Di Ming

Chapter 70 Qin Huai
The autumn rain is misty, and the river is shrouded in fog.

The water shimmered, dotted with white sails.

This ancient city, with its strategic location and impregnable natural defenses, stands majestically on the banks of the Yangtze River, watching the river flow eastward and the waves wash away the heroes of the past.

Like fleeting clouds, time and space change.

The six dynasties faded into smoke, and the early Ming dynasty flourished; all these events occurred in the midst of a great dream and a great awakening.

Even the Northern Army's warships and towering iron chains could not diminish the imperial aura of Nanjing; the mountains and rivers still basked in the cold currents.

Zhu Yin and the others, wearing straw hats, raincoats, and wooden clogs, stood on the deck admiring the river view.

The river flows like a sob, the drizzle like sorrow.

This time, six more people accompanied Zhu Yin to Nanjing.

Cen Xiubing and Ding Hongying also came.

Cen Xiubing came to Nanjing with Zhu Yin in order to go home, looking for her family's shop there, intending to have the shop send someone to take her back.

Many chieftain families had shops in Nanjing. Besides conducting business, they also used the shops to contact officials and gather information.

Ding Hongying came purely to sightsee, to see the prosperity of the big city, and to broaden her horizons.

She's tired of looking at the sea all the time.

But her reasons were high-sounding: protecting Uncle Tiger was righteousness; protecting her father's savior was filial piety; protecting the young master was loyalty; protecting the child was benevolence.

With a sword in hand, she is a match for ten men; wouldn't it be perfect for her to be a bodyguard?
This reason was simply too compelling; she embodied all four virtues of loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and righteousness. How could Ding Huogen refute her? He could only agree to let her come.

There's only one requirement: you absolutely mustn't be willful and cause trouble!

Even if someone teases you, you have to put up with it!

The four extra men were sailors given to Zhu Yin by Ding Huogen. They were all reliable and loyal men, and were there to help Zhu Yin navigate the ship.

There were sixteen people in total. Five horses and one dog.

The section of the Yangtze River downstream from Nanjing is called the Yangtze River. On the river, the autumn wind is bleak, and it is already chilly.

Ning Caiwei looked left and right, frowning, and asked, "Where's the dock? Why can't we see it for so long? How are we going to moor our boat?"

"A dock?" Zhu Yin said with a sneer. "Where are there docks in Nanjing of the Ming Dynasty now? As for stopping ships, they can only dock at any shore, drop anchor, and take a boat bridge to get ashore."

Ning Caiwei couldn't help but shake her head.

Her historical knowledge was mediocre, but she knew why the Ming Dynasty did what it did.

Isn't this like throwing the baby out with the bathwater? That's too short-sighted.

Zhu Yinchu's good mood upon seeing Nanjing suddenly turned somewhat sour.

It's funny to say.

At that time, there wasn't a single dock along the hundred-mile stretch of the Yangtze River in Nanjing!
It's unbelievable.

However, that is the truth; it really doesn't exist.

This is why Nanjing lacks a dock culture.

Nanjing originally had a port, and it was quite famous. However, after the early Ming Dynasty, in order to prohibit the sea, the Nanjing port was abandoned and its reconstruction was forbidden.

Famous wharves from the Six Dynasties to the Tang and Song Dynasties, such as Changganli, Yanziji, and Mufushan, have all been abandoned and are no longer in use.

It was euphemistically called: to guard against pirates and Japanese invaders.

It's like if Nanjing lost its docks, enemy ships wouldn't be able to attack Nanjing.

This resulted in Nanjing, a major city along the Yangtze River, not having a single waterway port.

The bustling docks of Xiaguan in Nanjing were still centuries away.

"Since there was no dock along the river, we simply sailed into the Qinhuai River, a tributary of the Yangtze River, and entered the city directly through the water gate, where we moored the boat in the inner Qinhuai River."

Zhu Yin, who was familiar with history, already had an idea.

Several sailors accepted the order, hoisted the sails, and continued upstream towards the river mouth.

As the boat sailed upstream, a large shipyard appeared at the eastern bend of the river. Above the massive water tower on the shore were the words: "Xinjiangkou Shipyard, Supervised by the Ministry of War".

The shipyard is large, but it seems deserted. There's no sign of the bustling atmosphere one would expect from a shipyard.

The clanging and banging sounds came intermittently from the shipyard, but were quickly drowned out by Jiang Tao's voice.

It was obvious that there were few craftsmen and few shipbuilding tasks in the shipyard.

Ning Caiwei said in a low voice with a touch of emotion, "The Ning Group's Jianghai Shipyard is nearby. I've even visited the shipyard before."

"Over four hundred years have passed, and even the Yangtze River has narrowed considerably. That Hexi Prefecture is now still a small island in the river."

"The Yangtze River is really deep now. The average depth of the river here is estimated to be twenty meters."

“Of course, large ships can be built here.” Zhu Yin pointed to the shipyard and said, “Do you know the famous Zheng He’s treasure ships? They were mainly built in this Xinjiangkou Shipyard.”

"In the first few decades of the Ming Dynasty, shipyards were clustered along both banks of the river."

Ning Caiwei said, "There are so few shipyards these days. This is the Xinjiangkou Shipyard."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yin simply nodded silently, too lazy to even reply.

He naturally knew the answer.

In the third year of the Jiajing reign, maritime transport was completely stopped, the sea transport was completely abolished, and all shipyards were abandoned.

As a result, the Ming Dynasty only had one shipyard left: Xinjiangkou Shipyard.

In the early Ming Dynasty, there were several large shipyards in Nanjing alone, such as the Fast Shipyard, the Horse Shipyard, and the Longjiang Shipyard, all of which built seagoing vessels.

At that time, the Ming Dynasty was the world's leading shipbuilding technology and shipbuilding scale, unparalleled in its field.

However, nowadays, the only shipyard the government has left that can build ocean-going vessels is Xinjiangkou Shipyard, which is barely surviving and will be abandoned in ten years.

After that, the Ming Dynasty no longer had any shipyards capable of building ocean-going vessels.

With such shortsightedness and conservatism, it's no wonder they ended up impoverished and their rule was taken over by the Manchus.

If one had a decent navy and naval force, with the natural barrier of the Yangtze River and the benefits of maritime trade, one could at least survive through the Northern and Southern Dynasties.

It's truly no injustice.

Half an hour later, the sand barge finally arrived at the mouth of the Qinhuai River, where there were already many boats entering and leaving the river.

Zhu Yin ordered the ships to sail directly into the Qinhuai River, also known as the Outer Qinhuai River.

Once we entered the outer Qinhuai River, the river turned south again. After driving for only a few miles, we saw a majestic city gate, with the river flowing swiftly beneath it.

This is the water gate of the outer city, Dinghuai Gate!

Ships that directly entered Nanjing city all entered the outer Qinhuai River via the Yangtze River, and then entered the outer city through Dinghuai Gate or Jiangdong Gate.

Then enter the inner city through Sanshanmen or Tongjimen and travel along the inner Qinhuai River.

Nanjing had two water gates that allowed boats to enter the inner city: Sanshan Gate and Tongji Gate.

The Inner Qinhuai River actually has many small docks. As long as you pay, you can easily find a place to moor your boat.

In order to see more of the scenery of the outer Qinhuai River, Zhu Yin decided to enter the inner city from the Tongji Gate, which is further away.

At this moment, the boat had just entered the outer Qinhuai River from the Yangtze River. Ahead was the Dinghuai Gate, the entrance to the outer city. The nearby river was crowded with boats.

It was similar to the traffic jams at toll booths in later generations.

The outer city wall is the outermost of Nanjing's four-tiered city wall, covering a circumference of over 100 li (approximately 50 kilometers) and encompassing Zhongshan Mountain, where the Xiaoling Mausoleum is located.

Looking at the towering outer city water gate, Zhu Yin couldn't help but say:

"Truly... the river flows to the sky, the city gate faces the water, the sunset glows on the Chu shore, and the evening dew shrouds the Wu Terrace."

At the Shuimen Pass, soldiers and tax collectors guarding the city were inspecting the ships entering the city.

The main focus is on checking goods and customs clearance documents such as road permits.

In reality, it was just collecting city gate tax and sluice gate tax.

According to the regulations, the city gate tax was only levied on merchants. However, in reality, as long as a dog entered the city, the city guards and gatekeepers could collect taxes.

As for the Great Ming Code... why take it so seriously?
Without a travel permit, one should not be allowed to pass through the gates and enter the city. However, the legal system was lax in the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty, and many provisions in the "Great Ming Code" and "Great Proclamation" were rendered ineffective.

All they care about is money.

Paying the fee gets you a travel permit.

If you don't pay... your travel permit might be real or it might be fake.

This kind of corruption, ironically, made things easier for Zhu Yin and his associates.

They readily paid the lockage tax for sixteen people, five horses, and a dog, as well as the customs fee for not having a travel permit. The lockage tax wasn't much; the ship only cost eight taels of silver. But the customs fee, which replaced the travel permit, was quite substantial.

The money collected for clearing customs was purely illegal income for officials; it was essentially bribery!

Without a travel permit, you're not legally allowed to enter the city. But if you pay a lot of money, they'll let you through!

Therefore, this money was not taxed; it neither went into the Ministry of Revenue's granary nor into the emperor's private treasury. It was purely a slush fund for local officials.

As for whether doing this would allow enemies or bad guys to infiltrate the city, that shouldn't be the case, right?
Therefore, Zhu Yin, who had no travel permit, had no choice but to suffer a huge financial loss.

They then paid another fifty-five taels of "toll money".

After paying to pass through Dinghuai Gate, and heading south along the Outer Qinhuai River, you soon came across a shimmering lake.

In the light autumn rain, the scene is serene and secluded, with the water reflecting a hazy, dreamlike light.

Mochou Lake!
On Mochou Lake, the water is as clear as the sky, and one can sleep on a painted boat listening to the rain.

At a glance, three or five painted boats drift on the shimmering lake, accompanied by melodious songs, ethereal and dreamlike.

The sand barge rudely passed through Mochou Lake, drawing strange looks from the lake's surface.

Where did this ugly boat come from?
What a tacky ship.

Not long after passing Mochou Lake, you'll reach Changgan Bridge.

Changganli.

To the right of the river lies Jubao Mountain and Yuhuatai.

The morning bell of the Great Bao'en Temple drifted gently from Yuhuatai, filling the river with the sounds of Buddhist chants.

Wearing a straw hat and raincoat, Zhu Yin, in wooden clogs, looked at the scenery of Changgan in time with the sound of bells, and couldn't help but feel a deep sense of longing.

Beside the Zhuque Bridge, green tiles stand in staggered rows. The Xie family, a family of great wealth and status.

A cup of fine wine from Nanjing, a melody of autumn sounds from Moling.

The clear waters flow gently, a journey to Changgan.

After passing Changganli, you'll reach Tongjimen.

Tongji Gate is not only the largest city gate in Nanjing, but also the largest city gate in the world in terms of area.

Even the barbican has three layers, making a total of four city gates.

Zhu Yin knew that decades later, the Hongguang Emperor Zhu Yousong had fled the country in disguise through Tongji Gate, and after being captured by the Qing army, he was escorted back to Nanjing through Tongji Gate as well.

Ha ha.

What's even more absurd is that upon entering Tongji Gate, one still has to pay a gate toll and a "road fee."

Because it's entering the inner city, the amount is several times higher than before!
A total of 240 taels of silver were paid as a city entry fee.

Two hundred and forty taels!
Ning Caiwei, who was in charge of the money, was about to vomit blood.

If we had travel permits, we could have saved that huge sum of money.

The problem is, since everyone is a refugee, how can they get travel permits?

To enter the city, one had no choice but to be ripped off and have to pay a hefty price for passage.

The sand barges followed the flow of traffic, passing under the sluice gates and through three barbicans before entering the inner city and sailing into the inner Qinhuai River.

Upon entering the inner city, the scenery changed dramatically.

Tall buildings rise majestically, and pavilions soar high. From within vermilion gates and embroidered doors, and within grand mansions and deep courtyards, one can hear the melodious strains of strings and the gentle, clear songs echoing through the misty willow-lined streets.

On the tree-lined streets and avenues, officials and nobles were constantly on the move, and carriages with carved emeralds and jade ornaments came and went in an endless stream. The fragrant breeze was intoxicating, and the laughter was like the tinkling of bells.

Horses and mules flowed like a river, pedestrians fell like rain, shoulder to shoulder, sleeves fluttering like clouds.

Even on the waterways that flowed like a dream on both banks, boats shuttled back and forth, never ceasing their movement. They were either painted pavilions and flower boats, or grand warships and large ships, or small boats with black awnings and green hulls.

In the vast sea of ​​people, the rich and the poor, the noble and the lowly, the people of all walks of life, are all vividly portrayed in this painting, revealing their true nature.

Shops and buildings lined the streets and alleys, their buildings clustered together like stars in the sky. The bustling sounds of the marketplace filled the air.

The air was filled with a sweet, warm, fragrant, luxurious, and soft aroma, giving people a feeling of soft comfort and ease.

Looking around, it was truly a scene of fleeting prosperity and boundless wealth.

Zhu Yin and the others did not look closely, but simply stood on the deck and glanced around. They felt an overwhelming and intoxicating sense of the grandeur of a prosperous era washing over them.

Just a glance, just a listen, and you can capture a fleeting dream.

"This is Nanjing."

Even though Zhu Yin and Ning Caiwei were from a later era, they couldn't help but be captivated by the vibrant and romantic Nanjing of over four hundred years ago.

The unparalleled elegance of classical China is like a mysterious veiled beauty; a fleeting glance reveals her breathtaking beauty.

Amidst its elegance, there is also a grand and majestic air, dignified and upright, graceful and noble, far from being a mere artificial landscape or affected affectation.

This is Nanjing, the most populous, largest, and most prosperous metropolis in the world during the late ancient period!
Zhu Yin exclaimed, "As expected of Nanjing, it is both grand and elegant."

Ning Caiwei looked at Nanjing, which seemed like the first time she had ever seen it, and her eyes became a little moist.

Even just a corner of this city is a hundred times better than her ancient city commercial street, which cost billions to build.

"That's great," she said, only two words.

Not to mention that the Jurchens like Lancha were dumbfounded, even Cen Xiubing, the Tusi princess who had seen the world, was amazed at this moment.

She had been to Guangzhou, Wuzhou, and Guilin, but compared to Nanjing... even Guangzhou, which had already impressed her, paled in comparison.

Ding Hongying's face was flushed, as if she had drunk fine wine, and she couldn't take it all in.

I feel that the best decision I ever made in my life was to come to Nanjing with Uncle Little Tiger.

Haha, this will be a lot of fun from now on.

Zhu Yin couldn't help but recall his experience in Nanjing.

He muttered to himself, "Truly... a drunken stupor makes the world go haywire, still lost in a sweet dream. Don't boast that this place is the best in the world, for it only holds half of Consort Xu's beauty."

What is tragedy? It is tearing apart something beautiful and showing it to people.

Alas, its boundless prosperity ultimately crumbled under the swords and bows of the Manchus, the roars of the Taiping Rebellion, and the iron hooves of the Japanese army, turning the land into a scene of carnage and desolation, where even foxes and rabbits slept in the fields.

Preserving certain things is difficult, including one's original aspirations.

Human habitation is like a blazing fire, the mortal world like a furnace. Only that mortal heart remains unchanged from the beginning.

It was daytime, and although the Qinhuai River was bustling, it didn't yet possess that certain atmosphere.

At night, the true splendor of the ten-mile-long Yanzhi River in the Qinhuai River area is revealed.

Zhu Yin's sand barge was so ugly that it looked completely out of place on the beautiful, poetic Inner Qinhuai River.

I wonder how many people mocked and scorned him.

Zhu Yin was young and thick-skinned, so he didn't take it to heart at all.

At noon, the sand barge finally stopped at Taoye Ferry.

There are many small docks along the Qinhuai River. Taoye Ferry is the largest, and many boats are already moored there.

Of course, a mooring fee will be charged if the ship stops here.

Moreover, it's very expensive.

As soon as the sand barge dropped anchor, the ferryman of Taoye Ferry appeared silently.

"The ship owner is invited. A five-zhang sand barge, which should cost... five qian of silver per day. But..."

Ning Caiwei frowned and said in a clear, childlike voice, "Our boat is a little over four zhang, not five zhang."

The ferryman smiled and said, "Five zhang."

The tone left no room for doubt.

Ning Caiwei continued, "Alright, let's say five zhang. But we'll be stopping for a long time, could we..."

The ferryman shook his head, still smiling, and said, "No."

Ning Caiwei chuckled, “Five coins a day, that’s fifteen taels a month! More than one hundred and eighty taels a year, enough for me to buy a new boat.”

"Isn't this price a bit outrageous?"

The ferryman shook his head. "Young lady, you've miscalculated. It should be five coins, but this boat is rather ugly and an eyesore, so it will be doubled to one tael per day!"

P.S.: There's another chapter tonight, around 9 PM. I'm really looking forward to reading it, sob sob. I'm begging for more!

(End of this chapter)