Henan Road, Mizhou, Jiaozhou Port.
Since the imperial court began to develop its navy more than thirty years ago, Jiaozhou Port has begun to rise. At first, it was a naval station in the East China Sea, and later it was opened to civilian use. It has the advantage of a military port. Over the past thirty years, Jiaozhou Port has become a powerful port for the Han Dynasty. One of the most important ports in the north.
Unlike its neighbors in Denglai Prefecture, which focus more on commercial and civilian ports, Jiaozhou Port has always been the largest military port in the north of the Han Dynasty due to its superior hydrological conditions. The main force of the Han Dynasty Navy, the East China Sea Fleet, is stationed here.
After decades of rapid development, Jiaozhou Bay has become a prosperous and prosperous place. The population exceeded 300,000 in the tenth year since the founding of the city. Businessmen, workers, escort workers, boat operators, and a large number of foreign people have contributed continuously to the rise of Jiaozhou Bay.
Over the ownership of Jiaozhou Bay, the officials of Mizhou and Laizhou had disputes, which reached Henan Province and even the Tokyo court. However, after comprehensive consideration, the imperial court still took a side step and allocated the treasure land of Jiaozhou Bay to Mizhou.
There was no way. Compared with the prosperous Laizhou, the original state of Michigan could only be described as poor. A prosperous Jiaozhou Port was a huge supplement to the state. Later development also proved this point. The development of Michigan was also driven and it became an important transportation hub in the Jiaodong Peninsula.
Every autumn is the busiest time of Jiaozhou Port, with a large number of passenger and cargo ships gathering here. Going down to the sea and going ashore, the land and sea present a prosperous intersection.
However, the atmosphere in Jiaozhou Port today is obviously different. Officers from the prefecture and county offices and port patrols have taken control of the dock. Even the East China Sea Fleet has sent a sailor to help maintain law and order.
A large number of bureaucrats gathered at the port. Most of the famous senior officials from Henan Province and below were here, including Shi Dejun, the governor of Xingguo, the chief envoy of Henan Province.
Among the second-generation nobles of the Han Dynasty, Shi Dejun was a more outstanding person. Unlike his upright and arrogant father, Shi Dejun was upright, open-minded, and had an excellent reputation. He had always been trusted and valued by Emperor Liu. Now he is 20 years old. After passing his 60th birthday, he was still allowed to take on important responsibilities.
Over the past few decades, although he has not been in court to pay homage to the prime minister, he has always been a high-ranking Taoist official and a high-ranking official in the border areas. Henan Road, in the economic map of the Han Dynasty, has a low reputation. It does not have the romance of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, nor the generous tragedy of Hebei. It is not like the land of abundance in Jiannan, nor the land of fish and rice in the two lakes, but in fact, Henan Road has always been the most prosperous in the Han Dynasty. One of the regions, whether in terms of population, property, or taxes, it always ranks among the top in the country.
And because it is adjacent to the capital and is the intersection of the north and south economies, Emperor Liu has always attached great importance to it. Every chief envoy is extraordinary. People like Li Hongwei, Li Shaoyou, and Song Yanwo are all relatives of the emperor. Therefore, Shi Dejun can Taking up the post of Henan Dao was enough to show that Emperor Liu valued him.
At this time, there were more people watching in Jiaozhou Port. Although they were blocked by soldiers and officers, they could only watch from a distance, but their curiosity became more intense. This scene is not small. Judging from the posture, it seems that they are welcoming someone important. The brand-new dragon flags erected by the pier highlight the word "noble".
On the pier, the surrounding noise even drowned out the crashing of the waves. Standing with Shi Dejun was a person with a special status, the real Tianhuang nobleman, Wu Guogong Liu Hui.
In the ongoing campaign to eradicate corruption and evil, Emperor Liu not only dispatched investigating officials to various places, but also dispatched grown-up princes and trusted ministers to various places to patrol on behalf of the sky. There were no specific business requirements. He just acted as a check for Emperor Liu, and at the same time played a role of sitting in charge.
Even Emperor Liu, the Ninth Prince of Chu, who had always been a dissolute man, gave him a chance. This boy had an unchangeable nature and wanted to play in the south of the Yangtze River, but was sent to Liaodong by Emperor Liu.
Liu Hui originally wanted to go to Jiangnan. Due to his background, he had always been close to the bureaucrats in Jiangnan, and was rejected by Emperor Liu. However, being sent to Henan Province was not bad for Liu Hui.
In the past three months, the officialdom of Henan Province has also been in constant turmoil. During the rectification process, if the word "evil" is highlighted in poor and remote areas, the rich areas will be the first to deal with corruption. The economically developed Henan Province Region, exactly.
As he grows older, Liu Hui has gained more attributes of "flashy" and "ambitious and talented". When he went to Henan, he also wanted to make some achievements. This anti-corruption and evil fight was a good opportunity.
However, after struggling for a while, I was disappointed. On the one hand, I personally took action and got involved in the criminal investigation. On the other hand, I was willful and immature in my methods, which resulted in trouble.
Someone reported that Wang Ling, the governor of Yizhou, was corrupt. He immediately asked his accompanying officials to arrest him and interrogate him personally. Then he found a lot of "evidence" and finally forced Wang Ling to death. However, Wang Ling had a good official reputation in the local area and was a good official. Because Wang Ling was framed to death, there was even a incident where people gathered in a crowd and caused chaos.
Then, with the strong intervention of Daosi and Wudesi, the civil unrest in Yizhou was quickly put down, but more than two thousand people died, more than half of Yizhou's officialdom was purged, and the local powerful were severely hit.
Obviously, Liu Hui was taken advantage of, and the things he did to him were very painful to his relatives and happy to his enemies. Although the situation eventually subsided, word of Liu Hui's incompetence spread to the capital. The ministers did not dare to belittle the prince, but Emperor Liu was particularly disappointed.
Obviously, no matter how outstanding his literary talents were, no matter how quick his brain was, yet he was so stupid in doing things, Emperor Liu really had no confidence in this son whom he once loved very much.
Of course, Emperor Liu also had his own problems. After all, unlike his brothers, Liu Hui had rich experience in political affairs. Although he was nearly thirty years old, he lacked training and spent all his time with poetry and articles, which made him embarrassed for his big job.
Therefore, after the chaos in Yizhou, Emperor Liu issued a very severe edict of reprimand to Liu Hui, and asked him not to interfere in the investigation of Henan Province and local affairs, and to let him stay in Qingzhou well.
This rebuke also hit Liu Hui hard. During this period of time, he felt very depressed. Even if he recited poems correctly, he seemed to be in low spirits. This time, I had to come to Jiaozhou Port with Shi Dejun, because news came from the navy that King Yong Liu Chengxun and his party had finally returned from a patrol in Southeast Asia, and today was the arrival date.
"Your Highness, envoy, the fleet is approaching!"
Following a report by a naval officer, the reception team at the pier suddenly became energetic. They had been waiting for a long time, and most of them had sore feet. Shi Dejun immediately waved his hand, and the ceremonial band waiting by his side, dressed in bright and festive clothes, immediately started playing music and quickly drowned out the noise on the pier.
Liu Hui didn't say anything, and stared into the distance until a black spot appeared at the limit of his field of vision, then two, three, and more than a dozen. As they got closer, the treasure ship with the dragon flag also appeared. It’s becoming clearer.
The channel entering the port has been cleared long ago without any obstruction. The returning fleet slowly docked under the command of the guidance ship. Accompanied by roaring salutes, King Yong and his party finally returned after being on tour for more than two years.
The first moment they set foot on the land of the empire, there was a wave of cheers on the dock. Although it was a little overwhelming, a warm atmosphere was created.
Liu Chengxun took a deep breath of the sea-scented air, a satisfied smile appeared on his tired face, and said with emotion: "I'm finally back!"
Following Liu Chengxun were Qi Duke Liu Yun, Emperor Sun Liu Wenhai and Zhiyuan Bo Guo Liangping. Liu Hui and Shi Dejun led a group of people to greet him and saluted respectfully: "Welcome Uncle Emperor (the King)!"
Looking at the welcoming formations around him and at the Henan Province officials, Liu Chengxun waved his hands and said, "Thank you all!"
After saying that, he looked at Liu Hui curiously and said, "Xiao Qi, why are you here?"
As soon as this was mentioned, Liu Hui's handsome face showed a hint of embarrassment, and he responded in a low voice: "When the emperor's uncle returns, my nephew will welcome him personally."
