Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

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Xiongzhou, Bazhou, Mozhou, Qingzhou, and Baodingjun were merged into Xiong'an Prefecture, with its capital located in Baodingjun City (southwest of Baxian County).

Upon learning that the emperor was inspecting the Juma River, the prefect and other officials of Xiong'an immediately set off to pay their respects.

They hurried along the northern tributary of the Hutuo River to Dang Town, only to find that the emperor had already left.

So they continued their pursuit, only to find at Baigou Post Station that the emperor had already changed course and headed towards Baiyangdian.

The magistrate of Rongcheng County is already by the emperor's side, and the magistrates of Renqiu and Gaoyang County are also rushing over.

Although a county magistrate cannot travel across borders at will, Baiyangdian spans three counties!

On the banks of the Hutuo River and Baiyangdian Lake, Zhao Yuan had already rested in Zhengzhen for a day.

The magistrate of Renqiu County had already arrived to greet the emperor, as this area was under his jurisdiction.

Accompanying the emperor, the magistrate of Renqiu County warmly introduced: "Your Majesty, Baiyangdian was formerly known as Zuze."

"Since the Han and Tang dynasties, it has also been known by many other names such as Dawodian, Xiaowodian, Juelidian, Xidian, and Xitang."

“When the drought is severe, some places will dry up and become many ponds and lakes of different sizes.”

"The largest of them is called Baiyangdian or Xitang."

The magistrate of Rongcheng County smiled; he had already mentioned these things a couple of days ago.

However, since he is now serving as an imperial envoy across borders, there is no need for him to compete for attention with the local county magistrate.

After introducing the origins of Baiyangdian, the magistrate of Renqiu County recounted the governance efforts over the past few years.

Although Zhao Yuan had heard the report several times, he did not interrupt the man, but listened while admiring the scenery.

After the magistrate of Renqiu County finished speaking, Zhao Yuan asked, "How many months in a year are these numerous ponds and lakes connected together?"

The magistrate of Renqiu County said, "Six months."

Zhao Yuan said, "It will take one or two months longer than Rongcheng County."

The magistrate of Rongcheng County quickly explained: "Baiyangdian Lake in Renqiu County has a longer flood season because it is connected to the Hutuo River."

“Rongcheng County is connected to the Juma River. Because the Juma River is shallow and the water volume is slightly insufficient.”

Fu Xingzhong said, "In the next twenty or thirty years, whether it is the Juma River or Baiyangdian Lake, we will take advantage of the dry season every year to dredge the silt and make the rivers and lakes deeper."

"The dredged silt was transported by small boat to the north bank and downstream of the Juma River to improve the many saline-alkali lands there."

"In this way, we can not only increase the water capacity of the Juma River and Baiyangdian Lake, but also create a lot of fertile land."

Zhao Yuan said, "More trees should be planted along the water's edge."

“We’ve been planting trees all along,” Fu Xingzhong said.

In ancient China, the construction of water conservancy facilities was often accompanied by tree planting activities.

There are already established rules regarding what trees to plant and where to plant them.

Zhao Yuan also said, "Indiscriminate logging and deforestation are prohibited in the upstream mountains."

“A few trees felled by ordinary people won’t cause any major harm to this place,” Fu Xingzhong said.

That's true; the logging by ordinary people doesn't have a significant impact on the Hebei water system.

The premise is that the capital cannot be set in Beijing...

Zhao Yuan asked, "Have you ever been to the upper reaches of the Yellow River (the middle section)?"

Fu Xingzhong said, "I've been there. Those prefectures and counties are all loess, and the floods wash away the silt and sand downstream."

Zhao Yuan said, "We can plant more trees upstream to protect the soil and water."

Fu Xingzhong smiled wryly: "Knowing is easy, doing is hard."

"First, it's difficult to plant, and second, it's hard to prevent logging."

Zhao Yuan expressed his understanding, saying that knowing how to do it is one thing, but being able to do it is another.

In ancient times, it would have been absolutely impossible to do!

"Your Majesty, the Prefect and Vice Prefect of Xiong'an have arrived."

"Bring them here."

The prefect was named Liu Yizhi, a native of Zhejiang.

The prefectural magistrate was named Chen Kangbo, a native of Jiangxi.

Liu Yizhi was a steady and conservative bureaucrat. He would intervene when he encountered something he didn't like, but most of the time he would let things slide.

He firmly believed that a good official is one who doesn't cause trouble.

Chen Kangbo, however, was very radical.

At the end of the Shaoxing era, the Jin army invaded the south, boasting a million soldiers advancing in four routes.

At that time, Yue Fei and Qin Hui had both died, Zhao Gou himself was old and frail, and the front lines had suffered repeated defeats.

Some ministers advised Zhao Gou to surrender to the Jin and negotiate peace, while others advised him to flee south to Fujian.

Disheartened, Zhao Gou issued an edict stating, "Dismiss all officials until the enemy is defeated."

In short, leave it to fate.

Upon receiving the imperial edict, Chen Kangbo immediately burned it to prevent lower-level officials from seeing it. He then rushed into the palace to persuade Zhao Gou to personally lead the expedition.

While Zhao Gou hesitated, news of the great victory at Caishiji arrived.

In his later years, Chen Kangbo had already retired due to illness, but the Jin army arrived again.

He was appointed prime minister and chief privy councilor, and was granted the title of Duke of Lu. Despite being ill, he rushed from his hometown to fight against the Jin dynasty.

Chapter 3403 Yet Another Famous Minister

The Jin army retreated, and he died of illness.

So now Xiong'an Prefecture is quite interesting. Liu Yizhi is in charge of stabilizing the overall situation, while Chen Kangbo is in charge of causing trouble.

One played the good cop, the other the bad cop, and they kept the officials and powerful families under their jurisdiction completely under their control.

The land tax system was quickly implemented, the reform of the official system was also completed, and water conservancy projects were carried out every year to improve people's livelihoods.

"Your subject Liu Yizhi (Chen Kangbo) greets Your Majesty!"

The two men stepped forward to greet each other.

Zhao Yuan smiled and said, "No need for formalities. Was the journey arduous?"

The question left the two speechless for a moment.

They assumed that the emperor's procession was grand and would move very slowly.

So when they heard the news, they went after him, but after going in a big circle, they still couldn't catch up with the emperor.

"Let's get on the ship." Zhao Yuan was the first to step onto the ship.

Although Baiyangdian Lake has a large area, many areas are not deep, and large ships can easily run aground if they are not careful.

The magistrate of Renqiu County prepared only a few ordinary small passenger boats, decorated with red and green embellishments.

The emperor, the prefects, the sub-prefects, the county magistrates, as well as the secretaries and eunuchs, all traveled on the same boat.

The registrar, professors, scholars, and officials of the county traveled together on one boat.

The remaining ships were filled with the emperor's personal guards and attendants, ready to rescue the emperor if the ships capsized.

The scholars from this county were the most excited, as they were brought by a professor from Renqiu.

One of them was a successful candidate in the imperial examinations and had just been personally tested on his knowledge by the emperor.

The fleet passed through the reed beds, and ahead, the water was covered with lotus leaves.

When Zhao Yuan got into the mood, he rowed the boat himself, and the prefect and the vice-prefect quickly came to help.

"You have governed Xiong'an Prefecture exceptionally well," Zhao Yuan praised.

Liu Yizhi said, "This is all thanks to Prefect Chen. I am just sitting in my office."

Chen Kangbo said, "Prefect Liu is the one in charge."

"Hahahaha," Zhao Yuan laughed heartily, "You two, the chief and deputy officials, work together very well."

If all officials in the country acted like this, what would prevent the nation from prospering?

"I dare not accept Your Majesty's praise."

The two felt incredibly refreshed, as if they had drunk ice water on a sweltering summer day.

Zhao Yuan asked, "Is there anything you want to do, but can't do yourself?"

"Since it's today, you may speak frankly."

Liu Yizhi looked at Chen Kangbo, who nodded in response.

Liu Yizhi said, "The two counties on the north bank of the Juma River should also be placed under the jurisdiction of Xiong'an Prefecture."

"There are two advantages to this approach."

"Firstly, it facilitates the management of rivers and lakes; secondly, it facilitates the coordination of irrigation. If any disputes arise regarding water, the government can quickly begin mediation."

“If the north bank is not incorporated into Xiong’an Prefecture, in ten or twenty years, this large area of ​​rivers and lakes will likely be plagued by disputes.”

Zhao Yuan thought about it carefully, then nodded and said, "That makes sense."

Zhao Yuan turned to the secretary transferred from the Tongzhengyuan and said, "Make a note of this: Xincheng and Yongqing counties will be placed under the jurisdiction of Xiong'an Prefecture next year."

The new secretary is named Su Qin, a native of Quanzhou, and a former student of the Imperial Academy during the Song Dynasty.

As a teenager, he was thin and weak, and his classmates jokingly called him "the weakling".

Su Qin responded with a poem: "Don't say the rooster is old or not, its feathers are clustered like brocade. At dawn it crows to announce the day, and suddenly thousands of doors and households open."

(During the Southern Song Dynasty, Wu Lin was stationed in Hanzhong and relied heavily on Su Qin for logistical support. In an effort to win over civil officials, Wu Lin gifted Su Qin tens of thousands of strings of cash and dozens of bolts of Shu brocade, but Su Qin refused to accept a single penny. As a result, the two had an extremely harmonious relationship.)

Su Qin quickly took notes.

A man standing nearby was also taking notes; he was the imperial attendant.

The Imperial Diarist was named Chen Ao, who was only seventeen years old this year and was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the second batch of the Ming Dynasty.

Historically, this man was even more remarkable. He passed the imperial examination at the age of sixteen, and seeing the country in decline and the people suffering, Chen Ao actually resigned from his official post and went to learn martial arts.

A few years later, he successfully passed the military examination with the highest score and became a naval commander under Han Shizhong.

A few years later, Zhao Gou summoned his military generals for a court examination, and Chen Ao once again came out on top among the military generals, essentially making him a martial arts champion.

His younger brother, Chen E, also abandoned his literary pursuits for martial arts and also became the top martial arts scholar.

Unfortunately, the two brothers became embroiled in political struggles.

Their fathers were pro-war civil officials, and they themselves were military generals. They were sidelined for twenty years after Yue Fei's death.

Chen Ao quickly wrote down a sentence from the daily records, then listened quietly to the conversation between the emperor and the officials.

He was appointed as a court attendant by the emperor himself.

As the youngest Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Chen Ao has attracted much attention even before taking office.

Zhao Yuan also liked him very much and often invited him to exercise together in the morning. He even took him with him when he went horseback riding at the Imperial Stables.

Because Chen Ao himself was skilled in riding and archery, and had also learned swordsmanship when he was young.

"Is it the season for harvesting lotus roots?" Zhao Yuan asked a stupid question.

Liu Yizhi said, "Lotus roots can only be harvested after autumn."

Chen Kangbo said, "The lotus roots here grow later than in the south, and at this time of year, we can still harvest the lotus shoots (lotus rootlets)."

Zhao Yuan laughed loudly and asked, "Who will go and pick some lotus root whips for me?"

"I go!"

The official in charge of recording the events was the first to stand up, put down his brush, take off his clothes, and then suddenly jump into the lake.

"Hahahaha!"

Zhao Yuan clapped his hands and laughed loudly: "Old Hong is truly a naval general!"