Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

"But these willows are not tall, and the willows that Wang Wei planted may have been cut down by the villagers."

The group slowly walked back, rested for a night along the way, and returned to Wangkou Village the next day.

This area boasts the second largest flat area in the entire valley, and one of the villages is located here.

But once they start building large-scale construction, they end up occupying perfectly good farmland.

Wen Huanzhang still wants to farm, and he doesn't plan to build it according to the original design of Wang Wei's villa: "The mountain peaks on both sides are not very high, and the slopes are not steep."

“The attic courtyard for daily living can be built on the hillsides on both sides.”

"As for the villagers in the valley, they will be moved to the south where there is the most arable land, and they will be allowed to build houses against the mountainside to live in."

Wen Huanzhang intends to reserve land for the villagers who are unwilling to move.

At the same time, Wen Huanzhang also had a large area of ​​farmland, which he allowed farmers in the valley to help him cultivate, while Wen Huanzhang only provided cultivation guidance.

Wen Huanzhang returned to the valley entrance and pointed to a mountain hollow, saying, "Building a fortified village here can guard the entire valley."

This mountain valley is called Mengcheng Valley. In the early Tang Dynasty, there was indeed a castle and garrison there, because Wangchuan Valley was Li Shimin's hunting ground at that time.

Shen Yourong asked, "Where do the guards live?"

After careful consideration, Wen Huanzhang said, "We can have some people living inside the valley and others living outside, so that we can quickly gather them in the castle."

“I plan to relocate some of the villagers from the two or three villages outside the valley, and then reward the guards with the vacated land.”

"Have the guards bring their wives and children here, so they can settle down and multiply."

The rest of the guards will definitely be transferred, but their place of origin will remain here.

For the next period of time, Wen Huanzhang lived in the valley.

He personally observed the area, drew a map of the entire valley, and marked where to build what.

As for the specific architectural design, that can be left to the professionals in the Ministry of Works.

Once the design drawings are completed, Wen Huanzhang can then offer his suggestions for revisions; a multicolored black is not impossible.

Just as Wen Huanzhang was enjoying the scenery, a fast horse came galloping from outside the valley.

After reading his son's letter, Wen Huanzhang was furious: "That bastard! I've only been resting for a short time, and he wants me to go back to Kaifeng again!"

Despite the criticism, the work still needs to be done.

Wen Huanzhang, along with his wives, concubines, and children, quickly ended his more than one-month-long trip.

They were still several miles away from Lantian County when the county magistrate rushed over to greet them.

If Wen Huanzhang hadn't wanted to avoid being disturbed, the magistrate of Lantian County would have loved to live in the valley as well.

The Ba River meanders northward, and Wen Huanzhang traveled by boat the entire way.

When we passed Baqiao Bridge, we got off the boat and took a look. I couldn't wait to take pictures and post them on WeChat Moments.

They then traveled along the Wei River to the Yellow River, and then switched to a land route.

The drawback of establishing the capital in Chang'an was that the section of the Yellow River from Tongguan to Shanzhou could not be navigable year-round for transporting goods.

As the capital, Chang'an consumed too much resources.

If grain is transported from Shandong and Zhejiang, the total transportation cost to Luoyang only accounts for 30% of the total cost.

The remaining 70% of the transportation costs are wasted on the section from Luoyang to Chang'an.

Therefore, if Guanzhong in the Tang Dynasty was short of food, it would be more convenient for the emperor to take his civil and military officials directly to Luoyang for a meal.

When Wen Huanzhang returned to Kaifeng, all the civil and military officials came to greet him outside the city.

Chapter 3395 Yellow River

Knowing that the emperor intended to appoint the prime minister as regent, they completely dispelled their doubts.

Their ruler and his ministers are of one mind, so why are we making wild guesses?

Wen Huanzhang got angry when he saw so many people and waved his hand, saying, "Go back to the yamen and work. Today is not a day off."

The officials bowed respectfully in farewell, then entered the city laughing and joking.

Wen Huanzhang did not immediately enter the city, but instead went to the nearby Agricultural Promotion Office and strolled around the large experimental fields.

It was almost evening when Wen Huanzhang finally managed to dawdle back into Kaifeng before the city gates closed.

Zhao Yuan had already prepared delicious food and wine, and brought the Empress, imperial concubines, princes and princesses to dine with Wen Huanzhang.

"There hasn't even been a war yet, why are you in such a hurry to call me back?" Wen Huanzhang asked, picking up his chopsticks.

Zhao Yuan personally poured him wine: "Go out for an inspection ahead of schedule."

"In previous years, we didn't have enough money and grain, so the Yellow River project was just done half-heartedly. We only started to take it seriously last year."

"I'm going to see the Yellow River and also visit Cangzhou, which has been struggling to recover."

What are your thoughts on governing Cangzhou?

Wen Huanzhang said, "What other ideas could there be?"

"First, we need to tame the Yellow River and stop it from breaching its banks at Cangzhou every year."

At this time, the Yellow River flowed directly through what would later become the city of Cangzhou, flowing north all the way to Tianjin where it empties into the sea...

No matter which direction the Yellow River breaches its banks in the lower reaches, the flooded area will always be within Cangzhou.

Zhao Yuan said, "I asked how to manage saline-alkali land."

Wen Huanzhang looked around, then leaned close to his son and whispered, "Except for not needing to protect against sandstorms, we can follow the same methods Jiao Yulu used to govern Lankao County."

"Of course, I can also offer some advice on crops."

"The main thing is irrigation, watering the crops day by day, and letting the salt and alkali on the ground seep into the soil."

"Understood." Zhao Yuan nodded.

"It is too early to govern Cangzhou now,"

Wen Huanzhang said,

"First, the Yellow River hasn't been properly controlled yet, and it's uncertain where it might breach its banks."

"Secondly, Cangzhou has become sparsely populated due to its vast land area, making it difficult to allocate sufficient manpower to address salinization."

"By the way, could you please change the course of the Yellow River a little? It's ridiculous that it flows into the sea at Tianjin."

Zhao Yuan said, "The Ministry of Works is studying a plan and has sent many officials to Cangzhou for inspection."

"The Yellow River has changed its course for more than 30 years, and the sediment in the lower reaches of the riverbed is very high. It is time to find a new channel to the sea."

“Especially the section from Qingxian to Tianjin, which was the old course of the Yellow River nearly a hundred years ago, has been deposited for several decades before that.”

"The dikes have been breaching frequently these past few years, but fortunately there isn't much population there."

Wen Huanzhang said, "We absolutely cannot let the Yellow River take over the Huai River."

“Huainan is a prosperous land now, but it will be completely destroyed once the Yellow River diverts its course to the Huai River. If this continues, it will be difficult to recover even in a thousand years.”

He really left?

The civil and military officials stood on the shore, watching the emperor's fleet sail away, their emotions lingering for a long time.

While it was uncommon for the emperor to go on inspection tours, it wasn't too outrageous either.

What's truly outrageous is that, aside from being escorted by the army, Zhao Yuan only took some eunuchs, secretaries of the Tongzheng Yuan, and passersby with him.

This is tantamount to simply handing over all national affairs to the prime minister.

What nonsense!

Throughout history, emperors were always accompanied by hundreds of officials when they left the capital.

Important matters had to be sent to the emperor's temporary residence and handled by the ministers close to the emperor, in order to ensure that imperial power would not fall into the wrong hands.

"Your Majesty and the Prime Minister are both sage rulers of utmost sincerity and trustworthiness!"

Overwhelmed with emotion, Hu Anguo even wiped away tears with his sleeve.

The clothes he was wearing had been altered by the tailor to be narrower, making him look more capable than before.

But there are always some incongruous elements.

Currently, the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Works are designing the official robes.

The dress doesn't need alteration. It's only worn for large events, so even if it's loose-fitting, it won't get in much of a way.

Official and everyday clothing, however, had to be carefully designed, taking into account the strengths of the Tang and Song dynasties, and then modified to suit the emperor's particular aesthetic preferences.

……

In early May of the lunar calendar, the water level of the Yellow River continued to rise.

Zhao Yuan's fleet sailed eastward along the Yellow River, passing high dikes and occasional shovels.

When the boat arrived at Linhe County, Zhao Fengji, the governor-general in charge of river management, led officials to the shore to greet it.

Zhao Fengji was the son of Zhao Quan, a cabinet minister, and was in charge of the Yellow River management project.

He had two deputies: Fu Xingzhong and Wang Huai.

Fu Xingzhong was from Nanfeng, Jiangxi. His ancestors were the brothers of Empress Fu of the Northern Song Dynasty. He was forced to seek refuge with Zhao Yuan in Hanzhong.

Wang Huai was from Yiwu, Zhejiang, and was bestowed the title of "Pond God" during the Southern Song Dynasty.

His achievement was that he raised funds to build reservoirs and dams, modeled after the Dujiangyan Irrigation System, and led the villagers to solve the problems of floods and droughts in Yiwu. (Wang Huai, a famous prime minister of the Southern Song Dynasty, was his uncle, but the uncle was much younger than his nephew.)

After receiving the officials' prayers, Zhao Yuan rebuked them, saying, "Why are you all gathered here? Go back to your work immediately."

Zhao Fengji explained, "The Yellow River has a larger volume of water this year, which may lead to flooding."

"The most important sections are Lingping Sao and Xiaowu Sao, which are more than ten miles downstream."

Chapter 3396 The Riverbed After the Diversion

"As long as those two breaches don't stop, the Yellow River will be fine this year."

"If the river breaches its banks, the Yellow River could change its course."

"It's already that serious?" Zhao Yuan asked with a serious expression.

Zhao Fengji said, "The Yellow River has been flowing north for thirty years, and it is still flowing through its old course."

"The riverbed has been continuously raised by silt, and it is now comparable to the eastward-flowing Ergu River."

"If this is not addressed, the river will definitely change course within ten years, and there will be a risk of the dike breaching every year!"

Surrounded by numerous officials, Zhao Yuan went to the county town. He called Zhao Fengji onto the carriage and asked as they drove, "You've been surveying for a year now, have you come up with any plans yet?"

Zhao Fengji said, "The only option is to return to the river and let the Yellow River change its course and flow eastward."

Zhao Yuan was very dissatisfied: "Is it still the same old thing from the former Song Dynasty?"

Zhao Fengji said, "Returning to the river was not wrong."

"The problem lies in factional strife and the emperor's incompetence."

"What do you mean?" Zhao Yuan asked.

Zhao Fengji explained: "The Song Dynasty changed the course of the Yellow River three times."

"The first time was when Jia Changchao advocated returning to the old Hejing East Road, and Li Zhongchang proposed to open the Liuta River first, and then return to the Hehenglong Ancient Road."

"Both of these men's proposals were met with strong opposition, and Ouyang Xiu was the one leading the opposition."

“Fu Bi and Wen Yanbo agreed, and Emperor Renzong of Song ultimately listened to their advice.”

"Absolutely utterly foolish!"

"How big is the Liuta River? How could it possibly hold a flood from the Yellow River!"

"The diversion project was completed and the dam immediately burst, turning Hebei into a vast expanse of water."

"The second return to the river was already mixed with factional strife."

Both the old and new parties supported returning the river, but after Sima Guang conducted an on-site investigation, he believed that the return should be postponed.

Wang Anshi thought that Sima Guang wanted to delay on purpose, so he insisted on returning immediately.