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

Zhao Fengji, Fu Xingzhong, Wang Huai, and others stood quietly behind the emperor, their eyes filled with boundless admiration.

Such a massive project is not something that any emperor would dare to undertake.

It's not just a matter of money and supplies; we also have to relocate several cities!

The costs of relocating the capital, rebuilding the city, and resettling immigrants have not yet been factored in.

Moreover, after the integration of land tax and corvée labor, corvée labor could not be arbitrarily conscripted.

The government certainly couldn't afford that much in land tax; the main expenses still had to come from the imperial court, making the financial pressure even greater than during the Song Dynasty.

This approach also has its advantages; it prevents countless people from being driven to ruin and death.

Zhao Yuan said, "Before I left the capital, the Grand Chancellor reminded you that when you were using water to attack sand, you must take into account the problem of ice jams."

"Ice jam?"

The three river management officials were taken aback.

Records of ice jams date back to the Western Han Dynasty.

However, since the Yellow River has frequently changed its course, ice jams have become less frequent, and even when they do occur, they are not large in scale.

This may be related to the river management methods, which divert and release floodwaters in various places to prevent large-scale ice jams from forming.

Once the water is controlled to attack the sand, ice jams may become more and more frequent and larger in scale.

There are gains and losses; there is no perfect solution.

After a discussion among the three river management officials, Zhao Fengji said, "The old diversion channels and sluice gates should not be abandoned after the water is controlled and the sand is dealt with."

“In particular, new flood discharge channels should be dug in the upstream sections of the river where ice jams are most likely to occur, and the gates should be opened immediately in case of any danger.”

"It would be best to excavate a few more lakes for flood discharge and water storage."

……

After staying in Linhe County for several days, Zhao Yuan continued his northern tour.

While the Yellow River did not breach its banks, the Yangtze and Qiantang Rivers were in turmoil.

Heavy rains have fallen across several southern provinces, causing rivers to swell and resulting in a poor harvest for the entire Zhejiang province this year.

There's even a rumor circulating among the people, though it's unclear who made it up.

It is said that Huanzhang was a truly benevolent ruler, and that the country enjoyed favorable weather and abundant harvests for several years under his rule.

Zhao Yuan was too tyrannical and bloodthirsty, which was against the harmony of heaven, so there was a flood in the first year of his reign.

Local officials in various prefectures and counties had to organize flood control and disaster relief efforts while also arresting those who spread rumors.

After all the searching and searching, they still couldn't find the source, and after all that effort, they had to give up.

When Zhao Yuan arrived in Cangzhou, the floods in the south had already receded, and the Zhejiang Provincial Governor submitted a memorial requesting that the farmland be returned to the lake.

It's not just Xuanwu Lake in Nanjing, but also the lakes on the south bank of the Qiantang River, and all the lakes, large and small, in the Jiangnan region.

It has nothing to do with Wang Anshi; it was all done by wealthy households in the surrounding area who reclaimed land from the lake.

The claim that Wang Anshi abandoned Xuanwu Lake to reclaim land is purely a fabrication by Southern Song Dynasty literati.

Because before Wang Anshi was born, there was already very little Xuanwu Lake left in Jinling.

As early as when Wang Anshi was 3 years old, Xuanwu Lake had already dwindled to only 76 hectares.

Moreover, the siltation is severe, and the water level drops to the bottom even with slight drought.

They might as well rent it out as government land, and they could collect more than 500 strings of cash in rent every year.

Ding Wei, the prefect at the time, submitted a memorial requesting the return of farmland to the lake and dispatched local troops to dredge and clear the silt.

However, the wealthy were insatiable and year after year they stole the lake to turn it into farmland, and now Xuanwu Lake has become a small pond.

The entire Jiangnan region is like this!

"Be careful. This applies only to Xuanwu Lake."

This is the Cabinet's draft reply to the memorial submitted by the Zhejiang Provincial Administration Commission.

Wen Huanzhang held the memorial and its attachments and read them for a long time before personally writing in red ink: "The prefectures and counties of Zhejiang have submitted a memorial detailing the illegal conversion of lakes into farmland."

“In the past thirty years, counties and prefectures that have been repeatedly flooded should be ordered to return farmland to lakes.”

"The land that was returned to the emperor was purchased with funds allocated by the imperial court."

"Anyone who steals from the lake again will be punished as if they committed arson."

After thinking for a moment, Wen Huanzhang wrote another note to the cabinet: "The crime of stealing from the lake should be written into the Great Ming Code."

"This is not only the case in Zhejiang, but also in all provinces across the country."

Not long after the letter was sent back to the cabinet, Prime Minister Zhai Ruwen came to request an audience.

Wen Huanzhang asked, "What is it?"

Zhai Ruwen said, "The Jiangnan region is the granary of the nation."

"Returning farmland to lakes is a good thing, but I'm afraid it will cause a lot of trouble."

"Officials might take the opportunity to extort money or even seize the people's land and property."

Chapter 3399 Artificial Lake

“And cunning people can take the opportunity to overreport their land holdings in order to cheat the court out of compensation money.”

"Zhejiang is still implementing the land tax reform this year, which has already created a tense situation. Further reducing farmland and returning it to lakes could incite a popular uprising."

"Furthermore, the Emperor's reply was ambiguous. How much of the land should be returned to the lake?"

"Government officials, in pursuit of political achievements, may be greedy and turn even proper farmland into lakes."

"They even colluded with gentry and wealthy people, returning the land of the rich to the lake instead of the land of the common people."

“It was my oversight,” Wen Huanzhang asked. “What do you plan to do?”

Zhai Ruwen said, "We should proceed gradually. First, we should restore Xuanwu Lake, and then we can tackle the other lakes after the land tax system is implemented."

"Even if it is Xuanwu Lake, the imperial court should send a high-ranking official to oversee this matter, and it should not be left to local officials to do as they please."

"It would be best to send someone from the Ministry of Works who understands water conservancy to determine how much Xuanwu Lake should be expanded. We need to first establish a plan."

"The Ministry of War should also participate, dispatching the grain transport troops and garrison troops to dredge and clear silt, while also preventing troublemakers from causing chaos."

Wen Huanzhang praised, "That's how it should be handled."

After thinking for a moment, Wen Huanzhang added, "If there are people who are willing to migrate to Youzhou, we will compensate them with three times the amount of land they occupied by returning farmland to lakes."

"Furthermore, the government provided them with food and lodging along the way, as well as seeds and clothing, and rented out their oxen for a year free of charge."

“The land cultivated in Youzhou will be exempt from taxes for three years and the taxes will be reduced by half for two years.”

"This is a good policy!" Zhai Ruwen complimented.

What kind of benevolent policy is this? It's just luring people to Youzhou, where there's countless land waiting to be cultivated.

Wen Huanzhang said, "Throughout Zhejiang, the policy of returning farmland to lakes has followed this example."

Zhai Ruwen was not a rigid old man; he could also read the emperor's mind, and he immediately informed the special envoy in charge of the matter.

That is, the compensation price for the land returned to the lake is set much lower than the local market price.

The wealthy families weren't short of money, so it didn't matter if they didn't want to relocate.

It is also possible that illegitimate sons or those from minor branches of the family could be sent to Youzhou to develop their careers.

Small landlords and self-cultivating farmers, unwilling to lose money, would certainly grit their teeth and migrate to Youzhou.

In this way, the court saved money and the population of Youzhou increased.

By deploying troops in advance, we won't have to worry about any trouble, and the soldiers can also help dredge the lake and clear the silt.

At least 40,000 to 50,000 mu of land need to be cleared from Xuanwu Lake, and possibly more!

Zhai Ruwen returned to the cabinet, and Xiao Chu asked with a smile, "How was it?"

"The Prime Minister agreed and added some more, linking it to the expansion of Youzhou," Zhai Ruwen said.

The plan that was presented earlier was the result of discussions between Zhai Ruwen and Xiao Chu, who worked together to identify and address any shortcomings.

They've long since given up on opposing anything, since it's pointless anyway. They might as well offer their own suggestions and make things more perfect and appropriate.

Zhai Ruwen returned to his office, sat in his chair and thought for a long time before finally deciding not to interfere too much in his hometown's affairs.

It's estimated that another wealthy family in his hometown will be exiled.

Because there is Lianhu Lake there, an artificial lake dug during the Western Jin Dynasty.

It initially covered 10 mu, which was expanded to 20 mu during the Tang Dynasty.

Regulating water levels and irrigating farmland are secondary functions; the most important role of Lianhu Lake is to ensure the smooth transport of grain from the south of the Yangtze River!

During the Tang Dynasty, it was forbidden to reclaim land from Lianhu Lake, and even releasing water privately was considered a crime of murder.

However, the Song Dynasty did not exercise any control over the lake and reclaimed land on a large scale, resulting in the lake area shrinking by one-third.

It's all being done by powerful clans and wealthy families; outsiders can't interfere, because it would be pointless.

After the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Zhai Ruwen once suggested restoring the Tang Dynasty's management of Lianhu Lake.

This not only benefits the country and its people, but also his own family, helping them avoid frequent floods and droughts.

I suspect some people don't take this seriously and are probably still secretly stealing land from the lake and enclosing fields.

After Xuanwu Lake is settled, Zhai Ruwen will then manage Lian Lake.

He couldn't directly take action against his fellow villagers, but he could use the imperial court's name to severely punish those selfish individuals who harmed others!

The imperial court introduced a series of civil policies.

In every wave, there are always people who deserve to be unlucky.

Zhai Ruwen leaned back leisurely in his chair, closed his eyes, and smiled.

Although he found it difficult to accept some of the ideas of the Zhu family father and son, the country as a whole was rapidly improving.

Military affairs, agriculture, water conservancy, official administration... and even religious beliefs all developed in an all-round way, reversing the chaotic situation of the former Song Dynasty.

Back then, Zhai Ruwen was demoted to a local official in Xuanzhou simply because he couldn't stand Liang Shicheng's occupation of the cemetery of ordinary people in the suburbs of Beijing. He submitted several memorials to impeach Liang Shicheng and was demoted several times.

How wonderful it is now! Corrupt officials tremble in fear, and treacherous ministers have vanished from the court.

Ten years ago, Zhai Ruwen wouldn't have dared to even dream of such a thing.

Zhao Fengji and Wang Huai stayed in Erguhe, while Fu Xingzhong followed the emperor north.

Standing on the wide and long embankment, with the Yellow River water level gradually receding before him, Fu Xingzhong pointed to the opposite bank and said, "That's Changlu Town (later Cangzhou City)."

"During the Sui and Tang dynasties, prefectures were established, but they were repeatedly downgraded to counties."

Chapter 3400 Changlu County

"In the early Song Dynasty, it was Changlu County, but due to its small population, it was downgraded to Changlu Town."

"Later it developed again and was re-established as Changlu County."

"In the second year of the Xining era, the Yellow River breached its banks, and the entire Changlu County was submerged."

"In the fourth year of the Xining era, Changlu County was downgraded to Changlu Town again."

"By the Zhenghe era of the Song Dynasty, the population of Changlu Town had increased again."

"The original plan was to restore the county seat, but then the Yellow River breached its banks, and Changlu Town was flooded again."

"Even in Cangzhou, which is further away, the city walls were submerged to only six feet."

Zhao Yuan sighed inwardly.

Zhao Yuan was naturally aware of the great flood during the Zhenghe era, as he was serving as the prefect of Puzhou at the time.

In order to protect Kaifeng and the elite areas of Shandong, the imperial court chose to sacrifice Hebei.

The city walls of Cangzhou were so high that only six feet of the top remained above water. It is said that a million people died in the entire Yellow River flood area.

That great flood had a significant impact on the subsequent alliance with the Jin dynasty to attack the Liao dynasty.