Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

April 3rd, Chang Chao.

With the support of Liu Zongzhou and others, Li Ruoxing was officially promoted by the court as the right assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

There is one more Donglin Party minister in the court.

At the same time, Zhu Youjian asked the ministers to nominate another official:
"In the early days of the People's Republic of China, there was a saying that 'if Su Lake is ripe, the world will be satisfied'."

"Now, it has become 'Huguang is familiar with it, and the world is sufficient'."

"The land south of the Yangtze River is blocked and densely populated, and half of the people eat the food of Huguang and Jiangxi."

"The food here in the capital depends on the food from the south of the Yangtze River."

"It can be said that the world's food now depends largely on Huguang."

"The channel for transporting grain from Huguang cannot be careless."

"I intend to appoint a minister to be responsible for Yangtze River shipping and river management. He will be responsible for sorting out Yangtze River shipping and coordinating management along the way."

"Who do you think is qualified?"

After a lot of back and forth, Zhu Youjian's purpose was to set up special officials to open up the Yangtze River artery.

After all, in the absence of railways, the advantages of water transportation were unparalleled. Even after the railway was built, water transportation also had many advantages -

As far as Zhu Youjian knows, the Yangtze River freight volume in later generations was higher than the national railway freight volume. The transportation capacity of a Yangtze River is stronger than that of the national railways.

Nowadays there are no railways. The advantages of Yangtze River shipping are unparalleled.

Zhu Youjian needs to open up this artery and promote development along the Yangtze River. Let Suzhou and Songjiang at the mouth of the Yangtze River become more prosperous.

Moreover, he had previously wanted to let Zheng Zhilong and others go to Yunyang to recruit refugees, and this route was also needed. It is necessary to use Zheng Zhilong and others to attract businessmen and people along the Yangtze River to turn their attention overseas.

Although the ministers did not know the emperor's thoughts, no one in Jiangnan knew the importance of shipping on the Yangtze River.

After all, as more mulberry and silkworms are planted in the Taihu Lake area of ​​Suzhou, the food in the Jiangnan area will inevitably rely more on the upstream Huguang, Jiangxi and other places.

The emperor's saying, "If Huguang is well developed, the world is sufficient" is becoming a reality. And this trend cannot be reversed at all.

Therefore, after the emperor proposed the establishment of the Yangtze River Minister, officials from the south of the Yangtze River agreed one after another. Wen Tiren, the Minister of Rites, who was born in Wucheng, Huzhou, said:

“Silk from Jiangnan and Hu is everywhere in the world, but the people from Nanxun are better at reeling silk.”

"Although Nanxun is a town, it can be called a city."

"Jiangnan produces less and less grain, and relies on grain from Huguang and Jiangxi."

"I think the Yangtze River Minister should be appointed to sort out the shipping on the Yangtze River."

Cabinet scholar Shi Fenglai and others also said the same thing.

It can be said that all the officials in Jiangnan support this matter.

As for the courtiers in Huguang, they are even more supportive.

After all, the emperor said the phrase "If Huguang is cooked, the world is sufficient", which means that in terms of food, Huguang has replaced Suhu's previous position.

These officials who came from Huguang are naturally honored.

Therefore, many officials support the establishment of this position, and only a few officials oppose it. The main concern is that the governor of Water Transport is also the governor of Fengyang and the minister in charge of the Yangtze River, but there seems to be no place for him to concurrently serve.

How should such ministers without residence be established?

What is the level and how to govern the Yangtze River?

Zhu Youjian thought about this for a while and said:

"Jiujiang was called Jiangzhou in ancient times, and Wuchang was called Jiangcheng in ancient times."

"It can be said that these two places are the key to Yangtze River shipping."

"In addition, grain must be transported from Huguang and Jiangxi, and the Yangtze River Minister's office is located in Jiujiang and Wuhan."

"When you go downstream to Nanjing, you can work at the Nanjing Ministry of Industry."

"If necessary in other places, corresponding branches can also be established after Minister Yang Jiang takes office."

Regarding the appointment of the Yangtze River Minister, Zhu Youjian did not want him to stay in one place, but to work mobilely along the Yangtze River.

Therefore, this position is called the inspection envoy by Zhu Youjian:
"The Minister of the Yangtze River can be called the patrol envoy, with the same status as the governor, and patrols the Yangtze River on my behalf."

"There are also two deputy patrol envoys to assist in handling affairs, and their status is the same as that of the inspection envoys."

"The provinces along the Yangtze River should also have special deputy inspectors to inspect Yangtze River affairs."

"In the future, when provinces establish departments of industry and commerce, they will set up special water conservancy departments under the departments of industry and commerce to be responsible for water control and shipping matters."

"These water conservancy departments and the co-presidents and magistrates of coastal state governments, who have canal and water conservancy responsibilities, must obey the orders of the Yangtze River Patrol Envoy."

With such a setup, there are not many additional officials. The main specific affairs are still the responsibility of local officials.

It's just that there is an extra Yangtze River patrol envoy above. If we engage in beggar-thy-neighbor behavior in the future, it will be difficult to handle.

After discussions between the emperor and his ministers, the office and subordinate officials of the Yangtze River Patrol Envoy were gradually determined, and their responsibilities were also determined:

"The Yangtze River patrol envoy is first responsible for flood control in the Yangtze River and early warning and prevention of floods and droughts along the Yangtze River."

"For example, there are heavy rains in many places in the upper reaches, and the river water flowing down the river may cause disasters. After the officials of the Yangtze River Patrol Office learn about it, they should send people to inform the lower reaches in time."

"At the same time, dams in various places must be renovated and flood discharge areas must be demarcated. When the floodwaters are about to overflow the dams, people in the flood discharge areas must be evacuated and the floodgates should be opened in time to release the floods."

Speaking of this place, Zhu Youjian remembered something and warned:

"Most of the lakes and swamps along the Yangtze River have flood discharge functions."

"But now that lakes are being reclaimed for farmland in various places in the south of the Yangtze River, many lakes have disappeared."

"Even big lakes like Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake are shrinking."

"We must pay attention in the future and strictly investigate the land reclamation from lakes."

"Without the approval of the Yangtze River Patrol Office, no unauthorized occupation of lakes is allowed."

"Those who reclaim and live in flood discharge areas will bear the consequences themselves."

Most people at this time were unaware of the dangers of reclaiming lakes for farmland.

When the emperor said this, some people thought it was alarmist. Liu Hongxun, the young minister of Honglu Temple, said disapprovingly:

"Your Majesty, the common people are in dire straits. They build fields by the lakeside for their livelihood."

"They risked their lives in farming. The court should encourage them and prevent them from getting promoted."

It is believed that land reclamation from lakes should be encouraged with a tax-free policy.

Zhu Youjian frowned when he heard that Liu Hongxun was blatantly violating his own policies and was somewhat tit-for-tat.

Seeing this, Xue Fengxiang, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, hurriedly reprimanded loudly:
"Your Majesty said that it is not good to encircle the lake to build farmland. Do you think this is right?"

"The lakes are surrounded, where will the floods go?" Li Congxin, the minister in charge of the rivers, also believed that we should be cautious when encircling lakes to build farmland. He also explained the dangers of reclaiming land from lakes based on his own experience in river management:
"When I was regulating the river, I often found siltation areas. Only by dredging the siltation can the water flow smoothly."

"If there were no dams, after the lake was built for farmland, a lot of soil would be washed into the water. There would be too much sediment in the water, and when the downstream flow is gentle, siltation would easily occur."

"One should be cautious when reclaiming lakes for farmland. Only when the tidal flats that have been completely diverted are identified can fertile farmland be reclaimed."

With the support of this professional official, many people's views on lake reclamation began to change. It does make some sense to think that the emperor wanted to restrict the practice of reclaiming lakes for farmland.

Zhu Youjian was very pleased with Li Congxin's statement and said:
"What Li Qing said is very much in line with my wishes!"

“Not only reclaiming land around lakes, but also reclaiming barren hills and slopes is also prone to soil erosion, with sediment flowing into rivers.”

"The reason why the lower reaches of the Yellow River became an above-ground river is because there are too many barren mountains and ridges in the upper reaches. After the reclamation, there were heavy rains, and a large amount of soil was washed into the river, and then merged into the Yellow River, and accumulated in the lower reaches of the Yellow River."

"To solve this problem, we must plant trees and grass, conserve water sources, and pay attention to maintaining water and soil."

When Li Congxin heard this statement, he was suddenly enlightened and understood the source of the sediment in the Yellow River. Thinking again of the emperor's praise, he praised:
"Your Majesty's words can be seen thousands of miles away."

"Shaanxi, Shanxi and other places in the upper reaches of the Yellow River do have many barren hills and soil erosion."

"I am the Minister of the River, and the most important thing is to control the Yellow River."

"As His Majesty said, pay attention to preserving soil and water."

Zhu Youjian nodded with satisfaction, but said no more.

Because there is not enough food in Shaanxi now, and there are refugees everywhere. It is impossible to ask them to plant trees and grass to conserve water and soil, or even to convert farmland into forests. It cannot be implemented now.

Therefore, he paid more attention to the Yangtze River and said:

"The big river has turned into the Yellow River. We must not let the Yangtze River turn into another Yellow River."

"So the Yangtze River Patrol Office must also take up the matter of soil and water conservation."

“In addition to reclaiming lakes for farmland, we should also pay attention to the places where the tributaries of the Yangtze River flow.”

"We must pay attention to the construction methods of terraces, and convert farmland into forests in mountainous areas with steep slopes and serious soil erosion."

“Trees and grass should be planted on barren hills to reduce soil erosion.”

"Beach protection forests should also be built on the river beaches to prevent them from being washed away by the river."

Lin Linzong always talked about a lot of things about preserving soil and water.

After all, preventing soil erosion has become common sense in later generations and is often mentioned when protecting the environment.

Zhu Youjian asked Li Congxin to write down these things carefully and implement them in the Yangtze River first.

Then there is the second responsibility of the Yangtze River Patrol Envoy, which Zhu Youjian is more concerned about, which is to open up the Yangtze River water transport:
"The Yangtze River Inspection Office must determine the navigable channels along the Yangtze River and its navigable capabilities."

"Determine where ships of various tonnage can navigate."

"We must continue to dredge the waterway and reduce dangerous shoals and rocks so that more ships can pass safely."

“We must find ways to rebuild bridges and pontoons that block traffic.”

"The tax cards along the route must be standardized."

"In the future, a single tax system will be implemented on the Yangtze River. All ships passing through can only be taxed once. All other checkpoints will not be taxed twice."

“In order to prevent local governments from setting up private tax customs, the Yangtze River Patrol Office established a tax department, which is directly managed by the Taifu Temple Taxation Administration and is responsible for Yangtze River taxation.”

"Taifu Temple must come up with a plan for the specific tax rate, how to divide it among local governments, and how much money to allocate to the Yangtze River Patrol Office for Yangtze River management."

Guo Yunhou, the minister of Taifu Temple, heard this and hurriedly responded.

After presiding over the Ming Dynasty examination, he realized that the emperor's determination to reform the tax system was unstoppable. In these days, preparations have been made to build various yamen in Taifu Temple according to the emperor's instructions.

Now that the emperor gave him the responsibility of establishing a tax department in the Yangtze River Patrol Mansion, Guo Yunhou immediately realized that this was an opportunity——

An opportunity to establish a tax agency in the South and have it accepted by the Southern provinces.

As long as the taxation department of the Yangtze River Patrol Prefecture can be established and businessmen in various provinces can see the benefits of the single tax system, they will support the taxation agencies of Taifu Temple and establish them in various places in the south——

After all, no one wants to pay tax once at each checkpoint. No matter how low the tax rate is, it will not add up to a small number.

It's not like the one-tax system proposed by the emperor. You only need to pay the tax once to pass all the checkpoints.

Bi Ziyan, the Secretary of the Ministry of Household Affairs, suddenly realized after hearing the emperor's decision to establish a tax department in the Yangtze River Patrol Mansion, and understood why the emperor wanted to establish the Yangtze River Yamen at this time -

It turned out that the purpose was to collect taxes along the Yangtze River and take the tax customs along the Yangtze River into the hands of the imperial court.

This matter has the support of officials and people in Jiangnan, Jiangxi, Huguang and other places. It is a good thing that benefits the Yangtze River coast and is indeed a suitable entry point.

So he also spoke out to support this matter.

Yuan Keli knew how serious the border army's payment arrears were. He also knew that Liaodong had requested payment of payment silver a few days ago, but the emperor did not fully meet their request.

This made him realize that the emperor's internal treasury was not rich, or that it was impossible to allow his ministers to take money, so he, the Minister of War, could only support the court in collecting taxes.

Not to mention Xue Fengxiang of the Ministry of Works. The Yangtze River Patrol Envoy is obviously under the command of the River Minister. Its establishment is a good thing to enhance the power of the Ministry of Works. Therefore, he and Li Congxin strongly supported this.

He even thought that after the Yangtze River Patrol Office was established, the Yellow River Patrol Office could be established in the future——

After all, when it comes to river management, the Yellow River is more important.

The Ministry of Industry has these two local yamen, which is equivalent to having two governors below.

It will also be easier for future officials from the Ministry of Industry to relocate.

The rest of the officials also supported the emperor, including Yang Jingchen, the Minister of Rites, Wen Tiren, the Minister of Rites, and Su Maoxiang, the Minister of Punishments.

With the unanimous support of these ministers, the Yangtze River Patrol Envoy was established.

After Yang Jingchen carefully thought about it, he proposed candidates for this position:

"Li Yangzheng, the former governor of water transportation, once patrolled the two rivers and was governor of water transportation. He has rich experience in shipping and river management."

"He was also instrumental in pacifying the White Lotus demon thief, and was promoted to Minister of the Ministry of Punishment in Nanjing."

"I think we should revolt and establish a Yangtze River Patrol Office."

This person's qualifications were so high that Yang Jingchen did not propose anyone else, but directly suggested that Li Yangzheng be appointed as the Yangtze River Patrol Envoy and be responsible for establishing the Yangtze River Patrol Office.

Zhu Youjian heard that Li Yangzheng had the experience of being a governor of water transportation, and had also made contributions to pacifying the White Lotus Sect. He was quite satisfied with this person and said:

"Li Yangzheng has such merits and should indeed be reinstated."

"All the ministers will vote to see if he is suitable?"

Without asking other candidates, just let the ministers vote on this candidate.

In Zhu Youjian's opinion, this matter should be a sure thing. After all, with Li Yangzheng's qualifications, it would be a humiliation for him to serve as the Yangtze River patrol envoy, and there was no need to find someone to accompany him.

The facts were not as he expected. Most of the officials in the court approved of Li Yangzheng's appointment as the Yangtze River patrol envoy.

Zhu Youjian immediately ordered Li Yangzheng to be reinstated to patrol the Yangtze River and manage the river course, and to be given the title of Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry in Nanjing and the title of Yushi of Youdu. It can be said that he is respected in terms of rank and allows Li Yangzheng to do a good job in this position. (End of chapter)