At the beginning of the day, this busy work lasted for two hours.
Lead-like clouds pressed down on the river surface, and rain poured down relentlessly.
Even though he was wearing a raincoat, the old magistrate was soaked through from the inside out.
He personally experienced the princess's style of doing things, which was swift, decisive, and unambiguous.
He tried several times to ask about the disaster relief grain, but in the end he swallowed it back down.
This person is intolerant of even the slightest imperfection, which suggests that the imperial court is truly strapped for cash, with disasters plaguing three prefectures and war raging in the north. This is probably the best they can do.
After considering this, he ultimately swallowed his question.
Suddenly, the sky cracked open with spiderweb-like silver patterns, and as lightning cleaved through the clouds, a sharp, tearing sound echoed between heaven and earth.
The rumbling thunder rolled along the riverbed, like a thousand overturned bronze bells being struck and vibrating.
Meng Jian spurred his horse forward, saying, "Your Highness, the lightning strike was too sudden. Please stop your horse and rest for a moment."
Rainwater streamed down through the gaps in her helmet, and Qin Zhaoqiong frowned. "We'll stop at the old site of Huilongtan ahead."
"yes!"
Before long, the army arrived nearby and set up camp by the river.
The river is wide, which is indeed conducive to navigation, and a dock has been built.
If it weren't for the water conditions, merchant ships traveling between the north and south would dock here.
Goods are shipped from here to Canglong East Road, Zhuque South Road, and Tianji Road, making it a key waterway transportation hub.
However, everything has its advantages and disadvantages; widening the waterway encroaches on natural flood discharge areas.
In a normal year with plenty of rain, this wouldn't be a big deal, but we happened to encounter a flood situation that hadn't been seen in fifty years.
The widening of the river channel to build a wharf has resulted in a situation where the downstream area of the original Huilongtan area is wider at the top and narrower at the bottom.
Long-term siltation has caused the riverbed to be higher than the banks, hence the name "suspended river".
The Tiangong Company clearly took this into consideration, and embankments were added to both sides of this section. A portion of the annual dock revenue was also used to clear accumulated sand.
Based on Qin Zhaoqiong's experience, this place is the most important.
If the situation can be contained, the flood situation in the entire Hanoi region will be under control.
Without resting, she immediately led General Manager Wang and Magistrate Lu to inspect the river embankment.
Not far from where they had gone, they saw a group of laborers carrying sandbags in the pouring rain.
Hundreds of laborers, their backs bent, carried sacks bulging with rainwater.
His veins bulged as he gripped the straw rope, his knuckles pale, his feet sinking into the mud, each step a struggle.
"Your Highness..." The guards helped the old magistrate up as he spoke, panting heavily, "I was worried that the river embankment might be damaged, so I have ordered people to reinforce it immediately."
Qin Zhaoqiong nodded; the county magistrate had the same idea as her: "How to conscript laborers?"
"Most of them were laborers from the canal gangs. When the floods occurred, there were no merchant ships and no way to make a living, so they worked as relief."
Lu Zhaochuan then thought of the disaster relief grain containing bran and secretly wondered whether he could pay extra wages after the flood receded.
The laborers passing by naturally noticed the approaching group. Seeing the county magistrate carefully accompanying him, they figured this must be the imperial envoy.
They braved the rain to carry sandbags, only to receive relief grain mixed with bran. It was as if a stone was stuck in their hearts.
In a flash, they saw the hundreds of imperial guards surrounding the princess.
The bluish-gray armor, wet with rain, still stung their eyes.
Many people couldn't help but lower their heads and dare not look anymore, their hearts burning with anger, and the words of curse stuck in their throats.
Lu Zhaochuan swallowed hard, finally feeling a little relieved.
Thankfully, the river workers didn't lose their temper, and his efforts yesterday weren't in vain; at least they managed to suppress their complaints.
Once we get through this current crisis, we can comfort them properly later.
However, Qin Zhaoqiong sensed the resentment of the river workers. Where did this resentment come from?
Meng Jian, whose cultivation was higher, naturally noticed the anomaly as well.
He silently took a few steps forward, getting closer to the princess, and at the same time used his inner energy to transmit a message, "Your Highness, be careful, there's something wrong with the person."
Qin Zhaoqiong remained calm. Originally intending to approach the riverbank to observe the water level, she immediately changed her mind and decided to walk around the group of laborers first.
She had only gone halfway when she suddenly stopped, turned around abruptly, and Meng Jian's expression changed drastically. "Back off!"
The Imperial Guards didn't ask any questions and immediately carried out the order.
The guards rushed forward and, in a few breaths, formed a circular formation, protecting the princess as she retreated away from the riverbank.
They had barely retreated five zhang when they heard a rapid, surging sound in the distance, as if a thousand troops were charging towards them.
A flash of silver light appeared, and everyone witnessed the surging tide.
"this……"
"Retreat! Retreat quickly! The wave is coming!"
The laborers of the canal gang didn't care about the sandbags anymore; they threw them on the ground and ran backwards, creating chaos.
The tide is faster than a swift horse; in the blink of an eye, the first wave of tide has already licked the riverbank.
The deafening roar was like ten thousand horses trampling an icy river, creating a water curtain several meters high, and a salty, fishy mist carrying sand rushed towards us.
"Retreat again!"
Meng Jian was not in the center of the circular formation, and he knew perfectly well that the commander of the Xuanji Guard was definitely guarding the princess and was safe and sound.
He was currently positioned on the right front of the perimeter, with the raging waves in front of him and the panicked laborers retreating to his right.
Even though they were seven or eight zhang away from the riverbank, they were still drenched in water from the splashes and immediately ordered a retreat.
In stark contrast to the laborers, the Imperial Guards retreated in accordance with established procedures, moving swiftly without losing their assigned positions.
After the first tidal wave, one wave rose higher than the next, and all that could be seen was a white expanse, as if even the riverbank had been swallowed up.
A large amount of river water overflowed, and because the riverbed was higher than the banks, it quickly spread to the feet of everyone.
Qin Zhaoqiong looked tense; normally, she might have had people protect the river workers.
But the strange atmosphere she just sensed made her give up on doing so, and instead she distanced herself from the other person.
After retreating about a hundred feet, the group finally stopped.
"How...how could it be so turbulent..."
Magistrate Lu was panicked and his body trembled uncontrollably.
The rain had only been falling for two hours, how could it have formed such a terrifying wave?
Qin Zhaoqiong naturally thought of this as well, and looked to her side, "President Wang, what's your speculation?"
"Your Highness..." Governor Wang stammered, "For the water to surge like this, it seems the upstream dikes have breached..."
Qin Zhaoqiong clenched her fist. "Send the order back to camp and dispatch five hundred cavalrymen to rush upstream, with a post every mile, and quickly find out the cause."
"yes!"
What was bound to happen eventually did happen. Flood control is never a smooth process, and Qin Zhaoqiong was somewhat prepared for it.
The laborers from the canal gang finally withdrew; some fell and were injured, but no one was left behind.
They ran to a gentler slope further away and huddled together, overwhelmed by the power of heaven and earth.
A pale flash of lightning tore through the sky once more, and everyone could clearly see the terrifying waves.
As the wave receded, accompanied by the fading silver light, a sharp-eyed person spotted a huge dark shadow in the middle of the river and shouted, "What is that!"
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