In August, there is a heavy flood in late autumn.
After several days of heavy rain, the Yellow River swelled and flooded its inner embankment.
All townships and villages along the river in Yuzhou mobilized all fronts and organized people to go to the embankment to guard the embankment.
Wei Chen and Sun Zhuo, the magistrate of Mi County, both lived on the embankment, carrying lanterns and patrolling around, and they were busy all night.
Although it sounds a bit thrilling, it is actually a common occurrence during the Yellow River flood season. A true once-in-a-century flood is much more severe than this.
When the sun rose the next day, the flood finally receded, and the newly built inner embankment emerged from the water again, safe and sound.
Taking advantage of a break from the heavy rain, Wei Chen put on a coir raincoat and walked out of the rain shelter to inspect the embankment.
Wei Chen didn't say much during the whole process, he just let Sun Zhuo lead him to see how the people on the embankment repaired the embankment, and then went to see whether the meals provided by the county were thoughtful, that's all.
After all, Sun Zhuo was the official directly in charge of the river, and he had proven his ability. Therefore, Wei Chen did not go beyond Sun Zhuo to point out the river defense. Instead, he showed up and down that he had completely entrusted the river defense to Sun Zhuo and Zusun. Great respect.
Sun Zhuo had been working hard for decades. Because of his family background, he had to live under others for a long time. He was used to suffering from bosses who were high-minded and low-minded. Naturally, he was grateful for Wei Chen's trust and wished he could repay Wei Chen with all his heart. The grace of knowing someone.
Wei Chen stood on the top of the embankment, looking at the scene on the river beach, and couldn't help but sigh.
In any case, in this first quiz on the Yellow River, the Yuzhou River Control Project received a perfect score.
At this time, he suddenly saw a group of people under the embankment using small carts to transport soil and compact the embankment feet under the command of several old river workers, and he couldn't help but feel moved.
Then he turned to Sun Zhuo and said: "These old river workers are rich in experience. One person can equal dozens of people in river management. Such talents must be retained, so that the embankment can be kept intact for a hundred years."
Sun Zhuo rubbed his hands, a little embarrassed: "Master Zhizhou clearly knows that this year, the government paid for hiring, so there are so many old river workers. In previous years, when they were sent to serve, these people were actually unwilling to serve.
They did not dare to tell the government that they knew about river engineering, for fear that if the government found out, they would send soldiers to his head every year, and eventually die of exhaustion on the bank of the Yellow River. "
When Wei Chen heard this, he became angry and snorted coldly: "This river defense matter is related to the lives and fortunes of the people along the river. The people should be more anxious than anyone else to repair the embankment. Otherwise, when the flood comes, the first They are the ones who suffer.
However, the government forced conscripts to repair the river, which caused the people's families to be destroyed, which was more harmful than the river disaster. As a result, the people complained about the river construction, and everyone fled from the service. Whose responsibility is this? "
"This... is the official's incompetence in handling the matter. Please forgive me!" Sun Zhuo lowered his head in fear.
Wei Chen didn't mean to blame Sun Zhuo. After all, this was a chronic disease that had existed in the imperial court for many years, and it was not something that Sun Zhuo, a small county magistrate, could change.
After pondering for a while, Wei Chen said to Fang Yuan, the accompanying staff member: "I want to set up a river engineering department to be responsible for river engineering. Those experienced river workers, whether they are good at measuring water potential, repairing embankments, compacting soil, or plugging breaches, in short As long as they have a certain skill, they will all be recruited by the River Engineering Department and hired. When you return home, you can draw up a detailed charter and send it to me for review."
"Yes, Dong Weng."
Fang Yuan wrote down Wei Chen's requests one by one and planned to start handling the matter immediately after returning to his residence.
When Sun Zhuo saw that Wei Chen was serious about it, he was secretly speechless.
In the past, it was okay to hire workers to build the embankment. After all, it only took three months, but now Wei Chen actually had to pay to keep those old river workers.
Wouldn't it cost thousands and hundreds of taels of silver every year from now on?
Over time, this extra expense is not a small amount!
Yuzhou has experienced so many Ren Zhizhou, and Wei Chen is probably the only one who has such courage.
Of course, this is also because Wei Chen has laid a solid foundation and has sufficient treasury. Otherwise, if he wants to serve the people, it will be difficult for a clever woman to make a meal without rice.
As far as Sun Zhuo knew, the revenue from the burgeoning Cuju competition in Yuzhou City alone was more than a thousand taels of silver a year. This alone was enough to cover the expenses of establishing the River Engineering Department.
The people do not have to be taxed but their finances and taxes are sufficient. Wei Chen can be said to have interpreted this sentence vividly.
When it comes to making money, we still need to learn more from Master Zhizhou!
Sun Zhuo sighed in his heart, and suddenly an idea flashed in his mind, and he thought of something that might be suitable for Wei Chen.
At that moment, he stepped forward and cupped his hands to Wei Chen and said: "Master Zhizhou, the hundreds of hectares of silt fields between the inner embankment and the outer embankment are worth a lot of money. Do you want me to summon the local gentry to discuss the purchase and sale of the silt fields?"
"Yutian?"
Wei Chen was slightly startled when he heard this, and immediately followed Sun Zhuo's instructions and looked into the narrow passage between the inner embankment and the outer embankment.
After the heavy floods in Fuqiu, the river water retreated from the outer embankment and the inner embankment, and the river channel was re-contained within the inner embankment.
Because of the construction of the horizontal embankment, the river water that overflowed the inner embankment did not take away the silt. Several feet of silt were left between the inner embankment and the outer embankment, forming a large silt field.
This is a precious place in the eyes of the people.
As the saying goes, the grain fields in the north are about fighting, and the grain fields in the south are about rocks.
Ten buckets are equal to one stone.
In the south, where the soil and water are pleasant, it is not uncommon to produce two, three, or even four or five shi per acre.
In the north, even in a good year, only six or seven bushels can be harvested from one acre, and on normal days, only three or four bushels can be harvested.
Only this silt field is different.
A yield of three or four stones per mu is common.
There are currently two to three hundred hectares of such high-quality land. As long as it is sold to the big families in Yuzhou, a large amount of income will naturally be obtained. This is what Sun Zhuo had in mind, so he diligently asked Wei Chen Offer suggestions.
Wei Chen understood what Sun Zhuo meant, but he shook his head and said, "These are wastelands, not official fields. How can we do business?"
"wasteland?"
Sun Zhuo was stunned: "But these are the benefits of spending manpower and material resources to build embankments. They should be counted as official land."
Wei Chen said calmly: "The construction of water conservancy projects is a matter within the scope of the government. How can there be any reason to make money from the people?"
Of course Sun Zhuo understood what Wei Chen meant.
Confucius once said, if the people are enough, which king is not enough? If the people are not enough, which king will be enough?
This is the Confucian idea of hiding wealth in the people, and this is what Wei Chen said.
But Sun Zhuo still didn't understand.
Wei Chen had obviously been so enthusiastic about the art of cultivating goods before, so why was he not moved at all when faced with the large sum of money that was so readily available in front of him?
As if he understood the doubts in Sun Zhuo's heart, Wei Chen smiled and shook his head, sighing softly: "Instead of letting these fat families take over these silt fields, it is better to treat them as wasteland and give it to those who have no family." The people who cultivate the fields should regard it as compensation for the river troubles they have suffered over the years..."
