The third emperor of the Sui Dynasty

Chapter 890
The sound of the torrential rain was falling, and the torrential rain curtain blocked the sight. The well-trained soldiers of the Fifth Army rode one and two, along the embankment of the Yellow River, and traveled eastward without stopping. Hongzhi sprinkled ten guards soldiers on several dangerous embankments in Xingyang, and rushed to Dongjun without stopping.

The river embankment has always been used as an official road. Since the Sui Dynasty recovered the Central Plains, the embankment has been repaired many times. The top of the embankment has been repaired with a high middle and low arc on both sides. There is no water on the top, which makes the army advance extremely fast .

The rain was too heavy, and fortunately the new helmet was designed with a long brim to avoid arrows. Just press down to block the heavy rain. Otherwise, the soldiers would not even be able to open their eyes, let alone see the road.

To the north of the procession, the vast Yellow River swept through the sand, and the roaring scene was a hundred times more majestic than usual. The surging river was restrained by the embankment, and it rushed eastward with indescribable power. roar.

In Lingchang County, Dongjun County, where the water potential is "gentle" and the embankment is slippery, soldiers from the two guards were scattered. Xie Yingdeng and Yin Hongzhi were at the forefront of the team. The short shirt and trousers that are easy to move, at this time, the whole body, except for the official documents in the briefcase, almost nowhere is dry, being hit by the wind and rain, a cold swish chill invades from the outside to the inside.

Yin Hongzhi saw the shadows in front of him, and quickly wiped off the rainwater. Although he is a martial artist, his eyesight is far inferior to that of Xie Yingdeng, who is good at archery. He couldn't recognize the place for a while, so he asked loudly: "General Xie , where is this?"

Xie Yingdeng waited and watched non-stop for a while, and replied: "Yin Shilang, you have arrived at the border of Baima County in Dongjun, and there should be soldiers and people in the dike in front of you."

"It's finally here!" Yin Hongzhi heaved a sigh of relief, and said, "The Yellow River flows advectively from Taohuapu in Xingyang to Lingchang County in Dongjun, and there is a big turn in the north. This big turn covers Baima and Weinan counties. When it reaches Puyang County, it advects to the east again, and then turns north again, covering Fan County, Yanggu County, Dong'e County, Lu County, and Jibei County in Jibei County. These two big turns are also the most dangerous in the lower reaches of the Yellow River. The section of the river. Li Shilang from the Ministry of Works and Yan Lide from the Ministry of Water are ordered by the imperial court to lead the civilians to the berms in Jibei County first, and General Luo will also arrive. There should be no worries there. It’s up to us now.”

Xie Yingdeng smiled boldly: "Yin servant, don't worry, my Great Sui army is invincible and invincible. Even if the sky falls, we can restore it."

"The general is proud." Yin Hongzhi said regretfully, "It's a pity that I'm not qualified to join the army. I've really lost my late father's face."

Xie Yingdeng joked: "One is enough, don't be too greedy..."

"What the general said is very true." Yin Hongzhi was proud of his sister's achievements.

Before the words were finished, the scouts in front rode back and reported, "I would like to thank you General and Minister Yin, and the county magistrate of Baima County is here to greet you."

A group of people followed the scouts, and they got off their horses. One of them ran forward and saluted, "Zhang Jin, the humble county magistrate of Baima County, has seen General Xie and Minister Yin."

Yin Hongzhi didn't open his mouth. Although the county magistrate was assigned to the military department and had nothing to do with the army in name, it still couldn't change the fact that the other party was a soldier. It would be better for Xie Yingdeng, who is also a soldier, to come forward.What's more, Xie Yingdeng had to be the berm master to be in charge of the logistics and personnel height.

Xie Yingdeng also knew this truth. He glanced at the county magistrate and found that he was not much better than himself. His clothes were soaked by rain, his hair and clothes were full of muddy water, he described himself as embarrassed and haggard, and asked directly: "Zhang Xiancheng, how is the condition of the river embankment?"

Zhang Jin replied worriedly: "Reporting to the general, the situation on the embankment is very unstable. Just half an hour ago, a wave of torrent far surpassed the previous one passed by, and the water level has already overflowed the embankment. It has been successfully passed. However, the heavy rain has not stopped, the water has not diminished, and there are signs of collapse in many places of the embankment. Although everyone tried their best to repair it, they do not know whether they can survive safely. "

The disaster was raging, Xie Yingdeng didn't ask the details, but said in a deep voice: "The Holy Majesty cares about the people and the levee, so he set up ten joint 'Flood Fighting and Rescue Emergency Administration', and assigned me, Yin Shilang and the army to protect the levee. Medicines, clothes, and other supplies will arrive later, please ask someone from Zhang County Cheng to go to the county seat to choose a drying place first, so that the supplies can be properly arranged."

"Your Majesty is merciful!" Zhang Jin was overjoyed. When he saw the urgent document sent by the messenger, he thought that the imperial court would only send a large army to assist. Now he knows that there are still supplies coming, which can be regarded as a solution to the urgent need of Baima County.

After getting excited, he asked again: "Is there any food?"

Hearing this, Xie Yingdeng and Yin Hongzhi were stunned.

After a while, Yin Hongzhi, who came back to his senses, frowned and said, "The Baima warehouse in Baima County has 800 million shi of grain, why should it be transported from the capital?"

"That's right," Xie Yingdeng said with a smile, "Although everyone fights floods to protect their homeland, His Majesty's meaning is very clear, that is, the imperial court and local government must ensure the safety of all personnel on embankments, as well as all necessary supplies such as medicine and food. We can't let the common people rescue the dams, and they have to prepare their own meals. Yin Shilang is in charge of dispatching and arranging logistics matters, and has the right to open warehouses to get food, Zhang Xiancheng can rest assured."

"Could it be that you let the people prepare their own food?" Yin Hongzhi was keenly aware of the problem, and his voice became severe.

"It's not all." Zhang Jin said both puzzled and angrily: "These days, more than tens of thousands of people take turns to protect and repair the dike. The behavior of "relief with work" should take the grain from the official warehouse for the common people to eat. For the hungry people who are still rushing to repair the embankment, full of shame but helpless, we really can't bear to see the starving people who have worked for a long time without covering their clothes. edible."

The righteous warehouse is the people's own food reserves. After the autumn harvest every year, a part of the food will be paid and stored separately, and it will be used for disaster relief when there is a famine. It is generally managed by the local government.

After Yang Tong came to power, he found that there were many files about righteous warehouses. The food that the people worked hard to grow was stored in righteous warehouses. In the end, the righteous warehouses either caught fire for no reason, or were attacked by thieves. But dare not speak out.

In view of this, Yang Tong simply reformed the free warehouse system and implemented the policy of common people's food and people's management. Each village has one free warehouse. Custody, a volume and the grain of the righteous warehouse are kept by the people of each village themselves. This method of "people's grain is not in the hands of the officials" is used to prevent the local government from being greedy for the grain of the people.

In addition, even the imperial government’s official grain was reformed. First, the county warehouses and county warehouses were abolished, and then every three, four, or five counties jointly built a large warehouse, which was directly managed by the imperial court’s Si Nong Temple. The money and food in the official warehouses are concentrated in large warehouses, and the local government keeps accounts and manages the property. Sinong Temple has another account book, which is accounted for once a year.

The official rations of Dongjun County are located in Jiyin, so there is no county-level big warehouse, but there is a national-level white horse warehouse here, and the county magistrate does not open the official warehouse, forcing the other four officials to borrow food from the common people’s charity warehouse. Come to eat, this way of doing things while riding a donkey to find a donkey really made Yin Hongzhi and Xie Yingdeng dumbfounded, but it also shows that the government has a good reputation among the people, and the people trust the government and are willing to lend food to the government; I don't take it seriously, I just think that this person is timid, cautious and pedantic.

"Don't worry, Zhang Xiancheng, I will take care of this matter." Yin Hongzhi said in a deep voice: "The people's food is not only food, but also a heavy sincerity and trust. The court must not let the people suffer and be disappointed. After the disaster, Double the return with new grain."

"Don't worry, Yin Shilang, the amount of food borrowed is clear, and the whole process will be taken under the witness of the village head, deputy village head, old and young women and children." With the arrival of Yin Hongzhi, the food problem was solved immediately, and Zhang Jin had a big heart. Smooth, ecstatic.

"Don't gossip, take us to the dangerous embankment to see the situation. We still have many officials and craftsmen from the Ministry of Industry here. They are all experts in river regulation and embankment repair!"

"Here." Zhang Jin got on his horse and led the way.

Following Xie Yingdeng's order, the army started up again and marched forward despite the wind and rain.

……

The Baima Embankment was crowded with people.

Wang Sen, the county captain, looked at the rushing and turbulent waters of the upper reaches of the Yellow River, his eyes full of sadness.

He is also a soldier who retired from the army. He used to be the political commissar of the Military Affairs Department. He injured his arm in the battle with the Turks. Although his arm was saved in the end, he could no longer lift heavy objects. And because of his meritorious service, he was appointed as Baima county lieutenant.

As a former political commissar, Wang Sen's organizational ability is not weak, but the problems he faces are the same as Zhang Jin's. The two are good at fighting and organizing, but they don't know how to control water, which makes a layman work as a layman If you can do a good job, there will be ghosts.

It may not be possible to change it to a court minister.

More than 4000 peasants on the embankment, under the command of Wang Sen, were working in full swing, carrying baskets of earth and rocks to the top of the dam to reinforce many damaged embankments. However, the flood became more and more turbulent. The torrential water swept away the fallen earth and rocks in an instant, and all efforts were in vain.

Some places were even overflowed by the soaring river water. What is particularly worrying is that the inside of the embankment was impacted by the water of the Yellow River, and the outside was washed by the overflowing water, revealing gullies. The muddy water washed down by the river water was like the blood of the embankment. It made everyone's hearts tug in one place.

Everyone gritted their teeth, overdrawing their last bit of strength, and vowed to restrain the monstrous flood within the river, preventing it from breaking the dam and submerging their homes.

However, in the face of massive natural disasters, the disadvantage of manpower has led to a tight predicament everywhere. The flood has crazily impacted on the embankment, and gaps have appeared in many river embankments. Without the strongest outer defense, the interior is even more fragile. The gap is in the The river washes down and grows bigger and bigger. If a certain place collapses completely, the raging flood will pour down along the gap, razing Baima City to the ground with a monstrous force... Helpless, everyone had no choice but to crazily fill the earth and rocks into the water to be washed by the flood. A gap in the embankment.

Just at the time of extreme urgency and anxiety, there was a rumbling sound from the west, and the dull sound pierced through the wind and rain and penetrated into everyone's ears.

"The upper embankment is finished!"

This is the voice of everyone at the moment, everyone is dumbfounded, as if they have lost the last bit of strength, and collapsed on the muddy water.

In an instant, the embankment full of people fell into an atmosphere of despair.

"The embankment has not collapsed... This is the voice of the cavalry army..." After all, it is a person who has participated in countless battles. When the sound approached, Wang Sen heard it.

At this moment, a black line appeared in the upstream direction of the torrential rain, and soon, teams of elite riders appeared on the top of the embankment and below the embankment.

The peasants on the embankment were in shock. Could it be that the war in the east was starting again and the army was being dispatched to the battlefield?
"By the order of the Holy Majesty, the Great Sui Army came to fight the flood and defend the embankment with the people of Baima County. Don't panic." In the wind and rain, the soldiers rushing ahead shouted loudly.

This voice, like a flash of lightning, fiercely tore away the haze in people's hearts, giving people a piece of light.

When the big army approached, everyone found that most of the soldiers had replaced the common swords and spears on their bodies with tools such as shovels, shovels, hammers, axes, and hoes.Each soldier led another empty horse, and bundles of sacks were carried on the horse's back.

In an instant!

Thunderous cheers erupted on the embankment!

Running to the front, Yin Hongzhi and Xie Yingdeng saw the precarious embankment, and their faces changed immediately.

I was both surprised and fortunate in my heart, if I arrived one or two hours late, maybe this place would have become a vast ocean.

"How's the situation?" Yin Hongzhi asked the accompanying Ministry of Industry officials.

"Yin Shilang, this section of the embankment can no longer be saved."

"what?"

Everyone was shocked.

"The embankment is already very weak. When the water reaches a certain level, it will collapse as a whole. At this time, no matter how many sandbags are thrown in, the foundation will not be strong, and they will be washed away together, which will not be effective in preventing floods!"

"What should I do?"

"Behind the river embankment, build a strong new embankment!" Before Yin Hongzhi could ask, the water control official had already come up with a solution. It continues to work, then sandbags, then a rope net, then sandbags... Time is ticking, hurry up."

"General Xie, the situation is serious, it's up to you..."

"Okay!" Xie Yingdeng also knew that the situation was urgent, and immediately dispatched orders to Ying Yanglang who followed closely.

Before coming, each guard has clearly defined its own tasks. Different "weapons" perform different tasks. Those with axes are responsible for chopping down trees and sharpening them, and then hand them over to the hammer team to drive piles...with shovels and shovels Soldiers with picks and hoes are responsible for digging and bagging the mud, and then take turns carrying it.

The soldiers were ordered to split up immediately.

While Xie Yingdeng directed the soldiers to move, Yin Hongzhi, led by Zhang Jin, walked towards the muddy and exhausted civilian husband.

"Everyone has worked hard, and I, Yin Hongzhi, would like to thank you on behalf of the Holy One and the imperial court." Yin Hongzhi gave a deep salute, then got up and said loudly: "Please rest assured and go to rest, the next battle against the sky will be up to you." My Great Sui Army is here to fight."

The common people have always been the most humble and disadvantaged group, but they are also the group of people who are most easily agitated and moved.

Hearing Yin Hongzhi's words, everyone felt the urge to cry.

Since ancient times, every time a flood rages, the local government organizes to fight the flood first, and everyone is happy if they survive it. If they can't, they have to let the flood break the embankment and ravage their homes.Even if someone survived by chance, apart from receiving a small amount of relief, the fate of becoming a refugee is inevitable.

The imperial court dispatched troops to participate in flood fighting and rescue?

It's something unheard of in the ages!

"My lord, we can still do it."

While everyone was silent, someone suddenly raised their arms and shouted.

"My lord, we can still do it."

The embankment was boiling.

"Forget it, let's go and help the soldiers pack sandbags." Yin Hongzhi is an official in the local area. He knows that the people regard the safety of their homes as important as Mount Tai. It is not beautiful to force them to leave, and the soldiers have these civilians to help open the bags. mouth, the speed will be much faster.

The civilian husband withdrew from the river embankment as promised, leaving the main battlefield out.

Although the soldiers marched all the way in a hurry, they were all elite soldiers. Compared with the common people who had been fighting for several days, their actions were not only orderly, but also much faster.

Under the command of the officials of the Ministry of Industry, the generals first beat sharpened tree stumps outside the river embankment, forming "X"s in two rows, and connected them with giant trees. A good rope net is firmly tied to the wooden frame, and several layers of sandbags are stacked inside and outside the rope net.

Then followed the same pattern in the back, and hit three rows in a row, and then piled up the sandbags in a staggered manner to form a dam several miles long, covering all the dangerous river dykes. .

But everyone did not dare to be careless, and continued to build a slope behind the new embankment to increase the stress strength of the river embankment.

Not long after the new embankment was high, the old embankment, which was washed to pieces, finally could not withstand the erosion of the river, and gaps began to appear. The flood flowed along the gaps, cutting the river embankment into pieces. Fell to the south of the new embankment.

Perhaps the new embankment is strong, or the distance between the old and new embankments is too close, and the force generated by the flood is insufficient. The new embankment replaced the old embankment and successfully blocked the offensive flood, forcing the water of the Yellow River to gallop along the river.

"Long live Da Sui!"

On the embankment, there were thunderous cheers.

But the officials and craftsmen of the Ministry of Industry were not happy. They knew that the new embankment had successfully blocked the surging water of the Yellow River, but compared with the old embankment, it was an isolated embankment. After the old embankment was washed away, it formed a smaller arc, which not only caused excess water to stagnate here, but also increased the pressure on the new embankment, and even the connection between the two ends of the old embankment was unstable.

No matter where there is a problem between the two, the efforts of nearly [-] soldiers and civilians will be tantamount to useless efforts, and the torrent will turn into an evil dragon, swallowing all humans and animals in the land of Huanghuai.

Immediately remind Yin Hongzhi and Xie Yingdeng that this is not a time for joy.

One article and one military were awe-inspiring, and the soldiers and civilians were overjoyed, and the soldiers were divided into three groups for action. One group consolidated the two ends of the broken embankment, one group piled sandbags on the new embankment to raise the embankment, and the other group continued to transport sandbags by horses for backup.

Sure enough, the water level of the river gradually increased, slowly approaching the top of the embankment.Fortunately, preparations were made in advance, and everyone worked together to start with a new embankment and build high embankments to both ends.

Seeing that the water was finally under control, Yin Hongzhi immediately relaxed his heart. When the cool wind blew, he couldn't help shivering. Seeing that the soldiers and civilians were all exhausted, he rushed towards the Wang Sen cupped his hands and said, "This must be the county magistrate!"

Wang Sen was stunned for a moment, and returned the courtesy: "Reporting to the superior, the lowly position is the county lieutenant Wang Sen, not the county magistrate."

"Ah?" Now, it was Yin Hongzhi's turn to be fooled. Since there was a serious danger on the river embankment when he arrived, he didn't even care about greeting the local officials, so he was busy dispatching personnel.

Although he did not communicate with Wang Sen, he found that this person was as stable as Mount Tai in times of crisis, and he was able to arrange and command thousands of civilians in an orderly manner without any chaos, so he thought he was the county magistrate of Baima County.

Who thought this was the county captain?However, Yin Hongzhi was not surprised by Fang Fang's identity as a county lieutenant. After all, most of the county magistrates and county lieutenants were retired military officers.

So, he said with a smile: "It turns out to be the county lieutenant Wang, where are you the county magistrate?"

Wang Sen smiled wryly and said, "The county magistrate has not shown his face on the embankment for a day and a night."

Yin Hongzhi pondered for a moment, then asked again: "Is he evacuating the people?"

"No, Lu County is currently in charge of evacuating the people."

Yin Hongzhi was full of anger: "At this critical juncture, one does not call on the people to fight the flood, and the other does not evacuate the people to seek refuge. What is this county magistrate doing? What does he want to do?"

"I don't even know about this humble job." Wang Sen looked helpless.

Yin Hongzhi's complexion suddenly darkened.

Previously, Zhang Jin, the county magistrate, said that the county magistrate was unwilling to open the white horse warehouse to get food. He thought that the other party was timid and cautious, so he didn't care about it; but now, the people are all guarding the embankment. Didn't show up all night.

Now it seems that there is something wrong with this bastard county magistrate.

Yin Hongzhi said to Xue Wanbei, the law enforcement officer: "General Xue took a brigade of soldiers to the county government and invited me the county magistrate. I really want to see what kind of stupid and cruel person this is, who can do justice to the Yellow River embankment. Do you not hear or ask?"

"Here." Xue Wanbei responded, and ordered a brigade of soldiers to leave.

Yin Hongzhi said to Xie Yingdeng again: "General Xie, it's getting late, let the soldiers choose a high place to set up military tents, light a fire for warmth and cook food."

"It's no problem to set up the military tent, but the servant needs to come forward for the food." Now, Xie Yingdeng can also see that the Baima county magistrate has no problem.

"General Xie, please send me a group of soldiers to carry the food." Yin Hongzhi keenly noticed that the problem started when the county magistrate refused to take the official rations. He was worried that the county magistrate would go crazy and set fire to the warehouse.

The country is based on the people, and the people depend on food.In the agriculture-based Great Sui Dynasty, if it hadn’t been for the seven-year flood in Daye, and if it hadn’t been for the excessive transportation of grain to the north, causing a huge food crisis in the Central Plains, even if there were many reasons for careerists, there would be no way to keep some people alive. People who are satisfied with food rise up to rebel, let alone subvert the regime, so food has always been the foundation of stabilizing the country's foundation.

Grain also has a very important position in Yang Tong's heart, otherwise he would not have made a policy of storing grain that can be eaten by the whole country for two to three years.

Although the Baima warehouse is far inferior to Luokou, Liyang, Huiluo, Guangtong, Heyang and other warehouses, there are also 800 million shi of grain here, and there is no room for sloppy.

"Of course." Xie Yingdeng said solemnly.

"Thank you!" Yin Hongzhi nodded, and said to Wang Sen, "Please, County Captain Wang, take me to Cangcheng."

"Here!"

(End of this chapter)