The long-awaited morning light shines on the dilapidated Kunshan County embankment.

There were thunderous snoring sounds on and off the levee, and the levee was filled with sleeping laborers lying in all directions.

The ground was muddy, but people could sleep soundly in the mud pits because they were extremely tired.

Since the Yaojia Weir nearly collapsed six days ago, the river embankments have been in danger for the past few days. Under the leadership of County Magistrate Zhao, tens of thousands of civilians have been fighting floods day and night, eating and sleeping on the river embankments.

Finally, the 60-mile-long river embankment was saved and was not destroyed by the flood.

"This is absolutely a miracle in the history of flood control in Kunshan County." Zheng Ruozeng, leaning on a cane, accompanied Pan Jixun and Zhao Shouzheng in inspecting the river bank, and said with deep emotion: "If the former county magistrate could show such fighting spirit, Kunshan would not be flooded every year and have a bad reputation as a beggar."

"Haha..." Zhao Shouzheng's official hat had been thrown away long ago. His hair was disheveled, his beard was untidy, his eye sockets were deep, his eye circles were dark, and he looked thin and out of shape. He looked even more haggard than the day he left Beijing.

While carefully avoiding the civilians sleeping on the ground, he smiled modestly and said, "It's all thanks to Pan Zhongcheng's good command, otherwise we would definitely not be able to defend the levee."

Pan Jixun looked calm. Compared with the hard work of managing the Yellow River, commanding Kunshan County to fight floods for a few days was nothing.

He looked at Zhao Shouzheng and said calmly, "Zhao Zhixian, there is no need to be modest. Fighting floods depends on unity. You can unite the whole Kunshan and make everything in order. If we can finally hold the riverbank, you will be the number one hero."

"Hehe..." Mr. Zhao was so happy that his back teeth were exposed. He didn't know how he did it.

Before Mr. Zhao could say anything modest, Pan Jixun changed the subject and said, "But the real test is still to come. The hurricane season will begin next month, and the water will be much more powerful than before. Your earthen embankment will not be able to withstand it."

"Yes, we will be satisfied if we can harvest the summer grain." Zheng Ruozeng smiled bitterly and said, "I can't even remember the year when the county harvested the autumn grain."

"Haha..." Mr. Zhao nodded with a smile. The death order he gave to the officials and gentry below was to protect the summer harvest, and he did not expect the autumn harvest at all.

Unexpectedly, Pan Jixun's face turned long when he heard this. "Why, it seems like you guys are just going to wait until this month?"

"Ah, what else?" The two looked at Lao Pan in confusion.

"Why, you want to shirk your responsibility?" Pan Jixun glared at Zhao Shouzheng and said, "Didn't Kunshan County say that it would take a month to build a solid stone river embankment in Kunshan that would not be washed away by any flood?"

"Ah?" Zhao Shouzheng and Zheng Ruozeng opened their mouths wide. "How is that possible?"

Is it so easy to build a stone river embankment? The 100-mile river embankment in Wujiang County took decades to build. It was not only extremely expensive, but also extremely time-consuming and labor-intensive.

First, the mined stones were chiseled into stone strips of the same size, and then glued together with glutinous rice mortar. Then holes were drilled in the stone strips and riveted together with iron hoops. How big a project is this? Even if all the stonemasons in Suzhou were brought together to work, it would take at least three to five years to complete.

How is it possible to get it done in just one month?

"Well, so you tricked me into working for you for free!" Although Pan Jixun was the god of water, he had a fiery temper. Feeling that he had been fooled, he turned around and was about to leave.

"Quickly stop the Lord Zhongcheng!" Zhao Shouzheng failed to hold him back and stamped his feet in anxiety.

The people sleeping in the mud were woken up and rubbed their eyes, not knowing what had happened.

Just as Fang Wen was about to step forward, a mud-covered figure suddenly jumped out of the crowd, knelt on one knee, and blocked Pan Jixun's way with his hands.

"Zhongcheng, please stay!"

Pan Jixun was startled and stared at the man with mud all over his face. "Who are you?"

"I'm Xiong Xiasheng, the Dianshi of Kunshan." The man wiped his face with his hand. He vaguely looked like Dianshi Xiong, who led the common people to hold the Dragon King Temple for six days and six nights.

"You are a good official, get out of the way." Pan Jixun glared.

"Please listen to what the master has to say first." But Xiong Dianshi did not move at all.

"Calm down, Prime Minister. I wonder where you heard such a ridiculous statement from?" Zhao Shouzheng hurriedly chased after him, bowing repeatedly.

Now Pan Jixun is his pillar of support, and he can't let him go just like that.

"Your son said that!" Pan Jixun puffed his beard and glared, "If it weren't for his bragging that made me feel itchy, why would I run to Kunshan?"

"To save the people from danger." Master Zhao said in a low voice.

"Don't flatter me." Pan Jixun spat and said, "Now the rain has stopped and the water has subsided. I'm leaving now."

"Zhongcheng, please wait. Did my son really tell you that he wanted to build a stone dam?" Zhao Shouzheng asked again.

"Is this true?" Pan Jixun said coldly, "The letter he gave me is still in Nanshan Temple. If you don't believe me, go back and read it yourself."

"Hahaha..." The magistrate suddenly laughed.

Mr. Zhao was so happy that he didn't expect his son to prepare such a surprise for him.

Hahaha, Kunshan will also have a stone river embankment, so we don’t have to envy Wujiang County anymore!

"What are you laughing at?" Pan Jixun was confused by the laughter.

"I laugh at this kid, he really can't keep his words to himself." Zhao Shouzheng sighed pretentiously, "He's just afraid that everyone won't believe him if he tells them, so he's holding back to give everyone a surprise."

"Surprise, explain to me what you mean by surprise?" Pan Jixun looked Zhao Shouzheng up and down, and said with distrust, "I think you are trying to trick me again!"

"That's impossible." Zhao Shouzheng waved his hands and said, "My son's opinion is my opinion. I can guarantee with my official hat that if this embankment cannot be repaired, I will resign."

When the nearby people heard this, they were all terrified and stood up, kowtowed and begged Zhao Shouzheng.

"Old parents, please don't abandon us..."

"Yes, Kunshan can't live without the master for a day..."

"How can we live without our old parents?"

Kunshan County has not seen a great ruler who can feed everyone and lead everyone to guard the dike in a hundred years.

How could you let him go just as he arrived?

Even if we have to tie him up, we have to tie him up as the county magistrate for three years.

"Don't panic, elders." Zhao Shouzheng hurriedly comforted everyone, "How can I leave when I just took office? I am using this method to ask Pan Zhongcheng to stay."

“Oh, I see…”

The common people immediately understood and quickly surrounded Pan Jixun, kowtowing and begging:

"Master Pan, please stay, otherwise our master will also leave..."

Pan Jixun had no choice but to nod his head helplessly, secretly cursing Zhao Shouzheng for being a treacherous man pretending to be loyal and using public opinion to sway him.

"That's what you said!" Pan Zhongcheng glared at Zhao Shouzheng and said in a muffled voice, "I'll wait another month. If you can't build that stone embankment, I'll report you!"

"Don't worry, it will definitely work." Zhao Shouzheng was full of confidence, although he had just heard that his son was going to build such a stone embankment.

Seeing that the master and Pan Zhongcheng were not leaving, the people cheered.

Zheng Ruozeng, who was standing by, smiled bitterly, thinking that the county was flat and there was not enough stone to build the dike. Was he going to knock down the only Yufeng Mountain in the county?

That was the cultural context that brought three consecutive champions to Kunshan County...

ps. Chapter 3, it seems there will be more chapters in the evening~~~ Please give me your monthly votes~~~~