Chapter 1030: Chapter 866: River Course Diverted

Duan Zhijie had also seen those beggars crouching in the corners of the Capital; they were dressed in rags, holding a broken bowl, bowing and scraping to passersby, just for a few copper coins.

However, he felt that apart from the elderly and the disabled, the rest of the young people were not worthy of sympathy.

These young beggars are lazy and just wait for pies to fall from the sky.

But these victims of disaster are different; so many of them, even if they wanted to work, had nowhere to apply their strength because their fields were flooded by the river water.

"Mr. Gu, just give your orders, I dare not disobey!"

Duan Zhijie’s impassioned attitude made Gu Chengyu glance at him twice. He didn’t expect Duan Zhijie to have such sympathy, which was rare in the bureaucracy.

Duan Zhijie appeared to be past his thirties, having been an official for more than ten years, and his ancestors were people of the Capital.

One could say he was from an official family, but no high-ranking officials had ever come from his family.

To have climbed to the Standard Fifth Rank by his thirties was not only due to his efforts but also involved the network his family had accumulated over the years.

Gu Chengyu thought that an official who had been immersed in bureaucracy for more than ten years should have become a smooth operator, but unexpectedly, the other party still retained the most basic conscience.

From when Duan Zhijie came to the city gate with a stick earlier, one could already tell his character. At such a critical moment, he truly put deep thought aside.

Thinking this way, Gu Chengyu’s expression softened considerably compared to before.

"I actually have a matter that requires Doctor Duan’s assistance. As a Ministry of Industry official, Doctor Duan must have a good understanding of strengthening river embankments and river diversions. I would ask Doctor Duan to pay special attention to the leakage issue of the river embankment in Hangtian Prefecture."

Gu Chengyu originally intended to inform Hu Maoshen of this matter, and then have Hu Maoshen execute and supervise it, but now he changed his mind.

Hu Maoshen was not an official of the Ministry of Industry and didn’t understand these issues. He couldn’t stay in Hangtian Prefecture at all times to give guidance; he also had other things to do.

Therefore, entrusting this matter to Duan Zhijie, whose disposition was relatively decent, gave him some peace of mind. After all, intercepting branches and diverting river water involved significant funds.

If someone took the opportunity to touch the Silver Tael he had painstakingly accumulated, he would really be furious.

"To say I know it well is overstatement; I merely know a bit. But does Mr. Gu intend to divert the downstream river water of Hangtian Prefecture? However, in that case, the project would be immense. The branches upstream of Hangtian Prefecture are too many, and attempting to divert downstream would certainly be incredibly challenging. If anything goes wrong, the downstream might even collapse! And river workers’ lives would also be at risk!"

As soon as Duan Zhijie said this, it immediately resonated with Yang Chaoying.

Since Yang Chaoying was familiar with the terrain here, he naturally knew that Duan Zhijie’s words were true.

He couldn’t help but secretly complain in his heart; indeed, an official from the Ministry of Industry was truly skilled in these matters.

Mr. Gu, though full of strategies, can’t suddenly master matters of river work, right?

Moreover, Mr. Gu wasn’t familiar with the local terrain, so he might have arrived at such a conclusion after consulting many books.

But mere armchair strategy is not enough; putting it into practice is not easy, and he had to account for various unforeseen circumstances in the process.

For instance, if the diversion isn’t dug deep enough, and the river fails to follow the intended path, wouldn’t it spell trouble?

"Moreover, diverting the river requires a thorough survey of the terrain; some places are unsuitable for diversion."

At this point, Duan Zhijie started to speak eloquently, exuding confidence all over.

Gu Chengyu smiled slightly, feeling very satisfied with Duan Zhijie’s professionalism.

Without explaining, Gu Chengyu directly took out a parchment from his bosom and handed it to the waiting Duan Zhijie.

Duan Zhijie’s expression was somewhat puzzled, thinking, is this a greeting gift the first time we meet? That’s a bit too polite, isn’t it?

He accepted the parchment, opened it, and in an instant, his expression changed dramatically.

Seeing Duan Zhijie’s unusual expression, Hu Maoshen’s eyes flickered, as if he had already guessed what it might be.

But is it possible? Gu Chengyu had never been to Hangtian Prefecture. Even if he had seen detailed maps in the Capital, they couldn’t possibly be marked with precision.

This diversion matter requires on-site inspection, for if the map drawn contains errors, it could result in significant deviations.

Duan Zhijie carefully examined every inch of the map, mind constantly recalling the terrain observed at the river embankment a few days ago, and surprisingly found that this map matched the terrain exactly.

"This map is incredibly precise, even marking places where the diversion should occur. If it’s accurate, this is not unfeasible." At this moment, Duan Zhijie was quite excited, holding the map and praising it repeatedly.

Gu Chengyu smiled; this was the map he had drawn based on the terrain surveyed by Ding Shiliu and others. He had already detailed the diversion route; once it’s confirmed during on-site verification, construction could commence.

"Oh? Let me have a look!" Upon hearing this, Hu Maoshen took another deep look at Gu Chengyu, immediately understanding.

This young man probably did thorough preparation before coming to Hangtian Prefecture. No! Not only before coming to Hangtian Prefecture, maybe even earlier.

Yang Chaoying watched eagerly from the side, while Hu Maoshen ignored him, engrossed in studying the parchment himself.

Actually, Yang Chaoying was the most anxious about this issue, not knowing how long he would remain in the Magistrate position in Hangtian Prefecture. If this issue of the river embankment in Hangtian Prefecture were solved this time, wouldn’t he enjoy peace of mind in the future?

"This map indeed is drawn in detail; about the diversion, Mr. Gu, it seems you’ve pondered over it for quite some time. However, what Doctor Duan said earlier is also very reasonable. Does Mr. Gu have a solution?"

Gu Chengyu smiled slightly, "It’s quite simple, really, requiring no further thought. If we cut off a few branches converging upstream, ensuring that the impact of the river on the embankment is not as strong as before, the diversion would face far fewer difficulties."

These words made Yang Chaoying and the others frown in unison, not because they thought Gu Chengyu was too arrogant, but because intercepting branches was equally challenging.

Gu Chengyu knew they still had doubts, but he simply didn’t feel like explaining now because no matter how much he explained, they might not understand.

When they arrive at the riverside, he would then point out the solution, which would certainly make them realize and comprehend.

Hu Maoshen handed the map to Yang Chaoying, who was anxiously waiting, and after looking it over, Yang Chaoying was also amazed.

Unexpectedly, Mr. Gu came well-prepared; he truly is remarkable! With his knowledge of the riverside terrain, this plan could definitely be implemented.

However, although the diversion matter now has a direction, where is the Silver for it? A project of this scale requires a lot of manpower and resources.