Time flies. The summer of the 15th year of Chongping entered the end of May in the lunar calendar amid torrential rains. According to the official and Shou Fang of the Hedao Yamen Guanhe Tongzhi, the Yellow River floods finally gradually stopped after more than 20 consecutive days of rain. advent.
To the north of Kaifeng Fucheng, on the Liuyuankou embankment weir, pouring rain enveloped the entire embankment and the river. The elm and willow trees planted on both sides swayed their branches and leaves in the wind, and the river made a deafening sound. The soldiers and civilians on both sides were prepared.
At the same time, the Henan clan prepared many ships to prepare for rescue, but no one wanted to use these ships in the end.
Jia Heng, surrounded by the generals from the capital and officials from the Henan vassal, inspected the river embankment. At this moment, he stood on the embankment, looking at the surging Yellow River flowing westward, his face as solemn as the cloudy sky.
The water of the Yellow River is laden with sediment. The yellow sand is rolling, turbid and dark yellow, and it flows down. It is still calm at the moment. Although the water volume is large, the water is still slow. There are occasional flood peaks. Although it is frightening, it has not caused any flooding. View of the embankment.
Just listening to the deafening sound of the Yellow River, I suddenly realized how insignificant human power is in front of the power of nature.
Jia Heng turned to look at Guan Shoufang on the side and asked, "Guan Tongzhi, can this embankment stop the flood?"
The gatekeeper looked solemn and said, "Sir, the Kaifeng river section is one of the connections between the middle and lower reaches. The river flows very fast. I can't say whether the embankment can block it."
In fact, according to his estimation, the previous repair of this section of the river embankment can be said to have attracted the most attention from provincial officials. The earth and stone materials were not considered at any expense, and the gentry in Kaifeng Prefecture provided manpower and material support, so there should be no problems.
Jia Heng nodded and glanced at the officials present. His clear voice passed through the heavy rain and fog and resounded around him, saying: "Gentlemen, once the river embankment breaks down, nearly a million soldiers and civilians in Kaifeng Fuzhou County will be behind us." Everything is in the belly of the fish and shrimp, so there can’t be anything wrong with the river embankment. I will be guarding the embankment from now on, and everyone will be there!"
As soon as these words came out, all the officials wearing coir raincoat hats and coir raincoats on the river embankment were startled and looked at the young man in the python suit in surprise.
Xu Kai, a bachelor of the Imperial Academy, stared blankly at the young man in the python suit, his heart trembling slightly.
At this moment, Cai Quan, the commander of Guoyong camp, led several soldiers over and said with clasped fists: "Commander Jie, the whole army of the Beijing camp has been guarding the river, and the civilians have also prepared earth and stone materials in case of emergencies." need."
The infantry of the Beijing camp are still the main force in the flood control this time. At this time, together with the Hebiao camp of the original river Yamen, they are setting up defenses along the embankment of the Yellow River.
Jia Heng said loudly: "Let's all go back to the hut to discuss the matter."
Surrounded by a large number of officials and generals, they entered a temporary shed not far from the river embankment, and the Jingying Festival Marshal Dali had been erected in all directions, swinging in the wind in the wind and rain, and the governor's camp was stationed here.
At this moment, a few wooden sheds were filled with people. In addition to the officials of the Henan and Fangyi departments, there were also high and high-level generals such as the governor of the Beijing camp, the staff general, and the guerrilla general. On the other side, there were mainly Hedao Yamen. officials and generals of Hebiao Camp.
The Hedao Yamen had already been reorganized before. The subordinate officials at the department level were called Tongzhi and Tongban, while the subordinate officials at the flood level were called Zhou Tong and Zhouben.
Jia Heng looked at everyone and said in a deep voice: "From Kaifeng Prefecture to Xiao County, the Hedao Yamen Hall along the river embankment, the officials of Xun and the Heding of Hebiao Camp are on guard. In addition, the officials of the two departments will be divided immediately. Stationed in the prefectures and counties where the river embankment crosses the border, relevant inspection officials will supervise the people along the river to evacuate to higher places at any time in case of danger, and prepare disaster relief and other supplies. If a breach is unavoidable, the priority is to protect the people. In addition, The cavalry in the Beijing camp will communicate with each other about the flood situation and support each other. Let’s start assigning tasks now!”
Just when all the officials were slightly frightened about the fact that they were about to garrison the river embankment.
Jia Heng gave Liu Jixian a wink, and he handed the book he prepared in advance to Xu Kai, a scholar at the Hanlin Academy, and said, "Xu Shi, please read it first."
Xu Kai's head trembled slightly, he took a deep breath, unfolded the book, and began to recite the officials of the relevant vassal and Zhen divisions, assigning them from Kaifeng Mansion to Guide Mansion to coordinate local affairs.
After arranging the officials to garrison, Jia Heng encouraged: "Everyone, these days, the river embankments are mostly made of earth and stones by us. Although I dare not say that they are as solid as a rock, they are not as strong as a rock.
But the flood is not completely unstoppable. If you all go over this time, after everything is over, I will ask the imperial court for your merits. "
Even though some of the officials below were reluctant, they all gave in at this moment.
After Jia Heng asked all the officials who had received their duties to leave, only Xu Kai, Feng Lian, Song Xuan and other Henan officials were left in the straw shed, as well as Guan Shou Fang.
Jia Heng frowned and asked, "Is there any news from Qingjiangpu?"
Although each is in charge of his own stall, he is a minister of the Prime Minister and cannot be a beggar neighbor, and has no sense of the overall situation.
Liu Jixian said: "Back to the governor, detective Jinyi has been sent to Qingjiangpu, but no news has been received yet."
"This Gao Bin, it's been so long and there's been no movement or letter." Jia Heng looked deeply and whispered, "Don't say anything happened."
Xu Kai pondered for a moment and then said: "As the Di newspaper said before, the two censors went south to patrol the river, but found no clues on the river embankment. The river embankment has been repaired and reinforced for a long time, and Mr. Zhao Ge also went south to inspect it, so If you are in danger, you should be rewarded."
Feng Lian then said: "Corruption in river affairs is rampant. Most of them are cutting corners on the river embankment and fooling around in order to cope with Shangguan's inspection. In the past few years, there was drought in the north and south of the Han Dynasty. Now the heavy rain has turned into a flood. When the flood comes, It’s totally vulnerable.”
The gatekeeper sighed and said, "What Mr. Feng said is true. Some river officials were worried about the breach of the dam and would be blamed by the court. They even went crazy and assigned river workers to dig holes in the upper reaches at night and release water in empty places. , and then report the overflow to the court to get rid of the guilt."
Obviously, this official who came from the river system is well aware of the behavior of his former colleagues.
Jia Heng pondered for a moment, then looked at Liu Jixian and said: "Immediately send someone to cross Xuzhou and along Sizhou to Huai'an to investigate. If there is a breach of the embankment, report it in time. As the commander in chief, I will be responsible for investigating lawlessness." "
There is no need to worry about the section from Henan to Xuzhou. The soldiers and horses of the Beijing camp are stationed along the river to prevent man-made mischief.
Liu Jixian bowed his hands in agreement, then walked out of the shed and ordered the Jinyi Mansion to investigate. Huai'an Prefecture, Qingjiangpu, the second day of June
In the Governor's Yamen of the River River, the backyard of the official hall was shrouded in rain and fog. It was just after noon. In the study, the lights were bright and people were crowded. However, the atmosphere was extremely depressing and gloomy. Some officials from the Nanhe Yamen gathered together to discuss countermeasures.
The official hat on Gao Bin's head was long gone at this moment. The scarlet-robed official was nestled in the Grand Master's chair with a slumped expression. Hearing the rain falling outside, he felt unspeakably irritated.
"Sir, we need to make an idea quickly." Hao Yingzhou, one of the subordinates of Nanhe Governor's Yamen and the river steward of Huaiyang Road, looked at Gao Bin with a sad expression.
"Yes, if we follow this approach, I'm afraid the Huaihe River embankment will not be able to hold up." A general judge spoke up.
The other four or five subordinate officials all looked at Gao Bin.
My family knows their own affairs, how the river embankment was built, and everyone present knows it. The stones that were supposed to be installed were only paved on the top two layers, and the glutinous rice paste for the bricks was not ready. It usually looks beautiful, but it was really a big flood. Come on, I can't stand it at all.
Having said that, if a river embankment is really built and never breaks in the future, then the officials in the river yamen will have nothing to do, and there will be no money to be made.
Gao Bin's eyes were bloodshot and his face was haggard. He was obviously troubled by the constant rain these days. He looked at an old man with a goatee whose brows were furrowed into the word "Chuan". It was Ma Weifang, an official of Huaixudao, and asked: "Old man Ma, what do you have in mind?"
Ma Weifang pondered for a moment, then said with fierce eyes: "My lord, I think we have to repeat our old tricks." Then he took out a map from his sleeve and whispered: "My lord, you see, the water in the Huaihe River is rising now. If we go down, we will definitely not be able to withstand the flood. What Xiaguan means is to dig a hole near Wangjiaba. When the water upstream is released, the pressure downstream will naturally be lighter."
Hearing this, Hao Yingzhou nodded and agreed: "What Mr. Ma said is that the Yellow River is almost the same. The embankments they just built in Guide Mansion and Xiao County will definitely not be able to hold up. It is impossible to break down the river embankments. The Yellow River has changed its course again. At that time, once the route is changed, the water will overflow and the downstream will be relieved."
Since the Han Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty Jiajing years, the Yellow River has drifted
Suddenly, it passed through Caoxian County, Shandong during the Da Zong period, and in the early years of Longzhi, it broke out and moved to the west. Each change of route was at the cost of the blood and tears of tens of thousands of people. At this moment, several river officials, in order to protect themselves, It’s stress-free to talk about.
"No, now the officials from the north and the south are paying attention to Donghe and Nanhe. We can't break it here. Even if we break it, we can't break it first." Gao Bin thought for a moment that it was feasible, but then he remembered something and shook his head. Said in a deep voice.
Seeing that several people were confused, Gao Bin had to explain: "The one from Henan is now the emperor's favorite. As long as he speaks first, even if we break up, it will be caused by a natural disaster and not a crime of war. Let's talk about him. If you open the mouth first upstream, we may not break it here."
When everyone heard the words, they were thoughtful and their eyes lit up.
Yes, if they all break up, this is not their Nanhe Hetai problem, this is a natural disaster!
Hao Yingzhou thought for a while, then said with a worried look on his face: "Sir, Uncle Yongning called on one or two hundred thousand troops and civilians in Henan to repair the river embankment and stationed them on the river embankment. If the well-repaired river embankment does not burst... ..."
When Gao Bin heard this, his eyes were focused, his face was covered with worry, and he whispered: "Yes, I'm afraid there won't be a defeat."
Just worry about this. If the Henan side is as safe as a rock and the Huaihe side collapses first, then in comparison, it will be really fatal.
Ma Weifang frowned, thinking hard about a good strategy. Suddenly, the triangular eyes under the broken eyebrows suddenly shot out with a fierce light, and lowered his voice and said: "Sir, why don't you send someone to Guide Mansion secretly, bring explosives and take advantage of the night?" If we blow up the embankment and the floodwaters are released in Guide Mansion, our area will be in peace, or we can blow up a section of it in Xuzhou."
The upper reaches are flooded first, and once the flood is released, the pressure on the lower reaches will be greatly reduced. As soon as these words came out, everyone took a breath of cold air and felt their hearts heat up. A dead Taoist friend is worse than a poor Taoist. This method is indeed the best way to solve the current difficulty.
Gao Bin's face changed, his gaze became darker, and he whispered: "We haven't reached that stage yet, and besides, this method won't work now. Mr. Zhao Ge from the cabinet is in Huai'an Mansion. We want to stay on track, too." It’s too difficult.”
Ma Weifang advised: "Mr. Gao, Mr. Zhao Ge is an official from Jiangnan. He and Mr. Han Ge are both in Beijing. They just happened to appeal to you, so they said this was a natural disaster, a flood that only occurs once in fifty years, and no human effort can be done. It’s worth it!”
Gao Bin's face paused, and when he heard that he had only met once in fifty years, he felt a little uncomfortable. He frowned and said in a deep voice: "Old Zhao Ge has never cared about this. If the time comes, he will not go to our troubled place." water."
At this time, a state judge had a look of fear on his face and said in a low voice: "What your Excellency said is true. The newspaper said that the governor of Henan had previously built the embankment, and even dispatched soldiers from the Beijing camp to build the river embankment. Isn't there a person over there? There are three thousand soldiers and horses in the Hebiao camp, and there are tens of thousands of soldiers and horses in the river. If we defend along the road like this, if someone is caught when we blow up the embankment, and then let the people of the Jinyi Mansion torture them, this will be a serious crime that will destroy the nine tribes."
When everyone heard this, their expressions suddenly changed, as if a basin of cold water had been poured on their heads.
Yes, Uncle Yongning has troops, not just the Hebiao Camp with only a few thousand people, but the 70,000 to 80,000 strong troops from the Beijing Camp stationed in Henan, and they are also the Commander-in-Chief of the Jinyi Guards. Got ripped off first.
Ma Weifang's face was as gloomy as ice, and she said in a cold voice: "Once the embankment breaks, we will all lose our heads!"
Gao Bin waved his hand, calmed everyone's nervous mood, and said: "Old Ma, please be patient. It's possible that the river embankments in Henan were destroyed by floods not long after they were built, and we will pass this level." "
Ma Weifang stared at Gao Bin closely and whispered: "Sir, what should we do now?"
Gao Bin thought for a while and said: "Let people prepare things on the Wangjiaba side first. If the backflow in Hongze Lake is severe, it would be better to dig a hole to release the flood first. If someone impeaches me afterwards, I and Zhao Mr. Ge said that once the court investigates the crime, I will do my best to take the blame."
This problem is not a big one. Even if the court investigates, they can still use the protection of the lower reaches of the Yangtze and Huaihe River as an excuse, or receive a few words of reprimand, or a fine.
"It's not good, sir, it's not good, my lord." However, just as a few people were discussing countermeasures, suddenly, a steward came from
The front office came over and shouted loudly outside the study.
Gao Bin's face was stunned, anger showed in his eyebrows, and he said coldly: "Let him in, what's wrong?"
Not long after, while the steward was talking, he ran in under the guidance of He Ding, who was guarding the outside. Under the inquiring eyes of everyone, he said out of breath: "Sir, the Huaihe River bursts its embankment in Sizhou and floods the county seat. Mr. Peng, the deputy censor of the capital, is in the front hall now, looking for you to ask questions."
As soon as these words came out, it was like a bolt from the blue, leaving several people present stunned and dumbfounded.
When Gao Bin heard this, he felt as if he had been struck by thunder, his face turned pale, and he said anxiously: "How could the embankment burst in Sizhou? How long has it been?"
At this moment, everyone in the study looked at each other in horror.
Ma Weifang suddenly looked at a person. That person's face was ashen and his lips were trembling.
Ma Weifang's eyes flashed fiercely, almost wanting to devour anyone, and asked: "Liu Tongzhi, how big the water is, and you can't hold it in even one wave? How greedy are you, the mother-in-law, the first wave of the flood, the first wave of the flood, you can't hold it in collapse?"
The official's name was Liu Renqiu. He had a fearful look on his face and did not dare to look at Ma Weifang. He turned his head and said hesitantly: "This... this, I don't know why. This is a natural disaster."
Hao Yingzhou also felt that his hands and feet were cold. He looked at Liu Renqiu in fear and said, "Last winter, I asked you to keep 50% of the silver to repair the embankment. Is it enough to block the first wave of silver? How much did you greed for?"
As his boss, Hao Yingzhou naturally has to bear certain responsibilities.
Liu Renqiu said with a bitter face: "My lord, I have forgotten that I asked the official for fifteen thousand taels during the Chinese New Year, and that I redeemed Xiaojuxian's life at Yanchun Tower..."
Hao Yingzhou's face was green and red, and veins popped out on his forehead. He cursed angrily: "You bastard! You and Wei Kedeng, the magistrate of Sizhou, teamed up to assign river labor, causing local complaints and complaints. The censor of Huaiyang Road impeached you. I'd rather take care of it for you...
"That's enough!" Gao Bin roared angrily, his face as gloomy as water. Looking at the river officials who were still blaming each other at the end of the matter, he looked at the earth-colored river officials with cold eyes and said in a cold voice: "Everyone be honest here. Wait, I will go see Peng Ye immediately."
With that said, he picked up the black gauze hat on the desk and walked away.
At this moment, in the official hall of the Hedao Yamen, Peng Ye, the deputy censor of the left capital, was sitting on a back chair, holding a cup of tea, and took a sip. The joy in the corner of his eyes could hardly be suppressed. Next to him was Yu De, the censor of the capital Qian, on the right. The person's brows were furrowed and his eyes were gloomy.
Just in the morning, Sizhou urgently reported that the embankment had burst. The flood even washed away the county seat of Hongxian County, causing countless casualties.
At this moment, with the clerk shouting loudly, he saw Gao Bin, the governor of Nanhe, walking into the official hall with an ugly face. His fat face under the official hat looked ashen.
Peng Ye stood up, sneered, and said: "Master Gao, the Yellow River embankment burst in Likou Town, Sizhou, submerging the prefecture's Zhihong County, and all Sizhou became Zeguo. Mr. Zhao Ge has already led the people with the Governor of Water Transport, Mr. Du. The subordinates rode fast horses to Sizhou, Mr. Gao, what do you have to say now that things have happened?"
Gao Bin looked pale and said, "The water flow in the summer flood is very fast. This is a flood that has not been seen in fifty years! The so-called manpower is exhausted and it is beyond our capabilities. What can I do?"
Peng Ye's face was gloomy, and there was a cold light in his slender eyes, and he said: "Master Gao, we have to wait for someone from the Ministry of Industry to inquire whether it is a natural disaster. However, I will go to Shuyan to attend to you soon. The river affairs account books were in chaos, and the river embankment was perfunctory, causing the embankment to burst, causing many casualties among the people... Mr. Zhao Ge was already dead before leaving, and Mr. Gao has been staying at home peacefully these days, dismissed from his post and listened to the news! "
"Come here, take Mr. Gao back to your home!" Peng Ye gave an order, and a group of imperial guards came in from outside the official hall. They were clearly the inner guards of the capital escorting Zhao Mo on his river patrol.
Gao Bin immediately froze on the spot and looked at Peng Ye with a blank expression, as if he couldn't believe that Zhao Mo, who was also a member of the Zhejiang Party, actually dismissed him on the order of the imperial envoy!
"Master Yu." Gao Bin turned to look at Yu De. At some point, his voice became hoarse and trembling, and asked, "Did Mr. Zhao Ge give such an order before he left?"
At this moment, Yu De looked at Gao Bin, who looked in disbelief, and sighed secretly in his heart, saying: "Master Gao, something happened on the river embankment, and the imperial envoy
Now that he is in charge here, the river governor will naturally be dismissed first, and his subordinates will send Mr. Gao back home first. "
Although Gao Bin is not strictly a member of the Zhejiang Party, he is inextricably linked to the Zhejiang Party. No matter what, the position of river governor cannot be saved, but Gao Bin must not be involved in Jiangnan officialdom anymore.
Moreover, he was going to go to court for impeachment later. He didn't see anything fishy when he was patrolling the river. Who would have thought that the river yamen would fool him so much.
Now the imperial court, from the emperor to the cabinet ministers, to the governors of the provinces, all have their eyes on Nanhe. How dare they fool around like this? Without the usual momentum and attracting the Qi party here, even if they break up, it will not be like this. .
Gao Bin's face turned ugly, and then enlightenment surged in his heart.
As expected, Mr. Zhao Ge cannot expect anything to happen to the river embankment. He must draw a clear line with him as soon as possible! Yu De looked at Gao Bin, who looked ugly, and advised him, "Master Gao, let's go."
This is... a warning, Zhao Ge's veteran general should be dismissed from his post. If the subsequent problems are not major, he can be transferred to another place to serve. If the problems are bigger, then he should deal with the situation as soon as possible.
On the one hand, he is loyal to the country and selfless. On the other hand, his colleagues in the Jiangnan officialdom have also warned him.
Peng Ye turned to look at Yu De with a meaningful look in his eyes and said, "Master Yu, you must keep an eye on Master Gao these days and be careful not to let anything go wrong with him."
He wanted to see what kind of medicine was sold in Zhao Ge Lao Gourd. "I understand." Yu De's face darkened and he cupped his hands.
There is also a general from the whole party watching next to him, I am afraid that this level will become more and more difficult.
Watching the two of them come out of the second door under the custody of the internal guards, Peng Ye looked cold and had a sneer at the corner of his mouth.
The officialdom in Jiangnan was extremely filthy, and the breakthrough point was Gao Bin. However, those trees had big roots and deep roots, so they still needed to lure snakes out of their holes and kill people with borrowed knives.
With this thought in mind, he greeted the chief attendant beside him and whispered a few words in his ear. Chang Sui understood immediately and then left the official hall.
"Come here, seal off the front and rear of the Hedao Yamen office. No one involved is allowed to move, and no piece of paper is allowed to be carried out of the Hedao Yamen." Peng Ye snorted coldly, sat down, and ordered the accompanying internal guards.
He couldn't find out any details, and even if he found out, he wouldn't dare to act rashly, but there are people who can find out, and there are people who dare to act! Wait for that person to come over, investigate everything, and let Han Huang, that old fox, use that person to deal with them all.
