“Hahahahahahahahahaha.”
When everyone heard this, they all agreed and laughed a few times, feeling relieved.
After all, Zhao Jun's reputation is too great now.
Even if everyone here is not a corrupt official, the sense of oppression from the other side is still very strong. They are afraid that if they do something wrong, they will be sent to prison by the magistrate.
Therefore, when they heard Zhao Jun's more relaxed tone, everyone naturally felt much more relaxed as well.
Zhao Jun poured himself a glass of wine, then raised the glass and said, "Come on, everyone, let's have a drink together. We can talk about government affairs while we eat. If you have any difficulties or problems, you can speak freely without any psychological burden."
Everyone hurriedly stood up, raised their glasses and said, "Respectfully, Master."
After that, everyone had a drink together.
Then Zhao Jun asked everyone to sit down and the banquet began.
With this topic opening, the atmosphere became more cheerful. Everyone talked about some troubles they had encountered while eating.
For example, Wang Han, the prefect of Tanzhou, sighed, "Your Excellency's tours throughout the country are all for the benefit of the people, which I admire deeply. But what impressed me most about Tanzhou was the severe flooding. When I was magistrate of Yixing, there were many lakes and farmland there, and floods were common. However, I mapped the terrain and estimated the next year's water level, which often allowed me to avoid disasters. However, in Tanzhou, along the Dongting Lake border in Yiyang and Xiangyin, floods are common and difficult to control."
Hearing his words, Zhao Jun shook his head and said, "Wang Zhizhou is a man who cares about the people. I remember you serving in Yixing, Luling, Shaozhou, and other places, and you have made many achievements. Last year, when you took office in Tanzhou, not long after taking office, you solved a long-standing case that had baffled several previous Zhizhous. This shows your outstanding ability. However, the flooding of Dongting Lake is related to the terrain, and human intervention is difficult. Zhizhou has done his best, so there is no need to blame yourself."
"oh?"
Wang Han asked in surprise, "Why is that?"
"Dongting Lake is vast. Although Yixing is adjacent to Taihu Lake, it is directly connected to the Yangtze River and is quite far away from the East China Sea. If Yixing encounters floods or heavy rain, water can be diverted to the East China Sea through its many water systems."
Zhao Jun explained: "When heavy rain hits the Dongting Lake basin, the water level rises. The Yangtze River has limited flood discharge capacity, and the Xiang River flows from south to north. This causes the overflow from Dongting Lake to collide with the Xiang River. With no place to drain the floodwater, the people living on the south bank of Dongting Lake will naturally suffer."
Wang Han was grateful for Zhao Jun's reassurance. "So that's how it is," he said. "Thank you, Magistrate, for clearing up my confusion. If that's the case, I'm afraid the flood will never be eradicated."
"It's not that there is no solution at all. Although it cannot be eradicated, it can be alleviated."
Zhao Jun suggested, "Plant more trees along the lakeside and dig more canals, ponds, and reservoirs. If floods occur, the trees will help divert the water. If there are enough canals, ponds, and reservoirs, it will also reduce the damage to the people."
You have to know that even in 1998, when productivity was considered quite advanced, floods in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River could flood Changsha, which is far away from Dongting Lake, to a height of one or two meters at a time, not to mention Yiyang, Linxiang and other places.
Therefore, there is really no way to deal with the floods in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. The lower reaches can still ask the East China Sea for help in discharging flood waters, but once the water in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River overflows, the water has nowhere to go and will naturally flow to the shore, and the places where people live will all become swamps.
However, 1998 was a special case, with the flooding more than ten times more severe than in previous years. Under normal circumstances, ordinary floods can be managed by enclosing more lakes, planting trees, and digging more canals, ponds, and reservoirs to release floodwaters.
"Thank you, Master Zhi."
Wang Han was very grateful for the effective solution.
Wang Yao, the transport envoy, was surprised and said, "I didn't expect the governor to know Jingnan so well. I've been in Jingnan for a long time, so I know how serious the flooding in Dongting Lake is, but I didn't know why it's so serious. The governor knows everything clearly. Could it be that the governor has been to Jingnan before?"
Everyone looked at Zhao Jun curiously. In fact, Zhao Jun's information had been spread. He was from Bianliang. His parents died early, and he was alone. It was said that he was a genius, so the government specially promoted him and made him the prime minister.
Although it cannot stop the people from talking about it, at least this is information that is publicly available, so everyone is very curious about why Zhao Jun knows Jingnan so well.
"Forehead"
Zhao Jun was embarrassed for a moment. He couldn't tell them that he was from Hunan in his previous life.
But fortunately, he was quick-witted and said, "I came to the south once when I was young and happened to encounter a flood. After seeing it, I also understood the reason."
This reason is obviously far-fetched. After all, Zhao Jun is very young now. When he was younger, a few years ago, wouldn't he be only in his teens?
However, no one dared to ask further questions. Wang Yao smiled and said, "No wonder they say the Dean is a rare genius, like Zhuge Liang reincarnated. I only came here once, and I understand why. I, your humble servant, can never compare to him."
"hehe."
Zhao Jun smiled and said nothing.
That is.
If I were to be like them, how could I possibly hold the position of dean?
Of course, you have to be different to get promoted step by step.
With Wang Han's opening remarks, the atmosphere at the banquet became much more relaxed. Everyone started talking about the difficulties they encountered.
The problem Wang Yao encountered was that Jingnan was remote and the imperial court imposed heavy taxes, which placed a heavy burden on the people.
The main reason is that taxes paid from other places can be transported directly to Bianliang through the Grand Canal. Even in Sichuan, there are many rivers that lead directly to the Yangtze River, which is more convenient than Jingnan.
Except for the Xiangjiang River, other places in Jingnan are deep mountains and old forests. When paying taxes, the village headmen would collect them, and then they would be sent to Tanzhou by land. From Tanzhou, they would take the Xiangjiang River waterway into the Yangtze River, and finally be sent to Zhenzhou.
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