The large-wheeled carts from Central Sichuan could be said to be all-terrain vehicles from the Tang dynasty. Although they did not have the ability to pass through all terrain, they could pass through most of the rugged and difficult terrain, such as large pits, small pits, silt, snow, and not too deep rivers.
This was because it was inevitable to encounter small rivers on the road to Dongnu Province, which were water streams formed by the accumulated water from the snow mountains. A small bridge could be built at the place where these water streams passed through to facilitate the passage of people. However, building a bridge required money. If there were a lot of people coming and going, the imperial court would build a bridge. If there were not too many people coming and going, the imperial court would not be willing to spend money to build a bridge. Moreover, these rivers were not deep. Many of the shallower places were only as deep as a person's knee. They could be waded through on foot. Therefore, the people coming and going could only wade through the rivers.
Due to the season and other factors, the depth of these places where one could wade through the rivers was not fixed. The shallowest place was still deeper than a person's knee. For pedestrians, they could just roll up their pants. For freight vehicles, if the vehicles were completely submerged in the water, the goods on the vehicles would be wet. Some goods could not be wet. Once they were wet, they would be scrapped. Therefore, in the case of the possibility of wetting the goods, the vehicles needed to unload the goods at the shore. Then, they would use manpower or rafts to safely transport the goods. After that, they would be reloaded on the other side of the river. This would inevitably delay a lot of time and increase the physical exhaustion of the transportation team, making it easier for various risks to occur.
If the wheels of the vehicles were bigger, the chances of them being able to wade through the water would be much higher. As the wheels would raise the bottom of the trucks, the goods on the trucks would not be easily wet. As long as the water depth did not exceed the radius of the wheels, the carriages could directly pass through. This would greatly save time and also greatly reduce various risks.
The coachmen who had been traveling on these roads all year round knew the depth of each river. Therefore, they built these flatbed carts with large wheels. They knew very well that these large wheels could directly cross most of the small puddles, which could save them a lot of trouble.
Ang Lee stood next to the wheels and found that these wheels were taller than him. The wheels of ordinary vehicles were only half the height of a person. In other words, the height of these wheels was twice the height of ordinary wheels. Correspondingly, the depth of this kind of vehicle was naturally twice the height of ordinary vehicles. As long as ordinary vehicles encountered water that was more than knee height, it would be difficult to pass through. This kind of large wheelbarrow could directly cross the water depth up to waist height.
Generally speaking, when encountering a gentle river along the way, there were many shallow places where the water depth was only knee height. It was very dangerous to use a small wheelbarrow, but it was not a problem to use a large wheelbarrow. There was no need to worry about the goods on the cart being soaked. Moreover, the underwater road was not flat. There would definitely be some small puddles and stones. It was very troublesome for small wheels, but for huge wheels, these were not a problem. They could easily pass through. Therefore, the large wheelbarrow was really very advantageous. This advantage was not ordinary. It could bring great convenience to the driver. Therefore, even Ang Lee's ride was a large-wheeled carriage.
With these large-wheeled flatbed carts, Ang Lee had nothing to worry about. There should not be too much of a problem to resupply on the way.
Not long after, the livestock, poultry, eggs, and some high-quality food that the Yang family promised to gift were delivered. These were twenty full carts. Moreover, they were all large-wheeled carriages. If they were to use small-wheeled carriages to carry them, they would need at least thirty of them. This greatly exceeded the guard's original plan.
"Assistant Minister Li, the Yang family suddenly sent so many things. I'm afraid that the carriages we rented will not be enough."
Chen Long suddenly opened his mouth and said.
Ang Lee nodded and said, "How can I not know this? However, there is nothing difficult to solve. Let's kill most of these chickens and ducks first. If we can't finish eating them, we can save a lot of space. In this way, we don't need to use thirty carriages. Besides, each carriage can carry a little more. Along the way, with the constant consumption, the goods in each carriage will gradually decrease. When we reach the difficult mountain roads, each carriage will at least be lighter by 30%. Therefore, we don't have to worry about not being able to fit all of them.
If we can break them, we can throw them away. "Ang Lee had always been more straightforward in dealing with problems. He would never be sloppy. Sloppiness was not Ang Lee's style. Anyway, there were people who were willing to do it. He did not care about a little waste.
"This is good. Let's kill most of them first and let everyone have a good meal. Then we will set off early tomorrow morning."
Chen Long said approvingly.
Although the Yang family sent a lot of livestock and poultry, it was not a lot for a team of hundreds of people. If they ate freely, a strong man could eat a chicken in one meal. All the chickens, ducks, and geese were slaughtered, and it was not enough for everyone. The pigs and goats could be finished in two days. Therefore, it would be consumed very quickly. No matter how much food they carried, it would not be a big burden. It would only be a temporary burden.
The team would set off early tomorrow morning. The journey would be very difficult. Therefore, the morale of the team was very important. Letting everyone have a good meal before they set off could improve the morale of the team and make the guards happy. It would be more difficult to eat something good on the way. The supplies that could be obtained along the way were very limited. It was unlikely that they could eat whatever they wanted.
"Assistant Minister Li, what about the coachmen? Should we prepare a meal for them?"
Chen Long asked.
Ang Lee nodded and said, "We must give them a meal! We are counting on them along the way. If we don't prepare a meal for them, they will be unhappy. It will not be good if they have a problem. "
Obviously, they were going to travel a long distance, and these coachmen were very important. It was very important for the coachmen to drive the carriages well. If the coachmen were not enthusiastic and did not drive the carriages seriously, it would have a big impact on the team's progress.
There were originally more than five hundred people in the group, and with the addition of more than two hundred coachmen, there were about seven hundred people in total. Nearly half of them were guards, and the rest were coolies. There were coolies who had followed them all the way from the capital, and there were also coachmen who had just been recruited. These people were all here to serve Li An and the group of guards. Without them, the entire group would have had a harder time.
Because there were so many people in the team, the livestock had to be enough to eat. Ten pigs and most of the livestock were slaughtered. Only a few chickens, ducks, and geese were left for Ang Lee.
The amount of meat should be enough for everyone to have a full meal. Meat alone wasn't enough, they also needed wine. Chen Long quickly sent people to Yizhou City to buy several hundred jars of good wine. However, they were all low alcohol liquors, lest these guys get drunk. If that happened, it would be troublesome. They couldn't get drunk on the road, otherwise, they wouldn't be able to continue on the road.
After arranging some things in the station, Ang Lee went to Yizhou City. On the last night in Yizhou City, Ang Lee still wanted to spend it in Yizhou City. Moreover, he was sleeping beside little Hu Ji. It was not only comfortable, but also very nostalgic. He did not know if he would have a chance to see this beautiful little Hu Ji again in the future. In other words, Ang Lee went to Yizhou City again. He had nothing to do. He just wanted to accompany little Hu Ji. That was enough.
However, Ang Lee's wish was very difficult to achieve. There were many people who knew that Ang Lee would leave tomorrow morning. Taking advantage of this opportunity, they all blocked the roads in the city and waited for Ang Lee to enter the city. They still had a lot to say to Ang Lee, or they wanted to be the hosts.
Originally, they wanted to be the hosts for a long time. Unfortunately, after Ang Lee left the city, he ran to the Yang Family Grange and stayed for more than a day. This disrupted their plans. Now that Ang Lee had finally left the Yang Family Grange and would leave Yizhou City tomorrow morning, how could they not seize this opportunity to be the hosts?
"Assistant Minister Li, you will leave tomorrow morning. No matter what, you have to come to my mansion tonight. Let the country bumpkins of Yizhou see the elegance of Assistant Minister Li."
Old man Xianyu was the first to speak.
The Yizhou Provincial Governor next to him said, "That's right! Assistant Minister Li, the banquet at Marshal Jie's house is already prepared. Almost all the influential people in Yizhou City have arrived. No matter what, Assistant Minister Li must come! "
Two big guys personally invited him, and they even blocked his way. This gave Ang Lee no reason to refuse. However, Ang Lee really didn't want to drink and brag with these stinky men. It was more comfortable and comfortable to hug a beauty.
"I appreciate your kindness, but I've been tired all day. I really want to have a good rest. Let's forget about the banquet!
Ang Lee opened his mouth and was about to refuse.
Old man Xianyu said discontentedly, "That won't do. We have been preparing for two days. We even prepared the banquet last night. As a result, Assistant Minister Li stayed in the Yang Family Grange. If you don't give us face tonight, I will be angry. Besides, I also invited the group of little Hu girls from that building to my mansion tonight. They are the group of little Hu girls that Assistant Minister Li saw."
After saying that, he gave Ang Lee a knowing look, leaving him with no reason to refuse. This old guy seemed to have done his homework. He had already figured out Ang Lee's every move in Yizhou City. He even knew about the matter between Ang Lee and the little Hu girls. This old guy seemed to have known that Ang Lee was going to look for little Hu girls, so he invited them to his mansion in advance. In this way, if Ang Lee didn't go to his mansion, he wouldn't be able to see little Hu girls. This move was really too ruthless. It was simply taking the firewood from under the cauldron! Ang Lee could only brace himself and accompany these old men to brag and talk about life.
Although very unwilling, Ang Lee could only agree to this old guy. Seeing Ang Lee's helpless expression, old man Xianyu smiled sinisterly.
"Assistant Minister Li, don't leave tonight. The best room in the mansion has been prepared for you. Little Hu girls will also stay to accompany you."
Old man Xianyu whispered.
Ang Lee didn't hide it anymore. He nodded and said, "Brother Xianyu understands me! Since you have invited little Hu girls to your mansion, how can I not go! "
"Hehehe, you flatter me. It's just that the Spring Brothel is too simple and crude. It's not suitable for Assistant Minister Li's noble status."
Old man Xianyu said with a smile.
Ang Lee shook his head helplessly. He could only follow old man Xianyu and his group to the Provincial Governor's Mansion as a guest.
Old man Xianyu's welcoming ceremony was indeed high-class. As soon as they arrived at the entrance, they saw hundreds of people waiting at the entrance. A small portion of these people were local high-ranking officials, while the majority were big merchants of Yizhou City. As old man Xianyu himself was a merchant, he had a large number of merchant friends. As long as his family was in trouble, these merchant friends of his would come over to support him. Old man Xianyu knew enough about business. Therefore, his position as the Provincial Governor of Jiannan Province was very beneficial to the economic development of Central Sichuan. Perhaps he didn't know much about war, but he was very good at trading with the neighboring countries. As a merchant, old man Xianyu's knowledge about business was not inferior to Ang Lee's.
"Greetings, Assistant Minister Li."
"Assistant Minister Li."
As soon as they arrived at the entrance, these merchants all saluted Ang Lee. They appeared to be very enthusiastic and happy.
Ang Lee also waved to the crowd like a leader, receiving the envious gazes of the crowd. Then, surrounded by the crowd, he entered old man Xianyu's mansion.
Compared to the Yang Clan's Field, old man Xianyu's mansion was more luxurious, but the scale was slightly smaller. After all, this was Yizhou City and the land area was limited. The Yang Clan's Field was located outside the city, so the land was relatively less scarce. Therefore, it wasn't strange that the Provincial Governor's Mansion couldn't be compared to the Yang Clan's Field. However, the Provincial Governor's Mansion definitely had a larger area than the Yang Clan's Field. After all, the Provincial Governor's Mansion was a serious place. It was impossible to build a courtyard to feed a large number of livestock, nor to hoard a large number of warehouses and a large amount of hay. Only a Field would do that.
The Provincial Governor's Mansion only had a residential area and a back garden for leisure. There might be some green leafy vegetables planted on a small amount of land, but these vegetable planting areas were very small. Most of the areas were rockery, bamboo forests, and some evergreen trees.
Generally, rich people liked to plant evergreen trees at home. These evergreen trees were very important to improve the mental health of the family. Especially in autumn and winter, when a large number of leaves withered, it would make people feel uncomfortable. However, if the house was filled with evergreen plants, there wouldn't be such a withered feeling. Even in autumn and winter, there would be a vibrant scene everywhere, making people less likely to feel lost and thus maintain their mental health. Especially the older people, they were most afraid of the desolation in autumn and winter, which would easily make them think of their old age.
:. :.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
