The autumn wind carries a coolness and makes the world cold.
Five or six officials wearing black gauze hats stood in front of the grand Longjiang Posthouse, bowing respectfully to an old man with white beard and hair who was very thin. The river breeze stirred, and the loose skirts of clothes swayed.
The old man refused the official's invitation, took an old servant and a woman, walked another half mile, sat in the hall of an inn, and ordered some wine and food.
It's getting dark.
There were more and more business travelers traveling from north to south in the hall, making it very noisy and lively. The candlelight spread on the old man's face, and fatigue came out.
"You're tired, and it's noisy here. Go to your room and rest."
Xiao Zhang spoke, with worry in his eyes.
"No, it's not a lively place. It's difficult to keep it quiet."
Liu Bowen looked sick, looked down at his withered hands, and said bitterly: "Let's leave it like this."
People who come and go fail to recognize that the confused old man is none other than Liu Ji, Liu Bowen, the founding hero of the country who "drove for eternity in the moment of discussion; controlled almost one side in the moment of turmoil" and "expounded the king's ways through the curtains and towers".
"This brother wants to go to Huai'an Mansion? You can't go, you can't go."
"Why can't I go?"
"You don't know that last month, the salt gangsters threatened the Huai'an prefecture to release the leader of the salt gangs, Zhang Sanxiu. If the prefect's office did not release him, three thousand salt gangsters would wreak havoc on the river and scuttle passing ships. Wouldn't it be wrong to go there now? If you are not targeted by the salt disciples, if you lose your capital, you will have nowhere to talk..."
"This group of salt disciples is really hateful. I have heard in the past that this group of people robbed, raped and committed all kinds of evil. But after all, the world is peaceful and they have not caused much trouble. Now they are openly defying the government. It is really worrying."
Liu Bowen slowly turned around and looked at the talking diners, seeing that they should be dressed like businessmen.
Are salt gangsters threatening the government office?
The news comes as a surprise.
Xiao Zhang coughed lightly and poured a glass of wine: "There are some things that you should not talk about or worry about. You have a straightforward temper, but you must also be aware that talking too much can make mistakes."
Liu Bowen turned around, took the wine glass, and his hands shook: "I am no longer able to worry about the country."
Xiao Zhang looked at the thoughtful Liu Bowen and sighed secretly.
Early the next morning, Liu Bowen and others rented a carriage and headed for the capital.
Through the window, breathing in the cool air, looking back at the mountains and rivers in the distance, Liu Bowen said softly: "I feel the generosity of songs when I was young, and the desolation of the sky and the earth. I think Wang Jiefu must have been in the same mood back then..."
Above the Yangtze River, the sails of the ship are vast and the waves are sparkling.
Liang Jiajun looked at the majestic Yangtze River in front of him, marveling again and again, and inevitably said a few poems and allusions.
Gu Zhengchen simply agreed.
The familiar Yangtze River has no bridges across it, only boats ferrying across it.
After more than 600 years, the Yangtze River remains the same as before. The sound of the oars hitting the river was mixed with the sound of the water, and the passing ships were busy and hurried.
"That's Lion Rock, also called Lime Mountain."
Liang Jiajun pointed to the other side.
Gu Zhengchen looked up and saw that the Lion Mountain in the distance looked like a green snail. As the boat moved, the mountain squirmed, and it looked like a woman's bun, which was quite fascinating.
Wu Qiang looked into the distance and saw Luoji Lili across the river. He was talking about Lion Rock.
"That's Longwan, right?"
Gu Zhengchen looked around and saw that there was an open area to the northwest of Lion Rock. There was a port in front of it, and ships gathered here. Behind the port is a castle, like a man as strong as iron and stone, guarding the gate of the Qinhuai River.
"Yes, that's Longwan!"
A middle-aged man spoke quietly.
Gu Zhengchen looked at the middle-aged man. He had a few patches on his cloth and wore straw shoes. He had a thin face, an inch of beard, a pair of shrewd eyes, and a smell of ink on his body. He cupped his hands and said: "My lord, Gu Zhengchen, may I ask my brother?"
"Hu Dashan, a businessman in Jinling, doing some business. You guys are new to Jinling. You just have free time today, so you might as well lead the way."
Wu Dashan said boldly.
Liang Jiajun didn't take it seriously.
merchant?
Such a shabby businessman is rare, and he has no idea what kind of business he is doing. He is so poor that he cannot afford clothes and shoes.
Gu Zhengchen said slowly: "Brother Hu, shouldn't he be a Huizhou merchant?"
"Oh, how come you see it?"
Hu Dashan was a little surprised.
Gu Zhengchen lowered his hand and said with a smile: "I'm just speculating. I heard that people in Huizhou are frugal and work on livestock hoarding. The poor eat two meals a day and the rich eat three meals a day, but it's just thick porridge. Some people also say that Huizhou merchants don't show their money when they travel. , commoner clothes and straw shoes, walking on the shoulder, it is an ordinary thing. Brother Hu is a businessman and is familiar with Jinling, so you don’t think he is really in such a difficult situation, right? "
Different regions, different customs.
Hu Dashan laughed loudly and nodded in praise: "This young man is amazing now. Yes, I am from She County, Huizhou."
"She County, a good place."
Gu Zhengchen praised.
Hu Dashan looked at Gu Zhengchen suspiciously: "Have you been to She County?"
Gu Zhengchen shook his head slightly: "No, but I have heard of She Inkstone. The late emperor of the Southern Tang Dynasty once said that 'She Inkstone is the best in the world'. Mr. Dongpo said that She Inkstone is 'astringent and does not retain writing, slippery and does not resist ink, and the melon skin is smooth and smooth. The sound of gold is the virtue of jade. As a scholar, who doesn't want a piece of She inkstone?"
Hu Dashan raised his hand in admiration: "She inkstones are the best in the world. This is indeed true. It's just that I am engaged in Hui ink trading and I don't have any She ink stones in my hands. I would like to speculate with you and give you some Hui ink as a gift."
Gu Zhengchen declined politely, said a few more words, and then asked, "How many years has Brother Hu been in Jinling?"
"Only three years."
After Hu Dashan finished speaking, he pointed to the approaching Longwan and said: "There once was a great battle here. Chen Youliang was defeated here, and only then could Yingtian be saved, and only then could the Poyang Lake War be fought, which was the founding of the country. Come to think of it. They are all extremely dangerous. If Chen Youliang insists on attacking Yingtian City instead of landing at Longwan, the consequences will be disastrous."
Liang Jiajun disagreed: "As for the treacherous person Chen Jiusi, if he were to fight Yingtian, he would definitely be defeated."
Hu Dashan stared at Liang Jiajun, do you know how critical the situation was back then?
Once a boat as big as Chen Youliang enters the Qinhuai River and sails outside Yingtian City, it can jump directly onto the city wall without any siege equipment.
Gu Zhengchen looked towards the river mouth. It was empty and there was no bridge. He couldn't help but look at Hu Dashan: "Shouldn't there be a Jiangdong Bridge here?"
Why is the stone bridge where Chen Youliang held a lantern and shouted "Lao Kang, Lao Kang" for a long time missing?
Hu Dashan waved his hand: "Tear it down."
"It was demolished, why?"
"Repair the city."
Hu Dashan pointed to the city wall in the distance: "Don't you know that Jinling City has been under construction over the years, and the new city was just built at the end of last year. In June of this year, the emperor issued another decree to further strengthen and strengthen the city wall after the autumn harvest. Repair Most of the bricks used in the city came from other places, ships came and went day and night, and the Jiangdong Bridge guarded the entrance. Many ships were inconvenient for night navigation, so the court temporarily demolished them and built them again later."
At this time, the boat entered the Qinhuai River from the Yangtze River, and the walls of Nanjing became increasingly clear.
Gu Zhengchen looked around and saw that the stone was the base and the green bricks were piled up. The wall was three feet high, which was much lower than the height of the Ming city walls left by later generations.
This cannot be blamed on Lao Zhu, he has worked very hard.
In the twenty-sixth year of Zhizheng, two years before the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang began to expand and build the old city of Yingtianfu.
However, the construction at this time was mainly to build a house for Lao Zhu, which was the so-called "Wu Wang New Palace", later also known as the "Imperial City". By the way, the city was renovated based on the cities of Yang, Wu, Southern Tang, Song and Yuan Dynasties.
In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the circumference of Yingtian City was 36 miles, basically following the scale of the Southern Tang Dynasty. Lao Zhu's renovation mainly involved demolishing the east and north city walls, and then building a new section of the city wall to connect it to the old city wall.
The new city is bounded by Jubao Gate in the south, Chaoyang Gate in the east, Lion Mountain in the north, and Qinhuai River in the west.
It’s just that the situation faced by the Ming Dynasty is no longer that of the Southern Tang Dynasty. Firearms were not used much in the past, and people were so good at climbing high. Building a two-foot-five-foot city wall was enough, but the wars at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty During the war, Lao Zhu suffered a lot of losses from firearms, and he also knew the threat of firearms to the city. Only two feet was not enough, so he once again ordered the height to be raised to three feet. Of course, this height is not reassuring, and it will be increased later...
As for the outer city of Jinling, which has a circumference of more than 60 miles, there is no shadow yet. It is estimated that we have to wait until Zhu Laosi shouts "Cannons are mounted on Purple Mountain, and the cannons hit the Forbidden City." Of course, Zhu Laosi said that he never said no. It’s clear, but Lao Zhu doesn’t have the energy to build the outer city at this time. After all, he still has a Zhongdu project that is about to be completed...
"There is?"
Gu Zhengchen pointed not far away, and there was a row of stone gates built on the left bank of the Qinhuai River. Behind the gates were long waterways, with countless long logs piled on one side of the waterways.
Hu Dashan took a look and said easily: "That's Longjiang Shipyard."
"This is Longjiang Shipyard!"
Gu Zhengchen was solemn.
Hu Dashan: "You know?"
Gu Zhengchen: "Like thunder!"
Hu Dashan looked suspicious, but Gu Zhengchen knew that in the future, treasure ships would be built here, pushing the Ming Dynasty and the Chinese navigation industry to the pinnacle of ancient dynasties, leaving behind an undisputed legend - Zheng He's voyages to the West!
It's just that this is the sixth year of Hongwu. At this time, Zheng He's father probably hasn't married yet, let alone his tragedy and greatness...
The outer Qinhuai River divides into two branches to enter the city, located at Sanshan Gate and Tongji Gate respectively. Both of these places have water gates.
The boat stopped outside Sanshan Gate.
The pier is extremely lively, and boats are picking up ships for a long distance.
Hu Dashan pointed to the Sanshan Gate and introduced: "The Sanshan Gate is also called Longguang Gate and Shuixi Gate. Folks have different names. Officials call it Shuixi Gate. Although it is not as big as Tongji Gate and Jubao Gate, it is also called Shuixi Gate. Above. If you have a place to live in the city, you can enter the city by boat through the waterway. If you don't have a place to live, you can temporarily rent a place outside the city. This is a gathering place for businessmen and travelers. There are also light smoke, light pink, plum blossoms, The fourteenth floor of Cuiliu is very convenient..."
Liang Jiajun's face looked a little ugly: "Qingyan Tower and other places are not places where we can set foot!"
Hu Dashan glanced at Liang Jiajun and said softly: "All men can set foot there..."
