The two of them walked and talked as they walked along the newly built dirt road in the field to the hillside south of Wild Dog Ridge. After crossing the slope, the full view of the dam construction site ahead came into view.
I saw colorful flag hunting at the river bend below the hillside. The scene was lively and dusty. Hundreds of people were scattered all over the Baogan area, working in full swing. Ox carts and wheelbarrows were shuttled back and forth to carry earth and rocks. Trumpets were loudly blaring, and it was a lively and joyful scene.
.The common people are not demoralized because they have been working for nearly a month, but their motivation is still maintained.
Someone on the construction site looked up and saw Axiu and the people who came with her, as well as the two carts and horses behind them. They quickly recognized them.
"The boss is here!"
"Master Marquis is here!"
The old blacksmith Zhao Laoji was leading a few people to discuss the work of closing the dam body above the already rudimentary dam body. When he saw Zhang Yanling coming, he hurriedly led a dozen people to greet him.
"Oh, my boss is here." Zhao Laoji bowed his hands and said.
Zhang Yanling looked at the faces of the old blacksmith and the sunburnt people beside him, laughed and said, "Old blacksmith, fellow villagers, thank you for your hard work. I have been very busy recently and haven't come to see you all.
I came here to express my condolences to you all today. I heard that the project is very busy and will be closed soon, so I came to take a look."
Zhao Laoji smiled and said: "My boss came just in time. The dam body is indeed about to be closed. We are discussing how to operate it. How to place the winch iron gate. My boss came just in time to give us some advice."
Zhang Yanling smiled and said: "Okay, let's study together."
Ma Quan squeezed up from behind, cupped his hands and said, "Master Hou, you are here."
Zhang Yanling looked at Ma Quan's dark, thin face and messy appearance and smiled: "Thank you for your hard work."
Ma Quan was so moved that he almost cried. He had been working really hard during this period. He stayed at the construction site eight out of ten days. He was responsible for recording and issuing the time and wages of the material allocation personnel. He was the logistics director of the entire construction site and was extremely busy.
.Before, he was just a dog-legger who followed Zhang Yanling around to show off his authority every day. Now he has become slovenly and unkempt. At first glance, he looks no different from an ordinary villager.
"After the matter is over, I will give you ten days' leave so that you can have a good rest and reunite with your family. I will also give you a reward." Zhang Yanling patted him on the shoulder and whispered.
Ma Quan nodded repeatedly, his mood changed from sadness to joy, and he laughed. It is the greatest compliment that the Marquis understands his hard work. As long as the Marquis approves, that is the greatest happiness.
"Let's go and have a look. Huh? Where's Axiu?" Zhang Yanling turned around to look for her.
"My sister has already arrived at the construction site below." Zhao Yuancheng said with a smile. Zhang Yanling looked up and saw that Axiu had already arrived at the construction site below. She placed the barrel on the embankment and loudly called for everyone to come and drink mung bean soup. The common people
Taking this opportunity to rest for a while, they gathered towards the embankment from where they were working.
Zhang Yanling and others went down to the embankment, and the people said hello one after another. Zhang Yanling returned the greeting and loudly said that he had worked hard, and at the same time ordered people to carry down all the rewards brought on the carriage. This time he brought a lot of chicken, duck, fish, vegetables and drinks.
etc., plus some labor protection items such as cloth gloves and straw hats.
"Folks, my boss is here to reward everyone today. After work in the evening, we will have a dinner on the construction site. There is also wine. Work hard and have a good meal in the evening." Blacksmith Zhao laughed loudly.
"Okay. Thank you very much, boss!"
"My boss is so nice."
"I haven't had a drink in several years. I need to have a good drink tonight."
The people responded enthusiastically.
"It's okay to drink. If you drink too much, you won't be able to work the next day, but don't blame me for deducting your wages. Our wages are so generous now, and if you miss work for one day, the loss will be considerable. You can weigh it yourself." Zhao Laoji shouted.
"Don't worry, old blacksmith, even the laziest scoundrel in Songjiazhuang has no shortage of work every day, who wouldn't come?" someone shouted.
"Hahahaha." The people laughed.
The famous local lazy man named Song Erlaizi swallowed the mung bean soup in his mouth, stared hard and spat hard: "Bah!"
Amid roars of laughter, Zhang Yanling, the old blacksmith and others walked forward along the embryonic embankment. Although the dam has not yet been completed, it is only about ten feet high and about ten feet wide, but the closing of the lower layer of the embankment must be completed. After closing
Then we can carry out the next step of reinforcement and heightening and other various works. Especially in order for the dam to have the function of water storage and drainage, the sluice gate and water outlet channel must be prefabricated in the lower layer. This is something that must be completed before closing.
Zhang Yanling saw the three water outlets built with bluestones. They were four feet long and wide and ran through the bottom of the dam body. They were all made of bluestone specially mined by the Xishan Quarry and were nearly one foot thick. Once the water is stored, the water will
The pressure is huge, and the culvert must be able to withstand the water pressure and long-term erosion, otherwise there is a risk of dam failure.
"My boss, according to your request, charcoal wood pilings will be used on both sides of the dam body to strengthen the dam body. In the future, bluestone will be used to lay a waterproof embankment on the slope facing the water. Living trees will be planted above the embankment to stabilize the soil. The cost is quite high. I heard
Butler Ma said that nearly five thousand taels of silver have been spent so far." Blacksmith Zhao pointed at the dike and said.
Zhang Yanling waved his hand and said: "Don't worry about this. The dam must be strong, otherwise the villages and fields downstream will suffer. There can be no carelessness in this regard."
Blacksmith Zhao nodded and said, "That's what my boss said. Can I see if the culvert is still okay?"
Zhang Yanling said: "There is no problem with the culvert, but the gate at the entrance must be installed. The culvert must open and close freely, and no water leaks when closed. You know, once water is stored, the bottom pressure is huge, and once water leaks, the surrounding dam body will loosen
, causing piping. This is the saying that a thousand-mile embankment was destroyed by an ant nest. Why didn’t I see the gate? "
Blacksmith Zhao smiled and said, "Isn't that right?"
Zhang Yanling followed the direction of his fingers and saw three black gates lying on the slope. They were three iron gates, each with two iron ears built on them to facilitate the hooking of iron cables. Iron gates were obviously the most suitable.
.
"We were just discussing how this iron gate can completely seal the entrance of the cave and be in the correct position every time it is lifted or lowered. Where to put the winch? The boss is here and he will give you some pointers," Blacksmith Zhao said.
Zhang Yanling said with a smile: "Is the old blacksmith going to test me? You don't need to ask me about this. Just install iron troughs on both sides of the culvert and insert the iron gates into them, so that they will not move out of position every time they rise and fall. Yes.
Yes, iron bolts need to be installed above to prevent the iron gate from derailing due to incorrect operation of the winch. Right?"
Zhao Laoji and everyone around him laughed. Sure enough, my boss is not a vegetarian. These are the methods they just figured out. My boss casually mentioned these tips, which is really impressive.
"The gate can be closed and sealed today, and it should take half a month to complete the dam body. It's just the dredging and excavation of the river bend that may have to be delayed. I think it can be completed in mid-August, which will be the best time.
Okay. The construction period cannot be too long. On the way here, I saw the growth of the rice. I am afraid it will be harvested in half a month. It cannot conflict with farm work. What do you think?" Zhang Yanling said.
Zhao Laoji and others are really impressed. The boss is really thoughtful and thoughtful. Zhao Laoji and others think the same way. After the rice is harvested, some acres need to be prepared for sowing wheat. These are a series of things.
By then, every household will have to work in the fields for at least two consecutive months. It will not end until the end of September. And by then, it will be almost winter. The farming season cannot be delayed, so if the dam cannot be completed by then, it will
Trouble.
"Don't worry, boss, we will seize the time and not delay the farm work. I will make it clear to the villagers that both things are very important, and we must complete them both at our own risk," Zhao Laoji said.
Zhang Yanling nodded and said: "We must speed up the work as much as possible. But don't let the villagers work hard. The dam body is the most important. Just complete the dam body. Tell the villagers that starting from today, the wages will be doubled. It's half a hard work."
Months later, it will be settled once and for all. In short, we cannot delay the farming season."
"Okay, boss, don't worry, neither thing will be delayed." Zhao Laoji assured, patting his chest.
Starting in the afternoon, A Xiu and a dozen other common women prepared meals in the work shed on the hillside. On the construction site, Zhang Yanling, the old blacksmith and others set up a winch and installed the three iron gates in place one by one. By evening
At that time, dozens of trucks of soil covered the culvert, and after tamping it layer by layer with bluestone, the closure of the bottom of the dam was basically completed.
In the evening, the smell of food wafting from the hillside had already made the people uneasy, and they looked towards the hillside from time to time. Since it was a reward, Zhang Yanling hoped that the people could relax today, so he ordered the work to end early.
The people cheered and jumped into the river to wash away the mud on their bodies, and then gathered on the slopes of the hills. The women returned to the village and pulled the elderly and children in carts. The hillside was very lively for a while. The children were playing and the food was floating.
The fragrance becomes a huge mountain party.
The sun went down a little bit, and the evening breeze blew on the southern slope of Wild Dog Ridge. The temperature was no longer so hot. Several bonfires were lit, and the dishes started to be cooked one after another. Zhang Yanling brought hard food.
The dishes are all meats such as chicken, duck, fish, etc., because he knows that the people are not interested in exquisite dishes, what they need is the happiness of eating meat.
When the wine and meat were brought up, the taste made people drool. Under the careful cooking of A Xiu and others, even ordinary chicken, duck and fish were as delicious as delicacies from the mountains and seas. When several large jars of wine were brought up, the people were even more excited.
There was thunderous cheers. Meat, chicken, duck, and fish were luxuries, and wine was even more luxuries for tenant households. They would only buy a few taels during the holidays to suit the occasion. Zhang Yanling knew what the people were thinking, so he didn’t say much, and directly announced the opening of the banquet. Immediately, people on the hillside