Chen Huang, a famous minister who has unique insights and persistent pursuit of the Yellow River. He devoted almost all his life to this rolling river, and his knowledge and research of the Yellow River began as an infancy. It is said that Chen Huang was born when the Yellow River burst its banks and was swept away by floods for a day and a night before he was rescued, so some people say that he was "the reincarnation of Hebo". Having worked with the Yellow River since childhood, Chen Huang knew the Yellow River well, and he worked tirelessly to study the Yellow River, publish books, and eventually get the opportunity to take charge of the Yellow River. But just when he was going all out, a storm caused by the edict involved him, and finally Chen Huang was imprisoned for insisting on his own views and not listening to his will. The Yellow River has its own inherent laws, and human life is a matter of heaven, why is Chen Huang unswerving? What kind of fate did he experience? Let's find out.
Childhood family treasures and ambitions to govern the river
Chen Huang was born in the middle of the Ming Dynasty, and his family background was not smooth. Although his father Chen Xianggong was a scholar, he failed to take the imperial examination in high school throughout his life, and only made a cloth dress. And Chen Huang's mother is an ordinary woman who is honest and kind. Although the Chen family is not rich, they are diligent and thrifty, and the court training is strict, so they can pull Chen Huang to grow up.
Chen Huang has read poetry and books since he was a child, and he has a talent for literature and martial arts. Especially for the problem of flooding in the Yellow River, he has been exposed to it since he was a child, and he has deep feelings about it. Legend has it that Chen Huang was born when the Yellow River flooded, and his family was completely submerged, and his mother had to give birth to him in the water. There is also an anecdote that the Yellow River was raging at that time, and Chen Huang was once washed away in infancy, and he was rescued after wandering for a day and a night. This bizarre encounter at an early age brought him the reputation of "Hebo reincarnation".
Perhaps it was this indissoluble bond with the Yellow River that Chen Huang had developed since he was a child. He frolicked by the river all year round and seemed to have a natural affinity with the Yellow River. Gradually, he not only understood the context and temperament of the Yellow River, but also knew the data of the Yellow River's inflow and water speed, and could almost intuitively predict the time and scale of the flood discharge. The family was not surprised to see this, but hoped that Chen Huang could carry forward this unique talent.
As he grew older, Chen Huang's ambition became more and more determined. He was determined to get rid of the floods of the Yellow River and benefit the people, which became his heart's desire and the only pursuit of life. Especially when he saw that the people in his hometown were once again harmed by the breach of the Yellow River, his ambition became more and more determined. In order to display his talents one day in the future, he studied diligently, studied hard, and hoped to be able to pass the imperial examination in high school and become an official who could influence river affairs.
Specializing in the survey and treatment of the Yellow River
The experience of the Yellow River since childhood has given Chen Huang a unique affection for this rolling river. As a young man, he devoted himself to the study of the Yellow River. Before the age of 20, Chen Huang had traveled to the old route of the Yellow River and knew its source, form and water nature well.
Chen Huang walked all over the Yellow River, in the poor countryside, and enjoyed the weather of the river. He personally surveyed every meandering vortex, measured the height of each section of the riverbed, and recorded in detail the flow, water level, and water velocity of the Yellow River. For this reason, he did not hesitate to be bruised all over his body, and repeatedly drifted into the water, just to get a glimpse of the origin of the Yellow River. The local people all admired his perseverance.
In addition to the journey, Chen Huang also devoted himself to studying many ancient treatises on river canals. He read through classic works such as "Chronicles of River Canals" and "Notes on the Water Classic", comprehended the experience of his predecessors in river management, learned from the strengths of others, and gave full play to their innovations. With his extraordinary insight and tenacity, Chen Huang soon became accomplished in the field of Yellow River governance.
In order to publicize some of his experiences, Chen Huang wrote a treatise on river control in the name of the ancients. This work is close to reality, thorough analysis, and comprehensively and systematically expounds his various understandings of the Yellow River. There are many unique insights in the book, and there are in-depth discussions on the origin, trend, and flood law of the Yellow River, which can be said to be the first to open up the trend.
As soon as the book came out, it was widely circulated and received unanimous praise. The government and the opposition all have admiration for Chen Huang's talent and learning. In particular, some wealthy families are even more admired, hoping that he can make suggestions for the family's river real estate. Therefore, Chen Huang weighed again and again, resolutely left his hometown and made special river management consultations for some people of insight.
In this way, Chen Huang fell deeper and deeper in the field of the Yellow River, and devoted almost all of his time and energy to it. Despite his growing fame, he never met his talents, and he never had the opportunity to manage the actual river affairs. This made him encourage himself even more, hoping to gain more room for display through the right path of the imperial examination.
After several years of preparation, Chen Huang finally visited high school at the age of 30 and gained fame. From then on, he officially entered the imperial court and served as a consultant on some river affairs. Of course, his goal was much more than that, and he was determined to apply what he had learned and personally lead the renovation of the Yellow River.
By chance, Chen Huang soon got this opportunity. When an emperor wanted to rule the Yellow River for a long time, Chen Huang was able to supervise the Yellow River side by side with his mentor Jin Fu Ziyuan. Under the emperor's attention and deployment, Chen Huang can finally give it a go and give full play to his talents.
The emperor's order to enter the sea is in a dilemma
After taking charge of the governance of the Yellow River, Chen Huang and Jin Fu Ziyuan worked steadily and gradually. They first adopted the strategy of "closing", intercepting the tributaries of the Yellow River one by one and introducing them into the main stream, so that the river could be initially channeled. After several years of hardship, Xiaojiadu was finally successfully closed, and the water of the Yellow River gradually stabilized. At the time of the consummation of this stage, a sudden imperial order made Chen Huang fall into a dilemma.
At that time, the emperor suddenly issued a resolute decree, requiring Chen Huang and Jin Fu Ziyuan to go straight to the mouth of the Yellow River and dredge the silt there thoroughly. Chen Huang was shocked by this, because their original intention was to avoid causing a violent disturbance to the river. What's more, Jin Fu Ziyuan also repeatedly tried to explain the danger of introducing the Yellow River into the Pacific Ocean, but the imperial court turned a deaf ear to this.
Faced with such a major choice, Chen Huang is undoubtedly in a dilemma. As Zaifu, he understands that the king's order is difficult to disobey. But as an expert on river management, he knows better how dangerous this order is. According to his calculations, the seabed near the estuary is much higher than the riverbed, and forced excavation may cause a major disaster.
Chen Huang tried to list data to persuade him, but the emperor refused and ignored his professional advice. The master Qi was even sent to exert pressure, and if he didn't obey his fate, it would inevitably be a bloody storm. Chen Huang angrily refused, even if it was at the cost of losing his own fortune.
"Don't you have to listen to me for my money? Master Qi rebuked in person. Chen Huang was fearless, and looked back at Shangfeng: "What the emperor said is wrong, it is wrong, we can't listen!" ＂
The master came from a humble background, and he relied on scheming villains all the way to succeed, and he couldn't get used to arrogant people like Chen Huang. He ruthlessly arrested Chen Huang and Jin Fu Ziyuan, nailed them to the charges of "clinging to the traitorous party" and "violating the yang and yin", and detained them in prison.
The disaster of prison and the pain of execution followed. In that cruel era, it was not a trivial matter to commit the emperor's great crime. Chen Huang and Jin Fu Ziyuan were tortured, tortured countless times, and their lives and deaths were in danger. But the two of them insisted on their original position, and were always unwilling to make a choice that violated their professionalism and conscience.
"Saving someone's life is better than building a seventh-level floating slaughter. In the face of vicious coercion and temptation, Chen Huang never wavered. He knew very well that if the estuary was not excavated carelessly, the entire Yellow River valley would be ruined and suffered heavy losses. For the safety of the people, even if it is in exchange for his life, he will not hesitate to do it.
Uphold integrity in the face of adversity
Chen Huang's prison life has endured hardships, but his moral character has become more and more brilliant. As a scholar and scholar, Chen Huang has been influenced by his family history since he was a child, and he is honest and kind. In the face of imprisonment, he adhered to the principles of life and maintained noble conduct.
Even when he was tortured, Chen Huang never succumbed to coercion. Although he was not from a high family, he had extraordinary willpower and tenacity. The unreasonable deterrence of those hooligans and scoundrels is not gnawed at all here by Chen Huang. On one occasion, the jailer instigated him to falsely accuse his classmate Jin Fu Ziyuan of something in order to get him released. Chen Huang refused without changing his face: "This is impossible. We have been classmates for many years, and our mentor is a virtuous and talented man with high moral integrity, how can we ruin his innocence with false accusations? ＂
On another occasion, the jailer threatened him with an acquittal if he wrote a "guarantee." Chen Huang replied calmly: "The laws and shapes of the Yellow River are intricate, and if we make unrealistic promises, we will hurt the innocent in vain." The Yellow River is the object of my life's research, and I am asked to make a promise that I will mislead the country and the people, how can I agree! ＂
In the face of such hard words, the jailers were helpless. Although Chen Huang is in prison, he shows his personality strength in his words and deeds, which attracts people's yearning. Some jailers half-jokingly said that if you become an official after you go out, you must do a great job to be worthy of today's discipline.
Chen Huang does not take evil as a small thing, and does not take good as a small thing. In prison, he tried to dissuade his persecuted colleagues from submitting and insisting on justice. Even those who were forced to sell their souls, he tried his best to comfort them, hoping that they would follow their inner conscience and not be overshadowed by vice.
As a descendant of a scholarly family, Chen Huang is well-read and well-informed. In his spare time in prison, he told what he had learned and thought fascinatingly. The colleagues in prison were all impressed by Chen Huang's talented demeanor and received great spiritual inspiration and comfort. Some inmates praised Chen Huang as "Confucianism, a great Confucian in ancient times".
Chen Huang also respects his teacher very much, and he is even more respectful of his mentor Jin Fu Ziyuan. No matter how much humiliation he suffered, he always tried his best to protect and assist his teacher, and tried his best to prevent him from suffering any undue reproach. Even when the jailer coerced him to slander Jin Fu, he even rebuked those unreasonable and reckless people in righteous terms.
Despite being in prison, Chen Huang's conduct has always been consistent. In line with the grand aspiration of "governing the country without governing the river, I am afraid that it will not be good", he adheres to the bottom line of his heart, even if he is imprisoned for this. It was this precious virtue that earned him great reputation and sympathy in prison.
The future of the Yellow River still needs to be supported by life
Although his prison life brought Chen Huang many hardships, his career in river control did not stop there. On the contrary, this unique experience strengthened his conviction and determination. After his release from prison, Chen Huang continued to specialize in the Yellow River and was given the opportunity to preside over river affairs again many years later.
After being released from prison, Chen Huang lived a hard life, relying on manuscripts for food and clothing. He originally wanted to stay away from the river affairs and live a life like idle clouds and wild cranes, but the Yellow River was deeply rooted in his heart, and it was difficult to clean it up after all. Soon, he returned to his old profession and devoted himself to the study and improvement of the Yellow River.
This time, Chen Huang started from the mouth of the Licheng River and tried to divert the Yellow River into the barren pond area, pouring boiling water here. He expects that this will divert part of the flood peak of the Yellow River and achieve the purpose of alleviating the flood. Sure enough, under Chen Huang's scientific guidance, this measure has achieved initial results, and the river disaster has indeed been reduced.
However, after encountering some twists and turns with the previous dynasty, Chen Huang apparently learned his lesson and became more cautious about river construction. He sent people to survey the terrain several times, and repeatedly calculated and measured the amount of water. In order to be foolproof, he also went to the mouth of the Licheng River to conduct on-site surveys and observe the direction of the water potential.
Even so, Chen Huang's precaution against the Yellow River is still present all the time. He often suffered from insomnia and could not sleep. Even at the banquets of family and relatives and friends, it is often joked that they are thinking about the Yellow River. Indeed, in Chen Huang's heart, no matter when and where, the gains and losses of the Yellow River are the top priority.
Due to his excessive focus on investment, Chen Huang exposed some flaws in the design of the later stage of the project. Although the diversion project at the mouth of the Li Cheng River worked in the short term, over time, it caused a series of unexpected troubles. For example, in some rivers, there is a serious phenomenon of siltation. To this end, Chen Huang once again used a large amount of funds to carry out a comprehensive renovation of these areas.
This back and forth made Chen Huang see clearly the complexity and hardships of the Yellow River governance. He said with deep emotion: "People in the world often underestimate the Yellow River, thinking that everything is under control. As everyone knows, the Yellow River is a behemoth with thousands of horses galloping and meteorology. Only by respecting heaven and earth, being diligent and thrifty, can we see its perfection. ＂
Until the end of his life, Chen Huang did not give up his efforts to deal with the flooding of the Yellow River. He devoted himself to this huge project. In order to control the Yellow River as fully as possible, he spent his days in retreat, forgetting to sleep and eat, and almost exhausted his last strength. The "Complete Book of Water Conservancy of the Yellow River" is a masterpiece written by him in his later years, and is known as the authority of the Yellow River governance in the world.
On his deathbed, Chen Huang told his children and nephews: "The Yellow River is an important task that my generation should strive for. Now I am old, and I will go. You must follow my aspirations and not disgrace my style, in order to repay the virtue of the Yellow River of our ancestors. These earnest teachings exhaust his persistent pursuit of the Yellow River.