Chapter 208 Jiangling of the World

When we set out from Xudu, the spring weather was chilly and the young were freezing to death.

On the other hand, the weather in Jiangdong had already turned cold and warm, and you could still see unknown waterfowl playing on the water.

After passing through Ruxukou, what appeared before Xu Shu and the others was Chungu County.

It was small in scale, but it had everything.

Moreover, there were many merchant ships coming and going at this time, and this small county dotted with mountains and rivers was particularly prosperous, so there was no problem finding a place to stay.

What should we do first?

"Get rid of the shackles, return your heart to heaven and earth, and you should drink a lot!" Xu Shu said confidently.

This proposal was passed unanimously. Living on the boat these days, Dong Jue either caught fish or ate dried meat, and his legs felt a little weak.

Perhaps because there were frequent merchants passing by, the restaurants in Chungu County were quite large and the food was quite rich.

Steamed cakes and soup cakes, roasted dogs and fried pigs, boiled vegetables and preserved vegetables, each ordered one.

In order to celebrate the safe journey with the military advisor, Dong Jue also spent money to buy two melons.

After the store opened the melons and served them, Xu Shu and Shi Tao were immediately eager to eat them. The two melons disappeared in a flash.

Patting his stomach with satisfaction, Xu Shu sighed with satisfaction:

"Thanks to Gong Xi, I am alive!"

There are also people who grow fruits in warm places in the north in winter, but the cost is not comparable to that in the south, so Xu Shu can't enjoy them.

The fruit in his stomach also made Xu Shu feel more comfortable.

Then the three of them slowly enjoyed the food brought by the waiter while enjoying the rare leisure time.

After another glass of wine, Xu Shu heard a few words from the neighboring table:

"...Tao San'er was arrested for making paper illegally the day before yesterday."

"Business in Jiangdong is getting harder and harder. Sooner or later, I will give up my family and move to Jiangling!"

"Give up my family? How can I give up my family? I think it's better to marry the daughter of a wealthy family."

"Hush, be careful with your words!"

"Be careful with your words! Everyone knows about mulberry paper, but only wealthy families are allowed to make paper. What's the reason?"

The owner of the restaurant came over in a hurry and calmed down the neighboring table after some comforting.

So Xu Shu heard the people behind him change the topic:

"The day before yesterday, my cousin heard that Jiangling City was selling a kind of red candy. It was said that it was very sweet and fragrant, so it might be a good business."

A voice said muffledly:

"It's best if it's just an ordinary business. How can we get such a good business?"

After two setbacks, the group of people lost interest in talking and left after eating in a gloomy mood.

Xu Shu was a little curious:

"Gong Xi, is Jiangling now prosperous in commerce?"

Combined with what he heard in Xudu, in Xu Shu's impression, Jiangling should be a military stronghold.

High walls, deep moats, and strong barriers, facing Xiangfan and guarding Jingnan.

This should be Jiangling.

But from what he said just now, it seems that this does not match his impression?

Gong Xi smiled:

"Why is the military advisor so anxious? Wait a little longer and see it with your own eyes."

What he said made sense. Xu Shu has always been free and easy, so he put this matter aside and ate and drank.

Have a good meal and stay in a clean and comfortable guesthouse for one night.

The next day, they slept until the sun was high in the sky. The three of them had a meal and set off again.

Unexpectedly, after arriving at the dock, it was surrounded by the county soldiers of Chungu County.

Dong Jue's heart jumped immediately, but when he saw a group of merchants with sad faces on the side, he realized that they had encountered an accident.

Dong Jue was sensitive about his status, so he went to ask the merchants with a smile, and soon found out the whole story.

"Several slaves from the wealthy families nearby left, and the county lieutenant of Chungu suspected that they were hiding in the boats at the dock."

Xu Shu glanced at a fat man sitting on a folding stool behind the county soldiers, yawning boredly.

Just waiting like that? Xu Shu and others were not afraid. They carried important things with them. The boats were lightly packed and simple, so they could not find anything.

However, the county soldiers did not seem to have any intention of searching.

Soon, someone from the group of merchants came over to talk to Dong Jue, and then Xu Shu saw Dong Jue take out his purse with a painful look on his face, counted out a small half and handed it to the person who came.

The merchants were noisy for a while, and finally an elderly merchant came with money and nodded and bowed to the county lieutenant who was in charge of the arrest of thieves and the prison.

Almost immediately, the county lieutenant led the people away without any delay.

Xu Shu realized that he had been caught in an unexpected disaster, and his right hand unconsciously reached for the sword at his waist, but he let go immediately.

Most of the big families in Jiangdong didn't care about the escaped slaves, but it was a good opportunity for the county lieutenant to make money by taking advantage of the situation.

Xu Shu thought.

However, after boarding the ship and seeing several people in tattered clothes with terrified eyes in the cabin, Xu Shu shook his head and laughed:

"Gong Xi, it seems that the money you spent is still useful."

The ship set sail again, and four slaves who changed into Xu Shu and others' spare clothes rowed hard, which saved the three people a lot of effort.

Standing at the stern, Xu Shu admired the scenery of Jiangdong. Whether it was the round cart slowly turned by the river water or the low house next to the round cart, Xu Shu felt fresh.

But Dong Jue had no interest after just one glance.

"Military Advisor, the round cart made in Jiangdong is as different from the water power workshop in Jingzhou as heaven and earth."

Xu Shu had heard Dong Jue talk about the changes in Jingzhou before, but after all, he had been with Cao Cao for less than four years.

Even if Kong Ming had the talent of a sleeping dragon, how much change could he have?

Seeing Xu Shu's expression, Dong Jue smiled and turned to a slave who was rowing a boat and said:

"Do you know how much the round cart made in Jiangdong would cost if it were used?"

"I dare not hide it from you, my lord." The slave nodded to Dong Jue and said:

"The people who live in the fields in Jiangdong need to pay 50% of the land tax, and if they use round carts, it will be 60%."

Then, without Dong Jue asking, he continued:

"We all know in Jiangdong that Liu Jingzhou is kind and generous. The water power plant only uses 20 coins each time, which is called maintenance fee."

Xu Shu calculated silently in his heart, which was a world of difference.

Seeing that Xu Shu and others looked friendly, the slave worker also boldly added:

"We originally wanted to escape to Jiangling, but fortunately we met three benefactors, who were as kind as Liu Jingzhou!"

Xu Shu smiled, and became more and more curious about Jiangling.

The boat went upstream, and more and more boats were encountered along the way, and more and more pedestrians were seen on the road by the river.

Hundreds of boats stood side by side in Pengli Lake, and thousands of sails competed in Dongting Lake.

After passing Dongting Lake, continue to go north along the river.

On this day, Dong Jue at the bow shouted, "Military Advisor, Jiangling is in sight!"

Xu Shu bowed and got out of the cabin, feeling dazzled for a moment.

Two strong cities stood side by side in the distance, with a large flag with the word "Han" written on it fluttering in the wind.

Under the flag, a giant crossbow with a frightening look was placed every few dozen steps on the top of the city.

Soldiers and officers on the city wall patrolled with their heads held high.

People and merchants came and went under the city wall.

On the dock near Jiangling City, there were thousands of merchants and tens of thousands of goods.

Finely crafted fabrics were lined up and shone like stars,

Minerals waiting to be processed were piled up higher than the low wall.

The pedestrians were dressed in bright clothes, even Xudu would be ashamed of themselves.

The carriages and sedan chairs were crowded, and it seemed as if it was the scene of Luoyang in the past.

The voices of hawking were competing like a boiling pot, and the voices of soliciting customers were like music.

With just one glance, Xu Shu was almost addicted to it.

"Is this Jiangling? Is this a military stronghold?"

Xu Shu asked himself: "If Cao Cao attacks..."

Dong Jue laughed: "There are boats here, wouldn't it be easy to get out?"

"General Guan has built two cities, and the size of the city is enough to accommodate nearly a million people."

Xu Shu simply calculated in his mind and shook his head:

I'm afraid General Yunchang is already worried about the city's capacity.

Xu Shu looked far away and seemed to see a bearded general on the top of the Jiangling city wall, twisting his beard proudly and watching the hustle and bustle of the city.

But Xu Shu knew that this was probably just an illusion because he hadn't seen Yunchang for a long time.

They did not dock directly at the dock. Dong Jue had a hand order, so he commanded several craftsmen who had escaped from Jiangdong to row north, intending to enter directly from the water gate on the north side of Jiangling.

The boat changed direction, and Xu Shu opened his eyes wide and saw an incomprehensible scene.

Across the river to the south of Jiangling is Gong'an County. There are countless round carts on the river bank, and these round carts are obviously larger and more sophisticated than those in Jiangdong.

Countless unknown iron or wooden parts are placed on them just right, and as the river water rotates, this force is brought to all directions.

The ring belt connected by wooden dowels runs from north to south, one end is connected to a giant round water wheel, and the other end extends into Gong'an City.

This ring belt is full of square wooden barrels. Xu Shu saw a ship full of ore carefully docked at a reserved position.

Then the square wooden barrel coming from Gong'an City hit the ore pile, scooped up a bucket, and then naturally fell down, and then was driven by the ring belt to be sent back to the mainland of Gong'an County.

There are several similar sophisticated devices. Xu Shu has simply calculated them in his mind at a glance.

Such a ship of ore only needs three people to look after it, and it can send all the ore in a boat to Gong'an County in just half an hour.

This process does not require additional hired workers, carriages or mule carts.

Until he set foot on the land of Jiangling, Xu Shu still could not forget it for a long time. He could not fully understand what was in it, but he vaguely remembered that Kong Ming's letter mentioned that his wife had studied this thing carefully and made a great breakthrough. He vaguely remembered that Kong Ming called it...

"How powerful is the Ministry of Craftsmanship!" Xu Shu exclaimed.

"Mrs. Huang always asked us to call it engineering, or science."

Xu Shu looked up and saw a familiar face of an old man, and then he was overjoyed:

"General Yunchang!" Xu Shu was completely surprised.

"Yuan Zhi!" Guan Yu sighed with emotion: "We parted in Jingbei, and I didn't expect to see each other again for more than a few years!"

Then Guan Yu laughed even more, patting Dong Jue on the shoulder and said:

"Gong Xi survived a life-threatening situation to save the military advisor, which is no less than killing the general and seizing the flag!"

Dong Jue smiled very implicitly. He went from Jingzhou to Yizhou to Chang'an, then went south by water to Xudu, and then to Jiangling. He was considered to have gone around the Central Plains. Now he is more calm, just smiling and simply clasping his fists to Guan Yu.

For him, Military Advisor Xu is also an old friend. Now that he can meet his old friend again, it is enough for Dong Jue to surprise him.

After reminiscing about the past, Guan Yu couldn't wait to pull Xu Shu away:

"Military Advisor Xu, let's take a look at the Jiangling City cast by Guan first!"

The time was wasted by the details. The wooden dowel ring belt was already in the dragon bone waterwheel of the Han Dynasty.