The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 162 Constructing a Floating Bridge
Jiang Han looked in the direction the boatman pointed and saw two islands in the middle of the river, which, like pillars in the middle of the stream, divided the rushing river into three rapids.

The three surging torrents are called the Human Gate, the Ghost Gate, and the Divine Gate, respectively, hence the name Sanmenxia (Three Gates Gorge).

The Shenmen Waterway is the most dangerous, with rapid currents and numerous hidden reefs.

The Ghost Gate Waterway is the narrowest, and a slight mistake could result in the destruction of the boat and the loss of life.

Only the Renmen Waterway has a slightly calmer current, but both banks are towering cliffs, making it extremely dangerous.

Beyond the three gates, there is a massive rock pillar that stretches across the middle of the river. The river bursts out of the gates, plunges over the pillar, and then splits to flow around it, creating towering waves.

(The original Sanmenxia Dam during the dry season should now be completely covered by the Sanmenxia Reservoir.)

Jiang Han looked at the river in front of him and couldn't help but feel a chill of fear.

The night was dark. If he led his troops onto the ship in a daze, and one of the boatmen had ill intentions and tried to take him down with him, he would be finished.

As expected, good deeds are rewarded. If these boatmen had been conscripted without explanation, one of them might have secretly sabotaged him.

The old boatman sighed and continued:

"Your Majesty, beyond Maojin Ferry, there are at least several other places in the downstream section of the river with terrain as treacherous as Sanmenxia."

“If Your Majesty wishes to lead your army across the river by boat, then each boat must have at least one boatman on each bank.”

"That means there were more than three hundred strong men pulling the boat along the riverbank with thick ropes; otherwise, the slightest mistake would have resulted in the boat being destroyed and people dying."

Jiang Han listened intently, then looked into the distance in the direction the old boatman was pointing.

Although it was dark and the view was not very clear, it was still possible to vaguely see that the river channel downstream suddenly narrowed, and the sound of the water flow seemed to become more and more thunderous and turbulent.

He suddenly felt a headache coming on.

It seems that it is no longer possible to comfortably travel downstream by boat to guide the main force across the river.

Then the only option is to build a pontoon bridge near Maojindu for the army to cross.

Maojin Ferry itself is actually very suitable for building a pontoon bridge.

In the eleventh year of the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty, a pontoon bridge, seventy-six zhang long and two zhang wide, was built here.

However, as the river gradually eroded the bridge, it was destroyed by a flood in the eighth year of the Taiping Xingguo era of the Northern Song Dynasty.

The problem is that with the limited manpower and materials Jiang Han currently has, building such a long pontoon bridge is nothing short of a pipe dream.

Therefore, Jiang Han could only ask the old boatman to help him choose a place where the river was relatively narrow and the current was gentle, so as to build a pontoon bridge.

The old boatman did not refuse and immediately led several soldiers to carefully survey the riverbank.

Finally, not far downstream, the group found an inner bay where the river was about 12 or 13 meters wide and the current was relatively gentle.

Jiang Han immediately ordered all the boats, large and small, captured at Maojin Ferry to be gathered in the inner bay.

He planned to use these wooden boats as floats, lay templates on the hulls, and then use iron chains and cables to fix and connect the boats one by one to build a temporary floating bridge.

To slow the water flow as much as possible, ships can be sunk if necessary to form bridge foundations.

They seized quite a few iron chains and cables at the ferry crossing, which was barely enough for their needs.

However, the thick wooden planks needed to pave the bridge surface were really hard to find.

Although there are many trees near the ferry, Jiang Han did not bring any craftsmen with him on this trip, so he could not cut down trees to make boards.

Left with no other choice, Jiang Han had to personally lead a detachment of men to Mao Village, which was not far away.

He planned to take down the door panels from the village and use them.

The villagers of Maocun were still fast asleep when they suddenly heard shouts and the neighing of horses. When they got up, they found that the damned bandits had already broken into the village.

The villagers, fearing the bandits were about to plunder and massacre the entire village, were terrified and could only keep their doors and windows tightly shut, praying that the bandits would spare them. After half a night of commotion, they were surprised to find that the vicious bandits simply took the doors from house to house, without harming anyone or robbing any other property.

"A door panel is worth that much?"

The villagers of Maocun looked at each other, completely baffled.

But Jiang Han didn't have time to explain to each household. Once the materials were ready, he immediately ordered the work to begin.

In an instant, the quiet inner bay on the banks of the Yellow River became bustling with people and brightly lit.

Jiang Han was building a pontoon bridge for the first time and had no experience, so he simply asked the boatmen for help.

He then led his soldiers, under the command of the boatmen, to first dismantle all structures on the boat that would obstruct the laying of the bridge deck.

For example, structures on the water such as huts and boathouses.

The group first carefully rowed several large cargo boats with deep drafts to the middle of the river, and then dropped thick iron anchors secured with boulders at the bow and stern of the boats.

This allows the vessel to sink deep into the riverbed silt in order to maximize its stability.

Although the middle section of the Yellow River is said to be calm here, there are still turbulent undercurrents deep in the river.

At several points where the current was relatively rapid, Jiang Han, without saying a word, directly sank three old patrol boats, using their heavy hulls as bridge piers.

Once all the boats are secured, the bridge deck can be laid on top.

The soldiers, shirtless and carrying torches, worked together to lift the heavy door planks from the shore to the side of the boat in the dead of night in early winter.

Some stood on the swaying boat, carefully took the planks, and then used nails to fix them to the boat.

The boats were linked together by iron chains and ropes seized from the ferry crossing.

As the river water continued to wash over it, the iron chains stretched and loosened, making a series of teeth-grinding creaking sounds.

During the erection process, some vessels used as floating bodies were occasionally displaced by the current due to inaccurate positioning or loose anchor chains.

At this point, several skilled boatmen would need to jump into the river with ropes tied to them and work together to propel the boat back to its original position.

After several hours of concerted effort, a temporary pontoon bridge, consisting of dozens of boats of various sizes strung together and spanning the two banks of the Yellow River, was finally successfully built.

By this time, the sky had already turned white. Looking out, Jiang Han saw the pontoon bridge like a giant gray serpent, crawling across the surging Yellow River.

As soon as the pontoon bridge was completed, Jiang Han couldn't wait to take his men for two walks. The bridge surface, which was about ten feet wide, was large enough to accommodate two long queues at the same time.

After almost a whole day of work, fighting enemies and building pontoon bridges, everyone was exhausted.

They had originally planned to rest for a while in the garrison's camp, but the camp had already been burned to the ground.

Left with no other option, Jiang Han simply ordered his soldiers to find places to rest and wait two hours before crossing the river to meet the main force downstream.

Hearing that they could finally rest, the soldiers breathed a sigh of relief. They then took out the dry rations from their pockets, ate a few mouthfuls, and then ran to the riverbank to gulp down several mouthfuls of Yellow River water to accompany their meal.

After eating and drinking their fill, the group lay down on the spot, some leaning against rocks, some against tree trunks, and almost fell asleep instantly, snoring loudly.

Jiang Han, along with his personal guards, stood watch at both ends of the pontoon bridge, keeping watch for the resting soldiers.

Once these people have rested, Jiang Han will send them back to the north bank to search downstream for Dong Erzhu, Li Laowai, and others.

Jiang Han sat on the bank, staring blankly at the river in front of him, pondering to himself:

"The pontoon bridge is built, but I wonder what the situation is like with Zhu Zi and the others now?"

"We must not let ourselves be wiped out by government troops and traitors."

(End of this chapter)