Chapter 0321 What is more terrifying than a flood?
The blood beads rolled down the long knife and fell into the water, mixing with the turbid floodwater that rushed in from Guangli Water Gate, turning into a sticky blood color.
Kou Zhun, Wang Zeng, Li Di and others stepped onto the city wall through the muddy water.
The soldiers on the city wall were running down the city in a panic. When they saw Kou Zhun and others arriving, they stopped and returned to their posts on the top of the city.
Chen Lin sent several eunuchs to lie down in the muddy water, preparing for Zhao Zhen to cross on the human bridge built by the eunuchs.
But Kou Zhun shouted to stop him.
Zhao Zhen could only walk through the muddy water up to his ankles and walked to the stairs under the city wall.
Kou Ji followed closely behind.
Other officials, eunuchs, and palace maids followed their footsteps and climbed onto the city wall together.
On the city wall.
Several generals guarding the city had already been informed, and after Kou Zhun and others climbed onto the city wall, they took the initiative to greet them.
"I have seen the official family and the grand master..."
Several generals guarding the city clasped their fists and saluted.
Kou Zhun took Zhao Zhen's right to speak without hesitation, frowning and asked: "How is the disaster?"
Wang Cheng, the guard of Guangli Water Gate, bowed and said: "Back to the Grand Master, the flood has submerged the moat outside the city and has reached one foot on the city wall."
Wang Cheng is only the seventh son of the late Wang Shenqi of Langya County. He is as old as Kou Zhun and is a veteran.
He has experienced the Yellow River bursting its banks several times, so he has a clear judgment on the magnitude of the disaster caused by the Yellow River bursting its banks.
The floodwaters have covered one foot of the city wall, which means that the floods outside the city cannot threaten the city for the time being.
If there is a city wall blocking it, the flood will flow to other places along the city wall.
Kou Zhun nodded slowly and said in a deep voice: "Have all the water gates been sealed?"
Wang Cheng just nodded and said: "When the flood from the Yellow River rushed under the city wall, the lower official asked the defenders of several water gates to seal the water gates."
Kou Zhun let out a long breath and said: "That's good..."
The reason why Kou Zhun chased Wang Cheng to ask questions was to confirm whether Bianjing City was in danger of being flooded.
If Bianjing City was in danger of being submerged, he would definitely have people take Zhao Zhen and others out of Bianjing City first.
Kou Zhun turned around and said to Li Di and others: "Let's go and have a look together."
Everyone nodded and followed Kou Zhun to the crenellations of the city wall and looked out of the city.
outside the city.
Everywhere you look, there is a torrential flood.
The flood hit the big trees and rolled them in the water.
People and animals occasionally show their heads in the flood, but before they can call for help, the churning flood will instantly submerge them.
Some people sat on wooden basins and lay on the door panels, rising and falling as the flood rolled.
Every second, someone is drowned in the flood.
Desperate cries resounded throughout the city of Bianjing.
Those who listened felt their scalp numb.
A woman was soaking in the water, hugging the barrel tightly in her arms, and was washed under the city wall by the flood.
She struggled to beat the city wall that had been soaked by the flood, begging for help from the city wall.
Without anyone's instructions, the soldiers on top of the city threw off the rope and went down. The woman hurriedly tied the barrel to the rope.
When the barrel was tied to the rope, she collapsed helplessly into the flood and was swallowed up by the flood.
She struggled in the flood for a long time and was already exhausted.
She didn't have the strength to climb up to the top of the city by clinging to the few rope ends hanging down in front of her.
The soldiers quickly pulled the barrel up.
In the wooden barrel, there lay a pink, fleshy, small figure.
He was sound asleep.
He had no idea what he was going through.
He also didn't know that his parents had disappeared from the world forever with this flood.
However.
Not many people were lucky enough to be rushed to the top of the city like the woman who was dying.
More people became floating corpses in the flood.
From a distance, I could only see the undulating linen clothes floating on the water.
When a pile of floating corpses mixed with dry firewood in the flood gathered under the city head.
Li Di was annoyed, "How could the Yellow River embankment, which was rebuilt only last year, burst?"
Kou Zhun, Wang Zeng and others looked gloomy and did not speak.
The other officials also looked gloomy and did not speak.
"Check it!"
After Kou Zhun was silent for a long time, he uttered two words coldly.
Wang Zeng said in a cold tone: "What happens after you find out?"
"kill!"
Zhao Zhen said tremblingly.
The dead are not scary. Zhao Zhen saw dead people when he was very young.
It was an unruly old eunuch in the palace who tried to feed him some unknown food. After being caught by Chen Lin, Zhao Heng chopped him up alive in front of all the eunuchs in the palace and Gong E.
So Zhao Zhen was not afraid of death a long time ago.
But when a bunch of dead people appeared in front of him, he became a little scared.
When the floating corpses of humans and animals were looming under the dead wood, it was like hell.
Anyone who sees this scene will feel numb.
Zhao Zhen is no longer the ignorant and innocent young man he used to be. During the period of studying government affairs with Kou Zhun, he has learned a lot about government affairs.
He could probably tell it from the conversation the three of them had just had.
When the Yellow River burst its banks, it was very likely that there were human factors involved.
If this flood is a natural disaster.
Then the ruling and opposition parties will have no choice but to admit it.
But if there are human factors involved, then these people should be killed.
Kou Zhun and the other three heard the word "kill" shouted by Zhao Zhen and had no objection.
They acquiesced to Zhao Zhen's statement.
Wang Zeng glanced at Kou Zhun and Li Di for a moment, and said coldly: "I am also the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment. I will leave this matter to me with full authority to investigate."
Without waiting for Kou Zhun, Li Di and the other two spoke.
Wang Zeng descended from the city wall with a gloomy face.
After Wang Zeng left, Li Di said: "I'm going to assist the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Third Division to provide relief after the disaster."
After saying this, Li Di also left.
Kou Zhun put his hands on his back, looked at the torrential flood outside the city, and ordered: "Call Liu Mei, Cao Lili, Cao Wei, Gao Chugong, and Zhu Neng to come over."
Chen Lin agreed and went down to summon Liu Mei and the others.
Chen Lin went down and informed, and then a eunuch rode on horseback to find these five people.
Kou Zhun turned around and ordered Wang Chengji: "Send the order to the soldiers of the four gates to do their best to rescue the victims who have drifted to the bottom of the city."
Wang Cheng just bowed his hand, agreed, and went down to deliver the order.
Kou Zhun, Zhao Zhen, and Kou Ji frowned and stared at the torrential flood outside the city.
After a long time.
Zhu Neng arrived at the top of the city first. After saluting, he asked, "Master, what are your orders when you summon your subordinates?"
Kou Zhun said in a deep voice: "You are responsible for leading the troops of the Dragon God Guard to guard the imperial city and prevent anyone from taking the opportunity to cause chaos."
"Here..."
Zhu Neng agreed and left.
After Zhu Neng left, Zhao Zhen asked with a straight face and a heavy voice: "Grand Master, shouldn't we send troops to provide disaster relief at this time? Why should we stick to the imperial city? I'm not in the palace."
Kou Zhun glanced at Zhao Zhen, then looked at Kou Ji, and asked, "Do you know why?"
Kou Ji nodded.
Kou Zhun said: "Then it's up to you to answer the questions for the officials."
Kou Ji nodded and said to Zhao Zhen: "Within three days, the flood will not recede. As long as someone instigates it, the people will attack the imperial city."
Zhao Zhen said in astonishment: "Why?"
Kou Ji sighed and said with a wry smile: "Because they think there is food in the palace."
Zhao Zhen still looked stunned.
Kou Ji explained: "Bianjing is a big city with a million people, and it consumes countless grains every day. Therefore, countless grains are transported in from various waterways every day.
Now the flood has locked up the city.
If grain cannot be transported in, the grain reserves in Bianjing City will be quickly exhausted.
Some profiteers will also take the opportunity to drive up food prices and make profits.
Or they may take the opportunity to hoard food, causing signs that there is no food to sell.”
Zhao Zhen said seriously: "You can spend money to buy grain from grain merchants and distribute it to the people."
Kou Zhun, Kou Ji's ancestors and grandson were all stunned when they heard this.
Kou Zhun glanced at Zhao Zhen and was too lazy to talk to him.
Kou Ji said with a bitter face: "The officials are really kind."
Zhao Zhen said in astonishment: "What else should I do?"
Kou Jidao: "There are not many conscientious businessmen. If they know that the court wants to spend money to buy the food in their hands, they will only raise the price higher.
The money from the imperial court cannot satisfy the desires of the merchants."
"The human heart is not enough, and the desires are hard to satisfy?"
Zhao Zhen asked.
Kou Ji nodded and said: "That's right... So when encountering this kind of thing, we can only order the merchants to hand over the grain, and then compensate them according to the market price.
If you don't obey...you can only kill people to get food."
Zhao Zhen looked at Kou Zhun and asked, "The Grand Master also thinks so?"
Kou Zhun said coldly: "Not bad!"
Zhao Zhen curled his lips and said, "Then let's do it."
Immediately, he raised his head again and asked: "If you give the people food, they won't attack the imperial city, right?"
Kou Ji said dumbfounded: "What if the food in Bianjing City runs out?"
Zhao Zhen looked at Kou Ji in astonishment. PC::/
Kou Ji raised three fingers and said: "Someone once calculated that the food stored in Bianjing City is only enough for the common people to eat for three days. After three days, except for some wealthy families, most of the people's homes will have finished eating.
If the common people have no food to eat, they will attack the wealthy families to steal food and the palace to steal food."
Zhao Zhen opened his mouth in confusion, unable to speak.
Kou Ji sighed and said: "The flood is terrible, and the riots among the people in Bianjing City are even more terrible."
Zhao Zhen looked sad when he heard this.
Kou Ji didn't speak again.
After being silent for a long time, Zhao Zhen said: "Since I can remember, there have been three floods in Bianjing. Once, my father took me to hide on Gen Mountain in the palace.
Is there no way to save the people in Bianjing from the suffering of floods once and for all?
If there were no floods, wouldn't the people stop making trouble?"
When Kou Zhun heard this question, he frowned and said nothing.
Kou Ji pondered for a moment and said, "Yes, there is, but it's not easy to do."
Zhao Zhen asked: "What can we do?"
"Move the capital!"
Kou Ji said two words calmly.
Zhao Zhen's eyes widened in vain and he froze on the spot.
After a long time, he asked Kou Ji, "Why do we need to move the capital? Isn't it possible to strengthen the Yellow River embankment?"
Kou Ji raised a hand and said: "The bed of the Yellow River is here."
Kou Ji lowered his hand and said: "Bianjing City is here."
"Do you think the imperial court can create a natural dam that blocks the flow of water to lower areas?"
Zhao Zhen was stunned and speechless.
Kou Ji didn't speak again.
If you want to solve the troubles caused by the Yellow River to the people in the capital, there is no other way except moving the capital.
After all, the riverbed of the Yellow River is much higher than Bianjing City, almost as high as the Iron Pagoda Temple, the tallest building in Bianjing City.
As long as the Yellow River overflows and floods pour into Bianjing City, it is inevitable.
So the only way to solve this problem once and for all is to move the capital.
And moving the capital is no small matter.
It cannot be done with just one or two sentences.
There are countless interest disputes involved in the process.
Unless Zhao Zhen can control all the power of the court and then move the capital in a resolute manner.
Otherwise, it's simply impossible to do.
After Liu Mei arrived, Kou Ji ordered Liu Mei to lead the personnel of the Imperial City Division to cooperate with Li Di in setting up a plan to appease the people in the city and do a good job in post-disaster relief work.
Then Cao Wei, Cao Wei and others also arrived.
Kou Zhun ordered them to take the soldiers of the Forbidden Army to rescue the victims as much as possible outside the city after the flood receded.
At the same time, we had to cooperate with the grain merchants who were blocked outside the city by the flood to transport grain into Bianjing City as soon as possible.
To avoid food shortages and unrest among the people.
After Liu Mei, Cao Li and others received the order, they did not hesitate and immediately made preparations.
It's night.
Kou Zhun took Kou Ji and Zhao Zhen to live in the city gate building above Dailoumen.
As long as the flood does not recede, he has no intention of letting Zhao Zhen return to the palace.
Because once Zhao Zhen returns to the palace, if there is turmoil in Bianjing City, it will be difficult for him to come out.
Kou Ji guessed that the reason why Kou Zhun took Zhao Zhen with him was probably not just to prevent unrest among the people.
It may also be to prevent Zhao Yuanyan from taking the opportunity to mutiny.
After Zhao Yuanyan's wild ambitions were exposed by Kou Ji, Kou Zhun, Li Di, and Wang Zeng had already sent people to secretly investigate.
Some clues have been discovered.
Kou Zhun must be on guard against this person before he shows enough of his potential.
After nightfall, Kou Ji sent someone back to the Kou Mansion and told Xiang Yan that the flood would not spread to Bianjing City for the time being, so she did not need to panic and could just safely defend the Kou Mansion.
After sending someone to notify Xiang Yan, Kou Ji had nothing to do.
He stayed with Kou Zhun and Zhao Zhen in the city gate building all night. : :
The next morning.
Amidst a burst of crying and howling, Kou Ji faintly woke up.
When I poked my head out of the city gate building, I saw Wang Zeng escorting a group of officials up the city wall.
Those officials cried miserably, each one shouting that they were wronged.
Wang Zeng did not pay attention to them, but walked to Kou Zhun and Zhao Zhen and said in a deep voice: "Guan family, Grand Master, the collapse of the Yellow River embankment is indeed related to these thieves.
After detailed investigation last night by the veteran officials, they all embezzled the money to build the embankment of the Yellow River last year.