A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

This was naturally released by Emperor Zhao of Han on purpose, with the aim of causing discord between the two sides.

Especially since Wei Zhen didn't achieve any merit this time, and both Wei Qi and Wei Ming belonged to the Yan Marquis's lineage.

But anyone with eyes can see that this is all part of the emperor's scheme.

They would stop at nothing to sow discord between these two factions.

The emperor before ascending the throne was not like this; the crown prince at that time was a refined gentleman.

After ascending the throne, he seemed like a completely different person; the Liu family's bloodline was terrifyingly powerful.

After realizing the Wei family's formidable military talent, Emperor Zhao of Han, Liu Ju, began to change national policies.

Using the excuse that the Han Dynasty had been waging war for decades, the entire nation was given a period of rest and recuperation.

This can be seen from Fu Jiezi's second diplomatic mission.

In this initial act, he used gold to lure the king of a country west of the Western Regions, beheaded him, and safely returned to the Han Dynasty.

In the past, this would have been a merit worthy of being granted a title of nobility.

Even after being granted the title of Marquis, one can still receive a significant increase in fiefdom.

However, Fu Jiezi was only rewarded with some gold and silver this time, and his fiefdom was only symbolically increased by one hundred households.

Emperor Zhao of Han's bestowal of titles and rewards demonstrated his political leanings to the entire world.

Thanks to the unparalleled prestige established by Emperor Wu of Han, the imperial power is now extremely strong. Even if the military is unwilling, it still has to submit to Emperor Zhao of Han's orders.

With the top influencing the bottom, the whole world entered a period of unprecedented development.

The vast territory needed a larger population to govern, and with the help of this development opportunity, the population of the Han Dynasty increased by 2000 million in the past 10 years.

In the 15th year of Emperor Zhao of Han, the population of the Han Dynasty officially exceeded 10 million.

These people spread throughout the country, leaving the entire Central Plains with the imprint of the Han Dynasty.

Also in that year, the former Grand Minister of Agriculture, Wei Zhong, passed away.

Under his rule, the country enjoyed favorable weather and abundant harvests, and even with a population exceeding ten million, everyone was still able to eat their fill and stay warm.

During his years as Grand Minister of Agriculture, he improved the nation's fortunes far more than his father had.

This was mainly due to the vast territory conquered by Emperor Wu of Han and the comprehensive development policy of recuperation and development established by Emperor Zhao of Han.

In the same year, Wei Zhen, who had been unable to find an opportunity to die, fell ill and never recovered, citing his deep brotherly affection and overwhelming grief over his elder brother's death.

He died in bed the next day.

Within a few days, the Han Dynasty lost its two pillars: civil and military affairs.

It was as if the glory of the entire Han Dynasty had begun to fade, leaving only the afterglow, which was constantly being swallowed by darkness.

After Wei Zhong and Wei Zhen died, Wei Ming became the new Grand Minister of Agriculture, and Wei Yun succeeded to the position of Marquis of Wu'an.

Both men requested Emperor Zhao of Han to observe the mourning period. Wei Yun relinquished all his official positions to focus on the mourning.

The position of Grand Minister of Agriculture was agreed upon by the Liu and Wei families and was specifically assigned to the Wei family.

Emperor Zhao of Han made a special exception for Wei Ming, allowing him to observe mourning while still holding his post.

I will continue working after the mourning period ends.

Normally, high-ranking officials like these in the imperial court had policies that allowed them to shorten their mourning period.

However, neither Wei Ming nor Wei Yun mentioned this matter, and instead took the initiative to request to observe the full three-year mourning period.

Despite Emperor Zhao of Han's repeated requests, they persisted.

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Emperor Zhao had no choice but to agree and promote their filial piety and righteousness throughout the Han Dynasty.

Three years later, Wei Ming returned to the court and assumed the duties of the Grand Minister of Agriculture.

It was quite a coincidence that during the three years he observed mourning, an earthquake occurred in Beihai and Langya in the first year.

An earthquake occurred in Longxi the following year.

In the third year, an earthquake occurred in Hebei, and Henan and Shandong experienced torrential rains and floods.

This seemed to be a warning from heaven. After Wei Ming returned to the court, the world became peaceful and prosperous.

Four years later, Henan suffered from floods due to the overflowing of the Yellow River. However, at this time, the Yellow River was not called the Yellow River, but the Zhuo River.

Wei Du, a member of the Wei family in this generation, volunteered to manage the Zhuohe River.

He devoted his life to the study of water conservancy and regarded Li Bing, who built the Dujiangyan Irrigation System, as his idol.

This flooding of the Zhuohe River has caused countless people to be displaced.

Houses and fields were submerged, leaving people without a means of livelihood.

He once went to the disaster area in person, where cries of anguish were everywhere and stretched for thousands of miles.

Therefore, he made up his mind to do everything in his power to control the turbid river.

Although the imperial court is doing its best to provide disaster relief, those who have lost their homes and land will face extreme hardship for some time to come.

"I am willing to dedicate the rest of my life to the great cause of river management, to restore the turbid river to calm, and to relieve the people's wailing."

Wei Du's voice was firm and resolute, filled with his determination and perseverance.

Controlling the Zhuohe River is no easy task. The Zhuohe River is over 5000 kilometers long, and its middle and lower reaches frequently flood, submerging the surrounding farmland.

The length that needs to be addressed exceeds two thousand kilometers.

This is an enormous number.

Even if one were to dedicate their entire life to it, it would be impossible to govern it completely.

It would require the combined efforts of a single dynasty and the work of several generations to achieve this.

As a direct descendant of the Wei family, Wei Du could easily rise to a high position if he were willing to enter the imperial court, becoming an unattainable figure for many powerful and influential people.

However, he was willing to dedicate his entire life to controlling the turbid river.

Given the Wei family's reputation, if he says something today, he must keep his word.

Otherwise, it would severely damage the Wei family's image.

Therefore, the Wei family would never allow him to extricate himself from the situation.

This guy is a werewolf, even more ruthless than a ruthless person.

"allow."

"Half of the money and grain needed for river management was allocated by the central government, and the other half was borne by the local authorities."

"If the local area cannot afford it, the Grand Minister of Agriculture can review it. If the review is successful, the central government will allocate the funds, which will then be deducted from the tax revenue."

"Whom do you need to assist you?"

Emperor Zhao of Han was moved by his sincerity, and Wei Du agreed to all his requests.

"Geng Shouchang, Huang Ba, Gong Sui."

Wei Du named three people who had been of great help to him in controlling the floods.

Geng Shouchang was skilled at planning and was able to connect water conservancy with canal transport, river transport, and irrigation.

They could assist him in devising a plan to manage the Zhuohe River.

Make the most of the water volume of the Qizhuo River.

Huang Ba and Gong Sui were skilled in water management and were his main assistants in water control.

After all, he couldn't be in two places at once and had no way to monitor the whole situation.

"Granted."

"Is there anything else that requires my order?"

Emperor Zhao of Han asked.

"Flood control requires the cooperation of the local people, which may involve conscripting laborers. However, large-scale conscription of laborers will cause resentment among the people. I hope that they can be compensated with money and grain."

Wei Du pleaded.

"Can."

Emperor Zhao of Han was very generous. After so many years of recuperation and development, he had plenty of money and grain.

The biggest project in the past decade or so has been the establishment of warehouses, with a large number of grain warehouses built across the country.

"You are free to move the granaries along the banks of the Zhuohe River at any time."

"If necessary, the local annual tax revenue can also be used directly to treat the Zhuohe River."

Emperor Zhao of Han agreed.

"Your Majesty, I thank you."

That's enough.

He's a direct descendant of the Wei family; he can handle everything else.