"Father, I have a solution. We can ...... like this," He Zhiyuan said his thoughts.

He Shaoyun was surprised when he heard this: "Is this possible?" ”

"Guaranteed."

The next day, the lieutenant chiefs and the chiefs of the villages downstream came to He Shaoyun's house to discuss the repair of the reservoir.

Since there is more than one village with water shortage, water shortage has become a major problem that plagues grain production almost every year. In these years, every family is short of food, and it is the dream of several generations to build the reservoir. After several dam collapses, the villages did not dare to mention the matter again.

Yesterday, after hearing from He Lichang that there was a way to solve the collapse of the embankment, everyone became interested in repairing the reservoir, after all, this is a grain bag that affects every household. So today, people are very gathered, and even the clan elders who are not the elders of the Li Changjia have to come to listen. Before He Shaoyun started to speak, everyone was talking about it, and there was a noise in the room.

He Shaoyun saw that everyone was coming, coughed loudly heavily, and said to everyone: "Everyone be quiet, listen to me about the construction of the reservoir." Two days ago, Zhiyuan and I discussed repairing the reservoir again, and he said that the reservoir that had been repaired before was not up to standard, so the embankment broke in the summer. He is a talent and reads a lot, let's listen to his thoughts. ”

When everyone heard that Xiucai Gong was going to speak, they immediately stopped talking, and they all quieted down to listen to He Zhiyuan.

He Zhiyuan stood up, nodded to everyone, and then said: "Fellow villagers, all villages have repaired reservoirs in recent years, but each village has insufficient labor, and it is impossible to repair qualified reservoirs in winter and spring, so it will be repaired in spring and burst the embankment in summer." It is wasted in vain and causes flooding. ”

"You say unqualified, where are you unqualified?" When Lu Li heard this, he was a little unconvinced, and then asked.

"The first is that the dikes are too narrow and not compacted, and such dikes are not strong at all. Secondly, there are no flood ditches on both sides of the embankment, and the sluice gate is too small to overflow the embankment when the rainstorm is heavy. Thirdly, there is no stone slope on the inner slope of the embankment, and there is no grass on the outer slope. Such a dam is blistered by water, forming a "pipe gush" and leaking, and it is easy for the embankment to burst. ”

"There is so much knowledge about building a reservoir?" Chief Ruri asked.

"This knowledge is available in ancient books on river affairs and water conservancy, and I also learned it from books." In fact, all modern people know this knowledge. He Zhiyuan can only pretend to see it from ancient books now, anyway, these people are illiterate and can't get to the bottom of it.

Everyone listened to He Zhiyuan's explanation and basically understood. Everyone thanked them one after another, saying that when the reservoir was repaired again, it would be repaired according to He Zhiyuan's method.

At this time, He Shaoyun said: "I invite you here today, not just to talk to you about this. The important thing is to discuss the matter of our villages working together to build the reservoir. ”

"Partnering to build a reservoir? How to partner? ”

"My idea is that starting this spring, each village will produce young and strong laborers according to households, starting with the reservoir in our village." He Shaoyun said.

The lieutenants of the other villages suddenly stopped doing it, and they all shouted one after another.

"In the past, each village repaired the reservoir in each village, so why did it build it together this year?"

"That is, why do you let other villages contribute labor when your village repairs a reservoir?"

"Even if it's a partnership, then why start with your village first?"

At this time, He Zhiyuan stood up again and said loudly: "Fellow villagers, listen to me. ”

When everyone saw that Xiucai Gong was about to speak, they quieted down. He Zhiyuan continued:

"This reservoir repair is a big project, especially the repair of a qualified reservoir, and it is not something that can be completed by the labor of a village in winter and spring. Therefore, it is the best way for each village to work together. ”

"As for why we started in our village, it's because our village is at the top of the river. Could it be that this reservoir should start not from the upstream, but from the downstream? Even if you can start from the downstream and there is no upstream reservoir to store water, when the summer rain comes, can this downstream reservoir alone withstand the impact of heavy floods? Therefore, it is still necessary to start from the upstream to repair reasonable and insurance. In addition, the upstream reservoir has been repaired, and the villages downstream can also use the water from the reservoir. ”

"There are 1,500 acres of land downstream of your village, and when your village is watered, the water in the reservoir is almost exhausted, so can it be our turn downstream?" The impatient Lu Li asked.

"We plan to build a big reservoir this time, which will be at least twice as big as the last one. In this way, at least 5,000 acres of land can be watered. If our village is repaired this year, we can repair Luli Chang Village this winter, and we can repair Liuli Chang Village next year. In five or six years, all six of our villages will have reservoirs. He Zhiyuan replied.

As soon as everyone heard this, He Zhiyuan also made sense, especially Lu Lichang, who heard that their village could be repaired this winter. Quickly said, "Okay, I agree with this method." ”

Liu Lichang thought for a while and asked, "You said that if you want to build a reservoir that is twice as big as last time, how much labor will it take?" How long does it take? ”

He Shaoyun took over and said, "I have calculated, we plan to use 2,000 young and strong laborers to repair it in three months. There are a total of 350 young laborers from your five villages, and 150 young laborers from our village. The rest of our village is ready to spend money to hire people. ”

At this time, Ge Yuliang from the village was shocked when he heard it. Our village was just flooded last year, how can we have the money to build a reservoir? I couldn't help asking, "He Lichang, have you ever calculated how much silver you need?" Can our village afford it? ”

"Chief Ge Jia, let's discuss this matter later, and first settle the matter of cooperating in the construction of the reservoir." He Shaoyun said.

The other lieutenants saw that He Shaoyun and his son were already confident, and felt that this matter was also feasible. They agreed to the method of building the reservoir in partnership.

He Shaoyun saw that everyone had no problems, so he took out the yellow calendar and checked it, and decided to start construction on the twentieth day of the first month. Then the chiefs of the villages took their leave.

After the people from each village left, the elders of the Elder A clan in the village began to ask He Shaoyun and his son.

First of all, Ge Yuliang asked eagerly: "He Lichang, you didn't discuss it in advance. Just set such a big thing. Have you ever calculated how much silver you need? ”

"I have calculated, 1,500 hired laborers need more than 6,000 taels of silver for three months."

"There are a total of eighty or ninety households in our village, and each household costs an average of sixty or seventy taels of silver. Ge Yuliang asked.

"Ge Yuliang, you don't have to worry, I have a way."

"What's the solution?"

"Sell land!"

"Selling land?"

As soon as everyone heard it, the land was the lifeblood of the farmers, the land was sold, and the land was confiscated, so what was the use of repairing the reservoir?

"No, no, no, resolutely."

Everyone objected, and some of them yelled: "I said He Shaoyun, this is the way you came up with?" You can figure it out, if you sell the land, what kind of life will you take, what is the use of repairing this reservoir, isn't it just to build the reservoir to harvest more grain? ”

At this time, He Zhiyuan spoke: "Don't worry, everyone, listen to me." ”

As soon as He Zhiyuan said this, everyone quieted down. He went on to say, "When my father says he sells land, he doesn't sell the land he is planting. It's the woodland on both sides of the official road. ”

"That land is only 300 acres, if it is a paddy field in the south, it is ten taels of silver per acre, but this kind of forest land is not even worth half of the money." The royal patriarch said as he calculated.

"These 300 acres of forest land will be sold to me at a price of 1,500 taels at a price of 5,500 acres, even if each family has made up this 1,500 taels of money and grain, and my family has paid 1,500 laborers' money and grain, what do you think?"

Everyone heard that there is no need for each household to pay any more silver, but just sell the forest land that cannot be planted, and the land price of five taels of silver is already a high price, most of the people agreed and thanked He Shaoyun one after another, after all, this is already a great love. At this time, the always shrewd royal patriarch asked: "The eldest son of the He family, your family suffered a disaster last year, where can you have so much money and food?" Don't delay the construction of the reservoir. ”

"This is natural, since I dare to agree, I have this certainty."

At this time, the patriarch Wang said: "Your family bought this 300 acres of forest land, I don't know what it was for?" Is it to cut down trees and plant the land? ”

"Trees are going to be cut, but it's hard to say whether to plant or not."

At this time, a captain said: "This tree can't be cut down, although your family bought the woodland, but if this forest is cut down, it will be dangerous to come to our village in Tartar again." ”

"Uncle Wang, you're thinking too much." He Zhiyuan smiled and said to the captain: "It has been more than a hundred years since Hong Wuye established the Ming Dynasty, and he has never been to Tartar. On the official road from Juzhou to Yizhou, which is one hundred and sixty or seventy miles, there are not many villages with forests on both sides of the official road. Some villages have also moved to live on both sides of the official road. The Ming Dynasty is now prosperous, and it will not come to Tartar again in two hundred years, and this tree will be cut down. ”

When everyone heard He Zhiyuan say this, they felt that it made sense, and they all agreed, and the first captain no longer objected. The patriarch then said, "Since you want to cut down the trees, cut them all." I think the trees that have been cut down should go to their families. Your family doesn't care about this. ”

He Zhiyuan felt funny in his heart, just your royal patriarch is shrewd. This forest was cut down and sold for timber, and it had to be sold for three or four hundred taels of silver. However, he had no intention of asking for these trees, and was worried about hiring someone to cut them, so he thought of this and said, "Okay, there is no hurry in this matter, and it will be too late to cut down the reservoir after repairing it." ”

Except for a little less forest land that could not be planted, each family did not lose anything, and they could also get a few taels of silver. Everyone was satisfied.

Later, He Shaoyun took out the soap and distributed it to everyone and said: "This is the soap made in my workshop, and I will give everyone a piece, and I will wash it very cleanly after washing it." I took it to the Zhouji grocery store in the city yesterday and sold it for 80 wen a piece, and I estimate that they sell it for at least 200 wen. If you use it well, help me spread the word about it. ”

When everyone heard it, such an expensive thing was rejected one after another.

"It's all from the same village, don't shirk it, just accept it. I have something to tell you. ”