From Yizhou City to Dongnu Province, whether by water or mountain, the road conditions were quite bad. The road was not easy to travel. For this reason, large motor vehicles were not even worth thinking about. Even horse-drawn carriages could barely travel. When they encountered unpassable sections, they could only temporarily repair the road. For example, they could pad deep pits to let vehicles pass. When they encountered collapsed rocks and soil, they could use tools to clean up all the excess rocks and soil. Only in this way could vehicles pass smoothly.
Because of the trouble, many merchants who transported goods directly did not use vehicles. They all consigned goods by horses. This way, the passage rate was much higher, and they could also pass through difficult sections.
If they wanted to build a good road, wouldn't everything be solved? However, building a road required money, and not just a little bit. It required a lot of money, and because there weren't many commercial interests along the way to the East Woman Kingdom, the local officials in the center of Shu were naturally unwilling to spend a lot of money, and the imperial court didn't pay attention to the traffic situation here.
But in any case, the roads in the Tang Dynasty were not bad. Although they were not easy to travel, and many sections were full of potholes, there was no pressure for horse-drawn carriages to travel. However, the roads in Dongnu Province were particularly difficult to travel. There were often situations where horse-drawn carriages could not pass through, and they needed to temporarily deal with it. Because the national strength of Dongnu Province was too weak, they did not have the money to build roads at all. Moreover, their geographical conditions were even worse. If they wanted to build roads, they would need to spend more money than in the Tang Dynasty. In addition, the subsequent maintenance costs were also not cheap. It was obviously unrealistic to expect a poor country to spend so much money. If they forced the road to be built, it would completely drag down the economy.
Dongnu Province was relatively poor, and they did not have the money to build roads. Therefore, the development of Dongnu Province was bound to be very difficult. When the weather was good, they were happy and content, and they had a different taste of a slow life. But once they encountered a natural disaster such as a drought, they could not survive. Even if they wanted to import food from the surrounding areas, the effect would be greatly reduced because the roads were too steep.
When Central Sichuan was also in economic difficulties, it was not a problem. After all, everyone was the same. Everyone would starve to death because they did not have enough to eat. But as the economy of Central Sichuan became better and better, the situation changed. When Central Sichuan encountered a drought, the imperial court would provide support, but Dongnu Province could hardly receive support. Even if they did, it would not be easy for them to smoothly enter.
Therefore, they had no choice but to submit to the Tang Dynasty. After becoming a province of the Tang Dynasty, their lives would become much better. As long as the smooth roads were built, Dongnu Province and Central Sichuan could communicate more quickly. All kinds of goods could be transported more easily, and the specialties of Dongnu Province could be transported to Central Sichuan to be sold more quickly.
Yizhou City had a large population, so its profits were naturally great. Of the five docks in Wenshui, each one could berth at least fifty merchant ships, and the largest one could berth three hundred ships without any problem. The ships in Wenshui weren't large, so three hundred ships actually didn't take up much space.
At the beginning, it was said that these docks were just some wooden stakes erected by the river to allow ships to berth. But as more and more merchant ships appeared, this method was not suitable. Even if they were expanded to both sides, the capacity was still limited. Therefore, someone invested in digging a large pond on the shore and laying a road in the pond, turning this large pond into a decent harbor. This way, it could accommodate more merchant ships.
These five docks were all man-made large ponds. Because all the merchant ships could berth in them, the river outside would not be affected in the slightest. They would not block the river and cause the interruption of shipping.
There was a storage area near the docks. Some merchants who could not wait for a ship temporarily put their goods in the storage area of the docks, but they had to pay. The docks were all dug by hand, so there must be an organizer. Whoever dug the docks would naturally have the right to sleep in the docks. Therefore, the merchant ships and all the goods that were stored in the docks at Horse Head Mountain would naturally have to pay a fee. Not a single coin less was allowed. This was all stipulated.
However, Ang Lee's fleet was an exception. Although the soldiers moved the goods as far away as possible, they were still within the range of the docks. If a normal merchant did this, someone would immediately come over to collect the money. But when the person collecting the money saw that there were so many people, and they were all from the capital's Dragon Martial Army, he was scared out of his wits. He did not dare to go over and ask, so naturally, he did not collect the money. When the people patrolling the docks saw this, they also did not dare to touch the bad luck. They were able to sit at the docks for two reasons. One was that they were strong enough, and the other was that they were smart enough to judge the situation. They knew who could take the money and who could not. These people who had been in the jianghu for many years were all shrewd. They would not make low-level mistakes. Their awareness was unusually high.
Ang Lee and a group of guards rode their horses and wandered around Yizhou City. They looked at the scenery outside the city. The scenery around Yizhou City was very good. There were mountains and rivers around. The environment was extraordinarily beautiful.
There was a small hill in front of them. It was a small hill where the trees were not very dense. Such a small hill was a good place for sightseeing. Now was the season for hiking. At this time, there should be a lot of people hiking on the mountain. However, it was almost dusk. It was already late. Even if they wanted to go hiking, it was a little too late. The people who went hiking should have already gone back.
"Taurus Mountain. This mountain looks a bit like a Taurus. It is tall and thick enough. Standing at the top of the mountain, you should be able to see the whole picture of Yizhou City. There is actually such a good place outside the city."
Ang Lee opened his mouth and said.
Near Yizhou City, there was actually a commanding height that could overlook the whole city. This was very good. However, if there was a war, it was not necessarily a good thing for the defending side. This was because the attacking side could stand at the top of the mountain and see everything inside the city clearly. Even the slightest movement inside the city could not escape the eyes of the army outside the city. Therefore, it was quite dangerous for the defending side.
If they sent soldiers to guard the commanding height outside the city, they would have to disperse their forces. Moreover, the city had a complete system and a large enough area. It could be defended for a long time. However, the condition of defending the commanding height was very difficult. There would not be a lot of supplies and manpower. Under normal circumstances, it would be very difficult to really defend. Therefore, building a city next to a high mountain was a big taboo for the defending side. However, this was not the capital city, nor a city facing a strong enemy. Therefore, the need for defense did not matter. There was no force nearby that could attack Yizhou City, so there was no need to consider the matter of defense.
In addition, Yizhou City was not the capital city. There was no special privacy inside that could not be seen by outsiders. Even if ordinary people stood at the top of the mountain and saw the situation inside the city, there was nothing wrong with that. There was nothing to be afraid of.
The reason why the city could be built here was because it was close to Wenshui. It was very convenient to get water from the city. The nearby land transportation was also very convenient, not to mention the water transportation. With Wenshui, it was impossible to be inconvenient. As for the high mountain next to the city that could spy on the city, there was no need to think about it. It was just a small matter.
In many mountainous areas, it was very common to see high mountains near the city. There were even many cases where the city was surrounded by high mountains. When the city was being built, it did not change its location because there was a high mountain nearby. Instead, it continued to be built as usual. In the era of cold weapons, as long as the high mountain was not too far away from the city, it was useless except for spying.
In addition, even if there was no high mountain near the city that could spy on the city, the attacking party could still build a high mountain by piling up soil. They could also build a watchtower, which was a type of observation equipment that was even higher than the city walls. Standing in the watchtower, one could see the situation inside the city clearly. Therefore, whether there was a high mountain or not, it did not have much effect on spying on the city from outside.
Because Taurus Mountain was relatively flat and the slope was not high, Ang Lee and his party quickly rode up and stopped at the top of the mountain.
There were no tall trees at the top of the mountain. Therefore, standing at the top of the mountain, it was more convenient to overlook everything around. This feeling was really good.
In the distance, Yizhou City was only three to five miles away from the top of the mountain. At such a distance, weapons such as bows and crossbows were useless. They could not attack the city at all.
The sun had slowly set and dusk was coming. Standing at the top of Taurus Mountain, one could clearly see the scenery inside Yizhou City. All kinds of roads and buildings could be seen clearly, as well as the vehicles and pedestrians coming and going. However, it was not possible to distinguish a person. After all, the distance was too far.
Yizhou City in front of them was very big, but compared with the capital city, it was too far away. Not only was the area inside the city smaller, but there were also not many buildings outside the city. It looked a little empty. On the other hand, the outside of Chang 'an City was already full of people. The number of people living outside the city had exceeded the number inside the city. However, Yizhou City did not exist at all. Although there were people living outside the city, they were scattered and the number was really too small.
"This is the capital of Jiannan Road. We will spend three to five days here. Don't be idle. As long as you don't have any tasks, you can walk around Yizhou City."
Ang Lee said.
Although the guards had to protect him, there were many guards and they could change shifts. Naturally, they could move around freely when they were not on duty.
The guards were very happy to hear that.
"Do any of you know what kind of tower that is in the city is?"
Ang Lee looked at the guards and asked.
A guard came out and said, "Assistant Minister Li, I am a native of Central Sichuan. Although there have been some changes in my hometown over the years, the changes are not as big as those in the capital city. The tower in front of us is a nine-story tower. Because there are nine stories in total, it was named as such. It is a Buddhist pagoda. It is said that Indian monks came here and built it hundreds of years ago. It is the most famous building in Yizhou City."
Ang Lee's guards were different from the Dragon Martial Army. Most of them were not from the capital city. Many of them came from all over the country and were recognized by Ang Lee with their abilities. Ang Lee naturally did not choose his guards based on their origin. He would only look at the person's ability. If the person was not capable, he would definitely not hire him.
"Nine-story tower. This name is quite interesting. It is too straightforward."
Ang Lee said with a smile.
This nine-story tower was not bad. After entering the city, they would definitely go there to have fun. Standing on the nine-story tower and looking at the scenery would definitely be a unique feeling.
"The street over there seems to be full of restaurants."
Ang Lee looked at a street and said.
The guard nodded and said, "There are indeed more restaurants on that street. However, the prices are also quite expensive. Ordinary people can't afford them. They are all places where the rich go. Some of them are mixed with brothels and restaurants. They are even more expensive."
The street that Ang Lee pointed to was a very busy street. It was also the busiest place in Yizhou City. After entering the city, they would definitely go there to have a look. If they did not go to the busiest place to have a look, wouldn't it be a waste of a trip?
"Where is the Yi Provincial Governor's Office and the Military Commander's Office?"
Ang Lee asked.
In Yizhou City, they were the highest officials. The Yi Provincial Governor was the highest official in Yizhou City. The Jiannan Military Commander was the highest military commander in the entire Jiannan Province. Their positions were very high in the local area. At least, Ang Lee had to find out where their offices were.
The guard pointed out carefully. Ang Lee observed carefully with his binoculars and finally determined the two locations. However, Ang Lee did not plan to go to the Provincial Governor's Office and the Military Commander's Office. As long as he was not discovered by them, Ang Lee did not plan to meet them. Anyway, it was not like he had never seen them before. There was no need to meet them.
After admiring for a while, the sky was completely dark. Ang Lee and the guards did not return to the dock. Instead, they rode directly into the city. Because they were not wearing official robes, it was not easy to be recognized.
Near the dock, the Long Wujun had already set up all the necessary tents. Some soldiers were too tired and had already gone to sleep in the tents. There were also some who were busy cooking and tidying up.
"Generals, may I ask if you are from the capital?"
A supervisor of the dock came over and asked.
"Yes, I am from the second team of the sixth battalion of the Long Wujun First Army. I was ordered to go to the south. I am not disturbing your business by being stationed here, right?"
The Long Wujun said.
"No, no, it is not a problem."
The supervisor of the dock was a thin middle-aged man. He smiled and shook his head. He said respectfully, "It is our blessing to meet a general from the capital. May I ask if there is anything lacking here? I will ask someone to prepare it."
"What do we lack? We do not lack anything. Assistant Minister Li has ordered that no one is allowed to harass the people. We do not need you to provide anything. "
The Long Wujun said.
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