Chapter 263 Ye Chutang solves the drought problem
Qi Yanzhou didn't expect the drought in Jizhou City to be so severe.
"Master Kong, you should have a detailed river map of Jizhou, right?"
Kong Zhizhou nodded, with an even more helpless look on his face.
“Master Qi, you should know that the higher the terrain is, the fewer rivers there are as you go north.
At the beginning of the drought, Governor Liu sent people to monitor the water conditions in the main river and its branches.
The weather was too hot and the branch dried up quickly, so we dredged the main river channel and diverted the water to the branch.
The original intention was to solve the people's water problem, but they used it to protect crops, causing the water level of the main river to drop rapidly.
Seeing that populous states, counties and towns will have no water to use, we can only cut off the branches. ”
Speaking of this, Kong Zhizhou's eyes became red.
He wanted to save all the people.
But he didn't have that much ability, so he could only choose to save the majority.
Ye Chutang looked at Kong Zhizhou, who was trying hard to hold back his tears, and asked his doubts.
"Although the population of the state, county, and town is large, most of the water comes from wells. How can they use river water?"
Kong Zhizhou explained: "Madam Qi, you don't know that under Jizhou City are huge rocks that are difficult to drill through. The water in most wells does not come from underground, but from the river."
Although Jizhou seems to have no rivers passing through it, in fact, there is an artificial underground river under every street.
After blocking the top of the river with huge stones, they covered it with soil and then paved the road with bluestone slabs.
The well water used by every household is actually seepage water from underground rivers.
After hearing the explanation, Ye Chutang asked Kong Zhizhou.
"Master Kong, have you ever thought about looking for an underground river? Even if you cut off the water supply from the tributaries, you are still eating up all the water."
The drought will continue, and if deep water sources are not developed, everyone will face the situation of having no water to drink.
Kong Zhizhou was of course aware of this and had already sent people to look for water.
But there were no officials in Jizhou City who understood water administration.
As a result, the people sent out were running around like headless flies, and all their work was in vain.
He also wrote a memorial and sent it to the capital, hoping that the Ministry of Works would send people to solve the people's drinking water problem.
The result was the same as the memorial impeaching King Yong, it fell on deaf ears.
Jizhou City is a place completely abandoned by the emperor and can only rely on itself!
After Ye Chutang understood the situation clearly, he said, "Master Kong, I know a little about water administration, maybe I can help."
Although the merit points earned from saving the people are not much.
But a city has at least more than 100,000 people, and the merits are immeasurable!
Kong Zhizhou looked at Ye Chutang in surprise and was so excited that he was incoherent.
"Really? Madam Qi, can Shui Zheng help?"
Ye Chutang didn't know what the situation was like underground in the entire Jizhou City, so he didn't dare to make any guarantees.
"Master Kong, don't be too happy too soon. I may not be able to help you."
"Mrs. Qi is willing to give it a try. I am very grateful. If you need me to do anything, please let me know."
"Master Kong, please find the residents who use groundwater first and give me their location."
Kong Zhizhou nodded quickly.
"Okay, I'll have someone check it out right away and come back to see Madam Qi in an hour."
After saying that, he took two more vegetarian buns and strode away.
Ye Chutang added another sentence towards his back.
"Master Kong, I also want a detailed river distribution map."
"Okay, I'll bring it with me later."
After Kong Zhizhou left, Qi Yanzhou looked at Ye Chutang.
"Atang, it's not easy to find water. It's so hot right now. Can your body withstand it?"
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing and I won't try to be stubborn."
Seeing that Ye Chutang had made up his mind and was doing something that would benefit the people, Qi Yanzhou stopped trying to persuade him.
"I also know a little about water conservancy, so I'll go with you."
Ye Chutang stuffed a vegetable bun into Qi Yanzhou's mouth.
"You are still very weak and should not work hard. I will let Sun Chu accompany me."
Sun Chu: “…”
It was such a hot day that he didn't want to go out at all.
Wouldn’t it be nice to stay in an ice room in the inn?
"that……"
Before he could even say the word "refuse", Ye Chutang glared at him and forced him to change his words.
“It is my honor to serve the people.”
Madam Qi didn't want Ye Chutang and Sun Chu to be alone, so she quickly said, "There is strength in numbers, and Lord Han can also help."
When Han Chong heard this, he quickly agreed.
"The old lady is right. If Madam Qi has any instructions, we will do our best to obey them."
Ye Chutang had long realized that Madam Qi was preventing her from getting along with Sun Chu.
She said bluntly: "Mom, Mr. Sun and I are just friends, don't think too much."
Because Madam Qi was so kind to her, she had to speak out to avoid any resentment.
After saying that, she added another sentence.
"Mother is right, there is strength in numbers. I really need Lord Han's help."
As soon as these words were spoken, the embarrassment caused by the previous sentence was immediately resolved.
Sun Chu didn't expect that Madam Qi would misunderstand that he was interested in Ye Chutang.
He quickly explained, "Mrs. Qi and I just get along well, there is absolutely no romance between us."
If Ye Chutang had not been married, he would have tried his best to pursue her because of their “fellow villager” relationship.
But now, Ye Chutang and Qi Yanzhou are loving and well-matched.
He would never do such a wicked thing as to steal someone else's wife.
When Old Madam Qi saw Sun Chu's calm expression, she knew she was overthinking.
And she immediately realized that her behavior showed her lack of trust in Ye Chutang.
"Tang'er, mom is old and likes to nag, don't take it to heart."
Of course Ye Chutang would not blame Madam Qi.
She smiled and said, "Mom, I don't mean to blame you, I just want to talk it out. I know your good intentions."
After saying that, she changed the subject and talked about business.
Ye Chutang shared the general plan for finding a water source.
"Azhou, you know about water conservancy, are there any details that need to be filled in?"
Qi Yanzhou nodded and looked at Nan Xiao.
"Go get some paper and pen."
He added some key points on finding water sources, wrote them down and gave them to Ye Chutang.
"Once Lord Kong brings us the river map and the groundwater location map, we will make a detailed plan."
Ye Chutang read the key points written by Qi Yanzhou and nodded.
"Well, let's eat first."
After dinner.
Ah Man planted the Zi Gu in Qi Yanzhou's body.
"Second brother, you have to thank Sister Chu. I was the one who gave this insect to her. She gave it to you because she thought you were in poor health."
These words were to remind Qi Yanzhou to remember Ye Chutang's kindness.
Qi Yanzhou grasped the key words in Ah Man's words.
"Sister Chu? Why not call me Second Sister-in-law?"
Ah Man stepped forward and took Ye Chutang's arm, saying, "Sister Chu is very powerful. Taking her husband's surname is a denial of her."
Ye Chutang said this to her.
The original words were: I will establish myself in the world and will not be anyone's vassal. When people talk about me, they are Ye Chutang, not the second sister-in-law of the Qi family.
Of course, Ye Chutang gave a premise before saying this.
Be capable, courageous, strategic, able to understand the situation, know the times, and make decisions.
If she is a delicate flower, she should marry an honest man, take care of her husband and children, and manage the house.
Qi Yanzhou looked at Ah Man who was full of admiration and nodded in agreement.
"You're right. Atang doesn't need to take her husband's surname."
After saying that, he looked at Caesar.
"Pack your luggage and take Ah Man with you to Tianshan County tomorrow morning."
When Ye Chutang heard this, he looked at Qi Yanzhou in surprise.
Isn't it said that we should plan it well?
How come you suddenly said it so clearly?
Ah Man refused immediately without waiting for Xi Ze to say anything.
"I won't leave. I want to stay with Sister Chu and exchange medical skills and witchcraft with each other on the road of exile."
Ye Chutang smiled and said, "Ah Man, first listen to why Ah Zhou arranged this, and then it's not too late to refuse."
Ah Man is now Ye Chutang’s little fan girl and nodded obediently.
"Okay, second brother, tell me, why do you want Caesar and I to go to Tianshan County first?"
Qi Yanzhou originally wanted to send the two men to Tianshan County for free medical treatment to bring fame to the Qi family, on the grounds that the winter at the border was too cold and the people suffered from many diseases.
Now, he has a better idea.
“Tianshan County has a lot of Gobi Desert and few rivers, so the water shortage is definitely much more serious than in Jizhou City.
Even if it snows in winter, there will still be water shortages due to dry weather, especially in states and counties with large populations.
So I need you to learn about water conservancy and go to Tianshan County to solve the water shortage problem. ”
When Ah Man heard this, the corners of his mouth twitched.
"Second brother, I only know how to raise Gu, I don't know anything about water conservancy."
Although she also wanted to be as powerful as Sister Chu, she knew her own abilities.
Treating illnesses and saving lives is fine, but as for the rest...
She could only promise not to cause trouble.
Qi Yanzhou smiled and said, "If you can learn it, that would be great. If you can't, that's fine too. Just assist Xize from the side."
Ah Man didn't understand, "How to assist?"
"If the officials in charge of Tianshan County do not cooperate, we will use poisonous insects to control them."
After Qi Yanzhou finished speaking, he looked at Xize seriously.
"Water sources are related to the life and death of countless people. You will follow Atang and learn well."
Although Caesar is usually careless, he is never vague about important matters.
He took the order solemnly, "Yes, Master."
Although he doesn't know if he can do it well, he will try his best!
Ah Man felt that she and Ye Chutang had a very good chat and didn't want to leave.
She discussed, "If the officials don't cooperate, can we let Caesar use poison?"
Ye Chutang said: "Poison can only threaten officials, but Gu can control officials and issue orders through their mouths."
Ah Man had no way of refutation and could only agree.
"All right."
Seeing that Ah Man was unhappy, Ye Chutang gently touched her head.
"Ah Man, when I get to Tianshan County, we'll have plenty of time to exchange medical and witchcraft knowledge.
The road to exile is too hard, and you are not on the exile list, so there is no need to endure it.
Tianshan County is cold, and people suffer from many diseases in winter. You can often provide free medical services and make a name for yourself. ”
Ah Man was very touched to see that Ye Chutang always cared about her.
She solemnly promised: "Sister Chu, when you arrive in Tianshan County, you will definitely hear my name everywhere."
"I trust you."
It was decided that Xize and A'man would go to Tianshan County.
After a while, Kong Zhizhou came with a map of Jizhou's rivers and a layout map of the city.
His face was red from the sun and his body was soaked with sweat.
"I stink of sweat all over me, please bear with me."
During the exile, everyone was surrounded by the smell of sweat every day and had long been accustomed to it.
Qi Yanzhou poured Kong Zhizhou a glass of iced tea.
"Master Kong, drink some water to moisten your throat first, then we can talk about business."
The weather is hot, so it will be cooler if you leave early.
Kong Zhizhou drank a sip of ice water and sighed in comfort.
"Okay, let's get down to business."
He spread out both pictures in turn and explained the annotations on them in detail.
"Mrs. Qi, I hope these two pictures are useful to you."
Ye Chutang combined the plan to find the water source with the two maps, asked Han Chong to pick out some people, and assigned specific tasks to each person.
Qi Yanzhou occasionally added a sentence or two to improve it.
Kong Zhizhou thought that the couple only had some knowledge of water conservancy, but he did not expect them to be so proficient.
He felt that finding a water source to resolve the drought was a sure thing.
"Madam Qi, I have brought ten of my men with me. They are very familiar with Jizhou and you can use them at your disposal."
Ye Chutang nodded and assigned the ten officers to Han Chong's men.
"Did everyone remember the key points of finding water sources that I just mentioned?"
“Remember!”
The deafening and unified response was inspiring.
"After finding the suspected water source, do you know what to do?"
"clear!"
"Bring some water and dry food, and go early and come back early."
"Yes, Madam Qi!"
People with missions left one after another, and the crowded lobby of the inn soon became spacious.
Ye Chutang assigned himself two tasks.
One is to find out the direction of the underground river in Jizhou City, and the other is to go out of the city to Taohua Valley to find water.
She looked at Caesar and said, "Follow me, listen and observe more."
"Yes, ma'am."
Ah Man saw that Ye Chutang didn't mention her, so she quickly asked, "What about me?"
"It's hot, you can rest in the inn."
"No, I also want to follow Sister Chu, listen more and observe more. When we go to Tianshan County, maybe I can help Xi Ze."
Seeing Ah Man’s serious expression, Ye Chutang nodded in agreement.
"Okay, we're going to go a long way today, so bring a few more water bags."
"Okay."
Aunt Xu wrapped the vegetarian buns left over from the morning and handed them to Ye Chutang.
"Madam, time is too tight. I don't have enough time to prepare dry food. These buns may not be enough."
Ye Chutang took the bun and handed it to Xi Ze beside him.
"Aunt, I'll just buy some food on the street when I leave the city later."
After saying that, she went upstairs to get the water bag and poured the spiritual spring water into it.
After completing the preparations, she took Caesar and A'man to the homes of residents where groundwater might pass.
If there is groundwater under the house, there will definitely be places where it is very damp.
Ye Chutang asked the residents while using his earth-related abilities to investigate.
Half an hour later.
Ye Chutang knew the direction of the groundwater in the city very clearly.
She marked clearly on the city's layout map the places suitable for digging wells.
Xize didn't know how Ye Chutang determined the location for digging the well, so he asked humbly.
"Ma'am, how did you know that these places were suitable for digging wells?"
Of course, Ye Chutang couldn't say that all the locations were discovered by her using her earth-related abilities.
She couldn't just talk nonsense and mislead Caesar.
Fortunately, she had covered it before.
"You have to learn to locate a place by listening to sounds from a young age, otherwise you will achieve nothing."
The latter sentence is false, but the former is true.
But it was impossible in the backward ancient times because this "sound" was ultrasonic sound.
Xize recalled that Ye Chutang tapped the ground with his fingers from time to time, and belatedly said "Oh".
"I see."
Ye Chutang folded the layout diagram and put it in his arms.
"Let's go out of the city and visit Peach Blossom Valley. That's where you need to learn."
When she left the city, she bought some food and fruit on the street.
Taohua Valley is not far from Jizhou City, about ten miles away.
Riding slowly on horseback would take about a quarter of an hour.
Peach Blossom Valley is just as its name suggests, with the whole mountain covered with mountain peach trees.
One can imagine how charming the scenery here is when spring comes and flowers bloom.
Now, the leaves of the peach tree are curled up and drooping weakly.
There are a few mountain peaches hanging on the branches, slightly yellow.
It's not that the peaches are ripening.
Rather, the peach tree was too short of water, so it had to sacrifice the peaches to save its own life.
Ye Chutang divided Peach Blossom Valley into three parts and each person was assigned one part.
"If you find a place where the trees and grass are relatively lush and don't seem to be short of water, blow the whistle and I will rush there as soon as possible."
After A'man and Xize agreed, they entered the peach forest.
Ye Chutang followed his area to the tributary closest to Taohua Valley.
The tributaries had long dried up, and small fish could be seen drying on the riverbed.
The heat from the sun-baked pebbles distorted the air.
Ye Chutang took the water bag from behind his waist, pulled out the cork, and took a sip.
The sweet spiritual spring water injected vitality into the body and drove away fatigue.
She found a relatively dense tree and sat down.
Because the leaves have wilted, they can't completely block the sun, and the ground is filled with tiny spots of light.
Ye Chutang used his special powers to investigate the situation underground.
Although this ability is only effective against soil, it can also detect stones and water wrapped in the soil.
There is a rushing underground river far away and deep, which cannot be mined by human power.
Fortunately, the underground river has many branches that are closer to the upper reaches.
On the branches, she found several cracks extending upward from the underground river.
And two springs connected to the underground river.
However, the long-term drought has caused severe water shortage in the soil, and the groundwater is completely absorbed before it reaches the springs.
“Shh…”
A faint whistle was heard.
Ye Chutang ignored it and used his supernatural power to widen the crack a little.
After finishing her work, she headed towards the direction of the whistle.
It was the area that Caesar was looking for, and there was a dried-up spring there.
Although the spring has dried up, there is water underground.
So, although the grass around the spring is a little wilted, it is not dead.
Caesar noticed something wrong with the plants and blew the whistle.
Ah Man was closer to him and arrived first.
"Xize, you are amazing. You found the water source so quickly."
Xi Ze looked at Ah Man, who was sweating profusely, and said, "The heat is unbearable. You shouldn't have come."
Ah Man sneered.
"Who are you looking down on? I traveled day and night from southern Xinjiang, which is much more tiring than coming here to find water!"
"Yes, yes, Ah Man is the most hardworking girl."
As soon as Xi Ze finished speaking, Ye Chutang arrived.
He quickly said seriously, "Madam, can we dig out water from under this green grass?"
Ye Chutang did not answer but asked: "Have you checked the ground?"
"I checked it. It was very dry, without a trace of moisture. But I used all my internal strength to insert the sword into the ground and then pulled it out. I found that the tip of the sword was stained with wet mud."
“Well done.”
Ye Chutang squatted down and asked a few more questions, and Xize answered them one by one.
She corrected the inaccurate parts of Caesar's answer.
"Ma'am, I'm grateful for your advice."
Ah Man also listened carefully, and kept Ye Chutang's words in mind, with the admiration in his eyes becoming even brighter.
"Sister Chu, how come you are so amazing and know everything!"
Ye Chutang recalled the days when he was a child and was forced by his elders to learn all kinds of knowledge.
"It's not that I'm good, it's that my master is good. Not only is he well-read, he also forced me to finish reading."
Caesar asked curiously, "Who is Madam's master? How come I have never heard of such a powerful person in Beichen Country? He is an expert in everything!"
He knew that his master had sent people to investigate Ye Chutang thoroughly before.
As a result, they searched the village where she grew up thoroughly, but found nothing.
It was as if her abilities appeared out of nowhere, and her weak character suddenly became strong.
So weird!
"An otherworldly master."
After Ye Chutang evaded Xi Ze, he said, "Remember this place. If we dig deeper, we should be able to find water."
"Yes, ma'am."
Caesar made a mark here so that it would be easier to find it later.
"I found one too. Come with me and take a look."
Ye Chutang chose a nearby underground crack and walked over with Caesar and Ah Man.
The crack was near a dried-up tributary, beneath a pile of rocks.
The temperature of the stone was very high, and the weeds in the cracks had long since died. It didn't look like there was any water source hidden underground.
Xize knew that Ye Chutang would not make a mistake, so he tried hard to find evidence to prove the presence of water, but found nothing.
Ah Man was even more confused.
Ye Chutang pointed to a big tree nearby and said, "Look at this tree, what's different about it."
The underground cracks are deep, and the roots of weeds and shrubs are shallow, so they cannot naturally absorb water.
Only big trees with luxuriant branches and leaves can absorb something.
After being reminded by Ye Chutang, Xize immediately noticed the difference in the big tree.
Although the leaves on the tree were wilting and many had fallen off, the petioles were still upright.
After he told his discovery, Ye Chutang reminded him again.
“Look at the trunk of this tree and the trunks of other trees. What’s the difference?”
At first glance, the tree trunk seems useless.
But if you get closer and pry open the skin, you can see the difference at a glance.
Xize was filled with admiration for Ye Chutang.
"The trunk of this tree is growing normally, and the trunk of the other one is starting to dry up."
After listening to this, Ye Chutang mentioned a few more details.
"Have you memorized everything?"
Caesar nodded repeatedly, "I'll remember it."
"Keep looking. Meet here at noon and eat something before continuing."
It took the three of them nearly two hours to search the entire Peach Blossom Valley.
Under Ye Chutang's guidance, they searched all the places where water could be found.
Ah Man said with emotion: "I didn't expect to find so many suspected water sources."
As Ye Chutang walked out of the valley, he said, "These places to find water sources are not chosen randomly."
"Sister Chu is really amazing."
Caesar wiped the sweat from his forehead and drank the remaining water in the water bag.
"If water can flow out from every marked point and they are connected together, a large water flow will surely be formed."
Ye Chutang nodded, "Gathering the water into the tributaries can solve many urgent problems for the people."
The three of them came out of Peach Blossom Valley, their clothes and hair soaked with sweat.
Fortunately, Ye Chutang and A'man were both wearing coarse cloth coats, otherwise it would have been embarrassing.
Caesar said, "I'll go get the horse."
The horses were not at the entrance to the valley.
One is the worry that passers-by might steal the items.
One reason is that there are few trees at the entrance to block the scorching sun.
The horses were tied in an area with relatively dense trees to keep cool.
Soon, Caesar came back.
But there were only two horses following him.
"Madam, the horse that Ah Man rode was stolen."
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