Zhang Yanling drank a lot of wine, and the villagers were so enthusiastic that he was also happy. He drank from cup to cup and became drunk. He originally planned to return to Beijing overnight, but he was dizzy and couldn't ride a horse. The accompanying servants also drank wine and couldn't drive the car.
It was not safe, so I simply decided to rest at the villa for the night before leaving.
In the middle of the night, thunder in the sky woke Zhang Yanling up. A heavy rain came down, and the rain was really heavy. Zhang Yanling got up and looked at the lightning and thunder outside the window, feeling a little worried about the dam.
The dam has just been closed today. It has only been compacted with earth and stone, and no further reinforcement has been done. Will such heavy rains cause physical damage to the dam? In addition, the excavated water storage part of the dam will collect a large amount of rainwater, which will affect the subsequent progress.
.What worries Zhang Yanling even more is that the floods in Xishan Manor are often caused by flash floods in the upper reaches caused by sudden heavy rains. If a flash flood strikes, whether the side channels that change the river course can withstand the test? If a large number of floods hit, it will
The closed dam will not be washed away.
After much deliberation, Zhang Yanling really couldn't stay any longer. He got up and ordered someone to get his coir raincoat and bamboo hat. He wanted to go and have a look in person. Ma Quan advised him not to go in person, and he could just take someone to have a look, but Zhang Yanling insisted on going.
Ma Quan had no choice but to ask a few servants to follow Zhang Yanling, and the group rushed into the darkness of lightning and thunder in the rain toward the dam.
The sky and the earth were pitch black. From time to time, flashes of lightning crackled from the sky to the ground, and the thunder roared, which was very alarming. Finally, half an hour later, everyone rushed to the dam construction site. Through the flash of thunder and lightning, they saw the rolling inside of the dam.
The churning torrent is gathering rapidly. In the river downstream of the dam, the water flow is roaring and rapid. The diversion canal normally guides the water to flow into the river below. However, it is obvious that the water flow is too fast and the diversion canal cannot drain away the flood in time. The flood has already overflowed.
The dike on one side of the diversion channel overflowed into the unfinished water storage area inside the dam.
If it is not dealt with in time, big problems may occur. Unfinished dams cannot withstand immersion and impact, store too much water, and are in danger of collapse.
"There's someone on the embankment!" Ma Quan shouted, wiping the rain off his face.
Zhang Yanling looked carefully and saw a few black figures shaking on the earth dam, so he led people to walk over in the mud. People on the dam also spotted Zhang Yanling and others, and someone shouted: "Who is coming?"
Zhang Yanling recognized the voice and shouted loudly: "Old blacksmith, it's me."
A surprised voice came from the other side: "My boss? Why are you here too?"
Zhang Yanling quickly approached and saw Zhao Laoji, Zhao Yuancheng, Axiu, their father and daughter on the embankment, as well as several civilians guarding the construction site at night.
"I'm worried about this dam, and I'm worried something might happen, so I brought someone here to take a look." Zhang Yanling said.
Zhao Laoji said: "I brought Yuan Cheng and Axiu to have a look because I was worried. Boss, this situation is not good. The diversion channel is not wide enough, and the flood water from above cannot flow away and reaches the dam.
The water is coming in. The water is rising very quickly. In just a short while, it has risen several feet."
Zhang Yanling nodded and said: "We can't just sit back and watch. We have to find a way. The floodgates have to be opened to release the flood water."
Zhao Laoji slapped his head and said: "Oh, I am an old fool, I have forgotten such an important thing. Yuan Cheng, hurry to the gate and open all three gates."
Zhang Yanling said: "Let's go together, that iron gate cannot be operated by one person."
Everyone stepped on the muddy top of the dam to the closed position. The raised crankshaft was not installed directly, because the dam body was not completed, so it was draped with oilcloth and placed on the slope. Everyone had to assemble the crankshaft first.
, hung up the iron chain of the gate, and then turned the machine shaft together, slowly twisting up the previously closed iron gate. After the gates of the three sluices were all twisted up, three water dragons roared out from the other side of the dam body, and there was a loud sound.
It’s amazing. A large amount of floodwater is pouring down the river at a rapid speed.
The old blacksmith breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the rain from his face and said: "It's better now. As long as the rain stops soon, the situation will not get worse. As long as the water can be drained, the dam can be saved."
Zhang Yanling nodded, looked at the heavy rain and the lightning and thunder in the sky, and said thoughtfully: "I have to go upstream to see how the water is. I remember that there are several natural dams in the upstream river. If the water flows too fast,
We can clear away the debris and trees at the entrance of the dam so that the floodwater can be diverted to the wild areas, which will put less pressure on the dam."
The old blacksmith nodded and said: "What my boss said is that there are some dam mouths that have been blocked by alluvial trees and silt. It would be best if they could be dredged. There are also a few small streams that can be blocked to reduce the flood."
OK."
Zhang Yanling said: "Then what are you waiting for? Let's set off to check it out now. Anyway, the rain won't stop, so we won't be able to sleep well or rest assured when we go back."
The old blacksmith nodded in agreement. So the group of people brought axes, picks, shovels, saws and other tools in the work shed on the hillside and started walking along the north bank of the river toward the west mountain. Amidst the wind and rain, the water in the river was turbulent and fierce.
Mixed with the huge trees, they were floating and sinking in the water, rolling and roaring.
This river is usually very quiet, but under heavy rains, a small river can be powerful. This situation also shows that the flash floods in the Xishan Valley have poured down. Otherwise, there would be no trees flowing down with the water.
It was caused by floods in a valley somewhere upstream, causing trees to break or mudslides on the hillsides.
The first ancient dam mouth five or six miles away is actually the site of a curve. I don’t know which year the river broke here, so the river bank is weak and has accumulated a lot of dead trees. At this moment, the river has already
It has risen to the shore. If we can clean up these siltations and do a little digging, it will be equivalent to forcibly opening a flood outlet and letting part of the water flow into the ravines and mountains to the north. This is the purpose of everyone coming here.
Zhao Laoji and his men immediately started to work. They were sawing, chopping, and digging, and they got busy. Zhang Yanling wanted to help, but no one else would let him, saying that this kind of thing did not require his boss to do it himself. In addition, the place was narrow.
It was dangerous, and the boss could not take risks. So Zhang Yanling could only stand aside and watch everyone working. Also watching everyone working was A Xiu. She stood aside with a small machete and Zhang Yanling
Still staring.
"I'll go take a look at the hillside ahead." Zhang Yanling said.
A few miles ahead was a row of hills. In fact, everyone was currently in the Xishan Mountains. Zhang Yanling wanted to see if the floods in the valley had burst out, and also wanted to see the power of the floods.
Everyone was busy working and didn't think much about it. However, Blacksmith Zhao said: "Xiu'er is going with my boss. We can't let him go alone. Take good care of him."
Axiu agreed upon hearing this, and followed Zhang Yanling, walking one foot deep and one foot shallow in the wild fields on the shore. Unknowingly, after walking a long way, Zhang Yanling had arrived on the slope next to a valley. Unexpectedly,
The sound of water roared in the valley in the distance, and a large amount of floodwater was rushing out of the valley like a herd of wild horses, pouring straight into the winding river. The head of water rushed straight to the bottom of the hillside where it stood, as if the entire