However, when this "play map" was presented to Song Taizong Zhao Guangyi, Song Taizong smiled happily. It turned out that it was a military topographic map to explore the border waters of Hebei.
So who is this official?
Last name? He is an ordinary man. He is clever and brave. When he was young, he followed his father in the army, honed his courage and vision, and commanded the official's son in Dizhou. When I was a teenager, I crusaded against Liu Chong in the Northern Han Dynasty with my father. The two armies bravely captured his general Hu Cheng alive and became famous in the army.
When his father died, he was appointed as an idle messenger of stability, also known as Henan House. Later, he worked in Tanzhou for six years and was awarded by Song Taizong Zhao Guangyi. Mi Xin knew Cangzhou, and he didn't have the talent to govern the country, so he ordered to know our festival and go to Cangzhou.
In the 4th year of Emperor Yongxi (AD 987), Song Taizong called ministers to discuss how to effectively resist the attack of the Khitan. Courtier Song Qi put forward two strategies: one is to dig a dam on the north side of the Yellow River, which has been fortified against floods; Second, build the Great Wall between Cangzhou and Dingzhou along the border.
However, these two suggestions have many disadvantages: digging the Yellow River will lose thousands of miles of fertile soil, displacing the people and losing their hearts; It is unrealistic to build the Great Wall. This line is all about Ma Pingchuan, and there are no advantages of rolling mountains. Therefore, Song Taizong rejected these two proposals.
In the second year of Duangong (AD 989), ministers were asked to make their own plans of "preparing for the frontier and defending the army". So opinions were divided, and Wang Yucheng offered ten plans to defend Rong.
He suggested dredging and connecting some rivers in central Hebei, building dikes and digging ponds to store water, burning water and planting elms on acres, and making full use of the geographical characteristics of local ponds to curb the galloping and attacking of Qidan cavalry:
When I was a child, my attendants lived in Guannan and were familiar with North Road and Chuanjiang River. For example, if the Yi River Pukou is opened in the west of Shun 'anzhai (now Laiwendong, Hebei Province), it will be injected into the sea in the east, with a distance of more than 300 miles from east to west and 50 to 70 miles from north to south, and a dike will be built to store water, which can prevent enemy cavalry from attacking. After a whole year, all the moors in Guannan have dried up, that is, paddy fields have been planted. Those border state troops who frequently stop guarding the city near Tangshui are too lazy to send troops to increase the number of garrisons, but collect their own geographical advantages to enrich the border reserves and set up dangerous fortresses. Farming in spring and summer, practicing martial arts in autumn and winter, and raising people's strength for the country. After several years, we will see one weak, one strong and one lazy. This is the key to defending the border.
He adopted his suggestion, appointed him as the ambassador of Hebei border reclamation, transferred troops from various towns18,000 people, built dikes and weirs for 600 miles in Xiongzhou, Bazhou, Pingrongjun, Shun and other places, set up Doumen, pumped water for irrigation, and connected the rivers on the border into a whole to protect the northwest of the state (now Baoding, Hebei) from sinking and reaching the east. From the west of Shenyuanpo to the east of Taihang Mountain, elms were planted, corrals were set up, and troops were sent to guard it, which effectively contained the Qidan fighters and initially stabilized the Hebei border.
To this end, Song Taizong is very satisfied.
Under the effective restriction of the "Great Water Wall", the Khitan fighters can only choose to enter Hebei from Yanmenguan, or choose Dongxi Road (the east road is from Youzhou via Xiongxian or Bazhou, taking Levin or Renqiu; The Western Official Road also passed through Xu Shui and Mancheng from Youzhou, which enabled the Northern Song Dynasty to deploy troops in a targeted manner and effectively attack and defend the Khitans.
And this "Great Wall of Water" promoted the development of agriculture in Hebei, and cultivated land was used by the military.
Encourage border people to reclaim wasteland, "10 people per household, 150 mu in abel tamata; Seven ding, one hundred mu; Five ding, seventy mu; Three ripe, 50 acres, not as good as three ripe, 30 acres. " If you don't have cattle or seeds, you can borrow them from the government and don't charge rent for five years. They also advocated the use of water resources to grow rice, which changed the planting habits of farmers in the north in the past.
It has promoted the local economic development. After the opening of the Great Fruit Wall, boats can be planted in deep places, reeds can be planted in shallow places, rice can be planted in fields, and lotus roots and fish and crabs can be planted in Shui Bo. Diversification has brought benefits to local people, promoted economic development and promoted the prosperity of local industry and commerce.
Because of the achievements of the "Great Wall of Water", He Jicheng moved the capital to Xiongzhou, and the emperor showed his merits in the imperial book and presented a sword to the party. However, he Ji Cheng gave all the credit to his subordinates, which won their support, and the local people even supported such a good official. When they find suspicious situations or the movements of the Khitan people, they report to him at the first time, and he will also humbly entertain the border people and love the people as a child.
When He passed away, the soldiers and civilians in the Hebei border region shed tears and were extremely sad. The history book says: "He is familiar with border politics, and Liao dare not follow his name." It can be said that he was a general with both civil and military skills.