☆ Chapter 205 One wrong move and it could cost thousands of lives!
"They went outside the city to see the flood."
"Going out to check the flood in this heavy rain is utterly ridiculous! Quickly bring them back!"
"It's precisely because of this heavy rain that our Lord Zhao has to go outside the city to check on the flood. If he doesn't go, how can he grasp the flood situation in a timely manner? How can he know which village or hamlet has suffered the most damage? Moreover..."
Xie Jiang adopted the air of a scion of a prominent family, and said with a half-smile, "This young master intends to go out of the city to fight the flood and rescue the trapped people, but I have no manpower. I have come to borrow some men from Prefect Liang. I hope Prefect Liang can be so kind as to part with them."
Song Chengyu, who was standing next to him, also spoke up: "I am Song Chengyu, the heir of the Yong'an Marquis's mansion. I came out today to make a name for myself. If I succeed, I will never forget your help, Lord Liang."
It's one thing for Zhao Yunjing to go out of the city to check on the flood, but these two young masters also want to go out of the city, and to rescue the people?! Going empty-handed like this, let alone rescuing the people, these two inexperienced young masters will probably be swept away!
Although Zhao Yunjing was highly regarded by the emperor, he had a simple background. If he died, he would just suffer the emperor's wrath or be demoted. But if these two young masters got into trouble, he wouldn't even be able to save his own life!
Lord Liang helped up his advisor and said in a trembling voice, "Your two young masters have the world at heart. On behalf of the people of Nanjiang City, I thank you. You have worked hard and been frightened. Advisor, I will leave the city immediately. You should take good care of your two young masters at home. Please fulfill any wishes they may have and do not ask for my opinion."
After saying that, he looked at his colleagues who were too frightened to speak and said, "Gentlemen, the rain has subsided a bit. It's time to leave the city."
Lord Liang was the first to rush into the rain, and the others looked at each other and followed suit.
Xie Jiang and Song Chengyu exchanged a glance, then, disregarding everything else, quickly followed. Their mission wasn't to persuade Lord Liang and his men to leave the city to fight the flood; if the floodwaters couldn't be released, all flood control methods would be ineffective. They were there to convince Lord Liang to mobilize the nearby residents to evacuate!
Lord Liang stumbled into the street, the hailstones the size of eggs pelting him, making him howl in pain. But when he turned his head and saw the people beside him, he was so frightened that his tongue almost fell off: "Young Master, what, what are you doing here?!"
Xie Jiang had also been hit by hail a few times, and the pain made him grit his teeth. He wiped his face and shouted with a smile, "We're here to make a name for ourselves! Lord Liang, the rain is too heavy, stop talking and run!"
The mountain that separates the three rivers is called Xiaoniang Mountain. It is thirty li away from Nanjiang City. Thirty li is a normal distance. Even on a fast horse, it would take an hour to travel there without wind or rain. But with this rain, it is already very difficult to leave the city. Not to mention traveling, the official road is flooded and we can't find the way at all.
Even though Zhao Yunjing had lived in the village since childhood and was used to walking on mountain roads, he was blocked this time. He did not rush forward, but went to the nearest village to see if he could help.
When Lord Liang and the others arrived, Zhao Yunjing was carrying a lame old woman on his back and moving her outside.
The old woman and her family of five were all disabled. When Zhao Yunjing found them, they were sitting on the octagonal table, clinging tightly to each other. The water was already up to their chests, and they would drown in another half hour.
"Grandma, where are the others?"
"They went to the mountains to take shelter from the rain!"
The mountain the old woman mentioned wasn't high, less than a hundred meters above sea level, and was just behind the village. Zhao Yunjing looked in the direction she indicated, but before he could make out what it was, he heard a loud crash coming from that direction, as if something had collapsed.
"It's collapsed!" The old woman gritted her teeth, her whole body trembling. "The mountain has collapsed, they definitely can't escape! Adults, hurry and save them! Hurry!"
The old woman and her family of five had clearly been abandoned by the villagers, but at this moment, she was worried about them. Zhao Yunjing thought that perhaps this was the weakness of human nature, but at the same time, it was also the most precious aspect of human nature.
He nodded, and as soon as he looked up, he saw Lord Liang. He immediately carried the old woman over and said, "Lord Liang, most of the villagers in Madou Village took refuge on that mountain, but the mountain collapsed and they are in danger. Please send people to rescue them immediately!"
Lord Liang also heard the splashing sound, and his blood immediately congealed.
He was the prefect of Nanjiang City and knew every village under his jurisdiction well. Madou Village was the largest and most populous village in Nanjiang City. Now, all the villagers were on the mountain, but the mountain collapsed!
If things go wrong, that could mean the lives of thousands!
Zhao Yunjing lifted the old woman up slightly with one hand, and grabbed Lord Liang with the other, shouting sternly, "Lord Liang! Things haven't come to that yet, there's still time!"
He handed the old woman and her family over to Lord Liang's men and took them back to the city to settle them. He grabbed Lord Liang's arm and pulled him forward, saying, "Let's go!"
After being pushed and dragged for a while, Lord Liang finally came to his senses. Seeing Zhao Yunjing rush into a house by the roadside, he followed him in. They each found a hoe and a shovel, and then hurriedly ran out.
The rain subsided, and Zhao Yunjing and the others reached the foot of the mountain. A middle-aged man was struggling in the mud. Zhao Yunjing rushed over and just as he pulled the man out, another pile of mud collapsed with a splash.
The middle-aged man, now rescued, disregarded everything else and pointed to the collapsed area, shouting, "They're over there! There's nowhere left to stand! And many people are buried under the mud! Help us! Sir! Help us!"
It's covered in mud!! We need to dig it out quickly, or it will be too late!
The situation was critical, and Zhao Yunjing couldn't care less about Lord Liang. He quickly calmed down, carefully asked the middle-aged man for some details, and observed the terrain. Immediately, a rescue plan came to mind.
He brought more than twenty people with him, plus the group following behind Lord Liang, making a total of at least sixty people. No matter how many can be saved, every one saved is a victory!
"Xie Jiang, you and Song Chengyu take ten men up the mountain to search for the remaining people. The rest of you, come with me! Lord Liang, you take ten men and dig from this direction! Put away your hoes! Use shovels if you can! Hu Peiran and He Jiu, you each lead a team and dig from those two directions! Everyone else, fill in the gaps! Remember, don't use hoes! Use your brains to dig!"
Rescue efforts were launched immediately, and half an hour later, Zhao Yunjing unearthed the first body.
The woman was in her fifties, and her death was extremely tragic. Zhao Yunjing picked a few leaves to cover her head and immediately threw himself into the rescue work.
Next, other teams also dug out many more victims. At first, everyone comforted themselves, thinking that there would be enough time and that there would be survivors. But as one victim after another was dug out, they dared not have any optimistic thoughts anymore. They had only one thought: to find the person alive or dead, no matter what, they had to dig them out.
Another body has been unearthed.
It was a child, a very young child. The middle-aged man's surname was Su. He recognized the child as the youngest son of the neighbor, Xiao Sanzi.
Xiao Sanzi is only four years old. He is usually very well-behaved and polite, and he always greets people when he sees them. But at this moment, he is lying there motionless.
Uncle Su held Xiao Sanzi in his arms, and thinking of his grandson, whose fate he didn't know, he couldn't help but burst into tears.
Zhao Yunjing turned his head, then whirled back, strode over, snatched Xiao Sanzi from Uncle Su's hands, carefully placed him on the ground, and shouted, "Stop howling! He's still alive!"
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