Chapter 261: Dam

Chapter 261: The Dam

Logically speaking, the dam in Deqing County should have been personally built and reinforced by Song Tingzhou. Even with the heaviest storms, it should not have collapsed in less than a year.

Song Tingzhou pondered various possible reasons for the dam's failure as he issued brisk, efficient orders.

First, in this critical moment, Fei Jing absolutely could not remain in the county seat causing trouble. He ordered Fei Jing to accompany him to Maolin Town, leaving the more capable Deputy Magistrate and Scribe to hold the fort.

They didn't dare waste a moment. Xue Sheng stayed in the county to guard Meng Wan, while Chi Yu, Na Tuo, and the Tao brothers followed Song Tingzhou.

Those around Song Tingzhou had grown accustomed to his swift, decisive actions. Due to the urgency, none of them had brought a change of clothes, each carrying only a pack of dry rations and a waterskin as they mounted their horses.

Fei Jing, with a dozen constables, hadn't even packed his bags before hearing that the prefect had already departed. He hastily climbed into his carriage, ordering the driver to chase after them.

A constable stopped him with a troubled expression, "My lord, but Lord Song and his party all went on horseback." The implication was that Fei Jing could not catch up while comfortably riding in a carriage.

Fei Jing, having already been reprimanded by his superiors several times and fearing for his official position, gritted his teeth, abandoned the spacious carriage, and galloped on horseback to pursue Song Tingzhou.

Traveling through the night, they reached Maolin Town, the closest point between Qinzhou and Xiwu Prefecture, in the dead of night.

The largest dam in the entire county lay between the nearby Minle Village and Maolin Town. The constable stationed near the dam had been dutifully guarding it from a thatched hut halfway up the mountain. By the time Song Tingzhou arrived, the man's lips were pale from the cold.

Song Tingzhou wasted no words. Dismounting, he shed his soaked straw rain cape, handed the constable his own waterskin filled with hot water, and gave him a piece of dry ration. "First, drink some hot water, then tell me about the dam's condition."

While the stationed constable ate and drank, Song Tingzhou quickly issued orders to the others.

"Some of you, go to the nearest Minle Village and fetch the Village Head. Also, bring several young villagers."

"I have some silver here. Na Tuo, go to the village as well, find some women to boil water and prepare food. Once it's light, bring it to the hut."

"My lord, I can also share your burdens." Fei Jing, disheveled, tried to squeeze into the hut to rest, but Chi Yu blocked him with the hilt of his sword, preventing him from entering.

Song Tingzhou said lightly, "Since you wish to share my burdens, come with me up the mountain later to inspect the dam's current condition."

"What? You're going up yourself?" Fei Jing wiped the rain from his face, turning to look at the dam barely visible through the misty mountain fog.

The winding narrow path through the woods was muddy and slippery from the constant rain, both dirty and treacherous. Dense weeds on both sides reached waist-high. In summer, two vividly colored poisonous snakes might have emerged at any moment.

The mountain forest was terrifying in the dark night. The more Fei Jing looked, the more his head throbbed, and a sense of retreat naturally arose. Why endure a steep climb in the rain when he could stay comfortable? Besides, he had long been accustomed to luxury and couldn't bear such hardship.

"I'd better go to the village to calm the people. Rest assured, I will properly reassure the villagers." Fearing Song Tingzhou might disagree, he quickly remounted his horse and rode after the constables Song Tingzhou had dispatched.

Song Tingzhou's eyes were cold and deep, staring at Fei Jing's fleeing figure.

Chi Yu and Song Tingzhou were both tall, and Tao Shi, one of the Tao brothers, was also tall. The three of them could barely turn around in the small hut. The stationed constable finished his flatbread, gulped down half a pot of hot water, and said to Song Tingzhou, "Lord Song, please sit inside. There are a few wooden stumps here."

Half the hut was piled with dry firewood, likely left by village hunters for emergencies. Chi Yu cleverly pulled out the wooden stumps from the pile, brushed them off, and handed one to Song Tingzhou.

To be honest, Chi Yu, being an omega, often made the Tao brothers feel like they were dealing with a buddy.

"How did you discover the problem at Maolin Town's dam? What is the current situation up there?" Song Tingzhou was not entirely heartless; he waited until the stationed constable had finished eating before sitting on the stump and asking.

The constable stood up from his stump and replied, "My lord, it was when we were patrolling near Maolin Town that the Minle Village Head came to us directly. I went up to look during the day—the water level was rising rapidly, almost ready to overflow the dam."

Song Tingzhou's heart sank. Maolin Town's reservoir was the largest in Xiwu Prefecture, with enormous capacity. It was impossible for the water level to rise visibly just from continuous heavy rain unless several rivers were all flowing into the reservoir within a short time.

Song Tingzhou looked out at the dark sky and suddenly asked the stationed constable, "Sit down. What is your name, and where is your home?"

The pleasantly surprised constable sat down. "My lord, this servant is Li Juyang. My home is in Maolin Town."

"Good." Song Tingzhou rarely offered praise.

Given the harsh weather, Song Tingzhou would not have blamed Li Juyang had he waited in town. Yet he had held fast on the mountainside, enduring the cold, far more dutiful than their County Magistrate, Fei Jing.

Li Juyang did not yet know the weight of a word of praise from the prefect. Only later, when he was suddenly promoted from a lowly constable to prison warden of the prefecture, did he realize that simple "good" had been worth a thousand taels of gold.

The road was difficult in the rain. The Village Head and his men did not ascend the mountain to find Song Tingzhou until daybreak. Fei Jing, as expected, stayed behind in the village.

Song Tingzhou cut off their nervous greetings and got straight to the point, "We need locals to guide us up the mountain to see the dam's condition."

The path up the mountain was indeed winding, and with continuous rain, it would be dangerous to go up in the dark without local guides.

Fortunately, the young men brought by the Village Head were either woodcutters or hunters, familiar with the area. They climbed the mountain, treading through deep mud. Song Tingzhou's heart was heavy with worry, and when he finally saw the dam, he realized it was already too late.

Li Juyang exclaimed, "It's risen even higher!"

The reservoir's water level had reached its limit, threatening to top the dam. If the water crested the dam, no matter how solid the dam, it would collapse. The flood would not only inundate Maolin Town but also fill other rivers, causing more dams to burst.

"Na Tuo, go immediately to the military camp and notify all garrison soldiers to come and help clear the dam. Hurry."

"Li Juyang, go to the village and find Fei Jing. Tell him to immediately requisition all kiln yards near Maolin Town and gather all able-bodied young men to dig sand and stone, then send sandbags and rocks up the mountain."

"Tao Ba, take a few constables back to Deqing County. Have all the constables and bailiffs there mobilize, go door to door borrowing farm tools, and transport grain to Minle Village."

Song Tingzhou spoke so rapidly that everyone held their breath, listening intently. The moment his words fell, they all immediately split up to carry out their tasks.

Song Tingzhou himself picked up an iron spade and walked to the other end of the dam. Looking down at the vast reservoir, he saw the upstream water rushing quickly toward the dam.

His eyes narrowed. The upstream of Maolin Town's dam was connected to one of the branches of the Qin River in Qinzhou.

As dawn broke, Song Tingzhou strode upstream a distance. Sure enough, the farther he went, the more turbulent the water became.

Chi Yu stayed close to him, watching Song Tingzhou's increasingly grim expression, and asked in confusion, "My lord?"

Song Tingzhou had a terrible suspicion. It was too late.

Meng Wan was making flatbread at Songyun Academy. Song Tingzhou had been traveling constantly lately; steamed buns were too cold and hard, but flatbread was better.

"Husband, I saw Tao Ba return," Xue Sheng reported.

Meng Wan grabbed a handful of chopped green onions and spread it on the bread. "He's back? Did he say anything?"

Xue Sheng replied, "He hurried straight to the county yamen office. He only said a few things—he needs to gather the constables to collect farm tools, and Na Tuo took the lord's token to the military camp."

Meng Wan paused, thinking the situation didn't look good. He quickly placed the pieces of dough on the iron pan. "Go call Xiao Ci. The three of us will grab a quick bite. Leave Huang Ye and A Xun with A Yan and Tong'er. We'll head to Maolin Town to see what's happening."

Xue Sheng immediately went to find Chu Ci and relayed Meng Wan's instructions.

After the flatbread was done, Meng Wan also stir-fried some winter bamboo shoots with pork. The three of them devoured the stir-fry with the flatbread.

Meng Wan packed the remaining flatbread, wrapped it in a bundle, and strapped it on his back. He also took two pouches of silver coins, put on his straw rain cape, mounted his horse, and set off with Xue Sheng and Chu Ci.

On the road, they encountered many Deqing County constables and learned about Song Tingzhou's orders from Tao Ba.

Fortunately, the rain stopped when they reached the foot of Minle Village. Though the sky remained dark, it was oddly reassuring.

Meng Wan, escorted by others, ascended the mountain. The villagers and constables on the mountain were hard at work, including Prefect Song Tingzhou himself. He had already shed his straw rain cape, his clothes completely soaked, as he swung a pickaxe into the mud of a mountain ravine.

"Sir, it looks like Fulang is here." Tao Shiyi, who was working, was the first to spot Meng Wan and reported it to Song Tingzhou, who was ahead.

Song Tingzhou turned around and indeed saw Meng Wan hurrying over. He climbed out of the ditch. Originally only the lower half of his body was muddy, but now the upper half was also muddy.

"What is the ditch being dug for?" Meng Wan took out a handkerchief from his bundle and wiped Song Tingzhou's face clean.

Song Tingzhou said to his Fulang in a grave tone, "The dam can hold out for five days at most. We need to dig a ditch leading to the canal down the mountain as quickly as possible, to prevent the flood from destroying villages when the dam breaks."

Meng Wan knew nothing about water management. "Will the villages down the mountain be safe after digging the ditch?"

Song Tingzhou looked into the distance at the upstream of the reservoir. "No. If the Qin River upstream keeps releasing floodwaters, not only will the entire Deqing County suffer, but other counties will also be affected."

Meng Wan followed his gaze to the vast reservoir that stretched beyond sight, and said incredulously, "How could it be this serious? Is there any remedy?"

Song Tingzhou said painfully, "It's already too late. We can only try to widen and deepen the ditch before the dam breaks to serve as a buffer, then evacuate all downstream villages as quickly as possible."

After he finished speaking, Meng Wan had already taken on the tasks that followed, but he worriedly asked, "In five days, no matter how many people we have, how far can we extend the ditch?"

Though covered in filth, Song Tingzhou showed no sign of backing down. "We dig as far as we can. I've already sent Na Tuo with my token to find Commander Lin at the garrison. He has an arsenal there."

Meng Wan was initially confused, but then his eyes widened. "Gunpowder?"

"Correct."

Song Tingzhou's plan was to first use manpower to connect all possible nearby ditches, and then once the gunpowder arrived, blast out several small pits that could hold water, to ease the flood's force.

Meng Wan took out the flatbreads from his bundle and first gave some to Song Tingzhou. "Eat your fill first, then tell me the route of your digging plan. I'll send people to persuade the villagers to evacuate as soon as possible."

Song Tingzhou hastily washed his hands with water from Meng Wan's waterskin and quickly ate two flatbreads. "Start from Minle Village. Maolin Town is higher up but too close to the reservoir, so it's also at great risk and must be evacuated. Then follow this ditch down the mountain northwestward, evacuating all villages along the way—as many as possible. I'm worried the problem might be in the rivers of Qinzhou. If so, the entire Xiwu Prefecture will suffer."

Meng Wan set aside all his doubts and confusion. He knew Song Tingzhou was busy and exhausted, and what he needed to do was to help stabilize the rear as much as possible, so that Song Tingzhou could focus on finding ways to deal with the dam breaking.

Because the dam breaking might only be the first step; what comes after will be even more difficult.

Apart from Chi Yu, who was protecting Song Tingzhou, both Tao Shi and Tao Shiyi were sent by Song Tingzhou to assist Meng Wan.

Meng Wan went down the mountain without stopping. For the villagers, he could directly leave the persuasion to the village heads of each village. Going door-to-door in the town was unrealistic; the quickest and easiest method was to seek the country gentry in the town. These landowners had more influence locally than the county magistrate.

The problem was that some people were pig-headed and couldn't be reasoned with.

"Landlord Lu, I know you can't bear to part with your land, but can't you weigh whether money or fields are more important?" Meng Wan had explained the severity of the situation to this landlord surnamed Lu, but the man acted as if he'd heard but didn't believe a word.

"Well... Meng Fulang, please understand. This dam in our town has burst several times in the past, and at most it ruined a dozen mu of fields below. How could the flood reach the town itself?" Landlord Lu looked helpless. How could he make this official's husband understand?

Meng Wan felt he had wasted too much time on this man. He needed to do more useful things. "Xue Sheng, tie him up."

Landlord Lu was shocked. "Meng Fulang, what are you doing?"

Meng Wan said ominously, "What am I doing? I don't care if you want to court death, but I can't ignore the townspeople. You will do as I say now. After that, you can stay or leave as you wish. But if you resist or refuse, I'll make sure you and your whole family end up in prison. Understand?"