Just when the Xu brothers were being tried, Mr. Zhao had already left Changxing and rushed to Liyang, the third stop of the trip.
In fact, it is more convenient to take the dry road from Changxing to Liyang. After leaving Changxing County, we walked a few miles north, passed the Yixing boundary, and then arrived at the Liyang boundary.
But Mr. Zhao wants to inspect an extremely important water transportation line. So we chose the far side instead of the near side, and first took a small boat along the Xiaruo River into Taihu Lake. Returning to my ship, the Science, I walked north along the lakeshore for more than sixty miles, and saw a mighty, surging river pouring into Taihu Lake.
"This is Dongji, also called Dongxi." Jin Ke introduced in a deep voice: "The Zhongjiang River has since flowed into Taihu Lake and is the main water supply to Taihu Lake."
"Yeah." Zhao Hao nodded. In fact, no one understood Zhongjiang better than him.
This is an artificial water system with a long history. Since ancient times, there has been a legend that "Dayu controlled the water and guided the Zhongjiang River". Zhao Hao could not guarantee whether the Zhongjiang River was opened by Dayu, but it was clearly recorded in "Hanshu Geography" that this river started from Wuhu and ended in Yixing in the east. It is an ancient waterway originating from the Yangtze River and flowing into Taihu Lake.
The Three Hundred Miles Zhongjiang River connects the Yangtze River and Taihu Lake water systems. Ships can go directly from Wuhu to Susong via Taihu Lake. It is one of the most important water transportation lines in the Ming Dynasty. Because the end point of this transportation line is Shanghai, it is also called the "Wushen Canal".
If the Yangtze River waterway from Wuhu to Shanghai is compared to a bow, the Wushen Canal is the string on the bow. It is almost a straight line the whole way, saving more than 300 miles of distance. Moreover, the water flow is not as fierce as that of the Yangtze River, and sailing against the current is not that difficult, and there is no need to pull fibers throughout the journey.
In Zhao Hao¡¯s overall plan for the future of Jiangnan, Wuhu and Shanghai are the two most important fulcrums at its east and west ends. Therefore, to him and the Jiangnan Group, the Wushen Canal is even more important than the Yangtze River.
Zhao Hao had already inspected this core artery at the turn of summer and autumn last year, but it was the flood season. He needs to conduct an on-site survey again to see the navigation capacity of this canal during the dry season before he can completely rest assured.
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When the boat entered the Zhongjiang River, Jin Ke said goodbye. His guide work has come to an end, and he has to quickly return to Xishan Island to hand over.
The two sides agreed to meet again in Chongming, and Zhao Hao watched him get off the Science and leave by speedboat.
Secretary Ma behind him was also very happy. It was so easy that the little county master and Miss Jiang were not on this journey, only she and Qiaoqiao were accompanied. But Jin Ke pestered the young master all day long, almost making him anxious to death.
Zhao Hao didn't notice Sister Ma's little thoughts. His attention was entirely on the Science No. entering the river.
The Science No. is a flat-bottomed ocean-covering ship made of 200 materials. According to scientific measurement units, its displacement is about 50 tons. Nice and sturdy, nimble and fast, but not too big.
Because when Uncle Wu gave him the boat, he considered its navigability in the main rivers south of the Yangtze River, so he chose this size.
In other words, the main cargo ships shipping in the Jiangnan area are just this big. If it is inconvenient for the Science to navigate, it will be even more difficult for those fully loaded cargo ships.
Fortunately, the Dongji Waterway is very wide and the water volume is not greatly affected by the seasons. Even in this season, the width of the river mouth entering the lake is more than 100 meters, the river channel is no less than 50 meters, and the water depth of the channel is more than 3 meters. It should not be a problem to use a 400-material sand ship to navigate The 400-material sand ship is already the maximum size allowed by the Ming Dynasty for private construction.
Uncle Mi personally steered the boat and directed the sailors to adjust the sails while sailing upstream at a leisurely pace while measuring the water depth of the river.
¡°As a result, it took the Science No. 2 two days to complete the waterway from Yixing to Liyang.
Arriving in Liyang, the Science No. was anchored at the county dock. Uncle Milo will take the sailors, transfer to a cargo ship worth 400 materials, and continue to survey and map forward.
Zhao Hao entered Liyang County. Liyang belongs to Yingtianfu, and the Danjin-Licao River passes through the city. From here, you can go directly to Zhenjiang and intersect with the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal.
????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????This is another land of fish and rice with excellent mountains and rivers, beautiful scenery, rich in silk, and tea. Although it is overshadowed by the brilliance of the surrounding big cities and its reputation is not outstanding in the world, it has abundant products, convenient transportation, and no danger of floods, and the people live and work in peace and contentment.
Living here is actually much more comfortable than in big cities such as Susongchang Town, Hangjiahu, Jinwu.
In the words of later generations, the residents¡¯ happiness index is high. Of course, in the Jiangnan area where the essence of the Ming Dynasty is located, there are actually many such counties, not just Liyang.
However, Zhao Hao¡¯s trip was not to inspect Liyang. He took a boat directly through the city, turned southwest and traveled seven or eight miles, and landed at the foot of a rolling hill.
"Sir, this is Yanshan." Sister Ma was finally able to resume her duties and whispered softly: "The Wushu Academy is by the lake in front."
¡°You¡¯re pretty good at picking places.¡± Zhao ?The wife jumped out of the boat and saw farmland connected by roads everywhere at the foot of the mountain and on both sides of the river.
It has just passed February 2nd, and farmers have already begun their busy year. They have to level the fields, repair ponds, and dredge canals before transplanting rice seedlings Many people set fire to the fields to burn the weeds in the fields. Plant ash can also fertilize the land.
The farmers were not surprised at all when they saw this group of well-dressed people walking through the fields. Someone stood up, crossed his hands politely and asked, "May I ask, distinguished guest, are you looking for Mr. Meng He?"
Zhao Hao and others were surprised when they saw that this man had a dark complexion and rough skin. He looked like he had been working in the fields all day. His speech and behavior are polite, and he speaks in Mandarin, which is really very different from ordinary farmers.
"Exactly." Zhao Hao smiled, crossed his hands and saluted: "We came from Kunshan, east of Hudong to admire his reputation. We were in a hurry and did not send a greeting. I wonder where Mr. Meng He is?"
"The mountain grows over there." The man pointed to the sunny side of the hillside in the distance, and he could vaguely see an old man holding a hoe, instructing several farmers in brown clothes to dig holes there. He smiled and said, "Our academy doesn't have that many rules. I'll just take you there."
¡°You¡¯re so helpful, my dear brother, why haven¡¯t you asked me about Gao¡¯s name?¡± Zhao Hao nodded happily.
"My surname is Shi, my given name is Jizhi, and the cursive character is Sishan." The farmer put down the shovel in his hand, jumped onto the field ridge with his bare feet, and led him towards the old man.
Hearing this, Zhao Hao twitched the corner of his mouth and said with a sneer: "Is your honorable person a member of the Yingtian Mansion of Ding Maoke?"
Secretary Ma behind her opened her mouth slightly when she heard this. This was the most un-juren she had ever seen.
"Yes, you know me?" The farmer couldn't help laughing, but he was not too surprised. Yingtian Mansion has printed records for people to be admitted to the imperial examinations, so it is not surprising for others to see your name.
"I know." Zhao Hao nodded, put on a bright smile, and saluted him again: "Junior Zhao Hao pays homage to Uncle Shi Shi."
"Oh?" Shi Jizhi had obviously heard of his name and couldn't help but asked in surprise: "Are you Gongming's brother's son?"
"My father is Zhao Gongming." Zhao Hao twitched the corner of his mouth again, wondering why his grandfather would give his father such a name.
With the name of a God of Wealth, he is the first to spend money.
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