Li Xia is not planning to build the Yellow River after destroying the Song Dynasty now because of his pride.
Instead, he did this out of worry.
Worry replaced Kublai Khan and failed to do better.
If you remember correctly, one of the triggers for the demise of the Yuan Dynasty was the construction of the Yellow River. "One eye of the stone man instigated the rebellion of the Yellow River!"
Li Xia decided to do this immediately after destroying the Song Dynasty, so that he could feel at ease.
He could see that Li Tingzhi could help in this matter.
Li Tingzhi was regarded as a famous general in the Song Dynasty, and he was indeed capable of using troops.
But judging from the intelligence collected by the Public Opinion Department, Li Xia believed that Song Ting would not employ people.
The Song Dynasty always used military generals as soldiers and civilian officials as military generals.
Li Tingzhi came from a scholarly family. He was smart at a young age and could recite thousands of words every day. He was a Jinshi of Xin Chou Ke in the first year of Chunyou. However, the war in the country forced him to embark on the road of marching and fighting.
In short, his political talents are not inferior to his military skills.
At this time, Li Tingzhi was listening to Li Tingzhi talk about Yangzhou affairs, and all the officials were very serious.
"Yangzhou is located in the lower reaches of the Huaihe River. At that time, when I was managing water conservancy, I could only dredge the canal, which was treating the symptoms but not the root cause..."
Han Qi'an asked: "Where did the money to repair the river come from?"
"Salt tax." Li Tingzhi said: "Yangzhou relies on salt for profit. I made an agreement with the salt farmers to waive the salt tax for two million tons. Then we will dig a canal for more than 40 miles to Jinsha and Yuying Salt Fields, so the people in Tingting will have no transportation.
The work..."
Gradually, from water conservancy to salt tax.
The ministers under Li Xia, such as Han Qi'an, Li Ye, and Yan Yunyun, all deal with money all year round, but they can also feel the prosperity of Yangzhou's salt industry from Li Tingzhi's words.
In fact, there is no state in the north that is so wealthy or has such complicated governance.
Li Ye and Yan Yunyun looked at each other and had to admit that although there were many internal conflicts among the officials in the south, they were indeed capable of governing.
The reason why Li Tingzhi became more and more popular was not only because he had a deep understanding of floods in Yangzhou, but also because this was a great achievement that would benefit the future.
】
For example, when Yu the Great controlled floods, his descendants never forgot to build temples and shrines for him. As the saying goes, "the good will last for all generations, and the people of all directions will be safe with virtue."
When a man is in this world, studying and becoming an official, what he should do is such a career that benefits all people.
Whether he resisted the Mongols or remained loyal to the Song Dynasty, this was a great righteousness in his heart, and building the Yellow River was an even greater righteousness.
Even if it sounds selfish, if he built the Yellow River, the historical records in the future would only praise his achievements. As for rebelling and surrendering to the Song Dynasty, it is no longer worth caring about.
From river management to the salt industry, and from the salt industry to river transportation... Li Tingzhi has not felt this kind of "discussing things on the matter" atmosphere for a long time.
This is not a great atmosphere. To put it simply, there is no struggle for power or intrigue during the conversation.
At the end, Li Xia said: "After Li Qing returns to Huaidong, he still needs to survey the downstream water section."
Li Tingzhi was stunned for a moment.
When he came back to his senses, he realized that he didn't even notice what official position he had been granted yesterday.
Yesterday I heard that Lu Wenhuan was pardoned and made General Huaihua, and was left in the court without being able to return to his place.
Li Tingzhi thought that the same was true for him, because he had handed over military power... He believed that he would not be trusted by Li Xia.
"I still allow you to serve as the ambassador of comfort to the Huaihe River." Li Xia saw his blank expression and reminded him, "I hope you will live up to my expectations."
"minister……"
Li Tingzhi was speechless for a moment.
He knew very well that Li Xia's words "live up to my expectations" not only hoped that he would appease the two Huaihe Rivers and survey the Yellow River, but also hope that he could supervise the Yangzhou salt tax.
With all this going on, he actually hasn't thought about doing it for Li Xia.
This time when he went north, he originally hoped to visit Princess Rui from a distance and reassure himself that the Song Dynasty clan still had blood to marry into the new dynasty. After that, he planned to live in seclusion in the mountains and forests and never serve as an official again.
"Xianggong Li?"
After a while, when Li Tingzhi didn't agree, someone reminded him.
Li Xia smiled and said: "No matter the dynasty or the emperor's surname, Li Qing just does practical things for the people, how about that?"
"Your Majesty..." Li Tingzhi saluted quickly, "I accept the order."
~~
Until he left the palace, Li Tingzhi felt as if he had experienced a dream.
When he looked up at the sky, he suddenly thought of Lu Xiufu's letter. At this moment, he could already feel the pride revealed between the lines.
"Xianggong Li."
Li Tingzhi turned around and saw an inconspicuous man standing by the street, dressed in ordinary clothes.
The other person raised an arm, and the sleeve slipped down, revealing a prosthetic hand.
Li Tingzhi then reached into his arms, took out a bunch of money and put it on the other person's fake hand.
The other party was stunned for a moment.
"Xianggong Li doesn't recognize me?"
"This is my first time meeting you."
"You haven't heard of me either?"
Li Tingzhi twirled his long beard, looked at the other person again, and shook his head.
"Director of the Public Opinion Department, Jiang Fan."
Li Tingzhi cupped her hands and sighed in her heart. She had been watched by the Public Opinion Department for so many years, but she didn't even know the other person's conspicuous features.
Jiang Fan didn't know whether to be proud or embarrassed, so he raised his hand and invited Li Tingzhi to a restaurant.
"I have some news for Mr. Li, please."
"please."
"This is the old site of Fanlou. A shrewd businessman rebuilt Fanlou here. I heard that the cooking tastes good..."
Li Tingzhi didn't believe it.
Although he is not a person who loves to enjoy himself, the food he ate yesterday and today tasted far worse than what he had eaten in Yangzhou.
With his self-cultivation, he didn't ask too many questions. He led Jiang Fan to a side room and sat down by the window.
"That's good news." Jiang Fan said, "Xiangong Li's family records have now returned to Yangzhou..."
"real?!"
Jiang Fan nodded and said: "I'm afraid Xianggong Li won't believe it, so I might as well explain it in more detail. Although this matter is no longer a secret, Xianggong Li must not spread it out for the time being."
"Sir Jiang, don't worry, Mr. Li is not a talkative person."
"Okay. Zhenjiang Prefecture Hong Qiwei has sent people to protect people crossing the river."
"Has Hong Qiwei really surrendered?"
Jiang Fan smiled and said nothing.
Li Tingzhi stopped asking these questions. It was enough to be sure that the family was still safe.
"Sir Jiang, Mr. Li is here to treat you to today's meal."
"I brought you up, that's what I meant..."
~~
Posthouse.
Lu Wenhuan only took two bites before putting down the kuaizi.
Seeing this situation, Lu Shisheng hurriedly said: "If father is not used to northern food, my son will ask someone to go to the kitchen to cook it..."
"These are all trivial matters." Lu Wenhuan muttered: "Your Majesty did not summon me today."
"so what?"
"Your cousin is guarding Jiangzhou now. If Your Majesty wants to surrender, how can you not ask?"
When Lu Shisheng saw that his father stopped eating, he put down the kuaizi and said thoughtfully: "Your Majesty doesn't seem to be that concerned about the war in Jiangnan?"
Lu Wenhuan asked: "How did you tell?"
"Yesterday during the audience, those who were confronting His Majesty in the palace were all civil servants."
"It seems that His Majesty is very confident in this battle."
Lu Wenhuan sighed and said: "I have sent a message to Shi Kui, urging him to surrender as soon as possible. Don't use the mantis's arm as a chariot. I'm afraid he won't listen."
Lu Shisheng shook his head and said: "The Lu family is already a family of officials. In such a big change, why would they risk their entire career just for money?"
"The wages of avarice is death."
Speaking of this, Lu Wenhuan's face became even more worried.
He is now the Great General of Huaihua, but this is just a military official. He also has a real job of "also knowing the important military affairs of Zhongshu Province". He doesn't know what it means. Anyway, it doesn't sound like a small official.
But some look like one of the prime ministers.
A few days later, when he heard that Li Tingzhi had left Kaifeng and returned to Huaidong to take up a post, Lu Wenhuan couldn't help but become jealous. He was dissatisfied that Li Xia didn't believe him, but he even believed in Li Tingzhi, a stubborn prisoner.
It was on this day that he was finally summoned to the palace for an audience.
~~
This time the audience was not in the main hall, but in the side hall.
When Lu Wenhuan arrived, the first thing he saw were the two large sand tables placed in the middle of the hall.
Except for the two civil servants Han Chengxu and Shi Jun, the waiting ministers were all military generals.
Lu Wenhuan's official position was not too low, and he was also wearing a purple official robe. However, after entering the palace, he kept a low profile and stood silently aside, looking at the sand table.
One of the sand tables is long and narrow, showing the topography of the Yangtze River; the other only has a section of the river, which is already filled with boats. It is not yet easy to identify which section it is.
With just one glance, Lu Wenhuan realized that although Li Xia didn't trust him very much, he didn't distrust him either. At least he still allowed him to participate in the duel of national events.
Obviously, the next thing to be discussed is the battle to destroy the Song Dynasty, which had the largest number of troops on both sides.
It may not be the last battle, but it is the last powerful resistance of the Song army.
"Your Majesty has arrived."
"I have met Your Majesty."
"No need to be polite, I think you have already guessed what is going to be discussed today. According to reliable information, the Song army has gathered troops in this area to prepare for a battle with our army."
Lu Wenhuan looked around and recognized that what Li Xia pointed out was the section of the Yangtze River from Wuhu to Jiankang Prefecture, not Jiujiang.
But he still doesn't know whether Lu Shikui surrendered or was defeated...