Zhao Mengqi subconsciously thought at first that Wu Qian appeared at this time to intercede for Xu Tianyi, because he and Li Zengbo cherished each other and had a good personal relationship. They often sang poems and poems in harmony. You write one and I respond to one.
So Zhao Mengqi was already prepared to deal with it, but the old man didn't even mention the "pig" in the cage. He only mentioned it for flood prevention, which made him a little surprised.
"Flood prevention? What kind of preparations?"
Wu Qian Su Rong said, "Send orders to the four villages to avoid the water in advance, stop the canal boats, order the cities to block the city gates, isolate the waterways, and then open the Hukou gates including the various ports as soon as possible to release the Taihu Lake water in advance! I am reporting The imperial court is mobilizing money, food, troops and ships to prepare for disaster relief!"
Zhao Mengqi heard the urgency in Wu Qian's tone, "Mr. Wu, do you mean there will be a flood?"
"According to my prediction, the rain will get heavier and last for a long time. In three to five days at most, the water level of Taihu Lake will exceed the height of the embankment. By then, the coast of Taihu Lake will turn into a swamp, and it may be even worse than last year. .”
Wu Qian continued with a serious look on his face, "Now, we can only use the east coast waterway to release water in advance and ease the water situation, which may reduce the damage to other states and counties. However, most of the farmland in Pingjiang Prefecture will be flooded. Today, There will be no grain harvest in the year to come, and because the water release will bring a lot of sediment, the north-south canal will be seriously silted up, and it will need to be cleaned up at a high cost before it can be used again."
"Then isn't this going to cut off water transportation? How could the imperial court agree!?" Qian Xiaopang exclaimed.
Wu Qian had no intention of hiding it and nodded, "This is the difficulty of the old minister's plan. Whether it is the princes or officials in the court, they will probably insist on protecting the canal and reject the old minister's suggestion, even if it rains really non-stop. , eventually flooding, but after all, the water overflowing from the dam has no sediment, so after the water recedes, the canal can be safe and sound."
Hearing this, Zhao Mengqi understood that Old Man Wu was clearly planning to use himself as a swordsman.
It is worthwhile to reduce the losses caused by floods at the expense of destroying the canal. However, Lin'an is the center of the imperial court, and the supply of wealth depends on water transportation. The food of millions of people, including officials, soldiers and civilians, also depends on water transportation. If this breaks, the consequences will be disastrous.
It is difficult to say clearly whether the local people or the imperial capital is more important. Different positions will lead to different opinions. Any choice you make will face the torture of your soul and history.
Zhao Mengqi had ten thousand grass and horses running through his heart. His mood at this moment was similar to that of a man standing outside the delivery room. His wife had a difficult delivery, and the doctor came to ask him whether he should keep her older or younger. It was also like facing his wife and mother falling into the water at the same time. The bloody question of which one to save first has only been magnified a thousand times.
Even though he was not indecisive, Zhao Mengqi still found it difficult to make a decision, "Mr. Wu, do you think the rain will really never stop?"
"Your Highness, I have served as the prefect of Pingjiang for two times. Since last year, I have been making frequent visits around the lake. I have some understanding of the hydrology and climate in the Taihu Lake area. I believe that there is more than 80% chance that the rainfall will increase in the near future! "The old man said with certainty.
Wu Qian is 61 years old this year. He won the first prize at the age of 23. He can be called a dragon or a phoenix among people. In addition, his father is also a Jinshi, and his brother Wu Yuan won the Jinshi one year earlier than him. Historically, it will be two years later. Later, he was promoted to the position of counselor for political affairs. It is said that "the father and son are three Jinshi, and the brothers are two prime ministers."
The old man has been in the officialdom for nearly forty years and has rich official experience. His first appointment as a local official was as the prefect of Pingjiang. He was only thirty-five years old at that time, and his second appointment as the prefect of Pingjiang was eighteen years ago. However, at that time, the Mongols broke through the Jinghu defense line and captured Xiangyang, so the military was the most important thing in his appointment.
At that time, he was already aware of the deterioration of Taihu Lake's water conservancy, but he didn't have much energy to pay attention to it. After the Taihu Lake flood last year, the old man who had no official position and was young took advantage of his time to start studying Taihu Lake's water conservancy issues.
China, which regards Dayu's water conservancy as a national spirit and symbol, has never relaxed its emphasis on water conservancy. After thousands of years of development, water conservancy technology reached its peak at this time. In the subsequent Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, many technologies Regressed and lost.
Chinese officials all know a little bit about water conservancy, and some outstanding people have made extraordinary achievements in water conservancy.
Wu Qian's previous posts
When he was an official, there were many projects to build water conservancy projects. After putting down government affairs in the past two years, he devoted his body and mind to studying water conservancy projects, and gained quite a lot of experience.
After Zhao Mengqi heard what the old man said, an idea flashed in his mind, "Mr. Wu, did you stay in Tongli Town last winter?"
"How do you know?" Wu Qian asked suspiciously. At that time, he was inspecting several lakes around Tongli.
After Zhao Mengqi explained, he nodded and complimented casually, "Although the Jiang family are military generals, their family style is really good."
Then Zhao Mengqi asked like a ghost, "What do you think if I want to marry the daughter of the Jiang family as my wife?"
"Huh?" Wu Qian was stunned by this incomprehensible question, "Isn't that the future queen?... I think it's a bit suspenseful. If someone finds out about the Chen family, it will cause quite a stir... No! Why are you talking about this now? The fate of millions of people is at stake right now. Your Highness, could you please give me some snacks?"
As he said that, the old man glared hard at Zhao Mengqi, who was not doing his job properly. It was just because of his identity, otherwise he would have passed away in a blink of an eye.
Who is Old Man Wu? He was the person who taught Zhao Yun at the Sutra Banquet. If he were placed in the previous dynasty, he would be the Imperial Master.
"Isn't this too heavy a question? Let's relax the atmosphere." Zhao Mengqi said casually.
Old Man Wu said angrily, "Without further delay, Your Highness should make a decision as soon as possible."
"How else can I make a decision? You are a professional, so of course I will listen to you." Zhao Mengqi shrugged, seemingly casually.
"Absolutely not!" Qian Xiaopang hurriedly advised, "Your Highness, the consequences of cutting off water transportation are too serious. If you are held accountable, your reserve will be in jeopardy."
Qian Long is not being alarmist. In fact, no matter what choice Zhao Mengqi makes in this matter, he will be criticized and attacked, and his ability to govern will be questioned.
For Zhao Mengqi, it would be most beneficial to do nothing and stay out of trouble, but he is not the kind of person who is wise and protective, and it is impossible to foresee that countless people will suffer disaster and remain indifferent.
"Knowing that floods are coming and just passively accepting them, wouldn't that be cowardly behavior?"
"But..." Qian Long's face flushed with anxiety.
Zhao Mengqi waved his hand, "It's nothing, don't worry, I know what I'm doing. The so-called problem is man-made, and there are no ways to make up for the cutoff of water transportation. As long as we work hard and unite as one, we will definitely defeat the natural disaster and minimize the losses. Come on, People, go and summon Kochi County, and then send someone to summon Magistrate Liu!"
"In the name of Gu, I sent an order to the Zhenjiang Prefecture to stop all canals that have not entered the canal, and allowed the ships that can travel the Yangtze River to continue down the river and wait for sea ships to pick up at the mouth of the Yangtze River. Then I ordered all places along the river to collect river ships and transfer them to Zhenjiang. Caoliang. The canal ships that have entered the canal will dock at a safe location near Wu County, unload the cargo, and the empty ships will be on standby!"
"Furthermore, Ba Baili hastened to report to the imperial court to explain the situation. I want to have full control over the situation, as well as the power to mobilize the army, mobilize sea-going ships to the Yangtze River Estuary to transfer grain, and recruit more ships to come for disaster relief!"
"Also, I will write a personal letter later and send it to Fujian Xie to ask him to try to transport grain northward to fill the vacancy in Lin'an's canal supply."
"Also, call Madam Jiang over for me. I need to mobilize the entire Fenghua Army."
Wu Qian looked at Zhao Mengqi's decisive order, his eyes couldn't help showing relief, he was glad that the Song Dynasty was finally welcoming a daring master.
Speaking of which, although it was Wu Qian's petition that made Zhao Mengqi the prince, Wu Qian was actually dissatisfied with the heir to the throne before, and everyone knows the reason.
Even a few years later in history, Wu Qian regained the throne. At that time, Zhao Yun planned to officially establish Zhao Mengqi as the prince, but Wu Qian strongly opposed it, which aroused dissatisfaction in the Zhao family and allowed Jia Sidao and Tai Jian to seize the opportunity. He was attacked by chance and was demoted to Xunzhou, where he was eventually poisoned.
But at the moment Wu Qian is still very satisfied with Zhao Mengqi. He has shown himself to be brave and resourceful, neither blindly following nor acting recklessly. He has considered things comprehensively. Although there are still some omissions and strangeness in the specific actions, it does not matter. He is the king. Those who are above only need to grasp the general direction, and others will naturally have their subordinates to check for deficiencies and improve governance.
"Wu Gong, in this place
Government orders still have to go through Prefect Liu and Kochi County. If there is anything else that needs attention or addition, please give me your advice. "
Later, while waiting, the old man and the young man began to discuss specific measures. Of course, Wu Qian said more, and Zhao Mengqi listened carefully and took notes.
Zhenze Town, Liu family.
In a secret room, Liu Zhengyi was talking to Liu Xiuli, who was dressed in casual clothes.
"Father, since eldest brother has spread word that King Yan has no suspicion about our family, shouldn't we get rid of Fangtang now to avoid future troubles?"
Liu Zhengyi squinted his eyes and said leisurely, "The biggest loophole in our family right now is in Fangtang. Even if there are problems in other places, they can easily be covered up. This matter should be solved sooner rather than later. You go and solve it in Fangtang first." , and then eat those water bandits, wipe out the hands and tail, and we will pass this level."
"Okay, son, let's go now. It's a pity that we have raised these water bandits for so long and they are destroyed like this. After all, there are thousands of people..."
As Liu Xiuli said that, he walked out. As soon as he opened the door, he saw Liu Xiuren and his son walking towards here, "Brother, are you back? Are things going well in the county?"
Liu Xiuren didn't look good and walked straight into the secret room, "Third brother, do you want to go out?"
When Liu Weizhen also entered the secret room, Liu Xiuli closed the door and replied with a smile, "I'm just going to deal with that guy in Fangtang."
"It's not urgent, I'm afraid we may still need him."
Immediately, Liu Xiuren explained what happened in the county.
After listening, Liu Zhengyi and Liu Xiuli's expressions became solemn.
"Xiu Ren, are you saying that Sun Deliang's bird boy reported to King Yan?"
"Dad, my son felt that the possibility was very high. He looked at me in despair, and then shouted that he had a confidential report. King Yan didn't even care about millions of dollars, so what kind of secret would be worth impressing? It’s impossible to keep our family’s affairs completely confidential, especially in sea trade and Bingtian. People in the village will know something about it..."
Liu Xiuli said anxiously, "What should we do!? Judging from King Yan's handling of the case, he is a person who can't tolerate dirt in his eyes. If he knows that there is something illegal in our family, he will definitely investigate deeply!"
As he said that, he thought about the consequences of being investigated, and couldn't help but reveal a fierce look in his eyes. He gritted his teeth and said, "Just don't do anything and don't stop. Taking advantage of the fact that there are not many guards around him, let Fang Tang lead the water bandits to attack the county and kill him." Done!"
"Third brother, don't rush now. After all, Sun Deliang's whistle-blowing is just speculation. We'd better confirm it first."
Liu Xiuli stood up suddenly, "Then I'll send someone to arrest the person named Sun!"
"Why are you so anxious!? Third brother, why have you become so impatient? In the past, you always made decisions before taking action?" Liu Xiuren complained.
Liu Xiuli was taken aback for a moment and said sarcastically, "Hey, after staying in the army for a long time, I have become more and more accustomed to taking matters directly."
"Well, the Sun family is in the county. If you go like this, won't you make a fuss? I'll go and test it myself tomorrow. I think he won't have the guts to hide it." Liu Xiuren thought again, "But we have to do it first. Be prepared, Lao San, let the water bandits come up with some excuses, and then mobilize the Huzhou Forbidden Army in the name of suppressing bandits..."
"Okay, I understand." Liu Xiuli nodded.
At this time, there was a knock on the door.
"What's the matter!?" Liu Zhengyi asked loudly.
The voice of a trusted servant came from outside the door, "People from the county said that King Yan invited high officials to discuss matters."
"It's already dark, what are we talking about? Brother, could it be that King Yan is going to attack our family?" Liu Xiuli exclaimed.
Liu Xiuren glared at him fiercely and asked toward the door, "Did you say anything?"
"The people who came here said it was for flood control. By the way, they also said that Wu Qian, the Duke of Chongguo, visited King Yan and then summoned you."
"Okay, I understand, please let them wait for a while." After Liu Xiuren finished speaking, he clapped his forehead and thought for a long time, "I'd better go there. If King Yan wants to take action, there is no need to summon me. It should be true It’s something else, that’s fine, I can go explore it again.”
Liu Zhengyi made the decision, "Xiuren, go first and bring more people with you to protect your family at all times."
Maintain contact and practice rituals. Now go to Fangtang and prepare both the water bandits and the imperial army! "
Immediately, Liu Xiuren left for the county. In Liu's guest room, Liu Xiuli found Fangtang, who didn't know he had walked through the gate of hell, and they returned to Taihu Lake together.
