Chapter 506: Diverting the Yellow River to Control Desertification
Upon hearing this, the emperor stared at Su Ying for a long time.
Su Ying bowed slightly, looking calm.
The court was persuaded by Wen Yanbo and overlooked one issue: the emperor does not really live forever. The emperor is also a human being and will die.
After I die, it is impossible for my descendants to be stronger than the previous one.
Not to mention the distant past, let’s just talk about the previous dynasty which perished in the second generation.
How many generations can the Tang Dynasty last?
With a population of 1.2 million, after two or three generations, there will be at least 2 million people.
The population is growing, but the amount of land is fixed, so there will inevitably be a situation where there is not enough land to go around.
In addition, due to the land annexation by wealthy and powerful families, farmers will sooner or later face the situation of having no land to farm.
Under the attack from several parties, it was the farmers of the Tang Dynasty who suffered in the end.
It would be strange if there were no conflict between the farmers who had no land to farm and the Turks who were grazing their livestock on vast pastures!
It seems wrong no matter how you look at it to squeeze the living space of the people of the Tang Dynasty in order to favor the Turks.
"How do we appease the surrendered Turks? If we don't resettle them properly, won't they feel disheartened?" The emperor began to waver.
"Your Majesty! Why did the Turks invade our Tang Dynasty? Wasn't it just to plunder survival resources and women?
How many soldiers of our Tang Dynasty sacrificed to protect the people and the territory of the Tang Dynasty!
How come they were forced to seek refuge and become dependent on us when their country was destroyed, and we, on the other hand, offered them land, letting them settle down in the lush grass and water south of the Yellow River?
Will Tuyuhun and Tubo do the same in the future, moving from the bitter and cold plateau to the Central Plains under the banner of surrender?
"If we give away all the beautiful places with fertile land and beautiful water to others, won't the territory of our Great Tang become smaller and smaller? Where will the people of the Great Tang find a foothold?" Su Ying asked.
"Uh..." This question stumped the emperor.
That's right, they clearly surrendered, so why are we giving them land and trying to win them over? Are we afraid of mistreating them?
"But it's cold and there's little arable land north of the Yellow River. If we really settle them there, they can flee at any time if they're dissatisfied!" The emperor was troubled.
Relocating the Turks was one of the conditions for the Tang Dynasty to accept their surrender.
Let these people lie dormant in the desert, where they are erratic and difficult to monitor and manage, so let them recuperate.
It will take less than ten years for them to make a comeback, and the northern part of the Tang Dynasty will be in perpetual instability.
South of the Yellow River, the Tang army only needed to station troops north of the Yellow River to prevent them from escaping back to the desert.
"Your Majesty, although there is little arable land north of the Yellow River, aren't there also people of the Tang Dynasty who are cultivating wasteland and reproducing there?
Why can't the Turks reclaim wasteland? Besides, it's better there than in the cold, dry desert! What can they complain about?
Su Ying couldn't understand why the adopted son was treated better than her biological son!
"Your Majesty, what Lord Su said makes sense!" Prime Minister Fang said.
"The area north of the Yellow River isn't too good, but it's not bad either. At the foot of the Yin Mountains, there are vast grasslands suitable for grazing and farming. As long as we work hard to reclaim the land, it's still pretty good!
We provide them with some agricultural tools and farmers who know how to farm, and guide them in reclaiming wasteland and farming, gradually transforming from nomadic to semi-agricultural and semi-pastoral.
Give the people over there something to do, otherwise they'll just start causing trouble when they're idle!"
The emperor stroked his curly beard, "Well, that makes sense! But in spring, ice blocks the riverbed there, causing it to overflow and often submerge farmland.
One million and two hundred thousand people can't even farm, and the imperial court can't afford to support them!"
"Your Majesty! I have a plan to solve this problem!" Su Ying bowed.
"Oh, Su Qing, please tell us!" The emperor showed surprise on his face.
"Let's divert the Yellow River to control desertification!" Su Ying said lightly.
"Diverting the Yellow River to control sand dunes?" His Majesty and Prime Minister Fang asked in unison, both with a look of surprise and confusion on their faces. "What do you mean?"
"Doesn't the Yellow River block its riverbed during ice age and flood farmland during flood season? Isn't the land south of the Yellow River turning into desertification?
We will choose a suitable location on the Yellow River and dig a canal from the severely desertified grassland to connect it to the Yellow River.
Ice water during the ice age flows into the channels, irrigating and moistening the desert land.
On the desert grassland, the entire channel is dug into a network of large and small channels that are interconnected vertically and horizontally, which can store a large amount of water.
During the Yellow River's flood season, water is introduced into these networks, and when the river dries up, the water is released to irrigate farmland on both sides of the river and downstream.
At the same time, because these networks store water, the desertified grasslands remain moist, the grasslands are slowly recovering, and the desert is slowly retreating."
Su Ying dipped her tea in her hands and drew and described on the table.
During the Zhenguan period, the grasslands north of the Yellow River at the foot of the Yin Mountains were still vast green areas, but many areas of the Ordos Plateau to the south had become desertified due to overgrazing, but the situation was not too serious.
Over the next few hundred or thousand years, the desert continued to advance and evolved into large-scale desertification.
In modern society, the Yellow River sand control project has been adopted, which has been quite effective for more than ten years. The desertified grassland has gradually recovered into an oasis with lush grass and water.
Su Ying thought that the surrendered Turks could not be allowed to sit back and reap the benefits, but had to be allowed to become self-reliant.
Over a million people, what a great workforce! Building our own homeland is the right thing to do, right?
The Turks are nomads at heart and are naturally fond of grasslands.
If we teach them this kind of water conservancy project and harvest a large amount of fertile grassland, they will naturally use this technology to divert water further north, and the Tang Dynasty will have another large and useful territory.
Su Ying kept talking about her ideas, and the emperor and Prime Minister Fang listened in a daze.
"Su Qing, is this plan feasible?" After a long time, the emperor said in a dry voice.
"Of course! The backflow of ice during the ice season is just right to be introduced into the channel to store water!" Su Ying affirmed.
"Are you sure the water won't seep into the ground?" asked the emperor.
“With a small amount and dry ground, light will naturally seep out, so for the channels to be able to store water, the network must be large enough.
The water in the early stage seeps into the ground. When the groundwater is sufficient, the water that comes in will no longer leak, thus forming a virtuous circle.
If there is water in the channel, a large amount of aquatic plants will grow on the grassland, and the aquatic plants can prevent the water from evaporating.
A circular ecosystem is formed, and the grassland is restored." Su Ying's words were a bit confusing.
But the wise emperor and Prime Minister Fang understood that this project was too incredible and they were both stunned for a long time.
Isn't this equivalent to building a large reservoir, regulating the rise and fall of the Yellow River's water level and ensuring favorable weather conditions on the south bank and downstream?
"Then where do you think we should start, Su Qing?" the emperor asked again.
"Do you have a map?"
"Here!" The emperor pulled open the curtain on the wall behind the desk, revealing a military map.
Su Ying came over and looked at the map. She found the "J" bend of the Yellow River in the Hetao Plain. "Here!"
The emperor and Prime Minister Fang were stunned. This was Shengzhou, facing Yinshan Mountain to the north and the Ordos Plateau to the south.
The soldiers and civilians of Shengzhou Military Governor's Office planted crops here, sowing in spring and harvesting in autumn, and used canals for irrigation, resulting in a good yield.
They also dug an artificial canal to divert the Yellow River water into the canal for transporting grain.
This area is very important and was previously under the control of the Turks.
The Yulin Pass was set up in the northeast corner of Hetao to guard the natural barrier of the Yellow River and prevent the Turks from crossing the Yellow River to the south.
Looking at this place, the emperor suddenly understood Su Ying's words. In order to stop the Turks, the court sent heavy troops to guard this place.
How could they win the war and then settle them south of the Yellow River? Isn't this just giving up a strategic position?
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