Chapter 41 5. Huitong River communicates the economic lifeline of the north and the south

The soldiers and horses did not move, but the food and grass went first.When Kublai Khan commanded his iron cavalry navy to burn the flames of war across the Huaihe River and the Yangtze River, the logistics supply problem made Boyan, the Marshal of the Song Dynasty, quite troubled. You must know that nearly a million migrant workers are needed to transport the food and fodder of hundreds of thousands of troops.At that time, there was no modern transportation equipment, so we could only rely on mules, horses, carts, and shoulders to carry people. The speed was slow, the transportation volume was small, and the cost was huge.Therefore, before the war, he conducted a large-scale investigation with Guo Shoujing, the deputy envoy of the river channel. They inspected the river channels in Hebei and Shandong, and the canals in the Sui and Tang Dynasties. , provided transport capacity, and also met the logistical supply of frontline soldiers.

In the thirteenth year of Zhiyuan (1276), after Prime Minister Boyan captured Lin'an (now Hangzhou), the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty, he was deeply impressed by the well-connected waterways in the south of the Yangtze River.After he returned to Dadu, he suggested to Kublai Khan, the ancestor of the Yuan Dynasty: "Nowadays, the north and the south are mixed together. It is advisable to dig rivers and canals to connect the waters of the four seas. Those who pay tribute to the capital from afar can achieve this and sincerely benefit the country forever." Kublai Khan attached great importance to Boyan's suggestion.He knew: the extermination of the Southern Song Dynasty benefited from excellent water transportation, which allowed the Mongolian army to drive straight in.Today, the four seas are unified, and all peoples come to the dynasty, most of them serve as the capital, and need a steady stream of food and tribute, which is far from enough to rely on land transportation alone.In terms of grain alone, a population of nearly one million needs to transport two to three million shi of grain from the south, and the transportation expenses will be huge.He also knew: Although the finances are relatively tight now, if this problem is not resolved, the capital will not be peaceful for a day.Therefore, he made up his mind to build a water channel connecting the north and the south!

Looking at Guo Shoujing's situation map of excavating and dredging the canal, Kublai Khan wanted to hear the opinion of this water conservancy expert. Kublai Khan was no stranger to Guo Shoujing.He is Liu Bingzhong's disciple and was recommended by Zhang Wenqian.In the spring of the third year of Zhongtong (1262), he summoned Guo Shoujing in Shangdu (now near Duolun, Inner Mongolia), the newly built capital at that time.Guo Shoujing, who exudes vigor and spirituality, caught his attention at once. This time, Guo Shoujing proposed six water conservancy project plans to him. The rich first-hand information, profound knowledge, and scientific design made him very interested in this project. The learned Han people applauded deeply.

He still remembers that at that time he appointed Guo Shoujing to promote the river canals of all roads, presided over the construction of rivers and canals across the country, and appointed Zhang Wenqian as the deputy envoy of the canals to help and guarantee Guo Shoujing's logistics supply.He had one purpose at the time, that is, he hoped that he could dig more rivers, open more canals, and turn dry land into paddy fields! Guo Shoujing did not disappoint him either. In the early summer of the first year of the Yuan Dynasty (1264), Kublai Khan sent Guo Shoujing to Xixia to inspect the waterways of the Yellow River.Once there, he immediately set about rectifying.In some places, old canals were dredged, in some places new canals were built, and in some places many sluices and dams were rebuilt.Guo Shoujing led craftsmen and peasants to rush to work day and night, and repaired many damaged channels in the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River as quickly as possible. Not only did agricultural production recover quickly, but it also became a granary in the north of the Yangtze River. Exhausted resources.

Today, more than 20 years have passed, and the envoy who promoted all roads and canals in those days has already become the capital water supervisor and the doctor of the Ministry of Industry.Let's listen to Guo Shoujing's opinion first. After Guo Shoujing worshiped the emperor Kublai Khan, Kublai Khan said to him with a smile: "Guo Aiqing, since you have been in charge of the capital water supervision and the repair projects of river canals, embankments, bridges, dams, etc., the whole country has dredged rivers and dug canals. Constructing water conservancy, I am very satisfied with your work! Recently, the ministers have written to ask for the construction of canals and use waterways to transport grain, so as to save transport capacity, increase transport capacity, and save costs. I would like to hear what good suggestions you have?"

Guo Shoujing quickly replied: "Your Majesty Qi Zuo, I believe that this is a matter of merit for the present and benefit for the future." "Oh? Tell me why?" Kublai Khan asked quickly after hearing what he said. "Your Majesty, think about it, most of the food I consume now comes from the south of the Yangtze River, and the grain from Jiangsu and Zhejiang goes northward along the Jiangnan Grand Canal to the Huaihe River, and then flows back to Zhongluan Town (now Henan Province) after turning from the Huaihe River to the Yellow River in Huai'an. About 30 miles southwest of Fengqiu); unloading and loading vehicles here, transfer to land transportation, and arrive at Qimen (southwest of Jun County, Henan Province today); then load into Yuhe River (now Weihe River), and transport to Zhigu (now Tianjin ), along the Baisha River to Tongzhou, and finally to Dadu by land. Such water and land intersections, repeated loading and unloading, is time-consuming and laborious. Moreover, although this road is dominated by rivers, the rivers are twists and turns and the operation is not smooth. Therefore, as soon as possible in the original On the basis of these canals, it is a major issue to be solved urgently at present to dig a canal channel that goes straight through Shandong and goes straight to the north, so as to realize direct navigation between the north and the south. Moreover, once the canal is completed, it will not only reduce the cost of transportation, but more importantly, can benefit future generations!"

Kublai Khan looked at the map, his eyes scanning the places Guo Shoujing had mentioned.He knew that once the canal connects the north and the south, it will become the economic lifeline connecting the whole country. Not only will it have huge economic value, but it will also play a strategic role that cannot be underestimated.No matter how difficult the finances are, you have to dig!Only when the rein is straightened can the horse be driven by itself.Yes, call it the "straighten the rein on the horse's head" canal project. "Okay! Then I will order you to take full responsibility for the dredging and excavation of the canal and canals, and help me straighten the horse's reins! However, digging a canal is a huge project, costing millions of dollars, time-consuming and labor-intensive, it is no joke! You We must first make a thorough investigation, formulate practical plans and measures, and then we will launch, and we must not repeat the mistakes of the Jiaozhou-Laizhou Canal, we must cherish the power of the people, and be cautious!" Kublai Khan said earnestly .

"My humble minister is willing to devote himself to fulfilling the emperor's great wish, benefiting future generations, and leaving a lasting legacy." After accepting the task, Guo Shoujing started the research work of the canal excavation non-stop.He climbed mountains and ridges all the way, waded through water and jumped canals, visited local people and boatmen along the way, and mastered a lot of first-hand information.In Shandong, he was even more touched when he saw the migrant workers transporting grain all over the road.Back at the Yamen of the Ministry of Industry, he immediately discussed with various water conservancy experts to determine the canal excavation plan.

Ma Zhizhen believes that the key to excavating the canal is in Shandong, and in order to excavate the canal in Shandong, it is only necessary to connect the waterways of the Yellow River and the Weihe River.To connect the two rivers, he suggested that a new Wensi River should be excavated.As soon as this discussion was mentioned, it immediately attracted Guo Shoujing's attention. The plan was quickly drawn up and submitted to Kublai Khan for approval.The core of this plan is to cut the bends and straighten the fan-shaped Grand Canal completed in the Sui Dynasty: the northern end starts from Dadu to Tongzhou, retains the northern section of Yongji Canal, then enters Dezhou, Shandong, and then goes south to Liaocheng, Linqing, and Jining , enter Yongji Canal, Shanyangdu, cross the Yangtze River through Yangzhou and connect with the Jiangnan Canal, and go directly to Hangzhou at the southernmost end of the canal.After abandoning the "bow" and walking the "string", this north-south Grand Canal is 2,000 miles shorter than the fan-shaped Sui Dynasty Canal.

Yuan Shizu readily agreed. After some planning, in the seventeenth year of Zhiyuan (1280), the huge project of "tightening and straightening the reins on the horse's head" kicked off its initial prelude. The Grand Canal that leads directly to Dadu is not on the same level. The terrain along the way is ups and downs. The highest point is Nanwang Town in Shandong Province. People call this place "Nanwang Water Ridge". Keeping the water source abundant and the river surface level, and overcoming the disparity in the water level so that the boat can smoothly climb over the "water ridge" have become a difficult problem for Guo Shoujing, a doctor in the Ministry of Industry.Wenshui turns west and flows east, and Surabaya turns and flows south. To make the canal have sufficient water sources, the two rivers must be rebuilt. Guo Shoujing carefully designed a plan to climb over the "water ridge" after field investigations——

Use Dongping, Machang, Nanwang and other lakes as water storage reservoirs to adjust the water volume of the canal, and use these lakes as natural waterways.Dig artificial rivers to connect the blocked areas between the lakes; then, divert Wenshui to the north as a water source; build dams and build Doumen in today's Gangcheng of Ningyang (the junction of Wenshui and Guangshui) to block Wenshui and make it The Wenshui River flows into the Guangshui River in the south, and flows into the Machang Lake in Rencheng (now Jining City); then, the water diverges from north to south, and joins Sishui River in the south and flows into the Huaihe River, and opens the river from Rencheng to Xucheng (now Dongping, Shandong) in the north. The Anshan Mountain is connected with the Daqing River to enter the sea. The river that needs to be excavated in this plan starts from Jining Rencheng to Xucheng Anshan, with a total length of about 100 miles, called Jeju River. Prime Minister Boyan reported the construction plan to Yuan Shizu Kublai Khan. Emperor Shizu of the Yuan Dynasty approved the plan on the day he received the memorial, and approved: "Take ten thousand ingots as a commission, and still give food, and dig the Jeju River. The Minister of the Ministry of War, Oluchi, Liu Dushui, and one who is good at arithmetic , Send Xuan sent a seal to Jeju, and set up a river husband service; at the same time, ordered the daimyo and the new Weizhou attached army to help the workers." According to the plan planned by Guo Shoujing, under the command of Minister of War Oluchi and under the specific supervision of Liu Dushui, hundreds of thousands of rivermen fought starry night on the river digging site. They used chant to turn the grand blueprint of abandoning the "bow" and walking the "string" into a magnificent landscape of mountains and rivers. The entire river course starts from Jeju (now Jining, Shandong) in the south and reaches Anshan Town in Xucheng (now Dongping, Shandong) in the north, with a total length of more than 150 miles.After the opening of the Jeju River, the materials transported into Beijing can be transported from the Daqing River to Lijin, and then into the Bohai Sea, and then transferred to Zhigu along the sea road, which is much more convenient than the Yuhe River via Henan.But the good times didn’t last long. The Daecheong River, an important link connecting the Jeju river section, has silt deposits at its estuary, making navigation inconvenient. Coupled with high winds and waves on the sea, the channel of the Daecheong River had to be abandoned, and ships entered the Daecheong River through the Jeju River. After clearing the river, you can only sail to Dong'e (south of Dong'e in today's Shandong Province), and then travel 200 miles to Linqing and enter Weihe River to Tongzhou.In this way, although it is only more than 200 miles away, more than 13,200 households are required to transport grain all year round, especially the section of Chiping, where the terrain is low and flat. Whenever it rains in summer and autumn, it will be muddy, and vehicles and horses will be blocked and transportation will be difficult. Migrant workers are miserable.In this way, after the excavation of the Jeju River, how to solve the difficulty of road transportation from Dong'e to Linqing was put on the agenda of the Yuan government.In this regard, many ministers wrote letters one after another, asking the court to dig a canal connecting the Yuhe River and the Jeju River. Shi Bianyuan, the order of the Taishi Academy, and Yin Han Zhonghui of Shouzhang County suggested to the imperial court: to pass through the canal from Anshan to the Yuhe River in Linqing.In October of the following year, Prime Minister Sang Ge raised the proposal again.Seeing that so many courtiers proposed to dig a canal, after careful consideration, Kublai Khan decisively ordered to dig a canal connecting the Yuhe River and the Jeju River. So, Guo Shoujing came to Shandong again.This time he took Zhang Kongsun and Han Zhonghui, Minister of Rites, and others. They surveyed the main rivers such as Surabaya, Wenshui, and Yuhe in the southwest of Shandong today, and designed and reviewed the river route of the Shandong section of the Grand Canal. To build this section of the river, the key is to climb over the higher Daqing River.Guo Shoujing, who is nearly sixty years old, has more than 30 years of experience in water control. He first said: "To break through the difficulty of undulating terrain and steep slopes, we must use sluice lanes. That is to build ship locks along the river, and use the gates at both ends to open and close. , back and forth control, adjust the flow, balance the height difference of the water surface, realize the dynamic change of the water level of the canal, close each other, like breathing, so that we can realize navigation from high to low or from low to high.” Yin Han Zhonghui of Shouzhang County is quite familiar with the local topography. He heard Guo Shoujing's Zhahua transportation route and suggested: "To cross the Daqing River, we can adopt the plan of 'Yinwenjueqing', that is, below Gangcheng, use The favorable conditions of the relatively high terrain at the western foot of Mount Tai kept the Wenshui River slightly higher than the level of the Daqing River. The great Qinghe River forced the river to flow northward into the Xingou leading to Linqing. In view of the terrain characteristics of the Linqinggou area with a large slope, in order to prevent the new canal under construction from draining too fast and causing the channel to be shallow and astringent, the construction section was adopted. The method of sluices allows ships traveling from south to north to float up one by one, so as to 'climb' across the Daqing River smoothly." "Okay! Let's adopt this plan!" Guo Shoujing was overjoyed when he heard this, "This way can accommodate more ships to pass smoothly, and can also achieve the purpose of saving water. After the construction is completed, cascade navigation can be realized." Finally, Guo Shoujing added: "In this section, the construction of the lock is the key. When building the lock, we must fully consider the changes in the terrain. Generally speaking, a uniform specification is adopted. The lock is generally 100 feet long and 30 feet wide. The net length is 40 feet, the net width is 20 feet, and the height is 10 feet. Large stones can be used to build "geese wings" with a length of 30 feet. In places with large changes in terrain and important wharves, two gates or gates can be used. The three gates are connected in series and used together to ensure the ability of navigation.” The plan was reported to Yuan Shizu Kublai Khan again, and Yuan Shizu readily agreed.To be on the safe side, in the first month of the twenty-sixth year of the Yuan Dynasty (1289), the Yuan government appointed Caohe deputy envoy Ma Zhizhen, Bian Yuan and others to conduct another on-site inspection. After the plan was finalized, Kublai Khan allocated 1.5 million banknotes, 40,000 catties of rice, and 50,000 catties of salt as funds for opening the river, and recruited another 30,000 civilian husbands, and appointed the judge to be busy, and the Ministry of Rites Zhang Kongsun, Minister of the Ministry of War, and Li Chuxun, Minister of the Ministry of War, were in charge of commanding the project.In the first month of the twenty-sixth year of Zhiyuan (1289), the project officially started, and it took only half a year to complete in June.This new river course starts from Xucheng (now Dongping) in the south, connects with Jeju River in the west, passes through Dongchang (now Liaocheng City) in the middle, and ends at Linqing and enters Yuhe River. Thirty-one, water storage and drainage at any time.Because this canal started from Anshan, Xucheng, it was originally named Anshan Canal.After the opening of the river, Zhang Kongsun, the canal officer, and others said: "It is unheard of in ancient times to open the canal of Weibo and connect the Yangtze River and Huaihe River." Kublai Khan was also very happy about the opening of the river, and personally named it "Huitong River". Theoretically speaking, the Huitong River is not too long. It starts from Anshan in the south and reaches Linqing in the north. one tenth.However, because the river was opened on flat ground, there are many hills along the way, and the terrain is undulating, so its complex technology, large scale, many laborers, and long construction period are undoubtedly one of the largest projects in the history of Chinese canals.It adopts the epoch-making "gateway of transportation", breaks through the ups and downs of the terrain, and embodies the outstanding wisdom and talents of ancient builders. The excavation of the Huitong River has since ended the history that water transportation in Shandong must be carried out by land.In the twenty-eighth year of the Yuan Dynasty (1291), Yuan Shizu suggested from Guo Shoujing that more than 19,000 soldiers, more than 540 craftsmen, more than 300 sailors, and more than 170 "unofficial prisoners" were employed. "Slaves", with a total of more than 2.8 million workers, excavated the Tonghui River from Dadu to Tongzhou, with a total length of more than 160 miles.In this way, the Grand Canal from Dadu in the north to Hangzhou in the south was connected. It connected the five major water systems of the Haihe River, the Yellow River, the Huaihe River, the Yangtze River and the Qiantang River, and strengthened the connection between the capital and the most affluent Jiangnan region.The economic and cultural exchanges between the North and the South ushered in a new era, and also played a role in consolidating political unity.