Through currency reform, the people of the Han Dynasty are now turning their attention overseas.

However, if we want to develop maritime transport and usher in the maritime era of the Han Dynasty, the Jiangnan region becomes extremely important.

Therefore, developing the Jiangnan region has always been something that Liu Hong attaches great importance to.

The reason Liu Hong sent the scions of aristocratic families who had been assessed to places like Yangzhou and Jingzhou was to use them to fight against the gentry of Jiangnan, thereby preparing for the development of Jiangnan.

Now, thanks to the Ganzhe incident, the officials have finally turned their attention to Jiangnan.

Seeing the hesitant expressions on the faces of the officials, Liu Hong decided to increase the stakes.

Then Liu Hong looked at Yang Ci and asked, "Grand Herald, besides Gan Zhe, did the returning group bring back anything else?"

"Yes, Your Majesty." Yang Ci nodded, then said slowly, "In addition to Gan Zhe, the returning group also brought back some rare and exotic animal pelts, jewelry, jade, medicinal herbs, spices and other items."

Furthermore, some gold and silver mines have been discovered in the mountainous regions of Yizhou, Jingzhou, and Jiaozhou (including Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, and Guangxi).

In addition, the most important discovery was a type of rice that can be harvested three times a year in Rinan County. This type of rice is very suitable for cultivation in Yizhou, Jingzhou, Yangzhou and other places.

If all the land in several provinces could be cultivated and planted, Jiangnan would surely become another granary for the Han Dynasty.

Yang Ci's words left the officials completely stunned.

Spices, gold mines, silver mines, and rice harvested three times a year—these things bombarded the minds of the officials again and again.

At this time, in the eyes of the officials, Jiangnan had transformed from a barren land into a blessed land rich in treasures.

The imperial court must firmly grasp such a good place.

Cao Song immediately said loudly, "Your Majesty, the Jiangnan region is extremely important. I believe that the court should pay attention to it immediately and start its development."

"We second that proposal!"

The officials also clamored for action, arguing that the sooner the Jiangnan region was developed, the sooner it would generate profits.

Liu Hong laughed and said, "Since you all agree that it is necessary to develop Jiangnan, then tell me how to develop it and how to effectively increase the court's control over Jiangnan."

After a moment of contemplation, Grand Commandant Li Ying spoke up: "Your Majesty, if we want to develop Jiangnan, we must increase the court's control over Jiangnan."

To increase the imperial court's control, besides stationing troops, the most important thing is to keep abreast of information about Jiangnan.

Liu Hong said in a deep voice, "The Grand Commandant is right. It is easy to station troops, but it is quite difficult to supply food and supplies and transmit information."

The Jiangnan region is crisscrossed by waterways, making land travel difficult. A waterway connecting Jiangnan directly to Luoyang is needed to solve this problem.

Chen Fan was slightly taken aback: "Does Your Majesty mean that you are preparing to dig a canal?"

Liu Hong nodded: "That's right. If we transport grain from Jiangnan, we only need five people and one boat to transport fifty people and twenty mules and horses, which greatly reduces the consumption of the land route."

Moreover, waterway transportation is extremely fast; what would take a month by land can be completed by water in just ten days.

Furthermore, although many people have migrated to Guanzhong and Liaozhou, the population in the Central Plains is still very dense, and it will not be long before the population increases significantly.

The opening of the Grand Canal and the development of the Jiangnan region can greatly alleviate the pressure of a large population and limited land.

"Your Majesty is absolutely right."

After listening to Liu Hong's analysis, the officials nodded in agreement.

Furthermore, the biggest factor limiting the court's control was transportation and information. If the canal were successfully built, connecting Jiangnan with Luoyang, then developing Jiangnan would no longer be difficult.

This is a great project that benefits the present and future generations, and the officials naturally have no reason to refuse it.

Subsequently, Liu Hong ordered someone to bring a large map of the Han Dynasty, which clearly marked the distribution of rivers in Yangzhou, Jingzhou and other places.

"Gentlemen, take a look and tell me, what do you think is the most suitable way to dig this canal?"

As soon as Liu Hong finished speaking, the officials gathered around and began to think about it.

In fact, as early as the Spring and Autumn Period, King Fuchai of Wu conscripted laborers to dig canals in order to compete for hegemony, so as to facilitate transportation and supply. These canals are still in use today.

Therefore, the officials were no strangers to the matter of digging canals, especially those who were well-versed in water conservancy, who excitedly offered various suggestions.

After much discussion, based on the current geographical environment, Liu Hong finally decided to extend the Grand Canal, which would later become known as the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, and ultimately drew a human-shaped outline on the map.

The main canal is divided into nine sections: starting from Yuzhang County in Yangzhou, it first connects the 'Hangou' opened by King Fuchai of Wu, and then extends northeastward, passing through Lujiang, Jiangxia, Nanyang, and Chang'an, connecting the Yellow River, the Yangtze River, the Qiantang River and other water systems.

Then, a waterway was built from Chang'an to connect with the Luo River, and then passed through the counties of Henan, Weijun, and Hejian before finally reaching Zhuojun.

In this way, a north-south interconnected network centered on Luoyang and Chang'an can be formed.

After the main canal route was finally finalized, even the officials were astonished.

The main canal passed through eight prefectures and hundreds of counties, with a total length of at least six thousand li. The scale of the project was comparable to that of the Great Wall of Qin Shi Huang.

Liu Hong and his officials were well aware that the excavation of the Grand Canal was not feasible in the short term, as the Han Dynasty could not afford such a cost.

Subsequently, after some discussion, Liu Hong and his officials formulated a ten-year canal plan.

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