Is Fan Zhongyan talking about loving the people?

In the fifth year of Tianxi (102 1), Fan Zhongyan was transferred to Xixi Town, Hailing, Taizhou (now near Dongtai County, Jiangsu Province) to be a salt warehouse supervisor-responsible for supervising the storage, transportation and resale of Huai salt. However, he soon found that there were many things to do here. The dilapidated seawall in the area has collapsed, and not only salt fields and pavilions have lost their barriers, but also large areas of farmland and houses have been repeatedly threatened by waves. Thousands of victims were displaced when they encountered tidal waves and even flooded the gates of Taizhou. The government suffered losses in salt production and tax.

To this end, he wrote to Zhang Lun of Jianghuai Waterway, complaining about the interests of Chen Haidi, and suggested rebuilding a solid seawall weir along the coast of Tongzhou, Taizhou, Chuzhou and Haizhou (now Lianyungang to the north bank of the Yangtze River estuary). For this huge project, Zhang Lun generously agreed, and made Fan Zhongyan the magistrate of Xinghua County (now xinghua city, Jiangsu Province), fully responsible for weir management.

In the autumn of the second year of Tiansheng (1024), Fan Zhongyan, the magistrate of Xinghua County, led tens of thousands of civilian workers from four states to the seaside. However, shortly after the dam body control project began, a storm with snow appeared, followed by a big tide, which swallowed up more than 100 migrant workers. Some officials believe that this is an act of god and the dike cannot be completed. They advocated banning the original proposal and stopping work altogether. When things were reported to Beijing, courtiers hesitated. Fan Zhongyan, on the other hand, was not afraid of danger and stuck to the weir.

The wind swept the waves and rushed to his legs. The soldiers and civilians fled, and the officials panicked. Fan Zhongyan did not move. He saw with interest Teng Zongliang, a friend of the same year beside him. Zong Liang is quietly commenting on a standing levee. Everyone found that they were very calm and calm. Thanks to the efforts of Fan Zhongyan and others, defending the sea and harnessing the weir has been fully resumed. Soon, a long dike stretching for hundreds of miles stood on the beach of the Yellow Sea. The production of saltworks and farmland has been guaranteed since then. A few dry households in exile a few years ago were affected by the disaster and returned home to help the old and bring the young. People are grateful to Fan Zhongyan, the county magistrate of Xinghua, for his achievements, and they all call Hai Yan "Fan Gongdi". Many victims in Xinghua County actually took his surname Fan. Today, Xinghua still has a site of Gong Fan Temple, which is remembered by the elders.

Renzong Tiansheng four years (1026), thank you. Fan Zhongyan mourned with tears and returned to Nanjing to live. Yan Shu, a left-behind official in Nanjing at that time, was well versed in Confucian classics by Wen Zhong, especially the Book of Changes. He invited Zhong You to assist Qi in hosting the educational affairs of Yingtianfu School. Zhong You was granted permission to recommend another young friend, Fu Bi, to Yan Shu. In order to facilitate his work, Fan Zhongyan moved to school. He made a timetable to guide students to read on time. In the evening, I often go deep into the dormitory to check and punish those who are sleepy. Whenever he gives homework to a life topic, he should write one first, so as to grasp the difficulty of the topic and the focus of writing, and let students improve their writing level quickly. The style of study of Yingtianfu Academy soon took on a new look. People from all over the world came to study and asked Fan Zhongyan for a career. Fan Zhongyan warmly received these scholars from afar and took pains to hold books and teach. Sometimes, I entertain them with my meager salary, which makes my family embarrassed.

Fan Zhongyan also contacted and helped many famous scholars. Such as Ai Hu, Li Gou, Zhang Zai and Shijie. Or invite them to take charge of academic affairs in their own administrative circles, or recommend them as academic officials of the imperial court, or guide them on the road of academic research. From Hailing to Gaoyou, from Suzhou to Yizhou (now Binxian County, Shaanxi Province), wherever Fan Zhongyan went, he always hired teachers after starting school and cared about education. Later, he became a prime minister and even ordered all counties to run schools. Many people who have been taught and influenced by him often have their own achievements.

All the above are quoted from history books. From this point of view, he should be more than just a man who matches his words with his deeds.