Chapter 471: A Model of Water Control
At this time, the county magistrate squeezed in tremblingly to pay his respects to the two superiors.
Lao Cao immediately assigned the task with a smile: Commander Zhao and Little Sister Hulan are going to get married in Linshui Street, and Daojiang County must serve them well. He has specially approved the expenditure of 20,000 strings of cash to dress up Daojiang County to make it look festive, and it must be done.
The county magistrate's jaw dropped in surprise.
What? The Third Young Master is getting married again, and in Daojiang County.
Seeing him in a daze, Lao Cao asked unhappily: Why are you standing there in a daze?
Haven’t I explained it clearly yet?
Why don't you do it quickly?
The county magistrate was so frightened that he immediately said goodbye and left.
Seeing that Lao Cao had already enjoyed his meal, Zhao Yulin smiled and said that it was just a small matter, so why bother about it. However, Lao Cao was very dissatisfied with the county magistrate's slow response and said to Hulan that our Hulan wedding was not a small matter, but a major event for our new Song State.
Hu Lan was delighted to hear that Lord Cao attached so much importance to him.
He knew that Lao Cao was having a good time drinking, so he quickly asked Hu Lan to find a good place to have tea.
It is possible to find a quiet place in Daojiang County, but Hu Lan had no idea how to ensure their safety and could not just go to a brothel.
Wu Jing was very smart. She suggested to Hulan's stepmother that they go to Linshui Street and ask Uncle Cao and Dad to go to our house sales teahouse. Many houses in Linshui Street were sold, but not many people moved in. The place where houses were sold on the street was much quieter.
Hu Lan understood immediately and told Ke Zhenxie to lead the way.
Lao Cao was happy when he walked into the newly renovated Linshui Street.
At first, what they saw was a garbage dump with messy digging and construction materials randomly placed. Now it has been built like a well-designed garden, with small bridges, flowing water and houses, like a paradise on earth.
As he walked , he praised Yangjin for her talent and beauty, saying that she was a perfect wife for his brother.
Hu Lan was extremely happy after hearing this, as if she had drunk honey. It was rare for a woman in the Chengdu court to receive a word of praise from Lao Cao, the king of the country. Today, Lao Cao praised her with all his might, and she was a little intoxicated and dazed.
They entered the elegant little tea room and sat down. Wu Jing and Chen Liu immediately brought hot tea. Lao Cao tasted the Qingcheng tea and praised it highly. The two little guys sensibly left and closed the door.
Lao Cao said that he could never have imagined that his brother could not only go into the battlefield and kill the enemy immediately, but also had a way of having children at home. It seemed that he already had more than ten children.
Zhao Yulin spat out the tea he had just taken in his mouth with a "puchi" sound, and the two of them laughed at the same time.
Then he got back to the point and asked Lao Cao why he came all the way to Dujiangyan, not just to see the annual repairs, right?
Lao Cao nodded and said that the Chinese New Year was just two days away and he wanted to hear his brother talk about next year.
What shall we do next year?
He said that it would be fine to take back Liangzhe next year.
It seemed that Liangzhe could be conquered without fighting, but the people there were living in misery because of Zhao Bing and Shi's sons, and it would take a lot of effort to stabilize them.
Lao Cao nodded and asked him: Your friend is returning to the east, and the crown prince of the grassland empire is going to be the Khan and inherit the throne, so he won't cause some trouble?
Zhao Yulin found it hard to say. When he came back from Lingzhou, he had already told Gao Jin, Lu Huacai and others to be on guard.
However, all the princes of the grassland empire were ambitious and wanted to carve out a kingdom and ascend to the throne. After the empress Lemazhen came to power, she was probably reluctant to hand over power to her son and wanted to just sit on the throne and play around.
Cao Cao agrees with this analysis. Who doesn't want to be an emperor? It's so impressive to be the best in the world. If he hadn't been bullied by the old officials, he would have retired as the king.
Lao Cao asked him: "If that's the case, your friend may not be able to become the Khan in a short time, so he may come south to rob and cause trouble."
Zhao Yulin couldn't say for sure about this, but he thought it was very likely. Your friend couldn't become the Khan, and he came back with a large group of brave generals, so he would inevitably show off his strength and vent his anger on us.
Lao Cao immediately said that he would go to the north after the New Year and take his men to fight him.
Zhao Yulin told them to stop, saying that our wars this year had cost the treasury a lot of money, so next year we should focus on defense. If the enemy doesn't attack, we won't move. If the enemy wants to attack, we should also focus on defense, with both offense and defense.
Lao Cao was happy and said cheerfully, yes, he was just going to the north to take a look in case of any accidents.
Zhao Yulin was speechless. He was afraid that Cao Cao would be tempted to go to the front line to risk his life. He could only say that no one could stop Cao Cao from going wherever he wanted, and he could go if he wanted, but the guards must be strengthened.
Seeing that Lao Cao was happy to let him go, he just listened to him and said, "What do you think of getting a guard of 500 people?"
He stopped talking, picked up the tea bowl and drank tea instead of wine, wishing Lao Cao a safe and smooth year ahead. The two of them quickly ended their conversation, said goodbye to Hulan and the others, and went to the inn to rest.
Hu Lan will be busy now.
I originally thought that Zhao Yulin was just coming to spend the New Year with her, but I didn't expect that he would hold a grand wedding for me. I was so excited that I felt dizzy and didn't know what to do.
Si Niang said it was easy to handle, as the third brother insisted on living in the inn and the wedding room was here, which meant that the brother wanted to marry our Hulan and become a son-in-law, so it would be easy to handle.
We just need to arrange our Linshui Street.
Wu Jing immediately said, "Yes, yes, yes. Our father got married to Zhidi's mother in the Miao village in Renhuai, and he also married Yangjin's mother there."
Si Niang laughed and said: What does the little girl know? Go and get busy with your work.
The county magistrate and his deputies in Daojiang County were also discussing the matter.
The county magistrate was very nervous after being yelled at by Lord Cao. He said in a serious tone: Gentlemen, Commander Zhao has set his eyes on our precious land of Dujiangyan and wants to hold a grand wedding with Madam Hulan in Linshui Street. What do you think we should do?
Several officials immediately became nervous.
My Immortal Commander, Commander Zhao is at the level of a state leader. How should we help our Third Young Master?
A group of officials talked for a long time but still couldn't come to any conclusion.
The chief clerk said that we dare not offend the Third Young Master, so we can go to Linshui Street to ask Madam Hulan. The Third Young Master's Fourth Lady is also there, so we can ask her. The most important thing now is to catch thieves and hooligans, clean up and hang up big red lanterns to make the county peaceful and happy.
Everyone found the direction immediately.
The county magistrate kept saying "yes, yes, yes" and immediately ordered the patrol officers and garrison troops to get moving.
After everyone left, the county magistrate became worried again. He asked the chief clerk: The third young master is getting married, should we also give a gift?
But where should I send the gift?
The third young master lives in an inn. Could he be sent to the inn? Is that reasonable?
The chief clerk nodded and said that this was true, but the gift must be given. The third young master might not accept it, and it would be very embarrassing if the gift was given and then returned.
This guy is indeed a talent for making decisions. His eyes suddenly lit up and he came up with an idea.
He said: The Third Young Master and Madam Hulan have already been married in Suzhou, and they chose our Daojiang County to hold a grand wedding when they returned to Shu. It must be to please Madam Hulan. Why don't we send the gifts to Madam Hulan in Linshui Street?
The county magistrate immediately came to his senses and said happily, "That's good, very good."
The chief clerk said: "Not only do we have to send gifts, we also have to inform the elders, the rich families, and the wealthy families in Daojiang County. However, we must warn everyone to only send a small gift according to traditional etiquette, and never send expensive gifts to make the third young master misunderstand that you have ulterior motives."
The county magistrate kept nodding his head and praising him for his thoughtfulness. He asked him to take charge of the matter personally and make sure that the third young master's wedding was handled properly and lively, and that no mistakes would be allowed.
The next day, the news that Zhao Yulin and Hulan were going to hold their wedding in Dujiangyan spread, and officials, merchants, and workers in the city all knew about it. They gathered together to discuss how to surprise Mrs. Hulan.
In the morning, Zhao Yulin and Lao Cao put on casual clothes and set out to inspect the river cleaning and dredging site of Feishayan. Lao Cao was very satisfied to see that the renovated embankment was intact, and he praised the craftsmen for their honest work and not doing anything fake.
The old plumber in charge of the renovations replied with a smile: We can't be careless about this matter. If something goes wrong, people will be drowned or starved to death, and you will lose your heads.
The person in charge of Dujiangyan said on the side: Lord Cao has come to our Dujiangyan, how could the Lord not know about it.
When the old man heard that the man standing in front of him was Cao Youwen, the ruler of the New Song Dynasty, he was so frightened that he fell to his knees in the mud.
The craftsmen around were at a loss and fell to their knees, shouting "Long live the emperor!"
Damn, this scene is so cool that Zhao Yulin felt light-headed even standing behind it.
He and Lao Cao shouted, "Please stand up quickly. Kneeling is no longer a custom in the New Song Dynasty." As they shouted, they pulled up those who were kneeling around them.
Lao Cao was deeply moved when he saw these simple craftsmen. He pulled Zhao Yulin up to a high place above the ring and bowed, telling everyone that he, Commander Zhao and the Third Young Master had come to visit everyone. All the craftsmen must do a good job so that our Shu land can have good weather and produce more grain in the coming year.
Zhao Yulin immediately took the lead in applauding Lao Cao.
These craftsmen had experience with inspections by their superiors, and when they saw Zhao Yulin clapping, the Dujiangyan Irrigation Director immediately followed suit and shouted, "Welcome to Lord Cao, welcome to Commander Zhao." The people, who did not have time to put down their hoes and shovels, used these tools to beat the water, and many people shouted, "Long live Lord Cao!" The river workers gave a thunderous welcome.
When they got ashore, they had already arrived at Yujie of the Water Department. The three of them went to pay tribute to Li Bing and his son. Zhao Yulin discovered that the temple dedicated to Li Bing and his son was not called Erwang Temple, but Chongde Temple.
The person in charge of Dujiangyan walked along the way, explaining the water diversion function of Dujiangyan and the water control experience of Li Bing and his son. Everyone was convinced by his famous six-character saying "deepen the riverbed and build the dam low".
Zhao Yulin said: "There are eight more words to add: cut corners when encountering bends, and draw out the center when encountering straight lines."
The head immediately said, "Yes, yes, Third Young Master's suggestion is absolutely correct. When managing a river, if you encounter a sharp bend, you should consider removing it and reduce to reduce the impact of the mainstream. In places with many river branches, the main river channel should be deepened so that the river water can flow smoothly."
