"Let's get started!" Wang Wenzuo nodded: "Let's take care of things before breakfast. Otherwise, if the wind changes direction, we won't have the appetite to eat!"
"As you command!" Sancho responded and waved vigorously to the soldiers beside the pyre. The torch was thrown into the dry wood poured with fish oil, and the fire started to burn. The accompanying monks clasped their hands together and recited the Sutra of Rebirth in the Pure Lands of the Ten Directions. The soldiers nearby also put down their weapons in awe and started reciting along with them. For a moment, firelight jumped, Sanskrit sounds burst out, and the wild land turned into a Buddhist country.
"Good luck! The wind didn't blow towards us!" Wang Wenzuo stood silently for a while: "Give me the order, let's eat! We have to go on our way next!"
Following the order, the soldiers brought roasted pheasants and hares, as well as hot dry biscuits and porridge. Wang Wenzuo was the first to pick up the knife, and everyone immersed themselves in eating. In addition to the pickles that were brought along with the meal, the identity of the unlucky ones last night was guessed. The officers used their rich imaginations to speculate on the origins and causes of death of those who died.
"In my opinion, it's for personal revenge!" Igillenbod took the wine bag, took a sip, passed it to the next person, and said enthusiastically: "Killing people is common in this wasteland, as long as you know By knowing the opponent's route and time, you can set up an ambush in advance or pursue them in tandem to kill them all!"
"Yes, I also think it's revenge or something! If it's a robbery on the road and a robbery in the wilderness at night, that would be too much of a coincidence!"
"I do think it's quite possible to encounter a robbery by chance. This wilderness is as boundless as the sea. How can we set up an ambush and pursue them?"
"When humans and horses walk, they will always leave hoof prints and trample on grass and trees. Why can't they pursue them?"
"If there are many people, they will stay, but only six or seven people were killed. How many can be left?"
The fight became more and more intense, and finally everyone turned their attention to Wang Wenzuo. Wang Wenzuo coughed and was about to say something when he suddenly heard the sound of horse hooves coming from the grassland, or rather, the sound of horse hooves slapping against the soft grass. It was so loud and fast that the scout called the police. The horn sounded almost simultaneously.
In an instant, in front of the hillock, a large group of cavalry formed a half-moon shape around them. Wang Wenzuo stood up and walked to the edge of the hillock. He could clearly see the raised horse's head and its nostrils, which were snoring because of the rapid running. You can also see the faces of the knights on the horses, with dark faces and heads tilted up, looking towards the hillocks.
"Who are you!" Ah Zhiluo shouted.
No one spoke, just snorts and short neighs.
Ah Zhiluo turned back and glanced at Wang Wenzuo. Wang Wenzuo nodded. He said loudly and knowingly: "This is the marching commander of the Andong Governor's Mansion of the Tang Dynasty, Wenzuo and Wang Minggong, the uncle of Kaiguo County. Who are you? How dare you be rude!"
Ah Zhiluo's second questioning had an effect. Several knights rode their horses to the hillock, dismounted, bowed to the hillock with their gussets folded in their hands: "We are from the Baishan tribe, and we don't know the power of Chang Shi Hu, so if we offend him, we will do it again." Please excuse me."
"People from the Baishan tribe?" Wang Wenzuo pondered for a moment: "Ah Zhiluo, ask them what they are doing in such a hurry."
"Yes!" Ah Zhiluo responded and said loudly: "Wang Changshi asked, what are you doing in such a hurry?"
"I was ordered by the leader to pick up an honored guest. We encountered a flood on the road and the embankment collapsed. We had to take a long detour, so we rushed forward!"
"Who is that distinguished guest?" Wang Wenzuo whispered.
"Who is the distinguished guest?" A Zhiluo asked.
The uninvited guests at the foot of the hill did not answer immediately. Their horses seemed to be infected by the owner's nervousness and uneasiness, snoring and trampling the ground with their hoofs. Seeing this, Ah Zhiluo raised his voice: "I am the Acting Chief Shi asking a question. Please answer me quickly!"
"He's a guest from afar!"
As soon as the knight answered, he spurred his horse and turned around, followed by the other knights. In the blink of an eye, they completely disappeared into the boundless grassland, and only the wind brought their majestic singing.
"Ah, great Khan! Lead us forward! From the grassless wasteland to the fertile riverside land, let the cattle and sheep be fat and the descendants multiply! We are the arrows on your bow and the mounts on your crotch, invincible, Conquer all directions, O great Khan!"
The song grew fainter and fainter as it got further away, and finally faded into a whistling sound of wind passing over the tops of the blades of grass.
On the afternoon of the third day, Wang Wenzuo and his party arrived at their destination. Although the local county had a county seat as early as the Han Dynasty, hundreds of years later, only ruins and a small fishing village remained here. Wang Wenzuo chose a highland near the river as his camping ground, and then began to explore the area to find a suitable location for building a city. The elders of the fishing village saw the arrival of this group of uninvited guests and hurriedly brought some fresh fish and dry goods to pay their respects. Wang Wenzuo happily summoned him and asked about the local water, soil and tide conditions.
"Shangguan wants to open a port and build a city here?" The elder blinked his cloudy old eyes and replied cautiously: "Of course this is a great thing, a great thing!"
"You don't have to worry. If you have anything to say, just say it!" Wang Wenzuo smiled and pointed to the brocade mat on the side, motioning for the elder to sit down: "You are an old man here, and I am a foreigner, so I naturally want to listen to your opinions more. Don’t worry, no matter what you say, I won’t blame you, if you say it well, you will be rewarded!”
"Yes, yes!" The elder carefully placed half of his buttocks on the brocade mat and scratched the back of his head: "I have been here for six generations. I am already sixty-five years old this year. I have only seen wars, plundering, and port openings. I’ve never seen anything like this before, and I’m sorry that Shangguan had such an idea!”
"Oh? Why do you say that?" Wang Wenzuo smiled.
"Shangguan wants to open a port here for trade, but he wants to ship boats upstream along the Liao River to navigate the villages and towns on both sides of the river?"
"Not bad!" Wang Wenzuo smiled slightly: "I do have this idea. There are many tributaries of the Liao River, stretching for thousands of miles. If done well, maybe this place can become a prosperous place like Yangzhou and Quanzhou. Elder, you are a local People can also share some benefits!”
"Haha!" Seeing that Wang Wenzuo spoke kindly, the elder was no longer as nervous and frightened as he was at first: "I don't know where Yangzhou and Quanzhou Shangguan mentioned are, but I think they must be rich places. But if you plan to use Before the Liao River is opened to navigation, I’m afraid some things must be prepared first!”
"Master, please tell me!"
"I don't dare to take this word of invitation seriously, but when I was young, I once ran a boat on the Liao River for a few days, so I dared to say a few words. First of all, the Liao River is frozen, and it is impossible to walk on the boat for almost three or four months every year. , unlike the southern rivers where boating is possible all year round!”
"I know this too!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "Actually, it's bitterly cold here in winter, and there aren't many people walking on land, let alone on the water!"
"Yes, it's not as good as the south. It starts snowing after October and only melts in March and April. The people are very rough and unruly, but not as refined as the people in the south." The elder sighed.
"I think it's not bad!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "The soil here is thick, the rivers are crisscrossed, and there are lush forests, fish, deer, gold, iron, and coal. As long as there is a little cultivation, there will be many sources of convenience. Although the locals can't They are not as sophisticated as the southerners, but they are simple, tough, and indomitable. As long as you use them correctly, you will never succeed!"
Hearing Wang Wenzuo's good words about his hometown, the elder couldn't help but smile sincerely: "What Shangguan said is that, among other things, people here can endure hardships and survive. No matter how big the difficulties are, they can't be overcome." Don't defeat us!" At this point, he slapped his head and cursed: "You are really an old fool. Shangguan, you asked me about Liaohe, but I took the topic astray. I deserve to be damned. If Liaohe wants to In addition to being frozen, there are two other things that make navigation possible. The first is that the amount of water in the Liaohe River changes greatly throughout the seasons. When the snow melts in spring, the amount of water is terrifyingly large, several times greater than when the water is dry; and the second is that the Liaohe River is easily washed away. Dams and river courses are constantly changing, and floods occur from time to time, so Shangguan must take this into account!”
"Thank you for reminding me!" Wang Wenzuo nodded and his expression became serious. The Liao River is generally divided into two river systems, the east and west. The Xiliao River has two river sources: the Laoha River and the Xilamulun River. The two sources meet at the junction of Wengniute Banner and Naiman Banner, and start from the southwest. It flows northeastward through Pingquan City in Hebei Province, Ningcheng County, Wengniute Banner, Naiman Banner, and Kailu County in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Tongliao City in Inner Mongolia, Shuangliao City in Jilin Province, and ends at Baiyue, Horqin Left Wing Middle Banner. The Jiaolai River, a tributary on the right side of Yintalana, continues to flow eastward. Xiaowafang merges into the Uli Jimulun River from the north, then turns northeast-southwest, enters Liaoning Province, and joins the Dongliao River in Changtu County. The origin of the Dongliao River is Hadaling, Jilin Province today.
It is not difficult to see that the upper reaches of the Xiliao River flows through mountainous areas with a natural drop of 900 meters. The river flows quickly and the river channel is deep. The middle reaches is a loess hilly area. Although the vegetation protection in the Tang Dynasty was much better than today, the river still carries a large amount of sediment. , after entering the Liaohe Plain downstream, the water flow became rapid and gentle, so a large amount of sediment was deposited, raising the river bed. Therefore, the Liaohe River has always been famous for its many disasters and unpredictable river courses in history.
To make matters worse, the flood season in the Liaohe River Basin is between the snow melting season and the rainy season in summer. Once it enters the flood season, the main stream will rise at the same time. Moreover, after entering the plain, the river has a large curvature and is unpredictable, and the river water discharge speed is slow. Once it enters, During the flood season, it is very easy to form major floods, which is also an important reason why the Liaohe Plain was developed relatively late in history.
Just like Shanghai is to the Yangtze River, Guangzhou is to the Pearl River, Hangzhou is to the Qiantang River, Alexandria is to the Nile River, and London is to the Thames River, the value of a port city located in the delta of a river's estuary is closely related to the radiation range of its adjacent river. The larger the river basin area, the greater the population, and the more prosperous the economy, the higher the upper limit of the port city located at the mouth of the river. Take Shanghai as an example. As long as the Yangtze River does not change its course and the water flow does not decrease significantly, even if it temporarily lags behind several other port cities due to human factors, from a longer time unit, it will inevitably become the richest city in China. One of the largest commercial cities in China (perhaps one should be removed). The reason is very simple. The Yangtze River is the largest river in my country, and its basin is the most densely populated and most economically prosperous region in my country.
According to what the old man said, the navigation value of Liaoshui was much lower than Wang Wenzuo's expectation, which made him a little disappointed. But on second thought, even as the old man said, Liaoshui was the cheapest and most convenient way of navigation at that time. As long as this area is controlled, the Liaohe Plain can be connected through water transportation with vast areas such as Ungjin Governor's Office, Pyongyang, the Japanese Islands, the Far East, Shandong, and Hebei. In the future, this place will be planned as a large farm, pasture, and forestry farm. The large amount of commodities produced must have convenient access. This is already the best choice.
"No problem!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "Sancho!"
"Yes!" Sancho responded quickly.
"You haven't bowed to me yet!" Wang Wenzuo pointed to the elder of the fishing village: "This port construction is your mission. From now on, you will have a lot of troubles for me! What do you think we should do?"
Sanqiu had followed Wang Wenzuo for many years, and he had already understood it. He hurriedly took his hands and bowed down and said: "I have been ordered to open a port and build a harbor. I will have to ask my father-in-law a lot for advice in the future. Please accept my permission!"
"Don't dare to take it, don't take it!" Seeing that Sanqiu had been standing behind Wang Wenzuo, the elder knew that he was also an official, so he hurriedly got up to get out of the way. But he was held down by Wang Wenzuo: "Old man, this Sanqiu is my domestic slave, and he is also diligent and simple in his work. You have been here for many years and know everything about the soil and water. From now on, you will be by his side and remind him of anything. It’s also appropriate to be worshiped by him!”
The elder was held down by Wang Wenzuo and could not move. He had no choice but to bow to Sangqiu twice and said with a wry smile: "This is really a shame for me. Sir, please rest assured. I will sell my life right to this Sangqiu." You are the king, so naturally you will obey your orders!"
"Okay, okay!" Wang Wenzuo nodded and said to Sanqiu: "Have you heard everything? Don't act arbitrarily, and listen more to what others say!"
Wang Wenzuo stayed there for more than ten days and settled on the port and city address before returning to Yingzhou. As soon as he returned to Yingzhou, he told Gao Kan that he planned to marry the Cui family and that he had to go back to his hometown to visit his relatives first and report the matter to his parents in Gao Tang.
"Okay, okay, okay!" Gao Kan said with a smile: "Sanlang grew up early and married Cui's wife, which is really enviable! How could I not agree to such a good deed? But as the commander of the march, you , even if you ask for leave, you can’t leave right away, I have to make some arrangements, how about it!”
"Thank you Gao Duhu!" Wang Wenzuo thanked him quickly. According to the rules of the Tang Dynasty at that time, if parents are three thousand miles away, they are given thirty-five days off every three years. Wang Wenzuo is currently working in the Andong Protectorate. His nominal parents are in Shandong Province, but the distance is less than three thousand miles, so he has to ask for leave separately to visit relatives. Moreover, he is now in a high and powerful position. If he wants to resign, he cannot just leave. He must make arrangements in advance. Gao Kan does not make it difficult for him!
