The small boat sailed through the low-lying area. Ahead, the terrain was higher and had not been flooded. The group disembarked and continued walking forward.
Before long, they arrived at a small town, which was a disaster relief center set up by the government. Li Guang and Prefect Jiang were at this center.
A yamen runner had already come to report that Zhao Xian and Li Xue had brought a large amount of disaster relief supplies. Li Guang and Prefect Jiang were very happy and arrived at the town entrance early to welcome them.
"Brother Zhao, Sister, you're all here. Let me introduce you. This is Prefect Jiang of Xunzhou."
"Greetings, Marquis Zhengyang, and Princess." Prefect Jiang approached the two and bowed.
"Your Excellency, there's no need for such formalities. A few days ago, I received a message by carrier pigeon informing me of the severe disaster and shortage of supplies in Xunzhou. I then collected two million catties of grain and more than 30,000 taels of silver and urgently transported them here by waterway."
More than one million jin of grain will be transported over in a few days to alleviate the urgent needs of Xunzhou and help the disaster victims overcome their difficulties.
Zhao Xian's words deeply moved Prefect Jiang. He had not expected that Shuixian Village could raise so much grain and silver in such a short time.
Raising such a large amount of disaster relief supplies would be difficult even for the imperial court in a short time. It seems that Shuixian Village truly lives up to its reputation, possessing great strength and being a place where hidden talents reside.
As evening approached, Prefect Jiang arranged accommodations for Zhao Xian and Li Xue at the best inn in town.
When Li Guang arrived at the resettlement site, Prefect Jiang arranged for him to stay at this inn. Li Guang refused, insisting on staying at the resettlement site and eating and living with the soldiers. Prefect Jiang had no choice but to agree.
With the relief supplies already delivered, Prefect Jiang felt much more at ease. When he dined with Zhao Xian and Li Xue that evening, he even added two more dishes to the meal. This was the best meal Prefect Jiang had eaten in a while.
Strangely enough, the merchant ship carrying this batch of supplies sailed from Shuixian Village all the way to Xunzhou Wharf. It only rained a little and did not affect the transportation of the disaster relief supplies.
After the relief supplies arrived safely, it started to rain, and the rain got heavier and heavier.
Zhao Xian and Li Xue have been transporting goods for the past few days. The Xunjiang River has been quite rough, and they have been tossed around on the boat for several days. Although it wasn't very strenuous, they couldn't get a good night's sleep at all.
The conditions at the inn were much better than on the merchant ship, so I could get a good night's sleep.
The rain wasn't heavy, but it rained all night long. The pattering rain helped me sleep, and I slept very comfortably.
By the time Zhao Xian and Li Xue woke up, it was already morning.
Having had plenty of sleep, the two were in good spirits. They arrived at the resettlement point with their entourage and guards. Li Guang and Prefect Jiang had already left.
The rain has been falling continuously since last night, showing no signs of stopping.
It seems this rain is going to cause new disasters, otherwise Li Guang and Prefect Jiang wouldn't have left so early in the morning.
Based on the timeline, the rainy season will last for two more days, which means that the rainy days will continue.
At this moment, the yamen runners served breakfast and told them that Li Guang and Prefect Jiang had gone out to inspect the disaster situation and would not return until at least the afternoon.
Breakfast was very simple, just some steamed buns and thin porridge. These are extraordinary times, so the meals were very simple, just enough to fill our stomachs.
After the meal, Li Xue told Zhao Xian that she wanted to go out and check on the disaster situation. Zhao Xian considered it for a while and then found an official to ask him about the situation.
"Currently, most areas around Xunzhou City are flooded, and all officials and yamen runners in Xunzhou Prefecture are on patrol duty."
"They spend most of the day patrolling and carrying out search and rescue missions," the official said.
Zhao Xian nodded. Under Li Guang's supervision, Xunzhou suffered a severe flood, but there were no large-scale casualties, which was indeed very rare.
"Xunzhou region consists of one county and one prefecture. Judging from the situation, Xunzhou Prefecture is the hardest hit area. I don't know what the situation is like in the counties under its jurisdiction."
"Lord Zhengyang is referring to Xunyang County, right? Judging from the current situation, the disaster in Xunyang County is not particularly serious. This is mainly because Xunyang County is located in a mountainous area with a generally high elevation. The disaster has only affected some particularly low-lying areas."
“Brother Zhao, let’s head to Xunyang County to find out about the disaster situation there and see if the victims need any help,” Li Xue said.
After thinking for a moment, Zhao Xian asked, "We want to go to Xunjiang County to inspect the disaster situation. Where is the biggest risk?"
"There is a reservoir in Xunyang County called Xunshan Reservoir. As long as the dam does not collapse, there is no danger. So much time has passed, I don't know what the situation is like there."
Zhao Xian was taken aback by the official's words, and he didn't quite understand what he meant.
“In Xunyang County, there is a big mountain called Xunshan. Since the previous dynasty, people have built a reservoir at the foot of the mountain, and some of the rainwater from the mountain is collected in the reservoir.”
This reservoir plays a vital role, providing irrigation water for a large number of surrounding fields. However, the reservoir also has drawbacks; if a flash flood occurs, it could potentially destroy the dam and cause flooding.
Since the dam was built, it has been plagued with problems, so it has been continuously reinforced over a period of more than a hundred years. Now, the dam is as solid as an iron barrel and has not had any problems for more than ten years.
The official's words piqued Li Xue's interest. A reservoir dam that had taken over a hundred years to build—what kind of dam was that? She wanted to go and see it.
"How far is Xunyang County from here?" Zhao Xian asked.
“Under normal circumstances, it would take two hours to get there, but the road to Xunyang County is flooded, and a long stretch of the road requires a boat trip, so it will take at least an extra hour to get there.”
“Okay, then we’ll head to Xunyang County to check on the disaster situation. You just need to find us a guide.”
The official was clearly taken aback. He hadn't expected that the Marquis of Zhengyang and the county magistrate would be heading to Xunyang County. Was this to inform the prefect?
Zhao Xian saw through his thoughts and said:
"Don't worry, we can protect ourselves. Besides, we have brought so many guards and attendants, so you don't need to worry."
When General Li Guang and Prefect Jiang return, tell them about this. The journey to Xunyang County may take two days; there's no need to worry.
The official nodded and said, "Please rest assured, Marquis Zhengyang and Princess, I will definitely arrange this matter properly."
After the official finished speaking, he summoned several yamen runners to accompany him and help resolve any problems they encountered along the way.
Seeing this, Zhao Xian thought it would be good to arrange for yamen runners to accompany them, as they could help coordinate and find ferries in areas flooded along the way.
Soon, a team of more than ten people was formed and began to head towards Xunyang County.
The group had not gone far when they encountered a flood blocking their path.
The area submerged by the flood was very large, and some sections of the road were flooded to the point that they could not be waded through. So the officials found boats, and the group boarded the small wooden boats to continue their journey.
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