No matter what, Chen Xunzai is now in charge of the Ministry of Industry, so no matter whether he knows enough about this aspect, 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 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 we want to cure it, we need to carry out extensive construction. However, the imperial 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 Household Affairs. Therefore, Chen Shangshu was quite hesitant in his tone.
After a while, Chen Xun finally said.
"Your Majesty, in my opinion, this matter cannot be rushed, 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 it means major repairs to the canals, at least dredging the canals and strengthening the embankments are essential."
"I have only been in office for a short period of time and have not personally visited the river mouth to check. I don't know the specific situation clearly. The same must be true for Zhang Ge Lao and Shen Shangshu. Talking about building 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 control 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.
The specific method of cultivation and the extent to which it should be cultivated still have to be determined according to 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 does not mean that everything is stable and error-free, but that it truly falls into concrete practice and does 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 the previous life, Shawankou was continuously reinforced and the embankments kept bursting, 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 doubled several times.
What Chen 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 sooner Shawankou is managed, the more it will in turn help restore national strength.
As for the corvee issue that Shen Yi had been worried about, in Zhu Qiyu's view, it was not a big problem.
In the past few years of continuous war, 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 training temporarily idle for a period of time, if it comes to a last resort, it does not mean that it cannot be used as an emergency.
This matter has been finalized for the time being.
Of course, Shen Shangshu was not happy about this.
Because strictly speaking, this matter has not been concluded, 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 Chen Xun accepted the order, he was also a little 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 can bring the matter to a faster conclusion."
There was an inexplicable silence in the main hall. Chen Xun didn't know why, but 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 court, the emperor could still remember such a little person.
But once the words were spoken, it was difficult to recover them, so 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 now. We can discuss other matters after the survey."
"According to the order."
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, only Shen Yi, the Minister of Household Affairs, was 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?"
