The spring breeze in February is like scissors.

The branches of the willow trees beside the road and by the river have become green in the gentle sunlight. The new leaves flutter like silk in the breeze with the newborn wicker. Like willows, poplars, locust trees and other trees are also in the spring breeze

Only the trees planted deep in the soil can sprout smoothly, but the shallower flowers and plants are as yellow and withered as the crops in the ground. In addition to the trees that give birth to tender green branches and leaves, it is difficult to see spring on the vast land, and the warm breeze in February brings up not spring, not the fragrance of flowers and plants, but the sand and dust that splits the head and covers.

The sky was gray and tinged with an earthy yellow that made people feel oppressive and boring. Looking up, the sun hanging high above the zenith of the sky was a little blurred in the gray clouds.

With the jingling of bells, a team of horses emerged from the gray mist. In the weather with poor vision, the horse team walked very slowly. Everyone in the team wore cloaks, and several of them even wore masks.

The mask was originally used in the vivid operation of traditional Chinese medicine in the sanatorium created by Han Gang. Last year, when Lei Jian, a medical officer of the Imperial Medical Bureau who had been taught by Hanoka in Kansai, began to set up a sanatorium in the city of Tokyo, the medical system spread to the capital with him. I don't know when the equipment used in the sanatorium has been circulating in Beijing, including masks.

On dusty days, in the streets and alleys of Tokyo, you can already see people wearing masks and hurrying by from time to time. On roads outside the city, riders on horseback wear a higher percentage of masks – dust-protected hoods are easily blown off at high speeds, far less practical than masks. And the average man rarely likes to wear a hat and other things that women use for a long time.

However, Zeng Bu did not wear a mask, and he was not used to the feeling of covering his mouth with several layers of fine linen. Turning his head to avoid the oncoming dust, he asked, "How long is it until we reach White Horse County?" ”

The servant who followed closely stepped forward: "If you go back to the bachelor, you have just passed the boundary monument, and now it is in Baima County." ”

Lu Huiqing raised her hand to tear off half of the mask, and said with a smile: "Why should Zixuan be anxious? Zhong Yuan also said that he would be able to see the county seat in two hours at most. ”

The king bowed his head and rode on his horse, and remained silent. It's not because he is surrounded by two handsome men who are rare to see in the world, which puts a lot of pressure on him. It's that he didn't sleep well last night, and he didn't have the energy to go on the road today.

Zeng Bu and Lu Huiqing were ordered to leave Beijing and set off at the same time as Wang Bei. However, Zeng Lu and the others went to Xiangdu City, Hebei Province to inspect the disaster. And Wang Fang is going to Baima County, just by the way.

Walking from Beijing to the Yellow River, the situation in several counties along the way is very bad. The land of the Gyeonggi generation has always been fertile, but what we are seeing now cannot but be worried. There is no green at all in the wheat field, only the same gray and yellow as the earth. You can see many farmers walking between the fields with sad faces, and some are already standing in the fields, throwing water into the fields with scoops. Just carrying a bucket of water to water the fields is a drop in the bucket, and the parched land is poured down to the thirsty throat, and the water disappears in the blink of an eye.

However, after arriving in this section of Baima County, the fields on the roadside are as dry as before, but it is very convenient for the people to get water to irrigate the fields. Many of them are shaking a wooden pole up and down, and then there is water flowing out continuously, although the water is not much, but it is better than the long flow of fine water, unlike the wooden barrel to go down the well to lift water, and only a bucket of water comes up slowly.

However, water is not always drawn directly from wells, and some fields do not depend on wells. But in those fields, you can also see groups of farmers coming from a distance to carry water, putting buckets of water on the top of the fields, and a group of old and weak people guarding the fields will take the water in the buckets and start watering a piece of land at the same time. Scoop after scoop of water was poured into the field, and soon one field was watered thoroughly, and then it was changed to water another field.

It can be seen from the boundary monuments erected on the fields that several fields are not one. But the men, women, and children who watered the fields did not distinguish between you and me, and watered the fields without discrimination. If this is the case for just one piece of land, it can be said that the local people spontaneously organized themselves to help each other. But as they gradually approached the county seat of Baima, every piece of land that Lu Huiqing and Zeng Bu saw, how many people came out together to water a field at the same time.

"Han Yukun's ability to manage things is indeed surprising." Lu Huiqing has been a magistrate, and he knows how troublesome it is for him to organize the people to help each other: "If you can judge the 30-year backlog of cases within seven days of taking office, talented people are really different." ”

Lu Huiqing knew that Zeng Bu didn't like Han Gang's style of acting, but he wouldn't praise it less in front of Zeng Bu.

Lu Huiqing wore a mask and said so much, which made Zeng Bu frown slightly, and then just looked at the farming in the field, but didn't reply half a word.

But beside the king, he said with some pride: "At present, the wind has not yet been used, and if the windmill can be installed on the well and draw water from the wind, the water can flow directly from the ditch into the ground, so that there is no need for so many old and weak people to come out and work." ”

By his father and brother, the king found two carpenters in the capital who could build windmills, and now they are with the team. One of them is also the fourth grandson of Yu Hao, a famous craftsman at the beginning of the country, and is an ancestral carpenter's craft.

Think of that Yu Hao, who served as the master of the imperial court, and is known as Yu Duliu. There are three volumes of "Wood Scripture" handed down, it is a necessary book for today's carpenters to build a pagoda, and among the craftsmen of the Great Song Dynasty, he is a first-class figure like a public loser, and some people even directly say that he is the reincarnation of Luban.

In the capital, the wooden tower of Kaibao Temple that was burned down in the Qingli period is as high as 36 zhang, and it is built by Yu Hao. When the wooden pagoda of Kaibao Temple was built, it was inclined to the northwest. When asked why, Yu Hao said that there are many northwest winds in the capital, and although it is tilting to the northwest now, it will blow right within a hundred years. When the tower was burned, the tower had already been blown right, and it was exactly 100 years before it was built.

Zeng Lu and the others both knew Lu Dao Han Gang's plans, and they also knew what Lu Dao had brought out next to the king this time. In order to solve the drought, it is really rare to see a magistrate like Han Gang, who has worked as hard as Han Gang, and rumors that hundreds of wells were opened in the county in one go in order to water the fields can also be heard in the capital. From the news from the palace, Zhao Ji, the son of heaven, praised it a lot, praising Han Gang's loyalty to the country, which can be an example of a pro-people official.

From a distance, I saw a team of people coming from the front, just looking at the queue, it was also considered to be neat. An official in a green robe took the lead, and the king's eyes were sharp, and he raised his hand as soon as he saw the arrival: "It's Yukun here!" ”

Han Gang, who welcomed the guests, as well as Zeng Bu, Lu Huiqing and Wang Bei, who were guests, greeted each other and went to the county seat together.

Han Gang always felt that something was wrong with Zeng Bu and Lu Huiqing suddenly being sent out together. For this appointment of the Son of Heaven, he has a little bad thoughts. The two of them are Wang Anshi's most important assistants, and now they are sent out together, and Wang Anshi in the capital is lonely. Thinking about what is being entangled in the court now, maybe Zhao Ji cut people from Wang Anshi's side in order to protect the grain merchants. Perhaps it is also possible that they wanted Wang Anshi and his comrades to see what Hebei was like under their rule, so that Wang Anshi could resign himself......

Han Gang thought like this, and shook his head secretly. Maybe he is too conspiracy theory, maybe it's just that Zhao Xu, the son of heaven, simply trusts Zeng Bu and Lu Huiqing, thinking that they can report the facts to the letter.

The news that Zeng and Lu were going to cross the border had reached Baima County two days ago, so today Han Gang went out of the city early in the morning to greet them - in the middle of the way, he also took a look at the drought situation in several villages along the way - whether it was a temporary inspection envoy or the customary road supervision department to inspect the place, he would send someone to notify the state and county in advance. If there is no notice, an official suddenly appears, and it is difficult to check the authenticity.

Han Gang talked to the three of them along the way, and felt that the relationship between Zeng Bu and Lu Huiqing was a little delicate. But Han Gang can also understand that the status of the two is gradually declining, and the dispute between Yu Liang must be inevitable - although the Sang family Wazi in Tokyo City said that the ancestor of three points is very famous, but Han Gang only went to Beijing for the first time to listen to it, and he didn't hear a doorway - I don't know if the joke of Sanqi Zhou Yu appeared at this time. But since Su Shi wrote words to praise Zhou Yu in the future, most of them have not been circulated.

To be honest, Han Gang sometimes has a prank mind, thinking of writing a famous article in advance and using anonymous means to write it in temples or some places of interest. Although he couldn't remember all the famous passages, he still remembered the important words and phrases very well. As long as it is written in advance, the one who is now in Hangzhou is about to expire will suffer a loss. But forget it, Su Shi has been outside for the past few years, and it can be regarded as suffering, so there is no need to fall into the well again. For this famous writer, Han Gang still maintains a bit of respect.

Riding a horse, I soon saw the head of the city of Baima County, and in front of the city was a camp of homeless people who had just been built and surrounded by an earthen wall.

Lu Huiqing straightened up on his horse, looked at the camp for a while, and turned around and said, "I heard that Yukun has set up four or five homeless camps in the county. With this arrangement, presumably after the Hebei refugees come to the south, the minister can also feel at ease. ”

Han Gang was waiting to be modest, but Zeng Bu said: "There are tens of thousands of displaced people in Hebei, I don't know if you have enough preparation in Yukun." ”

"Don't worry about the displaced people for the time being."

"It seems that Yukun is really confident!" Lu Huiqing said with a smile.

"Huh." Han Gang laughed twice self-deprecatingly, "It's not that I believe in myself, but I believe in the Yellow River." ”

Zeng Bu and Lu Huiqing both laughed when they heard this: "I see." ”

Wang was puzzled, but when he looked at Zeng Bu and Lu Huiqing, he understood when he heard it, and he was embarrassed to dull himself

Han Gang glanced at Wang, who had not reacted for a while, looked back at the front and sighed, "The Yellow River has begun to thaw now, and the ice surface has cracked a lot. Originally, the road on the ice was impassable three days ago, but it will take at least half a month for boats to walk on the river. It was almost not until late February that the southward movement of the displaced people began. As he spoke, Han Gang looked at Zeng Bu and Lu Huiqing again, "It is impossible for the bachelor and the inspector to cross the river and cross the river in Baimadu, so they have to make a detour to the northeast." ”

"Of course." Lu Huiqing nodded, "The journey is originally so fixed. ”