"It's open to traffic!"
The Wei River Bridge was officially opened to traffic.
Originally, there was only a simple bridge over the Wei River in the north of Chang 'an City. It could only accommodate light carriages and was a one-way street. It was no longer enough to accommodate the passage of the people of Chang' an City and the transportation of goods. The Wei River Bridge perfectly solved this problem.
The merchants of Chang 'an were both excited and worried about the opening of the Wei River Bridge. They hoped that once the bridge was completed, the traffic pattern to the north of Chang' an would be greatly improved. They were worried about the constant rumors about the bridge toll.
The traveling merchants were mentally prepared for the bridge tolls. After all, the imperial court had spent two hundred thousand strings of coins to complete the bridge, so it was understandable that the bridge tolls would be collected. But if the tolls were too high, it would turn from a benevolent act to a tyrannical one. Especially for the poor, even the lowest tolls were a heavy burden to them.
When the toll was announced, everyone heaved a sigh of relief. It was free of charge for manpower, and the toll was based on carriages. Although ten copper coins was not cheap, it was already very humane. Moreover, there was only a 20-year toll period. Once the imperial court recouped the cost, the Wei River Bridge would immediately become free and would not become a tool for the imperial court to amass wealth. For a moment, everyone rejoiced.
The fees were reasonable, and the brick road supporting the Weishui River Bridge had been completed. Taking the Weishui River Bridge to the north not only saved time and effort, but also reduced the cost of transportation and labor. Suddenly, all the business travelers heading north of Chang 'an heard the news and took the Weishui River Bridge as the best choice.
However, the first group to pass through the Wei River Bridge was not the merchants of Chang 'an, but a group of Hu. They were the Turks of Chang' an.
Ever since Li Shimin agreed to the Turks' return to the grasslands, the Turks of Chang 'an were wild with joy. Although Chang' an was good, more people missed the grasslands. Immediately, many Turks prepared to return to the grasslands. With the opening of the Wei River Bridge today, they could use the bridge to return.
Of course, those who really wanted to return were the adults, especially the middle-aged Turks. They missed the glory of the past when they were the overlords of the grasslands. The younger generation of Turks missed the prosperity of Chang 'an, so most of them chose to stay.
Meton looked at the returning Turks and realized that this was the real reason why Li Shimin had personally come to the Wei River Bridge.
Coincidentally, the Ashina Society had also wanted to use the bridge to return to the Turks. Unfortunately, they were stopped. Now, the Turks of Chang 'an could openly pass through the Wei River Bridge.
The new Turkic Khagan, Li Simo, respectfully kneeled in front of Li Shimin and said, "Your Majesty Heavenly Khan, after this lowly subject has settled the various Turkic tribes, this lowly subject will immediately come before the Heavenly Khan's tent to serve."
Li Simo was a smart man. He knew that the strength of the Turks was not enough to establish a foothold in the grasslands. If the Turks wanted to take back the grasslands, they could only rely on the Tang dynasty.
"After the Turks return, you must be careful of Xue Yantuo. I have already sent a special envoy to ask Xue Yantuo to give up the grasslands of the Turks. I think Xue Yantuo will not be satisfied. Once Xue Yantuo's troops make a move, you can immediately ask for help from the Tang dynasty." Li Shimin looked at the Turks and found that there were very few young people. He could not help but have more confidence in Meton's Ten Outer Paths Plan. Of course, the young people staying in Chang 'an also meant that the Turks wanted to be hostages of the Tang dynasty. After all, if the Turks wanted to establish a foothold in the grasslands in the future, they still needed the support of the Tang dynasty. Their families staying in Chang' an was the best proof of their loyalty to the Tang dynasty.
"Thank you for your mercy, Heavenly Khan!" Li Simo's confidence was immediately boosted. With the support of the Tang dynasty, his confidence in taking back the grasslands of the Turks increased. He knew clearly how powerful the Tang dynasty was. Although Xue Yantuo was tyrannical now, he was still inferior to the Turks ten years ago. At that time, the powerful Turks were defeated by the Tang dynasty. Xue Yantuo's defeat was inevitable.
"Go!" Li Shimin waved his hand and said.
"I'll take my leave!" Li Simo stood up and waved his hand. The returning Turks set off again and headed north with great expectations.
With the departure of the Turks, the change of the Ninety Percent Palace finally came to an end. However, its influence did not end there. Instead, it shifted the flames of war from Chang 'an to the grasslands. The former overlord of the grasslands had returned, and the grasslands would be stirred up again.
Li Shimin only focused his attention on the Wei River Bridge after resolving the issue of the grasslands. He looked at Li Yun and said, "Minister Li, your bridge building skills are superb. Now that you've recovered, it's really a blessing for the Tang dynasty. I hereby appoint you as the Vice-Director of the Ministry of Works. You'll be in charge of the construction of bridges in the world."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Li Yun gladly accepted the order. The construction of the bridge was the greatest pride of the Xiangfu family. If Li Yun could be in charge of the construction of the bridge in the Tang dynasty, it would certainly be twice the result with half the effort.
Zhang Liang couldn't help but sigh in his heart. The benefits involved in the construction of this super bridge were definitely numerous. Although he was moved, the Emperor had already opened his mouth and handed it over to the Xiangfu Clan. He could only accept.
"Your Majesty, now that the construction of the Wei River Bridge has been completed, in the opinion of the Minister, it's time to start the construction of the Yellow River Bridge." Zhang Liang bowed and said.
"The Yellow River Bridge!"
Li Shimin's breath suddenly stopped. Although the Wei River Bridge was geographically important, it was still driven by Chang 'an City. In terms of traffic, the Wei River Bridge and the Yellow River Bridge were like fireflies compared to the moon.
A simple bridge could be built over the Wei River, but it was impossible to build a bridge over the Yellow River. There was only a boat crossing, and Fenglingdu was the largest Yellow River trading port. It must be known that the cost of a boat crossing was much higher than a bridge crossing fee.
Li Yun frowned and said, "The theory of building the Yellow River Bridge is already in place. However, the Wei River Bridge is only two hundred feet long, while the Yellow River is at least three thousand feet long. In addition, the Yellow River is quite muddy. There are many difficulties to be overcome. Rushing to build the Yellow River Bridge will only result in twice the effort for half the result. The Minister wants to postpone the construction of the Yellow River Bridge. Instead, he wants to build the Huai River Bridge that also obstructs the North and South. "
"The Huai River Bridge!" Zhang Liang frowned. Although the Huai River Bridge was also extraordinary, it was completely different from the Yellow River Bridge.
"That's right! The Huai River and the Yellow River are similar in that they are both muddy. However, the difficulties are much smaller than the Yellow River. Once the Huai River Bridge is built, the experience of building bridges on muddy rivers will be accumulated. Then, building the Yellow River Bridge in the future will not be a problem. "Li Yun said confidently.
"Approved!" Li Shimin replied. He also knew the principle of more haste, less speed. In addition, the investment for the Yellow River Bridge would be huge. It was necessary to be foolproof. Before that, it was fine to use the Huai River Bridge as a test.
"However, in addition to the Huai River Bridge, the construction of other places similar to the Wei River in the world must also be accelerated." Li Shimin added.
Li Yun nodded and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured. The Minister has personally trained the craftsmen to build the Wei River Bridge. At present, in the Xiangfu family, there are three people who can build bridges similar to the Wei River Bridge. More than ten of them can build bridges that are more than a hundred feet long. In addition to the use of reinforced concrete, the traditional bridge builders will be able to build bridges that are more than a hundred feet long. In addition, the Yangtze River and the Yellow River can be crossed by boats. The Minister promises that within fifty years, except for the Yangtze River and the Yellow River, all rivers in the world will be bridged.
There will be no bridge in the Yangtze River. "Li Shimin's heart suddenly surged. Just by imagining this scene, he couldn't help but feel heroic. From then on, the world's roads would be paved with bricks, and there would be bridges over rivers.
"I look forward to that day!"
Li Shimin's face was full of splendor. His originally low mood because of the Turks' rebellion was suddenly swept away.
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.
