Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 129 Outside Dingbo Gate
Liu San turned to rush into the rain, but Lu Beigu grabbed his shoulder.

"Liu, clerk, wait!"

Lu Beigu's voice trembled slightly, not from coldness, but from the relaxation that followed intense tension.

"Wait a little longer, observe for a while, and make sure everything goes smoothly. Also, when we go to the prefectural government later, besides reporting the news, we must also ask Judge Li to come and take a look in person!"

Upon hearing this, Liu San was taken aback at first, then suddenly understood.

Lu Beigu emphasized Li Pan's name, clearly indicating that he needed Li Pan, his "patron," to witness and endorse this achievement immediately.

In this way, if anything happens later, Li Pan will naturally step in to resolve it, and the pressure will not fall on them.

"Yes! Yes! I understand!" Liu San nodded repeatedly.

The group suppressed their excitement and continued to stare intently at the water window.

Each time the force of the water flow within the city slightly opened the sluice gates, and each time the water level outside the city rose, causing the sluice gates to close tightly, the confidence of those who had built it with their own hands grew even stronger.

Lu Beigu stood in the rain, the cold rain seeping in through the gaps in his raincoat, but it did nothing to cool the raging fire burning in his heart.

He could clearly feel that the heavy sense of being a "prophet" that had been lingering in his mind since his transmigration was now being replaced by an unprecedented, down-to-earth feeling.

He was no longer just someone with a vague understanding of the general trend of history, nor was he just someone who could only labor numbly to fetch water in the state school. As a time traveler, he brought out the power of this great creation belonging to the ancient Chinese people to save people from suffering before it was born in the era it should have been born!

The craftsmen's gaze towards Lu Beigu had changed from initial skepticism to complete admiration.

After repeatedly observing and confirming that there was nothing wrong, Liu San braved the rain to return to the prefectural government office to report the news.

After a while, Li Pan finally arrived, surrounded by several yamen runners, stumbling along. His raincoat was even a little disheveled, and the hem of his official robe was splattered with mud.

"Judge!" Lu Beigu hurriedly stepped forward and bowed.

"Is this the water window?"

Li Pan's gaze fell on the culvert entrance.

The murky water inside the city was forcefully pushing open the sluice gates, rushing into the low-lying areas outside the city. As soon as the water level rose slightly outside the city, the sluice gates would quickly and silently close, firmly blocking the backflow of murky water. The whole process was very smooth.

Seeing it with one's own eyes is far more impactful than any written description! Only seeing it with one's own eyes could make Li Pan make up his mind!
"This item is indeed a lifesaver! You've done a great service!"

Li Pan patted Lu Beigu's shoulder forcefully and said.

"Follow me back to the prefectural government office!"

Soon, inside the prefectural government office.

"Prefect, the water window prototype is complete! It's showing immediate results!"

Li Pan's loud shouts, disregarding etiquette, even drowned out the sound of rain outside the window.

"really?!"

Liu Yong suddenly looked up from the mountain of documents, a hint of surprise flashing in his tired eyes before being ignited by immense hope.

"Absolutely true! I saw it with my own eyes: when the water receded, the windows were opened; when the water rose, the windows were closed, sealing everything perfectly and immediately averting the flood!"

Li Pan spoke very quickly, pointing to Lu Beigu beside him: "It's all thanks to Lu Beigu's brilliant plan! I suggest we immediately gather all the craftsmen in the city, open the warehouses to draw materials, and urgently install this thing behind the important water gates along the Tuojiang River!"

At this moment, Lu Beigu also bowed deeply and said, "Prefect, the water gate prototype is operating flawlessly, and the principle has been proven! The most urgent task is to race against time and complete the installation behind the main water gate before the Tuojiang River water level continues to rise. Once the water gate is activated, the accumulated water in the city can be drained into the Tuojiang River along the terrain, and the flooding will be alleviated immediately! The people's houses will be protected, the pressure of resettling disaster victims will be greatly reduced, and the risk of disease outbreaks will also be significantly reduced!"

Liu Yong's decisiveness goes without saying. He took a deep breath and immediately made a decision. "Judge Li, you are in full charge of this matter! The necessary manpower and materials can be drawn from the state treasury at your disposal! Any official or clerk who shirks responsibility or neglects their duties will be severely punished!"

"Yes," Li Pan replied.

Liu Yong then said, "Lu Beigu!"

"The students are here!"

"I hereby order you to 'supervise the construction of the water gates,' fully assisting Judge Li in the construction, installation, and commissioning of the water gates! You have the authority to make decisions on all matters concerning craftsmanship, material allocation, and site selection! You must install the water gates behind all the key water gates as quickly as possible!"

"I obey your command! I will certainly live up to the prefect's trust!"

With the support of the prefect and the judge, a large amount of manpower and resources began to be mobilized.

The state government warehouse was wide open, and camphor wood, iron materials, and ropes were transported by yamen runners and conscripted laborers in the heavy rain, cartload after cartload and bundle after bundle, to the designated water gates.

The clerk Liu San shouted until his voice was hoarse. Holding the list signed by Li Pan, he ran through the craftsmen's guild and the muddy streets, pulling out the carpenters and stonemasons whose names were called from their homes where they were taking shelter from the rain.

Lu Beigu, based on the actual measurement data of each water gate, shuttled back and forth in the workshop, providing guidance, supervision, and resolving difficulties.

"The mortise and tenon joints here need to be tightened a bit more. The wood will swell when it gets soaked in rainwater. Tightening them now will ensure a tight seal later!"

"Deepen the slope of the stone trough by another inch! Do it exactly as shown in the blueprints, not even a fraction off!"

The water windows behind these sluice gates leading to the Tuojiang River were not easy to build because, unlike the test at the North Gate, the cross-section of a normal sluice gate is much larger than that small culvert.

However, because the allocated resources were sufficient, the water windows corresponding to each water gate were quickly constructed.

Dingbo Gate is the most important waterway for Luchuan City to enter the Tuojiang River, and its drainage canal faces the area in Luchuan City that is most severely flooded.

Once the water gates here are successfully installed and opened for drainage, the effect will be most significant, providing a huge boost to the morale of the people in the entire city of Luchuan!

Therefore, Liu Yong, the prefect of Luzhou, personally chose this place as the first drainage outlet.

At this moment, the waters below Dingbo Gate were churning violently, a truly breathtaking sight.

The accumulated water in the city gathered here, forming a rolling "lake" that was almost level with the top of the water gate!

Outside Dingbo Gate, the turbid and surging Tuojiang River, carrying a large amount of trees, debris, and even the vaguely visible carcasses of livestock, was rushing past.

The water level inside the city is now much higher than outside, which is just right for releasing water.

Carpenter Wang and a group of the most skilled craftsmen were racing against time to install the water gate on the rickety wooden frame erected inside the water gate.

They needed to carve out stone grooves and pivot holes for installing water windows in suitable locations on the inner side of the existing massive sluice gate and in the stone wall.

"How's it going?"

Lu Beigu, standing to the side, asked loudly.

Carpenter Wang wiped the sweat and rain from his face, his expression extremely grave: "Scholar Lu! This is going to be difficult! The water flow here is strong, the stone walls are hard and slippery, and carving the grooves will be extremely slow! Moreover..."

He pointed to the surging floodwaters below, which were almost up to their feet: "The water level is too high. When we install the water gates and open this big sluice gate to release the water, I'm afraid the old man might not be able to withstand the force of the impact when the newly installed water gates are opened and closed for the first time!"

Lu Beigu looked at the surging water inside the sluice gate, which was like a trapped beast, and then at the roaring Tuojiang River outside the gate.

Carpenter Wang's concerns were not unfounded. The core of the water gate lies in using the potential energy of the water flow to achieve automatic opening and closing. However, the first start-up, especially in the face of such a huge water level difference and impact, will be an extremely severe test for the seemingly sturdy wooden gate and the rotating mechanism!

If not careful, the water window could be torn apart by the violent water flow in an instant, or even trigger a chain reaction that could cause the entire drainage outlet to collapse!
(End of this chapter)