Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 427 There are bad people among the masses!

"According to the officials and laborers who were at the dike construction site at the time, the dike collapsed suddenly, leaving many people with no time to evacuate..."

Li Ming pondered, thinking about the hidden meaning in this.

If it wasn't a problem with the quality of the project, the dam would have collapsed because it was overwhelmed. It would be impossible for there to be no signs at all.

How come no workers noticed it, evacuated in advance, or issued even the slightest warning?

Combining the two pieces of information about the dam "standing firm" and "suddenly collapsing", we can only draw a self-contradictory conclusion:

The Huazhou Dam may be of good quality, but it is unlikely that the Huazhou Dam is of good quality.

"What exactly is going on?"

Li Ming frowned, with a vague guess in his mind.

But he has no evidence.

Li Ming felt very upset. He rubbed his eyes tiredly, left his seat sullenly, and opened the curtain of the tent.

Outside the curtain is the newly renovated Yellow River embankment.

Li Ming’s royal “palace” is actually a large marching tent built directly on the top of the dike, which means “as long as the people are there, the dike is there”.

Following his example, no official in Huazhou dared to stay in the safe rear, and all of them temporarily settled their homes on the levee.

We dare not cut corners in the construction of the new levee.

After all, his life and property were literally “pressured” on it.

"Now, no one will dare to build a shoddy project, right?"

By this time the rain had stopped. Li Ming walked alone to the top of the levee and rubbed the earth dam with his toes.

It is indeed very solid and only a layer of mud on the surface was scraped off.

The problem is that, based on the existing evidence, the original Huazhou Yellow River Dam that collapsed was also very strong and did not look like it would collapse at all.

"Is the disaster... really a punishment from heaven without any warning?"

Li Ming leaned against the embankment, staring at the rushing Yellow River in a trance.

At this time, the surging Yellow River water was still well behaved, being firmly confined in the new river channel.

The new river channel was originally a river called "Bianshui", which flowed from north to south into the Huaishui River.

Now, the poor Bian River has been taken over by the Yellow River, and the river channel has suddenly become much wider due to the violent flooding of the river.

Fortunately, thanks to the frantic work of the laborers, the new river embankment is still quite strong.

In addition, the heavy rains that seemed to be part of the Carnian flood event finally stopped.

Finally, they managed to lock up the giant dragon of the Yellow River.

Of course, Li Ming knew that locking the Yellow River in a new river channel was one difficulty, and letting the Yellow River return to its original river channel was another level of difficulty.

If the Yellow River cannot go back, then the peaceful scene before our eyes is just an illusion.

As the ruler of the world, although Li Mingren was in Huazhou, he was still constantly receiving information from all over the country.

The situation in Huazhou has been stabilized thanks to the rescue efforts at all costs.

However, from the Bianshui River to the Huaishui River basin, all the way to where it rushes into the sea, the raging Yellow River swept all the way, and all the counties and cities along the way were flooded and soaked in yellow soup.

It just so happens that this area is also a core area with a dense population and developed economy.

Disaster relief and aftermath is another huge problem.

"It's a mess, a complete mess..."

Li Ming's blood boiled and he couldn't help but clench his fists.

What happened? How did the dam break happen?
Is it a natural disaster or a man-made disaster?
If it is a man-made disaster, who should be held responsible for it? !
"His Majesty……"

A not very confident voice came from behind.

Li Ming turned around suddenly.

It was Lai Junchen, looking just as wretched as before, but his attitude was much more respectful than before.

Although Li Ming is still unpretentious now, he has a dignified temperament, which makes Lai Junchen dare not call him "Brother Ming" in a casual manner as he did in the past.

Behind Lai Junchen, Di Renjie was as reserved and humble as ever, with his attitude remaining the same, and he did not show any stronger awe than before.

"Have you investigated the case thoroughly?"

Li Ming asked calmly.

The so-called "case" is the real cause of the collapse of the Yellow River dike in Huazhou. Is it a liability accident? Is it caused by officials such as Ma Zhou cutting corners and neglecting their duties?

However, Li Ming did not ask this question directly.

He did not want to set the tone in advance and presume the guilt to be presumption, forcing the two spy chiefs to uncover some "criminal facts" that did not actually exist.

Although Li Ming was very angry, he had not lost his mind to the point of disregarding the ancestral precept of "seeking truth from facts". He shot the arrow first and then drew the target.

"Well..." Lai Junchen shrank back a little, lowered his head and dared not look at him.

Seeing his hesitant attitude, Li Ming guessed the answer and encouraged him gently:
“I asked you to find out the facts of the case, not to find evidence to support my argument.

"You can tell me what you have found out or what you haven't found out. I always keep an open mind."

"Well..." Lai Junchen secretly glanced at his colleague.

Di Renjie looked straight ahead and ignored him.

"Let's start with you, Junchen." Li Ming said.

Being directly called out by His Majesty, Lai Junchen could no longer evade the question and could only speak carefully. While speaking, he did not forget to secretly observe Li Ming's expression.

"Well, Your Majesty. I... No, I have interrogated the officials in charge of the construction and maintenance of the levee, including the Minister of Works, the Governor of Huazhou, and the county magistrates..."

When subordinates start listing the work they have done, it usually means that none of these works have achieved any real results.

Li Ming interrupted directly:
"Didn't the trial reveal anything?"

Hit the nail on the head.

Lai Junchen hesitated:
"That... can't be said. I have already found some clues of corruption and abuse of power. As long as Your Majesty gives me some more time and I work harder..."

If you, the cruel official Lai Junchen, continue to exert more strength, I am afraid that my official position will be abolished by you... Li Ming interrupted the other party's attempt to "exert more strength":

"Forget it, no need."

With Lai Junchen's ability, he could find out if a bureaucrat went out for a meal and got a small payout from his boss.

In other words, since even Lao Lai couldn't find anything, it probably meant that the Huazhou bureaucrats did not commit any disciplinary errors.

But “mostly” is not enough.

Li Ming shifted his gaze to Di Renjie.

"Renjie, what do you think?"

"Your Majesty, according to my investigation, the officials of Huazhou did not make any serious mistakes, and the dam collapse was not directly related to them."

Di Renjie's voice was as soft as ever, but now it sounded with unusual courage and determination.

Li Ming raised his eyebrows and looked at him:
“How come you see?”

"The most powerful evidence is the collapsed old levee." Di Renjie answered slowly.

“Although the levee collapsed, it is not difficult to find out from the ruins that the stone and soil used to build the levee are very solid and there is no inferior material.

"Except for the materials used, there are no problems with the overall building structure, and it is no different from other dams in normal use elsewhere."

"Could it be that the construction was slow, and the dam was not completely built before the flood peak arrived?" Li Ming asked cautiously.

Di Renjie shook his head confidently and pointed to the north.

There is the old course of the Yellow River. The Huazhou levee stretches endlessly from west to east, with no end in sight, like a giant dragon. In the belly of the dragon, there is a huge crack, and the rolling Yellow River water gushes out, and from here it continuously flows into the Bianshui River.

"Lack of construction time is also not the cause of the collapse. As you can see, the main structure of the Huazhou levee has been completed.

"Except for the collapsed and breached river section, the levee remains generally intact after the test of the flood, which shows that the levee is highly complete.

"This is also confirmed by the confessions. According to the description of the surviving workers, the levee had already been completed under the guidance of Ma Zhou and other officials. At that time, they were carrying out subsequent repair work on the levee, and even the repair work was almost completed at that time."

Di Renjie said it forcefully:
"Therefore, there are no problems with the Huazhou levee from materials to construction."

Li Ming's brows twisted into a frown:

"So, this tragedy is not a man-made disaster?"

Lai Junchen subconsciously avoided the sight and muttered:

"I... little brother... no, I will check it carefully again..."

Facing the questioning gaze, Di Renjie said word by word:

"Based on the results I have found so far, this is the case."

"Okay." Li Ming nodded, and admired Di Renjie in his heart.

Di Renjie must have known that he was using his own future to endorse the innocence of officials like Ma Zhou.

Especially in the context of this catastrophic disaster.

I have to say, the young man gambled big.

If there is any mistake, Xiao Di will be sucked into the whirlpool and smashed to pieces along with Ma Zhou and others.

Because of this, Li Ming admired Di Renjie even more.

As a professional, you must dare to make judgments.

"I see. What you two are saying is that the collapse of the Huazhou dike and the change of the river's course were natural disasters rather than man-made disasters?"

Li Ming looked at the two spy leaders again.

Di Renjie nodded:
"Based on the existing evidence, no evidence of official misconduct has been found."

Li Ming paused:
"So it was the worst flood in a century that caused this disaster, and there were no human factors involved?"

Lai Junchen stammered, and finally imitated him and said:
"Based on the current situation, this is the situation..."

Li Ming did not comment, thought for a while, but curled his lips:
"Perhaps, your two nobles' investigation results are not comprehensive."

Lai Junchen shrank back, but Di Renjie jumped up.

"Your Majesty, why do you think so?"

Li Ming stroked his chin and said slowly:

“Perhaps Ma Zhou, or other Ming bureaucrats, were not corrupt, derelict in their duties, or caused disasters due to negligence or mistakes.

"But is there a possibility that the levee was destroyed intentionally?"

This speculation shocked the two of them.

Deliberate destruction of the levee?

He destroyed almost half of China with just one shovel. Who could be so cruel? !
But after the initial shock, the two followed this new line of thought and actually discovered that this hypothesis could solve the biggest contradiction, which is -

The Huazhou dike was obviously very solid, but it collapsed suddenly.

If someone deliberately caused damage, then it would be understandable.

A dam may be able to withstand massive floods head-on.

However, if a hole is drilled in its back by cunning humans, the huge water pressure will make the small hole bigger and bigger until it collapses completely!
"Who can do such a heinous thing?" Di Renjie expressed that it was incomprehensible.

Lai Junchen has already made some guesses about this:

"Whoever dares to assassinate His Majesty the Emperor would be so audacious as to do such a heinous crime."

The only people who can break the bottom line of being a human being are those who have already broken the bottom line of being a human being. This logic is very clear.

"You mean... the Japanese?!" Di Renjie was shocked.

He had a sense of absurdity, like an ant stretching out its legs to try to trip an elephant and actually succeeding, and subconsciously looked at Li Ming.

Li Ming did not comment, but just nodded slightly to Di Renjie:
"Whether this is the case or not is up to you. Go and investigate the case immediately."

Di Renjie took a deep breath, and felt the burden on his shoulders increase instead of decrease. He was full of confidence but also a little nervous. He bowed his hands:

"According to the order."

After saying that, he turned around and went to work.

Lai Junchen followed, but was called back by Li Ming:
"Wait, I have another thing for you to do."

Lai Junchen's eyes rolled around and he laughed:

"Your Majesty, please tell me what you want to do for me!"

Li Ming didn't beat around the bush with him and ordered directly:

"You go to the South."

"south?"

"South of the river, check for me what's happening over there."

Lai Junchen scratched his head in confusion:

"I haven't heard of any strange movements in the south."

"No news. This is the strangest thing." Li Ming said:
"The southern states have not sent me any greetings for three consecutive days, which is very unusual.

"Go and see if anything happened over there."

Is His Majesty Mingge's sense of smell too sharp... Lai Junchen bowed and set off immediately.

…………

The newly built Yellow River embankment is about half a mile away from where His Majesty Li Ming camped.

It was another camping site, which was guarded by the imperial guards from the capital.

Ma Zhou, the governor of Huazhou, and other local officials all "temporarily lived" here.

It is said to be temporary residence, but in fact it is house arrest.

The Yellow River overflowed in the section of the river they were responsible for.

Not only did it cause a disaster, it also changed its route.

Having caused such a huge disaster, they did not expect to stay out of it.

The reason why their heads were still attached to their bodies and they were not executed on the spot was simply because the disaster was urgent and they were needed temporarily for disaster relief.

When the disaster situation stabilizes - like now - it will be time to settle the accounts.

"Ma Tai Province, what do you think... Will His Majesty show us a lighter sentence for trying to make amends for our mistakes?"

In the tent where Ma Zhou lived, the governor of Huazhou was drinking tea with a worried look on his face.

During this period, the governor often visited Ma Zhou's "home" in his spare time.

Because in his and his subordinates' eyes, Minister Ma was "from the capital" and had a better chance of getting close to His Majesty.

So I probably have a better understanding of Your Majesty's temperament.

They probably have a better idea of ​​the fate of these "criminals".

(End of this chapter)