Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 150: Taking the Pulse of Caohe River, Curing Diseases and Saving the Country

In the Forbidden City, the emperor gave a banquet to the new scholars who were about to go to Jiangnan.

The high standards were jaw-dropping, and it also showed the emperor's seriousness in regarding the turmoil in Jiangnan.

Cheng Qinan and Meng Xikong felt solemn after hearing this.

Who are the weeds? Who are the branches that should be cut off?
Who are those “masters” who secretly hoard the good grains and fruits?
Using metaphors makes the problem seem not so acute, but in fact it is already very acute.

There was another place in the Forbidden City where a banquet was also being held.

Li Sancai and Wang Chengxun had just arrived this afternoon, but according to the palace's order, they had to go to the emperor's court to make a report after nightfall.

Participants: three cabinet ministers, the Minister of Personnel, the Minister of Revenue, the Minister of War, the Minister of Works, the Left Censor-in-Chief, the Governor-General of the Grain Transport System, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Grain Transport System.

They are in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"…Your Majesty is so diligent, I really admire you."

They only ate a little bit, and Li Sancai bowed to the three ministers: "Day and night, the ministers are in the court, and they still have to advise Your Majesty to take care of your health."

"Your Majesty, be well." Shen Yi Guan looked at him meaningfully. "Of course, it's not always like this. Now that the canal station has arrived, the canal transportation can't be delayed any longer. Daofu, you have a plan for the canal transportation, so you don't need to make more preparations, right?"

"...Of course. Although I have only been in office for two years, I dare not neglect it."

"That's good." Shen Yikuan nodded with a smile, then slowly closed his eyes, as if he wanted to rest.

Yidexuan fell silent, and most people were like this.

The only meritorious official among them, Wang Chengxun, the Earl of Xinjian, remained silent, but at this moment he was no more uneasy than when he came last year.

Now in the height of summer, it gets dark late.

The palace cut back on expenses and would not light the lights until it was really dark.

After a long time, they heard cheers of "Long live the emperor" coming from the Qianqing Palace next door, and everyone knew it was over there.

After a while, there was a message from the gate, and everyone who had been concentrating their attention came to the courtyard to greet them.

"No need to be polite! Light the lamps! It's getting late, let's finish this discussion quickly and go home to rest early."

Li Sancai, who was meeting the emperor for the first time, bent over and only heard the emperor's strong voice, the sound of his clothes rustling in the wind, and watched the emperor's long strides towards the main hall of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

The palace lanterns were lit, and the Hall of Mental Cultivation was as bright as day.

Li Sancai then took the lead in paying homage to the emperor alone.

"I, Li Sancai, the governor-general of the grain transport and the admiral of military affairs, the governor of Fengyang and other places and the director of the river, wish to ask your Majesty well. Long live your Majesty!"

"I am at peace, please stand up."

Li Sancai was still kneeling, "I was too busy with my official duties to personally congratulate you on your coronation. Your Majesty, please forgive me. Today I see your majesty's divine and sharp spirit, diligence and wisdom. I am very happy, but I have one more thing to apologize for. First, there was the transportation of grain, and I had to temporarily replace Xinjian Boqian to send troops to transport grain. Later, there were many problems with the grain transport. This year, the loss of grain has increased compared to last year. The fault lies in my inability to inspect the grain transport. Please punish me, Your Majesty!"

"You were the commander-in-chief of the military affairs, and Xinjianbo was still in Beijing on official business at that time. You were brave enough to take on the responsibility. The troubles in the canal cannot be entirely blamed on the governor-general's canal transport department."

Zhu Changluo was also observing him.

After giving him the advice he had prepared long ago, Zhu Changluo asked him to stand up.

This time Li Sancai thanked him and stood up.

"As usual, please take a seat." Zhu Changluo waved his hand. "The Caohe River is the lifeline of the country. There is no need to hide the fact that it is plagued by problems. Solve the problems as soon as they are discovered. Don't be afraid to seek medical treatment. You are all key officials of the country. When it comes to curing diseases and healing the country, you are all experts. Let's check the pulse of the Caohe River together. If the disease of the Caohe River can be cured, I can live at least ten more years."

Li Sancai felt the emperor's style of speaking and doing things.

This... was very different from what he had imagined before.

Since he ascended the throne last year, Zhu Changluo has been training these important ministers for more than half a year.

Now Shen Yiquan and the others are very used to it, only Li Sancai has his rhythm disrupted.

The first thing he said was that the canal was full of problems? He had been the governor of the canal for almost two years, and this year's situation was worse than last year, but he had not taken any major measures to "cure the problem". Wasn't he a quack doctor?

Now it has become a matter of letting the emperor live ten more years.

As he sat down on the soft stool with a heavy heart, Li Sancai heard the emperor ask him again: "Since I ascended the throne, many people in the court and the public have praised the Caohe for its ability. Li Sancai, you are familiar with the Caohe River, so tell me first, what is the crux of the Caohe River?"

So he stood up again. "Sit down and talk slowly." The emperor expected and encouraged.

Li Sancai just wanted to express his gratitude again and delay the time.

Asking about the crux of the problem right away is equivalent to admitting that Caohe is sick.

If the governor of the grain transport cannot say anything, can he still be called "virtuous"?

But what's the point of talking about those problems? How deep can we go?

"I personally think that there are five problems with the Caohe River."

This is how the imperial prelude is, with questions and answers at a fast pace. Hesitation is a big problem.

Li Sancai's brain was working rapidly and his tone sounded serious, so he could speak slower to buy himself some time.

"First, the difficulty of river engineering." He decided to push the problem to the Ministry of Rivers first. "Water has unpredictable shapes, and droughts and floods are different. The Caohe River runs through the north and south, and the terrain is uneven. There is siltation here, and there is a breach of the dike. Although the Ministry of Rivers spends a lot of financial, material and human resources every year, the Caohe River is still inevitably limited by water conditions and weather, and cannot flow freely."

As he said this, he either looked at the emperor or at other people, as if he was analyzing the situation or exchanging ideas.

It actually depends on everyone’s reaction.

But they were all qualified veteran actors, and there was no obvious reaction for him to capture any useful information.

His expression and demeanor showed four words: no comment.

"…The second is the obstruction of key points. Crossing the Yangtze River, Huai River, and Shandong, one is the danger of crossing the Yangtze River, one is the siltation where the river flows into the Huai River, and one is the high terrain of Shandong. These three key points are often blocked. The Yangtze River is a natural barrier that cannot be imagined; although Pan Jixun has made great contributions to the management of the Yellow River and Huai River, the water situation near Huai'an is still unpredictable and siltation will accumulate over time; as for Shandong, it is either difficult to get water or it is worried about the Yellow River bursting. In recent years, the ministers have come up with many solutions."

He started with a specific example, like he was listing his treasures. "In the 21st year of the Wanli reign, Chief River Shu Yinglong opened a 45-li canal east of Weishan Lake to connect with the Yinhe River, which could not only help the Caohe River, but also discharge floodwaters and store water. However, the canal was narrow and shallow, and could not be navigated by boats. In the 25th year of the Wanli reign, Chief River Liu Dongxing dredged the Yinhe River again. Last year, he petitioned to widen and deepen it, but was not granted permission. If the Yinhe River could be navigated, at least 30% to 40% of the ships would not have to rely on the Yellow River for transportation..."

Zhu Changluo listened silently.

Pan Jixun had been dead for six years, but hadn't he recently brought up an old story about the river management project he was in charge of? The Qinghe River estuary was still silted up, which seemed to confirm Li Sancai's statement.

But the two points he mentioned are both objective issues.

It cannot be said that it is wrong, but it can only be said that it is still talking in general terms.

If the court were to treat these as the crux of the problem and try to solve them, it would simply mean that it would have to spend a huge amount of money and might not necessarily succeed.

"…Third, the slackness of transporting troops."

Seeing that the emperor had no reaction, Li Sancai finally talked about the human aspect.

This time, everyone responded to him and looked at him.

Including Wang Chengxun.

So Li Sancai just looked at the emperor and said solemnly: "I am responsible for the grain transport and the military affairs of the grain transport army. Sometimes I feel powerless. The transport troops are assigned, which is difficult; the generals are stingy and there are many deserters, which is difficult; the local conscription is difficult to shirk, which is difficult; the grain transport ships are dilapidated and the repair office is not strong enough, which is difficult; there are too many soldiers to transport, and the salary and food are wasted. It is difficult."

Li Sancai said five difficulties in a row and spoke a little faster.

"Fourth, the danger of the banknote gates. From south to north, there are seven major banknote gates, and both the grain ships and civilian ships must be inspected. The great heavenly official is in front of us, and he knows that these checkpoints are extremely difficult to govern. There are few officials, and the sluice gates are narrow. This is a natural danger and another man-made danger that blocks the smooth flow of the canal. But if the banknote gates are removed, the court's treasury will lose a large amount of annual revenue."

"The last one is that the grain from the south is far away." Li Sancai's last sentence was the simplest. "The grain from the south can only be transported to the north. The problem of the canal is these four words."

Because grain had to be transported from the south to the north, and in order to ensure timeliness, the land tax in Nanzhili and the three provinces had to be collected by the Nanjing Ministry of Revenue in modern times.

Because we also have to ensure a stable delivery, we have to maintain the grain transport army and maintain the rivers and grain transport boats.

Zhu Changluo nodded, "What the Director of the Canal said shows that he understands the essence of the Canal. The capital is in the north, and the nine borders need to defend their land. Food can only be transported from the south. This is the problem. The Canal problem can only be treated temporarily, not fundamentally. Daofu, now that you understand the harm, do you have any countermeasures?"

"…I am a dull and stupid minister. I can only see the crux of the problem, but I am helpless. The Caohe River is a chain reaction that affects the entire body. For two hundred years, the emperor and his ministers have not been able to find a good solution. I can only be diligent and cautious in Huai'an and dare not make any progress. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

Li Sancai realized that the emperor might be willing to solve the problem. Didn’t Zhayang want to be restructured into a merchant?
However, there are more than 100,000 registered canal troops, and millions of people along the Caohe River have found their respective positions and rely on the current Caohe system to make a living. Li Sancai is not optimistic that the emperor and the court can come up with any effective solutions.

This is a difficult problem that requires fighting against both nature and people.

If the capital was moved to Nanjing again, there would be no need to rely so heavily on the Caohe River, but that would mean that the vast northern part would be far away from the center. Border defense could not be abandoned, and the emperor could accept the concern of separatist forces among the frontier officials and important generals.

This is the current situation. The emperor is in Beijing, the north is relatively stable, and the south of the Yangtze River relies on its tax revenue, and the court has to turn a blind eye.

The emperor can't have it all!
(End of this chapter)