Goose Three Kingdoms

Chapter 667 Li Feng Goes North
In Shu, the craze for cultivating immortals gradually subsided.

Even so, when the governor Li Feng was recalled to the court to report on his work, there were still Han and Yi believers who followed him in their cars.

The entire team consisted of more than a thousand vehicles, connected front to back, with the head and tail not connected.

Among them were scholars from various counties of Yizhou, as well as believers from the Yi and Ba peoples.

There was also a group of doctors gathered by Li Feng. Apart from supplies, the vehicles of the entire marching team transported various roughly processed medicinal materials, including the original manuscript of "Compendium of Materia Medica".

The ox cart moved slowly, and Li Feng was still studying the draft.

The medicinal materials produced in different places are different, and their medicinal properties will change if they are produced in different places.

With the strength of Yizhou, it is impossible to compile a complete version of "Compendium of Materia Medica", or rather, they only compiled the "Yizhou Chapter of Compendium of Materia Medica".

Even so, doctors from Li Feng onwards were obsessed with it, as it was a great opportunity to leave their names in history.

"Sir, it's another ten miles to Yangping Pass."

The imperial guard reported to Li Feng in the carriage: "Commander-in-chief Zhang will go out of the city five miles to welcome the envoy."

"understood."

Li Feng put down the manuscript in the carriage, put it in a wooden box, untied the curtain and said to the riders outside: "General Zhang is the confidant and beloved general of the Grand Marshal. Let everyone know that they are not allowed to be presumptuous."

"Yes."

Several riders responded, two of them rode forward and reported to the leaders of various caravans along the road, while the other two stayed where they were to report to the leaders of the following teams.

In Li Feng's carriage, Peng Ying, who was sitting opposite him, folded his hands and held a copper kettle to warm his hands and said, "Envoy, although the plank road of Baoxia Road has been repaired, I heard that it is not as smooth as the Qishan Road?"

"I have also heard that the autumn rains caused floods and mountain torrents, and many of the beams and pillars of the plank road have been washed away, making it difficult to repair."

Li Feng looked tired: "Ziwu Road was also damaged by mountain torrents. Currently, only Qishan Road is intact."

The Qishan Road was built as the army entered Hanzhong; when Zhang Lu sent troops to meet him, he also built a section of the road.

When subsequent troops were transferred, some of the plank roads were also reinforced.

Compared with Ziwu Road and Baoxia Road, the biggest advantage of Qishan Road is that it has slightly less rainfall.

The Shu Road reconstruction project is expanding, and the trunk line in the northern part of Hanzhong will also be expanded in the future.

Now the mountain at Jiange has been dug through, and carriages and horses can travel on the mountain wall without relying on plank roads.

Unlike before, burning the plank road would block the road.

Peng Ying thought for a moment and asked, "Sir, does the Grand Marshal want to rebuild the Qishan Road?"

"I don't know."

Li Feng knew what Peng Ying was worried about: "Based on my understanding of the Grand Marshal, the Grand Marshal will rebuild two of the three routes, Qishan, Baoxiang, and Ziwu."

There are five roads between Hanzhong and Guanzhong, and the most important one is the Baoxiade Road.

Li Feng continued, "The Ziwu Road to the east can connect to Shangyong, Fangling, and Nanxiang County; the Qishan Road connects to Longshang and cannot be ignored. With the manpower accumulated in Guanzhong now, perhaps these three roads will be built together."

"Yes, I understand."

Peng Ying was only slightly surprised. The road reconstruction work between Shuzhong and Hanzhong only needed to kill time. After reducing the manpower scale, Shuzhong became more relaxed.

Building three roads in the north would naturally make it impossible to transport grain across thousands of miles in Shu.

The probability is that military and civilian settlements were set up in Hanzhong to grow food nearby; then the three regions of Guanzhong, Longshang and Hanzhong worked together to rebuild these three roads.

Building roads between the mountains... Before this, Peng Ying couldn't even imagine it.

But now it is a good thing. The unemployed laborers in Shu can find stable and closed jobs, which is beneficial to the prosperity and stability of Shu.

Previously, these people could be used to fight in wars, but now they have become a security threat.

As long as these people stay in their hometown, they will inevitably have to divide the land or separate their belongings.

It's wonderful to gather at the construction site.

In fact, the cost of building roads is not high. For Shuzhong, it is just the cost of food.

As for wages, it was Guanzhong that paid. These high-quality Wuzhu coins were consumed by the garrison and circulated to the Shuzhong market with the laborers. Even the mountain people of the Yi tribe liked this kind of coin.

Building a mausoleum in the mountains... the cost is very high, and most of it is hidden cost and difficult to estimate.

Such as mining special stones and wood and transportation; in addition, there is palace construction, which seems to require about the same amount of manpower, but the cost of material collection, selection, and transportation is very high. The characteristic of Black Bear's governance is that it does not build cities or palaces.

They like to build a series of fortresses, houses and pavilions to form towns.

As long as the building can use local materials, the only costs are food and time!
The living environment of black bears is not luxurious, and county officials are restricted by the official land order, so they basically have no time to build luxurious manors.

Peng Ying estimated the time and cost required for the entire Shu Road project... This directly determines when to take action in the southwest.

He followed Li Feng into Guanzhong in the hope of being recommended by Li Feng and entering officialdom as Li Feng's representative.

Only by calculating the duration of the Southwest War could he plan his career.

Ever since Black Bear first mobilized the forces of Shu to dig Jianshan, Peng Ying had a premonition that this major road construction was intended to deal a heavy blow to the southwest.

Yizhou is good in every way except bloodshed.

Following the Grand Marshal's military campaigns against the southern barbarians, things naturally became harmonious.

While he was thinking, the ox cart slowly stopped.

The guard lifted the curtain of the carriage door and said, "Sir, Commander Zhang is just ahead."

"Yongnian, follow me to see Governor Zhang."

Li Feng did not forget to instruct: "General Zhang is of a serious nature, and he must not be unruly forever."

"Yes, I understand."

Peng Ying did not want to cause any trouble, so he followed Li Feng out of the car with an honest and kind demeanor. He did not look around, but only observed the Hanzhong governor Zhang Ding and his entourage.

In the relatively open area at the foot of Zoumaling Mountain, Zhang Ding had already sent people to erect wooden pillars in the air and laid a wooden floor, with five-colored curtains on all sides.

In front of the makeshift wooden steps, Zhang Ding bowed to Li Feng and observed Li Feng's complexion: "I haven't seen Li Jijiu for many years. You are so thin. I'm afraid the king will blame you if he sees you."

Li Feng laughed: "Sima, you are joking. If I were not responsible for state affairs, I would like to live in Shu for a long time and enjoy my freedom forever."

Zhang Ding also smiled and stretched out his arms: "Offer wine, please."

"You're welcome then."

Li Feng shook his sleeves, put his hands on his back and climbed the wooden steps first. After climbing more than fifty steps back and forth, he finally reached the suspended platform on the slope.

He looked into the distance. It was a cold winter fog and visibility was less than a mile.

Zhang Ding followed and looked around: "The mountain wind is quite strong, the chief priest went into the tent to avoid the wind and keep warm."

"it is good."

Li Feng agreed, and the two men each brought their subordinates into the curtain.

In the middle of the curtain was a bright campfire, with bright red charcoal in a pile of white ashes.

After they sat down, Zhang Ding asked, "Do you want to stay in Guanzhong to serve the emperor or return to Shuzhong to govern Qingcheng?"

Li Feng blinked his eyes and said, "I originally wanted to go to Mount Zhongnan to practice Taoism, but the affairs in the southwest are complicated and it is difficult for me to get away. After paying homage to the Lord, I will resign and preach in Qingcheng. I wonder why Sima asked about this?"

"Bloody soldiers."

Zhang Ding did not hide it: "If the chief priest stays in Guanzhong, I will dispatch two troops to the south and recruit a troop of Ba soldiers. Since the chief priest is determined to return, I will temporarily recruit a troop of Ba soldiers to practice battle formations and weapons in preparation for any changes."

As he spoke, Zhang Ding took out a piece of silk book from the leather box on his belt and handed it to Li Feng: "Jijiu, take a look at this."

Li Feng was curious and reached out to take it. He was shocked to see only twenty or so tiny words written between the embroidery patterns.

Zhang Ding's expression remained the same as before. He reached out and took back the silk book: "I have already written to the king. Guanzhong is different today than it was in the past. Please take care."

"Thank you Sima for your concern."

Li Feng calmed down and raised his glass when he saw the guards bringing him wine: "Now I miss my old friends so much. Seeing Sima today reminds me of the difficulties I had in following you to start your own business."

"The great cause has not yet been accomplished, so the chief winemaker should not be so sentimental. Drink up, and I wish the chief winemaker a smooth journey."

Zhang Ding also raised his wine and toasted Li Feng. Everyone raised their cups and drank.

Later, the guards brought various stir-fried dishes, and the people of Shu were all amazed at how exquisite and colorful the dishes were.

(End of this chapter)