The northerners are good at horses, and the southerners are good at boats. Especially in a place like Yingshang County, where the water network is developed, boats are naturally indispensable.

Three hours is not long to say, but short is not short.

The more than 200 people who were originally sent out, rowing nearly 200 small boats, gathered scattered outside the North City.

And those Changxiu troops, who originally fled more than 500 people, also ran to the gate of the north city intermittently.

Xia Huan re-handed over most of them to Chen Zhaoming to maintain order in the city, and he left less than two hundred people.

In order to prevent the two hundred people from being double-minded and not contributing to the work, Xia Huan spent nearly half an hour to break up the two hundred people and the original three hundred again.

Although the collected boats seem to be connected, the people who can really carry them are only four or five people at most.

The reason why there are so many people left behind is that in addition to the rescue, the main thing is to resettle and rescue the people after they are rescued in the county seat.

Wait until everything is ready. Xia Huan Fangcai, with three hundred people, rowed a small boat and sailed out of the city.

It's past July, and the sky is still overcast, but the good news is that it hasn't rained yet.

A paper-making workshop was densely packed with people. As far as the eye can see, there are only a dozen people squeezed on top of a hut two or three feet long and wide.

Most of these people are craftsmen and their families in this paper workshop.

The northern part of the city is low-lying and most of the workshops are like them.

The flood came so suddenly, in the middle of the night, when they woke up, the water had almost reached their bedside.

Some people, seeing the flood, desperately wanted to run to the city. However, before they could run a few miles, the water had already risen between the mouths and noses of the people.

However, the rest of those who did not run are not much better.

With so many people crammed into the roof, one carelessness could cause the entire roof to collapse. If that's the case, then you'll have to soak in water.

Of course, for the Chu people, it is already summer, the weather is not cold, and soaking in water is not that they can't endure that hardship.

However, with so many people, there is no food in a place with a big palm, which is the most important.

Such a large flood cannot be receded without more than ten days. However, for these people, it is unbearable to go without food for a few days.

Therefore, although these people are in a safe place for the time being, they are just waiting for death in another way.

Wang Yan, his father is a small steward in this workshop, and his skillful papermaking skills can be regarded as a small reputation in this small area.

It's just that Wang Yan, who has a family and has two sons, always wants to find an opportunity to join the army, go to the battlefield, and strive for merit and fame.

Although the Wang family has three children, the first two are daughters. Therefore, I don't want this lone seedling in the family to die on the battlefield in the future.

For this reason, the royal father did not scold him less. even scolded him more than once, and even daydreamed of princes and generals.

Whenever the royal father scolded him like this, Wang Yan would always say: "A good boy is ambitious in all directions, and the horse leather shroud is the hero's grave!" ”

It's just that now trapped by the flood, everything seems to have become yesterday's clouds.

Not only that, Wang Yan's youngest son is still in a high fever at the moment because he caught a cold at night.

On the side, Wang Yan's wife Li and the elderly queen mother cried even more. made Wang Yan, who was already in a dry mood, even more tormented.

The dreams of the past are now as if everything is a thing of the past.

"Boat ......" A somewhat immature voice sounded in Wang Yan's ears.

However, Wang Yan only rolled his eyelids slightly, and then drooped down heavily.

It was the voice of his eldest son, and it had been nearly a day, but the eldest son, who was three or four years old, had already asked him once and again if someone would come to save them.

At first, Wang Yan endured a few words of comfort. However, now, Wang Yan has no desire to answer at all.

"Boat!"

A somewhat piercing voice sounded, and the little guy on the side shouted again and again: "Father, father, look, someone has come to save us!" ”

The immature voice is like a natural sound at this moment.

Together, all the people around who had lost their faith raised their heads one after another.

"There really is a boat! We are saved! ”

"We're saved!"

From death to life, the already desperate people are almost frantically in pain at the moment, screaming.

"It's saved, great, my son is saved!" Wang Yan, who was excited, also couldn't help shouting.

The royal father, who had always been honest on the side, shed tears of excitement.

The boat was getting closer and closer, but the people who saw the boat, who were originally cheering, suddenly fell into silence again.

Originally, they thought that these ships were sent by the owner. However, the neat armor shattered this illusion again.

As craftsmen, although their status in the Chu State is okay, they are still the lowest people in the final analysis.

For them, it is simply impossible to dispatch so many troops. What's more, in their impressions, there is no army with armor on the Yingshang.

Hope was followed by even greater despair. Many people even lost their minds and slipped into the water.

Wang Yan was holding his youngest son in his hands, but there was still a trace of unwillingness in his desperate eyes. However, in the end, he could only turn into a ball of helplessness and bow his head heavily.

"Father, the ship is coming! The ship is coming! ”

On the side, the eldest son, who still didn't know why, jumped happily.

"No...... It's really ours......" Wang Yan muttered softly as he looked at the ships getting closer and closer.

"I am the seventh son of today, so I will be crowned the king and come to the rescue. Children under the age of 10 and the elderly over 50 go first. But there are contenders, chop! ”

Xia Huan's voice sounded above this workshop. What you get, however, is silence.

Xia Huan frowned, and just wanted to speak again, but saw that the people who were already desperate cried with joy again.

"Let them board quickly!" Facing this group of people who were almost crazy, Xia Huan could only shout at one of the guards behind him.

Finally, when all the people in this workshop boarded the ship, Xia Huan found out. The nearly 200 small boats brought out had suddenly accounted for a quarter.

In other words, they can only take four or five people from the workshop with them when they go on one trip.

And there are many workshops like this, outside the entire North City, I don't know how many.

For those who are on the rooftops and barely shut down the water, the most important thing is food. Otherwise, with the two hundred boats at hand, it is estimated that before they can be rescued, people will already starve to death.

Thinking of this, Xia Huan immediately said to a centurion-looking person: "You guys, send these people to the city first, and in addition, when you come back, try to bring enough food, and distribute the food one by one directly in the direction of the river embankment." ”

"Whoa!" The centurion saluted respectfully, and then, with his men, rowed in the direction of the city.