Late Ming Dynasty: So what if Emperor Chongzhen was inactive?!

Chapter 235 Devout Missionaries Need to Be Tested by God
The civilian boat that Johann Adam Schall von Bell was on was not authorized to employ boat trackers. Sanmenxia has always been a no-navigation zone. During the season when the Yellow River has abundant water, it is impossible to navigate through here. This is why a road is being built in Sanmenxia. Now, they are just trying to take advantage of the winter window of opportunity to transport grain.

The Sanmenxia section is less than two miles long, but it takes boatmen half a day to pull the boats across it, and this is not the only section that needs to be towed.

During the more than 300-mile journey from Sanmenxia to Mengjin, due to the narrow river, rapid currents, wide river, and grounding of ships, the section that required to be towed was about 20 to 30 miles long.

These factors combined have led to severe ship congestion on the Sanmenxia section of the waterway. Due to time constraints and heavy workloads, the boat trackers could only undertake official tasks and could not engage in civilian commercial operations.

Of course, ordinary merchants wouldn't consider trading on this stretch of water; only a foolish emperor would do something so reckless and disregard costs.

The Sanmenxia section alone could not possibly accommodate tens of thousands of prisoners, and the imperial court was also not comfortable gathering them together without sufficient troops to guard them.

The troops guarding the prisoners could only be temporarily deployed; it was impossible to keep them there indefinitely. They were dispersed and assigned different tasks. They were allowed to eat, but they couldn't just eat for free; they had to work and create value.

The Han people's development and transformation of the natural environment was astonishing. There was the Lingqu Canal and the Zheng Guo Canal. There was also the foolish Yang Guang who built the Grand Canal into a network that connected all directions. Unfortunately, he only enjoyed the convenience of the Grand Canal for seven years before it was given to Li Shimin.

By the time of the Ming Dynasty, the east-west canals were basically abandoned, while the north-south Grand Canal was still in operation, though somewhat constipated and frequently blocked, requiring dredging and cleaning every year.

The southern section of the Grand Canal was prosperous with a thriving commercial economy and flowed smoothly. However, the crucial Shandong section was frequently blocked, whether due to natural disasters or human error was unknown. The Ming Dynasty certainly had the capability to rebuild the east and west sections of the canal, but it was possible that once completed, it would benefit the Manchus.

The obstruction of the East-West Canal was due not only to the Yellow River changing its course and geological changes, but also, most fundamentally, to the decline of Xi'an's political status.

Rivers naturally flow mostly east to west. In terms of difficulty, excavating the North-South Canal and maintaining its smooth navigation is even more challenging. In fact, to maintain the canal's water volume, water tanks had to be set up along the way, and water from artificial reservoirs and natural lakes had to be allocated to barely keep the canal open and complete the annual north-south grain transport.

The monumental undertaking of transforming the world looks exciting, but the price is paid by millions of ordinary people. Zhu Youjian knew very well how the Ming Dynasty rose to power. He feared that if the Grand Canal were to be extensively repaired during this time of continuous disasters, the Yellow River would probably be dug up again, revealing an old stone man with one eye.

Therefore, the river dredging work that Johann Adam Schall von Bell observed was essentially an agricultural production activity, with the primary purpose of fertilizing the fields with silt. Thus, with food subsidies provided, the people's enthusiasm for military service was quite high; the dredging of the rivers was merely a byproduct.

The grain transport activities mainly relied on boat trackers. The construction of the canal was too massive. Even if it was completed with great effort, Mother Yellow River might give us a blow one year, either by blocking the river channel or by causing the river to run away. Then we would have to suffer the same hardships again and again.

The most extravagant and foolish wish of ancient emperors was to create an era of lasting peace, but Zhu Youjian never indulged in unrealizable dreams.

Johann Adam Schall von Bell and his entourage then disembarked. The people of the coastal ports of the Ming Dynasty were no strangers to the "red-haired devils," and the people of the capital were also quite knowledgeable; they'd seen red, green, and black creatures that looked like demons before. But it was different in the inland areas. They looked at Schall von Bell like a monkey. If Zhao Erhu and his men were protecting him, he looked like a formidable figure, and the people would probably have tried to touch him. Schall von Bell, this conspicuous figure, naturally didn't escape Sun Chengzong's notice.

Sun Chengzong did not know Johann Adam Schall von Bell, as he was not a follower of the Western school of thought. However, he did know Xu Guangqi. It was quite rare to see a Westerner in Henan, so Sun Chengzong naturally stopped Schall von Bell to ask him questions.

Among the officials of the Ming Dynasty, Sun Chengzong was involved in many affairs and often went to the front lines of the battlefield. Although he did not personally intervene in command, he did eat and live with the soldiers. He was considered to be a relatively moderate faction, but he still adhered to the traditional idea of ​​acting as the ruler of the people on behalf of Heaven.

When Sun Chengzong intercepted him, Tang Ruowang respectfully performed the courtesy that Ming Dynasty officials used when a subordinate met a superior. He bowed deeply and said in a clear and resonant voice, "This humble official, Tang Ruowang, Assistant Compiler of the Imperial Observatory, greets Your Excellency."

When Sun Chengzong saw this, he was even more surprised. The so-called "assistant repairman" was indeed an official position in the Ming Dynasty, but it was an unofficial post used to deceive people and belonged to the lowest-ranking miscellaneous official positions.

He then questioned, "Since you are an assistant compiler at the Imperial Observatory, why are you here instead of staying in the capital?!"

Johann Adam Schall von Bell was momentarily speechless. He had already resigned from his official post, yet he still claimed to be an official of the Imperial Observatory, merely to maintain a semblance of authority and avoid being harassed. Unable to answer Sun Chengzong's persistent questioning, his face flushed slightly, he could only take out his travel permit and hand it over.

The travel permit clearly stated the traveler's identity, route, destination, and time. Xu Guangqi even added a sentence to the permit to accommodate him, saying, "I hope that the local officials will not act on their own selfish desires and make things difficult for him." He also signed his name and affixed his seal to the permit.

“So you’re Xu Zixian’s friend,” Sun Chengzong said with a smile. “Zixian was my classmate; we both became Jinshi in the 32nd year of the Wanli reign. Where is Zixian now? I haven’t seen him for ten years.”

Johann Adam Schall von Bell hadn't expected that after running over a thousand miles, he still hadn't escaped Xu Guangqi's shadow. The two hit it off immediately and began to chat.

When Sun Chengzong heard that Johann Adam Schall von Bell was going to Xi'an to preach, he almost couldn't resist ordering his men to kill him. He only refrained from doing so because of Xu Guangqi, but he was clearly displeased.

Johann Adam Schall von Bell then employed his traditional missionary skills, attempting to sell his God to Sun Chengzong and hoping for Sun's conversion. Unfortunately, he inadvertently stepped on Sun's sore spot, and the two parted on bad terms.

After much deliberation, Sun Chengzong felt that the matter could not be left unresolved. So he immediately drafted a letter and sent it to Hong Chengchou, asking him to "take good care" of this Western missionary.

Johann Adam Schall von Bell was unaware that he had inadvertently provoked the local tyrant, and that his missionary journey was about to face a severe test from God.

(End of this chapter)