I, the prince, only want to be deposed.

Chapter 11 Why not just stop blocking the road?

Ji Ren was silent for a moment after hearing this, and then he looked embarrassed:

"I dare not hide the truth from Your Highness. I have never participated in flood control. I cannot say that I have made no contribution to flood control, but I can only say that I know nothing about it."

"So when I received your majesty's order, I was confused for a long time."

"Later, I thought about it carefully. Perhaps it was because my brother Ji An had participated in the emergency repair of the Huzi River breach many years ago, and now my brother is too weak and sick to take on the important task, so Your Majesty thought of me temporarily."

At this point, probably fearing that Liu Ju would think he was holding him back, Ji Ren bowed again and expressed his sincere attitude:
"Although I am not familiar with flood control, I have a sincere heart. I will leave it to Your Highness to command me. Even if Your Highness orders me to jump into the river and block the breach with my body, I will not hesitate!"

"Doctor Ji, you are too kind."

Liu Ju smiled, thinking that this time it was because I recommended you, and then asked, "I wonder how much Doctor Ji knows about your brother's emergency repair of the breach in the Huzi River?"

"Your Highness, may I speak freely?"

Ji Ren's expression changed slightly when he heard this. He was a little hesitant, but more eager.

Ji Ren had long heard of the benevolence, kindness and gentleness of Crown Prince Liu Ju and had been attracted by him, but it was a pity that he had never had the opportunity to join him before.

Even though the retainers had been dismissed a few days ago, it did not have too many negative impacts due to the timely remedial measures taken by Wei Qing and Wei Zifu.

And now Ji Ren finally met Liu Ju.

When they first met, Liu Ju invited him to ride in the same carriage. How could he not be flattered by such an honor?
In addition, Liu Ju was so easy-going when talking to him, Ji Ren felt that he had met a truly wise leader, and he wanted to take out his heart and present it to him immediately.

When Liu Ju heard this, he immediately realized that Ji An might have had other secrets about flood control that could not be made public.

He nodded slightly and said, "Of course you can. No third person will know what you and I said in this carriage today."

"The Han Dynasty is very fortunate to have a prince like Your Highness. The country and the people are very fortunate."

Ji Ren knelt down in the narrow carriage and bowed. After Liu Ju helped him up, he said solemnly,

"To be honest, my brother once told me privately that the flood control issue was shelved by Your Majesty for several reasons:"

"First of all, the water from the breach was turbulent."

"The huge rocks thrown in to block the breach would be washed away as soon as they were thrown in. By the time they finally blocked the breach, other riverbanks would have breached, and the two sides would often be in a dilemma;"

"Secondly, it was the local aristocratic families headed by Prime Minister Tian Fen who obstructed it."

"The Huzi River breached on the south bank. The south bank of the river was mostly farmland for the common people, while the farmland and ancestral property of the aristocratic families headed by the Tian family was on the north bank."

"The south levee broke, and the river water poured southward. The north bank was not only unaffected, but was even more stable than before the breach."

"Once the breach is blocked, the north bank will always be at risk of breaching, so they are trying their best to stop the flood;"

"Secondly, and most importantly, it is your majesty's difficulties."

"It was at the beginning of your majesty's accession to the throne. Although Empress Dowager Dou had passed away and the Dou family's relatives had lost power, Queen Dowager Wang was still alive, Tian Fen was the emperor's uncle, and the Tian family was powerful."

"Your Majesty believes in ghosts and gods, respects filial piety, and must also consider the situation in the court."

"So we had to compromise and follow Tian Fen's advice to stop the flood control."

"Afterwards, Tian Fen and Queen Mother Wang passed away one after another, and the conflict between the Han and Xiongnu became more and more intense. The Han treasury often had more money than it earned, and Your Majesty had no time to pay attention to the floods, so you kept delaying it."

"Your Highness, this is what I heard from my brother about the gourd burst."

"As for the twists and turns of the matter, they are just my brother's family's words, and I cannot guarantee their accuracy. Your Highness, please make the decision yourself."

After hearing these words, Liu Ju gradually fell into deep thought.

This analysis opened up a new perspective for him and gave him a completely new understanding of this period of history.

There is no need to elaborate on the first two reasons, as they are obvious and are also mentioned in history books.

The key point is the last point, which is related to Liu Che’s difficulties.

We have to admit that Ji An's statement makes sense.

It is possible that Emperor Liu Che did not want to control the flood, nor did he not understand the harm of floods. Otherwise, when the Huzi Dam burst, why did he immediately send Ji An and Zheng Dang to control the flood?

Nor would he have sent Ji Ren and Guo Chang four years later and then personally gone to the scene to direct the work and control the flood at all costs.

Liu Che probably knew everything.

But even though he is the emperor, he cannot do whatever he wants.

Relatives from the outside, powerful ministers, the national treasury, and foreign enemies may all become constraints on him. As the helmsman of the Han Dynasty, he must take all aspects into consideration. Any miscalculation may lead to the collapse of the whole plan.

The human and material resources required to control the Yellow River flood must be enormous, enough to affect the situation... Thinking of this, Liu Ju seemed to understand something, and his belief became stronger:
"Damn it, don't tell me I don't have such a big brain. Even if I did, I wouldn't suffer that injustice!"

"What's so good about being alone? Isn't it better to live a more relaxed life?"

"I must let Liu Che depose me. Whoever wants the throne can take it, but I definitely don't want it."

……

a few days later.

Liu Ju finally arrived in Puyang, Dongjun.

At this time, the number of accompanying troops had increased to more than 5,000, because another person recommended by Liu Ju, Guo Chang, had also met him halfway and brought 5,000 infantry to assist.

Guo Chang is not an ordinary person either.

He once served as a colonel following Wei Qing in attacking the Huns and made many military achievements. He is now promoted to Taizhong Daifu.

Liu Ju was very confident in this man. With the relationship with Wei Qing, Guo Chang was undoubtedly his own man and would definitely fully support his work.

Regarding Liu Ju's arrival.

Dongjun County Magistrate Chen Guo and Puyang County Magistrate Zhang Liang were both very concerned.

Not only did he go out of the city to greet him in person, he also prepared a warm welcome ceremony and conscripted corvée labor in the jurisdiction in advance.

In just a few days, 30,000 laborers had been gathered for Liu Ju.

This is a feudal system of annual labor service, in which every adult male has the obligation to serve for one to three months every year.

When the country is stable, the main focus is on building palaces, city walls, roads, and water conservancy projects. During times of war, they need to participate in defense, patrolling, combat and other activities.

Moreover, not only were they not paid, but sometimes they even had to provide their own tools, weapons, and dry food.

Therefore, the local people may not really welcome his arrival, unless he can really lead everyone to cure the flood...

After settling down in Puyang City.

Liu Ju was relatively responsible. He immediately asked Chen Guo and Zhang Liang to take him to the breached river to check the current situation.

Wait until the scene.

He immediately understood why four years later Emperor Liu Che had to mobilize hundreds of thousands of laborers and the entire country's strength to block the breach.

Because after nearly twenty years of neglect.

Not only is the water flowing rapidly from the breach of the south dike here, but there is more than one breach.

The widest part is even more than twenty meters wide. It looks like a vast ocean as far as the eye can see, and the remaining dams in the breach are like small isolated islands.

"How can we stop this? Even gods can't stop it, right?"

So in front of everyone, Liu Ju deliberately said loudly, "If it were up to you, I'd better not block it. When Dayu was controlling the flood, he said that blocking is not as good as draining. Let's just tear down the north dike as well."

"In this way, the river water will also flow to the north bank, the river will be diverted, the water level will naturally drop, and the flooding on the south bank can also be alleviated."

"Maybe from now on, we can solve this problem once and for all."

As soon as these words came out.

Everyone present had a changed expression.

Chen Guo and Zhang Liang looked at each other.

I thought to myself, is this how it is understood that it is better to unblock than to block?

It is said that the current crown prince is kind, gentle and prudent, and compassionate to the people. But after seeing him today, he turns out to be such a foolish and incompetent person?

Ji Ren was so frightened that he stepped forward and tried to persuade him:

"Your Highness, please think twice. Sixteen counties on the south bank have already been affected by the disaster. If the north levee is breached, the river water will rush into the north bank and into the sea. I don't know how many more counties will be affected. By then, both the north and the south will be disaster areas, and there will be another devastating loss of life!"

"Your Highness, we need to take a long-term view on water management and must not act impulsively."

Guo Chang couldn't help but clasp his fists and ask for mercy.

Only the Imperial Court Judge Shi Duzhou, who was accompanying him with a seal, watched coldly and whispered to his trusted followers behind him:
"Record every word of what the prince just said. I will report it to His Majesty in writing."

(End of this chapter)