prosperous age

"Uncle, Shandai, what the palace means is that if we really follow your ideas, can we solve the flood problem?"

After Feng Bao made public the palace's attitude, he asked several people in the cabinet.

“Floods can be alleviated but not eradicated, and the court can only continue to invest money and materials to maintain the river.

However, the increased investment can be compensated by the additional silver collected from various sluices and banknote offices.

In addition, the government will save a lot of money by transferring grain to the sea, and it is expected that there will be a surplus.”

The speaker was Wei Guangde. The cabinet had already made separate statements to the inner court regarding water management and river transportation, and suggested that grain transport should no longer be sent by river, but should instead be shipped directly north by sea from the mouth of the Yangtze River.

"Eunuch Feng, there is another point that needs attention.

After the grain ships switch to sea transportation, the passage of merchant ships through the canal will become faster, and I believe that more merchant ships will be added as a result.

In the past, when ships were released at the locks, only grain ships were allowed through, and only after that were merchant ships allowed through.

At the same time, I remember that the Ministry of War also privately allowed grain ships to smuggle no more than a certain amount of cargo when returning south.

And this part of the transport capacity will also be obtained by merchant ships.

Therefore, even if the grain ships are converted to sea transport, the number of merchant ships on the canal should increase greatly, and the transport capacity will be even greater.

The flow of commercial ships will also boost the prosperity of both sides of the canal.”

The person who took over the conversation was Zhang Siwei. Naturally, he was strongly opposed to changing the canal transportation to sea transportation at the beginning.

However, Wei Guangde and Zhang Siwei talked twice, listing the benefits of converting grain ships to sea transportation for merchant ships traveling through the canal, especially that sluices would no longer be the key to blocking transportation capacity.

Zhang Siwei's views changed after he thought that goods from the north and the south could sail more smoothly on the Grand Canal and concluded that the economic impact on both sides of the canal would be limited.

However, even so, he still communicated with the people behind the scenes for many days before finally approving this plan.

The most critical factor that led them to conclude that the grain ships should take the sea route without affecting the canal was that Wei Guangde, Zhu Heng and others had secretly purchased a large number of properties near the Jiayun Canal.

They would never believe that Lord Wei, who is good at business, would let their investment lose money.

Since Wei Guangde is so confident, it seems that what he said about converting water transport to sea will not have any impact on the canal economic zone, so it has a certain degree of credibility.

When it comes down to it, it was not the grain ships but the merchant ships that brought prosperity to the Ming Dynasty's canal economic zone.

The prosperity of business depends more on the prosperity brought by commodity logistics.

As long as merchant ships continue to use the Grand Canal to connect the north and the south, the canal's prosperity will continue.

However, as the Jialing Canal gradually takes shape, it won’t be long before the economy around Xuzhou that relies on the canal will be affected to some extent.

After all, although the Xuzhou section of the canal is still there, some ships heading north will be diverted and head north through the Jialing Canal instead of going through Xuzhou.

As for the laborers who rely on the canal for their livelihood, whether they will suffer difficulties in life due to the lack of canal boats is not something the masters should consider.

But in fact, Wei Guangde thinks maybe not.

Although the number of ships on the canal has decreased, the bulk of the canal's annual shipping volume is still grain. However, whether the laborers are loading or unloading goods or pulling the boats, they can only be charged from merchant ships and not from grain ships.

The contribution to the grain ships would be offset against their corvée labor.

Although this part of corvée labor would be included in taxation after Zhang Juzheng's reforms, Wei Guangde was actually betting that the number of merchant ships would increase slightly.

This increase will also increase the workers' income to some extent, which can offset part of the increase.

In short, the canal's economy will weaken sooner or later. Although it will still be the most dynamic commercial region in the Ming Dynasty, its status will gradually decline and be gradually replaced by the emerging northern and southern ports.

This is a trend that cannot be changed by human power.

The only difference is the time.

The benefits of converting the grain transport to sea are indeed obvious. As long as there is no external interference and the situation remains unchanged, the annual increase in grain transported to Tongzhou Warehouse should be close to 10%, and the key transportation capacity will be very stable.

Unless a powerful foreign enemy comes from the sea and cuts off the grain transportation route.

Therefore, Wei Guangde could better support the Ministry of War and allocate more financial support to the development of the navy.

In any case, in Wei Guangde's opinion, although the canal boatmen may suffer losses, in the long run it is actually the pain of reform, and it will eventually be gradually adjusted.

Zhang Siwei's speaking out on this matter at this time actually means that the business group behind him seems to have changed its attitude and supports this policy.

In fact, the families that make money through the canal are definitely not just the merchant groups on both sides of the canal.

Including the nobles and the royal family, they had actually intervened in the industries on both sides of the canal very early on, so the attitude of the inner court not only had to consider the opinions of the cabinet and the court, but also listened to the opinions of the nobles and other families.

Basically, the Ming Dynasty's noble system can truly prosper along with the country as long as it does not get involved in rebellion or cause heavy losses to the court.

Feng Bao glanced at Zhang Siwei and naturally understood his attitude.

In fact, the group of businessmen behind Zhang Siwei mainly represents the interests of Shanxi businessmen and some Yangzhou salt merchants.

These people may not necessarily be the ones who benefit the most from the canal economy.

But since it is a business, there must be some connections between them.

His statement actually means that at least some businessmen in the Ministry of War reject this plan.

After all, when the grain transport was changed to sea transport, the Grand Canal was freed up for merchant ships to use, and there was no need to enforce the rule of giving priority to grain ships and secondarily to civilian ships.

With this in mind, naturally businessmen would not object.

As for raising taxes, as long as it is real money invested in the canal, it will ultimately serve them.

In fact, the most direct reason for opposing the transfer of grain to sea was the fear that the imperial court would no longer manage the canal shipping.

At that time, who will be in charge of the maintenance of the canal? Wouldn’t this cut off their path to wealth?

Feng Bao looked at the other officials around him and saw that none of them wanted to speak after Wei Guangde and Zhang Siwei spoke. He knew that they did not have a clear attitude, or did not object.

At that moment, Feng Bao said cheerfully, "Old Feng, I know the cabinet's opinion.

If this method of attacking the sand with a beam of water doesn't work, then don't try it again, it's a waste of time.

The Cabinet still needs to urge the Ministry of Works to find a way to control the Yellow River floods as soon as possible and send it to the palace as soon as possible, so that Her Majesty and Her Majesty can rest assured.

These days, the Queen and His Majesty have been thinking about the livelihoods of the people on both sides of the Yellow River, and have lost their appetite and both have lost weight."

At the end of his speech, the smile on Feng Bao's face disappeared, and a hint of sadness appeared.

“Your Majesty and His Majesty care about the people and are truly benevolent rulers. On behalf of the entire court, I would like to thank Your Majesty and His Majesty for their concern and love for the people.

The Cabinet and the Ministry of Industry will try every possible means to come up with a water control charter as soon as possible."

This time, Wei Guangde did not speak, but asked Zhang Juzheng to express his opinion.

Everyone carried the flowery sedan chair. Feng Bao carried the Empress and the Emperor in the palace, and the Cabinet naturally followed suit.

Then, other officials expressed their gratitude for the emperor's grace.

But Pan Jixun seemed to have heard nothing and just stood there stupidly.

It wasn't that he had any opinions about the inner court, but he was mainly thinking about how to control the Yellow River.

The method of controlling water and attacking sand did not work, and the court had already given up.

Then, in order to ensure the safety of the grain transported to the north, the grain ships would gradually switch to sea routes, and water control and transportation would naturally be put at the back of the agenda. At this time, Pan Jixun had already begun to consider ways to gradually reduce the water from the Yellow River and the Huai River to supplement shipping.

Although the imperial court did not support the use of water to attack sand, it did not mean that more water could not be gathered to wash away the silt in actual action.

The method is definitely feasible, but it has too many restrictions and its effectiveness will be greatly reduced with long-term use.

After all, Pan Jixun still doesn't think that the method he came up with is wrong, and he will continue to look for solutions.

“The next step for the Ministry of Works is to send personnel to survey along the river, find areas where flood discharge can be planned, contact local authorities, and try to relocate the people in these areas to other places.

This part of the land must also be registered and reported in a timely manner."

Wei Guangde spoke to Jiang Zhi.

Jiang Zhi nodded slightly. In fact, the setting up of the flood discharge area proposed by Wei Guangde was effective, but it was a one-time thing in Jiang Zhi's opinion.

Because the Yellow River carries a large amount of silt, once the flood discharge area is used, a large amount of silt will inevitably accumulate and the terrain will be raised. It may not be able to be used next time, and the effect of flood discharge and water storage will definitely gradually decrease.

In this way, the Ministry of Works will have to survey the terrain regularly and look for suitable areas, which is actually a hassle.

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

After all, this part of the land cannot be taxed as in the past. This is why Wei Guangde asked the Ministry of Industry and local governments to jointly register it. These lands should be taxed at a reduced rate or even tax-free.

Of course, the prerequisite for tax exemption is that there is a disaster.

If the flood discharge system was not used, the fields would only have some less taxes.

After talking to Jiang Zhi, Wei Guangde walked to Pan Jixun again, glanced at Pan Jixun who was still standing there in a daze, and then said: "Master Pan, although the method of restraining water and attacking sand has flaws, it also illustrates the difficulty of water control.

You have undertaken the important task of flood control several times, and you should have a deep understanding of the seriousness of it.

Although the water-binding method doesn't work, the court still believes that you can come up with a way to control the water, but you must not be discouraged."

Wei Guangde may not have any good intentions when he said this, but the Ministry of Industry still has no good solution, so naturally someone needs to take responsibility.

Rather than letting Jiang Zhi bear the wrath in the end, it would be better to let Pan Jixun bear it first.

The reason why Zhu Heng had not retired yet and was still holding the position of Minister of Works was actually to prepare for Jiang Zhi.

If something really happens, Zhu Heng will be the only one to handle it.

Since I'm going to retire anyway, even if I take responsibility, it's just that.

"Lord Wei, it's difficult to control the water."

When Pan Jixun heard Wei Guangde's words, he came to his senses and sighed.

"Yes, since the Hongzhi Dynasty, the Yellow River floods have been out of control. Although Beidu has ensured that northern Zhili is not affected by the Yellow River floods, it has brought hardship to the people of Jianghuai.

The imperial court has arranged for the Agricultural Promotion Bureau to send people to the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River again to urge local governments to mobilize the people to plant trees, hoping to reduce the amount of silt rushing into the Yellow River.

However, although this method is good in the long run, it is not enough to quench thirst. We still have to rely on the river management department to find a solution. At least it is good to reduce the flood disasters. "

Wei Guangde actually doesn't have much confidence in the current water management.

He couldn't even think of how to deal with the current flood in the Yellow River. No matter how smart the ancients were, their knowledge was ultimately inferior to his.

Bringing out the methods of protecting soil and water from future generations is the only solution Wei Guangde can think of now.

But as he said, the effect will not be very obvious.

In fact, the policies presided over by Wei Guangde on soil and water conservation in the Yellow River Basin were not as simple as planting trees along the Yellow River to protect the soil and water, but also included a ban on large-scale felling of trees and deforestation for farmland in the northwest region.

Even the original grassland vegetation near the Great Wall was included in the protection scope by Wei Guangde, and local authorities were not allowed to create farmland under the pretext of reclaiming wasteland.

"Actually, I have another idea, but I don't know if it's right."

Wei Guangde suddenly had an idea and said to Pan Jixun again.

"Master Wei, please speak."

Pan Jixun was a little confused at this time, so he would accept any method. Even if it couldn't be used, it was just a reference.

"The Yellow River floods were actually caused by heavy rains in the middle and upper reaches of the river."

Wei Guangde thought about it and said, "If we can find a way to divert the water of the Yellow River and reduce the amount of silt it carries, I wonder if we can alleviate the problem of silt blockage downstream?"

Wei Guangde thought of removing the fire from the source. Since the silt in the Yellow River mainly comes from the middle reaches, he should reduce the water in the middle reaches.

Although heavy rain cannot be used to intervene, it can cut off the water from upstream, and the amount of sediment that the river can carry to the downstream will be reduced.

In fact, as long as there is no silt blockage, it becomes easy to manage the Yellow River.

It’s a pity that the Yellow River has too much water and sediment, so there is no way to resolve this contradiction.

"In this case, although the amount of sediment entering the downstream will be reduced, the terrain in the middle reaches of the river will rise rapidly.

Once a heavy rainstorm occurs and the river bursts, the destructive power will be even greater and difficult to control, so this method cannot be used. "

As soon as Wei Guangde said this, Pan Jixun pointed out his mistake and shook his head to say that it could not be used.

“In the past, in order to ensure transportation, the imperial court had to do its best to control the Yellow River, because this section of the Yellow River is part of the Grand Canal.

Now that the canal has been diverted to the sea, the canal is no longer so important, and the river management office is mainly responsible for protecting people’s livelihood.”

Wei Guangde disagreed with this. He knew nothing about water control and it was just a sudden thought just now. He thought of the frequent dry-ups of the Yellow River in later generations, which was said to be related to the large-scale pumping of water from the middle and upper reaches.

As long as the water volume of the Yellow River is reduced, the flood disaster in the Yellow River will be reduced.

But Wei Guangde knew that there was no industry at that time, so it was difficult to use a large amount of water. But even for people's livelihood and agriculture, the water used would not be that much.

"Shi Liang understands and will try every possible way to solve the Yellow River flood problem."

Pan Jixun bowed slightly.

"It's difficult to solve it, but as long as it can be alleviated, it's worth it even if the court spends more manpower and material resources for it."

Wei Guangde knew that the Yellow River floods were so easy to solve, but Pan Jixun seemed to have fallen into a misunderstanding, thinking that water control was about finding a complete solution to the Yellow River floods.

That's why Wei Guangde spoke up to remind him at this time.

Even if the problem cannot be solved, as long as it can alleviate the flooding of the Yellow River, it will be a great achievement, especially if the solution can be used sustainably, it would be even better.

"Relief? Relief."

Pan Jixun seemed to be talking to himself and said it twice in a row.

After talking to Pan Jixun, Wei Guangde went to Chen Zan again and chatted with him for a while.

However, Wei Guangde was still concerned about the actions of the Censorate regarding Chen Zan.

"Lord Wei, the document for transferring Lao Kan has been sent out today."

Chen Zan laughed softly.

"Good work."

Wei Guangde smiled and cupped his hands. (End of this chapter)