Zhejiang, Zhejiang Governor's Mansion.
"It's raining really hard today. It hasn't rained so hard for a long time!"
Zheng Michang held the teacup and looked at the heavy rain outside, and couldn't help but sigh.
"Yes, fortunately the autumn harvest is over. Otherwise, all the food that the people have not had time to harvest would be in trouble." He Maocai also commented closely.
"Hmph, you're just being pretentious!" Tan Lun, who was sitting in the corner, snorted coldly and said.
"You!" Zheng Michang heard this and immediately looked at Tan Lun in the corner with angry eyes.
"Okay, okay, don't be acquainted with him. Don't you know what he looks like?" Seeing that the two were about to quarrel, He Maocai quickly stepped forward to be the peacemaker and comforted each other.
Immediately, after glaring at each other, the two snorted and looked away.
"In a while, the imperial court will send people down to collect the salt tax. Are your governor's offices ready? Are the relevant account books complete?" Hu Zongxian, who was sitting at the top, turned his eyes to Zheng Michang and asked. .
"Your Excellency, everything has been prepared and there are no mistakes or omissions!" Upon hearing this, Zheng Michang quickly bowed and reported the report respectfully.
"Well, that's good, don't make any trouble." After listening to Zheng Michang's report, Hu Zongxian nodded, and then picked up the teacup on the side.
While everyone was chatting, they saw a figure wearing a raincoat rushing out of the heavy rain. He looked anxious. As soon as he entered the hall, he knelt on the ground. His lips were purple, his face was pale, and his voice was trembling: " Sir... sir... Sir, over there at the dam..."
"Tell me, what happened? What happened over there at the dam?" Hu Zongxian stood up suddenly, with a look of panic on his face.
"The dam has collapsed!" cried the soldier who came to report the situation.
After listening to the soldiers' report, Hu Zongxian suddenly fell back into his chair as if he had lost all his strength.
"Master Hu!"
When other officials in the hall saw this, they couldn't help but feel a little worried, and they all wanted to step forward to help him.
"Leave me alone, I'm fine. Hurry, send people over to the dike and transfer the soldiers stationed nearby! If the dike completely collapses, it will harm the people of nine counties and more than 100,000 lives! Go, Go quickly!" Hu Zongxian waved his hand and refused everyone's help.
"Bring me the coir raincoat." After his emotions calmed down completely, Hu Zongxian said in a deep voice to the guard on the side.
"Sir, just let us do this! It's better for you to take care of yourself..." When the officials saw that Hu Zongxian wanted to go to the collapsed dam in person, they all began to admonish him.
"You don't need to persuade me. The imperial court handed over Zhejiang to me to manage. Now the embankment has collapsed. As the governor of Zhejiang, I must be present!" After Hu Zongxian said that, he was escorted by several personal guards and marched towards the collapsed embankment.
"Quick, let's go too! Bring over all the people who can be transferred at present." After Hu Zongxian left, the remaining people gave the orders, and then they also wore raincoats and followed Hu Zongxian's pace.
…
Chun'an County, under Hangzhou, was the most severely affected place because it was the closest to the dam.
"Father, mother, please hold my hand quickly and don't get swept away!"
On the roof of a house that was washed away by floods, a young man was struggling to stretch out his arms to his parents who were trapped on the other side, but no matter how hard the young man tried, he was always a little short.
"Dad, Mom, what are you doing! Throw those things away."
Seeing that the water level around him was rising higher and higher, his parents who were trapped aside were still hesitant, and the young man was so anxious that he almost cried.
"No, these things are handed down from our ancestors. The money from the sales in the future will be reserved for you to marry a wife. How can you just throw them away?" The parents who were trapped aside shook their heads and refused.
"No, the water level has risen again. Hurry up..."
Before the young man finished speaking, his words were stuck in his chest, and he saw a big wave coming, and his parents were involved in it, leaving nothing behind.
The young man stared blankly at the place where his parents had been standing and choked up.
"Oh oh oh, my child..."
"Father, mother, where are you, ah!"
…
Soon, Hu Zongxian led people to the place where the embankment collapsed. They saw that the embankment that the court had spent four million taels of silver to build had a large section broken in the middle! Coupled with the sudden heavy rain, floods surged out of the gap and poured down toward Chun'an County below.
"Are the gravel bags ready?" Hu Zongxian looked at the scene in front of him, frowned, and then asked aloud.
"Your Excellency, we have already made preparations before coming here." The subordinate behind him quickly responded.
"Quickly send people to use gravel bags to plug the gaps in the dikes. If this continues, the remaining counties will not be spared."
"At the same time, let those who come to rescue the victims as much as possible." Hu Zongxian gave the order in an orderly manner.
"Teacher, how is the situation here?" Soon, Ma Ningyuan, the prefect of Hangzhou, also led a large team of people to the scene of the dam collapse.
"The situation is very bad. If the gap in the dam cannot be blocked, more than 100,000 people in nine counties will suffer! Go and ask your people to prepare more bags of gravel." Hu Zongxian did not look at him, but just said calmly. The voice commanded.
"Why are you still standing here? Go quickly!" Hu Zongxian frowned when he saw Ma Ningyuan still standing there.
"Actually, teacher, I know something about the collapse of the dam. It was Mr. Yan Ge's idea." Ma Ningyuan hesitated for a long time and said timidly.
"Hmph, I will deal with you after this matter is over. Now take your people to prepare sand and gravel!"
"Yes." After Ma Ningyuan finished speaking, he took his subordinates to carry the bags of gravel.
Soon, a brigade of soldiers stationed nearby were also recruited to participate in the emergency repair work of the dam.
"Sir, I took people there just now, but the gap is too big. It can't be blocked with sand and gravel alone!" Zheng Mi Chang came back in a panic wearing a raincoat to report.
"It has to be blocked even if it can't be blocked! If this dam cannot bear it at all, the people in the nine counties will suffer. When the court blames it, I would like to see your explanation." Hu Zongxian said with an extremely indifferent expression His eyes swept over Zheng Michang.
"Sir, I have a way to tie the brothers with ropes, and then go down to the gap in the dam and block it with my body." Liu Zhongxin, the guard commander behind Hu Zongxian, said after pondering for a moment.
"If you act like this, you will be in a very dangerous situation. If you are not careful, you will be swallowed by the flood!" Hu Zongxian turned around and looked at Liu Zhongxin behind him and said.
"With the salary from the imperial court, we naturally have to do things, right? It's settled, anyone who is willing to come, come with me!" Liu Zhongxin said, and said to the soldiers behind him.
"yes!"
"On behalf of the people of Zhejiang, thank you!" Hu Zongxian said, bowing deeply to the ground.
Soon, the previous soldiers tied the rope to themselves. After the fixation was completed, they jumped into the gap in the dam one by one, using their bodies to resist the impact of the water flow.
"I'm going to tell you that due to the heavy rains in Zhejiang, the previously built dikes have been washed away, and I'm asking the court to allocate funds for disaster relief!" Hu Zongxian looked at the soldiers not far away who were blocking the gaps in the dikes with their bodies, and then turned aside. He ordered to his staff Xu Wei.
"yes."
