Chapter 153: The Grand Canal Isn’t Quite Accessible

Clearing waterways has always been something Zhu Yunwen has been considering.

Nanjing is not suitable for being the capital, and the most suitable place can only be Beiping.

But the grain-producing areas near Beiping are too few, and the grain produced there is not enough to eat. Once the capital is moved, there will be a considerable population migration.

Someone suggested, “If there’s no grain, just transport it. It’s a simple thing.”

Brother, this is ancient times, not like you take two dollars, turn right 100 meters, go to the supermarket, and buy a pound of noodles to solve the problem of hunger.

The main grain-producing area is in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions.

How do you transport grain from here to Beijing, a distance of over two thousand miles?

With hand carts?

You try pushing a cart for over two thousand miles and see how difficult and tiring it is.

Besides, the people pushing the carts need to eat too. After transporting three bags of rice, they eat one bag on the way, drop one bag in Beijing, and the remaining bag has to stay on the cart. They hope to exchange this bag of rice for some pancakes on the way back. If they give everything to Beiping, how can they survive the return journey?

Oh, giving money is also possible.

What?

One tael of silver?

Isn’t that too much of a rip-off?

A journey of two thousand miles, and you’re only giving us one tael?

Are you taking advantage of honest people?

The person was also in a dilemma. You’ve only brought two dan of rice; how much more do you want?

Two dan of rice, one tael, at this price, you can’t expect me to sell it at a loss.

Officials are bitter, farmers are bitter, and the Ming Dynasty is also bitter.

Land transportation is only suitable for short-term blood transfusion, but if it’s done every day, lasting for a long time would be a medical miracle…

If land transport is not feasible, then let’s consider water transport.

The ancient method often mentioned is canal transportation.

Canal transportation uses large boats, carrying grain and goods with high capacity, fast speed, and requiring fewer laborers – sounds great.

But the key issue is:

Not accessible.

Strictly speaking, it’s not very accessible.

Speaking of the Grand Canal, one cannot ignore the Sui, Tang, Song, and Yuan dynasties.

Emperor Yang of Sui has been criticized for thousands of years, but based solely on the achievement of excavating the Grand Canal, he should probably receive an award.

It is precisely because of the existence of the Grand Canal that there is a pattern of the southern economic center serving the northern political center, leading to the unity of China, a map that cannot be divided into North and South.

After Emperor Yang of Sui ascended the throne and moved the capital to Luoyang, to strengthen control over the Jiangnan region and simultaneously transport goods from Jiangnan to Luoyang, In the first year of Daye(605 AD) he ordered the excavation of the “Tongji Canal” from Luoyang to Qingjiang in Jiangsu, about two thousand miles away. The completion of the Tongji Canal directly connected the Yellow River and the Huai River.

In the fourth year of Daye (608 AD), the “Yongji Canal” was excavated from Luoyang, through Shandong’s Linqing to Zhuo County in Hebei, about two thousand miles long. The Yongji Canal and the Guangtong Canal were connected.

In the sixth year of Daye (610 AD), the “Jiangnan Canal” was excavated from Zhenjiang in Jiangsu to Hangzhou in Zhejiang, about eight hundred miles long.

With this, a waterway stretching from Luoyang to Hangzhou, spanning over three thousand four hundred miles, was completed.

During the Tang and Song dynasties, although the names of various sections of the Grand Canal changed from time to time, it was primarily a matter of naming preferences. Overall, the main channels, patterns, and directions of the Grand Canal did not undergo significant changes.

The emperors of the Tang and Song dynasties were lazy, and they believed that the Grand Canal could be used as long as it worked. Occasionally allocating some funds for dredging and maintenance was deemed sufficient.

However in the late Northern Song period, with the ongoing confrontation between the Song and Jin dynasties and continuous warfare, there was a lack of funds for military campaigns and protection fees. Under these circumstances, there was no money available for canal maintenance.

During this period, the maintenance of the Grand Canal became increasingly difficult, with channels continuously silting up and water transport experiencing interruptions. Additionally, the Yellow River flooded several times, leading to the breaking of the canal north of the Huai River and blockages in some sections, rendering them unusable.

In the Yuan Dynasty, the Mongols chose Dadu (Beijing) as their capital. Although they were a nomadic people, after settling in the Central Plains, they couldn’t plant all the land with grass and lead the sheep to graze every day right?

Besides, eating mutton all the time is not an option. The rice is so delicious, so bring rice from the south and supply it to the court.

However, as they continued transportation, the Yuan government realized that something was wrong. Transporting goods in this manner was exhausting and couldn’t keep up with the demand. They decided it was necessary to reopen the canal system.

So, in the twenty-sixth year of the Zhiyuan era of the Yuan Dynasty (1289 AD), the Yuan government excavated the Huitong River, connecting it to the Wei River in the north and the Sishui and the Yellow River in the south.

The Yuan government’s excavation of the canal completely changed the original “Y”-shaped pattern of the Grand Canal. After that, the Grand Canal no longer passed through Luoyang, and the sections of the canal in Henan and the northern part of Anhui were abandoned. The Grand Canal took on a north-south straight-line pattern, reducing the north-south travel distance by over a thousand li.

In theory, by the time of the Ming Dynasty under Zhu Yunzhen, this waterway should have been unobstructed, but the reality was that it was obstructed.

The root cause lies in the Yuan Dynasty. When they repaired the waterway, they didn’t bother to consult knowledgeable water conservancy experts; they just randomly assigned someone to handle it, and that was the end of it.

Taking the example of the Jizhou River in the Huitong River, it sources from the Wen River and the Sishui River diverts water sources from two rivers to Rencheng, then from Rencheng divide to northern and southern flow.

But Rencheng is not the highest point of the Jizhou River; the true highest point is north of Rencheng, Nanwang.

Due to this flaw, when dividing the water at Rencheng, the southern channel always had more water flow, while the northern channel had less. As a result, the northern section of the river was shallow and obstructed. It was possible to navigate small wooden rafts, catch some fish, or take a bath, but using large ships was simply not feasible.

One cannot simply bring large ships to this area, unload the grain on the shore, and then resort to land transportation. The back-and-forth would be quite a hassle and not a viable solution.

Zhu Yunwen may not care whether Zhu Gui’s coal can be transported to Nanjing, but he is very concerned about whether the grain from Nanjing can be transported to Beiping.

Dispatching Zhu Gui to Shandong to mine coal is also an opportunity to investigate the conditions of the waterways.

As Ma Enhui said, waterways maintenance is not a simple matter; it needs to be approached step by step. At least for this year, such a massive undertaking cannot be considered.

On this day, Zhu Yunwen didn’t attend to his official duties; he strolled around the capital with Ma Enhui until nightfall before returning to the palace.

Once in the imperial harem, Ma Enhui transitioned from a playful and mischievous woman to a dignified and imposing empress.

Ten days later, in the deep of the night, Zhu Yunwen was already fast asleep when he sensed some movement. He groggily opened his eyes.

Ma Enhui sat beside him, softly calling, “Your Majesty, Xie Jin requests an audience.”

Zhu Yunhui shook his head, frowning, “What time is it?”

“The beginning hour of Yin^[1]3 a.m.”

Ma Enhui spoke gently.

Zhu Yunwen sat up; the Yin hour was around 3 a.m. Unless there was an urgent matter or critical information, Xie Jin would not disturb him.

“What did Xie Jin say?”

Zhu Yunwen looked at the eunuch kneeling not far away and asked.

“Your Majesty, Minister Xie said that Vice Admiral Zheng sent a letter.”

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunwen immediately became alert and instructed, “Let him come to the Wuying Hall; I’ll be there shortly.”

Ma Enhui helped Zhu Yunwen put on his clothes and whispered, “Your Majesty, go and return early.”

Zhu Yunwen, sensing Ma Enhui’s unease, confidently said, “Empress, there’s no need to worry. If Zheng He brings news, it’s unlikely to be distressing. I trust him.”

Seeing Zhu Yunwen’s trust in Zheng He, Ma Enhui also felt reassured.

Wuying Hall.

After paying his respects, Xie Jin quickly presented an urgent message.

After paying his respects, Jie Jin promptly took out an urgent message marked with a distance of eight hundred mile, handed it to the eunuch to present, and said, “I deeply apologize for disturbing Your Majesty’s peaceful sleep late at night. I beg Your Majesty’s forgiveness.”

“As per the palace regulations, in the face of urgent military intelligence and reports, immediate notification is required. You have not erred. What crime is there?”

Zhu Yunwen took the letter, looking at the four beautiful characters ‘Zheng He’s report’ on the envelope, and couldn’t help but say in a deep voice, “This is a victory report.”

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