Soon, eight thousand soldiers of the Imperial Guard, led by their respective squad leaders, began to rescue civilians trapped under the rubble in groups of ten.

Hua Tuo, who had accompanied them, also led a medical team to begin treating the injured people.

News of the emperor's arrival spread throughout the city, and countless people, with tears in their eyes, rushed towards Liu Hong's location.

Ignoring the danger of aftershocks, Liu Hong stood on a high platform.

Seeing the pitiful state of the people and their bewildered eyes, Liu Hong couldn't help but feel a tremor in his heart. He then said loudly:

"As the Emperor of the Great Han, you are all subjects of the Great Han, all my subjects. Seeing you suffer this calamity, I am deeply grieved."

Please believe in me and my soldiers; I will always stand by your side.

We will spare no effort to rescue your families, and the imperial court and government will do their utmost to properly resettle you.

"We are willing to believe in Your Majesty!!"

Seeing Liu Hong covered in mud, the people were deeply moved, and their eyes were filled with hope.

Then Liu Hong continued, "Remember this, this disaster is not some divine punishment or retribution, but a test."

I believe that human will can overcome nature. As long as you stand with me and the court, we will surely be able to overcome this disaster.

"Our great Han Dynasty fears no obstacle. Even if Heaven itself opposes our Han Dynasty, I and you will surely prevail!"

The emperor's words were truly a wake-up call, stirring the hearts of the people and causing their faces to flush.

"Man can conquer nature!"

These four incredibly powerful words resonated in everyone's minds.

Soon, these spirited people, under the organization of Xi Zhicai and the military instructors, began disaster relief efforts.

Young and strong men joined the soldiers in rescuing people, children took care of the elderly, and women followed Hua Tuo's medical team to collect medicinal herbs to treat the wounded.

Soon, Liu Hong dispatched dozens of soldiers to leave Zhao County and head towards Luoyang and the surrounding counties to inspect the disaster situation and order various regions to send supplies for disaster relief.

Liu Hong then sent people to the government treasury and granary in Zhao County to salvage the supplies and grain inside.

Upon arriving at the county government office in Zhao County, and seeing the corpses of the county magistrate and his assistant, Liu Hong couldn't help but sigh.

Even the county magistrate died in this earthquake; one can only imagine how severe the casualties among the common people must be.

Meanwhile, Zhang Zhao and Ju Shou's team arrived at Yiyang, while Tian Feng and Zhou Yi's team arrived at Zhongqiu.

The situation in these two counties was no less dire than in Zhao County; the entire county seat had been reduced to ruins.

The soldiers who rushed to the disaster relief site couldn't help but shed tears when they saw the miserable state of the people.

Especially Tian Feng, when he saw the more than twenty children who had died in the school, even he, who was always strong, couldn't help but burst into tears.

With the arrival of the Han army, the people of the three counties calmed down and began to rescue others, following behind the soldiers.

At the same time, officials in Zhao County and surrounding counties also acted quickly, sending people to request assistance from the imperial court while also leading their yamen runners and local garrison troops to begin disaster relief operations.

Thanks to the officials' highly efficient actions, the affected people did not riot; instead, they all worked together and followed the government.

Even late into the night, the soldiers, holding torches in their hands, continued their disaster relief efforts tirelessly.

The faint light from the torches, like the bright sun of day, illuminated the disaster area in the ruins as if it were daytime, and at the same time dispelled the despair in the darkness.

Liu Hong also moved among the various makeshift tents, comforting the injured people.

As Liu Hong stepped out of the last tent, he couldn't help but look up at the night sky. Yesterday, the night sky was full of stars, but today it was dark and gloomy.

"Your Majesty, you must be tired after a long day. Why don't you rest for a while?"

Looking at the emperor's haggard face, Zhang Rang said with a worried expression.

"Alas, how can I sleep when the people are suddenly struck by such a calamity!"

Smelling the blood in the air, Liu Hong couldn't help but sigh softly.

Unlike the cold, hard numbers he had encountered before, Liu Hong was now personally in the disaster area, witnessing the victims who had lost their loved ones and were left with nothing in an instant. Only then did he truly understand the immense suffering the people endured after the disaster.

Zhang Rang, who was following behind Liu Hong, also fell silent and stopped trying to persuade him.

Afterwards, Liu Hong continued to wander around the city, and seeing the soldiers and civilians who were still persisting in the rescue, Liu Hong felt a little comforted.

Meanwhile, Liu Hong and Hua Tuo were constantly directing people to carry out post-disaster epidemic prevention work.

As the night passed, the dazzling morning sun shone upon the ruins.

Liu Hong rubbed his bloodshot eyes, found a brick at random, and sat down. Zhang Rang also brought a bowl of porridge to Liu Hong's side.

"Your Majesty, please eat something first."

Liu Hong nodded, took the bowl of porridge, and the person began to gulp it down.

While eating, Liu Hong asked, "What is the situation with the grain reserves in the city?"

Zhang Rang: "Your Majesty, the Zhao County government granary and official granary together hold 200,000 shi of grain, enough to feed the soldiers and the people for two months."

"Hmm~, that's good!"

Liu Hong was relieved to learn that there was no shortage of food.

I have vigorously promoted the storage of grain in government granaries, and now I am finally reaping the rewards I deserve. As long as there is enough grain, this disaster will soon be over.

Luoyang.

After yesterday's preparations, 30,000 soldiers from the Imperial Guard, Tiger Guard, and Northern Army, carrying a large amount of disaster relief equipment, left Luoyang and headed towards Jizhou.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!