Can I get to the other side?.

Chapter 504: The Yellow River is clear, is a severe drought coming?
Liu Xie officially decided to organize a debate and ordered Guo Jia to announce it to the court and the public.

As soon as the news came out, it caused a huge sensation.

It has been four months since the Imperial College was opened. Controversy over the Imperial College has never stopped within the government and the public, but the authorities have never responded to the matter.

Now the imperial court has openly announced the holding of a debate to discuss the establishment of the Imperial College and has invited famous scholars from all over the world to participate. This is no small matter.

If the four subjects offered by the Imperial College were new studies, then traditional Confucianism was old studies. The emperor now wanted to recruit scholars based on the new studies, which was why many scholars opposed the opening of the Imperial College.

Now that the debate has begun, it is no longer just a simple debate about whether the Imperial College should be opened or not, but involves a dispute between new and old learning.

It is said to be a debate, but in fact it is a debate on scriptures!
The influence of the debate was far-reaching and directly related to the Han Dynasty's policy of governing the country and mainstream academic ideas.

The last debate was the White Tiger Temple Conference organized by Emperor Zhang. It has been over a hundred years since then, and now it has been restarted.

For a time, people in the government and the public were discussing this matter.

When famous scholars from all over the country heard the news, they could no longer sit still and rushed to Chang'an to attend this grand event.

Liu Xie did not pay attention to the impact of the debate.

In order to give celebrities from all over the world enough time to arrive in Chang'an, the debate is scheduled to be held in June, but it is still early now.

At present, he is more concerned about the flood situation in various places.

The spring floods that come with the arrival of spring are something that cannot be ignored. They are related to the national system and people's sentiments, as well as the safety of the people.

When it comes to flood conditions, we have to talk about the Yellow River.

Floods in the Yellow River have been a headache for every dynasty. Countless people live on both sides of the Yellow River and in its downstream areas. The floods are even more serious during the spring flood season. If they are not properly managed, millions of people will suffer.

As the Grand Marshal, Yuan Xi was in charge of all water conservancy projects.

Regarding the issue of controlling the Yellow River flood, he ran to Xuanshi early in the morning and started arguing with Fa Zheng. The two of them quarreled until their faces turned red and their necks became thick, and the incident even ended up in front of Liu Xie.

The reason is very simple. It takes a lot of money to control the floods of the Yellow River and repair the dams. Now the State Administration of Taxation is the one who really controls the purse of the Han Dynasty, so Yuan Xi went to the State Administration of Taxation to apply for funds to control the Yellow River, but Fa Zheng did not agree.

Because last year he allocated 300,000 strings of money to Yuan Xi in order to control the Yellow River flood. After the repairs were completed, there was still a surplus of 100,000 strings of money, but he did not return it.

As a result, Yuan Xi now comes to him to ask for money to control the Yellow River. Does he really think that the money in their tax bureau came from the wind?

"Yuan Sikong, didn't you only spend 200,000 yuan to repair the dam last year? You didn't even return the rest of the money. Why are you asking for money again this year?"

Fa Zheng spoke to Yuan Xi with a bad expression and a rather stiff tone.

Even though Yuan Xi was one of the Three Dukes, this was an official matter and official matters had to be handled in an official manner. He would not easily compromise because of Yuan Xi's status.

The Han people are very short of money now!
Yuan Xi glared at him and said unhappily, "We used the remaining 100,000 yuan last year to repair river works in other places. How could there be any left?"

"Although it was repaired last year, the Yellow River is very important, so we still need to reinforce it just in case."

"Who will take responsibility if something goes wrong? The State Administration of Taxation? Or you, Director Law?"

"The State Administration of Taxation is only responsible for allocating funds. How could you possibly know how many things need to be considered when managing the river?"

After that, Yuan Xi bowed to Liu Xie who was sitting on the main seat and said earnestly: "Your Majesty, I am dedicated to the people, but the State Administration of Taxation is unwilling to allocate funds. Please judge for yourself!"

Fa Zheng was so angry that his lungs almost exploded after hearing this. His face turned ashen and he stiffened his neck and said, "I don't have any money, but I have my life!"

"Sikong Yuan, look at how much my life is worth, then take it. I won't say no!"

In fact, if Yuan Xi had talked nicely, Fa Zheng might not have refused to allocate funds.

After all, he also knew the importance of the Yellow River.

But when Yuan Xi came to the Xuanshi today, he directly questioned him why his request for funding was rejected. Seeing such a bad attitude, he naturally didn't look happy.

It costs money to manage the river, and it costs money to manage other places too!

Seeing the two people swearing at each other with red faces, the officials handling government affairs on the side were all laughing, but most of them felt that it was normal.

Although Liu Xie also found it funny in his heart, he naturally could not laugh, and he persuaded them: "Xianyi, Xiaozhi, calm down, it's not proper to make such a fuss."

Only after Liu Xie spoke did Fa Zheng and Yuan Xi stop talking.

But they still stared at each other.

After persuading the two men, Liu Xie said, "It is indeed important to regulate the Yellow River. It concerns the safety of millions of people. Xiaozhi, you should allocate funds."

The emperor had spoken, and that was the final word. Fa Zheng naturally could not disobey, so he could only nod reluctantly and say, "I obey your order."

Then Liu Xie said to Yuan Xi: "Xianyi, you too, Xiaozhi is dedicated to the public, and he is not deliberately withholding funds from you, so let's talk it over nicely."

"We are all officials in the same dynasty, why should we confront each other?"

Yuan Xi bowed his hands and said honestly: "I have followed your majesty's instructions. I just spoke out of turn. I hope Director Law will forgive me for my inappropriate words just now."

The money is almost there, so there's nothing wrong with saying a few nice words.

Fa Zheng was a petty person, so naturally he didn't calm down so quickly, but he didn't hit someone who smiled at him, so he just said "hmm" in a depressed tone.

But no matter what, the matter is over.

Liu Xie continued to ask Yuan Xi: "How does the flood situation of the Yellow River this year compare to previous years? Have you sent anyone to monitor it?"

When this matter was mentioned, Yuan Xi perked up and said, "Your Majesty, this year's Yellow River flood is much smaller than in previous years, and there is also a very strange thing."

Liu Xie asked curiously: "Strange thing? What is it?"

Yuan Xi said: "Your Majesty, according to reports from below, the water of the Yellow River has become much clearer this year, and you can even see the bottom."

"As the old saying goes, when the water of the Yellow River is clear, a sage will emerge. This is a truly auspicious sign!"

After hearing Yuan Xi's words, the attention of other people in the other halls was also drawn to him. After all, it was extremely rare for the water of the Yellow River to be clear.

Sima Yi immediately echoed, "Thinking back to when your majesty offered sacrifices to heaven, a strange phenomenon of purple air coming from the east for 3,000 miles appeared; now that our great Han has just been unified, the water of the Yellow River, which had been muddy for a thousand years, has become clear."

"This kind of vision proves that Your Majesty is a sage king who is rare in this world!"

Sima Yi was extremely good at flattery. If you want to make progress, flattery is essential.

Although others despised Sima Yi's behavior of flattering the emperor, they agreed with what he said. After all, the emperor's achievements were obvious to all.

"The Yellow River is clear?"

After hearing Yuan Xi's words, Liu Xie was not happy at all, but his expression changed.

"Xianyi, you just said that the water in the Yellow River has become clearer? When did this happen?"

Liu Xie's brows were furrowed and his expression was extremely serious.

Yuan Xi was stunned by the emperor's reaction. He had wanted to tell the emperor about the auspicious sign of the clear water of the Yellow River to please him, but he did not expect that the emperor would suddenly become serious after hearing it, which made him feel confused.

However, he still answered truthfully: "Your Majesty, this is indeed a true story. I am not exaggerating. It was reported to me by officials in the Yellow River area a few days ago."

"The water of the Yellow River has always been turbid, but now it has become clear, which is a rare wonder that can only be seen once in a thousand years. It is said that when Confucius was born, the water of the Yellow River became clear overnight, so there is a saying that when a sage appears, the Yellow River becomes clear."

"Your Majesty is kindhearted and caring for the people. The clear water of the Yellow River is a testament to your achievements and kindness!"

Yuan Xi thought the emperor thought he was lying, so he defended himself by citing various anecdotes.

But after listening to it, Liu Xie's face turned a little ugly. What about the Yellow River being cleared and a saint appearing? It was all nonsense!

He had accidentally read relevant information in his previous life. There had been examples in history where the water of the Yellow River was clear, but what followed was a severe drought for thousands of miles around it!
The severe drought is a major disaster, and countless people will suffer!
Later, during the Ming Dynasty, a method of measuring water and determining celestial phenomena was specially created to control the Yellow River.

The so-called saying that water determines celestial phenomena means asking flood soldiers to fetch water from the Yellow River and compare it with previous years based on the weight of the water.

If the water level of the Yellow River is heavy, then we need to pay attention to flood prevention that year. If the water level of the Yellow River is light, then we need to pay attention to drought prevention. The prediction accuracy of this method is extremely high.

If a drought that is rare in a century really occurs.

That would be a disaster!
But now it is clear that there is no such method. Thinking of this, Liu Xie immediately said: "No, the clear water of the Yellow River is not a good omen."

"It's a sign of a thousand-mile drought!"

When these words were spoken, everyone was shocked and looked at the emperor with puzzled expressions on their faces.

The clear water of the Yellow River is a sign of severe drought?
Liu Xie knew that they could not understand, so he explained: "It is said in Erya that the river flows out of Kunlunxu and is white in color. Because it connects 1,701 rivers, its color is yellow."

"The Book of Han also says that the river water is heavy and turbid, and it is said that one stone of water contains six buckets of mud. The Yellow River is the most turbid, and one bucket of mud contains six buckets of sand. In the late autumn, two buckets of mud are water."

"Two liters of water can hold eight dou of sand. From this we can see that the reason why the water of the Yellow River is turbid is because of the sand carried in the water, and the sand in the water is carried by the upstream rivers."

Liu Xie recounted one by one the stories about the turbid water of the Yellow River.

The water of the Yellow River is clear in later generations because it was well managed. Where are the conditions like those in later generations now?

But all the ministers were somewhat stunned when they heard this.

Although everyone present is well-read and knows all these stories, what does this have to do with the drought?
Liu Xie then said: "The Yellow River is always turbid because of the silt; but this year the Yellow River has become clear because the water in the upstream canals has dried up, and the silt has not been carried downstream, so it has become clear."

"The water in the upper reaches of the Yellow River has dried up because there has not been enough rain, and if there has not been enough rain, there will be a severe drought!"

Liu Xie's firm words surprised all the ministers.

The clear water of the Yellow River, does it really mean that a drought that occurs once in a century is about to come?
Lu Su had originally thought that the clear water of the Yellow River was a good omen, but he could not help but be shocked after hearing this, so he hurriedly said: "If this is true, then we should quickly order the granaries along the Yellow River to stock up more grain to prepare for the drought!"

"We should be careful about this matter!"

As soon as Lu Su finished speaking, Fa Zheng spoke up. He looked serious and bowed to Liu Xie, saying, "Your Majesty, drought prevention is a serious matter. You need to inform all the counties in the country as soon as possible. The grain storage in the granaries alone must be increased by more than 50%! This alone will cost at least several million strings of money!"

"Although it is rare for the Yellow River to have clear water, it has happened in previous years, but I have never heard of a severe drought. Your Majesty, are you worrying too much?"

The Han Dynasty has just been unified. If we want to take large-scale drought prevention measures, it will have a ripple effect on the entire body.

Not only does it require a huge amount of money and materials, it is also a heavy burden on the national treasury, especially under the current circumstances.

Although surveying the land could increase tax revenue for the national treasury, the money had not yet been collected. Besides, the court's expenses were also very high.

Agricultural subsidies, martyrs' pensions, construction of public libraries, construction of public schools... each and every one of them is a big spender, and the consumption is terrifying.

The big man now is like a big tree that has just experienced wind and rain. It needs a lot of nutrients to repair the wound and maintain growth.

So nowadays, the big men are rich and have money.

Speaking of poor... that's poor.

Fa Zheng was in charge of the State Administration of Taxation and knew the current financial situation of the Han Dynasty best, so he stood up and persuaded the emperor not to act rashly.

"Your Majesty, are you being too cautious? I have never heard of a severe drought occurring when the water level of the Yellow River is clear." Even Jia Xu advised.

"I don't know why there was no severe drought in previous years, but the water in the Yellow River is clear this time, and we must not ignore it!"

Liu Xie's expression was extremely serious. "I shoulder the heavy responsibility of the country and cannot gamble with the lives of the people. I would rather spend this money to ensure the safety of the people!"

According to historical records, the late Eastern Han Dynasty was a period of frequent droughts, and there had been years of continuous drought before the first year of Zhongping.

From the first to the second year of Xingping after Emperor Xian of Han ascended the throne, there were two consecutive years of severe drought, and the fertile fields of Guanzhong were covered with bones for thousands of miles.

Although there have not been any major natural disasters in the world in recent years, we must not ignore them.

That is why Liu Xie attached so much importance to the clear water of the Yellow River this time, because it was too much of a coincidence.

Liu Xie still remembered the miserable conditions he saw when he was traveling, where people had to exchange their children for food and were barely clothed. He did not want such things to happen again on a large scale after he ascended the throne.

Drought is the most serious natural disaster that has the greatest impact on society. If we are not prepared, then thousands of miles of desolation, corpses everywhere, and cannibalism are not just talk, but will become a bloody reality!
All the ministers were moved after hearing this.

Liu Xie ordered Yuan Xi: "Xianyi, immediately send someone to check the water level at the source of the Yellow River, and report to me immediately after getting the results!"

"This matter cannot be delayed!"

Yuan Xi's heart trembled, and he clasped his fists and said, "I obey your command!"

(End of this chapter)