Entering midsummer, the drought is getting more and more serious.
The light rain in late spring seemed to be a joke played by God. It was precisely because of this light rain that many people relaxed their vigilance. Even Cao Hong, including Cao Hong, slowed down his digging after the light rain.
The matter of digging ditches was such that when the drought occurred, everyone was caught off guard. Even though Cao Hong dug ditches to store water again, the water volume of Langtang Canal has dropped sharply...
In May, drought spread throughout Yuzhou.
Runan Chenjun and Peiguo came to Xudu one after another for help. The Yingchuan River was densely covered with rivers, so the situation was not too bad. But even so, there were droughts in some places due to the lack of water in the rivers. Xudu was in this situation.
It is also in danger during a severe drought.
As a last resort, Cao Cao had to stop his plan to launch an attack and fight Yuan Shao.
Begin to face the drought in Yuzhou with all your strength.
In the middle of May, Emperor Han held sacrifices to heaven and earth at Yuxiu Terrace to pray for rain.
Cao Cao ordered various places to dig ditches to alleviate the drought.
The sun is scorching hot and the temperature is getting higher and higher.
Clear blue sky, cloudless.
The air is filled with hot air, which makes people feel restless. Even sitting in the shade, I still feel the strong heat of the heat.
Cao Cao was wearing a thin white shirt, sitting in his room, reviewing official documents.
In the house, there were more than a dozen ice niches, which contained ice cubes taken from the cellar. The ice cubes emitted wisps of frost in the ice niches, making the flower hall extra cool. But even so, Cao Cao was still sweating profusely, taking ice cubes from time to time.
Wipe your body with a damp cloth to relieve the heat.
The drought is getting worse and worse.
If this situation continues, the entire Yuzhou is likely to experience no harvest.
It is almost late summer, which is also a critical time for food growth. If it doesn't rain again, the situation will become more serious.
Cao Cao put down the pen in his hand, stood up and wandered around the room.
Faced with this situation, neither Cao Cao nor Xun Yu had a good countermeasure. Human wisdom is indeed infinite, but in the face of natural disasters, there is nothing he can do. The only thing he can do now is to order the excavation
Ditches and drinking water for irrigation. If there are more rivers, it may be possible to alleviate the problem, but in places where water is scarce, extremely terrible disasters will inevitably occur.
Moreover, the flow of many rivers is decreasing.
All around, the water level of some rivers has dropped below the horizon.
It is also very troublesome to divert water for irrigation, and it is often half the result with half the effort. But even so, Cao Cao has no other way, just continue to dig ditches and divert water for irrigation...
"Sikong!"
Just as Cao Cao was racking his brains over the drought, a soft call came from outside the door.
Two beautiful women appeared at the door of the flower hall. One was Mrs. Huan, holding Cao Chong in her arms; the other beautiful woman was holding a boy in one hand, followed by Cao Pi. This beautiful woman was Cao Pi's mother, Bian
Madam. The two ladies appeared at the same time, which made Cao Cao startled. Especially when he saw that they both had children, he couldn't help but be more curious. So he stepped forward to greet them.
"Are you going out?"
Cao Cao could guess the clues by looking at how the two ladies were dressed.
Mrs. Huan smiled and said: "Xiao Zhen said that a new thing appeared in Longshan, let us have a look.
Anyway, I had nothing to do, so I told my sister that I was going to take the children with me. My sister said that Sikong had been too hard these days and was busy with official duties all day long, so it would not last forever, so she wanted to invite Sikong to come with us.
Go ahead, I wonder what Sikong wants?"
Mrs. Huan's voice was soft and sweet, which was irresistible.
Mrs. Bian also said: "Yes, Sikong... you haven't played with the children for a long time. Both Zhang and Zhi said they miss you."
After Cao Ang's death, Mrs. Ding turned against Cao Cao and went home.
So Mrs. Bian became the eldest lady in the mansion.
There were two boys following her. One was Cao Cao's third son, Cao Zhang, who was nine years old. He was known as the "Yellow Beard" because his bun was slightly yellow, so he was called "Yellow Beard"; the other was made of pink and jade, and was extremely cute.
His name is Cao Zhi, he is Cao Cao's fourth son and he is seven years old this year.
Cao Cao was also a little annoyed. After listening to the two ladies' persuasion, he immediately nodded in agreement.
"Xiao Zhen, what interesting thing happened in Longshan?"
Xia Houzhen followed Mrs. Huan and quickly replied: "It was Yueying who wrote to me, saying that he had made a good thing and wanted me to see it. I saw that the ladies were free, so... I asked Sikong to forgive me.
"
Xiahou Yuan was still stationed at Chenliu, but his eldest wife, Mrs. Huan's sister, was really lukewarm towards Xiahou Yuan.
Fortunately, Mrs. Huan was very close to Xia Houzhen and often let him come to visit the house.
"Yueying?"
"...She is Captain Cao's fiancée."
"Captain Cao? You mean Cao Peng?"
"Exactly."
"Has he made an engagement?"
"Going back to Sikong, Sister Yueying is Captain Cao's confidant, and we have known her since the first year of Jian'an.
Sister Yueying had a dispute with her family because of Captain Cao, so she came to Xudu alone...and now lives in Cao's mansion, with Sister Cao's family."
"Weixiang Youxue is quite a passionate person!"
Cao Cao couldn't help laughing.
However, Mrs. Huan discovered that when Xia Houzhen mentioned Yueying, a flash of disappointment flashed in his eyes.
Her heart moved, and her beautiful eyebrows frowned.
Cao Cao changed his clothes and got on the carriage.
Mrs. Huan and Mrs. Bian discussed it, hugged Cao Chong, and boarded Cao Cao's chariot.
"Xiaohuan, is there something wrong?"
Cao Cao looked at Mrs. Huan in surprise and asked strangely.
Mrs. Huan let Cao Chong play in the car, then secretly glanced at Xia Houzhen outside the car, and then whispered: "Sikong, have you noticed that Xiao Zhen is a little unusual lately?"
Cao Cao was stunned for a moment, "What's unusual about this?"
"Compared to before, Xiaozhen seems to be more cheerful...but when no one is around, she seems worried."
"so what?"
"Don't you think Xiaozhen is old enough to talk about marriage?"
Cao Cao was stunned, thought for a while, and said softly: "Xiao Zhen will be almost fourteen this year."
"Exactly."
"Speaking of it, it's not easy for us to interfere with this matter. But Miaocai is away all year round, and your girl seems to have some feelings for Xiao Zhen... What, do you have a suitable candidate? If so, we can ask about it. After all, you
Speaking of which, she is also Xiaozhen's aunt."
Mrs. Huan said: "Sikong, don't you think Xiao Zhen is a little weird when he mentions Captain Cao?"
"You mean Cao Youxue?"
Cao Cao nodded lightly, "In terms of age, Youxue and Xiaozhen are a good match. But as you just heard, Cao Youxue is already engaged. By the way, the woman Youxue is dating is from the Jiangxia Huang clan?"
"Exactly."
"This is not easy to handle."
Mrs. Huan said: "It's easy to handle, what should I tell you?
Sikong, Xiaozhen is a pitiful child. Miaocai spent the whole day marching and fighting, and was not at home, so no one cared about her. After her mother passed away, she was depressed all day long. Now she finally has some happiness, but she can't let it go.
No matter how sad she is, you have to help her anyway."
Cao Cao pondered for a long time, then nodded.
"Don't worry about this, I will take care of it.
Let's do this, let Xiaozhen not go home recently and live here. I will find an opportunity to explore Jun Shi's tone another day and then make a plan."
Mrs. Huan was overjoyed when she heard this.
"I knew Sikong would take pity on me."
Looking at Mrs. Huan with a smile as bright as a flower, Cao Cao couldn't help but feel a little relieved.
In this way, the convoy left Xudu and headed straight for Longshan.
Longshan, west of Xudu, on the bank of Yingshui, has a slightly low-lying terrain. It is a plain, and at the foot of Longshan is Dianjiawu Fort.
Cao Cao and his convoy arrived at noon.
Under the bright sun, a group of craftsmen were assembling something by the river. It looked very large.
When the convoy arrived, Dian Wei, who was taking a break, got the news and hurried forward with Dian Man, asking in surprise: "Why are you here, my lord?"
“I heard there are new things here, so I came to take a look.”
Cao Cao glanced around and was surprised to find that there were many old acquaintances on the bank of Yingshui.
"Wen Ruo, Zi Yang, are you all here?"
"Sikong, have you heard about it too?"
"What did you hear?"
Xun Yu laughed and said: "Jun Shi and Zi Yang worked together to design a sharp weapon some time ago, which may be able to alleviate the drought."
Liu Ye quickly said: "This matter has nothing to do with me. I was just helping Juan Shi find some information."
"What information?"
Liu Ye said: "Sikong still remembers Bi Lan?"
Cao Cao was startled, "Is Shi Chang serving Bi Lan?"
"It was him... back then, Bi Lan created a rolling cart for sprinkling water. Juan Shi somehow became interested in this thing and ran to me to find the turning cart that Bi Lan made back then from the treasury.
He came out and asked me to help him find many craftsmen. Jun Shi was really talented in this area, and actually modified a water wheel based on the turning wheel, which can draw water from the river to irrigate farmland."
"Is this happening?"
Cao Cao couldn't help being shocked when he heard this.
He ignored Mrs. Huan and Mrs. Bian and hurriedly followed Xun Yu and Liu Ye onto the river embankment.
Mrs. Huan, Mrs. Bian, and several young masters were naturally taken care of. Xia Houzhen said a few words to Mrs. Huan and hurried into the crowd.
Cao Cao climbed onto the river embankment and found a huge building standing not far away.
Cao Ji and a girl in an emerald green dress each held a blueprint in their hands, instructing the craftsmen in the construction. Beside them, there were more than a dozen people following them, passing orders from time to time. The huge beast was like a giant dragon crawling on the shore.
On the side, the dragon's tail enters the water flow, and the dragon's head stands tall on the embankment. Under the embankment, there is a huge reservoir, together with dozens of water tanks and ditches of different sizes.
"This, I vaguely remember, the overturning truck built by Bi Lan was set up in the west of Tianjin Bridge.
But compared to this one, it's much smaller... By the way, how does this thing draw water? The water is lower than the ground."
Cao Ji chatted with the girl in green, nodded, and signaled the craftsman to leave.
Then, he ordered people to bring in three cattle and tied them to the wooden compass under the water wheel. He drove all the craftsmen away, and then ordered people to drive the cattle. The cattle pulled the turntable and turned, making a crunching sound.
Then, the water wheel's axle started to rotate, driving the blades in the tank to scrape the water upward. After a while, a stream of clear water was spit out from the dragon's mouth and poured into the water tank below the embankment...
"Brother Kan, let's chat."
The girl called softly, and a young man next to the pool stepped forward and lifted a sink baffle.
The water flows slowly along several ditches and pours into the fields in the distance...
In an instant, bursts of cheers came from the embankment, and the fields that had been dry for a long time were watered and nourished by the river water, and they immediately became full of vitality.
The cattle turn the turntable, and the river water continuously pours into the pool, and then flows into the fields in an orderly manner...
Cao Cao couldn't help being surprised. He pointed at the waterwheel and was speechless for a long time.
"Have you calculated it?"
Xun Yu quickly asked the attendant next to him.
"Back to the servant, according to this situation, there must be three rotations a day. One waterwheel, running all day long, requires six to eight cattle... With the amount of water, it is estimated that this field can be irrigated after tonight.
I just made some calculations, and if there are 120 water trucks, most of the fields around Xudu can be guaranteed not to be affected by drought...if it extends to the entire Yuzhou, additional calculations are needed."
There was a smile on Xun Yu's thin cheek.
Cao Cao stood on the river embankment, looking at the river water flowing into the fields, and he was ecstatic.
He made rapid calculations in his mind, and after a moment he suddenly said: "Zi Yang, I have something to discuss with you."
Liu Ye said in astonishment: "What's the matter with Sikong, but it doesn't matter."
"I want to separate Zhuye Mansion from Shaofu Mansion."
"ah?"
"I intend to merge Mincao and Zhuye Mansion, and set up Mincao Duwei to be in charge of craftsmanship, smelting, water conservancy and other affairs. Junshi is better than Zhuye, and now he has designed such artifacts, which can serve as Mincao Duwei...
Well, I will return to the Sikong Mansion and serve as the Sikong Cao."
For Cao Cao, the keel waterwheel and various metallurgical affairs were extremely important.
It's best to be under his control...
Sikong Cao Peng directly obeyed Cao Cao's orders, while Min Cao Duwei was just like the same scope of authority.
Compared with the Zhuye captains before Cao Ji, the upper level salary is similar, but it is converted from Qianshi to rank Qianshi, which belongs to the second level of Qianshi salary. Further up, the real Qianshi salary is usually the deputy of Jiuqing, such as Shao
Official positions such as Fu Cheng, Sikong Cheng, and Ting Weizheng.
Even though you only picked half a level, for many people, they may not be able to take this step in their lifetime.
Especially for subordinate officials under the rule of Sangong and Jiuqing, unless they have the experience of being sent abroad, it will be extremely difficult for them to be in the capital and not promoted even half a step.
Liu Ye felt somewhat uncomfortable.
It took a lot of effort to have such an outstanding subordinate, but now he is poached again.
For Liu Ye, the separation of Zhuye Mansion from Shaofu was equivalent to the loss of a huge benefit.
But now that Cao Cao has said it, even if Liu Ye is dissatisfied, he can only nod. Since Dong Zhuo's rebellion, many official positions have changed. For example, Cao Cao added the commander of the army and the general of the army, all of which were based on specific circumstances.
Establishment. Therefore, even if the Mincao Captain is established, it is not a derailment. In the final analysis, the Mincao Captain is akin to a false position, and no one can say anything.
"Since Sikong has this plan, how dare Ziyang not follow it."
The smile on Cao Cao's face became even stronger.
Over there, Xun Yu had also finished his calculations and ran up happily.
"Sikong, please give the order immediately to build this Cao official car."
"ah?"
Cao Cao was startled, "Cao's bus?"
"Yes, I just sent someone to ask Juan Shi what the name of this artifact is? He replied that it is Cao Gong's car."
Cao Cao laughed loudly, pointed at Cao Ji with his hand, shook his head and said: "This Cao Junshi has become dishonest and learned to do such flattery."
Liu Ye and Xun Yu despised him in his heart at the same time.
Just pretend, maybe you will be so happy in your heart now.
There is Cao Gong's plow in front and Cao Gong's chariot in the back.
Why couldn't Cao Junshi be renamed Liu Gongche or Xun Gongche?
Xun Yu looked at Cao Cao and couldn't help but curse.
"Who is that girl next to Juan Shi?"
"Oh, that's the fiancée of Cao Peng, Jun Shi's son."
"Is she the daughter of the Huang family in Jiangxia?"
Liu Ye nodded and said softly: "This woman has great talent. According to Juan Shi, she originally came up with the idea for Cao's official car, Cao Peng gave her opinions, and finally Juan Shi participated in the design. This woman's father, then
He is Huang Yan, Huang Chengyan, a famous scholar from Jiangxia, and his talent is very outstanding."
"Is this happening?"
Cao Cao looked at Huang Yueying, and then saw Xia Houzhen, who ran to Huang Yueying's side, holding Huang Yueying's hand with a smile on his face, and a thoughtful expression suddenly appeared on his face.
It seems that this matter should be considered in the long run!
The hot summer is unbearable.
Zhu Zan dragged his tired body back to the government office.
After dinner, he played with his young son for a while, and then walked into the study alone.
After putting the wine bottle on the table, he sat down behind the case, took out the official documents, and began to read and process them. Cao Peng had been away from Luoyang for nearly three months, but there was no clue about the murder case. Zhu Zan ordered people to search.
Twenty miles upstream and downstream of the Luo River, no corpses were found. The Luoyang Order was extremely dissatisfied with this, thinking that Zhu Zan was a waste of manpower and material resources. Even Zhu Zan thought that Cao Peng was blinded.
After all, Cao Peng had been drinking that night... However, the cart and the testimony of Xia Houlan and others on that day proved that it was not an illusion. This also gave Zhu Zan a huge headache and he had no idea where to start.
…
He picked up a roll of official documents from the slip, took a sip of water, and opened it.
This document is some old documents taken from the government office. Zhu Zan hopes to check if there are any similar cases from the past documents.
Outside, it's very quiet.
Zhu Zan read it carefully under the solitary lamp.
Suddenly, he felt a cramp in his stomach, and his face suddenly turned pale.
"Come here, come here..."
Zhuzan stood up and shouted loudly,
But before he finished shouting, a mouthful of blood spurted out and he fell to the ground.
Mrs. Zhu was right next door to the flower hall. When she heard Zhu Zan's shout, she quickly put down her work and ran over.
As soon as he entered the flower hall, he saw Zhu Zan lying on the ground. He was so frightened that Mrs. Zhu screamed: "Come here, come here..."
She rushed to Zhu Zan and held Zhu Zan in her arms.
"Husband wake up, husband wake up!"
In just this moment, Zhu Zan was already dying.
However, his eyes were clear, and he seemed to have noticed something, and said softly: "Madam, I am confused... Madam, I am confused..."
Before he finished speaking, another mouthful of blood spurted out, soaking Mrs. Zhu's clothes.