"What? Your Majesty wants to develop Liaoze?" Brothers Han Kuangsi and Han Kuangmei stared with disbelief on their faces.
In particular, Han Kuangsi does not have as good acting skills as his younger brother Han Kuangmei, which makes him look like he wants to run away.
The so-called Liaoze is a large swampland that has existed in the Northeast since ancient times.
It is different from the belief of later generations that eastern Liaoning and western Liaoning have been flat terrain and fertile black soil since ancient times.
In fact, in today's central Liaoning Province, about halfway between Panjin City and Shenyang City, there is a large swamp with many lakes.
How big is it? It is almost equal to the current Panshan County of Panjin City, Tai'an County of Anshan City, most of Heishan County of Jinzhou City, Xinmin City of Shenyang City and most of Liaozhong County.
In other words, except for a few areas, from Panjin to Shenyang, it is basically swamp.
According to records in the history of the Song Dynasty, the terrain of Liaoze was low, and the area was covered with vines and stagnant water. That day, Fan crossed the river thirty-eight times and drowned many times. It was named Liaohe River. It is close to the river for more than a thousand miles from north to south and two hundred miles from east to west.
There are many dragons and snakes in autumn and summer, no matter the day or night, no cattle or horses can come. When walking, the chest and abdomen are wrapped in clothes, and everyone wears heavy clothes. When sitting, the smoke of wormwood can be avoided.
After the Jingkang Incident, when the Jin people kidnapped Yan Jiumei’s mother, Wei Shi, and other concubines before returning to Beijing, someone recorded that when they crossed the Liaoze River, they said it was like walking on water. Although the concubines were lying in pockets and on the backs of hunched horses, they were still soaked through. skirts. The sufferings of hell are not added to this.
Imagine this is in the Northeast! There are so many dragons and beasts that humans and animals dare not approach them, and the moisture is so great that walking through them feels like walking in water.
If you don't mention the place, most people would think it was in the jungle swamps of Southeast Asia during the Tang Dynasty.
If you don't count the miasma, this is worse than the jungles and swamps of Southeast Asia.
Note that the dragonfly is not the kind of blood-sucking mosquito, but a ruthless character that is larger than a fly and specializes in sucking the blood of livestock. Its scientific name is the gadfly, and it is commonly known as the blind fly, cow mosquito, etc.
This thing can grow up to four centimeters. Not to mention humans, even cattle can't carry it. Zhang Yan's life was difficult when he was a child. When he was herding cattle, what he was most afraid of was this thing. Taking a bite of it, the taste is so ecstasy. .
And the ferocity of Liaoze is not limited to this. What is even more ferocious is that the Liaoze area has large and small rivers such as the Xiliao River, the Xialiao River, and the Xilamulun River, as well as a large number of lakes.
They form the extremely troublesome Liaohe River Basin, which is characterized by frequent floods that are earth-shattering and rampant.
In later generations, in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, floods in the Liao River were still an extremely troublesome problem.
Therefore, in order to eliminate Liaoze and transform the western Liaohe Plain and the lower Liaohe Plain into a prosperous land, the first thing to control is the flooding of the Liaohe River, which is not as difficult as usual.
Is it okay to not govern?
It is definitely not possible. Historically, the population of the entire Liao region has not increased because of the existence of Liaoze.
The population of the entire Liao region cannot increase, and this is the biggest reason why the Central Plains regime has been unable to stably control the peninsula, at least the four Han counties.
Since Gongsun Kang separatized Liaodong, the political power here has relied on Liaoze to confront the Central Plains court. The reason why the Sui and Tang Dynasties conquered Goguryeo was so difficult was also because of Liaoze.
Regardless of your million-strong army, with two hundred thousand armored men, you have to shed a layer of skin if you want to pass through this swamp.
And Goguryeo is waiting at the exit of Liaoze. When the veterans of your division are tired, they will beat them. If they still can't be beaten, they will retreat to the mountain city of Liaodong and hold on. You will have to go through Liaoze to resupply.
Under such circumstances, the Central Plains court could not do anything even with all its might.
The reason why Goguryeo was finally conquered during the Tang Dynasty was not only the development of the navy in the later period, but also another big reason. It was that Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty drained the treasury of Hebei Province and ordered Yan Lide to establish a solid Chi Road in Liaoze.
Later, the Tang Dynasty lost Liaodong, also because Chidao was destroyed, which allowed the Bohai Dashi regime to confront the Tang Dynasty's Yingzhou across Liaoze.
Even in the Ming Dynasty, Liaoze could still be relied on to prevent the Mongols from the north from harassing the south.
In history, Liaoze did not completely disappear until the late Qing Dynasty invaded Guandong and hundreds of millions of immigrants arrived.
Looking at the frightened Han family in front of him, Zhang Hao stood up, but his heart was filled with infinite pride.
If you want to control the peninsula, you must make the whole Liao rich. If you want the whole Liao to be rich, the Liao Ze between Liaodong and western Liao must be eliminated.
Even if we want to firmly control the outer Northeast in the future, we must have smooth access to Liaoning. With the large base of Liaoning, it will be realistic to develop and control the Northeast.
"Uncle Yutian seems a little scared?" Seeing Han Kuangsi looking like he wanted to run away, Zhang Hao asked with a smile.
Han Kuangsi did not dare to look at the emperor's face. He only complained in his heart, "Are you kidding? Governing Liaoze is something human beings do?"
It's like going to die, a fool doesn't want to run away.
But soon, the emperor's words made Han Kuangsi fall into the abyss.
"Originally, I wanted to give this task to the Ma family of the Medical Witch Lushan, but it's a pity that Ma Yanxu didn't know what to do and dared to bet on both ends, and ended up with everyone in the family being executed."
Damn it! Now even an acting master like Han Kuangmei can't hold back.
He looked up at the bright smile on the emperor's face, and felt as if a poisonous snake was spitting a message to him.
What is cruelty? This is cruelty!
Han Kuangmei finally understood why Ma Yanxu, the doctor from the Ma family in Wulushan, was so stupid. He even wanted to flirt with Shulu even though he was already in Xinchao's lap.
It turned out that he was being escorted to govern Liaoze. Who could bear this! It would be better to follow Shuluping and go to the Daxianbei Mountains to go fishing, hunting and nomadic.
But the two brothers soon realized what the emperor meant by mentioning the Ma family on purpose. This was a threat, a naked threat, and that would mean killing everyone!
Looking at the expressions of the two brothers, Zhang Hao naturally knew that governing Liaoze could only be done at the risk of one's life.
Moreover, Zhang Zhang's requirements were still very high. Historically, starting from the middle of the Liao Dynasty, due to the increase in population and poor communication between Liaoyang Prefecture in Zhongjing and Xijin Prefecture in Nanjing, he also tried to eliminate Liaoze.
However, their methods were very rough, including those of the Jin Kingdom. Too rough methods of enclosing swamps and cultivating fields, etc., actually led to desertification in the Xiliao River Basin.
During the rainy season, there will be flooding, and during the dry season, the soil will become desertified, almost bringing the Horqin Sandy Land to Liaoning.
Therefore, what Zhang Yan wants now is not only to eliminate Liaoze, but also to eliminate Liaoze as planned and relatively rationally as possible.
In addition to working hard, such a task must be carried out by people who are capable and willing to do it.
The Han family in front of us is in a period of overflowing talent. There have been many heroes among the three generations, and their ability is no problem.
Therefore, in the end, it depends on whether their torso can firmly touch the ground. This of course also depends on Zhang Xiao.
Once the benefits are provided, there is no need to worry about no one doing it.
Zhang Yan called the Han brothers, who were starting to look a little sad and angry, to come over and pointed to a marked road on the map.
"This is a short road built by Emperor Taizongwen of the Tang Dynasty who spent all the treasury of Hebei Province on it.
Since then, successive dynasties have relied on this short road to communicate from Liaoyang Prefecture to Jinzhou Prefecture and then to Beiping Prefecture.
However, this road was seriously damaged in the last years of the Bohai Kingdom. Fortunately, after the rise of the Khitans, it was slightly repaired, so it can still play a certain role today.
What I want is for the two Han Qings to use this shortcut as the core and expand to both sides first, diverting the water from the small swamp into the Liao River and leveling the land.
The large swamp was simply dug into a lake, and the dams on both sides of the main river sections such as the Xiliao River and the Xialiao River were reinforced.
In this way, during the water season, water from the Liao River can be introduced into the lake, supplemented by dams, to control 60 to 70% of floods.
At the same time, I will also transfer yellow rice from the south of the Yangtze River, which is suitable for growing in swamps and resistant to waterlogging.
I am also planning to change Liaoxi Prefecture in the west of Liaohe River to Liaoxi Prefecture, and set up a Liaoxi Prefecture Yin and Liaoxi Military and Horse Supervisor.
In the Lower Liaohe River, the Fengxian Army (in the Panjin and Anshan areas) established the Liaoning Prefecture, with a governor of the Liaoning Prefecture and a supervisor of the Liaoning Army and Horses.
These two prefectures are Zhili Prefectures, which are directly under the jurisdiction of Zhongshu Province and have the authority to collect secret memorials. "
Zhang Hao was telling the story carefully. After being caught, the Han brothers had no choice but to be patient. They listened with uneasiness in their hearts. The more they heard Han Kuangsi and Han Kuangmei look at each other, they knew what the emperor had in mind.
There are hundreds of thousands of Khitan people, and together with Bohai and others, there are still five to six hundred thousand.
There were so many people, and their fields were taken away by the Liaoyang County King, who resettled the Han people from the Central Plains, the Tuyuhun who moved eastward, and the people of various parties.
It is conceivable that when the five to six million original Khitan people return to Liaodong and western Liaoning, even if they are grateful at first, their dissatisfaction will gradually accumulate over time, which will always be an unstable factor.
And if these people can be organized, resettled in districts, and then allowed to develop Liaoze, it will consume their energy.
Second, it allows them to be in a monitored environment at any time.
Third, it can give them hope that after the Liaoze land is leveled, it will be a land for these people to survive.
Fourth, they can be prevented from returning home, so that they will not breed resentment because they see the occupied family property every day.
What an awesome kill of four birds with one stone! No, it should be called eating four fish. Han Kuangsi and Han Kuangmei looked at each other again, and their moods changed at the same time.
It's not that they are not afraid of the pain of opening up Liaoze, but they suddenly understand that the emperor opposite is so scheming and thoughtful, and now he has come to find their Han family, unless the Han family is willing to die like the Ma family in Lushan, Yiwu. , otherwise you must agree.
Seeing that the expressions of the Han brothers softened, Zhang Hao also nodded.
As expected, he is a person who has prospered in Khitan in history. Compared with Ma Tingxu of the Ma family, he is more aware of current affairs and has no desperate thoughts of giving up because the task is too difficult.
After inspecting this point, Zhang Yan can give you some benefits. I didn’t mention it just now, but I wanted to see the endurance of these two people. The result makes me, Zhang Shengren, very satisfied.
"I heard that your fourth son, Derang, and your fifth son, Dewei, are very smart. Especially your fourth son, Derang, is well-versed in poetry and books and has extraordinary talents.
My eighth son, Xian Zai, and fifth daughter, Qin Ning, are short of two reading companions. If the Qing family is willing, they can go to the capital of God to accompany them in their studies. "
Han Kuangsi was shocked, with a look of disbelief on his face.
The eighth crown prince Zhang Xianzai was born by the empress and was the de facto replacement for the crown prince. If anything happens to the default crown prince Zhang Xianjing, it is very likely that the crown prince's position will go to Zhang Xianzai.
The emperor's fifth daughter, Zhang Qining, was even more incredible. She was born to Yannai, Cao Sanniang, the imperial concubine who was a confidant of Emperor Yuan Cong and his friend in times of need.
This noble concubine gave birth to a daughter after many hardships, so she was extremely favored and was awarded the title of Princess Chen when she was just five years old.
You must know that before her, only Zhang Qixiu, who was actually the eldest daughter but ranked second, was given the title of Princess of Song because she was determined to marry Pei Yuan, Duke of Zhao.
Among the other sisters, only Zhang Qiwan, who was married to Zhao Kuangzan, had the title of Princess Baoding. She was not a national princess but a county princess.
Moreover, Zhang Qining, the fifth daughter of the emperor, also had an identity. She was the half-sister and only sister of Murong Nobunaga, the first martial artist of the Zhou Dynasty who now held the most power in Liao Dynasty and the founder of Liaoyang County.
Whether it was preparing to serve as a companion to a crown prince like Zhang Xianzai, or Han Kuangsi felt cruel because he sensed that the emperor wanted to let his fourth son, De, give way to Princess Shang, who was also the only sister of the Liaoyang County Prince.
Damn it, give it a try!
Han Kuangsi pulled Han Kuangmei and knelt down to Zhang Gao with a pop, "The Han family in Yutian are willing to go through fire and water for the saint!"
Zhang Hao laughed and helped the two of them up, "As long as you two do your best, I will never be stingy with titles and official positions. I will be willing to grant you the title of king or duke!"
