For Zhu Yunying, enjoying the warmth of imperial family was naturally a source of relaxation. However, given his status, while he found this affection very enjoyable, he still needed to focus most of his time on the affairs of the state; these were the things he should be doing.
The morning court session was still noisy and chaotic. The civil and military officials all had their own understandings and opinions on many things, so it was very unrealistic to achieve complete consensus.
Zhu Yunying was already used to these things, but sometimes he would still feel his head buzzing.
There is a general consensus on the general direction of governing the Yellow and Huai Rivers, which is naturally beyond dispute.
In governing the Yellow and Huai Rivers, the Minister of Works, Yan Zhenzhi, naturally took the lead. However, this did not mean that Yan Zhenzhi could control everything or that all his suggestions would be accepted. In many places, civil and military officials also had their own ideas.
For example, many people now disagree with the sand-dredging method proposed by Yan Zhenzhi and others.
Many people believe that there are established practices for building water conservancy projects or dredging canals. For them, past experience is sufficient, and there is no need to come up with any new technologies or ideas at this time.
The Yellow River is naturally very difficult to manage, and everyone agrees on that point. However, there is a lot of experience in managing the Yellow River in the past.
The Yellow River has indeed changed its course since the Song Dynasty, and it has also accumulated a lot of silt, which is something many people know.
Controlling the Yellow River is quite simple: just build high dikes, making them higher and stronger. Alternatively, you can dredge the riverbed in some areas. These are the traditional methods for controlling the Yellow River, and they can be applied to other bodies of water as well. It's practically a universal solution for flood control.
Therefore, we shouldn't dwell on the power of the sand-washing method; it's better to be cautious, as this is the most correct approach.
Having readily available experience to draw upon is certainly not a bad thing. This method might not be the most effective, but it's definitely the safest. As for things like sand rinsing, do you even know if they're effective?
There are indeed many such voices, and many people agree with these views. Sometimes being conservative isn't necessarily a bad thing. After all, managing the Yellow and Huai Rivers is a monumental task, requiring countless resources and manpower, and cannot afford any failures or excessive risks.
As for Yan Zhenzhi and others, they also had their own opinions. The old methods were only treating the symptoms, not the root cause, which is obvious to all.
Simply reinforcing the dikes or dredging the waterways would be too passive, and the results might not be very good. Although the silt flushing method might not be a permanent solution, it seems more effective than some past experiences, since the Ming Dynasty cannot afford to spend countless sums of money and grain to reinforce the dikes every few years.
As for whether the sand-washing method will fail, or whether such a method can be effective, there are naturally certain risks. However, as long as everyone works together and pools their wisdom on this matter, a more suitable method can always be found, which is also in line with the long-term interests of the Ming Dynasty.
The situation was different now; the Yellow River had changed course, and after flowing into the Huai River and then the sea, it frequently caused floods. Past experiences might not be effective now, and the Ming Dynasty needed new methods to solve these problems.
Zhu Yunying felt a bit dizzy from listening. Everyone had their own ideas, and it was clear that no one could convince the other in a short time.
It seems the debate needs to continue. While it's not enough to completely convince the opponents, we also need to persuade some people as much as possible, since this is a serious matter and cannot be taken lightly.
Let Yan Zhenzhi worry about it. In fact, Zhu Yunying also had his own ideas, and he clearly approved of the sand flushing method. Technological innovation may have some growing pains, but Zhu Yunying was well aware that the previous methods were not very effective in controlling the current Yellow River floods.
Even with some debate in court, preparations still need to be made; more time shouldn't be wasted on pointless arguments. After all, Zhu Yunying didn't see this as a decisive matter; many things still needed to be addressed promptly. A little argument now was fine, but important matters couldn't be delayed.
After the court session, Wang Chengen reported, "Your Majesty, the Duke of Rongguo has arrived fifty li outside Yingtian Prefecture and will be able to return to the capital tomorrow."
Zhu Yunying nodded. His brother-in-law had brought palm oil back to Yingtian Prefecture, which was definitely a good thing for Zhu Yunying. Zhu Yunying still had certain expectations for palm oil.
Even though he knew that palm oil might not be entirely suitable for the dietary habits of the Chinese people, he, a citizen of the Ming Dynasty, had no right to be picky. Having some was better than having none. A little more oil in your stomach was a huge improvement in your quality of life.
As for Feng Cheng, who is only fifty li away from Yingtian Prefecture, Zhu Yunying naturally needs to issue an imperial edict. After all, Feng Cheng is going out on official business with an imperial decree, and it is related to military affairs, so the procedure naturally needs to be more cautious.
Even though Zhu Yunying was the emperor, and even though he sometimes did things that seemed to break the rules, when it came to following the rules, Zhu Yunying cared about them more than anyone else.
Naturally, the topic of his younger sister's husband came up, and Zhu Yunying also thought of his elder brother-in-law, "Where is the Duke of Zhongshan now?"
Wang Chengen immediately replied, "Your Majesty, we should have already passed through Qingzhou. In a few more days, we should be returning to the capital."
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