Zhao Xu was sitting on the throne of Funing Hall, looking at the figure slowly walking into the hall from outside the curtain.
Different from his memory, Song Yongchen is still young now.
He was not yet fifty years old, but his body was still strong and his skin was dark. He was wearing a narrow-sleeved purple robe that was one size larger than that of ordinary ministers.
"My ministers, I would like to raise the Bianhe River Embankment Department, the Imperial City Department, and all the ministers in Beijing. I would like to pay my respects to you all and wish you all the best!"
His voice was also louder and more confident than in memory.
Zhao Xu listened, nodded slightly on the throne, and said: "Please get up, escort!"
Then, Zhao Xu adjusted his sitting position, looked at Song Yongchen who was slowly getting up in the palace, and asked: "It has been several days since the death of Emperor Daxing. Why didn't he see the escort and cry in front of the funeral?"
"Could it be that Yaban is no longer loyal to me and Emperor Daxing?"
Zhao Xu's question made Song Yongchen, who had just stood up, break into a cold sweat.
What could he do?
Could it be, tell the young master that he has not been able to even enter the imperial city these days?
Only today did you get the grace of the Empress Dowager and allow you to enter the palace to pay homage to the young master?
Does he dare to say it?
Will anyone believe anyone who comes out? Who will testify against him?
Wang Anshi couldn't find any witnesses back then!
Therefore, Song Yongchen could only bow and bow to the excuses the two palaces had given him, and said: "I would like to inform everyone: In the past few days, I have been ordered to make a portrait of Emperor Daxing in Jingling Palace... Therefore, I was unable to enter the palace in time, pay homage to everyone, and cry and offer sacrifices in front of Emperor Daxing’s soul..."
"I beg everyone to punish me with death!"
After saying this, he bowed his head to the ground and bowed.
What Zhao Xu wanted was his excuse, so he nodded and said: "If that's the case, then I misunderstood the escort class!"
"The guard, get up and talk!"
Zhao Xu remembered that before he was eight years old, his father took him to meet Song Yongchen several times.
Although I forgot when and where it was.
But later, when he grew up, he summoned Song Yongchen and heard Song Yongchen mention many times that "the late emperor once summoned his ministers to speak in front of His Majesty."
Song Yongchen let out a breath and stood up carefully.
Although he failed to enter the palace, he heard too many legends related to this young master outside the palace.
Both the government and the public have witnessed the young master's intelligence many times.
Therefore, he did not dare to neglect.
Besides, Song Yongchen knew that it was the decree of the two palaces that he entered the palace to meet the saint this time.
At this moment, in this palace, there is someone from the Empress Dowager.
"From now on, please stay with me as the escort!" Zhao Xu said directly without waiting for Song Yongchen's reaction: "As for the many errands from the outer court, let's unload them first!"
He is a child, and children have the privileges of children.
One of them is willfulness.
Song Yongchen raised his head in surprise.
Zhao Xu knew that he was reluctant to let go of the affairs of the Bianhe Embankment Department and the Qingbian Department.
These two official offices have entrusted Song Yongchen's lifelong efforts.
In particular, the Bianhe River Embankment Department set up stacking yards, resale yards, etc. along both sides of the Bianhe River, restricting Bianjing merchants to unload goods at the stacking yards and conduct transactions in the resale yards.
Therefore, taxes were levied on the businesses in Bianjing City, and then the profits earned by the Embankment Division were used to maintain the operation of the Qingbian Division.
The Qing Bian Division is an official office related to the lifeblood of the entire Bian Jing!
It is not only responsible for maintaining and repairing the Luoshui-Bianhe Canal dug from the north of Bishui Pass.
We also need to maintain the water storage capacity of hundreds of large and small water storage ponds dug along both sides of the entire Bian River on higher ground!
Because the flow of Luoshui River is relatively smaller than that of Bianhe River.
In order to maintain the clean water from Luoshui River and wash away the sediment in Bianhe River, it is necessary to increase the inflow of water during the dry period of Luoshui River and maintain a sufficient amount of incoming water to wash away.
Otherwise, before Xining, the Bianhe River would continue to accumulate sediment and block the Bianhe River.
In addition, a large number of narrow wooden banks set up along both sides of the Bian River must also be regularly maintained and replaced.
Otherwise, if the speed of the Bianhe River is not fast enough, sediment will also accumulate.
However, Song Yongchen opened his mouth.
He saw the young master sitting on the throne.
The young master is only eight years old! Even if he is gifted with all his talents, how can he explain to him the importance of the Bianhe River Embankment Department? Can he understand?
Even if it is possible, how to explain the matter of Qing Biansi?
The principle of clean water flushing, the setting of wooden banks on narrow rivers, and the water diversion gates set up between Luoshui River and Bianhe River...
These are not things that can be explained clearly in a few words.
Even when Emperor Daxing was the emperor, he and Shen Kuo were required to personally explain it in front of the emperor. They also made corresponding clay models to simulate the flow of Bianhe River and Luoshui River and the erosion of sediment in the palace. Once this happens, what will happen to this canal? What benefits did it bring to the Song Dynasty?
Therefore, Song Yongchen could only lower his head: "I will obey the holy will!"
His energy dropped instantly.
But Song Yongchen would not know.
Zhao Xu asked him to return to Da Nei for protection.
The Bianhe Embankment Department was a thorn in the old party's side and a thorn in its flesh.
reason?
Competing with the people for profit and taxing excessively, are these charges enough? !
If this is not enough, we can also refer to the ancestral system - since the ancestors of the Song Dynasty, the law has been to plant elms and willows on both sides of the Bianhe River to protect the embankments.
You destroyed the ancestral system completely for a little business tax, and you still say that you are not a traitor?
Zhao Xu knew very well that this was a trend that could not be stopped, and there was no need to block it.
The common people and merchants in Bianjing City have been severely restricted by the new law for more than ten years.
They must trade in the market, unload goods at the stacking yard of the Embankment Department, and conduct large transactions in other designated yards.
You even have to buy official goods and rent government shops.
Although, part of these proceeds were ultimately spent on the Qingbian Division.
The Qing Bian Division protected everyone in Bianjing, and even protected everyone on Gyeonggi Road. After guiding Luotong to Bian, the sand content of the Bian River was greatly reduced and the flow rate was greatly increased.
As a result, the navigation time of the Bianhe River increased from the original 200 days to more than 300 days. If the weather is good, it can even be opened all year round.
Therefore, after the Luotong-Bian project was launched, the Kaifeng Prefecture had to mobilize civilian workers every winter and spent 300,000 man-hours on the Dredging-Bian campaign.
But who knows?
People who know will also pretend to be deaf and dumb.
Most people are like this. It is natural for them to get benefits, but as long as they suffer losses, they will never forget them.
Naturally, regardless of public opinion, people's hearts or the general trend, the two palaces, and even Zhao Xu himself, must abolish the Bianhe River Embankment Department, must abolish the city affairs, and must abolish most of the Bianjing affairs.
Only the stacking yards, official residences, and field services that existed during the Jiayou and Jihei eras will be preserved.
If Song Yongchen continues to be outside, he will definitely be impacted.
If you are not careful, you will have to live with Zhao Xu in the previous life and be banished.
All the best time in life will be wasted.
"Don't worry about the guard!" Zhao Xu looked at Song Yongchen's expression and comforted him: "Qing Bian Si, my father has already told me..."
Song Yongchen raised his head with a look of disbelief on his face.
"Even if it can only save the people of Kaifeng from the suffering of winter dredging every year, the Qingbian Division should still exist!"
In Zhao Xu's previous life, Sima Guang was already sharpening his sword against Qingbian Division as soon as he came on stage, even before he came on stage.
First, the Qingbian Division was abolished, and then several less important water diversion outlets were abandoned.
Then all the hundreds of large and small reservoirs dug along the banks of the Bian River will be backfilled.
However, Lu Gongzhu, who co-administered the government with Sima Guang, knew the importance.
He immediately stopped Sima Guang's recklessness. After Lu Gongzhu's sincere persuasion, Sima Guang finally agreed and no longer completely denied the Daoluo-Tongbian project.
Therefore, although the Qing-Bian Division was abolished in name, the project of Daluo-Tong-Bian was theoretically deemed to have harmed the people.
But the diversion of water from Luoshui River to flush the Bianhe River has been going on.
The hundreds of reservoirs that diverted water from the Bian River and then re-injected it into the Bian River after the sediment settled were not backfilled. There were even people who regularly transported the sediment away from the ponds.
However……
When Sima Guang and Lu Gongzhu died successively.
Their disciples and grandchildren don’t care about this!
What do you mean by using a large number of civilians to dredge Bian in winter?
Isn’t it like this since our ancestors?
How dare you criticize the ancestral system? It seems that you are Wang Anshi’s evil party!
Has sediment started to accumulate in the Bianhe River?
Isn’t the dam broken yet?
What are you anxious about?
If the dam really breaks, then the people downstream will have to suffer even more.
We can follow the stories of Jiayou and Zhiping and dig a breach downstream to release the flood water.
If someone wants to be more serious, tell them that in the past, Jiayou and Zhiping often broke out downstream, and thousands of people drowned each time.
Since Luo was connected to Bian, even during the spring flood season, the water volume of the Bian River surged, and only three to four hundred people died in the entire basin, including those who slipped and fell.
Then tell them that in the past, the Bianhe River carried grain by boat all year round, with a maximum of six million shi per year.
Now it can exceed 8 million dan a year, and there is still enough energy to transport 1 million dan of grain to Luoyang.
They would cover their ears, not listening, and just chant sutras.
In short, these people have never been flooded by the Bianhe River.
We have also forgotten that during the Renmiao era, the Bianhe River overflowed and rushed into Bianjing City, washing away thousands of houses.
There is only one reason why they regard the Qing-Biansi and Daoluo-Tongbian projects as tigers and wolves - Daoluo-Tongbian was initiated, proposed and launched by Wang Anshi.
Acknowledging that Daoluotong and Bianli benefited the country and the people is tantamount to admitting that Wang Anshi also had something "right".
This principle is the same as that of Sima Guang who wanted to abolish the exemption law at all costs, even if he was ill.
How can the new law be good?
It must be denied and completely overthrown!
But he completely forgot that Sima Guang himself supported the exemption law in the past.
Before Wang Anshi's reform, he verbally and writtenly criticized Yaqian officials every day.
Zhao Xu knew these things clearly in his heart.
Therefore, the Bianhe Embankment Division can be given up, but the Qing Bian Division must be preserved!
This is the bottom line issue!
Zhao Xu didn't want to work hard to rebuild the Qingbian Division when he grew up.
It's not fun to reinvent the wheel!
The Daoluo-Tongbian Project uses many new technologies and groundbreaking river control methods.
Among them, the wooden bank of the narrow river is the forerunner of the Ming and Qing Dynasty's water beam attack technology, and the principles are the same.
Using the clear water of the Luo River to wash away sediment is exactly the same as the sand cleaning technology used in today's Xiaolangdi Project. It uses the power of water itself. When the clear water flows in the upper layer, it drives the lower layer of sediment forward, thereby pushing the lower layer of sediment forward. The silt washes away.
PS: Sima Guang’s personal ethics and his political stance should be viewed separately.
Personally, he is almost impeccable.
But in politics, sometimes we are naive and sometimes we are stubborn.
Just like the exemption law, he himself knew that this thing was right, but he had to abolish it at all costs, even if he died.
He personally told Lu Gongzhu that he would not die in peace unless the exemption law was abolished. Lu Gongzhu had no choice but to agree.
(End of chapter)
