The beads of blood rolled down the long knife into the water, mixed with the muddy flood water that rushed in from the Guangli Water Gate, and became a sticky blood.

Kou Zhun, Wang Zeng, Li Di and others stepped on the muddy water and climbed the city wall.

The soldiers on the city wall were running down the city in a panic, and when they saw Kou Zhun and the others arriving, they stopped their pace and returned to their sentry posts at the head of the city.

Chen Lin sent a few eunuchs to lie down in the muddy water, ready for Zhao Zhen to step on the human bridge built by the eunuchs.

was stopped by Kou Zhun with a loud voice.

Zhao Zhen could only wade through the muddy water that was no more than his ankles and walked to the edge of the stairs under the city wall.

Koji followed.

Other officials, eunuchs, and palace ladies followed in their footsteps and climbed the city wall together.

on the city walls.

Several generals defending the city had already received the gift, and after Kou Zhun and others climbed the city wall, they took the initiative to greet them.

"The ministers have seen the official family, and they have seen the Taishi......"

Several generals defending the city clasped their fists in unison.

Kou Zhun snatched Zhao Zhen's right to speak, and asked with a frown: "How is the disaster?" ”

Wang Cheng, the guard of Guangli Water Gate, only bowed and said: "Back to Taishi, the flood has submerged the moat outside the city, and it has reached a foot above the city wall. ”

Wang Cheng is only the seventh son of the late Wang Xianqi, the king of Langya County, who is as old as Kou Zhun and is a veteran.

He has experienced the Yellow River bursting several times, so he has a clear judgment on the magnitude of the Yellow River's burst.

If the flood water reaches the city wall one foot above, it means that the flood outside the city does not threaten the city for the time being.

There are walls to block it, and floodwaters will flow along the walls to other places.

Kou Zhun nodded slowly, and said in a deep voice: "Have several water gates been sealed?" ”

Wang Cheng only nodded and said: "When the flood of the Yellow River rushed under the city wall, the lower officials asked the defenders of several water gates to seal the water gates. ”

Kou Zhun let out a sigh of relief and said, "That's good......"

The reason why Kou Zhun chased Wang Cheng only asked questions was to confirm whether Bianjing City was in danger of being submerged.

If Bianjing City is in danger of being submerged, then he will definitely let people evacuate Bianjing City with Zhao Zhen and others first.

Kou Zhun turned around and said to Li Di and the others: "Let's go and have a look." ”

Everyone nodded, and together with Kou Zhun, they went to the battlements of the city wall and looked out of the city.

Outside the city.

Everywhere the eye can see, there is a surging flood.

The flood water hit the trees and rolled in the water.

People and animals, occasionally showing their heads in the flood, will be submerged in an instant by the churning flood before they can call for help.

Some of the people were lying on the door panels in wooden basins, rolling up and down with the floodwaters.

Every second, someone is drowned in a flood.

The cry of despair resounded throughout the city of Bianjing.

The scalp of the listener is numb.

A woman soaked in water, clutching the bucket in her arms, was swept under the city by the flood.

She slapped the flooded walls with all her might, begging for help from the walls.

Without any command, the soldiers at the head of the city threw the rope down, and the woman hurriedly tied the barrel to the rope.

The moment the barrel was tied to the rope, she collapsed weakly in the flood and was swallowed up by the flood.

She struggled in the flood for a long time, and was already exhausted.

She didn't have the strength to climb the section that hung down in front of her, and there was little rope left to climb up to the top of the city.

The soldiers quickly pulled the barrel up.

In the barrel, there was a pink, fleshy, small figure.

He slept soundly.

He had no idea what he had been through.

He didn't know that his parents, with this flood, had disappeared forever from the world.

However.

There are not many people who are lucky enough to be swept under the city like a woman when she is dying.

More people have become floating corpses in the flood.

From afar, you can only see the undulating linen clothes floating on the water.

When a floating corpse mixed with dry wood from the flood gathered under the city.

Li Di was annoyed, "How could the embankment of the Yellow River, which was rebuilt last year, burst?!" ”

Kou Zhun, Wang Zeng and the others had gloomy faces and did not speak.

The other officials also had gloomy faces and did not speak.

"Check it out!"

After Kou Zhun was silent for a long time, he coldly spit out two words.

Wang Zeng said in a cold tone: "What about after you find out?" ”

"Kill!"

Zhao Zhen said tremblingly.

Dead people are not terrible, Zhao Zhen saw dead people when he was very young.

It was an unruly old eunuch in the palace, trying to give him something unknown, and after being caught by Chen Lin, Zhao Heng cut him alive in front of all the eunuchs and palace ladies in the palace.

So Zhao Zhen was not afraid of the dead a long time ago.

But when a pile of dead people appeared in front of him, he was a little afraid.

The floating corpses of humans and the floating corpses of animals are like hell when they loom under the dry wood.

Anyone who sees this scene will have a numb scalp.

Zhao Zhen is no longer the ignorant and innocent boy he was at the beginning, and during the days when he followed Kou Zhun and the three to learn governance, he has more or less learned a lot of government affairs.

From the conversation between the three of them just now, he could probably hear it.

The Yellow River burst its banks, and it is very likely that there are human factors in it.

This flood is a natural disaster.

Then the government and the opposition can only admit it.

But if there is a human factor in it, then these people should be killed.

Kou Zhun and the three of them heard the word 'kill' shouted by Zhao Zhen, and they had no objection.

They acquiesced to Zhao Zhen's statement.

Wang Zeng looked at Kou Zhun and Li Di for a moment, and said coldly: "The old man is also the secretary of the criminal department, and this matter will be handed over to the old man to investigate." ”

didn't wait for Kou Zhun and Li Di to speak.

And the king went down the city wall with a gloomy face.

After Wang Zeng left, Li Di said: "The old man went to assist the household department and the third division to do a good job of comforting the disaster. ”

After saying this, Li Di also left.

Kou Zhun put his hands on his back, looked at the surging flood outside the city, and ordered: "Call Liu Mei, Cao Yu, Cao Wei, Gao Chugong, and Zhu Neng to come over." ”

Chen Lin agreed and went down to summon Liu Mei and the five people.

Chen Lin went down to inform him, and a eunuch rode a horse to find these five people.

Kou Zhun turned around and instructed Wang Chengzhi again: "Send an order to the soldiers of the four gates to rescue the victims who have drifted to the city." ”

Wang Cheng only arched his hand, agreed, and went down to give the order.

Kou Zhun took Zhao Zhen and Kou Ji with them, frowning, staring at the surging flood outside the city.

After a long time.

Zhu Neng took the first step to the city, and after giving the salute, he asked, "What are the instructions for the Taishi to summon the lower officials?" ”

Kou Zhun said in a deep voice: "You are responsible for leading the soldiers and horses of the Dragon God Guard, guarding the imperial city, and preventing anyone from taking advantage of the opportunity to cause chaos." ”

"......"

Zhu Neng agreed, pulled his legs and left.

After Zhu Neng left, Zhao Zhen asked with a small face and a heavy voice: "Taishi, shouldn't you send soldiers and horses to disaster relief at this time?" Why hold on to the Imperial City? I'm not in the palace. ”

Kou Zhun glanced at Zhao Zhen, then looked at Kou Ji, and asked, "Do you know why?" ”

Koji nodded.

Kou Zhun said: "Then it's up to you to solve the doubts of the officials." ”

Kou Ji nodded and said to Zhao Zhen: "Within three days, the flood will not recede, as long as someone instigates, the people will storm the imperial city." ”

Zhao Zhen was stunned and said, "Why? ”

Kou Ji sighed and said with a wry smile: "Because they feel that there is food in the palace." ”

Zhao Zhen was still stunned.

Kou Ji explained: "Bianjing is a large city with a million people, and it consumes countless grains and grass every day. That's why countless grains are brought in from various waterways every day.

Now the flood locks the city.

If the grain can't be transported in, then the grain in Bianjing City will be quickly depleted.

Some profiteers will also take advantage of the opportunity to raise the price of grain to make a profit.

Or they may take advantage of the opportunity to stock up on grain, resulting in signs that there is no food to sell. ”

Zhao Zhen said seriously: "You can spend money to buy grain from the grain merchants and distribute it to the people." ”

When Kou Zhun and Kou Ji's ancestors heard this, they were all stunned.

Kou Zhun glanced at Zhao Zhen and didn't bother to deal with him.

Kou Ji said with a bitter face: "The official family is really merciful. ”

Zhao Zhen was stunned and said, "What else should I do?" ”

Kou Ji said: "There are not many conscientious merchants, if they know that the imperial court will spend money to buy the grain in their hands, they will only raise the price even higher."

The money of the imperial court could not satisfy the desires of the merchants. ”

"People's hearts are insufficient, and desires are difficult to fill?"

Zhao Zhen asked.

Kou Ji nodded and said, "Not bad...... Therefore, when this kind of thing happens, the merchants can only be ordered to hand over the grain, and then compensate them at the market price.

If not...... You can only kill people and get food. ”

Zhao Zhen looked at Kou Zhun and asked, "Taishi also thinks so?" ”

Kou Zhun said coldly: "Not bad! ”

Zhao Zhen pursed his lips and said, "Then let's do it." ”

Immediately, he raised his head again and asked, "If you give the people food, the people won't storm the imperial city, right?" ”

Kou Ji said with a smile: "What if the food in Bianjing City is eaten? ”

Zhao Zhen looked at Kou Ji in amazement.

Kou Ji raised three fingers and said, "Someone once calculated that the grain stored in Bianjing City was only enough for the people to eat for three days. Three days later, except for some wealthy families, most of the people's homes will run out of food.

If the people have no food to eat, they will storm the wealthy families to grab food, and the palace to grab food. ”

Zhao Zhen opened his mouth wide in a daze, unable to speak.

Kou Ji sighed and said, "The flood is terrible, and the people in Bianjing City are even more terrible. ”

When Zhao Zhen heard this, he looked worried.

Koji didn't speak again.

After being silent for a long time, Zhao Zhen said: "Since I can remember, there have been three floods in Bianjing City. Once, my father took me to hide on Gen Mountain in the palace.

Is there no way to save the people in Bianjing City from the suffering of floods once and for all?

If there were no floods, wouldn't the people have made trouble? ”

When Kou Zhun heard this, he frowned and did not speak.

Kou Ji pondered for a moment and said, "Yes, yes, it's just not easy to do." ”

Zhao Zhen asked, "What's the way?" ”

"Move the capital!"

Kou Ji said two words lightly.

Zhao Zhen's eyes widened in vain and froze in place.

After a long time, he asked Kou Ji, "Why did you move the capital?" Isn't it okay to reinforce the embankment of the Yellow River? ”

Kou Ji raised a hand and said, "The riverbed of the Yellow River is here." ”

Kou Ji sank his hand again, and said, "Bianjing City is here." ”

"Do you think the imperial court can create a natural dam to block the flow of water to a lower place?"

Zhao Zhen was stunned and speechless.

Koji didn't speak again.

If you want to solve the trouble that the Yellow River has brought to the people of the capital, there is no second way except to move the capital.

After all, the riverbed of the Yellow River is much higher than that of Bianjing City, and almost the same as the Tieta Temple, the tallest building in Bianjing.

As long as the Yellow River floods and floodwaters into Bianjing, it is inevitable.

Therefore, if you want to solve this trouble once and for all, the only way is to move the capital.

And moving the capital is not a trivial matter.

It's not something that can be done with just a sentence or two.

There are countless entanglements of interests involved in the middle.

Unless Zhao Zhen can control all the power of the imperial court, and then move the capital with a resolute attitude.

Otherwise, it can't be done at all.

After Liu Mei arrived, Kou Ji instructed Liu Mei to let Liu Mei lead the people of the Imperial City Division and cooperate with Li Di to post a list in the city to calm the people and do a good job of pacifying the people after the disaster.

Then Cao Yong, Cao Wei and others also arrived.

Kou Zhun ordered them to take the soldiers of the forbidden army to help the victims outside the city as much as possible after the flood waters receded.

At the same time, they also had to cooperate with the grain merchants who were blocked by the flood outside the city to transport the grain into Bianjing City as soon as possible.

Avoid food shortages and unrest among the people.

After Liu Mei, Cao Yong and others received the order, they were not ambiguous and immediately went to prepare.

It's night.

Kou Zhun took Kou Ji and Zhao Zhen to live in the city gate building on the Dailou Gate.

The flood does not recede, and he does not plan to let Zhao Zhen return to the palace.

Because once Zhao Zhen returned to the palace, if there was turmoil in Bianjing City, it would be difficult for him to come up with it.

Kou Ji guessed that the reason why Kou Zhun took Zhao Zhen with him was probably not just to prevent the people from unresting.

It is also possible to prevent Zhao Yuanyan from taking the opportunity to mutiny.

Zhao Yuanyan's wolf ambitions, after being exposed by Kou Ji, Kou Zhun, Li Di, and Wang Zeng have sent people to secretly investigate.

Some clues have been discovered.

Before he could show enough feet, Kou Zhun had to guard against this person.

After Kou Ji went down at night, he sent someone back to Kou Mansion and told Xiang Yan that the flood would not spread to Bianjing City for the time being, so she didn't need to panic and just hold Kou Mansion safely.

After sending someone to inform Xiang Yan, Kou Ji had nothing to do.

He accompanied Kou Zhun and Zhao Zhen to stay in the city gate building for one night.

Early the next morning.

In a burst of crying, Kou Ji woke up faintly.

When he poked his head out of the city gate building, he saw that Wang Zeng had escorted a group of officials up to the city wall.

Those officials cried very miserably, shouting that they were wronged.

Wang Zeng didn't pay attention to them, but walked up to Kou Zhun and Zhao Zhen, and said in a deep voice: "Officials, Taishi, the embankment of the Yellow River has collapsed, and it is really related to these thieves."

After a detailed investigation by Lao Chen last night, they all embezzled the money for the construction of the embankment of the Yellow River last year.

A total of 156,400 quintals. ”

"Official! There is no corruption among the ministers! ”

"Officials, ministers and others are wronged!"

“……”

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