After the rain, the Yellow River is turbulent and turbid.

The river, which was originally only in the center of the riverbed, was about to overflow in front of the embankment, and it was about to start hitting the Yellow River embankment that had just been rammed for a short time.

The surging torrent in the river is from the autumn flood in Shaanxi and western Beijing, and the sound of the waves is like thunder. Although the surging Yellow River is still more than half a zhang away from the embankment, it is three or four zhang higher than the ground in Baima County on the other side. If the levee breaks, the torrent will run across the land outside the levee, and there will be no more terrain to stop it.

After standing on the embankment and looking down for a long time, ordinary people will inevitably feel a little dizzy and have weak feet. And Han Gang led a group of people to walk on the embankment, which was a little wider than the ordinary official road, and he was also very careful to walk in the middle, trying to stay away from the river. If such a torrent falls into the water, there is no way to save it.

At this time, the embankment of the Yellow River has lost the excitement of a few months, and looking at the past, this section of the embankment is deserted, and there are only more than 30 people in Han Gang and his party.

Just a month ago, a section of the embankment in Baima County was completed ahead of schedule, and although the height was only increased by three to five feet, the thickness was increased by an average of one-third.

The main body of the wide embankment is still loess, but the outer layer is made of lime, river sand and clay mixed with a triple soil, which is thickly rammed, and now it is as hard as a stone, not afraid of blisters. Walking on the embankment that had just rained, the soles of the wooden boots snatched and sounded, like stepping on a stone road, and there was no mud at all.

Han Gang walked along the embankment for a while, and was very satisfied with the quality of the project. As long as the perennial maintenance is carried out, the main body of the embankment should be no problem for thirty or fifty years.

Wang was tired of walking, stopped, and said to Han Gang: "Today, another group of displaced people went north to return to their hometowns. I'm afraid that before winter, all the people will be gone, and there will be no way to build an inner embankment. ”

said so, but the expression on the face of the king was completely different from what he said, and he smiled with relief.

"Freedom comes and goes." Han Gang also smiled very relaxedly.

The refugees are gradually returning north to their hometowns to sow seeds, which means that his task of pacifying the displaced people is coming to an end, and a whole year of hard work has now come to an end. In the future, if you want to build an inner embankment, it is no problem to use money to recruit local people, and you don't need to rush to use displaced people to complete it this year.

Fang Xing followed: "Now the construction of the outer embankments of Luoyang and Daimyo has not been completed, and most of the north bank has not even started. With the current progress, without three or five years, the outer embankment cannot be built, and the inner embankment is difficult to use. ”

"However, the imperial court has rarely made up its mind to reorganize the river defense, even if it takes many years and hundreds of millions of dollars of money and grain, the Son of Heaven should be willing." Wang looked at the rolling torrent, and after more than half a year of hard work, his expression was a little more deep and steady, "If the flood can no longer be a problem, the people of Gyeonggi should be willing to contribute." ”

"When I go back, I have to think about what I will do next year." Han Gang said, looking up to see the dark clouds in the sky and the rain was about to rain again, so he began to walk back, "Although the Hebei side can be planted, it still has to save the last year's famine." And here in Kaifeng, it's all the same. The relief work will have to continue until the harvest in May next year. ”

You Yu sighed: "If it weren't for the locust plague, the spring wheat harvest in Baima County would not have been used until the end of the year. ”

Fang Xing said: "Fortunately, the rain fell at the right time, otherwise you would only be able to eat until the winter moon." ”

Because of the locusts, the harvest of spring wheat in Baima County is only half of what it should be. Just a bit of luck, the spring wheat in the county had just been harvested and dried before it began to rain. If the rain had fallen two days earlier, another precious amount of grain would have been lost.

Wang said: "In the whole Kaifeng, the situation in Baima County is already the best. In other counties, almost no spring wheat was harvested. ”

"Let's go back and talk about these things." Han Gang said.

After getting off the embankment from the position of the upper embankment, Han Gang and his party rode on horses towards the county seat. At this time, it was about to be evening, and the smoke in the two homeless camps passing by was much less than in previous days, and Han Gang did not get off his horse and went in to check, but passed by in front of the door.

When we arrived at the county seat, it was already dark, but the rain had not yet fallen.

Han Gang entered the Yamen of the Tidian Division, and Wei Pingzhen, who stayed behind, greeted him. While Han Gang was talking to him, he was about to go to the public hall, and Wang said, "The second sister is about to give birth, Yukun, you should accompany her more." It's not too late to deal with the affairs in the yamen tomorrow. As soon as I get the paperwork, I'll send it to Yukun when it's finished. ”

Wang said so, Fang Xing, You Alcohol, and Wei Pingzhen nodded yes one after another.

Wang Yi has reached the due date at this time, holding her belly, and she may give birth at any time. Han Gang was also worried in his heart, and he didn't shirk the kindness of a few people next to the king, and nodded, "I'm sorry to bother you." ”

Fang Xing said with a smile: "There will be an official to do, and he is willing to be tired." ”

Wei Ping was really steady and reserved, but after listening to Fang Xing's words, he couldn't help but smile a little.

Now it is certain that Han Gang will inevitably be rewarded for his efforts in relocating the displaced people. And Fang Xing, Wei Pingzhen and You You, who had worked hard all the way with him, Han Gang had already reported their names, and if nothing else, they could get an official position.

Being an official is much better than being a staff member, just being promoted from civilian to official status can make the family no longer suffer from servitude, not to mention the opportunity to shadow the children and grandchildren in the future. How many people are unwilling to be officials? It's because I can't be an official that I become a staff member. Wei Pingzhen and Fang Xing followed Han Gang to work hard, just optimistic about his future. And although You Alcohol is also preparing to be admitted to the Jinshi, he doesn't mind getting an official rank first, so that it will be much easier to get the qualification of a tribute student.

As for Wang Bei, because he had long been an official - Taichang Temple Taizhu of Zheng Jiupin, so in July, Han Gang recommended him to join the Tidian Division and take up the position of official business. The Son of Heaven disagreed at first, saying that this position was too low, and that it should be an elected person, and Wang Bi was already a Beijing official. However, after Wang Anshi persuaded him, the Son of Heaven nodded down.

Han Gang returned to the inner courtyard, and Wang Bian and the three staff members of Wei, Fang, and You sorted out the documents and files sent today. It took half an hour to tidy it up, and Wang Bian took it himself and went to the backyard to find Han Gang.

When he walked into the study, Han Gang was looking at a letter. Hearing the movement of the king coming in, he raised his head and said, "Shen Cunzhong is going to be transferred back." ”

Shen Cunzhong...... Is it Shen Kuo?! "Wang has seen Shen Kuo, and Xining often went in and out of the house in his early years, but he was mixed in a group of petty officials, and his impression was already blurred. Seeing Han Gang mention him, he sat down and asked, "Where did he serve in front of him?" How did you get it back? ”

Han Gang smiled: "The driver of Xihe Road should return to Beijing after his term." The maps and sand tables he made are much stronger than those I offered back then, and the Son of Heaven seems to be ready to use his strengths. ”

Shen Kuo took over Han Gang's position in the Xihe Road Economic Strategy Division and worked as a writer for two years. During this time, Shen Kuo traveled all over the six states of Xihe Road, drew a new map, and used it to create a sand table model. Han Gang has seen it with his own eyes, and it is several times more detailed than the whole map of the road that he presided over in the surveying and mapping back then, which can be said to be worthy of the name, and it is worthy of Shen Kuo Shen Cunzhong, who has left a name for the ages.

Wang Jian was surprised to hear that Han Gang didn't care about Shen Kuo's almost targeted remake of the map. But when he saw the smile on Han Gang's face, he immediately understood. It was because he was confident in himself that Han Gang was able to praise Shen Kuo without any guilt and admit his shortcomings.

"Is it because of the Khitans?" The king asked.

Han Gang asked rhetorically: "What else can I do now?" ”

The Khitan people's plan to take advantage of the fire to rob has spread all over the world, and in the past year, there have been several rumors in the capital that the Khitan iron cavalry has gone south.

How many courtiers have gone up and expressed their opinions and opinions for this. Han Gang is no exception. He advocated a strong rejection. The Khitan people's desires are difficult to fill, and if they are allowed to take what they want, giving the Khitan people a feeling of weakness and deception, they will only get worse. Turning into a barbarian, fearing power but not virtue, when sternly refusing, and putting on a posture of not hesitating to fight, so as to curb the ambitions of the Khitans.

Because Han Gang's attitude was too tough, Zhao Ji's idea of letting him go to Hedong to negotiate with the Khitans was immediately dispelled. In the end, Liu Zhen, the Hedong transfer envoy who had the ability to debate with the Khitans, and Han Jin, a scholar from Hanlin, continued to be in charge of this matter, and transferred Shen Kuo, who was good at geography and copywriting, to prepare him to negotiate with the Khitans.

Although Han Gang was not in the court, relying on Wang Yan, he got the news in a very timely manner, and he was relieved, he didn't want to go to Hedong.

However, it was not only the courtiers in the capital who wrote the book, but also the old ministers from other places: "The Son of Heaven asked the political elders, but Fu Yanguo came back with a joke." ”

"What joke?" The king asked.

"'The side is in a hurry, the soldiers are short of food, and they are embarrassed to apply. It is necessary to guard against murderers from all directions, and there must be people who wait and see, saying that the country is in danger, and its power cannot control me, so they gather together, and the bees and hedgehogs rise, what will be done? I hope that Your Majesty will worry about the clan and society, think of the people, accept dirt and dirt, and ask for quiet. Han Gang read Wang Yan's letter, and laughed loudly at the end, and his laughter became colder and colder, "Is this called internal cruelty and external cruelty?" ”

Fu Bi's recital was the first to arrive in the capital, and the above asked the Son of Heaven to 'accept dirt and dirt, and ask for quiet', if there was a war with the Khitans, there would inevitably be people in the country who had ill intentions and thieves. Seeing Fu Bi's answer, Han Qi and Wen Yanbo's recitals will not make any difference.

"Fu Bi, this is a clear deception!" The king scolded hatefully.

Han Gang didn't know whether to laugh or be annoyed by this, the dignified prime minister, he didn't want to rush to the royal insult, but he was worried that a war with the Khitans would cause civil strife.

This is really a joke, how can a country that can protect its people at all costs have civil strife? Looking at Fu Bi's recital, it really looks like an old fool.

But Han Gang Zhilu Dao Fubi was not confused at all.

Unlike the Son of Heaven, who sits on the throne of God only by blood, none of the people who can be promoted to the prime minister will be simple figures. When Fu Bi sent an envoy to the Liao State, he was quite tough on the Liao people back then, and when Emperor Renzong, Prime Minister Lu Yijian, the rotten Song Dynasty official army, and Li Yuanhao of the Western Xia dragged his feet together, he added 200,000 coins to pass the crisis.

But now when the country's strength has risen sharply, and the military strength is far greater than that of Renzong, it has changed to look forward and backward, not because Fubi has become timid, but because he has other intentions.

Han Gang sneered, just like himself, he knew that the Khitans would never go south, so everything he did was mixed with his personal political goals. Fu Bi wants to abolish the new law, while Han Gang just doesn't want to go to Hedong to fight with the Khitans.

From Fu Bi to Wang Anshi, and then to him Hangang, people with a discerning eye knew that it was impossible for the Khitans to invade south, but the Son of Heaven did not believe it. It's just that from the matter of asking the political elders, Zhao Ji's attitude is already obvious.

In this way, his father-in-law may really want to resign!