How wide was the Yangtze River in the Tang Dynasty? Even without this continuous heavy rain, it would have been one kilometer wide at its widest point.
There are no artificial river embankments in many places on both sides of the river. There are only continuous dense forests, and most of them are virgin forests.
Li Yuanxing placed the first stop of defense in Jingzhou, because he believed that going forward, nature would keep water in the rivers. Jingzhou was the first stop. The population here and the counties there exceeded one million, and he did not dare to have any
of damage.
The cabinet master understood Li Yuanxing's approach, but he also had his own ideas: "Electricity to Chang'an and the bursting of Poyang Lake's embankments will only increase the amount of water stored. With this flood, the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal can be flushed, and the mud at the bottom of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal can be washed away in one go.
After the sand has been cleaned up, there is a tributary from Hezhou to Taihu Lake. We use this channel to introduce water into Taihu Lake, and then go straight down to Hangzhou Bend, which is only seventy miles away."
The cabinet master has entered Suzhou City, and he has the most detailed river map here.
Li Yuanxing was sitting in Chang'an. The map in his hand was actually not as detailed as that of the cabinet master. He said that the area of Taihu Lake was more than five times larger than that of later generations.
In modern Taihu Lake, there are wetlands to the southeast of the main lake.
In the Tang Dynasty, the wetland was originally a lake area. Suzhou was close to Taihu Lake, and the lake could also be seen in Jiaxing. In later modern times, there were only patches of wetland to the northwest of Jiaxing.
"Jiangnan River was the canal from Hangzhou to Jiaxing in the Sui Dynasty. All we need to do is to blast a waterway twenty miles west of Jiaxing to divert the water from Taihu Lake to Hangzhou Bay, and then release the water from Hezhou, which will only flood 300 meters.
It can protect the grain fields south of Jingzhou."
After Li Lanshan made the calculation, she gave Li Yuanxing suggestions.
"That's crazy. The total amount of earth dug is seventy miles. How long will it take to dig? Are you in a hurry?"
"Your grand arena was built on a mountain. In three months, almost a mountain of earth was dug out. The amount of earth was fifteen times that of this waterway. And at that time, you only had 20,000 people working. We mobilized
Two hundred thousand. It’s not about building a canal. It’s just about digging some places to prevent water from harming the three cities of Suzhou, Hangzhou and Jiaxing. I can’t take care of the rest.”
Li Lanshan and Li Yuanxing were arguing.
This was a professional matter. Li Er only listened and never spoke.
Finally, Li Er asked: "Wulang, when there was a flood in Luoyang, one person could survive. Can it be done now?"
Li Yuanxing shook his head helplessly: "If we can control the casualties to less than a thousand people, the emperor will sacrifice to heaven. This is a terrible flood that may kill tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of people. If Laizhou, Suzhou, etc.
If any city is flooded, there will be at least hundreds of thousands of people in that city."
"Lanyue said that breaking the dikes and releasing water is feasible?" Li Er asked.
"This is a fight with the sky. The plan depends on people, and the success depends on heaven. We, the Tang Dynasty, must never give up before fighting. Only after fighting this battle can we know the depth." After Li Yuanxing said this, he turned back and glanced at Li Lanshan: "
Without on-the-spot investigation, how can we start construction? Do we rely on our feelings?"
Li Lanshan only said two words: "Desperately!"
"Qiuxiang, record the order!" Li Yuanxing clenched his fist hard.
Li Er also issued an order at the same time: "Order the six chief officers and Tianying Pavilion to come to Qin Wangzhuang immediately. I want the world to know about my integrity in the Tang Dynasty!"
Hangzhou City!
The general guarding Hangzhou gathered all his elite troops together.
"The King of Qin has ordered that the task of a narrow escape will last forever. I will not name anyone. Those who are willing to accept the task will take a step forward."
With the sound of neat footsteps, eight hundred elites took a step forward in unison.
"The first team, use the hang glider..."
Using a hang glider in a thunderstorm is not about escaping death, it is about risking death. Once struck by lightning, there is no chance of death. But Li Yuanxing needs it, and the cabinet man in Suzhou also needs detailed water maps and topographic maps of this area.
.Those who can command hang gliders are definitely not ordinary soldiers, they must be the most elite in each army.
Although he knew that he would survive a narrow escape, he did not make any bold words, but only silently took a step forward.
"Go, your little friend will be here!" It was a simple promise.
In the sky, the most powerful elite scouts of the Tang Dynasty were using hang gliders to collect all the information about the flood.
At this time, the largest and strongest flood peak of the Yangtze River had not yet appeared, and the rainy season in the south had just begun. Wu Zhao was sitting in Suzhou City, praying for a sunny day. Even if it was only half a day, it would be enough for the spacecraft to take off and conduct an aerial photography.
Already.
In any major disaster, the big city should be protected first, then the small town, and then the town. As for the small villages, at least in ancient times, they almost completely relied on themselves to save themselves.
Li Yuanxing is not a god or a saint. The order of the Qin Palace is also to protect a few important cities first. You must know how much tax big cities like Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Jiaxing brought to the Tang Dynasty. Jiaxing alone was a big city.
With the slogan of producing 10,000 pieces of silk per day, a city like this is naturally heavily protected.
What should an ordinary village do?
A five-year-old child was asking his grandfather: "Grandpa, the water is so cold, what should we do?"
What should I do? Perhaps the only option is to pray.
The young man dived into the water several times and took out some food from the flooded house. There was water on all sides, and this was the last roof. There were houses built by rich families in the village made of bricks and stones.
Ordinary houses are higher, and the rest of the houses have been flooded.
But even this roof cannot accommodate the whole village.
A few simple wooden rafts and some tables and furniture were connected together and tied to the beams.
The old and the weak stayed in the living room, while the younger ones supported themselves on the raft. They did not dare to leave. They just hoped that the flood would recede as soon as possible. If they were washed away by the water, they would not know where they would be.
.There is a vast ocean on all sides, as if the Tianhe River is leaking, and the water is constantly falling.
"Old patriarch, let's light some fire and get some hot food. My wife is one month old and she can't hold it anymore, and the seventh woman is also four months old." A young man climbed to the roof and suffered.
Begging.
There was an oilcloth roll wrapped in the old man's arms, and there were a few sticks of firewood soaked in grease. Using these firewood under a simple shed on the roof, some firewood that was not too wet would also be ignited.
After hearing the young man's plea, everyone's attention turned here.
The old man hugged the oilcloth bag tightly and shook his head firmly.
He said nothing and did not understand. The old man had an obsession in his heart. He was waiting. He believed that a miracle would happen. So he hugged the oilcloth bag.
The young man lowered his head helplessly, tears falling from the corners of his eyes.
He swam to the other side of the roof, put the uncooked rice in his mouth, chewed it into pieces, and fed it into the mouth of the already extremely weak woman.
The sky slowly darkened.
Hunger, cold, and even death threaten the hundreds of people in this village.
Suddenly, there was a sound, and the young man who had just begged began to cry loudly. Several older women hurried over to observe the pregnant woman who was already full term and was about to give birth.
Floods have besieged this place for eight days, and the sudden flood left people of all ages in the village at a loss.
It was a middle-aged man who had been a soldier who directed everyone to save themselves.
He saved these people on the highest and strongest roof, leaving behind a lot of ropes and a lot of cooked food. However, he was hit by a piece of wood in the water and hit his chest. After vomiting a few mouthfuls of blood, he still managed to kill a child.
Sent to the roof.
Then, he held the oilcloth bag until he could no longer hold on and fainted. Then he handed the oilcloth bag to the village chief and left four words in a very weak voice. By this time, he was unconscious.
Damn it, I am already exhaling too much and inhaling less. I don’t know if I can hold on until dawn tomorrow.
The old patriarch gritted his teeth and hugged the oilcloth bag with a pale face.
"Old patriarch!" The young man rushed over: "Please, please. Make a fire!"
The old patriarch was also extremely weak. With his bad teeth, he could not bite the rice into pieces. He swallowed some uncooked rice, but he also suffered from indigestion. Coupled with the cold these days, the old patriarch already had a fever, but he still persisted.
With.
"Old patriarch! Please!" The young man grabbed the old patriarch's hand. When he grabbed it, the young man was startled. It was so hot! He quickly stepped forward and touched the old patriarch's forehead. The young man's heart sank.
He kept picking at it. The old patriarch had a fever, and the fever seemed to be severe.
It was still the same child, leaning on the old patriarch. The child didn't know what danger was, so he opened his mouth and said: "Grandpa is so warm!"
The child's voice attracted several adults, and many of them came closer.
The old patriarch could no longer hold on anymore, so he handed the oilcloth bag into the hands of the pleading young man, and tried his best to open his mouth to say something, but the young man quickly came closer.
The old patriarch also said four words: Believe in King Qin!
Believe King Qin! The young man was stunned and stared blankly at the oilcloth bag in his hand. He did not react when the old man was carried aside.
This is a small village 200 miles southwest of Yuezhou. Because the Dongting Lake flooded, they had no time to escape, so they were trapped by the flood. Very few merchants came here, and it is hard to say whether anyone remembers this small village.
The young man gritted his teeth, sat down where the old patriarch had just sat, and held the oilcloth bag tightly in his arms.
As time passes, the sky gets darker, the rain gets heavier, and the wind gets colder!
"Quick, bring that ginseng." Someone shouted.
The young man turned around and saw someone taking out a piece of ginseng and putting it in the middle-aged man's mouth. Many people turned their heads unbearably. This middle-aged man had been a soldier and was returning to his hometown to visit relatives this time.
Saved the whole village.
The young man jumped up suddenly and shouted to the sky: "Your Highness, King Qin, my brother Leopard will believe in you until death, and the old patriarch also believes in me. Why didn't you save us!"
Suddenly, a bright spot appeared on the distant water, and then a beam of light swept across the water.
"Chai, that firewood!" Several people shouted.
A piece of wood soaked in fire oil was ignited, and it looked so weak in the wind and rain, as if it would be extinguished at any time. (To be continued...)