The Huaihe River in May and June is in the flood season, and the water flow is rapid. The Baili Changhuai River between Xuyi and Huaiyin is the most dangerous. Official and merchant ships ply on it, and there are always sinkings every year.
During the Huaidong case, the corrupt officials in the Transshipment Department lied about the loss of the official ship because of the dangerous waterway, but secretly embezzled and disposed of the ship and its cargo.
The dredging of the lower reaches of the Huaihe River was made during the Han Dynasty's southern expedition. In order to ensure the transportation of grain, equipment and troops, the people were recruited to open up a part of the water section.
However, with the opening of the Guishan Canal two years ago, official, commercial and private ships were able to avoid the dangerous route down the Huaihe River and pass smoothly without the worry of capsizing. In the past two years, the Guishan Canal has gradually become a golden waterway. After all, it is safe and is the preferred channel for all types of fleets, especially civilian ships.
Wang Pu, the chief envoy of Huaidong, has been in office for six full years. During these six years, he has done a lot to bring peace and order to the Huaidong states. In terms of engineering, the two biggest achievements are Hongze Lake and Hongze Lake. The second is the Guishan Canal.
Starting from the seventh year of Qianyou, after the completion of Hongze, under the guidance of Wang Pu, the people of Chu and Si were strengthened. It took two years and more than 80,000 civilians were used to excavate this road on the land of Huainan. The Guishan Canal is hundreds of miles long.
Judging from the time and scale of mobilizing people's strength, Wang Pu was very cautious in using people's strength and did not rush for quick success. When talking about the canal, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty could never avoid the topic. Taking this as a lesson, Wang Pu often warned his subordinate officials not to overdo the work of the people and to give them a chance to breathe.
In addition, during the excavation process, he inspected the canal project three times, personally met with the people, checked its condition, and listened to the situation. With Wang Pu's example, the officials below were naturally very vigilant and no one dared to use people's power excessively for political achievements.
Therefore, when the Guishan Canal was opened, 35 civilians died. Including the previous opening of Hongze Lake, no more than 100 people died, which is very rare. Of course, no one who works in engineering has ever been immortal since ancient times.
As for the civilians who were injured or killed, the Chief Envoy, of course, allocated special funds to provide compensation. At the same time, Wang Pu personally went to pay homage and visited his family to comfort him.
Since ancient times, public dissatisfaction will inevitably arise during the operation and implementation of any major project, and Wang Pu did this. Until the construction of the Guishan Canal was completed and it was successfully opened to navigation, the people of Chusi had few complaints and were grateful to Wang Pu.
As for Wang Pu, in the six years he spent in Huaidong, it was through these personal actions and example that he helped the Han Dynasty consolidate its rule over Huaidong, and quickly restored its vitality, becoming the real financial and taxation powerhouse of the Han Dynasty today, and providing a lot of blood to Tokyo.
Even ordinary people know that the king is fair and selfless, strict with officials, and lenient with common people. In the 11th year of Qianyou's reign, if you ask the people of Huaidong whether they miss the Tang Dynasty in the south of the Yangtze River, and describe it in an exaggerated way, you will probably be spat on and then cursed.
Of course, earning such a good reputation in Huaidong is not without its negative effects. There are Huaidong officials who have been spurred and restrained by Wang Pu all year round. Both old officials and new officials respect and fear him, and even resent him. breed.
At the same time, there was a lot of criticism against him within the Tokyo imperial court. He was impeached one after another for issues such as unauthorized use of power, ultra vires, and low authority. There was almost no interruption. In addition, as time went by, there were more objections. If it weren't for the protection of Emperor Liu Chengyou, Wang Pu would have been destroyed long ago.
You know, Dou Zhengu of Huainan and Huaixi had already been transferred to Hebei to take charge, and was replaced by Liu Wensou. He, Wang Pu, stayed in office for six years, sitting firmly on his butt and still speaking the truth. Among the Dao of the Han Dynasty, Huaidong was a fat man, and there were many people who were greedy.
In April, another imperial official reported that Wang Pu was suspected of trying to buy people's hearts in Huaidong. Even the people in Huaidong only knew Wang Pu and did not know the emperor's words.
Sometimes, Liu Chengyou is also curious, is Wang Pu so disgusting? But this time, Liu Chengyou finally decided to ask Wang Pu to move his position and transfer him from the position of chief envoy to Huaidong. Wang Pu has been in office for many years. Firstly, he can't bear to see him working too hard, straining his body and mind. Secondly, the government is full of criticism. Even if he maintains trust and continues to work, it will not be a good thing for Wang Pu himself, because Liu Chengyou himself is not sure how long this trust can last.
It was not until May, before Li Gu left Beijing, that Liu Chengyou finally issued an edict that Wang Pu, who had been governing Huaidong for many years and had worked hard for many years, was transferred to Tokyo to serve. After this edict, the qualified officials in the imperial court immediately became excited. Yangzhou is a good place, and there are many people who are busy working for the post of Huaidong Chief Envoy.
Of course, Liu Chengyou did not let those people get their wish, but directly issued an order to make Wang Pu take over by luck, which suddenly stopped those people from thinking about it.
One edict, one system, flew from Tokyo to Yangzhou, and was read out to the two kings. Wang Pu took action as soon as the edict arrived. On the day Wang Pu left Yangzhou, after hearing the news, they spontaneously gathered to see him off. They said goodbye. An old man presented him with a bowl of water, a handful of soil, and a bag of salt. Compared to Wanmin Umbrella's show, the feelings are much more sincere. As soon as they parted, Wang Shijun, who always showed his sternness to others, couldn't help but burst into tears.
Starting from Yangzhou, Wang Pu took only his family and a few servants, took an official ship, and headed north along the canal. The journey is not fast, with stops and stops along the way to take care of the public sentiment. Before leaving office, it is also customary to make one last inspection.
When they learned that Wang Pu was leaving office and returning to the north, many people along the coast offered to stretch his hair as a farewell gift. However, it took more than six days to reach Xuyi territory from Yangzhou to Sizhou.
Guishan Town was originally just a small village at the foot of Guishan Mountain, but after the opening of the Guishan Canal, it gradually prospered. After all, it is located in the turtle area, and the excellent geographical conditions provide convenience for its rapid development. In just over a year, there were more than 2,000 residents, densely populated and prosperous industries. In the 10th year of Emperor Qianyou's reign, Sizhou reported to the imperial court and officially established Guishan Town.
At this time, when he climbed up Guishan Mountain and looked down at the prosperous town at his feet and the north-flowing canal, Wang Pu was very moved. Above the canal, there are always ships sailing in sight, and the voices coming from the town seem to be a hymn to him. Looking around, one can vaguely see Hongze Lake to the north, and the rippling scene has long been etched in his mind.
"When I advocated the restoration of Hongze and the construction of canals, there was a lot of opposition from above and below because of the lack of public security and fear of wasting money and wasting money on the people!" Wang Pu said: "However, as long as we cherish the people's power, be benevolent, and benefit the people, there will be no resentment among the people. !”
Standing next to Wang Pu was the newly appointed chief envoy Wang Pu. He was following Wang Pu all the way north this time, both for inspection and to see him off, and also to hand over and discuss affairs.
After hearing what he said, Wang Pu pointed to the canal and Daze and chuckled: "Now the people of Huaisi are enjoying the blessings of Wen Bogong!"
"These are all His Majesty's blessings. I am just giving them on your behalf! Hongze's orders were all taken by Your Majesty. Without Your Majesty's support back then, how could we be as fertile as we are today!"
From Wang Pu's words, we can know that although his temperament is somewhat strong, his political consciousness is not low at all...
"After passing Xuyi, it's time to turn to Bianshui. We have sent you all the way. I can't thank you enough for this friendship. Let's say goodbye here!" After sighing, Wang Pu seemed to have let go of the last bit of confusion in his heart. , looked at Wang Pu seriously, cupped his hands and said: "I leave all matters in Huaidong to you!"
Seeing this, Wang Pu naturally did not dare to make excuses and quickly returned the greeting: "Don't worry, Lord Wen! Your Majesty has entrusted you with your orders and given your instructions. How dare you slack off!"
Looking at Wang Pu, seeing his majestic appearance and majestic demeanor, Wang Pu couldn't help but feel emotional in his heart. The two of them were both Jinshi in the first year of Qianyou's reign. Now Wang Pu is in his prime, with a smooth career and upward progress, but he is already old.
Wang Pu is only in his early fifties now, but his long hours of hard work and hard work have made him age very quickly.
Probably feeling Wang Pu's twilight mentality, Wang Pu couldn't help but smile and said: "Wen Bogong has been in Yangzhou for six years and has made outstanding contributions to the country and the people. When he comes to Beijing this time, it is time to pay homage to the prime minister!"
Regarding this point, Wang Pu was somewhat confident. He looked at Wang Pu and said with a smile: "I am old, and Qiwu is highly valued by your majesty. I am a feudal official now, and I will also be a pillar of the imperial court in the future!"
In fact, everyone knew the emperor's admiration for Wang Pu. As long as he made no mistakes, it would be a matter of course for him to become prime minister in the future. Compared with those who worked hard, Wang Pu was really lucky. He got the reputation and status that others worked hard for, but he got it effortlessly. His promotion path was smooth and had been arranged long ago.
Of course, in addition to luck, the prerequisite must also be the capital to be valued. Just like this time, Wang Pu succeeded Wang Pu as the chief envoy to Huaidong. In addition to being favored by the emperor, Wang Pu's own historical and political achievements were also outstanding. From knowing Haozhou to transferring envoy, he could handle everything. Take your time, be organized, and achieve great results.
An official ship docked at the port of Guishan Town, which attracted Wang Pu's attention and stopped him from boarding the ship. Guarded by soldiers and accompanied by generals, this kind of posture obviously had a lot of background, and they quickly found out that it was Li Gu, the envoy who went south to Yangzhou to take up his post.
When Li Gu came to Yangzhou this time, Liu Chengyou gave Li Gu a temporary assignment - Jianghuai Patrol Envoy. He was fully responsible for military affairs in the south of the Yangtze River. He had the power to mobilize the land, water, troops and horses in the Jianghuai River. Concerned about his health, Liu Chengyou also specially gave his second son Li Gong an official position and ordered him to accompany him. Moreover, Zhao Yanjin, who was directly from the palace, was appointed as his accompanying military attache. Zhao Yanjin was the son of the late Zhao Hui, Duke of Shaanxi, and a military official who accompanied him all year round.
After hearing this, Wang Pu and Wang Pu immediately went to visit. Li Gu had no idea about this chance encounter and met in person regardless of the fatigue of the boat.
In the early years of Qianyou, there were two ministers in the south and north of the Han Dynasty who were most trusted by the emperor. Li Gu was in Hebei and Wang Pu was in Huaidong. Li Gu can know people, and Wang Pu can recommend talents, so they are called both.
They had never met each other before, but now, they met by chance in Guishan Town. The two famous ministers met for the first time. Although the scene was not big, it had the grandeur of an extraordinary meeting.
"Prime Minister Li!" Wang Pusurong bowed his hands in greeting.
"Wang Shijun!" Li Gu smiled and bowed in return.
Two figures of similar age, with similar fame and similar achievements, after meeting, they sat down and discussed things like old friends.
