I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 894: Traveling East to Xi'an
In the distance, on the other side of the golden sea of ​​wheat that sways and rises in the wind, there are several dense rows of protective forests.

Liu pointed at the rows of protective forests and said.

"When the straight road was being built, a protective forest was planted there, using the water from the culvert. Many people say it's a waste, because beyond that is just wasteland and Gobi.

But I say, that place is prepared for building a railway!"

Shen Wanxiang was surprised and asked: "Liu Baotou, how did you guess it?"

Liu Baotou chuckled, "The straight road in Gansu was built earlier than that in Kunling, and it is also about ten meters wide. Kunling added protective forests and built underground canals, and Gansu immediately followed suit, planting protective forests on both sides of the straight road and building underground canals.

In addition, on the other side of the shelterbelt, more than ten miles away, several rows of shelterbelts were planted in this way. Some people say that this is a reserve forest; some say it is to strengthen the effect of preventing sand and wind; some say it is a waste of money and manpower.

Later I heard from a friend that it was planned in advance and reserved for building railways.

As a result, Kunling followed Gansu's example and planted several more rows of shelterbelts there, leaving them for the railway construction, right? "

Everyone couldn't help but laugh, "Boss Liu has good eyesight."

The group traveled together, and with the old veteran Liu Baotou by their side, he could tell everyone a story wherever he went.

There is a river valley to the north of Gumo City (Aksu), winding deep into the Tianshan Mountains. You can take the path to the source of the Zhenzhu River, and then follow the river down to reach the Zhenzhu River Valley.

To the north of Qiuci (Kuqa), across the Tianshan Mountains, is Yining, but the mountains here are high and steep, the valleys are deep and the forests are dense, and it is seldom visited. Only a few hunters and mountain herders know how to cross the mountains and travel north and south on the small path.

Tiemenguan is located between two mountains, with a small river next to it and a basin next to it, shaded by green trees and connected by houses. Compared with the bare sandy and rocky mountains on both sides, this oasis is particularly important.

Passersby can rest here.

Liu Baotou introduced that Tiemenguan was the main road for Qiuci to enter the Turpan Basin, and it used to be Yanqi County of Gaochang County.

More than 300 miles from Yanqi County is Xizhou County (Turpan), the capital of Gaochang County.

Standing on the high Chiyan Mountain, looking at Xizhou City in the valley, he could see four chimneys standing in the shadow of the mountains on the north side of the city near the mountains.

Liu pointed at the chimneys and said, "The court has opened cotton and wool spinning mills, as well as a canning factory in Xizhou City. It's a pity."

"Boss Liu, what a pity!"

"Xizhou, like other places in Kunling, is short of water. It only has two rivers formed by spring water from the nearby Tianshan Mountains that melt snow.

The amount of water is not large. It was originally used to irrigate farmland through the karez underground canal, and now some of it has to be used in factories. It is not enough, so the scale of these three factories is not large, but it is better than nothing. "

Shen Wanxiang nodded, "We still need a railway. Only with a railway can the vast land of Kunling be revitalized."

Wang Yongji and Wang Fengmeng turned to look at him and asked curiously, "Qianhe, how do we make it alive?"

"Kunling lacks water and has little rain all year round. It relies entirely on the melting snow on the Tianshan and Kunlun Mountains. So it uses water efficiently and can also develop its agriculture. The area here is vast and the sunshine is sufficient.

Cotton, soybeans, wheat, corn, potatoes, and fruit trees such as apples and grapes can be planted in large quantities to develop cash crops. According to economic classification, agricultural and animal husbandry resources can be provided to other regions.

But the key issue is transportation.

Due to the local water shortage, even if there are factories, it is difficult to scale up. Water must be transported to the eastern and central regions with extremely abundant water resources for industrial production.

Only in this way can the rich agricultural and pastoral resources of Kunming Governorate be used to maximize industrial value-added, create more wealth, and then compensate from the east through transfer payments.

Only in this way can development be balanced. So again, the key is still transportation.”

Wang Yongji nodded in approval, “In addition to building the two north-south arteries of Beijing-Han-Wu-Xiang and Jin-Pu-Ning-Shanghai, the court is also doing its utmost to build the Wei-Zheng, Hai-Zheng and Zheng-Xi, and then the Xi-Gao railway, which runs east-west.

"Boss Liu, may I ask if the railway west of Gansu and Xi'an has been built?"

Hearing the question, Liu Baotou nodded quickly: "It is under construction. Fengxiang County, Tianshui County, Wuwei County, and Zhangye County have all had railway troops stationed there. In the north of Lanzhou City, people were also seen repairing a bridge.

But the two counties that were most prosperous were Fengxiang and Tianshui.”

"now it's right."

Liu Baotou looked at Shen Wanxiang and Wang Yongji pointing at Xizhou City in high spirits. Although he only knew that they were talking about a big event, he had no idea how big it was.

But he knew that these two people must be important figures.

The group passed through Xizhou City and Yiwu City in Gaochang County and passed through hundreds of miles of uninhabited area.

Although this is said to be an uninhabited area, there are five post stations built on the straight road. There are sturdy stone houses that can withstand wind and sand, and there are deep wells that provide sufficient water.

Each post station is planted with drought-resistant poplar trees, sea buckthorn, sedge and other drought-resistant plants within a radius of one or two miles. It is lush and full of vitality, becoming an invaluable oasis in the vast yellow sand.

Liu Baotou sighed, "Our Xu Zhitai started out as the governor of Gansu. For more than a decade in the northwest, he mainly did two things: building canals and digging ponds, and planting grass and trees.

Some people even jokingly called him the tree-planting governor.

But we ordinary people feel the most deeply. If it weren't for this tree-planting governor Xu, Shaanxi and Gansu wouldn't be like this. Even this hundreds of miles of deserted land that has swallowed countless people throughout the dynasties now has five oases. "

"Mr. Rudong's contribution will last for thousands of years and his name will go down in history!"

Wang Fengmeng could not help but say in a tone of great admiration: "Xu Du has governed the northwest for more than ten years, and the emperor praised him as the best person in the country to govern the northwest."

They were talking about Xu Zhenming, who succeeded Xu Wei as Governor-General of Shaanxi and Gansu.

Liu narrowed his eyes, looked at the distant Qilian Mountains, and said leisurely: "Xu Zhitai was appointed as the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu. According to the rules, he should be stationed in Xi'an. But Xu Zhitai wrote a petition to the emperor and insisted on staying in Lanzhou.

He said that the arid and barren lands of the northwest are located in Hexi, Ningxia, and northern Shaanxi. Lanzhou is located at the intersection of the three areas and can take care of the governance of the three areas.

Governor Xu said in the memorial that his minister had limited talent and knowledge, and was appointed by the emperor to govern Shaanxi and Gansu. He did not dare to show off his achievements in economics, but only hoped that he could add more green and vibrant places to Shaanxi and Gansu during his lifetime.

When we heard the teacher reading this article at that time, we were all moved to tears.

Fortunately for the people, God blesses the Ming Dynasty. There is a holy emperor who works hard to govern the country and cares about the lives of the people. Only with a holy emperor can there be good ministers and wise officials, and only with a holy emperor can there be such a peaceful and prosperous era as never before. "

In the late autumn of the tenth year of Wanli, Shen Wanxiang and his party came to Lanzhou City.

He first wrote a letter to the Shaanxi-Gansu Governor's Office, requesting an audience with the Shaanxi-Gansu Governor-General Xu Zhenming.

Unfortunately, Xu Zhenming went to Shancheng County, Xining County (Xining).

The Qinghai region separated the Huangzhong area east of Qinghai Lake and established Xining County, which was under the jurisdiction of Gansu Provincial Administration. The rest was divided by the Guge Mountains (Tanggula Mountains). The one in the north was the Qinghai Xuanzhengsi and the one in the south was the U-Tsang Xuanzhengsi. After the seventh year of Wanli, it was renamed the Xiangxiong Xuanzhengsi.

Shen Wanxiang and the other two were very regretful that they could not meet this famous minister, but they had to keep going. Before the heavy snow blocked the road, they continued their journey eastward.

The final destination of Liu Baotou's caravan was Xi'an, so they continued on their journey together.
Coming out of Lanzhou City, passing through Lanzhou County, and entering Dingxi County of Tianshui County in Shaanxi Province, you can see the railway engineering group working intensively along the way to complete the expected task before the heavy snow.

Looking at the orderly and bustling construction site, Liu Baotou sighed: "Da Ming is full of vitality and construction. Agriculture, animal husbandry and factories are thriving. Now the most valuable thing in Da Ming is people."

"people?"

"Yes. Building railways requires people, building factories requires people, and once factories are built, more workers are needed. Also, the conquered territories require immigrants to fill the towns.

I heard that the people in the remote mountainous areas of Shaanxi and Gansu, the Qinling Mountains in southern Shaanxi, Hanzhong, Longxi, Longnan, and Xunyang County on the border of Shaanxi, Huguang, and Henan were all mobilized by the government.

Either divide the land and farm it, or work in a factory and earn money.

Now that the mountainous areas are sparsely populated, there are more wild animals. There are more and more wild boars, jackals, tigers and leopards, and they appear frequently. In the past, the biggest threat to people traveling on the road was mountain bandits and robbers.

Nowadays, bandits have disappeared, and these wild animals have become the ones who rob people on the road. It is common for wild animals to injure people.

Guards and garrison regiments from all over the country often go out to hunt these wild beasts.

There is an interesting anecdote about the hunting of these wild beasts.”

With Liu Baotou, the journey is no longer lonely. He has endless stories to tell along the way.

"Liu Baotou, what's the interesting story?"

“Two years ago, there were packs of wolves in the Qilian Mountains, and the Guards and Cavalry Regiment hunted them vigorously, killing many wild animals including foxes.

Later, the Northwest Agricultural Science Institute called a halt to the practice, saying that if wild wolves and foxes were killed, the grasslands at the foot of the Qilian Mountains would be overrun with rabbits. If there were too many rabbits, they would compete with sheep, cattle and horses for fodder.

So they asked some wolves and foxes to stay and help eat the hares."

"Haha, I didn't expect there would be such a thing."

After Tianshui County, you will reach Fengxiang County, where construction is even more intense. Just after Qingshui County, you can see railway soldiers laying rails.

"It's really fast. When we left Xi'an in the early spring, the rails were only being laid in Xianyang, and now they've been laid all the way here. It looks like it will take less than three to five years to reach Gaochang."

When the Ming Dynasty Railway Corps built railways, fixed facilities such as roadbeds and railway stations could be constructed in sections. However, for laying the tracks, the rails had to be transported by rail first and then laid on the existing tracks using a gantry car, so they had to be laid one section at a time.

Wang Fengmeng saw the clue and said, "Hey, doesn't this railway run along the straight road of the post station?"

Liu raised his head and gave a thumbs up, "General Wang is wise. The straight road is from Qingshui County to the northeast to Longzhou, then to Weiyang County, and then to Fengxiang City.

But the railway runs along the Wei River, from Qingshui County directly into Fengxiang County, straight to Baoji, then through Mei County, Xingping, Xianyang into the south of Xi'an, and connects with the Zhengxi Railway. "

"How do we go along the Wei River?"

"I don't know. It's said that the route was surveyed by the surveying team. We can just follow the route that's easiest to build."

The group finally entered Xi'an city on a snowy day in the twelfth month of the tenth year of the Wanli reign.

Shen Wanxiang, Wang Yongji and Wang Fengmeng said goodbye to Liu Baotou and went to the Shaanxi Provincial Government and the Governor's Office to submit a letter. The next afternoon, an official came to pick them up and said that Shaanxi Governor Shi Xing wanted to see them.

Stone star, stone arch!
Shen Wanxiang and Wang Yongji looked at each other. This guy was definitely not someone to be trifled with.

When a major case broke out in Henan that year, Hai Rui and Wang Yi'e came together to investigate. Everyone thought that Shi Xing, the then governor of Henan, should bear the greatest responsibility. He suddenly fell from being a young and promising political star.

No one expected that he would just join the game and directly wipe out the local forces in Henan headed by Liang Cen, the governor of Henan.

In the eighth year of Wanli, he was transferred to be the governor of Shaanxi, and everyone said that he was preparing to take over Xu Zhenming's post as the governor-general of Shaanxi and Gansu.

But Shen Wanxiang and Wang Yongji thought about it carefully and felt that it was impossible.

In the past, Shaanxi and Gansu were border areas, so it was necessary to set up a governor-general of Shaanxi and Gansu. Now it has become the hinterland of the hinterland. According to the emperor's governance philosophy, it won't be long before the governor-general of Shaanxi and Gansu is abolished and the two provinces are directly divided by the governor.

It is very likely that Shi Xing would move westward step by step after taking over as the governor of Shaanxi.

He will first serve as the Governor of Gansu and the Envoy of Qinghai, and then there is a high possibility that he will take over Xu Wei's position as the Governor-General of the Three Borders.

Shi Xing personally went out of the yamen to welcome Shen Wanxiang and Wang Yongji.

"Qianhe, Mingshou, you two were ordered to go on diplomatic missions to three countries overseas. You overcame many difficulties and it took you five years. Now you have finally returned home to report. You have worked hard and made great contributions!"

After praising the two men for a few words, he said to Wang Fengmeng: "Hu Chen, I have received great kindness from Lord Gangfeng, and now his disciples are visiting Shaanxi, I must do my best to be a good host."

Shi Xing walked in front, holding the arms of Shen and Wang, and Wang Fengmeng followed behind. The four of them entered the central courtyard of the governor's yamen.

A banquet had been set up there.

Shi Xing toasted each of the three people and then said, "Please wait for a few days."

Shen Wanxiang and the other two were confused.

Shi Xing explained, "You two are envoys carrying out the imperial order, so I dare not delay your trip. However, in three or five days, the Governor-General of Shaanxi and Gansu, Mr. Xu, will arrive in Xi'an. Then we will take the train together and go straight to the capital."

"Mr. Xu is coming! That's great. We couldn't see him in Lanzhou, but we didn't expect to see him in Xi'an. It doesn't matter if we wait another three or five days. We can take the train to Beijing and save many days of travel."

The host and the guests got along very well and drank to their heart's content, and the party did not end until after eight o'clock in the evening.

Shi Xing returned to the backyard and, with the help of his wives and concubines, washed his face with hot water, changed into home clothes, and was about to drink sobering soup when a maid reported to him at the door.

"Master, someone from the government office came to see you. They said it was an urgent matter."

"Call in."

The wives and concubines quickly retreated to the inner room, and the maid invited the visitor in. It was Li Sancai, the official of Shixing.

"Daofu, what happened?"

"Governor, the telegraph office has sent an urgent message from the capital."

"An urgent telegram from the capital?" Shi Xing's eyes flashed. "What major event has happened in the court? Send me a telegram!"

Li Sancai quickly handed over the telegram.

Shi Xing took it and looked at it carefully, his eyes flickering and bright.

"Sure enough, something big happened in the court!"

(End of this chapter)