“天赐神佑”:乾隆十三年钱塘江“潮归中门”的过程及其政治意义

“AMiracle by Gods”: The Process and Its Political Significance of “Tide Returning to the Middle Gate” of the Qian-tang River in the Thirteenth Year of Qianlong Reign

乾隆初的两浙塘工是雍正末计划的延续,被冲边滩自然恢复导致北岸涨沙不断。督抚却奏请改柴塘为鱼鳞大石塘,被刘统勋叫停,刘查后却建议循序渐进改建。新抚常安反对而得罪诸臣,新督那苏图决定以间接护岸工程为主并准备重开中小门引河。为官艺术高超的那苏图、刘统勋没有完全停止塘工是因为深知地方视塘工为利薮,不能彻底断了别人念想。中小门引河成功带有很大偶然性,成为当年皇帝眼中的一抹亮色,方观承被速擢为直隶总督,他与同年被构陷而惨死的常安形成鲜明对比,典型的自然因素造英雄。塘工决策和建设就这样与政治因素、人物斗争糅合,边滩与河口变化的动力机制却成为理解海塘工程自然与人文因素复杂交织的重要一极。

The Seawall engineering in Zhejiang Province in the earlyQian-long Reign is the continuation of the pre-plan in the late Yong-zheng|Reign.The natural restoration of washed-out beaches leads to continuous sand-rising on the north bank of the Qian-tang River.The local governors requested to the imperial government for a complete conversion from wooden Seawalls to stone-piled Seawalls,which was stopped by Grand Secretary Liu Tongxun,who suggested a more gradual process after investigation.The new civil governor Chang’an objected it and therefore offended many concerned official,and the new military governor Nasutu decided to take indirect bank revetment as his main project and prepared to reopen the Middle Small Gate for river flow control.Nasutu and Liu Tongxun,experienced and highly skilled,did not order to stop the Seawall engineering completely because they knew this construction was an important source of interest to the local authorities and any attempt to call it off would bring their discontent and corresponding retaliations.To the great satisfaction of the Emperor,the Middle Small Gate Project succeed,though very occasionally.The relevant hero,Fang Guancheng,was soon promoted to the military governor of Zhili Province,which was in sharp contrast with the tragic death of framed Chang’an in the same year.What a typical way that natural factors made heroes.