In the severe winter, it is the dry season, and the vast scenery of smoke and waves is no longer there. At the same time, it also seriously affects the water transportation and merchant navigation in all directions. Every winter, the Han government will consciously control the scale of shipping in the canal. The number of official ships and public ships is reduced, and the number of private ships is reduced. Merchant vessel control quantity.
On the canal where the water level has dropped significantly, a huge fleet of ships is slowly moving upstream. The ship is large and sinking. Driven by human power, it breaks through some ice slag caused by the severe cold. There are hundreds of trackers along the bank, resisting the cold wind, carrying thick fibers, working hard to pull the fibers, and the sound of their combined efforts is a unique scenery on the bank of the Bianhe River in winter.
Since Liu Chengyou came to the throne, he has attached great importance to canals and canals. Even though the country's financial situation was difficult at the beginning, he still squeezed out some money and food from various aspects to use it for river dredging, which took two years. For a long time, Wang Pu took the lead in carrying out a large-scale renovation of the canal from Kaifeng to Suzhou, which achieved certain results.
One of the main reasons for establishing Kaifeng as the capital was its convenient transportation, prosperous economy, and unique land, which was enough to support the central court. This canal connecting the Huanghuai River is the most important lifeline of Kaifeng. In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, due to historical reasons, water transportation was actually in a state of neglect and could not be fully utilized.
Emperor Liu initially sent Wang Pu to manage the canal. In addition to economic and people's livelihood considerations, the main reason was to prepare for the conquest of Huainan. After the successful capture of Huainan, the role of the canal became even more prominent. Finance, taxation, grain and salt materials from Huainan were transported to Tokyo in large quantities, which made the Han court feel relieved.
In the following ten years, the imperial court did not relax the repair and management of the canal. To ensure its smooth flow, regular dredging and maintenance were required. Every winter and spring, corvees were required to dredge the shallow river sections, which cost a lot of money. Money and food.
After ten years of development, the shortcomings of water transportation caused by dynasty changes and wars in the early days have been greatly improved, and it has become more prosperous and smoother. Not to mention other things, there are hundreds of thousands of people living on both sides of the canal alone, and trackers are one of the low-status but very important groups.
At this time, the fleet traveling on the Bian River was Li Yu, the leader of the Jiangnan Kingdom from Jinling. The distance from Jinling to Kaifeng is not that far. However, due to the large number of people, property, and furniture, as well as the difficulty of river transportation, the journey was delayed and took a long time. It was half a month later than the court expected, and it was not until the middle of the twelfth lunar month that we arrived in Tokyo.
Because he surrendered more proactively, and because although Li Yu was mediocre in governing the country, he did not do anything that outraged people, violated current values, or caused public outrage, the Li family was given preferential treatment without any humiliation. As for the previous description of Li Yu in the Pingnan Edict as an unprincipled and ignorant king, it was naturally put aside after Jiangnan was pacified. Before setting off from Jinling, the Crown Prince Liu Yang specifically instructed the escort officials to take good care of them and not to bully them.
Because of this incident and some good actions after entering Jinling, the Han prince had a good reputation, maintained the image of the court, and gained preliminary recognition, which at least made a large part of the scholars and people feel at ease.
At the same time, when Li Yu was escorted out of Jinling, tens of thousands of people took the initiative to see him off. Such a situation is regrettable and terrible for a king who has subjugated his country. Han Xizai, who accompanied him to the north, expressed a certain amount of worry when he boarded the ship.
And through that send-off, some generals responsible for the aftermath realized that although there had been repeated national rectifications in the past ten years, the livelihood of the common people in Jiangnan under the rule of the Li family was often poor. However, with three generations of decades of experience in nourishing scholars and bringing peace of mind to the people, most people have a sympathetic attitude towards Li Yu, the young "post-master". It is conceivable that in the future, the sentiment of missing the motherland will exist. Regarding the psychology of the people in Jiangnan, this point needs to be paid attention to.
There was no shortage of knowledgeable people in the Han Dynasty. During Li Yu's journey north, some officials had already written to Liu Chengyou on this matter, suggesting that they should control the fallen ruler of Jiangnan. Among them were the imperial censors and admonishers who heard the news, as well as some generals from the south of the Yangtze River.
In this regard, Emperor Liu showed his magnanimity and gave a direct reply. In his words, when Li Yu supported his country, the king's army defeated him in one fell swoop, surrendered the city, and moved north to Tokyo. Why should he be afraid? The reason why the people in the south of the Yangtze River miss the Li family is because they were favored by him in his early years. He performed good governance and spread his kindness to the imperial court. Why worry about not being able to return to his heart?
Li Yu naturally didn't know about a incident in Tokyo that might affect his treatment for the rest of his life. His political consciousness was not high, and it was difficult for him to feel the danger from it. The scene of leaving Jinling is still fresh in his memory. In the two years since he took the throne, he has never really cared about his people. However, when he left, facing all the people seeing him off, he cried for the first time. In addition to sadness, guilt filled his heart.
Li Yu felt extremely tormented by the long journey from north to north. This was also a change in his mental journey. It is always easy for people to grow up after experiencing great changes.
When he first surrendered, in order to save his life and the safety of his clan, he didn't have many psychological obstacles. After receiving certain promises and guarantees, he breathed a sigh of relief. However, when I look back at my decision afterwards, all kinds of emotions come to mind.
The banner of the Han Dynasty was planted all over the city and palace of Jinling. Their wealth was sealed and their freedom was restricted. He left the ancestral temple in a hurry and moved his family north to Tokyo. Li Yu really understood what Chen Qiao said about subjugation and humiliation.
The sadness and regret in my heart became more intense as I moved away from Jinling. In fact, Li Yu once regretted not persisting to the end and perishing with his country. Of course, this was caused by temporary emotions, and he only dared to bury it in his heart and did not dare to show it.
The further away from Jinling and closer to Kaifeng, the more intense the sadness and indignation becomes. All the sorrow, all the nostalgia, all the sadness will eventually turn into wine and poetry. This journey has been a torturous one for Li Yu. Indulging in wine, remembering the past, the grand scenes of the past, and the feelings of family and country are all reflected in his poems. The intense emotions even make family members and officials around him nervous.
Now, this long journey has finally come to an end, and it’s time to accept the “trial” of fate when we arrive in Tokyo. What will happen in the future and whether the Han Emperor can fulfill the court's previous promises is still unknown.
However, after thinking deeply, Li Yu no longer had the initial fear. He could not face the loss of his homeland calmly, but he could treat the future outcome calmly.
In the cabin, Li Yu was holding a pen in one hand and a glass in the other. He was drunk, his eyes were blurred, and his chin was covered with stubble, giving him a sad and downcast image. An attendant came in and reported: "Master of the country, the military officials have announced that we are about to enter Kaifeng and the ship will dock. Let us prepare to disembark!"
"I have said it several times, I am no longer the king, and I am not worthy to be the king!" Li Yu's attention was on the title, and then he said unhurriedly: "It's finally here! I don't know if I can still enjoy this cup of food. how long?"
Then continue to bury your head and ignore it. His wife, Mrs. Diao, accompanied him and looked at him with some distress. Seeing him pouring another glass of wine into his mouth, she couldn't help but press his hand and persuade him: "Husband, don't eat anymore, don't hurt yourself!"
Feeling Mrs. Diao's warm and soft hands, Li Yu looked up at his wife who had changed into ordinary women's clothes. He noticed her concerned eyes and became a little more awake. There was a little guilt in his eyes: "Madam, I ignored you so much before. , don’t you resent me?”
There was calmness on Mrs. Diao's beautiful face, and she said softly: "It is my shortcoming that I cannot make my husband happy, but as a wife, how can I be resentful?"
Hearing this, Li Yu's heart was touched, and he felt even more guilty, and said: "The one who can accompany me to drink and have fun is no longer here. The only one who can be with me is my beloved wife..."
Hearing his emotion, a smile appeared on Mrs. Diao's lips, and then she advised: "We are a subjugated couple. Now that we have arrived in Kaifeng, my husband is still waiting for arrangements. Don't neglect it. After all, we have to consider the safety of my mother and uncle's disciples!" "
