Chapter 1146: Returning to Liuhe

Just as in past imperial tours, heading north, the first stop was always Huazhou. This time, the field headquarters contingent numbered over twenty thousand in total, more than four times the previous northern tour. Though the numbers were large, there were enough carriages and horses, and there was almost no delay along the way. Thanks to the well-maintained roads around Kaifeng, they reached Baima in only three days.

This time Emperor Liu's tour went first to Henan. Besides displaying might and spreading grace, there was another purpose: to inspect the Yellow River, examine the dikes, and comfort the people who had suffered from floods in the past.

The route this time also passed through the lower-reach prefectures and counties of Hua, Pu, Yun, Qi, Zi, and Qing. Though the great river sometimes raged, bringing disaster and harm, it was still the mother river, and the people along its banks depended on it for their livelihoods. Along the shores there were also many prosperous towns.

Baima was both a vital ferry crossing on the great river and an important defensive line guarding the Eastern Capital. Even after several reductions in garrison strength over the years, it still had a force of three thousand.

In the early years, Baima had been a severe disaster zone for Yellow River breaches, once giving Emperor Liu considerable headaches—he had even personally come to inspect the breach problem. Later, Marquis of Boping Bai Chongzan led laborers to seal the gaps and build dikes, and successive prefectural and county officials continued repairs and improvements. Now it had been stable for several years.

In fact, after so many years of governance by the court, the Yellow River troubles in the vast Bian-Luo region had improved considerably. This could be seen from the frequency of flood disasters in recent years—the court's massive investment of personnel and resources had not been in vain.

The lower reaches, on the other hand, seemed more mischievous, eager to rush eastward into the sea, repeatedly breaking through the dikes, unwilling to be restrained, charging south and north. After successive breaches, the river course had undergone considerable changes. The breaches not only created diversions but also caused significant damage to the lower reaches, though the more obvious trend was toward the north.

Not long ago, an official from the Ministry of Works suggested using manpower to redirect the river, diverting the waters southward to enter the sea via the Huai River. Though it was only proposed as a direction, and there was precedent to follow, it was decisively rejected.

In Emperor Liu's view, the Yellow River's flow needed to be divided, but how to divide it was best done by following the mother river's temperament. Forcibly blocking and cramming would not do. Since the trend toward northern flow was obvious, then work should be done on the northern side. Moreover, in the current Great Han, political and military considerations were far fewer, allowing for relatively "pure" governance of the river.

Of course, the main problem lay in the accumulated silt. One should know that in the current Great Han, even the silt problem of the Bian River had already become prominent.

Upon arriving at Baima, Emperor Liu's first inspection stop was the Liuhe Dike. He had personally visited it in earlier years, so this was a return to familiar ground. Compared to before, the Liuhe Dike was now far more magnificent—neat stone blocks tightly compacted together formed a solid defensive line, restraining the surging river and protecting the people along its banks.

Most noticeable was that along the dike going down, large numbers of elm and willow trees had been planted. This was to stabilize the soil and water, and under court decree, local officials and people had sustained this effort for over a decade. Within Baima's territory alone, over the years, more than one hundred thousand trees of various kinds had been planted in total, and to this day, more were still being added each year.

It could be seen that in areas where floods had frequently occurred in the past, artificially planted trees had now reached a considerable scale, and the Liuhe Dike had even become a scenic spot. In recent years, many more travelers had chosen to come here for outings and spring excursions.

It was already late spring; all things were growing vigorously. The dense woods along the banks were tinged with a deep green, radiating vibrant life. Amid the green trees, the scenery was beautiful. Compared to its former simplicity, the current view was far more pleasing to the eye.

The river water tirelessly scoured the dike banks. Though it was not yet the high-water season, standing upon it, one could clearly feel the powerful impact.

"So this is the great river? Truly magnificent. No wonder it's called the Yellow River—compared to the Bian River, it's so much more turbid!" Liu Jia, keeping close to Emperor Liu's side, nestled against her father, gazing at the great river and speaking with wonder.

His eldest daughter had grown taller again, now reaching up to Emperor Liu's chin. At her youthful age, with her lovely features, she was like a bud about to bloom. Though she was getting older, she remained Emperor Liu's most beloved princess—perhaps favoritism also had inertia. On this inspection of the Liuhe Dike, the only child he brought along was Liu Jia.

Gently placing his hand on his beloved daughter's shoulder, Liu Chengyou said with emotion: "In the future, I'm afraid it will become even more turbid. The silt problem will be hard to solve!"

In fact, facing this great river, Emperor Liu sometimes truly felt helpless. From his knowledge, from his experience, he could see these problems, even to their very essence—yet when it came to solving them, he truly had no particularly good methods.

He also wished he could see a clear, clean mother river, but that was merely a luxury, a fantasy. Even an emperor holding the power of the realm could only do his best to do what he could. As for more than that, it was truly difficult.

If he were merely a native of this era, perhaps he would not have so many worries and concerns. Sometimes, knowing too much did not seem to be a good thing.

"Father, you're sighing again!" Liu Jia suddenly said. Her bright eyes sparkled with clever light.

Hearing this, Emperor Liu couldn't help but smile and said: "Caught by you!"

This was an agreement between father and daughter—Liu Jia was to remind him to sigh less and smile more. Setting aside those feelings, his face once again broke into a smile as he glanced at a middle-aged official standing nearby in attendance, dressed in a crimson official robe. He was not too old in years, already a fifth-rank Prefectural Administrator of Huazhou.

"Lü Duan, you've done well as prefectural administrator! Since I entered Huazhou's borders, I've heard quite a few stories about you!" Liu Chengyou said.

Lü Duan, courtesy name Yizhi, was the younger brother of Lü Yin, the Administration Commissioner of Liangzhe, and a jinshi graduate of the fifteenth year of Qianyou. If one spoke of promotion speed, it could be called fast—though of course, his elder brother Lü Yin's merit played a part. Lü Yin's own advancement had been suppressed to some extent due to Emperor Liu's appointment decisions, so out of a compensatory mentality, the benefits ultimately fell to Lü Duan.

The Huazhou Prefectural Administrator position had been personally selected by Emperor Liu, which at the time had caused some criticism. Though Huazhou was not a major prefecture, its geographical position was important, and it belonged to the prosperous heartland of the Central Plains—far better than the border prefectures that men like Zhao Kuangyi had been sent to.

Lü Duan had been in office for less than half a year and had not achieved any outstanding results. There was no word-of-mouth praise, no universal acclaim—he seemed quite mediocre. Nothing like Zhao Kuangyi, who could always come up with some new tricks wherever he went.

But equally, he had made no mistakes either. Political harmony, people's livelihoods stable, and no adjustments to existing governance—he simply let things take their natural course.

One story Emperor Liu had heard about Lü Duan was this: when he first arrived, because of his shallow qualifications, several assistant officials such as the Chief Administrator and the Military Advisor refused to accept him—especially Chief Administrator Zhang Tingmin (son of the meritorious official Zhang Xun), who had originally had a chance to succeed to the prefectural administrator position and took the lead in ostracizing him. First, at a banquet, he humiliated Lü Duan, and later, in the process of governance, he created difficulties at every turn.

Lü Duan's response was astonishing—he showed no anger or annoyance, no impatience or agitation. He simply kept a low profile in both conduct and work, neither contending with them nor arguing with them. In daily encounters with Zhang Tingmin, he always wore a smiling face, responded with humility, and observed proper etiquette. After a period of time, Zhang Tingmin himself felt embarrassed to keep targeting Lü Duan.

This warm-water-like temperament and style, Lü Duan maintained consistently, and Huazhou's administrative atmosphere was likewise—the government rarely made moves, letting the people develop on their own, yet order and public security remained consistently good.

At this moment, facing Emperor Liu's praise, Lü Duan instead secretly wondered to himself—could this be sarcasm? He didn't think his reputation was all that good.

Therefore, after a moment's hesitation, he cupped his hands and said: "Your subject has been in office only briefly, with neither achievements to repay the court nor moral instruction to educate the people. I truly dare not accept Your Majesty's praise!"

Hearing his words, Emperor Liu shook his head and studied him carefully for a few moments. His appearance truly bore some resemblance to his elder brother, but their temperaments were worlds apart.

Giving him an amused look, Emperor Liu said slowly: "Lü Duan, you really are an interesting man!"