Since the rain stopped yesterday, it hasn't rained again. Although the roads are muddy, there is no standing water, so it doesn't have much impact on the march.
After a day and a half of forced march, the troops arrived in the Xunzhou area. At this time, the sun was shining brightly, and many farmers were working in the fields.
Judging from the situation, this area was flooded, but the floodwaters are receding and the rice paddies are beginning to emerge.
The rice was in its growth period at the time, so being submerged by floodwaters for a short period of time was not a big problem; it could grow normally after the floodwaters receded.
In some low-lying areas, many children were catching fish, and judging from their cheers, they must have had a good catch.
Several elderly farmers walked towards us, carrying farm tools on their shoulders, preparing to go to work in the fields.
Li Guang dismounted, took a few steps forward, approached the old farmer, and said:
"Old man, how far is it from here to Xunzhou City?"
"There are still more than ten miles to go. The road ahead is relatively easy to travel, and we will arrive soon."
Is Xunjiang nearby? How far is it from here?
"It's just ahead. You'll see it as soon as you walk forward. The Xunjiang River is very close to Xunzhou City, only two or three miles away."
Li Guang nodded, thanked the old farmer, and then led his team away.
After walking for a while, a dam appeared on the left side of the road, which should be the dam of the Xunjiang River.
Li Guang ordered his troops to halt, dismounted, and quickly walked onto the river embankment.
Standing on the river embankment, the surrounding area is clearly visible. The Xunjiang River is very wide, with a rapid current and a magnificent momentum.
The river water has now risen to the foot of the river embankment, and huge waves whipped up by strong winds are crashing against the embankment.
The Xunjiang River basin is vast, and even without rain, the water level will continue to rise.
The Xunjiang River embankment, though seemingly sturdy, is still an earthen embankment. As the river continues to rise, coupled with days of rain, the entire embankment is as if it were submerged in water.
After being eroded by wind and waves for a long time, the river embankment will not be able to withstand it. As long as there is a breach, the entire embankment will collapse, and then the flood will rush out for miles.
We must go to Xunjiang City immediately to notify the local government and evacuate the city's residents to higher ground. Do not take any chances.
The temperature wasn't high on the rainy day, and the humid river breeze gave off a chill.
Suddenly, a dark cloud drifted across the sky, blocking out the sun, and the temperature immediately dropped.
There's no time to lose; we must hurry and get into the city.
The city of Xunzhou was bustling with activity, and the people were unaware that a great disaster was about to befall them.
It was nearing noon when Li Guang led his soldiers to the gate of the government office. When the yamen runners saw so many soldiers, they went up to question them.
"Who are you people, and what are you doing at the government office?"
Immediately, someone stepped forward and answered, saying:
"We are from Narcissus Village. This is General Li Guang. He has important business to discuss with the Prefect. Please inform him."
When the constables heard that it was Li Guang from Narcissus Village, they were quite surprised. Li Guang was too famous. He was the young prince of the current dynasty and the future emperor of the Great Northern Dynasty.
The constables dared not delay and quickly went inside to report.
Jiang Ke, the prefect of Xunzhou, was in his forties and had served as the prefect of Xunzhou for many years. He was considered quite diligent in his duties.
Just then, he and his colleagues finished their official duties and were about to go to the back hall for a meal when a yamen runner rushed in in a panic.
When Magistrate Jiang saw that the yamen runner was behaving inappropriately, he became displeased and was about to reprimand him when the runner spoke up.
"Your Excellency, General Li has arrived."
"Which General Li?"
Prefect Jiang spoke in surprise.
"It's General Li Guang from Narcissus Village. He's brought a troop of men and is outside the government office, requesting to see the prefect."
"ah!"
Prefect Jiang was taken aback. Why had Li Guang suddenly come to Xunzhou?
Prefect Jiang dared not be negligent and quickly led his officials, both high and low, out to greet them.
At the entrance of the government office, the hundred soldiers brought by Li Guang stood in neat rows, looking majestic and imposing.
At the front of the group was a young man who, despite his ordinary clothes, exuded an extraordinary air about him.
Prefect Jiang quickly stepped forward and bowed to Li Guang.
"Your humble servant, Jiang Ke, Prefect of Xunzhou, greets General Li."
"Prefect Jiang, there's no need for such formalities. I have important matters to discuss in Xunzhou. Please make the most of your time."
"Since this is important, General Li, please come with me to the back hall."
After Prefect Jiang finished speaking, he led Li Guang into the prefectural government office and went to the back hall.
After everyone was seated, Li Guang asked:
"There has been continuous rainfall recently, and I have heard that many places in Xunzhou have been affected by the disaster. Prefect Jiang, could you please tell me about the disaster situation in the area?"
It turned out that Li Guang had come to inquire about the disaster situation. Prefect Jiang breathed a sigh of relief and said:
"The Xunzhou area consists of one county and one prefecture, with numerous waterways. The eastern part of the area is low-lying and prone to flooding."
Recent continuous rainfall has flooded most of the low-lying farmland, but no casualties have been reported.
The weather has been fine for the past two days. This morning, I went down to inspect the area and saw that the floodwaters were beginning to recede.
Since most of the flooded area consists of rice paddies, the water recedes within seven days, preventing the rice from drowning.
Judging from the situation, the floodwaters in all low-lying areas will recede in another day or two, so the damage to crops caused by this year's floods will not be too great.
Li Guang nodded. It seemed that Prefect Jiang was paying attention to the local disaster situation and had a certain understanding of the extent of the damage in the region. As a prefect, it was already quite good that he could do this.
Thinking of this, Li Guang continued to ask:
"If it continues to rain for some time to come, I wonder what precautions Prefect Jiang has in place?"
Li Guang's words stumped Prefect Jiang. Based on past experience, once the weather clears up, the subsequent rainfall will not be too heavy, and there will be no particularly severe flooding.
He hadn't really considered the possibility that the weather would continue to be rainy.
This is actually quite normal. In ancient times, there were no sophisticated water conservancy facilities or large-scale drainage machinery. If farmland was flooded, there would be no way to deal with it.
Prefect Jiang and his officials looked at each other, unsure how to respond.
Seeing this, Li Guang spoke again:
"Today I came to Xunzhou and passed by the Xunjiang River, so I checked the river's condition."
The river water has now overflowed the riverbank. If the weather remains clear for some time, everything will be fine.
But if the rain continues, the river will inevitably rise, and the dikes used to hold it up will face a major danger. I wonder what Prefect Jiang's plans are in this regard.
"I have been serving as the prefect of Xunzhou for five years. When I first took office, I discovered that the river embankment in Xunzhou was not sturdy and it was difficult to prevent sudden floods in the Xunjiang River."
Therefore, I took advantage of the winter and off-season for farming to organize a large number of people to widen and raise the river embankment every year.
Five years have passed, and the river embankment in Xunzhou is now very solid, potentially able to withstand floods that occur only once every few decades.
This morning, I also went to the riverbank to check. Although the rainfall this year is heavier than in previous years, the dike is still very stable and can fully withstand the current flood. We are not worried about it.
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