The Huai River is flowing endlessly.

After several days of sailing, the boat Li Ling and his friends were on had already arrived at the ferry at the junction of the Huai River and the Cao River - Taiping Du.

The port here is wide and the water is gentle, and can accommodate dozens of large ships to the port. It is an important node for the Huai River to enter the canal. It is extremely prosperous and busy on weekdays. Even in the current first lunar month, there are still no less than ten large and small ships docked here, both south and north, and Li Ling and others have replaced a large ship here.

The sunset was setting, and red light shone on the river surface, reflecting the rippling red light, making the Yueer, who leaned against the side of the boat, couldn't help but exclaim again: "It's so beautiful, brother, it's so beautiful here..." She was a little excited and took her brother's hand and jumped and shouted.

With a smile, Li Ling used his hands to smooth her hair bun that was scattered because of the beating, and said, "Yes, the scenery here is indeed not comparable to that in Jiangcheng County, so the ancients said that reading thousands of books and traveling thousands of miles. Only when you go to more places can you truly have your own insights, rather than just knowing how to repeat the things in the book."

Yue'er naturally couldn't quite understand the profound meaning of her brother's words, but she kept praising the beauty here. But Fu Tao, who was also enjoying the beautiful scenery, frowned slightly, but he was a little dissatisfied with Li Ling's statement. But before he could refute, loud horns sounded on the river in the distance, and then he saw dozens or hundreds of men on both sides pulling thick ropes, bowing their backs, and heading upstream step by step. Behind the rope they pulled was a large merchant ship full of various cargoes.

The terrain of the Central Plains is high in the north and low in the south, which makes all rivers traveling north and south from north to south. This canal, which was slowly dug by artificial flowers for countless years, is naturally no exception.

Originally, because the Huai River is here, the adjustment of the gate can temporarily make the water level of Taipingdu high in the south and low in the north, so that the north can only enter the Caohe River more easily. However, in winter, the water is dry, and this adjustment method is not easy to use. Therefore, if you want those large ships to enter the Caohe River, you can only rely on human power to pull it, so there are a large number of boatmen on both sides of the Caohe River.

In such a cold winter, even wearing thick jackets, they often feel cold, but these boatmen are wearing only single clothes, and a few are still naked, but they are still sweating profusely. With the neat horns, they stretched out their strength, pulled the ropes, and their bodies were almost parallel to the ground, and they also led the ship to move forward little by little on the shallow water.

Such a scene and the red sunset always make people feel as if they are watching a different beautiful scroll. It is a perfect combination of strength and beauty. Even Li Ling couldn't help but exclaim at this moment: "Such scenery can indeed be painted..."

"Brother Li, you're a little inappropriate." Fu Tao finally couldn't help but walked over and said with a serious look, "The beautiful scenery that can be seen in your eyes is actually a difficult life for the people. If I want to say that I would rather not see such a picture."

Li Ling was stunned, looked carefully at the senior senior of the imperial examination who was twice his age, and smiled and said, "Brother Fu really has a compassionate heart, and I admire him."

Fu Tao smiled proudly: "It's not that I really came like this, but because I have read the books of sages since I was a child and know that it is not easy for the people. Therefore, traveling thousands of miles is important, but reading ten thousand books is even more critical. Otherwise, I can only focus on the scenery but not understand the people's sentiments and hearts. This is contrary to the way of a saint. What does Brother Li think?"

Li Ling was slightly stunned. This person was actually coming to what he said to his sister just now. He said how idle are you? Is it not good to go back to the cabin to read books or see the scenery here? Do you have to be this slut?

Seeing him like this, Fu Tao only said that the other party was speechless, so he became even more excited: "Brother Li, we all write Confucian students. This time we went to Beijing to participate in the imperial examinations, so I hope you can understand the hearts of the people in the world and at least know the sufferings of the people. If you really become an official, you will not do anything wrong and hurt the people."

Li Ling agreed with his statement: "Brother Fu said that we should indeed understand the people's sentiments and know more closely the sufferings of the people today, so that we will not lose the court's entrustedness in the future."

His approval made Fu Tao more excited, and he smiled and said, "That's right. Take the Caohe River in front of me for example. I always felt that this canal that originated in Youzhou and entered the south of the Yangtze River was too exhausting and financially. Do you know that it was because of this river that the Sui Dynasty, which was established for a few years, destroyed the country. Then, since the Tang and Song dynasties and our Dayue, the money spent every year to clear and maintain the canal has been more than tens of millions.

"Although this canal does provide all kinds of conveniences for north-south freight transportation, carefully calculated it still does more harm than good for the court. So I have always thought about when the court can correct its mistakes and slapped the canal! In this way, the people in the world can pay a less heavy tax, and the people along the river no longer have to be forced to do what these animals should do."

At the end of his words, he felt that he was a saint, and his eyes were full of compassion. However, in Li Ling's eyes, this person was a fool, a fool who only knew how to read the script and read a little book and said that he was kind and kind. What a nerd is? This time he really understood it.

"What this gentleman said is a big mistake. Why has Caohe become a disaster for the people and money in your eyes? Just because you saw this scene of a boat pulling boat in front of you, is it because of the demise of the former Sui Dynasty?" A voice sounded from behind the two. Li Ling turned his head and saw a young man wearing a light blue brocade robe with a handsome appearance but with a heroic spirit walking towards him.

Fu Tao also turned around, frowned slightly, and said unhappily: "What? This young master thinks what I said is wrong?"

"Of course! Caohe is the most important water channel in the world of Dayue. Its function of connecting the north and south is not replaced by any waterway. Without it, the fur from Youzhou and the various products from the north would not be transported to the south in time, and the silk tea from the south of the Yangtze River and more wealth would not be delivered to the north..."

"This is wrong! Without Caohe, we have other rivers to take a boat, not to mention that our Dayue official road is well-connected and traveling by land is not slower than water. Why can't we let the north and south communicate with each other?" Fu Tao immediately raised an objection without waiting for the other party to finish his words.

"Where can the canal transport be convenient and fast, other water and land routes?" the young man snorted, "Do you know how much cargo is loaded on the merchant ship under our feet, and how much carriage, horses and animals are needed if we go on land routes?"

Fu Tao was immediately suffocated. How could he know these details and he could not speak.

"Also, do you know that the dredging of the Caohe River has been established as one of the foundations of the country since the Emperor Taizu of this dynasty. At that time, the court had clearly stated the world and talked about the various benefits of the Caohe River. Only when it was smooth can the northern border be protected from foreign invasion. Once a war really started, the money, grain, soldiers and horses from the fertile land of Vietnam could be transported from the Caohe River to the north, day and night. Now, you just said bluntly because of some shallow views in your heart that you want to cut off the Caohe River. It is really ridiculous and ignorant!" This person was even more imposing at this time, and his continuous speeches were spoken, making Fu Tao speech speechless.

Originally, this Juren Fu just read the script and did not really understand the use of Caohe. Now that he meets an opponent who really has a deep understanding of Caohe, he will naturally be defeated thousands of miles away, and it is hard to say.

This made his old face flush, but he couldn't come up with any suitable statement, so he could only look at Li Ling like asking for help. After all, you and I are fellow villagers, and we are here all the way. You can't see me losing all your face, right?

And as he looked at it, the young man also turned his attention to Li Ling: "You also think that Caohe is more harmful to the world and to the people?"

Li Ling could only smile bitterly, you have given the importance of Caohe. Can I still say that Emperor Taizu was wrong and that Caohe was useless?

"Hmph, I know that you scholars have no other ability except to talk about useless things on paper. In fact, you don't understand what people's livelihood is or what kind of transportation is..." The young man frowned and put down this sentence with disdain, then he wanted to turn around and leave.

"Slow down!" Fu Tao was really anxious this time. He stepped forward and stopped the other side, but he did not notice a strange light in the young man's eyes. His lower right hand seemed to move slightly.

Li Ling saw several men dressed in crew members at a glance, and stopped the work at hand and moved towards this side. His eyes were filled with dangerous light, which made his heart even tighter, and he knew that the identity of the young man in front of him was extraordinary.

But as a stinger, Fu Tao obviously did not pay attention to these details, but just stared at the young man angrily and said, "These great principles you said may be some truths, but what I want to talk about is the people. The people along the river are doing such a difficult thing because of Caohe. Have you ever considered their hardships? Have the court ever thought about them?"
Chapter completed!