Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 537 Talking on Paper
Huai En took Qin Chang to the cabinet duty room.

After entering, the two sides greeted each other, and Huai En took out the detailed river engineering plan, but did not say who had intended it. He just asked the two people opposite to check it themselves and give their opinions.

Xu Pu asked curiously, "The Yellow River's course change is such a big deal, must it be brought up at this critical juncture? Why not discuss it at the court meeting first and then make arrangements?"

Apparently Xu Pu felt that the emperor was moving this matter too quickly.

We haven't even started yet, and you're asking people to make a detailed plan?
Looking at the detailed appearance of this clause, I'm afraid it has consumed a lot of people's efforts and contains a lot of people's money... In the end, I'm afraid the court will have to bear the losses.

Huai En smiled and said, "It's actually a good idea to find someone to make a plan first, and then discuss it."

Liu Ji asked: "Who did this? The wording... is too inaccurate, it seems... too colloquial, it doesn't seem like it was done by some great scholar..."

"Lord Liu, you seem to be very concerned about appearances."

Qin Chang laughed and teased.

Liu Ji couldn't help but smile awkwardly when he heard this, and then looked at Xu Pu beside him.

I mean, don't you talk too much?
I can't handle these two old guys in front of me!
Anyway, I am "Liu Mianhua" and others look down on me. When it comes to external social matters, it is you, Lord Xu, who is known for his loyalty and impartiality, who has to take the lead.

Then Xu Pu, like a young man who was ignorant of the ways of the world, argued with Huai En and Qin Chang, and they even argued until their faces turned red.

In general, he did not support the new emperor rashly starting a major project just after ascending the throne, especially such a major thing as changing the course of the Yellow River.

"This is a serious matter, and it will cost a lot of money and manpower."

In the end, Xu Pu denied the river engineering project in a conservative manner.

Qin Chang said dissatisfiedly: "But isn't everything your majesty has done beneficial to the country and the people? In the past few years, the Yellow River has suffered from disasters one after another. If this continues, not only will the taxes in Henan and Shandong continue to be unable to be collected, but I'm afraid that if a major disaster occurs, the losses will not be as simple as spending some manpower and material resources to prevent and control it. By then, countless people will be killed or injured, and the victims will be displaced. In the end, the river will still have to be repaired...Will the result be different?"

Xu Pu said with a dark face: "The previous emperor has just passed away. Who can guarantee that a large project involving millions of people will be done well if it is launched rashly at this time? The Qin Dynasty built the Great Wall and the Sui Dynasty built the Grand Canal, which led to the decline of national strength and the collapse of the country. These are lessons from the past. We must be cautious.

"Besides, the above statement that Li Zisheng should be the main person to go to Henan and other places to handle this matter is even more... nonsense."

Tan Chang was so angry that he stared blankly: "Who are you accusing of talking nonsense?"

"OK OK."

Huai En stopped the two from arguing, but still stood on Qin Chang's side and said with a smile: "The Yellow River must change its course. It depends on whether we will be forced to change its course after a natural disaster, or whether we should take precautions like we are doing now."

Seeing that Huai En seemed to have made up his mind, Liu Ji quickly said, "Eunuch Huai is absolutely right. That's the truth."

Unfortunately, no one cares about what he says, as if everyone knows that what he says is just nonsense.

Huai En said again: "In fact, the biggest resistance to this matter should not come from the court, but from the local area, right?"

"Who says it's not?"

Liu Ji continued to talk along Huai En's lines, "The ministers in the capital don't have to be on the front line, so does it matter whether they support or not? But it's different in the local areas. Who is willing to do things for the future? What's the point of making contributions for future generations... Everyone is focusing on the present! Even where the river runs and whether it passes by their own doorstep, they will probably argue endlessly!"

Qin Chang looked at Liu Ji curiously.

I thought to myself, it's really not easy for you, Liu Ji, to say something insightful.

I originally thought that today we were just the three of us discussing things.

It turns out that you, Liu Ji, can also find a sense of participation.

Xu Pu was still studying the plan carefully. He couldn't help but frown after reading it. "It lists the detailed river planning, and even the route is marked in detail. The essence is that the Yellow River flows into the Huai River... Hasn't this been proven to be unfeasible long ago? Why do you want to bring it up again?"

Qin Chang asked in confusion: "Why can't the Yellow River flow into the Huai River? If it doesn't flow into the Huai River, how can it flow east smoothly? Is it like now, with a small disaster every year and a big disaster every three years, then it will be fine?"

Xu Pu explained: "The Huai River itself is prone to flooding, and its lower reaches are not enough to support the amount of water as the Yellow River. This is basic common sense. Do I need to explain it in detail?"

"Stop arguing."

Huai En stopped the argument and raised his hand and said, "Lord Xu, you mean... the cabinet does not agree with this plan, right?"

Liu Ji hurriedly said, "Eunuch Huai, should you ask me first for the cabinet's opinion?"

He cursed in his heart, "Aren't you, the Imperial Household Department, too arrogant?"

I'm the Prime Minister and I'm sitting here in an honor, yet you say such hurtful words?

It's really disrespectful!

Huai En said again: "Then...what is the cabinet's opinion on this? Don't discuss it privately anymore, you must give a clear answer now."

Xu Pu said with a sullen face: "I would like to ask, how much money will it cost to complete the Yellow River project?"

“Isn’t it listed above?”

Huai En said, "The bulk of it is manpower. As for material resources, they mostly rely on manpower to pile up, or to ensure the smooth operation of manpower... To put it bluntly, it is to feed the civilians first and let them do the work. There is no need for any salary, because the civilians used are the people who perform corvee labor in the local area."

Xu Pu asked, "That is to say, if the river works can be repaired this time, it can ensure that there will be no more floods in the Yellow River for more than a hundred years, right?"

"This……"

Huai En frowned when he heard this.

He was thinking, you, Xu Pu, had been so strongly opposed before, what do you mean by asking this question now?
Qin Chang saw Huai En's doubts and immediately asked on his behalf: "Lord Xu, you don't mean to say that whoever planned it should be responsible, and if something goes wrong in the end, he will bear the responsibility alone, is that what you mean?"

Xu Pu said: "That is not my intention. If the Yellow River really needs to be rebuilt and diverted, then this is a matter issued by the imperial court. The responsibility lies with the decision-makers of the court, not one person."

"Then what do you mean?"

Qin Chang frowned and asked, "Or... you doubt this thing and think it can't be realized, so you want to prove its feasibility first?"

Xu Pu said sternly, "What I have been thinking about has not been resolved in the past few years or even decades. How come after Your Majesty ascended the throne, you suddenly brought it up on the table and even discussed how to implement it? Is there something wrong behind this?"

Huai En's face became more gloomy, and he asked, "Lord Xu, you don't mean to say that some people have ulterior motives and have been reluctant to hand over this gift before, and suddenly presented it to Your Majesty after His Majesty ascended the throne, just to curry favor?"

Seeing the tense atmosphere, Liu Ji quickly explained, "What are you talking about, Eunuch Huai? This is for the court, and it's such a big thing as river engineering. It's also for the welfare of the local people, to ensure peace, and to save disaster relief expenses for the court in the future. How can you say that they have ulterior motives for such a good thing?" "But... by the way, may I ask, who submitted this plan? Can I give a name? Just saying who is the leader is fine."

Huai En said calmly: "It was not a collective effort, but the work of one person."

"One person? Who?"

Xu Pu's face fell when he heard this and he asked, "Li Zisheng?"

"Haha, no, no, it's Zhang Luan, the current Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue."

Wynn said with a smile.

"what?"

Now Liu Ji and Xu Pu were both upset.

We have been discussing this here for quite some time and we all take it quite seriously... If you had said earlier that it was Zhang Laizhan who did it, then there would be no need for discussion and we could have just denied it.

We believe that he knows medicine.

We can't refute it anyway.

But do you think he understands river engineering?

Please, this is not just a child's game of house, or just taking someone's pulse and diagnosing a problem. The various interests involved behind this are not something that Zhang Laizhan can fully understand.
This isn't just talk, it's empty rhetoric, okay?

Liu Ji laughed and said, "Is Zhang Guozhang so talented? He even knows about the Yellow River diversion? He has only been in office for a few days, and I'm afraid he hasn't even taken care of the job at hand, and now he is focusing on river affairs? It seems that he should be made the Minister of Works, otherwise, it would be a waste of his talent!"

That doesn't sound like a good thing to say.

Qin Chang was a little puzzled.

He was thinking, weren't you, Liu Ji, the same as Wan'an before, both trying hard to curry favor with Zhang Laizhan?

How come, after becoming the Prime Minister, in order to prevent Zhang Laizhan from taking over, he began to treat Zhang Laizhan as a political opponent and suppressed him desperately?
Huai En said: "The plan has been made. Does it matter who wrote it? Whether the strategy is feasible depends on whether it can be comprehensive and avoid major mistakes. It is urgent to prevent major disasters from happening in the Yellow River and Huai River in a short period of time and ensure that the people can live and work in peace.

"Lord Xu, you haven't explained clearly what you meant by what you said earlier."

Xu Pu said with a dark face: "If someone can guarantee that the river channel built in this way can withstand the Yellow River floods in the next hundred years, and can provide sufficient evidence, I don't mind standing on the side of agreeing to build the river."

"hehe."

Qin Chang laughed when he heard this, "Lord Xu, are you kidding? Proof? How do you prove it? Let God send a flood first and try it out? Besides, you haven't built the new river yet, so even if God sends a flood, how are you going to prove it? If you want to prove it, should we wait until the new river is built?"

Xu Pu argued: "How powerful is the Yellow River flood? Don't you have any idea? We only need to calculate the width and depth of the river, the height and strength of the embankment, and make some calculations...especially the amount of water during the Huai River flood...these...can be roughly calculated, right?"

Huai En nodded: "This is a serious and responsible attitude."

Qin Chang objected: "Eunuch Huai, I don't think this matter can be argued... Besides, what's the point of doing this?"

Huai En smiled and said, "Before making a decision, at least make people believe that doing this is of great significance. I think this is what Lord Xu meant."

Xu Pu didn't say anything, he felt a little embarrassed.

Now I need an eunuch leader to understand me?

It is really difficult to be realistic these days.

Even if Xu Pu wanted to work seriously, the rules and regulations of the officialdom made it difficult for people to tolerate practical work... In other words, the long-term occupation of high positions by guys like Wan'an and Liu Ji who did not do anything was the inevitable result of the late development of the court officialdom culture.

The higher the position you are in, the easier it is to get stuck in the quagmire, and the end result is that no one does anything.

If you do nothing, you won't make mistakes and you won't have any responsibilities falling on you.

This also led to many officials in Beijing being in office but doing nothing.

Xu Pu said: "If they really want to prove it, the court should immediately send people to conduct on-site inspections and summarize the local conditions in detail to ensure that the results of their demonstration are credible."

Qin Chang asked in surprise: "What do you mean? It's not enough to conduct demonstration in the capital, so we have to send people to conduct on-site investigation?"

"Yes."

Xu Pu nodded.

"How long will it take? Ten days, half a month? Or a year or two? It seems that Lord Xu wants to delay this matter for a long time, and he must drag it out to cause a huge flood, right? Can't you repair the river first, promote the diversion of the Yellow River, and then discuss it?"

Tan Chang was very angry.

Although Huai'en is still the head of the internal officials, Qin Chang was once the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department.

Under such circumstances, it was difficult for Qin Chang to calm down and reason with Xu Pu.

Huai En smiled and said, "Okay. Lord Xu, since you think your proposal makes sense, I will explain the situation to His Majesty. But please also list a detailed plan... If you can't find any major problems, I will bring this matter to the court meeting in the next two days."

"can."

Xu Pu asked, "I wonder what Elder Liu thinks?"

Liu Ji almost vomited blood after hearing this.

My opinion?

Oh, you guys have finished talking, and now you remember you still want me to express my opinion?

You guys are really disrespectful!
Does my opinion matter?

"Oh, then...wait a little longer?"

Liu Ji continued to play with his cotton. "Ah, whether it works or not, we have to wait for time to prove it. After all, the Yellow River does not flow through the capital, does it?"

(End of this chapter)