Chapter 99 Wave

It was the beginning of the third month, and this busy work lasted for two hours.

Leaden clouds pressed down on the river surface, and rain poured down continuously.

Even wearing a straw raincoat, the old county magistrate was soaked from head to toe.

He personally experienced the Princess's style of doing things, which was decisive and unambiguous.

He wanted to ask about the disaster relief food several times, but in the end he just swallowed it.

This person cannot tolerate any sand in his eyes. I think the court is really unable to make ends meet. The three states have suffered disasters and there is a war in the north. This is the only thing they can do.

After thinking about it, he finally swallowed the question.

The sky suddenly cracked into spider-web-like silver lines, and when lightning split the clouds, a sharp sound like silk tearing exploded between heaven and earth.

Muffled thunder rolled along the riverbed, like a thousand upside-down bronze bells being hammered and vibrating.

Meng Jian urged his horse forward, "Your Highness, the thunder is falling too fast. Please stop and rest for a moment."

Rainwater trickled down the gaps in his helmet, and Qin Zhaoqiong frowned. "We'll stop at the old site of Huilongtan ahead."

"yes!"

Soon, the army arrived nearby and camped by the river.

The river is wide, which is indeed convenient for boating, and there is a pier.

If it weren't for the water conditions, merchant ships traveling from south to north would dock here.

Goods are sent to Canglong East Road, Zhuque South Road, and Tianji Road through this place, which is a water transportation hub.

But everything has its pros and cons. Channel widening occupies natural flood discharge areas.

It wouldn't be a big deal in a normal rainy year, but the water situation we encountered was the worst we hadn't seen in fifty years.

Due to the widening of the river channel and the opening of docks, the downstream area of ​​the original Huilongtan area has become wider at the top and narrower at the bottom.

Long-term siltation has caused the riverbed to be higher than the banks, which is called a hanging river.

Tiangongsi has obviously taken this into consideration. River embankments have been added on both sides of this section, and part of the annual dock income will be invested in clearing accumulated sand.

According to Qin Zhaoqiong's experience, this is the most important place.

If it can be held, the water situation in the entire Hanoi Province will be under control.

She did not rest, but immediately took General Wang and County Magistrate Lu to inspect along the river bank.

Not long after walking out, I saw a group of laborers carrying sandbags in the heavy rain.

Hundreds of laborers bent their backs, carrying sacks that were bulging with rainwater.

His palms, with bulging veins, dug into the straw rope, his knuckles turning pale, his feet sank into the mud, and every step was difficult.

"Your Highness..." The old magistrate was supported by his personal guards. He gasped and said, "I am worried about the river bank being damaged. I have ordered people to reinforce it as soon as possible."

Qin Zhaoqiong nodded. The county magistrate shared her thoughts. "How should we recruit civilians?"

"Most of them were laborers from the Cao Gang. When the flood hit, they had no merchant ships and no means of livelihood, so they resorted to labor in exchange for relief."

Lu Zhaochuan thought of the relief food containing bran and secretly wondered whether he should pay some extra wages after the flood receded.

The laborers passing by naturally noticed the approaching group. Seeing the county magistrate carefully accompanying him, they thought that this person was the imperial envoy of the court.

We worked hard to carry sandbags in the rain, but what we got in return was relief food mixed with bran. We felt as uncomfortable as if a stone was stuck in our hearts.

In a flash of lightning, they saw clearly the hundreds of imperial guards guarding the eldest princess.

The blue-gray armor was stained with rain, but it still stung their eyes.

Many people couldn't help but lower their heads, not daring to look again. There was anger in their hearts, and curses were stuck in their throats.

Lu Zhaochuan swallowed his saliva and finally felt relieved.

Fortunately, the river workers did not lose their minds, and his words yesterday were not in vain. At least the complaints were suppressed.

Once we get through this difficult time, we can comfort them later.

But Qin Zhaoqiong sensed the resentment of the river workers. Where did this resentment come from?

Meng Jian had a higher level of cultivation, so he naturally noticed the abnormality.

He took a few steps forward silently, getting closer to the princess, and at the same time used his Qi to transmit a message, "Your Highness, be careful. There's something wrong with us."

Qin Zhaoqiong remained calm. He originally wanted to walk closer to the river bank to observe the water level, but he immediately changed his mind and planned to go around the group of laborers first.

Just when she was halfway there, she suddenly stopped and looked back, and Meng Jian's face suddenly changed, "Retreat!"

The guards carried out the order immediately without asking any questions.

The guards at the rear rushed forward and formed a circle in a few moments, protecting the eldest princess as she retreated away from the riverbank.

Just as they had retreated less than five feet, they heard the sound of rapid rushing from afar, as if thousands of troops were charging towards them.

A flash of silver light appeared, and everyone witnessed the surging wave.

"this……"

"Retreat, retreat quickly, the wave is coming!"

The Cao Gang's laborers didn't care about the sandbags at all. They threw them on the ground and immediately ran to the back. There was chaos for a while.

The tide was faster than a swift horse. In the blink of an eye, the first wave of the tide had already licked the river bank.

The loud bang was like thousands of horses crushing an ice river, creating a water curtain several feet high, and the salty mist wrapped in sand blew towards one's face.

"Retreat again!"

Meng Jian was not in the center of the circle. He knew very well that the captain of the Xuanji Guard must be guarding the eldest princess and that she was safe.

He was now in the right front of the periphery, with raging waves in front of him and civilians retreating in panic on his right.

Although he was about 20 to 25 feet away from the river bank, his head and face were still drenched by the splashing water. He immediately ordered a retreat.

In sharp contrast to the civilians, the imperial guards had their own rules for retreating, moving swiftly without losing their respective guarded positions.

After the tide, one wave was higher than the other, and there was a sea of ​​white in front of my eyes, as if even the river bank was swallowed up.

A large amount of river water overflowed, and because the riverbed was higher than the bank, it quickly spread to the feet of the people.

Qin Zhaoqiong looked tense. Under normal circumstances, he might have asked someone to protect the river workers.

But she just noticed the strange atmosphere and gave up doing so. Instead, she kept a distance from the other party.

After retreating about a hundred feet, everyone stopped.

"This...how could it be so violent..."

County Magistrate Lu was so frightened that his body could not stop shaking.

This heavy rain has only been falling for two hours. How could it have formed such a terrible wave in just two hours?

Qin Zhaoqiong naturally thought of this as well and looked to the side. "General Manager Wang, do you have any speculation?"

"Your Highness..." General Wang was trembling as he spoke. "With such a high level of water, I'm afraid the dam upstream must have burst..."

Qin Zhaoqiong clenched his fists. "Send the message back to the camp. Send out five hundred cavalrymen to gallop upstream, stationing a guard every mile. Quickly investigate the cause."

"yes!"

What is coming will come. Flood control will not be smooth sailing, and Qin Zhaoqiong is mentally prepared.

The Cao Gang's laborers finally retreated. Some fell and were injured, but no one was left behind.

They ran to a gentle slope farther away and huddled together, awe-inspired by the mighty power of heaven and earth.

The pale lightning tore through the sky again, and everyone saw the terrifying waves clearly.

As a wave fell, accompanied by the fading silver light, someone with sharp eyes spotted a huge black shadow in the middle of the river and shouted, "What is that!"