Qing River, a tributary of the Xi River.

The group sat on horses, marching from north to south, not fast. Led by Han Wenjing, Marquis of Yong'an, followed by Lu Yuan, Jiang Tingyuan, and a group of officials from Linchuan Mansion, Wang Yue was in the forefront.

Looking at the turbulent state of the water after the heavy rain, Han Wenjing's face was worried.

Stopping in a gentle place, Han Wenjing dismounted and stood not far from the riverbank, looking at the rushing river and not saying a word. Behind him, everyone looked at each other, and they couldn't figure out what this Yong'an Hou was thinking and what he was going to do.

In fact, as soon as the heavy rain started yesterday, Han Wenjing was ready to come out, but was stopped by Lu Yuan and Ah Fu.

Lu Yuan always has to protect Han Wenjing's thoughtfulness, and Ah Fu said that if you don't talk about danger or danger, you can't see anything clearly on this rainy night. When I went to the river, I couldn't find anything. Later, Jiang Tingyuan didn't know why he visited, so he dared to pull Han Wenjing to talk all night.

This night, the two talked a lot, and from the expressions on their faces, they could see that they couldn't hide their worries.

Before leaving, Jiang Tingyuan bowed and saluted, saying: "Everyone in the world says that Yong'an Hou is no longer what it used to be, and I believe it is true. But tonight, Yong'an Hou's move really made Jiang admire. You are very human, and you deserve Jiang Tingyuan's dedication to you, and you will die. ”

Han Wenjing raised his hand to help Jiang Tingyuan up, and said with a smile: "Tingyuan, you are serious. It's a blessing that Da Zhou can still have an official like you. I'm just a coward, and that's why I've got my reputation at this point. The world's vision is right, the saying is right, and the practice is right. What they hear and see, is true. ”

"It's a misunderstanding, it's a prejudice." Jiang Tingyuan said indignantly. Then he stared at Han Wenjing, "The eldest husband should be able to bend and stretch, and I should learn from you." ”

"You learned from me, what should the people of Qinghe County do?" Han Wenjing chuckled, but after a while, he became solemn, and he said, "But ah, this kind of day, it's time to come to an end." ”

……

When the rain stopped and dawned, Han Wenjing couldn't sit still anymore, even if he was tired, he still didn't rest for a moment, and rushed to the county government with people, and ordered the officials to gather everyone to come, and set off early in the morning to check the situation of the river.

Previously, the river problem of the Xijiang River has been exposed, which has had a certain impact on agriculture near the riverbank, otherwise it would not have proposed to carry out river management at this time.

It's easier said than done.

Han Wenjing did not expect that the situation in Xijiang was so grim before he came, and in the past every year, he said that the water potential was stable, the embankment was stable, the farmland irrigation was worry-free, and there was no flooding.

But after two days of inspection, he was really shocked, so he couldn't wait to come out last night. Now it seems that if it is not treated, according to this kind of rain and water potential, there will be two more heavy rains...... Or another one, it will trap the local people in dire straits.

Not to mention the dire situation, in the ordinary report, it is said that the people of the surrounding villages and towns live and work in peace and contentment under the protection of the Great Zhou, and they completely whitewash the words of peace.

Now it seems that it is really an exaggeration.

The Great Zhou is heavy on agriculture and mulberry, and the grain is abundant, so the tax is not heavy. The people deserve to live in peace. However, in this Qinghe County, not everyone can afford to eat white flour rice, and the food on weekdays is still rice mixed with bran, buckwheat noodles, and wild vegetables.

There are no cattle in farming, and there are no cars to and fro.

After inquiry, I found out that a cow cost as much as 300 taels...... I think what he believed at the beginning, there are too many cattle in Da Zhou, and if he doesn't eat some, I'm afraid that he will trample on the fields and towns of Da Zhou. Otherwise, how would he know that this beef was delicious?

Han Wenjing didn't know what kind of peaceful and prosperous world he was thinking?

It's no wonder he has such a reputation.

The already uncalm mood was like this turbulent river at this time, disturbing his mind.

The silence made everyone suspicious.

The officials behind him whispered.

"This Yong'an Hou, what is he pretending to be? is obviously a slave wife, how many years have he ignored the affairs of the court, and now he is worried about the country and the people? ”

"You know what? That's all you have to do. Could it be that all the officials said that he Yong'an Hou was here to enjoy the mountains and rivers and indulge in pleasure? ”

"Who knows if it's for money."

"I see, I want fame and fortune. Xijiang is like this every year, when has there been a problem? ”

"Since there is no problem, where did the name come from? Where does it come from? ”

"You don't understand this, is there a problem, it's not that there is, there is no if there is."

"That's a bully."

"Hehe, I've been bullying you for many years, and I haven't seen anything really happen. One hand can't cover the sky, but what about too many hands? ”

Naturally, this remark would not appear in Han Wenjing's ears, and even Lu Yuan, Wang Yue and Jiang Tingyuan, who were standing behind him, had never heard the conversation of these people.

Jiang Tingyuan stepped forward and said, "Master Hou, shall I tell you about this Qinghe?" ”

"You speak." Han Wenjing took a few more steps forward, only a few meters away from the water.

You can feel the power of the water, and you can also feel the water vapor in the cool breeze blowing from the river.

"Master Hou, stand farther away." Lu Yuan reminds.

"It's okay, Master Jiang, you say." Han Wenjing waved his hand.

Jiang Tingyuan stepped forward, side by side with Han Wenjing, half a meter apart, stretched out his finger to the surface of the river, and said: "The Qinghe River originates from the Xijiang River, from north to south. Due to the topography, the water surface is narrow and the current is rapid. It is not easy to get water from the Qinghe River, and no less than 100 people die from this cause every year. And that's just the case in Qinghe County. ”

"The Qinghe River descends to Tongxian. Form a waterfall. Under the waterfall is a shallow pool, after which the water is gentle, which is conducive to farming, but the river channel is shallow, and there is a tendency to spread to the river bank for two days. ”

After speaking, Jiang Tingyuan paused, then pointed to the river and asked, "Master Hou, do you see that there is a lot of yellow sand mixed in this river water?" ”

Han Wenjing had already discovered that the river was muddy and yellow, and he wanted to ask why, but now Jiang Tingyuan directly mentioned it.

"Indeed." Han Wenjing said, "In the past, I saw the Xijiang River, the river surface is quite clear, why is this place near the river very different?" ”

"Master Hou should know how the war ended twenty years ago." Jiang Tingyuan replied not to the question.

Han Wenjing was stunned for a moment, then looked at Jiang Tingyuan, and listened to Jiang Tingyuan continue: "That fire burned everything. Whether it is the trees, or the birds and animals that live in them, there is still hope for man. Since then, it has been desolate and devoid of grass. ”

"The wind and the sun are blowing, and the fertile soil turns into yellow sand. With the yellow sand flowing into the river, gradually the land became full of holes. ”

"And the yellow sand here comes from the Xijiang River."

"The Xijiang River is wide, and the water flow varies from west to east, and when it reaches the territory of the Qing River, the flow slows down, and the sediment brought by the upstream may be accumulated, or it may go down the Qing River. The Qinghe River flows rapidly, and the sediment will not be stagnant, but under Tongxian, it is sedimentary. As the shallow pools get deeper and higher, the riverbed gets higher and higher, and the already shallow channel slowly widens to the sides, and once the water increases, it may spread to the fields. ”

When Han Wenjing heard this, he thought: A tributary that is not big or small is still like this, let alone Xijiang?

Jiang Tingyuan continued: "Speaking of this Xijiang River, due to the sediment deposition every year, the riverbed is raised, so in order to avoid disaster on both banks, the embankment is built. The levee seems to be stable and built once and for all, but in fact it hides huge hidden dangers. Not to mention that the surface of the Xijiang River rises every year, and when the embankment is always exhausted, it is unimaginable to say that the disaster of the embankment bursting. ”

Jiang Tingyuan was convincing and informed Han Wenjing of the hidden dangers of this river one by one. After that, he said that if he didn't manage it well this time, it wouldn't be long before he would suffer.

Before Han Wenjing could speak, he was preempted.

I only heard Wang Yue say very dissatisfied: "Lord Jiang, it's better not to be alarmist." I'm in charge of water conservancy in the Linchuan region, so why don't you know what you're talking about? Could it be that you, a newcomer to the county government, know better than me, a full-time person? ”

It is normal for Wang Yue to have this reaction. If what Jiang Tingyuan said is true, who is most responsible? It's not him Wang Yue yet.

But what Jiang Tingyuan said is reasonable, what else can Wang Yue refute?

Han Wenjing said: "Oh? Tell me about it, Lord Wang. ”

"Yes, Master Hou." Wang Yue bowed, and then said, "What Master Jiang said is indeed reasonable, but it is too exaggerated. At the age of Master Jiang, let alone 20 years ago, or 10 years ago, I'm afraid I don't know about it. I think, at that time, Master Jiang was still studying in the school, right? ”

Jiang Tingyuan smiled indifferently and did not respond.

Han Wenjing said: "Lord Wang can just say things, and there is no need to make unwarranted accusations. ”

"Yes, Master Hou." Wang Yue also stepped forward and said, "Master Hou, the heavy rain last night can be said to be the first time I have seen it for ten years. But as we came all the way, it was clear what the situation was in on the river, and there was no danger in any situation. As for the Xijiang River, don't worry, every month our government will inspect the embankments along the river, if there is really a hidden danger mentioned by Lord Jiang, it was mentioned in the excerpt before. ”

"What does Lord Wang mean that this river doesn't need to be treated at all?" Han Wenjing looked at Wang Yue meaningfully.

"Not really." Wang Yue sneered, "Prevention is better than prevention, governance is a must, but how to govern still needs to be discussed." ”

"The funds of the imperial court have been allocated, how to govern still need to be discussed?" Han Wenjing raised his eyebrows, "Lord Wang said this, isn't it too child's play?" ”

"No, it's raining heavily, so it's a different story. In the past, it was mainly stable, but now it seems that the levee needs to be raised a little more. Wang Yue said seemingly cautiously, "You must always be foolproof and comprehensive." Neither can it cause the people's livelihood to worry about it, but it also can't wantonly ask the court for spending money. For the sake of the ministers and the people, you must always think of both. ”

"Lord Wang is really a good official who is diligent and loves the people."

"Master Hou, you praised it falsely." Wang Yue said with a smile.

Jiang Tingyuan sneered: "Is this also a method of river management?" Lord Wang, a capable person who specializes in the river, is inevitably too famous. ”