Time Travel: The Useless Prince, First Destroy the Princess

Next was Du Zheng. After taking on this task, he naturally had to listen to his boss's opinion!

Of course Liu Yan also had to explain some things.

After paying his respects, Du Zheng sat down.

"Mr. Du, I want to hear your opinion!"

"Yes!" Du Zheng already had his own idea in his mind, but it had not yet been fully formed.

"Your Majesty, I have traveled extensively in the provinces and counties in recent years. This flood was not only a natural disaster, but also a man-made disaster!"

"Man-made disasters, tell me about it!"

Liu Yan was very happy to see that Du Zheng was confident.

"Today, the world is peaceful, but to make a living, people are constantly reclaiming land, setting fire to mountains, and turning them into farmland. This has severely damaged trees, and every time it rains, there are countless landslides. This is just one of the problems!"

"It's understandable that the people destroyed the forests and reclaimed wasteland to make a living. It's my fault that I failed to ensure their complete prosperity."

"Your Majesty, your words are profound. For a hundred years, wars have been frequent, and the people have been displaced, without even the opportunity to reclaim the wasteland. Your Majesty's extraordinary talent and strategy have unified the country, and the people now live and work in peace and contentment. This is a great virtue! The people are all grateful for your Majesty's kindness!"

Du Zheng rarely talked nonsense in front of other officials, but he was very good at flattering the emperor.

"Okay, stop flattering me. Are there any other man-made disasters?" Liu Yan felt very pleased when he saw him flattering him.

In more than a hundred years, he was indeed the only emperor who unified the world, and Du Zheng's flattery was not excessive.

"Secondly, due to years of war, local water conservancy facilities have fallen into disrepair. Whenever there are flash floods, they are unable to prevent or discharge the water. Some water dams are even not strong enough. When flash floods come, they accumulate water and then burst the dams, which in turn exacerbates the flooding!"

"Yes! Any more?"

"Third, most local officials are only concerned with immediate interests, focusing on encouraging agriculture and collecting taxes, but not on maintaining water conservancy facilities and preventing disasters before they occur. Worse still, when disasters occur, they argue and shirk responsibility, causing the disaster to be artificially aggravated!"

"The problem of official administration really gives me a headache!"

Liu Yan knew that many of the local officials were small princes, and there were many cases of fighting against each other and even framing each other!

There are also many officials who deliberately support bandits and create disasters in order to gain benefits, making the court feel that they cannot do without them.

These officials were all selected and appointed through the recommendation system, and they all had the support of powerful forces, some of them were high-ranking officials in the court and royal relatives.

The situation has become so powerful that it is difficult to get rid of it, threatening the emperor's power to select and appoint officials.

However, the governance of civil service is not something that can be done overnight. Perhaps it is time to consider how to select officials!

But apart from the recommendation system, is there any better way to select officials?

"So how do you think these problems should be solved?"

Let’s not consider long-term issues for now, and focus on the current disaster relief work first.

"Since Your Majesty has entrusted me with the task of pacification, I shall do my utmost!" Du Zheng frowned. "I believe that, first of all, we should repair the water conservancy facilities. We should repair those dams that are strong and provide protection, and completely destroy those that have already broken to prevent water from accumulating and causing disasters!"

"Second, local officials should guide the people in reclaiming wasteland, put an end to crude and indiscriminate methods such as slash-and-burn farming and water-hoeing, and protect the mountains and forests!"

"Third, we must repair the damaged farmland. The court will provide seeds to the victims. Plant grains in abundance in the spring, and the harvest will surely be bountiful!"

"Fourth, comfort the victims, especially by providing them with shelter. If they can survive, there will be no civil unrest!"

"Fifth, disaster relief results will be incorporated into the evaluation of local officials. Those who have made contributions to disaster relief will be rewarded, and those who fail to do so will be dismissed! Anyone who takes advantage of this opportunity to enrich themselves will be executed!"

Du Zheng listed them one by one, and Liu Yan nodded slightly.

These measures are indeed highly feasible, which shows that Du Zheng is indeed extremely capable.

"If there are any deficiencies in the above five points, please correct me, Your Majesty!"

"Very good!" Liu Yan felt that these five points were already very good. "I grant you full authority to handle the financial and personnel matters of disaster relief. Just go ahead and do it with confidence!"

"Yes, thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!" Du Zheng bowed slightly.

"Oh, I have one more thing!"

Liu Yan then moved on to another topic.

"Your Majesty, please explain clearly!" Du Zheng's heart tightened. Is there any other problem?

"Mr. Du, you also know that the Crown Prince is just beginning to gain wisdom. As the crown prince of our Great Jing Dynasty, he naturally cannot ignore the major issues concerning the people of the world!"

Liu Yan said this, staring into Du Zheng's eyes.

Du Zheng immediately understood that they were going to arrange for the prince to go with him to provide disaster relief!

This is a difficult task!

Even if the prince has normal IQ now, he knows nothing about disaster relief!

It’s good enough that he can eat and drink without saying stupid things or doing stupid things!

How can one pacify the people of the world?

What he feared most was that he was completely clueless and would give him orders blindly, or even make accusations against him in front of the emperor. Then it would be very difficult for him to carry out his work.

But I had to agree!

Seeing that Du Zheng did not answer, Liu Yan knew what he was thinking!

But since I am the emperor, there is no need to explain so much nonsense to him!

"Du Qing, what do you think?"

"Your Majesty has considered it carefully. I think it is feasible!"

The emperor spoke, which could be considered as him respecting and trusting him, and considering him as someone who could teach the prince.

Thinking the other way around is also a good thing!

What’s more, the prince’s wisdom has just begun to awaken, and he is still young, so he can still be taught!

It is very obvious that Liu Yan wants to pass the throne to the crown prince!

Otherwise, the prince would not have ordered Sima Yu to be executed with lightning speed.

Liu Yan has been indulging himself in excessive sexual activities in recent years. If this continues, his body may not be able to bear it.

When the prince inherits the throne, he will certainly need a few assistants!

Could it be that the emperor intends to make himself one of his assistants?

A series of thoughts, even contradictory ones, emerged in Du Zheng's mind.

"Then tell me, what is a feasible method?" Liu Yan asked casually.

"I am stupid, but I am bold!" Du Zheng was an official who rose from the grassroots level, so this was not a difficult question.

"Your Majesty, although the world is peaceful now, natural and man-made disasters are inevitable, and the harm they cause is not small. As the crown prince, it is very necessary for the Crown Prince to understand the suffering of the people. This is one of the reasons!"

After Du Zheng finished speaking, Liu Yan nodded slightly.

This statement has several meanings. One is that the world is at peace, and it praises Liu Yan's great achievements.

As for natural disasters and man-made disasters, they are inevitable and have nothing to do with the emperor.

Second, Liu Yan was certain to let Liu Zhao succeed to the throne, which showed his stance, that he would firmly stand on the side of the crown prince and definitely not anyone else.

Third, the prince is young after all. If he doesn’t know the sufferings of the people, how can he know the major events in the world and be a qualified emperor?

Which emperor doesn’t want his successor to be a good emperor?

Even if he is a bad emperor!

"Natural disasters are inevitable, but man-made disasters are man-made. I believe that the Crown Prince can take this opportunity to gain a preliminary understanding of the local officials' governance measures for future reference. This is the second point!"

Liu Yan nodded slightly. Du Zheng's meaning was obscure, but Liu Yan understood it very well.

Whenever a natural disaster occurs, the laziness and corruption of local officials are often the key factors causing man-made disasters. Officials' infighting, self-protection, false accusations and corruption are endless. It is necessary for Liu Zhao to witness the phenomena in the officialdom and exercise his ability to respond.

"Your Majesty, I beg you to forgive me for my sins!"

Du Zheng understood Liu Yan's psychology, but still pretended to be frightened and asked Liu Yan to atone for his sins.

"Very good, Mr. Du is worthy of being a pillar of our Great Jing Dynasty. Every word he said makes sense. You go back and prepare first. When the prince comes back, you can go together!" Liu Yan was very satisfied.

When dealing with these ministers, you must not be too clear with your words. It is best to let them figure it out!

This is the only way to control the situation!

"Yes, I'll take my leave!" Du Zheng stood up, saluted, and left quickly.