The trees are like poetic dancers, their branches gently swaying, gracefully displaying the emerald green leaves, sharing the secrets of the season with each other, and the flowers are like the dreamy princess Ji, blooming on the branches, each blooming with different colors and fragrances, like the gems and spices of the earth.

Soon it was time for the spring flowers to bloom, and after the New Year, the liveliness of Daxingcheng was out of control, and the people who kept pouring in from around made the real estate of Daxingcheng rise again.

According to the latest statistics, the population of Daxing City has officially exceeded one million people, and the huge population carrying capacity and industrial line carrying capacity have made Daxing City thriving, and the voice of the court saying that it wants to move to Luoyang has also been quiet.

Luoyang has a geographical advantage over Chang'an to survive and develop, but Chang'an City has a geographical advantage in military status.

With the canal, the food problem in Chang'an City has been greatly alleviated, and the huge national granary is attached to the canal to transport grain, which provides a follow-up impetus for the development of the city.

And today Daxing City is about to welcome a group of guests.

Students from all over the world gathered in Luoyang first, and came out two months ago at the earliest, and when they arrived in Luoyang, through the arrangement of the school, they took the latest warship across the canal and came to the imperial capital of the Central Plains.

Along the way, everyone felt very novel.

Sitting on the canal in a big boat, as if it was flat land, the students looked around, looking at the abundant water and grass on both sides of the canal, and exclaimed: "A small irrigation channel dug by hand in my hometown is often silted, but I didn't expect such a wide canal waterway to not only not silt up, but also divert water to irrigate the farmland and trees on both sides." ”

"Yes, I've seen a lot of farmers dredging along the way, and it's a lot of money."

At this time, a man's voice sounded, it was Li Kuan, the prince of Pushan County, Luoyang City, who accompanied him to protect the students.

"You don't know what to do, do you know why the canal is not silted up, and why the people often clean it."

At this time, this group of students was a little afraid to speak, because in most cases, the people were recruited by the imperial court to do coolies, which was a matter of labor and money, and the silting up of small rivers in their small places was because the local clan was strong, and the government had few opportunities to forcibly recruit them, and now in their opinion, the canal must have forcibly recruited the people to work hard.

Li Kuan looked at them and said: "You are all students selected from all over the world, and you are all top talents. ”

"The wages of these people who come to dredging for a day are no different from their farming at home, and even some sections of the road are more than farming, and now the surrounding people, who are young and strong and have no land to plant, are not willing to go to the rich families to work as long-term workers, and they rush to come to the dredging every day."

This group of people seemed to have heard the Arabian Nights, even if they knew that Daxing City was rich, but how could the imperial court send so much money to the people?

Seeing that everyone didn't believe it, Li Kuan smiled slightly and said: "This is the order of His Royal Highness the King of Jin, the shipping tax obtained by the canal will be used for canal security work, distributed to various places along the way, and there are tax officials to supervise, all the money must be recorded everywhere, and the local government will have to take responsibility for any siltation." ”

"So, to put it bluntly, if the local government wants this expensive tax, it has to contract the dredging work one after another, and if you do a good job, you have money to get, and if you don't do a good job, you have to lose your official position, in order to avoid the people from just eating and not working, they have to pay for the people to contribute."

At this time, a curious person asked, "Aren't you afraid that the local government will oppress the people?" ”

As soon as he asked, someone looked at him and signaled him not to ask so bluntly.

Li Kuan laughed: "His Royal Highness the King of Jin said, you have to let the students ask, you can only learn if you ask, and you can improve after learning, and I can answer your questions without going to Daxing City." ”

"Because no one oppresses the government."

"Why is that?"

"The canal is in the middle of Luoyang and Daxing City, now the development of these two cities is getting better and better, many places are short of people, lack of people to build houses, lack of people to build roads, lack of people to dig coal and make iron, you have to continue to recruit people, young people look at the big city opportunities, have run to the big city, this year's New Year is especially obvious, just after the New Year people all poured into the big city to find opportunities, but there are fewer people in small places along the way."

"If there are fewer people, the fields must be planted, otherwise they will not be able to pay the grain, and officials everywhere will be questioned, except for the people who farm, there are few people who can sign signs, and people are not slaves, although it is said that there is forced labor, but everyone also knows that forced labor often does not work, and in the end it can only cost money."

Only then did everyone understand, and at this time, someone asked again: "His Royal Highness the King of Jin gave all the taxes of the canal to the officials along the way, so what about the taxes of the imperial court?" ”

Li Kuan smiled slightly: "I also asked at the beginning, but His Royal Highness asked me to take a more long-term view, the canal is open, there are more ships coming and going, business is busy, Daxing City and Luoyang are prosperous, and the taxes they pay are not comparable to the ship tax, and the fact is just as His Highness said, in the past few months, with the warm flowers, there are more and more people walking on the boat." ”

A student reminded: "What if there are water bandits?" ”

Li Kuan laughed: "Students, why do you think this official is traveling with you?" ”

"General, protect me and wait for everything."

"Yes, the canal is also an official road, and the water army of Daxing City and Luoyang City is responsible for a section of the road, which is not only to train the water army but also to protect Anbang, and how can there be such a stupid bandit who dares to do evil on the official road."

The students nodded one after another, ordinary bandits and bandits are the business of the local government, but robbing things on the official road is equivalent to slapping the court in the face, as long as the court is not about to die, it will definitely send troops to fight you to the death.

Unless you are a stupid thief, you will not rashly hit the idea of goods on the official road.

All the students were thinking about what Li Kuan said at this time, and Li Kuan continued to say when he saw this situation: "You are all young talents, His Royal Highness the King of Jin specially instructed the official to accompany him for protection, if you become an official in the future, you must also study hard with His Royal Highness the King of Jin, not only to have the idea of serving the country and the people, but also to be based on the actual situation at present." ”

The students whispered and discussed.

"His Royal Highness King Jin's plan, even if the local officials want to be corrupt, even if they are in the same stream as the tax officials, they have to set up a name to be greedy for money, and the basis for greedy money is that the canal cannot be silted, at least the matter is done."

couldn't help nodding heavily: "His Royal Highness King Jin is really powerful." ”

"It is said that His Royal Highness the King of Jin is not only capable of handling internal affairs, but also can lead troops to fight, this is simply a perfect person."

The closer to Daxing City, the more excited the hearts of the people, when they came to the gate of Daxing City, everyone looked up at the tall and majestic city, and couldn't help but sigh, for a while I don't know whether it is heaven or earth.

When they came to the south gate of Daxing City, there was a team of brocade clothes waiting outside the south gate at this time.

The one headed by Ti Cai, a young man in brocade on a black horse.

The young man's eyes are like deep stars, resolute and noble, his face is resolute and handsome, and his face is full of energy, like a twinkling Big Dipper, and like the rising moon at dusk.

The sun shone on his body, shining brightly on his dark golden iron armor, and he wore a short sword at his waist, dazzling.

Most of the students in a group are local gentry, and no matter how poor they are, they are also prominent families in the township, and there are almost no real poor or commoner children, but even these top sons and daughters in various places have never seen such a handsome young man.

Mighty like the god of war in the sky, gentle and like a scholar in the world.

Next to the young man was an old master, riding a brown horse that was a head shorter than the young man, smiling and smiling with pride.

Most of the old gentleman knows each other, and he has been to many schools in various places, and it is Wang Long's master.

Getting closer, Li Kuan rode forward first, dismounted and saluted Yang Guang: "His Royal Highness the King of Jin, the last general will take one hundred and twenty-two students, all of whom will arrive in Daxing City safely." ”

The students discussed: "That is His Royal Highness the King of Jin." ”

"I really didn't expect such a powerful person to be so handsome and mighty."

"His Royal Highness the King of Jin can lead troops to fight, of course, he must be a very powerful person."

"I didn't expect His Royal Highness King Jin to come to greet us in person, I really didn't expect it."

……

While they were talking, Li Kuan's side had already completed the handover, guiding them forward.

Walked forward and saluted Yang Guang and Wang Long: "Student, see His Royal Highness King Jin, Master Wang." ”

As soon as Yang Guang raised his hand, the soldiers led the horses one after another.

"Those who can ride horses, ride with me across Suzaku Long Street, and there is a carriage behind those who can't ride horses."

Hearing this, many people got on horseback, and those who couldn't ride began to get annoyed, why didn't they learn to ride a horse well.

Wait until everyone got on their horses and slowly entered the city.

Walking into the city wall, the other students in Daxing City have been waiting for a long time, and the majestic Daxing City will always make people who see it for the first time involuntarily let out an exclamation.

Yang Guang said to Wang Long: "Master Wang, there are one hundred and two students today, one hundred and fifty in the city wall, a total of two hundred and seventy, and the master can have a good sentence to give." ”

The old master Wang Long smiled slightly: "Your Highness, although the old man has been empty for decades and has read more books, if you talk about poetry, no one in the world knows His Royal Highness the King of Jin, composing poems in front of you, the old man can't do this irrational behavior, and ask His Royal Highness to give a poem to the students to strengthen the momentum." ”

"Master Wang is too modest, I just know how to make limericks."

Wang Long said loudly: "Please also ask His Royal Highness the King of Jin to write poems for the students of the Great Sui." ”

"Hahaha, wait until I think about it."

"Ladies and gentlemen, follow me on horseback and ride through the long streets."

Many young men looked at the imperial city from afar, riding horses to keep up, full of spirit and complacent.

This is Suzaku Street, spacious, like a road to the sky, riding a horse on this so swaggering, it is like a triumphant general, one by one the spirit is involuntarily raised.

Bang bang

There are firecrackers all the way through, and when you enter the downtown area, countless people who join in the excitement are watching the high-spirited appearance of many students on both sides.

The merchants stopped the business in the shop, and the second floor of a shop near the street was crowded with people, everyone was looking forward to it, and the owner of the shop said happily with a spring breeze on his face: "Come on, that's my son, that's my son!" ”

"I can't see where the shopkeeper is."

"That's it, that's it, the one in the seventh row, the one with a little variegated on a brown horse, the one in a blue robe!"

The shopkeeper spent a lot of money to let his son go to school in Daxing City, and the child lived up to his expectations to get this opportunity, although he has not yet won the list, but this huge ride has made him excited enough.

The laborers who moved goods on the street also put down their work, and they didn't know this group of sons and brothers in their prime on Suzaku Street, but they were about the same age, and they could only move goods for a living, but the other party was so high-spirited, and they were jealous and envious.

"You said it would be nice if I could do that."

"Don't dream, those are all students who are studying, it would be good for us to come out of the village and establish a foothold in Daxing City."

"In the future, I will smash pots and sell iron, and I will let my son study."

The children who joined in the fun got to the front of the crowd and exclaimed when they saw the group: "Wow! ”

"If only I could do the same in the future."

"I'm going home and telling my mother that I'm going to school."

The Daxingcheng boys, who occupy the best viewing position, are a little angry: "A group of country boys can actually ride a horse across Suzaku Street." ”

"What's so good about the school, I dropped out of school after a few days of study, and a group of old masters tried to discipline me without doing their best."

"Brother Xuangan, did you say yes?"

At this time, Yang Xuan, who was watching it with pleasure, smiled and said, "If you are jealous, you will be jealous, what to do, anyway, I am going to the school next year." ”

"Huh? Brother Xuangan, are you going to the academy too? ”

"My father has already signed me up, and I went to the door to ask His Royal Highness King Jin to intercede for me, no matter what, there must be me on Suzaku Street next year, even if I can't study, I must have me, how can such a showy thing be without me?"

At this time, someone asked: "His Royal Highness the King of Jin really allowed it?" ”

"My father begged to come to the door, can I still have a leave? His Royal Highness the King of Jin said that there are a maximum of seven places, and I will count one. ”

"Brother Xuangan, do you want to enjoy the flowers together tonight?"

"Brother Xuangan, come with me tonight to enjoy the Oiran."

……

At this time, the students in the center of the crowd were full of pride, self-esteem, and vanity were unprecedentedly satisfied.

A person's big head is not like a small head, and when it is raised, it cannot be lowered.

The team came to the gate of the imperial city, and Yang Guang took the students to look back at everyone under the gate of the imperial city and said.

"After today, all of you will participate in the imperial examination, here I wish you all good results, as the leader of the champion, will go straight to the center to learn the way of officials, for the affairs of government."

As soon as this remark came out, everyone was even more surprised and exclaimed.

"From now on, the imperial examination will be the most important means for the Great Sui to elect talents."

"I hope you will come in the future."

"Dapeng rises with the wind one day and soars up to 90,000 miles!"

(End of chapter)