Frowning his eyebrows, Wei Yifang was about to call the clerk outside the door into the study room to ask, when he saw the door was knocked open with a "bang", and a soaked clerk broke in and shouted: "County Your Majesty, something bad is happening!"
Wei Yifang was somewhat calm, and looked at this disrespectful clerk with his eyebrows furrowed in disgust. Master Wei, who was usually a bit of a germaphobe, was quite disgusted by his muddy clothes...
Suppressing the dissatisfaction in his heart, he asked in a deep voice: "If you have something to tell me slowly, what's going on outside?"
The clerk wiped the rain off his face and said hurriedly, ignoring the embarrassed expression on the county magistrate's face: "Reporting to the county magistrate, the army sent by the imperial court has arrived outside the city..."
Wei Yifang was shocked, stood up quickly, and said in surprise: "So fast? Immediately notify the chef and order the kitchen to arrange the banquet immediately. When Lu Guogong, Fang Jun and other officials enter the city, I will hold a banquet for them. Let him receive the wind and wash away the dust. I am a member of a noble family, how can I lose such etiquette? Otherwise, if word spreads, someone will laugh at me, Jingzhao Weishi, for neglecting the way of hospitality."
The clerk was interrupted mid-sentence. He looked confused at this time and did not dare to take the initiative. After Wei Yifang finished speaking, he said sternly: "This...if we go back to the county magistrate, Fang Jun and others Together with the 5,000-strong army, they had already crossed the city and headed straight for the Jing River embankment."
Wei Yifang was stunned for a moment, his handsome face turned red instantly, and he said angrily: "Even so, why did you say half of the words? Do you want to embarrass me?"
The scribe was so wronged that he thought it was you who stole the words. How dare I not let you speak?
Wei Yifang was not in the mood to dwell on such a trivial matter. He waved his hand and said with a look of displeasure: "This Fang Jun is really too much. He arrived in Jingyang but couldn't cross the city. Doesn't he take me seriously? I am a high-ranking official." A descendant of the Zhaowei family, he is so dismissive and indifferent..."
When I said this, I suddenly remembered that the relationship between the chamberlain and Jingzhao Weishi had always been tense. The two sides had fought in court more than once or twice. There was really no need to give him face...
He had no choice but to say: "That's all. After I take a bath and change clothes, I might as well go to the embankment to meet him. After all, he is an angel who came under the emperor's orders. Don't be too rude."
The clerk swallowed and thought to himself, do you still want to take a shower and change clothes? You really are the son of a noble family. No matter how you wash yourself, won't you still get caught in the rain when you go out? What's more, the entire Jingyang City is about to be turned upside down...
He had no choice but to bravely say: "Then... didn't the county magistrate just ask me why there was so much noise outside?"
"Ah, yes, what's going on?"
Wei Yi almost forgot about it. He only remembered it after being reminded and looked at the scribe curiously.
The scribe said: "Your Majesty ordered a large army to come to Jingyang to provide disaster relief. The minister of the house shouted the slogan 'People are still alive when the dike is there, people will die when the dike collapses' outside the city. All the people in the city were moved and thought of your majesty's kindness. Therefore, Even the old, weak, women and children who stayed in the city all left the city and rushed to the dike, vowing to live or die with the dike!"
Wei Yifang's whole body seemed to have been cast a restraining spell. He stood there in shock and said in disbelief: "What did you say?"
"Your Majesty, apart from the old, weak, sick and disabled who are really unable to move, everyone in the city has left the city and rushed to the embankment to fight the flood and rescue the people with the army! The city is now...almost empty."
Wei Yifang took a breath!
All the people in the city went to the embankment to provide disaster relief, and even shouted the slogan "When the embankment is there, everyone will be alive, but if the embankment collapses, everyone will die." But until now, he, the county magistrate, is still discussing in the government office about hosting a banquet for people from Chang'an. Disaster relief officials even had to shower and change clothes when going to the embankment...
Is this fear of danger?
Or dereliction of duty?
No matter what, Wei Yifang, who was born in an aristocratic family, knew that once he was targeted by the Yushi Yanguan and submitted a unanimous memorial to His Majesty for impeachment, his official position would almost be lost... or even not just dismissed from office. If Take advantage of this opportunity to conduct a thorough investigation on yourself...
Wei Yifang's clothes were soaked with cold sweat in an instant. The cool breeze blew in from the door, and he shivered violently. His handsome face turned pale in an instant, and he shouted: "How dare you mistake me?"
Not caring about changing his official robe, he just pushed the clerk in front of him with one palm and strode into the heavy rain outside the door.
The courtyard immediately remembered the county magistrate's hoarse shouts: "Are they all dead? Anyone who is still breathing, get out of here and follow me to the embankment quickly!"
The clerk didn't expect Wei Yifang's reaction to be so great, and said to himself that even as a county official, it would be a big mistake not to come to the front line in person, but you are a descendant of an aristocratic family after all, and a direct descendant of the Jingzhao Wei family, how can you be afraid of such a trivial matter? ?
Look at this man with his hair disheveled and his clothes in rags due to the heavy rain. This is not the style of Mr. Wei, who used to be the most particular about appearance and demeanor...
*****
There are crowds of people on the Jinghe River embankment.
Lin Ruofu held her waist with one hand and sat on the pergola with the other, looking at the rushing water of the Jing River not far away from the upper reaches of the Jing River, her eyes filled with worry.
Under the organization of the government officials, more than two thousand people were working enthusiastically. Baskets of earth and rocks were transported from under the embankment to the top of the dam to reinforce several embankments that were damaged by floods. However, the floods became more and more violent. , the turbulent water swept away the newly dumped earth and rocks in an instant, and all the efforts were in vain.
Even the low river banks have been overflowed by the swollen river water, making it muddy...
What's especially worrying is that since they went up to the embankment at noon yesterday, these government servants have not closed their eyes or said anything, and they only drank two meals of gruel... That was the rice he called on the wealthy households in the city to donate. , but the free warehouse that was supposed to be opened at this time is still locked...
Everyone in the city is angry!
Lin Ruofu was just a former director of the Ministry of Industry and had already become an official in the early years of Zhenguan. The Lin family was just a small family in Jingyang. Even if he was willing to give up his family, property and power to provide food for these people, how many meals could he provide?
If Lin Ruofu, a strong man with two or three thousand continuous hard work, had enough appetite to eat, he would be ruined in one meal...
And the crux of the matter is that it is clear that there are tens of thousands of stones of new grain for autumn in the warehouse, but why do you let yourself, a small bureaucrat who has already become an official, lose his family and career?
That doesn’t make sense!
But even though he was angry in his heart, he couldn't just throw away his sleeves and leave. The county magistrate Wei Yifang is a direct descendant of Jingzhao Wei's family. Being the county magistrate of Jingyang is just the first step in his career. Even if Jingyang is razed to the ground by a flood, relying on Wei's power to rise to the top of the sky is just a step. After two years of wasting time, he could still be promoted despite his political achievements in another place...
But Lin Ruofu can't!
He was born and raised in Jingyang, and this was where his bones would be buried in the future. How could he have the heart to let the floods destroy his hometown? If he really does that, how can he live up to his neighbors and face his ancestors in their tombs?
The more urgent the disaster, the more angry Lin Ruofu felt!
What kind of important responsibilities can the children of such aristocratic families take on, apart from being a dandy and enjoying themselves?
What an unworthy man!
A person walked quickly behind him, panting loudly beside him, wiping the muddy water on his face, and said worriedly: "Why does this heavy rain keep falling? The river surface has been swollen, and the water level has been rising. Now there are water levels in many places. If the situation continues to overflow, it will probably be over if this continues! Uncle Shi, look... why don't you let your servants protect you and evacuate first?"
Lin Ruofu looked back expressionlessly and saw that it was County Lieutenant Zhang Ting.
Like the Lin family, the Zhang family is also the ancestral home of Jingyang. Since the Sui Dynasty, they have served as county captains for generations. The Zhang family has a rigorous family tradition. Although they are not from a scholarly family, they are quite honest and kind to others, and their prestige in the county is not low.
When Zhang Ting said these words, he obviously lost confidence in protecting the embankment...
Lin Ruofu's face was as dark as water. She looked around at the villagers who were still working hard, sighed softly, and said helplessly: "You want me to abandon these villagers and neighbors and escape alone? The county magistrate is in charge and refuses to come to the embankment in person. If I were This old bone is not here, so do you think these people will disperse in droves, and in the end no one will be able to hold on to the embankment, allowing the flood to collapse and destroy Jingyang City?"
Zhang Ting was speechless.
After a long while, he shouted angrily: "Mother! What kind of officials are sent by the imperial court? They only know how to enjoy themselves and behave like well-educated children of aristocratic families all day long. Once something happens, they will be very rude." I don’t even dare to show my face, it’s just a corpse meal!”
Lin Ruofu's thin and thin body stood upright in the wind and rain, her face was haggard but she could not hide the cold look in her eyes, and she shouted flatly: "Since you know that people only regard being an official as a step to success, why do you need to do so much? Hope? He is afraid that he will be embarrassed if he gets on the embankment, so he can drink tea in the yamen and become his second generation ancestor. This is Jingyang, the Jingyang of us Jingyang people, let us use our flesh and blood to protect this road Embankment, let us Jingyang people defend our Jingyang with our lives!"
In the wind and rain, his shouts spread far away, and everyone nearby was so excited when they heard these words!
"Guard Jingyang!"
"This is the Jingyang of our Jingyang people!"
"Live and die with the levee!"
The wind and rain were like dark, and the floods were raging, but the morale on the embankment was like a rainbow. All the civil servants' eyes were red, they gritted their teeth and unleashed all their strength to transport baskets of earth and rocks from the bottom of the dam. The raging floods blocked everything.
With one heart and one mind, man can conquer heaven!
