In the days when I was dressed as the king of a subjugated country

The team sent out to control the flood finally came back.

Gu Li met them in Wenhua Palace.Apart from Nie Guangyu, the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Household Affairs, the Metropolitan Procuratorate and other officials, Xia Xingcheng was also taken back to the capital to explain to Gu Li his and Nie Guangyu's thinking on water control.

Nie Guangyu's water control is simple and crude but effective. He cleaned up the neglected and abandoned river courses since the Zhao and Song Dynasties, blasted the silted areas with gunpowder, led the tributaries of the Yellow River into the sea, and then made cement with the method Gu Li gave , Strengthen the embankment, so that there is no need to worry about flooding for at least five years.

Xia Xingcheng went to the upper reaches of the Yellow River to widen the river, so it was just in line with Nie Guangyu.Otherwise, if the Yellow River surged in the upper reaches, how could it flow into the sea along the channel dredged by Nie Guangyu?

Not seeing each other for more than half a year, Xia Xingcheng looked at Hei and lost a lot of weight, but he was in good spirits.He said to Gu Li: "Your Majesty, the reason why the Yellow River is flooded is because the sediment from the upper reaches was washed into the river, so that the base of the river is even higher than the embankment. I think that to control the Yellow River, we must first control the sand."

Gu Li nodded. He knew that the upper reaches of the soil were washed into the Yellow River.But now he doesn't have a machine, so he can't dig out the silt accumulated in the Yellow River. The only way is to try to fix the soil on both sides and upstream.

but……

Ideals and reality are always different.

Gu Li asked Xia Xingcheng: "Speaking of sand control, I wonder if Mr. Xia has any good ideas?"

Xia Xingcheng said: "Your Majesty, I have been traveling in rivers and mountains for many years, and found that the water in the mountains and forests is often very clear, while the rivers near the fields and farms are usually a little muddy. After verification and speculation by the old man, planting trees and reeds may help to maintain water and soil. .”

Gu Li sighed: "However, both sides of the Yellow River are full of fertile fields. If I force the common people to return their farmland to forests, the common people will not be able to understand on the one hand, and on the other hand, it will be inconvenient to irrigate because they are far away from the river."

The Yanhuang tribe migrated to the Yellow River 2000 years ago and settled down because it is close to the Yellow River, which is convenient for irrigation.After all, in that era, there were no modern mechanized irrigation methods, and the farther away from the river, the more manpower was consumed.

As for now, Gu Li can barely think about making rubber, but without a water pump or a pump, how can it be possible to pump water from a low place to a high place with only rubber pipes?Send the nearby water to the distant place?

In modern times, things that can be solved by turning on the faucet now make it difficult for Gu Li.

Xia Xingcheng also knew that this was a big problem. All the arable land was used to grow food as much as possible. Who would be willing to use the fields by the Yellow River to plant trees and reeds?

Xia Xingcheng was silent for a moment, and then proposed: "Your Majesty, this time Your Majesty gave Nie Sicheng a good recipe, which is to make something called cement. After it solidifies, it is extremely strong. It can not only be used to strengthen dams, but also Repair the road surface. If the barren hills can be reclaimed and paved with a hard and flat road surface, it will be much easier for farmers to fetch water.”

Gu Li had long thought of using cement to build roads, but it was a big project like building water conservancy and reclaiming wasteland. In this process, one had to beware of the officials who handled it filling their own pockets, for fear that the money would be spent without any results.

The economy has just improved, and the common people don’t have much food in their hands. The Jianlu who are eyeing tigers don’t know when they will attack, and once the war starts, they will burn money. Life is so tight, he really dare not mess around Spend money.

An official from the Ministry of Households stood up and protested: "What Mr. Xia said is really a castle in the air and is unrealistic. Do you know how much it will cost to pave the road and reclaim wasteland? Now that His Majesty has reduced taxes for three years, the income in Taicang is not high. Many, most of them are obtained from confiscating the wealth of corrupt officials and embezzlement, and trading after opening the sea. Building roads and reclaiming wasteland is burning money. Even if it is done, it will take two years until the national treasury is full. "

Gu Li pondered for a moment, actually there is another way, that is to print money.Printing money is like mixing water with wine, as long as you don't overdo it, the common people won't notice it.

But printing money to collect inflation tax is still extracting wealth from the people. The life of ordinary people is just a little better. It is best not to do this unless it is absolutely necessary.And once printing money becomes a habit, and thinking about printing money once there is a shortage of money, it will only bring down the paper money market.

Gu Li thought of Chen Feng's batch of treasures again. Thinking about it now, he rejected him without hesitation at that time. How could he be so virtuous!

Another official from the household department came out and said: "Your Majesty, what Gong Langzhong said is true! The Taicang treasury is not full. It is only natural for Your Majesty to requisition civilian husbands. Why do you have to pay? Although it is only ten bills a day, but 1000 People, that's [-] notes a day! If Your Majesty wants to pave the way and reclaim wasteland, it must not be like this again!"

Gu Li frowned and said, "This August is the busy season for farming. Farmers put down their work in the fields and come to the Yellow River to control the water. Do you know how much they will lose? Don't be hungry if you don't know how hungry you are. With the imperial salary, official rules in hand, ice respect in summer, carbon respect in winter, travel schedule, how do you know what kind of life the common people live?"

His words were so serious that the officials quickly knelt down, and all the procuratorate officials came out to persuade them: "Your Majesty, since you have been investigating several major cases this spring, you have also set up a supervision department in the capital to encourage the common people to come here. Going to Beijing to sue the Imperial Court, not to mention the great Chu, even the previous dynasties have never given such great power to the people, who would dare to accept such filial piety now? Now that the government is clear and clear, why did Your Majesty say such words?"

Gu Li sighed, and said: "How can the Ministry of Supervision have such a great function? It can only benefit the people in the area of ​​Beizhili. People in remote areas rely on two legs to get to Beijing, and it takes several months to get there. , not to mention whether there will be any accidents in the middle of the journey. The officials in the capital are in good order, but I don’t know what’s going on in the local area.”

Seeing that the officials were still kneeling in fear, he said, "Get up."

Originally it was to report work, but it made the atmosphere so heavy now, Gu Li thought about it, and left this group of people for dinner.These people have also worked hard for several months, and they are all tanned and thin, so they should be commended.

Li Tang is an astute person, he has already ordered the imperial dining room to make preparations, and when lunch time comes, there will be a series of exquisite imperial meals delivered on time.

"I don't know if you have tasted these fresh vegetables when you are out to control the water. These are potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, peanuts, should you try them?"

People like potatoes have more or less tasted them. As for sweet potatoes, corn, and peanuts, they are only distributed within the capital. These people have been out for a long time, and it is the first time they have seen them.

An official tasted a piece of fried peanut, only to feel that it was delicious and crispy, and the more he chewed it, the more delicious it became. After eating several peanuts, he exclaimed: "I don't know what this is? It must be a precious thing like potatoes!" "

Gu Li smiled and said nothing.

The person next to him picked up a peanut boiled in salt water, peeled off the shell, and found that the same ingredients were used as fried peanuts, but the method was different.

He tasted a few and was full of praise: "Sweet and soft, wonderful!"

In addition, there is a plate of fried green beans with corn and a stack of fried sweet potato balls. Although they are fresh, they are not very good for rice.At this moment, the palace servants brought up the last dish, which was nothing more than an unremarkable stir-fried pork with chili.

Gu Li took a symbolic hold of the chopsticks, and all the officials followed suit and took a sip. Although it was a bit spicy, the taste was actually good, and it was quite appetizing.

Gu Li looked at the courtiers who were having dinner below, and couldn't help but feel a little dejected.Isn't fried green beans with corn fragrant?Isn't boiled peanuts fragrant?Aren't fried peanuts and fried sweet potato balls delicious?Why do everyone's chopsticks frequently reach for chili fried pork?Gu Li glanced at Zhen'er who was eating seriously beside him. Zhen'er took a sip and bit off most of the sweet potato balls, her two cheeks bulging. The fried peanuts and corn-fried green beans were almost eaten, only the A small plate of chili fried pork has not been touched, it seems that Zhen Er is still his strong ally!

After lunch, Zhen'er went back to Qianqing Palace for an afternoon nap, the banquet was withdrawn, and Gu Li led the officials to the platform of Jianji Hall to continue inquiring about water control.

It will take two years to see whether the water control has any effect this time, and what he wants to hear now is how much it cost this time.

Officials spend a lot of money on travel expenses, expropriation of civilians, purchase of gunpowder, cement, daily rice milk, etc., etc., and so on.

All of a sudden, the national treasury, which had been saved with great difficulty, was almost emptied. Although Gu Li was in pain, it was a matter of people's livelihood after all, and the money was worth it.He heard that the Ministry of Households had reconciled accounts with the Inspectorate, and it was not too long before he went out, so he asked Nie Guangyu and others to go home to rest first, and later asked Li Tang to send silk cloth banknotes, potatoes and sweet potatoes to express his condolences.Xia Xingcheng's mansion in the capital has been confiscated, and he is currently living in the Guandi Temple outside Zhengyangmen. Gu Li still has something to ask him, as it is inconvenient for him to walk outside Zhengyangmen, so let him live inside first. In the house of Cao Cunlin in the city.

After Xia Xingcheng left the palace, he went to Cao's house, cleaned it casually and stayed there.When he heard that Zuo Shangshu had actually passed away, he couldn't help but sigh, when he fought with Zuo Shangshu in the court hall, his eyes turned red and he fought to the death, but in just over half a year, things have changed!

Looking back now, I just feel so emotional, it's like having a big dream.

Xia Xingcheng has no intention of career, but others don't know what he thinks.Seeing that Zuo Shangshu passed away, many officials saw that Xia Xingcheng had made great achievements in water control, and he seemed to be coming back. The officials who came to visit him in the past two days almost broke the threshold of Cao's mansion.

His old acquaintances in the capital avoided seeing him when he was in distress, but these days they came to him one after another to chat with him.Xia Xingcheng didn't want to see any of these people.It's just that during the water control, I made some friends with several officials from the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Households. Thinking that His Majesty may still need him to build water conservancy projects in the future, he will have to deal with these people. He ate, Xia Xingcheng had to go.

When they arrived at the restaurant, there were already some people sitting inside, Xia Xingcheng saw Chen Jicai immediately!This man was a doctor of Fang Si in the Ministry of War, and was later transferred to the Department of Cleaning Officials of the Ministry of Households.When Xia Xingcheng ransacked his house, the family members were almost humiliated. At that time, he asked for help from Mr. Chen, who was watching from the sidelines, and hoped that he would say a few words for him because of his help. The white-eyed wolf who sees the wind and the wind, stepped on him righteously and flattered himself, disgusting Xia Xingcheng.

When Xia Xingcheng saw him this time, he couldn't hold back his face and wanted to turn around and leave.An official beside him hurriedly stopped him, and said with a smile, "Mingtai! Mingtai! Don't go, I just came here, let's have a glass of wine first."

The man pulled Xia Xingcheng to sit down, Xia Xingcheng had a dark face, glanced at Chen Jicai, and asked left and right: "Why is this person here?"

Chen Jicai quickly stood up, picked up his wine glass, and said with a smile on his face, "Xia Yushi, it was the villain who did something wrong earlier, and the villain punished himself with three glasses of wine. I hope you will forgive me!"

Xia Xingcheng was so disgusted that he couldn't speak, and kept silent.

At this moment, the door opened again, and a person came in striding into the wind, and said with a loud smile, "Everyone is here? It seems that I am late!"

Xia Xingcheng looked up and saw that this person was Nie Guangyu.

Xia Xingcheng and Nie Guangyu have only been separated for a few days, and I don't think there has been any change in him, but all the Beijing officials present have seen Nie Guangyu's unlucky appearance. At that time, Nie Guangyu was like a wandering ghost, his face turned green , The spirit is sluggish, how can it look so high-spirited now? !

Nie Guangyu had a scar on his forehead, and he was much darker and thinner, but his spirit was very good, and his eyes were shining brightly.He walked into the teahouse, followed by a person, Jiang Yun, the right servant of the household department.

Jiang Shilang actually came in behind him, which surprised everyone.

Zheng Qi, the head of the Department of Anthology of the Ministry of Officials, was also present, and he had some affair with Jiang Yun, so he couldn't help asking at this time: "Did Jiang Shilang come with Nie Sicheng?"

Jiang Yun's face was still a little pale, and he said with a dry smile: "I met on the road, so we came together."

After the two sat down, Nie Guangyu asked, "What dishes did you order?"

Nie Guangyu waved to the servant outside the door, whispered something to him, the servant nodded and went out.

One person said with a smile: "Nanpu, you have worked hard to control the floods in Beijing this time. I think you will be promoted in a short time! Come, Brother Yu, I will toast you first!"

Everyone tossed and exchanged cups, and after a round of toasting, Zheng Qi also toasted, then shrank his hands and kept silent.He already felt that Nie Guangyu is not what he used to be. He is not the Nie Guangyu they squeezed and rounded a few months ago. He needs to be honest and don't make trouble for himself.

However, he didn't want to make trouble, but trouble refused to let him go.

Nie Guangyu put down his cup, looked at Zheng Qi, and said with a smile: "I haven't seen Mr. Zheng for a long time, I wonder if Mr. Zheng's taste has changed?"

Zheng Qi was a little dazed, and looked at Jiang Yun for help, but Jiang Yun just sat there with his eyes downcast, looking like he was in a trance.

Nie Guangyu's servant came in at the right time, holding a tray in his hand, with a large bowl on the tray, and a porcelain lid turned upside down. He didn't know what was in the bowl.

The servant put the bowl in front of Nie Guangyu, Nie Guangyu smiled and said: "I asked someone to add a dish, you don't mind?"

Everyone said they didn't mind, and asked what was on the plate.After everyone asked about it, the servant finally lifted the lid, and it turned out to be a bowl of steamed pig brains.

Zheng Qi's face turned pale, remembering how he had ridiculed Nie Guangyu.He sat still.

Everyone has already praised it, praising the nutrition and deliciousness of the pig's brain marrow, which is the famous dish of this restaurant.

After everyone's voices quieted down, Nie Guangyu looked at Zheng Qi with a smile and said, "Master Zheng, try it first?"

Zheng Qi's face turned pale, and he sat still.

Nie Guangyu urged: "Master Zheng?"

Zheng Qi took a deep breath, picked up a spoon, scooped up a piece of pig brain, and put it into a bowl.Seeing his slow-moving and reluctance, Nie Guangyu smiled and said, "Master Zheng doesn't like this steamed pig's brain, so forget it. I think he doesn't like this kind of practice."

Everyone didn't know what kind of medicine Nie Guangyu sold in the gourd, so they didn't dare to make a sound. Xia Xingcheng was used to the wind and rain, and immediately saw that Zheng Qi had offended Nie Guangyu before, so Nie Guangyu wanted to make things difficult for him. Him, it's not over yet.

Sure enough, Nie Guangyu clapped his hands, and another servant came in with a big bowl.

Looking at Zheng Qi's pale face, Nie Guangyu said happily, "Boss Zheng, since you don't like cooked food, I'll leave this plate of raw food to you!"

The servant lifted the lid, revealing the white pig's brain dotted with red blood in the bowl!

作者有话要说：感谢在2020-05-0118:34:53~2020-05-0216:54:34期间为我投出霸王票或灌溉营养液的小天使哦~

Thanks to the little angel of the irrigation nutrient solution: 20 bottles of I am very calm; 8 bottles of small oranges and grapefruits;

Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!