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

That afternoon, Wei Du, along with his three subordinates and some water conservancy officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, traveled eastward along the Zhuo River.

It flows from northern Shaanxi to the sea in Shandong.

They personally measured the depth of the Zhuohe River on foot and recorded the condition of the riverbanks in various locations.

This departure lasted for two years.

He hasn't been back once in the past two years.

He walked the entire 2000-kilometer-long flood-prone area of ​​the Zhuohe River on foot.

Then, together with Geng Shouchang, they worked through the night to draw up a plan for managing the Zhuohe River.

With the help of the vast amount of data in the capital, the two of them spent another three months developing a preliminary governance plan.

The plan is divided into three steps. The most urgent task at present is to dredge the Zhuohe River channel to prevent the Zhuohe River from silting up in a certain place.

Secondly, dikes were built, which was an important line of defense to prevent the Zhuohe River from spreading and overflowing.

The third step is to utilize the Zhuohe River. By building irrigation canals, the water from the Zhuohe River can be diverted into the fields, irrigating countless plots of land.

Moreover, these channels can also prevent excessive water volume in the Zhuohe River and reduce the pressure on the Zhuohe River embankment.

When Wei Du and Geng Shouchang went to the palace to pay their respects to Emperor Zhao of Han, the emperor was startled.

Three years ago, Wei Du had fair skin and a radiant complexion; he was a truly handsome young man.

She exuded an air of nobility, like a snow lotus on a high mountain, untouched by worldly affairs.

But now, Wei Du's fair skin has turned bronze, and it is no longer moist, but rather like dry, muddy land, full of ravines.

Her hair also became dry and yellow, a messy and embarrassing clump.

He looked like a hardworking, forty-year-old farmer.

There was no trace of the noble and powerful Wei family left.

"My dear minister, you've worked hard."

Even Emperor Zhao of Han, Liu Ju, who had awakened the cold-blooded spirit of the Han Dynasty, was deeply moved by such a sincere young man.

This is a truly devoted subject who is wholeheartedly devoted to the people and has no ulterior motives whatsoever.

It's such a pity that such a minister had to bear the surname Wei!

If only my surname weren't Wei!

The moment of emotion was fleeting; Emperor Zhao of Han's mind was once again filled with calculations.

Reason once again filled his mind.

"Your Majesty, this is the river management plan we have agreed upon."

"We started with the Jing River and Luo River, the sources of the Zhuo River's floods, and conscripted people to dredge the river channels and reinforce the river embankments."

"Then we built canals that passed through Shuofang, Beidi, Anding, Shangjun, Shangdang and other places, which was enough to give the Han Dynasty tens of millions of acres of fertile land."

"This will likely require mobilizing 300 million people and taking 5 years to build and maintain."

"This is also the most important part of the management of the Zhuohe River. The siltation, flooding, and diversion of the Zhuohe River are closely related to the Jinghe and Luohe River basins."

"It was the muddy water from this area that entered the Zhuohe River, causing the riverbed to rise above the dam, and the water to overflow, resulting in the disaster."

Mobilizing 3 million people and then spending more than 5 years on flood control is no easy task, even with the current population of over 100 million in the Han Dynasty.

After all, the complete deprivation of these 3 million people's jobs resulted in a sharp decrease in the income of 3 million families. The imperial court not only reduced the tax revenue of these 3 million families, but also had to provide subsidies to them.

Not to mention that managing the Zhuohe River is physically demanding work, and since the Wei family spearheaded this effort, they would definitely ensure that the people were well-fed before they went to work.

And they also need to have plenty of oil and fat available regularly.

This expense is also enormous.

And it lasted for five years.

This is only the first stage of river management.

No wonder everyone knows that river management is good, but few emperors throughout history have chosen to manage rivers.

Even when it comes to river management, they only manage a small part of it and dare not take drastic measures.

But considering his father's immense achievements, if he wanted to leave a mark on history as a wise ruler, managing the Zhuohe River would be a very effective means.

It might also be his only means of dealing with things.

Only such achievements could prevent him from being completely overshadowed by his father, Emperor Wu of Han, in the annals of history.

Moreover, given the current strength of the Han Dynasty, it is still possible to manage 300 million people who have taken off their jobs for 5 years.

Emperor Zhao of Han could proudly say that in any previous dynasty, if anyone dared to do such a thing, the whole country would rebel the next second.

The events of the previous dynasty serve as a warning.

When Qin Shi Huang built the Great Wall, the Epang Palace, and the Lishan Mausoleum, he only conscripted less than 180 million laborers in total.

His first phase alone cost 3 million, exceeding the total cost of several major moves by Qin Shi Huang.

This even gave Emperor Zhao of Han the feeling that he had surpassed Qin Shi Huang.

Although the Qin Dynasty has always been referred to as the tyrannical Qin by the common people, it was due to Liu Bang's influence.

The Liu clan members had a very good impression of Qin Shi Huang; in fact, they thought it was quite positive.

It acknowledges Qin Shi Huang's hegemonic achievements and his title as the greatest emperor of all time.

This all stems from Liu Bang's attitude towards Qin Shi Huang.

Emperor Zhao of Han invited Wei Ming and Huo Guang over. Such a big move required the permission of the Grand Minister of Agriculture and the Chancellor.

One was in charge of national political affairs, and the other was in charge of the nation's finances and provisions.

Without their approval, this matter could not be carried out.

Moreover, he also needed Huo Guang and Wei Ming to assess the consequences of this matter, which was the largest mobilization project in the history of the Chinese nation to manage the Zhuohe River.

Perhaps only the legendary Yu the Great's flood control can be compared to it.

Upon entering the palace, Huo Guang was also shocked by Wei Du's appearance.

Wei Ming knew early on that this was just a facade, and that everything he had lost would return when he died.

Moreover, such a great achievement in controlling the Zhuohe River will surely bring endless prosperity to the Wei family.

At that time, Wei Du's status in the family will definitely surpass his.

After the two finished reading Wei Du's proposal, Wei Ming began to make plans on the spot.

This calculation takes one hour.

He then presented his calculations to Emperor Zhao of Han.

Emperor Zhao of Han looked at Wei Ming's calculations and concluded that the current reserves of the Han Dynasty were sufficient to support the river management for the next five years.

Even with the current population and wealth of the Han Dynasty, after managing this section of the Jing River and Luo River, it would still take five years to recover before the next phase of management could begin.

Emperor Zhao of Han looked at Huo Guang again, and Huo Guang nodded in agreement.

He will fully support this matter, but he will also place his own people in it.

This achievement, which benefits both the present and future generations, was accomplished during his reign, enough to secure his place in history.

Even Huo Guang found it hard to resist such temptation.

With the emperor and the two powerful figures of the court reaching a consensus, and with the full support of the Wei family, the grand river management project was launched.