“The Jiuzhe Canal is finally completed. Now, Jinyang can be spared from droughts.” As the head of household affairs, Duan Qin also devoted much effort to water infrastructure. When the news arrived, he breathed a sigh of relief. With water, large areas of fields could yield full harvests, preventing a total crop failure.
“It’s just Jinyang.” Liang Feng’s face didn’t show much joy.
Jiuzhe Lake is the largest lake within the territory of Bing County, situated between Xihe Country and Taiyuan Country. The purpose of this project is to divert water from the Fen River and the lake to irrigate the surrounding land.
To build the Jiuzhe Canal, Liang Feng specifically mobilized twenty thousand laborers and several hundred officials, expending countless human and material resources. However, even with the full support of the provincial governor’s office, half a year was still too short. What has been completed now is only the canal in the direction of Jinyang. In other words, the new canal can only irrigate some of the land within the Taiyuan Basin. Compared to colossal projects like the Zhengguo Canal and the Dujiangyan Irrigation System, which could be passed down for generations, it falls far short.
Moreover, areas suffering from drought are not limited to just Jinyang.
“How are the deep wells in Ji County and Si County?” Liang Feng inquired.
Even if it doesn’t rain, underground water resources won’t suddenly disappear. If deep wells can be drilled, it would ensure the basic survival conditions for nearby villagers. This is crucial during a severe drought.
“A few wells have been successfully drilled. Each commandery is trying its best, at least to ensure the people have drinking water,” Duan Qin sighed. “The problem is that in Ji County, some river channels have seen a drop in water levels, making them unnavigable.”
This is not a significant problem. Since the beginning of the spring drought, the number of merchants coming to Haixing Port has decreased by more than half. People’s livelihoods are affected, and the economy naturally comes to a halt. Fortunately, last year’s new ports settled transactions with grains, and granaries were established in various provinces along the route, storing a considerable amount of grain. Otherwise, just a shortage of grain alone could cost lives.
Liang Feng frowned slightly, “With the new canal, Bing County can barely ensure a summer harvest. In other areas, we need to assess the disaster situation and reduce or exempt land taxes accordingly. Send people to investigate. If Ji County continues to suffer from drought, organize laborers to dig river channels and repair roads. Try to requisition those peasants affected by the drought. Let them earn relief through labor, ensuring they have food to eat.”
All of this is to stabilize people’s hearts. Exempting taxes allows people to stay at home without being forced to flee by harsh officials. Repairing rivers and roads is an effort to complete major infrastructure projects while providing relief with significant food supplies. If done during normal times, mobilizing tens of thousands of people to build roads and canals could likely lead to rebellion. However, in times of disaster, everyone knows this is a lifesaving method, making it easier to organize manpower. Moreover, the decline in water levels in the rivers facilitates canal construction, and the excavated river sand and crushed stones can be used as materials for road paving. It’s a mutually beneficial situation.
“This matter still needs to be handled with caution. The year of disaster is different from the past. If things go wrong, it could lead to disaster,” Duan Qin cautioned, not as relaxed as Liang Feng. In times of disaster, people’s resilience is different from normal times, and with a large influx of refugees, if officials lose control, it could immediately turn chaotic.
“It’s still better than letting the people become refugees,” Liang Feng understood the intricacies. The situation has come to this point, saving as many people as possible is the priority.
“In other places where conditions allow, we should also plant more millet. Even if the drought continues, we can’t completely neglect summer cultivation. The drought-resistant methods compiled by the agricultural officials must be disseminated to all counties!” At times like this, Liang Feng would think of crops like potatoes and sweet potatoes from his future. Drought-resistant and high-yielding, if they could be grown, it could save many lives. However, for now, they could only rely on the limited agricultural experience available.
After several years of cultivation, the agricultural officials in Bing County have started to accumulate diverse techniques. During spring cultivation, they even summarized a set of drought-resistant methods. This includes deep plowing the land, crushing straw and spreading it on the ground to preserve soil moisture, using fertilizer as a substitute for water to increase nutrient supply, and extensive irrigation during the grain heading and grain-filling periods to promote ear development. All of these practices were known to farmers long ago, but the oral tradition limited their scope. In Bing County, all this knowledge was written down in booklets, disseminated layer by layer, and taught by agricultural officials to instruct the people.
Agriculture is the foremost concern in an agrarian society. No matter how much emphasis is placed on it, it is not excessive. Fortunately, most grassroots officials in the three provinces nowadays are appointed through the Imperial Examination or the Chongwen Three Institutes, and they do not have the bad habit of holding office without performing their duties. As long as officials are diligent, policy-savvy, and able to control the impact of the drought, there is hope.
However, the troubles facing Bing County are not only in celestial phenomena. This drought affects most of the states and counties in the northern regions. Once a large-scale disaster occurs, the three provinces under his rule will become the coveted prey of enemies. That would be the real trouble.
The current plan can only be to try every possible means to get through this difficult time…
As the days passed, the weather became hotter. Spring turned into summer, and it entered the busy farming season. However, this year, winter wheat in the northern regions almost completely failed, and although some places replanted millet, the weather remained unkind, with no relief from the persistent drought.
Amid the lamentations of the common people, May arrived, and the drought reached its peak. The Yellow River, Luo River, Yangtze River, and Han River, these major rivers that nurtured the masses, all dried up to the point of being fordable.
When natural disasters strike, wars break out. In the severe drought in Liaodong, the Commander of Ping County, Cui Bi, united with the Yuwen tribe to attack the Murong tribe. Upon hearing the news, the Duan tribe intervened and joined the fray. The Yong County Commandery, which had once raised a hundred thousand troops, rose again and rebelled in the territory of Qin County, aiming to overthrow the Han rule of the Xiongnu. Even the rebel forces in Jing County began to stir, attacking states and counties, expelling the provincial governor Wang Cheng, and establishing their own commander.
As for the central hinterland of Yu County and Yan County, it presented a different picture.
Staying here probably wouldn’t be of much use. Sitting in his tent, Shi Le stared at the faint candlelight in front of him, deep in thought. For the past two months, he had been leading troops in a sweep through Yu County. The troops of Wang Mi had taken quite a few cities before, but they were recaptured by the Jin army, leaving plenty of places for him to attack.
Breaking through strongholds and invading prefectures and counties, during this time, just those with the surname Sima, he had killed over a hundred. Not to mention other officials and aristocratic families. Initially, he also gained a fair amount of wealth. However, as the drought intensified, the situation changed.
The powerful aristocratic families had all migrated south to Yang County. The remaining ones took refuge in the deep mountains, fortified and difficult to conquer. Even if small cities were captured, the food and forage obtained were quite limited. As for the common people, those who could escape had already done so. While most of Yu County fell into his hands, the predicament was not resolved, and it became even more difficult due to the expansion of the army.
What should be the next step?
The duration of the prolonged drought was too long, with no rain in May. The harvest for this year was estimated to be hopeless. When he fled Bing County due to famine, it was the same. Not to mention this year, it might be extremely difficult to endure next year as well.
However, his soldiers couldn’t wait for two years. To feed these tens of thousands of mouths, a considerable amount of money and provisions was needed. If he didn’t find a solution, the military morale would disintegrate, and how could he defend the territories he had conquered?
Perhaps he should gather some scholars to help him manage governance. Shi Le was a bit slow to realize, but he had discovered the usefulness of those officials. Without someone in charge, the territories he had taken would be nothing but empty land. After working so hard to conquer them, without money or provisions, what use were they?
But now, it was too late. The land was dry, the rivers had stopped flowing, and even if they organized people to cultivate, there would be no harvest. The only option left was plundering.
Should he head south to Yang County, attack the capital of the Jin Dynasty, or take the route through Jing County and confront the rebels? If only Qin County remained stable, Liu Yao might still provide some funds and provisions. But now, the Han Dynasty was preoccupied and wouldn’t bother with him, the Eastern Expedition Grand General. Whether he caused chaos in Yu County and Yan County to distract Bing County…
Thinking to this point, Shi Le frowned. He thought of a place.
When he and his benefactor Jisang raised troops together, the first city they attacked was Ye. Therefore, Shi Le was very familiar with the defenses of Ye City. Unlike other prefectures, Ye City was a key passage connecting Bing County and Ji County. Hearing that Ji County had operated sea transport last year and gained a considerable amount of funds and provisions, most of which were shipped to Ye City. If he could break through Ye City, there might be enough provisions to feed his army for a year.
His military strength far surpassed that of the past, and he was familiar with the geography. He should have been confident. However, the reality was that even though he had thought of this idea, Shi Le couldn’t make up his mind. It was because Ye City was too close to Bing County. When they defeated the rebel army and killed Jisang’s cavalry, they arrived at Ye City in just a few days. If they couldn’t capture the city within a few days, they would likely face attacks from both sides.
To fight or not to fight?
As he pondered, there was suddenly a commotion outside the tent.
It was already night, and the military camp should not have been noisy! Shi Le immediately got up and strode out of the tent. “What’s going on?”
“Reporting to the Grand General, there’s a disturbance in the civilian camp…” The guard on duty hurriedly stepped forward and said, “Soldiers have been sent there, and there should be no major issues.”
Many civilians in Shi Le’s army were originally surrendered peasants and some were refugees. They were responsible for transporting provisions and equipment, supporting the army’s conquest of Yu County. However, Shi Le, being experienced in military matters, knew that these civilians were timid and prone to disturbances. Therefore, every time they set up camp, he separated the civilian camp from the military camp to avoid mutual influence and prevent any disturbances. This scale of commotion was indeed not worth worrying about, and it would be quickly settled.
However, as he looked at the distant camps where the bonfires were lit, a sudden idea occurred to Shi Le. Yes, a direct assault on Ye City might be difficult, but what about a surprise attack? Even if they couldn’t seize provisions, breaking through Ye City could still plunge the nearby prefectures into chaos. Then, taking advantage of the situation, they could head north into Ji County, providing another way out. If the plan didn’t go smoothly, they could retreat a few dozen miles back to the old camp in Yan County. It offered the flexibility of both offense and defense, much better than sitting and waiting for death.
As for the dangers involved… what did a bit of risk matter when survival during a severe drought was at stake?
A sardonic smile appeared on his lips. Shi Le turned around, lifted the curtain, and entered the tent.
