Stalemate

Yu Dayi, County Magistrate of Hua Zhu County.

He was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) at the age of thirty-two.

It is said that he was fair in enforcing the law, diligent in his work, and had never made a major mistake. He was not an unwise person, so it is normal for him to do this.

Liang Qu asked, "Which township did County Magistrate Yu go to?"

Chai Shiqiao's forehead was sweating. "I am ashamed. County Magistrate Yu did not tell me the fleet's itinerary beforehand. However, based on the current distribution of the villagers, I dare to guess that it should be in the Xiangxi Town area, because not many disaster victims from that area have come here."

Liang Qu points towards Yellow Mountain.

"Are all the disaster victims on the mountain?"

Chai Shiqiao said, "It only includes a part. County Magistrate Yu has designated many resettlement points, and Yellow Mountain is just one of them. Magistrate Yu is worried that the flood level will continue to rise, so he has ordered all the people to gather in higher ground, regardless of how severe the disaster is in the area."

Liang Qu took out a map and found Chai Shiqiao Xiangxi Town, which was not far from Yellow Mountain, and had plenty of time.

"I want to go up and take a look."

"Of course, of course." Chai Shiqiao dusted off his sleeves, made way, and bowed to accompany him. "I still don't know your name, sir..."

"My surname is Liang."

Liang Qu pulled out the waist Waist Token from his waist.

The night watchmen lit torches.

Chai Shiqiao glanced at it briefly and then respectfully returned it.

Official robes are easy to forge, Dragon Blood Horse are not; the current inspection is just a formality.

Without delay, the group turned around and headed up the mountain.

Just then, Lu Xinqing staggered over, his hands on his knees, panting heavily.

That damned Dragon Blood Horse was incredibly powerful; even a Four Gates Martial Master like him couldn't catch up with it.

Chai Shiqiao looked surprised. "Brother, you are..."

Liang Qu: "Bandits are blocking our way and trying to rob my boat. Capture them and lead the way."

Chai Shiqiao's face flushed red. "I am extremely ashamed. Hua Zhu County is now full of river bandits. However, the Black Water River is swift and its banks are long, so we can't deal with it. I'm sorry to trouble Lord Liang."

"Alright, enough with the pleasantries. The bandits are a minor matter; the most urgent thing is to deal with the Flood Calamity. Take me up there quickly!"

"Yes, yes, yes." Chai Shiqiao hurriedly led Liang Qu up the mountain. "Should I send someone to wake them all up?"

"No need. If I were to put on airs, I would have called you directly from the foot of the mountain."

"Lord Liang is truly diligent in his duties and serves the people; I am ashamed of my own shortcomings."

Lu Xinqing, panting, sized up Chai Shiqiao and scoffed.

When he became the leader of the river bandits, his men flattered him in this way.

Sycophant.

The campsites on Yellow Mountain are densely packed, mostly occupied by marching tents, with occasional campfires burning under wooden planks.

You can still hear snoring after passing several tents.

Several villagers on night watch greeted Chai Shiqiao.

Liang Qu looked over one by one.

A persistent stench permeated the air, mostly from excrement.

Lifting the tent, a wave of sweat, foot odor, and a putrid smell from being submerged in water for a long time rushed out.

Many people were not asleep at all, sitting side by side, huddled together, their faces sallow and their overall appearance listless, some even trembling incessantly.

It's late August, early September, and the weather isn't cold; in fact, it could be described as hot. But they're still shivering.

A couple held two children, who were breathing heavily and had flushed faces, and whispered words of comfort.

Liang Qu glanced around, noticed the other families in the corner, and lowered the curtain.

No one knew that not long after Liang Qu and the others left, the man holding the child in the military tent touched the boy's forehead and showed surprise.

"Honey, check quickly, has the fever gone down?"

The woman beside her quickly reached out and repeatedly felt between her own and the boy's foreheads, then touched another little girl, overjoyed.

"The fever is completely gone! The fever is completely gone! Thank God! Thank the River God!"

The two men sleeping on the other side gradually calmed down and their heavy breathing became steady and comfortable.

Similar incidents occurred frequently in other military tents.

An invisible force is dispelling the plague that has shrouded Yellow Mountain.

Liang Qu was investigating the situation of the disaster victims and Command Water, while Chai Shiqiao was also carefully observing Liang Qu.

The more you look at him, the younger he seems. He looks no more than twenty years old, yet he rides Dragon Blood Horse with long scales and holds a seventh-rank official position!

There must be a powerful backer!

Chai Shiqiao's expression became even more respectful.

How many people are currently on Yellow Mountain? Have casualties been tallied? What is the extent of the disaster?

"There are currently over 28,000 people in the entire Yellow Mountain area, mostly from the two towns and three townships nearby. It's difficult to get a specific number of casualties, so we can only make a rough estimate of over 8,000..."

Lu Xinqing was startled. "So many?"

Chai Shiqiao glanced back disdainfully, did not answer the other party, and continued, "More than 80% of Hua Zhu County was flooded, and the two surrounding counties were also affected. Jiangling County was also very serious."

More than eight thousand...

Liang Qu knew that the other party was not exaggerating.

The still water created by the slow rise of the river is so deep that even if it is chest-deep, a person can walk in it.

However, in a relatively rapid flood, only half a foot is needed to knock a person down, and once they fall, the probability of them getting back up is extremely low.

And the actual number is very likely to be higher than eight thousand.

Liang Qu read in "General Treatise on Dyke Construction" that when the previous dynasty, Great Qian, was defeated, it sent ten Great Martial Master to Feng City to breach the Yellow Sand River Majiakou Dyke near Feng City.

As a result, the Yellow Sand River rushed straight into the Feng City, killing 840,000 people inside, with only over 60,000 surviving.

"Tens of thousands die every day!"

In just a few days, the death rate exceeded a terrifying 90%!

We continued deeper into Liang Qu.

"How is the food situation?"

"The situation is not optimistic. Although we have sent people to dig for grain in the surrounding area, most of it has been soaked in water. The edible grain can only last for less than five days. Moreover, Giant Crocodile often appear in the water, and manpower is very tight."

Is there centralized treatment for excrement?

"Excretion? No, we haven't built any public toilets. The disaster victims mostly have to deal with it themselves."

Chai Shiqiao was baffled. What use was dealing with the excrement now? It wouldn't be of any use for autumn plowing.

"There is a disease in excrement. If it is disposed of carelessly, it can easily spread the plague. It should be buried in the soil."

"Is what you say true, sir?"

Liang Qu glanced at Chai Shiqiao and said, "Just do as I say. Do I need to explain?"

"This humble official dares not! From now on, I will certainly allocate manpower to handle excrement."

Chai Shiqiao lowered his head.

Liang Qu continued forward.

That's the advantage of having a high official position.

Do you know the cause of this flood?

"I was unaware that when the flood came, I was having a meal at home when the magistrate summoned me to come and help settle the flood victims."

There was no "guilty conscience".

The Ear Consciousness Method told Liang Qu that Chai Shiqiao was not lying; with such strength, it would be difficult for him to control the leakage of his own information.

Do you have a disaster map?

"Have!"

"Give me one."

"Please wait a moment, sir."

A moment later, Liang Qu had a rough map in his hand. He glanced at it and put it into his pocket.

Maps are strategic resources, and they could not be easily obtained unless Liang Qu was located at a high altitude.

After Liang Qu had circled around Yellow Mountain and confirmed that his Expelling Waterborne Diseases had taken full effect, he gave Chai Shiqiao a few more instructions, then rode up Red Mountain and hurriedly left, heading towards Xiangxi Town.

Around 11:30 PM, just before 10:00 AM, the boat arrived at the territory of Xiangxi Town.

Without going too far, Awei first located the fleet that Chai Shiqiao had mentioned in mid-air.

A dozen or so large ships were positioned in the center, surrounded by hundreds of fishing boats, forming a vast fleet with faint, flickering lights.

Several Flood Calamity standing on the rooftops are being helped onto a large ship by fishermen.

Liang Qu scanned the Golden Eye and finally spotted his target on the bow of a large ship— Yu Dayi!

However, the fleet encountered some trouble at this moment.

A Water Beast with black scales is harassing the fleet, and several Martial Master are spreading a large net to confront the Water Beast.

The Water Beast were ferocious, Martial Master dared not enter the water rashly. They were also worried that the Water Beast would break through the encirclement, so for a time a stalemate was formed.