Ming Zuo

Chapter 780

Fengyang was destroyed, the imperial mausoleum was destroyed, and another person appeared in front of him, Yang Yipeng chose to surrender without hesitation.

"Father, the whole family has been taken care of by the commander-in-chief, and they have moved to Shandong, so don't worry."

Yang Changchao knelt in front of Yang Yipeng, and what he said made Yang Yipeng understand that the situation could not be changed.

Central Capital was breached by the Northwest Rebel Army, and the ancestral mausoleum of Emperor Zhu's family was excavated. Someone must be responsible for this matter.

Without the persuasion of others, Yang Yipeng also knew that he, the governor of the river channel, was to blame.

It's no surprise that you lost your head because of this.

Now Shandong has cut off all his retreats and brought his family to Shandong. In the eyes of the court, this is no different from rebellion.

He couldn't explain it even with his mouth all over his body.

Things have come to this, Yang Yipeng has no choice.

"Commander, thanks to the favor in the future, this old man will definitely fulfill his duty and dare not neglect."

Zuo Menggeng was very happy to gain Yang Yipeng's allegiance.

Yang Yipeng can definitely be regarded as a capable minister and official, and the complete quelling of the Bozhou Rebellion is his handwriting.

Staying in the court is purely a pearl covered in dust.

"Dayou Gong, if the land is turned upside down today, and a thousand wastes are waiting to be built, the great rivers and mountains and thousands of people are in need of people with insight to save them. The decaying imperial court is sorry for your ability."

Seeing Zuo Menggeng's humility and courtesy, Yang Yipeng was very helpful, and he no longer felt that betrayal was unacceptable.

"My family members often write letters, talking about the various new policies in Shandong, and the students are very impressed. From now on, I can work under the command of the commander and listen to the teachings. It is a great honor."

Now that Yang Yipeng, the governor of the river, has surrendered happily, there is no need for Wang Changshi, the prefect of Huai'an, to abide by his reputation.

His family and relatives are all in Shandong, and many of them have already worked for the new regime. He doesn't want to be unable to return home and become a lonely ghost.

With the surrender of Yang Yipeng and Wang Changshi, the Huai'an Mansion is settled without a fight.

More than [-] Ming soldiers put down their weapons one after another, and saved their lives.

Accompanied by Yang Yipeng and Wang Changshi, Zuo Menggeng walked into this famous city of Huaizuo.

It's just that Huai'an's first impression on him was not very good.

Ruined!

Looking around, there is a dilapidated scene everywhere.

Even the city walls, which were supposed to protect the city and the people, looked crumbling.Bricks and tiles are missing in many places, exposing the soil layer inside.

This kind of city defense doesn't need any artillery at all, even with a battering hammer, it can be knocked down in just a few hits.

Seeing Zuo Menggeng's unwavering expression, Wang Changshi hurriedly explained.

"It's not because the students didn't work hard, but the local area suffered from the Yellow River. The city wall was repaired and collapsed, and it was repaired again and again, endlessly."

"Is there often water damage here?"

Hearing Zuo Menggeng's question, Yang Yipeng and Wang Changshi vomited their bitterness.

"The commander-in-chief doesn't know that Lianghuai was originally a place of peace and health. The only harm is the Yellow River."

After listening to Yang Yipeng's narration, Zuo Menggeng had a clear understanding of the land of Lianghuai.

In the fifth year of Jin Mingchang, the Yellow River broke through the old embankment of Yangwu, and the torrential flood submerged the entire Fengqiu County, and all the way southward encroached on the Huaihe River below Huaiyang.

At this moment, the two big rivers merged into one, which immediately brought a heavy disaster to the flat Huaizuo area.

Especially after the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, in order to supply the needs of the north, it was necessary to ensure the smooth flow of the canal.Because of this, we can only ignore the objective environment of the Lianghuai River with our eyes open, and allow the Yellow River to wreak havoc.

Especially since the middle of the Ming Dynasty, floods in the Lianghuai area have continued.

[When the Huai River is in full bloom, the westerly wind blows the waves, and the white waves are like mountains. In the Huaiyang River for hundreds of miles, the public and private are in panic, and no one dares to rest their pillows. It has been hundreds of years. 】

This paragraph of description expresses the sadness of the people in the Lianghuai area.

It's a pity that the rulers of the Ming Dynasty completely ignored the aspirations of the people, and exchanged sacrifices here for the stability of the north.

It was the first time Zuo Menggeng knew that the famous Hongze Lake was formed because the Yellow River seized the Huaihe River.

The flood of the Yellow River throughout the Ming Dynasty has always been an unsolvable problem in the Lianghuai area.

No matter if it was Liu Daxia or Pan Jixun, even if they all tried their best, they still couldn't cure it.

The reason is that for the Ming Dynasty, the Yellow River was not a water conservancy issue, but a political issue.

When Pan Ji tamed the river, why did he adopt the strategy of beaming water and attacking sand?

It was not because this strategy was the best, but because Emperor Wanli needed to ensure the safety of Fengyang, the central capital, which forced Pan Jixun to do so.

Although the Yellow River was stable for a period of time at that time, as the river bed continued to rise, the number of breaches on both sides of the river increased day by day.

In the last twenty-three years of the Wanli Dynasty, the Yellow River breached eighteen times.

And every time, the Lianghuai area was turned into a vast ocean.

Only the common people suffer.

Squatting on the embankment of the Yellow River, grabbing the soft soil with his hands, Zuo Menggeng was worried.

"This river shouldn't be here."

In his view, the seizure of the Huaihe River by the Yellow River is definitely a great tragedy.

Although it seems that this is a natural choice, it has brought disaster to this rich land.

The reason is that the Huaihe River originally existed in the Lianghuai area, and there was no shortage of water.The arrival of the Yellow River has caused the amount of water here to exceed the local carrying capacity.

In addition to natural causes, man-made disasters are the most unforgivable.

Not only did the imperial court sacrifice the local area to ensure the safety of the canal, but the powerful salt industry in Lianghuai was also one of the culprits.

In fact, if you want to solve the problem of flooding in the Yellow River, the most practical way is to find an outlet for the surging Yellow River.

Originally, this could be done through the Lianshui River in the east of Huai'an and the area around Andong.

However, officials in charge of the salt industry in the imperial court and salt merchants in the Lianghuai area did not agree.

It turns out that from Yancheng through Taizhou and then to Tongzhou, there is a very important weir to defend the sea, which is the famous Fangong dike.

This dam was built by Fan Zhongyan, a famous official in the Song Dynasty, which effectively reduced the invasion of seawater intrusion and protected the local area.

But after hundreds of years of vicissitudes, an embarrassing situation appeared.

With the silting of the seaside, the land area continues to extend toward the sea, causing Fangong Dike to gradually move away from the seaside.

By the time of Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty, Fan Gongdi was already thirty miles away from the sea.

Now, compared to the eighth year of Hongzhi, it has increased by another [-] miles.

The extra fifty miles of land became the most important salt production area in the Ming Dynasty.

These salt fields alone brought huge taxes to the Ming Dynasty, and also made the Lianghuai salt merchants rich.

The officials in charge of the salt industry in the DPRK and China, and the merchants in the Huaihe River and Huaihe River who relied on the salt industry to get rich are all powerful. How can they allow their rice bowls to become a place for flood discharge?
So under such a man-made disaster, the common people near Huai'an really suffered, resulting in a situation of poverty here.

(End of this chapter)