Why did the emperor rebel?

Chapter 249
In the Wenhua Palace.

Shen Shangshu's face suddenly collapsed, and he knew that it would not be good for the emperor to pull him at this time.

You don't need to think about it to know that what the emperor said about "building canals to divert water, building dams and building rivers" is not a trivial project.

Thinking about it, at least it must be a big project that requires the recruitment of tens of thousands of people, so that the emperor himself and Chen Xun, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, can propose it.

However, such a large project...

When Shen Shangshu thought of it, he felt a headache.

Regardless of Shen Yi's face about to twitch, Zhu Qiyu continued to speak.

"In recent days, Qin Tianjian has reported that Shandong, Henan, Baoding, Daming and other places, although this winter is cold, but there is little snowfall, and it is expected that there will be drought next year."

"In Shandong Province, the Shawan of the Yellow River has been breached for several years. On the one hand, the river is flooding, and the water is patchy, but on the other hand, it is dry and there is no water for irrigation. I am very worried."

"The breach of the embankment at the mouth of Shawan has a great impact on water transportation. If the imperial government wants to provide disaster relief, the transfer of grain is the top priority. Therefore, the Ministry of Industry's top priority next year is to solve the breach of Shawan."

This is not a trivial matter, Chen Xun and the others looked at each other tacitly, but did not speak.

After half a quarter, Zhang Minfang spoke.

"Your Majesty, the breach of Shawan is not a trivial matter. Since the 11th year of Zhengtong, there have been more than ten times of breaches here. First, it was in Bashukou, which affected Shawan. Afterwards, the sediment was silted up. The more dams were built in Shawan, the more times there were breaches. .”

"With the Shawan decision, the dykes and dams in Baimakou, Xuzhou, Jining and other places are also in danger. Therefore, in order to solve the Shawan breach, in the opinion of the minister, it is necessary to build canals to divert water. If the dams are strengthened, it is tantamount to drinking poison to quench thirst. It’s just a delay.”

Zhang Min was a veteran of the Ministry of Industry, and he pointedly pointed out when he spoke. He said directly that to completely solve the Shawan breach, it is necessary to build canals, and it is absolutely impossible to build dikes and dams.

However, as soon as he finished speaking, Shen Shangshu, the household department, immediately became unhappy, and stepped forward to cup his hands.

"Your Majesty, building canals to divert water is certainly a long-term strategy, but there are priorities. My imperial court is now empty of treasury, the war is coming to an end, and it is time for the people to recuperate. How can we continue to build?"

"If the Shawan breach is to be resolved, the canal needs to be dredged to connect the Yellow River and Qinshui. This is no small matter, let alone recruiting tens of thousands of civilians."

"Shawan has broken the dike for several years. It was not a short-term achievement. Now that the court is in a difficult situation, it is a temporary one. The old minister's intention is to temporarily repair the dike. The official repairs the canal."

This is the advantage of being a local official. Whether it is a county magistrate, a state official, or a censor who inspects the local area, he pays attention to grasping.

As a parent official, the local prison, water conservancy, household registration, and taxes must be clear in order to be eligible for promotion.

Therefore, even though Shen Yi was the Secretary of the Ministry of Household Affairs, he had local experience, and when he talked about the water conservancy matters under the supervision of the Ministry of Industry, he was also eloquent.

In contrast, Chen Xun, who had been transferring in Hanlin Qingliu, fell short.

Although he has experience in the cabinet and knows a little about these things, but after all, he has never been in the general affairs, so he dare not speak indiscriminately.

Therefore, this discussion turned into a duel between Zhang Min and Shen Yi.

Regarding Shen Yi's reason, Zhang Min didn't buy it and said.

"Building canals and diverting water is a long-term career. It is an act that benefits the country and the people. The imperial treasury is empty. We can think of a way, but once the dike is broken, how many crops and people's fields will be submerged, and how many people will be displaced. Is Shen Shangshu right? Don't you have to think about it?"

"What's more, His Majesty has just spoken. Qin Tianjian has predicted that next year Shandong, Henan, and Baoding may suffer from drought. If there is no water for irrigation, there may be famine."

"At that time, floods and droughts will come together, and the imperial court will also need to send personnel to relieve the disaster. Naturally, the money will not be less, and the people will suffer for nothing. How can we build canals to divert water early and solve the problem from the root?"

Shen Yi's complexion was a bit ugly, why didn't he know this?

But from his point of view, this time is indeed not a good time to build the canal.

After pondering for a moment, Shen Yi said.

"What Zhang Gel said, I naturally understand that building canals and diverting water is a once-and-for-all matter, and I also agree with this point."

"But the problem is that not only is the national treasury empty, but the power of the people is also close to exhaustion. Within this year, my court first had the Southwest Miao Rebellion, the Huguang Rebellion, and then the Civil War. The number of civilians recruited has far exceeded that of previous years. .”

"Floods and droughts are terrible, but the imperial court has a way to deal with them. But if at this time, people are recruited to build canals, the turmoil will definitely not be a state or a capital."

"Therefore, I still believe that now is not a good time to build the canal. It is reasonable to wait at least two or three years before implementing it slowly."

This is actually a bit cruel.

To put it bluntly, it is to allow those state capitals to be affected by the disaster in exchange for the time for most people to recuperate.

From Shen Yi's point of view, if Shawankou is left alone for the time being, then even if the worst is planned, next year there will only be a few state capitals affected by the disaster.

Whether it is a flood or a drought, the imperial court can send personnel to relieve and appease the disaster.

But if you want to solve the Shawankou and build water canals, then just recruiting civilians is not a trivial matter.

It should be said that Shen Yi's reason is very tenable, and he also made it very clear that he needs to repair it, but now is not the time.

The construction of the canal is a big project. To completely solve the problem of the broken embankment at Shawankou, a huge amount of human and financial resources will be required.

The current lack of silver in the imperial court is still second, and the most critical is the issue of corvee.

The imperial court cannot consume the power of the people excessively!

People have to farm and work to maintain their livelihood.

If the crops are left unattended, there will be no harvest.

Ordinary people spend all their time in corvée, and some people in the family will starve to death.

If it really becomes like this, it is not something that can be solved by allocating some money for disaster relief.

So from Shen Yi's point of view, he would rather allocate money and send officials to rescue disasters in these places after disasters, rather than repairing canals at this time.

Doing so may be too cruel for those people in the state capital who may be affected by the disaster, but from the perspective of the imperial court, it is the method with the least loss.

At this time, Zhang Min was also a little dumb, and opened his mouth to refute, but after all, he did not speak again.

Because of this kind of thing, it is really hard to say which way is the best.

Disputes over court affairs will always be like this.

No one can predict what the future will be like, and the things they worry about seem to be unknowable at the moment.

Perhaps, next year's disaster is not too big, or even there will be no disaster, and the imperial court can rest and recuperate smoothly, and then start to repair the canal, then Shen Yi is naturally right.

Or maybe, the foundation left by Taizu Taizong is strong enough, even if these civilian men are recruited again to build the canal, they can still support it with all their strength.

When the big canal is completed, the flood and drought worries in Shandong, Henan and other places will be relieved, which will be more conducive to the stability of the country.

No one can know which decision is right, or maybe both sides are right...

At this point in the debate, the basic situation is clear, so the next step is naturally to see what the emperor wants.

Of course, for such a big event, after passing the hurdle of the emperor, there is still court discussion, but in the end, it depends on the emperor's will first.

Under Shen Shangshu's expectant gaze, Zhu Qiyu frowned tightly, and after a while, he asked Chen Xun who was silent at the side.

"Chen Qing, you are Minister of the Ministry of Industry, what's your opinion on this matter?"

(End of this chapter)