The water level in Miaozhou City rose very quickly.

When Xu Zhi came from the backyard, she saw that people were already placing sandbags in front of the government office. As the water level rose little by little, Xu Zhi felt her heart rise higher and higher.

Looking out, the area in front of the government office was a vast expanse of water. Even though she had made preparations, Xu Zhi was still somewhat afraid when she saw the out-of-control flood.

Someone rowed a boat downstream, but the current was too fast, making it difficult for the boat to approach the government office gate. Fortunately, someone had already come with long bamboo poles, so that if anyone was swept away by the water, they could be rescued with the bamboo poles.

The people on the boat slowly approached, holding onto bamboo poles. Xu Zhi saw Xi Jing'an on the boat, and as soon as Xi Jing'an got off, Xu Zhi quickly asked, "Jing'an, where are your parents?"

Xi Jing'an wiped the water off his face and said, "Madam, my master is at the city gate right now. He wants to block the city gate so that the water can flow down the moat, but there aren't enough people at the city gate right now, so he sent me here to find some people to go over there."

The rain was still a light drizzle. When Xi Jing'an said he was looking for someone to go over, someone stepped forward. A man said, "We're coming over now, but the current is too strong. I wonder if this young man could take us across by boat."

Xi Jing'an shook his head and said, "The current is too strong, it will be difficult for us to cross by boat. I saw along the way that the houses on both sides of the street are just close to the city gate, so let's go through the rooftops."

Looking at the pointed roof, someone said, "The roof tiles are too slippery when they're wet. This young man, it might be difficult for him to get across the roof."

Xi Jing'an said to Xu Zhi, "Madam, please select some martial arts practitioners from the government office so we can go there first. The magistrate said that as long as we block the west and north city gates, the city will be safe for the time being. Mr. Wu said that according to the weather forecast, the rain will pass soon."

Xu Zhi agreed, and the constables from the government office quickly stepped forward, vying to go to the north city gate, afraid of being left behind. Xu Zhi remained silent for a long time before saying, "Water and fire are merciless, it's very dangerous to go there. You all have elderly parents and young children to support."

Before she could finish speaking, an older constable chuckled and said, “Madam, everyone is born of parents, everyone has a wife, children, and elderly parents. If no one goes, how can Miaozhou City be protected? We’ve lived here for generations; going is to protect our home. It’s Lord Zheng and Lord Feng who are officials from out of town, yet they are willing to risk their lives for their duties. We don’t think we’re just collecting government pay for nothing every month. Brothers, don’t you agree?”

Many people behind shouted "Yes!" so Xu Zhi could only have each person heading to the north city gate tie a piece of paulownia wood to their body. The paulownia wood was light, so if they fell into the water, they could struggle for a while with the buoyancy of the paulownia wood.

Xi Jing'an led dozens of people up the ladder to the roof and then headed towards the north city gate.

Xu Zhi stood in front of the government office. The steps of the government office were much higher than those of the surrounding shops. The water on the street was now up to an adult's thigh. Many shops were flooded. Some people had taken down their doors to block the entrance and were scooping out the water little by little from the inside. However, the current was too strong, and some shops could not withstand the impact of the water. Soon, some things in the shops floated out with the water. Although it was heartbreaking, the current was so strong that no one dared to try to retrieve the things that had floated out.

There were many sandbags and stones placed at the north city gate. These had been prepared long ago. It was already mid-afternoon when Xu Zhi noticed that the water in the street had receded a bit. She then heard shouts coming from afar, saying that the north city gate had been blocked with stones and sandbags. However, the water level of the underground river that ran through Miaozhou City showed no signs of decreasing. Lord Feng had already sent people to organize the evacuation of the people on both sides of the underground river.

Xi Jing'an ran over from the north gate and said to Xu Zhi, "Madam, the city gate is blocked. The water is flowing south along the moat, but the water in the underground river is still very high. We've tried many methods but we can't block the underground river. The magistrate said that we in the city should be extra careful. The city wall at the entrance of the underground river doesn't look very sturdy."

As everyone stood in front of the government office, they heard shouts from afar. Xu Zhi quickly sent someone to check. The person waded through the water and returned shortly after, saying, "Madam, a large section of the city wall on the other side of the underground river has collapsed. Lord Zheng and Lord Feng are leading people to deal with it."

They were busy until dark when Zheng Boyuan and Feng Shaoli returned to the government office covered in mud. Chu Huaigui had already received the news and came through the small gate at the back of the office to greet Zheng Boyuan and Feng Shaoli warmly.

Zheng Boyuan had been guarding the riverbank for several days, and he was dark and thin. Now he was covered in mud and water. After exchanging a few simple pleasantries with Chu Huaigui, he saw that Feng Shaoli was about to collapse. He let out a sigh of relief and swayed a few times. Chu Huaigui quickly told the two of them to go home and rest first, while he took care of everything at the government office.

Xu Zhi felt so sorry for him that she quickly asked the cook to go home and boil some water. She and Xi Jing'an then helped Zheng Boyuan home, where he took a warm hot bath.

After Zheng Boyuan finished washing up, Xu Zhi brought dinner to the study where Zheng Boyuan usually slept. Zheng Boyuan sat on the tatami mat, drank a bowl of hot soup, and then breathed a sigh of relief. He said to Xu Zhi, "Ah Zhi, I feel like I've come back to life. These days have really been killing me."

Xu Zhi handed him a pair of chopsticks and said, "Since the city is already in this state, let's rest well today and do what we need to do tomorrow."

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