Nanyang Storm 1864

Captain Zheng Yunwen and Lieutenant Wang Yuan are both top graduates of the Royal Institute of Technology. They are affiliated with the Engineering Department of the Royal Army Service Headquarters and are one of the main departments providing technical support for the No. 1 Undersea Tunnel Project.

The No. 1 undersea tunnel is currently under construction. After more than 20 years of technological accumulation, three tunnels crossing the Pasig River have been built, and many technical improvements have been made to the shield engineering project.

Coupled with major breakthroughs in bridge engineering and other engineering fields, the Chu State's Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Transportation, together with the Ministry of Colonies and the military, decided to launch the No. 1 Undersea Tunnel Project.

Building an 18.2-kilometer-long undersea tunnel between Hainan Island and Cebu Island is an extremely difficult key project that no one has dared to attempt in the history of world engineering.

The Chu State mobilized dozens of capable engineering and technical personnel to work together to tackle this large-scale breakthrough project.

The No. 18 subsea tunnel will cross the Buran Strait, which faces each other across an 19-kilometer-long inland channel with a depth of 31 to meters and a geological structure composed of a mixture of granite and sedimentary gravel.

The biggest engineering difficulty
That is, the geological structure of the sedimentary gravel layer is relatively soft. Opening up this section is prone to huge unpredictable risks such as roof collapse, landslides, water leakage, and falling rocks, which is an extremely severe test for the construction party.

Captain Zheng Yunwen came to the working surface below, had a brief exchange with several engineers supervising the construction there, and then began to observe with a serious look.

Tunnel excavation working face
It is a huge semicircular steel structure with a total weight of 206 tons, like a steel hull turned upside down.

The excavation width reaches 8.8 meters and the height is 6 meters.

It is divided into three layers, with four steel compartments on each layer, which means 12 small working surfaces.

Each small working face is divided into groups of 6 people, so there are 72 workers at a time, working in shifts of four hours each, and the excavation is repeated over and over again.

The excavation tools were pitifully simple: a steel chisel, a sledgehammer, and a wheelbarrow to carry the rubble back and forth.

For such high-intensity labor, workers working on the shield platform have to take turns to rest after working for four hours, otherwise they will not have enough physical strength to keep up.

Six shifts of workers were required every day, plus workers who transported materials, cleared gravel, operated machinery and did other work, totaling about 1,300 to 1,400 people, all of whom were indigenous convicts.

The No. 1 Undersea Tunnel was excavated from both sides in opposite directions, employing a total of nearly 4,000 workers, with the remaining manpower used for rotation.

On average, the excavation advances one section every day, and each section is 1.5 meters.

After completion, we can start pouring the base plate concrete and placing the special 1.5-meter-long track, then push the steel shield forward a bit and fix it.

on the basis of

Oil is applied on both sides and the top plate of the steel shield, thick steel cages are tied, formwork is fastened, and then high-grade concrete is poured.

It will take about 5 to 6 days for the reinforced concrete arched retaining walls on both sides of the shield to solidify and take shape, but it will not affect the excavation construction.

Because the large steel shield component is about nine meters long and is pushed by 12 jacks, it can provide continuous support to the concrete arch retaining wall until maintenance is completed.

The size of the completed tunnel was greatly reduced. The arched reinforced concrete retaining wall on each side was 1.25 meters thick, and the total thickness of both sides was 2.5 meters. The material used for the top plate was more solid.

The completed tunnel is approximately 6.3 meters wide and 4.6 meters high, allowing two trams to run across each other without interfering with each other.

If all goes well, the tunnel can advance one section, or 1.5 meters, per day. Over two months into the construction, excluding delays, the total excavation progress has been 76.5 meters.

The main reason is that granite is mined entirely by manpower, with outdated tools, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive.

Captain Zheng Yunwen observed carefully and asked the supervising engineer present:
"Have you found any water seepage?"

"No, Engineer Zheng, according to geological surveys, this 4.6-kilometer-long tunnel is made entirely of granite. Water seepage and collapse are unlikely, but rockfall is a possibility."

"Are there any signs?"

"We haven't found anything yet. We go up there to check it out during every shift change. The bedrock in this section is pretty good, but it's too tough to chew."

"It's okay, take your time. To speed up the project, the engineering department plans to use a small amount of explosives for blasting, and we must pay more attention to the risks of collapse and water seepage."

"Well, it shouldn't be a big problem. What we're most worried about is the sedimentary gravel layer ahead. If the foundation is loose and the seawater from above pours in, no one in this cave will be able to escape."

"May God bless me! I usually burn a few more incense sticks before starting work."

"Life and death are determined by fate. That's all there is to it."

Captain Li Yunwen loudly exchanged views with the leading engineer. The crackling sound of excavation filled the cave, and the roar of more than ten internal combustion engines at the entrance created a loud echoing noise in the cave.

If the sound is any lower, I can't hear it clearly.

The tunnel was filled with dust and fog. Although there was a high-powered blower blowing non-stop and water mist was sprayed on the top of the shield platform, it still could not prevent the generation of large amounts of dust.

It was hot, humid, dirty and full of the smell of sweat. High-powered lights were shining all the time. The laborers were all shirtless and working hard, sweating profusely.

On each floor, supervisors armed with whips patrolled back and forth, scolding people harshly from time to time.

So many men gathered in this narrow and airless tunnel, the roar of the internal combustion engine and the heat from the lights intertwined, and the average temperature was above 30℃.

After a while
Captain Zheng Yunwen and Lieutenant Wang Yuan's neat military uniforms were covered with a layer of stone powder, making them look dusty.

After a thorough inspection and a few words of advice to the on-site engineer, the two of them concluded their inspection and headed outside the tunnel. The soldiers on armed guard were all outside the tunnel, sheltered from the sun and rain by a canopy, making their conditions much better than those of the laborers working inside.

After coming out, I stood on the top of the hill and felt the cool breeze blowing from the strait.

Captain Zheng Yunwen unbuttoned his collar. His uniform was already soaked with sweat, so he let the cool breeze flow in through his collar, and he immediately felt much more comfortable.

He looked at the azure strait before him and couldn't help but sigh from the bottom of his heart:
"The Channel Tunnel is scheduled to be built in 12 years. If successfully completed, it will connect the two major mainland islands. What an exciting scene that will be!"

"Yes, Brother Yunwen. If the excavation of Tunnel No. 1 goes smoothly, the construction of Undersea Tunnel No. 2 will also start within two years. After the completion of these two large-scale undersea tunnels, they will surely be a miracle in the history of world engineering, demonstrating the outstanding level of engineering in our Great Chu." Lieutenant Wang Yuan said after hearing this.

Captain Zheng Yunwen said: "I hope everything goes well. By then, we can drive directly from Manila to Zamboanga. What a wonderful trip that would be!"

"It's a very good idea, but it requires a car." Lieutenant Wang Yuan curled his lips in disapproval.

Although cars were no longer a rarity in the Chu State, they were very expensive for ordinary people and were unaffordable for non-wealthy families.

Captain Zheng Yunwen smiled slightly and said nothing.

He is the seventh legitimate son of His Majesty the King of Chu. His real name is Chu-Zheng Su, and he was given the courtesy name Yunwen. He was actually granted the title of Grand Duke of Cebu, which is one level higher than the Duke of the Kingdom.

The 19 adult princes of the State of Chu were bestowed with titles by His Majesty the King. The two Grand Dukes were the second prince born to the Queen, and the current Crown Prince Chu - Zheng Yuan, was actually granted the title of Grand Duke of Manila.

The other one is Captain Zheng Yunwen, who was actually granted the title of Duke of Cebu.

There are two other dukes, namely the eldest prince Chu-Zhengdan, who was named Duke of Madagascar and is still on the island of Madagascar. He has been there for 13 years.

The other was the third prince, Chu-Zheng Zhan, who served in the Colonial Office for many years, rose to the position of Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies, and was granted the title of Duke of Zielo.

The remaining 15 adult princes were all awarded the title of earl, and the same will apply to other adult princes in the future.

No reward without merit is the iron rule of aristocratic titles formulated personally by His Majesty the King of Chu.

Except for the Grand Duke and Duke, the earl titles of other royal descendants are hereditary and downgraded. After three generations, they are downgraded to the lowest rank of Baron, which can be inherited from generation to generation.

This was to prevent the situation of an overabundance of royal family members like that of the Ming Dynasty. A system of hereditary demotion of royal family members was implemented, which was managed by the Ministry of Clan Affairs and which regularly paid annual salaries to royal family members.

Under the strict supervision of the queen, these princes were raised by their mother since childhood. Most of them did not have the arrogance of the royal family, and many of them performed well.

Since joining the military expedition to Madagascar, the eldest prince Chu-Zheng Dan has been deeply involved in the local area, rising from a mere lieutenant to a major general in the army, and serving as the commander of the Sixth Expeditionary Division.

Although there was the deliberate care of His Majesty the King, his efforts cannot be denied.

Few of the royal family members could survive staying on that island in East Africa for more than ten years.

Captain Zheng Yunwen is also a very ambitious man. He was born into a noble family and has the direct blood of the king and queen flowing in his body. He was granted the title of Grand Duke of Cebu.

His annual salary was as high as hundreds of thousands of silver dollars, which was enough for him to live and spend, but he chose to make a career in anonymity.

By deeply participating in the front-line work, you can truly feel a different kind of happiness.

The two men cooled off for a while on the top of the hill and were about to return to the engineering headquarters when they heard loud shouting coming from the tunnel.

Their eyes met quickly, and they hurried over.

Before I reached the tunnel entrance, I saw a ball of flame spurting out violently. Along with the flame, more than a dozen people rushed out from the fireball crying for their parents, their bodies already wrapped in the fireball.

No, something happened.

The biggest fear in this type of tunnel project is fire. The high-temperature searchlights, the oil vapor emitted by the internal combustion engine, and the narrow and stuffy environment can easily cause explosions.

Seeing this, many people drew water from the sewage pool, rushed over with buckets, and put out the flames on the dozen or so firemen who had escaped. Then they heard loud screams coming from inside.

More and more people ran out and the scene was in chaos.

Captain Zheng Yunwen immediately stepped forward to take command and divided the team into two groups, one to put out the fire and the other to rescue people and then send them to the hospital urgently.

Under such crude construction conditions

Various accidents are inevitable, but the construction period cannot be delayed and everything must return to normal tomorrow.

Some of the coolies who jumped from the high steel structures died, some were injured, and some were severely burned, basically losing the ability to continue working.

All the casualties must be evacuated and replaced by a new batch of workers.

The construction conditions are so simple and the technical level is not high, so the danger still exists.

However, the progress of the project cannot be stagnant. This is the primary concern of the Engineering Department. (End of this chapter)