"Ma Aiqing is exempt from the gift!"
Chongzhen came out of Luan Jia, holding his right hand in vain: "Ma Aiqing, we have been apart for more than four months, and your style remains the same!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"Your mother originally came with us, but something happened in Datong and Taiyuan. You must have heard about it, so I had to let her go and guard it first."
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. State affairs are important. As a minister, it is your duty to share your Majesty's worries!"
"Hahaha, when you say that, I seem to be being hypocritical!"
Chongzhen stepped forward and patted Ma Xianglin on the shoulder: "Let's go to your Chinese army tent and report to me about the civil uprising!"
After Ma Xianglin saluted, he turned around and mounted his horse to lead the way.
In just a moment, they arrived at the Chinese army's tent to suppress the army. Hundreds of tents stood around it, and teams of sergeants were patrolling.
Seeing Chongzhen sizing up the military camp, Ma Xianglin said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, the expedition requires 15,000 people, but because of the matter at the Prince of Qin's Palace, the commander of the Beijing camp, Chen Quan, has already led people to escort the supplies back to Beijing.
The commanders of the remaining four towns, including Guyuan and Taiyuan, were asked to each lead a thousand sergeants to patrol the prefectures and counties within a hundred miles with Baishui County as the center.
It not only deters the refugees, but also eliminates some escaped bandits.
Except for the two thousand sergeants guarding here, the rest have all gone to Baishui, Luochuan and other counties that were severely affected by the disaster to supervise disaster relief matters.
The reason why the big tent was set up here was because the rebel team fled into Huanglong Mountain.
Second, this is the choke point between Guanzhong and northern Shaanxi, and food transport teams and caravans traveling from south to north are also relatively safe. "
Chongzhen nodded, then entered the big tent. After sitting down, he asked: "Tell me about the civil uprising!"
Ma Xianglin has long been familiar with the situation of the civil uprising: "Your Majesty, from April of the seventh year of the Apocalypse to the present, there have been twenty-seven places in Shaanxi, with a total number of people..."
The report lasted for nearly a quarter of an hour, during which Chongzhen also asked some questions, and Ma Xianglin responded clearly.
"So what do you mean?"
"Your Majesty, the court is currently providing disaster relief, and everything is in good condition. There is little chance of a civil uprising.
What I mean is that the conquest army can be withdrawn. After all, there are more than 10,000 troops, and the consumption of people eating horse chews is also huge.
But it is not necessary to withdraw them all. An elite force of more than a thousand people can be left to guard the area. Coupled with the cooperation of surrounding guards, it is enough to deal with emergencies. "
Unexpectedly, Chongzhen immediately shook his head after hearing this and said: "Don't withdraw yet, I have other arrangements!"
"Where is Yuan Keli now? Baishui, or Xi'an?"
"Back to Your Majesty, Mr. Yuan Ge left for Xi'an a few days ago. It seems that Mr. Zeng Xianzeng reported that the land of the entire Xi'an Mansion and the Prince of Qin's Mansion has been cleared, and Mr. Yuan Ge took people to check and accept it!"
"Well, then I'm going to Xi'an too. You're here to wait for my news!"
After chatting for a while, Chongzhen set off again with his cavalry. The further he walked, the more peaceful he felt.
The situation in Baishui County is much better than when we first entered Shaanxi. People are plowing the fields.
The official road is also much flatter and wider. If I have to describe it, the one in Baishui is a six-lane asphalt road, while the one at the junction of Baishui is a four-lane cement road. The difference is obvious.
Every few miles you can see a low-lying, waterless reservoir that is a hundred feet long and wide and about one to two feet deep.
Judging from the area and depth of the reservoir, if it is full of water, it can irrigate at least thousands of acres of fields.
"Everyone, many ministers object to me doing this project. The reason is that there is little rain in Shaanxi, with less than two feet of rain every year. Although it is not too short of water, it is definitely not sufficient, so it is almost useless to build this kind of project.
But I still resisted all opinions and insisted on this project that seemed to waste money and people. Do you know why? "
Cao Bianjiao was outspoken and said: "Your Majesty, I heard about it and said that we are providing work in exchange for relief. If it is just disaster relief, the people will easily cause trouble when they are full. Why not find something for them to do!"
Zhou Yuji pondered for a while and said full of doubts: "I thought it was not that simple. Since you are looking for something to do, why not cultivate fertile land?
Or turn over all the existing fertile land to prepare for the coming year? "
Chongzhen smiled and said nothing, looking at Du Yinxi.
Du Yinxi raised his head and looked into the distance, then gestured with the map and frowned for a while.
"Your Majesty, I thought this was not how the accounts were settled."
Everyone became interested instantly, and Chongzhen also looked like he was going to take the exam.
"Your Majesty, it is true that there is little rain in Shaanxi, but there have also been severe floods.
I remember that in the first year of Taiding in the Yuan Dynasty, from June to September, heavy rains continued in Shaanxi, and the Wei River, Heishui River, Feng River, Luoshui River, and Yellow River overflowed successively.
It flooded countless fertile fields and destroyed too many houses.
Although this water conservancy project may not seem to be of much use, it will play a certain role in flood control once such a major waterlogging disaster occurs.
Not to mention using it once in ten years, even if it is used once in twenty years, it is considered a profit!
If you still can't understand, then think about the role of the city wall. It is usually useless, but once foreign enemies invade, the city wall is our last line of defense. "
Everyone was thoughtful, and Hu Dawei said doubtfully: "Master Du, I still don't understand. With the kind of flood you just mentioned, even so many reservoirs won't help!"
Du Yinxi smiled and said: "Master Hu, you have forgotten that there will be a severe drought after the great flood. The water filled with the great flood will be useful at this time.
Moreover, normal rain can also automatically enter this low-lying reservoir, and there is no need to worry about the bank bursting, but irrigation is more troublesome! "
"But it doesn't matter. If there is a water tanker, use the water tanker. If there is no water tanker, just use buckets. If you put in a little effort, you can have enough to eat. This is a good deal!"
Having said this, Du Yinxi lowered his head and took a few steps: "Your Majesty, there are still many things that can be improved in this project, such as planting trees on the bank of the reservoir.
Even as a reminder, it can also fix the embankment and raise some fish, poultry, etc. in the reservoir, increasing people's income and improving their lives. "
"Your Majesty, I believe that this water conservancy project can be promoted throughout the Ming Dynasty, including flood prevention, irrigation, breeding, etc."
Bang... bang...
Chongzhen clapped his hands, his eyes full of approval. This was no longer just analysis, but the ability to summarize and see the overall situation.
After admiring it, Chongzhen looked at everyone: "Everyone, don't be limited in your vision. This is the difference between not having it and having it but not using it. But once you use it, you will make money.
Not only this water conservancy, but also other things, such as food, firearms, troops, etc.
Even if the world becomes peaceful in the future, we must not just let go of Nanshan. Instead, we must intensify our efforts to prepare for war.
Because we are not sure when the enemy will attack. The war between the Ming Dynasty and Jiannu and the decay of the guardhouse are the best illustrations.
No matter at any time, the awareness of being prepared for danger in times of peace should always exist. "
"I will remember His Majesty's teachings!"
Everyone saluted Chongzhen, and the emperor's image became taller and taller in everyone's eyes.
"Okay, let's get back to the topic and talk about water diversion for irrigation. Do you have any good solutions?"
