Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 466 The Flood Spreads
As the new summer gradually arrives...

When the strong winds blow in from the sea,
The nobles of the Han Dynasty finally paused their feasting and revelry because of some of the events happening below, and turned their attention to the common people, and began to worry about their future.

Why is the Yellow River flooding again?

Why haven't the disaster victims been resettled yet?

The emperor, who was so engrossed in the harem that he completely entrusted state affairs to his uncle Wang Feng, was so enraged in court that he berated his ministers for failing to assist him properly, which led to frequent calamities from heaven as a warning to him.

From the first year of Jian Shi

In the Kanto region, many counties and prefectures frequently sent reports that their jurisdictions had been flooded and that rivers were breaching the dikes.

The court initially dismissed it—

After all, no one knows a mother better than her son.
What kind of mother was the Yellow River?
Those children who depended on them for nourishment and growth knew all too well.

Although the terrifying scene that Yu the Great faced has never been witnessed again by later generations,

However, since the founding of the Han Dynasty, there have been numerous reports of the Yellow River overflowing and flooding the land.

But often,
This mother river, which has become somewhat gentle and loving since unification, will not harm the children along its banks; most of the trouble is minor.

It will take a few years of effort

Do some work related to the principle of "if there is famine in Hanoi, relocate its people to Hedong and its grain to Hanoi."

This would quell the disaster caused by the flood, preventing the court from being severely damaged and inciting popular uprisings.

Therefore,
Upon hearing this news, Wang Feng, who was in power, followed custom and ordered local authorities to provide relief, thinking that the problem would disappear as before after a while.

However, things did not go as planned.

Instead of being submerged, the gourd floated to a more conspicuous spot, greatly hindering the nobles from enjoying the beautiful landscape from their boat.

Even starting this year,
The Guanzhong Plain, where Chang'an, the capital of the Han Dynasty, is located, was also flooded, causing many people to be displaced.

If the disaster occurs outside the pass...
The imperial court may be able to govern slowly and maintain its elegant demeanor.

But this time,
The floodwaters had already reached them and were about to soak their silk hems and soft shoes and socks!
How could this not make the nobles of Chang'an anxious?

"Does Heaven think that I am not doing a good job as the Son of Heaven?"

After the emperor was enraged, he sat on his throne and lowered his head in dejection.

Seeing this, Wang Feng quickly stepped forward to comfort him, saying, "How can this be considered your fault?"

"The problem lies with us, your subjects!"

Upon hearing his words, the other ministers quickly stepped forward, prostrated themselves on the ground, and said, "If the people are guilty, the guilt lies with us, not with Your Majesty."

The emperor's expression then improved.

Then he spoke again, loudly proclaiming, "Since it is the ministers who have failed in their duties, causing Heaven to send down calamity, then in your opinion, to whom should the blame lie?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the eyes of the officials in the court became unfocused, shifting between Grand Marshal Wang Feng and Chancellor Kuang Heng.

Kuang Heng,

He was an official who was promoted during the reign of Emperor Yuan.

He came from a poor family and was extremely studious from a young age, with the story of "carving a hole in the wall to steal light" being passed down.

Although such fame spread,

A wandering vagrant once went to Kuang Heng's house and asked them a series of nonsensical questions, such as, "You're old enough to study, so why can't you light a torch for light?", "How much light can you get from chiseling a hole in the wall? Why not just tear the whole wall down?", and "Since you stole light from your neighbor, did you ever give it back?"

However, Kuang Heng's parents were both righteous people and did not hold it against him. They simply ordered their servants to rush forward with sticks and drive the bystander away.

When Kuang Heng grew up,

When Emperor Yuan ruled the country, he was recommended by local officials for his reputation for being studious and knowledgeable in Confucian classics. He then entered the court as an official and rose rapidly through the ranks, being granted the title of Marquis of Le'an. In the third year of Jianzhao, he became the Chancellor of the Han Dynasty.

It can be said,
In terms of birth, official position, and gaining favor by currying favor with the emperor...
No one in the world is a better role model than Kuang Heng.

At a time when nobles who had been granted titles for generations increasingly monopolized positions in the imperial court,

Kuang Heng, who rose from humble beginnings to become the prime minister of the imperial court, can hardly be considered "inspirational."

unfortunately,

Emperor Yuan of Han, Liu Shi, who admired Kuang Heng, has already passed away.

Now is the era of Emperor Liu Ao!

Compared to the late emperor,

Liu Ao was more casual. When it came to etiquette, he would just say "oh" twice and then go do what he liked.

Let the rest do whatever they want!

in this way,

Kuang Heng, a great Confucian scholar of his time, faced a challenge to his position in the imperial court after losing the support of imperial power.

After all, he wasn't like Kong Guang.

There was a true ancestor who founded the Confucian school and can be called a "sage".

Moreover, Wang Feng also disliked Prime Minister Kuang Heng.

Compared to Kong Guang, who is naive and easily fooled,
Kuang Heng is a cunning old fox!
Even though the other party knew the situation had changed and had become much more low-key, always remaining silent during court assemblies and consistently agreeing with Wang Feng's suggestions,
But the domineering Wang Feng still felt:
The court should be controlled by the Wang family!
The echo chambers he needs must also be from the Wang family.
No matter how obedient and sensible Kuang Heng is, he will never be accepted by Wang Feng!
Therefore,
Recently, Kuang Heng's son was arrested and imprisoned for murder while drunk. Kuang Heng knew that under Wang Feng's exclusion and suppression, he, as the powerless prime minister, could not easily save his son, and might even be implicated.

In order to keep his son and his position,
Kuang Heng immediately took off his hat and shoes, ran to the emperor to apologize, and tearfully complained about his dereliction of duty as a father.

The emperor was annoyed by his crying, so he issued an edict to let the matter drop.

This is why Kuang Heng can still sit comfortably in the court today, causing trouble for Wang Feng.

but now……

Ugh!
Kuang Heng sighed inwardly, then kowtowed to the emperor, saying, "This is my fault!"

"Your subject shall stay at home and reflect upon his actions in order to appease Heaven's wrath."

To know,
Although the Han Dynasty had the concept of "interaction between Heaven and man," attempting to use the ethereal will of Heaven to restrain the vast and terrifying imperial power,

But the Liu family has never followed the usual path.

Humph,
You want to control me?

Don't you even look at the agile physique I inherited from the founding emperor!
Moreover, Confucianism was originally promoted by Emperor Wu to counter the Huang-Lao school of thought at the time, so how could it dig a hole for itself and tie its own hands?

Therefore,
As early as the reign of Emperor Wu,

The emperor then employed a strategy of "using someone else's strength against them":
Since Heaven is using disasters to warn the court of its flawed policies,
How could the high-ranking officials in the imperial court not be involved?
Isn't it only right for a minister to accept punishment on behalf of the monarch, in accordance with the Confucian doctrine of loyalty and righteousness?
all in all,
I, the Son of Heaven, will not abdicate, nor can I abdicate!
The ministers who assist me had better be more self-aware and fulfill their duties as subjects!

Following this old system,
Whenever someone blames the heavens for calamities caused by the court's incompetence, the Han Dynasty would offer a sacrifice to a high-ranking official of the Three Dukes level to demonstrate its sincerity in reflecting on its mistakes.

The basic process is that high-ranking officials first admit their mistakes, then go home to reflect on their actions. If the natural disaster is quelled afterward, they can be reinstated or dismissed depending on the emperor's wishes.

If natural disasters continue, then the only option left is to "commit suicide to atone for the sins of the world."

but,

Kuang Heng couldn't bear to commit suicide, leave this colorful world, and go to the dark underworld.

After following the procedure of reflecting at home, he...

The floods in Guanzhong have not subsided.
The worried people of Chang'an even spread rumors that "there will be a great flood in the autumn."

The courtiers were all prepared to go to his house for the funeral and banquet, but they heard that the old man Kuang Heng was still shamelessly alive, and had even become a little rounder due to his long period of inactivity.

This made them exclaim, "A great Confucian scholar truly deserves to be called a great Confucian scholar."

Such magnanimity is something that ordinary people cannot possess.

Wang Feng found the old man even more disgusting.

Fortunately, not long after,

Wang Feng finally found Kuang Heng's weakness and had it exposed to the court and the public.

When the court allocated land to Kuang Heng, the Marquis of Le'an, he knew that the officials had misremembered the place names, resulting in an extra 400 hectares of land in his fiefdom. However, he did not report this to the court and instead brazenly collected land taxes from the people on those lands.

What does it mean?
This is embezzling state assets and enriching oneself at public expense!

This needs to be dealt a heavy blow!

then,

They avoided being implicated by their son and withstood the pressure of the natural disaster.

Kuang Heng, who was determined to retain his position, was ultimately dismissed and sent back to his hometown.

On his way home, he said angrily:
"I am not the only one in the world that has seized land and occupied people for its own use!"

"How long has it been since the Kuang family rose to prominence?"

"It's just that they collected eighteen more years' worth of taxes from the people!"

"Those powerful and wealthy families of those generations have seized far more than four hundred hectares of land, and levied taxes on the people for more than eighteen years!"

"Humph!"

"Don't think I don't know why those officials delayed relief efforts and allowed the disaster victims to scatter!"

"They just want to take advantage of the natural disaster to seize more land at low prices and force good people to sell themselves into slavery on their estates!"

Although the governance level of the Han Dynasty declined proportionally with each change of emperor,

But the underlying foundation remains, and the accumulated knowledge and experience remain.

The climate in the Central Plains was not as unbearably hot as early summer, when people could easily die from the heat. This forced the people there to choose to work or serve in the evening or during the cooler spring.

In the Han Dynasty,
With a little pressure and a crack of the whip, and with a single command, manpower can be mobilized to repair water conservancy projects, regardless of the season or time of year.

In addition, there is the unseen force of spirits and deities directing and controlling the intensity of the "training."

Even though floods were frequent, it was not enough to silence the people's wailing and bring the matter to the attention of the emperor who had neglected state affairs.

Natural disasters are easy to overcome, but understanding people's hearts is difficult.

The vast tracts of fertile land, ready to be cultivated once the floodwaters receded, tempted the nobles.

The people running around, begging and kowtowing for a bite to eat, also tempted the nobles.

After all, in today's world,

The registered population of the Han Dynasty was no more than 60 million.

Yet it possesses a vast territory stretching from the four prefectures of Haidong in the east, to the Protectorate of the Western Regions in the west, to the Great Wall in the north, and across the South China Sea in the south.

Therefore, human resources are extremely valuable.

No matter which family's influential figures they were, they could never utter the words of later generations, "If you don't do it, there are plenty of others who will."

The imperial court also attached great importance to the people under its rule.

Since the Qin Dynasty
The imperial court then repeatedly sent people to the villages to register households and govern the people.

They wished they could include everyone on the list and make them pay taxes and perform corvée labor for them.

This made it somewhat difficult for powerful families to maintain large numbers of people.

Fortunately, God was merciful.
It gave the Han Dynasty a wise and virtuous ruler like Emperor Yuan.
This allowed the Han Dynasty to once again possess a simple yet wise ruler like the current emperor.

This greatly facilitated the powerful families' extraction of more benefits from the country!
On the bright side,
Many officials, in order to demonstrate their loyalty and integrity as officials, offered advice to the emperor who was indulging in wine and women.

In private,
They, however, often performed acts of prayer:
We pray that the emperor will uphold his principles and remain true to his nature, unaffected by external forces.
They prayed that the emperor would live a long life so that he could better govern the aristocratic families.

……

"But we bear such a prestigious reputation and have the teachings of our ancestors, how can we turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to such chaos!"

In Chang'an City,

As the rumors of a "great flood in autumn" spread more and more rampantly, even the emperor, who had just finished worrying about flood relief, began to believe them. At Wang Feng's urging, he considered building boats for evacuation and even using the court's name to have the people climb walls for refuge.
Marquis Wang Shang of Lechang was so angry that he slammed his fist on the table and stood up, speaking to his friend Kong Guang, who had come to visit him seeking advice.

Wang Shang,

Although they share the same surname "Wang",

However, he came from the Wang clan of Zhuojun, a relative of Wang Wengxu, the mother of Emperor Xuan, and one of the many maternal relatives of the Han Dynasty.

As for Wang Shang...
He was straightforward and upright by nature, and often spoke out against the nobles and aristocrats, accusing them of greed and shamelessness, which made people in his circle very hostile to him.

However, because of his past relationship with Liu Ao, who had defended him when the late emperor reprimanded him for being playful, Liu Ao, who ascended the throne, respected and was close to him.

This allowed Wang Shang to remain firmly in the imperial court.

When Kong Guang was young,

I had heard of Wang Shang's character and reputation, but because of other people's interference, I did not have any in-depth dealings with him.

After seeing more of these things, the blockhead finally came to his senses and realized how valuable people like Wang Shang were.

After experiencing many ups and downs in his official career, Kong Guang became friends with Wang Shang.

He hoped to unite with ministers of integrity, ideals, and loyalty to the Han Dynasty to correct the deviation and allow the Han Dynasty to regain its glory.

When rumors disturb the peace of mind of everyone, from top to bottom.
Unable to make a decision based on his wisdom and personality, Kong Guang sought out Wang Shang for his opinion.

Wang Shang simply told him:
"Chang'an is not low-lying, so there is basically no risk of flooding."

"Besides, as the capital, the waterways and canals have always been properly dredged. Even if there is a flood, it wouldn't be enough to frighten the emperor into taking a boat or the people into climbing the walls!"

"The flood hasn't even arrived yet, and the imperial court is already doing this. Won't it cause panic in the city?"

"If people's hearts are filled with wickedness out of fear, even if natural disasters do not come, man-made disasters will arise!"

"I cannot stand by and watch the country do such a stupid thing!"

Kong Guang listened to his words and showed a look of sudden realization.

Then he chimed in, "Then I will join you in advising the Emperor not to listen to Wang Feng's slander!"

After all,

The two then sat down at their desks to write a memorial, which they soon presented to the emperor.

Wang Shang himself even went to the palace to meet the emperor and vehemently complain about the seriousness of the situation.

And the emperor's closeness to him,

After much deliberation, he abandoned Wang Feng's suggestion and issued a notice to appease the public.

When autumn arrives,

As expected, no flood occurred.

Wang Shang's reputation thus grew, and he was appointed as the new prime minister by the pleased emperor.

Wang Feng also harbored great resentment towards this person with the same surname, believing that Wang Shang had climbed to the top by stepping on him.

This is an insult to myself!
The two sides clearly share a surname connection.
There are also arranged marriages within families.

Wang Shang's daughter married her own nephew!
How could he possibly do such a thing to his in-laws!

Moreover, Wang Shang, with his fiery personality, was even more difficult to deal with than the slick Kuang Heng, and had often criticized Wang Feng's arrogance in the past.

"I must find a way to get rid of this guy!"

Wang Feng slammed her hand on the table in anger.

Meanwhile, Wang Mang, through Kong Guang's connections, became close to Wang Shang and received praise from him.

"I never imagined that among the Wang family of Yuancheng, there would be such a polite and law-abiding descendant as you."

"Unfortunately, Wang Feng is not a visionary or magnanimous elder. He would rather promote other clansmen than leave you, his nephew, aside."

Wang Mang replied in a sincere yet fearful tone, "My uncle raised me and is my elder; please do not say such things to me!"

How can one blame a younger person's elder relative?

Wang Mang absolutely cannot do such an unfilial and unjust thing!
Wang Shang admired his character even more after seeing him.

He said to Kong Guang, "This is a good disciple."

"You're a bit slow-witted and weak-willed, and you have difficulty making decisions when faced with important matters."

"But your disciple made up for that very well!"

He will definitely fulfill your ambitions in the future!

Upon hearing this, Kong Guang smiled happily and said, "I have always held this idea!"

Wang Mang lowered his head, respectfully serving the two elders, quietly listening to their praise of him, his expression remaining humble.

(End of this chapter)