kingnovel Chapter 455 On Water Control
Chapter 455 On Water Control
Hearing this, Xiao Tingshan had a bad feeling in his heart, as if someone was targeting him.
Emperor Qianwu's eyes fell on Taifu Wang, and he said in a deep voice: "Since Taifu praised it, this article must be extraordinary."
Xu Xiang, who was standing by, said, "Lord Song's On Water Control is already amazingly brilliant. Lord Wang, are you sure this one is even better?"
Wang Taifu said in a deep voice: "Whether it is better or not, I dare not say rashly, but the angle of this article is quite different from Mr. Song's "On Water Control". It seems to be about controlling water, but in fact it is about controlling people."
This statement aroused the interest of Emperor Qianwu.
"Show it up, Wang Xi."
"Yes."
Tutor Wang handed the letter to Wang Xi, who took it and read it carefully.
The ministers looked at the emperor's expression and discussed in low voices at the jade steps.
Soon, Emperor Qianwu asked Wang Xi to give the letter to several close ministers and said in a deep voice: "You can all take a look at it too."
After watching this, all the court officials began to discuss in low voices.
"This specific flood control strategy is more detailed than what Lord Song wrote. All the rules are listed in great detail. Not only that, there are also specific silver and labor counts. If what he said is correct, this person is proficient in this field."
"I think what is even more rare is the idea that flood control must start with treating people. The reason why the floods in the south of the Yangtze River have not been cured for a long time is probably not because the floods are difficult to treat, but because the local officials are inactive, each doing their own thing, and having their own selfish motives, which has slowed down the progress of flood control."
"That's right. Although this statement is sharp, it is not without reason. Whether the government silver for disaster relief is really used for disaster victims and flood control remains to be investigated."
"Officials in Jiangnan frequently change, and they often overturn previous flood control policies and start all over again. I don't know how much manpower and material resources this will cost. We really should stick to it."
A few thin pieces of paper were circulated among several ministers and officials, causing quite a heated discussion.
Xiao Tingshan stood in the crowd. Because of his low official position and because Huang Ying's parents had just testified against him, even though he wanted to see what was written on the letter, he couldn't take the initiative to speak.
Xiao Heyu's brows became more gloomy, and he felt depressed.
I thought Song Tingshan would definitely get the position of deputy commander-in-chief of the Privy Council, but I didn't expect such a change to happen.
There is also this letter in the hands of Master Wang that came from nowhere.
Although he didn't see it, he heard some key points.
"May I ask, Master, where did this letter come from?"
Wang Taifu bowed to Xiao Heyu and said, "Your Highness, I am ashamed to say that this letter was delivered to me by a servant on my way to court... I don't know where it came from."
"The signature on this letter is Mingde."
"I only left my name, I guess I don't want anyone to know it..."
"Lord Song can also take a look at this article. What do you think of it?" An old minister who was on good terms with Xiao Heyu spoke at the right time.
Xiao Tingshan took it with both hands: "Thank you, Lord Tang."
After taking the letter, Xiao Tingshan read it quickly, feeling increasingly depressed.
The article he wrote, "On Water Control", is all about how to control floods, and it gives detailed explanations on how to prevent, control, maintain and resettle the victims.
But this person's point of view is far more grand than his.
He started with the long-standing malpractices in the court, first pointing out that officials in the south of the Yangtze River were acting independently and corruption was rampant, so even the best policies would be difficult to implement. Therefore, the first priority was to clean up the officialdom and thoroughly investigate corrupt officials.
In this way, only when the officialdom in Jiangnan is clean can the court's measures be implemented and truly benefit the people.
Next, he started talking about the current flood control. The most urgent task was to dredge the blockages and divert water to irrigate the fields. At the same time, he would employ the victims of the disaster to implement work-for-relief and help the court relieve its financial burden.
At the same time, he proposed the establishment of an accountability system. Even if the officials in office are transferred, if there are problems in the governance process while in office, the accountability system can still be maintained. In this way, it can avoid wasting time and money and doing useless work.
After that, he started with the topic of flood prevention, including measures such as strengthening seawall dams, widening rivers, and regular inspections. He listed the specific practices for each and even made a rough calculation using silver geometry.
He then mentioned the supervision of disaster relief funds and proposed setting up an inspector post to secretly go to Jiangnan to investigate and ensure that every penny of the funds was used for disaster relief.
After that, he also put forward his own views on the epidemics after the floods, the distribution of relief food, the distribution of medicines, the resettlement of refugees, etc. His words were concise and to the point. Although he was not detailed enough, it was enough to show that he had real ideas in mind and that he was not just talking about it.
Xiao Tingshan's heart sank even more, and he vaguely felt as if something was moving away from him.
Mingde...Mingde...
Who is this person? Where did he come from?
Even though he didn't want to admit it, he had to admit that what this person said was very insightful and went straight to the core of the problem.
He has the ability to look at the overall situation and come up with specific measures.
If the decree is implemented as he said, the Third Prince will never again be able to embezzle the official silver for disaster relief in Jiangnan, and even the power of the Third Prince will be severely damaged.
"What do you think, Lord Song?" Xiao Yuncheng spoke in a deep voice, feeling pleased.
Although we don't know who did this, it's worth being happy that Xiao Tingshan's plan failed.
Xiao Tingshan acted modest and said respectfully: "This man is very talented. I am ashamed to be inferior to him."
At that moment, Xiao Yuncheng looked at Emperor Qianwu and said, "Father, since this person has such ability, I think it would be better to send him to Jiangnan!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Chai Zhi said, "I think we should be cautious. The source of this letter is unknown. It is still unknown whether this person is truly talented or just cheating."
"If he really has the ability to rule the world, why is he so secretive and doesn't show his true face to others? I don't know what his intention is with such an attitude!"
Emperor Qianwu's cheeks were cold and hard. He looked at Xie Jingchi, who had just read the policy paper, and said slowly: "Xie Jingchi, what do you think?"
Xie Jingchi raised his eyes and said, "I think that maybe someone couldn't stand the incompetence of the court, so they had to resort to this desperate measure!"
As soon as these words were uttered, the ministers were in an uproar.
"Master Xie, how can you boost others' ambitions and destroy your own prestige!"
"Mr. Xie's words are too harsh. It is not easy to deal with the flood in Jiangnan. How can you make such a light statement?"
"I think what Lord Xie said is right. In the past few years, the soldiers at the border have been short of food and grass, and the remaining money has been spent in Jiangnan, but what can we do? The situation is getting worse and worse! I don't know what those officials do for a living!"
"That's right. I haven't fought a war for this long! It's better to send these damn dead victims to the battlefield. With so much silver, I can support them even at the border!"
Some generals who had remained silent could not help but curse out loud.
At that moment, the civil officials were dissatisfied, and the two sides attacked each other. Coupled with the party disputes, for a time, the court was tense and tit-for-tat, and both sides spoke a lot of truth.
Xiao Tingshan couldn't help but look at Xie Jingchi, who was standing aside, silent and indifferent, and frowned slightly.
With just one sentence, he caused the war to spread in the court.
This Lord Xie is truly a man of hidden talents and deep thoughts. With just a few words he was able to stir up such turmoil.