Hearing Lin Yanchao say this, the two women showed fear.

Huang Yue said to the two: "It's none of your business. ”

Then Huang Yue said to Lin Yanchao: "Xia Guan understands, add more salt to the soup in the future." ”

Lin Yanchao nodded, and Wen Yan said to the two women: "Go down!" ”

As if they had been pardoned, the two women hurriedly left with buckets.

The meal was served in front of a group of civilians who had just come down from the river beach, but they couldn't wait to take the steamed bun scones from the women, and then scooped a bowl of clear soup into the bucket with a large white porcelain bowl.

Hundreds of civilian servants sat on the river beach, munching on steamed buns and drinking clear soup. Although it is a poor food, after hard work, it still makes them feel comfortable to eat this meal.

Seeing that the civil servants were all fed, Lin Yanchao also relieved himself and returned to the Yaodi grass house.

Sitting in the shed built by the grass hut, the scene of the entire beachhead building embankment and damming can be seen at a glance.

Lin Yanchao saw that although the embankment was built at a high place, the embankment was more than two zhang high, and he couldn't help but say to Huang Yue: "The specifications of the Ministry of Engineering are that the embankment is one zhang high, the upper width is three zhang, and the lower width is ten zhang. How much earthwork is needed? ”

Huang Yue said: "Yes, in fact, these twenty zhang are not enough. The embankment is often built at a high place on the river bank, and the embankment height is between two and three zhang. If it is really built according to the specifications of the Ministry of Engineering, there is too much earthwork required. Therefore, it is the most labor-saving to release and fix the embankment. But this is not considered to be completed, after the embankment is built, it is necessary to plant willow reeds to stabilize the embankment and retain silt. ”

Lin Yanchao and Huang Yue were chatting, and the food was already served here.

On the table is a large bowl of fragrant mutton stewed noodles, as well as a few pieces of white flour steamed buns, which are much better than the meals of the civilian servants outside.

Huang Yue was a little embarrassed when he saw it, and explained: "Sima came to the embankment today, so he was a little extravagant. ”

Lin Yanchao sandwiched a chopstick mutton and said with a smile: "This is not too luxurious, as an official of the imperial court, you can't eat worse than the civilian servants, don't worry about the cost of silver, you just need to heal the river with your heart." ”

After Lin Yanchao's words, several river officials were overjoyed and grateful to Lin Yanchao for his thoughtfulness.

But Huang Yue looked worried, and said after retreating: "Sima doesn't know, the silver on the books of the river workers is only enough until the end of the month. ”

When Lin Yanchao heard this, he put down his chopsticks and said, "Take the account book." ”

Huang Yue presented the account book and explained: "There are more than 8,000 civil servants in the three counties, one person has five coins of silver for a month's meal, and 8,000 people are more than 4,000 taels." This money is not much, but the work of water and wood, the most urgent materials, is the big head. ”

"To repair the embankment, you need willow reeds, piles, earthwork, and materials, except for the earth, which can be taken everywhere by the embankment, and the rest must be made of money."

"For example, willow reeds are willow reeds, which are stored on the riverbank on weekdays and planted by the people.

"As for the piles, the best wood comes from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and the stone is the best from the mountains of Nanhu, but the price is too expensive to transport from these two places. It is not impossible to ask the neighboring counties and prefectures to buy. But even if you buy it nearby, the cost is still huge, not counting tung oil, glutinous rice, gray nail iron, etc. ”

"The only thing that rejoiced was the mercenary silver of more than 5,000 civilian servants, and they all promised to wait until after the autumn. This is the trust of the common people in Sima Zhi, otherwise after the last time Zhu Sikong lost money, the people were rarely willing to let the government pay on credit. ”

Zhu Sikong mentioned by Huang Yue is Zhu Heng, the former secretary of the Ministry of Industry, Zhu Heng was the left deputy capital of Yushi in the sixth year of Longqing, and the manager of the river.

Zhu Heng is a capable minister who is on a par with Pan Jitao, and he has made outstanding achievements in governing rivers in Henan, but he is such a famous minister, and the dignified Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry was surrounded by the people to ask for wages because of arrears of wages for migrant workers, so he became a laughing stock in officialdom.

And the hired money issued by Lin Yanchao to the river workers was intended to be paid with the interest of the green seedling money.

Lin Yanchao's original intention was to use the green seedling method to lend money to the people who have land to farm with peace of mind, concentrate on production, and not be forced to serve the river labor, so that the people who have no land can repair the river embankment and work for relief.

Then use the interest money of the seedling method to pay the hired silver.

This original intention was very good, but it also required the civil servants to be willing to trust the government, because it was not until the autumn that the green seedlings were collected before the people could get the money. But unexpectedly, none of the people under the rule of Guide Mansion doubted Lin Yanchao's credibility and expressed their support with actions.

However, the people's willingness to support is to solve Lin Yanchao's urgent need, but the river work wood is a big problem.

Lin Yanchao asked Huang Yue: "Can you say it, let those timber merchants owe one or two on credit, and pay it back after the autumn." If they can agree, the official promises to find them next year when the embankment is repaired. ”

Huang Yue knew the details of Lin Yanchao, and on the official account of the same knowledge office, there were only 50,000 taels of ICBC. This is still Lin Yanchao's temporary prefect, and after the fact, he transferred directly from the house in the house to the account of the Tongzhi Bureau, otherwise according to the rules of officialdom, it would be good to have 30,000 taels of the 50,000 taels in his hands.

Of the 50,000 taels of silver, 12,000 taels were first allocated to Huang Yue, and the remaining 38,000 taels were deposited in the accounts of the farmer's bank.

The 38,000 taels were lent to the common people in the name of Qingmiao money, and the interest was recovered at 20 percent and 5 taels, that is, 47,500 taels. However, if this money is only to repair the embankment and block the three executions that were washed away by the river last year, it will still be more than 10,000 taels, but it is a bad old nose to build a hundred miles of embankment.

Huang Yue didn't know Lin Yanchao's overall plan, but he knew that there was no one tael of silver in the accounts of the Tongzhi Bureau, not to mention the profits, it was 38,000 taels of industrial and commercial silver, which could not be transferred to the books until at least after the autumn, so credit became the only way.

But even if the timber and the mercenary silver were on credit, and the embankment could be repaired for a few months, he didn't have a number in his heart. He reminded Lin Yanchao, but the other party looked like he was in his chest. Huang Yue didn't know what Lin Yanchao's confidence was, and now he had to take one step at a time.

Huang Yue is now putting his future on Lin Yanchao, and said solemnly: "I have been an official for many years, and I am still a little thin in the river work. Xia Guan talked to a few clinker wood and helped Sima to complete the matter. ”

Lin Yanchao nodded, and after eating noodles, he took the carriage back to his house.

After getting out of the carriage and arriving at the mansion, Qiu Mingshan hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Dong Weng is about to go to the river embankment to find you." ”

"What's the hurry?"

"It's someone from the river yamen."

Lin Yanchao felt a pang in his heart when he heard this, he had a bad relationship with Li Zihua, and at this time, someone from the river yamen came, I am afraid that the person who came was not good.

"Who's here?"

"The identity on the surface is the post of the river yamen, but I asked someone to inquire, and this person is actually a relative of the river governor who did not come out of the five suits." r