How can I bow my head and serve the powerful officials?

The rain in the mountains is still falling continuously, and it doesn't seem to stop any time soon.

Xie Chengze continued chatting with Bian Yangchun and others. When they talked about the flood problem in Yizhou, Ouyang Jiu got excited and used firewood that had been burned into charcoal to paint the Yizhou River and Mountain Map issued by the court on the stone wall.

He had a pair of deft hands and he was able to draw the picture of Yizhou exactly. This showed that he had practiced painting and had an excellent memory.

"The Minjiang River has a drop of more than a thousand meters. When the snow melts in the mountains in summer, the snow and rain pour down from a height of a thousand meters. The amount of water and the impact force cannot be underestimated. Ordinary river embankments cannot withstand such a flood discharge force."

Ouyang Jiu pointed to the exit of the middle reaches of the Minjiang River and said, "This is where the people of Yizhou live. Yizhou has a suitable climate and fertile land. If there were no floods, it could accommodate hundreds of thousands of people, so that everyone would have a house to live in, land to grow crops, and food to eat!"

"I'm afraid it's more than that," Jing Ze, who had been waiting beside him, suddenly spoke up with a voice as clear as plum blossoms, "Yizhou may become the treasure of Jian'an. Its grain production and military reserves are enough to benefit the whole world!"

Ouyang Jiu couldn't help but turn around and look at Jing Ze in surprise, "Brother, are you also a scholar?"

Jing Ze bowed slightly and said shyly, "I am not talented, but I do have great ambitions."

"You are too modest, brother, to be able to see the military key points." Ouyang Jiu said admiringly. Seeing that Jing Ze spoke in a measured manner, he couldn't help but talk to him for a while longer.

Xie Chengze looked at the map of Yizhou and felt that it looked familiar.

Zhu Xiaobiao came over to look at the map of Yizhou on the cliff, but he couldn't see anything. However, he couldn't help but say something, so he said, "The Minjiang River looks like just one river channel? It would be great if we could split it in half, and then let half of the river water flow into the Jiangdu Plain. Without half of the water, wouldn't it prevent floods?"

Ji Songhua laughed immediately. "This natural river is already majestic and magnificent, born from nature. How can it be split in half? What's more, there is a mountain blocking the way on the side, so it is impossible to open a path. Splitting it in two is too unrealistic!"

Zhu Xiaobiao scratched his head embarrassedly, "Haha, I don't understand these, I just said it casually."

Ji Songhua expressed his understanding, "You must have never been educated. You don't know that flood control has always been a difficult problem in every dynasty, and how difficult it is to fight against nature. Heaven is cruel, and we can only try our best to survive."

However, Ouyang Jiu and Jing Ze on the side lowered their eyes and began to think.

Zhu Xiaobiao didn't quite agree with what he said, but to a scholar like Ji Songhua, his tone was a little weaker, and he whispered, "I just heard you say that if you want to split it in two, there is a mountain next to it, so why not flatten the mountain?"

"Flatten the mountain?" Ji Songhua suddenly felt it was unreasonable. "Do you know how big the Yuji Mountain is? It would take many people to cut and dig day and night for decades or even hundreds of years to flatten it!"

Zhu Xiaobiao's temper also came up, and he stiffened his neck and said, "As long as it can benefit future generations, it doesn't matter if it takes a hundred years! Someone has to set a precedent!"

"I won't talk to you anymore!" Ji Songhua was so angry that he felt Zhu Xiaobiao was a hopeless case. "Even if this mountain is flattened, will the river listen to you and flow to the Jiangdu Plain? Do you think you are a god?"

He turned around and growled at Ouyang Jiu and Jing Ze who were still talking, "Look at him! He's almost pissing me off!"

Jing Ze turned to look at Zhu Xiaobiao, who then calmed down and muttered, "I was just talking casually..."

Bian Yangchun saw them quarreling and quickly stepped forward to appease them, "Okay, okay, isn't this brother's idea quite interesting? Brother Ji is right, pushing the mountain will not solve the current problems in Yizhou. It is more important to solve the current problems."

Ji Songhua snorted, and Zhu Xiaobiao stopped talking and sat back by the fire.

Xie Chengze listened to their conversation and then looked at the map of Yizhou River and Mountains. He finally understood why it looked familiar.

Perhaps, he knew how to control the flood in Yizhou.

Xie Chengze couldn't help but rub Zhu Xiaobiao's head. Although he was much younger than Zhu Xiaobiao, he somehow felt like an older brother was protecting him. He whispered, "Xiaobiao, I think you're right."

Zhu Xiaobiao immediately narrowed his eyes and smiled, and replied in a low voice, "Thank you, Your Highness."

Jing Ze glanced at the two of them, then looked away indifferently.

The rain stopped.

Everyone put out the firewood, packed up and set off again.

With the company of several students, the journey became more interesting. When in high spirits, Bian Yangchun would compose heroic poems about the mountains and rivers, Ouyang Jiu would sing loud folk songs, and Jing Ze would take a green leaf and blow it to make a tune. Each poem, each song, and each tune were melodious and magnificent in the silent and vast mountains.

And there were more students who went to Yizhou than just Bian Yangchun and others.

After crossing the Qinbaling Mountains, there were not many signs of people. When we reached Jiangling and were about to go down the Three Gorges, we could see many scholars in cold clothes carrying book boxes on their backs, bargaining with the boatmen on the shore, and forming groups to pool money to share a boat to Yizhou.

"Brother Cheng, are you really going to Yizhou?" Bian Yangchun had changed his address at this time. He was tall and cheerful. He had long regarded the gentle and kind-hearted Xie Chengze as his younger brother during their trip. Therefore, he was very worried that such a simple rich boy like him would suffer and be wronged after going to Yizhou.

"Brother Bian also said that the people of Yizhou are suffering from hunger. Although I am not an official, I also have a heart of compassion and empathy. I should do my best to do something practical for the people of Yizhou!" Xie Chengze lied without hesitation.

"Hahaha, I was right about Brother Cheng!" Bian Yangchun put his arm around his shoulders affectionately and patted his chest. "Don't worry, I have a good friend in Yizhou. His family is not bad either. When the time comes, we can go to him and check on the situation there."

Xie Chengze nodded, "That couldn't be better. Thank you very much, Brother Bian."

……

When you first enter Yizhou, you can feel the desolation of famine among the people.

This place is relatively remote from the Minjiang River and has not been affected by the floods. However, perhaps in order to provide disaster relief to other disaster-stricken counties, various taxes have increased several times. The county government's stored grain was forcibly transported out for emergency use, and grain prices have soared. The people cannot afford to eat and have to work, so they are naturally pale and thin, and exude an air of sorrow.

Going further in, you can see that the Minjiang River flood has washed away tiled houses and poultry houses and drowned bodies along the way, all piled up in the houses and fields. These mixtures give off a rotten and foul smell, and mosquitoes and flies are constantly flying around. The people are numbly cleaning up the ruins. There are children crying loudly, and their mothers cover their mouths tightly, fearing that the children will get hungry after crying too much, and they...

There is no more food left, and perhaps they won’t even survive the winter.

Bian Yangchun sighed, his voice choking with sobs, "Heaven is cruel."

Xie Chengze looked at these scenes, his eyes gradually deepened, "Heaven is not benevolent, but people can imitate heaven and earth."