Chinese martial arts! Grandmaster

Yiyang County, Luoyang Prefecture, Henan Province.

On the official road, a large caravan was traveling from Luoyang Prefecture to Yiyang.

Yang Yankang, the young leader of the Grand Canal Gang, sat in the carriage, looking quite spirited.

Although his martial arts skills were not high, as the young leader of the Canal Gang, he held a high position and great power, and had a very high prestige in the martial arts world.

Look at the Buddha's face without looking at the monk's face.

Any fellow江湖人士 (jianghu figures) would give the Canal Gang face.

at this time,

Yang Yankang sat inside the carriage, leisurely surveying the surrounding scenery.

Northern China has been experiencing drought since the beginning of summer this year.

The grain harvest across the entire north will be a major problem this year.

The drought has lasted for more than half a year, and it's unclear when it will rain.

The drought in Yiyang is considered very severe compared to other places.

Everywhere there was cracked earth, and even many fertile fields had become barren due to drought.

If crops cannot be grown, people's lives will naturally become difficult.

Only near the riverbed can one see a little bit of green; everywhere else is lifeless.

of course,

Despite the drought and widespread desolation in Yiyang County, it is not deserted.

Along the road from Luoyang Prefecture to Yiyang County, one can often see bustling scenes from various places.

They built canals to divert water for irrigation and widened waterways.

The drought relief efforts organized by the government are in full swing, so everywhere is bustling with activity.

The arid environment here is vastly different from that of Shandong, southern Jiangsu, and Songjiang Prefecture.

The delicious fish of the Jiangnan region stand in stark contrast to the drought in the north.

The convoy traveled across the arid land, raising dust that made people cough.

Cai An, who was with Yang Yankang, couldn't help but frown after seeing everything around him.

He seemed to harbor some resentment, saying:

"Young Master, why was Yiyang chosen as a reform demonstration zone in Henan?"

"The transportation here is inconvenient, and it is currently impossible to build a railway here."

"In my opinion, the conditions here are too poor. Even if a cement road is built, it will probably be difficult to change the environment here."

Upon hearing this, Yang Yankang nodded and smiled, saying:

"Since it is a reform demonstration zone, it naturally cannot be too far from Luoyang."

"Most importantly, there is the Zeng family in Jiangnan. This is their ancestral home, and they are willing to spend a lot of money to invest in building this place into a reform demonstration zone."

Upon hearing this, Cai An frowned and said, "The Zeng family is spending money? Ximen Hall is not short of money. The purpose of setting up the reform demonstration zone in the first place was to promote it to all parts of Daqian, right?"

Yang Yankang held up one finger, thought for a moment, and said:

"Although Ximentang is not short of money, the Great Qian Dynasty has too many places where it needs to spend money!"

"Once the Northeast is recovered, Ximentang will build the Fifth Fleet and the Sixth Fleet, and expand the fleet, doubling the number of ships in each fleet."

"The Ministry of War of the Great Qian Dynasty will also expand its army once again."

"To have a powerful army, you need more money. Now that someone is providing the funds, why not?"

"Do you know how much money the Zeng family is willing to spend this time to build Yiyang into a reform demonstration zone?"

Cai An asked in surprise, "How much?"

Yang Yankang smiled mysteriously and whispered, "One million silver notes!"

"How much? One million silver notes! Have the Zeng family gone mad?"

Cai An was greatly surprised.

The Great Qian Dynasty has already issued paper money, and now it is promoting silver notes.

One million silver notes were equivalent to one million silver dollars in the past.

This is no small sum of money; even the entire Zeng family of Jiangnan would find it difficult to come up with so much.

"That's not how it works. The Zeng family has a keen eye for business; how could they possibly act recklessly?"

Yang Yankang shook his head and smiled, saying, "Many of the Zeng family's businesses in Jiangnan overlap with those of the Li family, the King of Min!"

"The prince entrusted the Zeng family with the business of the Li family, the King of Min, and put the Zeng family in charge of overseas trade."

"The Zeng family must show some sincerity and help the prince with his troubles."

"Moreover, establishing a reform demonstration zone in Yiyang is to create one of the largest industrial zones in the heart of the Central Plains, and the benefits will come later."

He paused for a moment, then continued:
“One million silver notes is actually quite profitable. The prince has made it clear that the canal gang is not allowed to interfere in the reform demonstration park, otherwise our canal gang will definitely have to invest a lot of money.”

"I heard that the reform demonstration park in Yiyang is going to build a cement road that will directly connect to the heart of the Central Plains."

Just as the two were chatting, a voice came from not far away.

"Reporting to the young master, we have entered Yiyang City. A man who claims to be Zeng Yongxiang, the head of the Zeng family, is there to greet our caravan."

Yang Yankang was somewhat surprised to hear that Zeng Yongxiang, the head of the Zeng family, had personally come to greet him.

Cai An, who was standing next to him, was taken aback and said:

"We've only just arrived in Yiyang City, yet the Zeng family has already received the news, and the head of the Zeng family is personally welcoming us?"

Yang Yankang alighted from the carriage and explained:
“Yiyang is the ancestral home of the Zeng family. I’m afraid the Zeng family has already received the news as soon as we set off.”

He had Cai An and the rest of the convoy get out of the car and walk towards the city gate.

quickly,

Everyone saw a dozen or so people waiting at the city gate.

The middle-aged man in the very center is Zeng Yongxiang, the head of the Zeng family.

Originally, the Zeng family's businesses were all located in the Jiangnan region, and most of them were engaged in trade.

Prior to this, many of the Zeng family's businesses overlapped with those of the Li family in southern Fujian.

At that time, the Li family of Fujian was in charge of the overseas trade of the Daqian Dynasty. Unfortunately, after Chen Jie was killed by Miyamoto Musashi and thrown into the sea, the Li family of Fujian did not firmly choose their side.

They actually mingled with forces in the martial arts world, wanting to establish their own independent sect, and imprisoned Li Gang, the King of Min.

After Chen Jie rectified the Jianghu in Wenzhou Prefecture, although he did not wipe out the Li family of Fujian, he transferred the overseas trade to the Zeng family.

The Zeng family, suddenly entrusted with such an important task, naturally dared not be negligent in any way.

When Zeng Yongxiang heard Chen Jie mention the creation of a reform demonstration zone, he offered to have the Zeng family fund the project and establish the first reform demonstration zone of the Great Qian Dynasty in Yiyang.

Upon seeing Yang Yankang, Zeng Yongxiang smiled and cupped his hands, saying, "Young Master, it's been a long time. Welcome to Yiyang from your Cao Gang."

Yang Yankang smiled and returned the greeting, saying, "Patriarch Zeng, it's been a long time!"

Although the two did not have a deep relationship, they were both considered to be under Ximen Tang's command.

At this point, the two sides need to cooperate in Yiyang.

Yang Yankang is much more composed than before, and he personally oversees many of the canal gang's businesses.

After exchanging pleasantries, the two sides went to a restaurant in Yiyang County for a meal.

After taking a seat,
The two sides naturally exchanged pleasantries once again.

Zeng Yongxiang sighed and said, "The climate difference between the north and the south is too great. Since the beginning of spring this year, the entire north has been dry, and not a drop of rain has fallen."

"Judging from the weather, the chances of it raining in the coming days are probably very low."

“People everywhere began to perform rituals to pray for rain, and local gentry raised funds to prepare to pray for rain for forty-nine consecutive days.”

Pray for rain!

This is the most common practice during droughts.

Under normal circumstances, when a severe drought occurs, local gentry would organize the people to hold sacrificial rites to pray for rain.

This is true not only in the north, but also in the south. Floods, droughts, typhoons, and so on.

In the event of natural disasters or man-made calamities, people usually organize sacrificial rites to pray to heaven to quell the disaster.

Upon hearing this, Yang Yankang shook his head and said, "I'm afraid the rain-seeking activities will have to be canceled in the future. According to the meteorology department of Shandong Academy, the severe drought in the north will continue for some time."

Will the severe drought continue for some time?

Zeng Yongxiang was slightly taken aback, a bad feeling creeping into his heart.

He took a deep breath and said, "Could the drought continue all year? If so, that would be a real problem."

Yang Yankang glanced around, leaned close to Zeng Yongxiang's ear, and whispered:
"His Highness has issued an order to cancel all kinds of sacrificial rain-seeking activities in the future."

"Sacrifices to pray for rain are wasteful of resources and manpower, and are merely a psychological comfort that does not help the drought at all."

finished,

He smiled slightly and said, "Yiyang is a reform demonstration zone, and it is also dominated by your Zeng family, so I won't hide it from you."

"The Prince has given orders to our canal gang to establish factories, build water conservancy projects, and construct railways, highways, and other infrastructure projects in the reform demonstration zone."

"The entire Yiyang will be developed into one of the most advanced cities in the Great Qian Dynasty, and effective measures must be taken to deal with this year's severe drought."

Severe drought?
Upon hearing this, Zeng Yongxiang was immediately startled.

Severe droughts typically last for a very long time.

The entire north will suffer a complete crop failure, and rivers will dry up on a large scale.

Throughout the history of the Great Qian Dynasty, every major drought brought immense suffering and death to the people.

Therefore,
Whether they were江湖人士 (jianghu figures), 御廷 (imperial court), or even merchants, everyone feared this great disaster.

Zeng Yongxiang was thinking that his entire family was building the first reform demonstration zone in Yiyang. If they were to encounter a severe drought, he didn't know whether it would be a blessing or a curse.

After having dinner at the restaurant, Zeng Yongxiang was filled with worry.

The rain-seeking rituals are about to be cancelled, but how can we solve the severe drought?
He originally wanted to invite Yang Yankang to the Zeng residence for a visit, but unexpectedly Yang Yankang led his men directly to the riverbank.

Boom—boom—!
He was directing the canal gang members to use a machine to continuously pump water for irrigation along the river.

Zeng Yongxiang stared wide-eyed at the water pumping machine.

Is this the latest product from the Simon Tang factory?

A water pump was installed on the riverbank, making a roaring sound.

River water is continuously pumped from the water pump pipes into the irrigation canal.

The long-dried-up farmland was revitalized after being moistened by the river.

On the riverbank, many local gentry and commoners stared at the water pump and hose with great curiosity.

Drawing water from the river to irrigate farmland is nothing to be surprised about.

Before this, some people used wooden buckets to carry water from the river to irrigate their farmland.

but,

The efficiency is too low!
Moreover, the river's drop is getting bigger and bigger, making it simply unrealistic to rely on manpower to carry water for irrigation.

The government and local gentry once organized the people to carry water from the river to irrigate their farmland.

Unfortunately, we had to give up in the end; it was simply a drop in the ocean.

At this point, we saw that a single water pump could pump river water into a canal dozens of meters away.

This irrigation method is unheard of.

There are actually waterwheels on the riverbank, but as the water level drops, the waterwheels are fixed in place and can only be placed a short distance from the bank, making it impossible to draw water from the middle of the river.

The fact that the river's drop is so great, and that the water is pumped into the canal using a hose several tens of meters long, has overturned many people's understanding.

No manpower is needed, just a water pump!
As the river water poured into the canal, the flow was very strong, and many local gentry surrounded the canal workers, asking them about the purpose of the water pump.

pump!
This is the latest product from the Siemens factory; it can be started with diesel fuel.

Many local gentry were very interested in this water pump and offered to buy it at a high price.

Yang Yankang explained to the surrounding gentry:
"Fellow villagers, this is a water pump provided by the imperial court. It is a war reserve material. Even if you buy it, you cannot use it without diesel fuel."

"Currently, the use of diesel fuel is controlled by the imperial court. Localities can only supply it according to demand, and private sales are not allowed."

"Therefore, we are temporarily unable to sell water pumps, and we hope everyone can understand."

After seeing the villagers off, Yang Yankang gave instructions to the members of the canal gang and prepared to head to the next location.

The irrigation with river water wasn't done in one place, but rather along both sides of the Luo River, with a water pump placed every hundred meters or so.

Unexpectedly, just as he was about to head to the next location, Zeng Yongxiang stopped him.

Accompanying Zeng Yongxiang was Wang Yingshou, the county magistrate of Yiyang County.

After Yang Yankang met with the county magistrate, he naturally exchanged pleasantries.

Next,
Wang Yingshou raised the same question, hoping to obtain more water pumps.

"The drought in Yiyang is very severe. If it doesn't rain soon, we're afraid we'll really have no harvest this year."

"We hope that Young Master Yang can provide more water pumps to alleviate the disaster in Yiyang."

Yang Yankang shook his head helplessly and said:

“Lord Wang, it’s not that I don’t want to sell water pumps, but Ximen Hall has strictly ordered that they can only be supplied internally and are not allowed to be sold.”

Wang Yingshou asked with doubt, "Why can't we sell them? Wouldn't having more water pumps better solve the disaster?"

Yang Yankang explained:

"The drought in the entire Luohe River basin is very severe at present, and the water pumps are indeed very effective."

"But have you considered that the more water is pumped out of the river, the drier it will become?"

"If pumping is not restricted upstream, the entire Luo River will dry up completely, and the downstream area will become a wasteland."

"If Yiyang pumps out too much water, Luoyang will suffer the consequences."

After listening to Yang Yankang's explanation, Wang Yingshou and Zeng Yongxiang both calmed down.

Indeed, if the imperial court did not control the water pumps, the entire upper reaches of the Luo River would be drained, leaving no water available downstream.

Yang Yankang continued:
"The drought will last for a long time, and the rivers will gradually dry up."

"The pumping of water from the river into the canal must be strictly controlled, and water resources must not be wasted."

"The most urgent task is to drill wells in the surrounding area to obtain groundwater."

"Although the reserves of groundwater are not inexhaustible, excessive extraction can also lead to the depletion of groundwater."

"But as long as it is properly controlled, it should not cause damage to groundwater sources."

Zeng Yongxiang was taken aback upon hearing this, and exclaimed in surprise, "Drill a well? Use groundwater!"

This was a completely new concept for him.

Wells are usually drilled for drinking water, and have never been used for irrigation.

Now Yang Yankang is saying that irrigation will use groundwater. How many wells would that require?

Yang Yankang nodded and said, "That's right. As a reform demonstration zone, Yiyang must ensure water supply."

"In the coming period, our canal gang will drill wells and equip them with water pumps in various parts of Yiyang."

"According to the construction plan, we will build a large reservoir in Yiyang to store water during the rainy season and ensure that there is water available during the dry season to guarantee irrigation for agriculture and forestry in the reform demonstration area."

Upon hearing this, Wang Yingshou, the county magistrate standing nearby, breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems that the imperial court's decision to regard Yiyang as a reform demonstration zone will bring about tremendous changes to the entire Luohe River basin, with many benefits.

Prince Qian, Chen Jie, truly possesses great strategic vision!
If the reform demonstration zone is successful, it will then be promoted throughout the northern part of the Great Qian Dynasty.

The water problem in the Central Plains region will be properly resolved.

It is important to know that the Central Plains region is the birthplace of the entire Eastern civilization and the area that carries civilization.

The Central Plains region was the economic, cultural, and political center of the Great Qian Dynasty.

He who controls the Central Plains controls the world!
This area was the strategic heartland of the Great Qian Dynasty, and also a cultural landmark.

As long as the situation in the Central Plains is stabilized, the Great Qian Dynasty will be as stable as Mount Tai! (End of Chapter)