Capital Datang

The winter in the north is cold and windy, and it is no exaggeration to describe it as dripping into ice. This is especially true in the 12th year of Zhenguan. The temperature dropped below zero early. Even in sunny weather, people still can’t feel the slightest warmth. , so unless necessary, most people stay at home.

On the cement avenue from Gunzhou to Luoyang, a huge convoy is rushing towards Luoyang in full swing. They have gone two-thirds of the way, and now they have reached the boundary of Bianzhou. The so-called Bianzhou actually refers to the future generations. Kaifeng, but Bianzhou City is on the north bank of the Yellow River, and the cement road from Gunzhou to Luoyang is on the south bank of the Yellow River, so unless this convoy crosses the frozen Yellow River, it will not be able to enter Bianzhou City at all.

There were two to three hundred people in this convoy on the road, and all of them were men in their prime of life, each wearing the same thick padded jacket, dog fur hat, and uniform cotton gloves on their hands. It is estimated that these should all be the unified equipment of the team. It seems that the team owner treats his workers well.

This convoy is driving dozens of large carts, almost all of which are four-wheeled carriages pulled by two horses. Since the construction of the cement road, the traffic has become more and more convenient, especially in terms of cargo transportation. Many, but soon someone discovered that with the same horsepower, more goods can be transported with a four-wheeled cart, so more and more people choose to use a four-wheeled cart to pull goods. As for the steering of the four-wheeled cart, it is not a big deal at all. Technical problems, because as early as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, four-wheeled carriages appeared on the land of the Central Plains, but because of road problems.It is not as practical as a two-wheeled carriage, so it has not been popularized on a large scale.It wasn't until the appearance of concrete roads that the four-wheeled carriages were given a chance to shine again.

At the front of the convoy.There were several one-horse carriages pulling people. The window of the middlemost carriage had been opened, and a young man poked his head out from inside, talking to a big man on a horse beside him.Capital Datang 219

"Brother Ang, it's almost Chinese New Year. Can we make it to Chang'an before the new year?" The young man in the car asked loudly.

"Brother Zhou, don't worry, we can go to Zhengzhou tonight. It's only a few days away from Luoyang. Since Luoyang is here, Chang'an is no problem." his buddy.Shopkeeper Wu and his buddies are both from Dengzhou, and this time they also transported goods from Dengzhou to Chang'an, but he is just a transporter, and all the goods on the truck belong to others.

It's just that shopkeeper Wu frowned again after finishing the above words, and said to the young man in the car with a bit of embarrassment on his face: "Brother Zhou, if we arrive in Zhengzhou, the convoy is fine. Just go straight to Chang'an Yes, but the thing on the river has two choices, so it's up to you to decide!"

Although shopkeeper Wu is a well-known and respected transporter in Dengzhou City, he not only has a truck fleet, but also a large transport fleet, so he is very familiar with both land and water routes.But even though his business is very big, he has always been in awe of the young man on the carriage, just because the other party is from Prince Qi's mansion.And don't look at the other party's young age, he is one of the few managers who manage Qi Wang's Dengzhou industry, so shopkeeper Wu attaches so much importance to it, even ignoring the bitter cold wind, and ran with the convoy himself, mainly to get along with the other party Take care of the relationship, maybe you will ask the other party for something in the future.

"That thing on the river..." The young man immediately had a headache on his face when he heard shopkeeper Wu's words.The young man's name is Zhou Yu. He was originally an ordinary young fisherman, but because of his winking, he was first recruited to work in the Prince Qi's Mansion. Later, because of his cleverness and willingness to work, he was promoted to manage the fishing team of the Prince Qi Mansion. Later, he was appreciated by Li Yin because of his "excellence". As a result, before Li Yin left Dengzhou, he was exceptionally promoted to one of the several chief executives, and became a prominent figure in Dengzhou City.

When Li Yin left Dengzhou City, he gave them one thing. As a result, Zhou Yu and his senior managers prepared for more than half a year, and finally completed the preparations a month ago. The prepared things are sent to Chang'an, but these things are more expensive, so there must be an important person from the Qi Palace to escort the car.But this is hard work. After all, it is winter and the New Year is approaching, so no one wants to run outside.In the end, because of his low qualifications and young people in the Qi Palace, several other stewards unanimously recommended him to escort the car. Zhou Yu had no choice but to accept this drudgery.

"Brother Ang, it's been a good journey. Why do we have to choose two options when we get to Zhengzhou?" Zhou Yu asked puzzled.Although he had a headache, that thing was requested by His Highness. As a servant, he had to find a way to deliver it no matter how difficult it was. Who made him eat this bowl of rice?

The so-called things on the river are actually a piece of cargo, which is the same as the cargo pulled by the carriage, but this cargo is too large to be transported by a horse-drawn cart, so at first it was carried by a large ship, and then it came out of the Yellow River. After Haikou, the goods were dragged to the shore with oxen and horses. Taking advantage of the freezing of the Yellow River, they found a river section that could bear the weight of the goods and put them on a special oversized sled. Pulled forward on the river.

"Brother Zhou doesn't know something. When we came from Gunzhou, this road was always parallel to the Yellow River. But when we arrived in Zhengzhou, the course of the Yellow River was changed to the north, and it took a circle to reach the border of Puzhou near Chang'an, so At that time, if the cargo still takes the river, we will travel separately from our convoy, and then meet at Puzhou. If we go to Zhengzhou to pull the cargo ashore and go overland, we will use rolling logs to put it under the cargo. Going forward is slower than taking a detour, so you may arrive in Chang'an a few days later." When shopkeeper Wu mentioned the goods, his face was a little helpless, he had helped people transport goods for half his life, and it was the first time Such a large volume of goods.

"Brother Ang, if we take the detour through the waterway, how much more will it take?" Zhou Yu asked with a frown. The goods on the waterway are very valuable, and he is really worried if they go separately.

"It's probably going to take a hundred miles more." Shopkeeper Wu knew the terrain well, so he opened his mouth and answered.

"A hundred miles..." Zhou Yu's brows frowned even tighter. He wanted to arrive at Chang'an as soon as possible to ask His Highness Qi Wang for meritorious service. Move forward slowly, and the speed may be even slower.

Shopkeeper Wu is a smart person. Seeing Zhou Yu's appearance, he immediately guessed what the other party was thinking. He was relatively old and experienced in traveling all over the world. When he turned his eyes, he thought of a way to reach Chang'an quickly, so he said immediately: "Brother Zhou, I have a way to speed up the movement of that cargo on land, but I need your help!"

"Oh?" Zhou Yu was overjoyed after hearing this, and asked eagerly, "Brother Wu, please tell me quickly, as long as the goods can reach Chang'an earlier, I can do anything!"

"Hehe, the solution is actually very simple. After we land in Zhengzhou, you can order the local government to send people to help us in the name of King Qi, and let them pour water on our way forward, so that when the water freezes, It’s almost like a river, so it’s natural to go by land, and the speed is also very fast, and it’s estimated that we can reach Chang’an five or six days earlier.” Shopkeeper Wu chuckled and explained the method he thought of.

Zhou Yu was also very moved after hearing this, but after he thought about it carefully, he finally shook his head firmly and said, "Brother Ang, your method is good, but you may not know my prince's temper. These goods are a private matter of the palace. He definitely doesn’t want us to disturb the government. Moreover, the road is icy, which will cause trouble for other passers-by and affect the local traffic. If His Highness finds out afterwards, I’m afraid you and I will be punished, so This method is absolutely impossible!"

Upon hearing Zhou Yu's words, Shopkeeper Wu was ashamed and admired King Qi's character even more. Finally, the two discussed and decided to go separately, but Zhou Yu decided not to follow the convoy, but personally escorted the piece. For the goods, shopkeeper Wu advised a few words about this. After all, walking on the ice is very difficult and dangerous, but Zhou Yu has made up his mind. He can't persuade him at all, so he has to give up.

In the afternoon, Zhou Yu took a few entourages to bid farewell to shopkeeper Wu's convoy, and then hurried to the Yellow River in the north. In fact, the road was built along the river, and the distance between them was only a few hundred steps. The convoy and the team on the river often send people to contact and report the situation on the road. If they encounter any difficulties, the convoy can also send people to help.

When Zhou Yu rushed to the river, he immediately saw a huge monster moving forward slowly on the river in front of them. Wrapped in a huge thick linen cloth, it is impossible to see what is inside. In front of the cargo, more than a dozen cows and horses are struggling to pull forward. The hooves of the cows and horses are wrapped with non-slip coarse cloth, but even so From time to time, livestock slipped due to excessive force, and most of the work of the dozens of shopkeeper Wu's staff next to him was to pull up the fallen livestock.Capital Datang 219

Zhou Yu looked at the icy surface of the Yellow River like a silver snake, felt the river wind like a knife, cursed a few words in a low voice to the stewards of several palaces who were enjoying the blessings in Dengzhou, and finally tightened the sheepskin cloak on his body helplessly , Dama rushed down the river embankment, and rushed to the cargo team in front. . . )