Chapter 82: Propose a plan and dig a canal!
He looked at the sky outside.
After much deliberation, I decided to listen to Su Jingge this time.
If there were to be a flood disaster, he would have done a great service.
Even if there is no such thing, even if one is condemned...
Wait a minute... Is he still afraid of being condemned?
Haven't the saints condemned him enough?
It doesn't matter at all!
Just as he was about to pick up his brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, he saw that Lu Er was very perceptive and went over to grind the ink for him.
Time passed slowly, and outside the door it was pouring rain. Inside the house, the doors and windows were tightly closed, and the only sound was the grinding of ink and the writing.
After finishing writing, he told the young scholar, "Please go back and tell Assistant Minister Su that I will definitely submit this book to the emperor!"
Lu Er bowed: "Thank you, sir. There is one more thing. I'm afraid we need your men to prepare for disaster relief in advance."
Xiao Yinhe stood up: "I'll go and call the people right away."
Dozens of guards filled the courtyard. Xiao Yinhe stood in the heavy rain and gave an order: "From now on, you will be under the command of Assistant Manager Su. Quickly follow Lu Er to Xiaodongmen for disaster relief!"
Lu Er bowed with his hands clasped and said, "Thank you, sir. I will go back and report now."
After saying this, he turned and left the mansion.
-
Lu Er watched as the group of people ran down the street, becoming a scenic sight.
When he rushed to Xiaodongmen, the water was already above his calves.
As he continued forward, his peripheral vision caught sight of Fan Tong.
Fan Tong then saw that all the soldiers and guards sent by Xie Mo, as well as Xiao Yinhe's guards, had been mobilized.
Upon learning of this, he turned back to the yamen and reported it to Zhao Zhou.
He said, "Lord Zhao, I really saw Xie Mo's men and Xiao Yinhe's guards. They were all moving sand and stones at the East Gate to try to stop the flood. Do you think they went to such lengths? There have been even heavier rains in previous years, but they only lasted for two days and then the flood was over."
"Now that they've become famous, they're starting to exaggerate, as if they're the only ones who can predict the floods. Besides, how could there be a flood? There haven't been any floods for many years. Why is Su Jingge so certain that this rain will definitely cause a flood?"
"She thinks she's the Imperial Astronomical Bureau!"
Zhao Zhou rocked back and forth in his rocking chair, looking quite relaxed: "If a flood really comes and washes away that mine, wouldn't that be a wonderful thing?"
Fan Tong laughed: "My lord, you are so cunning! You can't have what we can't have, so you won't let them have it either. You can't stand to see others do well. My lord is mighty!"
“Those scoundrels actually listened to your scheme last time. They blocked the mine entrance and wouldn’t let Su Jingge’s people mine. I really wish a heavy rain would wash away the mine so that Xiao Yinhe could hold us accountable. He has no evidence!”
"This isn't just divine help, no, it's divine help for Your Excellency!"
Zhao Zhou smiled arrogantly, "Things will work themselves out. Once the mine collapses, even if the people from Shanggu Zhai want to find fault with us, they won't be able to."
“What you say is true, sir.” Fan Tong’s eyes darted around. “But sir…shouldn’t we also send a few people to make an appearance? If there really is a flood and we don’t send anyone, it seems…you would also be guilty of dereliction of duty…”
"Of course we have to go! If Su Jingge is right, and we don't send anyone, then if people from above come down to investigate, it will be a huge problem for us!"
"This time, we're not only sending people, but we're also sending another group to spread the word. We'll say that Su Jingge disturbed the mine and the dragon vein, and was punished by heaven, which is why there's a flood. Let's see what she does then!"
"My lord, haha, you are such a despicable person. This method is really wicked, but it is a perfect solution for you."
Zhao Zhou kicked him: "Get out of here!"
-
The rain continued until the afternoon of the following day, having lasted for four days. If it continued to rain, the dam would surely collapse!
Fortunately, Su Jingge had already sent extra manpower and used sandbags to reinforce the dike as a precaution.
That's why the dam wasn't breached.
But because the city gate at Xiaodongmen had collapsed, people were still moving stones.
Xiao Yinhe stepped forward.
He reassured the crowd: "People, we are doing our best to repair the city walls. The people outside will be returning home soon. Please be patient, please be patient!"
"I have already reported to the imperial court, and I expect officials will arrive soon. The flood will definitely be brought under control, and there will certainly be a solution. Please remain calm!"
Upon hearing that he had informed the court in advance, everyone knew that the man would be coming down soon.
"But it will take at least several days for that person to arrive! Without disaster relief methods, the entire Yuxiang County may cease to exist!"
"Was there no other way before this?"
"Yes, is there really no other way?"
Although there are other routes available, it seems that due to the flooding, they may not be able to get around them.
So now we are restricted in all directions.
In addition, many people's homes were destroyed, leaving many homeless.
Therefore, Su Jingge can understand the great emotional fluctuations.
"I will find a way, please everyone must believe me!"
After Su Jingge finished speaking, he immediately joined forces with merchants in the city to purchase grain and began distributing porridge.
The people were temporarily calmed down.
They also said:
"Thanks to Assistant Manager Su for warning us in advance, otherwise every shop in the village would have been destroyed!"
"Our goods are going to be in trouble!"
"Fortunately, the road has just been built, so it's not difficult to walk on it."
"Otherwise, wouldn't this muddy weather turn the place into a complete mess?"
Some people also stood up to thank Xiao Yinhe:
"Thank you, Prefect Xiao, for sending extra men to prevent this from happening!"
"Assistant Su and Prefect Xiao are our great benefactors!"
The people knelt down to express their gratitude.
Su Jingge had lost weight and her face was pale from days of hard work and running around. She tried her best not to let anyone see her condition.
Let's all get up quickly.
"It is what we officials should do. We have already set up two soup kitchens, one in the south and one at the small east gate."
"I believe everyone will overcome this difficult time."
"As for the strategy... I will do my utmost to speed up the production process and give the people an explanation."
Seeing the people receiving porridge, Su Jingge immediately returned to the restaurant.
A plan must be developed and implemented to address the flood disaster!
The rain outside showed no signs of stopping.
The people's concerns are not unfounded.
Time passed slowly, until midnight.
The restaurant was dimly lit by candlelight, and Su Jingge trimmed the wicks again and again.
A solution was finally devised.
The flood was so fierce because it carried a large amount of silt. The silt came from the bare mountains upstream.
Therefore, the first step in the treatment is not to block the water, but to stabilize the soil and reduce sediment at the source.
Next, we will designate areas and prohibit logging on the mountains for a certain number of years, allowing the vegetation to recover naturally and the tree roots to stabilize the soil.
Then dig another one, the fish-scale pit.
Organize people to go to areas on the mountain with steep slopes and exposed soil, and dig crescent-shaped pits in a staggered manner.
These pits effectively intercept rainwater during rainfall, slowing down the water flow and allowing the rainwater to seep in instead of directly washing the soil down the mountain.
Relying solely on a single main river channel is insufficient to withstand flooding.
We must learn to proactively find a place for the floodwaters to vent their anger, especially during periods of high flood intensity.
Flood diversion and disaster reduction.
Dig a ditch!
We have to dig!
It's good to dig now, since we'll have to clear land and farm anyway!
Once the canal is dug, the water can be controlled.
Then, the Shimen Gate was built.
At the junction of the diversion channel and the main river, a solid water diversion weir was built using stones and glutinous rice mortar.
The weir allows the river water to flow beneath it normally, without affecting irrigation or navigation.
Once the flood level exceeds the warning line, the river water will naturally overflow from the top of the weir and automatically enter the diversion channel.
This creates a simple, self-propelled flood diversion gate that requires no human intervention.
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