Fang Su felt pressured by Xuan Yuanzhan's single sentence.
Although this holy king has only been in the northern lands for a few days, the surrounding cities have already heard a lot about his ruthless methods.
It is said that this Holy King, having arrived in the North only a day ago, wiped out all the bandit dens in the five cities of the North. Even the Eagle Village outside the North was completely wiped out.
Everyone was speculating about how he had managed it, considering that the bandits of the North had been running rampant for a long time. Sometimes, even the surrounding cities would be plundered.
Those bandits were so powerful, how did he manage to wipe them all out in one day?
I heard that on his first day in the north, this holy king executed the governor of the north and allowed the people to report their grievances themselves. It was only a matter of time before he reformed the people and the officialdom.
I've also heard that on his very first day in the North, this holy king distributed porridge and grain to the people there. The refugees who fled the North gradually returned, and this holy king deserves much credit for that!
Meanwhile, the Holy King, who had only been in the North for two or three days, had already begun to address the drought there. Such swift and decisive action was awe-inspiring!
Fang Su looked at Xuan Yuanzhan nervously and said, "This humble official knows that Your Highness wants to divert the water of the Baichuan River to the north to solve the drought. However, Your Highness is unaware that our Baichuan City is also suffering from a drought. Baichuan has not received rain for a long time, most of the wells in the city have dried up, and the inner river has almost no water. Now the entire Baichuan City depends on the water of the Baichuan River. If Your Highness diverts the water of the Baichuan River, then our Baichuan will also have to experience the same drought as the north."
If it were any other powerful or influential person, Fang Su might not have dared to come here today.
But this holy king knew from the moment he heard about his deeds that he was a prince who truly cared for the people.
A powerful figure like him would surely not only care about the survival of the people in the north, but also about the lives of people in other cities.
Fang Su knelt down as he spoke: "Please, Your Highness, think of the people of Baichuan City. The Baichuan River cannot be dredged!"
The people of Baichuan brought by Fang Su also knelt down one after another: "This Baichuan River cannot be dug! Please, Your Highness, reconsider!"
"Your Highness, please reconsider!"
Fang Su deliberately brought a lot of people from Baichuan with him this time, knowing that the prince would not make things difficult for them.
Xuanyuan Zhan looked at Fang Su and the people, somewhat amused and exasperated. He dismounted and walked up to Fang Su, saying, "I understand your concerns and the concerns of the people of Baichuan. As neighboring cities, you should know the current disaster situation in the North better than I do. The North is severely lacking in water. If no more water enters the North, all five cities in the North will become dead cities. The refugees in the North who can escape can escape, but those who cannot will die in the North."
The kneeling people of Baichuan looked at each other in confusion. One of the bolder people asked doubtfully, "But Your Highness, didn't you send them grain?"
The disaster relief supplies have arrived; how could they possibly starve to death?
Xuanyuan Zhan raised an eyebrow noncommittally: "Yes, His Majesty brought 10,000 dan of grain to the North this time, but the North is almost entirely populated by refugees. How long will 10,000 dan of grain be enough to feed the people of the five cities in the North? Grain is limited. What I can do is help them find water sources while they still have food, and completely solve the drought problem for the people of the North. That is true disaster relief."
The people of Baichuan protested, "But you can't use our Baichuan water to save the people of the North! What will happen to us if you use Baichuan water?"
Upon hearing this, the other people from Baichuan also became excited.
"Yes, they lack water, and so do we!"
“We in Baichuan are also suffering from drought. This is the only river we have that can provide us with some drinking water. If you divert our water to the north, what will become of the people of Baichuan?”
"You can't ignore our lives just to save the North from disaster!"
Seeing that they were getting more and more excited, Xuanyuan Zhan was not angry. He simply waved his hand and said, "Everyone, please calm down and let me finish what I have to say."
As soon as Xuanyuan Zhan raised his voice, the people of Baichuan fell silent.
After they quieted down, Xuan Yuanzhan spoke again.
"First of all, the Baichuan River does not belong to Baichuan City; it belongs to Dongchu. It is not only the people of Baichuan City who can drink it, but all the people of Dongchu can drink it."
Xuan Yuanzhan's words could not convince the people of Baichuan. The Baichuan River had been in their Baichuan City since ancient times, so how could it not belong to their Baichuan City?
"Secondly, although I came to the North to provide disaster relief, I would never do something as foolish as robbing Peter to pay Paul."
The people of Baichuan, who had just been about to refute Xuan Yuanzhan's first point, immediately fell silent upon hearing his second point.
So, it seems the prince doesn't intend to divert all the water from their Hundred Rivers River to the north.
However, as long as he diverts water, the people of Baichuan will definitely not have enough to drink.
"Third, the drought in the north needs to be addressed. If Baichuan City also suffers from the disaster, I will also go to Baichuan City to provide disaster relief. I will never disregard the lives of the people of Baichuan."
This third point immediately dispelled their doubts about the second point.
The people of Baichuan, who had been hesitant to speak, were now completely silent.
They were worried that if the water of the Baichuan River were diverted to the north, their Baichuan region would also suffer from drought.
Now that the prince has given such a guarantee, what else can they say?
Seeing that they had all calmed down, Xuan Yuanzhan became even more composed.
"Fourth, the drought in the North has been a long-standing problem since ancient times. Due to the climate and geography of the North, it is often dry and arid, while my fiefdom of Xiangnan is rainy and prone to flooding. Therefore, I started implementing the South-to-North Water Diversion Project seven or eight years ago. By diverting the rainy water from the South to the North through the construction of canals and ditches, the water from the South and North can complement each other. This will solve the flood problem in the South and the drought problem in the North at the same time. It is a win-win solution!"
When Xuanyuan Zhan proposed the "South Water to North Diversion" method, the people were once again thrilled.
"The South-to-North Water Diversion Project is a great idea!"
"Yes, if we could really bring water from the south to the north, we would never suffer from drought again!"
"Moreover, the floods in the south can also be solved. How did Your Highness come up with such a good idea?"
"But the north and south are very far apart, when will it be possible to bring it over!"
"Your Highness, when will the water from the south be brought over?" a commoner couldn't help but ask.
Xuanyuan Zhan raised his eyebrows and said, "It was previously estimated that it would take another two years, but if we also send more people to participate in digging the river, then it will only take a year and a half to dig the north and south river channels."
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