Linxia

Chapter 230, Gift Bag

Huai'an, Yan Mansion.

Yan Shideng came back, having spent seven or eight days on the dike outside the city. He was physically and mentally exhausted. After he took a bath and changed his clothes, the servants had already prepared a sumptuous meal for him.

At this time, Master Qi came in with a message.

Today the rain stopped and the water level outside the city began to drop. Yan Shideng had just returned. Although he did not relax his vigilance and dismiss the troops, he thought that this hurdle had been passed. He was in a good mood and had a smile on his face: "Old Qi, do you want to sit down and eat something?"

Master Qi didn't bother to answer this, and hurriedly said the business: "Sir, urgent news from eight hundred miles away, the dike in Chuzhou has burst!"

Chuzhou is upstream of Huai'an. The dike breach in Chuzhou means that Huai'an will have to face even more severe tests.

"What?" Yan Shideng threw down his chopsticks and stood up: "Quick, notify the people outside the city to prepare for flood control..."

He couldn't even wait to have his servants pass on the news, and he took Master Qi out directly. As soon as they arrived at the gate of the mansion, a panicked clerk came over and saw them. He seemed to have found their backbone and hurriedly said, "Sir, something terrible has happened. The dam outside the city has burst!"

As if he felt that he had said it too generally, he panted and elaborated: "The water was so heavy that the dam leaked in many places at the same time, and it was impossible to reinforce it... Then the dam collapsed, and the restaurant and fish pond downstream were washed away and floated on the water... When I came here, the water had entered the city."

‘It’s over! ’

Yan Shideng felt as if his head had exploded, buzzing, and the world was spinning. He almost lost his balance, but Master Qi quickly supported him. He shook his head and came to his senses. He knew that now was the end of the matter and he had to do something and could not just sit there and wait to die.

"Arrange personnel to provide disaster relief!"

Yan Shideng had no intention of going to the front line in person. The dike outside the city had burst, and all these were useless. He waved to Master Qi, asking him to arrange disaster relief, then turned back to the mansion. After calming himself down, he began to write a memorial.

——Unlike previous memorials, which mostly praised achievements, this memorial was an attempt to make excuses.

In the memorial, he wrote that he lived and ate with officials and civilians, and had made great progress in flood prevention. However, the upstream dike burst and he was affected. This was beyond human control. He also said that he would do his utmost to provide disaster relief and minimize the impact.

Having written this, Yan Shideng paused. No matter what he said, the dam burst was a fact. Huai'an had not had a dam burst for many years, but it burst this year. This cannot be changed.

"The facts cannot be changed, but you can use the Spring and Autumn style of writing to reduce my responsibility, or even drag others into the water and share the guilt. Building restaurants and fish ponds in the riverside area outside the city, this is the benefit that the Gu family has gained..."

When he thought of this now, he regretted that if he had followed his predecessor's thinking instead of taking the easy way out, he would probably have been able to get through this time.

"It's too late!"

Yan Shideng knew that the moment the dam burst, the knife was handed to the eunuch party. If he took all the responsibility, even his uncle who was a cabinet minister would not be able to save him given the current political situation.

Therefore, this memorial was an attempt to save himself and shirk responsibility. He was still considering dragging others into the water.

Yan Shideng thought for a moment, put down the memorial, and wrote another letter, preparing to deliver it to the minister who was his cousin in the capital.

……

Gu family.

When Gu Tongren heard that the dam had burst, all the restaurants and fish ponds outside the city were destroyed in the vast ocean, and the casualties were innumerable, he was in so much pain that he almost vomited blood.

Initially, they sold their factories and fleets to Fang Lin and received a large sum of money, which they gradually invested in the land outside the city to build restaurants and fish ponds. In recent years, the business has been good and they have made a lot of money, but now they have barely recouped their investment... Now that everything has been cleared out, such a huge loss can be said to have directly made the Gu family's ten years of hard work come to nothing.

"Dad, didn't you teach us that these are external things? As long as you are still alive, take care of yourself!" Gu Shiyu's heart was also bleeding, but he was a young man after all, with a strong ability to withstand pressure. He was still comforting his father who almost fainted after hearing the news.

"Yes, the restaurant and fish pond business are not doing well. In the future, at worst, we can go back to our old business and do factory and fleet business." Gu Shimin also said.

"That was afterwards."

Gu Tongren suddenly thought of something and ordered: "Write a letter to the capital and ask our people in the court to keep an eye on it. We must not allow ourselves to be slandered and take the responsibility for the Huai'an dam breach..."

"Dad, what are you saying?" The brothers Gu Shiyu and Gu Shimin's eyes widened as they thought of something.

……

Fan family.

Fan Qingzeng narrowed his eyes and listened to the housekeeper's report of the losses with his two sons: "Casualties... estimated losses... In the city, the biggest losses are still suffered by the Gu family..."

The Fan family suffered a heavy loss, but when they thought of the Gu family, they immediately felt balanced. People are happy only when there is comparison.

"Not only the Gu family, but Prefect Yan is probably also suffering. Also, Lord Fang's factories have also suffered a lot of losses. In the future, the Gu family may return to the factories and fleet industries and fight with Lord Fang... Of course, that will have to wait until the Gu family gets through this hurdle. Prefect Yan and the Gu family will probably blame each other and shirk the responsibility for the breach..." Fan Qiangguang said with a smile.

"Anyway, this is none of our business. Let them fight each other. It's not easy for our family to be targeted by eunuchs in the court. They should also do something." Fan Qihui also had the mentality of watching the fun.

"okay."

Fan Qingzeng played with the walnut in his hand, squinted his eyes and said, "Get ready, take advantage of this opportunity to swallow up some more farm products!"

For big families, such a year of disaster is actually a great opportunity. The large number of bankrupt people after the disaster will make it easier for them to annex land.

Especially: in the past years, when Huai'an suffered from floods, it was the counties below that suffered, but this time it was the provincial capital that suffered the flood, and many people will inevitably sell their land. The land in the provincial capital is a big piece of fat meat.

——Unlike Fang Lin, the five families like Fan, Gu, Ma, Shao, and Duan, a considerable part of their wealth is in land. This is also an important reason why the Fan family insisted on squeezing in Huai'an with Fang Lin and refused to move to another place.

……

Fang family.

Fang Lin was also listening to Dang Zhixian's report on the losses: "The factory recruited workers to reinforce the dam. Nineteen of them were washed away by the flood and disappeared, and two were injured... The dormitory is on a higher ground, and we were prepared in advance, so we are basically fine... The factory suffered a lot of losses, three workshops... and subsequent machine maintenance..."

——This flood came violently and went away quickly. After all, the rain had stopped in Huai'an. It was just that the upstream dam broke, bringing too much water, which broke the dam and blocked the river, spreading out and forming a vast ocean. Now that it has time to digest, the water will find a way out by itself and begin to retreat from the city on relatively high ground.

"I'm afraid it will be difficult for the court to pay compensation to those who recruited the dikes in a short time, so we'll give them a pension first. As for the other parts of the factory, the losses are just some money, and it's good that no one is hurt." Fang Lin sighed and said so.

"Your Excellency is kind and righteous." Dang Zhixian flattered him and said, "We factory workers mostly eat and live in the canteen. Compared with the people in the city, we have relatively less grain reserves. Given the current situation in the city, the price of grain may rise to a sky-high price..."

"I have arranged for a fleet to buy food overseas. Factory workers can buy it at a limited price. It can be considered a benefit!" Fang Lin thought for a moment and said, "Also tell the workers that I intend to recruit people to go overseas. If anyone is willing to go overseas, whether adults or children, each person can claim three hectares of land... After three years of cultivation, they can get it... This is entirely voluntary and is also a benefit."

In fact, he was not targeting the factory workers, but the disaster victims. This summer was another year of great disasters. The provincial capital was hit by the disaster, and the county towns below were also not immune. When the refugees from the county towns poured in, they would find that it would be more difficult to survive this year than in previous years. If they did not want to rebel, they had only one way, which was to go overseas.

However, for this matter, we still need to find Prefect Yan and obtain official support.

After Dang Zhixian left, Fang Lin asked the guards to remain vigilant and guard the house, and he took a few people with him to the government office.

On the streets outside, although the flood had receded, there was still knee-deep water in many places. All kinds of debris and garbage could be seen, and cries could be heard coming from nowhere. There was a lot of chaos, and the government officials were barely able to maintain order in the city.

Everywhere you look, you see devastation.

……

Government office.

Yan Shideng saw Fang Lin and forced a smile: "Master Fang is here? Someone, serve tea."

Naturally, he was in a bad mood at this moment. The dam outside the city burst, which handed the knife to the eunuch party. Although he wrote a memorial to refuse, it might not be useful. When his own head and official hat might be in danger, he was naturally in a bad mood and did not even have much enthusiasm for disaster relief.

Fang Lin saw Yan Shideng's expression and guessed what he was thinking. He immediately spoke with a strong dose of medicine: "I know that Lord Yan is worried, and I came here to save you."

"Oh?" Yan Shideng suddenly looked up at Fang Lin, but when he realized that he had lost his composure, he restrained his expression, asked Fang Lin to sit down, sit upright, and wait for what he said.

Fang Lin sat down opposite him and spoke up for Yan Shideng: "Huai'an has been raining for days. Your Excellency's actions are obvious to all. You had already protected the dike, but the dike upstream broke, and there were villains in the city, so we suffered an unexpected disaster. This is not your Excellency's fault."

"In addition, as far as Fang knows, this year is a year of greater disasters than in previous years. There are many cities in the Jianghuai area that have been hit by floods. With your talents, you will surely make achievements in disaster relief and stand out among the prefectures in the Jianghuai area."

This statement conveys two important messages.

First, the Huai'an dike burst was the work of a villain, the implication being that Yan Shideng should find someone to take the blame; second, this year is a year of great disasters, with floods hitting many prefectures in the Jianghuai area. In this situation where everyone is having a hard time, there is no need for you to give up on yourself, because if you are bad, other prefectures may be worse. You don't need to be that good, you just need to do better than other prefectural governors in the same area, so that you can stand out from the crowd, highlight your own achievements and cover up your own mistakes.

To be honest, some of what Fang Lin said was a bit unconscionable. Was it really not Yan Shideng's fault that the Huai'an dam burst? Did he really not know that the development of the area along the river outside the city was pushed by Yan Shideng's eagerness for quick success?

Of course I know! But some things cannot be judged only by right or wrong, but also by the situation. For example, if we really want to hold Yan Shideng accountable, and make him lose hope, give up, and become lazy in disaster relief, then I don’t know how many people will suffer.

Yan Shideng was a smart man, so he naturally understood the message from Fang Lin. He suddenly saw through the fog and his thoughts became clear: "Yes, the Huai'an dam burst, and other prefectures also suffered. I handed the knife to the eunuch party. At the same time, because my cousin is a cabinet minister, he has received more attention and may be used as a target..."

"But if I push the blame away and do a better job of disaster relief than Beppu, creating the illusion that there are reasons for the incident and it is beyond human control, my uncle will have something to argue about in the court, and thus the crisis can be turned into safety."

However, after he was happy, he quickly calmed down.

On the one hand, it is correct to find someone to take the blame, and on the other hand, it is necessary to provide disaster relief. But how can it be implemented? Without specific policies, it is just nonsense.

Therefore, we also need to know how to do it, such as: who should we find someone to take the blame for? If we want to excel in disaster relief, where will the large amount of money and food come from?

"In Lord Fang's opinion, whose fault is it that the Huai'an dike burst this time?" Yan Shideng thought for a moment and asked tentatively.

"I heard that the Gu family has been building a lot of buildings along the river, constructing restaurants and fish ponds, destroying water conservancy facilities and affecting flood discharge... I also heard that the Fan family had a negative attitude in flood control some time ago, and they may have done something to the embankment... Lord Yan, this is not only a natural disaster, but also a man-made disaster!"

"hiss!"

Yan Shideng took a breath of cold air when he heard that Fang Lin was targeting the Gu and Fan families. He instantly knew that he was planning to use him to eliminate the enemies of the Gu and Fan families and unify Huai'an.

However, this may not be a bad choice. He originally wanted to put the blame on the Gu family, and add the Fan family, saying that the other party was passive in flood prevention and secretly tampered with the embankment, and forcibly involved them. It would be better to have one more person to take the blame.

But there are more concerns. Involving the Fan family like this without concrete evidence may cause some trouble to the other party, but I am afraid that if the snake is not killed, they will suffer from it in the future!
You know, with this excuse, the Fan family may not be defeated. Even if they are defeated, Fan Qingzeng's branch of the Fan family in Huai'an is only a branch of the Fan family. The Fan family still has the main line!
Yan Shideng thought so and asked this question.

Fang Lin smiled when he heard this. There was naturally a reason why he dared to do so. Some time ago, Dong Zugao wrote a letter mentioning that the Fan family had been targeted in the court. The secret recipe of the fragrant dew of this branch of the Fan family in Huai'an was also coveted by Wei Zhongxian. With such a piece of fat meat, as long as Wei Zhongxian was given a reason, the other party would take action.

Wei Zhongxian even tried to probe Fang Lin through the Jinyiwei channel and wanted the secret recipe of soap, which Fang Lin gave him. Seeing that Fang Lin was so considerate, Wei Zhongxian reciprocated by giving him a considerable sum of money to buy the recipe and promised to only do business in the capital area and that the market in the Jianghuai area would still be given to Fang Lin.

Wei Zhongxian was so greedy, which was also one of the reasons for Fang Lin's confidence.

'In addition to Wei Zhongxian's greed, the most crucial point is the late Emperor Hongtai. In my early letters, I hinted that the Fan family and other Shanxi merchants were traitors and colluding with the enemy, and communicating with the Liaodong Tartars... Considering the conversation before leaving Beijing last time and the current situation, I think Emperor Hongtai has already collected evidence, but he is just holding back and waiting for the new emperor to take the throne! '

In other words, this was the last gift that Emperor Hongtai left for the new monarch, a big gift package for novices. After opening it, one could gain political achievements, prestige, and considerable wealth, just like Heshen that Qianlong left for Jiaqing!
Fang Lin hinted at something and said with a smile: "The Fan family is already a dead body in the grave. With the support of Lord Yan, why should we worry about not being able to uproot the Fan family?"

After hearing this, Yan Shideng gained confidence, gritted his teeth, and made a decision: "Master Fang's words make sense, so I will follow Master Fang's words."

This is a very simple matter. Give the fatter Fan family to the eunuch party in exchange for a chance to escape. Since it is possible to "let my friend die rather than myself", it is better to let the Fan family die.

Fang Lin smiled slightly when he heard this, knowing that the matter was settled.

"Although the dam breach was caused by the Gu and Fan families, I have to clean up this mess and take over the responsibility of disaster relief. However, the relief money and food..." Magistrate Yan is indeed a politician. He just chose the person to take the blame, and now he made the final decision without blushing or being nervous.

"This is simple."

Fang Lin looked at Yan Shideng and said, "Sir Yan, since we have already done it, we might as well do it to the end. The Gu family does not need to wait for the court's decision. We should act immediately. The money and grain seized can be used for disaster relief."

"it is good!"

Yan Shideng knew that he had already offended the Gu family by asking them to take the blame, so he might as well offend them to death. He made a decision: "Search the Gu family today to set an example and let the people vent their emotions..."

He had some experience in maximizing the benefits of a matter, which was to make full use of the Gu family's resources, use the Gu family's money to relieve disasters, and use the Gu family's name to let the people vent their anger.

"In addition to these, I have another gift for Lord Yan. If too many disaster victims gather, I'm afraid there will be trouble. I can use ships to select some and ship them overseas..."

Fang Lin and Yan Shideng had a secret conversation that determined the situation in Huai'an and served as the fuse for the shocking turmoil in the court shortly afterwards.

……

(End of this chapter)