Royal road

Chapter 329 The Great Drought

"Patriarch, I'm afraid this season's winter wheat will not survive..."

In fact, there is no need for others to say this, Zhao Liang knows it well.Most of the sparse wheat seedlings in the field were green and yellow and limp, while the rest were completely dead.From the beginning of spring to the present, there have been only two rains in total, and the ground has not been fully watered.Even if the wheat sprouts, it will definitely not hang ears.As a result, the farm's harvest has been reduced by more than half...

Suppressing the panic in his heart, he asked, "Where's Gu Zi?"

"It depends on whether it rains or not." The person beside him whispered, "If it doesn't rain, the harvest of millet will also be reduced by three points."

This is still the situation where the river at the head of the village is constantly flowing.As the patriarch, Zhao Liang is quite proficient in farming.Seeing the drought and no rain, the farmers had long ago asked farmers to rush to plant a batch of millet.Dry valley waterlogged beans, and only millet, can survive the severe drought.It's just that no matter how cold it is, it still needs water!

If it doesn't rain this month, can the millet in the field be kept?Without the grain harvested in summer, how can the tribe live on?There have been two sacrificial offerings in the Dragon King Temple.Let's do it again, can we ask for rain and dew?

With dry lips, tightly pursed, Zhao Liang was thinking of a way, when a loud human voice suddenly came from afar.

"Brother! Bandits, bandits are coming!"

Seeing the fourth younger brother running wildly, Zhao Liang asked in surprise, "Where did the soldiers come from? Where is the Sun Family Fort in front?"

Their Wu Fort was built on the back of a mountain, and in front of them there was a big family surnamed Sun who built a fort.Therefore, their whole family was able to escape Wang Mi's chaos and barely survived.Why are the bandits here again?

"It's the Jie thief's soldiers and horses! Mrs. Sun has surrendered!" The other party was already sweating from running, and his face was even more livid.

"It's that locust..." Zhao Liang's complexion also changed.Shi Le, a man from Jie, has now become the disaster star in the hearts of people in Henan and Yanzhou.Wherever he goes, he sweeps across.If he was allowed to invade Wubao and take away the stored food, how would they survive this calamity year?

"Order all the young and strong members of the clan to climb to the top of the city!" Gritting his teeth, Zhao Liang said harshly, "Our Fort Wu is very small, if it is difficult to attack, they will retreat!"

No matter what, hit a dozen.There is still millet in the field, maybe after a while, it will be fine.

as long as it lasts...

"General, Wubao in front has been captured. The food is not too much, it's only enough for half a month."

Hearing his confidant's report, Shi Le frowned tightly.Yuzhou doesn't look very good either.

After returning to Yanzhou last year, he spent a lot of effort to wipe out the Jin Guoxingtai that suddenly appeared.Finally, all the false emperors and ministers in Xingtai were killed, and several counties were broken.Before I could catch my breath, I encountered a severe drought.

For several months, there was no rain in Yanzhou.The crops in the field were dry and dead, the soil was full of cracks, and some tributaries were cut off from water.If this continues, there will be famine.

Shi Le also cultivated land himself, and was sold as a slave because of the severe drought in Bingzhou.He even described the effects of drought on the people.So he immediately led his troops to attack Yuzhou.Yuzhou was plowed by Wang Mijun before. Although the prefectures and counties were dilapidated, there were still many Wubao.These days, no matter if it is a family or a village, they all like to live together in a castle.If it is captured, it can support the food and grass in the army.

But the idea was good. When he arrived in Yuzhou, he realized that the drought was also serious here.In Wubaoli of the common people, there is no food at all.And Wubao is no more difficult to conquer than a city.It's not worth the loss if it goes on like this.

You still have to fight the gentry!Yuzhou is similar to Yanzhou, and it is the place where Sima's relatives and aristocratic families settled down.If these people know each other and donate to the city, their lives can be spared.If not, step down.

The direction was set in an instant, and Shi Le waved his horsewhip: "Continue to attack the city! Before the summer harvest, we must accumulate more food and grass!"

While these people still have hope, raise troops as soon as possible.If there is no rain, Xia Shou will lose all hope, fearing that there will be a flood of refugees.At that time, the surrounding fields were empty, where did he go to collect food?

The army like locusts set off again and attacked another city.

■

This weather is killing people.

Zutaizhi stood on the embankment, sweating profusely, and felt that his clothes were soaked in sweat.It's only been a few months, and the sun is so vicious.In addition, there is no rain for a long time and the air is dry, which is even more difficult.

Fortunately, the lord made a plan earlier.If it is later, I don't know what will happen.

"Zu joined the army, the channel in front has been dug, do you want to break the cofferdam?" Below, a subordinate officer of the engineer asked.

"Don't panic. We'll talk about it after Dr. Pei and the others read it." Zu Taizhi said, walking towards the shed built under the embankment.

In the shed, a group of people were writing and drawing on the tall table.The conditions were simple, there was no room to kneel down, and everyone sat on high stools regardless of etiquette.Coupled with the dust all over the body, let alone describe how embarrassing it is.

Zu Taizhi doesn't think it's strange, not to mention these people, even he himself looks like this now?He stayed at the construction site for a full four months. In addition to the early inspection and later inspection, he has not been safe for half a year.

Well, it's almost finished.

Feeling slightly relieved, Zu Taizhi said, "Dr. Pei, the channel has been completed, how is your inspection going?"

After being named by Zutai, a young man raised his head: "I was looking for you, but the last paragraph seems to be a bit inappropriate."

Upon hearing this, Zutai's expression immediately became serious: "What's wrong?!"

A water conservancy project of this scale, if there is a slight error, it will be a catastrophe.Who dares to slack off in the slightest?

The man did not hide anything, and pointed to the southwest corner of the map: "The excavation here is too shallow, which is not conducive to sand discharge. If things go on like this, it is likely to block the channel, and a lot of manpower will be required to dredge it every year. It must be rebuilt!"

What he said was categorical, and Zu Taizhi's expression was not very good-looking.It took a lot of effort to build this channel, and if it is rebuilt, I don't know how long it will take.It is almost the jointing period of the crops. If you miss the water replenishment time such as earing and grouting, even if the canal is completed, it will not be able to catch up.

Thinking quickly in his mind, in the end, Zu Taizhi gritted his teeth: "If it is rebuilt, can it be completed in five days?"

"Yes!" The other party replied simply, "The channel has been dug, just adjust one or two. Send some servants as soon as possible, and we will be able to catch up!"

"Then fix it!" Zu Taizhi immediately made a decision, turned his head and gave instructions to the subordinates around him.

Seeing that he agreed with his plan, the young man also breathed a sigh of relief.He raised his hand to wipe the sweat off his head, but found that his hand was covered with charcoal black.Nowadays, it is inevitable to use charcoal pencils for drawing and calculation in Bingzhou.Just a few years ago, could he have imagined that he would be sitting in an arbor on the river beach, covered in dust and black hands?

This person is Pei Ruo.A direct branch of Pei's family in Hedong.Back then, Pei Ruo was just curious about the new chapter of "Nine Chapters of Arithmetic", so Pei Ruo went to Shangdang alone and entered the Chongwen Museum.Who would have thought that after a few years, the situation would change like this.

The Pei family's territory located in Hedong has been taken by the Xiongnu and puppet Han.Half of the family members voted for the Xiongnu, and the rest fled to the south.Pei Ruo did not migrate with the tribe, but chose to stay in Shangdang, and then went to Jinyang and became a doctor in Qiuzhi Academy.

The longer you stay in Qiuzhiyuan, the harder it is to leave the intoxicating environment.The family business was lost, and the capital of the country went to the south. In just a few years, everything he was familiar with was turned upside down.But in the sea of ​​learning, people will never be lonely or lost.Bingzhou's calculations can be described as rapid progress, and there are new results all the time.And the "six elements of cartography" learned from Pei Xiu, his ancestral home, has also become the cornerstone of geography.

If possible, he would indulge in books and maps, and never ask about world affairs again.However, by coincidence, there were signs of severe drought in Bingzhou last year, requiring the construction of new water conservancy works.When Zutaizhi joined the army, he found himself.

Taking on this task was initially just a matter of interest.Zheng Guoqu and Du'anyan have irrigated countless fertile fields since the pre-Qin period. If he can also lead the completion of such a canal, will he also be famous in history?

However, when he actually arrived at the shore of Jiuze Lake and started to investigate, Pei Ruo discovered that it was completely different from what he had imagined.For hundreds of miles, you have to go through every place, and you have to figure out the criss-cross waterways one by one.Just the preparation in the early stage can remove a layer of skin from the tormented person.However, this difficult journey made him discover for the first time how hard it is for farmers to plow the fields.

He was born in a family, and the only things he has come into contact with are pavilions, terraces and mansions, and Huayu mansions.Even if you have been to the farm, you can enjoy the spring flowers and taste the fragrance of rice.How the fields are cultivated and how the farmers work.He didn't know anything about it.

And this severe drought has completely lifted that hazy veil.The whole family takes turns carrying water, just hoping to give the wheat seedlings a chance of survival.Groups of villagers fought and killed each other, just to grab a waterway that was about to dry up.In this field, what is planted is not barley, it is clearly stained with blood and tears!

Obviously, the big lake Jiuze is right in front of us, but three or five miles away, the fields are still dry.What if there is a canal?What will a large canal that can irrigate fertile fields look like?

Pei Ruo sank completely.Immerse yourself in the labor of drawing drawings and scrutinizing geography.The former aristocratic demeanor has been left behind.Every day, I run around with a group of surveying and painting school officials, writing and calculating.It never stopped for a day.

Therefore, there are immediate results.

Looking at the laborers who are still moving sand and soil in the river, sweating profusely.Pei Ruo clenched his fists, and suddenly said to Zu Taizhi: "Zu Canjun, I will go with you."

Zu Taizhi was already preparing to go to the last construction site, and he was quite surprised when he heard this sentence suddenly.But soon, he nodded in response.This project is too important, naturally, the more people who can use it, the better.Without delay, the two set off to the construction site.

Seven days later, the cofferdam standing in front of the canal was finally broken open.It only took a moment for the gurgling stream to turn into a roaring water dragon, break through the weir and flow into the ditch!Strips of bright silver water flowed amidst the cheers of countless people, rushing towards the land that had been dry for a long time.

The author has something to say: Du'anyan is Dujiangyan, named after the county at that time.

Book of Jin: In May of the third year of Emperor Huai's Yongjia, there was a severe drought, and Liangshuidanchi in Xiangping County was exhausted, and the river, Luo, Jiang, and Han could all be involved.

The Yellow River, Luoshui River, Yangtze River, and Hanshui River have all dried up. It is conceivable that this is a huge national drought.It was also this severe drought that sounded the death knell for the Western Jin Dynasty in history.