He changed Tiwat

Chapter 371 Hold Firm, and There's a Way [4k]

Han Fulai sensed something was off as soon as he entered the tent.

Everyone in Liyue knows that the secretary of the Moonlit Pavilion is an elite among civil servants, a genius among geniuses, whose greatest skill is "reading the air." Han Fulai, the second-in-command of Liyue's civil servants, is naturally also good at this.

Galcha was writing equations on paper with his head down, his face ashen and he didn't say a word. Patrick looked utterly hopeless, slumped down and sighing as he looked up at the sky. Considering the current situation facing Guiliyuan... Han Fulai could figure out what had just happened in the tent with a snap of his fingers.

In fact, not only Patrick and Galcia, but he himself had the same question—could Guili Plain really be defended?

If we can hold it, that would be great. We can't let our newly started "Guili New Area" be flooded in an instant, can we? With such a grand gesture, making headlines and organizing labor associations, thousands of workers are standing here with great enthusiasm, just like the "Western Development" project. Behind it all is the "Liyue's Radiance" plan. What a grand ambition!

How disheartening it was that it was all washed away by a flood!

Being able to withstand this flood, aside from everything else, has a political significance that surpasses fighting the demon god Oser—this is a genuine example of humanity building its own water conservancy project to fight the flood, using human strength to resist the power of nature, truly a representative of "human will can conquer nature"!

But what if you can't hold on?

Of course, the sky is even more awesome.

Although humans can transform nature, human power is ultimately limited. Liyue has been flooded many times in the past 3,700 years. Back then, Liyue had at least three demon gods and a bunch of immortals, but it still turned Guili Plain into what it is today.

It's not too shameful for Ke Qing and Han Fulai to lose to Hong Shui.

Although this incident will affect the political landscape of Liyue, the safety of people's lives and property is still more important overall. For both the Seven Stars government and Han Fulai, this is a bottom line; he cannot entrust the lives of thousands of soldiers and civilians to the flood.

He comes here to consult experts precisely to find a basis for his decision-making.

Regarding the "Liyue's Radiance" project, whether he sticks to it or gives up, he needs a reason that can convince himself.

Lu Tong, holding two cups of strong tea, tilted his head and noticed the "low pressure" in the tent.

When he went out to make tea, these two seemed to be making up, but how come they changed again after he left for a while?

Moreover, these two gentlemen are usually quite polite... People in Fontaine, especially the men, usually display something they call "gentlemanly manners" in public. In the past, when he brought in tea, these two would usually say something like, "Dear Luton, thank you for the tea."

But the two of them acted as if they didn't see him at all, clearly too busy arguing to care about manners.

But now that Vice Minister Han, your "immediate superior," has arrived, what's the point of leaving him hanging like that? Lu Tong grew up in a family of civil servants and knows all the taboos in the office.

One taboo is to never give your boss a hard time, unless you have a stronger backer. Another taboo is to never argue in front of your boss. Bosses like to see their subordinates working together harmoniously. No matter how much you fight in private, you have to appear to be fighting without breaking up in front of your boss, unless your boss has instructed you to fight...

So Lu Tong deliberately took the opportunity of putting down his teacup to say, "Excuse me, gentlemen, please pause your work for a moment, Vice Minister Han is here."

This casual remark attributed the two individuals' unusual behavior to "being obsessed with work," giving them a way out.

Patrick, reminded by Lu Tong, quickly stood up, forced a smile, and greeted Han Fulai. Garcia looked reluctant, but Lu Tong secretly pulled him back before he put down his pen and greeted Han Fulai.

Han Fulai didn't say anything, but secretly praised Lu Tong, saying he was indeed cut out to be a civil servant, as he was both clever and knew how to handle things.

Patrick and Galcha both possessed a certain "mad scientist" quality; one dared to "abscond" from the Fontaine Academy to Liyue, while the other simply became a "dreamer." Without Lu Tong's mediation, their water conservancy engineering team would hardly have worked together as well as they do now.

After taking their seats, Han Fulai got straight to the point and asked his question: "Gentlemen, is the Guiliyuan Dike defensible?"

Galcha opened his mouth, about to say something, when Patrick interrupted, "I think we should abandon the original dike and evacuate as soon as possible."

"What's the reason?" Han Fulai asked.

“The water level of the Bishui River has exceeded the original design height of the temporary dike and is still rising. The sandbag wall cannot support it for long. Moreover, we designed the dike according to the historical water level of the Bishui River and did not anticipate the current situation. The final rise of the flood may exceed the height limit of the existing dike, causing it to overflow.”

The so-called "overtopping" refers to the situation where the water level exceeds the height limit of the dam, overflowing from the top and invading the interior of the dam. This is actually a "dam breach"—and an unstoppable one at that. If there is only a crack or piping, it can still be plugged. But if the water level directly exceeds the design height of the dam, then it is a situation that cannot be remedied.

Raising the sandbag wall is only a temporary measure and cannot be used as a permanent fortification, as its strength is naturally inferior to that of a structurally stable dike. Furthermore, sandbags cannot be raised indefinitely; they can only be raised within the limits of the reserved width at the top of the dike and the bearing capacity of the foundation. Any higher and they will no longer have the strength to withstand the impact of floods. Based on the case of relocating from the original dike, approximately 17.5 meters is the maximum height that can be added.

In other words, Patrick speculates that the water level of the third flood peak could exceed 17.5 meters.

Patrick added, "In addition... if the flood peak lasts longer than we originally expected, the levee itself will also have problems. You know, many sections of the levee have already experienced piping... it's basically in a state of barely holding on now."

Han Fulai nodded; Patrick was telling the truth.

The most terrifying aspect of piping is not that a spring suddenly appears on the ground, but that the appearance of piping means that the foundation has been eroded by the flood. Several instances of piping have already occurred on the Guiliyuan Dike, indicating that the foundation of the dike is now extremely fragile. The longer it is submerged in floodwaters, the more sections may develop problems.

Although Han Fulai had led the Qianyan Army soldiers to plug the "piping" several times and had also used the power of the Salt God to reinforce some sections of the dike, these were ultimately only temporary solutions. No one could know what the situation was like beneath the murky river surface of Guili Plain.

Perhaps the Guiliyuan dike as a whole was "completely drained" by the impact of the first two flood peaks, and was simply "holding on against the tide." No one can guarantee that it could withstand the third flood just because it survived the first two.

The third flood peak might just be the "last straw that breaks the camel's back."

In fact, after each flood peak, the dikes should be inspected and repaired immediately, and their structures reinforced. Each flood peak causes severe damage to the dikes themselves. Especially the rammed earth dams in Liyue, which are based on relatively outdated technology and were built under tight deadlines, cannot withstand repeated flooding even if the water level does not continue to rise.

In fact, if the Guiliyuan Dam hadn't had Han Fulai's Salt God power as an "external boost," it might have collapsed yesterday. But this "external boost" can't be "renewed" indefinitely, as Han Fulai's own health is currently a serious problem.

Of course, Patrick's words just now also implied a sense of "passing the buck."

They started designing the dam at the end of April. Normally, Liyue doesn't enter its rainy season until mid-June, and the flood season usually peaks in July. At that time, no one knew that torrential rains would begin in May. They originally had two months to prepare, but suddenly it became half a month. Even the best water conservancy experts couldn't withstand that.

Han Fulai and his men were like a certain bearded man frantically preparing for war, both overtly and covertly, thinking that war wouldn't break out in 41, and that if they dragged it out, winter would come, and that the little mustache wouldn't be foolish enough to fight on two fronts... Little did they expect that the mustachioed, artsy young man would rush in like he was being reborn before he had even defeated England...

It's like this torrential rain is a literary youth; you can never guess what it's thinking.

Han Fulai had actually thought that Liyue had suffered from the lack of "weather forecasts"... However, even in modern times with advanced technology, the accuracy of "weather forecasts" is only about 80% at most.

Meteorology, seemingly simple, is actually a complex system engineering project involving many aspects and numerous links. The development level of each link directly affects the accuracy of forecasts. With the development of science and technology and the progress of human understanding, the accuracy of weather forecasts is constantly improving, but it is impossible to be completely accurate.

The kind of predictions in classical novels, where one can observe the stars at night and calculate with their fingers to make an east wind blow or a downpour come as they wish, simply don't exist in reality—even Zhuge Liang couldn't predict the rain at Shangfang Valley.

Let alone Patrick and his group, even the serious fortune tellers in Liyue can only predict "it will rain tomorrow" at most, but they can't predict "how much rainfall or how many days it will rain".

The level of meteorological research, the understanding of the overall laws governing atmospheric motion, technological advancements, and equipment all significantly impact the accuracy of weather forecasts. This requires the analytical assistance of supercomputers, a dense network of meteorological observation stations, and specialized observation methods such as radar and satellites for detection; even then, the accuracy rate is only around 80%...

Moreover, the atmosphere knows no borders. The accuracy of modern weather forecasts is actually based on the joint efforts and information sharing of meteorologists around the world. For example, the Biyue River in Liyue originates from Fontaine. If there is heavy rain in Fontaine, it will also affect the flooding in Liyue. If you really want to shift the blame, you can blame the flooding in Liyue on Fontaine's "water level crisis".

It is precisely because of all these circumstances that the flood control work in Guiliyuan is indeed stretched thin.

Han Fulai is now like a general trapped in a besieged city. The city is almost out of ammunition and food. Every time the enemy attacks, the manpower and resources of the defenders are greatly depleted. If the enemy attacks a few more times, they can wear them down.

He now faces a choice: abandon the city and flee, or gamble that the enemy's supplies have run out and they will soon retreat on their own.

The key to making this choice lies in—

"First of all, will there be a fourth wave of flood peaks?"

The question Han Fulai asked was the most crucial point.

In other words, "to defend the city," is the enemy's next attack a "general offensive"?

They withstood the enemy's final wave of attacks, and the siege was lifted.

Assuming the third flood peak is the final one, the "darkest hour before dawn," then they only need to hold on this time; if they can survive, everything will be fine. But if there is another wave, Han Fulai should decide to retreat on the spot.

In response, Garcia and Patrick said in unison: "This is the last wave."

"What's the reason?" Han Fulai repeated the same question.

"The rain in Liyue has stopped, and there won't be any more torrential rain in the short term. This is theoretically predictable. After all, abnormal weather is abnormal and won't last."

When it came to weather forecasting, Patrick's tone was a bit hesitant, but he was still being realistic. At the very least, no cumulonimbus clouds could be observed in the Biyue River basin anymore—unless a demon god used his power to summon a storm, scientifically speaking, it was indeed unlikely to rain in Liyue in the next few days.

“According to the water volume charts we created, the flood peak of the Bishui River this time is ‘slender and pointed’ rather than ‘wide and fat’.”

As he spoke, Galcha took the drawing he had just made on the paper and spread it out in front of Han Fulai.

The chart shows that the floodwaters of the Bishui River resemble a "shuttle" used in weaving.

"Simply put, the flood peak is very fierce, with a large volume of water in a short period of time, but it lacks follow-through. This brings two characteristics..."

García paused for a moment, then said, "First, the flood will raise the water level for a short time, but the amount of water is limited. Second, the water level should only exceed the danger line for less than 20 hours..."

This also means that there is hope of defending Guiliyuan – the enemy's food supplies have run out, this is the final general offensive, if they can't take it, then the other side will retreat.

If a combat mission were to be issued, it would likely be: to hold out for twenty hours under the enemy's fierce attack.

This truly embodies the principle of "hold firm, and there will be a way."

The next question is—

"I need the exact number of the third flood peak water level."

Having a chance to hold out doesn't mean you can definitely hold out. Han Fulai had to compare the strength of the enemy and himself. If the enemy used siege engines in the first two waves of attack, and then suddenly brought out Italian cannons in the third wave, then it would be wiser to retreat first.

Patrick shook his head and said with a wry smile, "If we were accurate, we wouldn't be worrying about it. You know, Liyue isn't like Fontaine; it doesn't have a network of hydrological monitoring stations covering its waterways, so we can't get real-time data for calculations. We're currently estimating based on data from the survey team a few days ago..."

As Patrick said, Liyue doesn't have a scientific system for hydrological monitoring—after all, it doesn't even have an industrialized system yet...

Moreover, the terrain of "seven parts mountains, two parts water, and one part farmland" also limited the speed of information transmission. Although Han Fulai had been sending out survey teams to monitor the water level changes in various sections of the Bishui River based on the advice of the two experts, it took time for the survey teams to transmit information back and forth. Without this data, Patrick was of course unable to make accurate predictions.

but……

"17.22 meters, the error will not exceed five centimeters," Galcha stated the figure firmly.

Chapter 372 He installed it [4k]

“17.22 meters…” Han Fulai raised an eyebrow when he heard Galcha announce the number, and glanced at Patrick next to him.

Such a number, complete with zeros and whole numbers, is indeed quite convincing, but that's not what Patrick just said.

Patrick's face flushed red. He had just said he couldn't give a precise answer, and Garcia was giving him a number on the spot, which was undoubtedly a slap in the face.

But now, simply being slapped in the face isn't the problem; the problem is how García dared to say it? He had repeatedly emphasized to García that saying such things carries responsibility.

What if the flood peak is 18 meters instead of 17.22 meters?

Where does your confidence come from?!

Do you realize that as a team, I'm also responsible for what you said?

Patrick broke out in a cold sweat and glanced at Han Fulai.

Han Fulai looked at him expressionlessly, and Patrick inwardly cursed.

For Patrick, the biggest problem now is that Han Fulai has found out that he concealed the data calculated by Garcia.

His statement that he wanted to abandon Guili Plain before Galcha was made to represent Galcha's attitude. The biggest reason was the inability to accurately measure the highest water level. Without accurate data on the highest water level, holding Guili Plain would be risky.

Patrick's attempt to persuade Han Fulai to abandon Guiliyuan and avoid getting involved with Guiliyuan's problems also rests on this foundation.

Based on his experience working with Han Fulai during this period, Patrick has come to understand that even as a "bureaucrat" of Liyue, Han Fulai is a very capable bureaucrat who values ​​investigation and research and gives researchers a great deal of say. Compared to the technical bureaucrats in the Fontaine Academy, he is quite easy to talk to.

Conversely, since Han Fulai has placed such trust in them, they must reciprocate that trust.

If Han Fulai discovers that he had "selfish motives" when making suggestions, then Han Fulai is likely to withdraw his trust and hold him accountable directly.

Tragically, Galcia, this mathematical madman, exposed Patrick's "selfish motives" in the most undisguised way.

He said he couldn't calculate it, but Galcha directly provided the calculated data—Patrick couldn't absolve himself of this behavior.

On a smaller scale, this shows that he made a conclusion on behalf of Garcia when there were still disagreements between them, which is irresponsible. On a larger scale, this shows that he was deceiving Han Fulai, his "superior". After all, regardless of the reliability of the data, it was Han Fulai who made the judgment, and he should not and had no right to conceal it.

He could say that the data was still to be verified and was not accurate, or that he did not recommend sticking to Guiliyuan, but he could not directly "induce" Han Fulai to make a decision.

Moreover, from a standpoint of opinion, Patrick's contract with Han Fulai was to help build the "Guili New District." Even if an unforeseen event like a flood occurred, he should have done his best to help ensure the construction of the "Guili New District," instead of single-mindedly encouraging Han Fulai to abandon Guili Plain.

Given the circumstances of this incident, Han Fulai could easily have accused him of concealing data and harboring ulterior motives and arrested him. Even if he didn't do that, if he no longer trusted him, dismissed him from the water conservancy engineering team, and terminated his contract, Patrick wouldn't have had any reason to complain.

This also means the end of Patrick's academic life. After all, his "oscillating crystal mapping" research is still registered with the Academy of Sciences, and he ran away hoping to make a comeback in Liyue. If Han Fulai no longer supports his research, where will he find "oscillating crystals" again? He'll have to face trial back in Fontaineble, and Han Fulai might even contact the Academy of Sciences to extradite him back to the US.

He originally thought that meeting Han Fulai, this "angel investor," would be his lucky break, but unexpectedly, he was ruined by Galcia...

I kindly recommended Garcia, but it turned out I dug my own grave?

Patrick really wanted to smash his head against the corner of the table and die.

Han Fulai watched Patrick's face turn pale and then red, and sighed inwardly.

He actually completely understood Patrick's mindset.

Patrick only joined the team for his research on the oscillator crystal, and he didn't feel any sense of belonging to Liyue. How could we expect him to do everything in his power to protect the "Guili New Area"? If abandoning Guili was the least risky option, Patrick certainly wouldn't choose to take the risk.

Moreover, Han Fulai was well aware that Patrick's research was driven by a selfish desire to get ahead—otherwise, Patrick wouldn't have gone to the Steambird Newspaper in advance to buy space, contact reporters to write press releases, and develop commercial projects, and there wouldn't have been a funding shortfall that forced him to come to Liyue...

In this sense, we should thank Patrick for his personal motives, because it was through Patrick's introduction that Han Fulai had the opportunity to recruit these two experts for Liyue. In particular, without Patrick's introduction, Han Fulai would not have been able to meet Galcha, the "Teyvat Babbage".

Scientists aren't saints; they need to make a living too. Take Haidifu, the scholar from Sumeru, for example. He went to the Abyss of Layered Rocks to do research in order to win awards and get promotions. He was quite ambitious for fame and fortune. There are many "research laborers" in modern times. To put it bluntly, doing scientific research is just a way to earn a living. I estimate that there are quite a few researchers like this in both the Sumeru Academy and the Fontainebleau Academy.

On the contrary, pure scientific seekers like Galcia are rare and precious, the kind that one might not find in a hundred scientists.

After a long silence, Patrick finally said in a low voice, "Galcha invented a 'nonlinear regression analysis curve' to statistically analyze river flow data and predict runoff. The principle is sound, but I don't trust the conclusions drawn from this data. Without real-time data, relying solely on statistical analysis will inevitably lead to errors, and I dare not take that responsibility..."

He lowered his head and said, "Mr. Han, I'm sorry, it was my fault... I'm willing to accept the punishment."

Regardless of the circumstances, his concealment of data and manipulation of conclusions in this matter constituted a serious error.

Patrick's research abilities are indeed quite outstanding; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to rise from a small-town student focused solely on exams to the Fontainebleau Academy of Sciences. Having embarked on his scientific journey inspired by Alain Giordano, the founder of the Academy, Patrick's initial aspiration remains to become a great scientist.

Despite his frustration, Patrick still admitted that Galcia was right in this matter.

That's how science works: right is right, and wrong is wrong. It's a discipline that seeks truth.

Scientific research may make mistakes or fail, but it should not be done by deceiving people to avoid potential errors.