Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 130 The People's Warehouse That Dares Not Open
Lu Beigu forced himself to calm down. After thinking for a moment, he said.

"The excavation of the stone trough cannot stop, but its position needs to be slightly adjusted to avoid the core water flow area that is most directly impacted. At the same time, three thick iron piles will be pre-buried at the bottom of the stone trough as additional support points when the water window closes!"

He pointed to the churning water inside: "In addition, immediately gather all the sandbags we can find and build an arc-shaped buffer dam inside the sluice gate, facing the direction the water window is about to open! It doesn't need to be too high, but it needs to be wide and thick enough. When the sluice gate is opened to release water, let the water flow impact the sandbags first to buffer it, then pass through the arc-shaped guide to disperse the impact force, and finally act on the water window. This will maximize the protection of the water window during its initial opening and closing."

"Let's do as Professor Lu says!"

The craftsmen got busy, stone chips flew everywhere, and the sound of hammers striking steel chisels was so faint amidst the roar of the water.

Finally, when everyone was exhausted and their nerves were stretched to the limit, the last thick iron stake for extra support was firmly fixed in place, and the last sandbag dam was also completed inside the gate.

That water gate, far thicker and sturdier than the smaller one, was like a silent guardian, firmly embedded in the stone wall inside the water gate, awaiting its first, and most dangerous, mission.

Prefect Liu Yong stood on the city wall, showing no fear. His gaze swept over the churning torrents below, finally settling on the water window that held the hopes of the entire city.

"Open the floodgates and release the water!"

Once the order was given, the craftsmen, who were already prepared, immediately sprang into action.

The heavy winch turned slowly amidst the shouts, emitting a rough "creaking" sound.

The old sluice gate of Dingbomen Water Gate was lifted inch by inch with great difficulty, revealing an ever-growing gap underneath.

The long-accumulated water in the city, like a trapped beast finding an outlet, began to flow towards the water windows and old sluice gates.

The turbid water, carrying debris, crashed violently against the pre-built arched sandbag dam with a muffled roar. The sandbags shook violently, splashing mud and water everywhere, but the force of the water flow was also reduced as a result.

Immediately afterwards, the guided torrent, carrying enormous force, slammed heavily against the newly installed, heavy water gate!
"Oh!"

A dull bang.

The camphor wood gate of the water window suddenly sank inward, the supporting iron shaft made a heart-stopping creaking sound, and the whole structure trembled violently.

Everyone on and off the city wall had their hearts in their throats, their eyes fixed on the violently shaking water window.

The brief standoff seemed to freeze time.

The next moment, the accumulated power finally reached its peak!

"Boom--!"

The water gate was violently pushed open by the water pressure. The accumulated water in the city flowed through the water gate and the old sluice gate that had been raised, and with a deafening roar, it flowed into the surging Tuojiang River outside the city. The waves stirred up by the water were even as high as ten feet, and the huge roar echoed inside and outside Dingbo Gate.

The floodwaters inside the city were rapidly drained into the Tuojiang River at a visible speed. Every time the Tuojiang River surged and flowed back, the water gates were able to close precisely, ensuring that water from outside could not enter the city. Then, once the water level dropped, the drainage continued.

On the city wall, Liu Yong finally lowered his hand that was stroking his beard, his tense expression completely relaxed, and looked at Lu Beigu among the craftsmen below the city wall with undisguised admiration in his eyes.

"Just now I saw that Lu Beigu was meticulous and calm in the face of danger. He is truly a capable person with both courage and wisdom!"

“Indeed.” Li Pan nodded in deep agreement. “This water window has truly solved the city’s urgent problem.”

Liu Yong nodded and said, "Now that the water gates are all done, let's do the same for the other water gates. Let's drain the water from the city first, so that the displaced people will have a place to stay and shelter from the rain. If the ground is still flooded like before, it's pointless to build shelters for the disaster victims."

Just as everyone's hearts were beginning to settle, a yamen runner, soaking wet, hurried up the city wall and went straight to Liu Yong and Li Pan. He lowered his voice and urgently reported, "Prefect, Judge, something terrible has happened! The 'Yongfenglong' grain store in the west city has been stormed by starving people, and the scene is chaotic. Also, 'Fengyuhao' has just put up a new sign; a dou (a unit of dry measure) of coarse rice has increased to five hundred wen." This sudden bad news was like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing the slight elation brought on by the successful drainage.

The ease on Liu Yong and Li Pan's faces vanished instantly, and their brows furrowed again.

As the capital of Luzhou Prefecture, Luchuan City was not without food.

On the contrary, as the logistics base for the entire southern Sichuan region, Changping Granary has stored tens of thousands of shi (a unit of dry measure) of rice and grain year-round. Previously, when troops were used to resist the invasion of the Wuman, the grain was all transferred from Changping Granary in Luzhou.

The function of the Ever-Normal Granary was to stabilize grain prices through the policy of "buying low and selling high," that is, to buy grain at low prices in years of plenty and sell grain at reduced prices in years of famine, in order to stabilize the market.

However, the Changping Granary cannot be opened casually. As a prefecture-level administrative region, Luzhou must apply for permission from the prefecture to higher levels, all the way up to Kaifeng, if it needs to use the Changping Granary.

The rainstorm disaster had a significant impact on the entire city's residents, but it wasn't so dire that almost no official would choose to open the Ever-Normal Granary, risking being held accountable and even demoted afterward.

"How about opening granaries for the benefit of the people?" Li Pan suddenly suggested. "With grain prices rising so much now, even if the imperial court investigates, it would be plausible."

Huimin Granary was first established in the fifth year of Chunhua reign of Emperor Taizong of Song. Its function complemented that of Changping Granary. It was directly managed by the prefect. When grain prices rose or there was a famine, grain could be sold to the elderly, children and poor people in the city who could not support themselves at a price lower than the market price, with a limit of one hu per person.

Generally speaking, the Huimin Granary focuses on local minor famine relief, mainly selling grain at reduced prices, and does not provide free relief. It is convenient for rapid response, but the reserve scale is often relatively small.

Upon hearing this, Liu Yong was unsure whether Li Pan genuinely didn't understand or was testing him.

He sighed and said.

"You've only been in this position for a short time, so you might not be familiar with the situation here."

Li Pan didn't answer, but he already knew the answer in his heart.

—The Huimin Warehouse in Luzhou is probably already empty.

At this point, it wasn't that Liu Yong didn't want to release the grain, but rather that he simply didn't dare to open the granaries.

If the warehouse isn't opened, no one will check, and if the lid is tightly sealed, everyone will be fine.

If the granary is opened and there is no grain inside, and the lid is broken, then countless people will suffer.

However, all of this may not have been caused by Liu Yong. It is very likely that it was a trap left by the previous prefect, Li Daoning, or even the prefect before him, Zhang Zhaoxin.

In short, there were too many local people and matters involved. Under the rule of frequent transfers in the Song Dynasty, the prefects who stayed for a few years and then left were not willing to really investigate these dirty affairs thoroughly.

The investigation revealed that, aside from offending superiors, colleagues, subordinates, and even local gentry and landlords, leaving him isolated and vulnerable to impeachment, he gained no career advancement or financial benefits.

Even someone as brave as Liu Yong, who dared to personally go into the mountains to persuade the rebels to surrender, was unwilling to do such a thing.

Looking up from below the city, Lu Beigu saw Liu Yong and Li Pan talking about something with serious expressions.

He knew in his heart that the drainage only solved the most pressing physical problem of "water accumulation," while the panic in the city, the people's hunger, and the greed of the wealthy who were taking advantage of the chaos were the more turbulent undercurrents.

Lu Beigu withdrew his gaze and looked at the still gloomy rain-soaked sky.

(End of this chapter)