In the Heilongjiang and Songhua River basins, most of the indigenous boats are canoes.

Even when the Manchus first conquered the Daurs, they ordered the local tribes to provide a number of canoes to accompany the army. As the Manchus strengthened their control over the Songhua River basin, in order to facilitate the shipment of Dongzhu and mink skins, they finally built slightly larger ships, and the tribes in the Songhua River basin followed suit.

In two years, more than 100 ships were built in Andong Prefecture (Heilongjiang Division).

The Andong Naval Division was also organized and trained, and the officers and men were directly transferred from the post system, because many of the officers of the post system were officers and men of the Yangtze River Naval Division who had been dismissed. If the number of sailors is insufficient, the children of the Yangtze River sand people are recruited, who used to be between peasants and bandits, and have long developed a tradition of liking to hold groups and be fierce and aggressive.

From Tieling to Harbin, there are five land and water stations along the way.

From Harbin to Tongjiang, there are four waterway stations along the way.

From Tongjiang to Hailan Pao, there are three waterway stations along the way.

There are very few people in each post station, and there will be no more than ten people in the post post plus the post guards, and even counting the family members. Not to mention that the settling-in fee is sufficient, there are additional subsidies, and the further north you go, the higher the subsidy fee.

The post station also functions as a trading station, and those nearby tribes will send special products such as furs and Dongzhu. A small part belongs to tribute (disguised tax) and is to be handed over to the Anton Metropolitan Protectorate; Most of them belong to commodities, usually stationed at the post station, waiting for merchants to buy.

Don't look at the remote and bitter cold of Heilongjiang, but there are many people who are willing to do business.

They were all small-scale foot merchants, bringing cloth, tea, iron pots, grain and other commodities, which were transported to various post stations in exchange for furs and pearls. On the contrary, silver dollars and copper coins are not widely accepted for the time being, and the value of the currency can only be reflected after the population grows and the volume of trade increases.

The establishment of this post station and trading system quickly deepened the ties between the imperial court and the natives.

Merchants earned money, natives were able to obtain daily necessities, and the Metropolitan Protectorate collected a symbolic tax (in the form of tribute) by the way. Even the post keepers and post guards have a small amount of oil and water to fish, as long as they don't catch much, the Duhu Mansion will definitely turn a blind eye.

In the next few years, the post station system will continue to extend eastward, from the Tongjiang River to Sakhalin.

As long as the amount of tribute is not set too high, as long as the price of goods is not too ruthless, the various tribes in the northeast will not rebel. Even, whoever dares to attack the post station will inevitably become the target of the public, and that is the only way for the natives of all tribes to obtain materials from the Han land!

Zhang Tingxun set off with the grain transportation team, which was actually Anton's naval army.

The ships of the Anton Navy have a displacement of only 50-100 tons. The tonnage was much larger than that of the Cossack ships, but they did not run so fast, and the main task was to transport troops and grain and goods.

Under the readjustment of the imperial court, ships no longer measured their displacement in "material", but in "tons". Docks everywhere have tools for calculating displacement, and the most direct is Cao Chong's application of heavy objects like elephants.

And "ton" is a unit of weight named by the emperor himself and appeared out of thin air.

1 ton = 10 stone = 1000 jin = 16000 taels = 160000 money = 1600000 points.

It can be clearly seen that for the sake of statistical convenience, Emperor Zhao changed the "stone". In the past, 1 stone was equal to 120 catties, but now 1 stone has been changed to 100 catties, and the intermediate conversion unit "Jun" has been cancelled (1 stone is equal to 4 jun, and 1 jun is equal to 30 catties).

The decimal hexadecimal system of catty two conversion, Emperor Zhao also plans to change.

However, the change is too loud, the monetary system has to be adjusted, and the scales in the hands of the people must also be replaced. Faced with opposition from the government and the opposition, Emperor Zhao could only choose to compromise.

At night, the fleet stopped at the post station.

The wharf was very rudimentary, so I leveled the ground and erected some planks by the river.

The inn was even more rudimentary, with low houses full of rammed earth. The walls are filled with dead grass, and the roof is covered with dead grass to protect against the cold in winter.

This kind of simple earthen house was built with the help of the soldiers, and it was not enough for the people at the post station alone.

At the beginning of the great cause, everything is simple.

The post man came out with the post guards to greet them, they were not able to provide food, they just came out to say hello.

A few sacks of grain were carried down, and Yi Cheng was very happy, and said to Hou Rusong, the general of the water army of the grain transportation team: "General Hou, the skins and Dongzhu in the first half of the year have been collected enough for tribute (taxes). ”

"Thank you Brother Pei," Hou Rusong handed over a cigar, "I am usually reluctant to smoke the high-quality goods in Gannan, so let's taste one." ”

"The general is generous!" Yi Cheng smiled.

Whether it is a navy or a post army, they used to come from the same system, but now they have been thrown to the northeast, and the relationship between them is very harmonious.

Hou Rusong turned his head and asked Zhang Tingxun: "Do you want a cigar for the little grandfather?" ”

Zhang Tingxun was very disgusted by this title, took the cigar casually, and said with a smile: "The general still calls me by my name." ”

Hou Rusong introduced: "Brother Pei, this is Zhang Tingxun, the son of the Zhang Dudu family. ”

Yi Cheng hurriedly bowed his hand: "Meet the little grandfather." ”

"I'm Captain Zhang." The more Zhang Tingxun listened, the more depressed he became.

Yi Cheng said again: "Meet Captain Zhang." ”

"It's good to say, Pei Yicheng is polite." Zhang Tingxun returned the salute.

Yi Cheng asked, "Can you bring a newspaper?" ”

Hou Rusong said: "What I brought is all old newspapers from last year. ”

"As long as there are newspapers, old or new." Yicheng was even happier.

The post stations in the Heilongjiang and Songhua River basins are now equipped with only three small clippers at each station. All materials need to be transported by the navy, and the fast boats at the post station are used to transmit military information.

The post men and post guards will also farm their own land, but they mainly grow vegetables, and the grain fields still need to be slowly cultivated.

Even the grain in Harbin was transported from Liaoning, and then transported from Harbin to the post stations along the way, and the consumption on the way accounted for a large proportion. Therefore, in the Heilongjiang River Valley, it is impossible to garrison a large army at all, and the logistical burden is too heavy.

When the various tribes resume agricultural production, they will begin to collect taxes in kind on the farmland along the river, and when the time comes, the tribute of furs and dongzhu will be abolished.

The sailors went ashore to set up pots to cook, and the post servants invited Hou Rusong and Zhang Tingxun, as well as a few other officers, into the house to eat.

Very simple rice and vegetables, and some cured meat.

The meat comes from the leisure hunting of the post soldiers, and the post guards here are equipped with a full set of armor. In the event of a battle, immediately put on cotton armor and fight with a musket and waist knife.

Yi Cheng took out the wine jar and was about to smash the seal, Hou Rusong stopped: "You keep it for the winter, don't drink it now." ”

"Yes, yes, and some are available." Yi Cheng smiled.

Hou Rusong said to the rest of the officers: "Pay for it!" ”

Including Zhang Tingxun, everyone paid one after another. Zhang Tingxun took out copper coins, and the rest took out all the military tickets.

Yi Cheng hurriedly refused: "I can't do it, I can't help it, it's all my own brothers." ”

"You're working hard here, I can't let you break the bank." Hou Rusong insisted on giving money.

The post station of Datong New Dynasty does not provide free food, and this meal is obviously a post hospitality. The post station here, which was just set up last fall, was even harder than the soldiers in Harbin.

In the end, the money was given and forced into the hands of Yicheng.

When everyone had filled their stomachs and went out to chat, the post men and the post guards called their wives to eat the rest. Because there is meat and meat, it is leftovers, and they are better than the usual food.

Their children were not picked up, and they were all left in their hometown to be taken care of by their relatives.

Li Zheng is currently applying to the imperial court to bring in some more doctors. Even if you are an apprentice who has not yet graduated, you can try to assign a doctor to each station, and in the future, you will even have to work part-time as a midwife. Moreover, with a doctor, the popularity of the post station will be more prosperous, and the nearby natives will definitely come to seek medical advice, which will bring the aborigines and the Han people closer together.

It was getting dark, and the guards picked up the newspaper they had just delivered and read the outdated news of the previous year with relish.

They used to be sailors, and the army had a literacy class, and they could more or less read a few words. But it's still a bit difficult to read the newspaper, and often halfway through reading, I come to ask what Yicheng means.

They are not for the love of knowledge, nor for the sake of broadening their knowledge, but simply to be thrown into the bitter cold land, wanting to obtain more information about the Han land.

Reading the newspaper is like returning to Kannai.

Yi Cheng saw that Zhang Tingxun did not have an aristocratic frame, so he took the initiative to ask about the interesting facts of Nanjing.

Zhang Tingxun said with a smile: "The biggest news in the south is that the prince is going to choose a concubine." Do you know how to choose a concubine? ”

Even Hou Rusong was interested, and hurriedly asked, "How did you choose?" ”

Zhang Tingxun said: "You must have graduated from middle school, and ten of them will be selected from each province and sent to Nanjing for a second election. The first step of the second selection is to take the exam. The exam is too bad, which means that the magistrate is cheating, and the female graduates sent are not high school graduates at all! ”

"Hahaha," Hou Rusong laughed, "This is unusual, the prince also has to take the test to choose a concubine." ”

Yi Cheng's eyes lit up: "Isn't that the daughter of our border pawns, as long as she can graduate from middle school, she will also have the opportunity to be the concubine of the heavenly family?" ”

"Then you should give birth to a daughter quickly," Hou Rusong teased, "The prince is about to get married, and he wants to have a grandson in a year or two." If you give birth to a daughter, she is about the same age as the emperor's grandson, and you will have the opportunity to marry into the heavenly family in the future. ”

Yi Chengle said: "I will work hard with my mother-in-law tomorrow." ”

"Hahahaha!" The crowd laughed.

In Harbin, a school is being built, but it's not time yet, because there are no children at all.

In the future, the children of the post stations along the way can be sent to school to study, the primary school must be free, and the middle school will increase the number of publicly-funded students, which can be regarded as preferential treatment for border soldiers.

There was a lively conversation here, and the post guards stopped reading the newspaper, and came around to listen to Zhang Tingxun's anecdotes about Nanjing.

Zhang Tingxun is not good at reading, but he is sharp in telling stories, and he specializes in interesting stories about the families of dignitaries. A certain official, who was afraid of his wife, was chased into the street by his wife with a broom. When he was caught in the government's raid of the casino, his parents felt embarrassed and beat him on the street when he was fined money to receive money.

Where have the border soldiers heard of these secrets?

Until it was dark, everyone was still unsatisfied, and respected Zhang Tingxun as a top storyteller.

Zhang Tingxun also found happiness here, he likes to deal with soldiers, not like there were so many rules in Nanjing, as if he was a bird flying out of a cage.

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