Jiajing thirty-one years of autumn, Jiangnan floods in the ascendant, in the Taizhou province was ravaged by the floods around the time of struggle, Jingnan County opened the prelude to the “food for work”. This day, Jingnan County, a total of six projects at the same time construction, Zhu Pingan personally led the largest work for food project – East Lake project.
In order to provide food for work, Zhu Pingan has been sent in advance to the nearby Taiping County to exchange 60,000 taels of silver, all exchanged for copper coins, placed in the county magistrate’s money vault. After the commencement of the work, the wagons pulled the wagons of coins to the project areas, the wagons of coins shook the eyes of the people and refugees, so that they put their hearts into their stomachs, and no longer worry about not getting paid for their work.
Of course, the carriages were guarded by sword-wielding guards, and no one ungrateful dared to hit the carriages.
The East Lake project area is the key project of Zhu Ping An’s work-for-food project.
Zhu Pingan had checked the county records, Jingnan this place often floods, every three to five years will make a small flood, every seven to eight years will make a big flood, Jingnan common people always face the threat of waterlogging.
Zhu Pingan before and after the flood, over the mountains, down the river, wading, calculating the riverbed drop, will be two or three times the topography of the Jingnan survey, with the help of modern knowledge of geography experience, finally is to figure out the reason for the frequent flooding of the Jingnan. The main reason was the terrain. Jingnan mountains facing the sea, the terrain is generally high in the west and low in the east, gradually tilted from west to east, the west side of the mountain ranges, thousands of metres of peaks rise, the central hills extend slowly, the eastern plains and mudflats wide. Jingnan rivers within the winding, flowing overall and the terrain of the same, from west to east into the sea, the eastern mountain ranges than the drop of the riverbed, the rapid flow of water, the peak of the flood is also the potential of high volume, the water level will naturally rise and fall; the eastern part of the hilly and plain areas of the terrain is low and flat, the river flow rate of the reduction of the river, whenever the flood season, the western half of the rapid river over the river, the flash floods, often too late to excretion, so it will be prone to flooding the river!So it is easy for the river to overflow and cause flooding.
Zhu Pingan investigated the reason, then there is the East Lake project.
Fifteen miles east of Jingnan County, next to the Sanli River and Campsis Creek, an east lake with a circumference of more than ten kilometres was excavated. Every year when the flood season comes, the river soars, will open the floodgate into the East Lake, water storage flood; and when the dry period, the three miles of the river, camas creek water level drop, East Lake water level is higher than the three miles of the river, camas creek, the lake water can be stored at any time back to the three miles of the river and camas creek. In this way, it can keep Jingnan free from flooding for a hundred years, and it can also irrigate the surrounding fields, which can be said to be a multi-purpose.
“The East Lake is divided into two parts, the Upper East Lake and the Lower East Lake, the Upper East Lake is planned to be 18 miles in circumference and the Lower East Lake is planned to be 20 miles in circumference. Dongwang Township Octagonal Pavilion is the eastern boundary, the western boundary is Qingyu Village Eight Treasures Temple, the southern boundary is Duo Bao Mountain, the northern boundary is Lingxiao Pavilion, of which the middle of the Upper East Lake and the Lower East Lake is not divided ……”
“The East Lake is about Jingnan’s hundred-year plan, during the construction process, be sure to pay attention to the quality and don’t need to be greedy for speed ……”
Before starting the construction, Zhu Pingan called the accompanying officials and servants to the front, unfolded the construction plan and construction drawings, and carefully talked to them about the construction planning of the East Lake as well as the precautions to be taken in order to provide food for work.
“Don’t worry, we will live up to your expectations and dig the East Lake.”The Xu officials and servants led their orders one after another.
For the sake of precision, Zhu Pingan led Liu Mu, Liu Dazhou and the others to spearhead the horse to mark out the boundaries of the East Lake by inserting bamboo poles, using a bamboo pole about a hundred metres apart as the boundary of the East Lake, making it clear at a glance.
Lake boundaries marked out, “East Lake to work for food project” will start up with a bang. A total of more than 50,000 people to participate in the East Lake to work for the siege, men and women, shoulder soil baskets and dustpans, hoes and rakes in hand, digging and digging the lake, grass and mud dikes; women, children and children in the planning of the kitchen area, prepare lunch, everything is full of hope. Because of the bamboo poles as the boundary of the East Lake, the people privately called the East Lake as “bamboo poles lake”, said “Zhu Qingtian horse circling the lake, Jingnan County, no more flooding”.
In addition to the East Lake project, there are five other projects in different parts of Jingnan, including repairing the city wall, rebuilding villages and so on. The six food-for-work projects mobilised almost all of Jingnan’s 100,000 people and refugees.
After the Donghu project was on track, Zhu Pingan took Liu Dazhou and others on a tour to supervise several other food-for-work projects.
The Dongwang Township Reconstruction Project was located right next to the East Lake Project, and was handled by two people, Liu Fuzi, the Household Wardens, and Zhang Zhang, the Treasury Wardens, the Dongwang Township Reconstruction Project was to rebuild the destroyed buildings in Dongwang Country Township.
The first stop of Zhu Pingan and his party’s inspection was the Dongwang Township Reconstruction Project.
The total number of people working on the Dongwang Township reconstruction site is more than 8,000, and the project is in full swing, just like the Donghu project.
The project is advancing in an orderly manner, and the people and refugees are working hard and in good order. ……Zhu Pingan nodded with satisfaction.
“Magistrate, 20 Wen per person per day for labour, isn’t that a bit much. We have nearly 100,000 people in Jingnan county to participate in the food-for-work programme, and with 20 wen per person per day, this is 2,000 taels of silver for a day’s work alone, and 60,000 taels for a month. This is not counting the consumption of food and grass. Even with the ‘donations’ that the county governor receives from grain merchants, plus the surplus in our county office’s coffers, it’s only enough for one month. According to the county governor’s plan, it will take at least two months to complete the food-for-work programme. After a month, I won’t be able to get a single copper from my coffers. My subordinate implores the Prefectural Governor to think twice about lowering the wages and limiting the number of people who can receive food for work ……”
Mr Qian, the treasury warden, suggested to Zhu Pingan in a low voice as he accompanied him on his tour of the project.
“County Dignitary, this is an extraordinary time, it can be slightly reduced by 30%.”Household Warden Liu Fu Zi also seconded the suggestion.
“Unallowable.”Zhu Pingan shook his head decisively and said to them in a serious tone, “If you want to let the horse run, you have to let the horse eat early. The daily wage of twenty Wen is the bottom line, it can only be raised, not lowered.”
“But county honourable, this silver money ……”Qian Dianlian was unable to do so.
“Qian Dianlian, Liu Dianlian, silver money you don’t need to worry about. First of all, we organise the old, young, women and children at the site to make a big pot meal to supply to the people, this meal is not free, the standard breakfast 1 Wen, lunch 2 Wen, dinner 1 Wen; also supply small stoves, according to the number of types of meat and vegetables, and in addition to charge again. Through the meals, each person can recover about 5 Wen per day; secondly, more and more grain merchants come to my Jingnan to sell their grain, and the ‘donations’ we ‘collect’ are also increasing. This kind of donation, I will send people to collect it once a month, in my Jingnan flood wealth, not to do something to contribute that can not be. So, in terms of silver money, you guys don’t have to worry about it, at least you can balance the books.”
Zhu Pingan said with confidence.
“Cough cough, County Duke, this monthly sending people to the grain shop to ‘collect donations’, won’t it damage County Duke’s reputation.”
Husband Liu said worriedly.
“Reputation is worth a few dollars ……”Zhu Pingan pulled the corner of his mouth unconcernedly, reaching out and pointing at the crowds of people and refugees who were labouring, he said to Husbandman Liu, “It’s only right that the people under his rule have enough to eat.”
Zhu Pingan, whose soul grew up under the red flag, was different from the feudal era’s scholars, pragmatic and not vain.
Upon hearing this, Master Liu, Mr Qian, and the accompanying xuxu officials all paid deep respect to Zhu Pingan.
The county dignitary endures humiliation, does not seek fame or fortune, and is dedicated to the people, how great ……
Under the joint efforts of the whole county, the Jingnan Food-for-Work Project was getting better and better, people had work to do, money to get, food to eat, and the whole county was thriving.
