At dawn, everyone gathered at the shore of the landslide-dammed lake, including all the officials of Mingyan County.
Qin Zhaoyue glanced at the county magistrate from afar for the first time.
He looked to be in his thirties, with fine lines already appearing on his face, and his slightly sunken cheekbones giving him a sharp and alert appearance.
I heard that he is a diligent and good official. He hasn't returned to the county office these days and has been eating and sleeping in a temporary barracks by the landslide dam.
Now, his dark blue official robes are wrinkled and splattered with mud that he hasn't cleaned up.
Especially those official boots, which looked as if they had been washed in mud several times, making it impossible to see their original appearance.
After four days of work, the Tiangong Company selected the flood discharge area, and all the downstream villages have been relocated.
According to the original plan, it would have taken another day, but last night an official from the Ministry of Works advised that the dredging must be completed today no matter what.
It turned out that the man had a chronic leg injury. Even after the injury was healed, his leg would still feel sore on rainy days. Sending him to the team was to serve as a barometer for the weather.
Thus, the princess ordered that all the villagers be forcibly taken away overnight, without daring to delay even a moment longer.
The overcast skies this morning, with no sunshine, further corroborated the official's statement.
Qin Zhaoyue stood in the crowd, surrounded by the Black Army and with a hundred Imperial Guards by her side, she was safe and sound.
Not far away was the selected lake shore, on which a triangular structure about two zhang high was erected, with another leg supporting it from a distance.
The three legs are as thick as beams, and a hammer hangs in the middle of the triangle, like a battering ram.
There was also a winch gear, and a hemp rope as thick as a child's arm, one end of which was connected to the suspended hammer, and the other end went through a mechanism, turned a corner, and extended horizontally for more than ten feet.
After taking a few glances, Qin Zhaoyue roughly understood the working principle of this device, which was nothing more than levers.
Moreover, due to the issue of the resettlement area, this dike-breaking equipment is a one-time use item; once the channel is breached, it will be washed away and submerged by the water flow.
The Imperial Guards began clearing the area. After all, it was a flood discharge, and there were many uncontrollable factors involved. So Qin Zhaoyue and the others retreated to a distance of about a hundred feet.
Many people rode horses and shouted in the arena, but unlike Meng Jian who personally presided over the event, everything was orderly and the surrounding area was cleaned up in no time.
Only five hundred soldiers remained, holding hemp ropes and standing on one side like in a tug-of-war.
Standing with her was the Fifth Prince, Qin Jingzhan.
Ever since that night when we arrived in Mingyan County, I have been following the Princess to this lakeside.
However, he had absolutely nothing to do; the dignified deputy envoy for disaster relief was only responsible for compiling documents.
This was a job that I asked for myself because I was worried about gossip.
And what about the sixth sister beside him? She didn't even have a proper job. When she left the capital, she was even more useless than him. And what happened?
She was both a purifier of water and a healer of illness; I never knew she was so intelligent and insightful, and I was instantly overshadowed.
Thinking of this, Qin Jingzhan felt a mix of emotions. "Sixth sister, you've worked so hard."
Qin Zhaoyue glanced at him. Not to mention her, even the original owner of this body didn't have much of a relationship with him. "Fifth Brother too."
Qin Jingzhan: ...
Is this meant to be sarcastic or ironic?
Qin Zhaoyue's words killed the conversation, while the military formation ahead was already ready.
Meng Jian clasped his hands in a salute, "Your Highness, everything is ready."
Qin Zhaoqiong nodded. "Let's set off fireworks."
"yes!"
Amidst a sharp whistling sound, fiery red fireworks soared into the sky, bursting forth in dazzling displays.
The sky was overcast, making the fireworks stand out. Soon after, fireworks also rose into the sky in the distance.
Last night, due to the urgency of the situation, several villages were ordered to be relocated, and the Imperial Guards, yamen runners, and city patrol soldiers worked all night long.
Worried that something might be missed, I sifted through it again at dawn this morning, and the distant fireworks are the signal.
"Everyone, heed my command!" Meng Jian shouted from his horse, "Three, two, one, rise!"
Five hundred guards exerted their strength almost simultaneously, pulling up the giant battering ram.
Qin Zhaoyue is a sixth-rank martial artist with excellent eyesight; she can see clearly even from a great distance.
"Tsk tsk tsk..."
Five hundred bronze-colored backs were taut and arched under the scorching sun, the rough fibers of hemp rope intertwined with bulging deltoid muscles.
Sweat rolled down the creases between his ribs, carving tiny, shimmering streams on the surface of his taut abdominal muscles.
Wow, the power of humanity!
Qin Zhaoyue narrowed her eyes; she couldn't take it all in, she simply couldn't see everything!
What she didn't know was that the five thousand imperial guards accompanying her were all skilled warriors, many of whom were seventh-rank martial artists.
Having endured the external training of muscles, bones, and skin, one is now in the stage of refining one's qi and blood.
Those selected for the tug-of-war were the elite among them, which is why such an explosive scene unfolded.
At such a tense moment, everyone should have been focused on the battering ram, but some were distracted.
Sui Mo glanced quietly to the side and saw the Sixth Prince's eyes shining. She sighed inwardly.
Sure enough, she really likes this kind of thing.
Almost simultaneously, another gaze fell upon them, this time from the "sensitive" Lord Pei.
Since that incident, words like "strongman" and "muscle" have elicited additional reactions.
Especially since the instigator was right there, how could he not pay attention?
"Brother Pei, what's wrong? Why do you look so pale?"
"fine!"
The person next to him tilted his head, his teeth clenched, looking anything but unharmed.
Pei Xueqiao's chest heaved violently. In the past, he could still deceive himself, thinking that the Sixth Princess might be avoiding him because of his background in the Prime Minister's mansion.
But now... her eyes are practically glued to his muscular physique!
Getting back to the main point, in order to complete the flood discharge in one go, the battering ram was heavily weighted, and it was clear that even five hundred strong men full of energy had some difficulty pulling it up.
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