Kai Fu Han

Chapter 590 The Yellow River
On March [-], Liu Xinqi returned to Xucheng County.

During the two days before Liu Xinqi went to Kaifeng, the forward of the army had already entered Weizhou. If all went well, Ji County, Guofu County, Weizhou had already been occupied by the forward.

Sure enough, in the afternoon, good news was received that Ji County had been captured.

The next day, the army set off and headed west.At this time, the army came to the ancient path of the Yellow River.

When Du Chong dug the Yellow River embankment, he dug it from Weizhou, thinking that the Yellow River water would break through the embankment and go south, drowning all the Jin troops surrounding Kaifeng City.

Unexpectedly, things did not go as planned. The water of the Yellow River could not be controlled by mortals. The water of the Yellow River that broke through the dam did not drown the Jin army. Instead, it rubbed the high ground where the Jin army was hiding all the way south. After reaching the south of Kaifeng City, it turned eastward. Along the way, there were twists and turns, and the water covered the earth. It was unknown how many innocent people were drowned, how many fertile fields were submerged, and finally the Huaihe River was taken over, and it was finally under control.

The middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River are dominated by mountains, while the lower reaches are dominated by plains and hills.

The river water carries a large amount of sediment in the Loess Plateau in the middle reaches. After reaching the lower reaches, the water flow slows down and the sediment is slowly deposited on the river bed, raising the river bed and causing the water surface to rise.

In order to prevent the embankments from bursting and the Yellow River water from crossing the river banks and flooding the people on both sides, the government had to raise the embankments.

However, the sediment carried by the river is endless. Within a few years of raising the dike, a lot of sediment has been accumulated on the river bed. The water surface has risen again, and the dike can only be raised again.

In this way, one level after another rises, falling into an endless loop.

Before the Du Chongzui River, the riverbed in this section of Kaifeng was already higher than the height of the farmland on both sides.In some serious places, the height even exceeds one foot, and in the most exaggerated place, it is nearly three feet high.

From a distance, the Yellow River looks like it is hanging in the air. Therefore, the lower reaches of the Yellow River have been called the "Hanging River" since ancient times!
There is nothing anyone can do about this phenomenon.

This endless cycle eventually leads to the Yellow River breaking through its dams every once in a while and then changing its course.In the past 100 years, it has flowed north into the Bohai Sea, and in the next 100 years, it may flow south into the East China Sea.

The old river that the army is crossing was previously a hanging river. The river was like a city wall composed of small mountains blocking the army's direction. The army had to climb over the river embankment, then cross the river, and then cross another. Only through the river embankment on the side can you truly enter Weizhou.

"The Yellow River is really a veritable 'river on the ground'. Every few decades, the Yellow River Basin will be devastated." The Ye family stood on the high embankment and sighed.

"Indeed, once we occupy Hebei, managing the Yellow River will become the top priority of the Han Alliance." Wu Nan continued.

"Isn't there a way to solve the cause of the 'river on the ground' once and for all?" The Ye family was a little melancholy.It's still too early to break the embankment next time, but I will definitely have children and grandchildren.I couldn't help but think: It is very likely that the Yellow River will burst its banks again in my lifetime, and I don't know how many people will survive.

"It is definitely not possible to solve the problem once and for all with the current capabilities of our Xinghan League. However, there are still many ways to control the Yellow River. Some of them are not very expensive and have good control effects." Liu Xinqi replied.

I remember that later national water conservancy departments adopted a very unique method of reinforcing dams on the Yellow River. The principle was borrowed from the "Dujiangyan" water conservancy project in the Land of Abundance.First, use sandbags to form a cofferdam outside the dam, and then open a hole in the dam. When water flows into the cofferdam, the speed of the water flow will be greatly reduced, and the sediment carried in the water will settle, and then the clear water in the upper layer will flow back into the cofferdam. Flow back into the river, so that the silt will soon fill up the cofferdam and turn it into a piece of land!After the cofferdam is completely filled, fast-growing fast-growing forests are planted on top, and the land becomes part of the dam. The fast-growing forests can also provide timber and generate economic benefits.

Sections of cofferdams will eventually reinforce the dams on both sides of the Yellow River to be very, very wide. After the entire dam is reinforced in this way, it can be said to be impregnable!

After hearing what Liu Xinqi said, the Ye family was shocked. There is an idiom called "making a cocoon to tie oneself up". They didn't expect that a river can make its own dam to trap its own river course.

"In this case, no matter how high the Yellow River bed rises, there is no need to worry." The Ye family exclaimed. As the river rises, the same method can be used to reinforce the dam.

"Yes, when we occupy all the land in the upper reaches of the Yellow River and plant trees on both sides of the Yellow River, especially the high loess slopes, the sediment in the Yellow River water will be greatly reduced. Finally, we will build a dam on the lower reaches of the Yellow River. , increase the water flow speed, the Yellow River water will carry the sediment all the way into the sea, and even wash away the sediment settled on the river bottom." Liu Xinqi said while gesturing: "After decades or hundreds of years of comprehensive management in this way, we can Let’s talk about it once and for all.”

The reason why humans can become the spirit of all things and stand at the top of the food chain is because humans will use their own strength to overcome and transform nature, and ultimately benefit from it.

Even if people in later generations attach great importance to the natural environment, they still advocate "protecting nature" instead of returning nature to nature. Fundamentally speaking, humans still need to control it themselves.

Man can conquer nature, which is one of the most fundamental concepts of human development. Without this concept, the only way to face natural disasters is to surrender and die.

"If our Xinghan Alliance can completely control the floods in the Yellow River, it will be a great achievement and will benefit tens of millions of lives along the Yellow River. Alliance leader, let me do this after China is unified." Ye The family's face is full of longing, and one can tell at a glance that this request comes from the heart.

Think about Li Bing and his son, who have been passed down through the ages. The Dujiangyan Irrigation System has benefited Shu for more than 300 years, and it is estimated that it will continue to benefit thousands of years.

If the Ye family can completely control the floods in the Yellow River during his lifetime, then his achievements will be passed down forever.

"Yes, controlling floods in the Yellow River is a long-term project. Someone must truly love this cause to persist. If you are willing, then give it a try." Liu Xinqi nodded.

In fact, he still didn't say a word.

The Yellow River now flows into the Huaihe River from the southeast of Beijing and merges into the Yellow Sea. As a result, the amount of water in the Huaihe River Basin is too large, causing flooding.In fact, it is most suitable for the Yellow River to flow northward into the Bohai Sea. This will not only reduce the amount of water in the Huaihe River Basin, but also irrigate the North China Plain, killing two birds with one stone.

In other words, if you want it to be perfect, you have to let the Yellow River change its course again.

To control the thousands of miles of Yellow River waterway manually would require no less than building a new Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal.

too difficult.

(End of this chapter)