Chapter 198： release water

Mu Yangling and the Liu family worked together and could walk ten times a day. The Liu family had little land, and they stayed up late to water a lot during the two days when Mu Shi was there, so they only went to the reservoir to pick up water for three days. The wheat fields are all watered.

At this time, the water in Reservoir No. 2 was almost bottomed out. Everyone was waiting for Qi Haoran to open Reservoir No. 3, but Song Zhi found the barracks at this time.

Song Zhi was full of stubble, and his face was blue. He looked at Qi Haoran with a haggard face and said, "Good brother, I didn't want to ask you to come, but there is really no way."

Qi Haoran and Song Zhi have a good relationship. Seeing him become like this, he can't help but be surprised, "You have been removed from office?"

Song Zhi glared at him, "Can't you think of something better?"

"Looking at you, you don't want to be promoted, do you?"

Song Zhi choked up and said, "I haven't been dismissed from office, but it's almost the same. Mingshui County only crosses such a river, and the imperial court agreed that all the fields along the river will become your military fields and Yongye fields for military households. But there are still many people’s fields downstream and in the distance, you have used all the river water, and those people can only wait to starve to death.”

Qi Haoran glared and said, "Master didn't tell anyone to cut off the water."

Song Zhi said helplessly: "I didn't tell anyone to cut off the water flow, but with so many fields to be watered, how many can flow down below? The people are suffering."

Qi Haoran recalled it now, and said, "Don't fool me, you have already inquired clearly. Before, these fields were owned by the landowners and squires. In the drought years, they cut off the water flow, and in the event of floods, they They don't do much of this kind of thing, but now I take over these fields, but I haven't done a single thing, I don't believe that their days will be more difficult than before."

"Little General Renyi, otherwise I wouldn't dare to come to the door," Song Zhi said, "but you look outside, the fields of those soldiers under you are right by the river, and they have to rush to fetch water from the reservoir to water them. What will happen to the people who are far away from the river and have no water to use? This year, God will not give a way to survive, and it is about to start collecting the autumn tax, little general, I don’t want to force the people to death.”

Qi Haoran patted the table irritably and said, "Just tell me what you want to do, I'm impatient to listen to this."

Song Zhi said cautiously: "Little General, I heard that you still have the water from the No. 3 Reservoir that is useless."

Qi Haoran looked at him with a dark face, Song Zhi bit his head and said, "I beg you to have pity on the poor people and release water to help the disaster."

Qi Haoran was silent for a while, and said, "Let me think about it." Qi Haoran got up and left. He went out to invite the old people from each village and village to ask about the watering situation.

Knowing that 70% of the wheat fields have been irrigated, only the remaining 30%, which are still inferior, Qi Haoran waved them back, and came back and said to Song Zhi, "I agree to release water, but this is downstream. There are not only the fields of the common people, but also the land of the squires such as the Sun family and Zhao family, I don’t have to pay the salaries of the common people, but I don’t give them these squires for nothing.”

The corners of Song Zhi's mouth twitched, this is the young master from the splendid pile, but he looks like he came from the beggars' gang, so he won't let go of any benefits.

Song Zhi asked, "Then what do you want?"

Qi Haoran spit out two words, "Food!"

Song Zhi thought about it and asked, "How much do you want?"

"Not much, it's just what each family wants. I owe the Sun family and the Zhao family ten bags of grain each, and the other families will send me ten bags. It's not too much, right? One more thing, who's family? They are not allowed to dig canals to pass water. My water is mainly used by the people downstream. If those squires dig canals to store water due to the large number of people, my water will not be released in vain?”

This condition put forward by Qi Haoran was beyond the reach of Song Zhi. He originally came for the lower reaches of the common people, and naturally he did not want those squires and landlords to seize too many common people's resources.

The matter was settled like this, and when the military households knew that the water in this reservoir was to be released instead of being opened to them, they were suddenly unhappy.

But Qi Haoran stood there with a cold face and looked at them coldly. They didn't dare to make trouble, they could only watch the water rush out.

I don't know who shouted: "Go get the water and water it, the water will be gone when it is released!"

Everyone rushed up to fetch water.

Qi Haoran frowned, "They have already watered 70% of the time, and some people have even finished watering. What happened to the people below? It's too harmful to others and not oneself."

Fan Zijin waved his fan and stood beside him, saying, "There are so many people like this, what's so strange? Look, Mu Yangling is among them. Isn't her land all poured out? Isn't she here too?"

Qi Haoran looked down, and indeed saw Mu Yangling, but she handed it to the person behind her after dipping the water, and she didn't need it. Qi Haoran looked around and found that behind her were the old and weak, women and children, and secretly said in his heart: This Mu Yang is too kind, so he came here to fetch water for others.

Mu Yangling didn't come here specifically to fetch water for others. She came to fetch water and go back to irrigate the vegetable fields. It happened to happen that the No. 1 reservoir was releasing water, so she took a shortcut and hit the river.

When I saw a woman with a big belly bent over to fetch water, she was terrified, so she kindly helped her, and when she saw the old grandma behind her trembling, she also helped her...

The people behind    knew that this little girl was helping the old and the weak, women and children fetch water.

After all, the water was just boiled. The opening of the reservoir was quite wide, and the water flow was fast. If a person accidentally fell down, a wave hit him and he disappeared.

Those consciously old and weak women and children consciously stood in line behind Mu Yangling, and Mu Yangling never stopped fetching water.

Standing on a high place, Qi Haoran quickly saw the clue, waved his hand to call a guard, pointed to the bottom and said: "Have you seen those old and weak women and children? Go to a few who can fetch water, stand in a row and go down to help them fetch water. , don't let people fall into the river."

The guard responded and ordered twenty people to go down.

Most of the people who came to grab the water today were the nearby villagers. They were not military households. They had been waiting for this water for a long time, so the crowd was crowded, and no one would let them in. If there were no soldiers on the scene to maintain order, I am afraid that stampede would happen. event.

The guards came over and grabbed the wooden barrel in Mu Yangling's hand, shouting: "Miss Mu, the little general is here too, leave it to us here, you go up quickly."

Mu Yangling looked up and saw Qi Haoran standing on the reservoir, nodded in response, and went out with two buckets of water.

walked up to Qi Haoran and praised: "Qi Haoran, I didn't expect you to still have the people in your heart. Now everyone praises you."

Qi Haoran's face turned slightly red, and he asked, "What are you complimenting me on?"

"There are all kinds of compliments about you, saying that you are benevolent, benevolent, and a good person, and that you are handsome and martial, and that you are both talented and beautiful..."

Qi Haoran's proud face suddenly collapsed, and Fan Zijin laughed out loud.

Mu Yangling said earnestly: "Really, they really praise you like that. Just now, my ears almost grew calluses when I heard it below."