Chapter 296 Solving the Problem (I)
"Commander, it's installed!" The engineer battalion commander ran over to report the progress.
Lei Hu pursed his lips tightly, feeling the resistance in his heart surge like the Yellow River water in the river in front of him. For a moment, Lei Hu even wanted to refuse the order and turn around and send the people back.
However, thinking of the discussion with Huo Chong before departure, Lei Hu felt himself calm down again. Huo Chong was as frank as before, telling Lei Hu the purpose of the Yellow River returning to the north and the problems that would arise from the Yellow River returning to the north. Then he asked Lei Hu if he was willing to take on this task. Lei Hu did not have to bear any responsibility at all, Huo Chong said that all the responsibility for this matter was borne by Huo Chong, the initiator.
Lei Hu remembered that he was a little hesitant at that time. Because after the Yellow River returned to the north, it would naturally flood Shandong and Hebei. Even if the Han regime had sent troops to the areas that were about to become disaster areas to inform the news, and even forcibly took away the people who refused to leave, casualties were still inevitable.
But Lei Hu didn't feel strongly at that time. It was not until he saw the mighty Yellow River with his own eyes that Lei Hu realized what he was going to do.
"Commander, if there is no problem, let's retreat again." The engineer battalion commander asked.
When Lei Hu thought that his decision would cause so many deaths, he felt an indescribable heaviness in his heart. At this moment, Lei Hu remembered Qian Qing's disdainful words at the previous meeting: "Sir, let me go. Tiger can't do that."
Lei Hu sighed. When he heard Qian Qing's contemptuous remarks, Lei Hu said without hesitation, "I can do it. No problem." Now he knew that Qian Qing was not looking down on others. Lei Hu could not be as decisive as Huo Chong, nor did he have the determination of Qian Qing to go forward despite thousands of people's support.
The engineer battalion commander said again: "Commander, the boats are ready."
Lei Hu wanted to get angry at the engineer battalion commander, but he knew that he was just taking his anger out on others. Taking anger out on others was repeatedly taught in the class, and everyone, including Lei Hu, had to talk about their own experiences of taking anger out on others, and learn that "even if you are taking your anger out on others, at least you know that you are taking it out on others."
Lei Hu didn't say anything when he was about to scold. In fact, Lei Hu knew that he had to complete the task . When he repeatedly said that he could do it, he would not give up. Even if the impulse was caused by Qian Qing, Lei Hu had to stick to it.
"Prepare for blasting." Lei Hu shouted to the engineer battalion commander, and then began to act according to the plan.
The three sluices below the Tongwaxiang upper dam…the original and additional crushed stones…3,332 cubic meters. Now the additional new stones…985 cubic meters…
In order to reinforce this dam, the Qing Dynasty invested huge manpower and material resources. When Lei Hu's boat arrived at the south bank of the Yellow River in the raging waves of the Yellow River, he saw the river embankment standing in the distance suddenly shake, and then the mud and gravel rose from several places under the river embankment like brilliant fireworks.
For this explosion, Huo Chong specially allocated several thousand kilograms of high explosives, and the engineering troops buried them in several locations at the foundation of the embankment of this hanging river.
Even across the Yellow River, Lei Hu felt that he could hear a noise like a bull's roar. He saw several whirlpools quickly forming on the surface of the Yellow River near the blasting site. The whirlpools grew larger and larger, as if they were about to suck up a tornado. They spun rapidly at the gaps, and the riverbank began to shake, collapse, and collapse under the push of the whirlpools.
Lei Hu watched everything that happened intently, unable to move his eyes away. Every time the vortex destroyed a row of connected dams, it would merge with the nearby vortexes to form a larger vortex. When there was only one large vortex left on the turbid river surface , the entire riverbank that once looked quite majestic was swallowed by the vortex and broke into countless pieces.
The river water was surging, and the whirlpool gradually disappeared, as if it had never appeared. Lei Hu saw the Yellow River water under his feet dropping at a speed that was almost visible to the naked eye, and at the end of his sight, the river water rolled towards the northeast.
Historical records show that when the collapse first occurred, only three-tenths of the water surface slid away, but after the collapse, the width of the mouth widened to 70 to 80 zhang. Within one hour, the width of the collapse reached 170 to 180 zhang, and within two hours, the width of the water surface reached 509 zhang. The collapse was very rapid.
In half a day, the entire Tongwaxiang was wiped out. It started in the second year of Jianyan in the Southern Song Dynasty (1128), when Du Chong ordered the digging of the Yellow River to stop the Jin soldiers from advancing southward. 600 years later, the Yellow River finally began to flow northward.
The Han regime had previously carried out a lot of propaganda work, forced relocation and emergency population migration. The Yellow River's return to the north still affected more than 40 counties in 10 states in Henan, Shandong, Hebei and other places. About 6 million people were in the disaster area.
Shandong was probably the most affected province, as most of the new river courses were in Shandong. Fortunately, the Han regime relied on the grassroots organizations that had already been established in Shandong to carry out forced population relocation. The number of missing and dead people was controlled within a thousand.
At first, the people thought that the village cadres were talking nonsense. The Yellow River was going to pass through Shandong? What kind of nonsense was this?
It was not until they saw the Yellow River rolling in with their own eyes that the Shandong people who were watching the excitement by the river felt that they were dreaming. They wondered if they were crazy to see such a muddy river rushing past them.
At this time, the new river course was not fixed. People went to high places and water flowed to low places. The Yellow River water flowed to all low places. A fan-shaped structure was formed in Shandong and Hebei. On the other side of the Yellow River, Lao Ba, who came, certainly could not see the people of Shandong. He and his men were one or two hundred miles away from the "other bank of the lower Yellow River" at this time.
Seeing the turbid water of the Yellow River and smelling the strong earthy odor, Lao Ba and his subordinates who came with him were dumbfounded.
They knew what was going on. After all, there was news half a month ago that Huo Chong was going to dig up the Yellow River embankment and let the Yellow River flow north. At that time, the high-ranking officials of the Shengjing court who had just captured the capital thought that Huo Chong was spreading false news to confuse the people.
If the Yellow River could flow north so easily, it would have flowed north hundreds of years ago. Why did it suddenly flow north only now? These people even thought that Huo Chong was afraid that the powerful Eight Banners Army would seize the capital and take the opportunity to move south, so he spread rumors to scare the Shengjing court.
Seeing the Yellow River flowing northward, Lao Ba and the others knew that Huo Chong was just like what Yongzheng said, "he told the truth like a lie". But they still couldn't accept this fact. This was the Yellow River, not an artificial river in the imperial garden.
You said change the route, so change the route. Are you kidding me?
Finally, Lao Ba couldn't stand the damp river wind with a strong earthy smell coming from Yingfang, and he forced a smile and said, "It seems that Huo Chong is so afraid of us that he wants to change the course of the Yellow River!"
When the people in Shengjing heard this, they laughed dryly. When the Beijing court fled to Xi'an, almost 60% of the officials in the capital did not leave, but chose to stay. There were new civil servants who had come to Shengjing to accompany them. After all, the civil servants had read some books, especially history books.
Someone immediately flattered him, "Your Highness, in the past, Hebei could rely on the Yellow River in the summer to stop the southerners from going north, and in the winter, they led the cavalry across the frozen river to enter Henan. Huo Chong, this bastard, has never been educated. He has no idea that this is useless."
Some scholars agreed. Lao Ba felt better and praised: "Huo Chong is a man who bought an official position. What kind of books has he read? Let him think he has a good plan."
Henan was also affected when the Yellow River flowed northward, but the damage was relatively minor, at least much less than that suffered by Shandong and Hebei.
Henan Governor Tian Wenjing stood on the south bank of the Yellow River opposite Tongwaxiang, watching the rolling Yellow River water rushing along the new river mouth. The Henan Governor, known as a cruel official, remained silent. The people around him looked at Tian Wenjing, who looked as pale as death, and didn't even know what Tian Wenjing was thinking.
Some people couldn't help but sigh: "The Yellow River separates the north and the south. Henan is already isolated in Henan!"
In the past, even if someone thought so, they would not dare to say it around Tian Wenjing. The governor of Henan was extremely simple and rough in his work and extremely cruel to his subordinates. With Yongzheng's full support, even if the censor impeached Tian Wenjing, Yongzheng would put him in jail.
However, Yongzheng had already died at the hands of Huo Chong, and now the Yellow River had been dug up by Huo Chong. Tian Wenjing had lost all his supporters. Everyone also thought that Tian Wenjing was nothing special.
When someone mentioned the lonely Henan, someone else completely agreed and sighed, "Is this God's will?"
Tian Wenjing finally responded. He turned and glared at the official who had spoken. His lips trembled, as if he was about to say something like dismissal, just like before.
The officials, however, did not care. When Huo Chong's men marched across Henan and killed all the officials in the prefectures and counties, no one was afraid of Tian Wenjing anymore.
So what if they were fired? Are there not many officials who escaped without being fired?
Even if he sticks to his post, can Henan Governor Tian Wenjing protect everyone?
Huo Chong's troops were few in number at the time, and Henan still had Ortai and Yue Zhongqi's Green Camp of more than 100,000 people, chasing after Huo Chong's men who were roaming and rampaging. This was how Kaifeng was saved.
Now, Ortai and Yue Zhongqi were assassinated after entering Beijing, and hundreds of thousands of green camps were taken to Hebei. Henan was like a naked man facing the tiger-like subordinates of Huo Chong. Everyone no longer took Tian Wenjing seriously.
Tian Wenjing seemed to take himself seriously. He pointed at the official who said "God's will" and shouted, "How dare you!"
The official was shocked, but soon regained his composure and replied bluntly, "I don't know what the governor meant when he said I was bold?"
Seeing that his subordinate, who used to be submissive and patient, suddenly became tough, Tian Wenjing became furious and took a few steps forward, as if he wanted to beat this ignorant subordinate with his own hands.
However, Tian Wenjing and others were standing on the levee, which was very slippery. Tian Wenjing lost his balance and fell to the ground.
The officials around him did not rush to help Tian Wenjing up, but instead quickly moved away as if avoiding the plague god. Tian Wenjing struggled to get up, but lost his balance and slipped again. This time he entered a slope and rolled down the embankment.
The officials were stunned for a moment, and then they shouted: "Sir, be careful." "Sir, don't fall." "Sir, don't move."
Although everyone was shouting that they didn't want Tian Wenjing to fall into the water, everyone ran towards a safe place, away from Tian Wenjing.
Henan Governor Tian Wenjing tried to stand up, but the old man was seventy years old and had no ability to keep his body steady in such a situation he had never encountered before. Every time he tried, he slid down the slope faster.
As the officials were watching, Tian Wenjing let out a scream and fell from the embankment into the river.
When the officials saw that Tian Wenjing had completely fallen into the water, they hurried to the shore. They saw Tian Wenjing floating up in the water and trying to struggle, but he was swept into the middle of the river by the river current.
The officials hurriedly shouted, "Help! Help the sir!" As they shouted, smiles appeared on their lips. Or they were simply smiling from ear to ear. Even their cries for help were mixed with smiles.
Tian Wenjing floated up and down, and soon disappeared under the water. Only a group of officials who were refreshed and overjoyed were left by the river, shouting uselessly for someone to rescue Tian Wenjing.
Henan Governor Tian Wenjing drowned on the first day of March in the second year of Qianlong.
Hong Zhou did not have telepathic abilities, so he naturally did not know that Tian Wenjing, whom his father relied on very much, had died. But to be frank, even if Hong Zhou had sensed it immediately, he would probably have only said "hmm" or at most "got it."
After a long and arduous journey and entering Xi'an, Hong Zhou no longer had the energy to pay attention to anything else.
From childhood to adulthood, Hong Zhou had never ridden a horse for so long. Even the chafing on his thighs healed and then chafed again, and then healed again several times.
As for the body, it seemed as if it had slowly recovered some strength after being torn apart, but then it used up this strength in the daily march, and the whole person entered a state of hollowness and disintegration again.
At first, Hong Zhou felt uncomfortable, but now he didn't care anymore. After entering Xi'an, Hong Zhou felt calm. Not to mention Tian Wenjing's death, even if all the officials in Henan were chopped into pieces, Hong Zhou would not have any mental fluctuations.
The civil and military officials who followed Hong Zhou to Xi'an looked similar, all of them looked grim and silent. Some even looked like wooden chickens.
Hong Zhou got off his horse and just said "No need" to the request of local officials in Xi'an to go to the palace first.
The local officials in Xi'an were stunned, with a look of grievance on their faces. Seeing this, Hong Zhou did not get angry, but just said: "Now take me to pay respects to the Grand Empress Dowager and the Queen Mother. I haven't seen you for so long, and I miss you very much. I wonder if you are in good health after all the hard work."
Perhaps because there was no emotion in his words, they sounded sincere and heartfelt. The local official in Xi'an was immediately moved and quickly responded: "Your Majesty really governs the world with filial piety. I will lead the way now."
Hong Zhou did not speak either. He had to learn to be silent on this journey. If he did not keep silent, he would not only feel more pain, but also die. Some people bit their tongues while talking on the horse. As a result, their mouths became inflamed, their throats swelled, and they could not eat. They were forced to hurry on their journey and died within a few days.
On the way to meet the Empress Dowager and the Queen Mother, Hong Zhou looked at the structures of Xi'an City and gradually felt relieved.
Xi'an is a very big city, much better than Hong Zhou had imagined.
In the sixth year of Shunzhi (1649), the Qing Dynasty rulers extended the east wall of the outer city (Xiao Wall) of the Ming Qinfu in Xi'an from today's Shangde Road to the east city wall of Xi'an; the north wall was extended from the present Zaimen Street to the north city wall of Xi'an; the south wall was extended from today's Xiyi Road to the south of Dongda Street; the west wall was extended from today's Shangpu Road to Beida Street. It was built into a "Manchu City" exclusively for the Manchu people to live in. The south wall of the "Manchu City" runs from the south side of Changle Gate to the south side of Donggong Gate of the Bell Tower, and the west wall runs from the east side of the North Arch Gate of the Bell Tower to the east side of Anyuan Gate. The east and north walls borrowed the city walls of Xi'an Prefecture.
The circumference of the whole city is 2,630 zhang, which is 14 li 6 fen zhu. "The distance from east to west is 745 zhang, which is 4 li 2 fen zhu; the distance from north to south is 575 zhang, which is 3 li 11 fen zhu." It occupies more than a quarter of the Xi'an Prefecture City.
Initially, there were five city gates: the east gate was Changle Gate of Xi'an Prefecture City; the south gate was on the western section of the south wall, named Duanli Gate because it was where local officials in the Ming Dynasty put on shoes and clothes before entering the Qin Palace, and its site is at the north entrance of Baishulin Street, East Street; the east archway of the bell tower was the entrance and exit in the southwest; there was Xihua Gate on the southern part of the west wall, which was the relocation and name change of the west outer gate of the outer city of the Qin Palace, and the gate was located at the west entrance of Xixin Street today; there was another gate on the north part of the west wall, which was built when the city was expanded and built, so it was named Xincheng Gate, and the gate was located at the west entrance of Zaimen Street today.
The Empress Dowager and others had been settled, but they were not in the same palace as Hong Zhou. This was specially arranged by Hong Zhou, as he no longer wanted to be in the same courtyard with the Empress Dowager and the Queen. It was not because he hated them, but because Hong Zhou knew that he would not have time to rest. If he was busy every day, the Empress Dowager and the Queen would definitely be disturbed in this small city.
It does take time to think this through, but Hong Zhou has plenty of time. Since he can't talk during this journey, he has to remain silent. If he remains silent, he has plenty of time to think.
At first, Hong Zhou thought in order to find a solution to his problem. But when he felt the pain of his body all the time during the long journey, thinking became Hong Zhou's way of escaping the pain.
Although thinking can also bring mental pain, this mental pain can effectively reduce physical pain.
When the Empress Dowager and the Queen Mother saw Hong Zhou, they no longer cared so much. The Queen Mother cried and grabbed Hong Zhou, crying, "My son, you are here."
Hong Zhou felt warm in his heart, and quickly responded according to the rules, "I have been worried about the health of the Grand Empress Dowager and the Queen Mother all the way. Every day I hear the servants escorting the Grand Empress Dowager and the Queen Mother say that the two are in good health, and I feel much more at ease."
Hearing Hong Zhou's heartfelt words, the Empress Dowager sighed and shed tears. She then held Hong Zhou and sobbed.
Although Hong Zhou was the youngest among them, he still tried his best to comfort the two elders. After that, he accompanied the two queens to eat, and then returned to his residence. Lying on the bed, Hong Zhou fell into a deep sleep, without even time to think.
In the next few days, the latest news kept coming in. The leaders of the Qing army in the northwest expressed their loyalty to Hong Zhou.
News came from Henan that preparations had been made to defend Hulao Pass.
As for Sichuan, Hunan and Hubei, people were also sent to pay their respects. The Qing Dynasty seemed to have stabilized in the northwest, but Hong Zhou didn't know how long this situation could last.
