Chapter 2242, The Yellow River is clear, the saint comes out
"Mr. Liu, you came to Kaifeng and didn't even say a word to me, so I could take care of you."
Fei Yuan looked at Liu Jin in front of him. Although Liu Jin was younger than him, he had to consider himself a student.
The Liu Jin in front of me no longer wants to work in his fifties. He voluntarily resigned and began to travel around the world. Looking at himself again, he is only a fourth-grade prefect in his sixties. The gap is not as big as usual. Sometimes people are more powerful than others.
Extremely popular.
"I have never liked these things. Besides, I no longer have an official position. I just come here to have fun in Kaifeng."
Liu Jin smiled and shook his head. Liu Jin didn't like these things ever since he became an official, and he never did them.
"You did a good job here in Kaifeng. You actually thought of taking advantage of the drought to dig out the sediment from the Yellow River. Once the sediment is removed from the Yellow River, the Yellow River will not have to worry about bursting its banks for a long time.
Already."
Liu Jin looked at the Yellow River in front of him and talked about this matter with Fei Yuan.
"My teacher, you have taught me well. Students should never forget your teachings and remember to serve as an official for the benefit of the country."
"The Yellow River overflows every year, especially during floods, which is particularly scary because the bed of the Yellow River is several meters higher than both banks. Once the banks break, a large amount of fertile farmland around Kaifeng will be flooded."
"Therefore, in the past, people would be organized to strengthen the river embankments every winter during the off-season farming. However, this was only a temporary solution rather than a permanent solution, because the sediment content of the Yellow River is very high. After years of accumulation, the river bed is still rising.
, there is still a risk of the embankment bursting.”
"This year we have encountered a super drought that has not happened in a century. The northern region of Daming has almost no rain this year. The drought is so extreme that the Yellow River has stopped flowing. So I thought if I could take advantage of the drought to remove the sediment in the river.
Dig it out and lower the height of the river bed."
Fei Yuan explained it in detail to Liu Jin like a student.
"Well, your idea is very good and very practical."
"This is already a river above ground. It's too high on both sides. It would be too dangerous if the embankments burst."
Liu Jin listened carefully and expressed his approval.
"Yes, I have read the local chronicles of Kaifeng and Henan. In the past, the Yellow River flooded almost every year and burst its banks every year. It is true to say that it has benefited both sides of the Strait, but many times the people on both sides of the Strait suffered from the flooding of the Yellow River.
The pain!”
Fei Yuan nodded solemnly, and then continued: "However, since the imperial court began to move a large number of people overseas, outside the Pass, the Yellow River has overflowed and the number of times it has burst its banks has become less and less, especially in the past 20 years.
The Yellow River has never burst its banks."
"Oh, is it so?"
When Liu Jin heard this, he immediately smiled and nodded. Of course Liu Jin knew about this period.
The reason why the Yellow River floods less now is largely because the ecological environment in the middle and upper reaches, especially the Loess Plateau, has improved a lot.
In the past, the Loess Plateau area had more people and less land. A large number of forests and vegetation were cut down and destroyed, resulting in serious soil erosion every time the rainy season came.
When it rains, a large amount of sediment on the Loess Plateau is washed into the Yellow River. On the one hand, this sediment raises the bed of the Yellow River, making the Yellow River more dangerous.
On the other hand, there is a lack of vegetation and it is impossible to retain rainwater. During this rainy season, the floods are more severe and fierce, and naturally it is easy to overflow and break the embankments.
Later, Liu Jin focused on relocating a large number of people from Shaanxi, Shaanxi, and Henan, especially the population in the Loess Plateau, where almost all of them were relocated.
The migration of a large number of people has greatly alleviated the contradiction between man and land in the Loess Plateau, giving nature time to recuperate.
Slowly, the vegetation on the Loess Plateau gradually recovered and became better and better, not only locking in precipitation, but also allowing less and less sediment to rush into the Yellow River.
Naturally, the Yellow River will become less and less flooded. With less sediment, the river bed will not rise so fast, and the floods will not be so fierce.
Of course, another reason is that the Ming Dynasty has repeatedly overhauled river embankments, reservoirs and other basic water conservancy projects, and strengthened the embankments of the Yellow River, making it more resistant to floods.
Especially the emergence of cement has been of great help to infrastructure. It is not only faster to build, but also stronger and stronger.
These reasons are the reasons why the Yellow River no longer floods.
"Yes, Mr. Liu!"
"The Yellow River has undergone tremendous changes compared to before."
At this time, an official next to Fei Yuan stood up and said: "I am a local, and I am now over sixty years old. In the past, our locals were deeply affected by the Yellow River."
"Every rainy season, we are always worried about the Yellow River flooding and destroying our homes."
"But in the past 20 years or so, we don't need to worry about this period at all. Today's younger generation has even forgotten the horrific scenes when the Yellow River overflowed."
"Based on my observations of the Yellow River over the years, I have found that the water in the Yellow River is gradually becoming clearer."
"Becoming clear?"
When Liu Jin heard this, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows slightly.
"Yes, Mr. Liu!"
"When I was a child, one-third of a bucket of Yellow River water was filled with sediment. The sediment content was very high. This was also the main reason why the Yellow River bed was constantly too high."
"In the past ten years or so, the sediment in a bucket of Yellow River water has become less and less, and the color of the Yellow River water has been changing."
"The turbid yellow water in the past has gradually become clearer. I estimate that if this continues, in a few decades, the water of the Yellow River may become completely clear."
The official said to Liu Jin very seriously.
"Go get a bucket of river water and bring it up."
When Fei Yuan heard this, he turned to the government servant next to him and told him. When the other party heard this, he immediately went to fetch water from the river. Although the Yellow River is almost dry now, it has not really stopped flowing after all. It is just like a small river or a creek.
"The water in the Yellow River has become clearer, which shows that the vegetation and forests on the Loess Plateau have recovered very well."
After Liu Jin listened, he nodded and said.
A large number of people have migrated out of the Loess Plateau, and the environment has been recuperated.
This period was also the Ming Dynasty, and the environment on the Loess Plateau had not yet reached the level of later generations. After more than 20 years of recuperation, the environment on the Loess Plateau must have been greatly improved.
"Well, let's change the itinerary a little and go to the Loess Plateau."
Liu Jin also slightly modified his itinerary and planned to go to the Loess Plateau to see the vegetation recovery situation on the Huangtu Plateau.
"The water is coming, the water is coming."
At this time, the yamen servant came in a hurry carrying a bucket of water. He was walking very fast, but even a drop of water would spill out.
"Leave this water alone and wait for it to settle for a while."
Fei Yuan quickly ordered that the water of the Yellow River, which looked yellow from a distance, could actually be very clear after it settled.
Everyone just waited for ten minutes for it to completely settle and poured away the excess water on the surface.
"Mr. Liu, Mr. Fei, when I was young, there was at least some depth of sand in this bucket of water."
The official who just spoke made careful gestures with the bucket.
"But now the sediment content is much less. There is just a layer of sediment in the bottom layer, which means that the sediment content in the Yellow River is getting less and less."
"This is also the reason why the water of the Yellow River has become clearer, because the sediment content in the river water has decreased, so it looks clearer and no longer so turbid."
"When the water in the Yellow River is abundant, the water in the Yellow River is clear even when you look at it, instead of being yellowish."
"Yes, this is the case. I also heard some elderly fishermen discussing this matter some time ago, saying that the water in the Yellow River is much clearer than before."
This is another official who stood up and said.
"The Yellow River has become clearer, which is a good thing. It means there is less sediment in the Yellow River, and the bed of the Yellow River will not rise so fast."
"Coupled with the fact that the sediment in the river bed is now being cleaned up, we probably won't have to worry about the Yellow River flooding for a hundred years."
Liu Jin smiled and nodded.
"Liu Gong, there has been a saying since ancient times that if the Yellow River is clear, a saint will emerge!"
At this time, the official said to Liu Jin extremely seriously.
"The Yellow River is clear and the saint comes out?"
"what does this mean?"
When Liu Jin heard this, he thought about it and asked.
"There is an ancient allusion. It is said to have been circulated since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. It means that when the Yellow River becomes clear, it must be a saint born in the world. Because of the birth of the saint, it will be
The Yellow River has become clear."
The other party quickly explained to Liu Jin seriously.
"Haha, it seems that in a few decades, when the water of the Yellow River becomes clear, our Ming Dynasty will have a saint."
When Liu Jin heard this, he immediately smiled and said.
In fact, Liu Jin certainly heard that the other party was flattering him.
"Liu Gong, you are the sage of the world!"
Fei Yuan smiled and said to Liu Jin, this flattery was obviously taken at the right time.
"What kind of sage am I? This is going to break me."
Liu Jin smiled and shook his head. He was not a sage. He was just a time traveler who did what he wanted to do.
He is nothing at all, let alone a sage, and he dare not call himself a sage.
Of course, this is Liu Jin's own opinion. In fact, in today's Ming Dynasty, countless people believe that Liu Jin is the sage of the world. The Ming Empire can be today only because of Liu Jin's painstaking management and reform.
If it weren't for Liu Jin, would Ming Dynasty be as prosperous and powerful as it is now?
That's simply impossible. Everyone knows very well what kind of life everyone lived in the past.
