Han Ji

Chapter 119 Repairing Canals and Changing Course

Liu Bei led the way, flanked by Guan Yu and Qian Zhao. Soldiers in black armor, wielding halberds, instantly surrounded the construction site.

Upon seeing Liu Bei, Supervisor Li hurriedly stepped forward: "Commander Liu! These laborers are causing trouble, and I was just about to..."

"Are you about to kill someone?" Liu Bei dismounted and walked up to Liu San.

The old man had fainted, and blood seeped from the whip marks on his back.

Liu Bei knelt down to check his breathing; he was still alive. He looked up at Supervisor Li and asked, "What crime has he committed?"

"Slacking off, being lazy..."

How to slack off at work?

"Carrying soil is slow..."

"Being slow means you deserve to die?" Liu Bei stood up, staring at Supervisor Li. "How many meals do you eat each day? What do you eat?"

Supervisor Li was speechless.

Liu Bei ignored him and headed towards the soup kitchen.

A thin broth floated in the large pot, with only a handful of rice grains visible, and it smelled musty. Next to it, in a basket, were mixed flour cakes, as hard as rocks.

"Is this the laborers' meal?" Liu Bei asked.

"The prefecture and government have limited grain allocations..." Supervisor Li wiped his sweat.

"Limited?" Liu Bei grabbed a piece of cake, broke it into crumbs, and asked, "Is this even edible?"

He turned to the laborers and said, "I am Liu Bei, the Commandant of Hanzhong. From this day forward, this canal will be under the control of my army. The officials who have mistreated the laborers are hereby dismissed and investigated. The county troops shall return to their camps."

Supervisor Li said urgently, "Commander Liu! This is a project of the prefecture government; you have no authority over it..."

"I have the right to suppress bandits and bring peace to the people," Liu Bei interrupted him. "Laborers are also people. If you disagree, go to the prefectural government and file a complaint against me."

Supervisor Li was taken away by soldiers.

Liu Bei ordered Qian Zhao to count the number of people and register them. Guan Yu led his troops to take over the granaries and medicine sheds.

Jian Yong arrived quickly, bringing with him medical practitioners, craftsmen, and grain carts from the camp.

The healers treated the wounded, and the grain carts unloaded millet, salt, and dried vegetables. The soldiers built stoves to cook porridge, and soon steam rose, filling the air with the aroma of rice.

Wang Wu, supporting Liu San, was stunned.

"There...there's really food to eat?"

"Yes." Liu Bei personally ladled a bowl of thick porridge and handed it to Wang Wu. "Eat your fill, then we can talk about repairing the canal."

The laborers lined up to receive porridge, their hands trembling as they held their bowls.

Some people started crying while eating.

Liu Bei walked to a high place and raised his voice: "Brothers, the canal must be repaired, but not at the cost of lives. From today onwards, three meals a day, two dry and one porridge. We will work in shifts, with one day off every ten days. The wounded and sick will be treated by the army's medical doctors. As for wages... I will temporarily advance them, ten coins a day, settled every ten days."

The laborers were silent for a moment, then burst into cheers.

Wang Wu knelt down and kowtowed, "Commander Liu! You are my great benefactor!"

Liu Bei helped him up, saying, "I am not your benefactor, but the Commandant of Hanzhong. It is my duty to protect the territory and ensure the safety of the people."

That night, the construction site underwent a dramatic transformation.

The shacks were cleaned and new straw was laid down. The wounded were treated in one place, while the able-bodied were divided into shifts. Soldiers helped build stoves and fetch water, and the atmosphere was harmonious.

Liu Bei did not return to camp; instead, he set up a tent next to the construction site.

After Jian Yong finished counting the provisions, he went into the tent and whispered, "Brother, we'll pay for the three thousand men..."

Liu Bei looked at the lights outside the tent and said, "With the people's hearts won, money and provisions will surely follow."

Jian Yong hesitated, as if he wanted to speak.

He knew that Liu Bei was gambling, betting that Hanzhong would eventually fall into his hands, so the canal he was building now was not for Su Gu, but for himself.

The canal was rebuilt the next day.

The morale was completely different. The laborers were well-fed and clothed, worked hard, and made progress faster than before.

Wang Wu became the foreman, leading a team of a hundred men to tackle the most difficult sections. He said to Liu Bei, "Commander, this canal was ordered to be built by Prefect Su, who said he wanted to divert the Bao River to irrigate the fields. But we think he wants to change the course of the river and give the good land downstream to a few powerful families."

"Is there any evidence?"

"Yes." Wang Wu pulled out a piece of coarse linen from his pocket, on which a simple diagram was drawn with charcoal. "You see, after the canal was diverted, the water flows eastward, irrigating the land of the Zhao and Chen families. The fields of us smallholders are all in the old riverbed, so they will definitely suffer from drought in the future."

Liu Bei is looking at the picture.

Although the diagram is rough, the meaning is clear: Su Gu used the pretext of canal construction to carry out annexation.

Who drew this picture?

"There's an old river worker in our village who knows about this," Wang Wu said. "He said that if this canal is built like this, within three years, ten villages downstream will have to flee their homes."

Liu Bei accepted the map and asked, "Where is the old river worker?"

"I was in the morgue a couple of days ago and I was so exhausted that I vomited blood."

Liu Bei went to the shed to check on the wounded.

The old river worker, surnamed Zheng, was about sixty years old, skin and bones, but with bright eyes. Seeing Liu Bei approach, he struggled to get up.

"Old man, lie down." Liu Bei sat on the edge of the bed. "I've seen the plans, you're right. This canal can't be built like this."

Zheng Hegong grabbed Liu Bei's wrist: "Commander, if you truly care about the people, you should stop this canal!"

"It can't be stopped." Liu Bei shook his head. "The prefecture has issued the order, the laborers have been conscripted, and the money and grain have been spent. If we suddenly stop, Su You will have an excuse to punish me."

"That..."

"Change the route." Liu Bei took out another map from his robes, drawn by Jian Yong overnight. "Old man, what do you think? If we move the canal line half a mile south, bypassing the lands of the Zhao and Chen families, and irrigate ten villages downstream, would that be feasible?"

Zheng Hegong looked at the drawings and his eyes lit up: "It's feasible! But we'll have to dig another 300 zhang (approximately 150 meters), which will be a lot of work..."

"I'm not afraid of the labor," Liu Bei said. "I'll provide food and pay the laborers, and they're willing to do it. It's just that you'll need to lead the way in changing the route."

Zheng Hegong propped himself up: "Captain, are you truly willing to change course?"

"real."

"Alright!" Zheng Hegong got out of bed. "This old man's life is in the hands of the Captain!"

When the news of the rerouting spread, the people were in an uproar.

What was originally a negative project turned into an opportunity to benefit their hometown, fueling their enthusiasm. Zheng Hegong led a team to re-survey the route, while Wang Wu organized able-bodied men to begin excavation.

The progress was even faster than originally planned.

When the news reached the prefectural government, Su Gu smashed his teacup.

"What is Liu Bei trying to do?! Change the canal route I designed?!"

Zhao Lu lowered his head: "He said the original route was unfair, and changing the route would irrigate more fields..."

"Irrigate my ass!" Su Gu roared. "What's the use of irrigating the fields of those poor villages?! The land of the Zhao and Chen families is the real issue!"

Chen Lun cautiously said, "Prefect, the laborers now all obey Liu Bei. If we forcibly stop them, it might incite a peasant uprising..."

"A popular uprising?" Su Gu sneered. "Let him rebel! When Xi Jian arrives, let's see how he handles it!"

By the end of July, half of the canal construction was completed.

Liu Bei spent his days at the construction site, eating and living alongside the laborers. He carried earth and piled stones, his hands blistered and bleeding. Xun Cai brought him medicine and, seeing how dark and thin he was, felt sorry for him.

"My lord, these tasks can be handled by the servants."

"If I don't do it, they won't believe me." Liu Bei reached out to let her apply the medicine. "The hearts of the people aren't won by words, but by actions."

Xun Cai lowered her head to apply the medicine and said softly, "I heard that Su Gu cursed loudly in the prefectural government, saying that you were trying to win people's hearts."

"Let him curse," Liu Bei smiled. "The more he curses, the more the laborers will hate him and the more they will trust me."

Just then, Qian Zhao rushed over.

"Brother, about two thousand refugees from Guanzhong have flooded into Nanzheng and are blocking the city gates. The prefectural government won't let them in, and the refugees are going to cause trouble."

Liu Bei stood up: "Where is Su Gu?"

He claimed to be ill and refused to leave his home.

"Walk."

Outside the city gate of Nanzheng, a dense crowd of people stood.

They were dressed in rags, their faces sallow and emaciated. An old man sat on the ground panting, while a child cried out in despair. The city gates were tightly shut, and soldiers on the city walls drew their bows and nocked arrows.

At the head of the refugees, several men were shouting, "Open the city gates! Give us a way out!"