Huaidong Road of the Great Han Dynasty, Sizhou, Xuyi, Huankou.
Huankou is where the Huan River flows into the Huaihe River. It is a river hub. It is the height of autumn and the climate is refreshing. The cool breeze blows the vegetation on the shore, bringing moisture from the river, which makes it a bit wet and cold.
There are small boats in the water, and there are intensive works on both sides of the river. At a rough glance, there are thousands of people, carrying out dredging. A large amount of sediment and fallen objects were salvaged, bagged and transported, accompanied by country tunes, and it was a lively scene.
The head of the bank was occupied by police officers for protection. A group of government officials will gather here. The leader is Huaidong Chief Envoy Wang Pu. This is his first visit to the front line for several times.
When drought strikes, the situation is most serious in Hao, Si, Chu and other places. At this time, most of the officials from Sizhou were here, accompanying them.
The governorship of Sizhou was made by the king, and he took office not long ago. As a person devolved to the emperor, the promotion speed cannot be slowed down, and Huainan is a place of employment, with many opportunities. After serving as county magistrate for less than two years, he was promoted to Sizhou magistrate.
Unluckily, I had just moved to my post and before my superiors and subordinates got to know each other, I was faced with a severe drought in Huainan. During this period of time, in compliance with the orders of the imperial court and Daotai, to provide disaster relief and to provide for the people, Wang Pu was running around, doing his own work, and was so busy that his feet never touched the ground.
This time, Wang Pu went north again to take care of things. When he heard the call, he put down his job in the state government office, hurried out of the city and crossed the river. He did not dare to neglect Wang Pu at all.
In less than two years, Wang Pu established a very high majesty in Huaidong, and everyone from top to bottom was afraid of him. Just because he used the law strictly and was never lenient, and issued frequent decrees and punished those who were negligent. As a result, the minds of the officials in various states were tense, for fear that Wang Pu would find any omissions and punish them.
Because Wang Zhu was born in the imperial court and was at an important stage in his official career, he did not dare to neglect it.
"Your Majesty, the lower official has summoned more than 3,000 people to carry out dredging in the river section near Xuyi. The work was carried out in three sections. Now more than forty miles have been cleared!" At this time, Wang Pu stared at the dredging area with an expressionless expression. The river worker took the initiative to report the incident and was very cautious.
"The progress is good!" Wang Pu nodded and asked: "The Huai River runs through Sizhou, and the people living within it rely on its benefits. Only if the Huai River is connected can we benefit from it!"
"What the prince said is true! The government issued a notice, and the fishermen, river workers, and people in the territory all actively responded to the call!" Wang Zhu said: "The people make a living through the Huai River, so naturally they understand the truth!"
"Right now, floods are rampant in the Han Dynasty, and there are frequent flash floods in the Yellow River and Yangtze River. The imperial court has also issued an edict. Although the drought has been resolved, we still need to pay attention to the floods and be more vigilant!" Wang Pudao.
Wang Zhuzhu cupped his hands and said: "After receiving the order, I dare not neglect it. I will also mobilize people, money and food to find the easy-to-reach places where the river can be cut, and cast plugs to reinforce it!"
He tilted his head and looked at Wang Zhu. Two years of experience in running state and county affairs had obviously made him grow a lot. Wang Pu still had a straight face, but gave a rare nod and said: "Let the people have a place to live, have food and clothing, the land will not be abandoned, relieve the people's worries, resolve affairs for justice, and prepare for disasters, it will be enough to achieve great governance!"
This is Wang Pu's advice to Wang Zhu. Wang Zhu understood it with a smile on his face: "Thank you for your teaching, Prince! I will definitely keep it in mind at all times!"
Nodding slightly, Wang Pu did not complain about this matter and said nothing more.
Two subordinate officials and several officers came to the shore and ran forward. Wang Pu immediately asked: "How deep is the water?"
One person in front reported: "Your Majesty, my subordinates will choose a few places to test the depth. Right now, the shallowest area in the river is nearly six feet, which is enough for a boat!"
With that said, he also carried out the measurement pole and pointed it at the mark for Wang Pu to check. Wang Pu looked at it carefully and then ordered: "You can inform us that the Huaiyanfa ship has been lost to the north!"
"yes!"
"Everyone, please don't stand with me anymore. In such an emergency, there will be trouble in the state." After glancing at the Sizhou officials who paid respectful respects, Wang Zhu waved his hand and said calmly.
All the officials were stunned, but when Wang Zhu saw this, he scolded him lightly: "Didn't you hear what the envoy said clearly? Everyone returns to his duties and takes care of his own business, why don't you go quickly!"
"Yes! I'll excuse myself, please!" Only then did he come to his senses.
A group of Sizhou officials tensed their bodies and stepped back respectfully. After they were far away, they relaxed. One of them glanced towards the river and couldn't help complaining: "This king is really not easy to deal with. He is too harsh and unkind. I'll wait." I was willing to accompany you, but was driven away. With such a superior, it is difficult to have a good life!"
"Ha!" After hearing what he said, a worker next to him couldn't help but sneered: "The king is making it difficult for you to get along with him, and that's what the state should be in trouble for. How can officials like us in the state get into the ears of the envoy?" If it weren't for the drought, would I be able to see his face? Even if I saw his face, how would I know your name? Therefore, there is no need for you to worry about it!"
"But!" As he said this, there was a hint of joking in this person: "If brother does something that is illegal, shocking, and harmful to nature, maybe he will be famous in the ears of the envoy..."
"You guy, why are you so vicious with your mouth? Are you slandering me?" The complaining state official suddenly became angry.
"How dare! How dare! I just feel that I think too highly of myself..."
The discussions of the state officials had nothing to do with Wang Pu. He and Wang Zhu walked to the temporary shelter built by the dredging workers. Although it is not dirty and messy, it is extremely crude. The wooden rafts are closely connected to protect from the wind, and the bamboo bed is covered with a thick layer of withered grass to keep out the cold.
Sitting down directly, Wang Pu looked at Wang Zhu and said: "Winter is about to enter and the weather will turn cold. All the soldiers who are called upon should prepare grass, wood and charcoal fire to dispel the cold, and prepare plenty of ginger soup. In addition, I still see the people, Those who drink river water for convenience must be prohibited to avoid insect diseases. Any water taken must be boiled before drinking. You also accompanied His Majesty on the southern expedition, how could you be negligent in this matter?"
Faced with Wang Pu's questioning, Wang Zhu felt innocent for a while. If it were in the past, he would have made some excuses, but at this time, he just handed over his hands and said, "It's because the supervision of the lower officials is not strict, and it must be strengthened!"
Wang Pu was still satisfied with Wang Zhu's attitude. Of course, Wang Zhen was a little helpless in this matter. He issued the ban with the original intention of doing it for the good of the people. However, ordinary ignorant people cannot listen to it, and they have no awareness. Of course, they do it as it is convenient and as they are used to it.
It is not possible for the king to whip a citizen and fine him money just because he drinks river water. Therefore, even now, in the Han Dynasty, the only people who can truly prohibit drinking raw water and boiling water for drinking are those in the army, and they have to be the forbidden army...
Wang Pu seemed to understand somewhat, so he didn't bother much about this matter. He ordered a servant to be summoned to inquire about the people's sentiments. In front of the officials, the majestic and intimidating Wang Shijun finally put on a kind face when facing the peasants.
"Is the old man a native of Xuyi? How many people are there in the family? What do you do for a living?"
"Exactly. There are six people in our family, including one wife, two sons, one daughter and one daughter-in-law! The younger son and the older son farm at home. The government allocated twenty acres of land to my family last year. The second son doesn't like farming, so he gives it to me on the Huai River. People work as boatmen, running boats from north to south. This time the government is recruiting laborers, bringing their elder children with them to come together to clear the silt..."
"Can a family of six have enough food?" After listening, Wang Pu asked softly.
The old man was stunned for a moment, somewhat puzzled by what he meant. Seeing this, Wang Pu was stunned. He didn't understand, so he changed the question: "Did the drought in autumn cause serious damage to the fields?"
Mentioning this, the somewhat restrained old man immediately relaxed and became a little excited. His local accent became heavier and he said: "The wheat is so necrotic that it has lost 70% to 80%. This drought demon, even if it comes only a month late, can still rush in the harvest......"
"With five or six people in the family, do they have enough food to survive the winter?"
The old man replied: "In the past two years, the imperial court has reduced autumn taxes. After this disaster, it is tax-free, which is enough to survive the winter!"
Hearing the relaxed tone in the old man's tone, Wang Pu also smiled a little, and asked a question he had asked many people: "Does the old man think that the current Han government is better, or the former pseudo-Tang government?"
No matter how stupid the people are, they also know what to say. Although Wang Pu is not wearing formal clothes, he is wearing an official robe.
However, the common man's answer was simple and somewhat sincere: "Of course it is the Han government?"
"Why? Is it because of land distribution? Because of the abolition of miscellaneous donations? Because of tax cuts?" Wang Pu asked three times in succession.
"Everything is there!" The old man nodded and made another point: "More than two years ago, there was also a drought in Huainan, and the fields were harvestless. The court provided relief, but only those who paid taxes could have relief food. I remember it clearly. At that time, many people were forced to sell their fields to buy grain. The Han Dynasty court at that time allowed the people of Huainan to cross the river to Huaibei to buy grain rations, which saved many people.
There is another drought this year. Not only has the imperial court waived the autumn tax, but also provides relief to those in need at home..."
After hearing the old man's answer, Wang Pu smiled again, and his smile became warmer.
