Chapter 171 The Road is Difficult
"Find a hemp rope, quickly, and make it thick!" Zhao Sicheng suddenly looked up and shouted to the yamen runners in the distance.
The thick hemp rope was easy to find and was delivered to me in a short while.
Zhao Sicheng started to take off his shirt and tied the rope tightly around his waist several times.
Song Mian and Qian Zhubu hurriedly asked him what he was going to do.
Zhao Sicheng tied the rope with professional skills and said quickly:
"Based on the speed at which the water from the pipe bursts is spreading, a waterway must have formed under the dam. If it continues like this and the water level in the dam gets higher, I'm afraid it won't be long before the dam collapses.
For a waterway like this, the entrance must be on the inside of the dam. I'll go in to explore the location first, find some large rocks and throw them in to see if I can block it, and try to slow down the water flow below!"
"No, this is too dangerous!" Song Mian immediately refused. "Let the yamen runners go down to explore. You are not from the government, so you have no obligation to take risks."
"They won't find it. I'm good at swimming and have done this kind of thing before, so I have experience." Zhao Sicheng had tied the rope around his body and handed the other end to Song Mian and Qian Zhubu.
"Find a few more people to hold the ropes, and the rest to carry the rocks. Also, prepare the sandbags as soon as possible!"
As he spoke, Zhao Sicheng had already climbed up the embankment. He looked at the surging river in front of him and took a deep breath.
In order to prevent more people from dying, for his own future, and for He Wanwan's future.
Give it a go!
He closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and jumped in.
…
Upon hearing that Zhao Sicheng actually jumped into the river to block the water hole, Ouyang Ye was so shocked that his face turned pale. It was the first time he showed such panic in front of his students.
Zhu Lan and others were also shocked.
You must know that the water at the bottom of the dam is flowing outward, which means that a strong suction force will be generated near the hole. If you are accidentally sucked in, the danger is definitely not a joke!
This guy is simply playing with his life!
Ouyang Ye paced back and forth anxiously. He regretted his decision so much. He should not have agreed to the headmaster's request to bring these kids to such a dangerous place, and he should not have let Zhao Sicheng go and follow Song Mian.
What kind of job is Song Mian, the doctor from the Water Department? How could he let such a young child go into the water? How could he agree to this!
Zhu Lan said to Ouyang Ye, "Dean Ouyang, there is no point in being anxious now. The water on the road has been drained, and the supplies from the East Palace should be not far away.
We must send someone to respond immediately. If the supplies can be delivered in time, we can resolve the current crisis!"
Ouyang Ye rubbed his brow and said, "I know this and have already sent someone there."
…
"Master Xu, this is bad, the car is stuck again!"
In the heavy rain, a dozen palace servants from the Eastern Palace were frantically driving the convoy, creating chaos.
Xu Shiming and Eunuch Zhao were also soaked, their robes clinging to their bodies as they stepped deep and shallow in the mud.
"Hurry up and put up the planks, and push them from behind the carriage!"
The wheel of a carriage was stuck deep in the pit, and the horse in front was whipped, neighing and struggling to move forward.
A long wooden board was placed in front of the wheel hub, with horses pulling from the front and people pushing from the back, the car was finally pulled out.
At this time, the sound of horse hooves came from far behind. Li Yan, who had eaten and drunk his fill, finally caught up with his men and a carriage loaded with straw.
Xu Shiming said to Li Yan: "Captain Li, please immediately order the guards to spread straw on the road ahead so that the carriage can continue to move forward."
Li Yan was riding on a tall horse, feeling irritated by the wet feeling all over. He looked at the foggy road ahead and knew without asking how difficult it would be to walk on it.
"Mr. Xu, this road is hard to walk on even with straw. It's getting dark, and we have to send people to light torches. We can't go fast no matter how hard we try.
Let's camp here and wait until the rain stops before leaving."
"We have to go even if we can't walk fast! The earlier we arrive, the safer we will be!" Xu Shiming shouted.
Eunuch Zhao also rushed over, "Hey, Captain Li, the disaster is urgent, we really can't afford to delay. If we rush over earlier, won't you also have a share of the credit if we make a contribution?"
After all, Eunuch Zhao is a favorite of the Crown Prince, and Li Yan does not want to go too far in front of him. Although he has some background, if this damn eunuch goes back and tells His Royal Highness the Crown Prince nonsense, it will be disadvantageous to him.
Li Yan then slowly instructed his soldiers to spread the straw from the cart behind them on the road, and the carriage would run on the straw. At the same time, someone had to keep carrying the trampled straw from the rear of the team to the front and spread it out again.
The team finally advanced a distance when a soldier who had been exploring the way came back anxiously and shouted:
"Oh no! There is a landslide ahead and the official road is blocked!"
Li Yan was delighted, but pretended to be innocent and looked at Eunuch Zhao.
"Master Eunuch, you see, it's not that we don't want to leave, it's really God's will."
Eunuch Zhao was now speechless. The road was blocked and he could only clear the stones first. Who knew how long it would take until the stones were cleared!
Xu Shiming was also helpless. Is there really no other way?
"Isn't Mr. Xu good at fortune-telling? Why didn't he predict that the road would be blocked?"
Xu Shiming didn't bother to deal with Li Yan's sarcasm and racked his brains to think of a countermeasure, but man proposes, God disposes, and he really couldn't think of a better way.
He sighed in his heart.
At this moment, a few lights appeared in the woods beside the official road, and it seemed that a group of people holding torches were coming towards this side quickly.
Everyone's attention was drawn to that place. After a while, Murong Jing, dressed in red, rode out of the woods on horseback, followed by a dozen people.
It was Ouyang Ye who asked her to come and meet them.
When Murong Jing saw the big Eastern Palace flag on the carriage, she knew she had made the right choice. As time was running out and she had no time to say more, she could only shout loudly to the other party.
"But is it the East Palace disaster relief convoy? Follow me and take this path behind us. We will be in Long'an County soon!"
This path is not marked on the map, but it is a shortcut.
"Who are you?" Li Yan asked with a frown.
Murong Jing remembered Yan Yuze's advice before leaving, telling her not to reveal her identity casually.
"We are here to assist you on the orders of Lord Song Mian, the doctor of the Ministry of Water Resources!"
It turned out to be just a small doctor from the Water Department. A smile flashed across Li Yan's eyes, and then he asked in a serious tone:
"You said you were a subordinate of the Water Department Doctor, but do you have any proof?"
"This is about the lives of so many people in Long'an County. It's so urgent. How can we find time to find any evidence? Please follow us and take a shortcut!"
Murong Jing suppressed her anger and explained, feeling that she had never been so good-tempered in her life.
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