Chapter 33 Liao-Song Canal Plan
He Xi said: "If the Duke is willing to keep these 200,000 strong men, it will only take three months. And everything is ready here. A large number of tools have been built at the Shenyang Iron Works. And in order to support the front line, There is a large amount of food stored here. Now the troops are withdrawing. The food has to be transported back to the rear, and the loss is also very serious. It is estimated that about 30% of the food will be consumed during this time. It is better to use these military food to supply the army and build a canal. .”
"I have explored here. It is about three hundred miles from the Dongliao River to here. But there are other natural river tributaries that can be used. Less than two hundred miles have been dug in the middle, and there are several watersheds in it. But they are not high, about three meters Between ten feet and sixty feet, they are all mountains of earth. They can be dug through. Of course, the amount of work would be too great to dig through. We can use ship locks to allow ships to pass over the mountains."
"Three months, two hundred thousand strong men. Determination is possible."
He Xi already had a draft in mind. When Feng Sheng asked, he told everything.
In fact, the Liaosong Canal is not a new plan. Of course, this freshness refers to future generations. In the middle of the Qing Dynasty, someone proposed this plan. Mr. Sun Yat-sen's national transportation plan also included the Liaoshen Canal. Among the national plans to move water from north to south is the Liao-Song Canal plan.
Of course, the later generations of development are no longer just a Liao-Song Canal plan. It is a plan to connect the northeastern interior, connecting Heilongjiang, Liaohe, Mentu River, and Yalu River. If this can be done, the interior of Northeast China will be able to access the sea through waterways.
The plan for future generations is huge. It was not something He Xi dared to think about.
All He Xi could think of was to barely connect the Liaohe River and the Songhua River, and the waterway was also very narrow. Fortunately, the geology of the watershed here is not too harsh. Unlike areas further north, there is already permafrost. It also increases the difficulty of construction.
But the canal planned by He Xi is about a little over three feet, or ten meters, at its narrowest point. No larger ships in the Liao River can pass. But there is nothing we can do about it. We can only solve the existing problems first, and then expand when we have more money.
Such canals would be of little use in later generations. Not as wide as some irrigation canals.
Feng Sheng thought about it for a while and said, "I can only say that I have no objection, and you can dispose of the remaining military rations in Liaodong yourself. These prisoners are also placed in Liaodong. But other things are your own business. . In addition, you must be prepared. Since you dare to deal with me, I believe you can complete this thing in three months. But I remind you, the Tatars will not sit idly by."
He Xi's heart trembled and she said, "I understand."
What He Xi did was a conspiracy. Once this canal is repaired. How great are the benefits. Anyone can understand it. The Tatars don't know it either.
In terms of project volume alone, this matter is not too difficult to handle. Two hundred miles, more than three feet wide and two feet deep. Although the amount of earthwork is quite a lot. But He Xidu had already prepared steel tools. There is still enough food. And digging soil doesn’t require any technical skills. It just requires some technical support for measurement. But this is not difficult.
After all, when new rivers were opened in the history of the Ming Dynasty, there were many rivers. It is also several hundred miles wide, but it was completed in just a few months. Please do not underestimate the ability of the ancients to organize large-scale projects.
Plus He Xi prepares in advance. Not a big problem. Even if there are some problems, it is okay to delay it for a month or two.
But the problem is, things outside of engineering.
For example, if a prisoner is used in this way, will the prisoner have other thoughts? Such as Mongolian harassment and so on.
Generally speaking, this canal is already outside the protection range of the Ming Dynasty's border troops. In addition, these people who built the river were all Mongols or Han people who defected to the Mongols. If the inside and the outside are coordinated, the project will not be completed, and a catastrophe will brew.
Tamerlane was once again defeated by Feng Sheng's men.
But He Xi didn't look down on the veteran at all, not to mention anything else. Simply put, the fact that he has been defeated so many times by Feng Sheng, but is still alive and kicking, shows his ability. Feng Sheng showed no mercy at all. Coupled with the current comparison of strength and weakness, it is already quite good that he can cause some trouble for the army.
Feng Sheng said: "There are not enough troops in Liaodong, so I will leave some people for you to look after the prisoners. Of course, it is not easy for you to command a famous general. Recently, I found a young general named Ping An. His father was also an old man back then. Brother, you have grown up now. You are quite brave and I leave it to you. The rest is up to you. Take care of yourself. If you really can't do it, you don't have to do it."
He Xi said, "Thank you so much, Duke, for your support. I will definitely handle this matter well."
The reason why He Xi is so anxious to build it. In fact, this opportunity is too good. Not only prisoners are here, but civilians who support the front line from Liaodong are also stranded in this area. Can be used immediately. But wait until people disperse. The cost of reconvening would be too high.
And this is a major artery connecting the Northeast water network. If it is built one day early, it will be one day early for Ming Dynasty's management of the Northeast.
As for the danger. Of course there is. But the Tatars are not the original Tatars after all. The Liaodong Army is no longer the original Liaodong Army. After He Xi arrived in Liaodong, the number of Liaodong troops did not increase much, but decreased. But armaments have made great progress compared to before. Ge Tiangong, in particular, copied many things from the Taiping Iron Works. Liaodong's iron smelting technology suddenly became the first-class level in the Ming Dynasty.
Although the output is not much now. More production of agricultural implements and tools. But a little production of ordnance will be enough to equip the Liaodong Army.
And they are all strong teams that have been established by Jianguo all the way. The folk customs in Liaodong are also very tough. Although Ye Wang is considered a second-rate or third-rate figure among the generals of the Ming Dynasty. But he is also a qualified general, and the Liaodong Army's combat effectiveness has been maintained well.
After changing their uniforms, even if they are not the best in the world, with the same number, they are not a virtual Yuan army at all.
As for how many troops Yuan Ting still had, it was less than 100,000. The Liaodong Army is also of this order of magnitude. The only difference is that the Liaodong Army does not have as many horses as the Yuan Army. The Yuan Army can have as many as one person or even more horses. However, the cavalry in Liaodong can only be used by one person per person. Even so, there are not many cavalry in Liaodong.
However, this is not a long chase. It is fixed within a small area between Liaohe River and Songhua River. And after the canal is built, it can be withdrawn.
The canal was destroyed by the Tatars, and they did not have the ability. Even if it destroys a section. It is also very easy to repair. To put it bluntly, it is just a ditch, so it cannot be used especially in winter.
However, He Xi is not without worries.
His hidden worry is nothing else. It’s the Korean side.
He had actually received some reports from Ye Chen. Ye Chen discovered something strange happened in Gao Li. Not only did the friction on the front lines intensify, but Goryeo also intensified its attack on the Jurchen tribes in the Yalu River. And there were several conflicts with him involving more than a hundred people. It seems to be exploring the east bank of the Yalu River. How many troops did the Ming army have?
Moreover, the informants arranged by Goryeo in the Jinghai Chamber of Commerce also reported a lot of news. For example, large areas of grain and grass were requisitioned in southern Goryeo. As a result, food prices in southern Goryeo increased a lot. Some people even want to buy food through them.
All these signs indicate that Goryeo is likely to advance westward.
This made He Xi very worried.
Originally? He Xi was planning to deploy several guard stations to set up defenses along the Yalu River. But now that he heard Feng Sheng's warning, he hesitated.
Listen to others and eat enough.
He Xi did not dare to ignore the opinion of this veteran. Don’t look down upon that effete Timur.
Therefore, He Xi thought about it and decided not to care about the situation in Korea. The reason why he did this was because in his impression, Goryeo did not have a large-scale war with the Ming Dynasty. Of course, there was probably that kind of border friction.
But those are small things.
More importantly, the situation on both sides of the Yalu River.
It was a deserted land with not many people at all. The Ming Dynasty's rule over Liaodong was actually along the Liao River. Even if Goryeo crosses the Yalu River, it will not cause much loss to Liaodong.
