In the fifth month of the lunar calendar, the sun is hot in the sky.
The atmosphere in the capital, just like the weather, is lively!
From court to folk, it is lively.
The court is in a lawsuit again, and the people are watching it strangely.
In fact, these two things, in the final analysis, are one thing, the cement road.
Gu Jiu provoked the hustle and bustle of the court and the people alone, and the concrete road turned out of the sky refreshed the people's understanding of the world in the capital.
"Oh! This road can still be repaired like this!"
"It's flat and smooth. It rained heavily the day before yesterday. When I walked on the cement road, there was no mud on the upper."
"Really? That's a good thing. When the roads in the city are paved with cement, it won't be so difficult to go out in rainy days."
Outside the south gate, the official road.
The road splits in the middle, and half of it has been repaired with concrete. In a few days, five or six miles have been repaired. This is still delaying the construction period, which is why the repair is so slow.
The other half of the official road is still the same, paved with yellow mud. On rainy days, legs are covered with yellow mud. On a sunny day, once the horses and horses pass by, the dust will fly up, which can choke people to death.
Why did the emperor spread loess and sprinkle clean water on the places he passed when he came out of the palace
Paving loess is to level the road surface and fill in all kinds of potholes on the road surface.
The purpose of sprinkling clean water is to press down the floating soil and avoid the dust from flying by cars and horses.
Think about it, the emperor walks through a cloud of flying dust, and bumps when he encounters a pit from time to time. The picture is so beautiful that he dare not look at it.
Gu Jiu asked the engineering team not to rush, and slowly build half a cement road outside the south gate, as a model road.
Because of this concrete road that was born out of nowhere, the people of the capital have recently acquired a hobby. If there is nothing to do, they will go out of the south gate and walk back and forth on the cement road a few times.
So strong, so flat, so clean.
If the other half of the official roads are also built into concrete roads, the roads will be even cleaner.
A carriage came over, driving steadily on half of the cement road, without any bumps at all.
There are those burden-carrying peddlers who step on the yellow mud official road to the cement official road as soon as the carriage passes, bringing all kinds of dust along the way. Hey, this road is more comfortable than the yellow mud road.
The peddler held his head high and his chest high, with a look of embarrassment on his face.
There are peasants from the countryside who come to the Dahuaishu Market outside the Nancheng Gate with their agricultural products on their backs to set up stalls.
They dare not step on the concrete pavement for fear that it will be damaged. Still walking the other half of the yellow mud official road.
"Fellow townsman, go up, take the cement road. This road is comfortable."
The old man smiled, shook his head, and still insisted on walking the dirt road. Just look at it as a surprise, the cement road is so valuable, how can you walk casually.
The boys in the capital are the most excited, calling for friends and walking along the cement road several times a day.
"The cement road has been repaired to Shili Pavilion!"
"I heard from the manager that if the court agrees, the road can be built to Luozhou next year."
"My God, how much will it cost to repair it in Luozhou?"
"The manager said that when the road is officially built, we need to recruit a lot of people. Two meals a day and dry food, plus ten copper coins in wages. Anyone who is willing to endure the hardship can go to the big pagoda tree dam outside the south gate to sign up. If If you are willing to learn technology, your wages can be higher.”
"real?"
"The manager of the Sihai Road and Bridge Commercial Bank said it himself, of course it cannot be false."
"What is that road and bridge firm you just mentioned?"
"All roads and bridges are under the management of the Road and Bridge Commercial Bank. Anyone who has the knowledge and wants to sell goods can also go to the Road and Bridge Commercial Firm."
"People have cement, what can we sell?"
"Sell meat, sell vegetables, sell snacks, sell ready-made clothes, you can sell anything. Those who build roads must follow the road and bridge firm to continue repairing. If you get money, can't you buy something to eat? If your clothes are broken, you can't buy two decent clothes. Do you wear it? The shoes are worn out, so you can’t sell a new pair of shoes to wear?”
"Is that so?"
"Hey, the eldest son of the Li family goes out every day, but he didn't expect to gain some knowledge."
Li Dalang smiled proudly. After laughing, I was a little worried.
Seeing that he ran diligently, the manager of Sihai Road and Bridge Commercial Company gave him a chance.
If he can organize a road construction team of thirty people, let him be a small leader.
As long as he does a good job, the Four Seas Trading Company can sign a ten-year contract with him, and he can earn twenty or thirty taels a year at least. You can also buy a house at an internal price.
The job in the Four Seas Commercial Bank is an excellent choice for those who have no talent for reading and cannot pass the imperial examination, and who are unwilling to serve as soldiers for food and pay.
Li Dalang is fighting for his future this time.
He went to the neighbors in the neighborhood and talked eloquently, saying how good the road construction would be, and what the future would hold.
Little did they know that the neighbors in the neighborhood had served corvee service in the early years, built city walls and roads, dug ditches and opened mountains.
How hard it is to build roads, they are clear.
This suffering is not something ordinary people can bear.
In the early years, when the imperial court was unstable, it would be good to have 100 people go out and fifty or sixty people to come back.
Those roads, rivers, and border fortresses were all filled with the lives of ordinary people.
Now the small people in the capital, every household is doing a job for a living. Every year, he would rather take money to redeem the corvee than personally serve the corvee. How can I be fooled by Li Dalang, follow him to build roads.
Li Dalang worked hard for several days, but no one was willing to follow him to build the road.
He is discouraged, depressed.
Or his father couldn't see it, so he gave him an idea.
"Everyone in the city has a job, so naturally they don't want to go with you to build roads. You go to the countryside and make a few trips to the more remote and poorer places. Let alone thirty people, three hundred people can be brought here."
Li Dalang looked at his father eagerly, "Can you believe me?"
"Stupid! In the Gyeonggi area, there is no one who doesn't know the Four Seas Trading Company. Tonight you will live outside the city, get up in the middle of the night, and block people at the entrance of the Four Seas Meat Shop in the Dahuaishu Market. You are familiar with those people from remote villages. , as many people as you need to build roads, they can help you."
Li Dalang was instructed and jumped three feet high.
After packing up my luggage, I went outside the city and opened a Datong shop to rest.
Li's mother asked Li's father, "Sihai Trading Co., Ltd. can't think of a solution that you can think of? Don't wait until the end, Da Lang will be busy for nothing."
Father Li chuckled, "The Four Seas Trading Company needs to build roads, how can they not find people, I am afraid that those muddy legs in the countryside will have to go.
I've been thinking about it for the past few days, and I figured that the reason why the Four Seas Trading Company gave up the opportunity was to give everyone a way out.
If Dalang can really take on the job after this incident, maybe he can really be a small steward in the Four Seas Trading Company. At any rate, Dalang can also know a few words. "
"Sihai Commercial Bank is so good? They even take the initiative to give people a chance."
"Hey, you don't understand this. I heard that cement roads are going to be built in Luozhou. The Four Seas Trading Co., Ltd. made its fortune in the capital. You will be manipulated by the local rich in Luozhou. The road you have worked so hard to build becomes a wedding dress for others."
"According to what you're saying, the Four Seas Trading Company is trying to lure people from the capital to Luozhou Township?"
"I reckon that's the reason."
Father Li still has some knowledge. Of course, in practice, it's not as simple as he said.
What kind of place can a group of road construction workers take down
The people who really control the scene are naturally local tyrants in Luozhou.
Recently, Gu Jiu spread out no less than 500 invitation cards in the capital and Luozhou.
Many people in Luozhou are officials in the capital. These people think that they are rich and expensive, and they are unwilling to deal with commercial companies. But they didn't mind having the family send people over to attend Gu Jiu's business tea party.
Considering that it would take 10 to 20 days for those people to travel from Luozhou to the capital, Gu Jiu tentatively scheduled the tea party on the fifth day of June.
At that time, the quarrel in the court should have almost come to an end.
In private, the Shaofu Family Order and the Minister of the Household Department often contacted officials from Luozhou to create momentum for this road.
Officials outside Los Angeles are mostly opposed to road construction.
In fact, they do not really object.
All the civil and military officials sneaked around the half-repaired concrete model road outside the city, and sat in the carriage to feel it.
Is this road good
it is good!
very good!
Fast and steady. Once it is repaired, the time from Luozhou to Beijing by horse-drawn carriage can be shortened to five or six days.
Why still object
Some people have their buttocks crooked, and they oppose it for the sake of opposing it.
Part of it is conflicting interests, and they are not willing to build roads in Luozhou. Why would you want to take advantage of those bastards in Luozhou
Can't we build roads to the east, the west, or the northwest? Dare to love that everyone was raised by stepmothers, but Luozhou was born by his own mother
Ever since, the court has been arguing about whether it should build cement roads, whether it should let private people pay for road repairs and set up toll booths, and whether it should go to Luozhou to build roads.
People who are officials these days have a strong regional awareness.
In fact, in modern society, officials also have a strong regional awareness.
The advantages of concrete roads can be seen by anyone with eyes.
Therefore, everyone wants to build a cement road from the capital to their hometown.
Even people from Jiangnan, Lingnan, Southwest, and south-central regions came to join in the fun.
They didn't even think about how far the capital was from their land, how could they get there in one go.
However, it does not prevent everyone from recruiting these southern officials to oppose the construction of the road from the capital to Luozhou.
For this matter, the whole court quarreled for ten or twenty days.
When the news spread to the localities, countless local officials became excited and wrote memorials one after another, imploring to build a road from the capital to them.
In fact, these local officials haven't even figured out what a cement road is.
They just had one idea, since it is a good thing, since it can shorten the travel time, they should fight and grab it.
It's no big deal to watch the excitement.
Even if Emperor Wende was upset and wanted to punish a few people, it would not be their local officials' turn.
The sky is high and the road is far away, and local officials are easily forgotten by His Majesty the Emperor. This is bad.
The advantage is that the risk of being an official is lower than that of a Beijing official, and the income is higher than that of a Beijing official.
A local parent official, if you leak a little on hand, it is enough to support the family and save a sum of pension money.
If you are more ruthless, you can make a fortune after working as a local official for a few years. Lay a solid foundation for the family to become a rich family one day.
From the capital to the local area, there was a commotion because of road construction, and it was extremely lively.
Buzzing, buzzing, there are all kinds of buzzing in Emperor Wende's ears every day.
Seeing that June is coming soon, Gu Jiu's investment promotion tea party will be held soon, Emperor Wende coughed lightly, and the hall immediately fell silent.
Emperor Wende said unhurriedly: "I know that you all want to build a road to your hometown. But I have to remind you that the Ministry of Households has no money to build roads for you.
The road from Beijing to Luozhou is entirely funded by the private sector, so toll booths will be set up. The imperial court does not need to bear a penny for all the expenses of road construction, and it has the best road in the world. Such a good thing, can I object? Can you object
If you want to build roads, it's not impossible. If anyone can spend hundreds of thousands or millions of money and food, I can approve the construction of a cement road from the capital to your hometown right now.
If you can't get it out, just say a few words of nonsense. If you have the ability to persuade the people to invest in building a road to your hometown for you, I will be happy for you. "
All the officials looked at each other.
Someone finally stood up, "Your Majesty, it is unseemly to build roads with private funds and to set up toll booths. It also loses the face of the imperial court."
Other officials chimed in.
Ever since, the problem came back to the original point, and they started arguing about whether the Four Seas Trading Company was qualified to pay for road repairs and set up toll booths.
Some people are willing to spend money to build roads, but everyone agrees a hundred times.
The only object of disapproval is the establishment of toll booths.
With toll booths, it would be too ugly to eat.
The dignified son and wife, do you want to be so greedy for money
Although no one has said it, everyone knows that Gu Jiu is the owner behind the Cosmos Trading Company.
When everyone was tired from the quarrel, Emperor Wende sneered, which immediately shocked the courtiers.
Emperor Wende had a smile on his face, but every word he said was sarcasm, and every word pierced his heart, "The face of the imperial court
Someone spent millions of dollars in one breath to build roads for the imperial court. Isn't it right to set up several toll booths
You guys, it's too ugly to eat. You tell the horses to run, and you refuse to feed the horses. According to your eating habits, this road will not be repaired in a hundred years. "
"Your Majesty, don't you want the court to be decent?"
Emperor Wende took a sip of tea, "Go out and turn left, go to the street and ask the people, is the court's dignity important, or a cement road? Can the court's dignity be eaten or worn as clothes?"
"Your Majesty, how can you do this?"
How can you talk like a rascal in the market, and lose face.
You are the Son of Heaven!
What about the system
decent
The majestic son of heaven, acting like a philistine, the face of the ancestors surnamed Liu was completely lost.
Emperor Wende didn't care at all, the words he said were like a knife, cutting across everyone's cheeks.
"Did I say it wrong? If you say that if you have dignity, you don't have to eat or wear clothes. How about starting from today, the imperial court will no longer give a penny to civil and military officials, and don't give a grain of rice. You open it." Shops are not tax-free, you can just go home and eat by yourself.
Anyway, as long as there is dignity, everything else can be discarded. What about eating, dressing, money, etc., how tacky. All the officials are of high moral character, so if they can deal with food, clothing, money and food, beware of losing their dignity. "
Civil and military officials: MMP, what should I do when I meet a shameless emperor who turns his face faster than a book
Tired!
A mouthful of old blood was almost spat out.
"Your Majesty, you know the etiquette with honesty. Food, clothing, housing and transportation are not opposites."
Emperor Wende laughed, "Since it's not a confrontation, why can't you love a concrete road? In your hearts, you can't even fit a road. Can I expect you to do something else?"
"Your Majesty, forgive me!"
"You are not guilty, but I am guilty. I am incompetent, and the household department is so poor that I can't even get the money for road construction."
"Your Majesty, forgive me!"
"How can you be guilty of the crimes, all of you, you are dedicated to the sake of the court, and I have to reward you. Come, each love will give you a sip of tea."
"I dare not wait."
How dare you drink water in the Golden Luan Hall, what should you do in case of urgency
One insisted on rewarding, and a group of people insisted on refusing.
Let go, let go, and the quarrel over road construction is over.
Emperor Wende sighed, as if saying: You people don't understand my heart.
Civil and military officials: Hey, hey, the ministers are not concubines in the harem.
Two days later, the imperial court issued an official document, allowing Sihai Trading Company to build a cement road from the capital to Luozhou, and allowing Sihai Trading Company to set up a toll booth every fifty miles.
With this official document, it is equivalent to getting a road and bridge license.
Now everything is ready, only the east wind is owed.
As soon as the tea party is held and enough funds are raised, construction will start.
Representatives of the major aristocratic families in Luozhou and powerful people from all over the world arrived in the capital one after another.
Everyone was staring at the tea party in early June, but they didn't know that it had been delayed for more than half a year, implicating the Cai family, and the case of massacring the village 20 years ago had already been sentenced.
Those who ordered the slaughter of the village back then, and those who participated in the slaughter of the village, counted as one, and all were sentenced to beheaded.
A full thousand people, a thousand heads.
Apart from General Cai, several of the Cai family's brothers were not spared, one counted as the other, and all of them were shattered.