Wu Zixu was in a surging mood as he entered and exited the Huai Palace. At this moment, he finally took the first step on his official career.
Just now, he passed the examination of Huaigong and was appointed as a minister by Huaigong, and went to Kuaiji, Yue Prefecture, to serve as the Kuaiji Order.
People who are familiar with the Huai Kingdom's system know very well that in the Huai Kingdom, if you want to hold high positions such as prime minister or general, you must serve in a local area for more than three years.
If you do well and achieve great results, you will have the opportunity to become a general. Even Sun Wu, after being worshiped as a general by Wang Qi, still needed to go to various places for training.
Wu Zixu didn't stay much next. After returning to the academy to pack his things, he took a boat to go south.
Going south all the way, Wu Zixu had a clearer understanding of the Huaiguo. Thousands of miles of fertile fields on both sides of the canal made him sigh: "With this thousands of miles of fertile land and a vast country, how can the Huaiguo not be prosperous?"
"Brother, this fertile land of thousands of miles is not always there!" A minister next to him who seemed to have also taken office said with a smile.
"I heard that the Yong'an Canal was built under the leadership of Sun Shugong?" Wu Zixu said.
"Jun Yong'an has great achievements, but before that, all the Dukes of Huai were building water conservancy projects. It is also because of the efforts of Dukes of Huai and Sun Shugong that the originally flooded Huai land has turned into the fertile land of thousands of miles in front of us." The man laughed. said.
"Brother Wu went to Vietnam to take office, you can also refer to it."
"Xue Gong Wu Zixu, may I ask who you are?" Wu Zixu asked with his hands raised.
"Huai'an Wenzhong." Wenzhong returned the favor.
"Type of literature? Back then, Wen Qi was the king..."
"Wen Qie is my grandfather." Wen Zhong smiled and said.
Wu Zixu looked at Wenzhong in surprise: "Are you going to take office?"
"Wu Jun, you and I are on the same journey. We were recruited by Duke Huai to serve in Gusu." Wen Zhong said with a smile.
"Wu Jun, Huaigong has a broad mind and does not prohibit me from serving as an official because of the sins of my ancestors."
"Huai Gong is so broad-minded!" Wu Zixu said in surprise.
At that time, Wen Qie recommended Zhuan Zhu to assassinate Duke Xiang of Huaizhuang. For such a serious crime, his descendants could actually become officials.
Next, the two began to communicate on the boat. Wu Zixu soon discovered that this man was also a great talent, which made him sigh with emotion at the abundance of talents in the Huai Kingdom.
The two went all the way south to Gusu, and then Wu Zixu continued south to Kuaiji. Although Yue Di has developed for decades, it is still somewhat behind compared to other places in Huai State.
The more remote the place, the roads are difficult to travel, and the climate is sweltering.
After Wu Zixu came to Yue, he began to govern Kuaiji according to his ideas. After some investigation, he found that there were several rivers between Kuaiji and Gusu, which were very suitable for building a canal, so he personally led people to conduct a survey, and then wrote to Huaigong requesting to dig a canal from Gusu to Kuaiji.
As long as the canal is completed, the north and south of Huai State will be completely connected. From Kuaiji, you can take a boat all the way through Suzhou and Weiyang to Huai'an, and then go north to Xiapi.
Wu Zixu was originally proficient in water control. Later, he read a lot of Yong'an Jun's experience in water control in the Huaiguo Academy and became very familiar with water control. After some investigation, a letter was submitted to dig the canal.
There are many benefits to building a canal from Kuaiji to Suzhou. Once the canal is opened, people no longer have to worry about the originally difficult road. Food, rhinoceros horns, leather, and large wood from the Yue State can be transported out, and goods from the Huai State can also be transported in.
Not only has the consumption been reduced a lot, but the speed has also been several times faster.
After Wang Qi saw Wu Zixu's petition and discussed it with everyone, he decided to agree to dig the canal. Wu Zixu was immediately ordered to serve as a doctor and be in charge of canal excavation.
The people in Vietnam were very supportive of the construction of the canal. With the material support of the Huai State, Wu Zixu recruited 100,000 people to dig the canal. Kuaiji is not far from Suzhou, and there are rivers between the two places. Wu Zixu planned to connect these rivers with canals.
The conscription of one hundred thousand people into labor service was nothing to the Huai State. A large amount of grain and grass supplies were transported, and canals began to be dug.
In order to shorten the construction period, Wu Zixu led his disciples from the Academy. After careful measurements, they began to excavate in sections, starting from Gusu and Kuaiji at both ends.
At the same time, the middle section of the canal also began to be excavated toward both ends.
The canal dug in this way has many benefits and can shorten the construction period, but it is also prone to problems with the height of the canal, leading to chaos in the canal water.
However, Wu Zixu, Wen Zhong and many students from the college worked together, and the canal was successfully excavated after extensive surveys and calculations.
After some measurements, the canal began to be excavated in an orderly manner. It was no longer the first time for Huai State to carry out such a large-scale project. With so much experience, the construction of the canal went smoothly this time.
And because of the use of many rivers between the two places, the amount of work was reduced a lot. Finally, after two years, a canal connecting Kuaiji to Suzhou was completed.
When the clear river water flowed into the canal, everyone cheered. The construction of this canal also completely connected Yue and Huai.
After the canal was built, Wang Qi named it Jingan River. The connection of this canal made the communication between Yue and Wu very simple. Moreover, the construction of the canal also eliminated the possibility of rebellion in Vietnam.
Yue and Wu have no road to block each other. As long as they control Gusu, Yue will not be able to cause trouble. The Huai navy stationed in Taihu Lake in Suzhou can reach Kuaiji from Suzhou in one day. .
After Wu Zixu dug the canal, he began to encourage farmers to cultivate mulberry trees. In addition to rhinoceros horns, cowhide, and giant trees, the Yue State also had a special kind of fabric called yarn.
This kind of fabric is light and breathable, very suitable for wearing in hot summer. It is very popular and very expensive. After Wu Zixu opened the canal, he strongly encouraged the people to weave Huan yarn.
After three years of this, the people in the country became more prosperous.
Wang Qi looked at the bamboo slips in his hand and was very touched by the changes in Yue. Since his father, Duke Xiang of Huaizhuang, attacked and destroyed Yue, Yue had been annexed by Huai for more than thirty years. However, during such a long time, Yue had been annexed by Huai. Taxation in Vietnam has always been better than nothing.
Only some rhinoceros horns, animal skins, and giant trees could be paid as tribute, but after five years of governance by Wu Zixu, Yue had become the place with the highest tax revenue in the Huai Kingdom after Huai'an.
You must know that Huai'an is the most elite part of the Huai Kingdom, with a large population and prosperous commerce, so the tax revenue accounts for 30% of the Huai Kingdom. And what about this Yue land? It is located in a remote area and has a small population. However, in just a few years, its tax contribution accounted for 10% of the Huai Kingdom.
"This Wu Zixu is indeed a great talent in governing the country and bringing peace to the country!" Wang Qi sighed.
"The King of Chu is blind and is good at killing Wu She. If not, how could such a great man come back to my country!"
"Your Majesty has a broad mind, so you have the best talents from all over the world to join us!" Sun Wu said with a smile.
"Hahaha, Sun Qing is so complimentary, so I take it seriously!" Wang Qi laughed, and then said: "Wu Zixu has been in power for five years and has made outstanding achievements, so he was promoted to the order of Huai'an!"
