The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

"...Yes, the governor ordered the troops in Jingshan to gather in Zhongxiang, to defend Zhongxiang, to ensure that Zhongxiang is not lost..."

This was truly unexpected good news. Unable to wait, Zhou Baogui pushed open the door and entered, interrupting the interrogation. He fixed the captured patrol officer with his eyes and asked, "What did you say? Say it again, the Qing troops in Jingshan are on their way to Zhongxiang?"

"That's right. When the prefect learned that your army had left Sichuan, he immediately ordered the troops in Jingshan to immediately support Zhongxiang. Tianmen and Qianjiang were too far away, and the prefect knew it was too late to reach them, so he didn't send anyone."

It was indeed wonderful news, and after Zhou Baogui inquired about a few more details, he didn't hesitate any longer and immediately returned to his office to check the map. The distance between Jingmen and Zhongxiang was only fifty kilometers. If the Anlu prefect had received the news, it must have been Comrade Li Wuhua, who had escaped after the liberation of Jingmen, and had brought the news here. Of course, it was also possible that Zhang Zhidong had found a way to spread the word. However, since the scouts hadn't reported any news yet, it meant that the Qing troops were still quite a distance away from Zhongxiang.

Zhou Baogui glanced at the map and saw that Li Wuhua was attacking Shayang along the Zhubei River. One of their targets was Tianmen. He immediately changed his target. After all, that was not his combat mission.

The straight-line distance between Zhongxiang and Jingshan is only 60 kilometers. If the PLA needs to hurry, it will take a day. The PLA was delayed in Jingmen for a day, which means that if the Qing army in Jingshan had not been delayed, it would have been on its way to support.

This was a prime opportunity for an ambush and annihilation. Furthermore, with the troops currently stationed in the crucial city of Jingshan now deployed, the city's defenses would undoubtedly be significantly weakened, making it the perfect time to capture it. Not wanting to miss this golden opportunity, Zhou Baogui immediately declared, "Order the scouts to expand their search towards Jingshan and quickly locate the Qing troops that are supporting Zhongxiang from Jingshan. Secondly, use the seized silver and money in Zhongxiang to hire all the horses, carriages, donkey carts, and other transportation vehicles in the city to transport our supplies. The Sixth Company will remain in Zhongxiang to maintain order and await the arrival of the main force..."

Plans couldn't keep pace, and Zhou Baogui once again broke his promise. The comrades of the vanguard group didn't stop in Zhongxiang, nor did they rest for long. After requisitioning mules, horses, and carts, they continued their march toward the liberation of Hubei.

Just when Zhou Baogui was trying to ambush and eliminate the Qing troops supporting Zhongxiang in Jingshan and to liberate Jingshan by surprise, the People's Liberation Army that entered Shanxi was also marching desperately. Shanxi is a place with ravines and valleys. Even if the place you want to go is just across the ravine, you don't know how many detours you will have to take to reach it.

The words "inner and outer mountains and rivers" are not so simple. So how difficult is it to completely liberate Shanxi? Just look at the anti-Japanese dramas in the past to know. Zhongtiao Mountain, Luliang Mountain, Taihang Mountain, Taiyue Mountain, etc. were all famous anti-Japanese bases in the past, but the Japanese ultimately failed to completely occupy Shanxi!

Zhang Yinghao similarly requested his comrades in Shanxi to first liberate the Fenhe Plain, the Taiyuan Basin, and the various provincial capitals. Rather than adopting the previous strategy of surrounding the cities with the countryside, he instead adopted the strategy of prioritizing the cities and then liberating the countryside. This was a concrete manifestation of seeking truth from facts, and of course, the best approach to land reform in the newly liberated areas. The governments in the liberated areas occupied the cities, with concentrated manpower and material resources, and possessed a clear advantage. They could thus demonstrate an overwhelming advantage over the rural landlord class, making land reform much smoother...

"Report."

Zhang Yinghao heard Liu Qi's voice and immediately looked up and said, "Come in!

Sit down! Lao Liu, is there any good news from the front line?

Liu Qi had just been called over by his secretary. In order to prevent Liu Qi from embarrassing himself by asking what he was calling him for, Zhang Yinghao directly asked him a question.

In fact, this is how it is when talking to people. If Zhang Yinghao didn't ask Liu Qi a question in return, he would definitely ask: "Chairman, are you looking for me?"

How would Zhang Yinghao respond? Would he respond, "I'm looking for you!"

Then Liu Qi asked, "What do you want to talk to me about?" or "What do you want to do?" This kind of conversation is too stiff and has a completely businesslike attitude. It is not communication.

Therefore, except for lectures, speeches, meetings, etc. where one person is talking, especially when two people are talking, like visiting relatives or talking to a stranger, in order to avoid a dull atmosphere, the best way is to adopt a question-and-answer format.

If someone asks you a question and you answer it directly and then keep your mouth shut, the other party will naturally have to start a new topic. This is not a conversation. It's like interrogating a prisoner or discussing official business between superiors and subordinates. It's not a happy thing.

If the other person is talkative, it's fine and there are plenty of topics to talk about. But if you both don't know each other well and the other person is not a talkative person, if you don't ask him a question in return, he will feel that you don't want to talk to him, and the conversation will end and become awkward immediately.

Therefore, a person who knows how to speak, when someone talks to him, should immediately ask the other person a question after he answers. Only in this way can it be a conversation. If the conversation focuses on more details, the conversation can last longer.

As an ordinary person, what should we chat about in daily life? We can talk about health, happiness, positive things, weather, current affairs, or criticize leaders! Only communication with both sides can make people feel comfortable.

If you don't intend to act as a matchmaker, then you should never ask older men and women about marriage issues. If you know that the other party is not wealthy, then you should never ask about money and work issues out of boredom, because once these private questions are asked, the conversation will quickly become terribly awkward and embarrassment is inevitable.

So, after hearing Zhang Yinghao's question, Liu Qi directly answered: "The current situation on the front line is even better than expected before the war. Comrade Zhou Baogui led the vanguard regiment to liberate Zhongxiang. Then, they set up an ambush near Sunjiaqiao and disarmed the Qing troops from Jingshan who were supporting Zhongxiang without firing a shot. Then, they forced a march to Jingshan and blasted open the city gate with two artillery shells, liberating Jingshan..."

Zhang Yinghao smiled and said, "Haha, Comrade Zhou Baogui also liberated Yichang at the lowest cost. It seems he's mastered this method to perfection. Should he come to the military academy to share his experience? What do you think?"

Liu Qi knew Zhang Yinghao was joking, but he smiled and said, "Of course it's possible, but there have been so many cases of capturing large groups of Qing troops without firing a shot. Wouldn't it be unfair to only let Comrade Zhou Baogui share his experience?"

Zhang Yinghao knew this was true without much thought. However, forcing the enemy to surrender without firing a shot was indeed something worth encouraging, so he said, "Let's write this type of case into a textbook for our comrades to learn from. However, it's important to note that this is a method that can only be used against a decadent army like the Qing army. If we're dealing with the armies of the great powers, we shouldn't advocate capturing more enemy prisoners unless we have an absolute advantage and are certain our side will not suffer any losses or the enemy has surrendered voluntarily. Because if officers are obsessed with capturing prisoners, it can easily result in the deaths and injuries of our own comrades, which is not worth the loss."

"Yes! The Chairman is right. The most important thing about war is suddenness. Seconds and seconds can determine the life and death of countless people, and even the outcome of an entire battle. Therefore, even if we have surrounded the enemy, we cannot relax in the slightest. We must act immediately if we can destroy the enemy immediately. The opportunity for battle is fleeting. Only dead enemies are the enemies we need. Moreover, we don't speak the same language as the foreigners, and our concepts are different. If we think about capturing prisoners, our decisions will inevitably be wrong, giving the enemy enough time to prepare for battle, and ultimately causing casualties to our own comrades..."

Hearing Liu Qi's words, Zhang Yinghao felt relieved and stopped chatting with Liu Qi. He took out a map of the Yangtze River and said, "In this Liberation War, regardless of whether we can immediately drive away the warships of the foreign powers cruising on the Yangtze River, we still have to make some preparations."

After saying this, Zhang Yinghao spread out the map on the table and asked Liu Qi to come over and look at it. This was actually Zhang Yinghao's solution to the threat of the foreign warships bombarding cities along the Yangtze River. Zhang Yinghao always believed that the security of the liberated areas could only be maintained by the liberated areas themselves. Zhang Yinghao also believed that in the near future, real foreign warships would appear in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and might even attempt to sail upstream. Therefore, Zhang Yinghao knew that he had to prepare for this early. Zhang Yinghao had been pondering this issue for the past two days, and it finally reminded him of Li Bai's poem "Looking at Tianmen Mountain."

Li Bai left Sichuan by boat, and while passing through the Three Gorges, he composed the poem "Early Departure from Baidicheng." While at Tianmen Mountain, he penned another poem: "The gate of heaven is broken, the Chu River opens, its clear waters flowing eastward return here. Green mountains on both sides face each other, a lone sail drifts against the horizon..."

Thinking of the artillery units at Jingmen Mountain and Huya Mountain that had sunk the foreign powers' small warships, Zhang Yinghao felt that he was only partially confused, while the bystanders saw things more clearly. He had actually been using this method all along, but surprisingly, he just couldn't use it anymore. It was indeed a problem of human thinking and perception; seeking truth from facts was a very difficult thing.

After figuring it out, Zhang Yinghao immediately took a magnifying glass and looked at the map. Sure enough, it didn't take long for Zhang Yinghao to find many familiar names.

Wuxue, Jiujiang, Anqing, Wuhu...

Zhang Yinghao pointed to the area he'd circled in red and said to Liu Qi, "In 'The Difficult Road to Shu,' written by Li Bai upon his entry into Sichuan, he wrote: 'Jiangge is rugged and steep; one man can hold the pass against ten thousand...' After the Shaanxi-Gansu Green Army entered Sichuan, we successfully launched a surprise attack on Jiange, cutting off their retreat and annihilating them completely. So these poems written by Li Bai still hold some military value. And after leaving Sichuan, Li Bai also wrote a poem called 'Looking at Tianmen Mountain.'"

After reciting the poem, Zhang Yinghao pointed to a location on both sides of the river in what would later become the suburbs of Wuhu City and He County and said, "This is the Tianmen Mountain mentioned by Li Bai. The East and West Liang Mountains stand on either side of the Yangtze River, resembling two tigers crouching together, hence the name Erhu Mountain. The Yangtze River narrows as it flows through this area, forming a natural barrier. Due to its strategic location, the East and West Liang Mountains have always been a battleground for military strategists. The "Wu-Chu Battle of Chang'an" during the Spring and Autumn Period took place here. After the Southern Dynasties established their capital in Jinling, this area served as a vital gateway to protect the capital, and troops were stationed at East and West Liang Mountains..."

"Chairman, do you mean to build a fort here to guard the Yangtze River?"

Zhang Yinghao listened, nodded, shook his head and said: "Building a fort here is a must, so that we can control the Yangtze River and protect the safety of the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River. However, you see that the great powers still have warships anchored in Wuhan and other places. What if they go crazy and bombard our coastal cities? So we must have a way to counter them. As long as these warships dare to mess around, we will fight them to the death. We must sink them in the Yangtze River and let the soldiers on these warships be buried with our dead people."

Seeing Liu Qi nod, Zhang Yinghao pointed to a small circle and said, "This is the Hukou Jiujiang area, which controls the Yangtze River waterway and has an extremely important strategic location. During the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom period, Shi Dakai defeated the Hunan Navy here, and Zeng Guofan was almost drowned. Therefore, the defense target of this Hukou Fortress is towards the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River. We should liberate this place as quickly as possible and trap the warships in Hubei and other places. As long as we swing our cannons here, it is equivalent to strangling the necks of the warships of the foreign powers anchored in Hubei. As long as the foreign warships dare to make trouble and their warships cannot get any replenishment, we can make them stay in China forever."

Having reached this point, Zhang Yinghao naturally had no intention of stopping. In his previous life, Zhang Yinghao had read about the Battle of Wuhan during the Anti-Japanese War and naturally knew about the famous Ma'an Fortress. After all, after the fall of Ma'an Fortress, Chiang Kai-shek had shown some rare courage. Li Yunheng, commander of the 16th Army, was punished by military discipline for negligent defense and poor combat performance. Xue Weiying, commander of the 167th Division, was executed for missing an opportunity to fight, and the division's designation was revoked.

So Zhang Yinghao continued: "If we want to force the warships of the great powers to leave, we must have means to counter them, and we must not be afraid of all their threats of war. Therefore, we must always be prepared for a large-scale invasion by the enemy's army and navy. First, we must be invincible, and then wait for the enemy to be defeated. Only when we are fully prepared will we not be afraid of them.

Therefore, we must not only build fortresses in Tianmen Mountain, Jiujiang, Hukou and other places, but also establish a chain of fortresses along the Yangtze River."

After saying this, Zhang Yinghao swiped his finger across the map and continued, "Places like Wusong, Jiangyin, Zhenjiang, Jiangning, Tianjiazhen, and Madang must all establish permanent fortifications..."

"Chairman, there are old projects left by the Qing Dynasty in many places here, right?" "Yes, since the outbreak of the Opium War in 1840, the Qing Dynasty was unable to repel the Western and Eastern powers in the ocean, so it could only build fortresses and artillery batteries in coastal cities such as Zhenhai, Fuzhou, Xiamen, and Humen, as well as key passes along the Yangtze River such as Wusong, Jiangyin, and Jiangning to prepare for war. However, those who did this in the Qing Dynasty were either corrupt or had no understanding of the construction of defensive fortresses. Therefore, most of the artillery batteries now have few and old weapons, and these places are now basically in disrepair. These fortresses and artillery batteries are now unable to shoulder the heavy responsibility of river and coastal defense.

Therefore, we must completely transform it. Otherwise, we will have no navy. If something were to happen, the Yangtze River would be wide open, and the enemy could land anywhere... In that case, we would be attacked from both sides. Without these fortresses and artillery batteries, enemy warships would be able to roam the Yangtze River, which would be extremely disadvantageous to us. This is something we absolutely cannot allow to happen."

Liu Qi nodded and said, "However, if we establish a fortress chain, it is not a task that can be completed in a short period of time, and the workload is also not small."

"That's natural, so we should first find a way to pressure the great powers. We must first control Jiujiang, Hukou, and other places. We can take our time with other things. We now have airships that can drop aerial bombs from the sky. You know how powerful a high-explosive bomb weighing hundreds of kilograms is. Therefore, the fortress chain we build must also have air defense capabilities. Currently, fortresses around the world haven't considered air defense. This is a completely new topic, worthy of our comrades' careful study. As for the sheer volume of the project, we can mobilize the local people to participate in the labor, combining the construction of river embankments, river channel tidying, and riverbed clearing. We can just leave the core work of the fortress batteries to our own comrades..."

Chapter 423:

Zhang Yinghao now felt that he wasn't the leader of such a large liberated area, but rather someone who constantly gave other comrades trouble and created problems. Of course, Zhang Yinghao was now more thoughtful and far-sighted than the other comrades, and he led his comrades in their work without any pretense, which naturally led all the comrades to follow him.

However, this does not mean that Zhang Yinghao no longer plays tricks. On the contrary, he is now more diligent and strict in enforcing the tricks. "Zhang Yinghao Thought" and political courses are courses that all comrades in the party, government and military who are undergoing training must study and pass.

In order to address the fact that many party members in later generations had not even read the party constitution in its entirety, and taking into account the low cultural level of many party members, a special task of copying the party constitution was assigned, and everyone had to copy it twice.

Zhang Yinghao never relaxed his focus on Party ideology, even though his comrades' thoughts were invisible and intangible. However, he knew that power flowed from the bottom up, so as long as he diligently educated the grassroots and all comrades received the same education, the comrades would accept what he taught them as legitimate and naturally combat the leadership's unhealthy tendencies and unscientific practices. Furthermore, after the rectification movement, many comrades continued to study in school, which had profoundly intimidated some and made many comrades tremble with fear. At least in Zhang Yinghao's view, misconduct had decreased significantly.

Looking at Liu Qi's back as he left with the map he had marked, Zhang Yinghao knew that no matter what China's navy would be like in the future, it was very necessary to build a chain of fortresses along the Yangtze River now.

During the previous life's Zhenbao Island self-defense counterattack, the Soviet Union deployed tanks, armored vehicles, aircraft, and secret weapons like the Ice-Explosion Bazooka. Although the People's Liberation Army's heroic and tenacious counterattack ultimately repelled the Soviet army, China was ultimately facing a suffocating behemoth. After a fierce battle, the Soviets deployed millions of troops along the border and even attempted a surgical nuclear strike. Faced with such a complex and serious international situation, Taizu bluntly proposed a nine-character policy: dig deep, store food extensively, avoid seeking hegemony, and always prepare for a doomsday offensive.

Taizu's attitude at the time was: "I won't attack anyone, but if anyone attacks me, I will fight them to the bitter end." This attitude is certainly commendable. In the past, China had indeed rarely acquired any land that was already owned, and even suffered losses in determining borders. Neighboring small states, observing China's attitude, were also willing to establish borders with China. China's goal was simply to avoid further disputes and waste of national strength.

Zhang Yinghao naturally knew that it was better to be prepared than to be caught off guard. Only when he was fully prepared would the enemy truly fear an attack. Furthermore, the Yangtze River Basin was the core of China, and Zhang Yinghao naturally did not want it to be reduced to ruins by war. As for the money spent on building forts and artillery batteries, these areas could be developed into tourist attractions and patriotic education bases in the future, all of which were excellent options. These expenses would naturally be earned back over time. Furthermore, as long as the inland areas and the Yangtze River Basin remained stable, this amount of money was not much; it was merely a drop in the bucket.

Thinking about money, Zhang Yinghao thought about trade issues, and immediately thought about the navigation of the Yangtze River. Now that the Yichang to Chongqing section of the Yangtze River is completely controlled by the Liberated Area, it is time to put the dredging of the Yangtze River in the Three Gorges on the agenda.

In an era without roads and railways, water transport was undoubtedly the most convenient and fastest mode of transportation. River crossings required ferries, and bulk cargo was the only way to do so. In Sichuan, boats sailed when water was available and landed only when water was scarce. For example, the Tuojiang River connects western Sichuan with southern Sichuan, its main stream flowing through economically developed areas like Chengdu, Ziyang, Neijiang, Zigong, and Luzhou. Therefore, salt from Ziliujing and Gongjing, sugar from Neijiang, and rice from the western Sichuan basins have long been transported by water to Chongqing, from where they can be transported out of Sichuan via the Jialing River and Yangtze River. Ancient people also largely chose water transport when leaving Sichuan.

There weren't many large cargo ships traveling between Zizhong and Neijiang, but smaller ones were constantly available. While the overall volume of water transport from Chongqing to Chengdu wasn't large, it still solved many problems. Therefore, after liberating Sichuan, Zhang Yinghao never stopped dredging and clearing the river. Even if he couldn't achieve full channelization, he could still improve navigation by blasting some large rocks on the riverbed.

To increase the speed and efficiency of blasting, Zhang Yinghao established a dedicated riverbed dredging and blasting command center, affiliated with the PLA Engineering Corps. This command center organized several riverbed blasting fleets, specifically tasked with blasting rock blockers within the navigable waterway. While these comrades successfully completed each blasting mission, the harsh realities of water and fire ultimately cost them more than a dozen lives.

Now, it was time for these comrades to begin blasting the Three Gorges waterway. Previously, Zhang Yinghao hadn't repaired this section of the Three Gorges waterway, not only because it wasn't yet a liberated area, but also because he was worried about the foreigners' warships and artillery. Now that there was a certain degree of security, the work naturally had to begin.

Zhang Yinghao immediately issued instructions to the riverbed dredging and blasting command center, instructing them to immediately begin clearing the obstructions from the Three Gorges waterway, specifically directing them to blast the Yanyu pile first. Zhang Yinghao knew about the Yanyu pile because he remembered that on March 30, 1958, when Taizu was aboard the Jiangxia ship, he passed by the Yanyu pile. Captain Mo Jiarui recited the ancient folk song "Yanyu Song," which had been passed on the Sichuan River for thousands of years. Taizu asked the accompanying comrades, "For thousands of years, the Yanyu pile has hindered safe navigation on the Sichuan River. Why not blow it up?"

This question of Taizu can be said to have embarrassed countless people! Why has no one taken the initiative to propose or implement such a simple solution?

It's fair to say that everyone who sees this huge rock will sigh with emotion, wondering how much better it would be if it weren't there or disappeared. However, this rock has stood here for tens of millions of years, and due to the limitations of millions of years of thinking, no one has ever thought of blowing it up. Not even the revolutionaries of previous generations. Ten years after liberation, this rock still stands majestically in the middle of the river.

But Taizu had no rules or regulations in his mind. He thought that since the stone blocking the road was not good and brought inconvenience and danger to the people, why not just blow it up? In fact, how difficult is it to blow up a big stone standing in the middle of the river? It only takes a few tons, dozens of tons or even dozens of tons of explosives. But people without such courage would not think of this. In fact, this is also the difference between Taizu and ordinary people. Taizu is a person with the courage to change the world!

The downside of bureaucracy is that without orders from higher-ups or incentives, people lack initiative. However, if given an order or instruction from higher-ups, assigning them a task, their drive to act becomes incredibly strong. So, with just one word from the previous Taizu, Yanyudui was immediately incorporated into the waterway regulation plan.

However, this was the era of the Great Revolution, and the comrades hadn't yet become heavily bureaucratized. Furthermore, Zhang Yinghao had even established a dedicated blasting department. Even before Zhang Yinghao gave any instructions, they had already begun making the necessary preparations. Furthermore, the liberated areas had already established a crude but relatively complete system, so naturally, someone would take the initiative to arrange these tasks.

Therefore, the comrades in the riverbed dredging and blasting command center had already begun preparing for blasting work within the Three Gorges waterway. These comrades saw this as their job. After learning that the PLA comrades had taken control of Yichang, they issued orders to the blasting teams and began preparing to enter the Three Gorges to carry out blasting. Now, after receiving orders from Zhang Yinghao, they no longer hesitated and immediately ordered nearby blasting teams to assemble. Upon receiving the command from the command center, the blasting teams immediately boarded boats and headed to the Three Gorges waterway to carry out dredging and blasting operations.

The boat they were on was a wooden hull with an iron frame, manufactured and assembled in the liberated areas. It was also covered in iron sheets. Compared to the smaller boats along the way, it looked quite imposing, but it definitely couldn't withstand a single cannonball. However, what truly set it apart from the others was that it was a steamship, powered by steam, allowing it to freely navigate rivers. This in itself represented the advancement of Sichuan's industry and was a significant achievement.

Zhang Yinghao prioritized shipping, organizing a team to blast rocks from the waterway. Naturally, he wouldn't forget to open a shipyard. While they couldn't produce ironclad ships, they could still produce wooden boats for transportation within Sichuan. The steam-powered ships produced by this shipyard were a hot seller, and demand was currently exceeding supply.

To facilitate blasting within the river, the Riverbed Dredging and Blasting Command Center even purchased two airships specifically for blasting operations. As the saying goes, "Preparedness is key, while lack of preparedness leads to failure." The Riverbed Dredging and Blasting Command Center had already thoroughly investigated the roadblocks within the Three Gorges Dam. However, they had not included the Yanyu pile in the blasting plan, so the blasting work naturally began at the location indicated by Chairman Zhang Yinghao.

Fengjie Baidi City is located on the north bank of the Yangtze River, approximately 15 kilometers east of Fengjie City. Nestled among lush greenery, it serves as the western entrance to the Three Gorges and the gateway to Sichuan Province—Kuimen. Due to its rugged terrain, it has been a battleground for military strategists throughout history. During the late Western Han Dynasty, Gongsun Shu, who occupied Bashu, built a city on the mountain. Because a well in the city often emitted white steam, resembling a white dragon, he adopted the name "White Emperor" and named the city Baidi City.

Baidi City is actually quite small, and neither is Fengjie. Fengjie's relative prosperity stems from its proximity to the Three Gorges and the presence of a massive rock blocking the river. For thousands of years, the greatest fear and concern of all wooden ships plying the Three Gorges, whether merchants, officials, or boatmen, was not the surging currents and waves, but the massive reef at the mouth of the gorge—Yanyu Dui. This reef, like a divine object, rises against the current, blocking half the channel.

Ships need to be very careful when passing through here. In the era of sail power, this place was a nightmare for sailors. Since ancient times, countless ships have been sunk here and countless boatmen's lives have been lost. Therefore, ships passing through here to go down the Three Gorges, or people coming up from the Three Gorges want to rest here, and Fengjie prospered from this.

At this time, a blasting boat came upstream from the opposite direction. The two blasting boats stopped at the riverside to meet. Captain Li Zixing jumped onto the other boat and excitedly said to Captain Wu Hao on the other boat: "Old Wu, ah! The political commissar is here! Hello, political commissar! Haha, you know what? If you don't visit Qutang Gorge, you won't know the beauty of the Three Gorges. The scenery here is truly spectacular. I have never been here before, and this is the most spectacular landscape I have ever seen."

Wu Hao smiled and said, "Our team has already visited this place. It is truly spectacular. Qutang Gorge is the shortest of the Three Gorges, only eight kilometers long, and it only takes twenty to thirty minutes to swim through. Huotang Gorge is not long either. I passed by it quietly while I was still immersed in the awe of it."

At this point, Xu Tieshan, the political commissar of the riverbed dredging and blasting command room, chimed in: "All the water from the upper reaches of the Yangtze River flows out from here and into the Qutang Gorge. The water is deep and swift, and the river is less than 50 meters at its narrowest point. The waves are turbulent, and it's known as 'Kuimen, the most majestic of all.' Naturally, it's a magnificent sight. As a Fengjie native, I know that because of this spectacular scenery, Li Bai, Du Fu, Bai Juyi, Lu You, and others have all left their mark in poetry here..."

As everyone chatted, the three teams responsible for the blasting finally reunited. They immediately boarded a boat and arrived next to the Yanyudui. It loomed in the center of the narrow river at the mouth of Qutang Gorge, resembling a giant beast barring the current. Looking at the hill-like rock in the middle of the river, Xu Tieshan said, "This massive rock is the Yanyudui! After this blast, it will vanish into the river of history."

If Zhang Yinghao hadn't ordered the demolition team to blow up this "hill," they wouldn't have even bothered to blow up every other roadblock in the Three Gorges. After all, it was so massive, and the explosives would have been tons. But after receiving the order, they realized they could indeed blow up the roadblock. It wasn't as difficult as they'd imagined...

Wu Hao replied, "Yes, Yanyu Dui is the massive reef in the river in front of Weimen. It's also known as Yinyu, Yuyou, and Bird's Nest Stone. Zixing, you see, every year during the dry season from winter to early summer, Yanyu Dui protrudes over twenty meters above the river surface. From a distance, it looks like an ox, a horse, or an elephant. The river flow is blocked, spreading out in all directions, forming a massive, intermittent, reverse-flowing vortex, another twenty to thirty meters wide. Behind Yanyu Dui, there's a massive backflow. When ships reach this point, the river rushes down to the gorge, charging straight for this massive reef like an arrow from a bow. Even if a ship tries to avoid it, the turbulent vortex or backflow often deflects its course. Even a slight deviation can result in a direct collision, shattering it instantly."

Li Zixing also said: "I know this. Huge waves are very dangerous. Isn't it sung in the "Yan Yu Song"? Yan Yu is as big as an elephant, you can't go up to Huotang. Yan Yu is as big as an ox, you can't stay in Huotang. Yan Yu is as big as a horse, you can't get off Huotang. Yan Yu is as big as a bundle, you can't touch Huotang. Yan Yu is as big as a turtle, you can't look into Qutang. Yan Yu is as big as a tortoise, boats can't sail in Huotang."

Xu Tieshan nodded and said, "Zixing knew this ballad even though he had never been here. That's good. It seems he made a lot of preparations. However, Sichuan is relatively dry and rainless now, which is fine. If a flood breaks out, the raging water of the river will rush straight to Yanyu Dui, and the waves will rise into the sky, and the whirlpools will twist and turn, forming the spectacular sight of "Yanyu Huilan". But no matter what, as long as this big rock is still there, no matter how big or small it looks, ships passing by here must be careful. If they are not careful, the ship will be destroyed and people will die. It is precisely because of this that many people in ancient times wanted this big rock to disappear. Du Fu wrote in "Yanyu Dui": "A huge rock is in the center of the water, and the river is cold and long. The sunken ox answers the clouds and rain, like a horse to stop the boat from sailing." The Northern Song Dynasty poet Fan Chengda expressed the ideal of "not knowing that Yanyu is under the boat, but feeling that Huotang is as flat as a mirror." Now, it is up to us to realize their ideals!"

Li Zixing asked: "How come the political commissar is so familiar with Yanyudui?"

Hearing this question, the political commissar sighed and said, "Well, it's not that I want to be familiar with it, but my ancestors were all navigators of this Yanyu pile. My grandfather died here, so I know this place better than anyone else. This is why I followed him this time. I just want to see this harmful thing disappear before my eyes, so that it can never harm anyone again. Let's not talk about this anymore. Our mission is to blow it up."

Wu Hao naturally knew that the political commissar was moved by the scene, and immediately said: "Political commissar, our team will immediately send divers to find out the entire underwater situation of the Yanbin pile, and strive to make a model of the Yanyu pile today. Drilling operations can be carried out tomorrow. Then, we can transport high explosives and start blasting operations directly..."

Chapter 424:

Xu Tieshan knew that while it might sound simple, blasting was far from simple during construction. Blasting was just the last, insignificant step. As long as the extensive preparatory work was done, the final blasting would simply follow a natural, logical progression.

On-site survey, design of blasthole positions, precise construction plan... every step is indispensable, and the overall blasting plan must undergo multiple demonstrations and simulations. No one can slack off until everything is finalized.

This particular case involved underwater blasting, which involved even more complex tasks. Tides, currents, water depths, and weather conditions all necessitated different blasting plans. The depth of the blasthole, the amount of explosives required, and the safety and reliability of detonation were all factors that required meticulous attention to detail.

Furthermore, this blasting took place directly on the Yangtze River, while Hubei was still engaged in a war. There was a significant conflict between construction in navigable waters and maintaining normal navigation, necessitating a scientific and rational demarcation of the construction area while also ensuring normal navigation. These were the difficulties inherent in this blasting operation. Fortunately, there were no cultural relics requiring protection on or near the Yanyu pile, otherwise, timidity would have been even more difficult.

.…-…--

At this point, many Fengjie residents saw so many people in boats surrounding the Yanyu pile, wondering what they were doing, and immediately gathered by the riverbank to watch. With the help of a steamboat, they saw dozens of people hammering steel rods into the rocks on the shore and then into the Yanyu pile, tying cables. If these things weren't surprising enough, they were stunned when they saw someone rappelling from an airship, and they began to discuss the situation.

The people of Fengjie were no strangers to airships, having flown by them before. However, this was their first time seeing a rappelling operation from an airship. It was truly a rare sight! When they saw a man slowly gliding down from a distance, they all worried for him. But when they saw him land safely on the Yanyu pile, they cheered.

After Comrade Li Chuanjie rappelled onto the Yanyu pile, he felt a sudden sense of time warping, a sudden sense of insignificance, and a feeling of immensity, as if a gust of wind could blow him away. He stood still for a long moment before waving and greeting the people on both sides of the river. The people on both sides were also surprised and waved back at Comrade Li Chuanjie frantically, as they had never seen a single person standing alone on the Yanyu pile. Comrade Li Chuanjie knew that without the aid of an airship, climbing the Yanyu pile would have been a difficult task. The ease of work brought about by improved tools was his most profound realization.

At that moment, a burst of flashes of spotlights could be heard from everywhere. It was the photographers the comrades had invited to witness the Yanyu pile, taking pictures. After all, it wouldn't be long before such pictures would be taken again. A comrade who didn't understand science had suggested taking a few pictures from the airship, but the political commissar had rejected them outright! Just kidding! All sources of fire were prohibited on the airship. Smoking comrades were not allowed to work on the airship. If a fire started on the airship, no one would be held responsible.

After greeting the people on both sides of the strait and posing for a few photos, Li Chuanjie began measuring the Yanyu pile. This was the first and last actual measurement. Strangely enough, for millions of years, there's no historical record of anyone conducting even a single actual measurement of the Yanyu pile. All historical data is only approximate. Why? Because no one ever considered blasting this massive rock, so what would be the point of measuring specific data?

According to measurements by Comrade Li Chuanjie, the Hanyu pile was 28 meters above the water surface, 40 meters long, with an irregular width of 10 to 15 meters, and its volume above water was almost 9,600 cubic meters. At this point, the size and scale of the Hanyu pile finally had exact data.

At this time, the divers also put on diving suits, tied safety ropes and weights to their bodies, and sank into the river to begin exploring the size and shape of the underwater part of the Yanyu reactor...

The political commissar, also wearing a life jacket and a safety rope tied to his back, took a boat to the Yanyu pile to observe it up close. The waterside was an inverted cliff, a mushroom-shaped boulder that was larger at the top and smaller at the bottom. The waterside was also a steep wall...

After comprehensive measurements, a clay model of the Yanyudui was quickly constructed. Looking at the model, the comrades immediately gained a general understanding of the Yanyudui. After millions of years of erosion by the river, the Yanyudui has now taken on a mushroom-like shape, larger at the top and smaller at the bottom, with most of its sides exposed. If the river continues to erode for millions more years, perhaps this rock will disappear on its own.

The comrades also had rich experience in blasting. Looking at this big rock, they immediately knew that Yanbindui was an ideal target for the blockhouse collapse blasting method. The rock fragments after the blasting did not even need to be cleared away, and they collapsed directly into the deep riverbed.

Without further delay, the comrades immediately began preliminary work, such as laying out the lines and establishing control points. After determining the two flat tunnel entrances, they immediately began excavating the flat tunnel on the rock face facing the water. The tunnel chamber was excavated using blasting, first drilling with an electric drill, then blasting, and finally removing the slag. After excavating the blockhouse to a depth of six meters, they turned and began excavating the support tunnel and charge chamber. The comrades took turns working, but it still took a full five days from excavation to completion for the blockhouse, support tunnel, and charge chamber. Upon completion, Wu Hao and his team immediately brought in two tons of explosives and began loading the charges.

“起爆倒计时，5、4、3、2、1，起爆!”

At the command, the switch was pressed, and the detonation was initiated. A resounding "boom" echoed from the center of the river. Suddenly, rocks flew through the air, waves crashed against the shore, and a gigantic mushroom cloud rose into the sky. The Yanyu pile collapsed on its back, and a massive column of water suddenly rose from the river in front of Kuimen. In an instant, the Yanyu pile, resembling an ox, a horse, and an elephant, vanished from sight.

Years later, the Fengjie residents who had the privilege of witnessing the PLA's destruction of the Yanyudui still spoke of it with mixed feelings. For them, Yanyudui was truly the gates of hell, claiming countless lives. Yet, the PLA showed no fear. They simply and brutally blew up the massive rock without warning or consultation. Thinking of this, they felt a sense of emptiness, as if a psychological support was missing.

Indeed, Yanyudui has stood there for thousands of years, an unshakable sacred object in people's hearts. Ancient boat people would even sacrifice cattle to the massive stone to ward off disasters. Now, their unshakable sacred object has been completely destroyed by the People's Liberation Army. Without a scientific worldview to fill the void, they naturally feel a sense of emptiness as they gaze upon the empty river.

If the two tons of explosives used in the chamber collapse blasting method were a piece of cake, then the subsequent bottom-clearing blasting of the pre-coal pile was far more dangerous. These comrades, wearing diving suits, had to descend into the water to carry out the operation. Underwater operations and blasting are a battle of wits and courage with the reef, requiring both courage and meticulousness. Any negligence could have catastrophic consequences. The comrades who had previously lost their lives were generally due to problems with underwater operations, and by the time they were rescued, it was too late...

This huge rock standing in the middle of the river was completely blown up, leaving no trace except for a large piece that was dragged ashore by PLA comrades using a winch as a memorial.

This was actually a great achievement, but the liberated areas only published a small piece of tofu and a photo in the newspaper, briefly introducing the dangers of the Yanyu pile and the PLA's fearless sacrifice in blowing it up. At the end, it was written: From then on, navigation at the Zhaitang Gorge was unimpeded...

In fact, the people really don't care much about the PLA blowing up this big rock. For many people nowadays, this matter is too far away from them. Besides, what is there to brag about in blowing up a big rock? But blowing up this big rock is of extraordinary significance to the people sailing in the Three Gorges!

This incident also proves once again that only by taking action can things be pushed forward, results be achieved, and success be possible. As long as you take action, you can completely change the world...

Just as Xu Tieshan and his men were demolishing the Yanyu pile, the PLA troops advancing northward into Hubei finally reached Xiangyang. Xiangyang, also known as Xiangfan, is divided by the Han River, with Xiangyang to the south and Fancheng to the north. In the Three Kingdoms story, Guan Yu's attempt to capture Xiangfan led to the careless loss of Jingzhou. This, in turn, blocked the Shu Han's waterway out of Sichuan. Without a forward base, the isolated Shu Han ultimately lost its chance to unify the empire.

Xiangyang has been an important economic and military center throughout the ages. It is known as "the first city in China", "the iron-clad Xiangyang", and "a battleground for military strategists". Xiangyang has unique geographical conditions and is one of the nine strategic locations in ancient China's military geography.

Because there are almost no dangerous places south of Xiangyang, if the northern army captured Xiangyang, they could attack in any direction southward, facing the vast Han River plain area. Therefore, Xiangyang was the gateway city during the Southern Song Dynasty, and the Southern Song army had to defend Xiangyang to the death.

Xiangyang's commercial development stemmed from its convenient transportation, with "waterways flowing freely and goods being transported without delay." The Jingxiang Avenue was a major thoroughfare for merchants traveling north and south. Fancheng, on the other side of the Han River, was a primarily commercial city, serving as a distribution center and transfer port for goods from north to south in the Han River basin. Consequently, Xiangyang's economy flourished, making it a key financial and tax hub for the rulers.

Gu Zuyu's "Dushi Fangyu Jiyao: Huguang Fangyu Jiyao Preface" contains a widely quoted quote regarding the strategic situation in Hubei: "Speaking of the entire world, the key lies in Xiangyang; speaking of the southeast, the key lies in Wuchang; speaking of Huguang, the key lies in Jingzhou." ...Why do we say that Xiangyang is the key? Xiangyang is the strategic center of the world. If the Central Plains holds it, we can annex the southeast. If we seize it in the southeast, we can also plan for the northwest. Therefore, Xiangyang is the key."

Xiangyang lies directly below Yichang, the gateway to Sichuan. Therefore, only by stopping the southward advance of the enemy at Xiangyang could Sichuan be controlled. During the previous Sino-Japanese War, the Japanese army intended to capture Yichang and then Sichuan and Chongqing. Therefore, Xiangyang was like a crossroads, requiring the enemy to be stopped from all directions.