The imperial meeting reached a unanimous resolution, and the turmoil caused by the imperial examination fraud came to an end.
This made many officials feel relieved. Emperor Su He did not use imperial examination fraud to cause a big scandal.
Many officials thought that the imperial meeting was officially over.
They were all thinking about going to a restaurant to have a few drinks with their friends after going to court.
"The humble minister Qian Mingyi has written a memorial, and the projects related to regulating the Yellow River are pending.
I am responsible for managing the Yellow River in accordance with His Majesty's will, and I ask Your Majesty to approve the relevant plans for the Yellow River project.
It's just a good time to recruit workers and prepare materials during the winter, and we can officially start work after spring."
When the officials heard Qian Mingyi reported this matter, they immediately concentrated on listening.
Controlling the Yellow River was one of the most important projects of the imperial court.
The Dahua Dynasty was very powerful and had already reached the outside of the Great Wall, so it did not need to maintain a large frontier army.
However, the annual expenditure of the Great China Dynasty far exceeded that of the previous Ming Dynasty.
Among them, the largest expenditure is the construction of water conservancy projects in various places.
Regulating the Yellow River is the most expensive project among them.
Simply regulating the Yellow River has already consumed so much money.
Many officials knew about Qian Mingyi's plan to change the course of the Yellow River.
They all wanted to see Qian Mingyi's jokes, and many people believed that there was no way this project could be realized.
Su He watched Qian Mingyi stand up. Could it be that he had already thought of a solution.
The emperor and his ministers had discussed it before, but the plan proposed by Qian Mingyi was rejected by Su He. The budget of this plan was too high and the court could not afford it.
Su He said excitedly: "Qian Aiqing, you have been investigating the hydrology and meteorology of the Yellow River before, and now you have the results."
Qian Mingyi glanced at Wang Zhongce from the corner of his eyes and reported: "I would like to thank Prime Minister Wang Zhongce.
Mr. Wang led a team to inspect the ancient channel of the Yellow River and both sides of the Huaihe River.
Accompanying him were officials from the Ministry of Industry, including officials from the Yellow River Administration Office.
Based on various data, Weichen has calculated that diverting the Yellow River to Shandong is a better choice."
When Qian Mingyi said this, he thought it would be like a powder keg being lit, and a large number of officials would oppose it.
The results exceeded his expectations. There were many cases of fraud among officials, and no one objected to the diversion of the Yellow River.
The diversion of the Yellow River has a bearing on the fate of everyone along its banks, especially on both sides of the Huaihe River.
Qian Mingyi was surprised, this was completely different from what he expected.
Soon an official shouted loudly: "Sir Qian, I also understand your plan.
This is completely a fantasy and has no possibility of being realized.
If we want to rebuild the Yellow River waterway, such a large project would cost so much that the country simply cannot afford it."
This official interrupted Qian Mingyi and directly stated the results of the discussion between civil and military officials.
Most officials in the court did not believe that this plan was possible.
This is why many local officials who do not understand the plan are opposed to it.
The reason why Beijing officials rarely objected.
They know more information and will not waste their time on something that is destined to fail.
Many officials began to discuss the management of the Yellow River.
There was a lot of noise and chaos in the court hall.
Su He looked at the messy court and said angrily: "This is Dahua's court, not a vegetable market.
After listening to Qian Aiqing's talk about the project to control the Yellow River, you are now expressing your opinions in an orderly manner.
Qin Shanshui, anyone who dares to disturb the court will be expelled immediately."
Qin Shanshui had a pistol on his waist. He stood up and said loudly: "My lord, take your orders."
He looked at the people in the court with evil eyes.
The soldiers of the Qilin Guard also stood on both sides of the court with spears in both hands, like javelins, waiting for the emperor's orders at any time.
When the officials saw that Emperor Su He was really angry, they no longer dared to act recklessly.
Dahua is different from Ming Dynasty. It is impossible to cheat the imperial staff to invite names in the court.
Emperor Su He also did not use the imperial staff to punish ministers.
If a minister makes a small mistake, he will be asked to go home and reflect, and will be deprived of the qualification to continue to serve in court.
When a minister makes a big mistake, he will basically go to Dali Temple and be demoted or exiled.
Geng Mao, a doctor in the Water Conservancy Department of the Ministry of Industry. Seeing Qian's name, he immediately stood up and said: "Your Majesty, Geng Mao, a doctor in the Water Conservancy Department of the Ministry of Industry.
I am responsible for planning the national water conservancy projects, the water conservancy projects of the previous Ming Dynasty, except for Dujiangyan, which inherited the water conservancy projects of the previous dynasties.
There were no large-scale water conservancy projects built during the Ming Dynasty.
As a land of plenty, the two lakes and the three southeastern provinces still have a large number of paddy fields that are affected by disasters every year.
The Water Resources Department of the Ministry of Industry accepted His Majesty's decree, especially after the invention of cement, which made it easier to build large reservoirs.
In recent years, the Ministry of Industry has built a total of 113 large reservoirs, 598 medium-sized reservoirs, and 5,674 small reservoirs.
Small reservoirs in various places are directly connected to people's fields through water canals.
Major grain-producing provinces have 70% of their fields and can regulate field water use through reservoirs.
Ninety percent of the ditches are ordinary ditches, not concrete ditches, but this also effectively solves the problem of people relying on the weather for food.
With sufficient water supply, the grain output in the three provinces of Hunan, Henan, and Shandong has increased by more than 10% every year in recent years.
The extra food can save 30 million people from hunger.
The Water Resources Department of the Ministry of Industry monitors disasters in various places and finds that building reservoirs can effectively reduce flood disasters.
Both sides of the Yellow River experience small-scale floods every three years or so, and large-scale floods every five years or so.
Every twenty years or so, we experience a huge flood disaster that displaces millions of people.
Once we manage the Yellow River according to Mr. Qian's plan, we can increase the grain output of Henan and Shandong provinces along the way by about 20%.
Reduced flood disasters can reduce the number of victims by 300,000 to 400,000 per year."
When Su He listened to Geng Mao's words, a smile appeared on his face and he kept nodding.
Regulating the Yellow River has only a negligible role in grain production. The key to increasing grain production is fertilizer and seeds.
But regulating the Yellow River can reduce the disasters suffered by people on both sides of the Yellow River and allow cities along the way to develop.
This will bring huge benefits to the country.
Su He said in a serious tone: "I believe that the Yellow River must be managed.
Manage the Yellow River to effectively reduce disasters on both sides of the Yellow River and allow people to live and work in peace and contentment.
For this result, I will not hesitate to spend more silver coins.
Qian Aiqing, according to the plan formulated by the Ministry of Industry, how many silver coins need to be invested in regulating the Yellow River."
Su He boasted about Haikou because he had already vetoed the previous nominal budget.
If Qian Mingyi dares to speak, it means he has already thought of a way to reduce the budget.
The officials in the court saw the monarch and his ministers singing in harmony and decided to regulate the Yellow River.
Emperor Su He's attitude was very firm, the Yellow River must be regulated.
Anyone who opposes the management of the Yellow River has no sympathy for the people and is not worthy of being an official.
When Guan Neng enters a large court meeting, except for a few people, they are all human beings.
They would not object against the emperor's opinion on matters where Emperor Su He's attitude was clear.
But the silver coins consumed to regulate the Yellow River were simply beyond the reach of the imperial court.
They all listened carefully to Qian Mingyi's answer to see if he could solve the problem.
Qian Mingyi's expression remained as usual, he had already made corresponding preparations.
“Your Majesty wants to regulate the Yellow River once and for all, restrain its wild nature, and truly turn the Yellow River into a mother river.
The current Yellow River has become a hanging river above the ground. Simple repairs cannot make substantial changes.
Wei Chen decided to directly build a new Yellow River channel.
People artificially diverted the Yellow River and built five large reservoirs along the way.
Through a large amount of river water erosion and afforestation in the upper reaches, the sediment in the Yellow River is reduced as much as possible, turning the Yellow River into a clear water river.
According to Wei Chen's calculations, it will take about twenty years to control the Yellow River, and it is estimated to cost 100 million taels of silver coins.
On average, five million taels of silver coins are consumed every year."
When Qian Mingyi revealed the amount of silver coins needed to regulate the Yellow River, many officials in the court widened their eyes.
They couldn't believe that this amount was real.
The amount is higher than what many officials have discussed privately.
This huge amount is simply beyond what the court can afford.
They did not expect that Qian Mingyi would reveal this amount at the court meeting.
Many officials looked at Qian Mingyi meaningfully, waiting for him to fall out of favor.
Wu Cheng, the governor of Shuntian County, stood up and asked: "Sir Qian, it costs five million taels of silver coins every year to control the Yellow River.
Do you have any idea about this amount? My annual income has not been this much before.
Our annual income in Dahua is more, but it is only 20 million taels of silver coins.
Master Qian has to spend a quarter of the imperial court's income to regulate the Yellow River, which will directly bankrupt the imperial court's finances.
We manage the Yellow River for the sake of the people's well-being.
Are we going to raise taxes to regulate the Yellow River, which will ultimately make the people’s livelihood miserable?”
After Wu Cheng finished questioning, he bowed to Su He and said: "I ask your Majesty to consider carefully. The management of the Yellow River is a century-old plan.
Your Majesty must consider the fate of Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty and must not act too hastily.
The Grand Canal has long-term benefits, and all dynasties after the Sui Dynasty have enjoyed the benefits brought by the Grand Canal.
Only the Sui Dynasty endured the suffering caused by the Grand Canal.
Controlling the Yellow River will also benefit the future, but we must not do it too hastily. I ask your Majesty to take your time and plan for it."
Prime Minister Wang Zhongce frowned, and he also stood up and advised: "Your Majesty, I suggest that this plan be sealed.
It would cost so much to control the Yellow River, which would directly bring down the imperial court.
To reduce costs, corvee must be collected.
The negative impact it will bring to the court will cause more people to suffer, which is contrary to our original intention."
Li Zhisheng, Wei Shiming, Wu Donglin, Su Wuniu, Zhang Dezhi and other important ministers supported Wang Zhongce and successively opposed this plan.
Seeing the opposition of so many important ministers, the civil and military officials believed that Qian Mingyi's plan was absolutely impossible to pass.
The Dahua Dynasty simply cannot afford the cost of 100 million taels of silver coins.
Su He was also a little surprised when he heard Qian Mingyi's statement.
Qian Mingyi first reported the time for regulating the Yellow River, which was expected to take twenty years, and he was quite satisfied with this time.
It can take twenty years to regulate the Yellow River, which is an extremely fast time.
Even excluding the time for digging river channels, it would take more than ten years to plant fast-growing trees in the Shaanxi-Gansu region.
But Qian Mingyi proposed that the cost of regulating the Yellow River would cost 100 million taels of silver coins, an astronomical figure.
He directly scolded Qian Mingyi, saying that the Great China Dynasty could use the 100 million taels of silver coins, but they could not be used to regulate the Yellow River.
The imperial court's annual revenue growth was limited, and many silver coins had fixed uses, such as military expenses.
Suhe directly cut the budget for Yellow River management to one-tenth of the previous amount.
To manage the Yellow River, the imperial court could still afford the annual expenditure of 500,000 taels of silver coins.
Su He still remembered Qian Mingyi's bitter face when he heard that the budget had been cut by one-tenth.
He only gave Qian Mingyi two options, cutting the budget to one-tenth and continuing to manage the Yellow River.
The management of the Yellow River was left to future generations, who made tinkerings like previous dynasties did to ensure that large-scale disasters would not occur in the Yellow River.
Su He asked Qian Mingyi to think of ways to reduce the budget before he could propose it at the court meeting.
He didn't know what Qian Mingyi thought, so he directly took out the rejected original plan.
"Qian Aiqing, this budget exceeds the affordability of the imperial court.
I think a total budget of ten million taels of silver coins is more appropriate."
Wang Zhongce and other officials stared at Qian Mingyi with wide eyes.
They collectively opposed it and realized that Qian Mingyi's plan to regulate the Yellow River would fail.
None of them expected that Emperor Su He would directly cut the budget to one-tenth of its original size.
If we can really manage the Yellow River with only 500,000 taels of silver coins every year, they will definitely support it.
The Yellow River caused a large-scale flood, and the amount of money lost was more than 500,000 taels of silver coins.
It can not only spend a small amount of money but also control the flooding of the Yellow River. Most people will support this kind of good thing.
The reason why Qian Mingyi revealed his original plan at the Great Court Meeting was because his new plan was somewhat shocking.
This cost-saving approach is unacceptable to many officials.
"Your Majesty, I have a way to lower the budget.
But this method is somewhat contrary to the teachings of the saints.
We manage the Yellow River without using precious materials.
The dams of the Yellow River watercourse are also ordinary earthen dams. They cost so much mainly to pay the wages and food expenses of the workers.
As long as the Yellow River project is managed, slave labor will be used throughout the process.
You only need to pay one-third of the original food expenses, and there is no need to pay other expenses.
I can use one-tenth of the original budget to complete the task of regulating the Yellow River."
As soon as Qian Mingyi finished speaking, Hanlin Lu Yuan stood up and rebuked loudly: "Your Majesty, you must not agree to Lord Qian's request.
He used the flesh and blood of slave workers to build the Yellow River waterway.
When we manage the Yellow River, we want the people to live and work in peace and contentment. We cannot exchange other people's suffering for our own happiness.
Slaves also need to be purchased with money. Slaves who do not spend money can only be prisoners of war. To obtain a large number of prisoners of war, another war will be needed.
The country has just stabilized and we cannot allow war to start again because of this incident."
Qian Mingyi stared at Hanlin Lu Yuan and asked: "Master Lu, I propose to use slave labor to build waterways and regulate the Yellow River.
Mr. Lu only raised objections but had no solution.
Mr. Lu also followed the Ming and Qing Dynasties. He could only talk and talk but could not accomplish anything.
Could it be that Mr. Lu wants to prevent the imperial court from regulating the Yellow River and allow it to continue to overflow and harm the people on both sides of the Yellow River?"
The reason why Qian Mingyi took a detour was to stop these innocent people from talking.
Punishing people and attacking personal ethics are common methods used by Qingliu. They can't accomplish anything, but they can cause bad things.
Lu Yuan looked excited, his face turned red, and he could no longer speak.
Qian Mingyi's words were sharp and he defeated several officials who objected.
When Su He heard Qian Mingyi's method, his eyes lit up.
Using slave labor to build major projects is the most efficient way to save silver coins.
When the Sui Dynasty built the Grand Canal and evaporated corvee labor, their own citizens had to bear the consequences.
They can pass on the costs by going to other areas to get a lot of effort.
Su He saw that except for a few Qingliu officials, no important officials in the imperial court opposed this plan.
He agreed to this plan, let Qian Mingyi continue to be in charge of the Yellow River River Affairs Office, and began to prepare for the thorough management of the Yellow River.