Every spring and summer, the amount of silt deposited in the lower reaches of the Yellow River increases. This year, the river situation is more serious than usual, with flooding occurring frequently along the way.
The people living nearby had to leave their homes and migrate to other places.
However, due to various factors of the times and the lack of official organization, most of them were disorderly and therefore suffered even more hardships.
Carrying the old and the young, they fled from famine in search of food, and the common people flowed in, leaving almost every household empty-handed.
Xie Shu had never seen such a scene before. Now that he saw it, he realized that what was recorded in the book did not even cover one or two of it.
Halfway through the journey, the carriage slowed down. Suddenly, an old man stumbled to his knees, and several ragged children followed behind him. They kowtowed to the carriage where Xie Shu was sitting and said, "Sir, please be kind and have mercy on us and give us some food..."
The old man naturally didn't know Xie Shu's identity, but seeing that Xie Shu was leading a group of people with carriages and horses, he thought he must be from a wealthy family, so he just gave it a try.
As he knelt like this, many refugees around looked over with eager expressions on their faces.
Xie Shu looked heavy-hearted. Yu Chuxi beside him sighed and shook his head gently at him.
Xie Shu understood what her husband meant. If the carriage really stopped at this moment, the refugees nearby would surely rush forward. Money and property were a small matter, but it would probably waste time. The best way now was to rush to the Governor's Mansion as soon as possible.
The only way to solve the root cause is to manage the river conditions as soon as possible.
only......
Yu Chuxi smiled slightly at this time. He liked this point of Xie Shu, so he leaned over to Xie Shu's ear. After listening, Xie Shu's eyes lit up and he nodded repeatedly. Soon after, the two of them finalized the plan and asked Feng He and Xi Mo to stay with their people. They went to the Hedu Mansion with Mu Wen and other guards.
The wheels moved forward again. Xie Shu looked back and saw that the refugees were like the Yellow River in front of him, which was as high as a chasm, with no end in sight.
The Grand Canal Governor's Office is located in Jiangpu City, at the junction of the Yellow River, Huai River and Grand Canal. This is where Xie Shu will be taking up his post.
Not long ago, it was heard that the newly appointed Yellow River governor was only 25 years old and had never been a Hanlin scholar in the field of river transportation. Several officials in the governor's office were very nervous.
The Yellow River has been difficult to control since ancient times, and officials have always regarded the post of "River Governor" as a daunting task, and the outcomes are often not very good.
Generally speaking, if nothing goes wrong after being in office for a few years, one is extremely lucky. If one can establish connections in the future, there will be opportunities for transfer. This is the path one took to become the governor of Hebei.
Once something happens, it is easy to be punished and sent to prison, but if you are not careful, it is not uncommon to be buried in the Yellow River.
When everyone heard that Xie Shu was so young and yet was sent here, they thought that he must have no one behind him and it would be difficult to transfer him back in the future.
In other words, Xie Shu had neither ability nor background, and those river workers who usually did practical work were not convinced. Therefore, when Xie Shu arrived at the River Governor's Office, no one was there to greet him.
Xie Shu took a quick look and asked who the people who were absent were and what their positions were.
Deputy Chief He is forty years old. Long-term exposure to wind and sun has caused his forehead to have many deeper wrinkles than his peers. He had inquired about Xie Shu's background a few days ago.
Hearing that Xie Shu was quite famous in the court and was the top scholar who won three prizes in a row, and seeing that he was of good appearance and demeanor, as well as imposing bearing and pressure, Deputy Chief He was not sure about his character and was afraid that Xie Shu would blame him, so he hurriedly explained. Several people had no time to rest on the river bank.
Xie Shu was not angry. While looking through the water conservancy river map, he asked about the current river conditions.
When the deputy river commander saw Xie Shu asking this, he said bluntly, "Reporting to the river governor, the spring flood came early this year. Since the beginning of spring, three river mouths have burst their banks. These days, I have led the workers to clear the downstream and we are barely able to cope with it."
Deputy Chief Riverman observed Xie Shu's expression while speaking. He started as a river engineer and worked his way up to the position of deputy chief riverman. Although he rarely went to the river to deal with disasters, his experience and ability were not comparable to that of the young man in front of him. Moreover, he knew that the river workers were not only afraid of the worsening of the danger, but also afraid of outsiders pointing fingers, so he deliberately spoke more seriously. Xie Shu naturally did not dare to act casually after hearing this, and they also had greater autonomy.
Unexpectedly, Xie Shu was not in a hurry and continued to ask: "Where are the three river mouths where the dam broke? How many migrant workers can be mobilized in the surrounding area? Have the nearby residents been properly resettled?"
Seeing that Xie Shu was asking about the most important things, Deputy General He was startled, but he really didn't have much respect for this young leader, so he just answered in a low voice: "The places where the dikes broke were Gaojiayan, Xujiakou and Qufu Township. There are about 10,000 migrant workers, which is less than in previous years. As for the resettlement of residents, it is under the jurisdiction of local officials, and other subordinates are not clear about it."
Xie Shu's face turned cold and he said, "I have seen so many refugees and people who are homeless along the way. You are in charge of river affairs, so you can ignore the people? Since there are not enough migrant workers, why don't you solve it properly? One-third of the country's revenue is in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. If you fail in river management, you can't bear the responsibility! I think there are more than three breaches. You are so bold and deceiving your superiors and subordinates. Do you know what the consequences will be?"
Upon hearing this, the deputy chief of the river couldn't help but feel panic in his heart, but he was still unconvinced, and said with a red face: "Your Excellency, the river governor has just arrived, and there are some things that you don't understand. Take the refugees for example. A few years ago, the Da Tam Bay burst and flooded twelve villages. We sent people to resettle them, and then attracted tens of thousands of refugees, and the plague followed. In the end, even the migrant workers couldn't get on the dike. We have always wanted to do something to benefit the people, but the silver for disaster relief issued by the court every year is limited. It costs hundreds of thousands of silver to build a dike, and the wages of the migrant workers must be paid. Your Excellency has a wealthy family, and you don't know our difficulties."
Xie Shu's face was expressionless, but he was certain in his heart that this deputy governor was a man who got things done, not a pawn of an aristocratic family. It made sense, as the official positions in the Governor's Office were both hard and punishing, and there was no benefit in inserting someone here.
Because of this, Xie Shu also knew that it would be very difficult to get this person to work for him without some effort, so Xie Shu still said coldly: "I know the hard work of the river workers, but how innocent are the people? I saw several dams built along the way. Some were abandoned due to the diversion of the river, and some could not withstand the erosion of the river for a few days. You say that everyone has done their best, but I don't think so. The old method of river management for thousands of years, blindly widening the river and building dams, is effective quickly, but it only treats the symptoms and not the root cause. This is a move to evade the people and the court. How can it be regarded as serving the country and the people?"
The deputy chief river official looked at him in astonishment. What Xie Shu said was indeed the root of the problem. As an old official in river management, he felt that he had found a soulmate. However, Xie Shu was young after all and had never been on a dam. Even if he had any insights, they must have been learned from books or from the advice of an expert.
After all, considering Xie Shu's official position, the deputy chief had to suppress his temper and asked, "What do you think, Lord He Du?"
Xie Shu said calmly: "Build a dike and use water to wash away the sand."
Deputy General Manager He's eyes suddenly jumped and he looked at Xie Shu. These eight words were so familiar to him.
Three years ago, His Majesty issued an imperial decree, asking them to follow these eight words. Although this river control technique is indeed many times more advanced, there is no precedent. Even if you want to follow this technique, you must be cautious. Therefore, the former governor did not spend much time on this. Only he took the trouble to find out that this river control technique was originally from a scholar when His Majesty visited Nanjing in the south.
At this time, looking at Xie Shu again and remembering his background, Deputy Chief He understood that Xie Shu was the scholar from the beginning and the governor of the river sent by His Majesty.
Thinking of this, Deputy Chief He said excitedly: "Sir, where do you think we should start?"
Xie Shu said seriously: "First, recruit talents, whether they are good at drawing and charting, astronomy and mathematics, all of them should be recruited. It is also necessary to resettle the refugees. In the future, we will not be able to strengthen the embankment and plant trees without manpower."
The deputy chief of the river was in a dilemma. The river affairs were difficult and the situation was difficult to reverse. This was the reason. The former was easy to deal with, but the latter was too complicated to describe in words...
Deputy Chief He did not agree outright, but gritted his teeth and said: "I am willing to do my best, but the refugees..."
Xie Shu looked at him and smiled, "I have already made a plan for this matter, Deputy General He, don't worry. Right now, river management is urgent. Your Majesty has made up his mind, so he sent me here.
But if the river has been neglected for a long time, it will cost lives if we are not careful. Deputy River Chief, are you determined and willing to shoulder this responsibility with me and create this unprecedented achievement in the future?"
Upon hearing this, Deputy General He felt a surge of warmth in his heart, not only because he was moved by Xie Shu's words, but also because of the prospects that Xie Shu mentioned. If His Majesty is really willing, then perhaps this matter can really be accomplished.
The deputy chief said in a trembling voice: "Sir, I am willing to accompany you to the river bank, and I will fight for my life until I die!"
A few days later, word spread that a new porridge shop had been opened outside Jiangpu City. The shop was named Yu, but no one in Jiangpu City had heard of the wealthy family being named Yu. They only knew that the richest man in Jiangnan was named Yu. However, since someone was giving out porridge, the refugees heard the news and moved. In just half a month, almost all the refugees in the vicinity came here.
The owner of the porridge shop was very kind. He sent a medical officer to examine each person. Once they passed the examination, they could register to enter the city. Not only that, they could also be employed by the government as migrant workers, and their future livelihood would be guaranteed.
Only then did everyone know the reason behind this. It turned out that the river governor sent to control the river this time was named Xie Shu, and he married into the Yu family in his early years. Needless to say, everyone could guess that the owner of the porridge shop was his husband Yu Chuxi.
Time flies, time is like an arrow, and the days go by in a flash.
During these three years, Xie Shu led the river engineers from the River Governor's Office to travel back and forth on the mighty Yellow River, and the number of workers following him had increased to about 40,000.
Since receiving the order, the Ministry of Revenue has allocated the same amount of money as in previous years, because Xie Shu's governance has not caused any major problems in the past three years, so the Ministry of Revenue has never deducted money to make things difficult for him. But now it is far from enough.
Therefore, Xie Shu wrote many petitions to Emperor Qing during this period. Almost every month, he would send information about the local rainfall, river conditions, and human resources conditions. With Emperor Qing's special permission, the petitions could be delivered directly to Emperor Qing. As for whether Emperor Qing would reply, Xie Shu did not care.
But this was not in vain. This year, Emperor Qing asked the Ministry of Revenue to allocate an additional 1 million taels of silver, and according to Xie Shu's plan, the several types of trees that Xie Shu wanted were delivered one after another. In the past three years, Xie Shu's efforts to strengthen the embankment and control the water have finally paid off.
Since the rainy season arrived this year, no dam has breached so far.
Xie Shu stood on the newly built river bank. The soil under his feet had long been half dried by the scorching summer sun, but last night's heavy rain splashed mud on the hem of his clothes again. After a while, it was impossible to tell what color clothes he was wearing before he came.
Three years later, Xie Shu's facial features have matured after years of wind and rain. They no longer have the glaring feeling they had before. Instead, they exude a calm and gentle feeling, like a piece of fine jade, gathering all the light of the whole body within it.
Deputy Chief He stood beside him, looking at the surging river water under his feet. He was still a little worried, but did not dare to persuade him.
In the past few years, he has been following Xie Shu and has a deep admiration for Xie Shu's talents and abilities. He has also gotten to know his personality and knows the officer's usual style of doing things.
Xie Shu has a gentle personality, but is also resolute. He always thinks carefully before doing anything, but at the same time he is decisive and swift, and is not someone who would be easily influenced by others.
During this period, although the deputy chief of the river was busy with the river situation, he also knew that the storms in the court were no less serious than those here. I guess Xie Shu would return to the capital after the river transportation was completed. If Xie Shu wanted to move up, he didn't know how far he could go...
Before Deputy General He could think more, at this moment, he heard unusual noises from the crowd behind him.
It turned out that it was almost noon, and today was the day to inspect the condition of the new river embankment, so the meal was delivered early to celebrate.
Not only the people from Jiangpu City came, but also Xie Shu's husband Yu Chuxi came.
If we were to ask who the people of the entire Jiangnan river area are most grateful to, apart from the river governor Xie Shu, it would undoubtedly be Yu Chuxi.
If it weren't for Yu Chuxi's relief of porridge and the various shops he opened in the local area, those refugees would not have settled down so quickly. Today, Jiangpu City has developed from behind and is among the best in the Jiangnan region.
When Xie Shu saw Yu Chuxi, even though he had developed a silent and taciturn personality over the past few years, he couldn't help but feel happy. He walked quickly to Yu Chuxi, but then he remembered something and stopped.
In the past, when he came home, he would take off his coat to avoid dirtying the house. How could he have the nerve to touch his husband now?
Yu Chuxi couldn't help but smile, and took his large, rough hand with a smile.
Under their sleeves, the two held hands tightly, and when they looked at each other, there was a tenderness that only they knew.
In the tenth year of Tai'an, Xie Shu had served as the governor of the river for three full years.
From Zhengzhou in the east to Jiangsu in the west, the thousand-mile marshland that flooded every year was finally contained within a thin line. From the source of the Yellow River to the mouth of Jiangpu, the banks of the embankments were all planted. The blocked estuaries were gradually cleared, and the planned embankments were completed as scheduled.
Thousands of hectares of fertile land have been exposed in the lower reaches that were previously flooded, and the people are able to live in peace. It is rare to see the Yellow River wreak havoc again in the past hundred years.
From then on, Xie Shu's reputation became widely praised in Jiangnan.
At the end of the year, when the Ministry of Personnel was evaluating performance, Xie Shu's record was recorded. Emperor Qing was very pleased and wrote in red with his own hand: Xie Shu has a good way of managing the river and has made contributions that will last for centuries. He was promoted to the Minister of Works and will return to Beijing soon.
At this time, Xie Shu was only 28 years old, and when Lü Shuo was 28 years old, although he was also a second-rank Ziwei Ling, there was a big difference between the two. The Minister of Works was the real power, in charge of the Ministry of Works, one of the six ministries, which was no small matter.
When the news came out, the whole country was shocked.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
