There are no clear signs or boundaries for changes in social systems.
The emperor thought so and was prepared to intervene as little as possible, allowing the Ming Dynasty to progress naturally and enter the next social stage naturally.
The smoother the transition, the better people will adapt, because the changes are formed over a period of time, giving them a period of adjustment.
In this case, the emperor welcomes the investment of the Chamber of Commerce in Ma Tie, and there will not be too many restrictions.
Rolling out the Ma Tie project across the country would be a massive undertaking, and funding alone from the imperial court would certainly be a heavy burden, perhaps even unaffordable.
It is necessary to rely on the power of the people, but the emperor feels that issuing bonds to all the people of the Ming Dynasty seems better than allowing only large chambers of commerce to participate.
Of course, it will take some time for ordinary people to realize the convenience of the Ma Railway, so it is inevitable to give preferential treatment to large chambers of commerce.
It is still a long way to go before we achieve monopoly, and besides, a certain degree of monopoly may not necessarily be a bad thing.
However, the development of the railway system in Ma had to be planned and orderly, and it was impossible to connect them in all directions. Given the technology at the time and the pulling capacity of the railway system, it was impossible to dig tunnels and cross mountains and ridges.
Therefore, for a considerable period of time, the lines of the Ma Railway can only be regional or intercity lines, which require an institution to manage them.
The emperor did not want the court to provide all the manpower and money. It would be better to imitate the chamber of commerce and only send officials to supervise and coordinate.
Establish one or several railway companies in the form of joint-stock companies, with board members negotiating to resolve issues, and the government is only responsible for supervision and guidance.
The emperor had a rough plan for the construction of the railway in mind. He sat down at his desk, pen in hand, and wrote down his ideas and framework. The details would be discussed and researched by his subordinates, and he might even involve the Chamber of Commerce.
The three major projects of water conservancy facilities, roads and railways have all been launched and will be carried out on a large scale in the north.
The reason is simple: the north will be the hardest hit and the disaster will last the longest.
As work-for-relief projects, the three major projects not only solved the problem of food and clothing for the disaster victims, but also brought the infrastructure of the Ming Dynasty to a new level.
Giving the people work also gave them the opportunity to have enough to eat. As long as they didn't starve to death, the internal stability of the Ming Dynasty would be guaranteed, and the emperor could continue to realize his grand cause.
In Shaanxi, where drought has ravaged the entire province, water conservancy projects and road construction are underway. Although much of the farmland is dry and cracked, the desolate scene is accompanied by a bustling construction boom.
Canals crisscross and pass through the dry fields. There are main canals and branch canals. Looking down from the sky, they look like blood vessels of different thicknesses.
As long as the rivers stay dry, diverting water for irrigation will yield a reasonable harvest. If droughts return in the future, as long as they aren't particularly severe or prolonged, these water conservancy projects will play a significant role in alleviating them.
The new building material, the cement of the Ming Empire, although its performance is not as good as that of later generations, it is a huge improvement. It is far better than before in terms of waterproofing and hardening.
Limestone and clay are the main raw materials. After being crushed, mixed and ground, they are put into the kiln for calcination, and then an appropriate amount of gypsum is added and ground into powder. Its performance is much better than that of cement mortar.
In fact, the Academy of Sciences has better cement-making methods and processes, but the simplified version can use local materials and does not require long-distance transportation, making it most suitable for use in ancient times.
Factories were built in Fuping, Weinan, Pucheng, Xiaoshan and other places one after another. They are all producing areas of limestone and clay, making production very convenient.
All these projects were included in the scope of work-for-relief. In years of severe drought, the last thing lacked was labor. As long as they had enough food to eat, they would work hard for you.
If cement can be used, use cement; if mortar can be used, use mortar; if bricks and stones can be used, use bricks and stones; the worst method is rammed earth.
The main task of the local government was to find work for the people affected by the disaster. All the food, such as grain, potatoes, and sweet potatoes, transported from other places were used as wages and distributed to the victims.
Those who are able to work can earn their own food, and those who are unable to work can also receive relief so that they will not starve to death.
The sun blazed overhead, emitting an irritating heat. Shaanxi Governor Li Banghua, wearing a large straw hat and casual clothes, inspected the people's sentiments, led by several officials.
"Sir, please see! The main canal for diverting the river here is complete, and we're aiming for the branch canal to be finished by the end of the year," the official reported, his tanned face raised. "It will be operational next spring, adding thousands of acres of irrigated land to our county."
Li Banghua nodded and asked, "But according to Mr. Zuo's design? He is a water conservancy expert, and his planning and design are all reasonable and knowledgeable."
"My Lord, the main design is correct. Some branch canals have been slightly modified due to soil conditions."
Li Banghua walked up the slope, looked up, and with a slight smile on his face, he praised the official: "Very good, you did a great job."
Zuo Guangdou, the former Shaanxi governor, was a renowned water conservancy expert in the Ming Dynasty. The emperor had appointed him to Shaanxi in order to ensure that his talents could be fully utilized and that preparations could be made in advance to prevent major disasters.
While serving in Shaanxi, Zuo Guangdou led his staff on a field investigation and made an overall plan for water conservancy facilities, which was approved by the emperor.
Now, Zuo Guangdou has become the governor of the river. He surveys and investigates along the Yellow River, makes water conservancy plans for the provinces along the river, and plans the major project of controlling the Yellow River under the emperor's order.
The Yellow River's numerous hazards have proven difficult to address throughout the dynasties. The emperor, upon examining a map of the Yellow River's current basin, discovered that it differed from his memory and concluded that the river would eventually change course, diverting from the Huai River to the sea.
According to historical records, the Yellow River has invaded the Huaihe River basin several times, but the duration was relatively short and did not cause much change to the Huaihe River basin.
However, the fourth major diversion in the fifth year of Mingchang in the Jin Dynasty made the eastern Henan, northern Anhui, northern Jiangsu and southwestern Shandong regions of the Huaihe River basin areas where the Yellow River frequently flooded.
Since then, the Yellow River has invaded the Huai River for more than 600 years, causing major changes in the water system in the Huai River basin.
Since the middle of the Ming Dynasty, "whenever the Huai River is surging, the west wind stirs up the waves, the white waves are as big as mountains, and for hundreds of miles in Huaiyang, people in both the public and private sectors are in panic, and no one dares to sleep peacefully for hundreds of years."
As a water conservancy expert, Zuo Guangdou was well aware of the seriousness of the matter and devoted all his energy to investigation and research.
Because the emperor had predicted that the water volume in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River would drop sharply and might even dry up during the period of the great disaster, he took this opportunity to carry out large-scale dredging and strengthen the levees to prevent the Yellow River from invading the Huai River again.
This will be a century-long project. Once completed, Zuo Guangdou will go down in history.
Li Banghua didn't know much about this, but he was also grateful for Zuo Guangdou's contribution to Shaanxi.
At the same time, the grain reserves in the government warehouses are enough for half a year, and the grain shipped in from outside continues to flow. Even if the disaster continues next year, there is no need to worry about large numbers of refugees or civil unrest.
It was noon, and in a large tent in the distance, the people who had gone to work were eating, and from time to time, the sound of chatting and laughing could be heard faintly.
Li Banghua waved away his followers and officials and walked over.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
