Chapter 753 2 Beijing

Chapter 753 2 Beijing

Chapter 753: The Two Capitals
After reading "Bei Yu Lao Ling", Yu Chen was a little confused.

Observing the celestial phenomena at night? King Liang also believed this?
After a while, he sent his servants to various government offices to pass on the message.

Soon, Minister of Agriculture Yin Xian, Minister of the Chancellery Pei Miao, Minister of Agriculture Wang Xuan, Minister of the Left Civilian Affairs Zao Song, and General Yu Liang came one after another.

Yu Chen asked people to circulate the "Order for Preparing for Rain and Floods" to everyone, and then asked: "It is almost May, how are the conditions in the counties?"

"Henan has had a little more rain, but it's not a big deal." Yin Xian was the first to say, "Puyang and Xingyang had the most rain, followed by Jiyang and Chenliu. The six counties of Liang, Chen, Runan, Nandun, Xincai, and Ruyin had similar rainfall to last year."

"Hebei has indeed had a lot more rain, with the three prefectures of Shangdang, Taiyuan, and Leping having the most rain. The four prefectures of Henei, Ji, Dunqiu, and Yangping are about the same as Puyang and Xingyang. Weijun and Xinxing only had one or two more rains than in previous years. Pingyang has not received any reports yet."

After hearing this, Yu Chen opened his eyes which had just been closed.

It seems that this rain mainly fell in Bingzhou and northern Hebei, and the banks of the rivers were affected to a certain extent.

"What about outside Liang State?" He couldn't help but ask one more question.

"I heard that the rain in Youzhou was quite heavy." Wang Xuan said, "Changshan, Zhongshan, Gaoyang, Hejian, Boling and other counties also had heavy rains, and many fields were flooded. The people dug up the ridges to avoid destroying the crops, and it seems that they can still survive."

Yu Chen nodded.

Those places were not under his jurisdiction, so he didn't need to worry too much, but the twenty counties of Liang State could not be neglected.

Now he was fully convinced of the need to guard against floods.

There has been no flooding so far, but no one can predict the weather, so it’s always better to take precautions early.

King Liang issued this order when he was inspecting the counties in Bingzhou and found that there was too much rain. Then he heard that it had also rained heavily in Hebei, so he pretended to be the Grand Historian and predicted that there would be floods this year, so that all places could take precautions early.

Thinking of this, Yu Chen felt a little headache.

It’s not that I feel annoyed, but my head really hurts, it’s an old problem.

Fortunately, I have been healthy and well-fed these years, watching my son-in-law gain momentum step by step, and my body has not deteriorated so quickly. If I had really gone to the hot and humid Jiangnan area more than ten years ago, I am afraid I would not have lived for many years.

"Ru'nan has the most ponds, so someone needs to go there." Yu Chen looked at Zao Song and said, "Taichan, send people to Ru'nan, Xincai, Nandun - well, Ruyin as well, to see how the ponds are. If there is something wrong, it's not too late to reinforce them now. There are wars every year, and the conscription of soldiers and men is a shame. Don't delay this matter, and handle it as soon as possible."

"Yes." Zao Song, the Minister of the Left, responded.

This Cao was a combination of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works in later generations. Water conservancy projects such as ponds were under their jurisdiction, and Zao Song had no choice but to take responsibility.

In the first ten counties of Liang State, ponds and irrigation canals were intensively maintained. Because of the intensive maintenance, Yu Liang even provoked a civil uprising in Runan.

The five counties that joined later were not as good as the old ten counties, but they were not bad either.

What worries people most are the five new counties that were added last year, which really have many problems.

War and people's livelihood can be carried out at the same time, but they will also squeeze each other. The core is the competition for able-bodied men and civilian manpower.

No way.

"Yuan Gui, the construction of Liang Palace has been stopped. You have nothing to do, so go to Pingyang Five Commanderies. The general of the material officer has the responsibility of conscripting civilians to repair roads, gardens, ponds, and ponds. It is justified." Yu Chen paused, and then said: "The finishing work of Liang Palace can be handed over to the material officer lieutenant and the junior official."

"Yes." Yu Liang agreed without any hesitation.

The construction of Liang Palace has been stopped, but it won’t be completely unresolved.

Should the half-built house be completed urgently?
Should wood be properly stored? You should know that trees that have just been cut down cannot be used. They must be dried in the shade for a long time. Some wood may even take several years to dry in the shade. Once it is wetted by rain, it will be a big problem.

In addition, if it really rains heavily, it is best to dig some drainage ditches in advance to avoid flooding the city.

"Hong Qiao, it's better to check all the mansions and pavilions." Yu Chen said again.

"I'll send someone to patrol." Yin Xian cupped his hands and said.

"Alas." Yu Chen finally sighed and said, "If things go wrong, we will have to provide disaster relief again. God is not caring, and the people are in dire straits. Why did the people suffer such a disaster?"

Everyone was speechless when they heard this. Why did the disasters never stop?

"Heaven hates the virtue of Jin!" Shangshu Ling Pei Miao suddenly said amid the sighs of the crowd.

Everyone was speechless again. We were talking about business, why did you suddenly start flattering me?

"In the more than fifty years since the Jin Dynasty, there have been 288 earthquakes, one in Chang'an and one in Luoyang. Has there ever been so many earthquakes in all dynasties?" Pei Miao said: "In April of the ninth year of Taikang (), there were earthquakes in eight places including Changsha. In July and August, there were four more earthquakes, three of which were as loud as thunder, which was simply horrifying."

"There were eleven landslides. The one that killed the most people was the landslide in Shouchun in May of the fourth year of Yuankang (294). A flood broke out, the city was destroyed, the ground sank thirty feet, and countless people were trapped and killed. A month later, there was a big thunder in Shouchun, and the landslide and ground sank again..."

In the fourth year of Yuankang reign of Emperor Hui of Jin, six earthquakes, floods and mudslides occurred in Shujun, Shangyong, Juyong and Shouchun, killing countless people.

The local officials reported three times that "the ground cracked" and "water came out and killed people".

"There were more than 30 floods, 22 major floods, and three violent floods..."

"Mr. Pei, how do you know it so clearly?" Wang Xuan suddenly asked before Pei Miao could say more.

"I was writing the Records of the Five Elements in my spare time, so I know that the disasters in our country are much more serious than those in the Han and Wei dynasties." Pei Miao sighed and said, "It is difficult for me to understand the reason for such a serious disaster. Perhaps it is really the heavens that hate the virtue of Jin."

After hearing this, everyone began to believe it.

To be honest, everyone knows that the disasters suffered by Cao Wei were more serious than those of the Later Han Dynasty. We also know that the disasters suffered by our dynasty are even worse than those of Cao Wei. But it is somewhat horrifying that it is serious to this extent.

Sima may have gained the country unjustly, but is it worth punishing him like this? It is the people of the world who suffer.

Or - persuade King Liang to ascend the throne?
Just when the atmosphere was a little weird, Yu Chen coughed and said, "You guys should go away, business is more important."

Everyone bowed and left.

Yu Chen stood up, walked them to the door, and stared at their backs.

Zao Taichan doesn't have a very good reputation in Youzhou, but he has no problem getting things done, and he has privately approached us many times to show his loyalty, so he can be used.

Yin Xian is also one of us, so I can use him with confidence.

If I have the chance in the future, I must give advice to King Liang and speak well of them.

Wang Xuan seems to be a non-confrontational person, but he will not let his guard down. Zi Ju has already fought with Wang Yifu for several times, and it is impossible for the Yu and Wang families to reconcile as before - perhaps, they were never on good terms in the first place?
The Shangshu Ling Pei Miao's behavior today was also unusual. Was he going to take the initiative to persuade him to ascend the throne? The time was not right.

Then, there is only one possibility, that he wants to build momentum for King Liang in advance.

The Pei family finally revealed their true colors.

After a long sigh, Yu Chen just felt a little tired.

Perhaps, it would have been better if I had not married my daughter to King Liang and let her live peacefully as a member of a small noble family?

But Wenjun was determined to marry King Liang, and he loved his daughter so much that he would not go against her wishes too much.

Now that things have come to this, there is no point in complaining and we can only grit our teeth and move on.

******
Amidst the heavy rain, Luoyang ushered in a new day.

After Wang Yan, who had already returned to the capital, adjourned the court, he received Liu Bai, a servant of the State of Liang, who had come from Pingyang to deliver orders, in his mansion.

"Guangtu, if what you said is true, there may be heavy rain in Bingzhou and Hebei, and this matter will be difficult." Wang Yan walked around in the house and said, "I have many old friends in Bingzhou, it will be difficult."

"Lord, isn't Lu Zidao the most difficult one?" Liu Bai asked.

"You, you!" Wang Yan smiled and said, "But the officials in Bingzhou are probably going to be in a state of panic as well."

"Your Majesty, we must make preparations early." Liu Bai said solemnly, "Henan has food supplies, but not much. Now most of them are being transported to Yewang. This is a godsend opportunity. It just so happens that the King of Liang is also in Jinyang. Your Majesty may give some advice. Bingzhou has just been recovered and does not have enough food supplies. If it is hit by a disaster, we need to provide relief as soon as possible. Otherwise, there may be chaos."

Wang Yan stroked his beard and thought silently.

Liu Bai continued, "I accompanied the king to Jinyang a while ago and heard that the king intended to convert the barbarians and use them for the imperial court in preparation for the northern and western expeditions. Your Excellency, you can start with this and write a letter to him. It will surely have a miraculous effect."

Wang Yan stopped stroking his beard.

"Besides, Taiyuan has the Wen, Sun, Tang, Bai, Fan, Liu, Wu, and Wu clans, all of which can be used by the king. Once a disaster occurs, the losses will be heavy, and the family business will be difficult to continue. It is inevitable that the population will be sparse and the literary style will be low. This is not a good thing." Liu Bai said, "We must make a decision early."

Wang Yan sat back on the couch, picked up the tea bowl and took a sip.

Liu Bai observed the expressions on his face and knew that this was enough to say and any more would be unpleasant.

"Guangtu, what else do you have to do when you come to Luoyang this time?" Wang Yan put down the tea bowl and asked.

"Move 10,000 imperial guards to Pingyang to replace the troops that have been stationed there for a long time." Liu Bai replied.

Wang Yan nodded slightly and started to think again.

Force is the Wang family’s biggest pain point.

He did not dare to touch the soldiers under the Liang Wang's command, such as the Silver Spear, Black Spear, and Yicong armies, but he could touch the Luoyang Central Army.

He had been in the capital for many years and was also the Grand Marshal and Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat. He had wanted to interfere in the imperial guards many times and had also won over some military generals.

Unfortunately, Pei Kuo had a tight control over this army, giving them very few opportunities.

Huang Biao, Xu Lang and others who followed Liang Gong in his early years had frequent contacts with Pei Kuo and were rude to him, which made him very distressed.

When he heard Liu Bai mention that King Liang was going to transfer the imperial guards to Pingyang, he couldn't help but feel moved.

But it was only a "slight movement", and in the end he could only sigh: How embarrassing it is that the dignified Wang family of Langya can't even find a few talents who are well versed in military strategies?
In fact, they were not as good as the Yu family who came from a humble family.

The Yu family has no talents, but the Yingchuan gentry does! Even if the Yingchuan gentry does not have them, many gentry in Yuzhou do.

Whenever I think of this, I always feel melancholy.

Forget it, let’s just give up on this idea.

Wang Yan thought about it helplessly and felt that perhaps he could only seek help from the tribes in Taiyuan.

Yesterday someone recommended Guo Jing from Wu County to him, saying that he had read military books when he was young, practiced martial arts since childhood, traveled all over the country when he grew up, and once brought Shi Le to Luoyang to trade horses, and he also had extraordinary knowledge.

When he was repairing the fort at home, his soldiers were well trained and could be of great use.

This person actually meets Wang Yan's needs. After all, he is a member of his wife's family. But I don't know what his real ability is. Is it just bragging?

But he has decided to use this person.

The Luoyang Central Army suffered heavy losses last year and is still in the process of replenishing its personnel this year. It needs not only soldiers but also officers.

As the Left Military Secretary of the Shogunate, he has been in charge of this matter.

Perhaps, we can let Guo Jing lead some of his troops into the central army in Luoyang and train them vigorously.

As for the others, they could only sigh to the sky.

He was even considering whether to establish a relationship with the Gaoping gentry headed by Xi Jian.

Families like the Xi and Tan all have military strategies and have participated in all the wars against the Huns. Maybe they can be won over?

Wang Yan was already calculating which family in the clan had a daughter of the right age, and which family had a son who had not yet married, to see if a marriage could be arranged.

If there is indeed promising talent, then we will spend a lot of money to win him over.

"Guangtu, I already know what the king has asked me to do." Wang Yan sorted out his thoughts and said, "Now it is more important to prevent floods. This is a public matter. If the public matter is not handled well, what can we do with the private matter? Although the King of Liang is a warrior, his mind is not simple."

"Yes." Liu Bai replied.

"Several of Wang's disciples will go north with you." Wang Yan added, "Take care of them on the way, and someone will pick them up when we reach Jinyang."

Liu Bai was a little surprised and asked, "What do you mean, Lord?"

"The Hu people are ignorant and do not know the rituals and etiquette of the Central Plains. The Wang family has been aristocratic family for generations, so of course we must take responsibility and educate the Hu people." Wang Yan said as a matter of course.

Liu Bai was stunned for a moment, and suddenly he understood.

(It’s a new January. The monthly tickets are hitting me to death. Hit me on the face. Go harder. I’ll update three times today.)
(End of this chapter)