Cold comes and summer comes, spring passes and autumn comes. Two years have passed by in a flash, and it is now the early summer of the 10th year of Xuanhe's reign in the Song Dynasty.
Since the Dragon Boat Festival, a heavy rain has hit the Gyeonggi area. For seven or eight days, the heavy rain has almost not stopped. This has caused water levels in various rivers to become emergency. In particular, the water levels in a section of the Yellow River near Tokyo and the Bianhe River are higher than in previous years. It was three to five feet higher and was almost overflowing from the top of the river embankment.
The heavy rain for many days has caused large-scale waterlogging in Tokyo. Even though there are drainage ditches as dense as a spider web under the city, it is still impossible to drain the large amount of rainwater. As a result, not only the outer city, but also the inner city, and even the imperial city were flooded, making it almost impossible to go boating.
This is naturally a huge challenge for Sun Tu and his party, who now have complete control over the overall situation of the government. In the past few days, countless officials have been doing their best to take care of the overall situation, and Sun Tu has stayed in the Privy Council for three days in a row. The commander had never seen half of his family members, and many officials were so anxious that their mouths were full of tears. It was so hard.
On May 17, at noon, an official who was drowned by the heavy rain despite having a servant to help him carry an umbrella hurriedly waded into the Privy Council and asked to see Sun Tu: "Xu Jue, the Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, comes to see the Taiwei. "
Sun Tu, the Duke of Yue, who was talking to his scribes, quickly responded inside: "Shang Shu Xu, there is no need to be polite. If you have anything to say, just go ahead and say it."
"Yes." Xu Jue was not polite and strode in quickly. When he saw Sun Tu, he leaned back slightly and said: "Lieutenant, news just came from the Yellow River. There is a gap in a small section of the river. Fortunately, we found it. In time, the blockade was blocked back, but the sandbags in front were insufficient and needed to be mobilized from the city."
"You don't have to come to ask my official for instructions on such matters, you can just make the decision yourself." Sun Tu smiled and said: "You can tell the soldiers and officials there that as long as the Yellow River can be defended this time, They all have meritorious service, and I, as well as the court, will never forget them."
"Yes, I have noted it down."
"And you." Sun Tu glanced at the minister of the Ministry of Industry, who was only in his early forties. "Xu Shangshu, I specially promoted you from the position of doctor. Don't let your majesty and the people of the world disappoint you." Ah. Not only on the other side of the Yellow River, but also on the Bianhe River outside the city, there is no room for error. If you do it well, it will be a great achievement. No one will say that you got the position of Shangshu by luck. As for what support you want, Whether it’s money, people, or things, I will provide them freely without any burden. In the past two years, the income of the Song Dynasty has been increasing day by day. Isn’t this rice, grain, and goods just a precaution?”
When Xu Jue heard this, he was even more determined. At the same time, he clasped his fists with gratitude and said, "Xiaoguan understands that I will do my best not to let the lieutenant down. But there is one more thing. I really don't dare to make this decision." …”
Sun Tu smiled and glanced at him, and quickly understood that his previous words were just foreshadowing, and then he got to the point: "If you have anything to say, just say it, everything should be based on the overall situation."
"It's like this. According to the calculations of several officials from the Ministry of Industry who are good at water control, the city of Tokyo will definitely not be able to bear this rain again, especially since the water level of Jinmingchi in the west continues to rise, and it has become a bridge hanging in the west city. A big water jug,
Once something goes wrong, it will be a disaster. The only way now is to take the initiative to open up a corner of Jinming Pond and divert the water into Qionglin Garden and the nearby manor. However, both Jinming Pond and Qionglin Garden are owned by the royal family, and the dozens of villages there are owned by officials from the central government. industry, so…”
Hearing his embarrassment, Sun Tu chuckled: "So that's why you came here. It's true that Jinmingchi and Qionglin Garden are owned by the royal family, but isn't Tokyo City the residence of the emperor? How can it be because of such a small thing? Losing a lot, are you ignoring the safety of millions of lives in Tokyo? As for those Zhuangzi, don't even bother with it. You can take my warrant and send a group of forbidden troops to Jinmingchi. Act according to the opinions of your Ministry of Industry personnel. Don't have any worries! I There is only one requirement, and that is to prevent the floods from getting worse and to prevent the people in the city from suffering any more disasters! Can you do it?"
This complete letting go of trust made Xu Jue feel excited. As a technocrat who only focused on building fortifications, his thoughts were much simpler than those of most courtiers. At this time, he immediately handed over his hands and said: "I will definitely live up to the trust of the Taiwei. If something goes wrong, I am willing to do it." Pay it off with your life!"
"Well, go ahead. It's a good idea to get things done and save your life so you can serve the country." Sun Tu smiled at him again and waved his hand. When the Minister of Industry turned around and went out, the two of them discovered that there was another official who looked slightly embarrassed outside the door, and it was Tong Mu, the counselor of the Political Affairs Hall!
Today, two years later, Tong Mu's official position is still only the second-in-command in the political hall, with the top-ranking Prime Minister Li Gang above him. But in fact, everyone in the world knows that he is the one who really has the final say in the political hall. As for the elderly and virtuous Xianggong Li, he is just a decoration. He claimed to be sick at home eight out of ten days, and the remaining two Even when he arrived at the political hall, he almost didn't do business, he just drank tea and chatted.
After experiencing the bloodbath of the imperial court two years ago, Sun Tu and his men had almost all the military, political and financial powers of the imperial court in their hands. As for important ministers like Li Gang, they were no more than clay sculptures and wood carvings.
"I've seen ginseng." Xu Jue came to Tong Mu and bowed his hands politely. The latter also smiled and saluted him, and then asked: "How are you? It's been very hard these days. I'm waiting for my fortune." Your life depends on your thoughts, Xu Shangshu."
"I don't dare, Da Shen is joking. But everyone can rest assured that at least in the short term, I can ensure that the water level in Tokyo will not rise again."
"That's good, I'll leave everything to Xu Shangshu." After a brief exchange of greetings with the other party, Tong Mu stepped through the door. After greeting Sun Tu for a while, he said: "Confirmed news has come from the Jiangnan area. In the past two years, the implementation of Although the removal of ancient texts has achieved some success, it still encountered a lot of resistance, especially from many local celebrities, who repeatedly opposed it in public, saying that it was a big mistake that was insulting to civility and subverted thousands of years of orthodoxy."
Sun Tu responded without changing his expression: "What else? If you can make this trip in person, there must be quite a fuss there, right?"
In the end, Sun Tu was still a little too optimistic about the series of policies of abandoning ancient Chinese literature and using vernacular Chinese for imperial examinations, and applying it to official documents. In fact, since this decision was made, it has met with crazy resistance from the bureaucrats and gentry everywhere. Now two years later, it is still full of difficulties. Even Sun Yat-sen's
In the Jiangnan region, where we have high hopes, the situation is not optimistic either.
Tong Mu smiled bitterly: "For other things, please take a look at this newly delivered melodies." As he said that, he handed over a melodies hidden in his arms that were not wet by the rain.
Sun Tu took it and opened it, his eyebrows quickly knitted together, and his face became gloomy: "You are so brave, they actually started to use force to break into the Yamen, who gave them the courage? Do you really think that after two years, my grandson will become a good person who eats fast and chants Buddha's name?"
Tong Mu smiled bitterly again: "After all, this matter will cause them great harm. These local gentry, especially those from scholarly families, naturally refuse to give up."
"Yes, they have relied on this monopoly advantage to rule the local area for many generations, treating the people as their own slaves. But once the so-called orthodoxy is gone, how can their children be able to become masters in the future?" Sun Tu He said coldly: "But I can't let them control everything like this. Now that I have done it, there is no reason to give up halfway. In the past two years, I have said all my good words, and it is time to kill their prestige and let them know What's the end of being my enemy?"
"Lieutenant, are you planning to use force? Aren't you afraid of another disturbance in the area?"
"Humph, what can a group of scholars do to help? Isn't there a saying that says that the scholar rebellion has not been completed for three years, but just by them, they can pull up a team of ten thousand people, which is considered extraordinary performance. This is In the past two years, the lives of the people all over the world have become increasingly better, so how can they be able to do so just because they say so?"
After a pause, Sun Tu said again: "In this case, you send a letter to Lin Chong stationed in Jiangnan and ask him to secretly send people to contact those who dance the most fiercely and encourage them to revolt. What should he do next? You should be able to understand.”
Hearing this countermeasure, Tong Mu's eyelids suddenly jumped: "Lieutenant, if this happens, too many people will be implicated..."
"Kill one to serve as a warning to others. After two years, I have finally come to understand that there is no use in getting along with these people and saying nice things. You have to use thunderbolt means to scare them to death, and they will naturally obey orders. If you ask me, they are. Those who belong to the top category just need to be beaten!" When Sun Tu said this, he couldn't hide the murderous look in his eyes.
Seeing that he had made up his mind, Tong Mu stopped trying to persuade him and just sighed softly: "It seems that we still can't get rid of the use of force. In this way, in the future history books..."
"You don't have to worry about this at all. If it comes true, the right to speak will no longer be in their hands. Why do they fight so hard to oppose me, Fei Guwen? Isn't it because they write the history books and so on? But as long as we decide Once the rules are implemented, when people all over the world can write books and make history, how can they still slander me? So just go ahead and do it boldly, and victory will eventually belong to us."
"Okay, hey, I just hope that the chaos in Jiangnan can be smaller." Tong Mu nodded and was about to leave when another person walked in quickly from outside, and it was Tang Feng.
It's just that Tang Feng's whole spirit and energy are now very different from those two years ago. He has become extremely restrained and gloomy, just like a sharp sword hidden in a sheath. Most people don't feel any pressure when they look at it, but they are familiar with him. People can clearly feel a different kind of sinister aura.