It has to be said that Li Hui's reputation in Juchao County today is so high that it is unimaginable. Everyone regards him as a benefactor. Wherever he goes, people kneel down and kowtow, bring him tea and water, and invite him to their home for a meal.
It's all an honor. Later generations of superstars will only be treated like this. All of this stems from Li Hui's series of actions, which are all for the sake of the people, and they can all see it.
Facts have proved that people's hearts are actually very simple. As long as you sincerely consider them, they will give you positive feedback. Don't worry that they don't understand, and there is no need to brag. As the saying goes, 'the eyes of the people are sharp'.
If you are honest, I will not deceive you.
Although facing the difficulty of food shortage, the situation is much better than before. It is already March and mid-to-late April, and the summer grain will be mature. Juchao County is a hilly area with a large number of dry fields in the north. The local people except
In addition to rice, a large amount of wheat is also grown in dry fields. Last winter, there was heavy snow and insect pests were reduced. The wheat grew well and a bumper harvest was expected. Li Hui inspected the wheat fields in the county. When the wheat matures, the pressure will be greatly alleviated.
of food crisis.
In the past, there was exploitation by the lake bandit Feng Heizi and his group, but now that Feng Heizi and others have been eradicated, there is no longer such worry.
Furthermore, people must also try their best to supplement food. For example, Juchao County’s wild products are also very rich in spring and summer, and the local climate is also suitable for sowing fruits, vegetables, and the like.
There is a local proverb that says it vividly: In Chao County, on the outskirts of Jiaohu, rice will be harvested with light rain. In Chao County, with mountains and valleys, sweet potatoes will be harvested with light rain.
It means that the local climate has no worries about rain and the land is fertile. Rice, melons and fruits will grow when light rain falls in the lakeside fields, hills and valleys. It describes that the local products are abundant and the climate is suitable for agriculture.
These wild vegetables and fruits are effective food supplements. Now sow more seeds of fruits and vegetables, and they will mature in May and June. Although they cannot be used as staple food, they can at least be used as a supplement to satisfy the hunger.
After entering March, local people have begun to go to the mountains to dig wild vegetables and come back. Dried fish and wild vegetables are boiled with some brown rice to make up for the lack of some staple foods. Although you can't eat very full, you can't ask for too much at this time.
As long as you can get through this difficult time, everything will be fine.
Another feature of Juchao County is that there are many ditches and ponds. Although floods are a problem, they also wash a large number of fish, shrimps, and shells into the ponds and ditches. While the adults work, the children come in groups to touch them.
Catch fish and shrimp, pick up clam shells, and add more food to the bowl.
In addition to homemade wooden farm tools for farmhands, Li Hui mobilized the people to donate a batch of iron tools and asked the blacksmith shop in the city to make a batch of them. They mainly made necessary items such as knives, sickles, and shovels. He also refurbished a batch of old farm tools.
The distribution is reluctantly continued. As for the oxen, plows, water trucks, etc., there is no way for the time being, and we can only use manpower to make up for it temporarily.
Li Hui planned to find time to go to Liyang County and ask Wang Muzhi to help him get some farm tools. As the governor of Liyang County, Wang Muzhi should not be left penniless.
In short, there are always more solutions than difficulties. Even in the face of various difficulties, the atmosphere in Juchao County is no longer the decadent and hopeless chaos before, but is full of vibrant hope everywhere.
People are full of energy and believe in their hearts that good times are coming soon. The people who have settled here after years of chaos and displacement cherish the current peace and hope for a good life. This is what
The people's hearts in Juchao County have changed drastically, and this is the fundamental reason why the people are particularly tenacious and hardworking.
As agreed, the wealthy people returned one after another at the end of February. The resettlement of hundreds of displaced households has long been settled. The weeding and reclamation operation has begun in full swing. Wildfires are burning everywhere in the fields. This is the best way to deal with the weeds and thorns that have been tangled for several years.
Method.
After the fire, it will be more convenient to plow the soil and remove the roots, and it will also add some fertility to the soil.
In fact, Li Hui does not need to worry about farming. What Li Hui is most worried about is the threat of frequent floods. This is the number one enemy that has always caused the loss of property and lives of local people. The problem of large areas of fertile land that cannot be used
This is also because floods occur frequently. If flood disasters can be controlled, the people of Juchao County will live a very easy life.
But one mouthful cannot make a man fat. Li Hui knew that he could not think too much or too well under the current situation. Complete control of floods was definitely not what Juchao County's current human and financial resources could achieve.
For this reason, Li Hui's plan to establish a flood discharge area is still necessary to prepare for possible floods this year.
After inspection and consideration, Li Hui decided to use the large river valley area south of Ruxu Mountain as the first flood discharge area. Build a water retention and flood discharge dam at the entrance of Ruxu River near Jiao Lake. Such a dam does not need to be very tall, as long as
It can control the water level at a certain height when a flood occurs. All floods higher than this height will enter the flood discharge area.
The purpose of this is naturally to reduce the amount of water poured into Jiao Lake and try to allow part of the flood to dissipate on both sides of the Ruxu River Valley.
Doing so will naturally have a huge impact on the Ruxu River Valley area, but it is also unavoidable. This area is mostly wasteland and has the smallest population, so it is a suitable area for flood discharge. The establishment of a flood discharge area is also based on this principle. The least acres of flooded land will have the least impact.
There are the least number of people, so that more acres of land can be secured at a smaller price, and the property and hard work of the people can be prevented from being swallowed up by floods.
For the people in the flood discharge area, Li Hui would naturally mobilize and explain in person and provide relocation arrangements or compensation for losses. He would do his best to compensate them.
Building an earthen dam on the Ruxu River is actually not difficult. The Ruxu River is not wide and the river water is very shallow at this time. Filling the boat with earth and rocks and sinking it into the river can quickly dam the river successfully, and then just drive piles and pile up the soil.
This is the first line of defense, but this does not eliminate the threat of skyrocketing water levels in Jiao Lake. In fact, the biggest threat is the collapse of the Jiao Lake embankment. When the water level reaches a certain height, the collapse of the embankment will be devastating.
Li Hui agreed with Huang Tingbai's ideas recorded in his notes. After inspection and thinking, Huang Tingbai believed that controlling the water level of Jiaohu Lake at a certain height to reduce the risk of the embankment collapse was the most feasible way. Rather than
Trying to raise the dam height to contain the flood. The higher this happens, the greater the risk.
Coupled with the delineation of the flood discharge area, this method is the best way to protect the embankment. At least Li Hui thinks it is the best way at this stage.
Therefore, Li Hui decided to set up four flood discharge areas north of the embankment from east to west along the north side of the Jiaohu embankment. He selected low-lying areas to form four flood discharge zones. He dug and flattened the corresponding lake embankment locations and built four flood discharge mounds.
Once the water level exceeds the warning level, the excess lake water will be released from the four flood discharge mounds into the flood discharge area.
This can minimize the pressure of floods on the dam. It will not cause huge flood alluvial deposits due to a sudden breach of the dam, nor will it cause a large-scale dam collapse with serious consequences.
Except for the barrage of the Ruxu River, the amount of work on the lake embankment is actually not large. In fact, it only requires digging four gaps, reinforcing the slopes on both sides of the gaps, and forming a flood discharge mound for the embankment.
Moreover, there was still time before the flood season. After the plan was formulated, Li Hui decided to take more than a hundred people from the Yiming Regiment and recruit two to three hundred people to complete these projects within a month.
This is considered the second preventive measure. But Li Hui also has a third measure, which is to take advantage of the current non-flood season to clear part of the water from Jiao Lake and dig the dam leading to the Ruxu River.
First, lower the water level of Jiao Lake by two or three feet. After the flood season arrives, greater pressure can be relieved.
There are actually some risks in doing so. If there is a severe drought this year, doing so may cause difficulties in water irrigation and even cause fishermen to lose their livelihood. But Li Hui decided to do it. According to the situation in Juchao County in the past few decades, the drought situation
It rarely happens, but floods happen almost every year. If such a thing happens, it can only be said that it is very unlucky.
Don't be afraid to take action because of something that has a very small probability. Moreover, Li Hui decided to wait until April to take action. By then, he can basically make a rough judgment.
These things consume a lot of energy and physical strength, and it is only because of Li Hui's young age that his body can bear it. In addition, his strong heart and tenacious character allow him to take the trouble to plan these things.
For Li Hui, success or failure in Juchao County is not entirely a matter of his personal honor or disgrace. It is a matter of whether he can run this small county well according to his own ideas and experience. This is a test of his ability.