Firmament

Maxima's cherished responsibility, the sage Ali knows best.

- Tajik proverb

The place of the great man can become a great man of the times, neither because he has three heads and six arms, nor because he is blessed by the gods, but because he stands taller than ordinary people, sees far, makes decisive decisions, and acts quickly.

The king of the steppe country established a new and powerful northern kingdom, and of course, he also built a new capital and royal palace to demonstrate the supreme glory and splendor of the country. He issued an edict to formally transfer the political center to the central capital, appointing Liu Bingzhong, an official of Zhongshu Province, as the chief person in charge of the construction of the capital, Guo Shoujing in charge of planning and repairing the water conservancy system, and Yihedier in charge of designing the new palace.

Ali's second son, Amar (Salta, Jian), worked under Ihediel and was involved in the planning and construction of the new capital.

On the day of the groundbreaking ceremony of the palace, Yanjing City was lit up with lights, ceremonial music was played in unison, and the voices of the people were boiling, as lively and festive and grand as the New Year.

Suddenly, the housekeeper of Ali's family ran to the construction site in a panic. He squeezed to Amar's side in the bustling crowd and said breathlessly, "My lord, hurry, my lord is dying." "

Amar didn't feel that his heart sank, and he quickly put down the matter in his hand, pulled his legs and rushed home.

Amal returned home to find Ali lying on the bed, his face waxed and his breath dying. Sauron and his children and grandchildren stood by him, tears streaming down their faces. The atmosphere in the house was very sad and tense.

Ali's lips moved lightly twice, and he said in a weak voice, "Everyone will go this way." You don't have to be sad. If you have the opportunity in the future, you must return to Samarkand. "

With trembling hands, he took out the pebble from under his pillow and solemnly placed it into the hands of his eldest son, Nuhai.

After about a moment, Ali, a remnant of the Khorezm Empire, an errand of the steppe country, and a subject of the northern country, died suddenly at home.

Sauron stroked Ali's cold hands and whispered his name. The children and grandchildren sobbed quietly. Tears of sadness fell on his thin arms.

The Sarthas believed that the death of man was not the end of life, but the survival of another world. Therefore, they will feel sad about the loss of their loved ones, but they will not behave very painfully or even cry out.

Ali left his homeland at the age of 16 and wandered outside the country, never returning to Samarkand. Returning home has been his greatest wish for decades. However, this wish was never fulfilled during his lifetime. Now, his body and strong homesickness are buried deep in the yellow earth, forever in the east where the sun rises. His children and grandchildren await him and the land that embraced him, to multiply and survive.

At the same time, Badr also swallowed the last breath of his life in the mansion in Zhongdu due to his advanced age and physical failure, and died and went to the Buddha realm in the western heavens.

Nuhai led his brother and his father's former friends to bury Ali. He bought a large mansion in Zhongdu New Town and moved his elderly mother Sauron and family members from Niu Street to a new home.

At this time, Nuhai was in his 50s. As a meritorious hero of the northern country, he has no worries about food and clothing, and his children and grandchildren are full of joy.

Amar is in the prime of life and has a thriving career. He spent his days immersed in the construction of the new city. When he was busy returning home, he told Sauron, Nuhai, Arslan and others about the progress of the construction of the capital, so that the whole family could share the glory of the country.

One evening, Amal returned home in a hurry, and told Nu Haidao with a smile on his eyebrows: "Brother, the new capital city has basically taken shape. Wangcheng is roughly rectangular, with an area of about 75,000 acres, equivalent to three-fifths of the area of Chang'an City in the Tang Dynasty, and close to the area of Tokyo City in the Oriental Kingdom. The total length of the city wall is 60 miles and 240 steps. There are 11 gates on the south, south, and northwest sides, three gates on the east, south, and west sides, and two gates on the north side. Mr. Feng Shui said, these are three heads, six arms and two legs. "

Nuhai pondered for a while, and then asked with concern, "How is the city wall designed?" "

Amar smiled and said: "Brother, you really don't leave your profession in three sentences! The city defense is designed like this: the city wall, the city gate and the moat form three lines of defense. The city wall is made of rammed earth, with a height of 3 zhang, a base width of 7 zhang, and a top width of 3 zhang. When the city wall was built, the migrant workers first erected Yongding wood in the wall, added horizontal koji wood, and then filled it with wet soil to ram it. Due to the rainy summer in Zhongdu, the earthen walls are easily washed and soaked by heavy rain. Lord Liu was originally going to use bricks and stones to build the exterior wall, but he had to give up because of the current financial constraints. Lord Liu sent an army to the lake depression to harvest reeds, weave them into large reed mats, and then cover the reed mats on the city wall. "

Arslan frowned and asked, "Second brother, according to what you say, isn't the capital a city of firewood and grass wrapped in reed mats?"

Nuhai also criticized worriedly: "That's right. I think this is to put on a layer of reed mats and robes for the capital. It's just too dangerous. If one day the thieves set fire to the reed mats, wouldn't it be self-defeating and burn the capital?"

Amar looked down for a moment, then said, "You're right. Why didn't I think of this problem? Tomorrow I will go to the construction site and report it to Lord Liu. "

Arslan asked, "Second brother, can you tell me what the layout of the capital city looks like?"

Amar dipped his fingers in the tea and said as he gestured on the table

"The most distinctive feature of the capital plan is that the water surface is the center to determine the layout of the city. This may be related to the traditional habit of the nomadic people in the northern countries who live in search of water and grass. The central platform is the center of the city, covering an area of about one acre, and there is a central pavilion built next to it, which is located on the central axis of the capital. Lord Liu asked to use the central pavilion as a benchmark to expand the city site in all directions.

"To the south of the Central Pavilion is the royal city. The Imperial Castle is centered on the Taiye Pond and is surrounded by three palaces - Ouchi, Longfu Palace, and Xingsheng Palace. The main gate of Ouchi is the Chongtian Gate, the north side is the Houzai Gate, the east side is the Donghua Gate, and the west side is the Xihua Gate. There is a Jinshui River in front of Chongtian Gate. There is a Zhou Bridge built over the river.

"The main hall of Ouchi is the Great Ming Hall. This is where the king ruled and lived, and there is a corridor at the back that connects to the apse. Behind it is the Queen's residence, Yanchun Pavilion.

"A tall red wall was built around the royal city. The main gate is called Lingxing Gate, and there is a thousand-step corridor on the left and right. Outside the red wall on the east side is the Cao Canal Road. Outside the royal city, to the south and southeast is the official district. The area around the waterhole in the north is a busy city. To the east is the Taimiao Temple. To the west is Taisheji.

"To the west of the central pavilion is the Drum Tower and the Bell Tower, a time-telling agency. The East has always used the inner gate, the city building, the tower or the city tower to beat the drum to tell the time. The northern country also has a tall bell tower and drum tower in the center of the city. This is a pioneering initiative in urban construction.

"There is an attic built above the bell tower. In the attic hangs a large clock that chimes the time at night. When the bell rings, the sound is loud and can be heard in all corners of the city. After the third bell, no one is allowed to walk on the street. Except in the case of an emergency, such as a pregnant woman giving birth or someone with a sudden illness that requires a doctor. In the event of such an emergency, the person who goes out must carry a lantern to identify himself. Patrolmen regularly patrol the streets to see if anyone is violating the ban during curfew hours.

"To the west of the bell tower and the drum tower is a pond of water. This is the end point of Caoyun, and it is also the most prosperous business district in the city, with the design of rice market, noodle market, satin market, fur hat market, gold and silver jewelry market, iron market, goose and duck market, etc., as well as Wanghu Pavilion, Wanchun Garden and other garden pavilions. "

Nuhai listened very carefully and couldn't help asking, "It's better to see than to hear." When you have some free time, can you take us to see it for yourself?"

Amar smiled and said, "Brother, you are the hero of the Northern Country, what's not to do?"

Arslan shouted happily, "Second brother, I'm going too." "

Two days later, after asking Lord Liu's approval, Amal took his eldest brother and younger brother to the newly completed new city.

Nuhai stood under the majestic city gate and found that the new city was indeed resplendent and extraordinary. The streets are wide and neat, with distinct warps and wefts, leading to the roots of the walls on all sides. There are avenues directly connecting the gates of the opposite city.

They strode up to the tall gates and looked south for a panoramic view of the city.

The new city is arranged in a square shape, like a huge chessboard. The main street on the central axis is 9 zhang wide. The other main streets are 8 zhang wide. The width of the side street is exactly half the width of the main street. The width of the alley is roughly half the width of the side street.

Amar walked up to Nuhai and enthusiastically introduced him

"Brother, you see, because it was built on a new site, the planning of the new capital was not constrained by the old pattern. The residential area is a mix of old and new squares in the country and Menaokuni, and all of them are streets and alleys that are open to the public.

Liu divided the street into 50 squares. Each square is bounded by a street, and although it has its own door, there is no wall to block it. The gate is just a sign of each area.

"An alley is an area between two adjacent city gates. There are a total of 22 east-west alleys.

Although there are city gates in the south and north of the capital, a wide royal road has been specially built on the central axis of the central axis from the main gate of Li to the north through the Chongtian Gate and the Daming Gate, the Daming Palace, the Yanchun Gate, the Yanchun Pavilion, the Qingning Palace, and the Houzai Gate to the central pavilion.

"The naming of each city gate adopts the "Zhou Yi" hexagram of the Oriental. In the middle of the south wall is the Lizheng Gate, in the east is the Wenming Gate, in the west is the Shuncheng Gate, in the middle of the east wall is the Chongren Gate, in the south is the Qihua Gate, in the north is the Guangxi Gate, in the middle of the West Wall is the Heyi Gate, in the south is the Pingze Gate, and in the north is the Suqing Gate. To the east of the north wall is Anzhenmon. "

Arslan interjected amusefully: "In the past, it was said that the Oriental people were more exquisite, but now the steppe people have also learned this set. "

Nuhai looked at the grand capital with a smile on his face, immersed in infinite joy and pride.

He sighed from the bottom of his heart: "Our country is really in a prosperous and splendid time!"

Amar nodded in agreement and continued, "There was also a problem when building the walls. The direction of the city walls is always straight. However, the southern direction just passes the tomb of Haeun and Master Kean on the west side of Keesuji Temple. Lord Liu did not dare to make his own decisions, so he asked the king for instructions. The king ordered the walls to be circumvented outwards and the tomb of the master to be enclosed into the city. Therefore, there is a section of the city wall between the Shuncheng Gate and the Li Main Gate that protrudes outward. Overall, the capital city has a square outline, with straight and regular streets, and a spectacular pattern. "

Arslan asked, "How is the capital's commerce planned?"

Amar said with a smile

"Little brother, this is for the sake of his own business. Rest assured, there are arrangements for all walks of life. The major commercial markets were scattered around the royal city and the area where the residents of the city gate were concentrated.

"Dongcheng District is the concentration of government offices and aristocratic residences, and there are many commercial markets planned to be set up, including East Market, Corner Market, Literary Market, Paper Market, Boots Market, etc.

"Because Guo Shoujing opened the Tonghui River, making Haizi (i.e., Jishuitan) the terminal wharf of the North-South Grand Canal, Beicheng District is ready to build a prosperous commercial district along the Haizi area. Getai taverns and daily necessities are mainly gathered here, such as rice market, noodle market, hat market, satin market, leather hat market, gold, silver and jewelry market, iron market, goose and duck market, etc. A little north, near Zhonglou Street, there is also a plan to build the city's largest poor man market. "

Nuhai asked curiously, "What is Poor Man City?"

Arslan said with a smile: "The eldest brother is a rich eunuch, so naturally he doesn't know what a poor man is. The city of the poor is the market where the common people sell their labor. "

Nuhai suddenly realized, oh, and didn't say anything more.

Amar continued:

"Xicheng District is planned to have a camel market, a sheep market, a cattle market, a horse market, and a donkey and mule market. The livestock trade in the whole city is mainly concentrated here. The inhabitants are also mainly ordinary people who are engaged in these industries.

"Nancheng District is the old city of the middle capital of the female state, and it continues to retain the Nancheng City, the steamed cake market, the poor man market, the car market, the fruit market, the vegetable market and the grass market.

"The distribution of commercial markets and residential areas is not only due to the constraints of urban planning, but also to the spontaneous factors contributed by urban life and external transportation. "

Nuhai asked with concern: "The water resources in Zhongdu have always been very scarce. Building a city of this magnitude requires a lot of water. How do you solve people's draft problems?".

Amar confidently introduced:

"Residents rely mainly on well water for drinking water. The water used in the palace is a mountain spring drawn from the western suburbs, which is channeled into the Taiye Pond in the royal city. Because the spring water is brought from the west of the city, according to the direction of the orientals, the west belongs to gold, so it is called the Jinshui River.

"Lord Guo poured the spring water from the west and north of the city into the Gaoliang River, and then poured it into the Cao Canal through Haizi, so that the grain and materials in the south of the Yangtze River could be transported directly to the city through water, which could save manpower and transport. Lord Guo was also rewarded by the king for this. "

Indeed, as Ammar introduced, the territory ruled by the northern country is very vast, and the capital is the political and cultural center of the country, with a lush population and prosperous commerce, and there are more than 30 kinds of markets. With the exception of some daily necessities that are locally produced, most of the goods sold in the market come from all over the country and overseas. At that time, the shipping was wide open, the river transportation was smooth, the northwest wealthy merchants, the southeast Dajia, flying sails and a reed, and the trail arrived. Raw silk alone was transported to the capital no less than 1,000 times a day by horse-drawn carts and pack horses. Precious furs such as 氀毷 (lǘmào) and ermine (nà), rare treasures such as pearls and fragrant rhinos, and precious and high-end textiles such as brocade and dié are all available for the dignitaries and dignitaries. Everything that is rare and precious in the world today can be found in this city. Doing business here were not only wealthy domestic businessmen, but also merchants from the Western Regions, India and Europe.

In 1275, the king issued an edict ordering the residents of the old city to move to the new capital: "Those who move to the capital of the residents of the old city shall be given priority to those who are high-ranking and in office, and they shall still be given eight acres of land as a share, and those who have more than eight acres of land or who cannot be used as a room shall not be allowed to use the evidence and listen to the people as a room." "

As eunuchs in the northern country, Nuhai and Amal naturally had to take the lead in obeying the king's orders and soon moved into the new capital.

In order to take care of the business in Cattle Street, Arslan chose to stay in the old city.