Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 370 Zhao Village
The following morning, inside the Chanzhou prefectural government office.

As expected, Shi Changyan personally accompanied Lu Beigu and Cui Taifu to the archives.

"Imperial Censor Lu, Mr. Cui, please come this way."

"Thank you for your help, Prefect Shi."

Lu Beigu nodded in acknowledgment and exchanged a glance with Cui Taifu. Shi Changyan's personal accompaniment was not only a sign of cooperation, but also a possible implication of supervision.

Shi Changyan led the two through several courtyards, and the clerks they encountered along the way all lowered their heads and gave way when they saw them.

Finally, they arrived at a standalone brick building with a plaque bearing the three characters "Jiageku" hanging above the door.

He gestured to the gatekeeper to unlock the heavy iron lock and explained, “The household registration, land, and taxes of Chanzhou over the past century are all stored here, including records of village history. In addition, the relevant documents of Chanzhou involved in last year’s Liuta River project, including survey maps, material lists, and laborer registers, are also in this warehouse.”

The warehouse door opened, and a scent mixed with old paper and a faint smell of moth-repellent herbs wafted out.

The three entered the warehouse.

The interior space was tall and deep, with countless scrolls and books neatly categorized and arranged in an orderly manner. At this time, the morning light shone through the high windows, casting dappled shadows between the neatly arranged wooden shelves.

"Imperial Censor Lu, Mr. Cui Xiangyi, should I summon the clerks from the Revenue Department and the Works Department to assist in the inspection?" Shi Changyan asked.

“No need for now,” Lu Beigu declined. “We need to get a general overview first, and then we can ask for clarification if there are any unclear points.”

They need to independently assess the reliability of these original files first, to avoid being misled or interfered with by outside forces too early.

“Very well, then I will wait in the duty room. If you two need anything, I will send someone to inform you at any time.”

Shi Changyan tactfully left some space, then bowed and departed.

As he walked out of the archives, he gave the clerk a wink.

At this time, only Lu Beigu, Cui Taifu, and the warehouse officials from Chanzhou remained in the warehouse.

The two began searching for information.

They first started looking for archives related to the geography, household registration, and village history of Puyang County. At the same time, they asked the warehouse clerk to help bring four long tables and put them together. Then they put all the relevant archives they found together.

The materials were voluminous, and the two of them stacked them one by one until they looked like a small mountain.

After all the necessary materials were gathered together, Lu Beigu was responsible for finding relevant information about Zhao Village, while Cui Taifu went to retrieve materials on household registration, land ownership, and taxes.

Lu Beigu carefully opened several of the wooden boxes, which contained thread-bound copies of the local gazetteers, revised during the reigns of Emperor Taizu, Emperor Taizong, Emperor Zhenzong, and the current dynasty.

These archives, from different eras, have ink stains of varying shades, and some of the paper is yellowed and fragile, clearly showing the passage of time.

After several hours, Lu Beigu finished reading through the local gazetteers from the reigns of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong. There was no mention of "Zhao Village" in them, but soon he found a record of "Zhao Village" in the gazetteer from the reign of Emperor Zhenzong.

"Zhao Village is located fifteen li northeast of the county seat, bordering the Liuta River, and has seventy-three households."

The following are approximate figures regarding land area and taxes, with the revision date shown as the second year of the Dazhong Xiangfu era.

"The second year of the Dazhong Xiangfu era."

Lu Beigu pondered, which meant that the name Zhao Village existed at least before the current official was born.

He then continued reading.

Sure enough, starting from the Dazhong Xiangfu era, records of Zhao Village gradually began to increase.

Lu Beigu and Cui Taifu exchanged some known information and discovered that from the late Zhenzong period to the Tiansheng period, the population of Zhao Village gradually increased from less than one hundred households to more than two hundred households. The records related to land, household registration, and taxes also gradually became more detailed, which could not be faked.

"From this perspective, even if the saying 'names should not be used for taboo purposes' is true, it is not a recent phenomenon, but a legacy of history."

"Yes, it's easier to talk about things that haven't appeared in recent years."

Lu Beigu felt a little more at ease and recorded this key information in the notebook he carried with him.

In fact, there are archival records to prove this, which alone can weaken the impact of this matter on the current local officials and reduce the damaging effect of the rumors.

After Lu Beigu finished his investigation, he began to help Cui Taifu review the relevant files from Chanzhou related to the Liutahe Project.

Compared to local gazetteers and household registers, the engineering archives that were just archived last year are much more complex, including but not limited to the initial proposal documents, river survey maps, budget reports, material procurement records, conscription lists of laborers, as well as emergency response reports after the breach, casualty statistics, and documents on post-disaster relief, etc.

Lu Beigu focused on reviewing the machinery section of the material procurement records.

Records show that most of the tools used in the project, such as shovels and baskets, were manufactured and distributed by workshops commissioned by the government based on standard blueprints. Some tools were also purchased locally or requisitioned from civilians by the prefectures and counties.

The record lists the specifications, quantity, and unit price, but there is no detailed description of the shape, let alone any mention of "resembling funerary objects".

Therefore, on-site investigation is still needed; we can't see anything just by looking up information.

"Cui Xiangyi, what have you found on your end?" Lu Beigu asked, looking up.

Cui Taifu put down a thick list of laborers in his hand, his brows furrowed: "Imperial Censor Lu, the project accounts are generally clear and match the materials from the central government, but this list of laborers in Puyang County seems a bit strange."

"What's weird?"

“Last year, when the river work was conscripted, the document stated that Puyang County should send 2,200 laborers. However, the attached written agreement and the record of the payment of wages and food showed that the number was only 2,054, leaving a shortfall of 146 people, but there was no reasonable explanation for this.”

There are two construction plans for the Liutahe project.

The first proposal, submitted by Zhou Hang, the Hebei Transport Commissioner, involved dredging and reinforcing the existing waterways. It required 16.45 million bundles of firewood, 130,000 workers, and would take five years to complete.

The second proposal, submitted by Li Zhongchang, involved blocking the Shanghukou estuary to divert the Yellow River to the Liuta River. This would require three million bundles of firewood, ten thousand workers, and take a year to complete.

Lu Beigu's heart stirred, and he took the roster to examine it closely.

The imperial court chose to implement the second plan, and Puyang County, as the seat of Chanzhou Prefecture, should have contributed the most people, sending one-fifth, nearly a quarter, of its manpower. This number of people mobilized was not a problem.

However, there were indeed obvious contradictions between the mobilization documents and the actual execution records.

Cui Taifu frowned beside him and said, "These 'disappeared' laborers, were they not conscripted at all because they couldn't be found? Or did they escape after being conscripted and fail to report for work? Or did something else happen after they arrived at work? Is there any involvement of receiving salaries without working, falsely reporting the number of laborers, or other hidden matters behind this?"

“Record this point of doubt in detail.”

Lu Beigu said in a low voice, "This may be related to the chaotic management of the project, but it may also be a clue worth investigating further."

Time slips away quietly amidst piles of old papers, and the sunlight outside the window gradually slants.

It wasn't until sunset that the two of them finished browsing all the relevant content.

After confirming that nothing had been missed, Lu Beigu rubbed his sore eyes and said to Cui Taifu, "According to the archives, Zhao Village has a clear history and is not a newly established village. The records of purchasing machinery are standardized and there are no abnormal descriptions. Only the list of laborers is questionable. However, these are just things recorded in the archives. Next, we should go and see for ourselves."

Cui Taifu nodded in agreement: "That's right. Archives are ultimately static. The 'rumors' passed down by word of mouth among the people still need to be investigated on-site and interviewed with villagers in order to uncover the truth."

The two men tidied up their notes, ordered the clerk to put the files back in their place, locked the storeroom, and then went together to Shi Changyan's duty room.

Lu Beigu informed the other party of the general results of the investigation and proposed to conduct on-site investigations at the former site of Zhao Village and the breach of the Liuta River the next day.

Upon hearing that the archives review had not revealed any major irregularities, only some discrepancies in the number of servants, Shi Changyan relaxed slightly. Even if there were problems, they were the responsibility of the former prefect, Li Zhang, and had nothing to do with him.

"I am unaware of the frequent comings and goings of the servants. Let me ask the servants below and then I will inform you both."

Lu Beigu then asked, "Furthermore, did the prefectural government have any doubts about the village name before? Or had they heard any related rumors?" Shi Changyan gave a wry smile and said, "Imperial Censor Lu, before last year, no one had ever associated the village name with the imperial name. As for the various rumors circulating among the people, I only heard about them occasionally after I took office following the breach in the river. It's inevitable that many rumors would arise after such a major disaster. I took them as the angry words of the disaster victims in their grief and did not investigate them further. I also felt that such nonsense would only cause trouble for the court, so I did not include it in the official documents."

Shi Changyan carefully chose his words, acknowledging the existence of the rumors while absolving himself of responsibility as a local official.

"Thank you. I understand."

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, carriages and horses were already prepared in front of the Chanzhou prefectural government office.

Prefect Shi Changyan personally saw them off, bowing to Lu Beigu and Cui Taifu and saying, "Imperial Censor Lu, Cui Xiangyi, today's inspection has been carried out. I have already dispatched the prefectural judge and several clerks familiar with the local situation to accompany us, and have also arranged a team of yamen runners to guard us. The old site of Zhao Village is remote and the terrain at the breach is complex. We must be careful in everything we do."

"Thank you for your thoughtful arrangements, Prefect Shi," Lu Beigu said in return to Cui Taifu.

The group then set off, exiting the north gate of Puyang City and heading northeast.

Last night, a spring rain had just stopped, and the official road was still muddy. The ruts left deep marks as the carts rolled over it. The closer one got to the Liuta River, the more shocking the traces of last year's devastating flood became.

Along the roadside, one can occasionally see dilapidated roof frames half-buried in silt, dead trees with crooked branches, and large tracts of land hardened and barren, with only sparse wild grass shivering in the spring breeze.

After crossing the Liuta River by boat and arriving at the east bank, the air was immediately filled with the unique fishy smell of the river mixed with the stench of decaying matter, making one feel suffocated.

The ferry was small, so the carriages were left on the west bank, and the passengers had to ride horses, mules, donkeys, or walk.

On the vast fields of the east bank, they could not see anyone.

The only person I saw was a famine refugee, carrying a tattered bundle and walking south with a numb expression, avoiding the official procession whenever he saw it.

Lu Beigu could see that his eyes were filled with fear and resentment.

The magistrate of Chanzhou, surnamed Li, who was leading the way, pointed to the scenery along the way and introduced it to Lu Beigu and the others in a sorrowful tone: "Imperial Censor Lu, please look, this area used to be a fertile land in Puyang County, with villages connected one after another, and the sounds of chickens and dogs could be heard from one another. Last year, the river water broke through the dam of Liuta River, like the Milky Way pouring down, and in an instant it became a vast ocean. After the water receded, the good fields were all turned into sand and desert, and not a tenth of the houses remained. Even though the government did not allow it, the people all fled the famine."

Lu Beigu listened silently, his gaze sweeping over the scarred land.

After walking on the muddy road for about half an hour, a ruin appeared ahead. Judge Li pointed ahead and said, "Imperial Censor Lu, Minister Cui, this is the old site of Zhao Village."

After the group entered Zhao Village, Lu Beigu observed carefully.

In Zhao Village, weeds grew rampant, and amidst the undulating terrain, one could vaguely see the remaining foundations of walls, scattered broken bricks and tiles, and some furniture remains covered in hardened mud and long since rotted.

Clearly, the houses were severely damaged.

But a huge old locust tree stood crookedly in the middle of the ruins, not knocked down. Half of the tree trunk had withered and died, but the other half stubbornly sprouted a few new green shoots.

"This tree is quite old."

Lu Beigu's gaze then turned to the well, which was dug not far from the tree.

It makes perfect sense to dig a well here. Summers in Hebei are very hot, and the shade will cool the water, reducing the amount of water lost through evaporation.

At the same time, Cui Taifu began to lead people to dig up the roots of the old locust tree, where it was buried by hardened silt.

They cleaned it up in no time.

“Imperial Censor Lu, look here,” Cui Taifu said, pointing to the tree roots without wiping his hands.

Lu Beigu looked in the direction he pointed and saw several indented marks on the tree roots.

"The floodwaters from the Liuta River breach didn't knock down the trees, but the marks here are clearly the result of someone leaning against the trees for shade over many years. It must have taken at least two generations."

Then they looked at the well, which was covered in moss and the bricks were old. Unfortunately, the bricks were ordinary blue bricks, and because they were not fired in the official kiln, there were no inscriptions or marks, so the production year was unknown.

After carefully examining the traces of life left in the center of the Zhao Village ruins, Cui Taifu concluded: "Zhao Village does have a history of more than forty or fifty years and is by no means newly established."

Everything I saw and heard here confirmed the authenticity of the information I had seen in the cabinet yesterday.

Lu Beigu nodded and instructed the accompanying clerks: "You all spread out and look carefully again, paying attention to anything special or different from ordinary villages. In particular, search for any surviving artifacts with unique shapes."

Although the rumors about Zhao Village only mentioned the taboo of the name and did not mention any objects that were taboo, it is still best to investigate carefully as a precaution.

The clerks agreed and dispersed, carefully searching through the ruins.

They tried to find clues, but all they saw was the appearance of an ordinary Hebei village, with nothing unusual.

Seeing that he couldn't find any clues, Lu Beigu recorded what he saw and heard in writing and made simple drawings before preparing to leave and continue his investigation.

Lu Bei, the advisor, asked, "How far is it from where the breach occurred last year?"

"It's just a few miles away," Judge Li pointed into the distance.

"Go over there and have a look."

The group followed a very bad country road, making their way towards the breach. The closer they got, the lower the terrain became, and the deeper the mud became, making their journey increasingly difficult.

Later on, riding horses was no longer an option, and everyone had to trudge through the muddy ground.

The acrid, putrid stench in the air was even stronger, making it difficult to breathe unless one covered their mouth and nose with their sleeve.

Finally, a scene of utter devastation from the breach came into view.

The once-long dike is now nothing but sections of ruins, like the grotesque, torn bones of a giant beast.

The most conspicuous breach is dozens of feet wide, and the turbid yellow water still flows slowly to this day.

Looking out, the vast area below the breach is still a waterlogged land, dotted with puddles and overgrown with reeds, with rooftops occasionally submerged in the water.

"This is it," Judge Li said in a heavy tone. "Last year, the river water broke through the Liuta River embankment from here and rushed down."

Lu Beigu stood on the ruined embankment, gazing at the devastated scene.

Even though they already knew about the tragedy from written records, the impact of experiencing it firsthand was far beyond what words could convey.

He could imagine the terrifying scene of the flood that day, where the floodwaters surged and swallowed everything.

The rumors about "resentment reaching the heavens" and "disturbing the earth's veins" seem to have found fertile ground to grow at such a disaster site.

Cui Taifu, however, focused more on details. He told the accompanying clerks, "Search the area to see if you can find any construction tools left behind, such as shovels and baskets. Pay attention to their shapes and designs."

The clerks dispersed again and searched laboriously in the mud.

Lu Beigu, along with Cui Taifu and Judge Li, walked along the remaining embankment to investigate, occasionally asking Judge Li about the specific circumstances of the breach at that time.

Just then, a clerk shouted from afar, "We've found something over here!"

Lu Beigu and Cui Taifu perked up and immediately rushed towards the sound.

The clerk struggled to drag something out of the mud. After washing it with water, it was vaguely visible that it was a broken iron shovel. The wooden handle was long gone, leaving only the rusty shovel head.

Cui Taifu took it and examined it carefully.

The shape of this spade is indeed strange, unlike the "concave" shape of a normal spade. From the front, it actually looks somewhat like a funerary object.

(End of this chapter)