Riverside police

The ship's name and number once again changed to 001 from Linghai Tow 012, and it towed thirteen barges. After a day and a half of waiting, it finally passed the lock and entered the first lake in the northern section of the Grand Canal - Shaobo Lake!

Shaobo Lake in the evening, the lake and the sky are the same color.

You can faintly see the lush green trees on both sides of the bank, like long green dragons, surrounding the clear lake water.

Looking across the lake, you can see the vast mist and the dotted fish sails as far as the eye can see. Suddenly looking back, cargo ships are still shuttled back and forth, witnessing the prosperous past and present of the Grand Canal.

There are many ships in the Yangtze Riverside section, but the river is also very wide.

Only when you enter the Grand Canal can you truly feel how dense the ships are.

Looking around, there are boats to the front, back, left and right.

Judging from the ship names and numbers, there are fleets and engine ships from more than a dozen provinces and cities including Jiangsu, Shandong, Henan, Hui, Shen, Zhejiang, and Gansu.

Even if you enter the Shaobo Lake section where the water is wide, you still have to be careful not to hit or be hit by other people's boats, and you must always pay attention to the water depth to prevent stranding.

Another command from Captain Wang came over the intercom.

"Attention, every ship, pay attention, every ship, get ready to row!"

"Received on the 1st."

"Received on the 2nd."

"Received on the 3rd, ready to rock the oar."

…

After confirming that the crew members of the thirteen barges loaded with yellow sand they were towing had received it, Captain Wang shouted: "Qianqian!"

Following Captain Wang's order, the fleet slowly adjusted its course under the tow of Linghai Tow 012.

This is not a formal navigation command, but an instruction passed down by the river fleet over the years. Although it is an instruction, it is a bit like a boatman's call.

Rocking the oar refers to adjusting the course.

The oar in front means that the entire fleet should steer to the left, and the oar in the rear means that the entire fleet should steer to the right.

You must know that this is a long queue composed of thirteen barges, each of which is more than 40 meters long. Each barge is several hundred meters long. It is not easy to turn or turn in such a narrow channel.

This requires the tugboat driver to have superb operating skills, and one person must steer and operate the tugboat, which is commonly known as self-pulling and self-singing.

Unlike the navigation operations of large ships, the steering of the cab is done by the helmsman and the first mate or second mate or third mate on duty.

It is no exaggeration to say that captains of seagoing ships may not be able to drive such a towing fleet, and such a fleet is precisely the main force of inland water transportation.

Thirteen barges loaded a total of more than 1,300 tons of yellow sand. If it were on the shore, more than a hundred ten-ton trucks would be needed to transport it away.

Its transportation cost is much lower than that of automobile transportation, and it is more economical than railway transportation.

But Han Yu never thought about learning the driving skills of towing a long queue, because this is not something that can be learned in three or four years, and there is no time to learn it now.

Plans never change.

After entering the Grand Canal, the first two fleets rushing to transport coal were "cut off" by the fleet and individual idle ships entering the Grand Canal from the Lixia River.

The channel is narrow, and traffic rules on the water must be followed. You cannot overtake a ship just because you want to.

What's more, fleets exceeding fleets are more difficult and dangerous, and the distance between them is getting farther and farther.

In addition, when waiting in line to pass through the lock, the fleet and the engine ships had to anchor separately, and the accompanying engine ships were also "dispersed".

Thinking about the seven or eight fleets and hundreds of engine ships waiting outside the Shaobo Lock, Han Yu almost dared to conclude that the 518 fleet towed by Linghai 103 and the accompanying dozen or so engine ships had been pulled away. The journey lasted nearly a day and a half.

It is completely impossible for Xu Suo to catch up with the fleet behind Xu, unless his leading fleet finds a place to anchor and wait.

But just waiting is unrealistic. You must know that this is a fleet, including the seven hook-up boats that caught up, a total of 20 boats engaged in water transportation.

Each ship has to pay so much fees and insurance every year, and the shipping company has to pay wages to more than 20 crew members.

Individual boat owners also need to calculate costs.

If these ships that passed through the lock first were anchored for 24 hours, the economic losses would be tens of thousands of dollars.

The reason why those water bandits and river tyrants dare to extort money from the state-owned fleet is not only because they are numerous and brave, but also because they know that the fleet dare not tangle with them. After all, this time really cannot be wasted.

Linghai Tuo 012 only has three police officers, Han Yu, Ma Jintao, and Lu Xiangping, and several joint defense team members such as Zhu Baogen and Liang Xiaoyu.

Although Captain Wang is also a member of the joint defense team, he has to take turns driving with Captain Fan.

If they encounter a situation, they must first ensure the safety of navigation. Even if they drag thirteen barges to safe waters and anchor in the shortest time, they will not be able to help much due to their age.

As the "police captain" of the leading fleet, Han Yu is responsible for the safety of the entire fleet and the seven accompanying engines. You can imagine the pressure.

He returned to the command cabin, turned on the radio again, and called worriedly: "Xu Suo, Xu Suo, I am Han Yu, please answer if you receive it! Xu Suo, Xu Suo, please answer if you receive it!"

"Copy that, what's the matter?"

"We have entered Shaobo Lake. Have you reached the lock?"

"There are too many ships in front of us, so we can't move fast. I just asked Captain Gu, and he said it won't arrive at Shaobo Lock until around twelve o'clock at night."

Although 001 became Linghai Tuo 012.

But there were police officers, guns and even high-pressure water cannons on board.

Xu Sanye not only did not worry about the safety of the leading fleet, but also had full confidence in his apprentice.

He was sitting leisurely in the "restaurant" and radio room of Linghai Tuo 103. He raised his head and glanced at the operator, crossed his legs, held a cigarette in his mouth and asked with a smile: "Xianyu, you have just passed the gate, Uncle Shao Are there many ships on the other side of the lock?”

"a lot of."

Han Yu lowered his head and glanced at the waterway map, and said with a grimace: "Xu Suo, you will definitely have to queue up when you get there. I guess I won't be able to come here until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest."

Xu Sanye asked subconsciously: "So I can't catch up with you."

"Unless we dock and wait for you."

"We can't stop and we can't wait. We are here to help the shipping company recover its losses and we can't cause any more economic losses to others."

Xu Sanye knocked the ashes and continued: "Besides, you have the advantage of being faster than us. If you arrive at the dock for unloading yellow sand one or two days in advance, you can stagger the time for unloading at the dock, otherwise you will still have to wait. "

In fact, the leading fleet arrived at the unloading dock one or two days in advance, and not all barges could unload at the same time.

After all, this is an inland river. The wharf is very small and there are few berths. You have to unload one by one.

More than 1,300 tons of yellow sand may take two or three days to be unloaded if the terminal is not highly mechanized.

However, what Han Yu was thinking about now was not unloading. He couldn't help but said: "Xu Suo, I'm worried about you. You only have two police officers and two joint defense members over there!"

"Although there are only two police officers here including me, we have guns, so what are we afraid of?"

Xu Sanye put out the cigarette butt and said with a smile: "Besides, I can mobilize the crew. In the past, the crew did not dare to resist mainly because there was no one to support them. Now I am their courage. As long as I am here, even thirty or fifty water bandits can come." I can take it!”

"Xu Suo..."

"How did your child become a mother-in-law? You don't have to worry about me. Just take care of yourselves. Again, to mobilize the crew, you have to rely on the crew. If you really encounter water bandits, you can't just go up and do it. , pay attention to collecting evidence.”

"yes!"

"Use the small recorder I asked the Fish Bureau to equip you with, and record everything they say."

"clear."

"Furthermore, if there is a fish that slips through the net, you can chase it, but you must pay attention to safety. After all, we are not very familiar with the conditions of the canal, especially at night, so don't chase it too far."

"I know."

"That's it. If anything happens, please contact me in time."

"OK."

"Wait a minute." Xu Sanye thought about it and then warned: "Reporter Wang is with you. No matter what happens, you must ensure his safety."

Han Yu said hurriedly: "Xu Suo, don't worry, as long as I'm here, Reporter Wang will definitely be fine."

After the call ended, Liang Xiaoyu ran over and called for dinner.

Han Yu put down the phone, raised his head and asked, "Xiaoyu, which boat is Reporter Wang on?"

"On the No. 2 ship, he interviewed the crew for a day, and here he is sitting in the cabin of the No. 2 ship writing."

"Did you call him to eat?"

"I shouted and he said he would wait a moment."

"Then let's wait for a while."

Just as he was talking, Ma Jintao walked over from the stern of the ship, looked back at the "long dragon" behind him, held the hatch and asked puzzledly: "Xianyu, when it comes to radio stations, they are also on 001, why did Xu Suo stay on 103. "

"The power of the 103 tugboat radio station is greater than that of our radio station. The building of our Linghai Shipping Company is very high, with a total of six floors. A large and very high antenna is installed on the roof. Xu can contact his hometown on 103 and can pass through his hometown. Call the Fish Bureau.”

Han Yu closed the logbook, thought about it and laughed: "In the past, there was no building higher than the shipping company in the county. Every time the people from the shipping company went to the county for a meeting, people from other units would joke that the people from our shipping company were the top leaders. .”

Ma Jintao asked: "Doesn't Xu Institute have a satellite phone? If you want to contact the Fish Bureau, you can call the satellite phone directly. Why go to such trouble?"

"Xu Institute has a satellite phone, but the cost of satellite phone calls is very expensive. It costs dozens of yuan per minute. Who can afford it?"

As soon as Ma Jintao came to his senses, Liang Xiaoyu asked curiously: "Dried salted fish, how many locks are there on the canal?"

"From south to north, there are eleven ship locks including Shiqiao, Shaobo, Huai'an, Huaiyin, Siyang, Liulaojian, Suqian, Zaohe, Liushan, Jietai and Linjiaba. This refers to the canal on the north-south waterway.

There are more ship locks leading to the canal from other inland rivers and lakes. The reason why Xu Suo and we were "scattered" is because there are many ships from various cities along the river that want to enter the canal. "

It took me a day and a half to go through one lock, how many days would it take to go through so many locks...

Before coming here, Liang Xiaoyu thought that the ship locks across the country were the same as the Bailonggang ship locks. He only had to wait half a day at most. He couldn't believe that the ship locks on the Grand Canal were so busy.

He scratched his neck and asked puzzledly: "Why should we build so many locks on such a good river?"

Ma Jintao said without hesitation: "Just charge money. Just build a ship lock and you can charge a fee. Think about how much you can charge with so many ships passing through the lock in a day!"

"Brother Ma, this matter is not as simple as you think."

"Then why are there so many locks?"

"The water level of this 404-kilometer channel has a drop of more than 30 meters throughout the entire journey. How can we adjust the water level without building locks, and how can we ensure that the water depth of the canal is navigable? If we do not build ship locks, how can we adjust the water level and prevent floods and droughts?"

Looking at the two people who seemed to understand, Han Yu patiently explained while gesturing with his hands: "The ship locks just mentioned have set the more than 400 kilometers of the Grand Canal into ten shipping steps.

Without these locks, the canal would not be navigable at all, and it is unknown how many people along the coast would be displaced due to flooding. "

Ma Jintao was stunned and asked: "These ship locks are all built now. Wouldn't they be navigable when there were no ship locks in the past?"

Han Yu is very familiar with the Grand Canal. He visited it countless times with his parents when he was a child.

The history of the Grand Canal is equally well known.

He picked up the teapot, took a sip of water, and said with a smile: "The older generation said that there used to be no locks on the Grand Canal. They just built a stone dam in the Grand Canal to raise the water level of the canal, and the river water overflowed from the dam. Go over there and you’ll be able to sail, guaranteed.”

"How can we sail when we have built a dam?"

"At that time, there were no ships as big as they are now. There were only small wooden boats of a few tons, or at most a dozen tons. When the ship passed the dam, if it was a launch ship, the cabin was covered with wooden boards and tied firmly, and the lockman was asked to drive the boat and follow it. Like a thorn, it plunges directly from the dam into the water, and then surfaces again."

Han Yu smiled and continued: "If it is a water-launching ship, you have to use a rope to hold the wooden piles on the upstream shore, turn the winch, and pull the wooden ship across the dam. This is how water transportation was done in the past, and it is said that it is The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, but the waterway does not really lead directly to the capital.”

“What’s the name of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal if it can’t connect directly to the capital?”

"In fact, it doesn't really pass. When you get to Huaiyin, you have to change horses and walk for a while, and then change boats. Therefore, there is a saying that the boat is south and the horse is north."

We need to have dinner, but we can’t wait to have it with Reporter Wang.

Anyway, he was idle, so Han Yu decided to teach them more about the locks on the canal, and continued: "The earliest modern ship locks on the canal were built in 1930. At that time, there were only Shao Bo and Liu Laojian in the northern section of the river. Two locks.

One was built by the Kuomintang government and the other was built by the Japanese devils. They built gates in these two places mainly because they are important waterways. One man can guard the gate and no one can open it.

But it has also made some contributions to both sides of the Taiwan Strait. The old people on the shore said that because of the Liulaojian ship lock, Siyang, Huaiyin and Huaian were spared the century-old floods. "

Ma Jintao thought about it and asked: "Now that there is a ship lock, can it go directly to the capital?"

"It can't be passed. After the Grand Canal was rerouted from the Yellow River in 1855, it has never been navigable north of the Yellow River. The only way to get to Beijing is by sea."

Han Yu stood up and stretched, and said with a smile: "But in the southern section of the Yangtze River, from Weishan Lake in Xuzhou, through Qianluoma Lake, Huai'an Huaihe River, Yangzhou Gaoyou Lake all the way south, to the Yangtze River, shipping has been Very smooth.”

Ma Jintao was about to ask whether the Grand Canal channel south of the Yangtze River could be navigable, when Lu Xiangping's call suddenly came from the intercom.

"Salted fish, salted fish, there are a few small boats coming from the east lake."

"How many are there?"

"I can't see clearly, but there are five or six of them."

"Can you see how many people are on the small boat?"

"Can't see clearly either."

"Are you coming for us?"

"It should be that their small boat seems to be equipped with a hanger, and it travels very fast."

"How far is it from us?"

"Seven to eight hundred meters."

"Continue to monitor and never reveal your identity."

"clear."

The so-called small boat is a small iron boat made of cutting and welding waste diesel barrels or gasoline barrels.

This small boat is really insignificant on the hundreds of miles of Jiangbei section of the canal transportation line, but it really played an important role in solving problems at critical moments.

People on the boat use it as a transportation boat. For example, if someone is sick, they use the small boat to send the person ashore for treatment at the hospital, or to buy some daily necessities ashore.

If you encounter an accident, you can even use it to save people or escape.

However, in recent years, as the transportation of coal from the north to the south has become increasingly busy, "Iron Brothers" with small boats have appeared along the hundreds of kilometers of the Jiangbei Canal. In just a few years, they have started to spark a prairie fire. The trend of using small boats to steal coal became popular.

Media reports have previously reported that in the past three or four years, thousands of tons of coal have been lost every year in the northern section of the canal.

The small tin canoe is not only the main culprit of coal theft and transportation, but also the first choice tool for some villagers along the canal to "drain water" and "make a fortune".

Like ants, they eat away at the coal transported by passing fleets, bringing extremely discordant notes to the smooth flow of water transportation and the stability of social security.

But judging from what we have learned before, the public security in the Shaobo Lake area is relatively good, and water bandits are not very rampant.

Han Yu was surprised but did not dare to take it seriously. He looked at each other and raised the intercom again: "Every ship, pay attention, every ship, there are a few small boats coming towards us. Please wake up the crew on duty to rest." Crew members, hurry up and prepare according to the third set of plans!"

"Ship No. 1 received."

"Ship No. 2 received!"

…

After confirming that the barge crew and the owner of the engine boat had received it, Han Yu raised the intercom again: "Captain Wang, Captain Wang, if it is really a water bandit, they will definitely come to the bridge to look for you first. Lu Xiangping is watching, and will go when the small boat arrives. The cab protects you.”

"I'm fine, I have an electric baton."

"Be careful even if there is an electric baton."

Liang Xiaoyu was not idle. From the moment he received Lu Xiangping's report, he took the key from Han Yu and ran to the crew cabin below to get the gun.

Han Yu took Wei Chong from his hand and reminded: "You are not allowed to shoot without my order."

"I know."

"Brother Marco, the same goes for you."

"Don't worry, we know the severity."

"Okay, hurry up and take cover."

As soon as Han Yu finished speaking, Ma Jintao took Wuliu and rushed to the bow of the ship, lifted up the oilcloth and hid under the fire water cannon.

In the blink of an eye, several joint defense team members ran over from the towed barge, and with the help of Liang Xiaoyu, they also got under the tarpaulin used to cover the high-pressure water cannon.

The radio is very expensive and cannot be destroyed by water bandits.

Han Yu locked the door of the command cabin, quickly ran to the stern of the ship, lifted up a piece of oilcloth and got in.

The water bandits on the canal always yelled to the crew members, "I'm just afraid that you won't touch me, just because I won't be able to touch you. If I do, I'll give you money."

Han Yu held Wei Chong tightly and thought to himself, I am here today, waiting for you to touch me, waiting for you to blackmail me!

…

PS: The update is late, here is a 5,000-word chapter!