Chapter 224

For example.

If a merchant's goods want to be sold from Chang'an to Yangzhou City, if they go by land, even if they travel day and night, it will take a considerable amount of time to rest on the road.

Also need to feed horses, manpower, cargo preservation, etc.

When encountering bad road conditions, it is estimated that it will be delayed for ten days or half a month.

Water transportation is different!

Just need a large ship to take advantage of the water current!

No need for horse supplies, no need for many hands, just a few people to sail the ship.

Even if you sleep every day, the journey will not be delayed in the slightest...

It saves time and effort, and is economical and convenient.

It is simply twice the result with half the effort!

Especially when transporting large quantities of goods, the role of water transportation is particularly obvious!

For example, if there is a disaster in some places, a large amount of money and grain is needed for disaster relief.

How to transport millions of money and grain?

Water transportation is naturally the first choice!

This way of using waterways to transport goods is also called 'grain transport'!

Grain transport is a top-priority regulation in any dynasty!

If the waterway is not clear, even money and grain cannot be transported.

Why is Jiangnan called the 'money bag'?

Besides the fact that people there know how to do business, the numerous water canals are also an important factor! Every waterway has countless ships coming and going, and the turnover of goods is extremely frequent. Because of this, the economy has become extremely active.

One can imagine.

How important grain transport is!

If Great Qin could have a similar Grand Canal, it would have an immeasurable impact on economic development!

"Your Majesty, this lowly subject has already looked at it."

"Although our Great Qin terrain is complex and most places are uneven, we can just take advantage of this terrain to guide water sources into some lower places to form a wide river."

"Then let this river flow from the plateau into Tuyuhun, and then enter the Hexi Corridor through Tuyuhun."

Shen Kuo gestured at the panoramic view, introducing his plan in detail.

The Tibetan Plateau lacks everything, but it does not lack water sources!

The terrain here is extremely high, and the snow-capped mountains never melt all year round.

Whether it is the Great Tang in the east, Siam in the south, or the Harsha Empire in the southwest, the sources of the mother rivers of these countries are all on the Tibetan Plateau!

Finding water sources that can irrigate the river channel is naturally easy.

"Shen Kuo, are you sure?"

Qin Mu asked with a serious gaze.

"About eighty percent sure!"

Shen Kuo nodded without hesitation.

"Good!"

"Since that is the case, then this matter will be entirely entrusted to you."

"You can use all the resources of Great Qin; whether it is craftsmen, manpower, or tools, as long as you think you need them, just use them!"

"I will also let Liu Bowen lead capable officials to assist you; you must complete the construction of this Grand Canal!"

Doing it as soon as he says it, Qin Mu no longer hesitated and directly ordered the start of the construction of the Grand Canal!

Unimaginable.

What the fate of the entire Tibetan Plateau and the Western Regions nations will be like after this Grand Canal is built.

What is even more unimaginable is Li Er's expression.

If he knew that Qin Mu had built a Grand Canal on the plateau, what kind of reaction would he have?

What the Great Tang can have, my Great Qin can have too!

For a time.

Great Qin was busy again.

After receiving the order, Liu Bowen didn't say a word, directly leading his group of capable officials, following Shen Kuo and hundreds of researchers from the Academy, to survey the plateau terrain together, preparing to find a truly feasible river channel.

Zhang Juzheng is in charge of overall arrangements in the court.

Whether it is craftsmen or the resources needed to build the Grand Canal, Zhang Juzheng is doing his best to turn them around.

But the Grand Canal is a huge project after all, requiring the strength of the whole country to build together.

Not to mention spending money like water, the resources within Great Qin also began to be unable to support it.

The Tibetan Plateau was already resource-poor, and it was only because of Qin Mu's long-term management that the national treasury gradually became abundant.

Unexpectedly, just the construction of the Grand Canal alone had already emptied the Great Qin treasury.

Looking at the snow-like memorials flying in every day, Qin Mu also felt quite pressured.