I was chased by my sickly junior brother who had two lives

The dawn light was just breaking, and the light of dawn was shining on the glazed tiles of the East Palace, reflecting a golden glow. The prince, wearing a black court robe embroidered with a golden dragon pattern, sat behind the carved pear wood desk in the study, his face solemn. Chen Jue was waiting at the side, with an upright posture and a firm and calm look in his eyes.

The prince was the first to break the silence, his voice deep and powerful: "Chen Jue, the Yellow River has burst its banks and caused a flood. The people along the river are suffering. Farmland has been flooded and houses have collapsed. This is a major concern for our Great Chu. The most urgent task is to select capable officials and make every effort to control the Yellow River. What do you think?"

After saying this, his brows were furrowed, his eyes full of worry and anxiety. He knew very well that the Yellow River floods were related to the country's foundation, and if he was not careful, it would shake the foundation of the Great Chu.

Chen Jue bowed slightly, his expression solemn: "Your Highness is wise. I think that managing the Yellow River requires many considerations. First of all, we need people who are proficient in water conservancy projects, who can survey the terrain and plan diversion strategies; secondly, we need to deploy capable officials to be responsible for the allocation of materials and the organization of manpower to ensure the smooth progress of the project; and we also need people who are good at pacifying the people, stabilizing their hearts, and making the people actively cooperate in the great cause of water control."

His speech was not fast, but each word was clear, and each word revealed the calmness that comes from careful consideration, as if at this moment, he had already outlined a preliminary blueprint for water control in his mind.

The prince nodded slightly, with a hint of approval in his eyes: "You are right. I heard that several of the new scholars have great insights in flood control. Please send someone to summon them to discuss a good strategy for flood control."

At this time, there was a bit more expectation in the prince's eyes, as if he saw a ray of light in the darkness. He hoped that these new talents could bring a turning point for the Yellow River flood.

Soon, Jinshi Lin Yuan, Wang Qi, Su Jin and others arrived as ordered. They entered the study and bowed respectfully: "Greetings to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, may His Royal Highness live a thousand years."

The prince raised his hand and motioned for everyone to stand up: "Please don't be polite. The Yellow River is flooding and the people are suffering. You are all talented people in our Great Chu. Do you have a good plan to control the Yellow River?"

The prince's eyes swept over everyone in turn, with a look of both expectation and scrutiny, as if he was considering whether they could really take on the important task of flood control.

Lin Yuan was the first to step out. He was wearing a moon-white gown that fluttered in the wind. His face was calm and his eyes were full of confidence. "Your Highness, I think the root cause of the Yellow River flood is silt accumulation and blockage of the river. The most urgent task is to organize manpower to dredge the silt and widen the river so that the river water can flow smoothly. We can recruit young and strong laborers from the coastal and surrounding areas, assign tasks to each household, and give them certain rewards or reduce taxes to encourage the people to participate enthusiastically."

His voice was steady and powerful, and his words were clear and logical. It was obvious that he had already studied and thought about the Yellow River floods. Every suggestion was like a seed of hope, sown in everyone's hearts.

The prince pondered for a moment, then looked at Chen Jue: "Chen Jue, do you think Lin Yuan's plan is feasible?"

Chen Jue thought for a moment and responded, "Your Highness, Lin Yuan's plan has its merits. Desilting and dredging is indeed a key step in managing the Yellow River, but the project is huge and needs to be carefully considered. For example, the organization and deployment of manpower must not only take into account the people along the coast, but also reasonably recruit from surrounding areas to avoid causing public resentment. In addition, the issue of remuneration and tax reduction also needs to be planned in detail to ensure that the court has financial resources to support it and can truly benefit the people."

His eyes were focused, and as he answered, he carefully weighed the pros and cons in his mind, just like a rigorous chess player who had played out all possible situations in his mind several times before making a move.

Wang Qi then stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, I think that in addition to dredging, we also need to strengthen the embankment. We can use a new method of building embankments, using huge stones as the base and mixing glutinous rice paste with loess to build embankments. This will make the embankments stronger and resist the impact of floods. And plant willow trees on the embankments. Their well-developed root systems can consolidate the soil and prevent sand, and can also buffer the flow of water during the flood season."

The prince nodded gently: "Wang Qi's words are novel. Can the embankment made of glutinous rice paste and loess be as strong as you said?"

Wang Qi hurriedly explained: "Your Highness, I have inspected some small water conservancy projects in some places and tried this method, and the effect is quite good. In addition, the sticky rice paste is very sticky. After mixing with loess, it can make the embankment tight and solid, and it is not easy to be washed away by floods. The effect of willow trees in consolidating soil and preventing sand is also obvious to all. If it can be implemented on a large scale, it will be able to effectively control the floods of the Yellow River."

Su Jin also spoke up at this time: "Your Highness, water control is not only about engineering construction, but also requires the establishment of a complete water conservancy management system. A special Yellow River channel office should be set up, and specialists should be sent to regularly inspect the river and dams to promptly discover hidden dangers and repair them. At the same time, strict water conservancy laws and regulations should be formulated to strictly prohibit people from privately reclaiming land and dumping debris near the river to ensure the smooth flow of the river."

After hearing this, the prince frowned slightly and said, "It is certainly a good idea to set up a river management office, but the issues of personnel selection and funding sources also need to be properly resolved. Su Jin, have you considered this?"

Su Jin replied respectfully: "Your Highness, personnel selection can be from officials and scholars who have experience in water control or are proficient in water conservancy knowledge, and then they can receive special training. The source of funds can be allocated by the court on the one hand, and on the other hand, a certain proportion of taxes from the benefiting areas along the Yellow River can be drawn as a special fund for water conservancy, and the funds will be used for specific purposes."

The prince and Chen Jue looked at each other, and both saw relief and recognition in each other's eyes. A glimmer of hope gradually emerged on the prince's face: "What you said is all worthwhile. I have decided that Lin Yuan will be responsible for the overall planning of dredging, Wang Qi will be in charge of the embankment reinforcement project, and Su Jin will start to establish a water conservancy management system. I hope you will work together to overcome the flooding of the Yellow River."

Lin Yuan and the others responded in unison: "We will do our best to live up to your trust."

Their voices were in unison and loud, echoing in the study, revealing a sense of determination and courage of unity.

Afterwards, Chen Jue, Lin Yuan and others withdrew and began to discuss various matters related to water control in detail.

Chen Jue looked at these young and talented Jinshi, and his heart was full of expectations: "Lin Yuan, the dredging project is huge. You need to make a detailed plan first, including the deployment of manpower, the estimation of the construction period, and the possible difficulties and coping strategies."

Lin Yuan nodded and said, "Master Chen, I have a preliminary idea. I want to start with the most severely affected areas in the lower reaches of the Yellow River. The river channel there is most blocked, and the flood pressure can be quickly relieved after dredging. In terms of manpower, in addition to the people along the coast, we can recruit some refugees who have lost their livelihoods due to the flood and give them stable jobs and remuneration. This can not only solve the labor problem of the project, but also appease the refugees and stabilize social order."

As he spoke, he took out a pen and paper and simply sketched out a blueprint of the dredging project. His eyes were focused and serious, as if he was drawing a grand blueprint that concerned the lives and deaths of thousands of people.

Chen Jue looked at the sketch and nodded slightly: "This is a good idea, but we need to be cautious when recruiting refugees. We must ensure that their identities and backgrounds are clean to prevent criminals from sneaking in and causing trouble. At the same time, we must do a good job in the resettlement and management of refugees and provide them with basic food, accommodation and medical care."

Wang Qi said on the side: "Master Chen, I would like to add one more thing about the embankment. In addition to using glutinous rice slurry mixed with loess to build the embankment, drainage channels can be set up inside the embankment so that when floods come, the accumulated water in the embankment can be removed in time to reduce the pressure on the embankment. At the same time, some flood discharge gates can be built at key locations of the embankment to adjust the flood discharge in a timely manner according to the water level to ensure the safety of the embankment."

Chen Jue thought for a moment and said, "Wang Qi, the design and construction of your flood discharge gate requires precise calculations. You need to take into account the impact of the Yellow River flow, the sediment content, and the water level changes in different seasons to ensure that the gate can effectively discharge floodwaters without causing the dam to breach due to design errors."

Su Jin said, "Sir Chen, in establishing a water conservancy management system, I plan to learn from the successful experiences of other regions and formulate a set of perfect rules and regulations based on the actual situation of the Yellow River in Da Chu. At the same time, we need to strengthen the publicity and education of water conservancy knowledge for the people along the river, so that they can understand the harm of the Yellow River floods and the importance of water control, consciously abide by water conservancy laws and regulations, and jointly maintain the tranquility of the Yellow River."

As the discussion progressed, various water control plans were gradually improved. After Chen Jue reported the results of the discussion to the crown prince, the crown prince ordered full support for the water control project and allocated a large amount of materials and money to ensure the smooth progress of the project.