When they heard that they could reach Guazhou at noon, everyone was so excited that they even refused to have a good lunch. The boat sailed much faster.
Everyone set off from Jiangning County Pier and headed north along the Qinhuai River. After a day and a half of boating, they finally merged into the Grand Canal.
At two quarters of noon, after resting, the ship set sail again.
After paddling for half an hour, she heard a loud noise ahead. Huo Xi hurriedly stood on tiptoe and looked forward, and saw that the ships in front had gradually stopped.
You can vaguely see the silhouettes of people on the pier ahead.
I don't know if we have reached the "Guazhou Pier". What is the situation ahead? It would be great if I had a telescope at this time. It is still more than ten miles away, so I can't see clearly.
Looking further towards the river, people's voices are constantly coming from both sides of the bank in front. Just listening to the sound can predict the prosperity of Guazhou Wharf.
Yang Fu also stood on tiptoe to look, but the boats on the river were next to each other and neither of them could see what was ahead.
"Xi'er, let's go up to Liang Mountain and take a look."
Huo Xi's heart moved, and she followed Yang Fu through the cabin from the bow, grabbed the grain bags piled in the middle of his boat, and the two of them climbed up the grain mountain.
When we stood still on Liangshan Mountain, Huo, the view suddenly became much better.
"Xi'er, why did the boat stop ahead?"
Huo Xi looked ahead and saw that the ships had stopped.
Looking back, hundreds of thousands of boats were so dark that no one could see the tail of them in the Yangtze River. The boats in front did not move, and the boats behind them had to stop.
"Probably waiting to pass through the gate." It probably wasn't Guazhou Pier ahead. She almost forgot about passing through the gate.
"Xi'er, what is crossing the gate?"
Before Huo Xi could answer, Qian Xiaoxia's voice rose loudly from behind: "Huo Xi, Yang Fu, did you see anything? What happened? Why didn't the boat in front move?"
Seeing Huo Xi and Yang Fu climbing up the grain bag, Qian Xiaoxia also climbed up, but Hesheng didn't watch and couldn't figure out why the front wasn't moving.
Huo Xi glanced towards him and saw that all the Taoye Ferry boats were looking towards the Huo family at the bow, so she clasped her hands together and shouted to everyone: "We should be at Guazhou Pier ahead! Waiting to cross the lock!"
"Boy Huo, what is crossing the gate?"
Huo Xi was stunned. She didn't expect that everyone didn't even know about "passing the gate".
Then I thought about it, transportation is inconvenient these days, and few people travel far. Everyone usually only fishes in the Qinhuai River and the Yangtze River, and has never been to any place farther away.
He spread the word to everyone.
The Grand Canal goes all the way north, from south to north, and runs through the five major water systems of the Qiantang River, the Yangtze River, the Huaihe River, the Yellow River, and the Haihe River.
Because the water levels of each river are different from those of the canal, it is necessary to set up dams or sluices at the junctions of the canal and each river. The dams or sluices are used to control the water levels of the two rivers and balance them to achieve the purpose of navigation by ships.
For example, the water level of the Yangtze River is higher than that of the canal when there is abundant water in spring, summer, and autumn. However, during the dry season in winter, the water level is lower than that of the canal.
The water levels of the Huaihe River and the Yellow River are one low and the other high.
If a ship wants to enter the canal from each river system, it must first find a way to balance the water levels in the two rivers so that the ship can enter the canal.
There are many ways to control the water levels of the two rivers. The purpose is usually achieved by setting up sluices, which is the most efficient.
When the ship reaches the rear gate, the front gate is closed, the rear gate is opened, and water from the rear river pours in. Water is injected between the two gates, and the water level will be consistent with that of the rear river.
The boat began to enter the box.
When the boat reaches the front lock, the back lock closes, the front lock opens, and the water flows out, and the water level gradually becomes consistent with the river water in front.
The ship sails out of the box.
By opening and closing the front and rear boxes, water is filled and released, so that the water levels of the two rivers are balanced, and the ships can pass smoothly.
If a Grand Canal ship wants to enter the Yangtze River, the operation is reversed.
In addition to this function, this kind of sluice can also be used to release floods by opening the sluice and releasing water when the water level of the Yangtze River reaches the dangerous level during heavy rain seasons.
Therefore, the role of canals is not only for transportation, but also for flood control.
Huo Xi informed everyone, and Taoyedu and the nearby boatmen were stunned.
I originally thought it would be enough to transport grain north to Huai'an, but I didn't know there were so many ways here!
Darling, it turns out that the water levels between rivers are different. I am ignorant.
"Boy Huo, what are you using to build a ship lock in such a deep river to hold back the water? Can the water hold it back?" What about a river of water, how can it hold back the water? Is it possible to prevent it from being washed away?
"Maybe use iron or a stone." Someone said.
"How heavy is the iron and stone? How much manpower and animal power is required to pull the gate?"
Huo Xi saw that everyone was still very interested despite only half-understanding, so he explained it again.
"Use wood or a stone." Huo Xi said loudly.
After the water level is controlled by the ship lock, whether it is a ship from the Yangtze River, the Yellow River, or a ship from other rivers, it must be opened manually.
Most of the ship locks at this time were wooden gates. Because iron gates are easy to rust and heavy and difficult to lift, wooden gates were mostly used.
However, wooden gates are far less sturdy than iron gates. Therefore, gates are generally not too large, otherwise they cannot withstand excessive water pressure.
As a result, it is extremely difficult for one or two ships to pass through the lock. As for how many ships can be accommodated between the two locks to pass through the lock at the same time, Huo Xi does not yet know.
But based on the current level, it is estimated that there will be no more than 20 or 30 ships. If it is a large merchant ship, it will be even less.
Fortunately, they are all fishing boats and not very big. There are not many boats as big as hers.
But the first batch of canal ships to be transported from Jiangning included hundreds or even thousands of ships. It is not known how long it will take for the ships to stop and wait to enter the lock.
After Huo Xi explained, everyone understood.
Sure enough, I gained a lot of knowledge after going out. As for the water level, it turns out that there is a gap between rivers.
Huo Xi smiled and said: "Of course there is a gap. We live in the plains, those who live on the mountains and hills are higher than us, and there are those who live lower than us. The same goes for rivers.
"
"I heard that in some dams, the difference between the upper and lower water levels is tens of feet. To pass, you have to pass through several gates."
For example, the Three Gorges Dam in later generations had a water level difference of more than 100 meters, and five ship locks were required to reach it from upstream to downstream.
After everyone heard this, their eyes widened.
The difference between the upper and lower water levels is tens of feet? Oh my God, wouldn’t that flood people and boats? The entire city could be submerged in the water, right? Wouldn’t it become an underwater city?
Everyone looked up at the sky. There was a difference of several dozen feet in water level. How high would it be?
It's simply unimaginable.
When He Feng took the boat, he originally planned to tell everyone along the river to wait patiently to cross the lock. He also wanted to explain it to everyone, but he didn't expect that the boy from the Huo family had to finish the explanation.
Explained better than him.
He was stunned when he heard this.
Although this child is young, he is very knowledgeable. He Feng looked at the Huo family's boat and looked at it carefully again.
Seeing that the boy's father and uncle were stunned after hearing this, they both couldn't come back to their senses. He Feng couldn't help but shake his head and laugh. He didn't know how this family educated their children, and where did the child get those words just now?
Known.
He Feng turned his attention to Huo Xi again, feeling more and more that this boy was extraordinary.
"Wait patiently and queue up to cross the lock. If you can't reach the shore, you can't go ashore. If there is any loss of grain, be careful about your neck and head!"
He Feng took the boat and informed everyone one by one, his voice was cold.
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