Be an emperor from drawing cards

When Liu Dexiao heard Xu Fang's suggestion, he showed a doubtful expression.

"Mr. Xu is saying that you can use Nanzhu to draw water from wells on the mountain? Is this feasible?"

Xu Fang nodded firmly and said:

"I wrote to Senior Brother Li of Momen specifically about diversion of water, and this is his answer. As long as all the bamboo joints in the bamboo tube are opened, the tail of the bamboo is facing the head of the bamboo, and they are connected one by one, the water can be diverted. Come down the mountain.”

After digging a well in the Xishan Mountains, he became worried about diversion of water. For this reason, he wrote a letter to Li Ziqiu of the Mohist family asking for help.

Regarding Li Ziqiu's proposal in the letter, Xu Fang thought about it for a moment and then understood.

As people move toward higher places, water flows toward lower places. This is a simple truth.

The terrain of Xishan Ridge is more than 200 feet higher than Liujiazhuang. According to Senior Brother Li's method, the water will definitely be diverted to the bottom of the mountain.

As a farmer's disciple, Xu Fang is very familiar with Nanzhu.

The grown bamboo is not only hard in texture, but the bamboo pole alone is seven or eight feet long and six or seven inches thick. It is most suitable as a water diversion tool.

Furthermore, it is definitely unrealistic to draw water from Xishanling into the village in a completely straight line.

The bamboo can be roasted by fire, and the bamboo poles can be bent and bent, thus solving the steering problem.

It can be said that a single bamboo can solve most of the problems.

"Mr. Xu is so sure, I don't have anything to say." Liu Dexiao hesitated for a moment, and finally decided to trust Xu Fang's judgment, "I will ask all the young men in the village to follow your instructions."

He stroked his beard and smiled: "Although I am old, I still think I can judge the right person with these tricks. Everything Mr. Xu is doing now is all for my Liujiazhuang. If Mr. Xu needs anything, please let me know. Just tell the people in the village. If those bastards don't listen to me, sir, I will come to see you, and I will go and talk to them in person."

"Thank you very much, Master Liu."

When Xu Fang heard this, he was immediately overjoyed.

Before his previous success in finding water sources and opening wells, Xu Fang raised his arms and summoned dozens of strong young men.

Early the next morning, everyone came to the foot of the Xishan Mountains to cut down the bamboo.

Due to severe drought, most of the bamboos in the bamboo forest at the foot of Xishan Mountain have died, with only a few left surviving.

Xu Fang divided the people into two groups, one group cut down the bamboo, and the other group removed the branches and leaves of the bamboo.

The two groups exchanged after working for an hour.

Soon, the bamboos with only their main trunks were stacked up to the height of half a person.

After plucking the bamboo, everyone began to open up the knots inside the bamboo.

As the bamboo joints were opened one by one, each of the seven or eight-foot-long bamboos turned into bamboo pipes that ran through the middle and could be used to divert water.

After the preparations were completely completed, Xu Fang carried a bundle of bamboo pipes and led the people who also carried bamboo pipes towards the new well in Xishanling.

Looking at the spring water emerging from the well, even if they have seen it once before, people still can't hide their excitement.

The newly dug wells on this ridge are the hope of the entire Liujiazhuang in the future.

Xu Fang said to everyone:
"Two wells are diverted from this well to serve as domestic water for everyone. The water in the remaining wells is diverted to the farmland."

People's domestic water needs to be given top priority, but farmland crops must be saved if possible.

Xu Fang had gone to see the fields before. If those crops were irrigated with water, they would not be completely dead. At least there would still be some yield, enough for these farmers to persevere for a while longer.

In this way, some pressure on the court and government can be relieved.

Xu Fang already had quite a reputation in Liujiazhuang, and now that he heard what he said, no one present spoke out against it.

"I will listen to Mr. Xu."

Under Xu Fang's guidance, people inserted two bamboo tubes into the spring water and lowered them one by one along the hillside all the way down the mountain.

The people at the back connected the bamboo pipes one by one from the bamboo ends to the bamboo tails.

When you encounter a place that needs to be bent, use fire to slowly bend the bamboo tube.

The more the merrier.

With the concerted efforts of people, it took only one day to build the two water diversion pipes to Liujiazhuang.

After putting the two water diversion pipes together, Xu Fang, under the expectant eyes of everyone, removed the bamboo strips in front of the bamboo tube used as the water outlet to block the flow of water.

However, to people's surprise, even if the bamboo strips were removed, no water flowed out of the bamboo tube.

At this moment, people suddenly lost their composure and started talking in low voices.

The young men who went up the mountain with Xu Fang all looked at Xu Fang with worries. During their journey, they knew how much effort Mr. Xu had spent on this.

If it really messes up and can't get out of the water, it will be in trouble.

Xu Fang, who was the center of everyone's attention, felt much more relaxed.

He bent down without hesitation, pointed his mouth at the water outlet of the bamboo tube, and took a deep breath.

After just a few breaths, people noticed that the bamboo tube began to tremble slightly.

After a while, the excited shouts of children suddenly came from outside.

"Aye, aye, I hear the sound of water flowing!"

Before he finished speaking, the clear well water gurgled out of the bamboo tube with the sound of "gurgling" and flowed into the water tank that had been prepared below.

Looking at the well water that kept flowing into the water tank, Xu Fang showed an expression of relief.

As long as the water can be brought down the mountain, everything else will be easy to solve.

'After all, I will live up to His Majesty and the entrustment of the imperial court. '

Xu Fang thought to himself.

"Old Master Liu, everyone, in addition to daily water use, we also need to dig pits and set up wells next to the streams to divert and store water. When we encounter a severe drought like this, we can draw water to irrigate the farmland."

After Xu Fang's explanation, everyone understood that the "stream well" he called was similar to a water cellar that stores water and is used as a backup water source for irrigation.

The wells are laid out along the direction of the river. They are between four to five feet long, one or two feet wide, and one foot deep. They can irrigate several to dozens of acres of farmland in disaster years.

The four walls of the stream well are stacked with stones and pine wood in a well shape, with pine wood as the beams and columns. The opening is covered with pine wood and strips of stone to prevent river sand from silting, and the top is covered with wooden boards to reduce water evaporation.

In drought years, streams and wells are opened, waterwheels are set up, and water is lifted to irrigate farmland.

After hearing Xu Fang's explanation, the old people in the village nodded.

This creek well is a prepared move.

Originally there was a water cellar in the village, but there has been no drought for several years, which made everyone relax unknowingly. The amount of water stored in the water cellar is only half of previous years, and there are nearly a hundred more people in the village than in previous years. , the water stored in this water cellar is naturally not enough.

After this calamity, everyone in Liujiazhuang, regardless of age or sex, will surely remember this lesson.

In addition to the stream well, Liu Fang also taught everyone a farming method called the 玎acre method.

As the name suggests, the fen mu method is composed of two parts: fen and mu. The fen is a ditch and the mu is a ridge (rows of soil ridges cultivated on cultivated land).The requirements for planting crops in this method are that in high fields, the crops should be planted in ditches rather than on ridges; in low fields, crops should be planted on ridges rather than in ditches.The biggest effect of this method is to make perfect use of the law of water flowing to lower places.

If there are years with heavy rainfall, crops can be planted on ridges to drain water; conversely, if there is drought, crops can be planted in ditches to conserve water and resist drought.

Seeing Xu Fang giving a demonstration to everyone with his own hands, everyone in the Liu Family Village, led by the old owner Liu Dexiao, knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Xu Fang several times.

This time, Xu Fang was immediately confused.

"Mr. Liu, why is this? You can't do it, everyone!"

As Xu Fang spoke, he ignored the dirt on his hands and stretched out his hands to help the people kneeling on the ground.

"Get up quickly, get up quickly!"

Liu Dexiao, who was helped up by Xu Fang, stared into Xu Fang's eyes and said word by word:

"Mr. Xu, you can afford this great gift."

As an old man who has seen ups and downs, he knows very well that what Xu Fang has taught these people these days, whether it is bamboo diversion, water storage in streams and wells, or farming methods, is very important to them. How important are these ordinary people who live their lives depending on the sky.

It can be said that with these three methods, not to mention whether they can produce more food, they can still keep food and clothing in this drought year without having to abandon their family property and fields, help the old and the young to escape famine and work as farmers. Refugees.

This, even if it is said to be an act of survival, is not an exaggeration!

Therefore, Mr. Xu, who was sent by the imperial court, can bear their great gift!

And the imperial court that can send such talented officials seems to know the suffering of the people and wants to do practical things.

The young emperor sitting on the dragon throne and carrying the golden pole was probably prepared to make a difference.

At the same time, people gradually felt a sense of identification with the current Chu State court and the young emperor.

Things like Xu Fang and Li Ziqiu did not only happen in Liujiazhuang and Lingxi County.

Dozens of peasants and Mohist disciples, under the orders of Zhao Yu and the imperial court, went to the six disaster-stricken prefectures to help the local officials and try to find a way for the people of these six prefectures to survive.

However, human nature is complex.

In the face of a catastrophic disaster, there are people who are willing to relieve the people's distress, and there are always some people who want to take advantage of this opportunity to hoard, buy and sell, and make a fortune.

Ningyuan Fucheng, Haochang City.

"Young shopkeeper, the price of food outside has gone up like crazy, especially the Zhang and Li families. They are hoarding food wantonly, but they are sitting there watching the wind, probably hoping to make a big profit."

A waiter with a towel on his shoulders walked up to the counter and complained to his shopkeeper.

However, the young man sitting behind the table didn't seem to hear a word. He was writing and drawing on the paper with a brush without ink, as if he was deducing something.

Seeing that the shopkeeper remained motionless, the waiter's face suddenly fell.

"I said, Mr. Shopkeeper, did you hear what the young one said?"

A few days ago, this restaurant was still full of seats, but with the onset of the severe drought, prices in the city have skyrocketed. Now, when you look around the entire building, you can't see even a single customer.

If this continues, within two or three months, this restaurant will have to close down!

"I said, why are you panicking? If the sky falls, there will be tall people holding it up. I am not panicking, so why are you panicking?"

The young shopkeeper was still immersed in the deduction, but he replied in a nonchalant manner, "I asked you to deliver food to the old shopkeeper and his wife, but have you done so?"

The waiter nodded quickly and said: "Everything has been sent over. It's just that my wife was worried about the young shopkeeper, so she repeatedly asked me to persuade the young shopkeeper to tell me which mountain to leave. If the mountain is there, I'm not afraid of not having wood for burning." The boy obviously said I have also read some books, but unfortunately they are not very clear. I can't even tell the complete story about leaving green hills without worrying about having no firewood.

"Don't worry, the situation in this city is under the control of the imperial court."

The young shopkeeper was obviously a sensible person. He chuckled and comforted his waiter:
"This drought has affected the people of the six prefectures. Although the man sitting on the dragon throne is a promising and wise king, his methods are quite ruthless. The most unsightly thing is this kind of person who has made great fortunes in the country. This In Haochang City, in addition to the government, there are also censors who have come down, and there are even people watching from the dark. Do you think the court might not notice that these guys are making such a big noise?"

Hearing the young shopkeeper's rhetorical question, the clerk shook his head subconsciously.

That is, now that there is such a big commotion in the city, even a small boy like him knows about it. It would be weird if the big shots don't know about it!

"This court, I'm afraid, has already made plans to take action. Now it's clear that
There was no reaction, but secretly he was already sharpening his sword.When the imperial court mobilizes, none of the Zhang family, Li family, and Wang family, who are hoarding goods, will have anything to eat! "

He had gone to a private school and read history books, until no matter which dynasty, whether it was the court or the king, it was impossible to allow unscrupulous businessmen to buy and sell, hoard and make a fortune for the country.

Because of this, it is the individual who benefits, and all the public grievances are concentrated on the court.

The word "people's hearts and minds" is related to the country, the country and the country.

Once the public sentiment is turbulent, it will inevitably make the people compete with the court. If it is not handled well, the king may not even be able to sit on the throne.

Those who win the hearts of the people win the world. These seven words were spoken by Taizu of Chu himself and also written in history books.

He didn't believe that today's rather wise young emperor would not know this truth.

At this moment, the idle waiter suddenly became energetic and shouted.

"Hey, three guests, please come inside quickly!"

But at this time, a customer entered the store.

The waiter led the three of them to their seats and greeted them slightly excitedly:
"Please take a seat, you three. I wonder what you three guests would like to eat? Our specialty..."

Before he could finish his words, one of the three men, a muscular man with a round waist, glared back angrily: "You talkative boy!"

The man was glared at by that fierce look, and his head felt cold, and he couldn't utter a single word of the next words.

Although he is a boy in a restaurant, he has often seen rich young men and dignitaries when they are welcomed and escorted. Over time, he has developed his eyesight, but he has never seen anything from this man. I felt such a strong evil spirit.

"Okay, Lao Fan, what's the point of arguing with a guy? I'll give you a portion of what you're good at, and you won't be short of money for this meal."

Among the three people, the young master with a handsome face and splendid clothes and jade robes, who was the leader, fiddled with the folding fan in his hand and said lightly.

"Yes, son."

Seeing his boss speak, the strong man known as "Lao Fan" glared at the waiter, sat back on his chair and said nothing.

Seeing the young man waving his hand towards him, the waiter immediately stepped back with a bow as if he had been granted an amnesty.

"You guys sit down first, and I'll go have a chat with the shopkeeper."

After saying that, the handsome young man stood up, put the folding fan behind his waist, and walked towards the counter.

"Are you the shopkeeper of this shop?"

He was leaning against the counter and asked the young shopkeeper behind the counter with a smile.

The young shopkeeper was still immersed in writing and drawing on the paper, and said without raising his head when he heard the words:
"That's not entirely true. After all, there is still an old shopkeeper at home."

The handsome young man did not feel dissatisfied, but smiled understandingly and said:

"I just heard what the shopkeeper said. He is indeed a very understanding person. It's time to clean up these big rats who are eating inside and outside. However, there are many people under my command, but there is only one who can come up with ideas. No. What do you think, are you interested in working with me?"

The young shopkeeper finally raised his head and asked:
"May I ask, what is your surname, young master?"

"My surname is Yu, and my given name is Tian." The handsome young master smiled evilly, took out his folding fan, knocked it in his palm, and said in a low voice, "It is the person in the dark that the shopkeeper just said." (End of this chapter)