Chapter 189 A Letter to the Elders and Fellow Villagers of Longcheng
The beautiful sunset clouds that appeared during a break in the rain that evening.
Two days and two nights have passed.
During this period, there was continuous rainfall both upstream and downstream of Butterfly Creek.
It rained for a day and two nights.
Upstream, around Yunmengze and Digongzha, a torrential downpour was raging with dark clouds.
Downstream, near Longcheng County, a continuous drizzle fell amidst overcast skies.
Meanwhile, at this very moment, on the straight official road leading from the county town to Dagushan in the early morning, many people from Longcheng were hurrying along with their families.
The former, the heavy rain upstream, is like a sharp sword hanging overhead, ready to fall to the ground at any moment with a loud crash as the sluice gate collapses.
The latter, the misty rain overhead, was like a soft knife, gently grinding away at the fragile will of the already frightened and weary crowd.
A light drizzle fell from the sky, and looking down from above, the winding official road was a sea of dark, bustling heads.
They flowed slowly and repressively from Longcheng County, their starting point, to the foot of Dagushan Mountain, their destination in the distance.
The wheels creaked and groaned as the carriage was overburdened.
The boxes and cabinets were arranged haphazardly and made a clattering sound.
Pots and pans were carelessly discarded on both sides of the road.
Furthermore, there are the people of Longcheng County who support each other and move forward together in a down-to-earth manner, organized by individual households or neighborhoods.
The background is a gloomy gray sky covered in rain, a muddy and damp road, and dark, inky woods on both sides of the official road.
"Whoa—!"
Along the official road, among the people being relocated to Dagushan for refuge, the cries of infants could be heard from time to time. They would then be embraced by women wiping away tears, and the clear cries would turn into muffled cries, only to be soothed after a while.
However, the occasional two or three adults who broke down in the crowd, unlike infants who have a mother to comfort them, only added to the somber atmosphere on this official road.
The dense, surging flow of people seeking refuge is silently enacting scenes of all walks of life.
The reason why such a dull and oppressive team did not collapse and scatter in all directions is that...
The atmosphere was heavy, and we moved forward in confusion and helplessness.
This was due to the constant stream of fast riders galloping past along the main road, and the constables shouting their unified slogans until their voices were hoarse:
"A letter to the elders and fellow villagers of Longcheng... In the face of heavy rain, in order to prevent flooding, a refuge camp has been set up at Dagushan, with food and supplies fully prepared... It is hereby decided that all officials and civilians shall arrive by 5 PM today... Presented by the Magistrate of Longcheng County."
Since last night, Yan Liulang arranged for the constables to ride fast horses along the official road, shouting this concise notice, hastily handwritten by a young county magistrate, all the way from the farthest outskirts of the county town to the foot of Dagushan Mountain.
The constables shouted themselves hoarse, and the horses were worn out from running two batches of horses, but no one dared to be careless in the slightest. Along the way, they also took the opportunity to organize the crowd and guide the team to the Dagushan refuge camp.
Perhaps the book's attribution to a young county magistrate offered some reassurance and comfort to the people who had endured the recent two months of disaster relief and flood control efforts.
Perhaps it conveys the calm and confident tone of the young county magistrate in the book, as well as the firm promise that with the concerted efforts of officials and the people, Di Gongzha would remain standing.
Or perhaps they are simply going with the flow, blindly following the crowd.
Under the organization of Yan Liulang and others, apart from the initial panic and chaos, most of the people in the county town calmed down.
The worst-case scenario of a collapse of order did not occur.
There have been no reports of people frantically packing up all their belongings, fleeing to the docks, fighting over boats, or trampling each other.
Most of the people in the county town, following the arrangements of the county magistrate and the government, anxiously packed their necessary luggage and set off.
They took their families to the disaster relief camp at Dagushan, where they heard that it had been properly arranged by the county magistrate, just like the disaster relief camp in the suburbs back then.
At the foot of Dagushan Mountain, on a hillside, Yan Liulang, dressed in a gray-black straw raincoat, stood on horseback, gazing into the distance.
He looked at the orderly line of people stretching like a long snake on the official road ahead and couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
Fortunately, under the leadership of the prefect, the Longcheng County government enjoyed a good reputation among the people of Longcheng.
From the initial distribution of grain by the disaster relief camps, to the subsequent crackdown on grain merchants and the collapse of grain prices, and then to the ribbon-cutting ceremony and the public trial of the Liu family... Over the past few months, a lot of confidence has been built up in the hearts of the people.
This allowed the flow of people leaving the city to remain relatively calm.
The credibility of the county magistrate and the county government can temporarily suppress the pre-disaster panic that is prone to rumors.
Otherwise, if it had been placed before the last flood...
Let alone organizing the people like this, it would be good enough if they didn't rush to the ferry docks like ants on a hot pan and frantically grab boats.
At this moment, on the small hillside, Yan Liulang, who had experienced the panic before the last flood in Yunmengze, and his group of dusty constables behind him exchanged glances and breathed a sigh of relief.
So far, the retreat has been relatively successful, and it has not yet deviated from the plan left by the county magistrate before he left.
With his back to his subordinates, Yan Liulang, riding at the front, silently reached into his robes and pulled out a crumpled silk handwritten letter, which he unfolded in his palm.
The blue-clad constable shielded himself from the rain with his palm and glanced down at the prefect's steady and powerful handwriting.
Even though he had read Ouyang Rong's previous arrangements for the rear area downstream of Butterfly Creek a hundred times, and knew them by heart, he could recite them backwards.
But these past two days, whenever Yan Liulang had a brief moment of rest, he couldn't help but take out Ouyang Rong's handwritten letter and glance at it.
It seems that only after confirming that everything is correct can one feel at ease to continue working.
It's as if... the Ming Emperor is still by his side.
“Let’s go back to the city again to help the brothers who stayed behind. We can’t let a single family in the city be left behind. We must persuade them all to leave.”
After resting for a short while, Yan Liulang suddenly put away the letter, rode off on horseback, and led the men behind him to continue implementing the arrangements left by Ouyang Rong.
This group of constables had just come down from Dagushan Mountain. They had met with Magistrate Diao earlier to discuss some important matters, and now they were continuing their work down the mountain.
The latter was also extremely busy.
As arranged by Ouyang Rong, Yan Liulang and the other constables were responsible for organizing all the people of Longcheng County at the foot of the mountain to go up the mountain, and at the same time, they were responsible for receiving the refugees who had fled from upstream.
Meanwhile, County Magistrate Diao was responsible for allocating the disaster relief resources prepared in advance on Dagushan Mountain, contacting Donglin Temple, and setting up a refuge camp to accommodate nearly 6,000 households of Longcheng residents.
These are all tasks performed in the rear areas.
As for Ouyang Rong, he was leading the remaining six officials and the militia warriors organized by Liu Ashan in boats, doing everything possible to guard the sluice gate and resist the flood at the forefront of the Digong Sluice Gate in the distance...
Yan Liulang silently withdrew his gaze from the direction of a key sluice gate in the south. He turned his head, instructed and left two constables at the foot of the mountain to guide the people who came later to ascend the mountain in an orderly manner.
Yan Liulang then led the remaining brothers back to Longcheng County at full speed, shouting a letter to the elders and folks of Longcheng along the way to rally their hearts.
Gathering most of the people was relatively easy, but what made Yan Liulang feel troubled were some special circumstances.
Ouyang Rong had instructed that not a single resident of Longcheng should be left behind.
Yan Liulang naturally dared not be careless and went door to door to investigate.
My mouth was dry and I was busy all day.
By evening, the group of blue-clad constables were panting heavily and looked exhausted.
They encountered many unusual situations throughout the day.
Fights and brawls among the migrating crowds on the official road are minor matters.
The key issue is that some holdouts in the city simply refuse to leave, no matter how much they try to persuade them. In the end, they have to brandish their weapons to lure them back to Dagushan.
At noon on the way, Yan Liulang and his companions heard from the refugees who had fled from upstream that an elder of a village was taking a chance and thought that since the village was on higher ground, he would just hide like a turtle and not move away... Yan Liulang had no choice but to rush ten miles to persuade him.
They even encountered the absurd situation where some villagers, fearing they would never return, asked them to help dig up their ancestral treasures stored somewhere in their courtyard.
And so on.
As dusk fell and just before 5 PM, Yan Liulang and the other constables finally returned with the last group of refugees and "holdouts" they could find, heading towards Dagushan.
Along the way, he seemed to feel a sense of closeness to Yan Liulang and the other constables who were dutiful and tired.
People in the crowd would occasionally turn around and talk to the people bringing up the rear, asking if Magistrate Ouyang was also waiting for them at Dagushan.
Before his subordinates could say anything, Yan Liulang responded with smiles and nodded in agreement.
Upon hearing this, the tense faces of the people on the road relaxed, as if relieved, and they whispered to each other, making the atmosphere less oppressive.
There were also kind-hearted people who offered water to Yan Liulang and others whose lips were cracked and blistered.
At the back of the crowd, the constables remained silent.
They occasionally glanced sideways at Yan Liulang, who was leading the group and nodding with a smile.
I sighed inwardly.
To appease the public and quell the panic, Yan Liulang and Magistrate Diao did not tell the crowd about Di Gongzha's dangerous situation.
It also made no mention that Ouyang Rong and the others were currently conducting an extremely urgent rescue at the Di Gong Sluice Gate upstream.
The whereabouts of the young magistrate, whom the people of Longcheng trusted and were fond of, were unclear. It was assumed that he was organizing a refuge camp on Dagushan Mountain, waiting for the arrival of his fellow villagers.
This is one of the reasons why the work of gathering and relocating people is relatively smooth today.
However, among the last group of refugees, there were a few villagers who had run down from the vicinity of Yue Nu Gorge upstream, which raised some questions.
It is said that during their escape, they heard that the young magistrate was near Di Gongzha, so many villagers from villages near Yue Nuxia did not flee to Longcheng County downstream, but instead went to Yue Nuxia where the young magistrate was located...
Fortunately, these dissenting voices were minor and few in number. With the tacit intervention of the nearby constables, they did not spread or cause any trouble.
"Boss, over at Di Gongzha..."
Among the silent constables, someone couldn't help but ask Yan Liulang a question.
Yan Liulang pursed his lips, clutched the scroll in his arms, and suddenly turned around, saying:
"If you can handle things well with the Mingfu and Brother Ashan, and we just focus on doing our job in the rear and don't cause any trouble, that's the biggest help we can give."
The blue-clad constable suddenly spurred his horse forward, galloping a short distance. Turning his head, he pointed to the second phase of the Broken Wing Canal that was passing by. The young man raised his head, his face full of certainty, and said:
"Besides, there's still the Zheyi Canal. It's mostly finished. If a flood comes, we can just open up the canal. That should be enough. The Prefect has said there's nothing to be afraid of. What, you don't even trust the Prefect?"
The group was energized and whipped their horses to keep up.
Yan Liulang spurred his horse and charged out, shouting:
"Let's go to the mountainside and inspect the beacon towers. This is an important task assigned by the Prefect, and we can't afford to lag behind!"
It was late afternoon, around 5 PM, and the sky was still overcast due to the light rain that had fallen all day.
The sky was overcast and gray, no different from daytime; the darkness was not particularly noticeable.
Yan Liulang led the last group of refugees to the foot of Dagushan Mountain and handed them over to the clerks, including County Magistrate Diao, for resettlement.
Many of the latter had bloodshot eyes, indicating that they had been working late into the night since the day before, lacking sleep and looking exhausted.
However, Yan Liulang and his companions were not much better off. After exchanging a few words and drinking some water, they abandoned their horses and headed up the mountain lightly.
The mountain path was filled with displaced people lying in disarray, but fortunately some tent camps had already been set up on the open spaces and pavilions on both sides.
Hot water, bedding, food, and other necessities seemed to be plentiful.
Moreover, the extra people were all settled in Donglin Temple on the mountaintop by Magistrate Diao and his entourage.
Yan Liulang and his group made their way through the crowd and arrived at the Zhemu Pavilion halfway up the mountain.
Not far from the Zhemu Pavilion, on a lawn with a wide view, a huge beacon tower has been erected. There are yamen runners standing guard beside it, covering their eyes with their hands, looking into the distance towards the Yue Nu Gorge upstream of Butterfly Creek.
In the mountains there, in places so dark you can't see them even with your eyes strained, there are actually several beacon towers standing.
This early warning system, like the water level markers along the upstream banks, was also prepared by Ouyang Rong some time ago.
Once the Di Gong Gate collapses immediately, beacon fires will be lit all the way up, eventually reaching the people on Dagushan Mountain.
Then, the beacon tower at the sunrise position halfway up Dagushan Mountain will be lit immediately as a warning, and people who are still scattered around Dagushan Mountain will immediately return to Dagushan Mountain and no longer linger outside.
Including the craftsmen and able-bodied men who are still diligently working at the Zheyi Canal not far down the mountain, they will clear the Zheyi Canal before they leave...
After instructing his men to rest where they were, Yan Liulang silently stepped forward, peeked at the dry, flammable materials that were regularly replaced inside the beacon tower, nodded slightly, walked to the edge of the cliff, and glanced in the direction of the Zheyi Canal.
According to the message from the magistrate, the second phase of the Zheyi Canal, which is still under construction, should not be opened unless the flood is confirmed to be imminent and it is absolutely necessary.
This massive construction project is crucial to Longcheng County's long-term water management plan. Currently, only half of the second phase has been completed, and efforts should be made to avoid being forced to operate.
This is also our last resort should the Di Gong Gate collapse.
Yan Liulang took off his bamboo hat, letting the raindrops fall, and, imitating the magistrate, vigorously rubbed his face.
"Mukuro."
Just then, a familiar shout from not far behind broke Yan Liulang's reverie.
"Dalang? Miss Ye, Miss Su... are you all here?"
Yan Liulang looked back and saw that the pavilion not far away was full of familiar faces.
With a look of delight, Su Dalang stepped forward to greet him.
The youngest sister of the Su family, wearing a purple veil and with calm eyes, and a round-faced maidservant behind her, whose name seemed to be Caishou.
And then there's Ye Weilai, who was personally escorted to Dagushan by Yan Liulang yesterday.
Although Ouyang Rong only earnestly instructed him to bring all the people of Longcheng up the mountain before leaving, he did not specifically instruct him to take care of the Meilu Garden.
It seems that they also categorized their own maids as "ordinary people," without any special privileges.
However, as soon as Ouyang Rong left yesterday, Yan Liulang turned around and went to send Ye Weilai and other maids from Meiluyuan, as well as the families of other colleagues who had gone with the Mingfu to Digongzha for support, to Dagushan for resettlement.
Yan Liulang understood and admired Ouyang Rong's willingness to lead from the front.
Ouyang Rong also had to take the lead, because all his subordinates and colleagues, regardless of their moral stance, were silently watching his every move.
As the local government official.
If you arrange for your family to flee immediately, then everyone else can do the same, and there's nothing wrong with that.
If you abandon the city immediately, then everyone else can also abandon the city; you have no right to criticize everyone else.
In addition, you said when you first took office that you only came to Longcheng to do one thing.
Disaster relief, flood control, and fairness.
It really is just one thing—fairness.
So, is the fairness the magistrate spoke of truly fair? Has he forgotten?
This was something that not only the Longcheng County government, but all the officials and people throughout Longcheng County were watching silently.
Otherwise, the prestige and respect previously established could collapse in an instant, and apart from confidants like Yan Liulang, no one else would be able to be commanded.
On the other hand, it was precisely because he consistently upheld fairness that Ouyang Rong was able to quickly consolidate the power of the county magistrate and have complete control over the entire Longcheng County government and the whole county...
While he understands, Yan Liulang feels that some things in this world shouldn't be done this way, and those who bravely stood up shouldn't be treated this way...
"Officer Yan, where is my beloved husband?"
Inside the pavilion, Ye Weilai ran into the rain, clutching her handkerchief, and asked quickly.
Beneath a veil dampened by raindrops, pink lips that were about to part quietly closed.
Su Guo'er silently withdrew her foot and looked at Yan Liulang, who seemed hesitant to speak, together with her brother.
(End of this chapter)
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