Li Er looked at all the civil and military officials in the court. If he wanted to develop the foundation of an eternal emperor, it was far from enough to rely on an open-minded monarch.
He still needed many officials who were worried about the country and the people like Qin Feng had mentioned. Now, it seemed that officials who met these conditions were really rare.
Talented people like Qin Feng were really too rare. Every invention and idea of his could have a huge impact on this newly rising Li Tang Dynasty.
Li Er wanted to see just how much Qin Feng could change from the imperial examinations. No matter what, Li Er was certain that he would lead a new Great Tang.
Cui Chihao was also baptized by Qin Feng's words. No one knew what he was thinking about.
However, it was obvious that Qin Feng still won.
Finally, there was one answer. The answer was when the court selected people, they asked for answers to political and economic questions at that time. The person who should be selected answered, which was called "answer".
Cui Chihao, who didn't have any fame and fortune, naturally couldn't set the test, so Second Emperor Li set the test.
As the person who set the question, it was the first time for Li Er to be asked about current affairs by his father, Li Yuan.
At that time, the Yellow River flooded and many dikes burst. The imperial court sent several Water Department officials and Water Envoys.
However, the effect was still minimal. Hundreds of thousands of people had their homes and fertile fields destroyed by the flood, causing those people to be homeless.
Since ancient times, the Yellow River had been plagued by floods. Controlling the Yellow River was also a difficult problem that had plagued it for thousands of years. Coincidentally, Qin Feng was also present, so Li Er wanted to ask Qin Feng if he had any good ideas.
After making up his mind, Li Er asked," What if the Yellow River overflows and bursts its banks, leaving tens of thousands of people homeless?”
Cui Chihao didn't think and answered first,""Your Majesty, if the Yellow River breaks its banks, you must first order the local government to evacuate the people by the river and gather them.”
"At the same time, the imperial court should open up the national treasury and collect grain from all over the country. Porridge stalls should be set up at the places where the levees burst to show His Majesty's great kindness.”
"When the river receded, the imperial court would allocate funds to help the people build their homes.”
Cui Chihao was the first to answer because his father, Cui Minkang, was previously a member of the Ministry of Water. Now, he had become a doctor of the Ministry of Water. His father was also one of the officials sent to deal with the Yellow River flood a few years ago.
Unfortunately, the scale of the flood was not small. Other than opening the warehouse to provide disaster relief, they did not do anything substantial.
When the young Cui Chi Hao heard about this matter, it had been left in the depths of his memory. Now that Li Er asked, he instantly recalled it and answered smoothly.
This answer was considered average. There was nothing eye-catching about it, but there were no flaws either.
Li Er nodded and said,"Yes."”
Before Cui Chihao could be happy, he heard Second Emperor Li change the topic and ask,""But the imperial court's treasury is empty now. It's at least a few hundred thousand taels of silver to deal with the flood.”
" Er…" Cui Chihao's forehead was covered in sweat. He had only heard about how to manage it, but he had no idea how to earn this money.
How could he, who was familiar with the scriptures, know where the money came from?
Li Er looked at Qin Feng and asked,"Uncle Lan Tian, tell me, where did this money come from?”
Qin Feng silently cursed in his heart,'Don't think that I don't know. But making ice can earn hundreds of thousands of taels of silver. Moreover, we've cooperated with a few other businesses. Although they haven't started to make money, in time, Li Er will definitely earn a lot.'”
However, Qin Feng couldn't say this. Hence, he changed the topic and said,"Your Majesty, I believe that the key to dealing with the flood is not to cure it, but to prevent it.”
Although Qin Feng's argument wasn't new and many people had said it before, no one had said how to defend against it.
Li Er understood Qin Feng's character and knew that he was cautious. He would definitely not make groundless rumors. When he heard this, he knew that Qin Feng must have a new conclusion and method.
"Uncle Lan Tian, do you have any ideas?"”
"Your Majesty, there is a way. Since ancient times, there has been a saying that 'governing a country must first control the flood'. When it comes to controlling the flood', it can be traced back to the era of Yao and Shun. Dayu was ordered to control the flood'…"
"Up until now, it has gone from avoiding to governing, from blocking to sparse, from sparse to guiding, from passive to active, from singular to comprehensive.”
"There are still many dams built in the lower reaches of the Yellow River. Normally, it won't be obvious, but if it encounters a once-in-a-century heavy rain, not only will these dams not be effective, but they will also cause an even greater impact when the dams burst.”
"Of course, there are also methods to dig tributaries in these areas where the levees break frequently to divert the water from the levees. This is a method, but it's a waste of manpower and money.”
An official from the Water Ministry was unhappy and asked,""It's wrong to build dams and dig up tributaries. Are we going to just watch and let the flood happen?”
The person who asked the question was Cui Minkang, a doctor from the Ministry of Water. In the Tang Dynasty, there was a Ministry of Water under Shangshu Province.
The Ministry of Water was in charge of "the decrees of rivers and ponds in the world to guide ditches, dam rivers and canals, and all the benefits of boat irrigation."
The chief officer of the department is called a doctor, from the fifth grade to the official position, and the deputy chief officer is called Yuanwailang. From the sixth grade to the upper grade, he is in charge of the affairs of ferry, ship, canal beam, dike, ditch, fishing, transporting grain and grinding. He is in charge of the government decrees of rivers and ponds all over the world, so as to guide the water to reach the ditch and dam the river and canal.
There was also a capital water supervisor, whose chief was called the capital water envoy. There were two people, both of whom were fifth-grade high-ranking officials, in charge of river canal repair and irrigation matters in the capital area.
Qin Feng couldn't call his name, but he asked,"May I ask Lord Water Minister, why did the Yellow River burst its banks?”
"Naturally, it's because the rain has increased and the water flows into the Yellow River," the doctor said.”
Qin Feng shook his head." This is just a superficial phenomenon. When we look at things, we have to see through the phenomenon to see the essence."”
"Look at the essence through the appearance?"
They had never heard of this saying before, but after thinking about it carefully, it made sense. But what was the nature of a river breaking its banks?
"Then why don't you tell me what the essence is?" the doctor asked impatiently.”
Qin Feng didn't reply. Instead, he asked,"Then let me ask you, what color is the Yellow River?”
"Of course it's yellow," the doctor replied.”
"Why is it yellow?" Qin Feng asked again.”
"Naturally, there is sand at the bottom of the river."
"Then isn't the answer obvious?" Qin Feng laughed.”
The doctor of the Water Ministry seemed to have heard a joke and asked,"Are you saying that the essence of the breach is the sand at the bottom of the river? That meant that digging up the sand at the bottom of the river could change the Yellow River's dike burst? Then as long as they built a dam and dug out the sand, wouldn't everything be over?”
Qin Feng was speechless. He didn't know how this person managed to hold such an important position in the Water Division. He gave an ambiguous answer,"Yes and no."
Cui Minkang, the doctor of the Water Ministry, frowned and said angrily,"If you are, then you are. If you are not, then you are not. Are you teasing me with your answer?”
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