Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Chapter 492 Everyone Does Their Own Business

After Mr. Lu left, most of the affairs of the county government were still handled by the two legal advisors, but after some persuasion and coaxing from the two legal advisors, the county magistrate finally began to work like a real county magistrate.

Because of the rain these days, several county magistrates under the jurisdiction of Ji'an Prefecture also gathered together to discuss flood prevention.

However, the money allocated for river embankment repair every year is limited, so those that need to be repaired have been repaired, and those that need to be reinforced have been reinforced.

There is no money to raise and widen the canal embankment, so the rest can only be left to fate.

The construction technology at that time could not be compared with modern times.

Master Qian said that according to the county annals, in previous years if there was too much rain in the spring and summer, the rain would indeed soak the embankments, and the water in the canal would rise too quickly, bursting through the outlet and flooding the villages and roads adjacent to the river.

Shen Yu thought for a moment and said, "I went to the dam today to take a look because I heard the old people say it was dangerous."

"There was no one patrolling the embankment. There was only one runner on duty at the canal dock, but he was only there to maintain order at the dock."

"Under this situation, if there is a breach in the dam, we won't know until it floods."

"How can we protect the lives and property of the people in this city?"

"On that rain-soaked embankment?"

Master Qian was stunned. He didn't expect that a young cook who ran a restaurant would ask him these questions.

Because he was familiar with Shen Yu, he did not feel that Shen Yu was overstepping the line.

On the contrary, it was quite surprising that Shen Yu, a young girl, came here today not to care about her own gains and losses, but to care about the safety of the people in the whole city.

After a brief thought, Master Qian said seriously, "On weekdays, the county government only has so many people. The county governments along the river have never sent runners to patrol the dikes."

“It was the same in previous years. If villagers near the canal reported that the embankment was loose or cracked, we would send people to check it out.”

"If we can repair it, we will repair it. If we can't, we can only let the water flood it. The best we can do is to lead the villagers to evacuate this place first and come back after the water recedes."

"Fortunately, Anping County is located on high ground and is surrounded by city walls. When the city gates are closed, the people in the county will be safe."

"Although Fengnian Restaurant is located at a low altitude, it is far from the city wall and the canal. Miss Shen does not need to worry too much."

Seeing that Master Qian tried to comfort her with kind words but still wanted to follow the rules, Shen Yu began to recall the reports on flood control and disaster relief that he had read, trying to think about what to do.

After just a moment, Shen Yu sorted out his thoughts in his mind and began to give Master Qian advice one by one.

"I've heard people say that every year during the flood season, sandbags, wooden boards and stones are piled on the riverbank."

"We'll send more people to patrol day and night to detect any danger in time."

"Although this is more laborious, it is much better than sending people there after something dangerous has happened."

Master Qian helplessly spread his hands and said, "Miss Shen is young after all. It's easy for you to say that, but where will the patrol staff come from? Sandbags and other things don't come out of thin air. Where will the money come from?"

Shen Yu had already prepared a plan for this, and said calmly: "This concerns the safety of the people of the entire city, so we should all do our part."

"I thought that if we send out a notice to the people of the whole county, we could explain the whole story."

"Form a patrol team of able-bodied men in the county, and have each family contribute a little money to buy sandbags and stones."

"There is strength in numbers, and a little accumulation can make a lot. This will not waste time and money, but will bring peace and security for a spring and a summer."

"I think everyone is willing to do this and will not complain to the government. It is much better than leaving everything to fate here."

After hearing this, Master Qian's eyes lit up, and he stood up excitedly and said, "Miss Shen is very knowledgeable. Come on, I will take you to see the county magistrate right away."

"Let's discuss it carefully. The method you proposed will surely work."

Shen Yu was not afraid. After all, if it could be done, the safety factor of Anping County would be much higher, which would be a great thing that would benefit both others and himself.

Early the next morning, the sound of yamen runners beating gongs could be heard in the county town. Notices were posted on every street, and special personnel were sent there to explain the situation to the onlookers.

In less than an hour, all the residents in the county knew the contents of the new notice posted by the county government.

To put it simply, every family with an able-bodied man would provide a laborer and form a river patrol team, which was divided into four shifts, morning and night. During this period of time, they were responsible for patrolling the river embankments.

This does not count as conscription and is entirely voluntary.

Protecting Anping County is everyone’s responsibility.

In addition, each household voluntarily donated money, and the county government purchased sandbags, stones, and wooden boards and piled them on the embankment for reinforcement and repair.

At first, the people did not understand and thought that the county government was forcing them to take labor, so they were somewhat resistant.

But this time, the yamen runners had been taught well by Master Qian how to deal with the situation. After their warm explanation, every household responded positively.

First, the river patrol is divided into four shifts, and they only patrol on the river bank. It takes little time, but it can prevent floods and give peace of mind to the family.

Second, donations are entirely voluntary and not compulsory.

It is not too much for you to donate one hundred taels to the county government, and it is also a token of your kindness if you donate one cent.

All details are recorded and available for checking at any time to ensure that every penny is used to repair the embankment and no extra money is skimmed off in the middle.

In this way, Anping County quickly formed a river patrol team, which was composed of middle-aged men who looked energetic.

Shen Yu watched from the side and thought that if these gentlemen walked on the embankment a few more times every day, the embankment would be made more solid.

The donation made Master Qian very happy.

Seeing that the government was determined to do something practical this time, the people became enthusiastic and enthusiastic. Even the poorest of them donated ten cents, not to mention the wealthy.

At that time, Shen Yu secretly gave an idea to Master Qian and the county magistrate, and asked the county magistrate to gather some wealthy families in the county together.

They were promised that their donations would be recorded in the county annals and a monument of merit would be erected beside the canal, and the names of those who donated the most would be written in the front and most conspicuous row.

You can spend a small amount of money to leave your name in history, and let people passing by read your name and praise you.

Normally, such a good thing is not something that the rich people who are inferior to scholars can enjoy, so the rich people naturally agreed with pleasure.

I didn't expect that the wealthy families in Anping County are so powerful.

At the beginning, you donate one hundred taels and I will donate two hundred taels.

In the end, as they competed with each other, in order to compete for the top spot on the list, the richest man in the county actually donated eight thousand taels of silver.

Finally, he topped the list with his own strength. Under the envious gaze of everyone, the richest man left satisfied and triumphantly.

After Master Qian finally did the math, he found out that he had received more than 40,000 taels of silver in donations.

Master Qian was so happy that he took the account book and praised Shen Yu as a female Zhuge Liang in front of the county magistrate.