The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 823 More Scared

"Call the Qingxu army immediately!"

"Ling Wenqin will personally take charge!"

Guanqiu Jian sat in the upper seat. At this moment, he had changed into his official uniform and looked very majestic. Everyone stood in front of him and listened to his orders.

When Guanqiu Jian said this, everyone was shocked.

Even Lu Kang was shocked.

He wanted to say something, but looking at Guanqiu Jian's resolute face, he hesitated again. He was a little unsure.

The local county magistrate was very happy. He had always felt that these ignorant people were restless, but he didn't know how to report it.

Nowadays, all places are promoting the idea of governing the country with morality, and he is a little worried that His Majesty will hold him accountable for not doing a good job in educating the people.

But now that the Grand Marshal has spoken personally, he is no longer worried.

The army should be mobilized to keep an eye on these laborers, but wouldn’t it be a bit too much to mobilize all the troops in Qingxu?

This isn't really a rebellion.

Guanqiu Jian's prestige was too high. As the Grand Marshal, he had the power to mobilize the army of the world. Therefore, although everyone was a little confused about his orders, no one dared to stand up and refute.

Looking at the silent crowd, Guanqiu Jian continued, "The river is rising faster and faster."

"Within seven days, major counties will begin to suffer disasters."

"I can't just sit back and watch this happen."

"I'm going to gather the surrounding troops to join the defense!"

At this moment, everyone was in an uproar.

The first one to frown was Lu Kang.

The flood has not yet completely occurred. Although the water level has risen sharply, it does not mean that it will cause a devastating blow to the surrounding area in the short term.

We are still in the defense stage.

The last country to use soldiers to build projects was the Wu State, and the results were tragic. A large number of soldiers died, causing the Wu State's combat effectiveness to collapse instantly. In the end, the Wu State was chased and beaten by Guanqiu Jian with thousands of cavalry.

In this regard, Lu Kang has the most say.

After all, there was a precedent, and they knew very well what kind of series of changes this would trigger.

As soon as Guanqiu Jian opened his mouth, he noticed the expressions of the people around him. He hurried forward and whispered, "Grand Marshal, this may not be appropriate."

"Why is it wrong?"

Lu Kang analyzed seriously, "We are still just defending ourselves. We haven't suffered a large-scale disaster yet. The situation hasn't reached the point where we need to mobilize our troops."

"Mobilizing the army rashly may only cause unrest among the people."

"Besides, the Hutian incident happened first."

Guanqiu Jian looked at the others and said, "That's not what I think."

"We are currently only defending ourselves, but we still don't know how bad the situation will get. It is extremely important to complete the defense in a timely manner before it gets worse."

"I also don't intend to emulate the Eastern Wu, who forced soldiers and civilians to serve, exhausted them, withheld their food and fodder, and killed many due to exhaustion and starvation."

"This time, we needn't go on a long expedition to control the flood. We have ample food and fodder. This is a move for the people! The Great Wei has a very generous army. They are a benevolent and righteous army. They are there to serve the country and protect the people, not just to kill people!"

What Guanqiu Jian said here is the benevolent army advocated by Xunzi.

After saying this, he said with deep feeling: "As for the people, why are they panicking?"

"Is it normal to be terrified when seeing one's own soldiers? The sages rule the world with benevolence, and the people all understand this, but we don't."

"If anything unexpected happens as a result of this, I will personally apologize to Your Majesty. No need to say more!!"

Guanqiu Jian was very tough at this moment, and no one could persuade him anymore.

Soon, Guanqiu Jian's order spread to all places.

The generals hurriedly led their troops to gather.

Guanqiu Jian distributed these troops according to their locations, and asked them to participate in the defense work that was closest to them and where the situation was most critical.

The heavy rain never stopped, and the officials had no choice but to continue the project with the people in the wind and rain.

When the people were digging a diversion channel, they were surprised by the large number of troops arriving.

Before they could react, the troops, led by generals at all levels, were involved in excavation and other work.

These are the areas closest to the river, and the situation here is so bad that you have to dig with half a foot in the river.

The addition of these troops immediately accelerated the progress of the project.

Under the heavy rain, it was gloomy everywhere. The people, wearing straw raincoats and holding hoes, formed a long line.

This line goes all the way north from the river.

Everyone dug hard, and the hole on the ground kept getting bigger.

The lightly armed soldiers also joined in with their tools. These young and strong men who could often eat meat were much more capable than the civilians in every way.

They are fast and powerful.

The working people glanced at the soldiers around them, their eyes filled with surprise, but they didn't stop. This was Qiancheng County, the area predicted to be the hardest hit by the disaster. It was already beginning to suffer from flooding, with the river rising, flooding several villages on both sides, though the county seat hadn't been damaged yet.

Guanqiu Jian did not dare to delay any longer, so he immediately ordered several surrounding counties to continue recruiting young and strong men.

After a large number of manpower were deployed to these areas, the rising water level was still terrible, but the project was not neglected.

Drainage channels were built and continuously drained, and dangerous areas were raised and consolidated.

The weather in the other areas gradually became clear and the heavy rain stopped. Although the heavy rain in Qiancheng had not stopped, the disaster did not continue to sweep across the area, and the surrounding villages were safe and sound.

Guanqiu Jian stood on a high place and looked at the situation in the distance.

The rain nowadays is no longer as heavy as it was a few days ago. It is just a fine drizzle that occasionally drops down, bringing a hint of coolness.

Looking at the water diversion channels in the distance, which diverted the boiling river water in different directions, the land in the water, which was still moist but no longer soaked, was still as dark as before.

Guanqiu Jian smiled.

"Mr. Lu."

"Do the generals have any complaints?"

"Never."

"What about the soldiers?"

"I have never heard the general report it."

"The people may not have been educated, but they can still distinguish between good and evil. If the ruler governs the people with benevolence, the people will repay him with benevolence."

"Remember this principle."

Lu Kang nodded, "I remember it."

"People in the government always talk about benevolent governance, but what exactly is benevolent governance? Pardoning criminals and letting off the rich and powerful who prey on the people are not benevolent governance. Ensuring that the people have enough to eat and don't have to worry about the cold is benevolent governance."

There was a smile on Guanqiu Jian's face.

He was no longer so wary and fearful of Youbeifu's many predictions.

Natural disasters are indeed terrible, but benevolent government is not without rewards. The people are not afraid of natural disasters. They are truly united.
I don't know when the rain stopped, and a ray of sunlight tore through the gloomy sky, dazzling and warm.

Inside the Taiji Hall, Cao Mao held Guanqiu Jian's memorial in his hand, grinning, barely able to suppress the smile.

Zhang Hua stood aside. It was the first time he saw Cao Mao so happy.

Cao Mao put the letter in his hand aside with a smile.

Guanqiu Jian talked a lot about this in his letters.

And most importantly, he informed Cao Mao of the thoughts and attitudes of the common people.

The people did not feel that such corvee labor was too hard or too tiring. They could understand Cao Mao and even wanted to do more.

The same was true for the soldiers. Even when they were sent to the front and faced the most dangerous areas, they never complained.

Cao Mao couldn't describe what this feeling was. Just a while ago, he was worried that his frequent conscription of corvee labor would lead to public resentment, and he was even prepared to bear all the bad reputation.

At this moment, hearing these words of Guanqiu Jian, he suddenly felt like a daughter who had grown up and began to understand her parents.

"Maoxian, I will definitely defeat these three powerful enemies."

Cao Mao looked at Zhang Hua with immense confidence in his eyes.

Zhang Hua replied, "I have never doubted it."

"Hahaha, good, the defense of Qingxu is going very smoothly. The defense of Yongliang and other places must also begin. There should be no delay!"

"Go and tell Xun Xu not to worry about the national treasury. Disaster prevention is the top priority. Moreover, the many projects we are currently carrying out will not only alleviate the disaster, but will also play a huge role in improving the local people's livelihood in the future."

"Let him do it. If he feels it's not enough, he can come to you for it!"

Zhang Hua also laughed, "Your Majesty was able to achieve such a great cause, it is really thanks to these big families, there is no worry about money and food!"

Cao Mao had never worried about the national treasury at all. The Wei Dynasty had no shortage of money and food. If there was a shortage, it must be that there was a problem with the Ministry of Justice.

He had always been worried about damaging public sentiment, but now that the problem that worried him the most had disappeared, he was no longer afraid of anything.

Just let go and do it!!

With the current national strength of Wei, we will fight against natural disasters with all our might! !

Cao Mao issued four edicts in succession that day.

The imperial edicts were instructing the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of War to make every effort to solve the problems arising in various places.

Xun Xu was in charge of the important matters. On that day, he made a decision. More than 600 carts carrying grain were sent to Yongliang. The county governors in various places received imperial edicts one after another and everyone took action.

A large number of civilians were mobilized and the army was also deployed.

The Wei Dynasty's similar outburst behavior can indeed bring great results in a short period of time, and the defense work in the east and west is progressing rapidly.

The consumption of the national treasury was also extremely exaggerated. Immediately, many celebrities submitted memorials, hoping to help alleviate the crisis of the national treasury and donate food and many supplies.

They really volunteered.

The reason is because of the emperor’s benevolent rule.

I think they were more afraid of the treasury running out than Cao Mao.
(End of this chapter)