More Hands, More Strength

Lu Xinqing carried Hu Yan Shijing on his back, crossed the terraced steps, and went down to the bottom of the valley.

A mountain shelters the pond from the wind, which is calm and still. Several long reeds grow in the southeast corner, surrounded by Dog Tail Grass. A Thatched Hut stands diagonally opposite the reeds.

A Big Yellow came running from not far away, barking loudly at Liang Qu, trying to drive away the intruder.

"Tsk! Tsk!" Hu Yan Shijing simply barked a few times to easily drive away the Local Dog, then turned to Liang Qu and explained, "They're the kind the gang keeps in the valley; they like to bark when they see strangers."

"Nice dog."

"Your master would like to receive this as a gift."

"Forget it, we already have one at home."

"That must be a magnificent dog!"

Liang Qu: "..."

We arrived at the Thatched Hut.

Lian Jingye took the key chain from his waist and looked for the doorman's key, saying as he searched.

"After Ying Jian died, Cheng Chong built a small Thatched Hut at the bottom of the valley. He practiced his skills and slept there all day long. Except for necessary appearances and training of his followers, he basically did not come out. He also had his meals delivered to his door."

We thought Cheng Chong was keeping a low profile to mourn the deaths of the first and second Gang Leader Gang Leader, but now it seems he was mourning his own son Ying Jian.

Looking back at the terraced fields, Liang Qu asked, "Who cultivates these fields?"

Lian Jingye turned around and said, "Tenants plant crops. The back mountain used to be empty. After Cheng Chong became the Gang Leader, he said that since the back mountain was empty anyway, it was better to plant crops. If people attack the Mountain Gate and surround it in the future, we might be able to hold out for a while."

Liang Qu, holding the booklet, wrote and paused intermittently. Upon hearing this, he looked up and said, "You guys have quite a few ideas."

"Ahem, please don't be offended, sir." Hu Yan Shijing he saw Liang Qu start writing. "It was just a few jokes. There are so many people in the gang. Even if we harvested all of half a mountain field, we wouldn't be able to eat for more than a few days. We're just growing it for fun."

"Don't worry, I didn't write it down." Liang Qu looked at the terraced fields. "I heard that Long Lake and the Black Water River were connected before the year 60 (the 16th year of the Chinese sexagenary cycle), but disconnected after that year, because of the land reclamation around the lake?"

Lian Jingye pushed open the door. "It's not just Jiazi, the connection between the Black Water River and Long Lake dates back to the Great Qian era. Huyan Qian Shi might know about it."

Hu Yan Shijing explained, "Indeed, it's more than sixty years. This must have been said by some junior to Lord Liang."

Around thirty years old.

"That's the younger generation, I'm ninety-three this year. When I was a child, Long Lake and Black Water River were no longer connected. They could only be flooded occasionally when there was a flood, and they served as a flood discharge outlet. Reclaiming land around the lake was only part of the reason."

The Black Water River discharges floodwaters into Long Lake unilaterally, causing a large amount of silt to accumulate at the bottom of the lake, resulting in a continuous rise in the lake level. The South Lake District is gradually being transformed into land, and its own flood storage capacity is greatly reduced.

After the founding of the Da Shun Dynasty, the population increased year by year. With a large population, people needed to eat, and to eat, they needed to farm. The lake fields were fertile, so the people near Long Lake began to reclaim land from the lake.

"By simultaneously pushing and encircling, Long Lake has shrunk considerably; today, it's perhaps less than 30% the size it was a hundred years ago."

"Treat the water, but not the sand..."

Liang Qu seemed to be deep in thought.

When he arrived, he realized that the Black Water River contained a significant amount of sediment, and that the erosion and land reclamation would inevitably lead to the closure of the Long Lake and the river.

With the river changing course, the Black Water River might leave Hua Zhu County on its own in a hundred or two hundred years.

"Controlling water but not sand?" Hu Yan Shijing a moment, then his eyes lit up. "Your Excellency is absolutely right! If Your Excellency could become the Two Jiang Governor-General in the future, who knows, the floods of the world might be saved!"

There are no ingenious methods or tricks to control the river; the key is to confine the water to its channels. And there are no ingenious methods or tricks to confine the water; the key is to build strong dikes.

Xu Yuelong mentioned this sentence in both "General Treatise on Dyke Construction" and "General Treatise on Dyke Defense" for Liang Qu. It is said to be the words of the former Two Jiang Governor-General. It can be roughly seen that ordinary people's solution to floods.

However, the strategy of restricting water can only be used gently, not forcefully.

Liang Qu had taken geography class and knew that the only way to alleviate flooding was to follow the hydrological laws and address soil erosion.

"But how do we control desertification?" Hu Yan Shijing couldn't figure it out.

Liang Qu looked surprised. "Logging trees is prohibited at any time. Floods and droughts may well be caused by this. Haven't you learned that?"

Hu Yan Shijing ashamed.

"The only way to control desertification is to plant trees. This is all in the classics. The imperial court is not unaware of the relationship between floods and tree planting, but it is not easy to do so."

How much time and money does it take to plant trees effectively? If you plant them today, people who are short of firewood tomorrow will already be eyeing them, and families getting married the day after tomorrow will need a stool leg.

Only by incurring astronomical costs can this be achieved, but no one can guarantee that such costs will necessarily yield results. At the same time, you also need to consider people's livelihoods and avoid incurring public wrath.

In short, planting trees and controlling water pollution is an extremely complex matter; almost no one knows how to do it.

"Almost none?" Hu Yan Shijing was taken aback. "Does Your Excellency mean that someone has ever done it?"

Liang Qu did not answer Hu Yan Shijing because he suddenly realized that he had made a mistake.

Past life experiences cannot be directly applied; there are no supernatural forces or mystical explanations. Planting trees is indeed the only option, but in the context of the Da Shun ...

Liang Qu thought of the Dark Current Passage under Ping Yang County.

These channels, which violate hydrological laws, do not seem to have formed naturally at all...

"Grown ups?"

"A place you don't know about."

Liang Qu gave Hu Yan Shijing a perfunctory reply and went inside.

The small house was not furnished much.

A small cabinet, a bed, a Upward-Turning Desk, and a futon in the middle.

It was so simple that it didn't seem like the residence of the leader of the Shahe Gang.

Looking around, one could see that the Spirit Concentration Incense was still burning on the table with its Upward-Turning Desk, and wisps of white smoke were rising from the incense burner.

Liang Qu had used the Spirit Concentration Incense a long time ago, a gift from Senior Brother Hu. It could help Martial Artist concentrate their minds and guide their Qi and Blood more smoothly.

Many wealthy Martial Artist would light half a stick when practicing, but later Liang Qu learned the "Myriad Victory Embracing Oneness".

The core of Myriad Victory Embracing Oneness lies in maintaining a person's essence, qi, and spirit, preventing them from being consumed internally or lost externally, and ensuring they remain abundant within the body over a long period, thus saving the practitioner money in terms of the Cultivation Method's attributes.

After noting down the general layout of the room, Liang Qu opened the cabinet and found several Cultivation Method, booklets, and two scrolls inside.

After glancing at the Cultivation Method twice, Liang Qu wasn't very interested; his own was better.

The two scrolls were opened; one depicted a young man, and the other a beautiful woman.

Liang Qu looked at Lian Jingye and Hu Yan Shijing.

Lian Jingye identified them. "The young man is Cheng Yingjian, and the woman is the seventeenth concubine of the gang Gang Leader, and also the only woman who has given birth to a child."

Liang Qu exclaimed in surprise, "The seventeenth? How many rooms are there in total?"

"A total of eighteen rooms..."

"Your gang Gang Leader is pretty impressive."

Lian Jingye and Hu Yan Shijing laughed awkwardly.

Lu Xinqing stepped forward, holding the inkstone.

Liang Qu dipped his brush in ink and recorded it.

Eighteen people, one son, and not even his own—clearly, the gang Gang Leader is incompetent.

After searching the room without finding any clues, Liang Qu extinguished the Spirit Concentration Incense and went outside with the others.

"Seal off the Thatched Hut and forbid anyone from approaching. In a couple of days, officials from the Three Laws Department will come to inspect it. I will protect you regarding Cheng Chong's breach of the dike, but if any evidence is missing and trouble arises, you're on your own. Do you understand?"

"Clearly, clearly."

Hu Yan Shijing shouted, "From today onwards, I will build a thatched hut next to this Thatched Hut and guard it every night. Anyone who tries to destroy it will have to step over my body!"

"No need for that, take me to see the boat."

Lian Jingye took the lead. "This way, sir, please."

The group returned to their residence and sent someone to take the unconscious Cheng Chong over the Sand River Mountain. A magnificent fleet of ships suddenly appeared at the foot of the mountain.

Liang Qu's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected the Sand River Gang so powerful, with quite a few large ships over five zhang in length and countless fishing boats.

That's not a boat, it's clearly the rocking and swaying that's doing the work!

Lian Jingye called over a dark-skinned old man with a mouthful of rotten teeth and introduced him to Liang Qu: "Old Song, he's been on the ship since he was a child and has been a sailor for twenty years. He's a helmsman, a helmsman, Dou Shou, and a anchorman, he can do it all."

Later, he worked as a boat captain for twenty years, and all his teeth were worn out by the river winds.

"No one in the entire Sand River Gang has a more experienced boatman than him; you can let him handle anything the master needs."

Old Song hurriedly bowed and said, "Greetings, Lord Liang."

Old Song knew without even guessing that the knife to Lian Jingye's neck was held by the young man in front of him.

For Lian Jingye to hold a knife to his neck is equivalent to a young man holding a knife to his own neck.

"Those two large ships wouldn't be able to navigate in the flood, would they?"

Liang Qu looked at the fleet and pointed to the two large ships at the head of the fleet, each twelve zhang long, with a very deep draft. It must have taken Great Merit to stop them here.

Old Song clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Your Excellency is wise. In flood Disaster Relief, large boats are really inconvenient. They can't get into narrow alleys, and the water is too shallow, so they could easily run aground."

"You've all had a hard time. The first few large ships are fine, the rest of you follow me!"

"Yes!"

Old Song hurriedly left to reorganize the fleet.

As soon as Liang Qu had a thought, the Red Mountain at the foot of the mountain and the River Dolphin, leading the boats, rushed towards this place.

He Fubo on his back, along with the Black Iron Great Bow, and gave his final instructions.

"After I leave, other people from the River Conservancy Office should come over. At that time, do not mention anything about Cheng Chong. Find a way to explain why the Gathering Righteousness Building collapsed or why you were injured. Otherwise, it will be very difficult for me, understand?"

"Understood, understood, please rest assured, sir."

"Don't worry, sir. I'm not one to talk too much, and my men will keep a close watch on things."

"During the break, you should try to see if there are any spare boats elsewhere, even fishing boats. Try to bring them over if possible, so that they don't leave empty-handed."

Lian Jingye and others were somewhat confused.

Judging from the first sentence, it seemed that Liang Qu had a grudge against the other party.

The next sentence seems to be missing?

The two dared not ask any further questions and promised to do as instructed.

When the boat and Red Mountain arrived, Liang Qu sent men to put the unconscious Cheng Chong into the boat.

Then, he had another large ship lower its gangplank, allowing Chishan to board. He himself sat in the small boat, personally overseeing the Shahe Gang leader, and left with the vast and continuous fleet of ships.

Cheng Chong's matter has too great an impact; we absolutely cannot allow Wei Lin's side to have any opportunity to make a fuss about it.

Otherwise, just a few words like "deliberate" or "concealing" could make things quite serious.

Letting Xu Yuelong handle the situation alone, and having him lead the group to "surrender" first, would give them much more room to maneuver.

But Liang Qu did not intend to let the other party leave empty-handed or deliberately cause trouble.

One more person means one more effort.