After recovering from the loud noise, everyone looked grim as they stared at the battering ram, half of which was protruding from the water.
A deathly silence fell over the room until Cui Liang's desperate shout broke the silence.
Is the sound from below off?
The staff of the Heavenly Crafts Bureau quickly realized, "That's right!"
The official in charge of surveying the soil immediately stepped forward and knelt down on both knees, saying, "Your Highness, Engineer Cui is right."
"This area was originally a series of karst caves, but after being swallowed by the mud dragon, it was simply filled with silt, rocks and tea tree roots."
According to calculations, the battering ram's weight was definitely sufficient; it should have broken through in one strike. But that sound just now... it was clearly the sound of metal clashing!
The official broke out in a cold sweat. He had indeed tested the soil and had repeatedly confirmed with the old tea farmer and the county official.
The responsibility for such a major error lies with his inadequate surveying; in any case, there is nothing to criticize about this matter.
Qin Zhaoqiong's face turned ashen.
The flood discharge in Mingyan County is the first step in the dredging. If things don't go smoothly here, and a flood breaks out upstream, the entire county could be submerged.
She didn't reply, but instead looked at Meng Jian beside her.
Meng Jian nodded and immediately spurred his horse to gallop towards the Imperial Guard ranks.
"Zhao Yong, Tie Niu, go into the water and investigate."
"yes!"
Both of them were from Huzhou and had played in the pools and rivers since childhood, making them excellent swimmers.
Moreover, he possesses a sixth-grade cultivation level and a breath of true qi, making him exceptionally skilled at holding his breath underwater.
Zhao Yong and Tie Niu immediately removed their armor. An official from the Heavenly Crafts Bureau offered them thin hemp ropes to tie around their waists, but they refused.
Without any protection, with only a dagger strapped to his arm, he plunged into the water.
The battering ram kicked up a lot of mud and sand, making the lake water turbid and underwater visibility extremely poor, but the situation forced them to act without delay.
The atmosphere by the lake was solemn. Cui Liang and the surveying officials were still kneeling on the ground, and Qin Zhaoqiong did not tell them to get up.
Involving the entire disaster relief effort, regardless of the reason, constitutes a serious crime!
Qin Zhaoyue witnessed this scene and couldn't help but worry about her elder sister.
"Hey," she gently nudged the ink fragments beside her, "what are they saying?"
For safety, they kept a distance from the front lines. Qin Zhaoyue could see them, but she couldn't hear what they were saying.
But Sui Mo should be a fifth-rank expert, so he should be able to hear it.
Dark clouds loomed between Sui Mo's brows; with the flood season fast approaching, the failure to dredge the river was a top priority.
She was actually somewhat prepared. Flood control was something that happened every year, and the imperial court threw in huge sums of money but it didn't make a difference. It couldn't be that simple.
However, witnessing the failure firsthand still left him disappointed. He approached the Sixth Princess and whispered an explanation to her.
Qin Zhaoyue's pretty face was tense, and she was cursing inwardly.
What a bunch of incompetents! They can't even handle something as important as flood control with mistakes, especially in the most basic steps.
If the fundamental element of geological surveying is wrong, all subsequent plans will be wasted.
Just like when you're solving a problem, if you get the premise wrong, no matter how clever or ingenious your calculations are, the result will be completely off.
Qin Zhaoyue looked at the two kneeling figures in the distance, showing no sympathy whatsoever: They deserved it!
"How long would it take to recalculate and readjust the device?"
Sui Mo gently shook his head, "This subordinate does not know, but it seems unlikely to happen anytime soon."
The machinery was enormous, and the battering ram was heavily weighted. Although she was not familiar with the mechanisms, she understood some basic principles.
The soil underground is different, so drilling through it will inevitably require increasing the weight of the battering ram. But can the other parts that match it bear the increased weight?
It's highly likely that this won't work; it would mean starting from scratch.
Looking up, the sky was overcast and it seemed like it might rain at any moment.
There was little shelter around this section of the landslide-dammed lake, and fierce winds raged from an unknown direction.
I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, but I feel like the moisture in the wind is heavier.
This terrible weather felt like heavy stones pressing on everyone's chests, and no one could guarantee that the dredging could be completed before the rain started.
The lakeside was deathly silent, and everyone's eyes were fixed on the murky water near the battering ram.
The two divers were indeed excellent swimmers; after only half a cup of tea's time, not a single bubble could be seen on the surface, demonstrating their long and steady breathing.
Before long, two figures emerged from the water, wiped their eyes hastily, aimed, and then swam quickly.
"Quick, lend a hand!"
The imperial guards standing on the shore immediately stepped forward and, without the two of them needing to exert any effort, grabbed their arms from the left and right and lifted them out of the water.
Zhao Yong and Tie Niu had solemn expressions. After getting ashore, they rushed towards the army formation and even used their true qi.
He swiftly approached Meng Jian, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Commander, something's wrong underwater. We've touched a peculiar rock formation."
"It was very thick and heavy. The two of us used our daggers to chisel at it, but even with all our strength, we couldn't leave any marks."
In addition, the rock strata are unusually flat, unlike those formed naturally, and extend for a long distance.
We couldn't find the boundary, so we came up to report first.
Upon hearing this, the official who had been measuring the soil collapsed to the ground, his face drained of color, his pupils trembling, and he kept muttering:
"How could this be... how could this be..."
Cui Liang, who was kneeling to the side, also looked devastated. Although he had some guesses, he still held onto a sliver of hope.
But once it was confirmed, it meant that the entire instrument needed to be adjusted, or even rebuilt... But did they have that time?
Lord Wang, the highest-ranking official in the local Bureau of Crafts, let out a long breath and strode up to the Princess.
“Your Highness, the most urgent task is to investigate the situation of that rock wall. Please allow our Heavenly Crafts Bureau to atone for our mistakes.”
With such a huge blunder, the entire Tiangong Division, from top to bottom, bears inescapable responsibility, and he, as the chief engineer, cannot escape blame either.
If they cannot atone for their sins and the failure to dredge the river causes a flood, then every single one of them will be beheaded upon returning to the capital.
Qin Zhaoqiong lowered her eyes and gave him a cold glance. "One quarter of an hour."
"Yes, thank you, Your Highness!"
Lord Wang breathed a sigh of relief; at least there was still a chance.
He didn't even bother to express his gratitude; he turned and ran, summoning several people from the Heavenly Crafts Bureau.
After giving a brief explanation, we selected someone who was a good swimmer and immediately began frantically equipping them with gear.
They put on a silk scuba suit coated with tung oil to make it easy to dive, tied a narrow-mouthed cowhide scuba tank around their waist, pulled out a thin tube, wrapped it around their arm, and then inserted it into their mouth to hold it.
Seeing that he was almost dressed, Lord Wang bowed deeply to Meng Jian and said, "I humbly request Commander Meng to send two Imperial Guard brothers to assist me."
Meng Jian nodded. "Take him down to the bottom and see the rock formations."
"yes!"
Soon, Zhao Yong and Tie Niu grabbed the officials from the Heavenly Works Company on either side and dived back into the water...
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