Chapter 49 Chapter 49 If the sky falls, your wife will hold it up for you...
After the people arrived, the chaos in front of the dike subsided a little.
Jiang Ci just stood not far from the embankment in front. He did not immediately walk up to Ji Yang, nor did he speak to anyone.
She just glanced at the embankment, letting the rain hit her body and face, and she silently accompanied him behind him.
With a loud bang, the dam exploded from the bottom.
It was the sound of water tearing against earth and rock, a precursor to the complete collapse of the dam's core. The central section of the west dam mouth, eroded by the intertwining mud and hidden water, finally gave way and collapsed with a thunderous bang.
At that moment, the heaven and earth seemed to tremble.
"Get out of the way!" Ji Yang roared.
But it's too late.
The water of Luoqu, turbulent like an angry dragon, suddenly rushed into the gap, carrying with it the torrent of power accumulated all night upstream, sweeping up stones, branches, rotten leaves, and corpses, and rushed towards the inside of the dam in a tearing manner.
Several Dongyang soldiers who were carrying sandbags on the front line were caught off guard and were knocked over by the water column. They didn't even have time to scream for help before they were swallowed up.
"Quick! Secure the dam! Tighten the ropes!"
Ji Yang raised his hand to give orders, and just as he turned around, the entire rope broke with a bang, and the broken rocks on the embankment flew up, smashing down with the waves.
He was hit in the chest, his body flew backwards and fell heavily into the water, his legs hitting the rocks with a dull sound.
Someone rushed over to support him: "Commander-in-chief——!"
"I'm fine, keep blocking it!" Ji Yang gritted his teeth and stood up, his brows full of rain and bloodstains, his whole body soaked in water, his cloak was nowhere to be found, his palms tightly gripping the mud as he climbed up, his knees rubbing over the gravel inch by inch, his eyes still fixed on the gap.
But the dam mouth cracked too quickly and there was no time to backfill the mud and rocks.
"It's too late!" Du Mengqiu rushed forward and shouted in a low voice: "Commander-in-Chief, the water pressure is too great, no matter how much we try to stop it - we have to retreat!"
"There are still a few low-lying houses!" Ji Yang shouted back.
"If we lose people, it's all over!" Du Mengqiu pulled him up and shouted, "Everyone retreat to high ground! Protect the back embankment and don't let the water spread into the main street!"
"The injured should retreat first, and those who can leave should be protected. The Dongyang Army will cover the rear!"
"yes!"
Screams echoed in the wind and rain, and the remaining people finally understood - the dam could not be defended.
Some Dongyang soldiers were still struggling to hold on at the edge of the cave-in, carrying sacks on their shoulders, their legs buried in the mud and water, trying hard to prevent the water from rushing further. But the water was too strong, and several people were already swept into the turbulent current.
Jiang Ci stood far away in front of the embankment. When he saw that moment, his fingers clenched tightly, his eyes bright but silent.
She saw Ji Yang staggering and being pulled up, and then rushing back into the water, as if he was not tired at all, even though blood was flowing from his legs.
The people and soldiers began to evacuate, and the entire embankment was filled with the sounds of wind, rain, and running.
At this time, the low-lying area southwest of Ningling had completely fallen.
The water waves rushed in, flooding houses one after another, walls collapsed, and the oil lamps in the streets were extinguished. Countless people, carrying the elderly and children, fled in panic in the rain, and shouts and cries echoed throughout half of Ningling.
That night, the entire Ningling was on the verge of collapse.
......
Until dawn broke, the rain finally stopped.
The wind was still blowing and the water had not receded. On the muddy embankment, the Dongyang army and the people were extremely tired. Some were sitting down or lying on the ground. Some had bloodstains on their hands. At this moment, they leaned against the tree trunks and fell asleep with each other.
Ji Yang was sitting alone on the broken embankment.
He was wearing only black clothes, soaked in mud. At his feet were piles of collapsed stones, and in front of him were ruins and broken tiles that had already submerged half of the city.
He said nothing and did not move.
The wind blew his hair, and his eyes were as dark as a stagnant pool of water.
That night, he mobilized his troops to the front lines and built the dam himself. The common people also came, and no one in the Dongyang army retreated - but in the end, they were unable to stop this destiny.
"……sorry."
He suddenly spoke, his voice so low that it was almost inaudible. He was speaking to the city, to the people, and to all the soldiers who died that night.
Jiang Ci walked slowly to his side, without saying a word, and just sat down quietly.
Her body was also covered in traces of rain and mud, and her expression showed no emotion at all.
Ji Yang tilted his head and looked at her.
She looked at the ruins and said, "You have done your best."
Her voice was soft, but heavy as a mountain.
At that moment, Ji Yang suddenly lowered his head, his eyes turned red, and tears quietly rolled down. It seemed that he finally couldn't hold it anymore, and in front of Jiang Ci, he cried so helplessly for the first time.
His shoulders were shaking. Jiang Ci was stunned for a moment, then raised his hands to hug him and patted his back gently.
The wind gradually died down, but the sound of water on the embankment still echoed in my ears, like a nightmare that refused to go away for a long time.
Ji Yang leaned on her shoulder, his voice so low that it seemed to be squeezed out from his chest. He asked in a hoarse voice:
"Am I... incompetent? Am I useless? I can't even protect my own people..."
Jiang Ci listened quietly, his palm still on his back, patting slowly, as if comforting a trapped animal.
She lowered her head and said softly:
"If it weren't for you, the entire Ningling... would have been flooded long ago."
"You've tried your best."
She paused, then whispered, "Otherwise, what would be swallowed up today... wouldn't just be the low-lying area in the southwest."
Ji Yang gradually calmed down, restrained his emotions, and slowly sat up straight.
Jiang Ci turned her head and looked over, only then did she notice the faint trace of blood on his forehead, and the soaked trouser legs were also stained with mud and dark red. She frowned slightly and spoke softly:
"You're hurt."
Ji Yang acted as if he hadn't heard anything and replied calmly, "No problem."
Jiang Ci stood up without saying anything, his tone was not harsh, but it was irresistible:
"let me see."
Ji Yang wanted to refuse, but when he looked up and met her gaze, there was a quiet determination in her eyes that made him subconsciously fall silent.
He finally turned sideways.
Jiang Ci squatted down, took out his water bag, wet a handkerchief, and gently wiped the blood from his forehead. Her slender fingers brushed against his skin, a cool feeling seeping in with a touch of tenderness.
Then she knelt down and reached out to tear open the muddy fabric of his trouser legs.
The next moment, her hand stopped.
That wasn't just a minor wound; flesh and blood were tumbling, leaving a deep gash slanting across his calf. It was obvious that he had been hit hard by the rocks in the water during the earlier chaos.
Jiang Ci's expression darkened, and he whispered, "I'll help you deal with it here briefly, and I'll apply medicine to you when we get back to the County Magistrate's Mansion."
She said no more, quickly tore open the sleeve of her inner garment, pulled out a piece of clean cloth, carefully cleaned the blood stain for him, and bandaged him with a clean handkerchief.
Ji Yang had originally just sat there quietly without saying a word, but at this moment, he suddenly turned his head to look at her.
The sun was rising, and the clouds on the horizon were shimmering with golden light. Her hair was plastered to her face, and she was so focused and delicate, afraid to hurt him. At that moment, he suddenly remembered something about Ning Ling.
Jiang Ci always appears when he needs her most. She doesn't say nice words or try to please him, but she always stands by his side, thinking one step ahead for him and seeing further for him.
For a moment, he even had an indescribable feeling—
Like a lamp in the night rain, it fell into the lake of his heart, silently spreading out a circle of gentle ripples.
But at this moment, Ji Yang had not yet noticed.
He just looked at her, was silent for a moment, and said softly:
"……Thank you."
Jiang Ci didn't look up, and just replied:
"You are the governor, the backbone of their army."
"If you fall, how will they survive?"
After Jiang Ci finished bandaging Ji Yang's wound, he stood up and said softly, "You take a break first. I'll go check on the people."
She walked down the embankment. The muddy water after the rain covered her shoes and her clothes were already stained, but her steps were steady.
Passing by a poplar tree that had been broken in half by the overnight wind and rain, she stopped and helped two elderly women clear the accumulated water on the branches so that they could sit down and rest.
Several frightened children hid in their mother's arms. Not far away, villagers were whispering about the disaster.
Jiang Ci heard it, but without turning around, he rolled up his sleeves and squatted on the ground to bandage an old man who had twisted his foot. The old man asked her breathlessly, "Miss, how is the governor? He hasn't rested at the front, has he?"
Jiang Ci's tone was gentle, yet contained a hint of calmness. "He's fine, just a minor injury. You can rest assured. The dam ahead still depends on you to hold it together."
After these words were spoken, no one said anything and just nodded heavily.
High on the embankment, Ji Yang sat beside the broken dam, one hand on his knee, the other resting on the broken stone beside him. He quietly watched Jiang Ci's back, watching her busying herself among the crowd, whispering, comforting, her face not tired, always firm and calm.
He relaxed his gaze and looked ahead at the southwest corner of Ningling, which was submerged in water. There were broken walls and collapsed houses, and broken furniture and wood floating on the water.
There was fatigue in his eyes, but also a hint of indescribable tenderness.
Du Mengqiu ran over quickly through the mud.
"Commander-in-Chief," he began, panting slightly, and reported with a bow, "We just received a water situation report. The rain has stopped in the upper reaches of the Ningyu River, and the water level is slowly receding."
Ji Yang raised his eyes, his voice still hoarse: "How much did you withdraw?"
"It's three inches lower than yesterday, but still above the warning line." Du Mengqiu paused. "We estimate it will be stabilized around midnight tonight. However, the dam is severely damaged and the core is broken. If there is no way to repair it within three days, it will collapse again if it rains again."
Ji Yang nodded slightly, looked at the collapsed mouth, and said nothing for a long time.
Du Mengqiu asked, "Should we immediately call in the craftsmen to rebuild the dam?"
"Rebuild it." Ji Yang said.
Du Mengqiu responded solemnly: "As you wish."
He was about to turn around when he heard Ji Yang add, "Register all the soldiers and civilians who participated in the rescue today."
"Especially... the dead and injured."
Du Mengqiu paused and turned to look at him. He saw a tall figure sitting on the broken embankment, his clothes mottled, his face pale, but his back as steady as a stake.
"Ask for their names."
"Not a single one can be left behind."
"Yes." Du Mengqiu clasped his fists and turned away.
At that moment, Jiang Ci happened to turn his head and look up, and saw Ji Yang quietly looking at the embankment.
-
Dusk is falling.
Jiang Ci sat inside the house. Yin Shuang approached and whispered, "Miss, I asked Sima Lu. During the rescue operation that day, it was confirmed that... forty-seven people died, thirty-one of them were Dongyang soldiers, and the rest were villagers who volunteered."
Jiang Ci's eyelashes drooped slightly, and after a long moment, he asked, "Did you write down their names?"
"I've written it all down." Yin Shuang took out a list from her sleeve and handed it to her.
"I made a copy as you instructed."
Jiang Ci took it and read it word by word.
Then she stood up and said, "Go get some cloth."
"Miss, what are you doing..." Yin Shuang was puzzled.
"Make some strips of cloth." She said it gently but firmly.
That night, Jiang Ci lit a lamp and sat in her room, cutting the white cloth into strips with her own hands. She wrote down the names of each of the deceased, one by one, her handwriting slow and steady, as if she feared they could not afford even the slightest carelessness.
Seeing her eyes were red from staying up late, Yin Shuang finally couldn't help but persuade her: "Miss, why don't I write it..."
Jiang Ci shook his head and said, "I want to remember every single word of these people."
It was already dawn when she wrote the last name.
The next morning, under the old tree on the south side of the embankment, Jiang Ci brought Yin Shuang and tied the strips of cloth with names on them to the branches.
The wind blew, and the white cloth swayed gently, like unspoken ghosts whispering under the tree.
She stood there for a long time, her eyes calm, then turned and left.
In the evening, Ji Yang led the Dongyang army to patrol the dike.
"Wait." He suddenly stopped his horse.
The old tree in front of us has branches tied with white cloth, which flutters in the wind.
"Who did this?" he asked in a low voice.
Lu Linchuan rode up behind him and said, "Madam tied it herself this morning."
Ji Yang was stunned for a moment, his eyes following the white cloth for a long time. He suddenly turned over and got off his horse, slowly walking towards the old tree.
He walked to the tree, stopped, and scanned the names one by one.
He closed his eyes, turned around suddenly, and shouted:
"——Dongyang Army, listen to my orders!"
In the dark twilight, the soldiers all stopped and stood at the edge of the embankment with solemn eyes.
Ji Yang stood under the tree and said loudly:
"In this battle, the dike collapsed, and Ningling was crippled. Our Dongyang army and the people stood shoulder to shoulder to defend it until the dike broke, until the blood ran out."
"Those tied to the tree today are the loyal souls of our soldiers and civilians."
"Remember their names and engrave their aspirations."
“They built the levee with their lives.”
"This soul will not be extinguished, this aspiration will not be abandoned."
When he said the last sentence, his voice was a little hoarse, but it was very powerful.
"Form a formation," he said.
"Pay homage to the deceased."
The wind was still and the water was flowing slowly. An entire row of Dongyang soldiers stood upright and bowed in unison.
At this moment, the evening light shone through the clouds and fell on the old tree covered with white cloth, as if the world was solemn.
Jiang Ci and Yin Shuang stood side by side on the Ningling city wall, gazing into the distance, the wind blowing through her hair.
A trace of sadness suddenly arose in her heart. It was the first time that she truly felt sorry for Ji Yang.
Yin Shuang suddenly stepped forward and whispered, "Miss, Master Jing is here."
Jiang Ci looked back at her, with a hint of surprise in his tone: "Xie Guijing?"
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