Meishan Su family, Su Yun is the most virtuous

Chapter 335 Questioning!

When Su Yun attended court the next day, he indeed felt that something was wrong with the atmosphere.

When the Imperial Censor was in charge of the palace discipline and announced the start of the morning court session, someone came out and said, "I, Liang Tao, the Grand Counselor of the Secretariat, have a memorial to report!"

"Accurate."

Liang Tao stepped out, locked eyes with Su Yun, and said, "The Ministry of Works recently submitted a proposal for river management. After reading it, I feel that this is absolutely not feasible!"

Liang Tao looked at Su Yun with sharp eyes, his eyes full of fighting spirit, as if he wanted to fight Su Yun in a big battle.

At this time, Empress Dowager Gao said, "Why is it not feasible? Liang Jianyi can tell me in detail."

Liang Tao quickly said: "I think there are three things that cannot be done.

First, it cannot be that the technology does not allow it. This river management document proposes to confine water to flush sand and bring in clean water to wash the Yellow River. This statement is really absurd!

The embankment is mainly made of rammed earth. How can the loose earth embankment withstand the high-speed impact after the "water is restrained"? Once it is destroyed, the risk of breach will be aggravated!

The second reason why it is not possible is that the national strength does not allow it. According to the memorial on river management, this river management project requires the recruitment of hundreds of thousands of civilians and the investment of tens of millions of strings of funds. This is tantamount to exhausting the wealth of the world to fill a bottomless river!

Third, river disasters are a punishment from heaven. Ouyang Wenzhong once said, "River disasters are not all natural disasters, but also human failures." I agree with him.

Now we want to tie up the Yellow River like a belt, which is actually using man to control heaven. Haven't you heard of Dayu's way of dredging? Gathering water to attack sand is like building a nest in a boiling pot. Once it bursts, all lives will be destroyed. I am afraid that the disaster will be ten times more than diverting the water!

Therefore, I ask the Queen Mother to look carefully and never allow such a document to be passed and never allow such a plan to be implemented!
"I request that the person who proposed this proposal be punished. This official has recklessly restricted the flow of water and wasted the national treasury. This move may lead to the exhaustion of the national strength of the dynasty and the danger of national destruction. The person who proposed this proposal has evil intentions!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole court was in an uproar.

It was normal for Liang Tao to say that the three "don'ts" were true, and it was fine to have doubts, as Su Yun could answer them one by one. However, Liang Tao directly accused the person who proposed the "Notes on River Management" of wanting to destroy the Song Dynasty and harboring evil intentions. This was a fight to the death!
Su Yun frowned. He had been reminded by Fan Chunren that someone would make trouble in the "Hebei River Management Memorial" today. However, he did not expect that it would be Liang Tao from the Shuo Party who would make the first move, and that they would engage in a life-and-death fight right from the start. Why?
To be honest, Su Yun has already shown great goodwill to the Shuo Party. The Ministry of Works' early policies were basically centered around investments in the north. Logically speaking, this is good for the Shuo Party. Why is it that the Shuo Party is opposing him?
You know, river management is in the interests of the northern clans. If the river is managed, the interests of the northern clans can be protected. The north is the base of the Shuo Party, so why should they make things difficult for themselves?
Moreover, it was such a vicious method!

Empress Dowager Gao was also a little surprised when she heard this and said, "Why is it so? Liang Jianyi, can you bring the Ministry of Works' "River Management Plan" for me to take a look?"

Liang Tao came prepared. He took out a memorial from his sleeve and handed it to the eunuch, who passed it to Empress Dowager Gao.

The memorial was quite long, and Empress Dowager Gao read it for a long time before she said, "What Liang Jianyi said is not without reason. According to this memorial, it will indeed cost a huge amount of national funds, and the risk is also very high.

Minister Su of the Ministry of Works, this is something your Ministry of Works proposed. Do you have anything to say about Liang Jianyi's statement?"

Su Yun stepped out and bowed to Empress Dowager Gao, and then to Zhao Xu. Seeing Su Yun like this, Zhao Xu, who had been expressionless, suddenly had eyes that lit up, but Empress Dowager Gao frowned slightly.

Su Yun said loudly: "I do have something to say.

Queen Mother, when I was about to return to the Ministry of Works, you told me to take the issue of river management seriously, so my first task was to conduct a detailed discussion of the river management plan.

To this end, I asked the Ministry of Works to gather the most skilled naval and river engineers from all over the country and conduct field investigations. After more than ten rounds of investigations, meetings, and discussions, we gathered the talents of the world and finally came up with this plan.

This is the answer to Liang Jianyi's first question. That is to say, this river management plan is an extremely professional plan. Here, I would like to ask Liang Jianyi, do you understand water conservancy technology?"

Liang Tao sneered and said, "Although I don't know much about water conservancy technology, I know finance and taxation, and I can find friends who know about water conservancy.

This river management plan will cost so much money that our Song Dynasty simply cannot afford it.

As for the water conservancy technology, I asked about it. In the past, our Song Dynasty used the method of diversion to manage rivers, but you did the opposite and insisted on using the method of constricting flow.

No one has ever used this method. Are you the only one who is smart, and the people who managed the river in the past were all stupid?
In addition, there is another extremely serious hidden danger. The Song Dynasty relies on the Bian River for shipping. If the "water-control and sand-attack" strategy causes the Yellow River water level to fluctuate and affects navigation on the Bian River, then you will be shaking the foundation of the country!"

After hearing this, Empress Dowager Gao could no longer sit still and quickly asked Liang Tao, "Liang Jianyi, will this water attack on the sand affect the grain transport?"

Liang Tao nodded and said, "According to the Ministry of Works' plan, if we want to carry out large-scale river management, the canal transportation will definitely not be possible before the project is completed.

In order to control the flow of water and attack the sand, a large amount of water must be concentrated, so some sections of the river will inevitably dry up. How can ships still navigate? The water transport will naturally be cut off!

The grain transport was the foundation of Bianliang. Without it, where would the millions of people in Bianliang get their food and clothing?

This is what shakes the country's foundation!"

Empress Dowager Gao looked at Su Yun and said, "Minister Su, is what Liang Jianyi said true?"

Su Yun was a little helpless and said, "Empress Dowager, didn't the previous river management affect the grain transport at certain times? This is actually normal. Our Ministry of Industry also considered this issue when planning. Therefore, we are managing the river in sections. When the grain ships pass through this section, we will naturally have a way to deal with it.

In general, our plans are perfect and there is absolutely no chance of disrupting the water transport, so please rest assured."

Liang Tao sneered and said, "Empress Dowager, whether intentionally or unintentionally, Minister Su missed a question, that is, whether the Yellow River flows east or north, he did not make it clear!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Su Yun looked at Liu Zhi and Wang Yansou, only to find that the two were in a trance, as if they did not hear what he said.

Su Yun couldn't help but sneer.

The so-called dispute over whether the Yellow River flows east or north specifically refers to the different diversion paths of the Yellow River.

During the Northern Song Dynasty, the Yellow River changed its course many times. The North Flow refers to the Yellow River flowing north into the sea, while the East Flow refers to the Yellow River flowing eastward.

In order to maintain the grain transport, the imperial court had to artificially control the flow of the Yellow River to prevent its natural change of course from causing damage to the grain transport routes.

But doing so may face many challenges, such as natural geographical limitations, insufficient engineering technology, and ongoing maintenance costs.

Therefore, there have always been many disputes in the court on the issue of river management.

There are two very realistic problems here. The grain transport is the lifeline of Bianliang. The Song Dynasty established its capital in Bianliang, and its political center was geographically separated from the economic center in the south of the Yangtze River, making the Bianhe-Yellow River-Canal system the lifeline to maintain the operation of the country.

Every year, millions of dan of grain had to be transported north along this route. Once the Yellow River changed course or flooded, causing the Bian River to silt up, the capital would face the risk of food shortage.

This is the reason why supporters of the Dongliu School support it.

The northern school, on the other hand, emphasizes the threat of the Yellow River's natural course change, the severe siltation of the Yellow River, and the frequent swings in the lower reaches of the river.

If the main stream of the Yellow River flows northward, it may cut off the water source of the Bian River, but it can ensure long-term stability;
If it flows eastwards to the Huai River and into the sea, although it can maintain the flow of the Bian River, the Huai River system will be under pressure, which may easily cause regional floods!
Therefore, the Northern Flow School encourages people to follow nature. The terrain of the Yellow River flowing north is lower and the water flow is smoother. Forcing the Yellow River to flow eastward requires building dams to restrain the water, which is a difficult project and prone to collapse.

The reason why Su Yun felt disgusted that Liu Zhi and Wang Yansou did not say anything about this was because the Hebei gentry had always supported the North Flow, and the East Flow would cause the Yellow River to change its course frequently, which would ultimately harm the people of Hebei.

The plan proposed by Su Yun is actually more inclined towards the Northern School. In fact, this is a good thing for the Hebei gentry. The ones who should oppose it are the water transport interest groups.

But now Liang Tao, as a member of the Shuo Party, came out to use the excuse of the North Flow to stop the river management. His intentions were naturally sinister, and the reactions of Liu Zhi and Wang Yansou proved one thing: the Shuo Party was going to make trouble!

Empress Dowager Gao looked at Su Yun and said, "Minister Su, is your plan to flow north or east?"

Su Yun said: "Since the late emperor began to guide the Yellow River to flow north, the water has stabilized, and since no dikes have been built, it is normal for it to overflow.

Our Ministry of Industry advocates that the application of river management methods should determine whether the river flows east or north based on the actual situation of the river.

After our field investigation, we found that the northern flow is the best solution. We only need to build embankments to control the river water, and we can achieve relatively long-term governance results. "

Empress Dowager Gao asked, "What about the grain transport? What do you think about it?"

Su Yun said: "In the past few years, the imperial court has already implemented the diversion of Luoyang to Bianyang, which can barely maintain the grain transport. The next task of the Ministry of Works is to continue to use the idea of ​​diverting Luoyang to Bianyang and increase the water inlet to maintain the grain transport."

Liang Tao said loudly: "The water volume of Luoshui River is not enough to make the Bianhe River navigable. It's okay during the flood season, but once it encounters the dry season, it will definitely affect the canal transportation!"

Su Yun shook his head and said, "If it really comes to that kind of dry season, the Yellow River will not be able to support it.

Let's put it this way. This kind of question and answer cannot reflect the overall considerations of our Ministry of Works on river management. Let me explain the overall strategy to the Queen Mother, the Emperor, and the officials of the court."

Empress Dowager Gao nodded and said, "Yes."

Su Yun said loudly: "Thank you, Queen Mother.

I am planning to control the river out of consideration for the national economy as a whole.

I believe that transporting grain from Jiangnan to Bianliang was actually a strategic mistake.

Why did the North have to rely on the South for food during the Han and Tang Dynasties? Why does the North have to rely on the South now?
The purpose of my river management is to revive northern agriculture and the northern economy, and to make Hebei the granary of the Song Dynasty again!"

(End of this chapter)