Seeing the shipbuilders repairing ships by the river, everyone around Min Yuanqi shook their heads and sighed.

Many people couldn't help but caress their backs, including Min Yuanjin, the small banner official.

Two hundred miles from Tianjin to Tongzhou, the water is shallow and the wind is hard to move. Almost every canal ship in these 200 miles is pulled north, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive. Everyone pulls the fiber and gets sores on their backs, which is extremely miserable.

"Minshi Baihu?"

"Han General Flag?"

A figure slowly walked over by the river. The person who came was wearing a big hat and a long robe with a sky blue collar. He looked like he was half-new and not old. There was also a sword hanging around his waist, a number plate and official boots on his feet, which all showed that the person was also a general flag official.

This is also in Dahewei. After changing to the Southern Vault, there are many officials in the general bannermen who carry manure and irrigate the garden. No one takes this official position seriously.

Min Yuanqi narrowed his eyes and recognized the man as Han Sen, who was over thirty years old, and another general flag under the hundred households.

The person has never been very convinced by Min Yuanqi. Han Sen is quite concise in his work and is even a bit rigid, so he doesn't look at Meng Lang's sloppy Min Yuanqi. However, the family where Min Yuanqi was once hereditary commander, and after the surrender, there were also hereditary households. Although Han Sen was not convinced, he could not. However, when he was present, Han Zhong's pronunciation was extremely clear when he was the official title of "testing" the hundred households.

Min Yuanqi was not angry about Han Sen's arrogant appearance before, but now he has some understanding. If he had changed to later generations, those who could do things would be afraid of Guan Er who could not do things would be dissatisfied. However, some people were dissatisfied in their hearts, but they welcomed them in person. The more Han Sen contradicted him in person, the more it proved that he was not a scheming person and should be easy to deal with.

Min Yuanqi bowed and said, "Thank you for your hard work in General Han. This time, I will go to Huaian Prefecture, Shanyang, Suqian and other water gates to receive grain?"

Han Sen was stunned, with a look of surprise on his face. He had to answer: "Yes, first arrive in Huai'an, go to Suqian with empty ships, then go to Huai'an Mansion, and then take the grain ship back to repair it, waiting for news of going north."

What Han Sen said is the entire process of going north now. In the early Ming Dynasty, Taizu customization was to light labor service, and the tax level of the Ming Dynasty was indeed very low, but due to the mess of the financial system design, it actually brought considerable burden to the people.

For example, the households whose family lives in Shaoxing, Zhejiang must pay the taxes to the Jinshan Wei Grain Depot according to the system. These people, under the leadership of the grain chief, have their own grain ships and travel hundreds of miles to send the grain to the Jinshan Wei.

This kind of supply made the financial system extremely chaotic, with a large number of supply lines as numerous as spider silk, which was in chaos. By the end of Hongwu, it could not hold on and instead used the military to send it to the special delivery.

The special delivery of Yunjun has relieved the pressure on the people, but it is also extremely hard for Yunjun.

From the end of each year to the beginning of the year, the canal transport army will go to each water gate to transport grain, transport the grain to the main grain collection points, and then start helping northward in early February, and return in October of that year.

Many garrison troops were on the rotation, and some were not allowed to rest. They returned in October and rested for less than two months, and received water and food. They went north again at the beginning of the second year, which was quite hard.

Min Yuanqi pondered and said, "This time I went north and it seems that I came quite late?"

"Yes." Han Sen couldn't help but answer: "In previous years, we have already set off. At least all the military military troops were transferring the general officer to gather in Huai'an. Now, the military troops are still in various places, and the superiors are just asking to prepare the canal ships. It is not decided when they will set off."

Min Yuanqi said: "Is it related to the war that broke into the capital?"

Han Sen snorted coldly and said, "It's true, but this is not something we can worry about. Just wait with peace of mind."

The flag soldiers present had almost the same feeling. They were reluctant to set out for a long time. Everyone did not feel anxious, but were all relaxed.

Min Yuanqi glanced at everyone, and at first he felt strange. When he saw the yellow-faced military officers and flag soldiers, he knew it in his heart.

Although Li Chuang swore a swearing out of Guanzhong in the first month of the 17th year of Chongzhen, he first went north to northern Shaanxi and then headed to the northwest towns. By February, he had probably entered northern Shanxi and was quite close to the capital. Min Yuanqi only knew that the Ming Dynasty was destroyed in the 17th year of Chongzhen, but he couldn't remember the number of months. However, according to the performance of these soldiers in the garrison in front of him, it was not surprising that the Ming Dynasty was destroyed.

When Min Yuanqi was thinking, Han Sen already knew the plans of these people in front of him, and his expression was strange. He glanced at Min Yuanqi with a contemptuous look, and then said in a deep voice: "Try the hundred households, Yang Shida is not easy to mess with... Don't think that the sixth-rank test hundred households will be taken seriously by others!"

"Is it easy to mess with? I have to try it." Min Yuanqi said calmly: "We are the ones who go north to become the Yunjun army for a lifetime. They farm and cook salt at home, and they ask for a bowl of full rice. How difficult is this bowl of rice? Why should we give it to others for nothing?"

Han Sen did not expect Min Yuanqi to say this. He was stunned at the moment. When Min Yuanqi led people to the river, Han Sen looked strange, and the other flag soldiers' faces were a little different from what they had just now.

Every month, more than 20 taels of silver will be taken away by salt dice, and it will be dozens of stones for coarse grains. If the money can be saved, more than 700 people in the whole household can at least eat a few more meals.

"General Flag," said Han Sen's flag army: "No matter how you try the hundreds of households, you can try it. If we really save this money, we will have a lot better life."

"A dozen or a hundred households, and each one does not pay the money, Yang Shida will lose hundreds or thousands of taels a year." Han Sen snorted coldly and said, "I thought he had grown up just now, and the younger generation is still the younger generation. However, he also went to touch everyone, just don't touch him and don't get bleeding."

...

More than 6,000 kilograms of salt have been packed into salt bags and placed in the cabin of a canal ship.

The ship is already old and cannot walk for a long time, so it is reimbursed on the books. Of course, this is not something the garrison flag soldiers dare to do, but it is mostly done by thousands of households, and it is also for the convenience of going out of their own homes.

Qianhu and deputy Qianhu, Xiangyundiguan Defence Office, enter and exit Huaian Prefecture several times a year, and sometimes go to Nanjing Ministry of War or the Central Army Governor's Office to do business. It is much more convenient to have a boat at home.

When Min Yuanqi jumped onto the hull, the entire canal ship shook for a moment, and a squeak sound came from the bottom of the ship. He was a little worried that the ship would fall apart in an instant.

A dozen people boarded the boat one by one, each of whom either sat cross-legged in the cabin or stood everywhere on the side of the boat, all with a little uneasy expression.

We also went upstream to Huai'an. Fortunately, there was no dry water in the Huai River and the wind was strong. After everyone got on the boat, they pulled up the main mast hard sail. Min Yuanjin, Liang Shifa and others were all good at driving the boat. Everyone held a long pole and supported it on the water shore. After the anchor was raised, the bow broke through the water waves and moved forward.

Min Yuanqi stood at the bow of the ship, watching the hull break through the waves. This can carry more than 500 stone grains, which is ten times the amount of salt buns in front of him. Even if the ship is disrepaired for a long time, there is no need to worry too much about this weight.

The ship was traveling very quickly, and the scenery on both sides of the strait was almost the same. The other side was the boundary of the Haizhou Guard, and it was also one of the guards under the Central Army Governor's Office in Nanjing.

Going further north is Guannan County and Haizhou Prefecture City. Going further north to more than 200 miles is where Xuzhou Prefecture is located.

In this era, Xuzhou was not at a high level. At the beginning of the country, Emperor Taizu entered Jiqing, surrounded by Zhang Shicheng, who occupied the wealthy place of Pingjiang Prefecture and Chen Youliang, who occupied the granary of Huguang. The territory was narrow and low-lying. The important town in the north was Huai'an Prefecture, and Hongdu and other places in Jiangxi to the south. When Taizu destroyed the heroes and attacked the Yuan Dynasty in the north, Huai'an and other places defended Nanjing, and set up kings in the north to guard against the Mongolian Yuan. Xuzhou was not important.

By this time, Xuzhou was quite important.

It is not only one of the canal transport nodes, but also has a very important strategic position. It goes north to defend against the army in Shandong and south, Henan and Huai and Si, and is all within the radiation of Xuzhou.

Someone once said about Xuzhou's status: "If you don't have this in the south, you can't go to the east, if you don't have this in the north, you can't go to the south of the Yangtze River."

This is the so-called "North and South throat" place, and it can also be called the waist of China. During the peacetime season, Xuzhou is an important place for all directions to be transferred. When the war comes, Xuzhou is the place of four battles. Whether it is going south or north, Xuzhou will be unable to say success without being able to do so. Even in a modern war, Xuzhou's strategic position is unshakable.

Based on Min Yuanqi's memory and superficial historical knowledge, he knew that in a short time, Xuzhou, hundreds of miles away, was an important city in Jiangbei in the Southern Ming Dynasty, and the core of defense, but there seemed to be no war in his impression. There was no war in Huai'an and Yangzhou next, and there was only the well-known "Yangzhou Ten Days" in later generations.

As for Yundiguan, Min Yuanqi thought of the pain in his brain, but he couldn't remember what had happened here.

Min Yuanqi had no record or impression of the reactions of the Huaian Guard and Dahe Guard when the Qing army headed south.

Min Yuanqi was a little strange before. When the Qing army went south after passing the Wanwei Banner Army, he had no reaction at all. Today, when he met Han Sen and others, he saw them mentioning the resentment in their eyes when they went north, Min Yuanqi also understood a little.

The soldiers of the garrison were not allowed to ask for three meals and one full meal. The family was hungry at home. They had to pull the canal boats all the way to the north. After years of traveling, they went through hardships and hardships, were discriminated against and exploited. Where was the emperor and where was the Ming Dynasty?

Soldiers should hold on to the defense of the country. If even soldiers are disappointed with the country and the emperor, it would not be a pity for this country to be destroyed.

The boat was very fast, and waves hit the bow from time to time. The cold river water slapped away, and the water splashed everywhere, and some splashed on Min Yuanqi's face and body.

The scenery on both sides of the strait is similar. There are low wheat seedlings growing in large areas of farmland, including Dahewei, Haizhouwei, Huai'anwei, and Dongyang, Baoying, Yangzhou and other places in the south. Most of the crops that survive the winter are wheat.

There is a large plain area with no mountaintops that exceed 100 meters in a radius of hundreds of miles, especially in Yuntiguan, which does not even have a decent slope.

There are sparse forests on the vast plains, large areas of farmland, and under the withered reeds, there are the remaining snow by the river that has not melted after it snowed a few days ago, as well as ridges and villages... The situation in front of him is a hot feeling in front of Min Yuanqi. This sense of time and space intertwined makes him almost unable to control himself emotionally.

Even if you look away from it a few hundred years later and look in the morning, the situations you see on this land may not be much different.

Min Yuanqi was born and raised on this land in later generations, and he was so familiar with everything in front of him.
Chapter completed!