Li Guang nodded. He hadn't expected that Prefect Jiang had reinforced the river embankment every year since taking office. It was truly remarkable that the embankment had been repaired to this state.
"The Prefect is farsighted. For the safety of Xunzhou, he has built a great dike for many years to prevent problems before they occur. He truly lives up to his reputation as an official who benefits the people in his post."
As far as I know, the rainy season is not over yet, and it is estimated that the rain will continue for the next ten days or so, with very heavy rainfall.
This will cause the Xunjiang River's water level to continue rising; will the riverbanks be able to withstand such a surge of water?
Upon hearing this, Prefect Jiang was stunned. Li Guang said that there would be more than ten days of rain, and the river would inevitably rise further. He was really unsure whether the river embankment could withstand it.
"General Li, you just said that there will be more than ten days of rain, and the rainfall will be heavy. Is that true here?"
"This is just speculation, but it is highly likely. What we need to do is take precautions. I urge Your Excellency not to take it lightly."
Zhao Xian's words left the people present looking at each other in bewilderment. They had long heard of Li Guang, and since it was his speculation, it was entirely credible.
On the battlefield, Li Guang's military prowess was based on his ability to make accurate judgments about future events. Since he predicted that there would be more than ten days of rain later on, it was highly likely that this was true.
Besides, Li Guang came specifically for this matter. If these officials are still confused, and continuous rain causes the river embankment to collapse, countless people in Xunzhou will die. These local officials cannot bear such a responsibility.
Even if Li Guang's prediction was wrong, at most they would have just wasted their time.
Thinking of this, Prefect Jiang said, "General Li means to evacuate the people in the city to avoid the flood."
Li Guang nodded and said:
"My purpose in coming here is to understand the situation here. In order to avoid disaster, everyone in the city must be evacuated in advance to avoid the impending floods."
Li Guang's meaning was very clear at this point. Although he spoke in a consultative tone, it was actually an order that the officials of Xunzhou had to obey. The officials present were naturally aware of this.
Prefect Jiang nodded and began to discuss countermeasures with everyone. The city had a large population, numbering in the tens of thousands, and it would be quite difficult to relocate so many people in a short period of time.
The first priority was to find a place for these people who were preparing to move out. Everyone quickly thought of several towns nearby, which were at higher elevations and would not be threatened by the flood.
These towns are relatively large, so it's not a problem to disperse the urban residents to stay there temporarily.
Once the matter was settled, the government organized personnel to publicize the event and asked the residents of the city to prepare for evacuation.
At the same time, the government also sent personnel to several nearby towns to request the cooperation of local officials in receiving the personnel.
To alleviate the pressure on several towns to accommodate disaster victims, the government advised the people to visit relatives and friends and leave Xunzhou City during this period.
In the afternoon, the government posted notices in the city explaining the situation and then demanding that the people in the city evacuate Xunzhou Prefecture within a specified time and go to resettlement points in several nearby towns.
The locals found it unbelievable when they saw the notice, as Xunzhou had experienced a flood many years ago.
In recent years, the government has organized the construction of river embankments every year. The current river embankments are no longer the same as those of many years ago. They can be said to be indestructible. How could they be easily breached?
Besides, the weather is excellent right now. The rain stopped two days ago, and even if there is more rain later, it won't be heavy. Is the government out of their mind to issue a notice at this time?
The notice was sent out, but most people didn't take it seriously. They went about their business as usual and had no intention of leaving the city.
And so, until dusk, the officials of Xunzhou were busy with this matter.
Seeing that Prefect Jiang was handling matters with great efficiency, and that all officials had also taken action, all the necessary notices had been posted.
Li Guang plans to go to some low-lying areas tomorrow to spread the word and urge the villagers there to evacuate as soon as possible.
As dusk approached, Li Guang recorded the situation on a piece of paper, folded it, tied it to the leg of a carrier pigeon, and released it.
In Narcissus Village, Zhao Xian had been busy in the workshop all day and was returning to his old house. Li Xue was playing with Zhao Yue at the door when she saw Zhao Xian return. She put Zhao Yue down and little Zhao Yue immediately ran towards Zhao Xian.
"Father, Father!" Zhao Yue waved his little hands as he ran.
Zhao Yue can now walk steadily and even run. Upon seeing this, Zhao Xian immediately beamed with joy.
He crouched down and picked up Zhao Yue, who was running towards him.
At this moment, Li Xue walked over, looked at Zhao Xian, and said:
"Brother Zhao, the food is ready, you can eat now."
"Okay, thank you, Princess. Let's go eat."
In the restaurant, everyone sat down to eat. Before they had taken more than a few bites, a soldier walked in, carrying a carrier pigeon in his hand.
"Master, you asked me to keep an eye out for any pigeons returning to the nest. Just now, this pigeon flew back with a letter tied to its leg, so I brought it here."
After the soldier finished speaking, he handed the pigeon to Zhao Xian. Zhao Xian took the pigeon and excitedly exclaimed:
"This is Li Guang's letter. It was sent by carrier pigeon. The journey of more than 300 li can be completed in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea."
After Zhao Xian finished speaking, he took down the letter and then handed the pigeon to the family soldier.
Zhao Xian unfolded the letter, read it carefully, and learned about Li Guang's situation.
Zhao Xian handed the letter to Li Xue and said:
"Li Guang arrived in Xunzhou Prefecture this morning and has already handed over the matter. The government has issued a notice requiring the people in the city to evacuate Xunzhou City as soon as possible."
After reading the letter, Li Xue couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, "Using pigeons to deliver a message, that's incredibly fast!"
“Carrier pigeons are so fast. Back then, when there were important events at the border that needed to be reported to the court, even with the 800-li express courier service, it would still take several days. If we use pigeons to send messages, it will be much faster.”
"Although pigeons can deliver messages quickly, they are also prone to errors, especially when it comes to long-distance delivery. Due to factors such as wind and rain, pigeons may not be able to complete their mission."
If a pigeon encounters a predator or hunter during flight, its life will be in danger, which could lead to the loss or leakage of information.
For all particularly important information, it's best to send it in person rather than by carrier pigeon, even though it's slower.
So that's how it is. It seems that using carrier pigeons has its advantages and disadvantages. For ordinary letters, it's still possible to use carrier pigeons.
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