tongji Canal was dug, some people might have jumped out to oppose it, but now, no one objects.
It’s not that everyone is afraid of Yang Guang, but that after Tongji Canal adopted Yang Ji’s segmented contracting responsibility system, each contracting section performed its own duties and fulfilled its responsibilities under the guidance of the Ministry of Industry. Of course, there was collusion between officials and businessmen. , excessive corvee work, cutting corners, and underpaying labor wages... However, Gao Jiong's supervision was in place and punishments were timely, so there was no negative impact. The wages owed to migrant workers in each section of the project were paid in full, and some were even made up.
Although Gao Jiong and other supervisors were assassinated countless times, the Tongji Canal has indeed become a project that will benefit the people in the contemporary era and will benefit the future. Not only did there not be any riots among the people who were worried about it beforehand, but the people were paid for their work, which was good for the people. This project was welcomed with a welcoming attitude. Although the court spent a lot of money, it achieved the purpose of hiding wealth among the people.
The people had enough food and clothing, and had spare money. They could afford fish, meat, and good-looking fabrics and clothes during the Chinese New Year, making the market more lively and prosperous. Families with children even bought books for their children and grandchildren. , pen, ink, paper and inkstone, so after the money is spent by the court, it is far more useful than leaving it to mold in the treasury.
In terms of material prices, the opening of the Tongji Canal was indeed as Yang Guang expected, allowing grain, silk, salt and oil from the south to be transported to Luoyang in an endless stream. The people in the south exchanged the excess materials for the coins they needed. So they can buy what they need. At the same time, because the big ships took the convenient and safe canal, after the materials arrived in Luoyang, they were sold at a low price that was acceptable to the people of Luoyang. It can be said that both the north and the south are happy.
From a political perspective, literati and poets could easily reach where they wanted to go because of the Tongji Canal. After they brought what they saw and heard back to their hometowns, they helped the North and the South understand each other better.
Although the Tongji Canal was opened not long ago, it seems that the canal has played many roles. It not only promoted the economic prosperity of the north and south regions, but also became an important link to break the centuries-old gap between the north and the south.
If this continues, the rift between the people of the North and the South will slowly heal.
Su Wei, who was the fiercest opponent at the time, was the first to say: "The saint is wise and powerful. He is a saintly hero who is difficult to find throughout the ages. He has a broad mind and unparalleled courage. It is a great honor for me to follow him! I dare to say that if he is a saint, If the segmented contracting system continues to be implemented and supervision is in place, people in Hebei will definitely rush to work."
"The saint has the world in mind and intends to use the canal as a link to break the centuries-old barriers between the north and the south. The veteran admires him very much. The veteran also believes that the construction of the North-South Grand Canal will benefit the people of the world, prosper commerce, and increase the revenue of the court. It is a great thing The great achievement that will serve the present and benefit the future, the veteran fully supports it!" Yang Su also expressed his stance: "From a military point of view, for a long time in the future, our Sui Dynasty will be threatened by Goguryeo in the east of Liaodong, and in the north. Once the canal is opened, it will provide a basis for our army to defeat the foreign tribes in the Northeast and gain victory."
"I second the proposal!"
"I second the proposal!"
Yang Xiong, Xiao Cong and others also agreed one by one. There was nothing to say about this matter. The reason why Tongji Canal was built so quickly was simply to connect several natural rivers or old ditches into one. In Hebei, there are also many canals and natural waterways dug by the previous dynasties. As long as the Tongji Canal is dredged, it is a transportation artery connecting the north and the south. Even if new roads need to be opened in some places, the amount of work is not large. Although the investment is relatively large, in terms of benefits, it is worth it.
And judging from Yang Guang's posture, the construction of the northern canal is just a matter of time. Since Youzhou is unstable and the canal is needed to transport a large amount of supplies to the north, it should be built as soon as possible.
"Then it's settled. I ordered Yu Wenkai to go north immediately to survey the direction of the northern canal." Yang Guang was very happy to see that the ministers were so motivated. Now that the Tongji Canal is open, not only does it not waste people and money, but it also attracts The people and officials welcomed it, and its value was also demonstrated one by one. In addition, there was an urgent need in the north, so it was raised.
"Here!" All the ministers responded in agreement.
"Sage, but I don't know the name of this canal?"
"The name is Yongji Canal. This canal starts from Youzhou and reaches the Yellow River." In fact, Yang Guang already had the general direction of the canal in the north, but there were too many previous projects, and Tongji Canal Before the cultivation was completed, the persuasiveness was not strong, so I could only hold back.
Hearing this, Nayan Yangda thought of something, stood up and said to Yang Guang: "Sage, Luoyang is surrounded by a vast plain of four battles. In order to defend the northern cavalry, the imperial court dug long trenches to guard against the cavalry. This artificial defense From Longmen to the east, it connects Zezhou and Weizhou and reaches Linqing Pass. After crossing the Yellow River, it extends to Guanzhou, Junyi, Ruzhou, and finally reaches Shangzhou, which is called Luoyang Pass. This is correct, but we calculate It did a good job, but it ignored the Yellow River, which has a huge amount of sediment."
"How do you say this?" Yang Guang asked.
"Saint!" Yang Da said solemnly: "The long gorge in Weizhou is parallel to the Yellow River, but the direction of the water flow is in the opposite direction. When the rainy season comes, the water power of the long gorge in Weizhou is not as good as that of the Yellow River, and the Yellow River is often forced back. When the long trench within the territory was filled with water, the water then overflowed to both sides of the trench, causing extremely serious flooding in Weizhou."
Yang Guang's face was solemn. He had agreed to repair the long trench, and he never thought it would cause harm so quickly. However, he was in a good mood at this time, so he did not scold him, but motioned Yang Da to continue.
"When the Yellow River retreats, the sediment carried by the Yellow River water settles in the long gorge. It won't take long for this long gorge to become flat land, and then the flowing water will cause greater disasters. "Speaking of this, Yang Da raised his hands and said: "So the veteran believes that the issue of sediment must be considered at the entrance of the Yongji Canal. It is best to locate the entrance in the Liyang area. As long as this entrance flows parallel to the Yellow River for a section, then the water of the Yellow River will It can no longer be flushed in, and sedimentation and flood disasters will no longer exist.”
"Nayan's suggestion is very timely!" Yang Guang took a deep breath and said: "I originally wanted to arrange the entrance of the Yongji Canal in Wushe County, Huaizhou. This will not only keep the long cut from freezing all year round, but also connect it with the main channel. The northern entrance of Jiqu is opposite to avoid having to go upstream for a long time in the Yellow River. Now it seems that this entrance is not very desirable!"
"The saint is wise!" Yang Da praised, and then said: "Actually, there is always one side of the ships going south or north that has to go upstream. No matter where the estuary is located, it is actually the same. Therefore, the veteran believes that the court should consider practical value and use. Consider time, disaster prevention, etc. Otherwise, it will not only be useless, but also harmful. Even if it is harmless, dredging will be very annoying and waste people and money."
Yang Guang thought about it carefully and felt that what Yang Da said was very reasonable. He immediately nodded and said: "What Nayan said is absolutely true! What we are building is a project that will benefit the people for a long time. We cannot let it become a laughing stock for the ages. These details are really worth mentioning." It’s good to think about.”
Yang Da was not against building the canal, but was seeking truth from facts. Yang Guang had no reason to deny it. What's more, he is a person who cares about face. He doesn't want the canal to be blocked by sand soon after it is built, and he doesn't want the canal built to benefit the people to end up being a bad project that harms the local area.
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(Asking for monthly votes and recommendation votes.)
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
[1. The chief engineer of Yongji Canal is the father of Yan Bi, Yan Lide and Yan Liben. He is unique in palace construction, but in terms of overall level, he is obviously not as good as the experienced Yu Wenkai. 】
[2. As for the width and depth of the canal, both official and unofficial history say that Yang Guang sought width and depth in order to allow dragon boats to travel freely. However, if the canal is not wide and deep, how can huge and heavy grain ships operate smoothly? How to cross over? What’s the point of cultivating it?
When the canal was excavated, perhaps due to immature technology and insufficient consideration, the Grand Canal of the Sui Dynasty had many flaws. However, I personally do not agree with the view that it was built wide and deep to allow dragon boats to pass. 】
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