The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 667 A Perfect Start
Yizhou, Chengdu.

"Ah."

Deng Ai looked at the letter in his hand with a calm expression. He casually put the letter aside and looked at the officials in front of him.

Now, Deng Ai has replaced Zhang Hua as the minister of Shu.

His position in Shu was similar to that of Chen Tai in Wu, but Cao Mao did not send someone like Wang Jing to monitor him, nor did he send someone like Wang Ji to protect him.

It seems that Deng Ai actually holds a very high position in Cao Mao's heart.

Cao Mao trusted Deng Ai very much.

Even though Deng Ai had a criminal record, Cao Mao still trusted him so much.

Moreover, Deng Ai was almost omnipotent. He did not need anyone to protect him or monitor him. Of course, this was also because the situation in Shu was better than that in Wu.

The powerful families in Shu are far inferior to those in Wu.

Because of the long-term Northern Expeditions, the big families here may be the worst off among the Three Kingdoms.

After Deng Ai arrived in Shu, he did not rush to issue decrees. Instead, he traveled around the entire Shu.

He even went to the South Central region and toured the entire area.

When he was about to go to Nanzhong, many ministers advised him against it, saying that he was too old and that Nanzhong was such a hellish place that he might never come back.

Deng Ai asked disdainfully: Is it more difficult to walk than the Jinggu Road?

The officials were suddenly afraid to speak.

Deng Ai traveled all over Shu in this way and just returned to Chengdu.

What is surprising is that this guy still looks full of energy. Going to Nanzhong is like leaving home, and he feels relaxed and comfortable.

At this moment, Deng Ai received orders from the temple, which included some of Chen Tai and others' experience in governing the Southern Kingdom.

The people of Shu are relatively obedient, and many of them have been promoted. Many of those gathered here with Deng Ai are former Shu people.

Many county magistrates were promoted directly from the Shu people.

Yizhou Governor Guanqiu Dian stood beside Deng Ai, looking at the letter he had placed aside. He said, "Lord Deng, will you follow the instructions of the imperial court next?"

Deng Ai interrupted him before he started talking.

"The temple, the temple doesn't know what's going on here."

"The actions of Chen Tai and the others are useless. What's the point of fighting?"

"I came here to govern the area for Your Majesty. Governing the area is the most important thing. Please let everyone in."

"only!"

Guanqiu Dian did not dare to object and hurriedly sent people to summon many officials.

Deng Ai now had a huge map spread out.

"Look everyone, this is me. I've seen canals in various places. In Hanzhong County alone, there are six major canals. Near Chengdu, there are over eighty weirs and canals. Even in places like Nanzhong, there are numerous ponds, reservoirs, and ponds."

"In my opinion, the water conservancy in the entire Shu region is simply astonishing. The Shanhe Weir alone can irrigate over 8,000 mu of farmland in Baocheng, over 30,600 mu of farmland in Nanzheng County, and over 7,000 mu of farmland in Jiu County, for a total of over 46,000 mu."

"Many surrounding counties have reservoirs, with each county boasting more than twenty, and over three hundred ponds and pools! The rest are countless."

Deng Ai pointed to the map in front of him.

Everyone looked down and saw that Deng Ai had marked many symbols all over Bashu, representing different water conservancy measures.

Seeing these densely packed water conservancy projects, Guanqiudian felt his scalp tingling.

He asked in astonishment: "How can there be so many?"

The coverage of this water conservancy city has reached an astonishing level. For comparison, Cao Wei usually built reservoirs, as was the case in Yongliang. There are twenty large reservoirs near Chang'an that can store 100,000 cubic meters of water. Doesn't that sound like a lot?
But an ordinary county in Bashu has 40 reservoirs! More than twice as many as Chang'an!
Not to mention the other ponds, weirs and canals.
Many officials couldn't help but exclaim in amazement at this moment.

Deng Ai said seriously: "Since the Qin Dynasty, Ba and Shu have built many water conservancy projects and reclaimed a lot of wasteland, making them known as granaries."

"And what you see now was built by Zhuge Liang, the former Prime Minister of Shu."

The officials who came out from the middle were amazed again, but the people of Shu lowered their heads at this moment.

Deng Ai then said, "Zhuge Liang is truly a genius. He continued the water conservancy projects of the past and covered all of Bashu. Not a single spot was left out. Even in remote areas like Nanzhong, you can still see the canals and reservoirs he built."

Deng Ai pointed to several places in Nanzhong.

"I heard from the elders there that when Zhuge Liang was still alive, the grain yield in Nanzhong was so high that even the wild men in the mountains came down to farm."

"Only a few years have passed, and all the things built by Zhuge Liang have been abandoned." Many people believe that Zhuge Liang is the culprit of Shu Kingdom's warmongering and constant northern expeditions, but in fact, when he was on the northern expedition, the national strength of Bashu did not suffer a big blow. On the contrary, this man was a construction maniac. He developed water conservancy projects in Bashu, and almost every place was designed by him.

How much importance did Zhuge Liang attach to water conservancy projects?

Historical records show that Zhuge Liang appointed weir officials and assigned them 1,200 men. What were their responsibilities? They were responsible for protecting the weirs and canals.

When the water conservancy projects were completed, he began to encourage agriculture and reclaim wasteland, and opened up a lot of fertile land in various parts of Bashu. As a result, the national strength of Shu was not affected even after many expeditions.

When the ministers who were sent to Shu talked about the appearance of the people at that time, they all said that they looked very healthy and very happy.

However, after Zhuge Liang's death, no one was able to send troops to fight while frantically building infrastructure at home.

These weirs and canals were gradually abandoned, and the officials and soldiers who were responsible for protecting them all went to Yongliang to fight.

Deng Ai was looking at the map in front of him with a gleam in his eyes.

He carefully stroked the map in his hand, then looked at the officials in front of him.

"Order all officials to put aside all their energy and focus on repairing these weirs, canals, and other water conservancy projects. Everything must be done according to this map. The sooner it's completed, the better!"

Guanqiu Dian and the others looked at each other, and someone whispered, "Mr. Deng, the people of Shu have always missed Zhuge Liang. If this is the case..."

Deng Ai frowned immediately.

"Mo, do you have a better idea?"

"Don't dare."

"Then do it!"

"only!!"

Everyone quickly obeyed the order. Deng Ai ordered people to distribute the copied maps to these people and sent them away. Only Guanqiu Dian was not in a hurry to leave.

There were only two of them left in the mansion.

"Mr. Deng, there were so many people talking just now that I can't say much. Do you really want to devote all your energy to water conservancy?"

Upon hearing Guanqiu Dian's question, Deng Ai calmly replied, "Your Majesty, I have been asked to govern the area. Apart from production, nothing else matters. As long as the area becomes prosperous, everything will be easy. The people are struggling to survive, so there's no point in focusing on anything else."

Guanqiu Dian nodded and agreed with it deeply.

Deng Ai was a very realistic person. He was completely different from Zhong Hui. He didn't care whether the success of things was due to his own reasons, as long as it could be accomplished.

The start of Shu was so perfect that Deng Ai didn't even need to think about anything.

Zhuge Liang had left a good foundation and even had certain plans. Deng Ai could see that Zhuge Liang's development plan actually included several counties in Nanzhong. After his death, these plans were interrupted.

If that's the case, then things are too simple.

First, repair the water conservancy equipment in various places, and at the same time start to invest energy to activate it. When the water conservancy is almost restored to the level of Zhuge Liang's time, you can start to develop farmland. When the farmland is almost restored, you can start the management of Nanzhong again and connect those lines.

Nanzhong is not a barren land unsuitable for farming. If all these things can be done, Bashu will once again become the granary of the world.

Deng Ai was very confident about this. He had originally visited various places to investigate farmland and water conservancy. He thought he had to rely on himself, but who would have thought that the road had already been paved.

It doesn't get any simpler than this.

Deng Ai didn't have to do anything next. He just had to watch these people recover. He even decided to use this to identify the talents of officials in Bashu.

If someone can do these things well, he can be promoted. If not, just let him go.

Kill two birds with one stone.

Deng Ai felt somewhat proud again. He thought that it wouldn't take long for him to restore this place to its former state and turn it into a first-class place.

Deng Ai did not stay in Chengdu. After announcing the order, he left the city again and took a carriage to various places.

Deng Ai has always been a practical man. When he was governing Yanzhou, he would personally go to the fields to farm. He had suffered hardships when he was young and did not have the arrogant attitude of a celebrity.

He was extremely skilled and experienced in farming, water conservancy and other matters. It could be said that he was no less capable than Lu Zhi.

He was unwilling to stay in the city and give orders to everyone. He wanted to wander around Bashu so that officials from all places would not dare to neglect him.

After receiving the order, officials from various states in Bashu immediately put aside other matters and began to focus on water conservancy. Whether they were from the Central Plains faction or the local faction, they no longer fought for power and excluded each other. Everyone gathered together and gave their all.

It's not because they have a change of heart, but because if they don't do it well, there will be very bad consequences. Deng Ai will use your head to build a Jingguan.

Deng Ai extremely disliked his subordinates informing on each other. If someone came to report a colleague's crime to Deng Ai, he would often punish both of them together.

Although this approach was somewhat one-size-fits-all, it effectively curbed the conflict between the two forces. Under Deng Ai's inspection, the work in Bashu was rapidly carried out, far exceeding that of the neighboring Wu.

(End of this chapter)