The Wanli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was extremely rebellious

Chapter 489 Nurhaci ran away again

Although the capital city is already scorching hot in June, the Songnen Plain is still cool and pleasant with a breeze.

Especially at the confluence of the Nenjiang River and the Songhua River, there are many rivers and lakes, and the air is cool with a hint of moisture, just like the warm March in the south of the Yangtze River, which is so comfortable.

This is the end point of the Songliao Grand Canal.

The tents that were like white lines had already extended to this side, and hundreds of thousands of garrison troops had already started digging in the planned river channel. The densely packed black spots seemed to be far more than hundreds of thousands.

The construction of the Grand Canal was faster than planned, because there were not only young and strong men in the garrison troops who could dig the soil, but also old men.

They have been digging the ground all their lives. Swinging the hoe to dig the soil is just like drinking water and eating. They have long been accustomed to it. As long as they have some strength, they can dig.

The women and children in the garrison troops' households also had no food to eat.

They may not be able to dig the ground, but they can still carry soil. The only difference is how much soil they carry. If they can't carry too much, they can just carry more. The spirit of hard work and perseverance has long been engraved in their bones.

By this calculation, three million garrison troops are equivalent to at least five to six million young and strong laborers. Naturally, the construction speed of the canal will be much faster than planned.

Wanli rode his horse northward along the outer edge of the planned lime line, looking at the busy figures from time to time, his eyes full of satisfaction.

Originally, he thought it would be good if the Grand Canal could be completed before the ice froze in November.

It now seems that there is no need to wait until that time. It is very likely that the Grand Canal will be completed before October.

At that time, they can also use the navy's fast ships to bring winter supplies to these garrison soldiers, so that the horse-drawn carriages carrying food and supplies will not be so tight.

He had not yet headed straight to the confluence of the Songhua River and the Nen River because the Minister of Works Zeng Tongheng was not there.

Moreover, the closer to the end of the canal, the more horizontal channels are dug. Some channels are more than one person deep, making it difficult to cross even on horseback.

He took the emperor's second son Zhu Changxu and tens of thousands of light cavalry and traveled through the intricate river channels for an unknown amount of time. He asked countless officials from the Ministry of Works and craftsmen in charge. It was almost noon when someone finally pointed out Zeng Tongheng's approximate location to him.

This guy is really hard to find.

He raised the telescope and scanned countless Jinyiwei before finally spotting Zeng Tongheng on a slope.

This guy was explaining something to an official from the Ministry of Industry while drawing on paper with a charcoal pencil.

He took a closer look at Zeng Tongheng's appearance at the moment and nodded secretly.

This person is really diligent.

At this moment, Zeng Tongheng's boots were covered with mud, his bright red official robe was covered with yellow and black spots, and his hands were pitch black, covered with charcoal dust.

It was not easy for high-ranking officials of the court like the six ministers to go to the fields and take a look, but this guy was running around the canal construction site and was nowhere to be found.

The canal construction site is very dirty because water will seep in when the soil is dug too deep, especially in areas with dense rivers, where the ground is covered in mud.

To be honest, he was a little afraid to get out of bed, but this guy had no scruples at all.

That’s right, that’s right. The Ming Dynasty court needs such hard-working officials.

He put down the telescope, nodded slightly, and then led a group of tens of thousands of cavalry to where Zeng Tongheng was.

Zeng Tongheng seemed to realize that someone was coming when he heard the rumbling sound of horse hooves.

When he looked up, he was stunned.

The Imperial Guards and the Embroidered Uniform Guard Light Cavalry!

Why are so many people running here? Does the Emperor want to see him?

The problem is, if His Majesty wants to summon him, he doesn't need to send so many imperial guards and Jinyiwei cavalry. A hundred cavalry at most will be enough.

What is going on here?
The reason is very simple. When Wanli traveled, he basically did not wear a dragon robe. He liked to wear the military uniform of the imperial guards or the Beijing camp officers, so that he would be difficult to be recognized in a crowd.

This is for safety reasons, and also to prevent everyone who sees him from lying on the ground and disturbing their work.

Zeng Tongheng didn't stay with Wanli for a few days. After offering sacrifices to heaven, he went to the canal construction site. If there was anything, he just ordered people to submit memorials. He never went back to see Wanli. Naturally, he didn't know that Wanli liked to run around outside wearing the military uniforms of the Imperial Guards or the Beijing Camp.

The Jinyiwei around him were very clear, and these Jinyiwei had been with Wanli for a long time, so they could recognize Wanli at a glance.

The Jinyiwei quickly made way for him, and Wanli quickly rode his horse to his side.

It was only at this time that Zeng Tongheng reacted

He quickly stuffed the charcoal pencil and blueprint into his arms, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, your humble servant is here to see you."

Wanli hesitated for a moment, then dismounted, stepped onto the muddy slope, and said kindly, "Yu Ye, what are you busy doing here?"

How do you say this?

Zeng Tongheng thought for a moment, then pulled out the blueprints and explained in detail, "Your Majesty, we're going to build a large sluice gate here. I'm just thinking about how wide the gate should be and how big the pond should be."

Water lock? I have seen many ship locks, including one on the Tonghui River.

What is a sluice?
Wanli looked down at the blueprint and asked curiously, "This is a ship lock, right? Why do you call it a sluice?"

The locks at this time were different from those in later generations. The locks in later generations were as wide as the waterways in front and behind, but the locks at this time were built like a wrapped candy, thin at both ends and wide in the middle.

Zeng Tongheng pointed to the west and explained in detail: "Your Majesty, this sluice gate is not for ships to pass through, but for regulating the water level of the canal. The water from the large lake over there will flow into the canal through this sluice gate and serve as the main water source for the northern section of the canal.

However, I have noticed that the terrain here seems to be higher than the main canal, so I plan to build a large sluice to regulate the water level to prevent flooding and submerging the canal."

Oh, that's what happened.

Wanli raised the telescope and scanned to the west, and was surprised.

This lake is really huge. Even with a telescope, you can’t see the ends on both sides or the opposite shore.

He scanned it carefully, then looked at the map and the blueprints, then asked, "Shouldn't the wider the sluice gate, the better? Why did you make it a shuttle shape? It won't allow water to flow in and out quickly, and won't it be very slow to adjust the water level?"

Zeng Tongheng said helplessly, "Your Majesty, there is nothing I can do. This gate is not easy to make. The wider it is, the harder it is to make.

The stone gate is too heavy, and it's hard to find the right material. A gate that's two or three feet wide is usually a big deal. The wooden gate isn't strong, and it won't last long. It's really a tough sell."

This is easy.

Wanli pondered and said, "I can order someone to forge you a gate made of tempered steel. Just give me the dimensions for the thickness and size you require."

A hundred-fold steel gate?
Zeng Tongheng slowly shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, steel gates are even heavier, and steel gates weighing more than a thousand pounds are difficult to cast. If the molten iron is poured in, Shatin will collapse, and it will be impossible to cast it."

The Summer Resort has solved this problem long ago.

You don't even know this yet, but it seems that Yongnian Earl Wang Wei did a really good job of keeping secrets.

Wanli explained in detail: "This is actually very easy to solve. We can make a clay mold and add steel bars to it for reinforcement. We can also bury steel frames in the sand field to prevent it from sinking. Not to mention tens of thousands of pounds, it is not a problem to cast a gate of several thousand pounds.

If a gate weighing several thousand pounds is not big enough, you can build more gate holes like building a multi-hole arch bridge, so that the water level can be adjusted faster.

As for the gate being too heavy, we can make a steel beam support and then install a hoist on the steel beam support to lift the gate. Two hoists working together can easily lift a gate weighing several thousand kilograms."

This is a good idea.

Zeng Tongheng's face lit up with surprise when he heard this, but he soon sighed helplessly, "Your Majesty, even if we build a gate weighing thousands of pounds of steel, we can't pull it up. The road here hasn't even been built yet. If a carriage is pulling something weighing thousands of pounds, the wheels will just sink into the ground and won't move at all."

This is also easy.

Wanli pondered, "The navy's fleet exploring the waterways here has already set out, and they may have reached the Songhua River by now.

I can order the navy's centipede boat to pull you to the confluence of the Songhua River and the Nen River in the north. When the time comes, we can use horses to pull it from above and roll it over with logs underneath. It should be no problem.

This may take more than a month, so it shouldn't affect the construction schedule here, right?
I came here to discuss with you whether we can speed up the construction and complete the Grand Canal before October."

Once the gate problem is solved, there won't be much of a problem.

Zeng Tongheng nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty, as long as we can cast enough iron gates, it will be completed before October."

That's good.

Wanli nodded slightly and said, "Okay, you decide how big and thick the iron gate should be, and I'll have someone cast it for you right away."

As they were discussing, a group of fast riders suddenly came galloping from the east.

Wanli raised the telescope and saw that it was Qi Jiguang's personal guard.

Is this the result of the campaign against the Jiannu?
Soon, a fast rider came running over. A captain of the imperial guards dismounted, knelt on one knee with an envelope in his hands, and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, an urgent message from General Qi."

When Wanli opened the urgent report, he couldn't help but frowned slightly.

Nurhaci didn't dare to engage in battle with them. This guy probably ran away with his men when the cavalry of the Shenwu Camp was building a pontoon bridge.

Qi Jiguang ordered his men to search the northeastern part of Changbai Mountain but did not find a single person. Moreover, judging from the footprints left by the men and horses, Nurhaci did not run north, but crossed the Asuri River to the mountains southeast of Nurgandusi near the sea.

That is the old nest of the Donghai Jurchens, originally called Laoyeling. It was marked as Yongle Mountain on the Ming Dynasty map, while the Jurchen tribes called it Alin Mountain.

This is trouble.

He originally wanted to develop the huge plain northeast of Changbai Mountain next.

Nurhaci actually ran to Yongle Mountain to the east of the plain. If they don't eliminate this hidden danger, they will not be able to develop the plain.

Wanli thought for a moment, then said solemnly, "You will have to work hard for a while, then go back and tell me that I will order Yuan Jing to leave the Shenwu Camp, Shenji Camp, and the Sichuan Army soldiers to guard there. He will come back and discuss the next strategy for the suppression with me."

(End of this chapter)