Chapter 28 Encounter with Yuan Huan
Langdangqu Ferry, Water Fort.

Since the turbulent times, bandits have been rampant and fortifications have had to be built at various ferry crossings.

It can protect garrison soldiers and ships, and also provide a place for government officials and business travelers to rest overnight.

At dawn, after dinner, Yuan Huan looked through the official documents he brought with him, frowning as he felt that things were a bit difficult to handle.

It is not difficult to deal with the white goose thieves, but the difficult part is the maintenance and subsequent development of Suiyang Canal.

The river has been dry for nearly a hundred years, and only has some water during floods and heavy rains.

Therefore, most of the irrigation canals built around the Sui River during the pre-Qin and Han dynasties were abandoned. After the Sui River dried up, the economy on both sides of the river declined and the population decreased, and these water conservancy facilities lost their maintenance.

The Suiyang Canal will be completed in just over two months, and he, as the soon-to-be-appointed prime minister of Liang State, has a heavy task to do, which is to ensure the stability of the Suiyang Canal.

Although there were corvée labor and troops transferred from surrounding counties to participate in the project, he, as the prime minister of Liang State, also had to play a role and mobilize the potential manpower of Liang State to speed up the repair of Suiyang Canal water conservancy facilities.

This is the difficulty. The Liang State corvée have been conscripted to work in Chenliu for a month.

When the corvée laborers were returning home one after another, the White Goose Bandits broke out in Liang State.

The national strength of Liang State was no longer sufficient, and the only ones who could be used were the followers and hidden households of the big families of Liang State.

If he wanted these people to engage in water conservancy work, he couldn't do it with just his sweet words, he had to share the benefits.

For example, the paddy fields on both sides of the Suiyang Canal became fertile again after it was completed.

In recent years, there has been a severe drought every few years, or a severe drought and flood occurred simultaneously in the same year.

Promoting wheat planting can certainly reduce dependence on rainfall, but this only reduces dependence, not exempts it.

In order to stabilize production, each county established military settlements around paddy fields.

Now that the Suiyang Canal is connected, there will soon be too many paddy fields, and the establishment of military settlements can be expanded. It is reasonable for the far-sighted poor to flee and cause chaos.

Setting up military settlements along rivers facilitates management and also makes it easier to collect taxes and transport grain.

After thinking about it, Yuan Huan couldn't help but sigh again.

Opening up Suiyang Canal will benefit both the country and the people. From Cao Gong's intention, we can see that he wants to invite the powerful people of Liang State to participate in water conservancy construction and also allocate some paddy fields to the powerful people.

During the reigns of Emperors Huan and Ling, didn’t all the officials in the court realize the problem of Sui River?

Although they are aware of it, they dare not launch such a large project anymore because no one wants to take the responsibility for the loss of control.

This project was extremely difficult. Not only were the corvée laborers digging the canals, but the army stationed in Chenliu was also digging the earth.

How could the powerful and wealthy take advantage of the Suiyang Canal, which cost so much to dig, by simply sending their troops to participate in its water conservancy maintenance?
A pit was placed in front of him, and he had to step forward to persuade the powerful to participate in water conservancy construction.

When the powerful settled their troops to settle near the Suiyang Canal... these troops may inexplicably become civilian settlements, military settlements, or even scholar households of the imperial court.

After the imperial court executed a few traitors, the powerful people of Liang State who colluded with them would naturally and legally recruit their masters, servants, men and women, and even their chickens and dogs as scholars.

If that day really comes, it will be time for me to resign from my post due to illness.

With his mind clear, Yuan Huan packed up the official documents and put the bamboo slips into a waterproof silk bag.

Guards and servants helped him carry the things. When he went to Liang State to take up his post, he had only one servant driving an ox cart and one guard on horseback.

These two men, their horses, oxen, and ox carts were all issued by the imperial court.

After loading, Yuan Huan boarded the ox cart, his servant drove the car, and his guards rode horses to explore the way ahead, and they headed along the road towards Yu County, which was more than 20 miles away.

In the ox cart, Yuan Huan opened his bag, which contained spring clothes sewn by his wife, two pieces of coarse silk, a box of rouge, and a stack of paper letters.

Since the chaos in the world, the papermaking industry has suffered a devastating blow. Unimportant letters will be written on paper, while important ones will be written on bamboo slips or silk.

These things were intended for Cai Yong's youngest daughter. Cai Yong died at the hands of Wang Yun, and his eldest daughter, Cai Zhaoji, was missing and presumably died in the chaos in Guanzhong.

The Chenliu Cai family had also declined a lot. Cai Yong's son died early, and now, not counting cousins, there were only the youngest daughter, Cai Zhenji, and grandson left in the family.

Thinking about the Cai family's difficult livelihood, Yuan Huan couldn't help but sigh.

Yuan Shao's nephew Gao Gan was from Yu County. He took too many Chenliu scholars to Hebei. Later, Chenliu County Magistrate Zhang Miao cooperated with Lu Bu and almost cut off Cao Cao's foundation in one fell swoop.

People from Chenliu generally had a bad impression in the imperial court.

But the Cai family was an exception. Cao Cao and Cai Yong were close friends, and Cao Cao and Cai Zhaoji also had a very good personal relationship.

However, Cai Yong and Cai Zhaoji were no longer around, and without a man in charge of the family, it was almost impossible to manage and develop a decent industry, so the family relied mostly on support from relatives and friends.

While he was thinking, he heard the clatter of horse hooves approaching. The guard reined in his horse and said, "Mr. Yuan, there is a young man blocking the road."

Yuan Huan frowned and waited for the ox cart to stop. He got out of the carriage and saw a young man holding a big white goose a hundred steps away. The young man was standing in the middle of the road waiting quietly.

He subconsciously glanced at both sides of the road and saw that the paddy fields had been planted with rice seedlings and there were no bushes or grass suitable for an ambush.

"Mr. Yuan, this young man just wants to see you, Mr. Yuan. I can't stop him. Should I expel him?"

"No hurry, let's see what the intention is."

Yuan Huan took a deep breath and felt that the big white goose in the distance was very dazzling.

The fact that they are willing to contact you proactively shows that this kind of thing is difficult to avoid.

The ox cart was gradually approaching. Yuan Huan was sitting on the shaft of the cart on one side. When it got closer, he felt that he might be making a big deal out of nothing.

The young man in front of him was full of energy with an embroidered red scarf wrapped around his head. His short coat was clean and tidy, but underneath it was a top-quality silk undershirt that was better than anything he had worn.

On the young man's feet were a pair of shiny patent leather shoes, which were not something an ordinary family could afford.

The other party must be a well-dressed young man.

As for the big white goose, it should be a favorite pet and nothing special.

I was just curious as to how such a person emerged in Yu County in recent years.

Yuan Huan finally understood why the guard knight was unable to shout the other party away. He guessed that the knights who came from commoner families would not dare to speak loudly in front of this young man.

If you speak in a low voice, how can you shout it away?

The ox cart stopped, and Yuan Huan asked with a smile: "Young Master, do you want to take a ride?" "Yes, is your cart going to Gaoyang Pavilion?"

"Gaoyang Pavilion is in the north of the county. I will go there in the afternoon. Now I am going to the Cai family. Whose family are you from?"

"As Yuan Jun sees."

Black Bear smiled and raised his hand to touch the neck of the goose in his arms: "Yuan Jun is going to Cai's house, and I'm going to Gao's house. I think it should be on the way."

Now, Yuan Huan's brows were serious as he carefully examined the handsome young man in front of him. He finally discovered that the other party was rebellious and had no respect for him, an old senior in the scholar circle.

Looking around again, Yuan Huan stared: "I can't figure out what you are up to, young master."

"My subordinates said that Yuan Jun was gentle in his attitude and serious in his work. They praised him highly. I was curious, so I came to stop him and pay my respects to him."

As Black Bear spoke, he slowly turned his head to look at the mounted guard. The knight had his right hand on the hilt of his sword, and it seemed that he might draw his sword at any time.

The knight felt uneasy under the black bear's confident gaze, and he did not dare to draw his sword easily.

Seeing this, Black Bear asked Yuan Huan with a smile: "Mr. Yuan, why don't you invite me to join you in the carriage?"

"You are a beautiful woman, why am I a thief?"

Yuan Huan looked at Black Bear and said, "If you have any grievances, please tell me. I am willing to seek justice for you."

"How dare we talk about justice under Cao Cao's rule?"

"Be bold!"

The knight drew his sword and pointed it at the black bear's forehead, shouting, "You lunatic, you thief!"

The black bear slowly turned his head to look at the other person, raised his eyes to examine the other person's face, and asked back: "Aren't you afraid of death?"

Just as the knight was about to speak, a large hand in a white glove grabbed his leather armor from the other side and pulled him off his horse. The ring-handled sword in his hand fell to the ground and fell out of his hand. Then another punch hit his nose bone, and his face almost collapsed.

After Lü Bu, who was wearing a white robe and brown leather armor, succeeded in hitting the opponent with one punch, he stepped forward, grabbed the opponent's shaking head, twisted it violently, and broke the cervical vertebrae.

Yuan Huan and his servants were horrified as they looked at the warrior in leather armor and white robe who appeared like a ghost and launched an attack. The opponent also covered his face with a white towel. The overall whiteness and cleanliness gave him a sacred feeling, but now that he killed people so easily, it couldn't help but add a bit of weirdness.

"I wonder if Mr. Yuan would like to invite me to ride in the same car at this moment?"

"please."

As soon as Yuan Huan uttered a word, he saw the white-robed warrior dragging the knight's body and throwing it on the side of the road. He then fumbled for personal belongings such as the talisman, and then climbed onto the horse.

"Let's continue to go to the Cai family. I admire the Cai family very much. Now that we are in Yu County, there is no reason for us to miss it."

In the carriage, Black Bear put down the big white goose, and after instructing the servants to drive the car, he looked at Yuan Huan seriously: "I don't want to kill him, but only if he dies, his family will not be implicated. So I didn't bury the body, nor did I take off his armor."

Yuan Huan was silent. Black Bear continued, "Logically, he should have been buried. Otherwise, if passers-by found out and reported it to the authorities, it would take half a day for the officials in Yu County to know that I had robbed Yuan Jun, and then they would kill even more people. This is what life is like under Cao Cao. Either you don't break the law, or you have to kill countless people."

"Who are you?"

"Let's not talk about this. I will accompany Mr. Yuan to the Cai family, and then Mr. Yuan will go to the Gao family with me. After that, Mr. Yuan's seal of the Liang Kingdom is hanging on the side of the road. Follow me to Hebei to join the general."

After saying this, Black Bear reached out and picked up the sword in the carriage, then put it behind his back.

Yuan Huan is no longer old enough to engage in violent fighting. He is nearly forty years old and has a very good character. When faced with such a change, he just watched the other party take away his sword.

The servant driving the car was terrified, knowing that the knight guard was doomed just as Black Bear had said.

If Yuan Huan, the prime minister of Liang State, who was escorted to office, was killed or disappeared, the guards could not escape accountability. Either they died or their entire family died. There was no third option.

Such was the fate of the knight, and such was the fate of him, the servant who charioted the horse.

It would be fine if he was Yuan Huan's servant, but unfortunately he is not.

The servant drove the car and began to think hard about how to break the impasse and escape.

The carriage he was driving was the one used by officials with a salary of two thousand stones to travel. There was a green umbrella cover in front of the carriage, which made it very recognizable.

As the car gradually approached Cai's Manor, the nearby village head had already brought people to Cai's Manor to maintain order.

The Cai family claims to have a manor, but it was not developed in recent years. It was passed down from their ancestors.

When Wang Mang usurped the Han Dynasty, the Cai and Gao families were the richest in Yu County.

As the family property has been passed down from generation to generation, it has also been divided time and time again. The Cai family has many branches, and they all live together as a clan. The wealth gap between them is not that great.

The ox cart stopped in front of Cai Yong's house. Yuan Huan wanted to get off the cart, but he looked at Black Bear's face first: "Aren't you afraid that I will shout 'Catch the thief'?"

"I have more than one follower. If anyone wants to kill me, I will kill him myself."

Black Bear said as he picked up the sword from behind and handed it to Yuan Huan with both hands: "Mr. Yuan, please."

"Then how should I introduce you to everyone?"

"Sun Qian, a native of Jiangdong, courtesy name Gongxun, fifteen years old, unmarried."

Black Bear frowned and continued, "If anyone asks, just say you were ordered to bribe Cao Hong and come to the north to buy horses."

When Yuan Huan heard this, his face twitched. Everyone knew that there was something wrong with Cao Hong, but no one pretended not to know.

"You are not from Jiangdong, nor are you of Sun Wentai ethnicity."

Yuan Huan took the sword and hung it on his waist. He looked at the young man opposite him and observed the subtle changes in his expression: "As a person like Sun Huiji, he would never send a dissatisfied relative to Xudu. Your accent is very different from Wu dialect."

"But when I go to Hebei, the general thinks I am Sun Qian, so I am Sun Qian."

Black Bear tilted his head to look at Yuan Huan who was bending over to get off the car: "The Sun family followed Sun Jian and Sun Ce in their battles, so their accents are mixed. It's normal that they can't understand Wu dialect."

Yuan Huan was about to get off the car. After hearing this answer, he turned back to look at the black bear in the car and asked with a frown, "Sun Jian, Sun Ce?"

"Isn't a name just for people to address you?"

Black Bear did not think it was strange and asked back, not to mention avoiding people's names, even a dead emperor is still called by that name in private.

Do you really think that ordinary people and their friends and relatives would call him Cao Gong?
Anyone who knows Cao Aman would never call him Cao Jili.

(End of this chapter)