Flooding of the Yellow River and What We Should Do

I have received and carefully considered my assignment of the flooding of the Yellow River. After speaking with those who understand the river and why it floods I have come to believe that the cause of flooding is the river itself. The river carries an excessive amount of silt, which over the course of time can build up the riverbed in certain places and cause the river to overflow affecting many of the people of China. Worthy Emperor, you love your people like a father loves his children. Your love is shown through protecting them from floods. However I fear that some of my colleagues in the academy do not share your love for the people. The Master said, (III. 26) “What can I find worthy of not in a man who is lacking in tolerance when in high position, in reverence when performing the rites and in sorrow when in mourning?” The Master meant that we should not be caught up in the literal symbols of Confucianism, but instead we should promote the wellbeing of the people. There are many lives and vast areas of farmland that are at risk for flooding, therefore our decisions and actions must be made quickly to stop this from happening. We need to send officials trained in engineering out to solve this problem quickly.

The Master said,(XII.14) “Over daily routine do not show weariness, and when there is action to be taken, give of your best.” We here in the capital do not have the time to give our best to the river control, therefore a commissioner should be appointed. The first task to improve control of the Yellow River should be for Your Majesty, Son of the Most High, to select a commissioner to oversee the project. He must have impeccable character and be able to command high regard of the provincial and capital officials. He must also have technical and organizational abilities which should be reinforced by moral strength. The commissioner must have these qualities because decisions must be made in the field, the commissioner should be empowered to mobilize materials and labor to carry out these decisions. The river can flood quickly before decisions could be made by the capital. The best decisions can only be made from the field, where the commissioner can personally see the conditions of the river and the surrounding people and make the best decision before the river is allowed to flood.

The next step in controlling the river is to decide upon a course of action. In the past our ancestors have used to different strategies to control the river. One being to confine the river in a marrow channel by high levees, the other which was used by the Great Yu, founder of the Xia dynasty, is to confine the river in a wider flood plain between lower levees. I would ask Your Majesty to consider both options and to use them together to control the river. The commissioner would be able to best see where each strategy could be used to the best advantage. While the first option will cost more, the second will require more land to be devoted to flood control. Either option will cost something however is it not your duty, Worthy Emperor, to protect and love your subjects like a father loves his son. As the Master points out in XII. 7 with out trust the common people will have nothing to stand on. The people of China are trusting you, Illustrious One, to control the river and protect their lives and land. We must act together without criticizing the emperor to quickly control the river and protect the people of China.

To explain the cause of the Yellow river flooding and to offer my suggestions as to how to control the river, I have drawn up this document. I ask for the Son of the Most High, Your Imperial Majesty's instruction.