Just when the troops under the city of Hangzhou were in full swing, Zhou Huai'an was walking in the powdery spring rain, strolling with a green oil umbrella to visit the ancient city of Gusu that had changed hands.

This is a typical city in the south of the Yangtze River built on the water, the city of Da Luo (Wai Guo) is in the shape of "Ya", its city is twelve miles long from north to south, nine miles from east to west, and there are three horizontal and four straight rivers in the city.

It is also accompanied by the waterways and alleys that are densely covered like spider webs, and it is known as the unique water town of "waterways everywhere, open the window to see the river", "only see the boat but not the car", and "sail like a horse".

As a generation of veteran drivers and big players, Bai Letian has a poem "Nine-day Banquet Collection of Drunken Title County Building and Presentation of Zhou Yin Er Judge" has been specifically described as: "The waterway veins are divided into rows, and the Lilu chess Putra book is square." "There are many pavilions in the water country, and Wu Fengshang orchestrates. There is wine in every house, and there is no boat everywhere. ”

Moreover, there are few changes here, and it still maintains the city with a large pattern inherited from the Spring and Autumn Wu Kingdom, known as the ancient double chessboard pattern of "parallel water and land, adjacent rivers and streets".

During this period, there were more than 300 large and small bridges alone, and almost every bridge had a corresponding purpose of commercial establishment. Outside the gate of the ancient city of Wuyue, which is three inside and twelve outside, there are small markets and morning markets of various categories.

Because there is a relatively complete water system in the city, water transportation is developed. Therefore, there are more than 300 ports (wharves) in the city, and people come and go by boats. The so-called "smoke and water Wu Du Guo, the door frame blue stream." Green poplar deep and shallow lanes, Qinghan back and forth boats. ”

And all this seems to have gone through thousands of years of time, so that every brick and stone here seems to have its own allusions and imprints, and every grass and tree has its own soul and mood.

Therefore, although there are no famous gardens in later generations, the delicate and neat scattered between the river lanes and water waves, the black tile and gray walls of various private houses, and the long tiles with eaves still make people feel the elegance and leisure.

And the crying finches in the nests under the eaves of countless rain-soaked houses, as well as the brisk clatter of rainwater flowing along the tiles and alcoves, make this city that has become silent because of the new occupiers show the comfort and vitality that infiltrates people's hearts.

If it weren't for the light rain, it would be the best portrayal and appropriate time for the poem "Withered vines and old trees and crows, small bridges and flowing water".

It's a pity that there is still a lack of the beautiful figure of the Jiangnan woman walking in the rain, the endless canopy and paddle in the river, and the laughter and laughter under the porch and behind the window.

You must know that as early as the thirteenth year of the Great Calendar (778), Suzhou has been promoted to the only Xiongzhou in the south of the Yangtze River. (Tang Prefecture is divided into seven classes, and "Xiongzhou" is the second class), because it is rich in tea cakes and silk fabrics, which are important national income items.

The former can provide tea tax that is comparable to the monopoly of salt tax among the financial income outside the two tax laws of the imperial court; The latter is the first choice for the bulk currency throughout the entire era of the Tang Dynasty.

Therefore, in the continuous neighborhoods inside and outside the ancient city of Gusu, the most indispensable thing is the loom and tea mill of every household.

The fifteen water and land city gates bring together products from all over Jiangdong and become an important distribution center in the region.

And because Suzhou is adjacent to Taihu Lake in the west and south, surrounded by the sea in the east and north, there are canals, Songjiang River, rivers are vertical and horizontal, and lakes are dense, so people's daily life is closely related to ships, and inland river shipbuilding is also particularly developed.

The Wu ship, represented by the Suzhou ship, is known for its lightness and sturdiness. Carrying goods along the water can sail all the way to Tongguan, Du Mu once had a poem saying: "Tongguan knows the old officials, and the hair has been like silk." But he called Wu to cross, and the boatmen scrambled to know. ”

There is also the liquor industry represented by Suzhou Wujiu, the weaving industry represented by Pu shoes and pu mats, and the hardware industry represented by the gold bank.

Therefore, Suzhou is known in this dynasty as "the name of the ten hopes, the land number is six male, seven counties and eight gates, all are connected to waterways, more than 300 alleys of the county, 60 ancient squares in Wu and Chang counties, more than 300 Hongqiao, the land is wide and the people are rich".

In the first year of Tianbao alone, there were 76,421 households in Suzhou and 632,650 mouths. In the first year of Baoli (825), Bai Juyi left many poems when he served as the assassin of Suzhou:

Sentences such as "100,000 households in the territory, 5,000 soldiers", "100,000 husbands' families are taxed, and 5,000 children guard the frontier", "a family of 50 people, 100,000 households in one county" and so on.

In the late Tang Dynasty, the Central Plains was in turmoil, and Suzhou became the place where the northerners invested the most; The history is called "and the end of the Tang Dynasty, Huang Chao reversed, the Son of Heaven went to Shu, and Toast Ben Wu was a sea of people." ”

So far, the edition has been "one hundred and ninety-four townships, one hundred and forty-three thousand two hundred and sixty-one households, and sixty-nine thousand two hundred and eighty-five yuan and seventy-six texts for taxes, tea, tobacco and alcohol." ”

Therefore, even in the turmoil in Jiangdong at the end of this dynasty, relying on the heritage of Suzhou itself, it was able to maintain a full five local separatist forces. The smallest one is also known as the winner of tens of thousands.

Of course, in the face of the prepared Taiping Army, the resistance will and combat effectiveness of these local Tutu, township soldiers, and town (garrison) troops in Suzhou are only slightly better than rookies pecking each other.

Therefore, after the disappearance of the original coastal soldiers and horses, the Jinwu general Zhang Quan; The more than 1,000 old troops he left in the local area actually relied on the fierceness of the most capable to fight to occupy the two counties of Changzhou and Jiaxing, which have the largest household registration, and have become the largest force in the local area.

As a result, the Taiping captured and captured Suzhou one after another, and the specific capture was only a few thousand, but in the end, the remnants of the seven counties resisted, and the total number of prisoners who needed to be managed reached more than 30,000.

Now, the whole territory of Suzhou represented by this city is already its own; There is no need to embark on another historical line, after decades of killing in the southeast at the end of the Tang Dynasty, and finally burned into ruins and rebuilt the fate of life and gathering.

This is a large city in Jiangdong with a population of more than one million, and there are more than 100,000 craftsmen from all walks of life and their related apprentices and laborers in the city. Not to mention the proportion of the population that was educated and able to read and write.

Even after the dispersal of the war, as long as such a large amount of human resources is properly sorted out and mobilized, it is enough to significantly increase the strength of the Taiping Army. This is all an adult population except slaves and maids.

In addition, it is also recorded in the "Anthology of Quan Zai" of Quan Deyu in the former dynasty: "Wu Shiju County, there are many crops in the field, floating and imposting, officials are forbidden or chi, accounting for the number of famous people, and the household version is uneven." "That is, a large number of people are hidden in the countryside.

In addition, the natural foundation of the local shipbuilding industry can be used to produce vehicles and ships as long as it is slightly transformed and adjusted, and the water transportation and shipbuilding industry in Lingdong and Jingnan form a triangular echo trend through waterways.

Thinking of this, Zhou Huai'an couldn't help but smile sincerely.

"I don't know what the Governor rejoices about."

Lu Guangwei, a local scholar in Suzhou, who was accompanying him, couldn't help but say.

"It's okay, it's just that I think of some arrangements for people with household registration in Suzhou."

Zhou Huaian waved his hand.

"The Metropolitan Governor has really worked hard for the people."

He is the author of the just-completed local chronicle "Wu Di Ji", and he can also be regarded as the distant nephew of the Metropolitan Governor's Mansion Cangcao Zuo Juan Tortoise Meng. It happens to belong to a very small number of professional people who are authorized by the Taiping Army to recruit and inspect exceptionally.

Therefore, whether it is for the sake of his family or for his own plans, Lu Guangwei carefully grasped this opportunity to explain in the rain, and continued to introduce:

"This is the Gao Bridge, which was built to commemorate Cao Wanggao, who made many great achievements in the southeast during the period from Qianyuan to Zhenyuan."

Zhou Huai'an nodded, this Cao Wang Li Gao is a model of ancient engineering men, and the water wheels and boats used by the Taiping Army are his first creation.

This is the Wu Que Bridge, it is said that it was built at the same time as the Wu capital Lu City in the Spring and Autumn Period, so there is a Wu Que Hall next to the bridge and got its name, which is the crown of the stone bridge in the city. Later, some people attached the magpie bridge of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, and it was a visit by men and women for many years on the occasion of the Chinese Valentine's Day. ”

Zhou Huai'an suddenly felt in his heart, isn't this just like Christmas in later generations, it has evolved into a corresponding unrecognizable dating holy land.

"This is the fish bridge, the county Ding Fahai and Qin Gao are friendly and secluded, but they saw the big carp on the side of the bridge, and flew through the air together. The world is a wonder. ”

Zhou Huai'an sighed, it is really the truth of a good friend for a lifetime. Liu An, the king of Huainan, is a person who has attained the Tao of chicken and dog to ascend to heaven, and good friends here ride fish and ascend to immortality together.

This is the Zhide Bridge, which is named after the temple of Taibo, the eldest son of the ancient father-in-law (King Tai of Zhou). It was built by the Eastern Han Dynasty Yongxing two years (AD 154) Wu County Taishou Mi Leopard. ”

This is the Zhili Bridge, which was built in the Spring and Autumn Period, and the bridge site is where the Wuwang Zhili is located, so it is called "Zhili Bridge". ”

"The Duting Bridge is here, so it is rumored that Wu Wang Shoumeng tasted this as a Duting to recruit wise men."

"This is the White Old Bridge, which was built by Lotte Jushi and Shiraoshi when he was in office."

"This is Zhan Tai Lake, (Kong) the sage disciple Zhan Tai extinguished the Ming, the word Ziyu, with the old house sinking into the lake, and there is a well-dressed mound standing on the side."

Zhou Huai read with peace of mind, isn't this the protagonist of the allusion to judging people by their appearance and losing their son Yu.

It's just that when Zhou Huai'an, who was touring in Suzhou City, suddenly received an urgent report on the water and land for 300 miles in the rear, he couldn't help but snort and squirted out the sip of tea he had just drunk.

In Chang'an City, Huang Chao, who was already seriously ill, came out again to show up as a director, and it was just a whim to posthumously seal a bunch of official positions for himself, but in the end, the title of county king made people really complain.

It is actually the king of Hailing, although there is a Hailing County on the other side of the river. But I can't help but think of the strange character in the historical legend who loves to eat the whole family bucket, gave people a wave of achievements as the emperor, and was also made into a lascivious and misguided country and lost his life.

Is this a sign that he has some kind of unscrupulous future? Fortunately, he didn't lose his temper for long, and received the latest news from Hangzhou in the south.

"Chai (Ping) Lang in front will report that the advance army has concentrated the firearms of the team and blasted through the Yuhang Gate in the northwest corner of Hangzhou Prefecture.