Chapter 317 The Greatest Achievement [Subscribe]

Yellow River Tomb.

The totem dragon floats in the air, with purple air flowing between its mouth and nose like fireworks.

The 'ghost' knelt there obediently, touching the ground with his forehead, becoming more and more respectful.

Cao Cao used the message bead to deliver a message to Ling Jin: "I remember you said there is a secret technique that can communicate with ghosts. Go and talk to him.

Ask about its origins, and who is buried in this Yellow River Tomb? "

King Wei, I was exaggerating when I said I could communicate with ghosts... Ling Jin did learn a technique called Yin Xiu. According to ancient records, practicing this technique can communicate with evil spirits.

But whether it is useful or not, even with Ling Jin's rich experience in tomb-diving, he has never actually used it.

It was also his first time to meet a ghost face to face and have a chat with him.

Just as he was about to step forward, Li Wufang moved his crutches as fast as the wind, and came to where the secret armor beast was, emitting a long and sharp whistle-like howl from his mouth.

The sound was not very loud, but it was eerie and sharp, and it was exactly the ghost language used in Yin Xiu Shu.

Wang Yue, Ling Jin and others also came behind Li Wufang.

The ghost's long hair covered his face, so his appearance could not be seen clearly, but he slightly raised his upper body from his kneeling position, as if he was paying attention to everyone.

Finally, he looked at Li Wufang: "What are you doing...? Are you... the Human King's troops?"

Ok?
They speak human language with obscure pronunciation, which is very different from the idioms used in the northern hinterland such as Jizhou and Yanzhou.

Can this ghost communicate and talk?
Everyone vaguely realized that this might not be a ghost, but a strange creature between life and death created by some secret technique.

"It is said that there is an ancient magic that can separate a part of the soul and consciousness during one's lifetime and seal it in a special magic weapon."

Li Wufang spoke at an incredibly fast speed:
"After a person dies, some means can still be used to awaken this part of the sealed soul, just like the legendary magical power of borrowing a corpse to revive the soul, which can use part of the residual soul to revive the corpse for a short period of time."

"This thing in front of us, or some similar means, has survived and is here to guard the tomb."

Ling Jin said to the ghost-like being: "Who is the human king you are talking about?"

The ghost pointed to a totem dragon surrounded by purple mist in the air.

"dragon!"

Cao Cao pushed his luck and turned into a dragon, and everyone can see it in this Yellow River Tomb.

Li Wufang transmitted the message: "He only recognized the dragon energy transformed by the King of Wei. The Human King in his cognition should also be able to manifest this kind of true dragon luck."

"Human King, is there any other title for you?" Ling Jin changed his approach.

Gui just raised his hand again, pointed at the totem dragon, and said in a hoarse voice:
"dragon!"

Is that all you can say?
"Have you seen the three Taoists enter this place?"

Ling Jin saw the ghost raised his hand again and couldn't help but say, "It's still a dragon!"

Ghost: “Yes.”

Li Wufang pondered for a moment, "Could it be that the three Taoists knew the way through here, and could also manifest the dragon's luck and pass through this area?"

Ling Jin: "In this world, only the King of Wei can rule the nine states, quell unrest, defeat the princes, and be supported by the people. He can transform into a true dragon.

How can three Taoists gather people's support and manifest the dragon's fortune?"

Cao Cao watched through the secret armor beast, but thought of another possibility: those Taoists were stealing luck everywhere. If this judgment was correct, it was not impossible that they could temporarily push the luck into the form of a dragon.

He sent a message to Ling Jin again: "Let him lead you deeper into the tomb."

Ling Jin followed the order and pointed deeper into the cave:

"We're going in."

The ghost seemed not to hear.

Until the totem dragon roared silently towards the depths of the cave.

The ghost immediately stood up and floated deep into the cave, as fast as the wind.

This ghost obeyed the orders of Cao Cao, who had transformed into a dragon.

Ling Jin and others followed.

"Look at the corpses around here. There are corpses from every dynasty. The earliest bronze spear is from the Shang Dynasty... This is at least a thousand-year-old tomb."

"The Yellow River has changed its course many times since ancient times. Could it be that this tomb was not under the Yellow River in the early days?"

“No, this tomb is an inverted pass, a Yin-Yang cave. It looks like it is underground, but in fact it is buried under the fortune of the Yellow River and is located above the Yellow River.

No matter how the Yellow River changes its course, this tomb will be in the area where the Yellow River flows.”

Ling Jin and Li Wufang had a brief conversation.

The group walked through the corpses and soon arrived at the end of the cave, which was the direction the ghost was facing when he was sitting cross-legged.

Tens of thousands of ghost soldiers were also facing this direction.

On the rock wall deep in the cave, there appeared a dark yellow door that looked like it was carved from ancient jade.

Cao Cao watched from a distance and thought in surprise: This door is very similar to the Baxiantai Gate in Tomb No. 4.

The door is of simple style.

But the door was carved with dense spell patterns, and it was thick and huge, about six or seven feet high.

The ghost raised his hand and motioned the three Taoists whom Ling Jin had just questioned to go behind the door.

The door blends seamlessly into the entire mountain wall.

Beside the gate there are two stone statues of gods as tall as hills, guarding the gate.

The ghost's behavior was a little strange.

He came under one of the stone statues and reached out to touch it.

After a long time, it suddenly floated to the shoulder of a stone statue and lifted up a piece of stone armor on its shoulder.

The giant stone weapon held in the stone statue's hand suddenly fell over slowly.

This weapon was like a door handle. As it tilted, the huge door shook, revealing a gap that allowed people to enter from behind.

The stone door is half open.

Behind the door, you can see a corridor about three or four feet wide, like a stone bridge, extending into the darkness.

As the door opened, a chill blew out.

On the other side, Cao Cao withdrew his consciousness that had differentiated into the body of the armored beast, and sent a message to Ling Jin, telling him that he could decide for himself whether to continue exploring the tomb or sit and wait.

That place outside the door is actually a very good ambush location, where we can wait for the three Taoists to come out.

You can even get the ghost to help you.

Behind the door is obviously the core area of ​​the Yellow River Tomb.

Cao Cao did not force Ling Jin and others to enter or not.

However, the two secret armor beasts are spiritual and invulnerable to swords and guns.

The moment the door opened, the two armored beasts entered.

Cao Cao retracted his thoughts and pinched his eyebrows.

The three Taoists have been in the tomb for such a long time and have not come out. Either they have died in the tomb, or the tomb is so deep that it may take some time to explore it.

The sun sets.

Cao Cao went to Wen Ji's place, and after having fun, he went to find Lady Huan Bai Ke. The next morning, he woke up on Yu Qing's couch.

At noon that day, Cao Cao went out of the city to inspect the water conservancy projects around Yecheng.

Yecheng is close to the Zhang River. After Cao Cao arrived in Jizhou, he ordered the repair and reinforcement of the surrounding water conservancy projects.

We can already see some signs of it now.

The team left the mansion and passed through the South City, where they saw construction underway on a foundation as tall as a mountain.

The framework of the pavilions and towers has been built, and they are magnificent.

That is a palace building with the Bronze Sparrow Tower as the main component.

Cao Cao brought a few close ministers with him.

It is worth mentioning that Zheng Xuan in the team was followed by a middle-aged man who was walking slowly and steadily. He was Mr. Shui Jing.

He and Cao Cao have not had any formal contact yet, and neither of them seems to be in a hurry to see each other.

Shui Jing was brought on this trip by Zheng Xuan.

"You dragged me to see the water conservancy project, and wanted me to know that King Wei has made great achievements in governance?" Shui Jing said.

"Exactly."

Zheng Xuan confessed: "You live in seclusion, but you are worried about the affairs of the world. I teach my disciples one after another, and use them to make moves and change the situation. You want to learn from Guiguzi, how could I not know that?"

"A bunch of nonsense."

Shui Jing disagreed and looked up at the front of the team, at the figure on the fiery red warhorse surrounded by heavy cavalry.

If you want to manage Yecheng, you must first cure the Zhang River.

The Zhang River is close to Yecheng, which brings convenience to agricultural irrigation and people's lives.

But it also brought floods.

Once Yecheng was attacked, the water from the Zhang River would likely become a siege weapon, which would be quite disadvantageous militarily.

At this time, the war in the north came to an end, and recovery and development became the top priority.

Among the large number of refugees caused by the war and the soldiers who were defeated from all directions, quite a number of them were re-registered as civilians and scattered among the people.

If these refugees and stragglers are not properly resettled, they may well give rise to new problems.

In addition to farming, gathering them together to build and dig canals became a choice that achieved multiple goals at one stroke.

After Cao Cao left the city, he talked with Xun You and Jia Xu as they walked.

"It's been a while since I left Jingzhou. Liu Xuande, is there any new news from Jiangdong?"

"Liu Xuande has taken over Changsha County and formed an alliance with Liu Qi."

"The signs of chaos in Jiangdong are beginning to form, and Sun Ce is critically ill. The latest news we have learned is that Zhou Yu has mobilized a large number of Dongwu spies to find a Taoist priest named Yu Ji."

Cao Cao was riding on his horse and looking to the left.

Not far from the official road is the Zhang River, which is wide and has surging waves.

There is a dam in front.

The management of the Zhang River has a long history.

During the Warring States Period, Ximen Bao, the magistrate of Ye County, presided over the construction of the famous Twelve Canals to divert water from the Zhang River, which played a great role in irrigation and flood control.

However, due to the long history, wars, and frequent changes of course of the Zhang River.

These works were completely destroyed.

Cao Cao ordered the organization of young and strong people to rebuild these projects, and also ordered the construction of a dam on the Zhang River, called Tianjing Weir.

With this dam, the water of the Zhang River was blocked to form a reservoir called Yanlingze.

In this way, the flow of water can be relatively controllable. More water can be released when water is scarce, and when there is a flood, the dam can be used to regulate the flood.

Its principle is the same as that of the Three Gorges Dam in later generations.

Within a radius of twenty miles below Tianjing Weir, twelve more "dikes" were built, each "dike" being three hundred steps apart.

This means that the water coming down from the Tianjing Weir is divided into twelve streams by twelve "墱". Each "墱" has a sluice gate to control the flow of water in and out.

"碱" is an artificial irrigation canal.

The enclosed Yanlingze Reservoir ensures the stability of the water flow in the Zhang River.

Even in the dry season, it can still play an irrigation role, enabling further development of agriculture in the vast areas around Yecheng and even Wei County.

The development of agriculture was the most direct boost to national strength in the late Han Dynasty.

Therefore, building water conservancy projects is not only beneficial to the military, but also a strategy to strengthen the country's foundation.

Historians of later generations praised Cao Cao highly, and his contribution to flood control and benefiting the people and future generations was a very important one.

Near Yecheng, sufficient irrigation has enabled the yield of dry fields to reach more than ten hu per mu, and paddy fields can yield dozens of hu of grain per mu.

In other areas during the same period, the highest yield per mu was only about ten hu.

In barren areas, there are only three or four hu.

It can be seen how much the water conservancy projects on the Zhang River have promoted agricultural development.

At this time, Cao Cao came down to inspect, and the officials in charge of water conservancy introduced the progress and functions of each canal one by one.

Shui Jing followed along and listened, occasionally revealing a thoughtful look.

Zheng Xuan pointed to the upper and lower reaches of the Zhang River, and said with great enthusiasm: "In the land of Shenzhou, our ancestors lived by the water, and we have made the greatest achievements in water control since ancient times.

What the King of Wei has done will benefit future generations and will benefit generations to come. It is not a matter of a moment or a place."

"These require extensive reading and a knowledge that is ahead of the times to do well. How do you do it?"

Shui Jing smiled and said nothing.

Cao Cao ordered the construction of water conservancy projects, including the construction of a hidden canal inside Yecheng, called Changming Canal. Water from the Zhang River was introduced from the west of the city, made a circle, and then left the city from the east gate.

A slightly smaller dam was built upstream to further control the water flow.

In this way, Ye County has a fairly complex and advanced urban water supply system.

Cao Cao arranged his troops and stationed them at the big dam and the small dam respectively, to assist each other in defense and form a military deployment.

Everyone checked various facilities along the way. In the early spring, some water conservancy construction sites were already crowded with people.

The shouts of horses and carriages transporting earth and rocks came one after another.

Xun You and others were very excited and discussed a lot.

It is not difficult to imagine how great changes these projects will bring to Yecheng, Weijun, and even the entire northern plains region once they are completed.

Jizhou will benefit greatly from this.

This kind of benefit will make the civil and military officials who are born in Jizhou more loyal, form a real sense of belonging, and become more loyal.

It was seven or eight days later when the group finished their inspection and returned to Yecheng.

In mid-March, a secret letter from the northern grassland was delivered to Cao Cao.

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(End of this chapter)