Chapter 472 The King Comes to Congratulate
Yu Jie was immediately amazed and shouted that our third young master was an expert in water control.
Zhao Yulin's old face immediately became hot. Fortunately, he was old and had thick skin. If he had just left Yibin, his little face would have been as red as an apple.
He hesitated for a moment, then said calmly: We need to explore the experience of our ancestors in flood control. At present, our tools, materials and technology are not good enough. We need to take advantage of the situation to control floods. There is still a long way to go if we want to completely eradicate floods.
Lao Cao nodded repeatedly, saying that they have been controlling floods year after year, just like Yugong moving mountains.
Zhao Yulin said that there is one place that can be improved, that is the Feishayan. Next time we can prepare enough earth cement. The Feishayan made of cement mixed with sand and gravel will not be afraid of the impact of river water and will be much more durable.
Yujie and the person in charge all nodded in agreement, saying, "That's good. That's very good."
The three of them went to have tea under a big ginkgo tree in the courtyard.
Lao Cao said that the flooding in Sichuan and Shu was serious, and the flooding in the rivers in Jinghu was even more serious. It would take a lifetime to complete the work of flood control.
He suggested to Yu Jie that as soon as the water affairs bureaus in various places were established, they should select a group of people with experience in water management to come to Chengdu to take a good look at the Dujiangyan Irrigation System and learn the essence of water management from the sages in the Chongde Temple. This would be very helpful for water management in the new Song Dynasty and the whole country.
Zhao Yulin nodded and added: Letting them come to Chengdu to have a look will also give these local officials a sense of belonging. The next step is to select a village near Chengdu to organize the land and explore how to increase the income of the people?
Lao Cao asked him how else to explore?
Building Jinguan City will turn Guanghua New Village into a small town, isn’t this a kind of exploration?
Zhao Yulin smiled and told him that it was a model. More places in the country still need to consider making the land produce more and improving the people's ability to make money in order to become wealthy.
Lao Cao thought it was too complicated and asked him to talk about what to do now. He also asked Yu Jie to make a good plan and repair the Dujiangyan Irrigation System to make it a model for water management in the new Song Dynasty. People from all over the country who came to Chengdu to learn about water management experience should be able to see, touch and take it away.
Haha, Lao Cao’s few words show his foresight.
He told Yu Jie: Lord Cao's intention is to repair Dujiangyan first and give full play to its function of water diversion. Then he can find out the tricks of the King of Shu in controlling floods, including the experience of water control summarized by later generations, and compile them into a book for them to take away.
Lao Cao laughed and said generously that this is what he meant.
The Chongde Temple should also be renovated to commemorate the King of Shu's achievements in flood control.
Xianren Banban, as soon as the two of them arrived at Dujiangyan, they started to stir up trouble here and there. This trip to Daojiang County will cost the transportation department a lot of money.
The magistrate of Daojiang County, who was standing at the back, was already exhausted, but he was still very happy when he heard Zhao Yulin and Lao Cao's arrangements. He thought that his Daojiang County was a blessed place because of the existence of Dujiangyan, and officials from the imperial court came and went every now and then, and he spent money without hesitation.
The boy was daydreaming when Lao Cao suddenly turned to him and asked, "How is Daojiang County preparing for the Third Young Master's wedding?"
The county magistrate was distracted and did not even reply to him.
Yu Jie raised his voice unhappily and said, "Lord Cao is asking questions. How is the preparation in Daojiang County going?" The person in charge of Dujiangyan immediately bumped into him and started muttering.
The boy was awakened, and after receiving the reminder, he knelt down again to answer. Lao Cao was unhappy and did not help him, but just told him to stand up and talk. The county magistrate reported that he had made arrangements, the city was being cleaned up, and the garrison had begun to go up to the city to guard.
Lao Cao nodded expressionlessly and told him to go back and check it carefully and not to be careless.
After the county magistrate left, he said that the city must be very lively, and everyone was celebrating the New Year and waiting to enjoy the third young master's wedding. The migrant workers here have also dispersed, rushing back to celebrate the New Year. Why don't we cross the river to see how the people along the way are doing?
Oh, it seems that Lord Cao is in the mood to go deep into the mountain villages to understand the people's sentiments.
Zhao Yulin looked at the person in charge of Dujiangyan and asked him to find some New Year gift packages. Lord Cao was going to the countryside to visit relatives, so he couldn't come empty-handed.
Lao Cao was happy and told them to go.
As everyone came out to cross the river, the person in charge of Dujiangyan went in a hurry to look for the New Year gift packages.
At that time, the iron chain bridge at the weir mouth had already been built. People coming and going either led horses, drove carts, or walked across the cable bridge to enter and exit Shu. It had become a busy traffic artery, and it gradually became quiet around the New Year.
As they walked across the bridge, they saw four soldiers standing upright at the bridgehead, looking around vigilantly. Lao Cao praised them for being good and in good spirits.
Zhao Yulin said with a smile: It’s the New Year, Lord Cao has a reward.
Ke Zhenxie immediately handed over the red envelopes filled with new currency, and Lao Cao handed them to the soldiers one by one and asked them to keep a close eye on them. This bridge connects Tubo and our Shu area, and there must be no mistakes.
Several soldiers were very excited. It was extremely difficult to meet Lord Cao and the third young master, let alone meeting three court officials at once today and receiving a big red envelope from Lord Cao.
Haha , everyone was so happy that they stood up straight and promised to do a good job.
The group mounted their horses and ran five miles away from the chain bridge. They saw a few houses on the side of the road. Lao Cao said, "Okay, let's take a look here."
Everyone dismounted and the guards surrounded them. The old man and old woman who were cooking were so scared that they looked for a place to hide. Ke Zhenxie went in and invited them out one by one.
Lao Cao laughed and said that we officials in the court rarely see the common people. If we often eat and live with the common people , why would they be so worried and afraid?
The three of them walked past each house. The courtyard walls were neatly built with stone slabs. Firewood for the winter was stacked under the eaves, and there was meat and rice in the house. Not bad.
Lao Cao handed over the New Year gift packages with a smile and asked them how their lives were going.
Are there any thieves or bandits here?
Are you afraid to sleep at night?
The old man trembled and told them: No, there has been no theft in five years. This place is close to Chengdu, and mountain products can be turned into silver. After the iron chain bridge was built, his family's income increased rapidly, and he even built three new rooms to marry his eldest son.
Lao Cao was happy and said to Zhao Yulin: This is our greatest gain, a great blessing.
Let’s go back to the city.
Before getting on the horse, he did not forget to bow and say goodbye to his fellow villagers.
After returning to the posthouse, the postmaster immediately went up to report to Lao Cao: Mrs. Cao has arrived and the banquet is ready.
Old Cao was overjoyed and told them to hurry in. He paid for the banquet and provided Linshui Street's authentic beggar's chicken. The three of them came to the back hall, and Zhao Yulin saw Mrs. Cao as expected. After greeting each other, they sat down and drank.
Old Cao happily told Mrs. Cao what he had just seen and heard, praising the Tibetans and the Han people for living a stable life.
Yu Jie shared the same feeling and told them that the war had caused the people's livelihood in Jiangdong to be in decline and there were starving people everywhere. It was simply impossible for them to spend a large amount of money to build water conservancy projects like the New Song did.
Zhao Yulin was constantly urged to drink by the two of them, and he got dizzy and stood up to say goodbye and go back to his room.
Yujie stayed behind on the pretext of having tea with Lao Cao, and the two went to the banquet to talk. He asked Cao Gong: What should he do when Yulin's son gets married?
Lao Cao said with a smile: Just go and have a meal with those young couple.
He took a sip of tea and said with great admiration, "Mr. Yu, you may not know the identity of the bride, Hulan. She is Hubili's younger sister, the daughter of the grassland Tulei family, with whom we have fought for half our lives."
Then he sighed and said: What an injustice! You and I told Yu Jie the story of how Hu Lan came to Shu, and you kept praising me for being an extraordinary girl.
As Yu Jie listened, his mouth was already wide open and he couldn't close it.
Xianren Banban, he and Hubili were fighting a life-and-death battle in Jiangdong, and the young woman in front of him turned out to be his enemy's younger sister, and she even became Zhao Yulin's wife.
Seeing his strange expression, Lao Cao smiled and said that it was fate that made him watch Yulin and kill him if he dared to do anything rash. However, Yulin saved the old official's beloved daughter, Princess Feiyan. Hubili and we were fighting hard, but his sister wanted to marry Yulin.
Lao Cao told Yu Jie that he knew Hu Lan had no relatives in Shu, which was why he wanted his wife to come over. He also wrote letters to Mr. Ding and Mr. Li, inviting them to join Hu Lan's relatives and friends group.
Yu Jie just found it strange that Mrs. Cao suddenly came to Daojiang County. She should have been at home in Chengdu for the New Year and other holidays. It was only then that he realized what was going on.
It turned out to be Cao Youwen's idea to increase Hulan's popularity. He began to regret that he knew it too late. If he had known it earlier, he would have brought his wife with him.
Lao Cao said it was enough, and Yu Gong was enough to congratulate Hu Lan.
The county magistrate was still blaming himself in the government office. The chief of Dujiangyan knew that he had been distracted and embarrassed when he accompanied Cao Guozhu in Chongde Temple today, so he dared not say it out loud, and let his superior vent his anger on the throne.
Just as they were feeling awkward, a fast horse brought an urgent message: Tomorrow, Lord Ding, Mr. Li, Mr. Qiao from Caotang Academy, Mr. Wuyong and Mr. Zhang Xiangyang would come to Daojiang County, and Lord Ding had written a letter personally requesting a reception.
The county magistrate's hands were shaking as he held the letter.
Immortal Banban, what happened to the small Daojiang County? So many big shots are coming at once, and each of them is someone you can't afford to offend. They must be served well. He immediately discussed with the chief clerk.
The chief clerk said: These adults are obviously coming to attend the wedding of the Third Young Master, so the inn will definitely not be able to accommodate them. We can just find some courtyards near Linshui Street and prepare them for use. It will definitely be enough.
My dear magistrate, this requires serving, leading the way, and preparing food and drinks, which are not trivial matters. The county magistrate called all the eunuchs working in the county government to arrange their participation in the reception, and repeatedly warned them that there must be no mistakes.
The next day, the former king Ding Gong, Li Gong and three old gentlemen from Caotang Academy arrived in Daojiang County at the same time. After going to Linshui Street to present gifts to Hulan, they came to the posthouse to stay and praised Hulan for her virtue, saying that she would be a good wife to their brother in the future.
Zhao Yulin accompanied the gentlemen for tea and chat, thanking them repeatedly.
