There is no doubt that Zuo Guangdou is a member of the Donglin Party, but compared with other Donglin Party officials who talk big but have no ideas when faced with problems, and those who are selfish and profit-seeking, Zuo Guangdou is viewed differently by Zhu Youxiao.

Although Zuo Guangdou was well-educated and upright, this was not the reason why he was valued by Zhu Youxiao. The fact that he was proficient in water conservancy and did an excellent job in leading the Zhili military farms was only one of the reasons.

In the late Ming Dynasty, there were not many capable and forward-thinking people. Zuo Guangdou was one of them, and this was the most important factor in Zhu Youxiao's long-term influence.

"Military schools" and "Tunxue" were established to train capable and combat-savvy generals, solve the problem of barren farmland, increase treasury revenue, and provide a channel for poor people to move up to the upper class of society.

That’s right, these two suggestions were advocated by Zuo Guangdou, and they coincided exactly with the emperor’s ideas.

Martial arts were established, but Tunxue was not set up specifically for this purpose. Instead, it was a department of the Academy of Sciences. Xu Guangqi also had a small-scale academy.

Despite this, Zuo Guangdou was demoted from Left Censor-in-Chief to Governor of Shaanxi, which was equivalent to a demotion.

The emperor wanted to temper Lao Zuo's stubborn temper, and also because Shaanxi would be the hardest hit area, and well-built water conservancy facilities would greatly alleviate the impact of the disaster. The only person in charge of Shaanxi was the governor.

After not seeing him for a few years, Zuo Guangdou looked older. But this was only the first impression. A closer look revealed that he was still in good health.

Becoming the working class? Although the old peasants were dark-skinned and looked old, they were healthier than those pretty boys who didn't carry baskets or shoulders, and one could beat ten men.

"Minister Zuo, please stand up and take a seat." Zhu Youxiao showed a warm smile and raised his hand slightly.

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your great grace." Zuo Guangdou kowtowed, then stood up and sat down on the embroidered cushion with his body tilted.

Zhu Youxiao gathered his thoughts and said slowly, "Zuo Qing has been in Gansu and Shaanxi for several years, personally inspecting and traveling around, building water conservancy projects, and reclaiming wasteland for farming. He has worked really hard."

Zuo Guangdou bowed and said, "This is my humble duty. Your Majesty, thank you for your praise."

"Although it is their duty, there are still very few senior officials who can personally carry out their duties." Zhu Youjiao said, "I think the three reasons and fourteen proposals submitted by Zuo Qing are very good. After making some minor revisions, I have issued them to the whole country.

After a pause, the emperor continued, "This time, Zuo Qing has been transferred to the position of Governor of the River. I also want to make use of Zuo Qing's ability in water management."

He waved his hand, and a palace maid came forward to read the imperial edict. Zuo Guangdou knelt to receive it, and the crowd shouted "Long live the emperor!"

The "Hedao Governor" is a new official title, the full title is "Governor of the Hedao Processing Department, Minister of the Metropolitan Censorate, and Left Censor-in-Chief." It sounds a bit strange, but judging by the literal meaning, it is already a very high title.

Such a high title indicated that the emperor was going to vigorously control the river and build water conservancy projects. However, river control and water conservancy projects have always been extremely expensive projects, and Zuo Guangdou was shocked by this.

The situation in Liaodong had indeed been reversed, but Zuo Guangdou knew that it would not be a short-term task to completely pacify Liaodong.

"Among the ministers in our dynasty who managed the rivers, Pan Jixun is considered the best. He used the Yellow River to facilitate transportation, and the Huai River to offset the Yellow River. This was essential to control the flow of water and attack the sand." Zhu Youxiao gestured for Zuo Guangdou to sit down and said gently, "I hope that Zuo Guangdou will surpass his predecessors and leave his name in history."

Zuo Guangdou hurriedly bowed and said, "I dare not fail to do my best to help Your Majesty."

Zhu Youxiao nodded and said, "For now, the water conservancy projects should be focused on drought relief. Droughts will be the main disaster in the future. As for the major rivers like the Yellow River and the Huai River, we can slow down a bit."

The main work of river management is dredging, flood prevention and disaster reduction. However, after a major disaster, it is often followed by drought, and eventually even the Yellow River dried up.

Given this situation, there's no rush to control the river; instead, we should prioritize water conservancy projects. While we might not be able to completely eliminate droughts and floods, we can certainly mitigate major disasters.

Zuo Guangdou bowed and accepted the order, saying, "Long live the wise Lord. I respectfully accept your instructions."

Zhu Youxiao smiled and said, "When I said there would be a great disaster, many people didn't believe me. But Zuo Qing didn't doubt it very much, did he?"

Zuo Guangdou replied sternly, "I didn't believe it before, but after statistical research, I believe the precursor to the disaster should have appeared during the Wanli period. It became increasingly obvious over the decades, but it waxed and waned, so it went unnoticed."

According to more rigorous scientific judgment, the signs of the disaster can be traced back to the early Jiajing period. However, as Zuo Guangdou said, it became obvious during the Wanli period, with only ups and downs, without a sharp intensification.

You know, in order to increase the credibility of the disaster, Zhu Youxiao ordered local areas and the Ministry of Revenue to conduct statistics.

It is very rare that Zuo Guangdou could conduct such statistical research on his own instead of blindly believing and following others.

"The sweet potatoes that His Majesty has ordered to be promoted in the north are excellent," Zuo Guangdou said. "The yield is incredibly high and can replace a considerable portion of grain."

The emperor nodded with a smile and said, "There are two more crops that we should gradually promote. One is corn, which can be grown in mountainous areas, is drought-resistant and has a high yield. The other is potato, which has a strong survival ability and can withstand the harsh cold weather."

Sweet potatoes alone are not enough, as they prefer warm climates. Adding corn and potatoes completes the "three musketeers" needed to survive the disaster.

Corn was introduced to China very early via the southwest and northwest land routes. During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, there were records of corn cultivation in Zhangzhou and Quanzhou in Fujian.

However, corn did not spread widely to the Chinese mainland during the Ming Dynasty, which is a great pity.

The cultivation and domestication of potatoes have been ongoing. The emperor attached great importance to it and handed it over to Xu Guangqi. Naturally, Xu Guangqi did not dare to neglect it.

Over the years, gratifying progress was made. Chen Zilong, a disciple of Xu Guangqi, even brought potatoes to Liaodong for planting experiments.

There was a hypothesis on the Internet in later generations that if sweet potatoes, potatoes and corn had been grown in large quantities across the country, the Ming Empire might not have perished.

Now, this assumption has become a reality. Under the emperor's strong advocacy and even strict orders, the second agricultural revolution since the Champa rice of the Song Dynasty has begun.

"Mr. Zuo, do you understand the deep meaning of my reinstating you as the Left Censor-in-Chief?" Zhu Youjiao's face suddenly became serious and he asked in a deep voice.

Zuo Guangdou thought for a moment, then bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, rest assured. If anyone commits corruption, shoddy work, or embezzles money during the construction of the river or water conservancy projects, I will not let them off."

Water conservancy projects are the most expensive, and some people will certainly use various means to profit from them. Zuo Guangdou was given the title of Zuodu Yushi, which gave him the power to supervise officials.

"Zuo Qing has the reputation of being an iron-faced censor. He will definitely live up to my expectations by eradicating corruption." Zhu Youxiao's expression softened and he encouraged her, "Just go for it. I'll be your backer."

"Your Majesty, I thank you." After Zuo Guangdou bowed and thanked him, he opened and closed his lips a few times but ultimately said nothing else.

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