It is no exaggeration to say that half of the reason for the demise of the Northern Song Dynasty was that it was killed by the Yellow River. The latest chapter of the Holy Church
Before the Song Dynasty, from the Han Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, the Yellow River was in a long period of "restful flow", and basically no large-scale floods occurred. The people in the Yellow River Basin also enjoyed more benefits than harm from the Yellow River.
However, since the Song Dynasty, the Yellow River has changed from its previous state, changing from a gentle mother river to a violent Yellow Dragon. From the first breach in the first year of Jianlong, the Yellow River has been breaching almost every year, or even every few years, so that
If the Yellow River did not flood in any year, historians would definitely write down a record full of luck like "It was Hening that year."
Every time the Yellow River breaks its banks and floods, it not only brings disaster to people's lives and property, but also consumes huge manpower and material resources every time to fight floods. But if it can be dealt with like this year after year, that's fine. It's just a strain on the country.
, are the people suffering? Anyway, everyone has become accustomed to it year after year in the past hundred years.
But the terrible thing is that this kind of passive tinkering cannot solve the problem. It is just a passive make-shift. When a certain point is reached, the make-shift can no longer go on - and terrible diversions will occur.
The Song Dynasty was unfortunate. It had to pay for the excessive destruction of the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River by the Chinese nation since the Han, Tang and Five Dynasties. Today's official Zhao Zhen is even more unfortunate. He has to pay for the muddling along since the founding of the country.
In the first year of Jingyou's reign, the Henglong section of Jingdong burst. The flood that broke out swept people and animals, overflowed the boundary of Damingfu, and then turned northward. The imperial court tried its best to repair the embankment, but to no avail, so they had to let it change its course. From then on,
River disasters have occurred frequently in the Central Plains. In the past eighty years, there has been no peace...
And this was just the beginning. Fourteen years later, on June 6, the eighth year of the Qingli calendar, it was an auspicious day. The Yellow River burst its embankment again at Shanghu in Chanzhou Prefecture. The breach was nearly a mile wide, and the turbid waves drained the yellow water and spread across the sky.
Northern Central Plains.
After these two times, the Yellow River completely changed its course. Its water changed its direction to the north, passing through the east of Neihuang in Henan and the west of Daming in Hebei. It crossed the Hebei Plain, merged into Yuhe, and then entered the sea through Jiehe. ""
It only takes one or two more disasters of this level to wipe out a country.
After the disaster, it has become a consensus among the government and the public to devote all the efforts of the country to regulating the Yellow River. However, surrounding the issue of "how to govern", everyone from the emperor to the ministers are involved in endless debates.
There is no way. In this era of so-called famous ministers, there are too many talented people in the world. Everyone has his own ideas. Everyone firmly believes that only his own ideas can solve the problem. So the quarrel started, and the gods from all walks of life argued.
They fought hard, repeatedly quarreled with each other, and became red-faced and hysterical. They argued for four years without settling on a plan.
After the diversion, the Yellow River had a four-year calm period, which was also a golden period for water control, but it was wasted pointlessly by these idiots.
Four years later, the Yellow River burst its banks again at Guogukou, Guantao County, Daming Prefecture. It took five months to close the levees again, but officials who went to inspect reported that the silt accumulation in the waterway was getting thicker and thicker.
There is always the risk of the water overflowing the dam and collapsing again.
The officials finally lost their patience and ordered the ministers to make a plan immediately. At this time, the prime ministers of the Song Dynasty had been replaced by Wen Yanbo and Fu Bi. When the two took office, the whole country rejoiced, saying that "the good prime minister is here"
The wise ministers were different. From various plans, they found one that they thought was the most suitable and jointly submitted it to the government - the "Six Pagodas in the River" plan. This is it. Please start construction immediately!
This plan was proposed by Li Zhongchang, an official of the Department of Rivers and Canals. He proposed to dig six pagoda canals under the Shanghu breach and divert the Yellow River eastward into the old Henglong Road. This would reduce the disaster at the Shanghu breach and make it easy to block. Especially
Once successful, it can become a permanent water diversion channel of the Yellow River. With its flood diversion, the main river channel can safely survive the flood peak, so that the Yellow River will never be in trouble!
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Once this perfect plan was put forward, it quickly overwhelmed the previous most promising plan - the 'restoration of the old ways' proposed by Jia Changchao, the former prime minister and judge of Daming Mansion, and received official approval. ("")
So the powerful administrative machinery began to operate, and manpower and material resources were gathered towards the Liuta River, preparing to solve the Yellow River floods once and for all.
At this moment, Ouyang Xiu returned to the capital. After learning about this plan, he was immediately furious. What kind of person with a human head and a pig brain must be able to come up with this method?
He immediately wrote a letter criticizing this stupid plan - understand, colleagues, this is to reduce the water flow of the largest river in the north! And the person responsible for this glorious task is a state- and county-level river that does not enter the sea. Once the capacity
If it is not enough, the Yellow River water will inevitably flow back into its original course, and the pressure on the upper reaches will increase sharply. Ouyang Xiu categorically asserted that the upper reaches will collapse by then!
At the same time, Ouyang Xiu also proposed his own plan - the Yellow River burst or even changed its course because of congestion downstream. Whether it was strengthening the river embankment or restoring the river course, it would only treat the symptoms but not the root cause. If you really want to solve the problem, just repair the entrance of the Yellow River to the sea.
.The water flows eastward and the canal becomes free. This is the fundamental right path!
The memorial was handed in and published in the newspaper, which naturally caused a nationwide sensation. People expected him to turn the tide again.
However, Ouyang Xiu tried three times in succession, but nothing came of it, without any response...
He was ignored. After Fan Wenzheng left, the most famous official in the Song Dynasty was completely ignored.
In Ouyang Xiu's political life, this feeling was so familiar that he didn't have much anger, only full of sadness... People's hearts are really broken...
After struggling to no avail, Ouyang Xiu, who had always been full of fighting spirit, couldn't help but feel negative. Therefore, today's conversations with Chen Ke and others had a negative tone.
Leaning on the bed, looking at the swaying tree shadows outside the window, Old Ouyang said lightly: "Sanlang, why did you mention this?"
"Students have personally inspected and found that the Yellow River is two hundred paces wide." Chen Ke said solemnly: "The Liuta River is only more than forty paces, so it must not be able to accommodate it. Moreover, since the lower reaches of the Henglong River were diverted, they have been filled with silt and become high.
The land, east and west embankments are either there or dead. They are completely incompetent for the river course. If the court really wants to use the Liuta River plan, it can be done, but the Liuta River channel must be dug to more than a hundred steps, and the old Henglong Road must also be cleared of silt and dammed.
, but this project... I am afraid it cannot be completed without ten years, millions of people, and hundreds of millions of dollars."
"Sanlang, you have impressed me again," Ouyang Xiu nodded appreciatively and said, "With these words alone, you can be called a minister of the country!" He twisted his beard and said, "Your judgment is absolutely correct.
In the spring of last year, the Liuta River was slightly open, and only 20 to 30% of the water in the Yellow River was divided. More than 30,000 households in several prefectures and counties along the river were submerged. If Shanghukou was really blocked and the entire river flowed eastward, it would collapse.
It will flood and even pour back water. At that time, the people east of the river will be eaten by fish and turtles!"
"Isn't this a difficult thing? As long as you conduct on-site inspections, you can almost come to a conclusion." Chen Ke asked puzzledly: "Why don't all the princes in the court believe it?"
"It's not that they don't believe it, it's that they can't believe it." Ouyang Xiu sneered sarcastically: "Sanlang, you haven't entered the officialdom yet, so you don't understand that in the eyes of politicians, the right or wrong of the matter itself is not important. What is important is
, you can’t be wrong!”
"The floods in the Yellow River have been a chronic disease of the Song Dynasty for hundreds of years, and they are getting worse." Ouyang Xiu said with a sarcastic look: "For such a fundamental and major project, whoever's plan succeeds will have endless prestige.
.For example, if Jia Ziming's 'Restore the Old Way' method is adopted, he will immediately have the capital to make a comeback."
"Speaking of which, I am not very discerning," Ouyang Xiu said with a wry smile: "Wen, the rich second minister and Jia Ziming fought for a long time and finally established the method of 'river flowing into six towers'. They will inevitably think that I am
Destroy their platform and help Jia Ziming."
"Moreover, the construction of the 'River into Six Towers' project has been started for more than a year. If the reform is stopped, where will the dignity of the officials, civil servants, and rich men go?" When he said this, he let out a long sigh and said in a deep voice.
Said: "People can change, Sanlang. I overestimate my own capabilities, so it is appropriate to make a fool of myself."
"But teacher, you haven't changed." Chen Ke said solemnly, "So you are better than them all."
"Don't imitate me," Ouyang Xiu shook his head and said, "Otherwise you will be like me and stand aside for the rest of your life."
"But I won't learn from them!" Chen Ke said categorically: "Right is right and wrong is wrong! I don't believe how long a country that confuses right and wrong can exist!"
"Haha..." Ouyang Xiu's eyes once again showed admiration, and he straightened his beard and said, "What a good boy, he looks just like me when I was young."
"Teacher, isn't it good to boast?"
"Oh, hahaha..." Ouyang Xiu laughed loudly, which diluted his melancholy a lot.
"Teacher, don't give up!" After he stopped laughing, Chen Ke looked at him and said: "You always teach us that protecting the country, protecting the people, and protecting the right way is a gentleman's responsibility!"
"That's right," Ouyang Xiu said with renewed vigor, "Even if they jump into the Liuta River, I will definitely stop them!"
"There's no need to jump into the river." Chen Ke smiled and said, "Does the teacher have any ideas on how to stop this nearly completed project?"
"If I had an idea, why would I be sighing here?" Ouyang Xiudao: "What's San Lang's clever trick?"
"I don't have a good idea," Chen Ke said with a wry smile: "But to sum up the lesson of the teacher's last failure, it is nothing more than going deep alone without a chance, so there is no momentum. On the other hand, Liutahe's voice is so loud that it is almost as expected.
, and with the full support of the officials and princes, the teacher’s defeat was not unjust at all.”
"Yeah." Ouyang Xiu nodded, indicating for him to continue.
"So teacher, you must find a sufficient number and weight of supporters!" Chen Ke said: "In order to have a chance of fighting!"