pappabearbooks Chapter 128 The Yellow River bursts its banks!
Chapter 128 The Yellow River bursts its banks!
Chapter 128 The Yellow River bursts its banks!
Lanyang, Henan.
The sky appeared to have a hole in it, and amidst lightning and thunder, endless water poured down from the heavens, threatening to turn the world into a swamp.
Since the beginning of summer, torrential rains have fallen in both the upper and lower reaches of the Yellow River, with water depths reaching more than one meter in some plains areas, almost to the point where people can drown.
It is precisely because of this that the Yellow River is rising at an alarming rate.
The inner side of the dike was originally a slope, and when the river water was still a few feet or two above the top of the dike, people could stand on the dike and look down. However, in just a few days, the river water was level with the dike.
The murky muddy water licked around the top of the dam, and with each wave, some water overflowed the top of the dam and spilled outwards.
On the 19th day of the sixth lunar month, or the 1st day of the eighth lunar month, accompanied by a terrifying roar, the Yellow River transformed into a freed yellow dragon, roaring as it rushed out from the breach on the north bank, inflicting another torment on this ancient land.
The dam was filled with a disheveled crowd, trying to fill the terrible breach with mud, sand, straw bags, boulders, their bodies, and everything else they could think of.
But it doesn't help.
Large swathes of sand and soil continued to collapse, the breach widening from a few feet to several feet, then from several feet to tens of feet. The turbid river water, like a roaring, angry dragon, tore open an even larger scar at the breach in an instant.
The breach grew larger and larger until all the Yellow River water in the riverbed rushed out of the breach, turning the surrounding area into its new river channel.
Jiao Da, a member of the suicide squad, stood on a high point on the south bank of the Yellow River, squeezed into the crowd, gazing at the rushing river with a solemn expression.
Upon hearing Hongwu's report, Zeng Tai immediately switched to Jiao Da's perspective, watching everything with gritted teeth.
He remembered.
In 1855, the Yellow River breached its banks at Tongwaxian, and for more than twenty years it flowed freely north and south across this land, meandering until 1875.
After the Qing government built dikes along the entire river, the river course was fixed, forming the Yellow River that he knew so well in his previous life.
"The Yellow River flows endlessly, and before the previous rise has subsided, another surge arrives suddenly, washing away villages and turning them into a vast expanse of water, stretching as far as the eye can see."
The disaster victims were scattered in the foothills and plateaus, where they built makeshift shelters for temporary refuge.
"Where the water passed, fertile fields were submerged, autumn crops failed, and the people had nothing to eat. Grass roots and tree bark were stripped away. Then, the starving people resorted to cannibalism, the fields were filled with corpses of the starved, the cries of wailing could be heard everywhere, and nine out of ten houses were empty—"
Zeng Tai recalled the descriptions in the book, and those cold words now vividly transformed into the cries of those around him. Feeling a deep sense of kinship, he couldn't help but feel sorrow, followed by a surge of overwhelming anger.
"The Qing Dynasty! The Qing Dynasty!"
This is a natural disaster, but even more so, a man-made one.
After the dikes were breached, the Qing government chose to deal with the Taiping Rebellion over disaster relief. Under the pretext of "military affairs not yet settled and funds not yet available," it abandoned the plan to close the breach and watched the Yellow River ravage the land for more than 20 years, leaving more than 7 million people struggling in despair.
"No, we can't just sit idly by."
Zeng Tai made up his mind.
He stopped Su Song and Guilliman, told them about the Yellow River breach, and said in a deep voice, "I must save them!"
"I know I can't save more than seven million people, but I will do my best to save as many as I can."
Guilliman pondered for a moment, then slowly asked, "My lord, in which aspect of salvation are you referring?"
"If it's just food relief, notify Paki in Shanghai and have him buy grain from the major trading companies and then ship it to Tianjin."
"The disaster started in Henan and will soon spread to Shandong and Hebei. Most of the victims will definitely head north to Tianjin or Beijing to seek a way to survive. We will provide relief outside Tianjin then."
Upon hearing this, Zeng Tai immediately shook his head: "Relief is a temporary solution, not a permanent one. It's expensive and yields no return whatsoever. It won't work."
Su Song, standing to the side, understood: "I see, my lord, you intend to rescue them while taking them away to California?"
"That's right!" Zeng Tai nodded. "If the Qing government won't come to our aid, we will. And in return, I will naturally take all those we rescue with me!"
Guilliman immediately began his analysis: "My lord, this is difficult."
"Leaving aside the fact that Tianjin Port is an inland port with a channel depth of only 2 to 2.5 meters, which is not enough to accommodate ocean-going ships, let's just say that Tianjin, as the gateway to Beijing, was an absolutely forbidden area for the Qing government."
"There is still some possibility of transporting grain. After all, the Treaty of Wangxia stipulates that if a United States trading ship runs aground on a reef in the Chinese seas, or is damaged by pirates, the local officials along the coast shall take measures to rescue it and provide appropriate compensation so that it may sail to the port for repairs. All purchases of rice and grain and the intake of fresh water shall not be hindered in the slightest."
It's acceptable for small grain transport ships to enter Tianjin Port under this pretext and then announce that they will use the grain to provide disaster relief; at most, it's just bribing some officials.
"But transporting people requires large ships. If our purpose is exposed, we will only be driven away or even shelled by the Qing army."
Zeng Tai slammed his hand on the table impatiently: "I don't need you to tell me about the difficulties, I just need your solution!"
"Whether the Qing court agrees or not, I don't care!"
"Yes, I understand."
After a few seconds of silence, Guilliman offered a new solution. "Then we'll have to rely on military force."
"First, send people to infiltrate Tianjin as inside agents. Use subspace teleportation to send most of our troops and weapons into the city, and target the Manchu Eight Banners and Han officials, turning them into our own people."
Subsequently, under the pretext of capturing the assassin, they took control of Tianjin's defenses, closed the city gates, wiped out the Green Standard Army guarding the city, and had our people dressed in Green Standard Army uniforms.
"Dispatch another elite force straight to the Dagu Forts, capture them, and allow our ships to anchor near Dagu Port."
"In this way, Beijing will not notice anything unusual in Tianjin in the short term. We can also carry out relief work at our own pace and get the disaster victims onto ships bound for California from Dagu Port."
Su Song added, "As for the food issue, the first wave can utilize the grain in Tianjin's granaries. The combined reserves of the Beicang and Changping granaries are 400,000 shi (a unit of dry measure), enough to feed a million people for two months while they are only half full."
"Let Pakistan, under the guise of a Pacific expedition, purchase large quantities of rice, flour, and other grains in Shanghai and Hong Kong, and ship them to Tianjin by sea. We can send ships to Tianjin to load people and carry the grain; that should be enough."
"This method is much better than the previous one!"
Zeng Tai grinned and agreed to their suggestion.
Immediately, he contacted Hongwu: "Hongwu!"
"My lord, I'm here!"
On the Chengfeng, Hongwu immediately replied.
Zeng Tai slowly said, "The Chengfeng doesn't need to return. Immediately change course and head north to the outskirts of Tianjin to await orders! Also, send men to infiltrate Tianjin city and await orders there as well!"
"yes!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Hongwu immediately shouted, "All personnel, listen to my command! Full left stern, head north to Tianjin!"
The assassins responded with a roar and took control of the ship. The Chengfeng, which had just left Shanghai, immediately headed north.
"Hongwu, what are you doing? Aren't we going back to San Francisco?" Rong Hong asked, puzzled, from the deck.
According to the previous plan, after completing the arms trade with the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, they should have headed straight for San Francisco. Why did they suddenly decide to go north to Tianjin?
"We will obey our lord's orders."
"Huh? When did the lord issue the order? And when did you receive it?"
Rong Hong was even more astonished. He had been on the deck the whole time, no more than ten steps away from Hong Wu. No one had approached Hong Wu. Where did the order come from?
But Hongwu did not answer him. Instead, he walked to the helm and began to check the new course with the helmsman.
San Francisco.
As dawn broke and the sea fog had not yet dissipated, the dock was already bustling with activity.
Dozens of ships of various sizes were moored in the harbor, their masts forming a forest.
These ships were all captured during the capture of San Francisco. They included steamships and old-fashioned wooden sailboats, all mixed together, but now they were all being moved by the same hand.
On the shore, squads of suicide bombers moved back and forth carrying sacks. The sacks were filled with California grain, including wheat and potatoes.
Corn, smoked meat —
All of this grain should have been kept as reserves, but there was no time to worry about that now. A portion of it was allocated, loaded onto ships, and prepared to be transported to Tianjin.
"Faster! Faster!"
On the dock, a leader of the assassins shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice already hoarse, but he still kept urging them on.
They haven't rested a moment since receiving the order last night. Loading dozens of ships would normally take at least five or six days, but their lord gave them very little time, so they worked tirelessly through the night.
The ships, already loaded with grain, raised their sails and began to sail out of the harbor. The ships waiting in line followed and began to receive the sacks of grain. As dawn broke, the last sack of grain was carried into the hold of the last ship.
The ship slowly sailed away from the dock, the sea breeze billowing the sails and making the flags on the masts flutter.
Zeng Tai stood on the dock, watching the fleet depart until the last ship disappeared above the horizon.
"Hongwu, the rest is up to you."
The Wind Chaser.
The sea breeze was blowing, and the ship's hull rose and fell slightly with the waves. Hongwu stood on the deck of the boat, holding a monocular telescope, gazing at the distant sea.
After turning north from Shanghai, the Chengfeng sailed at full speed for three days and finally arrived near Tianjin.
"Have we arrived yet?" Rong Hong walked over, still looking puzzled.
He never understood how Hongwu received the lord's order, or why he suddenly had to change course to Tianjin.
"Tonight," Hongwu put away his binoculars, "we will reach the waters off Tianjin tonight."
As night fell, the Wind Chaser arrived at the sea off Tianjin.
Hongwu ordered all the lights to be extinguished, plunging the entire ship into darkness.
Looking out from here, the coastline is also a deep black, and nothing can be seen except the sound of waves crashing against the ship's side echoing in the night.
"The Dagu Fort is just ahead. For safety reasons, the Chengfeng can only go this far."
Hongwu looked at Tang He beside him and said, "Tang He, you'll have to walk this path alone from now on."
"Brother, don't worry."
Tang grinned and stepped onto the small boat. "I promise to complete the mission as quickly as possible!"
After taking a small boat ashore and walking about several dozen steps, the mudflats turned into hard soil. From here, the reeds grew taller than a person and were as dense as a wall.
Tang He disappeared into the reeds, used the starry sky to determine his location, and then headed towards Tianjin.
After walking for a while, he came across the Haihe River.
Now you don't even need to figure out directions. The Haihe River flows from Tianjin City all the way to Dagu. If you go upstream along the river, you can reach Tianjin.
The distance from Dagukou to Tianjin city is about 100 li. Tang He traveled very fast and reached the city gates before dawn.
The city walls of Tianjin were built during the Yongle era. In the second year of Yongle, Emperor Zhu Di of the Ming Dynasty ordered the establishment of a garrison and the construction of a city at Zhigu, naming it "Tianjin," meaning "the place where the emperor crosses the river."
The city wall was nine li in circumference and three zhang high, with blue bricks on the outside. The city had four gates in the east, south, west, and north, and there were also water gates near the four gates. The water gates were equipped with iron sluices, which were opened during the day and closed at night, and were guarded by city gate guards.
Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, Tang He silently slipped into the water.
The river water was murky, carrying the fishy smell of mud and the stench of sewage, flowing slowly. Dense reeds lined both banks, rustling softly in the wind. Using the reeds as cover, Tang He slowly approached the southeast water gate of Tianjin city.
The outline of the water gate gradually became clear in the night; it was an arched gate made of bluestone.
Before dawn, the iron gate remained lowered, with gaps about a foot wide between the gate bars. River water gushed out from these gaps, making a rushing sound.
Tang took a deep breath and submerged in the water.
It was pitch black underwater; he couldn't see anything. He groped his way to the very edge of the iron gate and squeezed in sideways. His body ached from being scraped by the gate bars, but he didn't utter a sound and forced his way through the gap.
When he surfaced, he was already inside the water gate.
The riverbanks on both sides of this section of the waterway inside the city are made of stone, with the walls constructed of bluestone strips and moss growing in the cracks between the stones.
Tang climbed ashore, soaking wet. He glanced around and saw a patrol post near the water gate, where the city gate guards kept watch at night. The post door was closed, and he could faintly hear snoring coming from inside.
He crept along the wall, silently making his way into the city.
The layout of Tianjin is typical of northern cities. There is a straight main street from the south gate to the north gate, and another main street from the east gate to the west gate. The two main streets intersect in the city center, where a drum tower stands.
Four main streets divide the city into four areas: the north side is where government offices and yamen are located, while the east side is a mix of shops and residences.
Tang He's target was the east of the city.
He avoided the main streets and only walked through the alleys. There were watchmen and Green Standard Army soldiers patrolling the main streets, and although it was almost dawn and the patrolmen should have finished their shifts, he couldn't take the risk.
The road underfoot was made of rammed earth, still muddy after the rain. On both sides were houses with blue bricks and gray tiles, and occasionally a faint light shone from the cracks in the doors of one or two houses.
After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Tang He stopped in front of a small courtyard.
This was an ordinary house, with mottled mud walls and a tightly closed wooden door. The courtyard wall was no more than a meter high, with a few clumps of weeds growing on top. Judging from the dust piled up on the wall and the withered grass stuffed in the cracks of the door, the house had been empty for at least half a year.
Tang listened for a while, and after confirming that there was no movement inside, he turned over and went into the hospital.
The courtyard was piled with miscellaneous items, and the door to the main house was unlocked; it opened easily with a gentle push. The house was dark, with only a musty smell. A layer of dust covered the floor, and cobwebs hung in the corners. There were two rooms, a main hall and a bedroom, barely enough to fit anyone.
"Let's do it here."
He murmured to himself, and soon, one figure after another stepped out of the void, and dozens of elite warriors appeared in the courtyard.