Chapter 695 of the Main Text of the Chief Justice of the Northern Song Dynasty: Hearing: Experience is always the best. Han Qi's words made countless officials burst into tears.
Whether it was Zhou Ge or Cheng Fang, their expressions gradually became aggrieved.
Long live understanding.
Why was Cheng Fang so anxious? It was because many people in the court were watching him, attacking him, and opposing his river defense plan. The emperor also began to have doubts about this, so he had to achieve results immediately to reassure the emperor.
There was no time for him to waste.
This is actually somewhat similar to Wang Anshi's reform.
To get results quickly.
The reason why Zhou Ge and other Hebei officials did not dare to stop Cheng Fang was simply because they were afraid of taking on this responsibility because the responsibility was too heavy.
The reason why censors like Sheng Tao dared to impeach Cheng Fang was that they would not directly hinder Cheng Fang from performing his tasks.
In fact, with current technology, we cannot get an accurate answer. Everyone has their own ideas. Right or wrong depends solely on one's own beliefs and political struggles, while the most important science is often ignored.
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However, Wang Anshi and Lu Huiqing had a sense of crisis, because Han Qi's words seemed impartial, and he did not directly point out that there were problems with the current river defense fortifications, but it was not difficult to hear that Han Qi hoped to hinder the eastward flow plan.
Compared with Sima Guang, who had fought with Wang Anshi for many years, Han Qi's methods were obviously more sophisticated. Although the sharpness in his heart had long disappeared, he was after all a man who had been tempered in party struggles and had extremely rich experience, which Wang Anshi did not have.
Han Qi had a deep understanding of how the harmful effects of party strife would manifest themselves.
If he were to blame anyone for this case, the matter would not be resolved, he would be dragged into it and would not have any advantage.
Because no one will admit defeat, admitting defeat means a dead end. Only by not blaming anyone can we turn things around.
The most important figure among them is the emperor.
Because no matter what, the emperor is the main person in charge. As long as there is a problem, it must be related to the emperor, because it is you, the emperor, who has the final say. Now that so many people have been mobilized, it is impossible for him to easily admit his failure.
The key point is that this matter is closely tied to the reform.
Only by making the responsibility clear first can the emperor be persuaded to change his plan.
Han Qi was trying to dig a slope to get the emperor to get off his donkey.
Zhao Xu in the hall naturally understood the hidden meaning of Han Qi's words, but he was also quite grateful in his heart, because he really wanted to take advantage of the situation to get out of the situation.
As expected of Han Qi, he is really amazing! Zhang Fei was also full of emotion. This was definitely a friendly army, because he held this hearing mainly to relieve the emperor of his burden and move forward lightly. He asked, "Is there a very intense debate in the court about the management of the Hebei River?"
"The quarrel has lasted for decades!" Han Qi sighed, stroking his beard.
Zhang Fei pretended to be surprised and asked, "Really?"
Han Qi nodded and said, "The source of this flood control can be traced back to the first year of Jingyou, about forty years ago. That year, the Yellow River broke through Henglong in Puyang, but unlike the previous break, this time the river water flowed directly to the northeast, passing through Daming and entering the sea in Binzhou. Since then, the river water has also left the old Jingdong channel that has flowed for thousands of years and formed the Henglong River channel. Both channels are called East Flow."
Zhang Fei couldn't help but ask: "What is 'Northern Flow'?"
Han Qi said: "The Henglong River silted up very quickly. After only a dozen years of operation, it was already several feet higher than the houses, and it was extremely unstable. In the eighth year of the Qingli period, in Puyang, a breach occurred again in Shanghu County, upstream of the Henglong breach point. The new river channel formed by the breach further swung northward, passing through Daming and ending at Ganningjun and entering the sea. This channel is called the 'North Flow', and since then there has been a dispute between the 'East Flow' and the 'North Flow'."
"I see."
Zhang Fei nodded and asked, "What does Mr. Han think?"
Han Qi replied: "I have a similar view with a close friend, Ouyang Yongshu, the recently retired governor of Qingzhou. He believes that 'the most appropriate strategy is to dredge the channel leading to the north flow of the sea so that it flows smoothly'."
Zhang Fei asked, "I don't know much about water management. Would you please explain the principles in detail, Mr. Han?"
Han Qi said: "During the Qingli period, there was a debate on this matter. I did not directly participate at that time. The reason why I agree with Ouyang Yongshu's words is that I think Yongshu's words are the most practical among the officials' debate.
He first pointed out that the cause of floods is that rivers are filled with silt, which is a natural phenomenon. Silt usually occurs downstream first, and when the silt is high in the downstream, the water gradually stagnates and then breaks through the low places upstream. This is a normal phenomenon.
Since Wang Jing of the Eastern Han Dynasty controlled the river, the river has flowed for a thousand years without bursting, so a large amount of silt has accumulated in the riverbed, which has gradually risen over time to form a hanging river.
However, when the river passes through Chan and Hua states, the river channel is at its narrowest due to the constraints of mountains on both sides of the river. When floods from upstream arrive, the water is blocked here and it is very easy to burst. Looking at the floods in our dynasty, almost all of them occurred in Chan and Hua states.
If the silt in the old course is not cleared, forcing the river water to return to its original course will be tantamount to seeking death. "
Some officials nodded frequently, but many others sneered. Even Wen Yanbo and Sima Guang frowned.
It can be seen that there is indeed great controversy on this issue.
Zhang Fei nodded and said, "What Mr. Han meant is that the East Flow is the old course that has been used for thousands of years. A lot of silt has accumulated in the river, so floods have been happening constantly in our dynasty. This is not a man-made disaster, but a natural one. If we want to stick to the old course, we should clear the silt, but we are helpless with the silt right now, so we should leave the old course and build a new course, which is the so-called 'North Flow' course."
"That's right."
Han Qi said: "This is because of the river sand. If we want to treat the old course, we should first treat the river sand, and we can't treat the symptoms instead of the root cause. However, Li Zhongchang, who was in charge of the Yellow River embankment materials at that time, advocated dredging the Liuta River first, diverting the Yellow River, and then diverting the river back to the 'Henglong River Channel', which is called 'returning the river to the east'.
Ouyang Yongshu thought that the Liuta River was only 50 steps wide, and he wanted to narrow it to contain the water of the big river. This was ridiculous. He also accurately predicted that if the Shanghukou was blocked, the northern flow was blocked, and the water was diverted to Liuta, the river would burst at the Shanghukou. Later, the court did not accept Yongshu's advice. On the night when the Shanghukou was blocked, the river burst at the Shanghukou again, causing a huge disaster. Alas, Emperor Renzong also issued a "self-blame edict" because of this. "
Zhao Xu, who was sitting in the hall, couldn't help but shudder when he heard this.
This is really scary just thinking about it!
A flood forced the emperor to issue an edict of repentance. One can imagine how terrible the flood was.
Oh! This Ouyang Xiu really has his own unique vision in everything, which is really amazing. It's a pity that I haven't met him in person. It's really a pity! Zhang Fei sighed secretly and asked again: "Why didn't Mr. Ouyang's suggestion be adopted by the court?"
Han Qi stroked his beard and said, "This is because several important officials in the court all agreed with Li Zhongchang's words, which led to Emperor Renzong not adopting Ouyang Yongshu's suggestion in the end."
Having said that, he suddenly glanced at Fu Bi.
Zhang Fei saw this and couldn't help but secretly glance at him. Seeing that Fu Bi's expression was indeed a little unnatural, he wondered, could it be that Lord Fu persuaded Emperor Renzong to accept Li Zhongchang's advice?
But he quickly came to his senses and continued to ask, "Does Prime Minister Han think that if we find the northern stream, we can solve the flood problem?"
Han Qi nodded, but added: "I just think that what Ouyang Yongshu said is the most realistic. At least no one can refute the theory that 'accumulated silt makes the riverbed high', and governance must be dredging. But as for whether the new Beiliu Road can avoid floods, I dare not guarantee it, after all, the water is invisible.
Therefore, although I advocated the northward flow, I also wrote to His Majesty to express my concerns about dredging the two rivers, fulfilling my duty as a minister. Although His Majesty finally adopted the eastward flow of the river, I believed that since the court had already made the decision, it should not be hindered. Therefore, I did not interfere with what Cheng Dujian did. After all, Cheng Dujian was indeed working hard to control the river. "
This major detour brings us back to the case itself.
Lu Huiqing couldn't help but curse in a low voice: "What a cunning old man!"
It seems selfless, but in fact it is promoting Beiliu and implying that Cheng Fang will use brute force, which will be unreasonable and futile.
Wang Anshi also heard the hidden meaning and couldn't help but feel eager to make a move.
Zhang Fei saw this and a smile flashed across his eyes. He then said to Han Qiyan, "Thank you very much, Mr. Han, for coming to testify. This has allowed us to know the whole story."
Han Qi smiled bitterly and said, "I am old now, and I can only do my best now."
After that, he pinched his old waist and groaned, "Ouch! These old bones really can't sit for long. Does Prosecutor Zhang have any other questions?"
Zhang Fei hurriedly said, "I have no other questions. Mr. Han can go down and have a rest."
After saying that, he thought to himself, that's not right! Aren't you just going to sit down when you go down?
Zhang Fei looked at Han Qi suspiciously again. At this time, the servant had come up to help Han Qi stand up and return to his seat. Seeing his slightly smug expression, he immediately realized what was going on and thought to himself, so that's it, he was trying to lure the snake out of its hole!
Fu Bi remained calm and whispered, "Uncle Yong has long stopped caring about government affairs. If he knew that you put him in the whirlpool again, he would probably blame you."
Han Qi said nonchalantly: "Who in the world hasn't been blamed by him?"
Fu Bi smiled but said nothing.
When Ouyang Xiu was young, he would either not fire any big words or if he did, they would always be map-cannons. Bao Zheng and others had all been taught a lesson, so who could be immune?
Han Qi added, "Besides, you, Fu Yanguo, don't blame me, so what can he blame me for?"
Fu Bi frowned slightly, "I was indeed negligent in the decision-making back then, and I have no choice but to take responsibility. But what you just said only pointed out the disadvantages of the eastward flow, and did not mention the disadvantages of the northward flow. This is also biased and difficult to convince others."
Han Qi smiled and said, "If I say everything, what will they say?"
After saying that, he glanced at Wang Anshi.
Fu Bi was slightly stunned, then he followed his gaze and immediately understood what was going on. He couldn't help but laugh and said, "So you are just throwing out some ideas to attract some jade."
Han Qi frowned and said, "It's like throwing jade to attract bricks."
After Han Qi went down, Wang Gong looked at Zhang Fei.
After Zhang Fei gulped down a cup of tea, he glanced at the sky and said, "It's time to leave the court. How about we take a break and eat first?"
"Eat a meal?"
Wang Gong almost bit his tongue. At this critical moment, everyone was holding their breath, and you actually wanted to eat?
Even Xu Zun was dumbfounded. He turned around and looked at Zhang Fei in confusion.
Zhang Fei was also puzzled and asked: "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Xu Zun said: "Now that we have come to this, why don't we finish talking first and then go eat. Are you hungry?"
Zhang Fei smiled and said, "Chief Prosecutor, if we continue to talk about this topic, we may not be able to eat dinner. Besides," he whispered, "If we show too much enthusiasm, people will question us. We should take things lightly and eat when it's time to eat."
Question? Question what? Xu Zun stroked his beard, thought for a moment, and suddenly nodded with a smile, saying, "Just follow what Prosecutor Zhang said, let's eat first."
Although Wang Gong was puzzled, he was the father-in-law and the son-in-law and had the final say here. He had no choice but to stand up and announce a temporary adjournment and resume the trial in the afternoon.
This immediately caused an uproar, and everyone's face was filled with dissatisfaction. Haven't you ever eaten?
At this critical moment, Wang Anshi was about to stand up and said, "Why don't you take a recess? You might give birth to a son without a penis!"
Lu Huiqing said, "It's still early, why are you in such a hurry to adjourn the meeting?"
Zhang Fei said: "But we feel a little tired and a little hungry. We need to take a rest. We can continue in the afternoon."
".?"
This reason is really - asking for a beating.
If possible, many officials would like to step up, kick the father-in-law and son-in-law out and take charge of the meeting themselves.
This is really a life-threatening thing!
But the procuratorate didn't care about their opinions at all and they all stood up to pack up the documents.
I have the final say in my meetings.
However, Empress Dowager Cao had some objections to this and said rather dissatisfiedly: "Zhang San is so young, how come he is not as good as a few old men? He is already tired after a while."
She is not tired, but you are. How can you feel ashamed?
Zhao Xu was also a little unhappy, "Don't worry, madam, I will teach him a lesson later."
He did just that. After sending Queen Mother Cao to the side room to rest, he immediately ordered someone to quietly call Zhang Fei over.
"Why did you suddenly adjourn? Don't tell me that you really feel tired."
When he saw Zhang Fei, Zhao Xu asked in confusion.
Because the purpose of this hearing is to resolve this dispute. If this dispute is not resolved, Zhao Xu will not be able to step down. Now Han Qi has already chiseled the slope, but I haven't even gone down yet. If you suddenly pause it, there may be changes!
Zhang Fei replied calmly, "This is because the dispute between the East and North is not the key to this case. For the sake of fairness, our procuratorate cannot lead this topic too much. Otherwise, they will definitely see that this hearing has other purposes."
Zhao Xu immediately said: "But this is my purpose."
"I know."
Zhang Fei nodded, "Your Majesty, there is no need to worry about this. According to my understanding of Wang Xueshi, he will definitely not stop here. He will definitely apply to attend in the afternoon and then emphasize the harm of the northern flow to refute Han Xianggong.
This way, the impartiality of the procuratorate in this hearing will not be affected, because they are the ones who want to force the issue, and I can use it to make a point. "
"I see."
Zhao Xu nodded slightly, then suddenly laughed a few times, sat back in his chair, and said, "You really have figured them out."
Zhang Fei shook his head and said, "It wasn't me, but Mr. Han. He was in a hurry to leave because he wanted to leave a reason for Mr. Wang to come forward to defend himself."
Zhao Xu nodded and said with emotion: "In fact, I have heard so many arguments about this issue that my ears are already numb. Every time I go to sleep, I always hear these arguments echoing in my ears, tormenting me all the time."
At this point, he suddenly looked at Zhang Fei, "But the strange thing is that their remarks at the hearing this time are refreshing to me. It seems that I have heard them before, but also that I have never heard them before. This is really strange. Do you know the reason?"
"rule."
Zhang Fei answered without even thinking.
"rule?"
Zhao Xu was surprised.
Zhang Fei nodded and said, "There are almost no rules in their debates in the court. They just speak one after another, expressing their own opinions and confronting each other. And only Your Majesty can calm them down.
It is different at a hearing. There is a host, rules, and a question-and-answer session. They are just participants. They don't know what witnesses will appear. If they don't answer carefully, they may be found out at any time. What they are facing is not the other party, but the host of the meeting, so their words will be different.
Besides, Your Majesty is currently staying out of the matter. As the saying goes, those involved are confused, while those who are on the sidelines are clear, so naturally there is a big difference in their feelings. "
Zhao Xu said thoughtfully, "Yes, perhaps it is true that those who are involved are confused, while those who are on the sidelines can see things more clearly. When I was listening just now, I felt that everything had suddenly become clear to me, and I benefited a lot from it! What a pity that you interrupted me."
Zhang Fei cupped his hands and said, "I failed to satisfy your majesty. Zhang San is truly guilty of an unforgivable crime."
Zhao Xu laughed when he heard this.
"Teacher, what Mr. Han said just now seems to have a hidden meaning. We must be on guard!"
Lu Huiqing said worriedly.
Wang Anshi nodded and said, "I was originally an aide to Lord Han. His wisdom, tactics, and mind are all better than Sima Junshi. I will not be careless. I will apply to attend this afternoon to refute his remarks."
Lu Huiqing asked, "Prime Minister Han suddenly made such a statement in public. Could it be that he wanted to return to the court?"
If Han Qi wants to return to the court, Wang Anshi will have to leave. There is no room for two tigers in one mountain.
The East Flow Plan was supported by Wang Anshi, but Han Qi hinted that the North Flow was correct. If the emperor wanted to change the North Flow, he would most likely re-employ Han Qi.
Lu Huiqing treated this as a formidable enemy, because Han Qi was a very powerful man in his time and was definitely not a good person.
Wang Anshi had a different opinion, saying, "That's unlikely. I heard that Han Xianggong's health has indeed been poor in recent years. How could he have the energy to handle government affairs?"
Lu Huiqing said: "For example, Sima Yi has been ill for a long time. In my opinion, Han Xianggong's return to the court will not only be disadvantageous to my teacher, but also to Sima Xianggong. I think Han Xianggong should be rejected from the court first. After all, Sima Xianggong also supports returning to Hedongliu."
What this means is that if one has to choose between the two, one should give priority to joining forces with Sima Guang.
Wang Anshi pondered for a while, then shook his head and said, "Based on my understanding of Han Xianggong, it is unlikely that he wants to return to the court. In the past few years, he has almost submitted a petition to retire every year, but the government has refused to approve it.
As for why he came back this time, I think it is because Han Xianggong has always been worried about the Dongliu plan. As you know, he has repeatedly submitted memorials to the emperor, trying to dissuade him from using Cheng Fang. "
Although he and Han Qi had deep grievances, he always respected Han Qi very much. No matter what Han Qi did, he dared to do something and dared to make changes.
Sima Guang is more like Ouyang Xiu. He is very good at talking nonsense. What's more, his nonsense is very accurate.
"You are really worthy of being Han Gansou, the man who chose four prime ministers with a piece of paper. What you said just now was extremely brilliant. He is still strong even at his old age." Wen Yanbo said with a smile.
Han Qi smiled and said, "Mr. Kuan, please don't test me. I have absolutely no intention of returning to the court."
At this point, he couldn't help but sigh, "Alas, on the contrary, I know that my time is running out, so I came back this time to ask for retirement. But the flood in Hebei is a nightmare in my heart. If it is not handled properly, it will cause endless harm. My Song Dynasty will never have peace, and I will die with regrets. Therefore, Han still wants to try again."
Wen Yanbo said, "But you also said that we can't guarantee that there will be no flooding if the river is diverted to the north."
Han Qi shook his head and smiled, "I came back this time to attend the hearing, not to argue with Kuanfu. Besides, we have been arguing for decades and are tired."
Wen Yanbo chuckled and said, "You are forcing us all to go up and sit down!"
Han Qi said: "It is better to share happiness with others than to enjoy it alone."
Having said that, Zhang Fei's request for a rest was still very friendly to these old people. When the meeting continued in the afternoon, everyone was in high spirits, but their expressions had changed slightly. They were no longer nervous and worried like in the morning, but instead created an atmosphere of tension.
Because the hole Han Qi dug in the morning was so big, in comparison, Cheng Fang and Cheng Yi were nothing.
All parties have to debate this.
As Zhang Fei expected, Wang Anshi sent someone to apply for attendance at noon.
When the meeting started again, Wang Gong invited Wang Anshi to come up.
After Wang Anshi sat down, Zhang Fei asked, "I heard that Mr. Wang had something to add to his testimony this morning, so he applied to testify again?"
He has to make his attitude clear. This is not something I initiated, but something you have to say yourself.
Wang Anshi nodded and said, "What Prime Minister Han said this morning was brilliant and enlightening. The way to control floods is for the whole country to work together, and we should not hinder each other just because of different political views. This is not the way for a minister to do things."
Sima Guang immediately looked down on Wang Anshi and thought, who is holding him back? Cheng Fang is so powerful in Hebei, what else can he do? It was you who failed to execute the order properly, how can you blame others?
Zhang Fei asked, "I wonder if Mr. Wang has anything to add?"
Wang Anshi said: "It is about the problem of East Flow and North Flow. The North Flow was formed when the old road broke. At first, Emperor Renzong adopted the suggestions of Cui Yi and Zhang Weiji and let it flow without blocking it, so the North Flow was formed.
However, in the third year of Huangyou, the North Flow broke in Guantao County, and it was obvious that the river was blocked and a new breach could occur at any time. This triggered a debate on whether to maintain the North Flow or restore the East Flow.
It can be seen from this that the reason for this controversy is that the water level of the North Stream is extremely unstable due to the breach of the North Stream, rather than the breach of the East Stream.
Later, Jia Changchao, the governor of Daming, believed that the new river channel that flowed out from the north had submerged a large area of land, and that the government could not collect taxes and revenue, and that the government was unable to fight against the northern enemy. However, the dikes of the "Old Jingdong Road" left over from the Eastern Han Dynasty were relatively complete, and with a little repair, they could serve as a natural barrier to "secure the capital from within and limit the barbarians from outside."
"I see." Zhang Fei nodded and said, "In other words, returning to the old river course is also for the purpose of defending against foreign enemies?"
Wang Anshi nodded and said, "Of course, if Cangzhou blocks the enemy's northern sea route, if the river does not flow east, Cangzhou is on the south of the river and can reach the capital directly without any limit.
As for Mr. Ouyang's mention of the decline of people's livelihood in Hebei, the old road should not be repaired. But you have to know that the North River stretches for thousands of miles, leaving millions of people without houses to live in and without land to cultivate. The financial losses are immeasurable. Isn't this the livelihood of the people?"
Many people nodded in agreement.
Even Sima Guang and Wen Yanbo nodded slightly.
Zhang Fei saw this and thought, it turns out that the Dongliu School was starting from the defense against the Khitan. With a reluctant smile, he asked, "Is this what Master Wang wanted to add?"
Wang Anshi nodded.
"Oh. Thank you."
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