Complete Handover

The candlelight flickered, casting many shadowy figures.

The cabin was deathly silent, and the cold light reflected from the iron bars pierced straight to the heart.

Ran Zhongshi frowned deeply; he never expected Liang Qu to bring them such devastating bad news.

"Give me the candle."

Liang Qu handed over the candlestick.

Ran Zhongshi wrapped himself in light and approached the iron cage, dispelling the darkness inside.

Moss-covered hay was spread in the corner, and Cheng Chong lay on it, his back slightly hunched, his hair gray, looking like an old jackal driven from his pack in the wilderness, wandering hungry, with sharp protruding eye sockets.

How old are you?

"Fifty-six."

"Very old."

"When I first saw him, he was robust and had jet-black hair. Perhaps it was because his Dantian was broken and his vital energy was leaking out that he turned into this in less than a day."

"Besides the oral testimony, is there any other evidence?"

"Yes." Liang Qu took out an account book from his pocket. "I had the Sand River Gang submit all of Cheng Chong's recent living records and activities. When I had time, I looked through them and found that Cheng Chong had bought twenty-six portions of Water Stone Rooted Wood on the black market a month ago."

This wood is incredibly resilient; it grows when it encounters stone and swells when it encounters water. Once it passes its twenty-day juvenile stage, it expands rapidly, reaching hundreds of times its original size within two days. Apart from this characteristic, it has no other special features.

Judging from the timing, Cheng Chong must have used this method to collapse the Lord Qiu's Dyke, planting the seedlings inside the dike when the rainstorm was approaching.

We only need to send people to investigate the remaining traces on Lord Qiu's Dyke, checking if there are corresponding plant roots or stems inside the stones, and whether they match the signs of bloating. That would be physical evidence.

"Where are the people from the Hydrology Station? And what about the Water Standard Tablet? Was it vandalized afterward?"

"These three points are unclear for now. Perhaps he is dead, or perhaps he has fled to avoid punishment. I suspect that the Water Standard Tablet was tampered with a long time ago. It was already cracked inside on the day of the rainstorm. With the skills of Martial Master, it is not difficult to damage the inside by hitting a cow from across the mountain."

After a long silence, Ran Zhongshi sighed.

"Does Wei Shao know about this?"

Liang Qu shook his head. "I don't know for now. I've told the Sand River Gang to keep quiet."

Xiang Fangsu asked, "Can we trust the promises of the Sand River Gang?"

Liang Qu: "Whether Cheng Chong destroyed the Sand River Gang Lord Qiu's Dyke or not, and whether he can be treated leniently, depends entirely on whether anyone helped to arrest Cheng Chong."

But whether they arrested anyone or not isn't up to them to say; it's based on my verbal account, and on that point, I think they're trustworthy.

Wei Shao was unaware of the inside story and would not actively try to coerce or entice him.

In other words, the life and death of the entire Sand River Gang were entirely in Liang Qu's hands.

Therefore, when Liang Qu gave the order, the entire Sand River Gang spared no effort in mobilizing ships for rescue, which was far more effective than simply using force to deter others.

Xiang Fangsu nodded. "They do know how to seize the moment."

"This is fucking ridiculous!" Ke Wenbin scratched his head, pulling until his hair stung. "Aren't Kai Yun and Yi Peng just unlucky bastards? Why didn't you say so earlier that you had an illegitimate child?"

A mistake is a mistake, and nobody cares how you made it.

When the Lord Qiu's Dyke collapsed, not only the River Conservancy Office had to take the blame, but Xu Yuelong's faction also had to bear the brunt of the blame.

"At least Wei Lin doesn't know, so we can't use it against him. A Shui has bought us a time difference, which is a blessing in disguise."

Ran Zhongshi's gaze was deep and unfathomable, while Cheng Chong lay motionless in the corner, not appearing to be feigning sleep.

Liang Qu asked, "What do we do now?"

"Immediately notify the commander and report to the court, so that Kai Yun and Yi Peng can go to Huaiyin Prefecture to confess their crimes first, and then head Southern Zhili to try to get lenient treatment."

Judging by the time, the ship is on its way. Wen Bin, you should clear out two empty ships, take the men back the way you came, and escort this man over first, then let Brother Yue Long decide.

Furthermore, the Three Laws Department departments should be instructed to verify the true cause of the dam's collapse as soon as possible and collect the physical evidence.

Given the urgency of the situation, Ke Wenbin had no objections and turned to leave the cabin to coordinate the deployment of ships.

The group returned to the deck.

Several soldiers carried the iron cage onto the official boat of the River Conservancy Office. Under the cover of night, it did not attract much attention.

After the handover was completed, Liang Qu watched as Cheng Chong was taken into the cabin and breathed a sigh of relief.

Alright, now whether Cheng Chong committed suicide or was murdered, whatever happens, it has nothing to do with him. The responsibility now falls to Ke Wenbin.

There were still supplies on the ship that needed to be cleared out, so the group took the opportunity to return to their cabins and study the sand table.

Liang Qu explained the function of the Four-Colored Flag and what each one represented.

Ran Zhongshi leaned forward. "Is the content of the sand table accurate?"

Liang Qu pulled out several booklets from the drawer. "The terrain is 70% accurate, it was made by me based on the Feng Shui Map, and the disaster situation is 95% accurate. I believe the markings are correct."

In addition, based on the locations of various Relief Point, the distribution of disaster areas, the scale of ship transportation, and the terrain and waterways, I planned several suitable Disaster Relief routes to save manpower and resources and improve efficiency as much as possible.

The three took the booklet and flipped through it, becoming increasingly alarmed.

So it turns out that Liang Qu completed most of the three main tasks assigned by Yue Long!

Unbelievable, how many days has it been since the dam broke?

Excluding the time spent traveling and transmitting information, it was a case of playing a bad hand to the best of its ability, greatly mitigating the losses.

When a wise man appears, Red Dragon will emerge.

This scene, combined with Lord Qiu's matter, was actually quite convincing! Ran Zhongshi repeatedly praised it, carefully putting away the booklet, his eyes shining brightly. "Brother Yue Long did not misjudge you!"

"It was just luck that Cheng Chong, the leader of the Shahe Gang, committed suicide; otherwise, I wouldn't have had such a smooth journey."

Cheng Chong's actions conveniently brought the entire Sand River Gang and Liang Qu together, greatly assisting in borrowing boats and arresting people; it's no exaggeration to say he was lucky.

"Thank you for your hard work. Leave the rest to us and get some rest. We've set up a camp near Lord Qiu's Dyke, you can go there tomorrow."

Liang Qu did not refuse. With all the basic issues resolved, there was not much he could do to help if he stayed.

Under the cover of night.

The two ships departed one after the other.

Old Song's Sand River Gang fleet merged with the official boats of the River Conservancy Office and headed to the next town.

With Ran Zhongshi's help, Liang Qu was finally able to put aside his worries and get a good night's sleep.

The sixth day after the breach of the Lord Qiu's Dyke.

After several days of overcast skies, the sun finally shone through the clouds, casting ever-changing light and shadow across the vast expanse of Hongze.

It was evening.

Liang Qu, feeling refreshed and full of energy, boarded a boat and returned to Lord Qiu's Dyke.

The dikes were broken, the yellow water was everywhere, and the scene was devastated.

The Black Water River rushes here, battering the banks under the howling southeast wind, spraying water like rain.

On the embankment, against the wind and the current, ordinary people can hardly stand.

On the open ground to the right of the embankment, white tents were piled up, and Yu Dayi and Xu Yuelong were overseeing the construction on the remaining embankment.

A large number of stone blocks were transported past Liang Qu.

Each stone slab was carved with a groove, and cast from pig iron into iron clamps that were large at both ends and small in the middle. The iron clamps were the same size as the grooves.

The craftsman placed the iron clamp between the teeth and poured mortar made of Glutinous Rice juice and lime on it.

In this way, the stone blocks can be firmly bonded together without any gaps, achieving a completely impenetrable effect where water cannot be splashed in and needles cannot be inserted. Each iron clamp also bears the name of the builder, making it easy to trace responsibility.

In fact, there are better materials for building dams, such as Lapis Lazuli and Yellow Jasper, which are far stronger than ordinary stone strips. As for why they are not used, the reason is simple - no money.

Disaster relief requires money, dike repair requires money, and resettlement of disaster victims requires money.

Given the current situation in Hua Zhu County, it is already quite remarkable that they were able to raise the funds to build the dike.