As Master Xi had expected, the seven seeping holes were no longer just gushing water and sand, but were now spurting water like fountains. One of the seeping holes was ejecting a water column nearly two ters high!
The water pressure was so great that trying to use straw to filter and retain the sand was impossible; all they could do was let it spray.
The newly built cofferdam ford a semicircle with the dry dike in front, covering an area of over 1,400 square ters.
After six and a half hours of earthworks, the cofferdam was nearly nine ters high, aning the semicircular reservoir in front of them could hold nearly ten thousand cubic ters of water.
The seeping holes would only grow larger, and the water pouring in would only co faster and in greater volus.
The treacherous dike in front could collapse at any mont, and the newly built cofferdam, not being properly compacted, was not very sturdy, making the sandbag wall for slope protection crucial!
The water pouring in was already half a foot high, and all the Civilian Soldiers who had been working to prevent seepage dangers below the dike had retreated to higher ground.
Han Yu watched the rising water level in the reservoir, alternately holding a walkie-talkie and a portable loudspeaker, issuing orders frequently.
"Instructor Yang, Instructor Yang, you are the commander; you cannot go to fill sandbags."
"Roger, roger, I'm going up the dike now."
"Quickly organize personnel to assist the drainage team in pulling power sources, setting up water pumps and hoses, and drain the incoming water as much as possible back into the river!"
"Understood!"
"Director Ge, ask Director Hu when the water pumps he was finding will be delivered!"
"Roger, I'll urge them imdiately."
"Master Dai, this is Han Yu, can you hear ?"
"Roger, roger, Secretary Han, please go ahead."
"Stop carrying sandbags and imdiately organize personnel to bring thirty piles from the ship, make sure to move fast!"
"Understood!"
Han Yu switched the walkie-talkie to the water security squad frequency, urgently calling out: "Director Gu, Director Gu, this is Han Yu, please respond if you hear ."
"Roger, Secretary Han, please proceed!"
"Do you have any ropes on your side? Any sturdy ropes will do; send over as many as you can."
"Understood!"
"President Hao, President Hao, I've already notified people to transport the piles. Once the piles are on the dike, imdiately have Excavator No. 1 co up to drive the piles, spacing them five ters apart."
"What use is it to drive one pile every five ters?"
"It's not for protecting the new levee; it's to tie safety ropes for the soldiers stacking sandbags."
"Understood!"
"Battalion Commander Wu, Battalion Commander Wu, I'm arranging people to drive piles on the dike and also for others to find ropes. Once the piles are set and the ropes arrive, your people must all tie on safety ropes!"
"Roger that!"
All the soldiers from Company 3, Battalion 2 of the 132nd Regint were on the water side of the new levee, stacking sandbags, and their situation was the most dangerous now.
After Han Yu issued the orders, he ran up to the dry dike in one breath along the newly built levee, still being reinforced, looking far out towards 001, which was cooperating with Navy divers on the river, and adjusted the walkie-talkie frequency again.
"Major Comrade, this is Han Yu, ergency command. The incoming water is fast, and the volu is large. There should be traces of leakage on the river; have you seen any?"
"Report to the commander, nothing found yet."
Han Yu glanced back at the reservoir, with the water level continuing to rise, quickly estimating the ti it would take to reach the feet of Company 3, Battalion 2 soldiers of the 132nd Regint, and said unequivocally: "Major Comrade, you have another forty-five minutes; if you can't find the leakage within forty-five minutes, please co ashore imdiately!"
The Major knew very well the severity of the danger onshore, and couldn't afford to ponder over the young commander giving orders not being just young but not even an active-duty officer.
He didn't want to abandon halfway and urgently said: "Commander Comrade, could we be given a little more ti? The underwater conditions differ from those onshore; my brothers under the water can't see anything and have to rely on feeling each inch with their hands!"
"No, I can't spare that much ti for you; 001 has significant tasks ahead."
"Understood!"
"Captain Fan, Captain Fan, this is Han Yu, do you copy?"
"Copy that."
"Since our 001 can supply water offshore, it can also pump water offshore! I'm sending chanics to the ship; you and the chanics should figure out how we can, after forty-five minutes, jointly pump out the water flooding into the dike."
"Alright, we'll try to find a way."
"Move fast, and ensure diver safety at the sa ti."
"Understood."
The Navy Major finally realized what the young commander needed this converted law enforcent ship for.
The ship had firefighting water pumps and high-pressure water cannons, capable of pumping water in and out much faster than the two pumps onshore. They needed 001 to partake in pumping the water flooding into the dike, ensuring the safety of those working on the dike.
They were already here, and his subordinates were down in the water, including even a cadet.
The Major didn't want to leave things half done and put down the walkie-talkie, picking up the intercom to communicate with the divers, shouting: "Xiao Liu, Xiao Wu, the dike's seeping danger is getting out of control. River water is continuously flooding into the dike, and this law enforcent ship will leave in forty-five minutes to help with the water pumping.
If we can locate the leak within forty-five minutes, we can find a way to plug it, thereby controlling the seepage, giving the paratroopers and Reserve Forces brothers handling the dike crisis an added asure of safety assurance."
The divers, groping like blind n at the riverbed, heard clearly through their headsets and promptly responded: "Understood, we'll speed up our search."
Under normal circumstances, the Linghai Reserve Camp had three or forty people working and over a hundred watching.
But now, the situation was extrely urgent, as logistics personnel and off-duty soldiers almost all participated in filling or transporting sandbags, and even Liang Xiaojun and his spouse were at the soil point filling sandbags.
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