Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 630 River Management

Zhang Shun's words made Zheng Chenggong fall into deep thought. If he wanted to capture the Batavia Fortress that he was determined to defend, there were only two strategies: siege or attack.

Zheng Chenggong also wanted to recruit some local cannon fodder from Batavia to break through the tough nut of Batavia. However, these natives ran too fast and were all in the dense forest. The manpower and material resources invested in capturing these people were completely disproportionate.

As for the suggestion by some subordinates to use epidemic to break through the bastion, epidemic has always been a double-edged sword. If one is not careful, it may injure 800 enemies and 3,000 of one's own people. Moreover, there was no epidemic in the army at that time.

Zhang Shun's words also provided Zheng Chenggong with a new idea. The Qian army had no cannon fodder now, but it did have Brunei. The imperial court helped the Brunei Sultan to quell the rebellion. Now that the Celestial Empire was in trouble, shouldn't the vassal state take the initiative to offer help?

Therefore, Zheng Chenggong urgently dispatched an envoy to return to Brunei by ship. On the one hand, he continued to allocate the Qian army stationed in Brunei to support the front line, and on the other hand, he hoped to transfer some local soldiers from Brunei to fill the trenches and consume the garrison's supplies.

The losses in the assault on the bastion were too great. Although Zheng Chenggong was anxious, he could only suppress his restless heart, suspend the siege and continue to besiege Batavia.

Ru Hansuige, who was watching the movements outside the city in Batavia Fort, was overjoyed to see that the Qian army did not continue to fill the river the next day, and his joy was revealed on his face.

Ru Hansuige said to Opdam: "Dear Commander, I have said it long ago that Batavia is the company's strongest fortress. It is impossible for the Qian people to capture it easily."

Opdam nodded in agreement, but then he said with a worried look on his face: "Governor, although the Qian army cannot break through the bastion, if they continue to besiege the city, the food in the city will eventually run out. Once the food is gone, even the strongest fortress will collapse."

Opdam's words were exactly what Ruhansuige was most worried about. As soon as these words came out, Ruhansuige's originally happy expression instantly dimmed. Ruhansuige sighed and stopped talking. He just quietly looked at the shadowy Qian army in the camp outside the city.

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Haining County.

As the last stop of the emperor's southern tour, the magistrate of Haining County had already received news that the emperor was about to arrive.

The emperor's carriage arrived in Haining County in a grand procession, and Haining's officials and gentry went out to greet him.

Since Meng Jun's southern tour, the cities in the south of the Yangtze River that he passed through along the way were all relatively prosperous compared to the north. However, the scene in Haining was very different. Meng Jun discovered that most of the people here looked pale and the few shops there were seemed deserted.

After hearing the vivid description from the Haining County Magistrate, Meng Jun gained a deeper understanding of the disaster in Haining. There is indeed a difference between what was written and what one saw with one's own eyes.

The magistrate of Haining said, "Your Majesty, on September 12, the fifth year of Zhaowu, torrential rains continued for days. The rivers overflowed, broke through the embankments, and swept in. All the farmlands in the village were submerged, and the fertile fields became swamps. The people were in a hurry and had no time to escape, and many drowned! I had just taken office, and the scenes of those days are still fresh in my memory!"

At this point, the magistrate could not help but shed tears. Meng Jun knew about the disaster in Haining in the fifth year of Zhaowu. Whether it was the secret report from Qingluan Guard or the reports from local officials, Meng Jun was clear about it. That year, not only Haining, but also the areas around Qiantang River were affected by the disaster, but Haining was the hardest hit.

In the past, Meng Jun instructed that the surrounding wealthy prefectures and counties, such as Jinling Prefecture, Suzhou Prefecture, and Huzhou Prefecture, should withhold part of the taxes that needed to be escorted to Beijing, and use them for disaster relief in Haining and rebuilding river embankments.

Today, times have changed, but the traces of the disaster are still there. Meng Jun can see from the carriage that there are very few pedestrians, thirty or forty out of ten shops are closed, and there are many child beggars in the streets.

Meng Jun frowned and asked the Haining County Magistrate who was sitting opposite him: "Why are there so many child beggars in Haining?"

The Haining County Magistrate said with some shame: "Your Majesty, it has only been two years since Haining was hit by the disaster, and the parents of these children all died in the disaster. They have no relatives to turn to, so they have become beggars on the streets."

"What about the poorhouses that the imperial court allocates more than 200,000 taels of silver every year? Why are they so useless?"

Upon hearing this, the magistrate smiled bitterly and said, "Your Majesty, two hundred thousand taels, if it was just Haining, then it would be more than enough, but this money is not just for Haining County. The silver allocated to the orphanage every year is only 628 taels. If it was peacetime and there were not many widows and orphans, then it would be enough, but if Haining suffered a disaster, this money would not be enough."

Meng Jun was moved when he saw this. Haining had not recovered from the disaster for several years. Looking at these skinny children, Meng Jun could not bear it, so he said to the Haining County Magistrate: "When you go back, make a list of these children and let them go to school. When they grow up, see how much money and grain they need. The money will be paid by the palace."

"On behalf of these children, I thank your majesty for his grace!"

The Qian Dynasty is now quite powerful, but with a vast territory and a growing population, Meng Jun is unable to take care of everyone. As the saying goes, the difficulties of people's livelihood are the worries of those in power.

Meng Jun came to Haining to inspect the river embankment. Jiangnan was an important area of taxation for the imperial court. Once a disaster occurred, the economic impact would be severe.

Moreover, the difficulty of controlling the Qiantang River is still simpler than that of the Yellow River. Although there has been no accident with the Yellow River in recent years, controlling the Yellow River has always been the top priority of every dynasty.

Meng Jun also wanted to find a talent for river management, first to manage the Qiantang River and then the Yellow River. Meng Jun inspected Haining for three days and then summoned the official in charge of building the river embankment, whose name was Qin Wenjian. After a detailed discussion, Meng Jun felt that this official had quite a few insights into the construction of the Haining River.

Qin Wenjian proposed several strategies, such as building a dam and planting willows to protect the slope. When Meng Jun asked how much money and grain would be needed, Qin Wenjian answered without hesitation: "At least 260,000 taels of silver would be needed, and it would take six years!"

After hearing this answer, Meng Jun did not agree or refute it, but continued to ask: "If the court allocates money to build the embankment, can it be guaranteed to be safe?"

Qin Wenjian replied: "Your Majesty, once the river embankment is built, it is not a permanent solution. The soil used for the river embankment is all locally sourced and it is impossible for it to remain indestructible forever, so it must be repaired every year during the dry season.

For example, the water-facing side of the river bank is subject to tidal erosion day and night, so it is necessary to throw stones to consolidate the bank, repair the bank foot and bank surface, and repair water-damaged projects. It is also necessary to check for termite nests, rat and other holes on the bank and remove them. In this way, we can be prepared for a rainy day and avoid any disaster! "

Qin Wenjian saw that the emperor was deep in thought, so he pointed in the direction of Qiantang River and said quickly: "Your Majesty, just follow my advice. If the riverbank is destroyed again, please chop off my head!"