Zhu Yihai took the latest Shandong Yellow River management plan presented by Yang Wencong, the governor of the river channel, read it again and again, and finally picked up his ink pen to give his approval on it.
With the fall of Emperor Zhu's approval, the imperial court's comprehensive management of the new Yellow River channel will also officially begin. The first phase of the project plans to invest 30 million silver dollars and will be completed within five years.
In the past, embankments were built in various places, but they were all carried out independently, without unified planning and deployment, let alone supporting projects. Many places even used beggar-thy-neighbor practices to engage in local protection.
The embankments were not built properly, and some sections were too straight, obviously unable to withstand the test.
After Yang Wencong took office as the governor of the river, he also inspected all the way from Shaanzhou to the mouth of the Daqing River. In fact, the entire Yellow River now has big problems, but the most urgent one is the new river channel in the Shandong section.
Nowadays, the Shandong section is thousands of miles long and there is not even a real river embankment.
Embankments have been built in some areas, but they have not been properly raised and thickened. As a result, decisions have not been made at all times. Yang Wencong and officials from the River Governor's Office believe that building a complete and reasonable river embankment is the fundamental plan for river defense.
, a task that cannot be delayed.
Moreover, the embankment repair and reinforcement plans should also be different according to the different dangers on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. That is, key reinforcements must be focused on the dangerous points. The additional width of the dangerous work is four feet and five feet, the top width of the flat construction is three feet, and the bottom width is eleven feet to ten feet.
Five feet is the standard, and the height is one foot, six feet to two feet. This way, dangerous work can be done without fear. In the flat construction section, the riverbank gradually becomes higher, and there is still a dike that is about ten feet higher, which can prevent overflowing water and long-term rain and wind.
Reveal it without causing damage.
In addition to completing the thousands-mile embankment on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, we also need to strengthen the regulation of the entrance to the sea. If the tail gate is not smooth, it will be useless no matter how good the upstream construction is. Yang Wencong also specially inspected several sea entry points, and finally selected Tiemenguan to enter the sea.
Tiemenguan is originally the old course of the Daqing River. It has a river shape of more than 80 miles, becomes wider and deeper as it goes down, and can lead directly to the seaport.
From the old Tiemenguan road into the sea, we can dig deep to divert the river and build strong embankments on both sides. This can not only contain water to attack the sand, but also make the water flow smoothly to avoid siltation and flooding. It can also connect the river and the sea, allowing sea ships to pass through.
Gather.
At that time, from Tiemenguan Haikou, we can directly use the Yellow River shipping to Jinan or even Kaifeng, a golden waterway for thousands of miles of shipping.
Yang Wencong's memorial contains several suggestions on river management.
For example, in the past, there were many villages and many people on both sides of the Yellow River. Even a step away from the river embankment was the people's land. They suffered from disasters year after year, and the people's sentiments were also miserable.
Nowadays, in order to manage the new river channel of the Yellow River in Shandong, we must first acquire good land, use the Daqing River channel as the new river channel, and leave at least 20 miles between the two embankments of the river and the canal.
Land must be expropriated and relocated, which is a small loss but a big one, to ensure the overall situation. If we don't move, we can't protect the people and we can't protect the workers.
Now that Shandong has been restored, many people on both sides of the Daqing River have also returned to their hometowns from outside. The court must relocate all the people within twenty miles of the new river.
Even inside and outside the embankments on both sides, an open space of at least twenty feet wide must be left to plant willow trees, not only to protect the embankment body, but also to reserve hazard prevention materials.
After the embankment is repaired, permanent embankment patrol officers will be installed on both sides of the river embankment.
Yang Wencong suggested that during land acquisition, more land outside the embankment should be acquired, and then be set up as land leased by river workers, exclusively leased to river workers who guard the embankment and patrol the river. The river workers can farm the land themselves and their families, or they can sublease it to other tenants.
These lands are only rented, not sold, to ensure that the river workers and officials who guard the embankments and patrol the rivers can have a stable income and can rest assured about their duties.
As for the floodplain land within the river embankment, it should also be managed by the river yamen, and tenants should be recruited and rented out, so that the common people can grow peanuts, soybeans and other grains, and then collect rents to supplement the expenses of river construction.
In the newly built river section, water reduction dams, diversion gates, dredgers, and information halls and forts will be set up.
Even after the river embankment is repaired, the second phase of the project will be carried out to dredge and dredge the small rivers on both sides to avoid new floods caused by the blocking of some original rivers after the Yellow River changed its course.
Zhu Yihai fully supports this plan.
The Yellow River has lost its old course, but the new river course has no embankments and cannot be repaired. Otherwise, it will flood when the water floods, and the surrounding areas will not be peaceful, and the losses will be too great.
You can still get the money you need to pay.
Let's build the levee first, step by step. Later, we will have to desilt, build dams, build tributaries, etc. There are many projects. This thing is like a bottomless pit, but not repairing it will be a disaster.
There are some conveniences in repairing now. First, due to the impact of the Ming and Qing wars, there were not many people along the new rivers after the disaster, so it was easier to move. Second, the population of the Central Plains has dropped sharply, and there is room for resettlement. Otherwise, if
In the prosperous times, this was really a big problem.
Anyway, if it is not destroyed, it cannot be established. It is already broken like this.
Even for embankment repair projects, work can be used as relief, which can save a lot of investment expenses.
In the past, the old course of the Yellow River burst open every year and several times a year. This was not only because officials in the river course were corrupt and used river work as a means of making money, but also because the people multiplied and competed with the river for land.
The common people have no land to farm. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a dyke or a beach, it can be planted both inside and outside the dyke.
They were even planted on the edge of the river canal, and people's embankments were built. The so-called embankments were small embankments built on the river beach by the people on both sides of the bank to protect their fields and villages.
inside.
When there is a flood, the river will be blocked and the water will be blocked, which will hinder the river and easily cause the river bank to burst.
Since the late Ming Dynasty, there have been many villages on the entire middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River. In fact, there have been many villages on the river beaches within the embankment. They not only cultivate the river beach land, but also directly build houses and villages, and build ridges outside.
Therefore, when building a new embankment in Shandong, it must be ensured that the two embankments are at least twenty miles wide. It must be ensured that there are no villages within the river embankment. People can be allowed to grow some miscellaneous grains on the riverbank appropriately, but they must not build embankments and build houses.
Even in some places, it is necessary to ensure that the distance between the two embankments is more than twenty miles. The safety of the river must be the premise and there must be no situation where the people compete with the river for land.
This would undoubtedly be very difficult if we had to clean up the village houses, demolish the village houses in the embankments, and clean up the beach fields in the peaceful years. How would we resettle the houses after they were cleared?
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! But now because of the Ming and Qing wars and the recent disasters, the current situation such as the sharp decline in population has been conducive to doing this.
"I have approved the river management plan, and I will immediately ask the Ministry of Revenue to allocate the money needed."
Zhu Yihai looked at Yang Wencong. He was Ma Shiying's brother-in-law. He was a great talent in Guizhou and a famous calligrapher and painter. However, his ability was not bad and his loyalty was not bad. When the Southern Capital was destroyed, he could still lead a battalion of Guizhou troops and refused to surrender to the Qing Dynasty. He returned to Suzhou to be executed.
After Zhu Yihai went north to Wu, he also took the initiative to lead troops to surrender.
In the past few years, he has successively held many practical positions and performed well. He can be regarded as an accomplished Conglong hero of the Shaotian Dynasty.
He was chosen to be the governor of this river because Yang Wencong has been more principled and flexible in his work in recent years. Furthermore, he is relatively clean. It's not that he doesn't love money, but he doesn't reach out randomly. Zhu Yihai persuaded him to invest in a bank.
He also invested money to follow up some industries, so Yang Wencong is now like his brother-in-law Ma Shiying. He has a lot of money, but he disdains bribery. He even looks down on the bad customs and etiquette in the past and refuses to accept them.
He was very ruthless and exposed many of his subordinate officials who had paid bribes.
The Hedao Yamen, like the Water Transport Yamen, the Salt Service, and the Copper Service, used to have fat employees since the late Ming Dynasty. The so-called fat jobs naturally mean serious corruption.
If Zhu Yihai invested 30 million yuan in the project without bringing in a leader who could take a firm stand, it turned out that the governor of Hedao had embezzled 10 to 20 million yuan from the officials below, so what else would be needed to repair it?
It doesn't work if everyone is embezzling, making money in various places, shoddy materials, or even shoddy projects. In fact, this kind of problem was very common before the Ming Dynasty.
Everyone on the river is greedy, and they are greedy in various ways, so the court spends money every year, and the people donate and send money every year, and they have to work on the river. As a result, the river is still blocked every year.
Even those shameless river officials are so mad that they will find ways to deliberately let the river be blocked if the river cannot be blocked, because if it is blocked, they will have money to pull it out, and they can be greedy for more.
"I will send a special river patrol censor to supervise."
"In addition, a special river audit department will be established. Regarding the audit of river projects, I believe in your integrity and ability. The current main officials of the Hedao Yamen are all appointed by me, but the officials below
, you have to keep an eye on it,
A thousand-mile embankment collapses in an ant nest."
"I will never betray His Majesty's trust. I will manage the river well and manage all my subordinates well. If I don't repair the embankment of the Yellow River in Shandong, I will not go home."
"I believe in you. The priority is to manage the new river channel in Shandong first. At the same time, the old river channel in the Henan section must also be managed at the same time. Those embankments must be demolished and all the people in the villages must be moved away. The embankments should be reinforced and raised.
To increase the height, plant trees where necessary, and spend money when necessary. I will allocate additional expenses for the management of this area."
"Shandong Governor and Governor Huang Zongxi and Huanghuai Governor and Henan Governor Chen Qianfu, I will also give them special orders to fully cooperate with the management of the Yellow River.
I will give you three to five years. If you can manage the Yellow River well, I will grant you a hereditary dukedom."
Yang Wencong is now the Founding County Marquis, and he is also hereditary. However, he is only a County Marquis, which is three levels higher than the Duke of the country. Moreover, he is a civil servant. He currently holds mainly civil posts and cannot achieve military merit. Basically, he has no chance to get a higher title.
Lord.
Even Yang Wencong couldn't help but be moved by Zhu Yihai's hereditary Duke's promise and thanked him repeatedly.
"Henan, Shandong and the newly established Jiangbei. These three provinces were originally the heart of the Central Plains, with the most fertile Huanghuai Plain. However, in recent years, bandits have been scurrying around, floods, droughts, locusts, famines, rampant plagues, and invasions of Tartars.
, the Central Plains has almost become a ghost land. If we want to restore the prosperity of the past, if the water cannot be cured, everything will be lost."
"I keep my word. If you repair the embankment of the Yellow River in Shandong, I will give you the title of Duke of Jin County. If you manage the Yellow River in Henan, I will give you the title of Duke of Jin County. When Guanzhong is also recovered, you will also manage the middle and upper reaches.
, I will grant you the title of hereditary Duke.
I am responsible for raising money for you, and you are responsible for planning and managing it from the front. We, the monarchs and ministers, will cooperate and bring this unruly Yellow River dragon under control.
The foundation of prosperity lies in agriculture and commerce, and water conservancy comes first!"
"Long live thanks!"
Yang Wencong couldn't help but feel excited.
"I will give you a budget of 30 million yuan first. If it is not enough, I will raise more money. I can also borrow money from the internal funds to the Ministry of Household Affairs, or issue special treasury bonds for Yellow River management. You don't have to worry about the money, just go ahead and do it boldly.
"
"I have asked the two governors to take charge of the matter of demolishing and relocating people within the river embankments in Henan and Shandong provinces, and will fully cooperate with you to manage the river. Along the embankment, there will be one shop for five miles and one fort for ten miles. We will recruit river workers according to the law of villages and towns.
, set up a special Hefu village outside the embankment, and let them and their families live in the village under the river embankment. Hefu guarded the embankment and patrolled the river, and Yu Ding of Hefu's family rented the river fields for farming.
Since we want to do it, we have to show the same momentum as fighting the Tatars, and we must deal with him."
"I have specially transferred 3,000 land and water cavalrymen from the imperial camp to serve as your governor of the river. They will be commanded and dispatched by you to facilitate your work. Anyone who dares to stop you from managing the river can be killed first and then reported!"
