White-robed Minister

Chapter 133 0131 [Sima Guang has arrived in Yingtian Prefecture]

The continuous drizzle finally stopped.

Standing on the south bank of the upstream embankment, Shen Qi looked at the soldiers and laborers still busy on both banks, and felt no relief whatsoever.

The first flood peak passed late last night, and no one knows whether there will be a second one.

Regarding flood control, as long as the floodwaters don't come too violently, there shouldn't be any problems this year. Preparations were made well in advance, and are more comprehensive than ever before!

Why are things so going so well this year?

Because last year was particularly, particularly bad.

Last year, floods broke out in a total of seventeen prefectures and one army in Qing, Xu, Chen, Cai, Ying, Tang, Si, Hao, Chu, Lu, Shou, Hang, Xuan, E, Hong, Shi, Yu, and Guanghua (the time was the month after Xu Lai escorted Yu Jing's body back to his hometown).

At that time, floods were rampant throughout the country, putting immense pressure on Zhao Shu, who had just assumed power. Moreover, many prefectures and counties were unprepared, and a considerable number of officials were demoted or had their salaries reduced.

Since the spring of this year, the imperial court has issued orders almost every month, urging local governments across the country to take heed of this warning and make sure to prepare for flood prevention.

The prefectural governments along the Bian River were particularly vigilant, with the Water Conservancy Bureau frequently sending people to inspect the area, and no one dared to touch the flood control materials.

"Shen Xiansi, the people of Yongding Township and Gusong Township have been basically evacuated," Commander Cai Zhen reported.

During the Song Dynasty, each commander of the cavalry and infantry could only lead four or five hundred soldiers.

This time, two commanders of the Nanjing Imperial Guards were transferred here with their troops.

Illegal troop deployment!

If it weren't for the joint signing of the Yingtian Prefect (who also served as the Nanjing Garrison Commander), the Jingdong Circuit Transport Commissioner, and the Jingdong Circuit Judicial Commissioner, these Imperial Guard Commanders would never have obeyed.

Even so, the three officials who signed the troop mobilization documents would be held accountable by the Privy Council afterward. If anyone took the opportunity to escalate the matter, in the extremely sensitive Northern Song Dynasty, they could even be accused of treason.

However, there is a special supplementary clause: in case of emergency, it may be dispatched and given immediately, and the matter shall be reported to the authorities.

This means that local officials could mobilize troops without the approval of the Privy Council in special emergencies. However, after mobilizing troops, they had to report to the imperial court immediately.

Shen Qi looked at Cai Zhen, who was covered in mud and water, and instructed him, "You lead the troops to rest on the spot. If there is a second flood, immediately help build the dikes."

The other commander did not participate in the evacuation of civilians, but instead guarded the designated flood discharge point. Anyone who disobeyed was to be killed on the spot by the Imperial Guards!

And this Cai Zhen, who is in front of us, is not only leading those 300-plus Imperial Guards (not the full number, but drawing salaries without working) to organize the relocation of the people.

They also brought some local soldiers and had the local headmen cooperate.

Relocating residents is extremely difficult. It's manageable if they bring their livestock, but many families are even carrying their furniture with them.

There were people carrying the bed.

The officers and soldiers were so enraged that they repeatedly beat and scolded the farmers, even destroying their heavy belongings on the spot.

That's already very responsible.

The standard practice in ancient times was to notify the local gentry, who would then organize the villagers to evacuate quickly. Those who were slow to leave and drowned were considered to have no right to do so.

It's very common for floods to be released without prior notice!

Shen Qi inspected the dike, where he saw exhausted laborers, soldiers, and river-clearing troops everywhere. Local elders organized the people to deliver water and food, but they couldn't move even when the food was brought to them, and had to be forcibly dragged up and urged to eat.

Approaching a river defense official, Shen Qi inquired, "What's the situation?"

The river official replied, "The floodwaters were already receding around midnight last night. They rose again for about 15 minutes in the latter half of the night, but the water level quickly dropped again, and has now receded by more than two feet."

The receding water period after the flood peak is often more dangerous than the rising water period.

After prolonged immersion in high water levels, the water content inside the dam becomes saturated. When the water recedes, the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the dam increases, making it extremely easy for landslides, collapses, and other dangerous situations to occur.

Although the ancients did not understand the underlying principles, they were very familiar with such phenomena.

Therefore, the flood control command headquarters where Xu Lai was located relaxed a bit last night, and some officials even went home to rest. But the situation on the front line was even more tense, with officials, soldiers, and laborers working from the first half of the night until noon the next day.

Will there be a second wave of floods?

Shen Qi stayed on the embankment, waiting for one day, two days, and three days.

Nothing major happened; the water level only rose slightly and occasionally.

In fact, most of the floodwaters have already flowed away from the Yellow River, with only a small portion flowing into the Bian River. If even Yingtian Prefecture cannot withstand the flood, who knows what the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River will be like.

"call!"

Shen Qi breathed a long sigh of relief.

Although a flood discharge area has been planned, it would be best not to discharge floodwater.

He began arranging for the people in the flood discharge area to return home, and personally oversaw the distribution of compensation money and grain. The money and grain were allocated from the money and grain transported to the front line, and each household actually received very little, only a few bushels of wheat as a token gesture.

Those laborers, soldiers, and river-clearing troops who built the river embankment can also take their wheat home. As long as they are registered, their autumn tax this year will be partially reduced or exempted.

In the prefectural city, the flood control and disaster relief command center has not yet been dismantled.

The post-disaster work is not over yet.

For Xu Lai, things have become even busier.

Once all the information was submitted and compiled, he was responsible for calculating the losses in various places, the consumption and surplus of money, food and materials, organizing the repair of dikes, roads and bridges, and finally summarizing the experience of this flood control and forming a work report.

Even the outstanding deeds reported by various counties, as well as the dangers they encountered and overcame, all need to be reviewed, organized, and archived by Xu, and used as the basis for future rewards and recognition.

We've been busy for several more days, and the finishing touches aren't even done yet.

But Xu Lai was finally able to relax a little and slept for a full six hours after returning home.

Yu'er had been waiting outside the door until she heard movement inside, then she asked, "Is my lord awake? Shall we eat first or take a bath?"

"Just grab something to tide me over," Xu Lai replied.

The cook was on standby, and soon Yu'er brought the food. Before Xu Lai had even finished his meal, the bathwater was already heated.

After taking a shower, Xu Lai felt refreshed all over.

Yu'er walked behind him and massaged his head and shoulders.

"My lord, you've worked so hard, you've lost so much weight," Yu'er said with concern.

Xu Lai closed his eyes and enjoyed the moment: "This is nothing, I didn't even go up the dam myself."

Yu'er started gossiping: "Speaking of personally going up the dike, everyone is talking about the young master of the Gong family. Gong Silang stayed on the dike for five days, eating and sleeping there, and I heard he even personally helped build the dike."

Xu Lai laughed and said, "He's probably going to become an official."

The story of Gong Fugui's exemplary deeds was compiled and reported by Xu Lai.

As the son of the prefect, he stayed on the dike from beginning to end, even working alongside the laborers to reinforce it. This was sure to be praised and admired, and officials would be vying to recommend him. He would likely be appointed to an official position in two or three months at most.

If Gong Fugui had refused the official position and continued to stay in Yingtian Prefecture to take care of his father, he would have gained a better reputation for filial piety and would have been more valued if he were to become an official in the future.

Wang Jichen, who had been living a life of leisure in Nanjing, also put on a great show this time.

Presumably due to his advanced age, Wang Jichen collapsed on the embankment in the middle of the night after the flood peak receded and was carried home.

Regardless of whether he was faking it or not, it's definitely considered an exemplary act. Coupled with his connections in Beijing, he'll almost certainly be transferred back to the central government as an official.

The seven county magistrates also performed admirably.

In particular, the five county magistrates who served along the Bian River personally went up to the embankment.

This flood had a huge political impact, as it submerged the imperial palace and drowned countless people in the capital.

Sima Guang quickly submitted a memorial to discuss the matter.

His memorial can be summarized as follows: First, he objectively stated the extent of the disaster and indicated that the emperor needed to reflect on his actions.

The text then elaborates on the emperor's three major acts of moral failings:

First, he was unfilial to the Empress Dowager and alienated several princesses. Sima Guang even compared this to "a commoner who, after inheriting an estate, distances himself from his foster mother and sisters," practically pointing at the emperor and calling him a wicked villain.

Secondly, power was usurped, and the emperor rendered ineffective. In his later years, the late emperor fell seriously ill and entrusted state affairs to his chief ministers. These ministers, however, practiced nepotism and suppressed those from humble backgrounds. After the emperor assumed personal rule, he failed to rectify these abuses and continued to allow the ministers to hold power. The phenomenon of ministerial monopolization of power was even more pronounced than during the late emperor's reign—

It's even more serious. Talented and capable people are not promoted, while the guilty are often leniently punished.

Third, the emperor rejected advice, covered up his mistakes, and listened to only one side. He listened to whoever he was closest to. The impeachment memorials submitted by censors were actually handed over to the impeached ministers to handle, which was tantamount to letting the ministers judge themselves.

Finally, Sima Guang proposed a corrective measure, requesting the emperor to show respect to the Empress Dowager and appease the princess; to reclaim power and make the decision personally.

Select the virtuous and capable, reward and punish fairly, and humbly accept advice.

This memorial was full of firepower, and its contents were basically true, making Zhao Shu sweat profusely.

Lü Hui then submitted a memorial, directly linking the flood to the "Puyi" debate (or "Puyi discussion"), claiming that the flood was caused by the emperor and his ministers' discussion of the Puyi debate.

In a short time, a large number of officials rushed to submit memorials, their criticisms directed at several prime ministers.

The chief ministers, led by Han Qi, were unable to argue and submitted memorials requesting to resign, but the emperor persuaded them to stay.

The heated debate surrounding Puyi thus came to an end, and no one dared to mention it again for a short period of time.

This is just the beginning; the censors will not stop their attacks.

Historically, after enduring hardship until March of the following year, Zhao Shu was forced to issue an edict of self-reproach. He also ordered the redress of wrongful convictions in various regions, the relief of the people, the severe punishment of corrupt officials, and the encouragement of reporting the hardships of the common people.

The floodwaters receded, the memorial to the throne was written, and Sima Guang finally came to Yingtian Prefecture to investigate the case.

High-ranking officials from Jingdong Road and Yingtian Prefecture collectively went to the dock to welcome the Central Special Case Team.

The task force currently consists of only two or three people. Shen Qi and Xu Lai will also be joining later, as they are the direct handlers of the case.

"There's no need for a welcome banquet."

When invited to a banquet by local officials, Sima Guang said to everyone, "The floodwaters have just receded, and the victims are suffering greatly. What kind of talk is it for us to hold a banquet at this time?"

The central task force's office was set up in the vacant former site of the Military Commissioner's Office, which had previously served as the flood relief command center.

All the case materials had been compiled and sent to the Criminal Investigation Department, and Shen Qi immediately led his men to bring the files over.

Xu Lai returned to the signing hall and delivered the documents detailing the officials' and gentry's meritorious service in flood control. There was no way around it; merits were merits and demerits were demerits, and those people had indeed contributed greatly to the flood control efforts.

Even the powerful families involved in the case actively donated money and supplies, and voluntarily sent their servants and tenants to help build the dike.

Sima Guang didn't waste any words and went straight to examining the files.

He found there was practically nothing to check. The account books of cloth merchants in two counties clearly recorded the regular payments. The price inquiry documents from the prefecture and county also clearly recorded the abnormal fluctuations in silk prices.

Although the other five counties did not have account books, they had a large number of testimonies from officials and shopkeepers.

Even the names of the shops were clearly stated.

To be honest, the amount involved was not "large," and each family received a small share. The powerful families in Yingtianfu were playing the "slow and steady" game.

.

Sima Guang was furious, believing that the prime ministers were covering up and condoning it.

It was lunchtime, and everyone ate their working meal at the Military Affairs Office.

Sima Guang looked at Xu Lai: "Was it Xu who first investigated this case?"

Xu Lai replied, "I discovered something amiss and reported it to Prefect Gong, who then ordered me to lead a team to investigate."

Gong Dingchen's demotion to Yingtian Prefecture was not Sima Guang's doing, nor was it even the work of the remonstrating officials. After all, they were colleagues in the remonstrance bureau, so it wasn't really appropriate to directly criticize them.

This matter was orchestrated by the Censorate, led by the Vice Censor-in-Chief Jia An, who successfully forced Gong Dingchen to resign. Sima Guang and Lü Hui then seized control of the Censorate.

Sima Guang found Xu Lai quite interesting.

This top scholar was clearly a newcomer promoted by the prime ministers, and he also had an excellent relationship with Gong Dingchen. Why did he take the initiative to investigate the case this time, making the prime ministers look so embarrassed?

Sima Guang thought to himself: Could it be that he is the same kind of person as me, who only cares about right and wrong and doesn't distinguish between relatives and strangers?

Sima Guang's impression of Xu Lai changed drastically, and he even had the idea of ​​winning Xu Lai over.