Chapter 231 Back View
"Thump!"
A basket full of stones, tied with a rope, was thrown into the water.
It splashed up a large amount of water and quickly sank to the bottom.
The newly arrived vessel quickly stabilized itself and slowly came to a stop at the shore.
Liu Ashan withdrew his gaze from the splashing water; this object was called a "stone anchor" by the boatmen on the Xunyang River.
When the ship is moored at the shore, it is thrown into the water and its weight anchors the hull.
The taciturn man who helped lower the anchor clapped his hands, bowed to the boatman, and thanked him in a muffled voice.
Before the ship's boarding ladder was fully lowered, Liu Ashan nimbly flipped over on the deck and jumped off the ship without hesitation.
My feet landed firmly on the familiar gray-black tiles of Penglangdu Wharf.
At the Penglangdu Wharf, the morning sun shone warmly on his skin, and Liu Ashan tilted his head back and took a deep breath.
An indescribable feeling welled up inside me.
It's like walking on a shaky tightrope for years, and suddenly being able to walk freely with your feet firmly on the ground.
I feel at ease and at peace.
I looked around at the bustling, noisy ferry street.
A slight smile crept onto Liu Ashan's weary, slightly dark-eyed face as he murmured:
"Then I saw my humble home, and ran there with great joy..." The master said that this sentence means that when one sees one's own simple house in the distance, one cannot wait and runs there with great joy.
"As expected of a scholar who has passed the imperial examination and ranked third in the imperial examination, even his occasional whispers are so insightful."
Liu Ashan subconsciously rubbed his face, mimicking someone else, and looked down to check the Moonlight Sword at his waist.
He reached into his sleeve again and felt the cool touch of bronze metal on his fingertips.
After confirming that he had brought everything, Liu Ashan turned around, waved goodbye to the boatmen unloading cargo behind him, and left the dock.
As Liu Ashan passed through the bustling streets and Xisi Temple, he couldn't help but look around.
Before meeting the master, he worked as a porter at the docks.
The huge old locust tree in front of us was where I once took a nap under the foreman's awning. My coworkers and I would go there for a while to escape the shade. It was the only place we could take a break and slack off during the day.
Later, as he grew older, his father died young, and that same year a great flood destroyed their house and fields.
The family was destitute and was sold into slavery during a famine. They were mortgaged to the Guyue Sword Shop. Later, he and his sister had to cross the river to the west bank to work every day.
Liu Ashan was quick and efficient. After finishing the work at the Guyue Sword Shop, he squeezed out some time to secretly do odd jobs at the dock and quietly save money to redeem his sister and mother from their servitude.
However, before the master came to Longcheng, the money he had painstakingly saved for seven or eight years was not enough to redeem even half of his sister.
Not to mention building a new house, getting married and having children, it would probably take a lifetime of hard work to save enough, and that's assuming no major disasters or illnesses.
Liu Ashan's expression was calm. As the morning sun set, he walked along the bustling street that was awakening in the early morning, occasionally glancing back at the roadside.
Around the corner, there's a small stall selling sesame seed cakes; their sesame seed cakes are absolutely amazing.
I heard the owner is from Guangzhou Prefecture in Lingnan Province, and his craftsmanship is time-honored: he makes glutinous rice flour dough, fills it with osmanthus sugar and kumquats, pours hot oil over it, and fries it. With a sizzling sound, the pancakes are steaming hot, and the sesame seeds on them are golden and dripping with oil...
My sister and mother loved eating it, but they never said it.
Liu Ashan was someone he used to see when he took his sister to the pier every morning to take a boat across the river, and his sister would often look back as they passed by.
Later, he silently bought a sesame seed cake for his sister to eat. His sister only took two small bites, and when asked why he wouldn't eat it, he wrapped it in oil paper, stuffed it into his bosom, and brought it to his mother that night, but was scolded by his mother who was weaving cloth.
He even scolded him for wasting half a penny on a piece of oil paper to wrap a pancake. Wouldn't it have been better to just pick a lotus leaf from a roadside pond and wrap it in it?
"Upon seeing my dwelling, I ran there with great joy..."
Liu Ashan murmured.
That's really strange.
Why did he leave this place, which doesn't hold many happy memories, for just a short while, and then enjoy good food and drink on a boat outside?
But once he returned, these things that he had previously taken for granted, or even seen as suffering, became exceptionally endearing in his eyes.
To be honest, this was the first time Liu Ashan had left his hometown of Longcheng County. The farthest he had ever gone before was when he was young and went fishing on the river with the old fishermen.
But at this moment, stepping onto this land again, Liu Ashan suddenly felt an urge to never leave home again.
I don't know why.
The words the old man once said kept echoing in my mind.
He wasn't one to indulge in literary jargon, but he just felt that the phrase "乃瞻衡宇载欣载奔" (Nai Zhan Heng Yu Zai Xin Zai Ben) was very, very well said.
Liu Ashan disembarked at Penglang Ferry and returned directly to Luming Street without delay, pondering the words all the way.
However, before leaving the West Market, Liu Ashan went to the sesame seed cake stall at the corner of the bustling street, silently took out six copper coins, and handed them to the owner.
Oh, and half a coin was added at the end.
Liu Ashan stuffed the two hot sesame cakes, tightly wrapped in oil paper, into his bosom, feeling warm against his chest, and returned to the county government office on Luming Street.
Although lotus leaves are cheap and easy to use, the girl likes origami. After eating the cakes, she can use the oil paper to fold paper flowers.
The weary, taciturn man covered the object in his chest and nodded.
This time, he turned back to Longcheng. Before leaving with Miss Ye and the official boat in Jiangzhou, Miss Ye tearfully gave him a lot of silver for travel expenses.
Make sure Liu Ashan returns to Longcheng as soon as possible to stop Ouyang Rong.
However, Liu Ashan didn't spend much money. He just endured the pain and found a fast cargo ship on the way back to Longcheng County at Xunyang Ferry. As for food and drink along the way, Liu Ashan ate with the boatmen while squatting on the deck.
He had originally planned to buy some gifts for his sister and mother after arriving in Nanlong, but it seems there won't be enough time now, so he can only take two sesame cakes back with him.
As for the remaining money, it will be returned to Miss Ye later.
The taciturn man was meticulous in his thinking. After he had silently sorted out his thoughts, he arrived at the intersection of Luming Street and could see the familiar gate of the county government office in the distance.
“At this time of day, the master would have already arrived at the county office to take his duty. Unless it’s really as Miss Ye said… wait, why are there so many people at the gate?”
Liu Ashan's eyes widened as he muttered to himself.
At the main gate of the county government office, officials of all kinds were hurrying in and out; on the street in front of the gate, carriages and fast horses were parked, almost blocking the entrance to Luming Street.
There was a faint sense of commotion and chaos.
Liu Ashan had a good memory; seeing some familiar clothing among the hurried crowd entering and exiting the gate, he immediately recalled it:
"Aren't those the officials who guarded the water level markers at the ferry crossings upstream? Why have they come back? What are they doing at the county office? Are they looking for the magistrate?"
Liu Ashan frowned, as if realizing something, and suddenly looked up at the sky.
The summer sun shines brightly.
“How could this be possible this season… In the past, the upstream area has never experienced such a large flood during this season.”
Liu Ashan shook his head, his face filled with disbelief. He quickly ran forward, surging into the crowd, and entered the county government office.
It can happen very quickly.
The steadfastness of the taciturn man was shattered by the chaotic news and frantic conversations he kept hearing.
His eyes widened as he quickly gathered the information he was hearing:
It is true that there has been no rain for half a week now that the summer solstice has arrived in the upper and lower reaches of Yunmengze.
but,
This morning, at the beginning of the Chen hour (7-9 AM),
The water level of Yunmengze near Digong Gate has started to rise irrationally!
An official, staggering towards the scene, shouted urgently:
"Where is Magistrate Ming? Where is Magistrate Ming? Go and inform Magistrate Ming quickly! The water level is rising too fast! We... we can't find the reason at all."
"The last time the floodwaters rose, it took a whole day and night to rise, but now it's risen to the same level in less than two hours. That's terrifying speed..."
The clerk left at the county office stared in disbelief, stammering, "The...the magistrate is on leave and not here, so Lord Diao will take over in his place..."
"Then what about the other officials? Where is Lord Diao? Where is he? Quickly go and report to Lord Diao, and ask him what we should do now. Our colleagues upstream are all panicked and need instructions from the county government..."
"County Magistrate Diao didn't come to work this morning. He took half of his colleagues to the Zheyi Canal to attend a ceremony celebrating the canal's completion..."
"Now, let me report that it will take at least an hour for us to go back and forth. By then, the opportunity will be too late. At such a crucial time, why are neither of you gentlemen here?"
"Brother, come this way and go find Constable Yan. The two magistrates are not here for the time being. Constable Yan has the highest authority and is currently in the main hall of the county government meeting with all of you who have come to report the emergency."
"Yes, yes, yes..."
Along the long corridor, officials who had rushed there on horseback were directed to run towards the main hall of the county government.
Liu Ashan slowly walked up from behind, looking in the direction the other had left.
Like this official who had urgently requested an apology, Liu Ashan walked from the county government gate and saw many similar officials coming from all along the way upstream.
Although Longcheng County is geographically remote in Jiangnan Province, it is a large county with nearly 10,000 households. In addition to the residents of Longcheng County town downstream, there are also many villages and towns along the upstream route, where a large number of villagers gather.
Once the Digong Sluice Gate, which blocks the upstream Yue Nu Gorge, collapses, the floodwaters that have accumulated to a high level will pour out and surge, instantly submerging the villages and towns along the river. Therefore, the officials and people of these local villages and towns will be the most anxious.
"The magistrate is temporarily out of the room. Is Brother Yan here...?"
Liu Ashan was stunned. He followed the officials who had reported the emergency to the county government hall.
I thought that having a leader would make the county government hall quieter.
Unexpectedly, as soon as I entered the courtyard where the county government hall was located, I was completely overwhelmed by the noisy atmosphere.
Inside the main hall of the county government office, the seat at the head of the table was empty.
The familiar young county magistrate's figure is no longer there.
Right now, Yan Liulang stands directly in front of the empty desk, working with his subordinates to try and calm everyone down.
Officials from all over gathered to report urgent matters, each with their own pressing concerns and requests.
Anxiety spread through the county government hall and was difficult to suppress.
Yan Liulang was extremely busy.
"Please be quiet, everyone. I have already sent someone with utmost speed to inform Magistrate Diao. He will be back soon. Please do not rush or be impatient. Regarding the flood situation, please proceed according to the usual warnings..."
An older official said urgently:
"And the warning? All the previous preparations are useless. This time it's really different from the last few times, Little Swallow, the water is rising too fast."
"Today... even before the afternoon, by noon, it will exceed the previous highest water level."
"Most of the contingency plans made by the county government before are useless, or even too late. What should we do now? Should we evacuate the people immediately?"
"Why don't we activate the Dagushan refugee camp plan and move the people there first?"
“This…” Yan Liulang hesitated.
A young constable beside him sneered in rebuttal:
"Without the official orders of the two lords, who would dare to make arrangements and issue orders to evacuate all the people in the city?"
"With such a large-scale mobilization, what if something unexpected happens during the process, or what if the court investigates afterward and finds that Di Gongzha could have rescued and resisted the flood but missed the opportunity, and that it was the commander's cowardly decision to abandon the city? Who will take responsibility?"
In the lobby, an official, displeased with the situation, stood up:
"At this point, why are you still worrying about responsibility and being afraid to take the blame? If you don't take action now, you'll be missing the window of opportunity."
"Alright then, there's no need to wait for the two gentlemen. I, Officer Yan, will listen to you. Brother Zeng, you can take command..."
"you!"
An elderly and high-ranking official stepped forward to smooth things over:
"Alright, alright, stop arguing and stop making sarcastic remarks. Don't you know what time it is?"
He paused, then suggested:
"Speaking of which, should we first figure out the reason for the sudden rise in water levels upstream before taking any action? Otherwise, we'll be completely in the dark, wasting our efforts and even making things worse... What do you think, Officer Yan?"
“I think…” Yan Liulang hesitated.
A distraught voice came from the crowd:
"Find out the cause? In the middle of summer, the water level has risen so high, who knows why? We'll deal with whatever comes our way, what else can we do?"
"The year is only a little over halfway over, and there have already been three major floods, some successful and some not. Maybe...maybe it's the heavens trying to destroy us. Is there really a so-called Dragon King in Butterfly Creek..."
When someone uttered these words, the entire room erupted in uproar, with everyone offering their opinions.
"Alright! Stop arguing!"
Yan Liulang let out a loud shout, abruptly turning his head to yell in the direction from which the dejected voice had come:
"The magistrate hates people who believe in the Dragon King and ghosts. He once said when he was saving the dam upstream, 'Those who mislead people should be beheaded. Anyone who dares to spread the words of accepting fate and believing in gods, I, Yan Liulang, will take your head and hang it on the flag!'"
The entire audience fell silent.
Yan Liulang, panting heavily, gripped his sword and looked around. Everyone quickly averted their gaze.
Just as he was silent for a moment, about to speak again, he suddenly felt his sleeve being tugged. He frowned, turned his head, and was immediately surprised:
"Brother Ashan, what brings you back?"
Liu Ashan pointed towards the back hall behind the main hall of the county government office, indicating the direction.
Yan Liulang turned around, temporarily calmed everyone down, and then followed Liu Ashan to the back hall.
In the back hall, Yan Liulang, looking tired, curiously glanced at Liu Ashan, who looked travel-worn, and sensed that something was wrong with him.
The taciturn man's face remained surprisingly calm as he asked directly:
"Brother Yan, where is Magistrate Ming? Have you seen him recently?"
Yan Liulang was taken aback and asked in return:
"Your Excellency has taken leave to return to Nanlong, didn't you know?"
"The Prefect isn't in Dragon City? After Miss Ye's ship left, the Prefect hasn't appeared again?"
"Of course! That day, didn't Magistrate Ming take Miss Ye and the others away by boat? You also took leave, so you went along too, didn't you?"
Yan Liulang frowned and asked, "On the contrary, Brother Ashan, how did you manage to come back from Nanlong so quickly? Also, didn't the Prefect come with you? Is he in Longcheng?"
Liu Ashan smacked his lips, swallowing some of his words.
Seeing that his complexion was not good, Yan Liulang asked worriedly, "Brother Ashan, are you alright...?"
All the questions he wanted to ask seemed to have been answered. Liu Ashan heard a "buzz" in his ears and was suddenly overwhelmed by a burst of white noise.
He didn't hear a single word Yan Liulang said after that.
Standing there, motionless.
When I found Ye Weilai in the cabin a few days ago, her words still echoed in my ears:
“I don’t know where he’s going, but I know that Tanlang is leaving… I can tell that he’s preparing to say goodbye to us forever…”
Liu Ashan stared blankly down, his eyes fixed on the moonlight longsword at his waist.
This was the last thing the master gave him before he boarded the ship to send Miss Ye back to Nanlong, after he had dinner at his house and before leaving. He left it behind along with the Mirage Mask.
Liu Ashan clearly remembered that at the time, he was worried about not being able to do a good job of the task assigned by the master, and he was filled with trepidation. The master patted him on the shoulder, smiled, turned around and left, waving goodbye to Liu Ashan with his back turned.
"I trust you to handle things..."
“Ah Shan, you’ve always followed me and obeyed my orders, but one day I will be gone. When that happens, you will have to learn to stand on your own.”
“Ah Shan, if you have an idea, then do it. Stand up and don’t hesitate. We all need to protect the people and things we want to protect. I do, and so do you…”
It turns out Miss Ye was right. The master had been preparing to leave long ago and had even secretly said goodbye and given him some instructions, but he was still clumsily kept in the dark.
Liu Ashan suddenly murmured, "Looking at your humble abode, I ran there with joy... That's what Master said, but why did you fly far away and abandon your home..."
This was his final question.
In the back hall, the taciturn man carrying a long sword swayed slightly.
"Brother Ashan? Brother Ashan?"
Seeing Liu Ashan suddenly lost in thought and muttering to himself, with an odd expression, Yan Liulang couldn't help but reach out and push Liu Ashan, calling out to him worriedly twice.
Liu Ashan looked up, his face dazed, glanced around, then looked at Yan Liulang with a slightly confused look in his eyes, and asked softly:
"Brother Yan, what should we do if the master is gone?"
Yan Liulang was about to speak, but at that moment, the noise from the county government hall ahead grew louder and louder.
"This is bad, we have to go out and stabilize the situation!"
Yan Liulang turned his head and said something was wrong, shaking his head with a worried expression:
"I wonder if Lord Diao has returned yet! Why isn't he back! The Prefect entrusted him with all the affairs, but instead of being there at this crucial moment, he's off attending some smug victory celebration..."
Liu Ashan did not respond, looking down at the Moonlight Sword, seemingly lost in thought.
Yan Liulang didn't have time to pay attention to Liu Ashan's condition, and he didn't even have time to drink the tea on the table before quickly leaving the back hall.
Back in the main hall of the county government office!
A cacophony of sounds rushed in.
Meanwhile, bad news kept coming from outside the county government office.
Yan Liulang, who came out, frowned deeply.
If the Prefect were present, who would dare to make such a fuss?
Yan Liulang sighed, recalling how he used to feel something when he followed the magistrate.
Only now do I realize how difficult it is to remain calm and composed in a crisis, to take charge of the situation, and to become the backbone of everyone!
"Everyone, stop arguing and calm down!"
Yan Liulang unfastened his waist knife, slammed it on the table, and roared. Only with this clumsy method could he barely suppress the anxious noise in the hall.
Seeing the various gazes directed at him, Yan Liulang turned to a trusted subordinate and asked:
"Has the messenger sent to Zheyi Canal returned yet? Why hasn't Magistrate Diao arrived? We've sent people to call him, but it's been so long. Even a tortoise would have crawled back to the county office by now, let alone the fact that they have large boats there that can travel by water."
The trusted subordinate bowed his head: "No news yet. For some reason, two groups of people have already been sent over..."
"Send someone else... no, you go yourself now!"
"Yes!" he commanded and withdrew.
Yan Liulang turned around and said earnestly to everyone:
"If we delay any longer, it will be too late. We need to make arrangements as soon as possible."
"What insightful opinion does Young Master Yan have?"
"First...first organize the people to leave the city and seek refuge..."
Yan Liulang hesitated and said that he tried his best to follow the plan that the magistrate had given him last time. In fact, he didn't know much about flood control. Most of the time, he was just an executor of the magistrate's orders.
Moreover, Yan Liulang is still young and experiencing this situation for the first time, which requires courage, so he is inevitably easily swayed by the "opinions" of others.
But at that moment, a fat-faced official immediately asked with a troubled expression:
"Young Master Yan, are you sure you want to do this? What if this flood is just a false alarm? After all, it's the middle of summer... and then it will be difficult to handle."
Someone angrily interrupted:
"He Laosan, do you want to look at what you're saying? Is that even human language? Was it a false alarm? We're all locals, who doesn't know the situation in Yunmengze?"
“In recent years, which flood has not been extremely dangerous? We who monitor the water level at the Digong Sluice Gate upstream, can’t we tell the difference between reality and illusion? Are you just giving a false report? The situation is already so dangerous, and you are still taking chances. If you miss the opportunity, you will be a sinner for the whole county.”
The fat-faced official immediately turned sour and said in a harsh voice, "Fine, then you tell me what to do! Come on!"
Just as the two sides were about to start arguing.
A younger clerk, looking puzzled, asked:
"Why can't we just do the same thing as Lord Ming last time?"
"Aren't those official ships still around? Where are they? Go and bring them here immediately!"
"Like Magistrate Ming, we will split into two groups. One group will go upstream to the Di Gong Sluice Gate to rescue the dam."
“A group of people stayed in Longcheng County downstream to organize the people to take refuge in Dagushan Mountain, just in case, and then contact each other via beacon towers... It’s such a simple thing, why make a fuss? The Ming government has already demonstrated it once…”
He didn't expect that as soon as he said that, the whole room gradually fell silent.
Most people fell silent.
You look at me, I look at you.
Only a few people nodded in agreement.
Finally, someone forced a smile and opened their mouth:
“Okay, then… how should we allocate the resources? Which group will go to salvage the sluice gate, and which group will stay downstream to organize the local people to go to Dagushan to escape the disaster?”
Yan Liulang opened his mouth, as if to say that the next one was for him to handle, since he was the one most familiar with it. Last time, it was Yan Liulang and County Magistrate Diao who organized the people of Longcheng to retreat to Dagushan.
As for rescuing the sluice gate, he was a young constable who hadn't read many books and knew very little about water conservancy, so he was quite unfamiliar with the task.
But the next second, Yan Liulang caught a glimpse of the evasive and avoidant gazes of the crowd.
His face froze for a moment, then his heart sank instantly.
So it turns out, the root of all the arguments wasn't that people had no effective solutions in the face of disaster.
Instead, the team was in disarray, with everyone fearing for their lives.
So all that chaos and advice just now was just an excuse for everyone to have their own ulterior motives!
Yan Liulang felt icy cold all over, yet a burning heat surged within his chest.
His face flushed red and then turned pale. At one point, he stepped forward with a stern expression.
"Stop arguing. With the magistrate gone, I'll take men upstream to salvage the sluice gate..."
We didn't reach 1,000 votes on the first day... but I'll still add an extra chapter for all the good brothers who voted! This 6,000-word chapter won't be split; it'll be combined into one and posted together. I'll go write another extra chapter, so please don't wait!
(End of this chapter)
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