Wei Hongji said: "Your Highness, if you don't hesitate to open a new river on the Renmen Peninsula, it is okay to spare manpower and material resources, but the two islands of Shenmen and Ghost Gate will never work. You see, although the water current on the Renmen Peninsula is fast, you can still operate boats. However, the two islands of Onimon and Shenmen are facing the center of the river, and the current is even more turbulent. Even if a new river can be opened, after the middle is dug in the middle, it will have to be dug through. If you want to dig through, you must fill both ends with mud bags. The Renmen Peninsula is reluctantly done, but the water in the upper reaches of Shenmen and Guimen Island is turbulent, and there are swirling waters in the downstream......"

The latter is not said, and even the mud bag can't be put down, so let the people dive into the water and chisel with an axe and a chisel to open up the river?

Li Wei shook his head and said, "Wei Shaoqing, this is wrong. The peninsula may not be so easy, and the new river of gods and ghosts may not be so difficult. If you want to navigate, you must dig deep, and the two islands of gods and ghosts are just dredged, and the depths are different, and they are not hindered. ”

In this way, a new problem arises, how to build a dam in the middle of the rapids to block the flow of water. Of course, it is easier to dig through the embankment, as long as the upstream embankment is dug a hole, and the rapids rush, the two embankments will collapse immediately, and all the silt and stones will be immediately washed downstream by the river. If you want to control Danshui, I am afraid that this problem will also appear, but Danshui is not like the flow of the Yellow River, which can be compensated for in other ways. If this problem can be solved in the three gates, and put it in Danshui, it can also be solved.

Wei Hongji was silent, digging the new river is navigable in the final analysis. Of course, being able to dig three more rivers on the island of gods and ghosts and ghosts basically solves most of the problems of navigation and fiber pulling, and it can also be said to be a success. Navigation is safer, and the pressure on the Shaanzhou porters is also reduced. But navigation is the main thing, and going around is for Cao Yun, without Cao Yun, there would not be so many things. If you want to be truly navigable, you can't dig shallow. When the water is too shallow, there is no problem with navigation, but when the water is dry, there is no way to navigate. The water of the Yellow River is large and the water is small, and the difference between this drop alone is nearly two zhang. Then the navigable depth may have to be dug at least three zhang deep. With this depth combined with the height of the surface, how deep will this new river be dug? That alone is a headache. It can't be too narrow, not to say that the ships meet, it's too narrow, because it's a straight line, and the water of the human gate will divide out most of it, leading to the new river, and the water will be as turbulent as the Shenmen, and there is still danger in manipulating the boat. Therefore, this width should be kept at least three zhang. Regardless of the project, the waterproof embankment built outside must be built in the middle of the gate, enclosing a half-moon shape, with a length of at least 10 zhang. Half of them are likely to be in the rapids of the main road.

The more I thought about it, the more I felt that this matter was unrealizable, and I said three times in a row: "It's difficult!" Difficult! Difficult! ”

Li Wei didn't make a sound, it would definitely be difficult, otherwise the problem would not have dragged on until now, waiting for himself to solve it.

A thousand thoughts swirled in his mind, and he thought about the corrosion method, and then shook his head. I also thought about the pressure explosion method, that is, digging a pit, filling it with water, covering it with wooden boards, and then pouring molten iron to seal it. Dig a pit and burn it below, using the pressure of water vapor to crack the boulder. However, after thinking about it, the final result is that most of the results are either cracked with thin stones from the bottom of the burning pit, or the upper cover is squeezed open, and there is still nothing that can be done about the overall boulder. Again, this approach is rejected.

But I must be unwilling in my heart, as a modern person, not to mention how much knowledge I have, I always know more scientific principles than people of this era. And to gather the strength of the whole country, is there really no way? Just looking at the plank road in contemplation, a ship came trembling again, and the slender man was shouting the trumpet, bending his waist, and pulling the fiber hard. At that time, when this plank road was built, there was also a simple scientific principle, using the mountain to find the protruding cliffs, and then digging out concave pits, and the hollow places in the middle were paved with wooden planks. It's not all in the air, and the accident rate is higher that way. Therefore, the height is uneven, and from time to time the figure of the slender man does not enter the concave cliff, as if a huge mouth swallows these slender men.

So he said: "Even if it's difficult, you have to find a way." Something eternal, in one fell swoop! ”

After finishing speaking, he left, and visited the nearby villages. It was getting late, and I returned to Shaanzhou. As soon as he entered Shaanzhou City, a government official sent a report to the palace. It was Yan Liben who found the relevant Danshui information for Li Wei and sent it to Shaanzhou by fast horse.

This piece of information is very unpopular, which also shows that Yan Liben is attentive. Of course, it's not that Liu Renliang doesn't care, but it's a layman who can't help if he wants to.

Li Wei opened it and saw that it was mostly picture books, and then there was a paragraph that attracted him.

It was still a matter of the Western Han Dynasty, when tens of thousands of people died in the Great Si Nong, and a Chang'an Cao Canal dug by Xu Bodu, a hydraulic engineer. Three years to become, this canal is as long as 300 miles, at the beginning of the Ba water as the source, and in the southwest of Xijing to dig the Kunming pool, both can train the water army, and can pass the boat. After the pond is completed, the water is diverted to the east, which is called the Kunming Canal. As a result, Bashui is divided into two, one is injected into Weishui in the north, and the other is cut off from the Bahe River, which is connected with the Cao Canal leading to the Yellow River. However, after the death of the Han Dynasty, when the Kunming Pond was empty in the Northern Wei Dynasty, and after the Cao Canal arrived in the Tang Dynasty, it was also used as a time and a time, only for irrigation.

Then in the sixth year of Wude (623), Ning Min Yan Chang opened a canal to lead the southern mountains and rivers into the capital. This Nanshan water includes the Bashui that originates from Shangluo Muhuguan in Shangzhou and flows through the Lantian Valley, and the Copper Valley, Light Valley, Rim Valley, Lanxi Zhushui and Goufang River that merge with Bashui. After the confluence of several waters, the water is so powerful that ships can also move. Yan Chang opened a canal into Beijing, that is, he wanted to change the connection between Shangzhou and the capital from land transportation to water transportation. It can also be irrigated. Of course, he didn't think about connecting with Danshui and communicating with Jing Chu. And because of the difficulty of the project, there was not so much urgent need at that time, so the canal reached Shimen Valley, and there was a spring gushing out, and then the work was stopped.

The others did not say.

Li Wei immediately brought the atlas, looked at the map, and suddenly understood Yan Liben's intentions.

Let's see if Li Wei has the ability to open a canal without hurting the people and with the country's only finances. If there is, even lead Danshui directly, from the west of Shangzhou out of the mountain, and then lead the Nanshan Zhushui, and the Bashui confluence, out of Shimen Valley, Dacangguan, through Lantian, to Chang'an. Moreover, after arriving at Bashui, there is the old site of the Han Dynasty relic canal, which can be dredged, deepened and widened. However, the difficulty seems to be not less difficult than that of Sanmenxia, and there are many mountains along the way, such as Nanshan Mountain and Shanglu Mountain. Although it is said that there are valleys and river valleys, in order to connect, even some small mountains have to be carved apart, and it is hundreds of times more difficult to really split mountains and build roads and water roads.

Therefore, Yan Liben only wrote about this old story, and then said nothing.

Li Wei handed it to Wei Hongji again, but Wei Hongji remained silent.

The prince brought him here, and there was no doubt that once the construction was carried out, he would be the main commander. It is a matter of luck, and once it succeeds, the merit is no less than military merit. For example, from Dan to Beijing, this new canal has made a great contribution to the Guanzhong Cao Games. Of course, the main transport is still the Yellow River. At least 2,000 stone ships can be navigated, and when the water is large, there are even 5,000 or 6,000 stone ships entering Beijing. The new Danshui Canal, no matter how it is repaired, will compensate the whole country, and it will be impossible to navigate thousands of stone ships through the Qinling Mountains and other mountains. Therefore, only one auxiliary canal can be made.

But even if an auxiliary canal is successful, the credit is also great, like the year before last, if this auxiliary canal was completed, Guanzhong would not starve all over the field. Moreover, this new canal can even radiate to the Xiangliu River Basin, and the impact on the entire country will not be small.

Qinshan is also separated from the whole country, divided into north and south, north and south are two systems, and the weather is different. It is impossible that the north of the ridge is dry, and the ridge is also arid. In fact, after the Qinling Mountains, going south is equivalent to the south, and there are few arid climates, but there are often waterlogging. The repair of this new canal is equivalent to preparing a large warehouse for the country. It's a real deal.

However, it may be more difficult, and the country's financial resources are limited, because the heart is worried and cannot move enough.

looked at it and said, "I still have to see it for myself." ”

Li Wei nodded, called another guard, and said, "You immediately return to the capital and let Zou Fengchi, a businessman in the capital, go to Shangzhou and wait for orphans." ”

The year before last, merchants were encouraged to transport grain into Guanzhong, and Zou Fengchi was rich, so he made a lot of efforts. So I got a baron who didn't feel any pain. But under the opposition of many great Confucians, after getting this title, people despised it even more. Several merchants who received the knighthood were unhappy.

Li Wei also heard about it, and just sighed in his heart. If you don't let these Confucians succeed, you will succeed. In the future, if the country has something to do, it will be very difficult to mobilize businessmen to contribute money and efforts. However, when Zou Fengchi transferred grain at that time, he entered the merchant from Danshui and entered Beijing from Shangzhou. You should be familiar with this path.

The next day, he left Shaanzhou and went straight to Shangzhou, not to Shangzhou City, but to go around the upper reaches of Luoshui and Danshui. If you want to navigate, you must increase the water source, and the Zhengdang Canal is a principle, and the Zhengdang Canal is also how many water sources are converging to strengthen the Zhengdang Canal. But it's not that simple, attracting water sources has definitely increased the water level. However, these water sources are all in the upper reaches of the Qinling Mountains, and there is no water when the water is dry, and the water is huge when the water rises, and there are even flash floods from time to time. If a flash flood breaks out in one water source, what power will several water sources have? The voyage was not even thought about, and even many of the crops downstream were submerged. Therefore, the original dam will also be built. The flood water is discharged through the sluices.

And what about the irrigation of farmland downstream of the old road after the water source is cut off?

This is not a big deal, on the map, these water flows are not far away, but in fact, they are far away, even if they are not far, separated by a few mountains, and there are no valleys to connect them, so I can only look at the ocean and sigh. Therefore, a field trip is required.

After four or five days in the mountains, we arrived in Shangzhou.

Zou Fengchi was already waiting, a fat and fat rich businessman.

After he gave the salute, Li Wei asked him to sit down and ask about Danshui.

Zou Fengchi replied: "The freight rate is too expensive. ”

"Tell me."

"Danshui shallow water risk. The ship was loaded with grain from Chuzhou and transported to the Danshui estuary by sailboat, because the water was shallow and rapid, so it had to change the small loach boat into the Xiaojiang estuary, and to Caoqiao Pass (Bauhinia Pass) because the water was smaller, so it could only be replaced with a flat boat and propped up to Longju Village with a penny. Then it was transported to Beijing by mule and horse. Several times of load change, the freight is high, and the loss is also heavy. There is also the Danshui Fairway that has been forgotten for a long time, and even the loach boats are very few in number. There are many boats in Hanshui, but after arriving in Danshui, I have to wait. But this is the first step, after the loach boat is loaded to the Longju Village, the number of flatbed ships is smaller, and the loading is very small, each ship is less than 100 stones. The subjects had to make their own boats. However, most of them are mountain people, who are not good at water and boat, and go to the capital to hire people, and they are not familiar with this place. So the boat often overturned the goods, but fortunately, although the water was urgent, it was shallow, and not many people drowned. ”

Speaking of this, he frowned.

At that time, it was very simple in the palace, the price of grain in Guanzhong was high, and because there was no drought, the Weishui was even shallower, and the rice of Jianghuai could not be transported to the capital, and there was a huge price difference in the middle, and you could make money and even make a name for yourself. It seems like this, and because of the palace banquet and the desire to get in touch with the government, various businessmen have been thinking and meditating. Some transported grain from Luliang Mountain, and some transported grain from Bashu, but some people saw this waterway. It is very convenient, and the land of Jingchu, as well as the Xiangjiang River basin to the south, is also an important place for grain production. Many businessmen poured in. Of course, this made Li Wei think of Dan Shui Dao and open his mind.

It's good at the beginning, the price difference is large, and you can get a good reputation. However, later, the influx of grain increased, which was far from what Danshui shipping could afford, and the price of grain fell day by day, so the high price of the boat wanted to be urgently transferred to the capital to deal with it, and the cost of freight soared again. In fact, later, not only did it not make money, but it began to lose money slightly, but the grain had already arrived at Caoqiao Pass, and it was impossible to transport it back. I had no choice but to bite the nail on and continue to transport to the capital. In fact, the year before last, merchants transported grain, but later, many people lost money.

But after losing money and doing good deeds, he did not gain a good reputation, so many businessmen were frustrated.

Li Wei didn't listen to his business experience, continued to inquire about Danshui's situation, talked for a while, comforted a few words, and politely sent him away. After a day of rest, I transferred to Caoqiao Pass. It's not without benefits, the year before last, many businessmen also saw this path. Now shipping is slightly more developed than in previous years, and grain transportation is no longer daring, and the grain price in Guanzhong is not enough to transport freight from Caoqiao Pass to the capital. However, slightly valuable materials such as fur, tung oil, lacquer, fungus, walnuts, and medicinal materials in Guanzhong can be transported to Chuzhou and Ezhou by this way, and tea, silk, and cloth from the downstream can be transported to the capital by this way.

The small Caoqiao Pass was originally just a small market town like a village, but after this change, many merchants from the north and south came to prosper. Li Wei didn't reveal his identity, so he didn't even find an inn, and it was all full.

I looked at it again, and the houses in the market town were different from those in the capital, and many of them were stilted buildings, as if they had arrived in some places in Nanzhao. However, he did not come to travel, but to check the river, and when he arrived at Caoqiao Pass, the river began to be wide, but the upstream water level was still miserable. Even some sections of the river, rolled up their trouser legs, waded through the water.

Wei Hongji asked the stonemason to test the solidity of the riverbed rock, but it was not all solid stone, and some sections also had limestone. But it's not all limestone, it's granite, it's also very hard. Wei Hongji frowned again. If you want to repair Danshui, the amount of work is huge, more than 800 miles long, and the dangerous shoals downstream must be removed, and at the same time, they must be deepened and widened. Although it is said that it is only a slight repair of the original river, it will have to be overhauled since the grass bridge is closed. At least let this loach boat in Danshui sail to Longju Village and even Shangzhou. From Shangzhou to Bashui, flatbed ships are used to complement each other with land transportation.

It can be repaired, it is not like three gates, there is a big river and natural danger, it is not possible to use people, how many people are forced to pile up, and how many people are allowed to drown in the river. However, the huge amount of work was not allowed by the national strength of the Tang Dynasty. He said angrily: "Your Highness, in the past few days, the ministers have turned around, but there is a strategy, to break the Han River to the mountain, dig the mountain channel Yishui, and connect the Han Danyi Sanshui to the Eastern Capital." ”

Li Wei knew that he was talking the opposite, so he was happy and said, "It's not impossible, but you have to eat one bite at a time." ”

Wei Hongji was even more depressed, could the prince be tempted again?

I went around downstream again and returned to the capital.

As soon as he arrived in the capital, he was called to Daming Palace.

Li Zhi's condition improved slightly, but his spirit was still very sluggish, and he asked in the first sentence: "Hong'er, you want to build two canals, although the intention is good, but I ask you, where does the finance come from?" ”

That is, where does the money come from. In fact, Wei Hongji was also wondering, he couldn't think of a good way, he basically couldn't fix it, he came up with a good way, the cost was huge, where did the prince get the money?