Chapter 365 Xia Yu (Continued)
"His Majesty."
Seeing that Emperor Zhao was silent for a long time, Liu Hongdao thought that the other party did not know the details and could not judge, so he quickly gave a detailed explanation. "After the Yellow River turns at Fenglingdu in Tongguan, the water flow suddenly becomes fast, but it is not absolutely difficult to navigate, but it is relatively difficult to navigate in other places..."
"I understand what you mean, and I also understand the situation on the other side of the river." Zhao Jiu interrupted him without turning back. "I have passed by there several times, how can I not understand? On weekdays, there is enough space for the passage of troops and the transportation of supplies there, but after all, it is an emergency road, and it is common sense that you are afraid that it will become a key point that restricts logistics once the Northern Expedition begins... In addition, there was an old precedent in the Tang Dynasty to build a plank road and guide on the Hejian Stone Mountain, which was the backbone of the river. The Song Dynasty also had a precedent of setting up special envoys there to clean up when fighting against the Western Xia, so this suggestion came up."
"Yes." Liu Hongdao nodded immediately.
"You and Hu Yin are planning to repair it?" Zhao Jiu finally turned around and asked. "You are the Du Shuijian who is in charge of the Yellow River waterway, and he is the Minister of Works who is in charge of the overall situation. This is your responsibility."
"Yes." Liu Hong said more earnestly. "But we need to use a lot of gunpowder, otherwise we will not be able to make it in time for the Northern Expedition in the fall... The power of gunpowder to blast through mountains is just right for this purpose."
"This matter is not that simple." When Zhao Jiu heard this, he was stunned for some reason and then shook his head.
Liu Hongdao's heart also tightened, and he instinctively wanted to speak, but after glancing at the rain outside through the figure of the official, he fell silent again.
"Since you are here, take a rest for a while. I will take a look at the written reports you brought and then reply together." Zhao Jiu simply drove him away.
Liu Hongdao had something in mind, and having received the imperial decree, he naturally took his leave carefully, and then went to the back hall to rest with Zong Ying who was standing in front of the hall.
However, although it is called the back hall, it is actually Shengguo Temple on the southern side of Phoenix Mountain, which has been occupied by Emperor Zhao.
But there was nothing that could be done about it. After all, the old Wu Yue Palace on Phoenix Mountain was very narrow and had fallen into disrepair over the years. Only a sleeping palace at the back and a large hall at the front were usable. What's more, the so-called large hall was only as wide as three rooms. According to what Li Gang said when he was mediating with the villagers in Fujian and talking to the local elders about the emperor's virtues, it was only three rooms... In fact, if not for this, Emperor Zhao would not have had to hold a martial arts conference in the wild.
But now, with the continuous rain in Hangzhou in the summer of the ninth year of Jianyan, the two rows of small houses attached to the rear sleeping palace were soaked, causing seven or eight of the ten pavilions to leak, forcing the accompanying ministers and military officials who originally rested and worked here to evacuate. The nearest Shengguo Temple naturally responded enthusiastically to the call, making room for the emperor and serving as the 'back hall'.
Of course, this also indirectly shows that there are indeed many temples in the south.
However, these were none of Liu Hongdao's business. For him, living in the temple was more convenient because, firstly, the distance was not too bad. Secondly, after all, there was a mountain stream and two walls between him and the government. It was convenient for him to talk to people, ask questions, and live in peace... But there were too many crows. The entire Phoenix Mountain was full of crows. From time to time, he would startle the crows as he walked along.
Back to the present, it was still raining outside that afternoon. Liu Hongdao followed Zong Ying to Shengguo Temple to settle down for a while. After changing into clean clothes, he went out directly. He found the guard in front of the door and asked about the whereabouts of Guo Zhongxun, the reserve soldier of the imperial camp who had just arrived from Qianzhou not long ago. He asked the other party to lead the way and went to the military camp under Phoenix Mountain with an umbrella to pay a visit.
Facing a senior member of the Secret Council, and also a person who was on a mission from the Capital Water Conservancy Bureau... This mission seemed insignificant before, but it has become visibly important in the overall situation of the Northern Expedition... Guo Zhongxun naturally treated him with courtesy.
Moreover, although this visit was abrupt, it also had an explanation - as the former governor of Jiangnan West Route, since Liu Hongdao had arrived in the south, it would have seemed strange if he had not come to the relevant people to ask about the latest situation in Jiangxi.
It just seemed too urgent.
Sure enough, the two met, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then sat down opposite each other in the military camp at the foot of Phoenix Mountain. They then served tea and casually talked about the previous rebellion in Jiangxi, gradually broadening the topic. In the end, not only did the topics of conversation become more and more extensive, but because the two sides compared their personal connections in Jiangxi, and because both sides had a tacit understanding in the officialdom, they actually felt a bit like they had known each other too late.
In this way, the two chatted into the alley and gradually forgot the time. Suddenly, the sound of bells and drums came faintly from the mountains not far away, but not very densely, and there was no smell of war... How could the two not know that this was the rule of the temple. According to the weather, it might be a reminder for the monks to end the afternoon activities and go to the kitchen for dinner.
At this point, Liu Hongdao should have taken the initiative to say goodbye.
But for some reason, after glancing at the still drizzling rain outside, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War sat calmly and asked Guo Zhongxun, the owner of the military camp, a somewhat sensitive question:
"General Manager Guo, I am here to see the Emperor today. I can see that he is not very happy. But what is wrong here? Is there any trouble in Fujian again, or is there something going on in Hangzhou?"
Guo Zhongxun was slightly startled, then smiled and said, "Let Minister Liu know. I have only been in Hangzhou for ten days. Even if there is some inside information, how can I know it?"
That's the excuse.
However, Liu Hongdao just smiled and continued to ask: "It doesn't matter whether it's true or not, but if there are rumors, Manager Guo, just tell us..."
This is interrogation.
However, although the two men sat and talked like friends, their identities and status were completely different.
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