Ang Lee ordered the fleet to continue to move forward and catch up with a group of government runners who were walking slowly on the shore. Although he did not know what difficulties the county magistrate and the government runners around him had encountered, Ang Lee was determined to take care of this matter.
The task of going south this time was mainly to explore the roads and solve the problems encountered in the process of railway construction. Wenchuan County was a very important node. The railway to Yizhou in the south needed to pass through Wenchuan. This was the route designed by Ang Lee and also the basic idea of Ang Lee to build the railway along the river.
Why was the road built along the river? This was naturally for the convenience of construction. All kinds of construction materials could be transported by water. Enough water was needed to build the road, and the craftsmen needed to drink water. In addition, many villages, towns, and counties were also distributed along the river. Building along the river could benefit more villages, towns, and counties, thus promoting the faster and better economic development of the Tang dynasty.
Think about it, if a railway was built from the capital to the center of Shu, but it did not pass through any state or county on the way, and all went through the most remote places, then the railway would not have much meaning. In other words, the role of the railway would be greatly reduced, and the enthusiasm of the people along the way would be greatly reduced.
However, because the roads in Central Sichuan were too rugged, it could be said that there were many mountains and rivers, so the site selection and construction of the railway were quite difficult. In many places, tunnels had to be dug in the mountains, and there were even more places where bridges had to be built, which would greatly increase the cost and efficiency of the construction. If the imperial court had not made up its mind, this matter would not have been easy to be done.
Li Taibai's poem was very good. It described the rugged and difficult roads in the middle of Sichuan. It was easy to imagine how difficult it was to build a smooth railway in such a place, and so was the cost and price. However, the railway to the middle of Sichuan was a strategic channel, which was of great importance to the Tang Empire. Therefore, it was worth it no matter how high the price was. To build a railway in the middle of Sichuan, one could not only consider the economic benefits, but also the strategic benefits. Moreover, as long as the premise was fixed, with the prosperity of the middle of Sichuan in the future, the money could be earned back sooner or later. Building a railway in the whole territory of the Tang Empire was a century-long plan, and it was the most basic condition to maintain the prosperity of the Tang Empire forever. All the knowledgeable people could see this point.
Although the speed of the fleet was not very fast, it was much faster than the government runners on the shore ahead. Before long, Ang Lee's huge fleet approached the government runners.
"Order the fleet to dock at once."
Li An ordered the fleet to move closer to the shore.
At this time, the movement of the fleet naturally attracted the attention of the bailiffs. When they heard the sound of the river, they instinctively looked towards the river. They were shocked to see so many ships and soldiers from the capital.
Although these guys lived in a small place like Wenchuan, they still had the most basic knowledge. They naturally recognized the military uniform of the capital's Dragon Martial Army.
"County Magistrate, he seems to be a high-ranking official from the capital."
A government runner reminded him.
The county magistrate also saw Ang Lee. Although Ang Lee was wearing casual clothes, his image was there. At a glance, one could tell that he was not an ordinary person. At a glance, one could tell that he was a very noble person.
Seeing that the fleet intended to dock, the county magistrate hurriedly stood on the shore and waited. The government runners behind him also lined up and slightly nodded to show their respect.
The Wenshui was not very wide, and the ships were not very big. They quickly reached the shore and a wooden ladder several meters long was quickly placed on the shore.
Ang Lee walked up the wooden ladder to the shore and looked at the county magistrate who bowed. He was the first to speak. "You are the county magistrate of Wenchuan?"
"This lowly official is. And you are?"
The county magistrate asked.
Chen Long immediately replied, "This is Assistant Minister Li of the Ministry of Works. He has come to Central Sichuan for an inspection."
"This lowly official pays respects to Assistant Minister Li."
The county magistrate was greatly alarmed and immediately dropped to his knees. The government runners behind him also did the same.
"Everyone, please rise. Quickly rise."
Ang Lee personally helped the county magistrate up and asked, "Just now, this official saw that all of you were walking so weakly. What happened? Did you encounter some sort of difficulty?"
The county magistrate hurriedly said, "I don't dare to deceive Assistant Minister. It truly is quite troublesome. The railway built by the Imperial Court will pass through our Wenchuan County, and the route planned by the Imperial Court has already been decided. This lowly official is responsible for clearing out all the obstructing villages, fields, and ancestral graves along the way. However, it is truly difficult! The people are unwilling to cooperate. This lowly official has already talked until his lips are sore, but they are still unwilling to agree. This lowly official is still worried about how to report back. "
After saying this, a look of helplessness slowly appeared on his face.
Ang Lee lightly nodded. He could see that the county magistrate's job was truly difficult. The task given by the higher-ups had to be completed, but the people below were unwilling to cooperate. This was truly frustrating.
"Can you tell this official in detail? What exactly is going on? "
Ang Lee wanted to know the ins and outs of the matter, so he asked.
The county magistrate took out a map of Wenchuan County. On it were the areas where the railway would pass through Wenchuan County, as well as the farmland, village houses, ancestral graves, and other facilities that needed to be moved in these areas. Upon closer inspection, there were more than ten areas that needed to be moved.
The Imperial Court's construction of the railway was a good thing for the country and the people. The people of Central Sichuan understood this point, but if it harmed their interests, they would also be unwilling to agree.
For example, some of the people of Wenchuan County refused to agree to the Imperial Court's demolition request. When they encountered a need to demolish their houses and rebuild them elsewhere, the price they demanded for compensation differed greatly from the Imperial Court's compensation. As for the ancestral graves, many people directly refused to move them. It was as if moving their ancestral graves would cause the family's fengshui to decline. Only the expropriation of farmland had less resistance. They only needed to replace it with an equivalent amount of farmland.
The reason why the people were so difficult to deal with was naturally the need to protect their own interests. Their houses were fine, but the Imperial Court wanted to demolish them with a single word. Moreover, the compensation given was very little, so the people were naturally unwilling to agree. Moreover, the people were also greedy for small gains. Who wouldn't want to take this opportunity to ask for more money? In the hearts of some people, perhaps the fiercer the commotion, the greater the benefits they could obtain. As such, it was naturally the most beneficial to make a fuss.
However, there might be an element of corruption in this. According to the compensation offered by the county magistrate, Ang Lee always felt that there was a gap between the compensation amount set by him and the compensation amount set by him. Perhaps only a part of the money allocated by the Imperial Court was given to the ordinary people, and some of the money was stuffed into the pockets of officials at all levels. In this way, the compensation amount naturally couldn't satisfy the ordinary people.
The compensation amount set by Ang Lee was just right. It wouldn't let the people suffer a loss, but it wouldn't let the people take advantage of it either. If the people who were demolished took too much advantage, then it would be unfair to the rest of the people of the Tang dynasty. After all, the Imperial Court's money was also collected from the people's hands. It was very unfair to use the money of all the people to subsidize a small number of people.
Of course, he absolutely couldn't let the people who were demolished suffer a loss. They had to pay as much as they should. Too much or too little compensation would cause unfairness. The biggest unfairness was some corrupt local officials. If these guys embezzled the money that should belong to the people, then it was the most damned behavior.
Such behavior had not stopped since ancient times. No matter what era it was, there would always be some people who embezzled money. It was these guys who destroyed the image of the officials and made the people have no good impression of the officials. It even developed to the extent of being hostile to the Imperial Court.
If the relevant officials who built the railway really embezzled money, then Ang Lee would never tolerate it. As long as it was found out, he would definitely deal with it seriously and make the relevant people pay the due price.
The biggest resistance that the county magistrate encountered was from the ancestral grave of Zhao Village. This Zhao Village was not a small village, but three large villages. The names of the villages were similar. The largest one was called Zhao Village. The remaining two villages were called Zhao Jiahe Village and Zhao Jiagou Village.
The three villages were not small in size, with more than five hundred people. They were standard large villages. Although they belonged to three villages, they were actually one family. They all had a common ancestor and were very close to each other.
The three villages were in a triangular structure, and their family ancestral grave was in the middle of the three villages. It was a place with good Feng Shui. However, when the railway was designed, it did need to pass through this ancestral grave. This caused the dissatisfaction of the Zhao Family in the three villages. They felt that the railway line should be deviated and bypassed their ancestral grave.
The county magistrate's ability to express himself was very good. Ang Lee had completely understood that it was the people of the three Zhao Village who were dissatisfied with the Imperial Court building the railway and passing through their ancestral grave. This was the biggest pressure that the county magistrate had to face. There was also the resistance of the demolition of Liu Village, which was also not small. The rest could be solved as long as he worked harder.
"It seems that the work at the grass-roots level is not easy to do! You have worked hard. "
Ang Lee praised the county magistrate and government runners to show his respect for them. These government runners at the grass-roots level really did not have it easy. They did the most difficult and tiring work and took the biggest risks. Once there was any trouble, they would be pushed to the front as shields and scapegoats.
Hearing this, the county magistrate and government runners were all excited. Their positions were very low, and generally, no one would really pay attention to them. The officials above would always reprimand them. However, Ang Lee, such a high-ranking official, not only did he not reprimand them, but also cared about them. Naturally, they felt warm in their hearts.
"It's not hard. This is what we should do."
The county magistrate said excitedly. After a pause, he asked tentatively, "Assistant Minister Li, is the railway line really impossible to be adjusted? Can't it be changed at all?"
Ang Lee understood what the county magistrate meant. If the railway line could be changed, he would very much like to change the line. In this way, many key areas could be avoided and the opposition of the people could be avoided. After all, the mountain people here were too ignorant and superstitious. It was very stressful for them to move their ancestral tombs. The county magistrate was very worried that he could not complete the task.
Looking at the map in his hand, Ang Lee thought for a long time and said, "It's not that the line can't be changed. It's just that the purpose of the imperial court building the railway is to benefit the people and make it convenient for them to travel. Therefore, the line is built along the crowded places. If it avoids the crowded places, then what's the use of building the railway? The line here passes through the three villages, not only because the location here is the best, but also because when the railway is completed, the people in the three villages can also benefit the most. When the railway is completed, the railway can be built here. As long as there is a parking platform here, the three villages here will be developed. In the future, they will develop into a town with thousands of people, not three small villages, and the people in the three villages will live a good life."
After that, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. These villagers were really short-sighted. It was their blessing that the railway could pass through their ancestral tombs. This would completely change their poor lives. It was a great thing. However, these villagers not only did not cherish such a precious opportunity, but also stood out to oppose it. He really did not know what they were thinking.
When the county magistrate heard this, he was stunned for a long time. Then, he quickly said, "Assistant Minister Li, if the line can really be changed, then change it! The villagers of Zhao Village are determined to not move their ancestral tombs. It's useless to reason with them. Only by changing the line can we save the trouble. "
Obviously, the county magistrate had no illusions about the people of Zhao Village and did not want to persuade them anymore. This was because he felt that the people of Zhao Village were too stubborn and could not be persuaded by words. It would be a waste of breath to go again. Since Ang Lee said that the line could be changed, then it was better to change it directly. This was the most convenient way.
How could Ang Lee not understand the county magistrate's thoughts? He smiled faintly and said, "Passing through the ancestral tombs of Zhao Village is the best route. No matter how much it is changed, it will increase the cost of road construction by a lot. The imperial court's money does not grow on trees. We should save as much as we can! We still have to continue persuading them. We can't stop just because the people of Zhao Village can't think it through. "
"Yes, Assistant Minister Li is right. I was confused for a moment. I will try to persuade them again until the people of Zhao Village agree."
The county magistrate quickly responded.
"Well, that's right. Persuading the people requires patience. Without patience, nothing can be done."
Ang Lee nodded in agreement and then said, "Forget it, I'll go there personally! This is also my job. "
"Yes, I'll lead the way."
The county magistrate quickly walked in front respectfully and led the way for Ang Lee.
Zhao Village was only four or five miles away. It was not very far and the road was easy to walk on. However, Ang Lee still chose to ride a horse. It was easier this way.
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