On August 13 of the fifth year of Xianfeng in the Qing Dynasty, the Yellow River broke in Tongwaxiang on the north bank of Lanyang, Henan. The yellow water first flows to the northwest, then turns to the northeast, and captures the Daqing River in Shandong to enter the Bohai Sea. The course of the Yellow River hundreds of miles east of Tongwaxiang has been cut off since then, and the great river that originally flowed through northern Jiangsu and flowed into the Yellow Sea was quickly turned into a relic. This is the most recent major diversion of the Yellow River. After the river burst, the Yellow Water brushed the mouth of the gate as wide as 70 or 80 zhang, and overnight, the Yellow Water poured north, and many areas of Henan, Shandong, and Zhizhi provinces were suddenly affected. The laissez-faire attitude adopted by the Qing government of "temporary suspension of blockage" undoubtedly exacerbated the breadth and depth of this disaster. For a time, the yellow water was vast and rushing, and the water surface was tens or even hundreds of miles wide. Because Tongwaxiang is located in the eastern part of Henan, after the diversion, the yellow water migrates northward and flows to Zhili and Shandong, so the main disaster areas in Henan are only Lanyi, Xiangfu, Chenliu, Qixian and other counties. Villages near and far, half-exposed treetops, even those that gradually dry up, are also thin mud and tender beaches, and people and horses cannot stop." The prefectures and counties of Kaizhou, Changyuan, and Dongming in Zhili have also become areas where yellow water floods.

This time, the Yellow River was diverted, and it was Shandong Province that was the hardest hit. Chongen, the governor of Shandong, reported to the imperial court: "Recently, the water potential is stacked and long, surging bets, from Shouzhang, Dong'e, Yanggu and other counties to the boundary of Zhangqiu Town, Acheng area across the canal, flooded into the Daqing River, the water potential is unusually turbulent, the embankment section on both sides of the canal collapses, the water of the Daqing River is higher than the cliff bank Zhangyu, below Hepu, Shoudong above is flooded. Other prefectures and counties, such as Dongping, Wenshang, Pingyin, Chiping, Changqing, Feicheng, Qihe, Licheng, Jiyang, Qidong, Huimin, Binzhou, Putai, Lijin and other prefectures and counties, all the places through which the canal and the Daqing River pass have been affected. It also rained heavily in late June and early July. The water of the hillside ditches should have canals and Daqing River to absorb them, because the external water is supported, and the internal water has no way to vent, so although it is far away from the river, there is no risk of flooding. Half a month later, he further counted in another report: "The yellow water flows from Cao Pu to the Daqing River and flows into the sea, passing through more than 20 prefectures and counties in five prefectures." According to the system at that time, Shandong Province was divided into ten prefectures, of which the southwestern and northwest provinces of Shandong were all reduced to disaster areas.

There was a long debate between the southbound and the northbound. Governor of Zhili, Governor of Huguang. The governor of Caoyun and others all advocated the northward flow of the Yellow River. Oppose the return to the old ways. The governor of Shandong repeatedly proposed to return the Yellow River to its original course. In addition to these ministers who are writing outside, even the Minister of Military Aircraft and the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Household Affairs who are discussing in the Qinzheng Hall have their own opinions, and they quarrel into a pot of porridge.

"That's it!" Hearing the noise, Xianfeng's head became more and more painful. A little snuff is wiped and no matter how much it is wiped up. Particularly solemn and loud voice. The noise made the green tendons on his head jump, "These are useless, the south and north flow are not important at the moment, the key is what to do with the victims in Shandong!" Now the floods are rampant. If the victims are not appeased properly, Shandong will never have peace, and now the rebellion is still rampant in the south of the Yangtze River, and Shandong must not make trouble! ”

"Wow!" Su Shun rushed to respond before the Minister of Military Aircraft spoke, "Now I can only send down the things that have been set before, Your Majesty." ”

"Well, I have considered that thing, or revised it, the ministers don't have to be lowered, the Beijing officials don't have to be filial piety, if it is lowered again, it will be difficult to live, I have written a few notes here, and the Military Aircraft Department will take it to discuss with the household department, how to donate the case, how to make a big money, carefully think of a charter to come out, and the gold, immediately in Shandong, Liangjiang, Zhejiang and Fujian!"

Su Shun was a little puzzled that this was not the same as the policy approved by the emperor before, how could it be revised again.

"That's it, take care of Shandong's affairs and kneel down." The emperor waved his hand impatiently, Su Shun had a thousand questions, and had to kneel down and exit the Qinzheng Hall with the ministers of the center, the emperor sat in a daze, Xingzhen quietly walked out, put her hand on the shoulder of the hard-working emperor, and sighed silently.

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid the course of the Yellow River can't be changed back," Xingzhen recalled that the course of the Yellow River in later generations was indeed in Shandong and had not changed for more than a hundred years, "It's time to do river work according to the course of the Yellow River going north." ”

"Well, I told the governor of the river to discuss it with the Ministry of Household and Industry, as well as the governor of Shandong, the queen, you write, I said, just write a will and go out to them." The emperor was infinitely tired and said gloomy.

"Yes." Xingzhen picked up the pen and wrote down the emperor's dictated orders word by word.

Su Shun walked through the military plane signing room, went to the class room of his household department, opened the note written by the emperor's imperial pen, read it carefully, closed his eyes and pondered, these ideas are excellent, but they must not be the emperor's own ideas!

Then it can only be the queen mother, Su Shun snorted coldly, threw the fold aside, picked up the tea and silently thought about how to be on this errand.

How not to lose to the head of the palace!

On this day, Xingzhen was flipping through the chapter of the governor of Shandong, reading to the emperor, the content was about the post-disaster relief and the work of building the river, and she talked about it for a long time, except for crying poor and asking for money, there was nothing else, and now the emperor was a little unwell, and he was dizzy after reading the words for a long time, and he only closed his eyes and listened, and when Xingzhen finished speaking, the emperor said: "I know." Instructed Xingzhen to write "handed over to the Ministry of Household and Industry"

After a while, the emperor said, "Now this clever woman is difficult to cook without rice, although the household still has some money, but it can't be moved lightly, Su Shun handed over the sign to see me yesterday, he has been in charge of the household for a day or two, in the end he came up with a solution that is not a way," the emperor picked out a fold from the side of the case and handed it to the queen, "You see, I looked at it, I was a little moved, but it can solve the urgent need." ”

Xingzhen took the fold, opened it and looked at the title, "Please cut the flag man Ding Yinfold" and hurriedly closed it, and her heart was beating against each other, this Su Shun is really too bold!

The Eight Banners system was a form of social organization of the Manchus, which initially had military, production and administrative functions, and played a role in promoting the social and economic development of the Manchus in the early period. The Eight Banners system was a form of social organization of the Manchus, which initially had military, production and administrative functions, and played a role in promoting the social and economic development of the Manchus in the early period.

Eight Banners originated from "Niu Lu". In the 11th year of Wanli (1583), Nurhachi transformed, enriched and strengthened Niulu and became a fixed fighting organization. In the twenty-ninth year of Wanli (1601), on the basis of the Niu Lu system, the flag system was formally created, and four organizations named after different color flags were established, namely yellow flags, white flags, red flags, and blue flags (all pure colors), which were in charge of each Niu Lu. It is stipulated that each ox shall be recorded as 300 people. (To be continued......)