“Clan leader, it seems that the winter wheat of this season may not survive…”
Actually, these words didn’t need to be spoken by others; Zhao Liang also knew it well. The wheat seedlings in the field were sparse and weak, mostly withering, and others had died completely. From the beginning of spring until now, only two rains had fallen in total, and the land hadn’t been soaked. Even if the wheat sprouted, it would inevitably not bear ears. In this way, the harvest in the village would be greatly reduced.
Suppressing the panic in his heart, he asked, “What about the millet?”
“It depends on whether it rains or not.” The person beside him whispered, “If it doesn’t rain, the millet harvest will also be reduced by about three points.”
This was still the situation where the river at the head of the village continued to flow. As the clan leader, Zhao Liang was quite knowledgeable about farming. Seeing the drought without rain, he had already instructed the households to quickly plant a batch of millet. In times of drought or flooding, only millet could barely survive. But no matter how cold-resistant it was, it still needed water!
If it doesn’t rain this month, can these millets in the field be preserved? Without the summer harvest of grain, what would the clan rely on for survival? The sacrifices at the Dragon King Temple had already been held twice. If another one was held, could it bring rain and dew?
With parched lips tightly pressed, Zhao Liang was thinking hard for a solution when suddenly, a noisy crowd was heard in the distance.
“Elder brother! Enemy soldiers, enemy soldiers are coming!”
Watching his fourth brother running towards him, Zhao Liang exclaimed, “Where did the soldiers come from? What about the Sun family fort in front?”
Their Wubo, built against the mountain, had a large Sun clan fort in front of them. It was thanks to this fort that their entire clan managed to survive the chaos of Wang Mi’s rebelling soldiers, barely making it through. How come enemy soldiers were coming again now?
“It’s the troops of the Jie tribe! The Sun family surrendered!” The other person had already run with sweat all over his head, his face even more livid.
“It’s that locust, Shi Le…” Zhao Liang’s expression also changed. Shi Le, the Jie leader, had become a disaster in the hearts of the people in the two provinces of Yu and Yan. Wherever he went, he swept through like a plague. If he broke into Wubo and took away the stored grain, how would they survive this year of disaster?
“Order all the young and strong in the clan to ascend the city walls!” Clenching his teeth, Zhao Liang said in a fierce tone, “Our Wubo is small; if it’s hard to attack, they will retreat on their own!”
Regardless, they must launch an attack. There’s still millet in the fields; maybe if they hold on through this period, things will get better.
As long as they can endure…
“General, we’ve captured the Wubo fort ahead. The grain is not much, only enough for half a month’s worth of food.”
Listening to the report from his trusted subordinate, Shi Le furrowed his brows tightly. It seemed that the situation in Yu County wasn’t great either.
After returning from his campaign in Yan County last year, he had first spent a lot of effort eliminating the sudden emergence of the Jin State Commandery. After finally wiping out the pseudo-emperor and high-ranking officials in the Commandery, he also captured several counties. Before catching his breath, they encountered a severe drought.
In just a few months, there had been little to no rain in Yan County. Crops in the fields withered in large patches, the soil cracked everywhere, and some tributaries had even dried up. Continuing like this would lead to famine.
Shi Le himself had also cultivated the land and was even enslaved due to a severe drought in Bing County. He understood the impact of drought on the common people. So, he immediately led his troops to launch an attack on Yu County. Although Yu County had been ravaged by Wang Mi’s army before, many Wubo forts still remained. In this era, whether aristocratic families or villages, they preferred living in forts. If captured, these forts could still provide provisions for the army.
However, the idea was good, but upon reaching Yu County, he found that the drought was severe here as well. There were virtually no food supplies in the Wubo forts of the common clans. Moreover, forts were not as easy to capture as cities, and the cost might outweigh the benefits.
He had to attack the aristocratic families! Yu County was similar to Yan County, being the home of the Sima family and other prominent clans. If these people were sensible and surrendered their cities, he might spare their lives. Otherwise, he would flatten everything.
In an instant, he decided on the direction, and Shi Le waved his whip, saying, “Continue the siege! Before the summer harvest, we must accumulate more provisions!”
While these people still had hope, he needed to raise an army as soon as possible. If there was still no rain and the hope of a summer harvest disappeared, there might be a massive wave of refugees. At that time, with the fields barren, where would he go to gather provisions?
The massive army, like locusts, set out again, heading towards another city.
※
The weather was literally life-threatening.
Standing on the embankment, dripping with sweat, Zu Taizhi felt his clothes soaked with sweat. It was only a few months, and the sun was so scorching. Coupled with the prolonged lack of rain, the air was dry, making it even more unbearable.
It was fortunate that the lord had made preparations early. If it were later, who knows what the situation would be.
“Master Zu, all the channels in the front have been dug. Should we break the besieging dam?” Below, a subordinate from the engineering department asked.
“Don’t panic. Let Mr. Pei and the others inspect it first.” Zu Taizhi spoke and walked towards the makeshift shelter below the embankment.
Inside the shelter, a group of people were huddled over high desks, writing and drawing. The conditions were rudimentary, with no place to kneel, and everyone disregarded formalities, sitting haphazardly on tall stools. Covered in dust, they looked quite disheveled.
Zu Taizhi didn’t find it strange; not only these people but even he himself looked like this now. It’s just that he had spent a full four months at the construction site, coupled with preliminary inspections and later inspections. In this half-year, there had been no peace of mind.
Fortunately, it was almost completed.
With a slight relief in his heart, Zu Taizhi spoke, “Mr. Pei, the channels have all been constructed. How is the inspection on your end?”
Pointed out by Zu Taizhi, a young man raised his head and said, “I was just about to find you. The final section seems a bit inappropriate.”
As soon as he heard this, Zu Taizhi’s expression immediately became serious. “What’s inappropriate?”
For a water project of this scale, any slight flaw could lead to a major disaster. Who would dare to be the slightest bit negligent?
The man didn’t hide anything and pointed to the southwest corner of the map, “The digging here is too shallow, which is not conducive to sand drainage. If this continues, it may block the channel, requiring a large workforce for annual clearance. It must be reconstructed!”
His words were decisive, and Zu Taizhi’s expression didn’t look good either. This section of the channel had taken a lot of effort to construct. If it needed reconstruction, who knows how long it would take. It was already close to the heading and filling period for the crops. If they missed the time for heading and filling, even if the channel was reconstructed, it would be too late.
Calculating quickly in his mind, in the end, Zu Taizhi gritted his teeth, “If it needs reconstruction, can it be done in five days?”
“Yes!” The other party answered decisively, “The channel has already been dug, just a few adjustments are needed. By quickly mobilizing some laborers, it should be possible to catch up!”
“Then go ahead with the reconstruction!” Zu Taizhi immediately gave the order, turning to his subordinates for instructions.
Seeing that he had agreed to his plan, the young man breathed a sigh of relief. He raised his hand to wipe away the sweat on his forehead, only to find his hands covered in charcoal. Nowadays, in the calculations and drawings in Bing County, charcoal pencils are often used, and this situation was inevitable. Just a few years ago, could he have anticipated that he would be covered in dust, hands blackened, sitting in this makeshift shelter on the riverbank?
This man was none other than Pei Ruo, a direct branch of the Pei family in Hedong. In the past, he was just curious about the new chapters of “Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art” and had ventured to Shangdang, entering the Chongwen Hall. Who would have thought that after a few years, the changes would be so unpredictable.
The Pei family’s territory in Hedong has already been occupied by the Han Xiongnu. Half of the family members have sided with the Xiongnu, while the remaining have become displaced in the southern regions. Pei Ruo did not migrate with his kin but chose to stay in Shangdang. Later, he went to Jinyang and became a scholar at the Qiuzhi Academy.
The longer he stayed in the Academy, the more difficult it became to leave the intoxicating environment. With the loss of family property and the capital moving south, everything familiar to him underwent a complete transformation in just a few years. However, the sea of learning never made one feel lonely or lost. The calculations and mathematics in Bing County were advancing rapidly, with new achievements every day. The “Six Techniques of Map Making” learned from his family ancestor, Pei Xiu, became the cornerstone of the geography department.
If possible, he would immerse himself in books and maps, no longer concerned with worldly affairs. However, unfortunately, signs of severe drought appeared in Bing County last year, necessitating the construction of new hydraulic projects. Zu Taizhi, the officer in charge of engineering, sought him out for this task.
Taking on this task was initially driven by curiosity. The Zhengguo Canal and the Du’an Weir have irrigated countless fertile fields since ancient times. If he could lead the completion of such a canal, would it not secure his place in history?
However, when he truly arrived at the shores of Jiuzehu1Nine Marsh Lake and began the survey, Pei Ruo discovered that it was entirely different from what he had imagined. Walking through hundreds of miles, investigating the crisscrossing waterways one by one, was a daunting task. The preparation alone tortured people to the point of shedding a layer of skin. However, this arduous journey made him realize, for the first time, how difficult it was for farmers to cultivate the fields.
He came from an aristocratic family, and his exposure was limited to pavilions, towers, luxurious residences, and grand mansions. Even if he visited rural estates, it was merely to appreciate the spring flowers and savor the fragrance of rice. He knew nothing about how fields were cultivated or the labor required by farmers.
However, this severe drought completely lifted the veil of ignorance. Families took turns carrying water, hoping to increase the chances of the wheat seedlings surviving. Villagers fought and even lost their lives in groups, just to secure access to a waterway that was about to run dry. The fields, instead of growing wheat and grains, were clearly marked with the stains of blood and tears!
Despite the vast Jiuzehu right in front of them, fields still lay dry three to five miles away. What if there were an irrigation canal? What would a grand canal capable of irrigating fertile fields look like?
Pei Ruo became completely immersed in his work. He delved into drawing maps and pondering the labor involved in geography. The airs of the former aristocratic family were cast aside. He spent each day running around with a group of surveyors, constantly writing and calculating, never taking a break.
As a result, the progress before him came to fruition.
Watching the laborers still moving sand and soil in the river, sweating profusely, Pei Ruo tightened his fists. Suddenly, he said to Zu Taizhi, “Master Zu, let me go with you.”
Zu Taizhi, who was already prepared to go to the last construction site, was somewhat surprised by this sudden request. However, he quickly nodded in agreement. This project was too crucial, and the more capable hands, the better. Without delay, the two of them set off for that construction site.
Seven days later, the cofferdam standing in front of the river channel was finally breached. The murmuring trickle only took a moment to transform into a roaring water dragon, breaking through the dam and flowing into the channels! Shimmering streams of water, accompanied by the cheers of countless people, flowed towards the long-dry land.
Author’s note:
Du’an Weir is the Dujiangyan Irrigation System, named after the county at the time.
In the Book of Jin: In the third year of Yongjia during the reign of Emperor Huai, in May, there was a severe drought. The Liangshi Dam in Xiangping County dried up, and the rivers—the Yellow River, Luo River, Yangtze River, and Han River—all became fordable.
The Yellow River, Luo River, Yangtze River, and Han River all dried up. It can be imagined that this was a nationwide catastrophic drought. It was also this severe drought that sounded the death knell for the Western Jin Dynasty in history.
