Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 574 Deciding the Strategy! Flood Control and Personnel Management!

The Ming Dynasty is currently undertaking in-depth national land planning.

Vast tracts of land in the Ming Dynasty were meticulously planned for planting crops and creating forests.

Annual grain production is growing at an incredible rate.

This is an achievement resulting from the construction of large-scale water conservancy projects. Although the breach of the Yellow River indicates that there were many hidden problems, the overall achievement is still enormous.

On the other hand, the successful introduction of high-yield crops such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn also played a significant role.

In addition, due to advancements in iron smelting technology, inexpensive iron tools became widely available, giving farmers more efficient land reclamation tools, which led to a continuous expansion of cultivated land and provided a material basis for increased grain production.

Zhu Yunwen's food strategy was that the basic food rations must be produced and supplied by the Ming Dynasty itself to ensure that the rice bowl is firmly in its own hands, which is the fundamental guarantee of national security.

The surplus grain can be exported.

However, for cash crops such as natural rubber, pepper, sappanwood, cotton, and even timber, the country mainly relies on large-scale imports.

There are several reasons for this.

First and foremost, it is safest to firmly hold one's own "rice bowl" in one's own hands.

The population of the Ming Dynasty is far less dense than in later generations, and its arable land resources are sufficient to meet the needs of the domestic population. In theory, there is no need to import grain.

The reason why grain imports were still being made in the past was simply to address the short-term gap caused by a surge in demand.

With the continued development of agriculture, there is no longer any need to continue importing.

Secondly, the current food production of various countries in the world is actually not enough to feed their own people.

Although the Ming Dynasty could import them, doing so for a long time would undoubtedly exacerbate the conflicts between the Ming Dynasty and other countries.

This led the people at the bottom of the country, who were starving, to believe that the reason they were starving was because their grain was exported to the Ming Dynasty, thus causing them to hate the Ming Dynasty.

This is not conducive to the Ming Dynasty establishing a glorious and great image overseas, and thus making it easier to do business.

Conversely, importing cash crops and other resources from these countries is a different story.

Once a certain industry has been established, their cash crops must be exported to the Ming Dynasty.

The Ming Dynasty then exported grain to them, ensuring that the common people could have enough to eat.

This approach will make the Ming Dynasty appear more friendly to people around the world, making it easier to conduct investment, trade, and mineral resource development.

But this also means that the Ming Dynasty must become both an industrial nation and a powerful "agricultural nation".

Fortunately, the Ming Dynasty also possessed such potential.

Through the construction of water conservancy projects, the introduction of new crop seeds, variety improvement, the promotion of scientific planting techniques, and the widespread use of new pesticides and natural fertilizers such as bird droppings, the grain output of the Ming Dynasty soared like a rocket.

In just a few years, the grain output of the Ming Dynasty has more than doubled.

The problem of having enough to eat, which has plagued the Chinese people for thousands of years, has been largely solved.

This is why Zhu Yunwen dared to let the people eat their fill when he was providing disaster relief.

The Ming Dynasty is currently not short of food.

In the foreseeable future, Zhu Yunwen was confident that he could increase the Ming Dynasty's grain production several times over, resulting in a considerable surplus of grain.

With the widespread use of coal mines, the demand for firewood has decreased significantly. In addition, the imperial court has allocated substantial funds to vigorously promote afforestation. As a result, the mountains in the Central Plains, which had become barren due to excessive logging, have visibly turned green again.

The overseas expansion policy has been a great success, and coupled with the ongoing industrial and technological revolution, it is making the entire Ming Dynasty increasingly prosperous and changing rapidly.

The management of the Yellow River was an extremely difficult project, a long-standing problem that had plagued China for thousands of years, and a crucial step in the Ming Dynasty's industrialization.

Therefore, Zhu Yunwen came in person.

The scholars of the Ming Dynasty were not without knowledge.

Having managed the Yellow River for many years, Chen Zheng naturally understood why the Yellow River was yellow.

Upon hearing His Majesty the Emperor's words, he was startled and looked up in surprise at the emperor's figure before him.

At that moment, Chen Zheng suddenly felt that the emperor's figure was becoming increasingly tall and imposing.

Since His Majesty ascended the throne, he has vigorously promoted "science".

Through a series of measures, including building granaries, constructing water conservancy projects, promoting the use of manure, and importing grain from overseas, the Ming Dynasty ensured that the people of the land had enough to eat and wear.

This is the first time in thousands of years that such an event has occurred.

Before this, even in the "golden age" that history books lavishly praise, countless people still went hungry.

Now, under Your Majesty's rule, the Ming Dynasty has truly achieved a state where there are no starving people on the roads!

Even amidst the devastating floods and rampant corruption in Henan's officialdom, the disaster victims still received the much-needed food.

There were no cases of people starving to death everywhere due to the disaster.

There were no cases of cannibalism.

It is worth noting that records of "a great famine in which people ate each other" are numerous in historical books.

Even during the height of a dynasty, such events due to natural disasters occur in countless local areas, not even at the end of a dynasty.

Only Your Majesty has managed to completely eliminate such tragedies.

Your Majesty is truly a wise ruler unlike any other in history!
Chen Zheng had no doubt about this whatsoever.

His reason for speaking in that way was that he was worried that His Majesty might take some unrealistic actions in order to manage the Yellow River.

Based on past experience, His Majesty does indeed have a tendency to be ambitious and eager for quick success.

However, His Majesty eventually accomplished everything he set out to do.

His Majesty's "ambition and love of achievement" have also yielded excellent results.

But the deep worry in his heart could not be dispelled.

Isn't Your Majesty being too hasty?

Aren't the various large-scale projects undertaken by the Ming Dynasty a bit too numerous?

Hearing the Emperor's resolute words, Chen Zheng felt much more at ease.

Although His Majesty was somewhat angry at his slip of the tongue, he did not fly into a rage or lose his temper. Instead, after reprimanding him, he continued to speak eloquently, demonstrating his clear understanding and confidence in the strategies for managing the Yellow River.

This is the true demeanor of a ruler!
"Your Majesty is absolutely right!" Chen Zheng recovered from his shock and immediately said, "Although I am not very talented, I have some limited experience in managing the Yellow River over the years."

"In my opinion, if we want the Yellow River to be stable and secure in the long term, we can adopt two major measures: 'constraining the water to attack the sand' and 'remote dikes to prevent floods', and do both at the same time."

“‘Constricting the water to attack the sand’ means building dikes to narrow the river channel and force the water to flow faster.”

"By utilizing the powerful scouring force of the water flow, the silt at the bottom of the riverbed is carried away, thereby reducing the accumulation of sediment in the river channel." "As for 'remote dike flood control,' it involves expanding the area of ​​the riverbank and building a second line of defense at a distance from the riverbed."

"All residents within the riverbank will be relocated, but the farmland will be preserved and granted tax exemption by the imperial court."

"When the rainy season arrives and the Yellow River rises sharply, the river can be allowed to flood the riverbanks, and only the remote dikes can be used to resist the flood."

"In this way, the Yellow River's flood discharge width can be expanded by dozens of times during the flood season, thus slowing down the water flow and naturally reducing the ferocity of the water."

"Although the river appears to be wide and boundless, it is not as treacherous as a narrow river channel."

"No matter how large the flood, it can be successfully discharged into the sea."

"With these two methods, combined with afforestation in the upper reaches, the Yellow River may be able to enjoy long-term stability and peace."

Zhu Yunwen gave him a deep look, his tone playful: "You're quite well-informed. You've found out exactly what I said in court?"

Chen Zheng's heart skipped a beat, and he knelt down and kowtowed in panic again: "Your Majesty, please see the truth! I have never inquired about the imperial edict without permission. These remarks are all based on my many years of experience in river management, and I have never deliberately eavesdropped."

He defended himself urgently and sincerely, fearing that he would be accused of spying on the emperor's will and forming cliques for personal gain.

Zhu Yunwen smiled faintly, not delving into the matter, and simply waved his hand dismissively: "In that case, what you see coincides with my thinking."

"Your Majesty is farsighted and has already made a plan. I was merely showing off my limited skills in front of Your Majesty. I am truly humbled and trembling with fear."

As Chen Zheng spoke, he kowtowed repeatedly, his tone filled with deep awe and shame.

He was indeed quite surprised.

This strategy for river management is a summary of his experience over the past twenty years of working tirelessly day and night along the Yellow River, and it is the lifelong learning that Chen Zhengzheng is very proud of.

When it comes to his talent in managing the Yellow River, he believed that no one in the Ming Dynasty could surpass him.

However, how could he not be shocked when he heard His Majesty the Emperor say that the plan he proposed had already been discussed with the ministers in court?

Chen Zheng knew very well that the emperor would never lie to him.

The problem is that this young emperor had never personally gotten involved in the "river works" and had never even seen the Yellow River with his own eyes.

In the distant city of Jinling, he was able to come up with a brilliant plan out of thin air, a plan that he had pondered for twenty years. This was simply unbelievable!
The differences between people are truly vast.

Chen Zheng sighed silently to himself.

On second thought, it seems normal.

His Majesty not only excelled in poetry and prose, but also pioneered the field of "science," leading the Ming Dynasty into an unprecedented new era.

What am I to compare myself to His Majesty?
He found the mere thought of it absurd and laughable.

Your Majesty's talent is known to everyone in the world.
How could Chen Zheng possibly compare to him?

Even though His Majesty has never worked on river projects, his exceptional talent allows him to grasp the essence of river management, which is not surprising at all.

Such extraordinary insight proves that Your Majesty is the chosen one.

Although scholars in feudal times often talked about "loyalty to the emperor," deep down they mostly looked down on the emperor.

They firmly believed that they possessed the talent to govern the country and benefit the people, and that only with their assistance could the emperor achieve a lasting imperial legacy.

Otherwise, one will find it difficult to make any progress and achieve nothing.

This is the pride unique to scholars.

Scholars always felt that governing the world was a matter of utmost importance, and that "no one but me could do it!"
This is why scholars, after entering the court, always compete with the emperor for power, hoping that the emperor can "rule by doing nothing" and entrust them with the heavy responsibility of governing the country.

To put it bluntly, they believed deep down that the emperor's abilities were limited and he was incapable of governing the country well; only scholars like themselves could ensure the stability of the empire and the well-being of the people.

Therefore, the emperor only needed to sit comfortably on the dragon throne and act as a "figurehead ruler" who did not interfere in state affairs, and the world would naturally be at peace.

This mindset of "I am indispensable" has been deeply ingrained in the very marrow of every Confucian scholar since the birth of Confucianism.

After all, even Confucius, the sage of Confucianism, harbored the same ambition, hoping that the monarch would completely heed his political views.

Later Confucian scholars, who studied Confucius, naturally inherited this profound "ideological connotation".

However, in the Ming Dynasty, the current emperor, Zhu Yunwen, truly won the hearts and minds of all the scholars in the land.

For the first time, they were filled with awe: It turns out that even without our assistance, His Majesty can still govern the country in an orderly manner, and even better!
Chen Zheng's thoughts raced, when suddenly Zhu Yuntong's voice rang in his ears again: "Since you already had a good plan in mind, why didn't you report it before?"

"Your Majesty!" Chen Zheng was startled from his thoughts and hurriedly explained, "It's not that I'm unwilling to offer advice, but rather that I have many concerns."

"The method of 'constricting water to attack sand' is relatively easy to explain. On the surface, it only requires building a sturdy river embankment with reinforced concrete."

"However, while this method is ingenious, it is also extremely risky."

"After the water is constricted, the riverbank becomes narrower and the current becomes more treacherous."

"Once the river embankment is breached by floods, the damage will be far greater than before."

"To truly implement this method, it must also be combined with 'remote dike flood control'."

"To implement 'remote dike flood control,' it is necessary to expand the flood diversion area of ​​the Yellow River."

"But both banks of the Yellow River are fertile fields where people have lived and multiplied for generations, and there are many people living there."

"Relocating them all will be no easy task."

"This requires the imperial court to allocate a huge sum of money, and even more so, the concerted efforts of officials at all levels to make proper arrangements."

"Otherwise, it will inevitably provoke strong opposition from people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and may even lead to popular uprisings, with unimaginable consequences."

Chen Zheng took a deep breath, his tone revealing deep concern: "It is precisely because of these considerations that I dare not speak rashly, lest I mislead the country and its people."

"Only after witnessing Your Majesty's courage in controlling the floods and your wisdom in Yao and Shun can I confidently present this plan to you."

"But I never expected Your Majesty to have such a strategy in mind. It is I who have made a fool of myself."

"I still have one more piece of advice to offer."

"If Your Majesty wishes to implement this law, you must carefully select honest and capable officials, properly appease and settle the people, and never act rashly."

Zhu Yunwen nodded slightly and replied in a deep voice, "I understand."

His gaze turned to the vast expanse of fertile land beside the Yellow River that had been submerged by floods.

Although the floodwaters have receded in many places, the erosion and siltation marks are still clearly visible, and the scene is one of devastation and ruin.

"To accomplish this task, the person must possess immense power, enabling them to easily coordinate the affairs of government offices in the provinces along the Yellow River. They must also have a compassionate heart for the common people and exceptional flood control abilities."

……

(End of this chapter)