Soldiers scrambled to shore up soggy levies with sandbags on Tuesday in southern China as forecasters warned that more heavy rain could trigger flooding on the country's second-longest river. The death toll rose to 171, Xinhua reported. The high waters swamped crop land in the south, forcing farmers to wade into their fields and harvest unripe cucumbers, bitter melons and other vegetables before they spoiled in the water. The natural disaster was driving up food prices that were already soaring before the heavy rains began last month.