Chapter 17 Chapter 16: The Endless Yangtze River Comes Rolling——The Great River Fights the Waves

5800 meters above sea level. A glacier named Jiang Gendiru gave birth to the first drop of water, which was crystal clear and cold. Just like this, drop by drop, with perseverance, a river dripped out. She crossed the moraines with ancient memories, bid farewell to the snow lotus of Kao on the plateau, and set foot on the river. The long march that refuses to turn back is the Tuotuo River. In 1976, the Chinese scientific expedition team visited here for the first time in order to clarify the clues that have been confused by the source of the Yangtze River for thousands of years; on January 13, 1978, a piece of news from the water world was released to all mankind: the source of the Yangtze River is the main peak of the Tanggula Mountains. Tuotuo River on the southwest side of Geladandong Snow Mountain.Therefore, the Yangtze River is 500 kilometers longer than the original geographical data, reaching 6,380 kilometers.

A month later, the Associated Press reported: "The Yangtze River in China has overtaken the Mississippi River as the third largest river in the world." Thousands of miles of mountains and thorns, all the way to accommodate all rivers, with a never-ending note, interpreting the splendid Chinese civilization... Laozi sighed when facing the water: "The best kindness is like water. Water is good for all things without fighting for it. It is evil for everyone, so it is almost like Tao." Tao produces all things.There are dragons in all things, and they are prospered by water and dance for water. Of course, the descendants of the oriental dragon asked water.

Especially the way of "water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it". In the 5,000-year Chinese civilization, the Yangtze River is rich in ink and color. She always appears in dual roles, either quietly irrigating and nourishing the people in the river basin, or threatening the life on both sides of the river in the face of floods... In February 1949, the three major battles of the War of Liberation ended victoriously, and China The Fourth Field Army of the People's Liberation Army set up a southward working group. When they drove to Wuhan, they encountered a severe flood in the Yangtze River, which affected more than 8 million people in the river basin. In the rain of bullets, another kind of battle without gunpowder started intensely.The secretary-general who knew water and water in the southward work group was temporarily cut off. He had studied in the Geography Department of Peking Normal University. Deputy Minister, his name is Lin Yishan...Floods and natural moats can't stop people who dare to teach the sun and the moon to change into a new sky. Millions of troops cross the river, and the history of New China is written in water and fire.

How can the owner of the new era forget the memory of the intertwined water and fire!In the third month after the founding of the People's Republic of China, Premier Zhou Enlai announced at the Political Affairs Council of the Government Affairs Council that the Yangtze River Water Conservancy Committee would be established to be responsible for the overall planning of the Yangtze River and carry out flood control work. In February 1950, the Yangtze River Water Conservancy Committee (referred to as the Yangtze River Committee) was formally established, with Lin Yishan as the first director.This is the seeker sent by the Republic to the world's third largest river. Since then, the Wanli Yangtze River has a long-sleeved and good dancer's bosom friend and a loyal servant who will never leave.

At the dawn of the new century, the long river that bears the fate of the country and the well-being of hundreds of millions of people is destined to toss epoch-making waves, and is destined to compose a magnificent and fierce song of fighting waves! In the summer of 1998, a helpless little face was deeply remembered by the Chinese people. It was a little girl who had made countless people cry and worry. In the torrential torrent, she relied on her limbs to cling to a big tree with both hands and feet. She persisted in the flood for nine hours, waiting for the rescue of the People's Liberation Army!Her name is Jiang Shan, and she lives in Jizhou Bay, Jiayu, Hubei.In that summer when the turbid waves emptied, she lost five relatives in an instant...

Thriller, pain, cry, struggle, anxiety, persistence!Everything was so unforgettable in 1998 in the year of Wuyin! The figure of the devil wandering in the earth, the natural enemy of life on land, was bewitched by the strongest El Nino-La Nina phenomenon in the 20th century, and it brought earthquakes, mountains and thunder, accompanied by endless torrential rain, and appeared in 1998. Throwing out a long series of frightening historical laughs, far or near, and the voices are all blood and tears in the world that cannot be forgotten: During the two thousand years from the early Han Dynasty to the late Qing Dynasty, there were 214 major floods in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, an average of once every ten years.In the recent past, floods have become more frequent and more serious. The Tang Dynasty had an average of once every 18 years, the Song and Yuan Dynasties had an average of five to six years, and the Ming and Qing Dynasties had an average of once every four years...

The largest Yangtze River flood in more than 800 years occurred in 1870.In Hechuan County in the lower reaches of the Jialing River, "the flood entered the city more than four feet deep", "the essence of the city was washed away, and it has not recovered for more than ten years", Fengdu County "the whole city was completely destroyed", and Fengjie County "the city walls and houses were submerged More than half", Wushan had heavy rain for seven days and seven nights, and the flood did not recede for half a month.The levee on the south bank of the Yangtze River was broken by water in Songzi County to form Songzikou, and the flood directly discharged into Dongting Lake; the levee on the north bank broke through the Jianli levee section, and the Han River broke through. The Jingbei and Jianghan Plains were full of oceans. Floating into nothingness", countless people and animals died, and the flood demon caused "a strange disaster that has not been seen in hundreds of years";

By the time of the modern Kuomintang government, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River were flooded almost every year.From 1931 to 1949 alone, the Jingjiang area was flooded five times, and the middle and lower reaches of the Han River were flooded eleven times. The song "Mianyangzhou, Shahu Lake, nine out of ten years" was sung everywhere... In 1931, the entire Yangtze River basin suffered a catastrophic flood.The Yangtze River, Han River, and Dongjing River in Hubei burst into dikes, Chengzeguo, the three towns of Wuhan, and sailing in the urban area of ​​Hankou, "big boats are half floating like frogs, and small boats are like ants drifting around." It became popular and killed more than 30,000 people.More than 1,600 dikes and embankments in the lower reaches of Hunan were flooded, 44 counties in Anhui were flooded, and the streets and alleys of Zhenjiang were more than ten feet deep.Deaths totaled 145,000.Four years later, another localized flood occurred on the Yangtze River, and the remote embankment of the Han River burst, drowning 80,000 people overnight. , that death totaled 142,000;

In 1954, the largest basin-wide flood of the 20th century.The Communist Party and the government of New China, which was the first to fight the floods, mobilized urgently. Millions of soldiers and civilians fought hard. The Jingjiang flood diversion area listened to the order three times to divert the flood, and finally kept Jingjiang embankment, Hanbei embankment, Wuhan City, Nanjing City and other important embankments and cities, and the disaster situation was greatly alleviated. , but the loss is still shocking.There were 61 breaches in the main dikes of the Yangtze River and the lower reaches of the Han River. In the five provinces of Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui, and Jiangsu, 29.55 million people were affected, 85.65 million mu of farmland were affected, 35,599 people died, and 4.276 million houses were damaged.Wuchang and Hankou were besieged by floods for a hundred days.The Beijing-Guangzhou Railway was interrupted for 100 days.Due to the long period of water accumulation in the flooded areas, most of the crops failed that year...

In 1998, the third basin-wide catastrophic flood in a century, and the second century tyranny, came back! The first two catastrophes of the same type [1931 and 1954] were full of injuries, and the palpitations in the history were as fresh as yesterday. In 1954!Under the policy of reform and opening up, the rapid development of the Yangtze River Basin is no longer what it used to be, with a population of more than 400 million. Most of the people threatened by floods are densely populated areas... How should people at the end of the century respond? Perhaps the myth has its place. In Chinese mythology, the Great Flood is said to be the Gonggong war against Zhu Rong. The Gonggong army was defeated and smashed Buzhou Mountain with one head, so half of the sky collapsed and the earth was shaken. The compassionate Nuwa Empress smelted five-color stones to mend the sky, killed the black dragon and piled up reed ash to stop the flood, so that the people could survive.The Western "Bible" records that before the flood came, God asked Noah to build an ark of Gopher wood. It was three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high. After falling for forty days and nights, all living creatures that could breathe on the ground were destroyed, but Noah's family and the seeds of the animals in the ark were safe and sound...

At the end of the 20th century, who was Empress Nuwa? Where can I find Noah's Ark? On October 1, 1949, the People's Republic of China was proclaimed.The Yangtze River flood that broke out a few months ago made the leaders of the new republic realize that to govern China, a large agricultural country, building water conservancy is a major plan for the country. In November 1949, the first national water conservancy meeting was held.Zhu De suggested that "it should be actively prepared to test individual relatively large permanent water conservancy projects under possible conditions."During this period, Zhou Enlai met with representatives of elite experts. Regarding the management of the Yangtze River and Dongting Lake, he clearly pointed out that as long as it is beneficial to the people, it must be implemented. ... "It's good to travel thousands of miles to the Yangtze River, without having to go to Longmen." Lin Yishan, who failed to go to Guangxi, finally won the title of "King of the Yangtze River" for his water control. His brilliant career was fortunately in sync with the water conservancy construction of New China. "When Yu planned Kyushu, there was Jingzhou", the contemporary Dayu preferred Jingzhou for water control. At the beginning of 1950, Lin Yishan led the Yangtze River Committee to survey the Jingjiang embankment in the cold spring. "Thousands of miles of the Yangtze River is dangerous in the Jingjiang River". This is located in the transitional area of ​​the Yangtze River from the valley to the plain. A few meters away, during the flood season, the boat seems to walk over the roof of the building. Once it is out of danger, it will be like a torrent.On the eve of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the comrades fought bloody battles, and even spared a hand from the artillery fire to beat the waves to rescue the emergency... The flood in 1949 still lingers in Lin Yishan's mind no matter what. "Jingsha is not afraid of swords and soldiers, but Nanke is a dream." At critical times, can a river full of water be like our soldiers, obeying orders, or even obediently transferred to a pre-prepared basin? ... It's not impossible.Theoretically speaking, during a flood, the flood that cannot be accommodated by the river channel is distributed to other rivers, lakes or depressions to reduce the water level of the river channel and prevent the embankment from breaking. This method of sacrificing the local area and preserving the overall situation is called flood diversion.Give up a piece of land to the restless rivers - there are some people abroad who take the initiative to do this, it is called flood diversion area. Jingjiang, do you have this piece of land? The 350-kilometer-long Jingjiang embankment went back and forth a few times, and Lin Yishan's genius idea was supported. He really saw an ideal flood zone. It's on the South Bank, in Gong'an County. It is like a big foot basin, starting from Taipingkou in the south of the Jingjiang River in the north, and reaching Huangshantou on the border of Hunan and Hubei in the south.The Hudu River intersects with the Anxiang River at Huangshantou, which drains from the mouth of Ouchi in the south of the Jingjiang River. The embankments of the two rivers and the dry embankment on the south bank of the Jingjiang River make this big foot basin a natural basin surrounded by water.With a total area of ​​921 square kilometers and an effective flood storage capacity of 5.4 billion cubic meters, this is a "natural flood diversion area dropped from the sky"! In 1951, the Yangtze River Committee put forward a three-stage strategic plan for river governance focusing on flood control: in the first stage, vigorously heighten and strengthen dikes, with the goal of defending against the highest flood level that has ever occurred; The characteristic is to open up flood diversion and storage areas in a planned way to store the excess flood that exceeds what the embankment can defend, so as to ensure the safety of flood control in key flood control areas; in the third stage, combined with Xingli to build main and tributary reservoirs to regulate and store floods, in order to achieve "radical cure" Flood target.At the same time, they put forward the mature "Jingjiang Flood Diversion Project Plan". At the 67th government affairs meeting in the same year, Zhou Enlai pointed out bitterly: The Shashi project of the Yangtze River [i.e. the Jingjiang flood diversion project] should be repaired vigorously when necessary, otherwise, once it bursts, it will become the second Huaihe River! The flood of the Yangtze River has always been entrenched in the mind of the first Prime Minister of New China.The first blueprint for harnessing the Yangtze River soon gained momentum. At the beginning of 1952, Zhou Enlai presided over the drafting of the "Decision of the Government Council on Jingjiang Flood Diversion Project". On February 25, Mao Zedong approved Zhou Enlai in the report: "I agree with your opinion and the decision of the Government Council." "In order to protect the lives and properties of millions of people in the two lakes and lakes, before the completion of the fundamental project of the Yangtze River, strengthening the Jingjiang embankment and opening a flood diversion area on the south bank are urgently needed measures at present." The north gate of the flood inlet gate of the Jingjiang flood diversion project was built on the bank of the Yangtze River on the east side of the Taipingkou in the south of the Yangtze River. A few years ago, there was only Tiger Ferry here.At that time, the floods in the flood season every year were as daunting as this name. When the flood came, the Hudukou couldn’t handle it in time, burst the embankment, and destroyed the families on both sides. People hated this very inauspicious name, and they changed it for Hudukou. A beautiful name - Taipingkou. At the end of March 1952, before the cuckoo crowed, a team defending Taiping came to Taipingkou.They were a mixed group of men and women, carrying shovels and carrying baskets, and gathered on the west bank of the Hudu River in the continuous spring rain. This was the first batch of migrant workers from Songzi County to arrive at the Jingjiang flood diversion site, with a total of 15,000 people. "The task given to us by the North Gate Headquarters is to cut off the Hudu River at the middle and build a dam to hold back the water. First, it will allow the construction of the control gate at Huangshantou downstream, and second, it will open up traffic on both sides of the Hexi River." Songzi County County When Changrao Mintai communicated to the district chiefs, township chiefs and village chiefs in the migrant workers brigade, he especially emphasized: "You have to listen clearly, this is an order! This Jingjiang flood diversion project is different from our usual work. It is a war. Do it in the same way! So you can’t talk about any price for the task assigned by the superior!” Of course the migrant workers heard clearly.This is a major action ordered by the Party Central Committee and the government to benefit the compatriots in the contemporary era. They are looking forward to a new life of "fields form squares, canals form nets, buildings stand in forests, trees form rows, motorcycles enter farmers, men, women and children are happy", and they have just turned over. Of course, the migrant workers who are the masters don't talk about any price. They are sweating profusely and have high morale. Xin Zhiying, a 19-year-old girl from Jingzhou, is also one of them. She and her sisters have not washed their faces or bathed for more than 40 days in a row. Because the construction site lacks water and because they have no time to wash, they are just as reluctant to lag behind as men. Going out early and returning late every day, working hard, Xin Zhiying's team members soon had nicknames: Iron Girl, Mud Girl. The project is progressing rapidly.On the tenth day after the start of construction, the dam was advanced to only 40 meters away from the east bank, and on April 8, it was further advanced by 20 meters, leaving only 20 meters away from the east bank, and the closure was imminent. But at this moment, the Hudu River was so fast that it was no longer possible to build ridges to protect the soil, and the action to shut up the "Hukou" was blocked for the first time.Soon, hundreds of wooden boats were built into a pontoon bridge to connect the traffic on both sides of the strait, and the persevering people continued to advance towards the goal. On the 9th, Helongkou was crushed into a six-meter narrow mouth by a block of stones, and success is in sight—the peach season is coming! In the violent wind and rain, the torrent at the narrow mouth of only six meters was turbulent. The traditional throwing willow pillow [that is, a pillow-like cage made of willow branches and filled with stones] could not block the violent "tiger mouth" of the Hudu River. The engineers stomped their feet: the ship was sunk with stones! The first 90-ton wooden boat filled with willow pillows, bamboo cages, and large stones approached the narrow mouth. The vicious current was like a tiger or a wolf, hitting and besieging it with its head covering its face. Wave away! The iron cable of the second 135-ton wooden boat was about to be untied when a huge wave rushed, and the side of the ship flew up to a height of Mars, followed by two loud noises—the violent wave broke the iron cable fastened to the bow, and it seemed to be broken. The big boat was cut into two pieces like hemp stalks... The horrific scene made the migrant workers on the scene cry. They had never seen such a terrible current growing on the banks of the river! The deterrence of nature is indeed frightening, but it did not frighten the "migrant workers" who grew up from the war - Rao Mintai, the county magistrate of Songzi County: "Comrades! Don't be discouraged, don't we have more than ten thousand people? Power, can't you block this wide opening?" This is a people's battle for water control, and they work together. At the same time that the Hedong Blocking Headquarters held an emergency meeting, a pillow-tying team on the west bank of the river was also discussing countermeasures in the reed shed. In April 1952, the group of farmers who were fighting by the Hudu River, of course, could not think of and could not do the pyramid-like giant concrete tetrahedron method used in the closure of the Gezhouba River in the 1980s. They came up with another very clever method. , How many years later is also widely used plugging closure method.It first sprouted in the mind of a 22-year-old young farmer: "Yes, let's throw a figure-of-sight pillow! That is to say, tie the willow pillow into a figure-of-sight shape, and then throw it on both sides of the bank..." Ding Yongshan, the leader of the migrant worker squadron and the head of the township The idea was amazing. On the spot, 27 excited farmers decided to jointly propose to Rao Mintai to use the "horoscope throwing pillow method". On April 14, the famous "horoscope throwing pillow method" in the Jingjiang flood diversion project was officially implemented.The wisdom fruit from the folk has a miraculous effect, and the super-large willow pillows thrown in succession quickly padded the river bottom under the narrow mouth. On the 15th, the soaring flood reached its peak, and a three-meter-high waterfall formed at the narrow mouth. The "Longkou" of the waterfall spurted wildly, and the sound was like thunder, which made people shudder.When a group of stone transporters reached tens of meters upstream, they were frightened and did not dare to take a step closer.The Pillow Team is in urgent need of stones, and the fighter planes are changing rapidly!Rao Mintai, who was commanding at the front line, jumped into a boat: "If I die, I die first, come with me!" Rao Mintai with a determined face picked up a penny and clattered to push the boat away. The boatman Jia Xinhua followed up with his county magistrate and carefully helped him with the oars. One after another, the stone transport ships kept up, kept up, they were like charging soldiers, led by the commander to lead by example, braved the artillery fire, marched, marched!When the current hits the water, the waves restrain the flying boat!They want to delineate the real Taiping at Taipingkou... Water drops penetrate stones, and ropes saw wood break. On the afternoon of April 17, for the first time in tens of millions of years, the "tiger's mouth", which has always done whatever it wants, shut up. The new Chinese people won the first battle against the violent flood. On May 24, Fu Zuoyi, minister of the Ministry of Water Resources, arrived at the construction site in full swing with two embroidered banners dancing in dragons and phoenixes.On one side is Mao Zedong's inscription: "For the benefit of the majority of the people, strive for the victory of the Jingjiang flood diversion project!" The workers chased after each other, and the labor chant continued day and night... 300,000 people on both sides of the Jingjiang River completed the first phase of the main project at high speed in just 75 days. This is the first flood control project built on the main stream of the Yangtze River, and it is also a masterpiece in the history of Chinese water conservancy with flood diversion as the main idea. This masterpiece quickly made a big difference. In the flood season of 1954, there were continuous torrential rains in Hunan, Hubei and Jiangxi. The rainy seasons of Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake were prolonged. In mid-July, the middle reaches of the Yangtze River did not stop raining, and the upper reaches continued to experience heavy rains.From June 25th to September 6th, Yichang Station had four consecutive floods, with the maximum flood peak reaching 66,800 cubic meters per second, and the flow continued to exceed 50,000 cubic meters per second for 15 days.At this time, the rivers and lakes in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River have been flooded, unable to vent, and the Jingjiang flood broke out! Millions of soldiers and civilians went to the embankment day and night, fighting desperately... From July 20 to August 2, the Jingjiang Flood Diversion Project, which was completed for one year, ushered in its first test.When the water level at the Shashi hydrological station reached 44.67 meters, the Jingjiang flood diversion project opened its floodgates three times.After three days of flood diversion, the water level in Shashi was kept below 43.5 meters. The lesser of two evils - flood diversion means sacrifice. In 1954, the flood diversion area was full of crops, and 542,500 mu of cultivated land was donated to the flood; in 1954, property and livestock in the flood diversion area were transferred, and thousands of households opened their homes to flood; in 1954, thousands of people entered the planned The population density in the area was once as high as 9,000 people per square kilometer. Under the difficult conditions in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, diseases such as typhoid fever and dysentery became widespread, and the death rate reached 15‰... Unforgettable sacrifices in exchange for important results.The Jingjiang flood diversion project successfully diverted 10,000 cubic meters of flow per second, causing the water level in Shashi to drop by nearly one meter, and the precarious Jingjiang embankment and Wuhan embankment were preserved!The three towns of Jianghan Plain and Wuhan are therefore safe.Mao Zedong wrote a congratulatory inscription: "Congratulations to the people of Wuhan for overcoming the flood in 1954, and we must also be prepared to overcome similarly severe floods that may occur in the future." The same serious flood is really coming! It grinned at the end of the century: its magnitude was only second to that of 1954, and the water level in the middle and lower reaches was generally higher than that of that year! The three flood diversions in history wiped out hundreds of villages in Gong'an County in the blink of an eye. 164,000 victims were resettled in the planned safety zone and planted "hanging fields". Live in a simple grass shed nearby, return to the safe area when the flood season comes, and come out to farm in the field after passing the water.In this way, day after day, year after year, the North Gate of Taipingkou was never opened again. People thanked God and became courageous. , the flood diversion area already has 8 towns and two townships, 4 agricultural, forestry and fishery farms, 212 villages, 130,000 peasant households, 510,000 population, and more than 120 industrial enterprises. It is the main grain and oil production area and backbone industrial base in Gong'an County. It is difficult to divert floods in the flood diversion area! 44 years of peace, with a flick of a finger, will the North Gate of Taipingkou be opened again? In the summer of 1998, the sound of dripping water was really breathless. August 5, 1998.The Commander-in-Chief of the National Defense Command and Vice Premier of the State Council, Wen Jiabao, saw an urgent report from the Yangtze River. Hubei Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government "Urgent Report on the Dangerous Situation in the Jingjiang River Section": In recent days, the Minjiang River, Tuojiang River, Jialing River, and Wujiang River in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River have suffered heavy rains and floods, and a new flood peak has formed in the Cuntan River in the upper reaches. The Qingjiang flood passed through the border earlier, but it still discharged at a flow rate of 1,000, which brought huge flood control pressure to the Jingjiang section. At 24:00 on the 5th, the water level in Shashi reached 44.67 meters.According to the analysis of actual water and rain conditions, the water level in Shashi will reach 44.75 meters at 20:00 on August 6, which is close to the 45.00-meter flood diversion water level; The water level in Jianli was 38.10 meters, 0.55 meters higher than the highest in history; at 8 o'clock on the 8th, the water level in Chenglingji was 35.50 meters, 0.95 meters higher than the guarantee.This kind of high water level superposition, peak on peak, and more dangerous flood control situation make the flood control situation of the Jingjiang to Honghu river section extremely severe. What's more serious is that the upper reaches of the Yangtze River from Sichuan to Yichang and the upper reaches of the Qingjiang River still maintain rainfall, and the runoff will flow into the river, increasing the flood control pressure on the Jingjiang River section, especially the water level in Shashi is likely to exceed the 45.00-meter flood diversion level... At the end of the report, Hubei solemnly stated: Prepare for the safe transfer of personnel in the Jingjiang flood diversion area, and request the use of the Jingjiang flood diversion project if necessary. The situation was serious, and the report went straight to Zhu Rongji. Premier Zhu was taken aback! As early as early April, the Hydrology Bureau of the Yangtze River Water Conservancy Commission issued the "1998 Yangtze River Basin Flood Season [May-October] Long-term Hydrometeorological Forecast": "The general trend of water and rain in the Yangtze River Basin in 1998 was a year of abundance, with floods more severe than droughts. The highest water level in the middle and lower reaches is relatively high, so we should be prepared for possible major floods in some areas." At the same time, it is predicted that the flood in 1998 will be 50% to 80% more than in previous years.The National Defense Headquarters accurately made the judgment that the Yangtze River may have a basin-wide flood, and held the first meeting of the National Defense Headquarters one month in advance to fully deploy flood control and flood fighting.Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu and other key provinces have stepped up flood control preparations in accordance with the requirements for defending against the 1954 flood. The alarm is sounded, the food and grass go first, and the soldiers are ready to fight. From June 11, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River will enter the Meiyu period.The Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake areas continued to receive heavy rainfall for a long time, and the water levels at the main stream stations in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River rose sharply from the 13th. Jiujiang Station took the lead in breaking through the warning water level on the 24th. After the 28th, the rain belt gradually shifted to the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, and the flow of major tributaries in the upper reaches increased rapidly. On July 2, Yichang had its first flood peak, with a flow of 54,500 cubic meters per second.When the flood peak advanced to the middle and lower reaches, it encountered floods from the Qingjiang River, and the section from Yichang to Hankou, the main stream of the Yangtze River, swelled once. On July 4, Wuhan City took the initiative to release the flood at Tianxingzhou, lowering the flood peak water level in Hankou. On the 5th, the flood peak water level at Hankou Station was 28.17 meters, only 0.11 meters lower than the highest flood level in 1931.After that, until July 15, the flood situation of the Yangtze River was relatively stable, the first plum rain in the middle and lower reaches ended, and the peak water level of the main stream stations retreated. Seeing Hong Mo dodging, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. In early July, in Jingzhou, Premier Zhu confidently and openly answered the provincial and municipal leaders and news media: "The current government does not consider flood diversion." Not long after, the situation took a turn for the worse! Shashi has reached the point where it wants to break through the 45.00-meter flood diversion to fight for the water level! This is not shocking! You can't be surprised for too long.Fire and water are merciless, every second counts! Whether to divert floods - this acute and inevitable question is imminent.Decisions have to be made at the top. Premier Zhu immediately reported to President Jiang Zemin. Zhongnanhai quickly made a decision: to send Comrade Wen Jiabao to the front line of flood control in Hubei, to Jingzhou. Dangerous situation is overwhelming! "When the water level in Shashi reaches 44.47 meters [the water level for flood diversion is 45 meters] and the forecast will continue to rise, the north gate of the Jingjiang flood diversion area will be opened at a rate of 6,000 cubic meters per second to 7,700 cubic meters per second..." This was stated by the State Council on June 25, 1985 Document No. 79 of the National Development and Reform Commission issued by Japan. At 12 noon on August 6, 1998, the water level in Shashi was 44.68 meters! The Hubei Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government had no choice but to issue the "Order on Preparations for the Use of the Jingjiang Flood Diversion Area". At 8:00 p.m. on August 6, the "Flood Diverting Order" issued by Cheng Xueliang, the acting magistrate of Gong'an County, was continuously broadcast on radio stations, TV stations, and all radio stations in the county... Gong'an County has never practiced since 1954. Within 20 hours, 335,000 people and 18,000 cattle had to be evacuated from the flood diversion area.She Xiaojia protects everyone, this is a blitz that hurts to the marrow! The public security officers who understand righteousness shed tears during the "Great Escape". Is there any room for avoiding it?Can we avoid flooding? God, please don't let the homeland that has been built with 44 years of hard work return to the Great Desolation in 1954! On this night, Chairman Jiang Zemin and Premier Zhu Rongji told Wen Jiabao, the commander-in-chief of the National Defense Command who was about to leave, that the Central Committee agreed in principle to the emergency report of the Hubei Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Government, but there was an absolute premise: the approval authority for flood diversion rested with the Central Committee and the State Council. Whether to divert floods must be discussed and decided by the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee and the Politburo. A Silver Eagle, loaded with the mission and hope of Zhongnanhai, flew directly to Hubei. At 9:45 pm on August 6, the plane landed in Shashi. This is the fourth time Wen Jiabao has flown to Jingzhou since this summer. Water conservancy experts reported to the head of the National Defense Command, who was working as soon as he got off the plane: the fifth flood peak of the Yangtze River will soon reach Shashi, and the water level in Shashi will reach 44.95 meters, which has already greatly exceeded the guaranteed water level of flood diversion. The Jingjiang levee is likely to be damaged. It has been immersed in high water for more than 40 days, and it is in danger! Thousands of miles along the Yangtze River, the danger lies in Jingjiang.The role of the Jingjiang flood diversion area is mainly to protect the safety of the Jingjiang embankment. Flood diversion, 335,000 people have to be transferred, 921 square kilometers of land will be transformed into a country, 15 billion yuan in direct and indirect losses, and huge difficulties in post-disaster reconstruction, etc... Without flood diversion, the 350-kilometer-long Jingjiang Levee can be defended ? In the night, Wen Jiabao frowned as he faced the vast river where wild horses were running wild. Two place names kept beating in his mind: Honghu and Jianli. That is the most dangerous embankment. Surrounded by water on three sides, the Yangtze River, Dongting Lake, and Dongjing River meet on the outside, and the Baili Honghu Lake is supported on the inside. It is a typical "water bag" of "a river on the head, a river wrapped around the waist, and a basin of lake on the feet". .This is Honghu. Due to historical and geographical reasons, the embankment of Honghu Lake is thin and short, the sandy base is long, and its flood resistance is poor. In 1931, 1934, 1954, and 1969, Honghu Lake burst four times, leaving a painful experience of devastating injuries here.Collapse, like Honghu's inescapable nightmare. Today, it encounters the worst combined flood since 1954. Can it escape? Can Honghu win this vicious battle? "Try not to fight unprepared battles." This is the way that Ma Diansheng, the commander of the Airborne Forces, uses his troops. Before the flood season, General Ma noticed meteorological experts' forecast that a flood like that in 1954 might occur in 1998, and he attached great importance to it.After discussing with Major General Zhao Jinkui, the political commissar, he reported to his superiors for approval, and decisively reduced the number of troops going out for military training in 1998, so that the troops could maintain a full staff and a high degree of standby in the station, so that they could go to the front line of flood fighting at any time. At the beginning of May, Honghu and the Yangtze River had not yet entered the main flood season. Ma Diansheng visited Honghu in person to conduct field inspections to learn more about the terrain, social conditions, people's conditions, transportation, and communications that the troops might march into.He was not at ease when he returned to the station. "As a military general, in peacetime, in addition to preparing for war, it is more important to be prepared for rapid response to disasters."In accordance with the requirements of the flood control plan, he organized the troops to conduct intense and orderly drills on 12 items, including personnel gathering, material loading, simulated blocking, and heightening and strengthening embankments. Good fight. Send such generals to guard the key dangerous sections, Honghu and Jianli can rest assured, and the people can rest assured! On June 26, the water level of Luoshan Station on the Yangtze River reached the fortified water level of 30.00 meters, which was 11 days earlier than the normal year and only 6 days later than in 1954.At 3:00 p.m. on the same day, the Honghu City Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters' No. 1 Telegram "Emergency Notice on Allocating Flood Control Labor According to Fortified Water Level Standards" was quickly telexed to the City's Yangtze River Flood Control Headquarters and ten townships, farms, and offices along the river. On the 135-kilometer main embankment of the Yangtze River, 10 to 15 people per kilometer, led by the water conservancy directors of the villages and towns under their jurisdiction, began to patrol the embankment to check for danger.Red flags, sentry sheds, lanterns, shovels, and piles of sand and gravel constitute the self-defense blockade of the Honghu Yangtze River embankment. The first rampage of Hong Feng is coming! Entering the Honghu embankment section at 5 pm on July 6, the water level at Luoshan Station reached 33.51 meters, with a flow rate of 59,400 cubic meters per second, exceeding the warning water level by 1.01 meters. On the 13th, a dangerous situation of piping surges occurred in the eighty-eight pools of Yan's Nest, and Honghu Lake, which was on high alert, subdued the first major danger since the flood season.But Hong Mo refused to give up. From 21st to 23rd, thunder and lightning flashed over Honghu Lake, and it rained like a torrential rain. The largest rainfall was 146 millimeters in Yan's Nest Township. On the 26th, the dangerous situation in Qingshui Cave occurred again in Zhoujiazui, Luoshan, which was overcome by the military and civilians' tense joint battle for more than five hours. The flood situation is getting more and more critical!Jingzhou was worried about Honghu. On July 23, the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee, Municipal Government, and Municipal Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters established the Yangtze River Flood Control and Honghu Frontline Headquarters in Honghu.Liu Keyi, secretary of the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee, Wang Mingyu, member of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee and commander of the Jingzhou Military Division, Liu Yaoqing, deputy mayor, and Wang Shuhua, deputy commander of the Jingzhou Military Division, are in command. The heartbeat of Honghu is connected to Wuhan, the political center of Hubei. From July 12th to 27th, the Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial Government, and the Provincial Defense Command dispatched 78 flood control and flood fighting teams to Honghu Lake in four batches to reinforce Honghu Lake. The embankment is getting more and more dangerous!Honghu is calling for help! On July 25th, Ma Diansheng led his troops to rush to Honghu Lake, rushed to the front line, and directly invested in the embankments of Zhoujiazui, Laowan, and Meijiatan on the main embankment of the Yangtze River... The "water bag" of Honghu was imprisoned in the iron wall of the party, the government, the army and the people, and every step of the way. "After July 20 [that is, July 20], the flood situation will ease. If the water comes again, it will be the sound of geese." July 27, 1998 was out of the folklore. At 12 o'clock, Honghu Lake ushered in the second flood peak of the Yangtze River. The water level of Luoshan Station was 33.44 meters, breaking through the guaranteed water level of 0.27 meters in 1954!On this day, Wen Jiabao, commander of the National Defense Command, went to Honghu in person, accompanied by Jia Zhijie, Secretary of the Hubei Provincial Party Committee, and Jiang Zhuping, Governor of Hubei Province. On the 135-kilometer main embankment of the Yangtze River, battle flags were planted all over, "Swear to live and die with the embankment!" "Please rest assured, and resolutely win the victory against the flood!" Fearless confidence and determination! They are destined to fight a war of attrition and protracted war!They are going to fight to the death! At 8 o'clock on August 1, the third flood peak hit. The water level at Luoshan Station reached 34.52 meters, and the flow rate was 62,000 cubic meters per second. The long-term immersion in the flood has made the Honghu and Yangtze River dikes full of holes and dangerous situations. On the morning of the 4th, Jia Zhijie presided over an emergency enlarged meeting of the Standing Committee of the Hubei Provincial Party Committee.Vice-governor Zhang Hongxiang reported that the water levels of Honghu, Yangtze River and Dongjing River exceeded the historical record. He was not without worries: "Now there are several problems. Afraid of accidents, there are many dangerous situations, and they are connected together." Jia Zhijie resolutely issued a death order: "It must be ensured that people are on the embankment, and people are still on the embankment! Don’t throw away the rules, concentrate on protecting the embankment! Honghu must make the greatest determination to guard against death and never divert the flood!” On the 6th, a number of provincial leaders, experts from the Yangtze River Committee, and leaders from the Water Resources Department gathered in the provincial defense index conference room.Yang Yongliang, deputy secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, frowned: "The inflow of water from the upper reaches of the Yangtze River has decreased, and the flow of Dongting Lake into the lake has increased accordingly. Even if the Jingjiang River is flooded, the most worrying Honghu Lake still cannot fundamentally solve the problem. The water level of Chenglingji is low. The decline will have a great impact on Honghu Lake. There are pipes everywhere along the 600-meter line of the Honghu embankment. This is not a problem of reinforcement. Please ask the Yangtze River Committee to request that the three embankments in Hunan that have been approved for flood diversion be diverted immediately, otherwise, if the Jingjiang River divides the flood, Honghu Lake will still have problems, and we will lose our personal wealth!" Jia Zhijie agreed: "Immediately report to the National Defense Headquarters! Inform all places and we Make up your mind, fight with your back, desperately, and hold the embankment!" Hold the most dangerous place!Zhongnanhai stared at Honghu. On the 9th, three helicopters landed on the lawn of Honghu Normal School. Premier Zhu Rongji, accompanied by Vice Premier Wen Jiabao, State Councilor and Secretary-General of the State Council Wang Zhongyu, Hubei leaders Jia Zhijie and Jiang Zhuping, and Lieutenant General Gong Gucheng, deputy commander of the Guangzhou Military Region, inspected Honghu The front line of flood fighting. In the dangerous section of Shajiao in Wulin, the main embankment of the Yangtze River, where the heat wave is rolling, the turbid current is almost at the same level as the river embankment, and the turbulent waves are rolling by. Inside the embankment, more than 200 militia commandos and more than 300 airborne troops are struggling to build cofferdams , On the embankment, the huge slogans of "United, fight against the catastrophic flood" and "Military and civilian unity, protect the Yangtze River embankment" confronted the turbid current. Under the scorching sun, Premier Zhu walked up the embankment vigorously.万严阵以待的抗洪军民有力招展：“同志们，辛苦了！我代表党中央、国务院和江泽民主席向你们致以亲切慰问和诚挚谢意！今年长江面临的是1954年以来的最大洪水，它来势猛，水位高，持续时间长，同志们40多天奋战在堤段下，人困马乏，但你们顽强拼搏，在防汛抗洪中建立了伟大功绩……” 风吹动着共和国总理鬓发，也听清了他的铿锵宣言：“8月1日晚，中央召开了政治局常委会议，江泽民同志已下达命令，不惜一切代价，死保长江大堤。中央军委已下令从广州军区、济南军区调动五万多名解放军，支援长江沿线抗洪抢险。据湖北省领导的介绍，我们现在站的这个地方，是荆州江段最薄弱的环节。我们背靠江汉平原、武汉三镇，如果这个地方溃堤，那就会给国家和人民带来重大的损失，不可弥补的损失！我们后退无路，无路可退！我们一定要死保长江大堤。我相信，我们完全有条件，有力量把这个堤守住！因为，我们国家是强大的，我们中国共产党是强大的！现在，全国都在支持湖北省，到处都在向湖北调运砂石料、编织袋，调运各种抗洪物资。我们完全有力量守住长江大堤！” 8月10日，长江第四次洪峰逼近洪湖，高水位中浸泡了一个多月的八十八潭堤段，终于出问题。 上午8时许，八十八潭一个劲地冒水泡，正在巡堤的燕窝镇长余新河迅速赶往现场。潭里像煮开的粥，大泡带小泡，黑黄泥沙翻作一团，肯定是管涌！险情就是命令，余新河一头扎进水中，但几次被涌水顶出来，他顾不得满耳满嘴泥沙，再持一根竹篙，一次次深潜，终于查清一个口径1.8米、深2.5米、出水量为每小时25立方的特大管涌，同时还在周围堰潭内发现了十多处管涌群！ 险情仅距堤脚74米。这是大堤溃口前发出的紧急讯号！ 燕窝镇叶家边村、民河村的民工率先投入抢险，保卫家园，他们愿死战！叶家边村党支部书记彭光辉带领村干部毫不犹豫潜进臭气逼人的水坑，紧急施工。现场指挥者汗水和管涌浊流比赛着涌出，险情告急。将军马殿圣赶来了，立即从大沙等地调400多名官兵增援。十台抽水机从长江向水坑内抽水反压，在专家指导下，“正反三级导滤”和“抽水反压”抢险方案双管齐下。此间，温家宝致电，特询八十八潭险情，省防指副总指挥王生铁一个小时内打来八次电话，掌握进展，问还需什么支援…… 40℃高温下，2000多抢险军民在与洪水赛跑，时间就是生命，顾不上擦遮眼的汗水，顾不上管流血脚板，扛着百多斤的砂石料，跑，快跑！跌倒爬起来，快，再快！再背一块石料，再抢运一次，守住大堤，保住洪湖，捍卫生命！十九个小时后，一道周长2公里、面积达300亩的大围堰及时筑成，后被国家防总定性为“国字一号”的特大溃口性管涌险情成功制服！ 仅过三天，第五次洪峰接踵扑来。大战进入了白热化！ 8月13日23时，螺山站水位34.44米，流量60900立方米/秒。到8月20日20时，第六次洪峰峰值水位竟飙升到34.95米，超过1954年最高水位1.78米，平均高出地面10米左右，近二分之一堤段靠子堤挡水。 第六次洪峰疯了！ 暴雨，七八级狂风，两米多高浪头，洪湖七家垸的子堤被冲开200多米，全垸溃漫。气势汹汹的洪水蹚平七家垸，直扑长江新月干堤。30多年未与洪水较量的新月干堤永乐段，被撕开了一条80多米长的口子，洪水形成一个巨大瀑布冲向10米落差的堤脚，浪头已漫过堤顶直捣电排站。一场毁灭性的灾害即将发生！ 驻守的湖北省石化厅副厅长刘向东向武警某团政委黎伦发告急：长江新月干堤永乐段江水漫堤，请火速增兵！黎伦发接警下令：433堤段抢险返回途中的二营五连官兵立刻赶赴永乐险段！通信连、特勤连、四连、六连火速增援！ 400多名刚刚结束抢险的饥肠辘辘官兵，急奔五公里外的堤段。千米之外，轰轰的洪水下泄声隐约传来，连长庄文信一个劲地喊：“冲！快冲！”鏖战中，人被飓风、洪水拉扯，摇摇晃晃，土包根本不起作用，黎伦发急了：“下水，组成人墙！”副团长曹孟良一马当先跳下：“同志们，跟我来！”二营教导员张晨平和副营长黄明胜紧随跃水。400多名官兵手挽手，肩并肩，在洪水中连筑三道人墙，挡住咆哮的洪水。血肉之躯后面，300多名民工挥汗如雨，拼命用编织袋装土抢筑子堤，风高浪急，稍有不慎，人和编织袋就被巨浪卷跑，子堤筑得越来越艰难……官兵们索性转身180度，改面朝长江为背对长江，他们用坚强的背部抵住洪涛，齐齐弓腰抱住编织袋，子堤堤脚在他们胸前坚实起来。近一个小时肉搏，有人明显力不从心了，生死攸关时，不知谁喊：“用铁锹撑起来！”于是，一把把铁锹支撑住筋疲力尽的战士。危急时，战友赶来了，济南军区某炮团二营五连87名战士在营教导员汪立宏和连指导员杨伟的带领下，二话不说跳入江水，第四道人墙刚烈立起。 8个多小时后，一条长140多米、宽3米、高1米的新子堤，在新月干堤永乐段巍然屹立，笑傲洪魔…… 美丽的江汉平原啊，800多万荆州父老乡亲，你们值得卫士们以血肉之躯守护，值得忠诚儿女用生命理想献祭！ 这块土地和人民沉甸甸装在党和国家领导人的心头。 8月13日，洪湖抗洪军民与长江超历史特大洪水殊死搏斗之际，国家主席江泽民亲临前线，他直奔乌林中沙角险段。站在水潭颤颤的浮桥上，双唇紧抿的江泽民长时间盯着咆哮洪水，若有所思，抬首，唯见战旗满目，自卸车翻斗车穿梭不停，数千军民肩挑背扛奔流如星……省委书记贾志杰扼要介绍：“中沙角堤段，堤身单薄，水潭水深险大，从昨天开始，洪湖市实施帮堤截渗的抢险方案，将赶在今晚7时前完成。”“要密切监测险情变化，确保万无一失。”江总书记殷切叮嘱。视察中，他见到了猎猎飘扬的“黄继光所在连”大旗，身为军委主席的江泽民很感慨，站在旗帜下，他对战士们交心：“我们的部队是有着光荣传统的部队。想起上甘岭就想到你们，让上甘岭精神永远活在我们心中！黄继光同志虽然牺牲了，但他英勇作战的精神就在我们心里，就在你们身上！” 两千余名满身汗水泥水军民受到江泽民接见、慰问。“这次抗洪抢险再次证明，哪里有困难，哪里就有人民解放军！在抗洪抢险的最关键时刻，人民解放军发挥了突击队的作用。中央军委已作出决定，人民解放军全力以赴支援长江抗洪抢险。目前，整个长江流域已有13万解放军和武警官兵奋战在抗洪抢险第一线，湖北长江干堤上就有7万大军！湖北省还有200多万干部群众昼夜守护着大堤！只要军民紧密团结在一起，奋力抗洪，我相信，我们一定能夺取最后胜利！” “请党中央放心，请国务院放心，请中央军委放心，请江总书记放心，请全国人民放心！”此刻，洪涛失语，唯有发自洪湖人的心声响彻云霄…… 洪魔不甘心地挑战着上下一心的斗志。 8月20日23时刚过，乌林镇长江干堤青山段，在离堤面不到2米的内坡上，发现一条四五米长的裂缝。不到几小时迅速发展到250米长，缝隙由一手指宽发展到一巴掌宽，一米多深，大量明水从裂缝中汩汩直冒…… “是突发性特大溃口性险情！报险！赶快报险！洪水若挤破堤身，将以十米高水头冲向江汉平原，冲向武汉！”在场工程师异常紧张。 如此大面积内滑坡，让不少民工脸色苍白，恐惧就像突然四蹿的毒蛇，现场气氛使人窒息……洪湖市委书记雷中喜赶到裂缝边，高呼：“是党员和干部的都站出来！”200多米长裂缝险点上，立马站出200多名党员干部，他们齐刷刷立在最险处，坚如磐石，瞬间稳住了满堤惶恐的心。 荆州市委书记刘克毅、省武警总队副总队长张火焱、荆州军分区副司令员王树华等迅速赶到现场。紧急磋商后，指挥部决定实施抢筑外帮、内压台、开挖导滤沟，控制内脱坡险情。洪湖永丰镇民兵抢险突击队火速赶到乌林现场。峰口镇、代家场镇、小港农场迅即增加援兵。民工们抢运砂石料，安装照明线路，为即将赶来的大兵团抢险做准备。 5000多民工和4000多解放军官兵从不同方向飞速奔来。 险点集结二十多艘装满芦苇、小麦、稻草、大块石、砂石料的船只。大堤上，130多辆小型翻斗车车轮滚滚，来回奔驰；大堤下，一万多军民沿堤分八路摆开，组成八条抢运土方的人流。部队与部队之间，民兵与民兵之间，民兵与部队之间，展开了天地注目的抢险竞赛。汽笛声、喇叭声、口号声、呐喊声，响成一片；空军、陆军、武警、民兵、群众，协同作战，同仇敌忾，他们共同织成了气势磅礴、所向披靡的军民携手抗洪图。 老当益壮的济南军区副司令员裴怀亮中将，同军长张祥联一起手握铁锹，将战士抢运的土加紧填堤，夯实新筑的外帮土层。骄阳下，将军和战士的汗流到一块儿。全国“见义勇为英雄”、济南军区某部导弹连副指导员徐洪刚，将英雄的心放飞，他在大堤上穿梭如风，多扛快跑，累倒数次，很少有人知道这位气喘吁吁“飞毛腿”比健康人少一根肋骨……子弟兵的忠勇、顽强让高高在上的烈日都不安、嫉妒，它加强了暴晒强度，滚滚热浪加上持续作战，终于令斗士们头晕眼花，但却夺不走他们一战成功的信念，浑浊江水一次又一次浇在头上、身上，清醒些了，继续跑！抢险！fighting! 是好男儿，就该义无反顾保卫家乡。21日，吴王庙村党支部书记徐兴保老奶奶去世，他悲痛欲绝，自幼无父无母靠奶奶养大的徐兴保很想按习俗给老人办个丧事，但他接到了抢险命令。“自古忠孝不能两全，奶奶，您老人家就原谅孙子吧！”徐兴保重重对灵位叩个响头，带着奔丧的人上了大堤。村里紧急通知一线劳力上堤，青年农民胡汉章抄起铁锹就出了门，村干部拦他：“汉章啊，你爱人病得都卧床了，你留家里吧！”“大堤若垮了，哪里还有家？”胡汉章上堤一干就是三天三夜。妻子病逝的消息传到了工地，胡汉章正在背土筑压台……当天，他一边葬妻，一边含泪喃喃：“真的对不住你啊，等大堤保住了，我一定给你好好修个坟！”次日一大早，他又出现在抢险工地。 抗洪军民的脊梁，就这样撑起了长江边上不倒的大堤。 三天三夜鏖战后，万余洪湖军民艰难拿下了全省险情最重、抢险工程量最大的乌林青山长江干堤保卫战。 滔滔洪水，你斗得过共和国万众一心、众志成城的信念吗？ “兄弟，我们这儿实在受不了，请拉我们一把！天大的困难顶一顶，清江的洪峰万不可再叠加到长江上来！等抗洪胜利了，我请你喝酒！” 第四次长江洪峰即将来袭时，荆州防总工程师李一，如此对清江公司水调中心主任熊华康殷殷恳求。 他们是通过电话，他们从未谋面。 无需过多语言，两颗守堤的心迅速融为一体，难分你我。一个在长江最薄弱的命门处——荆江边，一个在长江出三峡后第一条大支流——清江边，干支流患难相交，1998年夏天，他们如何不生死相托，忧喜与共！ “水色清照，十丈分砂石，蜀人见其澄清，因名清江也。”【郦道元《水经注》】 清江，古名夷水，发源于湖北利川齐岳山，三明三暗九曲回肠地下伏流后，清丽逶迤423公里，于宜都注入长江。“向王天子一支角，吹出清江一条河。”土家先祖巴务相生长于斯，他被尊为廪君，曾带领骁勇善战的部族逆江而上缔造了巴国，向王天子问世之日，他也创造了勇悍血统的人文清江。 悍勇，是这条江的本性之一：山洪暴发时，一小时能涨水6米！涛息水退，几小时可露出河床！ 锁在深山人未识的莫测能量，早被盯住。落差达1430米，平均年雨量约1400毫米，平均流量440立方米/秒，全流域可开发装机容量350万千瓦……若开发，获取可观电能同时，还能减轻长江防洪负担，改善鄂西南山区水运交通。湖北为这条平素清纯的“悍河”整整做了30年美梦。1987年，清江开发公司成立，“首战隔河岩、再战高坝洲、决战水布垭”，“用20年时间完成流域梯级开发”，“清江三叠”梦生根发芽了。次年，位于湖北长阳县的隔河岩主体工程动工，1993年首台机组发电，1994年电站建成。 作为清江干流主要梯级之一，作为全国第一家常规“一流水电厂”，隔河岩电站当然以发电为主。但1998年夏天，这个中国水电建设史上首家荣获“鲁班奖”的大型水利枢纽工程，忘记了它的主要功能，它几乎九死一生地用尽了自己兼有功能——防洪。 1998年8月6日，从来专注发电的隔河岩涉险了，站在钢筋混凝土大坝上，能感觉到脚底微微颤抖，那是钢铁巨人的颤抖！ 大坝接纳了太多的水。自身高205米，警戒水位193.60米，最高设计水位200米，它拦下的洪水远远超过了警戒水位，也逾越了最高设计标准，而水位还一个劲猛涨！ 清江是全国有名的五个暴雨中心之一，入夏以来大雨狂轰滥炸，这里已发生多次洪峰，清江洪峰压进长江，追逐长江洪峰，峰上加峰、险上加险之处，正是荆江段那个要命的长江“死穴”。隔河岩要为抗洪出力，就必须替长江削峰，唯一办法就是锁住自己洪峰，等长江洪峰退为“峰谷”时，再泄水入长江——这就叫错峰，科学地打时间差，是个非常复杂的学问。而今，按江主席“三个确保一个死守”要求，调动全部技术力量运用这门学问尽心尽力的隔河岩，因拦水太多，下泄机会又太少，憋成了一只大气球！ 这只气球随时会爆炸。 6日中午12时，沙市水位44.68米！湖北省委、省政府已下达了《关于做好荆江分洪区运用准备的命令》。据预报，到晚8时，沙市水位将达44.75米，直逼45.00米的分洪争取水位，7日宜昌站还将出现第四次洪峰！ 荆江抗洪已是你死我活，数千里长江大堤在呜咽，隔河岩大坝，你可以承受的极限水位到底是多少？清江，你还能为长江作多少付出？ 不眠不休的公司老总们，包括所有清江员工，忧心如焚。 为长江努力削峰错峰作出贡献的隔河岩，已陷入难以预料的自危状态。 正常蓄水位200米时，库容34亿立方米……超正常蓄水的水库，像只负载过重的土家大背篓，被隔河岩，这个鄂西深山里的年轻小伙儿吃力地背着，他在膝行，步步滴血。 8月6日早晨8点30分，隔河岩。清江公司召开全体职工参加的紧急防汛动员大会，所有工作以防汛为中心，一保大坝安