Dahan Huaidong Road, Sizhou, Xuyi, Juankou.

Juankou is the confluence of the Huai River, belongs to the river hub, it is high in autumn, the climate is refreshing, the cool breeze blows the vegetation on the bank, brings the moisture of the river, some wet and cold.

There are flat boats in the water, and the river workers on both sides of the river are intensive, and at a cursory glance, there are thousands of people, and dredging and dredging are being carried out. A large amount of sediment and falling objects are salvaged and bagged for transport, accompanied by country tunes, a scene in full swing.

The shore was occupied by the officers for protection. A group of officials in charge of the government will gather here, led by Wang Pu, the political envoy of Huaidong, who has personally patrolled the front line several times.

When the drought hit, the situation was most serious in Hao, Si, Chu and other places. At this time, the attendants were on the side, and the officials in charge of Sizhou basically came.

The governor of Sizhou is the king's book, and he has not long been in office. As a person delegated by the Son of Heaven, the speed of promotion cannot be slow, and Huainan is a place of use, with many opportunities. After less than two years as the magistrate, he was promoted to the governor of Sizhou.

It is not fortunate that as soon as he was reassigned, he was not familiar with it before he was familiar with it, and he was faced with the drought in Huainan. During this period of time, in accordance with the decrees of the imperial court and the Daotai, and the relief of the people, Wang Pu has been running around, bowing to his own affairs, and he has been so busy that his feet do not touch the ground.

This time, Wang Pu went north again to inspect the matter, and when he heard the call, he put down his job in the state government, hurried out of the city, and crossed the river to come. For Wang Pu, he didn't dare to slack off at all.

In less than two years, Wang Pu established a very high majesty in Huaidong, and there were no fearless officials. Just because he used it strictly and justly, he never was soft and lenient, and then the government decrees were frequent, and those who neglected were punished for it, so that the state officials were nervous in their brains, for fear that Wang Pu would find out the omission and apply for punishment.

Because Wang Shu was born in the imperial front and was at an important stage of his career, he didn't dare to slack off.

"Prince, in the section of the river near Xuyi, the lower officials have summoned more than 3,000 people to carry out dredging, which is carried out in three sections, and now it has been cleaned for more than 40 miles!" At this time, seeing Wang Pu staring at the river workers who were dredging expressionlessly, he took the initiative to report and was very careful.

"Good progress!" Wang Pu nodded and asked: "Huaishui runs through Sizhou, and the people in the territory rely on its benefits. ”

"What the prince said is true! The government issued a proclamation, and the fishermen, river workers, and ordinary people in the territory all actively responded to the call! Wang Shu said: "The people beg for a living through Huaishui, and naturally they also understand the truth!" ”

"At present, in the territory of Dahan, floods are rampant, and the Yellow River and the Yangtze River are prone to flash floods. The imperial court also issued an edict, although the drought is solved, it is also necessary to pay attention to the flood disaster and be vigilant! Wang Pu said.

Wang Zhuzhu arched his hand: "After receiving the order, don't dare to slack off." In addition, there are people's husbands, money and grain, and the river is easy to reinforce!

Looking at Wang Shu, the two-year experience of state and county governance has obviously made him grow a lot. Wang Pu still had a straight face, but nodded rarely, and said: "Let the people have a place to live, food and clothing to rely on, the land will not be wasted, the people will be relieved of their worries, the matter will be judged by the public, and then prepare for disasters, which is enough to be cured!" ”

This is Wang Pu mentioning to Wang Zhu, Wang Shu knows, with a little smile on his face: "Thank you for the teachings of the prince!" Always keep it in mind! ”

Bowing slightly, Wang Pu didn't make a big deal about this matter, and didn't say anything more.

Two subordinate officials and several servants ran forward when they landed on the shore, and Wang Pu immediately asked, "How deep is the water?" ”

The first person said: "Envoy, subordinates, etc., choose a few places and test their depth." Right now, the shallowest area of the river is nearly six feet long, enough for a boat! ”

As he spoke, he also lifted the measuring benchmark, pointed to the mark, and showed it to Wang Pu for inspection. Wang Pu also looked at it carefully, and then ordered: "You can be notified that Huaiyan has lost the north!" ”

"Yes!"

"Don't stand with me, you guys don't have to stand with me, in this emergency, there should be a lot of things in the state." Glancing at Bi Gong Bi Jing Sizhou's subordinates, Wang Zhi waved his hand and said lightly.

All the officials were stunned, but when Wang Shu saw this, he reprimanded lightly: "Didn't you hear the words of the envoy clearly?" Each to his duty, to each his own business, not to go! ”

"Yes! Retire from the lower officials! That's when I realized.

As soon as he was a Sizhou official, he tensed his body and retreated respectfully. When they had gone away, they had just relaxed, and one of them, glancing at the river, couldn't help but complain: "This king is really not a good person, he is too harsh, and he is not close to people. With such a Shangguan, it is difficult to have a good life! ”

"Huh!" Hearing his words, a person next to him couldn't help sneering and saying: "The king makes it difficult for the king to get along with, and that is also the one who should be difficult to know the state. If it weren't for the drought this time, would you be able to see its dignity? When you see it, how do you know your name? So, it's not up to you to worry about practicality! ”

"But!" said, this engaged in revealing a touch of banter: "If my brother does something that violates the law and discipline, is appalling, and hurts the heavens and reason, he may be famous for the ears of the king......

"You guy, why are you so vicious, are you slandering me!" The complaining governor was immediately furious.

"How dare you! How dare you! I just think that I think too highly of myself......"

The discussion of the state officials had nothing to do with Wang Pu, and he and Wang Zhu walked to the dredging and mud servants, and temporarily built a tent to perch in. Although it is not dirty, it is especially simple, with wooden rafts closely connected to protect from the wind, and a thick layer of withered grass on the bamboo bed to keep out the cold.

Sitting down directly, Wang Pu looked at Wang Shu and said: "It is about to enter winter, and the climate is getting cold. In addition, I have seen that the people, whoever drinks the water of the river for convenience, must refrain from worms. Whenever water is taken should be boiled before drinking. You have also accompanied His Majesty on the southern expedition, how could you be negligent in this matter? ”

In the face of Wang Pu's questioning, Wang Shu felt innocent for a while, if it was in the past, he would have defended, but at this time, he just gave up his hand and said: "It is because the supervision of the lower officials is not strict, and it must be strengthened!" ”

Wang Pu is still satisfied with Wang's attitude. Of course, in this matter, Wang Shu was actually a little helpless, and he was banned, and the original intention was also for the good of the people themselves. However, ordinary fools, where can they listen to it, and they don't have that awareness, of course, how to come conveniently, how to get used to it.

It is not possible for the king, on his side, to whip him and fine him money because the people drink the water of the river raw. Therefore, even now, in the Han Dynasty, it is only in the army that it is forbidden to drink raw water, and it is only in the army that it is forbidden to drink......

Wang Pu also seemed to have some understanding, so he didn't dwell on this matter, and ordered a servant to be summoned to inquire about the people's situation. In front of the officials, the dignified and formidable Wang envoy finally put on a kind face when facing a small country people.

"The old man is a native of Xuyi? How many people are in the family? What do you do for a living? ”

"Exactly. There is a wife, two sons, a daughter and a daughter-in-law in the family, a total of six people! The villain and the eldest child farm at home, and the government allocated 20 acres of land to my family last year. The second son didn't like farming, so he worked as a boatman in Huaishang and ran boats from north to south. This time, the government recruited laborers, brought the eldest son, and came to desilt together......"

"A family of six, can you have enough to eat?" After listening, Wang Pu asked softly.

The old man was stunned, a little puzzled. Seeing this, Wang Pu was in a trance, but he didn't understand, so he changed the question: "Is the damage to the acres serious due to the drought this autumn?" ”

At the mention of this, the somewhat restrained old man suddenly let go, his emotions were a little excited, and the country accent was heavier and said: "The wheat is more necrotic, and it is seven or eighty percent less." This drought, even if it is only a month late, can be harvested......"

"There are five or six people in the family, can they have surplus food for the winter?"

The old man replied: "In the past two years, the imperial court has reduced the autumn tax, and this time it was affected by the disaster, and it was tax-free, which is enough to survive the winter!" ”

Listening to the relaxed meaning in the old Chinese tone, Wang Pu also smiled a little, and asked another question that he had asked many people: "The old man thinks, is the current Han official mansion better, or the former pseudo-Tang official mansion?" ”

No matter how foolish the people are, they also know what to say, although Wang Pu is not wearing formal clothes, Wang is wearing an official robe.

However, this old man's answer was simple and a little sincere: "Of course it's the Han Mansion?" ”

"Why? Is it because of the division of fields? Because of the abolition of miscellaneous contributions? Because of tax cuts? Wang Pu asked three times in a row.

"Both!" The old man nodded, and put forward another point: "More than two years ago, Huainan also had a drought, and there was no harvest in the fields. It was still the Han court at that time that allowed the people of Huainan to cross the river to Huaibei to buy rations, which saved many people.

There was another drought this year, and the imperial court exempted the autumn tax, not to mention, and those in difficulty at home still have ...... to help"

After listening to the old man's answer, Wang Pu smiled again, and his smile became more and more kind.