Just as the Xu brothers were being tried, Master Zhao had already left Changxing and headed for the third stop of his trip, Liyang.

In fact, it is more convenient to go from Changxing to Liyang by dry road. Go out of Changxing County, walk north for a few miles, cross the border of Yixing, and you will reach the border of Liyang.

But Mr. Zhao wanted to inspect an extremely important water transportation line. So he chose the long way instead of the short one, and took a small boat along the Xiaruo River to enter Taihu Lake. After returning to his own Science, he sailed north along the lake shore for more than 60 miles, and saw a vast and mighty river rushing into Taihu Lake.

"This is Dongxi, also called Dongxi." Jin Ke introduced in a deep voice: "Zhongjiang flows into Taihu Lake from here, and it is the main source of water for Taihu Lake."

"Yeah." Zhao Hao nodded. In fact, no one understood Zhongjiang better than him.

This is an artificial water system with a long history. Since ancient times, there has been a legend that "Dayu controlled the flood and diverted it to Zhongjiang River". Zhao Hao did not dare to guarantee whether Zhongjiang River was opened by Dayu, but it was clearly recorded in the "Book of Han·Geography" that this ancient waterway started from Wuhu and ended in Yixing in the east. It originated from the Yangtze River and flowed into Taihu Lake.

The 300-li Zhongjiang River connects the Yangtze River and the Taihu Lake system. Ships can go directly from Wuhu to Suzhou and Songjiang via Taihu Lake. It is one of the most important water transportation lines in the Ming Dynasty. Because the end point of this transportation line is Shanghai, it is also called the "Wuhu-Shenyang Canal".

If the Yangtze River route from Wuhu to Shanghai is compared to a bow, the Wushen Canal is the string on the bow. It is almost a straight line throughout the whole journey, which can save more than 300 miles. Moreover, the water flow is not as fierce as that of the Yangtze River, so it is not so difficult to sail against the current, and no towing is required throughout the whole journey.

In Zhao Hao's overall plan for the future of Jiangnan, Wuhu and Shanghai are the two most important fulcrums at its east and west ends. Therefore, for him and the Jiangnan Group, the Wushen Canal is even more important than the Yangtze River.

Zhao Hao had already inspected this core artery at the turn of summer and autumn last year, but that was the flood season. He needed to conduct another on-site survey to see the navigability of the canal during the dry season before he could make a move with complete confidence.

~~

When the boat entered the middle of the river, Jin Ke said goodbye. His guide work came to an end, and he had to hurry back to Xishan Island to hand over.

The two parties agreed to meet again in Chongming, and Zhao Hao watched him get off the Science and leave on a speedboat.

Secretary Ma behind her was also very happy. It was a relief that the young lady and Miss Jiang were not on this trip, only she and Qiaoqiao were with them. But Jin Ke kept pestering the young master all day, which almost drove him crazy.

Zhao Hao didn't notice Sister Ma's little thoughts, his attention was all on the Science entering the river.

The Science is a 200-ton flat-bottomed ocean-going ship, which, according to scientific measurement units, has a displacement of about 50 tons. It is beautiful, sturdy, agile and fast, but not too big.

Because when Uncle Wu gave him the boat, he took into account the navigability of the main rivers in the south of the Yangtze River, so he chose this size.

In other words, the main cargo ships used in Jiangnan area shipping are this big. If it is inconvenient for the Science to pass through, then those fully loaded cargo ships will be even more difficult to pass through.

Fortunately, the Dongxi waterway is very wide, and the water volume is not greatly affected by the season. Even in this season, the width of the river mouth into the lake is more than 100 meters, the river channel is no less than 50 meters, and the water depth of the channel is more than 3 meters. It should not be a problem for a 400-ton sand ship to pass... 400-ton is already the maximum size allowed by the Ming Dynasty for civilian construction.

Uncle Mi personally steered the boat, directing the sailors to adjust the sails, and while sailing upstream at a leisurely pace, he measured the depth of the river.

As a result, it took the Science two days to complete the waterway from Yixing to Liyang.

After arriving in Liyang, the Science stopped at the county dock. Uncle Mi took the sailors and transferred to a 400-ton cargo ship to continue the survey.

Zhao Hao entered Liyang County. Liyang belongs to Yingtian Prefecture, and the Danjinlicao River passes through the city, from which you can go directly to Zhenjiang and meet the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal.

Unsurprisingly, this is a land of fish and rice with beautiful scenery, rich in silk and tea. Although it is overshadowed by the brilliance of the surrounding big cities and is not well-known in the world, it has abundant products, convenient transportation, and no risk of floods, so the people live and work in peace and contentment.

Living here is actually much more comfortable than living in big cities like Suzhou, Songjiang, Changzhou, Hangzhou, Jiaxing, Huzhou, Jinwu.

In the words of later generations, it means that the residents have a high happiness index. Of course, in the Jiangnan area where the essence of the Ming Dynasty is located, there are actually many such counties, not just Liyang.

However, Zhao Hao was not on this trip to inspect Liyang. He took a small boat directly through the city, turned southwest and traveled seven or eight miles before landing at the foot of a small hill with undulating mountains.

"Sir, this is Yanshan." Sister Ma was finally able to return to her duties and said softly, "Wuben Academy is right by the lake in front."

"You're quite good at choosing a place." When Master Zhao jumped off the boat, he saw farmlands connected to each other everywhere at the foot of the mountain and on both sides of the river.

Just after the second day of the second lunar month, farmers have begun their busy year. They have to level the fields, repair pond embankments, and dredge canals before transplanting rice seedlings. Many people set fire to the fields to burn the weeds in the fields, and the ashes can also serve as fertilizer for the soil.

The farmers were not surprised to see this group of well-dressed people walking through the fields. Someone stood up and asked politely, "Excuse me, distinguished guest, are you looking for Mr. Menghe?"

Zhao Hao and the others were surprised. They saw that this man had a dark complexion and rough skin, and he looked like he worked in the fields all day. However, he was polite and spoke Mandarin, which was very different from ordinary farmers.

"That's right." Zhao Hao smiled and crossed his hands to return the greeting, saying, "We came here from Kunshan in the east of the lake because of your reputation. We were in such a hurry that we didn't have a visiting card. I wonder where Mr. Menghe is?"

"The headmaster is over there." The man pointed to the sunny side of the hillside in the distance. He could vaguely see an old man leaning on a hoe, directing a few farmers in brown clothes to dig a hole there. He smiled and said, "We don't have so many rules in our academy. I'll take you there."

"Thank you very much, sir. May I ask your name?" Zhao Hao nodded happily.

"My surname is Shi, my given name is Jizhi, and my courtesy name is Sishan." The farmer put down the shovel in his hand, jumped onto the ridge barefoot, and walked towards the old man with him.

Zhao Hao's mouth twitched when he heard this, and he said with a wry smile: "Are you a Juren from Yingtian Prefecture who passed the Dingmao Examination?"

Secretary Ma behind him opened her mouth slightly when she heard this. This was the most unlike-Juren-like person she had ever seen.

"Yeah, you know me?" The farmer couldn't help but laugh, but he wasn't too surprised. Yingtian Prefecture had printed a list of successful candidates, so it wasn't surprising for others to see his name.

"I know." Zhao Hao nodded, put on a brilliant smile, and bowed to him again, saying, "Junior Zhao Hao greets Uncle Shi Shi."

"Oh?" Shi Jizhi had obviously heard of his name and asked in surprise, "Are you Brother Gongming's son?"

"My father is Zhao Gongming." Zhao Hao's mouth twitched again. He didn't know why his grandfather gave his father such a name.

He is named the God of Wealth, but he is the number one spender.

ps. The first of three consecutive updates, please vote for me!!!