The new snow has just stopped, the clouds have not yet set, and the Yongding River in the west of Beijing is still frozen. Under the ice, you can actually see the water surging, reflecting the changes in the clouds in the sky. The northern scenery is so beautiful.
A cavalry team of about forty people escorted a luxurious carriage all the way north along the Yongding River. Most of these people were strong and strong, carrying steel knives with wild goose feathers on their waists, and carrying curved wooden bows on their backs. Even the horses on their hips were quite strong. When I see the divine horse, I will show off to him. I am afraid that ordinary officers and soldiers will not be able to match him.
In the carriage, a young man dressed in navy blue with fine gold embroidered cloud patterns on his shoulders opened the curtains and looked at the frozen river with a worried look on his face. He didn't know what he was thinking.
"Young Master, please don't go along the river any longer." A tough man in his thirties came to the carriage on horseback, pointed at the three-way road ahead, and advised: "It stands to reason that the road on the far right is The best way to go is the official road, which turns towards Changping due north, but although this road is good, it is not smooth. We are going to Cherry Spring, which is the direction of Shibatan in the west of Beijing. The best way is to Huailaima. The one in the middle of the post... But if you have to walk along the Yongding River all the way, you can only take the trail on the left. This trail is not an official road or a post road. It is mostly used by some idlers to go to Shibatan for spring outings. We just left. It’s snowing now and it’s hard to walk, especially on a horse-drawn carriage. You and the two little girls may have to get out of the car and ride on horseback.”
The young man in the car who was wearing a smart suit was none other than Gao Pragmatic.
He was still frowning at this moment, and did not answer the man's words. Instead, he asked: "Zhang Jin, I heard that when my uncle entered the Hanlin Academy as an editor in the 34th year of Jiajing, you guarded him in the capital? Then? It’s been almost fifteen years now, right?”
The man named Zhang Jin didn't pay attention to Gao Pragmatic's unkind question. He cupped his fists and said, "Young Master Biao has a good memory."
Gao pragmatic pointed to the Yongding River and asked, "What can you tell me about the Yongding River?"
Zhang Jin was slightly startled and said hesitantly: "You are stupid, I don't know what kind of situation Young Master Biao wants to know?"
"You can talk about hydrology, history, etc." Gao Pragmatic sighed and added: "I originally planned to rely on the Yongding River to transport supplies back and forth between the capital and other courtyards by water, but today it seems that it seems a bit taken for granted. You have been in the capital for many years, and the Cherry Spring Villa is my uncle’s place for outings and leisure activities. You must have accompanied my uncle on this road, so I would like to hear your views on the Yongding River water transport. .”
"If the Sanggan River is to be transported by water, it may be okay in spring and autumn, but it will be a bit difficult in winter and summer." Zhang Jin said, and found that he had reached a fork in the road. He still wanted to persuade Gao Pragmatic not to take the spring trail on the left. , so he simply asked the convoy to stop temporarily.
Gao pragmatic didn't blame him when he saw it, and still sat in the car waiting for his reply.
Zhang Jin stopped the convoy and made a few casual arrangements. Everyone took out some equipment that was immediately available. Those who swept the snow swept the snow, and those who set up piles started to set up three tents.
Zhang Jin himself began to answer Gao's pragmatic questions: "Actually, the name Yongding River is only occasionally used by officials. Folks generally call it Sanggan River, Wuding River, Xiaohuang River or Hun River."
Gao Pingshi smiled and said: "I know the Sanggan River and the Wuding River, and I can also guess the reason for the Little Yellow River, but why is it still called the Hun River? Isn't the Hun River in Liaodong?"
Zhang Jin said: "Actually, the reason why it is called the Little Yellow River is the same as that of the Hun River. After the Jin and Yuan Dynasties, the water of the Sanggan River - er, the Yongding River carried sand and soil, and the water damage gradually increased. Especially in the spring and summer, the river water became turbid. , which is comparable to the Yellow River, so the people have these two common names."
"Water damage?" Gao Pingshi's heart moved.
Gao pragmatically was a southerner before crossing over. At that time, the floods in the south were relatively more serious than in the north, especially in the years at the turn of the century. He had to fight against floods for many years. Later, not long after he joined the work, he became the secretary of the county party committee leader. Due to the Three Gorges Dam Although the flood situation has improved a lot, he still participated in flood fighting and rescue operations for several consecutive years.
At that time, in the city where he was located, the municipal party committee and the municipal government took the lead, and the main leaders were divided into areas of responsibility. The county where he was located was no exception. The main leaders of the county party committee and the county government were also divided into areas of responsibility. If something went wrong, the leaders in charge of the area would be removed from their posts on the spot. As the first secretary of the county party committee, he also followed the secretary to patrol the embankment every day. During the peak period of the flood, he often did not go down the embankment for two or three days without sleeping. Not to mention that the old secretary, who was in his fifties, almost ended up on the embankment twice. He even fainted on the embankment once and was dragged down for rescue. However, after waking up, he didn't dare to waste a minute and pushed away by himself. The nurse, after pulling out the infusion tube, rushed to the embankment immediately - people who have not experienced that kind of natural disaster may have a hard time imagining the mentality of these people: If you want to say that they are afraid of being dismissed, of course they have this mentality, but On the other hand, I really don’t dare to have any trouble, because the responsibility is too heavy! Once the dispute breaks out, thousands of families will be destroyed, and it will be destroyed directly in front of your eyes. With that kind of huge psychological pressure, as a young cadre who has been taught to love the country and the people since childhood, he really felt nervous and breathless. Moreover, many of the young soldiers who were fighting on the front line of flood control at that time were not even twenty years old. Gao Pragmatic was in that environment at that time, and he really felt that the work he did was nothing - at least he didn't I soaked in water for more than ten hours a day and used my flesh and blood to stop the flood!
Gao pragmatic paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and asked solemnly: "Is the water damage in the Yongding River serious? To what extent?"
Zhang Jin seemed to reminisce for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said: "Young Master Biao's performance today and my performance ten years ago are exactly the same. If there is any difference, it is that I was already a member of the Imperial Academy at that time... I remember that there was Once, I went to Cherry Spring to escape the summer heat during my mid-day break. On the way, I told the villain about the Yongding River's defense, and I still remember it."
Gao Pingshi said happily: "That's good, please tell me about it."
So Zhang Jin began to tell Gao pragmatic about the Yongding river defense incident mentioned by Zhang Siwei.
According to Zhang Siwei's verification, before the Liao Dynasty, the vegetation in the upper reaches of the Yongding River was still well preserved, and the amount of sediment in the river was small. Although the flow also had seasonal changes, the overall flow was relatively stable. In Li Daoyuan's writings, the Yongding River has "long and solid banks" and even has the reputation of "Qingquan River". There are few records of floods in the historical documents of that period. The Yongding River can also carry boats, which is beneficial to navigation.
After the Jin Dynasty, with the improvement of Beijing's status and the expansion of construction scale, the forests in the upper reaches of the Yongding River were heavily cut down, and the land on both sides of the middle and lower reaches was continuously reclaimed, resulting in the gradual increase of water and soil erosion and the black color of the river water. "Yan people" It is said that black is Lu", so it is called "Lugou River". After that, the river's sediment content continued to increase and floods increased. By the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, it was known as the "Hun River", "Little Yellow River" or "Wuding River". After the Yongding River breaks out of Shijing Mountain in the southwest of Beijing, it enters a plain area with gentle slopes and loose soil. The river water "rushes and oscillates and migrates frequently", which directly threatens the safety of Beijing. Among them, the river section from Shijing Mountain to Marco Polo Bridge Especially critical. With Beijing rising to the status of a capital city and surrounding prefectures and counties becoming important areas of the capital, ensuring the security of the Yongding River has become even more important for the defense of the capital.
"Barrier" and "drainage", or "blocking" and "draining", have always been two major water control strategies in Chinese history that are both antagonistic and complementary to each other since Dayu. As for the specific treatment of the Yongding River, Management has always been biased towards "blocking", that is, building embankments.
Large-scale embankment construction of the Yongding River began in the Jin Dynasty. During the Dading period, the Lugou River reached Xiantongzhai (between present-day Shijingshan and Lugou Bridge), and "the people within three hundred miles of the capital were blocked by the imperial edict." Floods on the Yongding River became increasingly frequent during the Yuan Dynasty, and embankment and bank stabilization projects in the section from Shijingshan to Lugouqiao also continued to increase. From the time of Shizu to the Yuan Dynasty to the end of the Yuan Dynasty, records such as "repairing the stone path (view) mountain river embankment on the upper reaches of Lugou" and "the Hun River broke out, and sent thousands of soldiers and civilians to block it" are often found in "History of the Yuan Dynasty". Since this period, the city of Beijing has shifted from reliance on the Yongding River to defense.
After that, the Ming Dynasty established the world of Ding, especially after Chengzu moved the capital to Beijing. Because the threat of the Yongding River to Beijing and its surrounding areas has not weakened, the Hun River "flows downstream in the front of the Xishan Mountains, flooding crops and damaging crops, and sealing off diseases, and the local area is in danger." Yongding River flooding has become a major hazard in the capital region and a priority for local officials. In view of this, the number of embankment repairs continued to increase. The length of the embankment extended from Marco Polo Bridge to both banks downstream, and the scale and grade were also greatly improved.
In the 16th year of Hongwu, "the Sanggan River was dredged for eighty miles from Gu'an to Gaojiazhuang (now part of Bazhou), twenty miles from the west branch of Bazhou, and thirty-five miles from the south branch." In July of the first year of Zhengtong, Li Yong, the left minister of the Ministry of Industry, "invited 1,500 craftsmen and 20,000 servants" to build river embankments at Langwokou and other places below Marco Polo Bridge. The embankments built this time were "It was built with heavy stones and thickened with cultivation. It was two feet to three feet tall and as wide as it was. It stretched for one hundred and sixty-five feet and became stronger in the past. After it was completed, it was named Gu'an Embankment. Twenty families were installed as guardians." In the 41st year of Jiajing's reign, "Lei Li was ordered to repair the banks of the Lugou River." "Every embankment stretches for 1,200 feet, and it is strange to be one foot high. It is twice as wide and is much stronger than the previous ones." . All this can prove in reverse that the safety of Beijing City has further relied on the restriction of the Yongding River water by the embankment.
