Chapter 155: Conquering the Flood, Disaster Relief Supplies Have Arrived...
The next day, the sky was covered with dark clouds, and a light autumn rain began to fall. It was gentle and soothing on the skin, yet cold, like thorns piercing straight into the heart.
The disaster relief grain from the capital is delayed, the newly planted crops are far from being harvested, the granaries can only last for seven days, and the entire prefecture can't even gather ten bags of medicine for epidemic prevention. Once the medicine runs out, the epidemic will spread like wildfire. Two counties have already experienced mudslides, and all the officials and soldiers in the prefecture have been dispatched to carry out disaster relief. Three more counties have been affected...
Zhang Ting was utterly exhausted. Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice. She could hold on, but the people of Zhangzhou Prefecture couldn't. If no good news came, she would have to resort to desperate measures.
The rain gradually intensified, pattering against the tiles with a dull, muffled sound.
In a magnificent mansion in the east of the city, servants hurried about carrying boxes and moving things.
"Hurry up, all of you! You don't want to live, but I do!" Ning Xin paced anxiously around the room. It had been raining day and night for the past few days, and it was only a matter of time before the dam broke.
She put her hands on her hips and muttered in a low voice, "And that corrupt official and bandit surnamed Zhang, he ate so much of my food, and he actually had the nerve to threaten me that day? Like he'd never seen a dead person before!" It gave her nightmares for days. That inhuman bastard!
The butler rushed in through the heavy rain, looking flustered. "Master, the manager of Liu's shop still refuses to settle the payment. He says you have to go there in person."
Ning Xin spat on the ground in anger and shouted, "You slow-moving, cowardly piece of trash! Why didn't you see her being so slow when you were visiting brothels!"
She quickly gathered several servants and said, "Come with me to collect the debts. After that, we'll head to Jeju Prefecture!"
At this critical moment of running away, there was still a fool who messed up and delayed her escape. Ning Xin vowed to break the legs of the man surnamed Liu to vent her anger!
A group of people went off aggressively, but came out in less than half a quarter of an hour. The shopkeeper of Liu's shop was still standing.
Ning Xin smiled brightly and weighed the money bag in her hand. It was as heavy as a weight. Considering that the woman surnamed Liu had paid extra, she decided to let her off the hook for the time being.
Ning Xin was in a good mood and hummed a little tune as she headed home.
It was noon when she was on the road. The disheveled disaster victims greeted her, and Ning Xin, unusually, returned their greetings with a smile, saying, "Hello, hello."
After exchanging pleasantries with the disaster victims and passing by, Ning Xin suddenly stopped, realizing what had happened. Wait a minute, was that filthy, penniless wretch greeting her? Didn't he always call her a bloodsucker?
Before she could think it through, another person came over with a bowl of porridge and greeted her: "Great benefactor Ning, I heard that the rice for this porridge comes from your Ning family's rice shop. Thank you for your generosity! Have you had lunch yet?"
Several children with pigtails ran over, each carrying a bowl. "Thank you, Aunt Ning, for the rice! It's so fragrant and sweet. We're finally not hungry anymore!"
Ning Xin chuckled awkwardly and scratched her head, saying unconsciously, "If you like it, that's good, haha..." Then she wanted to slap herself. Like it my ass! That's all her food! That's all her money!
More and more disaster victims came to thank her, and Ning Xin walked faster and faster until she disappeared down the street.
Even after stepping across the threshold, Ning Xin still felt a strange emotion buildup in her heart, making her feel stuck and uneasy.
She pursed her lips, thinking that these poor bastards at least had some conscience; food... well, if the food's gone, it's gone.
The rain fell harder and harder during the day, and showed no signs of stopping until night. The water level in the city rose by an inch, and the people who were hiding in their homes watched this scene with despair on their faces.
If the situation in Danfu City is this dire, what about the dikes? Can they still be held?
Someone covered their face and wept, "Are we all going to die here?"
The old man in the family stopped her and walked to the window to look at the brightly lit government office. "Don't talk nonsense! Lord Zhang is still here. She is a deity sent by heaven to save us. She will surely lead us through this difficult time!"
The toddler cried out in fear of the terrifying thunder and rain. Her mother held her in her arms and comforted her, saying, "Don't be afraid, little one. Lord Zhang will definitely save us!"
The young couple gazed firmly at the lights of the government office, for they were the guiding light for them.
"We believe in Lord Zhang!"
"We believe in Lord Zhang!"
The rain poured down, the wind howled, and the world was filled with a terrifying atmosphere. Yet, a force called 'faith' spread throughout Zhangzhou Prefecture. The hearts of 1.31 million people in the 37 counties of Zhangzhou Prefecture were all tied to one person, believing that this person could surely cleave through the gloom and pull them out of the mire!
Inside the government office.
All officials were running around and appealing, and an atmosphere of urgency and crisis permeated the air, weighing heavily on everyone's mind.
Suddenly, a soldier rushed in. She was covered in mud and kneeling on the ground, her cries filled with despair, "Sir! The dam can't hold! You must escape!"
Zhang Ting immediately stood up and strode forward, "What is the situation at the front? Report back immediately!"
"There's been too much rain tonight. The dikes we've reinforced these past few days are completely overwhelmed. Many of the river workers have fled in fear. Sir, you should run too! My life is worthless, but you're different. Run!"
The officials in the hall were horrified by the news, their faces turning pale. The more timid ones even collapsed to the ground in fear, while those who remained conscious scattered in panic, causing chaos in an instant.
Zhang Ting gritted her teeth and shouted, "No one is allowed to escape!" She grabbed a raincoat and put it on. "It's just that the dike wasn't built properly, which allowed a small amount of floodwater to take advantage of the situation. Let's hurry up and build it properly."
She carefully placed the straw hat on her head. "Except for the logistics officials who stay in the city to allocate sandbags and wood, everyone else will follow me to the front line!" Her sharp and piercing eyes swept across the scene. "It's just that the rain is a bit heavy, and they're already panicking."
"Everyone, listen to my command, march!"
A large crowd, carrying sandbags and logs, waded through a swamp and rushed toward the embankment. There were soldiers, clerks, and civilians who had spontaneously followed.
Upon arriving at the scene, the crowd was so terrified by the enormous and terrifying sight that they retreated one after another. The vast river surface was turbulent with waves, which, with the help of the wind, gently swayed the water as if teasing ants, slamming hundreds of people to the bottom of the embankment. Painful screams echoed through the sky, while the river made a huge, deep roar, as if mocking the ants' overestimation of their own strength.
This isn't river water, it's clearly a ruthless demon that kills without blinking an eye!
As officials, soldiers, clerks, and common people retreated one after another, their newly built confidence was completely destroyed. They deeply felt how immense the power of nature was and how insignificant human power was. The overwhelming sense of powerlessness made it hard for them to breathe.
Zhang Ting stared intently at the waves, her lips pressed into a straight line. Then she took off her straw hat and raincoat and stood in front of the people.
"Fellow colleagues, fellow villagers, you can see the flood is raging and the dikes are struggling to hold it up. But behind us lies our homeland, the place where our ancestors have lived for generations, our parents, children, and ancestral lands! Now is the most dangerous time, but also the most critical time. We have the chance to hold off the flood with our own hands and protect our homes! If we can hold out this time, bright and beautiful days await us! If anyone is unwilling, I will not stop them; they can all flee for their lives! But I want to tell you, as long as the dike stands, I will live and die with it!"
A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating her resolute and determined face. Her official robes, already stained with mud and water, clung to her body and continued to drip water.
As everyone gazed at her, a profound shock and overwhelming emotion washed over them like a flood. Someone in the crowd uttered the first sob, and then everyone else could no longer contain themselves, collapsing to their knees in a chorus of weeping. It wasn't sadness, but an unprecedented, heavy yet warm power that tore through the shadow of disaster, striking their souls truly and powerfully. It told them that the sky hadn't fallen, because there were officials like her, holding it up for them!
The waves were huge and the flood was raging. Officials rushed around shouting, their robes covered in mud, directing women to reinforce the dikes and plug the breaches. The people on the dikes were like ants, small but determined, meager but united. No matter how fierce the flood was, it could not defeat them!
Behind the dam are their newly built houses, the wealth they've accumulated through a lifetime of hard work, their family and children—if they slacken their guard even slightly, everything, all their hopes, will be destroyed.
If the dam collapses, some of them may die in the flood, and some may lose their parents and family. But even if they manage to escape... where can they find their home?
They are willing to fight to the death to defend their homeland!
Sweat mingled with raindrops streamed down her face. Zhang Ting gritted her teeth, steadying herself amidst the raging waves. What was she fighting for? Fame and fortune? The admiration of thousands? Or perhaps... the lives of millions of ordinary people? She didn't know the reason, but she knew she could never back down or show any fear!
On the official road not far away, a servant asked, "Master, shall we continue?"
Ning Xin jumped off the carriage with a sullen face. "Where are you going! Our ancestors' foundation is here! Hurry up and tell people to bring everything in the house that can be used to reinforce the dike!" She rolled up her sleeves and rushed to the dike, cursing. "Damn it, it's just a small natural disaster! There are so many people in Zhangzhou Prefecture, I refuse to believe we can't fight against this damned heaven!"
Tens of thousands of people volunteered to join in. When there wasn't enough material to reinforce the dike, they even demolished their own houses and brought wood and stones to block the breach.
All officials and common people worked together with one heart and one mind, day and night, their eyes bloodshot and their eyes dark, but they never slackened.
Finally, at dawn on the third day, the clouds dispersed and the rain stopped, the floodwaters in the river ceased to rise, and a warm, crimson sun rose on the horizon.
The dike has been held.
Everyone rejoiced, weeping with joy as they ran to tell each other, "Our homes are saved! We are saved!!"
The crowd was filled with laughter and joy.
After enduring the long night, Zhang Ting felt a huge weight lifted from his heart; the most devastating disaster in Zhangzhou Prefecture had finally passed.
She led her people down the embankment, and suddenly, a soldier rode up on horseback from not far away.
As they drew nearer, the soldiers dismounted, grinned, and knelt on one knee. "Good news! The wealthy and powerful of Jizhou Prefecture have donated grain and medicine free of charge! They have now been transported to the city gate."
Zhang Ting's brows relaxed; the teacher's good news had finally arrived.
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