"Boom!"

A basket full of stones, tied with ropes, smashed into the water.

It stirred up a large splash and quickly sank to the bottom.

The boat, which had just arrived at the dock, quickly stabilized itself and slowly stopped on the shore.

Liu Ashan's gaze was withdrawn from the splash, and this thing was called "Ikaki" by the guys running boats on the Xunyang River.

When it is docked, it is thrown to the bottom of the water and anchored according to its weight.

The wooden man who helped to lay down the stone together clapped his hands, threw his hand at the boatman, and thanked him in a muffled voice.

Before the ship's boarding ladder was completely lowered, Liu Ahsan quickly turned over on the deck and couldn't wait to jump off the ship.

His feet firmly stepped on the familiar gray and black floor tiles of Penglangdu Wharf.

At the edge of Penglangdu Wharf, the early morning sun was warm on the skin, and Liu Ashan raised his head and took a deep breath.

An indescribable feeling welled up in my heart.

It's like walking on a rickety tightrope for years, and suddenly you can walk around casually with your feet on the ground.

Peace of mind.

I looked left and right at the busy and lively ferry streets.

Liu Ashan's tired and slightly circled Mu Ne's face couldn't help but show a smile, and he murmured:

"It's Zhan Hengyu, and it's a ...... The old man said that the meaning of this sentence is that when he sees his humble house from afar, he can't wait to run over with joy.

"The master is worthy of being a Jinshi Tanhualang, and occasionally whispering a word, it is so reasonable."

Liu Ashan subconsciously rubbed his face as someone rubbed his face, and lowered his head to check the moonlight sword on his waist.

Reaching into his sleeve again, he felt a cold touch of bronze metal in his fingers.

After confirming that everything was ready, Liu Ahsan turned his head, waved goodbye to the boatmen who were unloading the ark ship behind, and left the dock.

Liu Ashan passed through the busy street and the West Temple all the way, and couldn't help but look left and right on the road.

Before he met the master, he worked as a porter at the dock to move goods.

The huge old locust tree in front of him had dozed off under the steward's pergola, and he had gone with his work companions to take refuge in the shade for a moment, which was the only place to take a breath during the day.

Later, when he was older, his father died early, and there was a sudden flood that washed away the house.

The family was poor, and in the disaster year, they entered the official slave status early and were mortgaged to the Guyue Sword Shop, and later, he and Ah Mei had to come to the dock every day to cross the river to work on the west bank.

Liu Ashan was diligent in his hands and feet, and after the fortifications of Gu Yue Sword Shop were busy, he squeezed out some time to secretly do some odd jobs at the dock, quietly saving money, and wanted to redeem his sister and mother.

It's just that before the master came to Dragon City, the hard-earned money he had saved for seven or eight years was not enough to redeem half of his sister.

Not to mention building a new house, marrying a wife and having children, etc., may have a normal trajectory, and it will take a lifetime of hard work to save enough, and it will not be a catastrophe or a serious illness.

Liu Ashan's expression was calm, the morning sun fell, walking on the noisy street in the early morning, looking back at the roadside from time to time.

Around the corner, the stall selling oil and hemp cakes is a must.

I heard that the boss is from Guangzhou Mansion on Lingnan Road, and the craftsmanship is time-honored: make glutinous rice flour into a dough, osmanthus candy and kumquat as filling, pour hot oil and fry it, "Zla" sounds, steaming, and the sesame seeds on the cake are golden and flowing oil......

Ah Mei and Ah Mu love to eat it the most, but they never talk about it.

Liu Ahan used to take Ah Mei to the pier to cross the river by boat, and Ah Mei often looked back when passing by.

Later, he silently bought a piece of oil hemp cake for Ah Mei to eat, Ah Mei only took two small bites, and after asking him not to eat it, he wrapped it in oil paper, stuffed it into his arms, and brought it to his mother at night, but was reprimanded by his mother who weaved the cloth.

also trained him to waste half a penny to buy a piece of oil-paper bread cake, and casually pick a lotus leaf from the roadside pond to wrap it, isn't it good?

"It is Zhan Hengyu, and he is happy to run to ......"

Liu Ahsan murmured.

It's weird.

Such a piece of land does not carry many good and happy memories, why did he just leave for a short while, and on the boat outside, eating and drinking well.

But once he came back, these things that were originally taken for granted, even suffering, fell into his eyes, and they became extraordinarily kind?

Speaking of which, this is the first time that Liu Ashan has left Longcheng County, where he was born and raised, and he has gone the farthest way before, but he followed the old fishermen to the river to fish when he was young.

But at this moment, stepping on this land again, Liu Ashan's chest suddenly surged with an urge to never want to leave home again.

I don't know why.

The words that the old man said were also repeatedly reappearing in his mind.

He is not a person who likes to drag text and ink, but he just thinks that this sentence "Nazhan Hengyu Zai Xin Ben" is very good.

Liu Ashan got off the boat from Penglangdu, without delay, and went straight back to Luming Street, where he chewed and reminisced all the way.

However, before leaving the West Market, Liu Ahan went to the oil and hemp cake stall at the corner of the busy street, silently took out six copper plates, and delivered them to the boss.

By the way, there is also a half-penny added to the back.

Liu Ahan stuffed two hot oil sesame cakes wrapped tightly in oil paper into his arms, his chest was warm, and he returned to the county office on Luming Street.

Although lotus leaves are cheap and easy to use, Ah Mei likes origami, and after eating cakes, the oil paper can make Ah Mei fold origami flowers.

The dusty wooden man covered his chest with his hands and nodded.

This time he turned around and returned to Longcheng, and before leaving Miss Ye and the official ship in Jiangzhou, Miss Ye tearfully stuffed him with a lot of silver as a carriage and horse fare.

Let Liu Ashan be sure to return to Dragon City as soon as possible and stop Ouyang Rong.

But Liu Ashan didn't spend much, just endured the pain and found a cargo express ship back to Longcheng County in Xunyangdu, as for the food and drink along the way, Liu Ashan squatted on the deck with the boatmen to eat.

He was originally going to buy some gifts for his sister and mother after he arrived in Nanlong, but now it seems that it is too late, so he can only bring two pieces of oil and hemp cakes back nearby.

As for the rest of the money, it will be returned to Miss Ye in the future.

The man was thoughtful, and when he silently sorted out, he also came to the intersection of Luming Street, and he could see the familiar county gate in the distance.

"At this time in the past, the master has come to the county government to be on duty, unless it is really as Miss Ye said...... Wait, why are there so many people at the door. ”

Liu Ashan's eyes widened as he was talking to himself.

I saw that at the gate of the county government in front, there were all kinds of officials coming in and out, walking in a panic; On the street in front of the door, the parked carriages or fast horses almost blocked the entrance of Luming Street.

There is a faint tendency of noise and chaos.

Liu Ashan has a good memory, and when he saw the hurried flow of people entering and exiting the gate in front of him, he was somewhat familiar with his clothes, and immediately recalled:

"Aren't those officials stationed at the water stele at a few ferries upstream, why did they run back, why did they come to the county office, looking for the Ming Mansion?"

Liu Ahan frowned, as if he had reacted to something, and suddenly looked up at the sky.

It's a hot summer day, and the sun is shining.

"How is this season possible...... In the past, there has never been a large flood in the upper reaches of the river. ”

Liu Ahan shook his head, his face was incredulous, he quickly ran forward, poured into the flow of people, and entered the county office.

Can be fast.

The firmness of the wooden man was destroyed by the chaotic news and panicked conversations that he constantly heard left and right.

With round eyes, the information in his ears quickly summed up:

Now on the summer solstice, the upstream and downstream of Yunmengze have indeed been rainless for half a decade, yes.

but

This morning, at the beginning of the hour,

The water level of Yunmengze near the Di Gong Gate began to skyrocket unreasonably!

An official who staggered to the scene shouted with an eager face:

"Where is the Ming Mansion, where is the Ming Mansion, go and inform the Ming Mansion, the water level is rising too fast! We, we can't find the reason.

"The last time the rain rose, the water level rose in one day and one night, and now it has risen in less than two hours, this speed is terrifying......"

The chief official who stayed behind in the county government was dumbfounded and stammered: "Ming...... If the Ming Mansion is not on leave, Lord Diao will collect it on his behalf......"

"What about the other adults, Lord Diao? What about people? Hurry up and tell Master Diao and ask what we should do now? The colleagues upstream are panicked and need instructions from the county government......"

"Diao Xiancheng didn't come to the top this morning, and took half of his colleagues to the side of the Folding Wing Canal to participate in a ceremony to celebrate the passage of the canal......"

"Now tell me, come and go, at least for an hour, the daylily is cold, at such a critical time, why are the two adults not there!"

"Brother Tai go this way, go to find Yan Zhuye, the two adults are not here for the time being, Yan Zhuye has the highest authority, and now he is summoning all his urgent colleagues in the county government hall."

"Yes yes yes ......"

On the promenade, there were officials who hurried to be guided and ran in the direction of the county government hall.

Liu Ahan slowly walked from behind, looking in the direction of the former's departure.

Like this similar emergency official, Liu Ashan walked all the way from the gate of the county ya, and saw a lot, abounding, coming from all over the upstream in waves.

Although Longcheng County is located in Jiangnan Province, it is a large county with nearly 10,000 households, in addition to the people living in Longcheng County downstream, there are also many villages and towns along the upstream road, gathering many villagers.

Once the Digong Gate blocking the upper reaches of the Yuenu Gorge collapses, the flood water that has been stored to a high level will pour out wildly, which can instantly flood the villages and towns along the way, so the most urgent thing is also the officials and people of these local villages and towns.

"The Ming Mansion is not here for the time being, is Brother Yan here......

Liu Ashan was stunned, and rushed to the county hall with the officials in front of him.

I thought there was a backbone, and the county hall could be quieter.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he walked into the courtyard where the county hall was located, the whole person was overwhelmed by the noisy sound.

In the hall of the county office, there is no one at the top desk.

The familiar back of the young county commander in the past is long gone.

Right now, Yan Rokuro was standing in front of the empty desk, working with his subordinates to pacify everyone.

The officials who gathered from all over the place were gossiping, each with their own urgency and worries.

The anxious mood spread in the hall of the county government and was difficult to suppress.

Yan Liulang was busy.

"Everyone, be quiet, I have already asked Diao County Cheng to go, and the county Cheng will come back immediately, don't worry, don't be impatient, the matter of rising water, first follow the warning of the past......"

An elderly official hurriedly said:

"Also warned, the previous preparations are useless, this time is really different from the previous times, Xiaoyan Catcher, this water is rising too fast.

"Today's ...... It didn't even wait for the afternoon, and by noon, it was time to exceed the previous high.

"Most of the plans made by the county government before were useless, and it was even too late, what should we do now, should we evacuate the people immediately?

"Either the evacuation camp plan in Dagushan is activated, and the people are transferred there first."

"This ......," Yan Rokuro hesitated.

A young man beside him sneered and retorted:

"Without the clerical orders of the two adults, who would dare to make arrangements and give the order to evacuate the people of the whole city?

"Such a large-scale transfer, in case of an accident during the period, or an investigation by the imperial court afterwards, Di Gongzha could have been rescued to resist the flood, but the opportunity was missed, it is a mistake of the governor to abandon the city cowardly, who will be responsible."

In the lobby, an official stood up without pleasing his eyes:

"When is it, I am still entangled in responsibility, afraid of taking the blame, and not taking action again, which is the real mistime."

"That's okay, you don't have to wait for the two adults, Xiaoyan Catcher will also listen to you, Brother Zeng, you will be the conductor......"

"You!"

There was an old and rather large official who stood up and thinned the mud:

"Okay, okay, don't argue, don't talk cool, and don't look at when."

After a pause, he suggested:

"In other words, do we have to figure out the reason for the sudden rise in the upstream first, and then take measures, otherwise it will be half the result or even counterproductive...... Xiaoyan catches the master, what do you think? ”

"I think ......," Yan Rokuro stopped talking.

A dejected voice came from the crowd:

"Find out why? In the summer, the water level skyrocketed, who knows why, the soldiers will block, the water will cover the earth, what else can I do?

"This year is just over the halfway point, and there have been three big floods that have been turned off or extinguished, maybe ...... Maybe the sky is going to destroy us, and Butterfly Creek really has a so-called dragon king......"

With such words, someone was the first to say it, and the whole audience around suddenly exploded, and everyone had different opinions.

"That's it! Stop arguing! ”

Yan Liulang snorted, turned his head sharply, and reprimanded in the direction where the dejected voice came:

"The Ming Mansion hates some people who are superstitious about the dragon king's ghosts and gods, and they have saved the gate in the upper reaches, and those who demagogue people's hearts should be beheaded, who dares to spread the words of reception and belief in God, I Yan Liulang will take Er's head and hang the flag!"

The audience was silent.

Yan Liulang gasped for breath, holding the knife and looking around, everyone avoided their gaze.

Just when he was silent for a while, and was about to speak again, he suddenly felt that his sleeve was being pulled, frowned and turned his head, and was suddenly surprised:

"Brother Ahsan, why are you back?"

Liu Ashan pointed to the direction of the back hall of the back door of the county government hall and signaled.

Yan Liulang turned around, temporarily calmed the crowd, and followed Liu Asan to the back hall.

In the back hall, Yan Liulang, who was tired, looked at Liu Ashan curiously, feeling that something was wrong with his mood.

Mu Ne's face was surprisingly calm, and he asked directly:

"Brother Yan, where is the Ming Mansion? Have you seen the Ming Mansion recently? ”

Yan Liulang was stunned and asked rhetorically:

"Mingfu has taken leave to return to Nanlong, don't you know?"

"The Ming Mansion is not in Dragon City? Leaf...... After Miss Ye's boat left, the Ming Mansion never appeared? ”

"Definitely, that day, didn't the Ming Mansion take Miss Ye and them away on a boat together, and you also asked for leave, didn't you go over together?"

Yan Liulang frowned and asked, "On the contrary, Brother Ashan, why did you run back from Nanlong, and it was so fast to make a round trip?" Also, isn't the Ming Mansion with you? Is he in Dragon City? ”

Liu Ahsan swallowed some words.

Yan Liulang saw that his face was wrong, and asked worriedly, "Brother Ashan, are you okay......

The questions he wanted to ask seemed to have all the answers, and Liu Ashan's ears were suddenly drowned out by a burst of white noise.

Yan Liulang didn't hear a word of what Yan Liulang said later.

Stand still.

When I found Ye Weilai in the shipyard a few days ago, the latter's words were still lingering in my ears:

"I don't know where he's going, but I do know that Tanlang is leaving...... I can see that he is preparing to say goodbye to ......us forever."

Liu Ahsan lowered his head in a daze, his eyes staring directly at the moonlight long sword at his waist.

This was the eve before he got on the boat to send Miss Ye back to Nanlong, and the last thing that the lord gave him before he left after dinner at his house was left with the mirage mask.

Liu Ahan clearly remembered that at that time, he was worried that he would not be able to do what the master had explained, and he was honestly afraid, the master patted him on the shoulder, turned around and left with a smile, and waved his hand at Liu Ahan with his back:

"You do things, I don't worry......

"Ahsan, you have always been behind me and at my command, but one day, I will be gone, and at that time, you will learn to be on your own.

"Ah Shan, if you think of it, do it, stand up and don't hesitate, we all have to protect the people or things we want to protect, I am so, and you are also ......"

It turned out that Miss Ye was right, the old man was ready to leave a long time ago, and even quietly said goodbye to him, only he was still clumsily kept in the dark.

Liu Ahan suddenly murmured: "Nai Zhan Hengyu, Zai Xin Ben...... This is what the master said, but why did you go away and fly away from home......"

This was his last puzzlement.

In the back hall, the figure of the wooden man wearing the long sword swayed slightly.

"Brother Ahsan? Ahsan brothers? ”

Seeing that Liu Ashan was suddenly talking to himself in a daze, his expression was wrong, Yan Liulang couldn't help but stretch out his hand, pushed Liu Ashan, and called out twice worriedly.

Liu Ashan looked up in a trance, looked left and right, and then looked at Yan Liulang, his eyes were a little confused, and he asked softly:

"Brother Yan, if there is no more master, what should we do?"

Yan Liulang wanted to speak, but at this time, the noise in the county hall in front of him became louder and louder.

"It's not good, you have to go out and stabilize the scene!"

Yan Liulang turned his head and said something bad, and shook his head with a sad face:

"I don't know if Master Diao has come back, why hasn't he come back yet! The Ming Mansion handed over all the affairs to him, he was good, he was not there at the critical moment, and he was not interested in the celebration ceremony......"

Liu Ahsan did not answer, looking down at the moonlight long sword, as if he was lost in contemplation.

Yan Liulang didn't have time to care about Liu Ashan's state, and he didn't have time to drink the tea on the table, so he quickly left the back hall.

Back to the county hall!

A cacophony of sound came to the scene.

At the same time, there was bad news from outside the county office.

Yan Liulang, who came out, frowned.

If the Ming Mansion was present, who would dare to be so noisy?

Yan Liulang sighed, when he followed behind Ming Fu before, he couldn't help but feel something.

Only now do I realize how difficult it is to be able to be in a critical moment, fearless in the face of danger, calm the audience, and become the backbone of everyone!

"Everyone, stop arguing, be quiet!"

Yan Liulang untied his waist knife, slapped the table hard, and burst into applause, such a stupid method could only suppress some of the anxious noises in the lobby.

Seeing the different eyes of everyone, Yan Liulang turned his head to a close subordinate and asked:

"Has the person sent to the Folded Wing Canal for interrogation returned? Why hasn't Diao County Cheng arrived yet? They all sent people to shout, it's been so long, it's a turtle that has to crawl back to the county office, not to mention that they still have big boats there, and they can take the waterway. ”

The cronies' subordinates bowed their heads: "There is no news yet, for some reason, two groups of people have been sent over......"

"Send someone again...... No, you go in person now! ”

"Yes!" Command to retreat.

Yan Liulang turned his head and said seriously to everyone:

"If it drags on any longer, it's going to be too late, so we have to make arrangements early?"

"What is Xiao Yan's opinion?"

"First...... Organize the people to take refuge in the city first......"

Yan Liulang hesitated and said that he tried to follow the plan of the Ming Mansion last time, but in fact, he didn't know much about the way to control the water, and most of the time, he was just the executor of the Ming Mansion's orders.

Moreover, in this kind of situation that requires courage, Yan Rokuro is still young, and his first experience is inevitably swayed by other people's "opinions".

But at this time, a fat-faced official immediately asked with an embarrassed face:

"Xiao Yan Catcher, are you sure you want to do this? Could it be that this rise is just a false alarm, after all, the ...... of the big summer It won't end well. ”

Someone angrily interrupted:

"He Laosan, do you want to see what you said? Is it human talk? A false alarm? We are all locals, who doesn't know the situation of Yun Mengze?

"Over the years, which time has the water risen, isn't it extremely dangerous? Those of us who monitor the water level at the upstream Digong Gate, can't we distinguish between the false and the real, are we here to make false reports? The situation is already so dangerous, you are still lucky, if you miss the time, you are the sinner of the whole county. ”

The fat-faced official immediately stinked his face and said stiffly: "That's okay, what do you say!" Come! ”

Just when the two sides were about to quarrel.

There was a younger official, whose face was puzzled:

"What did Lord Mingfu do last time? Shall we just do that?

"Aren't those official ships still there, what about the official ships? Go and tune in!

"Like Xueming Mansion, our soldiers are divided into two routes, and a group of people go upstream to the Digong Gate to rescue the sluice dam.

"A group of people stayed in Longcheng County downstream, organized the people to take refuge in Dagu Mountain, just in case, and then contacted the beacon tower...... What a concise thing, why do you want to be noisy, the Ming Mansion has demonstrated it once......"

It's just that he didn't expect that as soon as these words came out, the audience gradually quieted down.

Most fell silent.

Look at me, I'll look at yours.

Only a few nodded in agreement.

Finally, someone forced a laugh and said:

"Okay, then...... So how do we distribute it? Which group of people went to rescue the sluice, and which group of people stayed downstream to organize the people to go to Dagushan to escape the disaster. ”

Yan Liulang opened his mouth, wanting to say that the latter one was handed over to him, he was most familiar with it, last time it was Yan Liulang and Diao County Cheng who organized the people of Longcheng to retreat to Dagu Mountain.

As for rescuing the sluice, he is a young catcher, has not read a few books, does not know much about water conservancy, and is very unfamiliar.

But in the next second, Yan Liulang's afterglow suddenly caught a glimpse of everyone's dodging and evasive gazes.

His face was stunned at first, and then his heart instantly turned cold.

It turns out that the root cause of all quarrels is not that in the face of disaster, everyone has no effective plan.

Instead, the hearts of the team were scattered, and everyone was afraid of their lives.

So all the confusion and suggestions just now are an excuse for their own secret calculations!

Yan Liulang only felt cold all over, but there was a hot fire in his chest.

His face was blue and red for a while, and at a certain moment, the board face stepped forward.

"Don't argue, the Ming Mansion is not here, I'll take someone upstream to save the gate ......"

There were no more than 1,000 votes on the first day...... But I will still add more, for the good brothers who have already voted! This 6,000 words will not be dismantled, two in one, send it together, Xiao Rong will go to code a chapter and add more, don't wait, everyone!

(End of chapter)