The immortal of the Tang Dynasty, but the game starts at Xuanwu Gate?

When the topic turned to business, Chen Huai'an became serious: "For Lingnan to develop, transportation is the biggest problem."

"I was just thinking about this, and I already have some ideas. You go back first, I need to go to the Ministry of Works and discuss it with the officials there."

"Once you have news, send it back. This matter cannot be delayed; the sooner the better."

Chen Huai'an was really envious of the trade in Haikou, Lingnan.

It's not that other places don't engage in trade with Haikou, but putting aside the fact that their conditions aren't as good as those in Lingnan, just considering the enormous profits involved, his forceful entry would offend countless people.

In contrast, there is no such worry with the Feng family. We will soon be one family, and many things can be discussed and agreed upon.

"Okay, thank you for your hard work. I'll go back first and tell my little sister about the news." Feng Zhidai naturally wouldn't stop him and immediately agreed.

Chen Huai'an paused for a moment, nodded, and turned to head towards the Ministry of Works.

Feng Zhidai stood quietly for a while, a smile unconsciously appearing on his lips, and he felt relieved.

Then he turned around and went home.

He had to hurry and tell his younger sister the good news.

Ministry of Works, Shangshu Hall.

Chen Huai'an walked in, looking travel-worn, and dusted himself off. He then summoned Yu Shao, Chang Gui, Ouyang Shu, and Liang Bingyi from the Ministry of Revenue.

"Chang Gui, go and bring me all the geomantic maps of Lingnan and the Central Plains, the most detailed ones."

"Yes, Minister." Chang Gui accepted the order and quickly left.

Chen Huai'an said to Ouyang Shu, "I have reached a cooperation agreement with the Feng family in Lingnan. Next, the Ministry of Works will be responsible for opening up the road between the Central Plains and Lingnan."

"From now on, we must find ways to facilitate the flow of goods from the Central Plains to Lingnan, and vice versa."

"Most importantly, we can earn a huge amount of money and goods by leveraging the maritime trade in Lingnan!"

Upon hearing this, the group immediately understood.

Recently, Miss Feng has been frequently visiting Anguo Mansion, and it's no secret that His Majesty intends to arrange a marriage between Chen Huai'an and the Feng family.

It seems that Chen Huai'an finally couldn't resist the temptation and gave in!

The three of them exchanged a knowing smile.

In fact, they had long wanted to persuade Chen Huai'an to give in.

After all, this is such a great opportunity.

It can bring massive amounts of money and material revenue to the national treasury without offending any forces, thus developing the region and increasing tax revenue.

It's entirely beneficial with no drawbacks.

"What kind of looks are you giving me?" Chen Huai'an glared.

Ouyang Shu cleared his throat and said, "This humble official congratulates the Minister in advance on winning the heart of his beauty so soon."

Chen Huai'an: "..."

No?

Isn't official business your primary concern?

Whether I win the heart of a beauty or not is none of your business.

Just then, Chang Gui returned with the geomantic map. Chen Huai'an didn't bother with the others and told Chang Gui to unfold the map.

The group gathered around the picture on the table, lost in thought.

After a long pause, Yu Shao spoke first: "Minister, please forgive my bluntness, but the cost of opening up the road from the Central Plains to Lingnan is too great."

"Even if we gather 10,000 people, it might take several years to complete a land route."

"Although the potential profits are substantial, I still believe it is not worthwhile to do so at present."

Chen Huai'an remained silent; he knew Yu Shao was right.

Why do people keep talking about exiling people to Lingnan?

Not only are some areas in Lingnan mountainous and teeming with poisonous insects and wild beasts, but the roads to Lingnan are also difficult to travel.

Many of the exiled prisoners died on the way to Lingnan.

Under such circumstances, it would be extremely difficult to build a road connecting the Central Plains to Lingnan.

Ouyang Shu pondered for a moment and said, "Minister, I think we don't need to fight to the death by land. Look here."

As he spoke, he pointed to a spot, and Yu Shao murmured, "The Yangtze River flows into the Xiang River?"

"That's right." Ouyang Shu nodded slightly. "Moreover, Lingnan is mountainous and prone to miasma, with a dense network of rivers. No matter how well the land routes are built, their transport capacity is far less than that of a well-maintained waterway."

"Lingnan's natural advantage lies in its dense river network. Tributaries such as the Xijiang, Lijiang, and Hejiang rivers flow through the entire region, reaching all the way to the foot of the Five Ridges. Since the Qin and Han dynasties, the core passage from the Central Plains to Lingnan has always been primarily by waterway, with land routes as a secondary connection."

"We don't need to build a land route; we can go directly by water, from the Yangtze River into the Xiang River, and then to... here!"

As he spoke, Ouyang Shu stopped his finger on a certain spot.

Chen Huai'an understood his thoughts: "You want to open up the Ling Canal?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I meant."

Chen Huai'an remained silent, staring intently at the geomantic map.

The Lingqu Canal, located in Lingnan (later Guilin), is an artificial canal connecting the Xiangjiang and Lijiang rivers, linking the Yangtze and Pearl River systems, and serving as a vital waterway for transport from the Central Plains to Lingnan.

Since the chaos and war at the end of the Sui Dynasty, the Lingqu Canal has been in disrepair for many years. The waterway is silted up and the sluice gates are damaged, making it impossible for large ships to pass. The transportation of goods between the north and south can only be carried by manpower over mountains, which is extremely costly.

However... if this place can be repaired.

Chen Huai'an calmly analyzed: "The Lingqu Canal does not need to be dug again. It only needs to dredge the river channel, repair the sluice gates, and reinforce the embankments. With the help of several thousand local laborers, it can be completed in three to five months. The cost is only a fraction of the cost of repairing a hundred-mile-long land road."

"Once completed, salt, ironware, and silk from the Central Plains can flow from the Yangtze River into the Xiang River, then via the Ling Canal directly to Guizhou, and from there down the Xi River to Guangzhou, Gaozhou, and Jiaozhou!"

"Spices, pearls, copper, and sea salt from Lingnan could also be transported north to the Central Plains by waterway, reducing transportation costs by more than 80%."

Chang Gui understood their thoughts and wholeheartedly agreed, saying, "Not only that, the Lingqu Canal is an old system from the Qin and Han dynasties. Repairing the water conservancy of the previous dynasty is a restoration of the old system and a convenience for people's livelihood. No matter what we say, it is justifiable."

"No one is arguing with us."

"Great idea!"

Chen Huai'an looked up and asked, "Yu Shao, can the Lingqu Canal be repaired?"

"Of course, Minister!" Yu Shao replied without hesitation. "I also believe that repairing the Lingqu Canal and other water conservancy projects is the simplest and least costly method."

"However, simply building the Lingqu Canal is probably not enough!" Yu Shao pointed to another place, the Xijiang River.

"Ouyang Shu didn't work on the fortifications, so he might not be aware that the Xijiang River is the mother river of Lingnan, connecting Guizhou in the upper reaches and Guangzhou and Gaozhou in the lower reaches. It is the main freight route in Lingnan."

"However, there are many dangerous shoals in the river, which can easily cause boats to run aground during the dry season and capsize during the flood season."

"If in the future we need to use waterways in conjunction with land routes to transport goods and connect the Central Plains with Lingnan, simply building the Ling Canal will definitely not be enough!"

"We need to focus on tackling the dangerous shoals in the Duanzhou and Wuzhou sections, removing hidden reefs and repairing the waterway."

Liang Bingyi didn't understand these things, but he knew about grain warehouses, and he said frankly, "In that case, we should also build official grain warehouses in Guizhou, Duanzhou, and Guangzhou, with the Ministry of Revenue sending people to supervise them, so that goods from the north and south can be transshipped and taxes can be paid here."

"Keep tax revenue in your own hands."

"......"