There is a ditch in the west of Wu 'an, Hubei Province, named Tongli Canal. Why is it called Tongli Canal? This started more than 500 years ago.

At that time, this ditch river in the west of Wu 'an City originated in the north of Yingcun Village in Zhuangzi today, flowed through the ditch outside the north wall of Normal University today, and then entered Ximen to Xiguan Street through Grandma Temple, and flowed into Nanguan. At that time, although there were no temples for teachers and grandmothers, the river had been flowing for many years. Every rainy season, the streets in Nanguan are more than a foot deep, houses and shops are flooded, and the people are miserable. I only hope that someone can turn harm into benefit and benefit the people.

During Chenghua period of Ming Dynasty, Nai Yong 'ang, a juren from Xianghe, came to Wu 'an to be the magistrate of a county. In his first summer, he encountered the rainstorm he had not seen for many years. During the heavy rain, the ditches in Wu 'an are full of rivers, and the plains are vertical and horizontal, and the disasters in various places are constant. In the city, shops and shops are flooded, goods are flooded, vegetables and fruits are scattered all over the street, and businessmen complain everywhere. Hearing this, Naichi County walked out of the west gate in the rain, only to see the flood of Tao Tao rushing through the city from the west. Shops on both sides of Nanguan Street have already closed, and some shops are using sandbags to block floods. Naichi stayed in the rain for an hour, and I don't understand why such a large amount of water can come from.

After the rain cleared, Nai Zhifu and touts came to Nanguan Street again, and street officials and people talked about it one after another. Someone said, "We pay for food every year, and the flood passes by the door every year, regardless of the county grandfather." Some said, "Grandfather county yamen is newly built, and it is up to us ordinary people to decide whether to live or die." Many people talk and say bad things. An old man came out of the shop and said to everyone, "I don't know how many medicinal materials in this drugstore have been damaged by water." Although there are preparations this year, I don't know that more than a dozen sacks of medicinal materials that just arrived two days ago are all soaked in water. The water bag flowing out of my shop can cure all diseases. There is really no way to explain to the shopkeeper. " Nai magistrate didn't say anything after hearing this. He bowed to the old man and asked, "Old man, where do you think this water came from?"? How can there be such a big water in the county? "

"Guest, you are not a local accent, are you?" The old man asked, "The county has been flooded for less than a year or two. All the magistrates who come here say that they want to control water, collect cash and pay taxes, that is, only thunder does not rain, and when it rains, it will be a disaster! " The old man looked at the middle-aged man with a goatee and said, "There is a river in the west of this city, which is several miles long. When it rains, all the water in the four fields flows into this river, and the river flows eastward to the city. Otherwise how can there be such a large amount of water? " I think it might be better to change the waterway. "

Nai magistrate of a county nodded yes, said goodbye to the old man and left for the west. Out of Xiguan, I saw a ditch with a wilderness on both sides, and the torrent of sediment and stones at the bottom of the ditch was not broken. From Naichi County to the south bank, I saw that the terrain from the south to the south was low, and it was difficult to walk with bumps. Not far to the south, another ditch appeared in front of us. He asked touts, "Where does this ditch river lead?" The master looked at it and said, "If you go further south, it will lead to the Daiyu River in the south of the city." Neichi County said: "If the ditch river flowing from the north to the city is connected with the ditch river in front of us, and the river is led to the Daiyu River, no more water will flow into the city. Isn't this a solution to the worries of the people?" The master looked at it again and pointed to the rugged wasteland and said, "This ditch is half a mile away from the Beihe ditch. The project is not small! "

Naichi County said excitedly: "Our ancestors had a precedent for opening canals in history. Can't we dig a half-mile ditch to change the river so that people in the city will stop cursing their mothers? "

A few days later, the county government issued a notice to dig ditches and change water, asking the city people to shop, make great efforts and have money to pay for the benefit of future generations. When people heard about it, they responded in succession. After the construction started, Naizhi County appeared on the construction site every day, and the people on the construction site were very busy. A winter passed, and a new ditch nearly a mile long and more than a foot long connected the north and south ditches. The newly built soil blocked the gully that flowed into the city. The original ditch was backfilled with soil excavated from the new river and turned into several acres of fertile land. People set off firecrackers and beat gongs and drums for days on end.

In July of that year, it rained heavily for several days. Nai Zhifu went out of the west gate in the rain and looked south at Nanguankou Street in front of Nanguankou Temple. The old flood street no longer exists. As usual, the market is open as usual, and people are smiling. But he was also worried about the newly built dam, and rushed to the west of the city, standing on the newly built dam, watching the flood coming from the south, and the stone in his heart fell to the ground.

In order to celebrate Naichi County, which works for the people, people call the newly excavated ditch "Tongli Canal". When later generations built Xiangxian Temple, they also enshrined Nai Yong 'ang's memorial tablet on the ground. The people of Wu 'an will never forget the merit of digging Tongli Canal in Naichi County to benefit the people.