The third emperor of the Sui Dynasty

Chapter 862
In the Qianqiu Hall of Daxing Palace, a huge Sui sand table has been set up, including mountains, rivers, cities, bridges, and roads.

Yang Tong, Li Jing, Huangfu Wuyi, Yang Gongren, Wei Yunqi, Yang Gongren, and the court's civil and military officials were all present.

Not long ago, according to this year's weather and the heavy snow that swept across the country at the end of the year, the astronomers of Sitianjian inferred that there would be heavy floods in the coming year. Although Yang Tong didn't know what their basis was, no one in the Manchu dynasty dared to be careless in the face of such inferences. ignore.

You must know that in the seven years since the great cause that was determined to have a flood, a flood that was rare in a century occurred. The flood swept through more than 30 counties in Jizhou, Yanzhou, and Qingzhou, and millions of people were affected. After the flood , It was another plague. Because Yang Guang focused on Goguryeo, he did not provide relief in time. This made Jizhou and Qingzhou, which were plagued by disasters on both sides of the Yellow River, later become rebel centers.

After receiving the report from the Sitian Supervisor, Yang Tong and the important officials of the court immediately paid attention to it, and strictly ordered officials from all over the country to check the big rivers. Before the next rainy season, if they found a certain embankment was low or not solid, they should report it to the court urgently.At the same time, officials and craftsmen of the Ministry of Industry and Water were dispatched to inspect the Yellow River where floods occur from time to time, and to evaluate the flood resistance capacity of each section of river embankment.

Last night, Yang Tong received a report from the Ministry of Water Affairs, saying that Jingshui is very dangerous based on [-]% of the water volume in seven years of Daye. There is a danger of bursting the embankment.

Jingyang and Yunyang are just two inconspicuous small counties in the territory of the Sui Dynasty, with a population of only tens of thousands. Although they are close to Daxing, it is not the reason why everyone pays attention to it, but the southwest of Jingyang is the city of Xianyang.

As an important town in ancient times, Xianyang has a very important status, and there are more than a dozen common people and merchants living in the city and outside the city. Once the Jingshui River in the Jingyang section breaks its embankment, the flood will inevitably flow down. Not only Xianyang City will be swept away, but eight hundred A small part of Liqinchuan will be submerged, and this blow to Sui is absolutely irreparable.

"To the east of the Jingshui River, there is the Zhengguo Canal above and the Baiqu Canal below, which irrigates a large area of ​​land. Since the Jingshui has a large amount of water, why not dig an irrigation river similar to the Zhengguo Canal and Baiqu Canal in the west? Wouldn't this turn the harm into a benefit? Is it?" Yang Tong asked a little puzzled.

"Your Majesty doesn't know something!" Yu Wenwen, the right servant in charge of the Department of Water Department, clasped his hands and said, "This Jing River is the largest tributary of the Wei River, and the water volume is indeed abundant. If it is introduced into the southern farmland, it will definitely solve the problem of drought. But the problem It is because the Jingshui is lower than the western plain, and if it is brought to the west, it will take an inestimable effort and material resources."

"Except the cost problem!" Yang Tong said, looking at the sand table in front of him. "In your opinion, is it possible to build a canal from the place where the Ganquan water flows into the Jingshui River and reaches Yulu County in the southwest, and then flows into the Weishui River?"

"It will definitely be successful. My Majesty, please take a look." Yu Wenwen took a wooden stick, drew a line according to Yang Tong's thinking, and finally pointed at the plain south of Ganquan Water, saying: "However, if you want to draw Jingshui to For irrigation, several mountains have to be excavated, and the terrain is high in the west and low in the east. If you want to draw water, the canal is lower than the terrain on both sides, and it will not be able to irrigate. This is also the reason why there is no canal to the west. Now there are Drum carts can bring Jing water up; in addition, you can choose to build an artificial lake in a low-lying place, wait for the water to be filled, and then lead it to other places with canals to irrigate the four directions, but this project alone, even if there are enough people , and it will take a year or two."

"If this river canal is successful, it will be like the Zhengguo Canal and Baiqu Canal, which will bless future generations. This fertile soil, no matter whether the weather is good or not, can also have a good harvest every year. The key is that there is not enough time, and I am afraid that it will not be able to catch up with the flood season."

Yu Wenwen smiled wryly: "Exactly."

"Then is there another way?"

"There is another way, it may be easier, but it is more labor-intensive!"

"Talk!" Yang Tong was not afraid of labor, as there were not enough slaves, so he sent the army there, and he could also ask the local people to contribute, but the flood season was less than half a year away, so he didn't have so much time to spend.

"Here!" Yu Wenwen clicked eight points on the sand table and drew eight lines: "It is also possible to excavate eight tributaries of the Jing River from these eight points, so that the eight waters can lead to the Wugong Sanchoyuan; , the water from these eight tributaries can be carried by a bobbin cart to irrigate the fertile fields on both sides of the river, and if the previous Grand Canal is also repaired, Sanchouyuan will have the pattern of a nine-dragon pilgrimage.”

"You still understand this?" Yang Tong asked with a smile.

"The knowledge of all schools of thought is inseparable from the theory of Yin-Yang and Five Elements. The way of craftsmanship, especially the study of Feng Shui, it is normal for a humble minister to know a little Feng Shui." Yu Wenwen explained with a smile.

"My lord! Sanchou originally existed in the Mausoleum of my Great Sui Emperor. If it is supplemented by the feng shui pattern of Jiulong pilgrimage, my Great Sui Dynasty will surely last forever." Nayan Huangfu Wuyi bowed his hands and said with a smile: "The key is this 'Kowloon' benefits the country and the people, and the people support it."

"What Huangfu Nayan said is very true." Li Jing said with a smile, "Once the 'Nine Dragon Pilgrimage' pattern is successful, it will immediately turn harm into benefit, so it is a real benefit to the people, not a waste of money, old minister I thought it was time to fix it."

"My minister agrees."

"My minister agrees."

"..."

"Your Majesty." Jiang Xingben took the opportunity to remonstrate, "According to the usual practice, the mausoleum of the Majesty should also be built. I have reported it many times, but the Majesty has not approved it. This matter cannot be delayed any longer."

Yang Tong smiled wryly: "I'm not even in my thirties now. According to this body, I can live for at least a few decades. It's too early to say this now."

"Your Majesty's words are wrong. The ancient emperor, the first thing to think about when he ascended the throne was his own mausoleum. Even Li Yuan, a big traitor, started to build his own mausoleum in Jiuyi Mountain as soon as he ascended the throne, but he didn't expect that The mausoleum just started to break ground, and was blasted out of Guanzhong by the Holy One."

Yang Gongren said: "The sage is the lord of the world, the land of ten thousand years should be located on the dragon veins, and the dragon veins of the Sui Dynasty will be forever town."

"I know about this matter... Now it's important." Yang Tong nodded perfunctorily. In fact, he is rather disgusted with this kind of thing. Except for some limited ones, most of the emperor's tombs have been excavated. The more luxuriously repaired, the more emperors buried with him. Mausoleum, the more tragic the ending, the emperor's bones are scattered all over the ground, how can there be any majesty of the emperor?
Everyone smiled wryly, knowing that Yang Tong's ambition was not here. Although he spent a lot of money, he never wasted it on meaningless things. In his opinion, instead of spending huge manpower and financial resources to repair the imperial mausoleum, it would be better to open a few more tombs. A canal makes sense.

Returning to the topic, Yang Tong said to Yu Wenwen, "If the construction of these eight canals starts at the same time, how long will it take?"

"Returning to the Holy Master, if the manpower and material resources are sufficient, it can be completed in three months, but the manpower consumed may be ten times higher than what was said before." Yu Wenwen bowed.

"Ten times?" Yang Tong frowned.

"Not bad." Yu Wenwen used a large brush dipped in lime powder to draw a full 72 places where water flows converged on the sand table, and then introduced: "We can dig from these 72 intersections at the same time, and connect them with fulcrums. , and then started construction along the way, and finally penetrated Jingshui, although manpower consumption is high, but if it is successful, it can be repaired before the flood season."

Yang Tong was silent.

According to what Yu Wenwen said, I am afraid that it will take 50 million or more civilian laborers to achieve success. The slaves alone are not enough, and the people in Guanzhong must be invited to start the work together, and strive to complete [-]% to [-]% of the project before the arrival of spring plowing. Let the people go home to farm, so as not to miss the farming time.The remaining [-]-[-]% of the project can be completed by the army and slaves before the flood season.

Suddenly, Yang Tong thought of something and asked strangely, "How did you know such details in such a short period of time?"

Yu Wenwen smiled and said: "When my late father was the minister of the Ministry of Industry, he was ordered by the late emperor to design many engineering plans; some ideas were recorded in the late father's handbook, and I thought that the Holy One might be useful, so these years I have given my late father a lot of attention. The conception of the Nine Dragons pilgrimage that Weichen mentioned is one of them.”

"So that's it!" Yang Tong nodded suddenly, and ordered: "Give me a copy of your engineering design plans someday, maybe we can realize the great ideas of Lord Anping (Yu Wenkai) one by one."

"Here." Yu Wenwen was overjoyed upon hearing this.

Yang Tong turned his gaze to the sand table, thought for a moment, and said in a deep voice, "Nine Dragon Pilgrimage, we've finished it. Within three days, I want a more detailed construction specification."

"Here!" Yu Wenwen quickly took orders.

"Your Majesty, it's not too late. I'll go and discuss countermeasures." Jiang Xingben asked for instructions. This project is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Industry, and he must follow up the whole process.

"Zoo." Yang Tong waved his hand. For him, the enemy now is not anyone but God. Time is really important to Da Sui.

"The ministers will leave." Jiang Xingben and Yu Wenwen saluted, left the hall, and went to the official residence of the Ministry of Industry to study how to start the construction, the required human and financial resources, and other plans.

Yang Gongren saw that Yang Tong was staring at the sand table and remained silent for a long time, so he asked, "Your Majesty is still worried about the possible floods in the coming year?"

Yang Tong nodded: "Of course!"

Once it is as Si Tianjian expected, there will be a big fire in the coming year, and if the court does not make preparations, if the people suffer from the disaster, there will be rumors in the market!

And in the eyes of the ancients, the emperor is the son of heaven, not an ordinary person.Once the emperor loses his morality, heaven will inevitably send disasters to alert the emperor. If he does not change, the subjects of the world will bear the responsibility.Therefore, if a natural disaster occurs, the first thing people think of is not disaster prevention and relief, but the responsibility of the emperor.

Therefore, whenever a natural disaster occurs, the most important person is the emperor, because if it is not done well, it will be used by people with ulterior motives, resulting in instability in the court and the country.

Of course, the current Sui Dynasty is not afraid of rebellion, but it is impossible for Yang Tong to ignore the safety of lives and properties of the people of the Sui Dynasty.

Yang Gongren opened his mouth, and couldn't help sighing bitterly in his heart. He was the first person to follow Yang Tong. Watching him develop all the way to today, he naturally knew that Yang Tong had a strong sense of mission and responsibility. farther away."

"Maybe." Yang Tong sighed, "I am not afraid of man-made disasters, let alone wars, but this natural disaster will cause too much damage to the country. It is useless, but we must go to war and be prepared to prevent floods."

"My lord, if there is really a flood in the coming year, the embankments in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River will be the focus of prevention." Yang Gongren said.

Yang Tong nodded, pointed to the sand table and asked, "Did you find anything missing in the Yellow River Basin than in the Yangtze River Basin?"

Yang Gongren said without hesitation: "Compared to the Yangtze River, there are many fewer lakes and tributaries in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River."

"The left servant shoots the words to the extreme."

Everyone agrees that the sand table presents the territory of the Sui Dynasty in a three-dimensional way. At a glance, you can find that in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, in addition to the major tributaries of the Han River and the Gan River, there are also three major lakes, Dongting Lake, Poyang Lake, and Chaohu Lake. There are only a few small tributaries in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, and there are no lakes.

"I think the lack of large lakes and tributaries to regulate water volume is also one of the reasons for the flooding of the Yellow River." Yang Tong said surprisingly.

"My lord! The lakes and rivers in the Yangtze River Basin pour water into the Yangtze River all the year round, increasing the water volume of the Yangtze River; how can the lack of lakes and tributaries be the reason for the flooding of the Yellow River?"

"Yes, if there were no tributaries and lakes to feed into the big rivers, how could the rivers surge."

Everyone didn't believe Yang Tong's astonishing words.

"Then tell me, why does the Yangtze River, which has a big lake and a big tributary, have so few floods? Why does the Yellow River, which doesn't have a big lake and a big tributary flow into it, flood from time to time?"

"..." Everyone was dumbfounded, not without answers.

"Why is this?" Luo Shixin, who was too idle to be caught by Yang Shanhui as a young man in the Ministry of War, looked puzzled.

"The reason is very simple." Yang Tong said: "When the Yangtze River is dry, Dongting Lake, Poyang Lake, and Chaohu Lake will supplement it. Whenever the Yangtze River floods, the three major lakes will be forcibly poured in, thus playing a role in regulation. The role of the Yangtze River water. The reason why the Yellow River floods from time to time is because there is no part of the water absorbed by the Great Lakes in the middle and lower reaches."

Everyone was stunned.

"But my lord, the bed of the Yellow River is too high to form a lake," Kong Yingda said.

Fang Xuanling had an idea in his mind, and said: "Although there are no lakes in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, there are many low-lying lands. Simply remove all the people in the low-lying lands with poor soil quality, and then take the initiative to open the embankment of the Yellow River and open the Yellow River. Water flows into it, forming a large lake that regulates the flow of the Yellow River."

"Fang Shangshu's method is very good." Yang Shidao said with a smile: "Anyway, both sides of the Yellow River have been devastated by the flames of war, and many places are uninhabited for hundreds of miles. human and financial resources.”

"Fang Shangshu's idea is absolutely feasible. I think Dongping County is the best choice." Yang Gongren set up a wooden pole, first clicked on Dongping County on the sand table, and then drew a line: "Just dig from Fan County, Dongping County. From the canal to Yuncheng, it can flow into Juyeze in the south; if you are worried about insufficient capacity, start from the south bank of Juyeze, dig to Rencheng in Lu County, and connect it with Nanyang Lake, Zhaoyang Lake, and Weishan Lake. Pengcheng flows into Surabaya, and to the south is Huai River, Bingou, Yangtze River, and Jiangnan River, thus forming a new Grand Canal."

Yang Tong took a closer look and found that what Yang Gongren was talking about was almost the southern section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal in the Yuan Dynasty. Since there are many lakes and natural river channels here, there are not many canals that need to be excavated.The key is that Juyeze, which covers an area of ​​500 square kilometers, has a great draft capacity

After thinking for a while, he frowned and said, "Yes, it is possible, but the Yellow River carries a lot of sand and soil. Because of the backflow of the Yellow River, the Yongji Canal has flowed a lot of mud and dust, causing the section in Hanoi County to be blocked from time to time. If we build it this way, the I'm afraid the same will be true of the canal soon."

The Yongji Canal connects to Zhuo County in the north, and flows into the Yellow River from the Qinshui River in the south. However, the Hanoi section parallel to the Yellow River is not as powerful as the Yellow River. Whenever the Yellow River rushes in, the water in the Yongji Canal is forced back. When the water of the Yellow River retreated, a large amount of sediment was left in the canal bed, which began to block within a few years, seriously affecting the smooth flow of the canal.

Yang Tong worked hard for this section of Yongji Canal. At first he used slaves to carry out dredging activities, but in the second year, it was destroyed by the sand of the Yellow River. Later, he simply gave up the section from Ji County to the mouth of the river. The Danshui, Qingshui, and Qishuis were borrowed to benefit the canal. The starting point of the Yongji Canal was thus located in Ji County, and the Yongji Canal entered the river in Ji County in an arc shape. Because this arc is in line with the Yellow River The water flows side by side for a while, so it is not poisoned by the river sand.

"The holy majesty is very worried. If the canal and the Yellow River flow eastward, it will not be able to divert floods. If the mouth is opposite the Yellow River, a large amount of sediment will be washed into Juyeze. But if we build it in the same way as the Dujiangyan Feishayan The estuary canal can block [-] to [-]% of the sediment.” Wei Yunqi is also in charge of the Ministry of Industry and knows some water conservancy projects.

"It's quite good to be able to stop [-]% to [-]% of the sediment." Yang Tong no longer hesitated, and said to Wei Yunqi: "Let Yuwen Rutong go on a field trip and be responsible for diverting the Yellow River into Juyeze."

Yuwen Rutong is Yuwenkai's eldest son and an expert in this field, so it is most suitable for him to be responsible for digging the long trench.

"Here." Wei Yunqi complied.

Yang Tong said to Yang Shidao again: "Let the officials of counties and counties in the lower reaches of the Yellow River pay more attention to find some low-lying places that are not suitable for crop production, and then choose the place with the widest area as a flood discharge 'lake'. Mobilize the people to move next year."

"Here."

"More than half of the sediment in the Yellow River comes from the Wei River, so there is a clear distinction between the Wei River and the Wei River! It is an urgent matter to control the Yellow River." Yang Tong said: "From now on, the fields within five miles of the main stream of the Wei River will All farmland shall be returned to forests, and all fruit trees shall be planted. The tributaries of Laoshui, Dushui, Heishui, Xieshui, Qianshui, Bashui, and Qishui shall be retreated two miles each."

Thinking of the thousands of ravines and fragmented scenes on the Loess Plateau, Yang Tong felt that taking precautions at this time might be able to make a difference, and immediately said: "There are many chasms as deep as Zhang Xu washed out in the upper reaches of the Weihe River. If they are not treated, they will expand day by day. Deepening, so year after year, the eight hundred miles of Qinchuan will become a desert sooner or later. Let the local officials mobilize the people to build earth-rock dams in front of each gully. This kind of dam can retain water in a short time. After the upper clear water flows away, The muddy water in the lower layer will settle down, which can not only retain a large amount of soil, but also fill up the gullies that have been washed out, and then plant trees. All these decisions are enforced immediately after the beginning of the year.”

"Wei Chen obeys!"

Where the water of the Yellow River is placed, everyone can see where the Yellow River starts to turn yellow and where the sediment comes from.The consequence of massive precipitation of muddy water is that the downstream river bed rises. Once the river embankment is washed away, the middle and lower reaches will become a swamp country, and millions of people in the Sui Dynasty will be affected. For the sake of the people of the Sui Dynasty and future generations, everyone respects Yang Tong These decisions are supported.

……

"Your Majesty, urgent report from Yizhou!" At this moment, a guard stepped into the hall and presented an eagle letter to Yang Tong.

Yang Tong opened the letter, and after reading the contents of the letter, he couldn't help laughing.

"My lord, what happened?" Yang Gongren asked.

Yang Tong handed the letter to him and said with a smile, "Read it yourself."

"Li Xiaogong actually won once, it's really amazing." Yang Gongren was amazed, and then handed it over to Wei Yunqi.

"It's not how powerful Li Xiaogong is, but that Dugu Wu is too stupid. Just a few soldiers went to storm Xuanwu City. This is obviously courting death." After reading it, Wei Yunqi said with a smile, "But Li Yuan is smart this time. Quite a few, and went so far as to reconcile with the Liao people instead of starting a full-scale war."

"People will always change, especially in times of adversity." Yang Tong said with a smile: "Since losing Guanzhong, Li Yuan has been defeated again and again. These blows one after another are too great, but it also makes his self-inflated Confidence has returned to the original place. Now Li Yuan's arrogance has been restrained a lot, and he can listen to people's opinions. Although it is surprising, it makes sense when you think about it. Compared with Li Shimin, the biggest advantage of Li Yuan is It is to be able to face the reality when losing power, to calm down and be a man with your tail between your legs, but as a son, Li Shimin is so proud that he is inexplicably proud."

Yang Shanhui looked at the letter and said with a smile: "Li Yuan is really good this time. He didn't blindly use troops against us in the Sui Dynasty, the Taihe Army, and the Liaoren. This move is a good way to avoid the weakness of insufficient generals and weak troops. This is a strategy to strengthen the foundation, but I don't know if he has a strategy to cultivate the yuan?"

"What is Peiyuan?" Yang Tong asked.

Yang Shanhui said: "Retreat to the outside world to secure defenses and block passages; to use good generals and virtuous ministers to train elite soldiers, lighten corvettes and pay less taxes, and cultivate with the people. If you do this within three years, you will be able to recover a lot of vitality, and it may make the puppet Tang. Become a Shu Han."

Li Jing nodded in agreement: "This is the most wise decision."

"If Li Yuan becomes Liu Bei as he wishes, it will be difficult for us to conquer Yizhou!" Even though he said so, Yang Tong didn't have much worry on his face.

"Your Majesty doesn't seem to care?" Xue Wanbei had just returned from the front line, and he didn't know the three great flying weapons. He thought Yang Tong would have a headache because of Li Yuan's policy of seclusion, but judging by his current demeanor, it was obvious that he was not worried at all.

"I'm not a god, how can I change Li Yuan's mind?" Yang Tong didn't point it out, but just gave Xue Wanbei a funny look: "I only know that the enemy is strong, and I am stronger enough. Our army's battle strategy for the coming year has been determined. Next, we just need to continue to improve. As for Li Yuan, I don't want to care about it, and I don't believe that he can use an incomplete Yizhou to fight against our power in the Sui Dynasty. Don't be fooled by him. Wan Bei , you are still very immature."

"..." The corners of Xue Wanbei's mouth twitched a few times, and he stopped talking.

But Yang Shanhui said with a smile: "Your Majesty is right. Even if Li Yuan is willing to recuperate now, he will miss the best time. The key is that Li Yuan's fundamental problem has not been solved. It should be Li Jiancheng's suggestion to settle down and develop this time. But at the same time Li Shimin and Li Yuanji, who are the sons-in-law, have not lost power because of this, as long as these two are still valued by Li Yuan, then Li Yuan may not make the right decisions every time in the days to come."

Yang Gongren continued: "That's right. The most fundamental problem of the puppet Tang Dynasty is that there are many factions. Now the court has dealt with it miserably. Li Yuan can see the reality clearly for a while, but no one can tell what will happen in the next year."

"Actually, the biggest problem of the puppet Tang Dynasty is Li Yuan himself." Yang Tong looked at the snowflakes outside the hall, shook his head and said with a smile: "Although Li Yuan is a little weak in strategic decision-making for fighting for the world, he is not good at power struggles." An out-and-out master, he was able to establish himself in Guanzhong, ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor. To a certain extent, it is actually the result of a power struggle. As long as we are sure of this point, no matter how strong the puppet Tang is, I can still play him. between!"

Yang Gongren, Yang Shanhui and others all silently nodded in agreement.

Although Yang Tong often has some unconstrained ideas, the real level of strategy, politics, and military management is actually not high. It is very reluctant to say that he is first-rate. There are not many people in the world who can compete with him.

But for the Sui Dynasty, it was enough!

(End of this chapter)