Chapter 206 Taking root in Huaijiang River for the people's livelihood
"If the Marquis knew what you are capable of now, he would probably laugh heartily. Before I came here, your eldest brother specifically told me to praise you less and encourage you more. Now it seems that even if he were here, he wouldn't be able to say no!"

"My eldest brother is like this. He always thinks about beating people to make them filial and suppressing them to wear down their nature."

Geng Shiming couldn't help laughing when he saw Wang Kuan complaining like that. Then he followed Wang Kuan and looked around. After seeing that everyone was doing what they were supposed to do, he felt more relaxed.

But at the same time, he also saw some differences. Along the way, he did not see any grievance on the faces of the people in Hanzhou. It seemed that building the dam was for themselves, not for the court. It is true that they were victims of floods that devoured fertile farmland, but it really surprised Geng Shiming that they could have such independent thoughts.

Song Shi who was standing on top also glanced at the two people in the ditch. He didn't want to jump down. That place was dirty and messy, and he quite disliked it. However, he would only keep his disdain in his heart and still pretend to be calm on his face. Looking at Wang Kuan with a mouthful of white teeth talking to Geng Shiming, he had some ideas in his mind.

After the two of them walked along the ditch for more than half an hour, the sun was at its highest point.

"It's almost time for dinner, but we don't have any good food here. We can have meat patties, but nothing else."

As soon as Wang Kuan opened his mouth, the other officials who followed him looked embarrassed. Song Shi had also never suffered such hardship, so he found the meat pie difficult to swallow. On the contrary, Geng Shiming and Wang Kuan integrated well with the people, each eating two large ones and eating their fill.

They were not afraid of getting oil on their hands, they just took some straw paper and wiped them. You couldn't tell at all that the two of them were from aristocratic families in Xijing City. Although Song Shi couldn't eat, he was not idle with his mouth, he looked at Wang Kuan and started praising him.

However, Wang Kuan knew exactly how he had behaved in the past, so although he laughed, it did not show in his eyes. He would occasionally agree with him, but not a single word from the truth.

"Send some melons and some cold water. It's so hot, don't let the masters get too tired!"

Wang Kuan gave an order and his followers immediately went to move the melons.

Those officials who were starving to death finally had some hope, so they held the melons tightly and drank some cold water. Geng Shiming took a piece, ate a few bites and didn't eat any more. His mind was on other things, so he said immediately.

"Rest for a quarter of an hour, then we'll continue our journey. There are still thirteen counties around the Huai River that we haven't visited yet!"

"Ah? Are you leaving again?"

Some officials complained, but were intimidated by Geng Shiming's eyes. If he did not have some real ability, he could not have become the main official in this team. So even though they complained, when it was time to really leave, no one dared to say anything.

"Master Geng, why don't you let them rest here for a while? I'll take you to see something else first."

Wang Kuan spoke appropriately to help everyone out, and then everyone looked at him with gratitude. He then left with Geng Shiming, and when Song Shi wanted to follow them, he saw that they had gone down the ditch again, so he gave up the idea.

Anyway, there will be opportunities in the future, so there is no need to rush now.

After Geng Shiming was taken away, he was a little dissatisfied at first, but then he listened to Wang Kuan's explanation.

"I fed them melons and cold water, and they got diarrhea after walking a few miles."

"Why?" "They are different from Lord Geng. You know the reason why they came here better than I do. And that Prince Song may have other intentions. Water control and dike repair are related to people's livelihood. I don't want these people to ruin things."

"You have something to hide?"

Wang Kuan smiled, thinking that those who could be friends with his elder brother were not stupid, so he took out a scaled-down drawing from his arms and handed it to Geng Shiming.

Geng Shiming was a little surprised at first, but was surprised when it unfolded.

After all, Wang Kuan was from Xijing City, so his mind was more flexible than others. So during this period of time, he not only repaired the canal, but even used his spare time to travel all over the upper and lower reaches of the Huaijiang River and drew a relatively complete map of the large and small ditches in the upper and lower reaches of the Huaijiang River.

Only then did he discover that the Huaijiang River originated from the mountains in Qizhou, and then flowed from west to east into the sea. The upper and lower reaches of the river stretched for thousands of miles, and the middle and lower sections were the most severely affected by floods.

Especially the middle section, because all the places he passed by were fertile fields. Once they were invaded by the flood, the crops on the fertile fields would all fail or even be harvested. Therefore, after he drew this map, he thought of some solutions.

Divide the channels to discharge floodwater and divert water northward.

In this way, it can not only save the people from the trouble of carrying water on their shoulders, but also bring water to some relatively dry areas, so that the land can be irrigated and turned into fertile fields. This is a major event that kills three birds with one stone and benefits the country and the people. So although he has the idea, he needs more support to put it into action, which may take at least three to five years, and at most more than ten years. It is very likely that he will be rooted here for half his life.

When Geng Shiming saw the ditch marked on the drawing, he was shocked and couldn't help but look at the second son of the marquis's mansion with new eyes.

"Do you know that if this map is really presented to His Majesty, it will be difficult for you to return to Xijing City for the rest of your life? Are you really willing to trade your official position for the support of the people?"

"Master Geng should know my personality. I hate those official-speaking occasions. It would be better for me to stay here in Huaijiang River to control the flood. If this is successful, the people will not suffer from disasters for at least decades. My official position is insignificant compared to that!"

Geng Shiming admired him very much. This was a good official who cared about the people and the world!

So he put the drawing away and placed it in a bamboo tube, and then made his assurance in a calm and steady manner.

"I will present this picture to His Majesty and make this happen. You deserve such a feat that will be remembered for generations to come!"

After saying that, he clasped his fists and bowed to Wang Kuan. One should know that Lord Geng was also a stubborn person. Sometimes he might not even agree with what his father said at home, but at this moment he agreed with everything Wang Kuan said.

Wang Kuan returned the greeting with a smile, and then said.

"Thank you very much, Master Geng. By the way, how has Prince Chun behaved during your journey?"

"He is quite well behaved. I originally thought that the prince would not be able to endure such hardship, but fortunately he has never started any trouble, so it's okay."

"Brother Geng, listen to my advice. This person is not a good person. He broke off the engagement and married someone else. Then he abandoned the Crown Prince's wife and returned to her parents' home. He hooked up with the Zhao family's daughter. He is so disrespectful of human feelings when doing things in the backyard, let alone other things. So you'd better pay more attention to him!"