The situation was different, and this time Qin Zhaoyue did not bring a large group of maids with her.

Qingfeng drove the chariot, but Heian occupied most of the seat; judging by his physique, anyone could tell he was a guard.

There were only four people in the carriage. Besides Sui Mo, they also brought Mo San, who was most skilled in swimming, and the last one was Xuanji Wei Yao Guang.

After much deliberation, Qin Zhaoyue decided that safety should be the top priority, and that she should focus on the immediate situation first, regardless of any potential complications.

Judging from the configuration of her carriage, the driver outside was a retired Qilin Guard, and inside, on the left and right were the Qingluan Guard and the Xuanji Guard, respectively.

With all the bonds in place, plus her hidden "blood tofu" (a metaphor for a strong sense of security), the sense of security is at its peak.

Before long, the carriage slowed down and arrived at the mine.

As soon as I got off the bus, the first thing I saw was a string of huge torches in the distance.

The two were about four or five zhang apart, standing in the water, with simple rain shelters on top.

Under the firelight, a large number of laborers carried rocks and waded through the river step by step.

Holding an umbrella, Sui Mo quickly stepped forward.

County Magistrate Zhou Yanqing pointed to the dark mountain in front of him, "This is the scrap metal slag heap."

Qin Zhaoyue: !

What the hell is this mountain... a pile? Who the hell used that word?

The members of the disaster relief team were stunned upon hearing this, and then Zhou Yanqing continued:

"The accumulation of two generations is all here, and it has gradually formed into this."

We chose this higher-lying location initially, but we never expected that the floods this year would still reach this area.

Qin Zhaoqiong quickly regained her composure, "What are the arrangements, Magistrate Zhou?"

Zhou Yanqing led the way, talking as they walked.

The floodwaters initially poured into the vertical shaft mine tunnels, bringing all mining to a standstill and even swallowing many pits.

The water was too strong; it rose to this point before any rescue could be carried out, washing away a large amount of surface debris.

However, compared to the entire mountain, the amount of iron slag that was carried away was still a small portion.

If another flood occurs later, the continuous erosion will undoubtedly have a significant impact.

Zhou Yanqing employed two methods to control the flood.

One example is the scene before us: bamboo baskets filled with stones are piled up along the foot of the waste mountain to form a temporary retaining wall in order to slow down further collapse of the mountain.

The second method involves excavating a diversion channel and digging a drainage ditch on the west side of the waste slag mountain, with the intention of diverting the floodwaters downstream.

"Your Highness, the excavation of the open canal requires a large number of river workers, and Chiyan County does not have enough manpower..."

The adjutant beside her immediately reported that she had already committed all five thousand troops she had brought to the mission.

Qin Zhaoqiong nodded. Both flood control strategies were feasible, and she couldn't think of any other methods.

"Order to mobilize 10,000 troops to Chiyan County to help dig an open canal."

"yes!"

"The Tiangong Division shall immediately survey the channel, calculate the route, and determine the excavation depth."

"yes!"

Where is the magistrate of this place?

The Imperial Workshop had an iron smelting workshop under its jurisdiction, and the local official responsible for supervising the mining and smelting of iron ore was the smelting magistrate.

Before long, a middle-aged man wearing a straw raincoat hurried over, wading through the river.

"Your humble servant, Duan Lifeng, is the Director of the Chiyan Iron Mine. I pay my respects to Your Highness!"

"Use local iron mines and all blacksmith shops to forge iron shovels for digging the canal."

"yes!"

County Magistrate Zhou Yanqing breathed a sigh of relief.

Her Highness the Eldest Princess is indeed very capable, and she acts decisively without any hesitation.

Having the right tools makes digging canals much easier, and Zhou Yanqing naturally understood this principle.

He dared to force local gentry and medicine merchants to release grain and medicine, only to make up for it later with disaster relief funds.

However, illegally requisitioning iron ore... that's a much bigger crime.

Even with the flood control issue looming large, he couldn't afford to take on the responsibility; only His Highness could issue the order personally.

Qin Zhaoqiong then looked at Meng Jian, "Find a camp nearby, and have the Imperial Guards work in three shifts to help build the retaining wall."

Digging canals cannot be accomplished overnight, and while building retaining walls cannot completely stop the water flow from carrying away the iron slag, it is undoubtedly the most effective method at present.

Especially after the flood discharge in Mingyan County downstream, the water level has dropped, which is the perfect time to speed up the construction.

"Yes!" Meng Jian's face was ashen as he forced himself to endure his "injuries" and went to make the arrangements.

Just then, a figure in front of them crashed into the water, the stones on his back pressing down on him.

The laborers around them showed no sign of panic.

Most people ignored it and continued working, but three people slowly unloaded the stones from their backs and went forward to help.

"What's going on!"

Considering the county magistrate's forced requisition of grain and medicinal herbs, it's likely that these laborers were not working voluntarily.

This is understandable in the face of disaster relief, but the person who fell into the water has not yet climbed out, and even when stones hit him, few people went to help.

Forcibly conscripting laborers is fine, but they don't even have basic protections.

Qin Zhaoqiong looked around and her brows immediately furrowed deeply.

I wasn't paying attention when we were discussing disaster relief, but now I realize something's wrong.

Many of the laborers carrying stones were in unusual condition; some had vacant, numb eyes, bluish-purple faces, and unsteady gaits.

Upon closer inspection, it was even discovered that many of them had exposed wounds.

Zhou Yanqing's face was filled with sorrow as he slowly exhaled, "Everyone is just numb because the person who fell... won't survive."

"What exactly happened?!"

Under stern reprimand, Zhou Yanqing revealed the truth.

Chiyan County relies on iron ore for its livelihood, and the largest group of people working in the mines are miners.

It goes without saying how arduous and dangerous this line of work is; ordinary people would never be willing to earn this life-threatening money, so the vast majority of pit guards come from prisoners.

Every year, Qingyao Prefecture would send in many people who had committed serious crimes and been demoted to slavery.

Slaves for life, slaves for generations, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, they all ultimately die in the mines.

In response to the urgent flood situation, Zhou Yanqing made a promise that if someone could move stones for a month, he or one of his sons would be freed from slavery.

The prisoners' status remains unchanged, but at least their descendants have hope, perhaps they can escape this cannibalistic mine.

"Those people were seriously injured, and the doctor determined that there was no cure."

They begged me to participate in the disaster relief, to exchange my life for a chance to survive for my descendants…

[ps] I was stunned when I opened my eyes this morning.

Perhaps because the market is relatively niche, our book actually made it to third place on the category's new book chart...

Thank you all so much! Your reading, comments, requests for updates, and various gifts have all played a role. Thank you so much!

Don't blame the author for being greedy; they're already third. Do you think it's possible for them to go even further...?