After the summer harvest, it was necessary to sow seeds and wait for the autumn harvest. The people could not relax for a moment.

But the imperial court had no time to rest. After sowing the seeds, the imperial court began to carry out large-scale water conservancy construction activities, and the first one to bear the brunt was the Ling Canal.

The Lingqu, also known as the Guixiang Canal, is one of the important canals in ancient China. It is the highway leading to Lingnan, in Guizhou.

Guizhou has nine counties under its jurisdiction.

In Lingxi, it is considered a relatively large state. Because of the role of the Ling Canal in connecting the two places and the fertile land, Guizhou has always been prosperous and lively.

The Ling Canal is 34 kilometers long and was built in the 33rd year of Qin Shihuang (214 BC). It has been more than a thousand years. It and the Dujiangyan Zhengguo Canal are known as the three major water conservancy projects in ancient China.

After Qin Shihuang unified the six kingdoms, he "merged the world into thirty-six counties". In order to pacify the south and unify the world, he sent 500,000 Qin troops divided into five groups to march to Lingnan to attack Baiyue.

Therefore, "using soldiers to dig canals and open grain roads", Shi Lu was assigned to take charge of the Ling Canal project. Shi Lu led 100,000 people to cut the mountain passage, and after several years of cold and heat, he finally succeeded in digging the canal in 214 BC.

Because the Ling Canal connects the two rivers of Hunan and Li (tributaries of the Li River and the Pearl River), it communicates the two major water systems of the Yangtze River and the Pearl River, and has become a water transportation hub connecting Huguang in the north and Guangdong in the south.

Starting from Dongting, go south, enter the Xiangjiang River, cross Changsha, enter the Lijiang River through the Lingnan Canal, join the Guijiang River and join the Xijiang River, and meet the Pearl River in Guangdong. At the same time, the Lingcanal Canal also plays a role in irrigating farmland, promoting economic and cultural exchanges between Lingnan and the Central Plains.

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The second time the Ling Canal was repaired was in the 18th year of Jianwu's reign in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Jiaozhi women Zheng Bianzheng and two rebelled against the court. Emperor Guangwu sent General Fubo Ma Yuan to march south to continue dredging the Ling Canal.

The third time was in the first year of Baoli in the Tang Dynasty. The channel collapsed and boats could not pass. Li Bo, the Guiguan Observer, ordered stones to be built into plowshare-shaped barrages, that is, large and small scales, to divert the river water into the north-south channel.

The fourth time, in the ninth year of Xiantong in the Tang Dynasty, all the steep defenses were destroyed and the channels became shallow. The governor Yu Mengwei built embankments with stones for 40 miles along the river, and made wooden piles of large solid wood to build steep gates. The number of steep gates increased to 18

It is a heavy, square boat. It employs 53,000 workers and more than 5.3 million yuan in money.

It can be said that in the past dynasties, the first thing that needed to be managed in Lingnan was the Lingqu, which was the main troop transportation route connecting Lingnan.

Today, it has been almost a hundred years since the last large-scale repair of the Ling Canal. Large-scale repairs are needed, especially the dams on both sides of the river, as well as the steep gates that block high water levels, store water for navigation, and function as ship locks.

The water culverts set up in the embankments and built with stones are used for releasing water for irrigation. They also need to be added to irrigate the land and increase the productivity of the fields.

Moreover, there are many rocks and rocks in the canal that hinder boating and are not conducive to passage, so they need to be cleared.

In the past two years, the Ministry of Industry's influence on the court has gradually faded.

They are not like the Ministry of Personnel, they are called Heavenly Officials, they are in charge of personnel affairs, and they have a strong sense of presence; the Ministry of Households is in charge of money and food, they deal with major and minor cases continuously, and they are also divided into transfer envoys, and they have a strong desire to express themselves; the Ministry of Rites, in the past two years, has been granted the title of

The king's abdication, registration, establishment of a queen, and the funeral of the emperor were all happening every now and then, and it was a busy cycle.

With the rise of the war, the Ministry of War was very busy and kept running; the Ministry of Punishment was also busy, with so many corrupt officials being tried and punished in succession, which created a strong sense of existence.

"Only our Ministry of Industry has only built roads in these years, and it was built by the Xiang Army. We only provide some craftsmen and stay in the capital all year round. How can we be promoted without political achievements?"

Zuo Boshan, Minister of the Ministry of Industry, looked at Lingqu in the distance and couldn't help but sigh:

"Now, the martial arts has stopped, and many officials have been laid off. What's funny is that our Ministry of Industry has laid off none of them this time. I don't know whether I'm happy or sad.

The imperial court finally began to pay attention to us. Only by diligently repairing water conservancy can we benefit farming. The rivers in Lingnan, with their head in Lingqu, are easily accessible by sailing boats. Opening gates to release water and irrigate farmland are really important to the country."

"Thanks to the efforts of Da Sikong (the Minister of the Ministry of Industry was called Da Sikong Dongguan in ancient times), we have a place for us. Otherwise, it would be very boring to stay in the capital for a long time and repair the palace every day!"

Bai Shilin, the left minister of the Ministry of Industry, sighed, with a trace of relief on his face.

Those who entered the Ministry of Industry were basically craftsmen, and they always had the lowest status among the six ministries. They had not yet reached the level of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, where they only focused on making money, farming, and commerce. Naturally, they were despised by the scholar-bureaucrats, so they could only immerse themselves in their own circles.

Here, there are mostly homebodies.

"This is also what I should do." Zuo Boshan said calmly.

As a minister, under the prime minister, the Ministry of Industry does not have the filial piety of local officials, and there is no oil and water. Only by starting work can not only make political achievements, but also make a fortune as usual. Therefore, he is not only doing it for himself.

, but also for the entire Ministry of Industry.

Of course, if the channel is managed properly, the reputation will also greatly increase, and it is not impossible to announce the white hemp.

"To repair the Ling Canal, the Ministry of Household Affairs only allocated 15,000 guan. As the first batch, if it is unfavorable later, there will only be so much. It will definitely not work if it starts but ends first!"

"So, our first battle must win this time, Shi Lin, do you have any idea?" Zuo Shangshu turned his head and asked.

He is only in charge of the Ministry of Industry, and he is also from the Imperial Academy. How can he understand this, so he must ask professionals.

"In the former Tang Dynasty, there was no time when repairing the Lingqu canal did not cost millions of guan. Now, even if the civilian men are recruited, the 15,000 guan can only amount to ten thousand people. It will last less than a month. Each stone slab costs a hundred yuan, and each pile of wood costs a hundred dollars.

It's more than five hundred yuan, which is only ten thousand yuan. If the stakes are only twenty or thirty thousand, where are the people? This money is not as good as the former Tang Baiyi, how can it be effective?"

Bai Shilang's words made Shangshu's face turn red instantly. Calculated in this way, it turned out that it really missed the mark and did not have much effect.

"Big money has its own uses, and small money has its own uses. Take your time!" Zuo Shangshu said quickly.

"So, Sikong, you see, although Ling Canal is constantly expanding, there are countless hidden reefs in the canal, and there are even some open reefs, which have caused many ships to be destroyed and people killed. We can ask some people to destroy the reefs and merchants

Naturally, the court will know our usefulness!"

"How much is it?"

"A rough calculation of the rocks is about 60 to 70 pieces. If the stone burning method is used, 2,000 people will be needed, which will take more than two months, and there will be a dry season. But now, the Ordnance Department has gunpowder available, and only a hundred civilians are needed.

, Qian Baiguan, that’s it!”

The so-called burning stone method is to pile a large amount of firewood on the reef, set it on fire, and cause the reef to expand violently in the high temperature. Then pour vinegar and cold water on it, so that the heated reef suddenly shrinks and explodes when exposed to cold.

Use manual excavation to remove giant reefs.

"God is really helping me!" Zuo Shangshu looked at the endless stream of ships and laughed:

"With the remaining money, we can dredge and increase water culverts. If we open ten culverts, we will add at least 100,000 acres of paddy fields. The court will be delighted!"
Chapter completed!