Chaos of the Three Kingdoms Summons

Chapter 2668 The Three Benefits of the Canal, Obstructed by the Censor

Zhuge Liang served as the Minister of Works, and in the Northern court, the Minister of Works was given priority over the Minister of Works in the Southern court, and was also half a rank higher.

Therefore, if the country were to embark on such a massive project, it would be impossible to bypass it.

Zhuge Liang had already read Yang Su's memorial. At this moment, he slowly unrolled a thick scroll and said in a loud voice, "As you command! Your subjects have thoroughly investigated the geography and repeatedly deduced the plan. We intend to dig a Grand Canal that runs from north to south!"

"Starting from Luoyang in the north, it draws water from the Luo River and the Yellow River, flowing south through the Huai River and connecting to the Yangtze River. Then, it uses the Poyang and Gan Rivers to enter Lingnan, eventually connecting to the Pearl River system and reaching Panyu. It can also be extended to the newly established Jiaozhou Port! If this canal is completed, it will have three benefits!"

Zhuge Liang's voice carried the excitement unique to engineers:
"Firstly, the Grand Canal! Rice, taxes, and tributes from Jiangnan, Lingnan, and even the newly developed Southeast Asia can be transported directly to Luoyang and Chang'an by water! The losses are less than 30% of those by land, and it is far superior to the dangers of sea routes!"

"Secondly, military transport! If there is a rebellion in the south, or if reinforcements are needed to suppress it in Southeast Asia, a large army can sail downstream and reach the destination in ten days, which is far better than traveling for several months by mountain and river!"

"Thirdly, it benefits the people! The canal can irrigate fertile fields, facilitate trade between the north and south, and promote prosperity in all industries along its banks! It is truly a great undertaking that will establish a foothold in the southern frontier and benefit future generations!"

"A great undertaking?" A cold snort filled with sarcasm rang out.

After Tian Feng was transferred to a local post, he succeeded Li Gang, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate. Li Gang was white-haired and known for his uprightness and willingness to speak out.

Upon hearing the words "great undertaking," he immediately stepped forward, bowed to the emperor, and then pointed his spear at Zhuge Liang, saying, "Minister Zhuge, what a boastful tone! Do you know how much of the people's hard-earned money and how many lives will be sacrificed for this 'great undertaking'?"

Li Gang's voice carried a hint of grief and indignation, "Your Majesty! The world has just been pacified, and the people yearn for peace!"

"The three northern prefectures of Ji, Qing and You have only just begun to resume production, while the Central Plains and the South still need to further restore the strength of the people, and the South Seas are newly annexed and are rife with malaria!"

"To mobilize the entire nation's resources to dig such a long canal is tantamount to starting another great war! How many laborers will be conscripted? A million? Millions?"

"Far from their homeland, enduring wind and rain, they carved mountains and dug rivers in a humid and toxic land! The work was long, the supervision was harsh, and diseases were rampant!"

"Your Majesty, I dare ask, how many people's corpses will be buried beneath this river? How will the counties along its course exploit us to supply us with grain and other provisions? This is a desperate measure, a policy that will shake the very foundation of the nation! I beg Your Majesty to consider this carefully! It must not be done!"

He lifted his sleeves, revealing his withered arms, as if to demonstrate the suffering of the laborers.

Li Gang rose through the ranks from the prefectures and counties, serving as a prefect and deputy prefect for over a decade. Only after Tian Feng was transferred to a local post did he finally return to the central government and enter the Censorate as an imperial censor.

With over a decade of local experience, his footprints covered the north, the central plains, and several counties in the south. Among them were Yangzhou, which he had finally managed to capture after two years of fierce fighting in the south, and Liangzhou, which had only just begun to recover after three years of suffering from an epidemic.

He had a deeper understanding of the plight of ordinary people than many central government officials.

Therefore, upon hearing about this monumental project, Li Gang nearly went insane.

The country has just been unified, and the people have finally escaped the suffering of war. What have they done wrong by starting such a massive project at this time?
"Your Majesty, must the great cause that will last for thousands of generations really be paved with the bones of hundreds of millions of people?"

"If that's really the case, then what's the point of this great undertaking?" Li Gang roared in grief and indignation in the court.

Li Gang's words immediately resonated with many ministers, especially those from the Central Plains who were more concerned with the people's livelihood. Yan Keqiu, an assistant minister in the Ministry of Revenue, also stepped forward. Yan Keqiu was a member of the Yellow Turban Rebellion and had risen through the ranks from the bottom.

Even now, though he has long since transcended the ranks of ordinary people and become part of the elite, he still deeply empathizes with those at the bottom of society.

Perhaps, in his next generation and the generation after that, most scions of noble families or sons of officials will no longer be able to empathize with the common people!

Moreover, he was even more aware that the Central Plains had suffered too much damage from the war in recent years.

After years of war, Huo Qubing came along, followed by Cao Cao. Finally, Zhao Kuangyin unified the Central Plains and enjoyed a few years of peace, but then another major war broke out.

It was thought that after the Central Plains War and the Southern War ended, the Central Plains could finally recuperate. However, unexpectedly, the three-year epidemic also affected them. Although the situation was not as serious as in the north, it still stabbed them hard in their already battered body.

Over the years, the people of the Central Plains have suffered far too much!
This would rank at the very top in the entire world!
Now, after five years of rest and recuperation, things have finally started to improve.

However, if the construction of the canal were to begin, the Central Plains would become an unavoidable issue.

Therefore, Yan Keqiu stepped forward and said with great concern, “Your Majesty, Imperial Censor Li’s words are heartfelt! Although the national treasury has a slight surplus due to unification, it will inevitably be stretched thin to support such a massive project! Conscripting laborers will disrupt the farming season and may lead to a food shortage!”

That is, now that we have high-yield grains like potatoes, and after the introduction of Champa rice to the south, rice can be harvested twice a year, and in some places even three times a year.

Otherwise, Yan Keqiu would not have described it as a fear of famine, but rather an inevitable famine!
Ultimately, with these high-yield grains, it's just a single project that can be sustained.

However, the country has more than one project!
Furthermore, although internally unified, the grasslands still posed a threat from the outside, and the country maintained an army of nearly two million.

Among them was an enormous cavalry force!

Under these circumstances, even with such high-yield grain, it wouldn't be enough to sustain us!

“If taxes are increased further, the people will suffer unbearably and may even revolt! The new land of Southeast Asia is already unstable, and forcibly conscripting its people for labor will only add fuel to the fire! I believe that the development of the South and the opening up of Southeast Asia should be planned slowly.”

"Perhaps we should first stabilize the sea route, or dredge the old waterways in sections and on a small scale over several years. This gradual approach would be the best strategy!" Yan Keqiu continued to explain.

Yan Keqiu's suggestion, while generally leaning towards Li Gang's perspective, still hit the nail on the head regarding Li Xiang's thoughts.

After all, Yan Keqiu did not directly reject the project, but rather planned to proceed slowly.

This is exactly what Li Xiang was thinking.

This project is crucial to the stability of the country's rule, and it is bound to be initiated. However, it is absolutely unacceptable to cram the work of several generations into one generation.

(End of this chapter)