Inside the Manna Hall.
After Li Zexuan said this, Li Er frowned and suddenly fell into deep thought.
The five ministers in the palace no longer had the casual indifference they had when they first came in. They all lowered their heads and silently digested Li Zexuan's words in their hearts. After a long while, Xiao Yu stepped forward, cupped his hands and said:
"Your Majesty, what Marquis Yong'an said is extremely reasonable! If the Yellow River bed is raised in a few years, and the downstream counties want to build river embankments, it will cost tens of thousands! In comparison, the cost of afforestation is a drop in the bucket! The veteran suggested restoring the old system and re-establishing the posts of Shan Yu and Lin Heng~!"
The old system Xiao Yu mentioned was the old system of the Zhou Dynasty. During the Western Zhou Dynasty, the imperial court established two positions, Shan Yu and Lin Heng, specifically for the management of the country's mountains and forests. In "The Rites of Zhou", there are clear descriptions of these two positions:
"The decree of Shan Yuzhang in the mountains and forests, the things are so severe that they should be kept forbidden. In mid-winter, Yang trees should be cut off, in mid-summer, Yin trees should be cut off. Everyone should serve as a Shu, and cut off the seasonal wood. It should be brought in at the right time, and all the people should be cut off at the right time, and there is a set date. Workers from all countries are not allowed to break wood when they enter the mountains and forests, and anyone who steals wood will be punished." "Shan Yu cuts wood at the right time, and Lin Heng is subject to the law of Shan Yu, and he strictly observes his discipline. If there is any injustice, he will be counted on to keep it. Merits and demerits will be rewarded and punished.”
In other words, Shan Yu has a higher position and is mainly responsible for formulating decrees to protect mountain forest resources and making decisions on the planting and felling of trees. Lin Heng's position was relatively low, and he was led by Shan Yu. His main responsibilities were to patrol the mountains and forests, enforce bans, etc.
It can also be seen from this that the dynasties before the Qin and Han Dynasties paid great attention to the protection of the environment and forests.
But the history of afforestation in my country can be traced back to at least three thousand years ago. "Book of Rites" says: "In the month of Mengchun, virtue is in the trees." This means that planting trees in spring is the greatest moral act. As early as the Yu and Shun era in the late patrilineal clan society BC, officials in charge of the mountains and forests were set up as "Yu Guan". During the Western Zhou Dynasty, the Shanyu established by the imperial court actually evolved from Yu Guan, who was the earliest "Forestry Minister" in the history of our country.
During the reign of Yu in Xia Dynasty, administrative regulations to protect forest trees also appeared. "Book of Zhou Da Ju Pian" said: "Yu's ban, in the third month of spring, no axes were used in the mountains and forests, so that the grass and trees could grow."
Therefore, the concept of protecting the environment and protecting mountains and forests was not first proposed by modern people. Our ancestors considered this issue from the very beginning!
At this time, Xiao Yu proposed to restore the old system and re-establish the positions of Shan Yu and Lin Heng. Everyone in the hall except Li Zexuan came to their senses. Since there were precedents for planting trees and protecting mountains and forests before, it is time to implement it now Li Zexuan’s Arbor Day will no longer seem so abrupt!
And although the Tang Dynasty does not have officials who are in charge of mountains and forests like the Western Zhou Dynasty, the people still have the awareness to plant trees, but they are not planted on the banks of the Yellow River, but on the ridges of their own Yongye fields! In the Tang Dynasty, a certain number of trees were planted around Yongye fields. This was called farmland protection forest!
"Marquis Yong'an, have you ever estimated how much it will cost to build a protective forest in the Yellow River Basin?"
Li Er stood up and took two steps in front of the dragon case. Then he looked at Li Zexuan and asked in a deep voice.
Obviously, after a long period of weighing, Lao Li was moved!
Li Zexuan cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, the Yellow River is more than five thousand miles long, but the real area with serious soil erosion is only three thousand miles. I believe that building a protective forest belt five miles wide and three thousand miles long on both sides of the Yellow River will be enough to resolve the problem. In the future, the Yellow River will become more silt-rich and the riverbed will become higher and more likely to burst its banks!
I have estimated that this protective forest belt requires about 300 million saplings. If poplar saplings are easy to survive and cheap, no matter how expensive they are, they will only cost one or two cents each. The total cost of 300 million saplings will be at most 750,000. Pass! "
Li Er's eyes darkened and he almost fell to the ground. He said angrily: "Seven hundred and fifty thousand guan? Is this the cheapest way you said to control the Yellow River~?"
Xiao Yu and others also widened their eyes, secretly thinking that they should not have spoken for Li Zexuan just now, because the expenditure was too huge, so huge that the Tang Dynasty court could not afford it!
Li Zexuan cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, the estimate of 750,000 yuan is based on the fact that the price of poplar saplings has skyrocketed when purchased in large quantities! The current price of poplar saplings in Chang'an City is as low as one penny for two, and this kind of saplings can be purchased directly through Cutting branches of adult trees can be obtained in the fields. The cost is low and the propagation speed is fast. People in various states and counties can be mobilized to cultivate their own saplings!
The imperial court can encourage people in the states and counties along the Yellow River to plant trees to offset part of their taxes. Moreover, this protective forest belt will definitely not be completed in one year. I conservatively estimate that it will take at least five years! In other words, within five years, the court spent directly or indirectly on building protective forest belts at most only 150,000 yuan each year!
And this part of the money does not necessarily have to come from the court. The private sector can also contribute part of it, such as the Nuantang Foundation! Calculated in this way, the imperial court spends at most 70,000 to 80,000 yuan each year on building protective forests, and the actual money needed will be far less than this amount. "
Li Er's face softened a little, and he frowned and said: "Seven to eighty thousand guan, this is not a small amount!"
Li Zexuan cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, at most 70,000 to 80,000 coins per year for a total of five years. Ideally, the court's efforts in these five years can solve the future flood problem of the Yellow River once and for all. Otherwise, the future of the Tang Dynasty will be We frequently face the risk of the Yellow River bursting its banks! Your Majesty, just imagine, every time the Yellow River breaks its banks, the court needs to rebuild the river banks and open warehouses to provide disaster relief. How much waste is involved?
It can be said that the losses caused by a large-scale flood to Datang were already worth the waste of building protective forest belts! Therefore, I believe that instead of frequently building river embankments and opening warehouses for disaster relief in the future, it is better to start building protective forest belts on both sides of the Yellow River now!
Besides, the court can set a certain day as Arbor Day and encourage people to plant trees on this day. There is strength in numbers, which can alleviate a lot of financial pressure on the court! "
Hearing this, Li Er closed his eyes and pondered for a long time, and finally said: "Okay! I believe you this time! I will restore the old system according to your words, reset the posts of Shan Yu and Lin Heng, and build protective forest belts on both sides of the Yellow River. From now on, every year March 20th is the Arbor Day of the Tang Dynasty! As for the posts of Shan Yu and Lin Heng, do you have any suitable candidates in mind~?"
Everyone looked at each other and finally turned their attention to Li Zexuan. Li Zexuan was dumbfounded. He quickly waved his hands and said: "Your Majesty, no! No! I have many affairs on weekdays, and I really don't have the energy to take up the posts of Shan Yu and Lin Heng!"
………………………………
Sogou reading website:
