The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 821 Never Compromise
Guanqiu Jian gives people a sense of security.

Just sitting there, even if he didn't say anything, was enough to reassure everyone and make them feel safe and not afraid of anything.

As the old ministers passed away one by one, the status of this old minister who had made the most contributions and had the highest reputation became increasingly higher both inside and outside the court.

The county governors of Qingzhou sat on his left and right, listening to Guanqiu Jian talk about the many tasks that would follow.

No one panicked or felt afraid when they learned of the possible disaster.

They all felt at ease.

After Guanqiu Jian gave the work content, he urged them to leave quickly and told them that he would inspect them one by one. If they did well, they would be rewarded, and if they did not, they would be punished.

The prefects did not dare to delay and left in a hurry.

Hu Wei couldn't say a word from beginning to end and could only watch Guanqiu Jian give orders.

After everyone left, Guanqiu Jian also stood up, as he still had to conduct a field investigation.

Hu Wei finally couldn't help it at this moment.

"There are so many capable ministers in the Grand Marshal's court, why are you the only one to come here in person?"

Hu Wei really couldn't understand it.

It is a well-known fact that His Majesty loves the Grand Marshal so much. However, flood control is tiring and hard work, with wind and rain all day long. The Grand Marshal is an old minister, and there are so many young people in the court. Why not let him come?
Guanqiu Jian also understood what he meant. He smiled and said, "Your Majesty originally wrote to me to inquire about the candidates, so I volunteered to come here."

"Your Majesty has three things that worry him the most. I haven't been able to make much of a contribution to the first two. I must do this last one for Your Majesty."

"This way I won't let down His Majesty's kindness to me."

Without waiting for Hu Wei to reply, Guanqiu Jian continued, "When I was with His Majesty, he praised you many times. If this matter is handled successfully, I think you will be able to enter the inner court and hold an important position next year. You must work hard."

After Guanqiu Jian finished speaking, he turned around and walked out of the inner room.

It was still drizzling outside, but a crack appeared in the dark sky, and an extremely dazzling light shone from it.

The entire Qingzhou began to mobilize quickly.

The news of corvée labor gradually spread among the people. It was just after the spring planting season and there were still many busy farming activities. In order not to delay the subsequent agricultural and sericulture work, corvée labor was also screened. For example, if a family had only one able-bodied laborer, they could be exempted from corvée labor.

What’s more, those who were not engaged in farming were summoned to perform labor service, including merchants, surplus men, etc.

Although the people may have complaints about this sudden corvee, the speed of organization has not been affected.

A large number of people went to the project site under the leadership of local officials. Based on the principle of proximity, the huge project was divided into several parts and the nearest city was responsible for it.

Construction work began in various places, including diversion of many rivers, raising the banks of the rivers, and building reservoirs.

The river has been flooding from time to time since the middle of the Western Han Dynasty, which has allowed many counties on both sides of the river to accumulate considerable experience. They really know how to control floods.

However, this was the first time that large-scale corvee labor was launched to control the flood before it even started.

Every place in Qingzhou was busy, and Guanqiu Jian was traveling around.

He always walked in the front, facing the surging river, standing firm and not retreating.

Despite the strong wind and rain, it couldn't stop him.

Soon, the new governor of Xuzhou took office.

The new governor was Liu Yi, who was famous for his integrity and outspokenness.

Although he is also a scholar, he does not firmly believe in Zheng's school of thought and has always advocated taking the initiative.

After the officials were in place, Guanqiu Jian took immediate action. He hurried to Xuzhou, and Xuzhou then began its governance work.

In addition, Yanzhou also needs to cooperate.

Although Yanzhou has not yet encountered a situation like Qingxu, no one dares to say that they are definitely safe.

The three states were all busy.

The treasury savings of the previous three years are now being consumed like crazy.

In the temple, officials such as Xun Xu and Du Yu worked with all their might, their eyes never leaving Qing and Xu states.

In the Taiji Hall, Cao Mao frowned, feeling quite worried.

Lu Kang was sitting next to him, comforting him at the moment.

"Your Majesty, it's not that I'm unwilling to serve, but there's no need to replace the Grand Marshal at this moment."

"Assigning 100,000 people to forced labor like this, especially for something like a flood, will lead to many bad things if we don't pay attention."

"There are many people in the world who are disloyal to Your Majesty, and the people are easily instigated. If someone spreads rumors and stirs up trouble, it will easily lead to unrest."

"Although the Grand Marshal is an old minister, he is also the youngest and strongest among the many old ministers. Since he has asked to go, Your Majesty cannot replace him no matter who you send." Today, Cao Mao summoned Lu Kang and said that he wanted him to replace Guanqiu Jian.

Cao Mao had no intention of letting Guanqiu Jian go from the beginning. He just wanted Guanqiu Jian to provide a candidate and stay in Yanzhou to keep an eye on the things ahead.

However, after receiving the letter, Guanqiu Jian immediately recommended himself, wrote several letters to persuade Cao Mao, and rushed directly to Qingxu.

Although things are going well now and there are no mistakes, Cao Mao is still a little worried.

Guanqiu Jian was, after all, older.
But Lu Kang declined.

Although doing so might seem like a sign of fear of suffering, Lu Kang didn't care.

He felt that Da Sima was simply the most suitable candidate. With him there, basically no one dared to mess around. Moreover, with his serious character, strong execution ability, and unparalleled prestige, he was definitely capable of handling everything properly.

Besides, given his temper and personality, he would not return to Luoyang if he went there, unless His Majesty issued a series of imperial decrees to force him to return.
Cao Mao frowned and said, "I understand what you said, but I am still very worried about his safety."

Lu Kang then said, "Your Majesty, although I cannot replace the Grand Marshal, I can go and assist him. If there are any errands that need to be run, I will take his place, and I can also keep an eye on the Grand Marshal!"

Lu Kang added, "I have almost finished handling the situation in Funan. There is no need for me to personally handle it."

Lu Kang took on the task of contacting Funan a few years ago.

During these days, Lu Kang sent envoys to Funan several times and achieved great results.

Lu Kang fully utilized the other party's unique political system advantages, won over their domestic nobles, and constantly demonstrated his military power, with warships frequently docking.

This made the upper class of Funan increasingly close to the Wei Dynasty, and even many children of nobles came to the Imperial College in Luoyang.

As for the King of Funan himself, Lu Kang did not look down on him.

The envoys sent by Lu Kang unconditionally stood on Fan Xun's side on many internal issues of Funan.

Provide financial support to the nobles and political support to the king.

As a result, Funan readily gave up a city as the base of Wei, and also prepared to build a road to facilitate better communication with Wei.

As for whether Wei would swallow up their territory, the king was not too worried, mainly because Funan was poor and had nothing but wild beasts.

What was the Wei Dynasty's intention in conquering this place?

We can't squeeze out any profit from it ourselves.

Funan took the initiative to open up the road to Guangzhou, and Wei established a shipyard in its territory. The King of Funan fully supported this matter and he even wanted to move the capital to the vicinity of the factory.

First of all, it was because Funan was in constant civil strife, and ministers often killed the king to take the throne.

This is how he came to power as king, and he was afraid that his subordinates would follow suit.

But it would be different if the Wei Dynasty had its base and industries within the territory.

The Great Wei absolutely does not want to see any unrest in Funan. If anyone dares to lead troops to rebel and disturb the peace of Funan, you will see whether those warships overseas will take action against you!

In addition, most of the people employed in these factories are locals, which is a good opportunity to learn advanced shipbuilding technology from the Wei Dynasty.

If the number of merchants from the Wei Dynasty here increases in the future, Funan will also become prosperous.

With Fan Xun's strong support, many things went smoothly, and the first batch of merchant ships had successfully arrived in southern India.

The southern part of Tianzhu is still a mess, even more fragmented than the northern part. It is so fragmented that each village is an independent force. This gives the merchants of Wei a headache, as they cannot find trading partners of suitable size.

Lu Kang did a pretty good job, and Cao Mao never had to worry about things in the south over the years.

Cao Mao held Lu Kang's hand and said, "Youjie, for something like this, I must find someone I trust. The Grand Marshal is too old, and you are in your prime. I can only entrust this matter to you. Please don't let the Grand Marshal work too hard!"

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I know what to do."

Lu Kang did not dare to delay and decided to set off immediately.

After seeing Lu Kang off, Cao Mao looked at the map again.

This map was recently completed by Pei Xiu. Although it is not very large, the quality is very good. Pei Xiu has already completed his article "Book Making".

His books have been printed and sent to many generals and even local officials.

When carrying out the disaster relief project, the map made by Pei Xiu was used.

All I can say is, talent!!
Cao Mao was looking at the map at this moment, feeling quite worried.

The current Qingxu incident has already consumed a huge amount of financial resources, and Yongliang must also start to act as soon as possible, as well as Youbing and Bashu.
Too frequent corvee labor is also a disaster for the people.

Cao Mao frowned, but his expression became more resolute.

He was never afraid of being called a tyrant. As long as it solved the problem, he would be a tyrant who imposed frequent corvee labor during his reign, ensuring that no one would die of exhaustion or starvation. Even if the corvee labor was frequent, it was still much better than floods that would submerge countless farmlands, droughts that would leave thousands of miles without harvest, and millions of people affected!
(End of this chapter)