PFC Chapter 142 Flood
Chapter 142 Flood
The sugar workshop is currently under construction in an orderly manner.
In the past few days, the sweet potatoes that were planted earlier have reached harvest time. After the harvest, some of them will be sent to the capital.
However, just a few days after the sweet potatoes were harvested, it started raining, and Xiao Siyue's workshop had to temporarily shut down.
The moon grew larger and larger, inexplicably stirring up feelings of irritability in people.
Xiao Siyue stood by the window and looked outside.
The rain from the eaves blocked her view like a curtain, and Xiao Siyue felt annoyed, wondering when it would stop.
Although there is usually a lot of rain in the south, this time it rained for several days in a row, making it impossible for Xiao Siyue to carry out her plans.
Suddenly, Xiao Siyue saw a person carrying an oil-paper umbrella coming this way, but because it was raining, Xiao Siyue couldn't recognize him clearly.
As the person approached, Xiao Siyue finally saw him clearly; it turned out to be Lai Xing, Xiao Qinian's servant.
Xiao Siyue wondered why he was here. Could it be that something had happened to her father?
Before Xiao Siyue could think it through, the person had already entered the house.
"Miss, something terrible has happened! The Yu River has breached its banks!" the servant said in a panic.
"What?" Xiao Siyue was shocked.
"Miss, some villagers have just come to the government office saying that the Yu River has breached its banks and many villagers have been swept away by the flood."
How could this happen? How could the Yuhe River have breached its banks?
The floodwaters of the Yuhe River likely rose due to the recent heavy rains, which overwhelmed the dikes, causing them to breach.
"Where is my father now?" Xiao Siyue asked hurriedly.
"The master is currently discussing countermeasures with the advisor and the others."
Xiao Siyue paused in her attempt to leave, realizing that it wasn't the right time for her to go, but she couldn't just stay put.
"Laixing, go back first. Come and tell me after they finish their discussion," Xiao Siyue instructed.
After "Miss" Lai Fu left, Xiao Siyue immediately sat down at the table and wrote down the flood relief solutions she knew.
Looking at the countermeasures on the paper, Xiao Siyue frowned; these were not suitable for use in ancient times.
what can we do about it?
Xiao Siyue drew the geographical location of the Yuhe River. Qianyuan County is located downstream of the Yuhe River, so it would be the first to suffer if the dike were to breach.
The closest village to the river today is Minghe, which is located near the Yu River.
Thinking of this, Xiao Siyue felt a pang of grief. The village was probably destroyed by now, and she wondered how many people had escaped.
A village can be rebuilt if it's destroyed, but if people are gone, everything is gone.
The rain hasn't stopped yet, and the water level in the Yu River isn't dropping, so the floodwaters can't recede. Xiao Siyue is very worried right now.
Moreover, the river dam has now breached, making it impossible to stop the flood.
The only thing we can do now is to quickly relocate the surviving residents of Minghe, as well as those from nearby villages.
While Xiao Siyue waited anxiously, Lai Xing rushed over.
Xiao Siyue quickly stood up and asked, "Laixing, how is it? Is my dad done with his work yet?"
"Miss, Master has already led his men to Minghe Village." Lai Xingyong wiped the rain off his face with his sleeve.
"Do you know the specifics?"
"Miss, I heard that the Yuhe River embankment has been breached, and Minghe Village, located at the downstream end, has been completely submerged by the flood. The surviving villagers are now fleeing to the city."
"What about the other villages?"
"The nearby villages have also begun to be flooded, and the people have started to flee."
……
Meanwhile, Xiao Qinian led his men toward Minghe County, encountering fleeing civilians along the way.
Xiao Qinian was heartbroken, but now was not the time for grief. He had already written a memorial and sent it to Yuzhou Prefecture, hoping that the imperial court could send someone down to rescue him as soon as possible.
When Xiao Qinian arrived at Minghe Village, he saw that the entire village had been completely submerged by the flood.
Houses collapsed, and all sorts of rubble, branches, furniture, and other debris were scattered everywhere by the flood.
"Quickly, everyone check if there are any surviving civilians," Xiao Qinian immediately ordered.
After a period of searching, only a dozen or so civilians were found, and only three were alive.
After ordering his men to take the people away from Minghe Village, Xiao Qinian rushed to the Yuhe River embankment.
Before we even reached our destination, we saw a large breach in the dam, from which floodwaters were rapidly flowing out.
Xiao Qinian was somewhat desperate when he saw this. If things continued like this, the villages near the Yuhe River and even the entire Qianyuan County would be flooded.
"Quickly, gather people immediately and plug the gap," Xiao Qinian ordered hastily.
"Yes, my lord."
All the officers and soldiers worked together to move the gabion towards the gap.
At this point, the local people also came over to join in.
However, the breach was getting bigger and bigger, and the force of the flood was too great to get close.
"Everyone, give it your all! We must plug this gap!" Xiao Qinian shouted as he pulled on the rope.
"Yes, sir, we can definitely do it!" someone responded loudly.
However, the impact of the flood was too great. Before people even got close, they were swept away and pulled in. Fortunately, everyone had a rope, otherwise they would probably be dead.
"Be careful, everyone, tie your ropes securely!" Xiao Qinian shouted, his strength almost completely depleted, but he still gritted his teeth and persevered.
"Sir, it's no use! There's no way we can fit the gabion into the breach." One of the men was so exhausted that he almost collapsed, but was quickly pulled up by the people around him.
"Everyone, take a break first." Xiao Qinian was helpless when he heard this. The gabion itself was very heavy, and with the force of the flood, they simply couldn't plug the breach.
With the floodwaters rising higher and higher, if they didn't hurry, the nearby village would also be submerged.
Xiao Qinian thought for a moment and said to one of them, "Go to the village ahead and see if there are any villagers left. Ask them to come and help."
"Yes, sir, I'll go right away." The man took a breath and hurried off to find someone.
Time passed slowly, and the gap continued to widen. Xiao Qinian was anxious; the water was already up to their calves where they were standing.
I wonder if the people who went to the prefectural city have arrived yet, and if we can spare some soldiers.
What about the refugees who fled to the county? He left his advisor behind to handle their affairs before he left.
While Xiao Qinian was having all sorts of speculations, some villagers came over, and Xiao Qinian finally had a glimmer of hope, because at least they could plug the gap first.
Xiao Qinian quickly bowed to the villagers: "Fellow villagers, thank you for coming to help. Quickly, let's plug the breach together to prevent the flood from flowing out again."
“Sir, this is what we should do; it’s all for the people of Qianyuan County.” The man was somewhat flattered when he saw Xiao Qinian bowing to them.
With everyone working together, the gabion was placed at the opening.
The floodwaters were blocked and stopped flowing out.
Everyone then smiled.
"Finally blocked! Great!" one person shouted happily.
Everyone else was also very excited.
Xiao Qinian also revealed a slight smile.