Su Hua explained slowly, "The South-to-North Water Diversion Project is to transfer water from the south to the north. The south is prone to floods, while the north is prone to droughts. If we transfer water from the south to the north, we can use the water from the south to quench the thirst of the north. This will alleviate the floods in the south and make the drought in the north no longer a problem."
"Transfer excess water from the south to the north? This, this!!" Qin Fang's ears rang, and he felt his brain was not quite there.
For hundreds or even thousands of years, Tangshan Prefecture and the two surrounding prefectures have suffered from floods, yet no one has ever thought of diverting these devastating floods!
But why not?! As the county magistrate of Le'an said, there is too much water in the south and too little water in the north. Wouldn't it be a win-win situation to transfer the excess water to the water-scarce areas in the north?
Xiao Jinhan's deep eyes lit up. "Hua'er means that we can take advantage of the terrain difference between the south and the north to build a large river from Tangshan Prefecture to the north, and transport water from Tangshan Prefecture and the surrounding areas to the prefectures in the north?"
“Exactly.” Su Hua nodded. “The root cause of the floods lies in the numerous waterways in Tangshan Prefecture and the rampant underground rivers.”
With so much water, disasters are likely to occur. If the floods are not eliminated, the people of Tangshan Prefecture and along the river will always have a sword hanging over their heads. Rather than living in constant fear, it would be better to repair the river and regulate the water to completely eliminate this source of trouble.
In this way, the south will no longer be flooded, and the north will no longer be drought-stricken—wouldn't that be a win-win situation?
"Excellent, excellent... What the Lady of Le'an says is absolutely right! The South-to-North Water Diversion Project is truly an excellent and superior strategy. Lady of Le'an, you are truly a woman of great talent!" Qin Fang said "excellent" three times in a row, bowing deeply with his hands clasped, his eyes full of admiration as he looked at the girl.
Previously, I knew he was exceptionally talented and skilled in business, and his presentation of sweet potatoes had a far greater impact than what I have seen today.
Not only did he solve the disaster relief problem in the blink of an eye, but he also came up with the groundbreaking plan of diverting water from the south to the north in a short time. Such ingenuity is unparalleled throughout the hundreds of years of Yu the Great's reign.
Such an extraordinary woman was born and raised in Tangshan Prefecture. It is truly a blessing for Tangshan Prefecture and a boon for its people. The people's call her the living Bodhisattva of Tangshan Prefecture is absolutely right!
Xiao Jinhan was also shocked. The problem that had plagued the Ministry of Works for years seemed to be completely insignificant to Hua'er.
Just like when they first met, she gave him a feeling of mystery that made it impossible to discern how many facets she had.
"Uncle Qin, you flatter me. I'm just someone who reads a lot of books and gets inspiration from them." Su Hua chuckled and took over the topic. Her porcelain-white face was slightly flushed. In fact, she had indeed read about the South-to-North Water Diversion Project in a book, but it was from a book she read in her previous life.
In China, the South-to-North Water Diversion Project consists of three routes: east, west, and central. The central route is similar to the route northward from Tangshan Prefecture, and can be adapted accordingly.
Qin Fang took it as her modesty and smiled broadly. “The South-to-North Water Diversion Project is a great undertaking that will benefit generations to come. I will write a letter and send it to His Majesty by fast horse so that he can make a decision.”
"Uncle Qin, please wait a moment." Su Hua smiled gently. "As you said before, the north is not peaceful right now, and the South-to-North Water Diversion Project and the construction of the canal are so large that the manpower and resources required are comparable to those required for a war between the two countries."
The national treasury is tight. If we want the court to agree to this project and for construction to begin as soon as possible, we need to consider where to source the manpower and resources.
Qin Fang paused slightly as he picked up his pen. "That's right, I was so happy just now that I almost forgot that the distance from Tangshan Prefecture to the capital is nearly four thousand li. If we were to build a canal, even emptying the national treasury might not be enough..."
Xiao Jinhan, seeing her expression, understood somewhat. "Has Hua'er already made up her mind?"
Su Hua smiled, her almond-shaped eyes sparkling. "My idea is actually the same as what I just had with the wealthy households of Tangshan Prefecture donate to the disaster relief efforts. However, this time I'm not just looking at the wealthy households of Tangshan Prefecture, but at the entire Dayu."
The opening of the North-South Canal will bring great benefits beyond the South-to-North Water Diversion Project: canal navigation!
Nowadays, the only way to travel from Tangshan Prefecture to the capital is by land, which takes at least half a month. River transport, on the other hand, is much faster, has a larger carrying capacity, and significantly reduces transportation costs, making it the most beneficial option for merchants.
With the north-south river transport, northerners who wanted jade and "Imperial Concubine's Smile" tea from the south no longer needed the urgent 800-li delivery service, and southerners who wanted furs and herbs from the north could simply travel the distance in one river trip. Uncle Qin must be well aware of the costs saved and the profits gained.
“Hua’er is right. Cargo ships can transport far more goods than horse-drawn carriages and mule carts. My father-in-law’s family started out by transporting goods by boat.” Qin Fang nodded with a smile. Their Tianxiang Restaurant’s seafood was transported by river. However, they relied on a river running east to west, a natural river. The river was not wide and the conditions were not ideal.
Su Hua continued, “The Grand Canal benefits merchants the most, but while we can call on wealthy merchants to donate money to repair the canal, not all of them will necessarily be willing to spend their own money.”
Therefore, there needs to be a pretext to guide this, such as requiring that any ship traveling in the canal must donate a certain amount; the top donors can be permanently exempted from shipping taxes, with a 30-year tax exemption, a 10-year tax exemption, a partial tax exemption, and so on.
Similarly, merit steles can be erected at various points along the canal and recorded in the annals of Yu the Great.
Furthermore, one could even ask influential figures from the Great Yu Dynasty to present plaques to the top donors, such as the late Prince Gong or the Emperor… It is believed that the Great Yu merchants would flock to their calligraphy, thus securing the resources.
As for manpower, the reason I said earlier that the canal should start construction as soon as possible is precisely because there are many disaster victims under the current floods. Rather than simply distributing food relief, it would be better to use work relief instead, letting the disaster victims build the canal. This would not only reduce the burden on Tangshan Prefecture, but also solve the shortage of manpower for the canal..."
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com