The Red Mansions

Chapter 630 Gao Bin: How did Sizhou break the embankment?How long has it been?

Chapter 630 Gao Bin: How did Sizhou break the embankment?How long has it been?

Time flies, the summer of 15 years in Chongping entered the end of May in the lunar calendar amid heavy rain, and the flood of the Yellow River finally came after more than 20 consecutive days of rain according to the words of Guanhe Tongzhi Guanshoufang, the river channel yamen.

To the north of Kaifeng Fucheng, on Liuyuankou embankment, pouring rain covered the entire embankment and the river surface. The elms and willows planted on both sides swayed their branches and leaves with the wind, and the river water made deafening noises. The soldiers and civilians on both sides were waiting.

At the same time, the Henan Feudal Secretary prepared many ships for rescue, but no one wanted to use these ships in the end.

Surrounded by the generals of the Beijing camp and the officials of the Henan feudal affairs, Jia Heng inspected the embankment. Standing on the embankment at this moment, he looked at the torrential Yellow River flowing westward, with a solemn expression like the cloudy sky.

The water of the Yellow River is surrounded by mud and sand, the yellow sand is rolling, turbid and dark yellow, and it is flowing down. It is still calm at the moment. The view of the embankment.

Just listening to the deafening sound of the Yellow River, I suddenly feel how insignificant human power is in front of the power of nature.

Jia Heng turned to look at the guard at the side, and asked, "Guan Tongzhi, can this embankment block the flood?"

The gatekeeper looked solemn and said: "My lord, the Kaifeng river section is one of the connections between the middle and lower reaches, and the river flows very fast. Whether this embankment can block it or not, I can't say."

In fact, in his estimation, the previous repairs to this section of the embankment could be said to be the most concerned by the provincial officials. The earth and rock materials were not considered extravagant, and the gentry in Kaifeng mansion even provided manpower and material support, so there shouldn't be any problems.

Jia Heng nodded, his eyes lingered over the officials present, and his clear voice resounded through the heavy rain and fog, and said: "Masters, once the river embankment breaks, nearly a million soldiers and civilians in Kaifeng's prefectures and counties will be killed." It is full of fish and shrimp belly, so this river embankment must not be in the slightest, I will guard the embankment from now on, and people are on the embankment!"

As soon as this remark came out, all the officials on the embankment wearing coir raincoats and coir raincoats were shocked, and looked at the boy in python suit in surprise.

Xu Kai, a scholar of the imperial court, stared at the young man in python, his heart trembling slightly.

At this moment, Cai Quan, the general of the Guoyong camp, led several soldiers over, clasped his fists and said, "Jie Shuai, the whole army of the Beijing camp has been guarding along the river, and the civilians have prepared earth and stone materials in case of emergencies." need."

The infantry of the Beijing camp is still the main force for flood control this time. At this moment, they are deploying defenses along the embankment of the Yellow River with the Hebiao Battalion of the original river channel yamen.

Jia Heng said loudly: "Everyone go back to the thatched cottage to discuss matters."

Surrounded by a large number of officials and generals, they entered a temporary shed not far from the river embankment, and the banners of the Beijing Camp Festival Commander had been set up in all directions, swinging with the wind in the wind and rain, and the governor was stationed here. .

At the moment, in a few sheds built with wooden frames, people's heads are black and dense, except for the officials of the Henan Fan and Standard Divisions, there are also high and high-level generals and schools such as the governor of the Beijing camp, the generals, and the guerrilla generals. The other side is mainly the river yamen. The officials and the generals of the Hebiao Battalion.

The river yamen had been rectified before, and the subordinate officials at the department level were called Tongzhi and Tongjuan, while the subordinate officials of the Xun level government office were called Zhoutong and Zhoujuan.

Jia Heng looked at the crowd and said in a deep voice: "From Kaifeng Mansion to Xiao County, the relevant river government halls along the embankment, the officials of Xun and He Biao Ying He Ding are strictly guarding them. Stationed in the prefectures and counties where the river embankment crosses the border, supervise the relevant officials, and urge the people along the river to evacuate to higher places at any time in case of danger, and prepare various supplies such as disaster relief. If the breach is inevitable, the most important thing is to protect the people. In addition, The Jingying cavalry will communicate the flood situation and support each other, and now start assigning tasks!"

Just when a group of officials were slightly startled by the fact that they were going to guard the embankment.

Jia Heng gave Liu Jixian a wink, and he handed the pre-drawn booklet to Xu Kai, a scholar of the Imperial Academy, and said: "Scholar Xu, read it first."

Xu Kai's head trembled slightly, he took a deep breath, unfolded the book, and began to recite the relevant officials of the two divisions, along the Kaifeng Mansion, and assigned them to the Guide Mansion to coordinate local affairs.

After arranging for the officials to be stationed, Jia Heng encouraged: "Everyone, these days, the river embankment is mostly built by me with a piece of soil and stone. Although I dare not say that it is as solid as a rock, it is not completely invulnerable to floods." Resist, all of you will go over this time, and after the matter is over, I will ask the imperial court for your credit."

Even though some of the officials below were reluctant, they all gave in at this moment.

After Jia Heng let the officials leave, only Xu Kai, Feng Lian, Song Xuan and other officials from Henan Province remained in the hut, as well as the gatekeepers.

Jia Heng frowned and asked, "Is there any news from Qingjiangpu?"

Although each is in charge of a share, as a minister of the prime minister, he cannot beggar his neighbor, and has no sense of the overall situation.

Liu Jixian said: "Back to the governor, we have sent Jinyi to investigate the matter to Qingjiangpu, but there is no news yet."

"This Gao Bin has been silent for such a long time, and it's not like there's a letter." Jia Heng's eyes were deep, and he said in a low voice, "Don't worry about anything."

Xu Kai pondered for a moment, and then said: "As reported by the mansion earlier, the two censors went south to patrol the river, but they didn't find any clues on the embankment. If there is a danger, it should be rewarded.”

Feng Lian then said: "Corruption in the river affairs is common. Most of them cut corners on the embankment and fooled the matter in order to deal with the investigation by the superiors. In the past few years, there were droughts in the north and south of the Han Dynasty. Now the heavy rain is flooding. When the flood comes, Totally vulnerable."

The guard at the gate sighed, and said: "Mr. Feng's words are very true. Some river officials are worried about breaking the dam and accusing the imperial court. , and then report to the imperial court to get rid of the crime.”

Obviously, this official from the river affairs system is well aware of the behavior of his former colleagues.

Jia Heng pondered for a moment, looked at Liu Jixian, and said: "Immediately send someone to pass through Xuzhou and visit Huai'an along Sizhou. If there is any breach of the embankment, report it in time. As the governor of Jinyi, I will be the inspector of lawlessness. "

There is no need to worry about the section from Henan to Xuzhou. The Beijing camp soldiers and horses are stationed along the river to prevent man-made mischief.

Liu Jixian clapped his hands and went out of the shed, ordering Jinyi Mansion to investigate.

Huai'an Mansion, Qingjiangpu, the second day of June

Hedao Governor's Yamen, the backyard of the official hall was shrouded in rain and fog. It was just after noon, and the study room was brightly lit and crowded with people, but the atmosphere was extremely depressing and gloomy. Some subordinate officials of Nanhe Yamen gathered together to discuss countermeasures.

The official cap on Gao Bin's head had already been removed at this moment, the scarlet-robed official was nestled in the grand master's chair, his face was slumped, listening to the non-stop rain outside, he felt irritable and unspeakable.

"My lord, you need to come up with an idea quickly." Hao Yingzhou, one of the subordinates under the jurisdiction of Nanhe Governor's Yamen, the river channel manager of Huaiyang River, looked at Gao Bin with a sad face.

"Yes, according to this method, I am afraid that the embankment of the Huaihe River will not be able to hold it first." A general judge answered.

The other four or five subordinate officials all looked at Gao Bin together.

My family knew about my own affairs, how the embankment was repaired, and everyone present knew about it. The stones that were supposed to be laid were only the upper two layers, and the glutinous rice paste for the bricks and stones was not ready. They usually look beautiful, but it was really a big flood. Come on, I can't stand it at all.

Having said that, if a river embankment is really built so that it will never collapse in the future, then the officials of the river channel government office will have nothing to do, and there will be no oil and water to fish for.

Gao Bin's eyes were bloodshot and his face was haggard. It was obvious that he was also feeling overwhelmed by the non-stop rain these days. He looked at an old man with a goatee and his brows frowning into the word "Chuan". : "Ma, what's your idea?"

Ma Weifang pondered for a moment, then said with aggressive eyes: "My lord, I think that I have to repeat the old trick."

As he spoke, he took out a piece of map from his sleeve and said in a low voice: "Your Excellency, you see, the Huaihe River is now rising. If it continues like this, it will definitely not be able to withstand the flood. What I mean is to dig a hole near Wangjiaba. When the water in the upstream is released, the pressure in the downstream is naturally lightened.”

Hao Yingzhou nodded when he heard this, and agreed: "What Master Ma said is that the Yellow River is almost the same. The embankment they just built in Guide Mansion and Xiao County must not be able to hold up, and the embankment cannot be broken. The Yellow River is diverted again. At that time, once the road was changed, the water would overflow, and the downstream would be relieved.”

Since the Great Han succeeded to the Ming and Jiajing years ago, the course of the Yellow River has been erratic. It passed through Caoxian County, Shandong Province during the reign of Dazong, and collapsed and shifted to the west in the early years of Longzhi. Every diversion was at the cost of blood and tears of tens of thousands of people. At this moment, several river officials talk about it without any pressure in order to protect themselves.

"No, now the officials in the north and the south are all paying attention to the East River and the South River. We can't break through here, and even if we break through, we can't break through first." Gao Bin thought it was feasible at first, but then remembered something and shook his head. Shen Sheng said.

Seeing that some people didn't know who they were, Gao Bin had no choice but to explain: "The man in Henan is now the emperor's favored minister. As long as he breaks the mouth first, then we will break the mouth at that time, and it will be caused by natural disasters. If the upstream breaches first, we may not necessarily breach here."

When everyone heard the words, if they were thoughtful, their eyes would light up.

That's right, they all broke their mouths, this is not their Nanhe Hetai's problem, it's a natural disaster!

Hao Yingzhou thought for a while, and with a worried expression on his face, he said, "My lord, this Uncle Yongning called 20 million soldiers and civilians in Henan to rush to repair the embankment and station them on the Jie embankment. If this well-repaired embankment does not collapse..."

Hearing this, Gao Bin's eyes were deep and his face was covered with worry, and he said in a low voice: "Yes, I'm afraid there will be no collapse."

I'm just worried about this, if the Henan side is as safe as a rock, and the Huaihe side collapses first, then in comparison, it will be really fatal.

Ma Weifang frowned, thinking hard about a good plan, and suddenly, the triangular eyes under the broken eyebrow suddenly shot out a fierce light, and said in a low voice: "My lord, why don't I send someone to go to Guide Mansion secretly, bring explosives and take advantage of it?" The river embankment was blew up at night, and once the flood in Guide Mansion was released, our side would be peaceful, or we could blow up a section in Xuzhou."

The upstream is flooded first, and when the flood is released, the pressure on the downstream will be relieved a lot.

As soon as these words came out, everyone gasped and felt their hearts heat up.

A dead fellow is not as good as a poor one. This method is indeed the best solution to the current difficulties.

Gao Bin's complexion changed, his eyes darkened a bit, and he said in a low voice: "We haven't reached that point yet, and besides, this method is not easy to use now, Mr. Zhao Ge of the cabinet is in Huai'an Mansion, and I want to avoid getting lost. It's too difficult."

Ma Weifang persuaded: "Master Gao, Mr. Zhao Ge is an official from the south of the Yangtze River. He and Mr. Han Ge are both in Beijing. They happened to express their feelings for your lord. They said that this is a natural disaster. The flood that occurs once in 50 years cannot be done by manpower. when!"

Gao Bin's face paused, and he felt a little uncomfortable when he heard that it happened once in 50 years. He frowned and said in a deep voice, "Mr. .”

At this time, a state judge, with a look of fear on his face, said in a low voice: "Your Excellency's words are not bad. The mansion newspaper said that the governor of Henan had previously built the embankment, and even dispatched soldiers from the Beijing camp to build the embankment. There is not a The Hebiao camp has [-] soldiers, and they have tens of thousands of soldiers, if we defend along the road, if someone caught by us blowing up the embankment is caught, and then tortured by the people of Jinyi Mansion, it will be a great crime to destroy the nine clans."

When everyone heard the words, their faces changed suddenly, as if a basin of cold water had been poured on their heads.

Yes, there are soldiers in Yongning Bo, not the Hebiao Battalion with only a few thousand people. The 8 to [-] strong soldiers of the Beijing Battalion are stationed in Henan. Got picked up first.

Ma Weifang's face was as gloomy as ice, and she said coldly, "Once the embankment breaks, I'll lose my head!"

Gao Bin waved his hand to calm the nervousness of the crowd, and said, "Old horse, don't be impatient, maybe the river embankment in Henan has just been built, and it was washed away by the flood first, and we will pass this hurdle. "

Ma Weifang stared at Gao Bin closely, and said in a low voice, "My lord, what should we do now?"

Gao Bin thought for a while, and said, "Wangjiaba has to be prepared first. If Hongze Lake is flooded, it is better to dig a hole first to release the flood. If someone impeaches after the incident, I and Zhao Elder Ge told me that when the court inquires about the crime, I will do my best to deal with it."

This problem is not too big. Even if the court investigates it, it can still use the preservation of the lower reaches of the Jianghuai River as an excuse, or it will be reprimanded or fined.

"It's not good, my lord, my lord is not good." However, when several people were discussing the countermeasures, suddenly, a steward came from the front office and shouted loudly outside the study.

Gao Bin's expression froze for a moment, anger appeared between his brows, and he said coldly, "What's wrong with letting him in?"

Not long after, the steward ran in under the guidance of He Ding, who was guarding the outside, and said out of breath under the inquiring eyes of everyone: "My lord, the Huai River broke its embankment in Sizhou and flooded the county town. Mr. Peng, the left deputy capital censor, is in the front hall right now, looking for your lord to ask questions."

As soon as these words came out, it was like a thunderbolt from the blue sky, and the few people present were stunned on the spot, stunned.

Hearing this, Gao Bin looked pale as if he had been struck by lightning, and said anxiously, "Why did Sizhou break the embankment? How long has it been?"

At this moment, everyone in the study looked at each other in blank dismay, unspeakably terrified.

Ma Weifang looked at a person suddenly, his face was ashen, his lips were trembling.

Ma Weifang's eyes flickered fiercely, almost wanting to devour others, and asked: "Liu Tongzhi, how big is this water, and it can't hold up even a wave? How much are you greedy? collapse?"

The official's name was Liu Renqiu, with fear on his face, he didn't dare to look at Ma Weifang, turned his head sideways, and said falteringly: "This... this, I don't know why, this is a natural disaster."

Hao Yingzhou also felt his hands and feet were cold, and looked at Liu Renqiu in horror, and said, "Last winter, I asked you to keep [-]% of the money to repair the embankment, which is enough to block the first wave, where is the money? How much are you greedy for? "

As his boss, Hao Yingzhou naturally had to bear certain responsibilities.

Liu Renqiu said with a bitter face: "Your Excellency, you forgot to ask for 5000 taels from the lower officials during the Chinese New Year, and to redeem the body of Xiaojuxian in the Yanchun Tower..."

Hao Yingzhou's face was blue and red, and the veins on his forehead bulged, and he cursed angrily: "You bastard! You and Wei Kedeng, the prefect of Sizhou, joined hands to distribute the river service, which caused a lot of complaints in the local area. The censor of Huaiyang Road impeached you, Or I will arrange something for you..."

"Enough!" Gao Bin roared angrily, his face gloomy like water, seeing the river officials who were still blaming each other when the incident came to an end, he looked coldly at a group of earth-colored river officials, and said coldly: "Everyone is here to be honest. Wait, I will go see Peng Ye immediately."

As he spoke, he picked up the black gauze hat on the desk and walked away.

At this moment, in the official hall of the Hedao Yamen, Peng Ye, the left deputy capital censor, was sitting on an armchair, holding a cup of tea, and took a sip. The joy in the corners of his eyes could hardly be restrained. People are frowning, eyes gloomy.

Just in the morning, Sizhou urgently reported that the embankment burst, and the flood even washed away the county seat of Hongxian County, causing countless casualties.

At this moment, accompanied by the clerk's loud shout, he saw Gao Bin, the governor of Nanhe, stepping into the official hall with an ugly expression, his fat face under the official hat was gray and decayed.

Peng Ye got up, sneered, and said: "Lord Gao, the embankment of the Yellow River burst in Likou Town, Sizhou, and submerged Zhihong County in the prefecture. Sizhou became Zeguo. Mr. Zhao Ge and Governor of Water Transport, Mr. Du, led the The subordinates rode fast horses to Sizhou, Mr. Gao, what do you have to say now?"

Gao Bin's face was pale, and he said: "Xia flood waters are flowing rapidly, this is a flood that has never happened in 50 years! The so-called manpower is exhausted, what can I do?"

Peng Ye's face was gloomy, with a cold light in his slender eyes, and he said: "Master Gao, whether it is a natural disaster or not, we have to wait for the imperial court to send personnel to investigate, but I will go to Shuyan to attend to you soon, The account books of the river are in disarray, the embankment is perfunctory, causing the embankment to burst, causing many casualties to the people... Elder Zhao Ge has ordered before he leaves, Mr. Gao will stay at home in peace these few days, and he will be dismissed from his post to attend the meeting!"

"Come here, take Lord Gao back to the mansion!" Peng Ye gave an order, and a group of imperial guards came in from outside the official hall, they were clearly the inner guards in Beijing who escorted Zhao Mo to patrol the river.

Gao Bin froze in place immediately, looking at Peng Ye with a dazed expression, as if he couldn't believe that Zhao Mo, who is also from the Zhejiang Party, actually dismissed himself by the order of an imperial envoy!

"Master Yu." Gao Bin turned to look at Yu De, and at some point, his voice became hoarse and trembling, and asked, "Did Mr. Zhao Ge give such an order before leaving?"

At this moment, Yu De looked at the disbelieving Gao Bin, sighed secretly in his heart, and said: "Master Gao, something happened to the river embankment, and since the imperial envoy is here, the governor of the river will naturally be dismissed first, and the lower officials will send Gao Bin first." My lord, return home."

Although Gao Bin is not a member of the strict Zhejiang Party, he has inextricably linked with the Zhejiang Party. No matter what, the position of River Governor cannot be kept, but Gao Bin must never be implicated in the Jiangnan officialdom.

What's more, he will go to impeachment later, and he didn't find anything tricky when he patrolled the river before. Who knows that the river government office is so fooled.

Now the imperial court, from the emperor to the cabinet ministers, and then to the governors of the provinces, all set their sights on Nanhe. How dare they deceive them like this? .

Gao Bin's face was ugly, and then a realization surged in his heart.

This old Zhao Ge really can't be counted on, seeing something happened to the river embankment, the first thing to do is to draw a clear line with him!

Yu De looked at Gao Bin with an ugly face, and persuaded him, "Master Gao, let's go."

This is... a warning, the veteran of Zhao Ge is dismissed, if the follow-up problem is not serious, he can be transferred to another post, if the problem is serious, then deal with it quickly.

For the above, the public is loyal to the country, and has no selfishness. For the next, the colleagues in the Jiangnan officialdom have also been reminded.

Peng Ye turned his eyes to look at Yu De, and said with meaningful eyes: "Master Yu, you have to keep an eye on Mr. Gao these few days, and be careful not to let him make any mistakes."

He wants to see what kind of medicine is sold in this Zhaoge old gourd.

"Your official understands." Yu De's complexion sank, and he cupped his hands.

There is also a general of the whole party watching beside him, I am afraid that this level will become more and more difficult.

Watching the two go out of the prison under the supervision of the inner guard, Peng Ye's face was indifferent, with a sneer on the corner of his mouth.

The officialdom in the south of the Yangtze River is filthy, and the breakthrough lies in this Gao Bin, but the roots of his trees are deep, and he still needs to lure the snake out of the hole and kill people with a knife.

Thinking like this, he greeted the long follower at the side and whispered something in his ear.

The long follower immediately understood, and then left the official hall, left the official hall.

"Come on, seal the front and back of the Hedao Yamen's official hall, and no one involved can move around, and no piece of paper can be taken out of the Hedao Yamen." Peng Ye snorted coldly, sat down, and ordered the accompanying inner guards.

He couldn't find out the details, and even if he found out, he wouldn't dare to act rashly, but some people could find out, and some dared to move!

When that person comes over, check everything upside down, and let Han Huang, that old fox, use that person to deal with them.

(End of this chapter)