Chapter 2771
Zhu Zian said: "I would like to hear the details and ask Brother Shi for advice."
Shi Chengwu said: "What is the top priority in the Donghai Region at the moment? Zian, you have been in Hangzhou for so long and you have been exposed to a lot of information. You should know something about it, right?"
Zhu Zian thought for a moment and said, "Brother Shi is referring to the matter of moving the capital, right?"
Shi Chengwu nodded and said: "That's right. Our country is moving the capital from Sanya to Hangzhou. This is a major project that will take several years. In order to ensure the normal operation of the country and the smooth progress of the capital relocation plan, the East China Sea region must be concentrated All resources. But if we want to deal with the problem of the water transportation system at this time, we will inevitably need to invest a lot of human resources outside the ruling area, and we may even need to mobilize the army to cooperate. The impact this will have is unpredictable. We won't risk it either."
How important the capital relocation plan was to Haihan, Zhu Zian actually did not need Shi Chengwu to explain more. During the time he came to the Donghai Region, he had access to information related to the capital relocation plan almost all the time, and even followed Shi Chengwu and others to visit several construction sites of related projects.
The Donghai Region has invested countless resources for this purpose. Compared with this, the small amount of materials that the Caofu Yamen deducted from the water transportation task does seem insignificant. Moreover, when water transportation is not smooth, the area that is most affected is actually the north. The Donghai region does not feel the same way, so naturally the priority of dealing with water transportation problems is not that high.
Shi Chengwu continued: "Zian, you haven't been here for too long. Maybe you don't understand how many people in our country are busy moving the capital. Hongfang and the others must have a clearer understanding."
Tao Hongfang responded: "I and several others were transferred from Sanya to Hangzhou. In fact, the most important task is to inspect the progress of preparations for relocating the capital here. Many official departments and factories on Hainan Island are beginning to make long-distance relocations. Preparations have been made. The Executive Committee will not allow any incident to affect the capital relocation plan. If there is, it must be controlled outside our country's ruling area. ”
Tao Hongfang and others were transferred to Hangzhou by the Executive Committee for official business, which to a certain extent represented the attitude of the Executive Committee. What he said was undoubtedly telling Zhu Zian clearly that even if the Donghai Region wanted to intervene in water transportation affairs, the executive committee would probably not agree. At least at this juncture, the Executive Committee does not want the Donghai Region to use its limited resources to deal with these matters that are easy to create extraneous problems.
Zhu Zian said: "Then I don't know how to understand the second point that Brother Shi said?"
Shi Chengwudao: "The various ills related to the water transport system are deeply ingrained. It can be said to be a century-old disease. It is extremely difficult to eradicate them. Even if we replace the officials in charge of water transport affairs, it will be difficult to change the operation of the water transport system in a short time. Rules. To solve this problem, we must start from the root cause and figure it out slowly.”
Shi Chengwu paused and asked Zhu Zian: "Zian, tell me why water transport is so important?"
Zhu Zian had some understanding of this, and immediately responded: "This is a necessary means to maintain the rule of the Central Plains. Throughout the dynasties, the public grain, taxes, and tribute paid by the southern region have to be transported to the northern capital, and water transportation is the safest. The freight is also the cheapest. During the Ming Dynasty, millions of grains were transported to the north each year, which was the lifeblood of the country. ”
Shi Chengwu nodded and said: "But the transportation capacity of inland rivers is limited, especially those of artificial canal sections. The water depth is not enough and large ships are often unable to pass. The rivers are also extremely narrow. During peak transportation periods, congestion may even form on the canals. Can we find a better transportation method and share part of the transportation volume from inland water transportation? "How could Zhu Zian not understand what he meant? He immediately responded: "Brother Shi is talking about sea transportation, right? It was only gradually liberalized during the Longqing period. By this time, the water transportation system had already taken shape, and it was already very difficult to change the transportation method. Only part of the military rations were transported to the north by the navy, and most of the public rations were still transported by inland waterways. The old road.”
Shi Chengwu asked: "Obviously, sea transportation is more efficient and freight is lower, so why can't it be changed?"
Zhu Zian sighed: "I think it's because of profit. Millions of water workers depend on food and clothing. If the grain is transported by sea, the livelihood of tens of thousands of people will be worried. Moreover, the state capitals along the water transport will probably I don’t want to give up this piece of fragrant steamed buns, so if I want to change the water transportation to sea transportation, I will inevitably encounter great resistance in the court.”
Shi Chengwu nodded and said: "Zi'an still sees it quite clearly. This is also the fundamental problem of water transportation. If we gradually change the mode of transportation to sea transportation, we can greatly reduce the flight segments that were originally responsible for water transportation. Wait for the role of water transportation It is no longer so important, and the resistance to promoting restructuring will be much smaller.”
What Shi Chengwu said was not complicated, but it was difficult for the Ming Dynasty to implement such a plan, especially after the emergence of Haihan, it became increasingly impossible. Because it only took Haihan about ten years to control strategic locations such as the Fujian Strait, Yangtze River Estuary, and Bohai Bay on the Ming Dynasty's coastline, the Ming Dynasty could no longer guarantee the safety of maritime transport of strategic materials and could only continue to rely on relatively inefficient transportation. Low inland water transport.
And if we want to change this situation, only Haihan can do it. Haihan's current shipping capacity has exceeded that of any dynasty in history, and shipping bulk materials between the north and the south has long been familiar. Moving the transportation tasks of the water transportation system to the sea is no longer just a theoretical possibility.
Shi Chengwu continued: "Sea transport is faster, has lower freight, and has greater transport capacity. The routes and cargo ships are ready. Compared with inland water transport, the advantages are very obvious."
Zhu Zian asked: "If we act in this way, it will definitely cause a large number of workers to become unemployed. How can we prevent these people from becoming refugees?"
Shi Chengwu said: "So as I said before, this matter can only be dealt with gradually, while promoting the transfer of water transportation to the sea, while absorbing unemployed water workers. Similar to the Yangtze River, Pearl River, Qiantang River, Yellow River, Liaohe River and other inland water systems, the navigation conditions Both are good and have great development potential. There will still be a need for a large number of shipwrights and sailors in the future, which can just absorb the layoffs in the water transportation system. However, if we want to reduce the impact and achieve a smooth transition, it will not take more than three to five years.”
Zhu Zian sighed: "If this century-old problem can be solved in three to five years, it will be a good deal. Brother Shi's advice has really benefited me a lot!"
Shicheng Budao: "As long as the root cause of the problem is found, it is not difficult to formulate a solution. However, before implementing this plan, there is a prerequisite that must be achieved."
(End of chapter)