The Prosperous Era of Longwan

"That being the case, Brother Shinan, please explain to me. If we want to completely solve the problem and ensure the smooth flow of the canal, is digging the Si Canal the only way?"

Wei Guangde continued to ask.

Zhu Heng did not have this answer, but after thinking for a long time, he looked up at Wei Guangde and said: "As long as you avoid Xuzhou, the canal will naturally be smooth."

Unlike in later generations, the Yellow River passed through Kaifeng and entered Heze and Jinan from Yingkou to the sea. At this time, it passed through Kaifeng and then entered Shangqiu and Xuzhou and entered the sea from Huai'an.

Moreover, due to the diversion of water for agricultural irrigation in later generations and the reduction of rainfall in the north, the water volume of the Yellow River has been greatly reduced. Floods in the Yellow River have almost become history and will no longer exist.

"So the people who oppose the excavation of the Jia Canal are mainly people from Xuzhou?"

Wei Guangde looked at Zhu Heng, "When you dug the Nanyang New River before, was it because of their strong opposition that you made a compromise?"

“This factor exists, but it is not absolute. If we had dug the Si Canal at that time, it would have been too late.

If we really want to start construction, we can only choose to do it during the spring famine. There is not much work in the fields, so we can recruit a large number of migrant workers without delaying agricultural production.

The other three seasons are not possible because this project is too huge. The two to three hundred miles of rivers in front and back are not something that can be simply talked about. "

Zhu Heng explained with a wry smile, "What's more, at that time, my deputy Pan Jixun and Pan Ziliang were also from the Yellow River control faction. He strongly advocated dredging the river to control the Yellow River."

"Pan Ziliang is not from Xuzhou? His family has business in Xuzhou?"

Knowing that Pan Jixun was from the Huang Baoyun faction, Wei Guangde was a little surprised.

In his opinion, people's position is basically their own interests, and only the Pan family has business in Xuzhou, so they care about Xuzhou so much.

To protect the Xuzhou section of the canal is to protect the business in Xuzhou.

"This should not happen. He just believes that only by dredging the river can we prevent the Yellow River from finding its outlet to the south.

Dredging the river will not only benefit the people on both sides of the strait, but also keep the imperial tombs in the Jianghuai River safe.

However, because of this, he has always received support from his colleagues from Xuzhou in the DPRK. There have been ups and downs, but there are always people mentioning him, giving him a chance to regain his position.

After all, there are not many officials in the DPRK who know how to control water. "

Zhu Heng explained.

"I understand, if we avoid the Yellow River, we can ensure the safety of grain transportation, but the Yellow River may be blocked and cause it to burst again and find its way to the sea.

The Yellow River control faction is worried that this will endanger the imperial mausoleums in Jianghuai, which means that even if the court decides to avoid the Yellow River, water control must continue.

Rather than throwing money at both ends, it is better to devote all your energy to controlling yellow and ensuring luck. "

Only at this time did Wei Guangde truly understand the dilemma faced by the Ming Dynasty in managing the Yellow River during this period.

It is not a simple problem of water control at all, but a complex issue involving water control, water transportation and imperial tombs.

However, Wei Guangde thought about it carefully and nodded and said: "Brother Shinan said this, I personally prefer to control the Yellow River and protect the transportation. It is easy to separate the water transportation from the other two things, but those two things will still weigh on the court's mind after all."

Tan Lun also spoke at this time: "I also support Brother Shi Nan's original decision. Instead of spending money and resources to dig hundreds of miles of new rivers, it is better to find ways to control the water."

If the Yellow River is blocked by siltation, then we should try our best to clear it and keep the river smooth. ’

"It's not that easy. If only dredging could solve the problem, the Yellow River floods would have been cured long ago."

After listening to Tan Lun's words, Zhu Heng just shook his head.

It can be said that since Zhu Heng took office as the Ministry of Works, he has actually done two things, one is to build the imperial mausoleum, and the other is to control floods.

The imperial mausoleum can always be repaired, but after so many years of water control, he almost despaired.

Especially in the years of Longqing, floods were controlled almost every year, and floods occurred every year, endlessly.

In the past, his idea was to control the yellow and protect his luck, but now, he has gradually become more inclined to avoid the yellow, and he really can't afford to be hurt.

But making such a choice is tantamount to telling the court that it is inevitable that the Yellow River will change its course and divert the Huai River into the sea. The imperial mausoleum should not be saved. It cannot be saved.

But if these words come out of his mouth, he is afraid that they will soon become an excuse for others to criticize him, and he will be in the wild soon.

Although the work is tiring, Zhu Heng still wants to be an official for a few more years, and he has not reached the point where he can't do it anymore.

"What is Pan Jixun doing now? Does he know how to control water?"

Wei Guangde suddenly asked.

"In the fifth year of Longqing's reign, floods in the Yellow River broke out again. He was dismissed due to poor flood control, and now he is idle at home."

Zhu Heng said.

"Are there any other officials in the court who know how to control floods?"

Wei Guangde asked again.

"The one who controls the water."

Zhu Heng did not answer immediately this time, but thought for a while before saying: "The only person who has done great work in controlling floods is Hai Rui Haigangfeng who left with his crown hanging."

"Um?"

Wei Guangde was very surprised when he heard Zhu Heng talking about Hai Rui.

This man was very famous in later generations, but it was all because of his integrity. Compared with the current officials of the Ming Dynasty, he really deserves the word "Qing".

Seeing Wei Guangde's confusion, Zhu Heng explained: "Although the Jiangnan area has a vast water network and is richest in the world, floods are very frequent and the people are miserable.

Every rainy season, the south of the Yangtze River is immersed in floods. Large areas of fields are flooded, resulting in no harvests. People are displaced and starve to death everywhere.

Hai Rui was appointed governor of the south of the Yangtze River mainly to control floods in the south of the Yangtze River.

Through on-the-spot inspections and reviewing the flood control records of previous chief officials, he finally found the cause of the flood. In addition to the long rainy season and high precipitation, the bigger factor was the abandonment of water conservancy facilities.

At that time, the Wusong River, Taihu Lake's main outlet to the sea, was seriously blocked. The water in Taihu Lake could not be discharged and overflowed, causing flooding.

So he petitioned to recruit civilians to dredge the rivers to solve the floods in the south of the Yangtze River. "

Wei Guangde nodded, "He succeeded."

However, Zhu Heng did not nod, but smiled and said: "The civilian men he recruited were not to clean up the blockage of Wusong River, but to widen the Huangpu River. This was actually the strategy adopted by the previous dynasty Xia Yuanji.

During the Hongwu Dynasty, the imperial court deliberately blocked the Wusong River in order to seal the outlet to the sea, resulting in large-scale siltation. The restoration project was too vast and difficult to complete in a short time.

Xia Yuanji responded to the flooding in Taihu Lake by choosing "Huangpu Seizes Song", using the Wusong River channel to divert the water from Taihu Lake to the Huangpu River, a tributary of the Wusong River at that time, and then letting the water from Taihu Lake flow along the Huangpu River into the Yangtze River and rush into the sea.

Hai Rui also chose the same strategy as him, abandoning the heavily silted Wusong River and choosing to regulate the Huangpu River and widen its outlet to the sea. Now there have been no floods there for several years. "

Wei Guangde blinked at Zhu Heng's explanation and vaguely understood something.

Wei Guangde nodded slightly at this time, but in his heart, he also regarded Hai Rui as a candidate to cure Huang.

"Do you think if the imperial court wants to control Huang again, would it be better to use Pan Jixun or Hai Rui?"

Wei Guangde asked abruptly.

Zhu Heng stared at Wei Guangde for a long time, then frowned and said, "Pan Ziliang has actually treated jaundice many times, but the results have not been satisfactory."

In fact, Zhu Heng was very polite when he said this, and did not bluntly say that Pan Jixun's previous efforts to control Huang were a failure.

"As for Hai Rui, although he knows how to control water,"

Zhu Heng obviously still had concerns about entrusting Hai Rui with such a big matter as treating pornography.

After all, managing Taihu Lake is still simple and not a big deal in his opinion, but controlling the Yellow River is not. The difficulty is vastly different.

"Okay, I understand, just as a backup."

Wei Guangde said.

"Shaloan, please tell me whether the cabinet wants it again."

Zhu Heng spoke at this time and asked Wei Guangde, but at the end of the sentence, he still didn't know how to continue.

"well"

Wei Guangde sighed, Zhu Heng and Tan Lun were here, Wei Guangde was relieved, so he didn't hide it and said directly: "Although the grain supply is stable this year, the chief minister is still worried.

Who can say for sure about flooding? "

“It’s right to prepare for a rainy day.”

Tan Lun answered.

"In addition, he still has those little thoughts, so today he mentioned the construction of the Jiao-Lai Canal in front of me. Although there is still a short sea route, the risk is less, and there is no need to go around the Jiaodong Peninsula.

This shipwreck had a great impact on the chief assistant. "

Wei Guangde continued.

"Actually, we should still completely veto the policies of Mr. Gao Ge."

Tan Lun didn't speak, but Zhu Heng answered.

He has been in the court for many years and has seen many things clearly.

The emperor and his ministers are the same, and the same is true for the chief minister.

If we continue to implement Gao Gong's policies, everyone will think of him for his achievements, but will not attribute them to the current chief assistant.

In this case, it is better to cut it off.

The next day, Wei Guangde arrived at the cabinet office. He had no idea for the time being and planned to discuss the matter of curing Huang with Zhang Juzheng when Zhang Juzheng mentioned it again.

But near noon, Zhang Juzheng suddenly sent someone over to summon him.

It was only when Wei Guangde arrived at the first assistant's house that he learned that Ninghua Prince's Palace, Fangshan Prince's Palace and Qin Prince's Palace had all sent memorials to encourage him.

"The Zongzhi is troubled every day, and the rice is at a loss. The king of the county still gets a generous reward, and the generals and lieutenants are unable to survive on their own."

Zhang Juzheng waited for Wei Guangde to read the memorial and said to him, "This time too, the generals and lieutenants of the three prefectures blocked the prefecture and county yamen again, asking for rice, which was not available in the local area. Fortunately, each prefecture sent people to arrest people. I took them all back, but it’s not the way to go on like this for a long time.”

"The most fearful thing is that some clans will deliberately cause trouble and wait for punishment from the capital. What's more, they will go beyond the confinement and go to the capital to ask for money. In the past, several clans that were imprisoned by high walls. Although freedom is restricted in Fengyang, they all have good food and drink. With.

It would be a joke if they followed suit. "

Unexpectedly, Zhang Juzheng called him here because of the clan Lumi matter. Wei Guangde knew that this matter was not easy to deal with.

The clan Lumi incident actually happened from time to time before the Jiajing Dynasty, but at that time the court still had the foundation to solve it. But in the middle and late period, the old treasury of the household department was exhausted, and the court had no way to solve it, so it began to explode in an all-round way .

"With thirty or forty thousand mouths, if a real commotion breaks out, Your Majesty will lose all face."

Zhang Juzheng looked at Wei Guangde and said, "I remember you mentioned some solutions to the late emperor earlier. I wonder if you have come up with the charter now?"

Wei Guangde thought for a moment and introduced to Zhang Juzheng in detail some of the things he had thought about before, which were nothing more than increasing revenue and reducing expenditure.

To reduce expenditure, in fact, the "Regulations on Suspensions and Vassals" in the late Jiajing period had gone to the extreme. At that time, it was decided that the distribution of lumi would be 70% for banknotes and 30% for grain. In fact, the lumi was set at 30%, and the princess was only Two percent.

At the same time, the Ministry of Rites also strictly reviewed the identity of the clan. In fact, it was intended to delay the identification time, thus delaying the time for receiving Lumi.

Regarding these actions, Wei Guangde thought that he had gone to the extreme and could not continue to reduce the income of the clan Lumi.

"The imperial court must consider allowing the clan to be self-sufficient."

Finally, Wei Guangde reminded: "The clan has multiplied so much. As someone reported before, the whole country may not be able to supply the clan." ’

"If we open up the business of the four peoples, I am afraid that no one may respond, and I am afraid that neither the court nor the palace will agree."

Zhang Juzheng said hesitantly.

Now the decision-making power of the government lies in the hands of the cabinet, and the palace exercises the power of supervision, but the final decision-making power still lies with the palace.

They may not care about civil affairs, but when it comes to the clan, they may not agree.

“If we do not abolish the ban on the four peoples, allow the clan to engage in agriculture, industry, commerce and other affairs, and allow talented people in the clan to serve as officials, the number of clans will only increase, to the point where they will completely overwhelm the imperial court.

As long as you persuade those clans who are living in difficulty and give them something to let them leave the clan to find their own way out, it will not only be good for them, but also reduce the burden on the court.

Scholars, farmers, industry and commerce, everyone can live a good life, why can't the clan live well?

As for those worries, it is enough to restrict clan members from entering the capital to serve as officials and control the army, and they can make a living by holding some local positions. "

Wei Guangde said.

"I'll think about this again. The Ministry of Rites may not agree."

Zhang Juzheng shook his head and said, "And the Yong'e you mentioned, how does it work?"

“The Ministry of Rites takes the lead in determining the population of each branch of the clan, and negotiates with the governors of each province to determine the annual quota and set it as a permanent quota, which cannot be increased or decreased.

Once this amount is determined, each province must pay the full amount of Lumi every year, and each branch of the clan, regardless of its population, will all share this amount equally according to their title.

In this way, how much Lumi each prince's palace can allocate each year is their own business. If they want to have more sons, if they can't support themselves with the Lumi allocated, that is also their business and has nothing to do with the court.

If they are allowed to deregister and join the four industries, it is expected that some members of the clan will choose to quit and take the things given by the court to make their own way out.

Whether it is doing business or taking the imperial examination, it has little to do with the court anyway. "

Wei Guangde looked at Zhang Juzheng and said, "In addition, because of their high status and a large amount of land granted to them, the princes and princes can still maintain a comfortable life. The generals and lieutenants often lack food and clothing and live miserable lives. When allocating quotas, the princes can be greatly reduced. , County King Lumi."

"The number of princes and princes is not that large. If we reduce their Lumi, other clans will not be able to get much more."

Zhang Juzheng shook his head, "Shandai, do you know how many people are in the clan now?"

Wei Guangde shook his head, but still said tentatively: "Thirty thousand?"

"Haha, not that many. I remember the Ministry of Rites reported at the end of the year before last that there were 29,000 people on the register. Now the number should be less than 30,000."

Zhang Juzheng smiled and said, "Now the prince will be given 10,000 shi every year, the county prince will be given 2,000 shi, the general of the Zhenguo will be given 1,000 shi, the general of the auxiliary will be 800 shi, the general of the Fengguo will be 600 shi, the lieutenant of the Zhenguo will be 400 shi, and the auxiliary will be The lieutenant of the state has three hundred stones, and the lieutenant of Fengguo has two hundred stones.

Even if the princes were reduced to the level of a county king or even a general, how many would there be? "

Zhang Juzheng thought about it for a long time, and then said to Wei Guangde: "In this case, write down a charter regarding your suggestion on the "Regulations on Suspensions and Vassals", and we will discuss it with the palace."