The old man didn't survive the winter of last year and passed away at the end of the year.
Strictly speaking, the court had no intention of letting Zhao Jun go back. After all, he was still on tour. When Wang Sui died of illness, he was on his first tour of the world and was not allowed to come back either.
This time just tell him the news.
But along with the news of Zhang Shixun's death came another thing - Li Di was also terminally ill and probably wouldn't last long.
Considering that Li Di was his younger brother and served as his right-hand man with Xia Song in the Constitutional Council, and considering his relationship with Li Xiaoji, it would be unreasonable not to go back to see the old man off for the last time.
Therefore, Zhao Jun had to cancel his plan to go to Qinfeng Road and Ningxia and turn back halfway.
Fortunately, he has now completed his inspections of most places. Two years of travel is enough for him to travel through most of the Song Dynasty. Currently, only Qinfeng Road and the Northwest have not been visited, so it cannot be said that he has given up halfway.
The team was already in Huanzhou at the time, and temporarily went south back to Guanzhong. Then in late February of the eleventh year of the Qingli period, they took a boat down the Yellow River and headed towards Bianliang.
It was spring, with flowers blooming. The Yellow River had not yet reached flood season, and the water level was neither high nor low. In order to ensure Zhao Jun's safety, the ships sailed very slowly and all moved along the river bank.
As a result, despite traveling day and night, it still took almost ten days to finally arrive in Bianliang.
It was already early March at this time.
There are very few ships on the upper reaches of the Bian River from the Biankou of the Yellow River to Kaifeng. In the past, this was the upper reaches of the canal, mainly transporting grain and fodder to Guanzhong.
However, Guanzhong fell into disrepair and commercial activities gradually came to an end, and it later became the waterway for the Yongji Canal and the Bian River in Hebei.
However, the Song Dynasty dug a canal from Huazhou to Bianliang in recent years, which resulted in no one being willing to take the long detour to the upper reaches of the Bian River and then to Bianliang. This caused the Bian River to gradually decline. Although it cannot be said to be in decline, it is no longer as prosperous as it used to be.
In March, the weather is getting warmer and even a little hot.
Zhao Jun stood at the bow of the boat, with Li Xiaoji's forehead covered in sweat. According to the clerk from the Jinzouyuan, Li Di was almost on his deathbed and it was unknown whether he could hold on until they arrived.
At noon, the originally green mountains on both sides of the river slowly turned into an endless plain, and then you could see a large number of forests, villages and farmlands.
Further to the southeast, a vast and magnificent city comes into view, and the first thing you see is the tall buildings outside the city.
Buildings are rising from the ground, streets are crisscrossing, and bicycles and rickshaws can be seen from time to time on the concrete roads. There are even electric poles in many places nearby, with wires connecting every household.
"I didn't expect that Bianliang has changed so much in just two years since I left."
Zhao Jun was very surprised.
What he saw in the local area was completely different from what he saw in Bianliang.
The local area is backward and feudal.
Bianliang was changing with each passing day. It was only three years ago that Zhao Zhen lit up the imperial palace, and three years later the city of Bianliang was already full of lights.
Such a difference really makes people feel unreal.
It’s just like Shanghai in the 1920s during the Republic of China, where there were lights and feasting, while other places were suffering.
Although the people of the Song Dynasty were not living in dire straits, they could even be said to be enjoying peace and prosperity, and the people could afford to eat.
But this itself is a manifestation of difference.
Soon the city was getting closer and closer, and in the distance, at the ferry outside the city, a large group of carriages were parked.
Ships are no longer allowed to dock in the city. Various warehouses and docks have been built outside the city. Many factories and workshops are gathered outside the city. The city has become completely commercialized.
Now, apart from a fleet of merchant ships coming from Guanzhong, the only fleet in the entire Bian River is Zhao Jun's fleet, and that merchant ship is still behind them.
When Zhao Jun's fleet arrived at the dock outside the city, the dock did not look very lively.
Since the canal in the direction of Huazhou has taken on most of the transportation work of the Bian Canal in the past, only a small number of merchants from Guanzhong and Shanxi now use the canal transportation.
Some porters were sitting lazily at the dock waiting for work. When they saw the fleet coming, they immediately stood at the dock.
But they were soon stopped outside by government officials and were not allowed to approach.
Not long after, Zhao Jun's fleet entered the dock. He had a lot of stuff, with more than 300 guards, and the supplies that needed to be stored filled the cabin. Jiang Dalang went to ask the workers to move things from the other side.
Fan Zhongyan, Yan Shu, Xia Song, Cai Qi, Song Shou, and Jiang Tang went to greet them.
Zhao Jun walked down from the deck.
Several people stood on the shore. Yan Shu smiled and waved to him, "Hanlong, this way."
"Uncle Lari"
Zhao Jun looked over and couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.
After not seeing each other for two years, Yan Shu's temples had turned gray, and even his beard was gray and white, and his face looked increasingly old.
Unlike Lu Yijian, Lu Yijian was both his teacher and his enemy.
Because Lü Yijian had harmed Zhao Jun in his early years, Zhao Jun at most learned some of Lü Yijian's schemes and tricks, but he did not particularly respect him, and even had a hint of hostility towards him.
But Yan Shu was different. As the first person to communicate with him and the one who silently supported him behind the scenes for many years, Yan Shu would not oppose Zhao Jun like Lu Yijian did, and he would often teach Zhao Jun how to govern the country.
The relationship between the two was like that between a student and a teacher, more like friends or family. Zhao Jun usually addressed others as "Mr. So-and-so" or "Mr. So-and-so", but he always kept the name "La Ri Shu" for Yan Shu.
This is also one of the bonds of their relationship.
However, Zhang Shixun died of illness, Li Di was also on his deathbed, and Yan Shu was 61 years old this year, entering old age. Historically, he would die of illness in another four years.
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