"I'm here, water can't lose the city!" At the end of April 1077, a new official in Xuzhou Fuyu took office. The famous Su Shi is here.

Six years ago, he was repeatedly criticized by the New Party for opposing Wang Anshi's reform. He invited himself to be released. I thought it would be able to escape the disputes of mundane affairs, but instead fell into the more complicated official dust net.

Yuan Zhao Mengfu Statue of Dongpo Collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei

Looking back at the place where he had served, the scenery in Hangzhou was intoxicating, but it was the first place to try the new law; while Mizhou was far away from the hustle and bustle, locusts and thieves were rampant. Now that I have come to Xuzhou, with beautiful scenery and clear political affairs, it seems that I can finally take a breath.

New officer takes office

"Pengcheng (an ancient name of Xuzhou) has mountains and rivers, fish, crabs and rivers and lakes, litigation is quiet, thieves are declining, and chatting can be awkward." In this letter to Sima Guang, Su Shi was in a bad mood.

Ming Dynasty Chen Hongshou Huang Liu Jujin Picture Collection of the Palace Museum

However, things are unpredictable. After just two months of peaceful life, news suddenly came that the Yellow River had breached in Chanzhou (now near Puyang, Henan). The Yellow River irrigated the land of the Song Dynasty, but it was also a confidant of the government and the public. Although history only broke out once in five to sixty years, once it happened, it would often involve hundreds of miles in the middle and lower reaches, and the consequences would be disastrous. This year's rainy season stayed longer than in previous years, and the flood of yellow streams continued to be supplemented by new forces as they rushed downstream, flooding the city and flooding the fields like no one.

The 41-year-old newly appointed Xuzhou Zhizhou Su Shi vaguely felt that his short leisure time was coming to an end again.

The storm hits the shore

Xuzhou and Chanzhou are more than hundreds of miles apart, but Su Shi did not dare to relax his vigilance at all. The heavy rain that has not gone for several days gave him a bad feeling. After receiving news of the Yellow River breach in late July, Su Shi organized the army and civilians to accumulate soil, rock and hay in the city to reinforce the city walls and fill the gaps.

Northern Song Dynasty Su Shi Wuyun Post in the Sky (Part) Private Collection

Worries soon became a reality. In early August, the floods from the long-distance rush merged with Liangshanbo and continued to flood downstream. On the 21st of the month, the continuously skyrocketing Nanqing River could no longer hold it, overflowing with a torrent of torrents and rushing to the city of Xuzhou. There are mountains on the east, west and north sides of Xuzhou City, and Xuzhou City forms a huge reservoir. Once the city wall collapses or the water level does not exceed the city wall, the entire Xuzhou city will become an underwater world.

Taking advantage of the shallow water level, Su Shi hurriedly mobilized a number of outstanding watermen to form a water rescue team, drove boats to search for refugees living outside the city and living in the mountains and forests, bringing food or loading them into the city. For a while, "there are countless people who have escaped."

Southern Song Dynasty Zhao Fu Wanli Rivers and Mountains (partial) Collection of the Palace Museum

Over the past few days, the turbulent flood has been unable to break through the newly repaired city wall. However, the unfavorable topography caused the water level of the "reservoir" to continue to rise. Soon, the water level outside the city has exceeded the flat land in the city by nearly 2 feet. The shortest southeastern part of the city wall above the water is left with only 3 editions (about 6 inches). The water thundered through the city, and the mud filled the city with rain and slippery.

Southern Song Dynasty Zhao Fu Wanli Rivers and Mountains (partial) Collection of the Palace Museum

Su Shi, who has been busy using earth and rocks to increase the height of the city, knew that he could no longer pin his hopes on the city wall.

People in the city

It was said that the city wall was about to be submerged by floods, and the rich people in the city could not sit still at first. They packed their homes and prepared to escape from the unblocked South Gate. When people's hearts were distracted, Su Shi, who has always been gentle and elegant, showed the spirit of being a strong man, and sternly shouted: "If the people are rich, the people will be shaken. Who am I to defend?! I am here, and water can never lose the city!"

Ming Dynasty Anonymous Statue of Dongpo Collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei

In order to unite people's hearts, Su Shi did not allow a deserter to appear under his rule. As the leader of this city, the greatest promise he can give everyone is, "I am, water can never defeat the city!" People's hearts are temporarily stabilized, and a way to break the game must be found. At this moment, the old people in the city rushed to offer advice to Su Shi with the support of the younger generation. It turned out that about 60 years ago, the Yellow River broke out in Huazhou (now Huaxian County, Henan) and a huge flood broke out. At that time, Zhizhou built two waterproof dikes in the city, which were quite effective.

Southern Song Dynasty, Ma Yuan, Water Map, the Yellow River Countercurrent, Collection of the Palace Museum

After hearing this, Su Shi thought this method was feasible and determined to mobilize all manpower to rebuild the waterproof embankment on the original site in the shortest time. In order to motivate everyone, he personally entered the Wuwei camp and mobilized the imperial troops stationed there. "The river will harm the city, the matter is urgent. Although the army is forbidden, please do your best for me!" "The prefect will not avoid Tu Li, my villain, serve!"

Southern Song Dynasty, Ma Yuan, Water Picture, Cloud Shulang, Collection of the Palace Museum

The Song Dynasty magistrate did not have the authority to mobilize the imperial imperial army, but seeing Su Shi who was covered with muddy water, the imperial army generals were moved and willingly obeyed the dispatch.

Speed of life and death

Building a waterproof dike requires a lot of earth and rocks, and the borrow pits in the city are connected to the outside water. At this moment, water is constantly pouring out, and it is impossible to take soil from it. The earth and stones that had been prepared to strengthen the city wall had been used up, and everyone could only get materials from the earth mountain next to the Yafu Tomb in the south of the city.

Southern Song Dynasty Anonymous Picture of Sailing Boat in Wind and Rain Collection of Metropolitan Museum

As a result, a total of 5,000 civilians, plus the soldiers and soldiers in the city, some dig earth, some transport materials, and some build levees. They are united in the city and race against time to build waterproof dams. As for Su Shi, in order to delay the construction of the embankment, he ordered hundreds of public and private ships to be tied to the city to reduce the impact of the flood on the city wall. After that, he simply built a hut on the city, patrolled day and night, dispatched officials to guard separately, and counted the doors of the house without entering.

On September 21, a waterproof embankment with a total length of 984 feet, a height of 1 meter and a width of 2 feet was miraculously completed. It was also on this day that the flood that had nowhere to vent finally poured into the city from the shortest southeastern wall, just when it met the newly built waterproof embankment, and was once again turned away from the wall.

It was like this for half a month. Because the Yellow River at the breach has returned to its old path, and the heavy rain has stopped, the flooding downstream has no supplies and gradually recedes. The battle against floods in Xuzhou, which lasted more than 70 days, was completely won.

Northern Song Dynasty Anonymous Seated Portrait of Song Shenzong Zhao Xu Collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei

The imperial court's award soon came. While Song Shenzong praised the state and rewarded the military and civilians, he also approved Su Shi's request to build a small city and wooden bank outside the city, so that even if the flood comes back, Xuzhou will be safe. Su Shi recorded the course of this time of fighting the flood as the "Reward of the Imperial Edict", and the detailed process was compiled into "The Records of Defense against the River in Xining", which was hidden in Yousi for later ginseng.

Haiyan Heqing

This painting is often mistaken for the Yellow Crane Tower because of the immortals who travel by crane in the picture. However, as long as you carefully identify Su Che's "Huang Lou Fu" copied in tiny tiny print on silk, it will not cause such a misunderstanding.

Yuan Xia Yong Huanglou Picture Collection of Metropolitan Museum

After the floods in Xuzhou subsided, Su Shi and others built a tower on the heavily damaged East Gate. Taking the meaning of soil in the five elements to conquer water, craftsmen were ordered to paint the walls with loess, and this tower was named "Yellow Tower" for this reason. One year later, on the 9th of September, the construction of the Huanglou was completed, and Su Shi and everyone went to the building to spend the Chongyang Ninth Festival together. Climbing, admiring yellow chrysanthemum, and drinking realgar wine are the customs of Double Ninth Festival. When the wine was exhausted, Su Shi looked at the railing, and saw the smoke disappear and the sunrise, and the water was scaled in the distance.

I don't know that there will be this year again, sip the lamp on the flower's face. Don't think the wine is too thin and the pink is too bad, and you will win the shovel in the mud.

Looking at Haiyan Heqing in front of me, I think back to myself last year, who swung his shovel to build soil in the mud and rain. At that time, there was still life left to see the flowers and drink.

"Today's husband is content with pleasure, knowing that it is pleasure, must be involved in the harm and know it later."

Su Shi always savors bitterness and happiness in an unexpected posture. The fun of reclaiming Dongpo and the joy of eating lychees every day, if you didn't relegate Huangzhou to Lingnan, you probably wouldn't be so sweet and impressive. Editor/He Yuting