On the twenty-fifth day of the first month of the sixth year of Qianyou's reign, Emperor Liu Chengyou of the Han Dynasty left Beijing to visit Huazhou. Worried about the river's collapse, he came to inspect the construction of the Yellow River embankments.
Last winter, natural disaster struck the Han Dynasty again. In October, floods occurred in several prefectures of Ying, Mo, and You in Hebei. More than 200,000 people were affected, resulting in considerable loss of life. In December, the Yellow River broke through Zhengzhou and Huazhou again.
However, for today's Han Dynasty, it is enough to bear it, and the court has already established an emergency mechanism for disaster prevention and relief. For the displaced people affected by the disaster, the government provides relief.
As for Emperor Liu Chengyou, concerns about flooding in the Yellow River began to grow in his heart again. Since he succeeded to the throne, the Yellow River has burst more than ten times before, with the Zhengzhou and Huazhou sections being the hardest hit areas.
Fortunately, the imperial driver stayed in Baima in Huazhou. Before he could rest, Liu Chengyou directly inspected the repair work on the river plug, accompanied by Bai Chongzan, the envoy of Yicheng Army in Huazhou.
In the autumn of last year, after King Wei and Fu Yanqing, the military commander of the Tianxiong Army, were transferred to Tokyo to serve as commander-in-chief, Guo Congyi, the former military commander of the Yicheng Army, was transferred to Damingfu in the northern capital as a stay-at-home officer.
Later, the imperial court issued an imperial edict to abolish Huazhou Jiedu and replace it with the Yicheng Army. Bai Chongzan, the governor of Tumen, was transferred to the Yicheng Army to command the forbidden army in Huazhou to consolidate the defense of northern Tokyo.
This Bai Chongzan also joined the army as a young man. He was known for his bravery in battles and served in various military positions. Among the generals retained by the former dynasty in the early Han Dynasty, there was also a figure like him.
However, in the years since the founding of the Han Dynasty, Bai Chongzan's duties have been more like a "housekeeping dog". When Quan transferred Shi Hongzhao to stay in Xijing, Bai Chongzan guarded Sishui.
Shi Hongzhao moved to Shuofang, and was transferred to Tumen to control the dangerous passes of Taihang and watch over the Hedong gateway for the imperial court. Up to now, he has guarded the key to the north gate of Huazhou for the imperial court.
However, Bai Chongzan was conscientious and tried his best every time he took office. Originally, this person was not on Liu Chengyou's "trustworthy" list. However, after looking at his resume, he found that he was diligent in royal affairs and had a heroic and unyielding spirit, so he trusted him.
Huazhou is in the hinterland of the Han Dynasty, and the possibility of experiencing war again is not high, but as long as the capital is in Kaifeng, its importance is unquestionable, and its defender must be a general who has the trust of the court.
When the Yellow River burst, Liu Chengyou directly issued an edict and asked Bai Chongzan to lead soldiers and servants to build forts and embankments.
On the south bank of the Yellow River, standing on a high slope, Liu Chengyou looked at the embankment in the distance. After nearly a month of repairs, a simple defensive barrier had been constructed. What needs to be done next is to rebuild the dam and strengthen the river defense. Fortunately, the breach occurred during the dry season, otherwise the damage and losses caused by the disaster would have been even greater.
Bai Chongzan was serving in front of the king, reporting the situation to Liu Chengyou. At this time, he was not wearing armor, only wearing light linen clothes. He looked less like a general and more like a river worker.
"Your Majesty, the breaches in Huazhou this time are mainly at the Dacheng and Liuhe embankments. The government has recruited 8,000 soldiers, and the last general has also dispatched 2,000 soldiers to take turns to repair them. Now the initial repairs have been completed, and several breaches have been repaired. It is blocked and will only be blocked by subsequent reconstruction." Bai Chongzan pointed with his hand and reported to Liu Chengyou:
"It's the dry season right now, and the farming season is coming. Next, I will plan to concentrate people's and material resources to strengthen the embankments, at least to ensure that before the flood season arrives, there will be no mistakes in the decisive battle!"
After listening to Bai Chongzan's explanation, one can feel his familiarity with river affairs and his dedication. Nodding, Liu Chengyou expressed that he was very satisfied and said, "Not bad! Are there any shortages of money, food, supplies, and people's power? What are the difficulties?"
Hearing this, Bai Chongzan also directly asked Liu Chengyou: "Previously, most of the defenses were made with cattail bags and straw bags, which were temporarily fortified. It was difficult to withstand the erosion of the river. At the end of the day, the general asked for instructions, and the court allocated hardwood, sandbags, and masonry to use them. Only when the materials are ready can it be guaranteed to be strong. Also, if we add more servants, it will be even better!"
"Yes! I am completely satisfied with you!" Liu Chengyou said: "Tokyo will allocate another batch of money and food, and the local governments of Hua and Pu will also fully cooperate in raising supplies and building materials. In order to repair the embankment, I plan to use Tokyo's All repairs should be stopped for a while and we should concentrate our efforts. That’s it! You must do your best. I don’t want to hear the bad news about the Yellow River breach in Huazhou this year!”
Facing the emperor's gaze, Bai Chongzan suddenly felt a huge pressure being put on him. His expression was serious and he promised Liu Chengyou in a deep voice: "Your Majesty has such trust, how dare you live up to your trust! If you make a mistake, please behead me." !”
Bai Chongzan was obviously determined. Listening to his decisive tone, Liu Chengyou couldn't help but show a hint of approval.
After taking a serious look at Bai Chongzan, he saw a tired look on his face. His beard and hair were rarely taken care of, making him look a bit slovenly. Liu Chengyou said: "Bai Qing has such pride, I also have some confidence!"
"I heard that during this period, Bai Qing has been running around on the embankment to give orders. He has not returned to camp without food or accommodation. Thank you for your hard work! This is a commendable move. I didn't hire the wrong person!" Liu Chengyou praised Bai Zhongzan.
After receiving the emperor's approval, Bai Chongzan felt that his hard work these days had not been in vain. With a tired face, he showed a slight smile and responded: "I have been ordered to guard Huazhou and also protect the land and water. I will live up to your majesty's trust." , I will not lose the hope of the people!"
"Okay!" After listening to his words, Liu Chengyou couldn't help stroking his hands, and his words were full of sweet praise: "Among the generals of the Han Dynasty, there are not many who have Bai Qing's level of enlightenment! Bai Qing can be a role model!"
"Zhang Dejun, I will reward Bai Qing with ten catties of wine and twenty catties of venison!" Liu Chengyou raised his hand and motioned to Zhang Dejun.
"As you command!"
Without waiting for Bai Chong to express his thanks, Liu Chengyou looked at him with soft eyes and chuckled: "When Bai Qing succeeds in blocking the river, I will directly grant you the title of Marquis!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty! I will do my best to live up to God's grace!" Bai Chongzan immediately prostrated.
It can be seen that Liu Chengyou admires Bai Chongzan very much at this time. After saying that, he looked at the few accompanying Huazhou officials and said, "Have you heard that? From now on, when we are not farming, we must fully support the river embankment. If you have time, go to the embankment and walk more. Although I feel sorry for you. Your Majesty is in charge of river engineering, and you are state officials, so repairing river defenses is also your responsibility. As long as you dedicate yourself to the king's affairs and benefit the people, the court will never hesitate to reward and promote you!"
"Yes! I will obey His Majesty's teachings!" A group of people naturally bowed respectfully.
"Let's go to the embankment and have a look!" Liu Chengyou greeted everyone.
The judge of Huazhou immediately tried to persuade him, saying that the fortifications were chaotic and dangerous. Liu Chengyou refused, saying that he was not inspecting the river fortification project to show off, and it was not his style to just watch things from a distance.
So, accompanied by the generals, Liu Chengyou went to the embankment in person to look at the materials, and then returned to the county seat in the evening, continuing to carry forward the style of a wise king who takes care of everything.
"Li Fang, what did you gain from your visit to Baima?" At night, Liu Chengyou summoned Li Fang to ask if he could.
Li Fang did not follow Liu Chengyou to the embankment, but was sent to visit the people and inspect the affairs of the state. Hearing this, Li Fang reported: "Huazhou is in Kinkishu County, Tokyo. The people's livelihood is generally stable. Although the people are not rich, they can be said to be stable. However, the government is somewhat lazy. There was negligence on the part of the government when the Yellow River burst. Because of less maintenance.
In addition, in Huazhou Prison, many of the cases decided and the punishments imposed were biased. I checked the files and found several cases. The severity of the penalties and sentencing is questionable. Moreover, they were all left over from when Guo Shijun was in office..."
After hearing what he said, Liu Chengyou thought about it for a moment and ordered Li Fang: "In this way, you don't have to accompany me to Daming Mansion. You can stay in Huazhou, serve as the magistrate, purge officials, handle government affairs, and clean up prison cases! You are here All around me, I come into contact with major military and political affairs. Now, I am entrusting you with the affairs of a state and assuming your responsibility is nothing to worry about!"
Li Fang seemed to have expected this, without any surprises. He faced the emperor's gaze and solemnly responded: "As ordered!"
In this way, the emperor lost another close minister. Liu Chengyou, on the other hand, stayed in Huazhou for a day and then set off on his way north to visit Daming Mansion. This is after three years, Liu Chengyou once again set foot on the land of Hebei.
