Zhao Si took Lu Yihao, John and others all the way to Puyang City, where they met Zhang Shuye who came to inspect and accept the diversion project of the lower reaches of the Yellow River in Hebei Province on behalf of Shangshu Province.
He is currently the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Youpuse, and the Chairman of the Yellow River Management Committee.
"Your Majesty, in front of you is Lingping Pier, which is the Caocun Pier that broke out in the first year of Yuanfeng. After the imperial court exhausted manpower and material resources to block it, the late Emperor of the Temple issued an edict to name it Lingping Pier, hoping that the gods would bless it and the flood would subside.
It's a pity that in the fourth year of Yuanfeng, the Xiaowu River burst, and the Yellow River poured into the Yongji Canal. It took the canal and went northward, and entered the sea at the boundary river..."
Zhang Shuye pointed to the front and said with sighs and regrets in his words.
The Yellow River burst repeatedly, which finally made Emperor Shenzong feel disheartened and thought it was God's will. In addition, Yongle City was defeated, internal and external troubles, sorrow and anger accumulated, and he died of illness.
"Your Majesty, the Henan water diversion channel connects with the Bohai River in Zhencheng. In addition, a water diversion is opened near Lingping Pier in Puyang to introduce the water of the Yellow River into the Bohai River..."
"Mr. Ji Zhong, I remember that this water diversion is designed to ensure that most of the river flows along the main road during the dry season. Once the water level rises greatly during the rainy season, more than half of the river water will flow out of the water diversion?"
"Yes. Officials from the Water Conservancy Department of the Ministry of Construction, as well as professors from the Water Conservancy Department of Zhangheng College of Biyong University, specially went to Dujiangyan, Jianzhou Guan County, Bashu County for on-site measurement and inspection. Combined with the characteristics of the Lingping Curve, they also
Facilities such as fish-mouth diversion dams and trapezoidal mouths were adopted.”
"Normally, the water level is low and most of the river water flows down the main river channel. During the flood season, the river water surges. Due to the trapezoidal mouth and bends, nearly half of the river water is diverted to the flood diversion channel by the Yuzui Diversion Dam."
Zhang Shuye introduced in detail, Zhao Si listened quietly, and finally asked: "Is there enough river bed in the flood diversion river to bear these floods?"
"Your Majesty, the flood diversion channel is sixty-two meters wide at the bottom, seventy-six meters wide at the top, and seven meters deep, which is enough to divert floods. The construction department has added two gates at the water diversion outlet. During the dry season, the water can be cut off for a short time, and then the bottom of the river channel bed
Clean up the sediment.”
"The river water that diverts floods here and the river that diverts water from Henan merge into the Bohai River. Will it be able to survive?" Zhao Si asked again.
"The Bohai River is 80 meters wide at the bottom, 98 meters wide at the top, and 12 meters deep on average. It cost a lot of money. A total of one million laborers were mobilized in three years. Fortunately, the excavation was along the old river channel of the former Han Dynasty, which saved
One-third of the project volume..."
John and Yinsak were dizzy when they heard that one million workers came to dig a river. What kind of mobilization power and wealth.
In their view, these requisitioned civilians will not be paid, but they need to take care of food. Food and drink for one million people is such a huge expense. If they knew that one-third of this million laborers
Second, if you pay someone to hire someone, your jaw will drop to the ground in shock.
Zhao Si nodded: "I have read the summary report of your Yellow River Management Committee and the Ministry of Construction. I think it is a good idea to mobilize the public education, military and police, and students over the age of fifteen to use voluntary labor on weekends to contribute to the water conservancy project.
A pioneering work. You can continue to try..."
"The Yellow River Management Committee also proposed that the Water Conservancy Department be separated from Zhang Heng College and become a separate college. I approved it. This new college will be called Wang Zhongtong Wang Jing College."
Continuing to walk eastward, I saw the wide Bohai River, which runs straight forward on the land of Hebei and is slightly curved. It is said that it is five or six hundred miles long. There are parallel winding river banks on both sides, like two iron chains, tightly connected
The ground locked the river, which was still in the dry period.
It is conceivable that when the flood season comes, the river roars and stirs up layers of waves, but it cannot break through the constraints of the dams on both sides.
Every fifty miles, there will be a bridge connecting the north and the south, erected over the river.
What a huge project this is! Yinsak, who did not understand civil engineering, thought about it in his mind and felt that only a project as huge as the construction of Constantinople could compare with it. But Constantinople took several
It took more than ten hundred years of continuous construction to reach the scale it is today.
This river channel was built in three years. And I heard that there are two similar river channels in the north, but they are shorter.
What kind of country is this? Why does it have such mobilization ability at every turn? Is it good or bad for the Roman Empire to form an alliance with it?
But from the current point of view, it should be a good thing.
While walking and watching, Zhao Si and Zhang Shuye watched very carefully. They would go to the river embankment for inspection every once in a while. Sometimes they would ask people to randomly break open a certain part of the river embankment to see the materials inside.
Going all the way east, we came to Bohai County, Binzhou.
Zhao Si left John and Yin Sak here while he and Zhang Shuye turned to Dongxing Port not far to the southeast.
"Greetings to Your Majesty!" Li Gang hurriedly came forward to pay homage.
"No gift!"
"My subordinate has met Zhang Xiang."
"It seems that Bo Ji is doing a very happy and practical job in the Navy Bureau?" Zhang Shuye had a close relationship with his father Li Kui. He regarded him as his nephew and his words were very close to each other.
"Xiang Zhang's words are serious, and the emperor's orders are on his side, so he doesn't dare to slack off." Li Gang replied quickly.
Zhang Shuye saw his reserved look and waved his hand: "Okay, okay, I won't joke with you. Fan Tongzhi, you are here too."
Fan Donghai, deputy chief of the Naval Bureau of the Ministry of War and commander of the First Fleet, quickly stepped forward to pay homage: "I pay my respects to your Majesty."
Then he added: "I have seen Zhang Xiang."
Zhao Si stared at him and asked: "Did you escort the New Continent Expedition Team back with the ship?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. We have a whaling fleet, tracking a group of whales in the sea east of Sakhalin Island, Black Dragon Island, and encountered a returning expedition team. One of the clippers quickly went south to report the news. It happened that his subordinates were leading the first fleet
, encountered a message ship while passing through the Koryo Strait.”
"My subordinates have long been instructed by His Majesty to pay close attention to the expedition fleet sent to the East to find the New World. I did not dare to neglect it and quickly sailed north to meet the expedition fleet. I first rested for ten days on Xingdan Island and invited the fleet to
Doctors on the expedition team had seen them several times and found no abnormalities. Then they were escorted to Dongxing Port. They had been quarantined in the port area for twelve days and were also treated by medical officers sent by the Huimin Bureau and the Military Medical Bureau.
We checked it back and forth several times and found nothing unusual."
"That's good. It's been four years since Tianqi set out four years ago, and he's finally back." Zhao Si sighed, "Let's go meet these warriors!"
Arriving at the Dongxing Port Port Authority compound, six people sat in a room nervously.
When I saw Li Gang and Fan Donghai coming in with two people, I was stunned for a moment.
"Hurry up and meet your Majesty." Fan Donghai said.
"I will pay my respects to the officials!"
The six people said in unison.
"Your Majesty, this is Wang Zhi, the leader of the expedition. He was originally the captain of the Dongfang A-2 ship. After the original leader of the expedition, Jia Gui, died of illness on the way, he was elected as the leader by several captains."
Fan Donghai introduced to Zhao Si.
"Your Majesty, this is Xiao Zhitu, the deputy commander of the expedition team. He was originally the captain of the Dongfang A No. 4 ship. The original deputy commander of the expedition team was accidentally shot by the indigenous people while exploring the New Continent."
"These four are the captains of four ships."
Zhao Si asked: "How many ships will the expedition have when setting off?"
"Replying to Your Majesty, there are nine ships, including three 450-ton Class A three-masted barques, four 350-ton Class B lock ships, and two 260-ton Class C lock ships.
Wang Zhi replied respectfully.
The classification standards at that time were different from today. Now in the Song Dynasty, new things are emerging one after another, and the standards often change.
"How many ships are left now?" Zhao Si asked.
"As far as your Majesty is concerned, there are now two Class A ships and two Class B ships left."
"How many crew members are there at departure?"
"Two thousand one hundred and fifty-seven."
"How many people are left now?"
Wang Zhi paused for a while and then swallowed: "There are 875 people left."
The room was silent, and a solemn and tragic emotion slowly seeped out from everyone's bones, filling the entire space.
"It's not easy. You have made great contributions to the Song Dynasty by cutting waves and wearing reeds! We will remember the names of every warrior, and then use your names to name the rivers and mountains in the new continent!
"
"I thank your Majesty!" Wang Zhi and others replied with twinkling eyes.
After a pause, Wang Zhi, Xiao Zhitu and the other four people took up six boxes from the table where they were sitting and raised them respectfully: "The Privy Council New Continent Expedition Team set out from Michigan Port on the second day of April in the fourth year of Tianqi
, after four years and eleven days, sixteen islands, forty-seven new locations on the continent, and several foreign objects were discovered. I now present the sea chart and the foreign objects to Your Majesty! I have traveled thousands of miles across the sea, and finally lived up to the emperor's orders!
"
Wang Zhi said loudly with tears in his eyes. This chapter has been completed!
