Du Zhongxiao took Su Song on the newly opened road, pointing to the large ditch that was being dug not far away, and said, "The states south of Kaifeng Prefecture have low terrain and are flooded every year. This land is prone to saline and alkali when it is flooded. This area is full of brine, and nothing grows. To cultivate fields here, the first thing to do is to control this dry ditch. A large ditch is built around the land and the soil raised is piled up into the fields, which is called Taitian and Tiaotian."

Su Song nodded repeatedly: "If this method is useful, when I go back, I will also open some wasteland in Suzhou. The local officials are the top priority to recruit households. If there is no new land to be reclaimed, why should we attract others? This method is excellent."

Du Zhongxiao smiled and said, "Actually, the key personnel in the Ma Meng case have been arrested, so as long as the trial is strictly conducted. It is most appropriate for the manager to join the army to do this. Why should we get involved in the ground? Just take a look at it, and there is no mistake in their trial."

Su Song deeply felt the same. Because the case was serious, the Transport Authority transferred an official from Suzhou next door to be tried, which was Su Song. This made Du Zhongxiao overjoyed. Unexpectedly, the two would be able to get together in a few months. Thinking about it carefully, this matter was not surprising. The transfer of officials was to assist, not to re-examine, but could only be a lieutenant. Su Song had just arrived in Suzhou, and if he didn't let him come, who else could he get away with such an errand?

Du Zhongxiao is a very pragmatic person. The most difficult time of Ma Meng's case has passed, and the rest is hard work. Now there are many people participating in the interrogation, so he no longer cares about everything. Most of his energy is devoted to the cultivation of fields.

Because of his relationship with Du Zhongxiao, and he doesn't like to work hard, Su Song spent most of his time checking the land with Du Zhongxiao. He was a prosecutor and did not need to participate in the preliminary interrogation in depth. Su Song was very clear-headed and knew what to do and what was not so important. There are many officials involved in the Ma Meng case now, and it may not be much credit to spending effort in it. Instead, it is the land reclaiming. He learned the method from Du Zhongxiao and could do it back to Suzhou. That is the real political achievement.

At this time, the Bian River was blocked from the Biankou where the Yellow River diverted water. The water in the river was getting shallower and shallower day by day. There were no large ships passing by, and only some small boats were transported for a short distance. The entire upper reaches of the Bian River, including the official official canal ships and private merchant ships, gradually began to lose their jobs. It was difficult for people on the water in winter. Du Zhongxiao reclaimed fields in Yongcheng, and hired people to work, and did not force the settlement, which attracted many people. At this time, there were more than 300 households who really settled in the local area and relied on the land they had cultivated in the future, and more than 2,000 people worked here, which was very lively.

Seeing several large ditches starting together, it was very lively, Su Song said: "This large project uses a lot of manpower and costs a lot of money and food. If I hadn't had the way to make money and had this idea, I wouldn't have done this."

Du Zhongxiao smiled and said, "The way to make money is something people think of. As long as we use our brains, there will always be ways. We are officials, not to make money for our family, but many things are much more convenient."

Su Song nodded after hearing this, but he didn't say anything. Many officials use their position to do business, but most of them are for their own profits. It's not just that there is no such thing as a business, but it's just a very small amount. The money earned is used for the public, and it's not useless to say it's hard, and sometimes it's easy to explain it clearly.

At this time, the war with Dangxiang gradually calmed down. Many former border ministers promoted their positions and entered the court. Some of them, such as Teng Zongliang and Zhang Kang, were impeached by the court because of unclear accounts of the minister's money, and the result was unpredictable. Du Zhongxiao learned a text "Yueyang Tower Notes" in his previous life, which was about the matter at this time. The protagonist was Teng Zongliang of the same year as Fan Zhongyan.

When I was studying texts in my previous life, the teacher often briefly talked about this matter because of the author Fan Zhongyan. Later, I came into contact with some online statements, saying that Teng Zongliang was a corrupt official, and burned the account books during the investigation by the imperial envoy. Fan Zhongyan's article was well written, but in fact he was calling for injustice for a corrupt official. Only when he was in this era did he know that the matter was so simple. Teng Zongliang was said to be the minister's money, and the imperial court never checked the accounts, and the scope of use was very wide and the accounts were chaotic. There was a northwest, and the accounts were not burned, and there were still many people who were drawn out. Some of them were particularly sensitive to small tribes that had contact with the Song Dynasty and Dangxiang. With the habits of officials at this time, I was afraid that they would not keep these foreign tribes confidential and corrupt the court's trust.

Of course, it is not certain that Teng Zongliang is wronged by this. This person is not only in the northwest, but also in other places where he is an official, and he also has a reputation for loving money. He used soldiers and officials to make money for him only once. Teng Zongliang has a criminal record, and the real luck in this matter is not him, but Zhang Kang.

After the war eased, the northwest checked the minister's money account, setting a very bad precedent, which made officials not dare to let go of their economic responsibilities.

Du Zhongxiao was a cautious person. The start-up funds for his land reclamation were the Yongcheng tax allowed by the state. Then he made a time difference and used the money to build a factory for making fireworks and firecrackers. He then used the money he earned to reclaim the land, and the accounts were clear. Su Song didn't know this, so he couldn't say much.

Not long after walking, I arrived at a large pond, Du Zhongxiao said to Su Song: "The groundwater level here is too high, and if you dig too deep, you will get out of water. Every time, you choose a low-lying place as a pond to accommodate flowing water. Only in this way can you use deep ditches to lure the water in front, one after another, and finally flow into the Huhuan River."

Su Song nodded: "The Bian River in the east is piled up due to the accumulation of mud and sand, and the riverbed is raised high, so this method is feasible."

"Yes, the Bian River has a high channel. When the water is released in the coming year, you can divert water from it and silt and irrigate the built Taitian. The river water is full of silt and sand, which is the best fertilizer and alkali. In this way, this place must be a good field."

Su Song was knowledgeable and knew everything about all kinds of miscellaneous books. When talking about these things with Du Zhongxiao, he was very knowledgeable.

The land chosen by Du Zhongxiao is between the Bian River and Huan River. The two rivers have a high channel and a low channel, and there is a natural drop. If you open a deep ditches and use natural flowing water, you can achieve both drainage and silt and irrigation, which is extremely convenient.

Du Zhongxiao thought clearly that although he could gain some reputation when handling a case himself, what really showed his political achievements was to reclaim wasteland and recruit household registration. Officials took classes, which was the first priority.

There is a shed beside the pond, which is where the land reclamation workers rest. Du Zhongxiao and Su Song walked under the shed and said, "Let's take a break here."

The two sat down and the followers took tea. Du Zhongxiao said to Su Song: "Zirong, the Ma Meng case under this rule is very wide. I roughly estimate that if the government is in poverty, most of the public officials in Yongcheng will be removed, and many officials in the state will be implicated. The county officials, especially the yamen in charge of various official rituals, have always been a round of big families. Arrest all these people and investigate them one by one, but I am afraid that most of the local big families will be destroyed. Although it is difficult for the forces to be innocent, the local area will inevitably be unstable in such a big way. In your opinion, what should we do?"

Su Song smiled and said, "I have been here for two days and I know your arrangements. I am extremely judging Ma Meng and the villager here, but there is no trace of news about Yongcheng County yamen outside. These days, I heard that all kinds of snakes and rats, including officials from the yamen, have fled to foreign lands. From this point of view, you have already had a certainty in your mind. It's just that the first gangster Ma Meng will never forgive you, and the people in the yamen will not touch them easily. It's not that they are traitors and evil, just forget it. This is a matter of no way. There is no way to stabilize the place, and it can only be like this. Don't worry, I will help you when I come here."
Chapter completed!