In 605, Yang Di ordered the recruitment of more than 65,438,000 soldiers and civilians in northern Henan and Huaibei, and began to dig Tongji Canal. Tongji Canal starts from Xiyuan, the capital of Luoyang in the east and ends in Xuyi, Anhui in the south. It introduced valley water and Luoshui into the Yellow River, and then used a section of the Yellow River to reach Banzhu (now Sishui East, Henan Province). The Yellow River flows from Bambusa to the south and enters Suishui. Suishui passes through Zhongmou, Kaifeng, Chenliu, Gaoyou and Sixian, enters Surabaya and the Huaihe River. This canal was widened by using ancient canal channels, so it was started in March of that year and completed in August. The 2000-mile canal only took 100 days.
Before the Sui Dynasty, there was a Han ditch between the Huaihe River and the Yangtze River, starting from Yang Shan in the north and reaching Jiangdu (now Yangzhou) in the south. Before the Sui Dynasty, Hangou changed its course many times, and the river was narrow, making it impossible for big ships to pass. Emperor Wendi of Sui Dynasty opened the Hangou, but only regulated the estuary of Hangou into Huai River, but did not completely clean up the river. Yang Di recruited more than 654.38 million soldiers and civilian workers, widened and straightened the old Han ditch, and reached the Yangtze River (now Yizheng) from Yangshan, thus reaching the Yangtze River.
In 608 AD, Yongji Canal was dug. In this section, natural rivers are mainly used to communicate Qinshui and Qishui, and Qinshui is led into Qishui, which meets in the north of Shexian County and flows northward into Tianjin to enter the sea. Yongji Canal uses this natural waterway to extend northward, then enters the river and reaches Zhuo Jun County (now Tongxian County) in the north.
In 6 10, Emperor Yang Di ordered the South River to be opened. Jiangnan Hebei starts from Jingkou (now Zhenjiang, Jiangsu) and goes south to Yuhang (now Hangzhou). Before the Sui Dynasty, there were many small canals south of the Yangtze River. This time, the old small canal was used to widen the river. Then draw water from the Yangtze River, cross a small canal, bypass Taihu Lake and go straight to Hangzhou. At this point, the grand canal was opened across the board.
The working people paid a huge price for building such a large-scale project. Emperor Yang Di forced millions of migrant workers to dig canals with tools and rations. If men are not enough, they should be supplemented by women. Poor working conditions and strict official supervision have caused countless migrant workers to starve to death, and 45% of them died tragically on the canal construction site. At that time, there was a general named Ma You. He was very cruel. Whoever does it slowly will be hit with a stick, and people regard him as a man-eating monster. The child crying by the river stopped crying as soon as he heard the adults say "Ma Ma is coming". Who knows how many farmlands were deserted in those years, how many wives became widows and how many babies became orphans, struggling to die! The terrible burden of heavy work makes many people cut off their hands and feet in pain. Disabled people can avoid dying in another country, so they are called "blessed hands and feet".
When building the canal, Emperor Yang Di also ordered the construction of imperial roads and the planting of willows on both sides of the river. From Chang 'an to Jiangdu, more than 40 detached palaces were built along the way. He sent people to force folk beauties to live in detached palace because they were lewd. After the Grand Canal was completed, Yang Di led hundreds of civil and military officials, as well as monks, Taoist priests, nuns, members of the royal family and ladies-in-waiting, to Yangzhou by thousands of big ships to watch the "Qionghua". The cruise fleet is connected end to end and is 200 miles long. The largest dragon boat that Emperor Yang Di rode on was 200 feet long, 4 feet high and 5 feet high. It consisted of a four-story palace and more than 65,438,000 houses. Every room has a maid. There are more than 80,000 trackers pulling boats on the shore, and guards protect them along the way. Emperor Yang Di cruised again and again. Hundreds of miles away in Fiona Fang, a county, we have to "give food to Gunton" and more than 100 cars must be delivered in the state with the largest number. And the food is delicious. They can't eat it, so they throw it into the Grand Canal. Yang Di promoted state and county officials who made great contributions, and officials who were slightly dissatisfied were spared demotion or even beheading. Therefore, local officials are desperately searching for the people's fat and cream in order to get promoted and make a fortune. Social class contradictions have become acute. The Sui Dynasty soon perished in the wave of peasant uprisings.