In any case, Chen Xun is now in charge of the Ministry of Industry, so no matter whether he understands this aspect deeply enough or not, this matter cannot be bypassed by him.
Or to put it another way, since he has taken the position of Minister of the Ministry of Industry, he must have the ability to match it.
Fortunately, Chen Xun has not been idle these days. He knows where his weaknesses are.
So even though other officials were already half-resting as the New Year approached, he still spent the whole day in the Yamen of the Ministry of Industry, looking through official documents from past years.
Opportunities always come to those who are prepared. Although Chen Xun did not actually visit the general affairs in person, he had read some information about water conservancy in various places thanks to his visits to the Yamen these days.
After going over the argument between Zhang Min and Shen Yi just now in his mind, Chen Xunfang spoke.
"Your Majesty, what Shen Shangshu said is not unreasonable. Although I have been appointed to the Ministry of Industry not long ago, I have also learned about the hydrology and geography of Shawankou."
"This execution has a wide range of implications. If it is to be cured, it is necessary to carry out large-scale construction. However, the imperial court's treasury is indeed empty now."
Logically speaking, as the minister of the Ministry of Industry, Chen Xun should support the construction of the canal.
However, he had been in the cabinet for a long time and knew a little about the situation in the Ministry of Revenue. Therefore, Chen Shangshu was quite hesitant in his tone.
After a while, Chen Xun finally said.
"Your Majesty, in my opinion, this matter should not be taken too hastily, but we cannot sit idly by and ignore it. The people of several states near Shawankou are also the subjects of the imperial court."
"Even if the channel is overhauled, at least dredging the canal and strengthening the embankment are essential."
"I have only been in office for a short period of time and have not personally visited the river mouth to inspect it. I do not know the specific situation clearly. The same must be true for Mr. Zhang Ge and Shen Shangshu. Talking about whether to build embankments or canals is nothing more than talking on paper."
"In my opinion, we can send capable officials in advance to conduct a detailed survey of the local hydrological conditions, and then decide on a strategy to regulate the river based on the actual situation."
After listening to Chen Xun's words, Zhu Qiyu nodded slightly.
Indeed, river management does not happen overnight. They are just talking here and can only set a general direction.
How to practice it specifically and to what extent it needs to be practiced still depends on the specific situation.
Sure enough, the six yamen can still train people. Chen Xun was transferred from the cabinet not long ago, but he has gained a bit more stability.
This is different from the thoughtful and prudent way he handled government affairs in the cabinet before. This kind of prudentness is not just about stability, but about actually focusing on concrete practices and doing things in a down-to-earth manner.
Zhu Qiyu said with a hint of approval on his face.
"What Chen Qing said makes sense. You really shouldn't be too anxious about this matter. After the New Year, Chen Qing, you will be in charge of the capital to implement the restructuring of the craftsmen's households."
"In this case, after the New Year, Wang Wei, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, will be sent to Shawankou to conduct a detailed survey and report back."
But having said that, Zhu Qiyu couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
He actually knows the situation in Shawankou better than anyone else.
This is not just a matter of execution. In previous lives, Shawankou was constantly reinforced and its embankments burst, causing floods almost every year.
It wasn't until the fourth year of Jingtai that a huge flood occurred, which spread across several states, and the imperial court also reacted.
Real efforts were made to control the river, but by that time, the manpower and material resources required to control the river had already increased several times.
What Shen Yi said is not unreasonable, but some things will only become more serious the longer they are delayed. After all, putting out fires and repairing holes is not as good as making preparations in advance.
In a sense, the earlier Shawankou is managed, the more it will in turn help restore national strength.
As for the issue of corvee that Shen Yi has always been worried about, in Zhu Qiyu's view, it is not a big problem.
In the past few years of continuous wars, although a lot of additional corvees were dispatched, in addition to recruiting corvees to build canals and rivers, it was not impossible to mobilize the field troops from various places and even the Beijing army.
Although this will inevitably make the Beijing army's drills temporarily idle for a period of time, it does not mean that it cannot be used as an emergency if necessary.
This matter has been finalized for the time being.
Of course, Shen Shangshu was not happy about this.
Because strictly speaking, there is no conclusion to this matter, it is just postponed until the results of the investigation are released before making a decision.
But no matter what, the Emperor Jinguo said that even if the Ministry of Industry does not build the canal next year, it will focus on river management.
At most, it’s just that I don’t spend that much money, but I still have to spend it...
On the other side, after receiving the order, Chen Xun was also hesitant. After a while, Fang Dao.
"Your Majesty, since we have brought up the matter of repairing the river, I know that there is a person who is good at this. If he can go with us to inspect the river, I think he will be able to bring this matter to a faster conclusion."
There was an inexplicable silence in the main hall. Chen Xun didn't know why, but he suddenly felt a chill on his back. When he looked up, he saw the emperor's deep eyes, staring at him closely.
After a while, the emperor's calm voice came and said.
"who?"
Although he had noticed something was wrong, Chen Xun could only say that the matter had come to this point.
"Your Majesty, this person is Xu Jue, the Imperial Academy student."
Upon hearing this name, Zhu Qiyu's expression darkened, but his voice did not change and he said calmly.
"I seem to have an impression of this name. When the army reported to Beijing, he was the one who suggested moving south in front of the Queen Mother, right?"
A faint cold sweat broke out on Chen Xun's head. He really didn't expect that after so many things had happened in the imperial court, the emperor could still remember such a little person.
But the words had already been spoken, and it was difficult to recover them. Chen Xun had no choice but to prostrate himself to the ground and said.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. Although this Xu Jue has a shortcoming, he is quite accomplished in hydrology and geography. The imperial court is at the time of employing people. If he can relieve the worries of the people with his talents, he can be regarded as serving the country. .”
"Therefore, I boldly recommend Xu Jue and ask Your Majesty to allow him to participate in the river management."
Zhu Qiyu looked at Chen Xun and did not speak for a long time. It was not until cold sweat began to break out on Chen Xun's head that he heard the emperor's voice coming again, saying.
"This matter will be discussed later. As for the hydrological survey, Wang Wei, the Minister of Industry, is enough for the time being. It is not too late to talk about other matters after the survey."
"According to the decree."
Chen Xun then stood up, secretly glanced at the emperor's face, and felt a little regretful.
He expected that the emperor might have a bad feeling for Xu Jue because of his move to the south, but he did not expect it to be so serious. It seemed that his actions today were indeed a bit reckless.
After such an episode, it was obvious that it would not be appropriate to continue talking about river management.
Therefore, Chen Xun and Zhang Min looked at each other and stood up to leave in tacit agreement.
As a result, Shen Yi, the minister of household affairs, was the only one left in the palace.
After a while, Zhu Qiyu finally adjusted his mood, regained his smile, and half-jokingly spoke to Shen Shangshu.
"At this moment, Shen Qing, I'm afraid you're complaining in your heart that I'm a prodigal, right?"