During the boring march, Liaoze on the north side of the army was always an unavoidable topic.
Cao Rui also personally rode to the edge of Liaoze to visit. Everywhere visible to the naked eye were large lakes, swamps and reed marshes. Countless mosquitoes were almost rampant, and there were water birds and wild ducks swimming around.
Much wilder than the wildest wetland reserves of later generations.
When Cao Rui wanted to go closer to check it out in person, he was quickly stopped by his ministers.
The one who looked the most excited was Pei Qian: "Liaoze is a dangerous place. Your Majesty, how can you personally take the risk?"
"I am willing to investigate for Your Majesty!"
Cao Rui spread his hands helplessly while riding on his horse: "I didn't say I wanted to enter the swamp. I know the situation inside is unclear. I just said I wanted to take a closer look at the edge. Is that not okay?"
Pei Qian said seriously: "What should we do if some dragons, snakes or insects in the swamp disturb Your Majesty?"
"Okay, okay, I won't go, okay?"
Cao Rui gave a bitter smile and led his ministers back to the dilapidated road.
"But I am also a little curious. How did the Liaoze, which stretches for hundreds of miles on the west bank of the Liaoshui River, form?"
Sima Yi said, "Liaoze is located in Liaodong, and the people of the Central Plains have known very little about it. However, I roughly guess that it should be similar to the Yellow River and Huai River basins in ancient times."
"What do you mean? Sikong also knows about water conservancy?" Cao Rui looked at Sima Yi, not knowing that he had such a talent.
Sima Yi smiled and said, "I don't know much about water conservancy, I have only read history books. Your Majesty, do you know Wang Jing and Wang Zhongtong?"
"Wang Zhongtong?" Cao Rui frowned slightly and thought for a few moments before asking, "But is it the Wang Zhongtong who managed the Yellow River during the reign of Emperor Ming of the Later Han Dynasty?"
"That's right." Sima Yi nodded. "All rivers in the world have similarities. The Liao River here is just a smaller version of the Yellow River."
"The Liao River originates from a place further north, and the silt in the water naturally flows downstream and is deposited in the river channel. As the river channel accumulates and rises, the water will find a low place to create a new river channel."
"If this continues for hundreds and thousands of years, the middle and lower reaches of the Liao River will become places for flood discharge. There will be water everywhere, so the Liaoze will be formed."
Cao Rui nodded: "The Central Plains has been managing floods for thousands of years, so they can contain river water between dams and dikes, taking water for benefit rather than harm. However, the Liao River has never been managed, and during the Han Dynasty, the only way to cultivate land was to find places where the water could not cause harm, so the Liao Lake was left."
"Yes and no?"
Sima Yi cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty is right. If the Yellow River and the Huai River were not managed, Yanzhou, Yuzhou, Xuzhou, Qingzhou and other places would have long been swamped."
Cao Rui sighed, "Manpower is limited, but the achievements of generations are not in vain. I think Liaodong is isolated and difficult to govern, and a large part of the reason is due to the Liaoze Lake. The Liaoze Lake not only separates Liaodong and Liaoxi geographically, but also causes flood damage to the open land on both sides of the Liao River, resulting in poor farmland and a sparse population."
"If I want to regulate the Liao River and Liaoze, just like Emperor Ming of the Later Han Dynasty asked Wang Zhongtong to regulate the Yellow River and the Bian Canal, how should I do it?"
Previously, when the emperor ordered the Secretariat and the Privy Council to prepare flood plans in Yecheng, Sima Yi also ordered people to find out the records of Wang Zhongtong's flood control, read them carefully several times, and memorized them.
But I didn't expect it to come in handy during the expedition to Liaodong.
Sima Yi calmly bowed and said, "Although I don't know much about water conservancy, I think Wang Zhongtong's four methods of taming the Yellow River, namely, building dikes, managing canals, blocking water, and setting up gates, can also be used in Liaoze."
After Sima Yi finished speaking, Cao Rui praised him and said, "I don't know much about water conservancy, but I think the method Sima Yi mentioned is indeed useful."
"Straighten the main river channel, dredge the shallows, build dams, and then build ditches to drain the water from the swamps. Select a few low-lying areas as water storage areas, build dams and set up sluices. If the flood is strong, it can be used to store water for disaster prevention, and the tributaries can also complement each other."
"But from what I've heard, it's clear that the cost will be quite high."
Sima Yi's smile faded a little: "Wang Zhongtong controlled floods during the reign of Emperor Ming of the Later Han Dynasty. The history books clearly state that it cost more than 10 billion yuan."
"More than 10 billion?" Cao Rui was a little surprised. "So much? I remember that during the reign of Emperor He of Han, the Qiang people rebelled for more than ten years, and the military expenditure was 24 billion, which had already exhausted the finances of several states."
Pei Qian at the back interrupted and said, "Since ancient times, river repair has always been the achievement of the kings of prosperous times. The people rely on the stability of the river, so river repair is a great achievement. However, due to its huge cost, it cannot be completed without a prosperous era and a sage king."
"Your Majesty is the holy ruler of Wei. It is time to govern Liaoze." Cao Rui said with emotion: "If Liaoze is not governed, Liaodong will not prosper. But Liaodong is not a question of money. How many people can be mobilized in Yanzhou and Yuzhou? How many people can be mobilized in Liaodong?"
"After pacifying Liaodong, we will also have to put the management of Liaoshui and Liaoze on the agenda. With Liaodong's manpower and material resources, it will definitely not be completed in two or three years. How about twenty or thirty years?"
"I am less than thirty years old this year. I will finish it if I work slowly."
Pei Qian cupped his hands and said, "If this can be accomplished, Your Majesty will be comparable to Yao and Shun!"
"Forget it." Cao Rui waved his hand and smiled, "I am not that arrogant."
"Didn't I order the establishment of a garrison at Yanmen? Do you remember?"
Man Chong said, "I remember this. Two thousand adult civilians were formed into a garrison, with a garrison chief of 500 stones as the leader, and they were settled on the grassland to cultivate and graze livestock, in order to restore the Yunzhong and Wuyuan counties of the Han Dynasty."
Cao Rui responded: "In my opinion, we should set up more garrisons in the border areas and promote this system. Then, whether it is for river management or border expansion, it will be a national weapon."
Sima Yi saluted and said, "Your Majesty is wise. After we pacify Liaodong, we can register the people and set up settlements in remote areas at the same time."
Cao Rui nodded.
……
The road south of Liaoze passes through the two cities of Wuliu and Xiandu, crosses the Liaoshui River and reaches Liaosui.
Wuliu City was lost easily. The defenders of Xiandu City had already heard the news and fled, hiding behind the moat of Liaosui City.
On May 25th, the army arrived to the west of Liaosui, facing Liaosui City across the Liao River.
The soldiers were following orders to find a flat and high place to build a camp. Cao Rui and his ministers rode their horses to the west bank of the Liao River.
Cao Rui pointed to several burnt areas and said, "It seems that when the defenders of Xiandu City crossed the river, they also burned down the ferry and the small camp."
"Today I have arrived at the bank of the Liao River, and I know that it is as wide as the Yellow River and the Huai River. You see, the width of the river is about a hundred feet, right?"
Man Chong also looked at the military deployment on the other side of the Liao River and said, "It's not even June yet, but the river is already over a hundred feet wide. Looking at the gravel marks on the river bank, I'm afraid it could be two hundred feet wide at its peak."
"There are another 30-li trenches on the east bank of the Liao River." Man Chong's expression also became serious: "The places that are convenient for crossing the river have been blocked by the Gongsun thieves with trenches."
Cao Rui laughed and said, "Why, I and the others were still laughing at Gongsun Yuan a few days ago. Are we going to be in trouble today?"
Man Chong turned to look at the emperor: "It will be troublesome, but it will be fine if we bypass it. I remember that Emperor Wu fought a battle like this in his time."
"Wait, General Man, don't say anything yet. Let me think about it."
Cao Rui reached out to stop Man Chong, and also stopped other ministers who wanted to speak.
This example of crossing the river...
The only big rivers in the world are the Yellow River, the Huai River, and the Yangtze River. When it comes to crossing a river...
Cao Rui suddenly smiled and said, "I know, it's Tongguan!"
Sima Yi bowed and responded, "Your Majesty is very clear-sighted! The story that matches today's scene is the Battle of Tongguan where Emperor Wu defeated Ma Chao."
Man Chong stood aside and said calmly: "When Emperor Wu conquered Ma Chao, he was constrained by the dangerous geography of Tongguan in the west and the Yellow River in the north. There, the Yellow River made a big bend, just like a corner."
"When crossing the Yellow River to the north, it was thanks to Xu Chu's loyalty and bravery that the danger was averted. When Emperor Wu reached the north bank of the Yellow River and wanted to cross the Yellow River to the west again, he ordered Xu Huang to lead 4,000 elite troops to the north to Puyang to cross the river and take a detour to occupy the west bank."
Cao Rui nodded: "If that's the case, then we have to bypass the Liao Tunnel trench and find this road?" (End of this chapter)
