☆, Chapter 204 I'm Going to Blow Up the Mountain
Xie Jiang is the third son of the Marquis of Changning, and he is twenty-two years old this year. Among the sons of noble families in the capital, he is a key figure. When he first entered officialdom, he was quite ambitious and eager to do all kinds of work. However, after a month, he found the work boring and started to slack off. He paid a sum of money to a colleague whose family was not well-off, and asked the colleague to show up for him every day.
He was among the first to be dismissed on the list submitted by Zhao Yunjing. However, the Xie family felt they couldn't afford to lose face, and Xie Jiang himself also felt ashamed. So, he and the old Marquis went to the Emperor to cry. The Emperor was very annoyed and put his name on the list of those to be dismissed.
From the capital to Jiangnan, he certainly caused Zhao Yunjing a lot of trouble along the way, and even deliberately led the way in provoking him. However, how should I put it, Zhao Yunjing always managed to outmaneuver him. When he tried to reason with him, Zhao Yunjing would use all sorts of analogies and historical examples to leave him speechless. He was not convinced and wanted to teach him a lesson, but as soon as he saw Zhao Yunjing's strong arms and his instantly subdued aura, he suddenly felt short of breath.
Along the way, Xie Jiang failed to cause any trouble for Zhao Yun Jing. Instead, he was caught and taught a lesson by Zhao Yun Jing several times. Now, he is a die-hard fan of Zhao Yun Jing, saying that he will not return to the capital and will follow Zhao Yun Jing wherever he goes.
The dozen or so noble sons who follow Zhao Yunjing now are in a similar situation to him. They've gone from troublemakers to die-hard fans, but they never talk about Zhao Yunjing's life. Instead, they keep shouting that they want the world to be free of hunger, as if they've been given some kind of drug.
The house was not large or luxurious, with only three courtyards and seven or eight rooms including the side rooms. Everyone shared a room with two people. There were three or four storage rooms in the backyard, which were cleared out for the guards to live in.
In Xie Jiang's opinion, even the courtyard where his servants lived was ten times better and more spacious than this house. However, at this moment, he was glad that this house was small enough. Otherwise, if it were as winding and complicated as the Xie family's house, he would not only be soaked to the bone by the time he got here, but he would also have delayed his business.
When Xie Jiang arrived, Zhao Yunjing was already dressed and ready, and a map of Nanjiang City was spread out on the table.
Zhao Yunjing looked up carefully, his slender finger pointing at a river: "This is the flood discharge point in previous years. Although the downstream area is also affected, it is still within a controllable range. With the current rainfall, if we release the floodwaters here without evacuating all the people, none of the people downstream will survive."
Hu Peiran nodded: "I also think this place is inappropriate. So, what does Brother Zhao mean?"
Zhao Yunjing's finger slid down the river, stopped at a point, and said, "This is the Spring Orchid River, this is the Autumn Orchid River, and the one outside Nanjiang City is the Winter Orchid River. These three rivers seem to be more than a hundred miles apart, but here, they are actually only separated by a mountain."
Historically, during the rainy season in Nanjiang City, the rainfall on the other two sides of the mountain, namely the Chunlan River and Qiulan River, is not as heavy as on this side, and drainage is also faster than on the Donglan River. If we divert the water from the Donglan River into the Chunlan and Qiulan Rivers, the flooding problem in Nanjiang City can be effectively alleviated.
Xie Jiang sensed something was amiss and couldn't help but interject, "Lord Zhao, are you planning to release the floodwaters?"
Zhao Yunjing nodded briefly, then continued discussing with Hu Peiran how to divert the Donglan River. Xie Jiang listened for a while, and when the two had reached a conclusion, he spoke up again: "But Lord Zhao, aren't we here to promote autumn rice? Why are we doing something like helping with flood control? That's the prefect of Nanjiang City's business, it has nothing to do with us!"
Zhao Yunjing glanced at him and said calmly, "If the flood doesn't recede, the people won't be able to sow their seeds properly, which will ultimately delay the autumn planting. We came here with a mission. If we miss the autumn planting, we'll have to wait several more months, and every day of those months will be wasted."
Xie Jiang realized what was happening, and his doubts disappeared. He then asked them what they could do.
Others also spoke up, saying they were willing to stand with Zhao Yunjing through thick and thin.
Zhao Yunjing smiled. "You all heard it just now. I plan to divert the waters of the Donglan River into the Chunlan and Qiulan tributaries. Every side of this mountain is inhabited. To divert the waters, we'd have to blast the mountain, which would inevitably affect the nearby residents. And…"
He paused for a moment, and seeing that everyone was listening with furrowed brows, he continued, "Moreover, this diversion plan may not be successful. The mountain may collapse, and the mud will block all three river channels. At that time, the flood will backflow, and the entire Nanjiang City and the surrounding area will be in danger."
Xie Jiang, not understanding, asked, "With such a significant hidden danger, can we change the plan?"
"No, this is the fastest and most effective way to release the floodwaters, as long as we dare to do it, as long as Prefect Liang agrees."
Xie Jiang suddenly realized: "So the first thing we need to do is get Prefect Liang to agree to let us blast the mountain!"
Zhao Yunjing nodded: "Lord Xie and everyone else comes from prominent families in the capital, especially Lord Xie and Lord Song. One of you is from the Marquis of Changning's mansion, and the other is from the Prince of Yong'an's mansion. You have a natural advantage in terms of status when communicating with Prefect Liang. Therefore, the task of persuading Prefect Liang will be entrusted to Lord Xie and Lord Song. Come here, and I will repeat the plan to you again..."
The three rehearsed and practiced repeatedly for half an hour. Xie Jiang and Song Yucheng then rushed out of the small house in the rain and headed straight for the prefect's house in Nanjiang City. The rest of them followed Zhao Yunjing out of the city and headed straight for the nearest village.
When Prefect Liang received the news, he was dumbfounded and couldn't help but slam his fist on the table: "With the rain pouring down, what is this top scholar trying to do by leaving the city now? Is he trying to promote his autumn rice? Is he a fool? People are missing, dead, injured, and some are even on the verge of death. Who has the time to listen to his promotion? A bookworm is a bookworm!"
The other officials nodded in agreement: "I believe His Majesty's claim that he is the reincarnation of the God of Literature, after all, there is no one in the entire Great Liang who is better at studying than him. But I don't believe he is a great talent. What great talent can a bookworm who only talks the talk but doesn't walk the walk have? Even if he could come up with something, would His Majesty really dare to do it? If that were the case, wouldn't His Majesty be treating the Great Liang and its people like a child's play?"
Prefect Liang paced back and forth, asking his subordinates Zhao Yunjing and the others how long they had been out of the city and whether they had said what they were going to do.
The rain was so heavy that even if Zhao Yunjing and the others spoke, Prefect Liang's men couldn't hear them. Moreover, he panicked as soon as he saw Zhao Yunjing leave the city and immediately returned to report the news. How could he know what Zhao Yunjing was going to do?
"This servant saw that Lord Zhao and the others had returned in less than half an hour."
"Quickly, no matter what they're trying to do, call them back immediately! This is the Emperor's precious son; we can't let anything happen to him here! What are you all standing there for? Hurry, hurry, hurry!"
Another servant rushed over: "Sir, Lord Zhao has sent someone over, saying he has important matters to discuss with you!"
"Whatever we need to discuss is fine, as long as they've arrived," Lord Liang said urgently. "Please come in quickly!"
When he saw Xie Jiang and Song Chengyu, Lord Liang was dumbfounded: "Why are there only the two of you? Where is Lord Zhao?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com