Names Everywhere

The floodwaters surged.

The massive fleet split into four parts, each scattering in a different direction.

Standing on the bow deck, looking back at the fleet behind him, Cha Qing felt a buzzing in his head.

Unbelievable.

If what Liang Qu said is true, then he accomplished three major things in just one day! He united the resources within the county and formed an effective rescue team.

Ascertain the extent of the disaster, draw maps, create sand tables, and provide targeted rescue and relief recommendations.

The cause of the dam breach was identified, and the culprit was apprehended.

If we break it down further, the last task can be divided into two parts: investigation and arrest! Everyone set off at roughly the same time, and it was estimated that Liang Qu only needed to travel a little longer, yet he completed all the main tasks by himself?

Is this really something a human could do? Not only was Cha Qing's mind completely blank, but Fan Zixuan, Yan Qingshan, and others on the other ships were also in the same state.

On the boat where the Yan brothers were, Yan Chongwen rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought, "No wonder Lord Liang wanted to travel ahead by himself."

Yan Qingshan asked, puzzled, "What do you mean?"

"Lord Liang is a man of extraordinary talent. If he arrives in Hua Zhu County even a moment earlier, he can save thousands more lives. If he insists on staying with us, it will only slow down our journey, which would be a real loss."

The four of them suddenly realized.

Zhu Chunqiao punched his palm and said, "I understand. Lord Liang didn't bring us because he didn't want to hold back his own performance!"

Ji Youdong said, "I heard that Wei Lin also sent someone, the one who had the swimming competition earlier. He and a few of his men are traveling together..."

"No wonder he was defeated by Lord Liang. He had already lost from the moment he set off."

"I see!"

The four of them discussed it amongst themselves.

Inside the ship's cabin.

Based on the messages relayed back by the Fat Catfish and other animals, Liang Qu supplemented and explained the sand table.

"So tired..."

Liang Qu scribbled and drew on the pages, finishing his report on the Fat Catfish. His eyelids grew heavy, and he looked toward the two carpenters making a sand table in the corner.

"Call me when we get to Relief Area."

"Please rest assured, my lord. I know what's important."

"That's right, sir, please rest."

The two carpenters said they would keep it in mind.

Liang Qu felt relieved and lay down on the sand table to take a nap.

Awei, who was acting as a scout outside the fleet, flew into the cabin and landed on the table to take charge of guarding it.

From encountering the river bandit Lu Xinqing, the instructor Chai Shiqiao, the county magistrate Yu Dayi, the Sand River Gang, Cheng Chong, to recording everything in the logbook, plus making a sand table, customizing the route, planning, and coordinating the fleet...

As Liang Qu arranged everything, he barely rested and instead expended a great deal of energy.

The two carpenters unconsciously softened their movements, afraid of disturbing Liang Qu.

Hua Zhu County has experienced Flood Calamity before, and this is not even one of the most severe ones, but the speed of the rescue this time is unprecedented.

It's all thanks to the young people who are currently taking a nap on the sand table.

"The west side is full, let's go to the east side! There's hot porridge there!"

"Don't wander off! Everyone come and get a voucher. You can only get porridge after you get the voucher! Make sure you bring it with you, or you won't get any food!"

"To get the voucher, you need to register your household registration information. Don't even think about concealing, lying, or trying to find loopholes. Think carefully before you do, or you'll be punished severely!"

"Is there Village Elder from Yellow Terrace Village here? Come to me!"

"Come over to me if you're over fifty!"

"Keep a close eye on your child! If they get lost, no one will help you find them!"

Large numbers of disaster victims disembarked from the fleet of boats, accompanied by the continuous sound of gongs and drums.

The Village Head's gong strikes conveyed information to the disaster victims, guiding the crowd to gather in their original villages and towns.

After being identified by the local Village Elder, the disaster victims were registered and recorded by several scholars, who then distributed vouchers and allowed them to enter the disaster victim camp.

Liang Qu shuttled through the camp and came to the top of the mountain to look down.

The highlands looked as if they were covered with countless ants, and as these ants crawled, the entire ground undulated and undulated.

"How much food do you have in the camp? How many people are there? How many days can it last? Have you controlled the spread of the disease we discussed last night?"

The Patrol Inspector leading the group bowed and said, "Lord Liang, please rest assured. Soldiers from the River Conservancy Office have delivered grain in small boats before, so you don't need to worry for at least four or five days."

There was some disease before, but since you came last night, it seems there has been no further spread. Those who were sick have also recovered, and only two have died.

The people in the camp all say it's because of your good fortune, sir; they say you're like Lord Chi reincarnated.

"Lord Chi?"

The Patrol Inspector explained, "It's a folk legend that says Lord Chi was once a high-ranking official who retired to his hometown in his later years, which is our Hua Zhu County."

One night, he encountered a plague god who poisoned a pond. To save the villagers, he drank all the water in the pond himself. Later, the poison took effect, and he jumped into the pond and died. Heaven was very moved and bestowed upon him the title of "Lord Chi, the Thousand-Year-Old".

Every year, people in Hua Zhu County have the custom of Sending the Wang Boat) onto the Black Water River. This year, someone specifically requested that your name be written on the boat.

Liang Qu suddenly realized, and then asked, "Has River Conservancy Office been here?"

"Two hours ago, a lot of rice and grain were delivered. It is all recorded in the account book. Please take a look, sir."

The Patrol Inspector handed over the ledger.

Liang Qu glanced through the text and made a rough calculation. He figured that it wouldn't be difficult to last four or five days, and that four or five days was a conservative estimate. If it was cooked into a thin porridge, it wouldn't be difficult to last seven or eight days.

It may sound inhumane, but right now, survival is far more important than having enough to eat.

In Liang Qu can Expelling Waterborne Diseases, so being slightly weak is not a problem.

"We need to find an opportunity to meet up..."

With Xu Yuelong stationed at the rear, coordinating and allocating resources, he might first go to Huaiyin Prefecture to borrow supplies.

The most likely outcome now is that Ran Zhongshi and his group will take over, which will be a good opportunity to hand over Cheng Chong, this hot potato.

If something unexpected happens, it won't be Liang Qu's problem. He's been busy for several days and is exhausted. He'd only cause others to worry.

After taking a walk around and confirming that his ability to Expelling Waterborne Diseases was effective, Liang Qu returned to the boat to record the information.

"Kou Zhuang, Li Bo, Jie Chang, the three of you maintain order and arrange for the disaster victims. After it's over, follow my previous route. I'll go ahead first. Also, keep a close watch on that bandit named Lu Xinqing. Make sure he behaves himself."

Li LiBo patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, I watched everything just now and I roughly understand what to do."

Kou Zhuang scratched his head. "Don't worry, Lord Liang, I've been keeping an eye on that river bandit. He can't beat me."

"Hmm." Liang Qu looked Kou Zhuang up and down. "Have you grown taller again?"

Kou Zhuang chuckled but didn't say anything.

Liang Qu shook his head, River Dolphin porpoise pulled the boat forward first.

noon.

Large swathes of fields were submerged in water, but in some places, green rice seedlings could be seen peeking out, their leaves drooping slightly, but it wasn't as bad as one might imagine.

Today is the fifth day of the flooding, but the floods did not inundate every corner of Hua Zhu County all at once.

The rice Rice Paddy have only been submerged for three or four days, and are far enough away from the Black Water River that the water level in many places is not high, only about two or three feet.

With the Liang Qu having broken through six openings, the water flow that could be controlled was approaching 20,000 tons. With a thought, several acres of nearby farmland quickly revealed dry ground.

The rice seedlings submerged in water are breathing freely.

afternoon.

Old Song arrived with over a hundred fishing boats.

Without hesitation, the able-bodied men jumped off the fishing boat and joined the effort to save the Rice Paddy Rice Paddy, releasing water into them one by one.

Liang Qu had previously been rescuing paddy fields on higher ground, and the busy young men hadn't noticed anything amiss.

Water flowed down the hillside through the opening, and some rice seedlings finally emerged from the water.

Unfortunately, it was too late to save them all; the rice seedlings in the low-lying areas could only be submerged.

Fortunately, Liang Qu had Awei investigate, and it appears that about one-third of the farmland in the vicinity can be saved.

Next, wherever Liang Qu went, in addition to relocating the disaster victims, he would also arrange for a group of able-bodied men to stay nearby to salvage the Rice Paddy.

Everyone did their best.

If this batch of Rice Paddy can be saved, it won't end up in the pockets of the landowners. It will all be collected by the county and distributed as disaster relief grain, and naturally, the more the better.

at the same time.

Ran Zhongshi and his group distributed supplies along the way, had a brief handover with County Magistrate Yu, and then led their fleet towards Liang Qu based on the information left at various Relief Point.

As they approached, Ran Zhongshi and the others gradually realized something was wrong.

"It sounds like everyone at the Relief Point has met A Shui? And quite a few of them were even brought over by A Shui?"

Xiang Fangsu rubbed his chin, puzzled.