Chapter 352

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Protagonist:

Song Miao

A group of students sat their buttocks on chairs and could never get up again.

All of it was trivial work, requiring repeated calculations by different methods and calibers to determine how to best utilize existing manpower and material resources, and also to ensure proper coordination at all locations so that when ships, mules, horses, and vehicles arrived, the water level would be deep enough that they wouldn't have to wait and could pass through immediately, and so on and so forth.

These matters sound simple, but when the battle line stretches over a thousand li with more than ten coordination points, it requires sufficiently meticulous advance preparation, strict discipline, and unified dispatch to accomplish.

Otherwise, if there is even a slight delay or mistake at any point, the progress and preparations at all subsequent locations will be affected, and all plans will be thrown into disarray.

At this time, it is also necessary to prepare various contingency measures in advance to respond to emergencies.

What everyone sat on were not even proper official chairs; they were either small wooden stools or simply a few horizontal boards propped up by the ship's cabin side.

This batch of people were all carefully selected back then; perhaps they couldn't handle Cai Xiu, but handling desk work was more than sufficient for them.

Precisely because they were carefully selected, beyond ability, each one's compliance was very strong; tasks assigned to them didn't even need supervision — they would supervise themselves, and while working they would even exchange ideas on how to do things faster and better.

When working, time always passes the fastest.

It seemed like just the blink of an eye, and the sky had darkened.

After half a day, some of the thin ones — actually, after enduring the grinding at Liu Ta He for so long, many had become thin — were hurting to the bone from the hard wooden boards; they hadn't reacted while working earlier, but at the call to eat, they hurriedly stood up one by one, limping and tugging at their pants as they scrambled to eat some dry rations and salty soup.

Such fare actually differed little from Liu Ta He.

But the world has never suffered from scarcity, only from inequality.

Seeing Kong Fuyang also propping up a bowl, frowning, looking bitter and aggrieved as he gnawed on soup and steamed cakes, complaining incessantly and cursing that once they returned to the Capital, he would definitely make Han Li treat them to a meal and fleece him for a big one — listening to his curses made the cakes seem not so hard to gnaw after all.

And as the boats traveled along, this group finally split into two teams: one team went to find Han Li to report in, the other followed Kong Fuyang; the two teams arrived at various passes and checkpoints, measured water depth and river width, and coordinated with craftsmen, local yamen, Transport Department dispatched officials, and conscripted laborers to help build fascine works and store water along the way.

The two teams, one going from north to south, the other from south to north; the day they met would be the day the river transport flowed smoothly.

Everyone bustled about, not only watching each day's tasks recorded on paper, signed and sealed, then compiled into documents and sent off, but also watching one shallow-water location after another slowly blocked by fascine works, accumulating into deep water.

When busy, there was simply no time to consider anything else; one only felt time fly.

Finally, on this day, the northern team received word early from Kong Fuyang, learning that the southern team was just twenty-odd li away, the upstream water storage was sufficient, and after confirmation with their own side, they could release the water for passage the next day.

So the next day, although the whole group had stayed up half the night, each and every one couldn't help but rise early and gather at the riverbank.

"Here it comes??"

"Here it comes! The water's here!!"

The whole group tiptoed to look, nervous and excited beyond measure.

Staring at the river surface was actually just dry waiting, but not a single person was willing to leave, not even willing to blink, not even willing to speak a little louder; the occasional speaker would be met with shushing sounds from everyone around, urging him to shut up, afraid that a moment's distraction would make them miss that instant.

Unknown how long passed, it seemed like just a moment, yet also as long as a lifetime —

"Here it comes!! The grain convoy!! The grain convoy is here!!"

"Where?? Where??"

"There! See it?"

"I see the cloth flag!"

When this person spoke the two characters "see," his voice was already choked; by the time the final particle fell, his vision blurred, and he hurriedly wiped messily with his sleeve, tears and snot pasting his whole face.

Too hard…… doing things is too hard!

Many days of day-and-night bitter endurance, climbing chaotically on river and shore bottom all day; when urgent, everyone scrambled to help craftsmen twist hemp rope and grass material, terrified that their own mistake would delay matters.

But no matter what, it was finally accomplished, without delay, smoothly and successfully.

As long as the river channel can flow, even if only temporarily, surviving this wave means the village where we lodged at Liu Ta He — Uncle Peng and Aunt Zhao's family — might receive relief……

Peng Xiao'er even gave him a shuttlecock made of chicken feathers, inviting him to skip stones together next time he returns.

Thinking of the households along the way that lent lodging and water, how each one longed for Liu Ta He to open so their own homes would suffer no flood disaster and could irrigate fields, therefore treating him with utmost respect and extra care — yet now not only have some fields long ceased to exist, even those village households' fates are unknown……

The boats moved extremely fast; one grain ship after another, after waiting for the sluice gate to open and the water level to calm, followed the current downstream, almost in the blink of an eye leaving everyone's field of vision.

Watching the fully loaded grain ships depart, this person couldn't help but ask: "This time, we…… did we contribute?"

Can we slightly compensate those commoners?

No one answered him.

Only people quietly wiping tears.

On Liu Ta He, all of us measured water conservancy records along the river; which one of us hasn't lodged and borrowed meals from households along the banks?

Someone with a nasal voice lamented: "What a pity! If we could have been called over a few days earlier, Nantian Ao could have had a sluice gate built in time; taking that route might have saved half a day's effort!"

"Didn't Han the leader's letter say? There are hidden whirlpools underwater there, bad for navigation, that's why he told us not to touch that line; if we accidentally capsized it would be trouble — forget it, seek stability! Seek stability!"

"Hateful that Cai Xiu delayed us so long; last time he made us do those grain and fodder dispatch calculations, and wanted to take credit — now the river transport here is open, grain convoys can move, isn't all our work for nothing?? If our original strength could have been shifted here, how much serious business could we have done!"

"Why mention that unlucky thing!"

"Spit it out quick! Such a fine day, can't we not mention that mule dung egg!!"

The one who first brought up Cai Xiu was surrounded by everyone urging him to "spit."

This person said somewhat embarrassedly: "The Master does not speak of the strange, the violent, the disorderly, the spiritual; do I really have to spit? So awkward."

"Nonsense! For this kind of thing, better believe it exists than believe it doesn't; this person is too unlucky!"

"Exactly, hurry up!"

"Peh!"

"Three times, or it doesn't count! Quick!"

"Peh peh peh!"

"Sigh, think on the bright side; although our work was all for nothing, that mule dung didn't gain anything good this time either!"

"Once I'm back, I'll definitely go to every Xue Zhai and curse him hundreds of times, so everyone knows what kind of person he is!"

The people here were discussing, only hoping that Cai Xiu hadn't gained any benefit from the work he did himself, not knowing that after they left that day, there was another story in the Huaizhou Prefecture Office.

It turned out that on that day, Tuiguan Liao had intercepted Cai Xiu's name and immediately had him called over.

However, the person had arrived, but before two sentences were spoken, Tuiguan Liao was called away by his superior for questioning and deliberation.

After finishing there, more than an hour had passed—only then did he come to explain things in detail to Cai Xiu.

He was originally someone eager to show off, naturally coming up with this idea; based on the text written by Li Zhai, he expanded it himself, truly making what the superior wanted one, and what the subordinates added ten, adding seven or eight new standards, explaining it in detail to Cai Xiu, and raising many requirements—after all, it wasn't him doing the work!

Finally he said: "You must hurry with this matter; calculate the numbers within five days and show them to me, and complete the document within six days—the Canzheng attaches great importance to it!"

Cai Xiu had not yet realized what had actually happened.

It was a coincidence, or rather not a coincidence at all, but inevitable—because he had always been diligent, ever since submitting the manuscript he had been thinking about this matter; this time, hearing that Tuiguan Liao had summoned him, he didn't delay a moment and immediately went to wait inside the latter's office.

Afterwards, the superior went to deliberate; he wanted to show he could be patient, and also feared missing anything important, so he never left for a moment—just missing the news that over a thousand Xue Shi had received transfer orders and had already set out that afternoon.

After hearing Tuiguan Liao's instructions, Cai Xiu counted the work and calculated the number of students below, feeling that although there was much to do, with several dozen people dividing it up, it could actually be done quickly; why would it take five days? Let them work one day tomorrow, check one day the day after, and give him the results before 3-5 PM the day after that—more than enough time.

If anything was wrong later, they could just send it back for revision; he had the data, so he could start writing the article first, and find a few people to write together, using it as reference to see if they could plug gaps and make up for omissions—most of them were from Taixue; although their writing couldn't compare to his by far, they could occasionally write something somewhat readable.

Also to show off, he readily agreed—after all, it wasn't him doing the calculations!

But after agreeing, he indirectly asked that when reporting back to Li Canzheng, since he was the one who calculated the data and wrote the article, being most familiar with the situation, he could go along to report, which would also serve as a reminder.

Tuiguan Liao laughed hehe, patted Cai Xiu's shoulder, and said: "Prepare well, rest assured; once this official gets an opportunity, I will be the first to request merit for you!"

—He spoke beautifully, but if at this time an experienced bystander helped analyze it seriously, they would discover there was not a single promise in it.

No matter how capable Cai Xiu was, he was ultimately just a student; how could he match an experienced Tuiguan who had to serve his superior and suppress the clerks? Hearing these words and seeing the other's attitude, he was truly overjoyed.

He carried several pages of paper—on them were all the things to be written, calculated, and compared; walking along, he calculated those Xue Shi in his mind once.

So-and-so's writing was not bad, so-and-so's script was not bad; have the former first build a framework for the article, and the latter fill in some flesh and blood according to the framework, while he himself would watch and revise.

The rest would all be arranged to calculate numbers!

The things to be calculated were divided equally, and someone was needed to urge and summarize the numbers...

Who should be found to do this thankless task?

This person should ideally be someone who both listened to him and could suppress those Xue Shi—pity that there were too few with good qualifications who were easy to use, and too hard to find.

Alas, a person of his caliber and material was simply not one in ten thousand, but one in a hundred thousand or a million...

Why not let the one from Tongxue Zhai try? Or call the one from Shou Xin Zhai...

Cai Xiu pondered this way and that, hesitating as he went to push the door of the Storeroom.

He pushed once—huh, it wouldn't open?

He pushed again—wrong, why was the door locked?!

He hurriedly took out a key from his sleeve to open the lock.

The Room was empty, with only some tables and chairs temporarily moved in earlier crowded together.

Cai Xiu looked at the Water Clock in the corner—it wasn't yet the time for the lower mao, yet they had already left early?!

Was this a demonstration against him?!

He gritted his teeth in anger, turned around, and headed toward the Qinshe of the crowd.

Strangely, this time the row of houses was also quiet and silent, without a single human voice.

He finally felt something was wrong, couldn't help but find a miscellaneous servant, and asked: "Where have those Xue Shi gone?"

The miscellaneous servant was stunned for a moment, and said: "They all went to Baoshun Wharf—this Scholar, why didn't you go?"

Hearing this, Cai Xiu was stunned, and vaguely sensed something was wrong; he hurriedly asked: "What did they go to Baoshun Wharf to do?"

This miscellaneous servant didn't quite understand the ins and outs, and only said what he knew.

Even so, it was already enough to strike Cai Xiu like a thunderbolt.

He simply couldn't believe it; he hurriedly went out the door, and instead turned back to the Huaizhou Prefecture Office, seeking out that Tuiguan Liao.

The latter, hearing his question, laughed hehe and said: "You mean those Xue Shi? They were transferred to the Six Routes Transport Commission; they are severely short of people there. Li Canzheng is determined to have the Transport Commission deliver the grain as soon as possible, giving wind when they want wind, giving rain when they want rain—originally they wanted to transfer you too; fortunately, I stepped in to stop it..."

Cai Xiu simply couldn't believe his own ears.

He cried out in a lost voice: "All of them transferred to the Six Routes Transport Commission?! So many people, not a single one left?!"

"Not quite; many are still left—those in the East Wing of your Qinshe are still there; you have plenty of companions!"

East Wing...

Who were in the East Wing?!

Weren't those in the East Wing the Young Masters?!

What use were they? They couldn't write or calculate, only knew how to curse people and drag others down; why keep them?!

Moreover, the Six Routes Transport Commission might not be a bad place to go!

This group of Young Masters had something wrong with their brains; they all blamed themselves for the High Platform incident, but the reasoning didn't hold up, and they were discussed by many behind their backs. If they could go to the Transport Commission, leaving these people behind, relying on their own abilities to continue managing those Xue Shi, wanting to achieve merit and please their Superior, wouldn't it be as easy as splashing water?!

Tuiguan Liao, however, hadn't thought so much; seeing Cai Xiu opposite staring at him with wide eyes, his inside filled with unknown emotions, he only thought this junior was overly grateful to him, to the point of being speechless; he especially added: "I put in a good word for you, that's why I intercepted your name; do a good job, don't waste such a great opportunity!"

What opportunity?!

What extra mouth did you add?!

Cai Xiu only felt his head spinning wave after wave; his whole person, from hair to the soles of his feet, was bitter; and seeing that Tuiguan opposite chattering away, opening and closing his mouth like a toad, he simply wished to stuff all those manuscripts into his mouth and feed him until full!

But as he raised his hand and saw the text on those manuscripts, his legs went weak; he simply had no strength to stand.

They were all gone... only him left; so many things—was he supposed to calculate them all by himself? Do them all by himself?! Not to mention five days, even ten days might not be enough!

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