Since the third day of the sixth lunar month, the main force of the Mengshan Army has completed the deployment of troops on both sides of the Yellow River in Wudingfu, the first standard of Lushan is deployed on the north bank of the Yellow River, and the two battalions of Wang Mingyuan's reserve and the detachment directly under the headquarters are deployed on the south bank of the Yellow River. Because after the advance survey, all the troops were deployed in the most dangerous areas, and the work of repairing and reinforcing the embankment began immediately.

The flooding of the Yellow River has existed for countless years, but it is the first time that the people of Wuding Mansion have seen soldiers help them to strengthen the embankment and fight the flood. This is indeed a rare occurrence. On both sides of the embankment, there were soldiers in light green uniforms, and they planted bright red military flags on the embankment, widened and heightened the embankment with sacks filled with earth and stones, and knocked down wooden stakes on the inside of the embankment, trying their best to protect the soaked and soft embankment.

These are strong young men, whose scenes of labor have shaken the people who are watching, and they are not lazy, and they work extremely hard. Just stand there and watch for a while, and you will be moved by the passion of the young soldiers. After the first standard of Lushan was transferred to the embankment, the engineer battalion, artillery battalion and baggage battalion directly under the Mengshan Army Headquarters were successively transferred to the embankment. More than two dozen companies took all the most dangerous sections and desperately took reinforcement measures. From the Mengshan army to the embankment, Chen Peiyu immediately felt relieved - seeing that the embankment was widened and raised, it was naturally safe.

Even in the pouring rain on the ninth day of the first lunar month, thousands of soldiers still shouted trumpets and kept reinforcing the embankment, not retreating an inch.

The common people had never seen such an army: they were highly disciplined and would never harass the people. Except for the officers and soldiers in charge of logistics and supply, no one generally went into the village. The troops were on the embankment day and night, and they really had the strength to live and die with the embankment. What is especially surprising to the people is that the officials took the lead, carrying sandbags, ramming stone foundations, and building cofferdams with the soldiers, sweating and muddy, and not looking like officials at all. When an old man learned that Lu Shan was actually a guerrilla general and had thousands of people under his command, he said to Lu Shan, who was covered in mud and water. I've never seen a general like an adult. I've never seen such a soldier under an adult! It's really God's eyes, we have met a bodhisattva soldier like you......

Lu Shan said with a smile, our commander has always told us that the army eats the people. Wear the people's. The people must be protected at a critical moment! This is the mission of our soldiers. It should be. Don't thank you, this is really deserved.

The all-out devotion of the Mengshan Army, which had strict military discipline, quickly impressed the counties and villages along the river in Wuding, and there was almost no need for mobilization. The people along the Yellow River spontaneously supported the flood fight in various forms. The young and strong naturally went up the embankment, and the young women did not care about the ancient precepts, and provided food and water for the soldiers and people working on the embankment under the organization of the village office.

After the people's enthusiasm was mobilized, Long Qian and Chen Peiyu studied the organization of the flood fight, the water situation monitoring, the investment of reserves, etc., naturally the military was responsible, and the transportation of food and other flood control materials naturally depended on the government. Chen Peiyu is responsible for this. Special money from the province and relief grain specially used for flood control were also distributed. For the use of Minzhuang, Chen Peiyu also gave up and completely handed over to the army. In accordance with the organizational method of the army, Long Qian temporarily incorporated the people of all villages and towns into the army and took over the management and command of the army, and immediately achieved excellent results. The people went up to the embankment to defend their homeland, and there was almost no need for ideological mobilization, and the motivation was sufficient, and then they were organized, and the effect was immediately doubled.

The three meals a day are exactly the same as those of the troops, and according to the number of days of attendance, the government will pay a subsidy, regardless of the old and the young, and the standard is one silver dollar for ten days. However, the number of days of attendance was provided by the troops, and the money was eventually paid by the troops. Therefore, during the period when Wuding Mansion was fully engaged in fighting floods, almost all of the people became soldiers, eating, living and working with the troops.

It was June 13. In the past two days, God has also given face, since a heavy rain on the ninth day of June, the sun has been shining brightly in recent days. Long Qian rode along the river bank and felt that there was no big problem. Although the troops were tired and strengthened after several days of assault and reinforcement, the fortification of the embankment was greatly strengthened, and the supplies stored in Wuding Mansion were also emptied. Follow-up supplies need to be further collected, especially wood, and the engineer battalion has removed the embankment to cut down trees. The baggage battalion also went out to collect stones...... Long Qian dismounted, climbed the embankment, stared at the Yellow River rolling east, and found that the water level had dropped by a foot compared to yesterday!

This discovery surprised him. Long Qian hurriedly ran down the embankment, "Chi Chun first, Chi Chun first!" ”

Deng Qinghua, who was following Long Qian, didn't understand why the commander suddenly became anxious.

"The cavalry battalion is still Yufeng Town, so I'll send someone to call Battalion Commander Chi."

"Tsinghua, I feel that the upstream has broken upstream! Otherwise, the water level wouldn't have dropped so much! Send someone to contact Caozhou now! I haven't seen Caozhou's military report for three days! How did Zhou Yi do it! "The Caozhou side was asked to report every day, but for three days, Long Qian has not been informed of the situation in Caozhou.

Now that's the condition, and it's hard for you to get the situation over there right away, thousands of miles away......

"Broken?" Deng Qinghua was taken aback.

"Assemble the cavalry battalion, no, mobilize another battalion, prepare supplies, and go at any time." Long Qian stared at the turbid yellow river, "That's right, the water level was there early yesterday morning, I remember it very clearly. What can cause the water level to drop by a foot? ”

Deng Qinghua was also frightened and calmed down, "It must be in the section of Jinan Mansion." That's right, otherwise the water level wouldn't have dropped so quickly. ”

A quarter of an hour later, Chi Chun arrived on horseback.

"Immediately set out to the west to investigate, and report as soon as there is news. I'm worried that something has happened upstream. Long Qian's expression was solemn, and he sent Chi Chunxian away, and said to Deng Qinghua, "Send an order for Wang Mingyuan and Lu Shan to come." ”

An hour later, there was news of the preparations. Long Qian was right, the upstream did break, in Jiyang County, not far west of Wuding Mansion, where the Yellow River made a slow turn. In the early morning of June 13, a mile west of a town called Longwang Temple, the embankment on the north bank of the Yellow River silently burst. The area around Qukui and Yuanshiqiao suddenly became Zeguo, and the water spread in the direction of the new town. The area was so densely populated that it is impossible to say how many people were swept away by the flood.

Feng Guozhang is like falling into an ice cellar. These days, the officers and soldiers under his command are also doing their best, and by the rumors of the Mengshan Army in Wuding Mansion fighting the flood, their own troops have also been forced out of the murderous spirit, and they are determined to compete with the Lunan soldiers. After enduring so many days, it was a failure.

At the moment when the embankment broke, there were dozens of officers and soldiers on the embankment, all of whom were swept away by the flood.

Long Qian learned the details of the embankment in Jiyang, and dispatched about two battalions of troops to rush to the accident site to rescue people, and several boats that he had been controlling were also transferred against the current. He himself made a detour to the north of the new town on the same day, and commanded the first standard and one battalion that had arrived in advance to build a dam on the spot to stop the flood. The terrain was used to build a dam to block the flood overnight, while Lu Shan led several boats to rescue hundreds of people from rooftops and treetops in the vast yellow water...... As more troops and civilians were mobilized, the focus of flood control became plugging. Under the on-site guidance of more than a dozen river workers, they tied huge wooden cages with wire and wood, and slowly put them into the breach to block the turbulent river with their support. The boulders are then pushed into the wooden cages, forming a new support point for the dam. It took four days and four nights, and at the cost of the sacrifice of the two people, the dam was finally broken.

Before, an old riverman who stayed on the boat thought that it was impossible to close the dragon in the same place.

Zhou Fu, Feng Guozhang and others all witnessed the dam closure at the scene.

With the closure of the dam, there is no need to mention the diversion of the Yellow River. In the past 100 years, diversions have become the norm, and each diversion is a major loss to the people along the coast, and it is also a gaffe that the imperial court is extremely concerned about. The Jiyang Break could not be concealed from the imperial court, but the joint efforts of the military and the people to make the dam collapse and the dragon were enough for him to boast in front of the imperial court. Zhou Fu, who rushed to the scene from the embankment, saw a large number of sand and gravel sacks thrown into the water, and the breach became smaller and smaller, and became smaller and smaller until the dam closed the dragon, and grabbed Long Qian's hand, "Retreat!" Your soldiers! Your soldiers are good! ”

"Master Xie complimented. The sappers have no experience, and after this battle, the flood control will be considered to be passed in the future. Long Qian stared at the dragon's mouth, his hands covered with sweat.

It was the first time Feng Guozhang had faced Long Qian. I have fought before, I have seen battles, and they are just famous, but this time they met when Feng Guozhang was unwilling, Long Qian waved his army west to reinforce Jiyang, and he couldn't refuse. The actual situation is that if the Mengshan Army cavalry battalion had not arrived in the vicinity of the new town to organize the fight against the flood and evacuate the people after the accident, the losses would have been much greater than they are now. And the credit of the dam Helong is 100% to the Mengshan army. Feng Guozhang has no face to fight for this merit......

The meeting with Long Qian was short-lived, but it was also friendly. This young general, who was sixteen years younger than himself, did not have the slightest hint of meritorious service. On the contrary, he said a few decent words and showed respect for himself. Regarding the breach of the river embankment, Long Qian believed that the excessive arrears of water conservancy were the main reason for the accident, and the Beiyang officers and soldiers and the local government had done their best. In this case, it is a fluke that nothing happens, and it becomes almost inevitable that something will happen. The Admiral doesn't have to blame himself. In the future, however, we must make great efforts to improve the Yellow River, which flows on the ground in Shandong, and we must always give full play to its strengths and avoid its shortcomings, so as not to let the tragedy of Jiyang happen again......

Although that's right, Feng Guozhang thought, cure the Yellow River once and for all? It's a dream. He was already working on the manuscript and preparing to play it to the imperial court. Zhou Fu and Shandong Yousi will report that in this disaster, only Long Qian is the one who benefits. They traveled thousands of miles to help, guarded their own one-third of an acre, and returned the dam of the dragon, even if Long Qian didn't mention it, the governor who regarded Long Qian as a savior would also play.

Feng Guozhang deliberately paid attention to the officers and soldiers of the Mengshan Army, from Long Qian onwards, the young people of Yishui'er, almost none of them were over thirty years old, and youth became their main symbol. And the bravery shown by Mengshan Army in the process of dam closing. Strength and wisdom also gave Feng Guozhang a great shock. He admits that they are all good soldiers, and that they would never have reached such a level without rigorous training, and that the performance of an army in the face of the flood can be regarded as its performance on the battlefield. (To be continued......)