Chapter 1149: Liangshan Marsh

Mount Liang Marsh is officially written as "Liangshan Po" in Great Han documents. It had not existed for long—by the fifth year of Kaibao, only about twenty-plus years. It was formed because, over those two decades, the Yellow River breached its banks several times, and the floodwaters inundated prefectures and counties, eventually connecting with the local Zhangze Marsh and Juye Lake, encircling Mount Liang to form a vast expanse of water. The waters converged with the Wen River and flowed east into the Ji River.

Therefore, at this time, the water area of Mount Liang Marsh was not yet too vast. Though it had many branching channels, it was still a considerable distance from being an eight-hundred-li marsh.

Moreover, this was not entirely a naturally formed marsh—if it were, every expansion of the water area would represent a flood disaster. Like the Hongze Lake that Wang Pu had developed in Chuzhou, Mount Liang Marsh had also been opened up by the government, just not with as much fanfare as in Chuzhou.

However, different marshes shared similar scenery—mountains and waters connected, clear waves rippling, stretching endlessly to the horizon, reeds touching the sky. On days of clear wind and bright sun, boating across the lake, taking in the boundless beauty on all sides, was indeed a pleasure.

When Emperor Liu went on an outing, he naturally did not ride in a small flat boat. He directly requisitioned a dragon boat, with naval guards front and rear. For safety as well, the boat traveled along the shore.

"Fine mountains, fine waters, fine place!" Standing atop the dragon boat's tower, watching fish swim past in the water from time to time, Emperor Liu said, "A great marsh like this—who knows how many people it can support!"

Attending beside Emperor Liu was a young official of outstanding appearance and bearing—Zhang Quhua, the last zhuangyuan of the Qianyou era. Zhang Quhua could be considered someone who gained fame young and ultimately topped the imperial examinations, yet when it came to his official career, it seemed rather "bumpy."

Those who passed the examinations in the same cohort as him, such as Zhao Kuangyi and Lü Duan, now all held prefectural posts, while he was still a Chongzheng Gentleman. During his years in office, he had endured three bitter years in the position of Registrar of the Armaments Directorate before finally being promoted. Many times, the three missed years had an impact that clearly extended beyond just three years. It was only because Emperor Liu still remembered him as a talented young man he had once appreciated that he was elevated to Chongzheng Gentleman.

However, serving in Chongzheng Hall, what was truly envied were only the four positions at the Academician level and above. As for the Gentlemen, they only appeared to be close to the Emperor—in fact, they rarely got to speak with him.

Zhang Quhua's special quality was that he had relatively more interaction with the Emperor. For this inspection tour, two Chongzheng Gentlemen were brought along—one was Guo Yi, the youngest son of Guo Wei, Duke of Xing, and the other was Zhang Quhua. Clearly, Emperor Liu still had some interest in this brilliant zhuangyuan.

As for his own career experiences over these years, Zhang Quhua naturally had reflected on them. In the final analysis, it was his arrogant and aloof nature that had caused the trouble. If in the early years of the founding, when the court lacked talent, being unconventional might have been a way to spread one's reputation and attract the Emperor's attention, then in the middle of Emperor Liu's reign, such arrogance would only earn his disgust.

Having learned his lesson over so many years, Zhang Quhua's sharp edges had been worn down considerably. Compared to his younger days, he was far more humble now. Otherwise, with the honor of being a zhuangyuan, spending a full three years in a petty eighth-rank position like Registrar of the Armaments Directorate—Zhang Quhua would have long since resigned in frustration.

After all, Zhang Quhua was already approaching thirty. Given the overall environment of the Great Han, reaching his current position wasn't too bad—but one had to consider the starting point. He, Zhang Quhua, had been a young talent who could reach the Emperor's ears at the age of eighteen.

At this moment, attending before the imperial presence and hearing Emperor Liu's question—though it was not directly addressed to him—Zhang Quhua took the initiative to say, "Around Mount Liang Marsh, there are five counties in total: Juye, Yuncheng, Zhongdu, Shouzhang, and Xucheng. According to the census of the third year of Kaibao, the five counties have a total population of 38,493 households and 238,656 people! Of these, one in four depends on this marsh for their livelihood!"

"Calculated that way, that's only sixty thousand people?" Emperor Liu muttered.

"Exactly so!"

Pointing at the fish and shrimp churning in the lake, Emperor Liu said, "I think this marsh, if properly developed, should have no problem supporting two hundred thousand people!"

"Thanks to the government's construction of water conservancy projects in the surrounding areas over these years, coupled with improved river conditions, the population around Mount Liang Marsh has indeed grown denser day by day! According to local government records, local fishermen rely solely on this marsh for ample food. The surrounding land is fertile, and if cultivation continues, a large amount of arable land can still be gained!" Zhang Quhua said.

As he spoke, he clasped his hands and petitioned Emperor Liu: "Your Majesty, shall we issue a directive to convey your will to the five counties?"

Glancing at him, Emperor Liu shook his head: "This involves two prefectures, Yun and Ji, which do not govern each other. This matter must be handled by the circuit government. Like this—note this down, and when we reach Licheng, convey it to the Henan Circuit!"

"Yes!"

"Tell me about the situation of Mount Liang Marsh!" Emperor Liu, now intrigued, asked Zhang Quhua.

"Yes!" Zhang Quhua had clearly done his homework. Without any hesitation, he narrated smoothly: "Mount Liang Marsh first formed in the first year of Kaiyun of the former Jin. The Wei Prefecture dike broke, and the waters flooded eastward into the various prefectures of Henan, converging around Mount Liang, joining the Wen River and flowing into the Ji River.

In the fourth year of Qianyou, Wei Prefecture breached again, flooding prefectures and counties, and the marsh's water area expanded. Later, the court issued an edict for the Yun and Ji prefectures to mobilize labor to dig channels and dredge waterways to consolidate the marsh.

To this day, Mount Liang Marsh spans over five hundred li in circumference. To the south it connects with the Five Zhang River, to the north with the Ji River, to the northeast it converges with the Wen River, and to the southeast it flows into Huan Ditch, reaching the Huai and Si rivers directly. Every year, Henan's grain tribute all passes through here—it can be called a thoroughfare in all directions, truly a treasure land!"

"Huan Ditch!" Emperor Liu murmured.

Zhang Quhua said, "Huan Ditch was originally called Duke Huan's Ditch. During the Eastern Jin, when Huan Wen launched his third northern expedition, he had soldiers and civilians dig it to transport military supplies. Later it was used for civilian purposes."

"So there's such a history behind it—no wonder it felt familiar!" Emperor Liu chuckled lightly. "If I remember correctly, Huan Wen's third northern expedition ended in failure, didn't it?"

Emperor Liu's leaps of thought were somewhat hard for Zhang Quhua to follow. He replied, "Exactly so. Huan Wen was badly defeated by Murong Chui at Fangtou, and the Jin army was nearly annihilated!"

This was the way of scholars—they knew much, but when it came to military affairs, they only saw the surface without understanding the principles. Emperor Liu said, "Huan Wen was not defeated at Fangtou!"

Zhang Quhua was taken aback. He had only skimmed through it without examining closely. If it wasn't a defeat at Fangtou, then why was it called the Battle of Fangtou?

While he was still pondering, Emperor Liu's attention returned to the marsh. He murmured, "Such green mountains and clear waters, eventually to be swallowed up—what a pity!"

"Is that Mount Liang?" Liu Chengyou suddenly pointed at a stretch of forest to the north and asked.

It was very far away, making it hard to discern its appearance clearly, but some outline could be made out. Zhang Quhua followed his gaze and replied, "Yes, it is!"

"There must be people living on Mount Liang, right?" Liu Chengyou said.

"I have checked the county records—Mount Liang has ten villages and three hamlets, with nearly two thousand households!" Zhang Quhua answered promptly.

Smiling, Emperor Liu said, "There shouldn't be any Hall of Righteous Assembly on the mountain, should there?"

Having made a joke, Liu Chengyou now seriously studied Zhang Quhua and said, "After all these years of unfulfilled ambition, have you ever harbored resentment?"

Meeting Emperor Liu's rarely seen gentle gaze, Zhang Quhua was momentarily stunned. Lowering his head slightly, he answered, "Your subject has resented."

This answer surprised Emperor Liu—could this man be about to strike a lofty pose again? However, the words that followed made Emperor Liu break into a smile.

"In my youth I was reckless, arrogant and aloof, thinking myself outstanding, and thus I scorned humble posts, failing to understand Your Majesty's intent to temper and refine me. Now I realize—if one cannot even handle trivial, mundane matters properly, how can one speak of shouldering heavy responsibilities, governing affairs, and administering the people..."

From Zhang Quhua's words, one could tell that this man had not changed his aspirations—there was still a streak of pride in his bones—but he had clearly become much more grounded. Emperor Liu said, "Being able to understand this principle means these years in the Eastern Capital were not spent in vain!"

"Most of the jinshi who passed the examinations in the same cohort as you have already become officials in the provinces, with the highest-ranked even holding prefectural posts. I see that you speak fluently and substantively about prefectural and county livelihood and governance. Have you ever considered serving in local office?" Emperor Liu asked.

Hearing this, his eyes immediately lit up. Zhang Quhua had also come to understand Emperor Liu's way of employing people—if one stayed in the capital forever, one's ceiling was low, and if one dawdled on, one might forever remain just a so-called capital official.

Naturally, he was tempted. But noticing Emperor Liu's gaze, he still suppressed that impulse, clasped his hands, and replied, "Your subject will act according to Your Majesty's will!"

"Hahaha..."

Though there was no direct reply, the loud laughter already indicated the attitude.

"Your Majesty, we agreed this was a pleasure cruise—how did we end up discussing state affairs again!" The laughter drew over Consort Fu, a beautiful woman who approached gracefully, looking at him with playful reproach.

"No more talk!" Seeing this, Emperor Liu gestured to Xia, then took her soft hand and said, "Let's go play with you all!"

Accompanying Emperor Liu on this boat ride were Consort Hui and her children.

"Liu Xu is still waiting for you to go fishing with him!" the younger Lady Fu said.

"We're still on the boat—what fishing is there to do? Later I'll take him up the mountain!" Emperor Liu said.

"Up what mountain?"

"Mount Liang!"