March 28, the morning of the sixteenth day after the Spring Exam. Fang Zi'an decided not to go to Su Heng's house to participate in the construction of the blast furnace. In fact, Fang Zi'an couldn't intervene in this matter, and he just went to do it on the side. Today, Fang Zi'an decided to go to the Shi Mansion to visit Shi Ningyue.

On the evening of three days ago, Fang Zi'an and Qin Xiqing had already gone to visit, Shi Ningyue's injuries had recovered steadily, and she was able to get out of bed and walk normally, and her body was not unwell. It's just that it was already night, and I accompanied Qin Xiqing with me, so I could only listen to them, and I didn't talk too much with Shi Ningyue. Today, Fang Zi'an plans to go alone and accompany Shi Ningyue for a day. First, after Shi Ningyue's injuries basically healed, he still hadn't accompanied her well, and secondly, there was news that the gold list would be released in the next two days, which means that Shi Hao was coming back, and Fang Zi'an also wanted to discuss countermeasures with the Shi family's mother and daughter.

At the end of March, it is the height of spring. The branches of the trees in the city are already full of green, and all kinds of flowers and trees have bloomed one after another. Peach blossoms, apricot blossoms, pear blossoms, plum blossoms and other flowers are in full bloom, and some are even past their flowering period, leaving the ground full of red. The air is filled with the scent of flowers and trees, which is very pleasant.

Fang Zi'an rode a horse and walked slowly on the road to Shi's house, enjoying the spring scenery on the street and the vibrant people on the street, and he was very happy. Although I have encountered an emergency recently, fortunately, there is no danger and no major disaster. And through this incident, I finally don't have to hide my heart. Moreover, he found Su Heng, a master craftsman with real skills, to make the steam engine for himself. Everything went so smoothly and naturally I was in a good mood.

Fang Zi'an's house is in Shuijing Hutong in Yongjinmen, and Shijia is in Liuyeer Hutong in Houchaomen in the north, which is actually not too far apart. Along Donghe Avenue to the north, you can reach it by crossing four horizontal streets and a stone bridge, and it is only three or four miles away. Fang Zi'an was not in a hurry, riding a horse through the crowd on the bustling Donghe Street, enjoying the street scenery and the boats shuttling up and down the Donghe River, while enjoying the beautiful spring light. But after crossing the north of the Shilan Bridge of the East River, suddenly there was a commotion on the street ahead, and many people rushed towards the side street on the east side, as if something had happened.

Fang Zi'an was startled, he wanted to go to a passer-by and ask what was going on, but soon he didn't have to ask. Because at the crossroads of East River Avenue and the cross street ahead, a thick cloud of smoke was rising from behind the green canopy beside the street. The thick black smoke against the blue sky is very striking and terrifying. Fang Zi'an immediately understood that it was a fire.

In a bustling street like Donghe Street, a fire is a serious and terrible thing. In fact, the fire is a matter that needs to be extremely guarded against for the entire Lin'an City. Because there are too many people in Lin'an City, the buildings and shops are too crowded, and if they are not properly disposed of, it will cause huge losses. In a dense place like Donghe Street, if the fire spreads, the entire street could be completely burned. It will even burn into the houses between the streets.

The flow of people blocked the road, and Fang Zi'an couldn't move forward, so he dismounted, tied his horse to the dock and galloped forward to check. But I saw thick smoke billowing from a three-story restaurant at the entrance of Hengjiekou, and in the black smoke, people kept rushing out of the building, coughing with black and gray faces.

"Help, neighbors, help put out the fire, please. Please. A short, stocky middle-aged man, who appeared to be the owner of the restaurant, cried out loudly and pleaded with the onlookers.

"Oh, what's the deal. Why is it on fire? Shopkeeper Xu, this can't be saved. You'll have to wait for the fire brigade of the defense army to put out the fire. Someone has already gone to report that the Xicheng Defense Army should be coming soon. Some of the people comforted.

"Oh, when they come, my restaurant will be burned down. It's been my life's work, and all my belongings are here. If the restaurant is gone, I won't be able to live. Please. Help put out the fire. The owner of the restaurant, Shopkeeper Xu, begged loudly.

Although the people sympathized with him, no one stepped forward to put out the fire. It's not that they are ruthless, but that the fire on the first floor of the restaurant has spread and burned to the hall. The second and third floors were all covered in billowing black smoke. Once the fire on the first floor grows bigger, it will soon spread to the second and third floors, and there is no way to save it. If this is close to fighting fires, it is not looking for death.

There was a commotion, but the whistle was sharp and ticking. Someone shouted, "Get out of the way, get out of the way, get out of the way." ”

The people shouted: "The defense army is coming, the fire brigade is coming." Get out of the way for them to come in. ”

The crowd quickly dodged a road, but seeing the mixed footsteps, more than a dozen soldiers drove in two large carts from Donghe Street. Two large carts carry huge boxes that are one person high, and the sound of water can be heard inside when the vehicles shake. This is clearly the waterwheel they used to put out the fire.

"Oh, military master, hurry up and put out the fire. Please. If you don't save it, it's too late. As if grasping a life-saving straw, the shopkeeper Xu stepped forward and cried loudly.

The soldiers of the defense army in the car jumped down, each holding a large bucket in their hands, ready to catch water to put out the fire. But when the leader saw the fire, he immediately waved his hand and shouted: "Brothers, don't waste your efforts, don't lose your life." The fire can't be saved. ”

The shopkeeper Xu was shocked when he heard this: "Why can't you save it?" You save it. ”

The leading officer shouted: "Save a fart, do you want us to die?" I thought it was a small fire, it turned out to be such a big fire, so how can I save it? Do you want our brothers to die? This is a little closer for fear of not being scorched. No, no, no. ”

And all the people cried out, "What do you say, this man?" Aren't you guys fighting fires? Why do you still say such things? ”

The leader of the defense army scolded: "Bah, you guys don't have a backache when you stand and talk." You are talking cool things one by one, why don't you save them? Whoever says it can be saved, borrow your bucket, and you will save. Lao Tzu is not going to die. It's only three or two months a month, so do we have to work hard? Desperate for three taels of silver? It's a shame for what you said. ”

The people were speechless. Fang Zi'an couldn't help but shout: "Hey, you have to do something, the fire hasn't started yet, there is still a chance." Splash a few buckets of water and give it a try. ”

The leader of the defense army glared at Fang Zi'an and said, "Who the hell are you?" To put it mildly, are we burned to death and you pay for your life? This fire will rise up when it speaks, are you blind? ”

Fang Zi'an frowned and said, "The fire hasn't risen yet, but you guys are using the water dragon to suppress the fire." If you suppress the fire, you can save it. ”

The leader of the defense army sneered: "Water dragon? Where did the water dragon come from? Damn, we don't have smoke and fire masks, and we still have water hoses? ”

Fang Zi'an was also speechless. Indeed, the equipment on these people is only ordinary uniforms, not even armor, and there is no equipment for firefighting at all. If there is a water dragon that can extinguish the fire from a distance, and they don't even have a water dragon, then what else can they save? The fire brigade of the defense army is also too cold.

"Boss, this fire will spread, what should I do? The shops on both sides are finished. How to do it? A soldier asked.

"The old way, empty the surrounding houses, collapse the houses, and when the fire is gone, it will be extinguished. Bring the rope and bring the mule that pulls the cart. The leader ordered in a deep voice.

The soldiers went into action, and someone went to the shop next door to the restaurant and drove the people inside. Several soldiers threw ropes around the roof trusses of the nearby shops, and four mules and a dozen soldiers began to pull together vigorously. In the shouting and crying of the shopkeeper next to him, there was a loud bang, and the shop next to him was pulled down, and the wall collapsed and turned into ruins.

Without stopping, the fire brigade pulled down the two adjacent shops on the east and north sides, knocking down the walls. Someone else started to cut down all the big trees on the left, and then they stopped.

Fang Zi'an frowned when he looked at it, but he also understood that these people didn't mean to sabotage. This is currently the only way they can prevent the fire from spreading along the dense shops and buildings on the streets. The collapse of the surrounding buildings is actually creating a fire barrier to isolate the spread of the fire. But this method of fighting fires is too speechless. A shop caught fire, and the surrounding people suffered.

After such a long delay, the fire in the three-story restaurant has spread to the third floor. The entire restaurant has been burned to the ground. After dozens of steps, his face was burned with smoke. The shopkeeper Xu of the restaurant sat on the ground and cried, shouting: "It's over, it's all over, it's all over." The belongings I've worked so hard for all my life are gone. Nothing is gone. ”

The people next to him comforted: "Shopkeeper Xu, it's okay if people are fine." When things are gone, you can earn them again. Let's look at the point. Fire and water are ruthless. Ay! ”

Shopkeeper Xu slowly stood up, looked blankly at the people around him, and sighed: "A lifetime of hard work is gone, what can I earn again." This restaurant is my lifeline. For it, I owe people money. What's the point of living without me? ”

As he spoke, Shopkeeper Xu stomped his feet and rushed towards the burning restaurant. Everyone exclaimed, Fang Zi'an rushed out to stop him, but he only ran a dozen steps, and then watched the shopkeeper Xu jump into the flames. Fang Zi'an endured the scorching heat and ran a few steps, trying to pull him out of the door sealed by the fire. Hearing a strange sound from Carrara, Fang Zi'an knew that something was wrong, and immediately turned around and retreated. I saw a loud rumbling sound, sparks splashed everywhere, smoke and dust scattered, and half of the restaurant collapsed. Fortunately, Fang Zi'an saw the opportunity quickly, so he was saved from being hit by the huge pillar that caught fire and buried his fate. But after such a collapse, the shopkeeper Xu had completely disappeared in the flames.

The people cried out in horror, and they were all speechless in astonishment. Fang Zi'an was also shocked in his heart, but he couldn't do anything about it, and he was extremely sad in his heart. He shook his head and sighed as he returned, squeezing through the crowd and leaving silently.

The Great Minister of the Southern Song Dynasty

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