Wang Dehua was about to continue to ask, the Chinese army outside the door came in to ask for instructions, it was already the time to hold the lamp, and the reception banquet prepared for the messenger was ready, could the banquet be held?

"The officials and generals in Wuyang City will wash the dust for the angels, and they hope that the father-in-law will appreciate the light."

The banquet was placed on the Yuexiu floor, and when the wooden lattice window was opened, you could watch the lights of thousands of homes in Guangzhou City. The prince wears a gold-inlaid three-mountain hat, a collar brocade robe, a delicate white jade belt tied around his waist, and a pair of civil and military soap boots under his feet.

The lights outside the window reflect the bright starlight in the sky, the whole city of Guangzhou is faintly visible in the night, and the sail shadow and fishing fire on the Pearl River flicker, Wang Dehua can't help but praise: "Guangzhou, what a wonderful place!" ”

"My father-in-law has never seen the scenery of Hejing, Hue and other places in the south of the country, which can be regarded as a blessed land." Jiang Yihong has gotten rid of his tangled emotions, and he has found a reason for himself to stay in Guangdong, "This Guangdong political envoy is still an official of the imperial court, not a subordinate of Governor Li. Staying in Lingnan administration, you can show what you have learned in your life, isn't it also happy?! ”

"Oh? Please also ask for some advice. ”

Jiang Yihong was about to talk about what he had seen and heard in Nanzhong, when the banquet officer on the side came over to invite the adults to the table. According to the number of honorable courtesies, the officials gave up their seats. Wang Dehua's father-in-law naturally sat in the chief position as the messenger, and Jiang Yihong, as the host of Guangdong, sat down on the main seat. And Li Huayu, Liao Dongzhi, Liang Kuan, Wu Liuqi and Wu Biao and others sat in the main and guest seats. The rest of the officials sat on either side.

In the late Ming Dynasty, with the development of the economy, the whole society was the emergence of extravagance and abnormal atmosphere, some people recorded in the notes: "Today's rich family, the treasure of the poor mountain, the fault of exhausting the water, the oyster house in the south, the bear's paw in the north, the scorching of the East China Sea, the mare's milk in the Western Regions, the so-called rich people of the four seas in the past." The cost of a feast. I can't do it with all the property of the family. ”

And this banquet for the messenger to catch the wind naturally can't be bad. Wang Dehua prides himself on being the eunuch who holds the seal of the celebrant and has experienced countless big scenes. But. I saw the scene of catching the wind for him today. I couldn't help but be a little surprised.

On the table is a complete set of gold mats, from spoons to plates, wine utensils are made of fine red gold, and a pair of chopsticks inlaid with gold teeth are neatly placed on the right hand side. A striking fruit tart was carefully placed in the center of the table by the servants. lest the fruit on it accidentally roll down and ruin the fruits of everyone's labor for half a day.

In the middle of winter, the fruit tower is piled up on the banquet, and this kind of style can only be done in this Guangzhou City. In the interior of the Ming Dynasty, it is known as the rich Songjiang Mansion, the home of the gentry, when encountering a happy birthday or banquet official, "between a table, water and land delicacies, up to dozens of products." That is, the home of the scholars and the Chinese, the new relatives are strict, and there are as many as twenty or thirty products, and if there are more than ten products, it is an ordinary meeting. However, the fruit is painted with wood and the fruit mountain is like a floating slaughter, the vegetable is added with a small porcelain plate, and the sketch is used in a box. All of them are raised with wood paint, and they are just suitable. ”

"Eat 300 lychees a day, and don't hesitate to be a Lingnan person." Wang Gonggong took a lychee and gently peeled it, letting the sweet juice spread in his mouth, carefully enjoying the allure of this fruit that had almost destroyed the Tang Dynasty.

The servants lit the lights on the hall, and in an instant, the entire Yuexiu upstairs was brightly lit, and the soft and warm dim yellow light was everywhere.

The dinner began.

In order to entertain the prince and his party, the Nanzhong army can be described as painstaking. Don't say that the banquet of the prince and the prince is the accompanying soldiers of the Shenji Battalion and the 3,000 Battalion, and they are all four dishes of vegetables and fruits, four plates of cold dishes, and four bowls of rice: one Ou'er filtered roast duck, one Ou'er crystal hooves, one Ou'er white fried pork, and one Ou'er fried kidney. The backward is the blue and white porcelain plate inside and outside, containing a fired fragrant sea fish, and dozens of jars of roasted yellow wine are stacked in the open space for the soldiers to drink at will.

And upstairs in Yuexiu, it is the specification of five cuts and three soups.

Roast goose, roast suckling pig, roast deer, brocade wrapped sheep, when each dish comes up, there are cooks who kneel down in front of the Qincha to show the adults where this dish comes from.

For a time, the ducks and geese from Ha Jing, the grass deer from Taiwan, the Hai Lao from Fusang, and the roast pig from Siam were dazzling.

After five cuts, there are three sweet soups, and it is even more delicious to eat Wang Dazhang's eyebrows and smile. After this ceremony, someone arranged a play to come up, and asked the adults to order the play, but the prince couldn't refuse, so he first ordered a full bed wat, it was Guo Ziyi's birthday, seven sons and eight sons-in-law arrived, and the joy was boundless.

At this time, the first wave of the feast began. In the babbling tunes of the actors, the officials got up one after another to toast to the prince, reported their official names and resumes, and recited the words in their mouths, "For the birthday of the son of heaven, for the birthday of the father-in-law!" ”

In this way, it is impossible not to drink this wine. Fortunately, the officials did not dare to pull their ears to toast, and the prince also coped with it. At this time, it depends on the cooks. Water and land delicacies, as many as dozens of dishes and dim sum have been sent up one by one. Seeing it, the prince couldn't help but smack his tongue secretly......

In addition to the extravagance of the dishes, the food also has beautiful utensils, and the elegance of the utensils goes without saying. Even the variety of liquor is also diverse. In the mainland, it is common to see jasmine pear wine, Muxi lotus wine, and river sake. Not to mention bamboo leaf sake, chrysanthemum wine and other liquors, there is also Nanzhong's own soju, the entrance is like a fire burning in the mouth, "This wine must be worthy of the warriors in the army, and our family can't afford it." ”

Wang Dehua ordered someone to give a pot of soju to Liao Dongzhi, Wu Liuqi, and Wu Biao, only to see Wu Liao and the others get up and refuse, claiming that they would patrol the camp at night, and they would not dare to drink alcohol if they had military discipline, so as not to make a mistake. Only Wu Biao left his seat and kowtowed to Wang Dehua's side to thank him.

"Master Jiang, please explain how this Nanzhong is a blessed land?"

"Hah! Father-in-law, you are going to Nanzhong to meet the general anyway, this Nanzhong scene. At that time, he will have a full view, and the lower official said at this time, it is inevitable that there is a feeling of drying clothes on flowers, boiling cranes and burning pianos. ”

"Huh! That's not right! Whether it is Nanzhong or Guangdong, they are all my Ming territory, so why do they divide each other? I hope you tell me the truth! ”

"Then, the lower official will check a few things and talk about them, and I hope my father-in-law will forgive me if there is anything inappropriate. What does my father-in-law think about the roads in Guangdong Province and the surrounding prefectures, prefectures and counties? ”

"We've seen it all the way here. Thoroughfares are everywhere. It is convenient for military and civilian people to come and go. As the saying goes, things flow smoothly, and people benefit their actions. ”

"It's not a secret, if my father-in-law returns from Nanzhong, then look at the roads in Guangdong. It is necessary to have a sense of crampedness and simplicity. ”

This is the case. Hearing this, Wang Dehua couldn't help but gasp.

The boat entered the Pearl River. He looked at the scenery on both sides of the ship from the side of the ship, and the sound of envy kept ringing. Compared with the inland towns full of displaced people, beggars are full of streets. The situation in Guangdong is like a scene of peace and prosperity. There are no homeless people or beggars, not even idlers, and everywhere you look, there is a lot of construction and busy people.

In the crowd, there were not only Cantonese people wearing hats and black trousers, but also a large number of barefoot and bald people with bald hair on their heads who were busy repairing roads, repairing farmland, and building water conservancy under the leadership of their respective leaders. Although people are covered in mud and sweat, they have smiles on their faces and are full of hope for the future, and the various slang songs and ballads that come from time to time show that they are very different from the numbness and helplessness of the people in the mainland when they are struggling with life and death.

In particular, the road that seemed to have no end in sight, the wide and flat road could accommodate three or four carriages galloping side by side, and the sound of horses' hooves and wheels was like thunder.

As the chief eunuch of the celebrant eunuch, he has dabbled in the inscriptions of official documents everywhere, and knows that building roads and digging rivers consumes a lot of people's power. Not to mention anything else, in addition to building roads, in addition to a large number of people, a large amount of wood and stone, a large amount of grain and silver money are needed. Around Guangzhou, although there are no high mountains and dangers, but the rivers are vertical and horizontal, if you want to build a bridge, you have to consume a large number of stones.

Lumbermills, quarries, these are built at a cost of a lot of money. This hand, Shouhan also proposed to the bigwigs and the emperor himself in the capital that year, suggesting that the imperial court implement cash-for-work in the Gyeonggi area, build roads, dig rivers, and build cities, so that those displaced people have a place to find a bite to eat, so that they do not take risks. However, the treasury of the central government was empty, and it was implemented for a period of time, but the Tonghui River and the North Canal, Ziya River, Haihe River and other rivers were simply dredged, so that the ships connecting and transshipment of Nancao on the sea could directly enter Chaoyangmen. As for the road, if it is paved with the kind of ash road that Shouhan said, it will cost at least 200 taels of silver for one mile, and hundreds of thousands of silver for hundreds of miles from Nigu to Jingshi, which is simply paving the road with silver, how can this be made?

There was even an opportunity for Yu Shi to impeach Li Shouhan and accuse him of taking the opportunity to accumulate money.

(I was wronged!) Obviously, when I was in Nanzhong, I built a mile of road for only a few dozen yuan, how did it become two hundred taels of silver when I arrived in the capital? )

The matter ended in nothing.

I don't want to see such a scene again in Guangdong today. As if overnight, the entire Pearl River Delta has set off a climax of large-scale road construction. Coupled with the gathering of a large number of laborers and the constant flow of vehicles, they all show a vigorous vitality.

"Where are you going to build this road?"

"My father-in-law didn't know that my father's hand intend to rebuild the official road between Guangdong and Guangxi, and all the prefectures, prefectures, and counties should be connected by roads. The narrow places were widened, bridges were erected at the places where the rivers were blocked, and post stations were set up every fifty miles. ”

"Hiss."

It seemed to be a toothache, and Wang Dehua kept inhaling cold air.

"This is clearly a sign of the death of the country!" The first thought in Wang Dehua's mind was this.

At that time, Qin Shi Huang built Chi Road, Ling Canal, Great Wall, and Straight Road, although it played a great role in resisting foreign enemies and communicating between the north and the south, but it also consumed a lot of people's power.

Not to mention that Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty in later generations dug a canal and transported grain products from the south to the north, but because of this, the country died, and a canal was used as someone else's wedding dress in vain.

Although this move of defending the Han Dynasty made it impossible for the two Guangxi to be divided from now on, the transfer of officials, soldiers, and horses was convenient, and the movement of money, grain, and goods was convenient, and the displaced and hungry people everywhere were digested, so that they would not become bandits and plague the Quartet. However, the cost of this is huge, and it can be imagined.

"Master Li. O dry city of the country! ”

"But in this way, the cost is bound to be huge, and it is conceivable that it will consume a lot of manpower and material resources."

"Father-in-law doesn't have to worry too much, my father built a large number of roads in Nanzhong a few years ago, and used the smooth and convenient roads to deal with those who relied on the dangers of mountains and rivers to resist stubbornly. Compared with the military salaries and food spent on counterinsurgency and banditry, the money and food spent on building roads and bridges is only a drop in the bucket. ”

Today's dinner was an eye-opener for Wang Dehua, and for the first time he learned that it was possible to rely on big projects to suppress bandits. To quell civil riots, you can replace the army with a large construction project!

"If you want to get rich, build roads first." This is a quote of truth for future generations. After the development of agriculture and handicrafts, the manufacturing industry was developed. The problem is circulation. How to transport the grain, oil, and meat products produced in various places to various cities and towns to supply the industrial population and the army, and at the same time transport all kinds of industrial products produced in the cities to various places, and a large amount of timber and ore from the mountains and forests to all directions. Naturally, it is necessary to have a very smooth road.

And use a large number of national infrastructure to stimulate the economy. Create jobs. However, the effect was tested by the mustache and the most famous polio patient in history.

Those homeless and hungry people have nothing, but they have a handful of strength, and for them. Looking for a job that can make money, be able to eat rice and stew fish and meat from time to time, who will be stingy with effort?

In the road construction plan jointly formulated by the Shouhan and the officials of the two Guangzhous, the road connecting the two Guangxi was taken as the main line, and the road leading to Nanzhong was the main line, connecting Guangzhou and Guilin from east to west and from south to north, and then all the way to the Leizhou Peninsula on the line of Qinzhou and Lianzhou, boarding a ship at the southern end of the Leizhou Peninsula, or going to Qiongzhou Mansion, or to Hue, Jiulongjiang, Taiwan, Chai Stick, Chao Phraya River, etc., and even more distant Shizhou, Manraka, Tianzhu and other places. The other way is to cross the river from Guangxi and directly enter the Nanzhong region by land, and then be assigned to various tunpu for reclamation activities.

Moreover, due to the huge construction of the three roads, I was afraid that the construction would take several years and require a large number of wage laborers, not only the hungry and displaced people in the two provinces were absorbed, but in order to fill the labor gap, Shouhan also reluctantly transferred 300,000 Japanese laborers to build roads day and night. With the news that they had gone to Guangdong to build roads, they had food to eat and made money, and the displaced people all over Huguang and Jiangxi also began to vote with their feet, and they continued to pour into the Liangguang area.

After listening to such a grand plan, I couldn't help but feel a little stupid for Wang Dehua's father-in-law.

"Our family's mission is really not in vain, and being able to see such a magnificent thing can be regarded as the creation of our family."

If nothing else, it is only said that it can concentrate these millions of people on the construction site and ensure their food, clothing, and salaries, which is the same number as a sea every day.

Moreover, all the materials needed to build the road, wood, stone, and ash, all kinds of tools in the hands of the workers, all the metal components used to build the bridge, the construction of the houses in the workers' camping area, and the post stations that had to be built every fifty miles, made a large number of orders for the various workshops in Nanzhong.

Hejing manufacturing, Hejing metallurgy, and ash burning yard are not producing overtime day and night.

This large investment of Shouhan not only turned the gold and silver accumulated in the treasury into construction funds, but also provided another opportunity for rapid development of factories and mines everywhere. Even ordinary Shengdou Xiaomin also felt the changes brought to their lives by the construction of the Liangguang Road. The pigs raised in the pens, the fish raised in the fish ponds, the grain in the barns, and the rapeseed in the fields were all swallowed up by the huge black hole of road construction, leaving them with strings of Tongbao and pieces of silver dollars.

However, if such a big thing is running, if you can't say something and don't attract envy, then it's really a hell of a thing.

"Father-in-law, we found out."

In the very exquisite mansion arranged for Wang Dehua, the accompanying Jinyi Wei Baihu whispered to Wang Dehua about the results of the incident.

"Lord Li is in a hurry, so he rushed back to Nanzhong to deal with it."

"Where did you find out?"

Gently plucked the foam on the tea water with a tea cup as thin as a cicada's wings, and Wang Dehua took a sip very leisurely.

"The commander of the Chaomei Garrison Brigade, deputy general Wu Biao, thanked the court for the kindness of promotion and reuse, and revealed it to his subordinates and others!"

"What did he say?"

Wang Dehua was very satisfied with the work results of his subordinates, put down the teacup, and prepared to hear what happened to the Nanzhong Army, which made Li Shouhan rush back to Nanzhong in such a hurry that he didn't even accept the holy decree.

"The subordinates learned from Wu Biao that there should be two things that are bothering Lord Li now."

"Speak!"

"One thing is related to Mu Tianbo, the Duke of Qianguo. It is said that there are many lawbreakers in the Tusi of Yunnan, who often cross the river to encroach on the boundary of Nanzhong, and when the people of Xitong everywhere trade with Nanzhong, the merchants of Nanzhong are often bullied by Tusi. In the spring, Master Li once wrote to Mu Guogong, asking him to restrain his subordinates and settle down with each other. I don't want Mu Tianbo to have some shortcomings, and during the autumn harvest, Tusi crossed the river and looted, and was captured and killed by the Nanzhong army. The Guogong Mansion demanded that Lord Li hand over the generals who caused the accident and apologize. ”

"Smack!"

The sleeves of the prince's robe flicked and the tea cup was swept off.

"This guy! It's rude! It's just relying on the remnants of the ancestors, the world town of Yunnan. Can his Mu family have the merit of size and the Ming Dynasty in the past dynasties? ! ”

Wang Dehua's ass obviously sat on the side of Li Shouhan and Nanzhongjun.

"Our family will play tomorrow truthfully, and deal with this guy well!"

"There is one more thing, which is purely the internal affair of the South Central Army."

In order to meet the gunpowder consumption of 10,000 stone per month for the construction of the Liangguang Road, the gunpowder factory worked overtime day and night.

I don't want the workers to miss, the gunpowder workshop exploded, killing and wounding hundreds of people, and a mountain was cut off by the power of the gunpowder explosion!

"These two things forced Master Li to rush back to Nanzhong to make some arrangements!" (To be continued......)

PS: I wish you all a happy Dragon Boat Festival and Children's Day! In addition, at the end of the month, everyone's monthly pass should not be reluctant.