Chapter 186 The gods dream, the emperor's prophecy has come true??
If you give hope first and make people despair later, you will be resented.
But if it's the other way around, if you can help others in despair, then what you gain will be gratitude.
Yan Shifan took advantage of this to first make Ding Rukui and Wan Cai give up hope, and then give them hope.
I have to say that this method is quite effective, at least now Ding Rukui and Wan Cai have expressions of disbelief.
"Xiao Xiangye... this..."
Neither of them could believe what Yan Shifan said: "Is this too difficult?"
Yan Shifan glanced at them: "If it weren't for the two of you to die or live, do you think I would be willing to get involved in this matter?"
Several other people in the room also looked shocked.
"Brother, are you crazy?" Zhao Wenhua put down the tea cup and couldn't help but said: "My foster father is not in the capital, how can we compete with Cai Jing?"
Guan Peng was also a little numb and couldn't help but persuade: "Xiao Xiangye, let Qin Hui and Cai Jing fight. We can just watch from the outside. Maybe we can get some advantage."
"But if we get involved, we might be targeted by Cai Jing, and then we'll be in trouble..."
Even Luo Longwen and Yan Maoqing couldn't help but give some advice.
Ding Rukui and Wan Cai moved their lips but stopped talking.
Yan Shifan stared at the two people and sighed, shook his head and said, "Look at how they are doing. If I don't agree, they might turn around and find someone else."
A layer of cold sweat suddenly broke out on the backs of the two servants, and they hurriedly defended: "The young prime minister is joking, it is absolutely impossible!"
Yan Shifan's face looked a little ugly and he shook his head: "Let's talk about it first. Let's give it a try. I can't guarantee that I can win the position of deputy examiner for you two!"
Ding Rukui and Wan Cai nodded like chickens pecking at rice: "The prime minister is willing to help, how dare I ask for anything else?"
"That's right! Who in the capital can guarantee that he will get the position of deputy examiner surely? Even Cai Jing may not have this ability. The young prime minister is willing to give it a try. I can't thank you enough."
Yan Shifan reluctantly nodded: "Okay, in that case, let's try it."
Guan Peng and others looked at each other and sighed together, as if they didn't understand why Yan Shifan wanted to wade through such muddy water.
"Okay, I will write a letter to my father and ask him to cooperate." Yan Shifan waved his hand, got up and walked towards the side study.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Prime Minister, thank you so much, Mr. Prime Minister." Ding Rukui and Wan Cai were even more overjoyed.
If Prime Minister Yan, who is far away in Xingyang, can also participate, then the chance of winning this matter will be even greater.
~~
The two letters traveled around the capital for several days and finally arrived in Xingyang.
Nan'an, Gaoshan County.
Waves of cold wind blew, and the people were wearing dirty black and gray cotton-padded clothes. Although their faces were red and chapped by the cold wind, most of them had a satisfied smile on their lips as they pushed the carts to unload. of stones move towards the river bank.
Although there is no wages, for the people, the current situation is like pie in the sky.
The government takes care of food, builds dams and silts the land, and the silted land is still their own land, but they don't even have to pay for it. Isn't this just a waste of money from the government?
What could be happier than having sex for free??
The surging water of the Yellow River flows through, lapping against the earth embankment on the shore. A distance of more than ten feet behind the earth embankment is where the workers built the stone embankment.
On the embryonic embankment on the shore, the craftsmen carefully chipped the rough stones into strips of standard stone, and then carefully piled these gray-white stones using yellow triple clay mortar.
The production of yellow Sanhe soil is complicated. Three raw materials, loess, lime and river sand, are mixed together in proportion. They are continuously beaten and turned with bamboo chips or wooden mallets, and then stacked and left for a period of time to fuse and age.
It can take as little as a few days or as long as dozens of days, and the beating will be repeated. A skilled master will control the force and constantly observe the quality. The more and longer the beating, the better the final product will be.
Beat until the end, when you can squeeze it into a ball and knead it with your hands, it will spread out. Only then can it be considered a success.
But before the Sanhe soil is completely solidified, it will become damp and soft when it encounters water, so an earth embankment must be built in front to prevent water from overflowing.
Otherwise, if it is soaked by water, the dam will become soft and useless.
Although this type of Sanhe soil is costly, cumbersome and time-consuming to produce, it is the most cost-effective material used to build embankments.
But even so, some people still find it insufficient.
"Well, it would be great if we could use glutinous rice mortar to build such a large embankment." Zheng Chen looked at the embankment in the distance that was almost as tall as a person, shaking his head and thinking.
As soon as these words came out, He Shen laughed and couldn't help but said: "Mr. Zheng, if we really want to repair that thing, we will have to tighten our belts for ten years!"
When he said this, Zheng Chen also fell out of his good wishes. His old face turned red and he said sarcastically: "That's what I think. I can't take it seriously. I can't take it seriously."
The bonding strength of glutinous rice mortar is several times higher than that of Sanhe soil mortar, making it an excellent material for embankment construction.
The Great Wall of Li Qian's previous life has survived for thousands of years, largely due to it.
But why don't Heshen and the others use it?
The reason is that this thing is too expensive.
Good glutinous rice mortar needs to be stirred with egg whites. In this era when people rarely see meat and fish, it is a crime to use egg whites to build embankments.
But even if you don’t use egg white, just use a low-end version of glutinous rice mortar, the cost is still very high!
That’s glutinous rice, food that goes straight into your stomach!
Using glutinous rice mortar to build a mile-long embankment would require at least 40,000 to 50,000 kilograms of glutinous rice. Who can afford such a terrifying consumption?
After Zheng Chen sighed with emotion, he looked at the embankment construction tunnel in the distance and said, "Sir, it's winter now, and there are still many victims without shelter. Shouldn't we catch up on the progress?"
There were originally many displaced victims in Gaoshan County. Now due to damming and siltation, many people's houses are within the scope of the siltation and must be relocated.
This leaves many people homeless.
This problem is especially serious in winter. If there is no suitable place at night, it is possible for someone to freeze to death.
At present, He Shen, Zheng Chen and others have only built a lot of shacks to accommodate the victims. However, these temporary shelters have poor thermal insulation. If the cold wind is slightly stronger, the straw mats on the shacks may be blown away.
People must be allowed to spend the winter in their houses.
He Shen wore a mink hat on his head, with his hands in his sleeves, and the black satin cotton boots under his feet were stained with khaki mud. He pondered for a moment, then nodded with a smile: "Okay, this For a few days, we built embankments in the morning and built houses in the afternoon. We first built the residences of the victims."
Zheng Chen raised his hands in admiration: "Master He is indeed concerned about the concerns of the people, and I admire him. After Master He returns to Beijing, he will definitely keep a close eye on the embankment to prevent any accidents."
He Shen suddenly sighed and shook his head: "Go back? Not going back."
"Not going back??"
Zheng Chen was startled: "Master He, didn't you suddenly say yesterday that His Majesty invited you to go back? Just let me take care of you here."
He Shen shook his head: "I'm not going back. I also know why Your Majesty called me back. It's Cai Jing who is restless."
"Cai Jing?" Zheng Chen's face darkened slightly, as if he knew something: "Master He, it is said that the person who has been seeking high-quality land in Xingyang is Cai..."
He Shen's fat face had a rare look of solemnity as he nodded: "In this case, it would be even worse to go back."
"With Your Majesty here in the capital, no matter what happens, there won't be too much trouble. But if I don't look after you here, I'm afraid people like Cai Jing will find an opportunity."
It's okay if one place is in chaos, but if there is chaos on both sides, the situation will collapse.
Hearing this, Zheng Chen nodded heavily.
He is still somewhat self-aware. Although he was once a court official, he has now become an official. Although the Zheng family is powerful, it is far less powerful than before.
If he really wants to use force against someone, he won't be able to stop him.
"Can I ask Mr. Yan from Bei'an to take a look at it?" Zheng Chen hesitated.
He Shen, who was working seriously, frowned, shook his head, and didn't make any further comments.
Zheng Chen looked at his expression and didn't know whether he was determined to compete with Yan Xiang or simply felt that Yan Xiang couldn't be trusted...
"Your Majesty, I have my own explanation." He Shen looked at the embankment gradually taking shape in the distance with his hands behind his hands: "The most urgent task is to repair this remote embankment in Gaoshan County as soon as possible to cope with next year's spring flood."
Zheng Chen also had a look on his face. The Yellow River bursting its banks this time started in Gaoshan County, which shows how ferocious the water here is.
"Sir, our Zheng family will do our best to cooperate."
There was a hint of sadness on Zheng Chen's face: "We cannot let our fellow villagers suffer the same hardships as this year again."
He Shen also nodded, and while they were talking quietly about something, they turned back and headed towards the county government office.
The water of the Yellow River flows past, carrying the jingling of stones on the shore and the laughter of the people as it flows downward...
Also in front of the surging river, there are a series of camps stationed. Further east of the camp, there is the endless ocean.
This is the station of Youweiwei.
Su Dingfang used his military skills and coupled with the weakening of Wu's resistance on the north bank of the Yangtze River, he pushed all the way to the coast without any effort.
But for him, the real battlefield has just arrived.
In the central military tent, General Su Dingfang of the Right Guards was sitting in the tent with a golden sword, frowning, staring at the messenger in brown leather armor in front of him: "Can you get through?"
"I have already restrained Wu's military strength. They shouldn't have many sailors left to patrol the sea, right?"
"General, I still can't get through."
The messenger was sweating profusely and said: "The storm on the sea has not subsided. We have tried several times but failed to find a suitable sea route. As a result, we capsized several grain ships."
"Wu State does not need too many sailors to defend it. As long as it blocks the only two calm waterways, our grain ships will not be able to get through!"
"Wind and waves, wind and waves..."
Su Dingfang stood up and walked around for a few steps, his face a little ugly. As he walked, he suddenly turned his head and stared at the soldier who was delivering the order: "Didn't I say that after autumn, there will be no big winds or waves?"
It was expected that the army would have to rely on sea transportation for food and grass supply. Now that sea transportation is cut off, the 300,000 forbidden troops may be in danger of running out of food.
"General..."
Xiao Bing stuttered and said: "This is usually the case in previous years...but some old fishermen say that when it gets cold early, the wind and waves will be light, and when it gets cold later, the wind and waves will get bigger..."
Su Dingfang wanted to be angry, but it was useless to be angry with a little messenger. He sat back on the chair and sighed quietly.
This is not a fat job, it is simply a fatal job.
If the food from Yue State cannot be transported, he, the grain inspector, will definitely not be able to escape the relationship.
"Why are you so unlucky..."
If I had known earlier, I would have headed west along the Yangtze River to receive grain supplies.
No matter what happens, if you follow the army, you don't have to take the blame!
"How long will it take for things to be calm?"
"This... I don't even know, I can only depend on God..." The voice of the messenger was trembling, for fear of making the general angry and then be chopped down...
Su Dingfang waved his hand impatiently.
"Thank you, General, I'll take my leave." The soldier who ordered the order ran out of the military tent in a pissed mess.
"Send a message to the Chinese army, saying that the food cannot be transported yet." Su Dingfang said helplessly, holding his forehead.
Another clerk in the military tent was startled: "General, is it still early? What if the storm stops? It can be shipped very quickly from Vietnam."
Now that the news is passed on, this big pot will be settled.
Su Dingfang's expression was gloomy, but he still shook his head: "You can't bet! The army will run out of food in a matter of days! We can find a solution as soon as possible if we send it back now!"
“But if we are still waiting here, what if the storm keeps coming??”
Wenwen's expression changed: "Yes, General."
He asked cautiously: "Then what should we tell the Chinese Army?"
Su Dingfang rubbed his brows, countless excuses flashed through his mind, but it was difficult for him to clear away his responsibility.
As I was thinking about it, I suddenly remembered the news from the Ministry of War...
Su Dingfang paused his hands, pondered for a moment, straightened his face, and said, "A god has warned your majesty that there will be big storms and waves on the sea."
"However, Youweiwei did not pay attention to it and insisted on going his own way. He still wanted to transport grain by sea."
"Now we are encountering a big wave, the grain ship has capsized, and the army is in danger of running out of food. The fault lies entirely with General Su Dingfang of the Right Guards."
He waved his hand: "If there are more, just make it up yourself and polish it."
The clerk was startled and gave a thumbs up: "The general is very wise!"
This rhetoric seems to put all the responsibility on himself, but in fact it distributes the responsibility equally to everyone in the Forbidden Army.
After all, the military report from the Ministry of War is not a secret, and many soldiers know that His Majesty the Emperor received a dream from a god.
At that time, almost all the generals were very disdainful, and my own general was not the only one with this attitude!
As long as things are pushed in this direction, His Majesty's dream has come true, and they are too embarrassed to let their own general take the blame!
Su Dingfang listened to the rustle of writing documents, but his thoughts were a little wandering.
Unexpectedly, there were really stormy waves on the sea.
So, His Majesty the Emperor’s dream is true??
But why would a god come to him?
Su Dingfang rubbed his chin, wondering what kind of reaction this letter would trigger when it reaches the army.
The generals who learned that they were about to run out of food were bound to be very impatient.
But if the dream that His Majesty the Emperor was favored by gods and men is true, it will probably shock more people...