The beautiful view of the burning clouds when the rain stopped that evening.
One day and two nights have passed.
During this period, rainfall continued continuously in the upper and lower reaches of Butterfly Creek.
It also rained one day and two nights.
Upstream, around Yunmengze and Digong Gate, there was a majestic heavy rain with black clouds covering the city.
Downstream, near Longcheng County, there were constant clouds and a steady drizzle.
And for the many Longcheng people who were dragging their families and hurriedly along the straight official road from the county town to Dagushan in the early morning.
In the former case, the heavy rain in the upper reaches is like a sharp sword hanging above the head. At any time, there may be a loud sound of the sluice collapsing, and people's heads will fall to the ground.
For the latter, the falling rain above their heads was like a soft knife, carefully sharpening the fragile will of the already frightened and tired people.
There was drizzle in the sky, and looking down from a high place, one could see a dark mass of people's heads on the winding official road.
They are as slow and depressing as a black stream, flowing from the starting point of Longcheng County to the foot of Dagushan Mountain at the far end.
The wheels creaked and the carriage was overwhelmed.
Boxes and cabinets arranged in a mess and clanging against each other.
Pots and pans carelessly discarded on both sides of the road.
There are also the people of Longcheng County who support each other and move forward in groups, based on each household or neighborhood.
The background is a gray sky with rain, a muddy and wet road, and the dark woods on both sides of the official road.
"Wow——!"
Among the people on the official road who were organized to move to Dagushan for refuge, babies cried from time to time, and soon they seemed to be hugged by women wiping tears. The crisp baby's cry turned dull, and it took a while to calm down.
However, the occasional emotionally broken adults in the crowd are not comforted by their mothers like babies, which only adds to the solemn atmosphere on this official road.
The overwhelming flow of people migrating and seeking refuge is silently showing scenes of various aspects of life.
And the reason why such a dull and depressed team would not collapse and scatter in all directions.
It's just a solemn atmosphere and a confused and confused progress.
Because of the crowds of people on the official road, the fast horses galloping past from time to time, and the policemen shouted the unified slogan until their throats became hoarse:
"A letter to the fellow citizens of Longcheng... It is raining heavily today. In order to prevent disasters, a refuge camp in Dagushan has been set up. Food and supplies are all available... It is hereby scheduled that all officials and citizens will arrive before Unity hour today... Submitted by the Longcheng County Magistrate."
Starting from last night, Yan Liulang arranged for a team of arresters to ride fast horses along the official road to shout this concise and concise notice written in a hurry by a young county magistrate from the farthest outskirts of the county town all the way to Dagushan.
Underfoot.
The detectives shouted so dry that their horses ran away in two batches, but no one dared to be careless. They rectified the crowd along the way and led the team to the Dagushan Refuge Camp.
Perhaps it was the signature of a young county magistrate in the book that gave some comfort to the people who had gone through disaster relief and flood control in the past two months.
Or maybe it's the calm and confident tone of the young county magistrate in the book, and the firm promise that the public and private people can work together to keep the Di Gong Gate from collapsing.
Or just go with the flow and follow the big army.
Under the organization of Yan Liulang and others, apart from the initial panic and panic, most of the people in the county were relatively emotionally stable.
The worst-case scenario of a breakdown in order did not occur.
For the time being, there has been no crowding like frantically packing up all the belongings, fleeing to the pier, fighting for ships, and being trampled by the crowd.
Most of the people in every household in the county followed the arrangements of the county magistrate and the government, and anxiously packed some necessary gift baggage and went out.
I dragged my family to the Dagushan disaster relief camp. I heard that it was just like the original suburban disaster relief camp and had been arranged by the county magistrate.
At the foot of Dagu Mountain, on a hillside, Yan Liulang, dressed in a gray-black coir raincoat, was riding on horseback and looking into the distance.
He looked at the people lined up in an orderly manner like a long snake on the official road ahead, and couldn't help but let out a long breath.
Fortunately, under the leadership of the Ming government, this term of Longcheng County Government has a better reputation among the people of Longcheng.
From the initial distribution of food to the disaster relief camp, to the subsequent suppression of grain merchants and the collapse of grain prices, to the subsequent ribbon-cutting ceremony and public trial of the Liu family... In the past few months, a lot of confidence has been accumulated in the hearts of the people.
Only then did the crowds of people leaving the city feel relatively stable.
The credibility of the county magistrate and the county government can temporarily suppress the pre-disaster panic that is prone to rumors.
Otherwise, if it were placed before the last flood.
Not to mention reorganizing the people's ranks like now, it would be nice if everyone didn't attack the ferry pier like ants on a hot pot and snatch boats.
At this moment, on the hillside, Yan Liulang, who had experienced the panic scene before the Yunmengze flood last time, and the dust-laden detectives behind him looked at each other, and they all breathed a sigh of relief.
So far, the retreat has been relatively successful, and it has not yet departed from the plan left by the county magistrate before he left.
With his back to his subordinates, Yanrokuro, who was riding a horse in the front, silently reached into his arms, took out a crumpled silk handwritten book, and unfolded it in the palm of his hand.
The blue-clothed detective held his hands horizontally to protect himself from the rain, and looked down at the dense and steady handwriting of the Ming Dynasty.
Even if I have read the arrangements for the rear area downstream of Butterfly Creek that Ouyang Rong has made a hundred times, they are all so familiar that I can memorize them.
But every time Yan Liulang stopped for a moment in the past two days, he couldn't help but take out Ouyang Rong's handwriting and take a look.
It seems that only after confirming that everything is correct can we continue to work with peace of mind.
It's like... Mingfu is still by his side.
"Let's go back to the city to help the brothers who are left behind. We can't leave any family behind in the city. We must persuade them all to leave."
Yan Liulang, who had rested for a moment, suddenly put away his handwriting, mounted his horse and raised his whip, and left the hillside first, leading the men behind him to continue to implement the arrangements left by Ouyang Rong.
Their team of detectives had just come down from Dagushan. They had met with Diao County Magistrate before and explained some important matters, and now they are continuing to work down the mountain.
And the latter is also extremely busy.
According to Ouyang Rong's arrangement, Yan Liulang and other detectives were responsible for organizing all the people in Longcheng County at the foot of the mountain to go up the mountain, and were also responsible for successively receiving the refugees who ran down the upper reaches.
Diao County Prime Minister was responsible for allocating the disaster relief resources prepared in advance on Dagushan, contacting Donglin Temple, setting up a refuge camp, and accepting nearly 6,000 households of Longcheng people.
These are all tasks on the home front.
As for Ouyang Rong, he was leading the remaining Liucao officials and the militia warriors organized by Liu Ashan to sail to the front line of Di Gong Lock in the distance, doing everything possible to hold the sluice against the flood...
Yan Liulang silently withdrew his gaze from the direction of a certain key sluice in the south. He turned his head and ordered two detectives to stay at the foot of the mountain to guide the people who came after them up the mountain in an orderly manner.
Yan Liulang took the remaining brothers and returned to Longcheng County at high speed. He shouted a letter to the people of Longcheng all the way, which shocked the hearts of the people.
The task of gathering most of the people was relatively easy, but what made Yanrokuro troublesome was some special circumstances.
Ouyang Rong once said that no single family of Longcheng people must be left behind.
Naturally, Yan Liulang did not dare to be careless, and knocked on doors from door to door to investigate.
My mouth is dry and I have been busy all day.
Until the evening, all the detectives in blue were panting from exhaustion and their faces were full of fatigue.
They encountered many special situations throughout the day.
The fights and fights among the people migrating on the official road are minor matters.
The key is that some tough households in the city just refused to leave, no matter how hard they talked or tried to persuade them. In the end, they showed off the food on their waists and were half-frightened and half-coaxed back to Dagushan.
At noon on the way, Yan Liulang and others heard from the refugees who had fled upstream that the elders of a village were lucky and thought that the village was located on a higher ground, so they just acted like a turtle and did not move away... Yan Liulang had no choice but to rush ten miles away.
, hurriedly came to the door to persuade.
There was even a silent incident where some people were afraid that they would never come back and asked them to help dig out the ancestral belongings stored somewhere in the yard.
All kinds of things.
At dusk and sunset that day, just before Unity Hour, Yan Liulang and other detectives finally returned with the last batch of refugees and "nail households" they could find, and rushed to Dagushan.
Along the way, he seemed to feel a little closer to the constables like Yan Liulang who were doing their duty and looking tired.
From time to time, some people in the crowd turned around and spoke to them who were finishing up at the back of the crowd, asking if Magistrate Ouyang was also waiting for everyone to arrive in Dagushan.
In response to this, Yan Liulang stopped his subordinates from saying anything and responded with smiles and nodded in agreement.
When the people with their families on the road heard this, their tense expressions relaxed, they were relieved, and they whispered to each other, and the atmosphere became less depressing.
There were also people who enthusiastically handed over water to Yanrokuro and others whose lips were chapped and blistered.
At the very back of the crowd, a group of police officers remained silent.
From time to time, they looked sideways at the leader, Yan Liulang, who smiled and nodded.
Sighing in my heart.
In order to appease people and suppress panic, Yan Liulang and Diao Xiancheng did not tell everyone about Di Gongzha's dangerous situation at this time.
It was also not mentioned that Ouyang Rong and others were currently working on urgent rescue operations at the Deegong Gate upstream.
They are also unsure about the whereabouts of the young county magistrate who is trusted and affectionate by the people of Longcheng. It is assumed that he is also organizing a refuge camp in Dagushan at this time, waiting for the arrival of his fellow villagers.
This is one of the reasons why the work of gathering people to migrate today is relatively smooth.
However, among the refugees in the last group of people, some were villagers who had run down from near Yuenv Gorge upstream, and they couldn't help but raise questions.
It is said that on the way down, they heard that the young county magistrate seemed to be at Di Gong Gate. Therefore, many villagers from the villages near Yuenv Gorge did not run to Longcheng County downstream, but rushed to where the young magistrate was.
Over there at Yue Nu Gorge...
Fortunately, these questioning voices were relatively small in number and were interrupted by the tacit understanding of the nearby police officers. They did not spread, nor did they cause any disturbance.
"Boss, over there at Di Gongzha..."
Among the silent policemen, someone couldn't help but ask Yan Liulang.
Yan Liulang pursed his lips, grabbed the scroll in his arms, and suddenly turned around and said:
"If Mingfu and Brother Ashan can handle it well, let's take care of the local affairs in the rear area and don't cause trouble. This will be the greatest help."
The blue-robed catcher suddenly whipped his horse and rushed forward. He turned and pointed at the second phase of the Broken Wing Canal that happened to be passing by. The young man raised his head and said with determination:
"Besides, there is also the Broken Wing Canal. Most of it has been repaired. If a flood comes, it will be enough to open this canal directly. The Ming government has said that there is nothing to be afraid of. Why, you can't even believe it.
?”
Everyone got excited and followed suit with whips raised.
Yan Liulang hurriedly rushed out and said loudly:
"Let's go to the mountainside and check the beacon tower. This is an important matter assigned by the Ming government. We can't hold back!"
It's midnight in the evening, and the sky is still overcast after a light rain all day.
The sky was gray and gray, just like the day, and the darkness was not obvious.
Yan Liulang took the last group of refugees to the foot of Dagushan Mountain and handed the people over to Diao County Cheng and other scribes for resettlement.
Many of the latter's eyeballs were bloodshot, and it looked like they had been busy and staying up late the day before yesterday, with insufficient sleep and a tired look on their faces.
However, Yan Liulang and others were not much better. They exchanged a few words, added a few sips of water, left their horses, and walked up the mountain lightly.
Both sides of the mountain road were filled with wandering refugees. Fortunately, some tent camps had been set up on the open spaces on both sides.
There seems to be no shortage of hot water, bedding, food and other supplies.
Moreover, the many common people who came out were placed in Donglin Temple on the top of the mountain by Diao County Cheng and others.
Yan Liulang and his party made their way through the crowd and arrived in front of the Shamu Pavilion halfway up the mountain.
Not far from the Zhemu Pavilion, on a lawn with a wide view, a huge beacon tower has been erected, with a government official standing guard beside it, covering his eyes with his palms, looking in the distance in the direction of Yuenv Gorge upstream of Butterfly Creek.
Among the mountains there, there are actually several beacon towers erected in places that cannot be seen clearly even with all the eyesight.
This early warning system, like the Shui Ze Monument along the upstream coast, was also prepared by Ouyang Rong some time ago.
Once the Di Gong Gate collapses immediately, the beacon will be lit all the way, and will finally be seen by everyone on Dagushan.
Then the beacon tower at the end of the Dagushan Mountain facing the sun will be immediately lit as an early warning. People who are still scattered around Dagushan will immediately return to Dagushan and no longer stay outside.
Including the craftsmen and young men who are currently working diligently at the Zheyi Canal not far from the mountain. They will open the Zheyi Canal before leaving...
Instructing his subordinate brothers to rest where they were, Yan Liulang silently stepped forward, looked at the dry and flammable materials in the beacon tower that were replaced regularly, and nodded gently. He walked to the edge of the cliff and glanced in the direction of the Broken Wing Canal.
According to the message from the Ming government, the second phase of the Zheyi Canal, which is still under construction, cannot be opened until the flood is confirmed and as a last resort.
This huge construction project is related to Longcheng County's century-old water control plan. At present, only half of the second phase has been repaired, so we must try to avoid being forced to open for business.
This is also the last resort in case the Dee Gong Gate collapses.
Yan Liulang took off his bamboo hat, shook off the raindrops, followed Ming Fu's example, and rubbed his face hard.
"Mukuro."
At this moment, a familiar shout not far behind him broke Yan Liulang's trance.
"Da Lang? Miss Ye, Miss Su... are you all here?"
Yan Liulang looked back and found that the blinding pavilion not far away was full of familiar people.
With a surprised look on his face, he greeted Su Dalang who came forward.
The little girl from the Su family with a purple gauze on her face and calm eyes, and the bun-faced maid named Cai Shou behind her.
And Ye Weilai, who was sent to Dagushan by Yan Liulang as soon as possible yesterday.
Although Ouyang Rong only seriously asked him to take all the people of Dragon City up the mountain before leaving, he did not specifically ask him to take care of Meiluyuan.
It seems that they also classify their maids as "normal people" and have no privileges.
But as soon as Ouyang Rong left yesterday, Yan Liulang turned around and went to take Ye Weilai and other Meiluyuan maids, as well as other family members of his colleagues who had gone to Di Gongzha with the Ming Dynasty to support them, to Dagushan for resettlement.
Yan Liulang understood and admired Ouyang Rong's example.
Ouyang Rong also had to take the lead, because all his subordinates and colleagues around him, regardless of their stance on good or evil, were all silently watching his every move.
As a parent officer.
If you arrange for your family to run away immediately, then everyone can also arrange for your family to run away. It is blameless.
If you abandon the city immediately, then everyone can also abandon the city, and you have no right to blame everyone.
In addition, you said when you first took office that you only came to Longcheng to do one thing.
Disaster relief, flood control, justice.
It's really just one thing - justice.
So what the county magistrate said is fair, is it really fair? Have you forgotten it?
Regarding this, not only the Longcheng County Government Office, but all the officials and citizens of the entire Longcheng County were watching silently.
Otherwise, the prestige and admiration established before will collapse in an instant, and except for close associates like Yan Liulang, it will be difficult for anyone else to move.
But to put it another way, it is precisely because he has always been fair that Ouyang Rong can quickly consolidate the power of a county order and control the entire Longcheng County government and the entire Longcheng County...
I understand, but there are some things in this world that Yan Liulang feels should not be like this, and those who bravely stand up should not be treated like this...
"Yan Captou, where is my Tanlang?"
In the blind pavilion, Ye Weilai ran into the rain, grabbed the handkerchief with both hands, and asked quickly.
Under a wet veil stained with raindrops, the pink lips that were about to open were quietly closed.
Su Guo'er silently pulled back her feet and looked at Yan Liulang with her brother who was about to speak but hesitated.