In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 745 When the dike breaches, the authorities do nothing but provide disaster relief.

News of the breach in the dike in Chenqiao Town spread like wildfire.

Almost immediately after that earth-shattering roar,

The dam guards had already noticed and were awakened from their slumber.

Rushing outside, I witnessed the awe-inspiring scene of a torrent of water surging forth.
The news spread rapidly and soon reached the Dahuangsi Embankment upstream.

After receiving the news, Li Zhigang stood there, somewhat bewildered.

After a long while, the official who came to deliver the message urgently reminded him:

"Sir, please think of a solution!"

The surprise in Li Zhigang's eyes vanished instantly, replaced by decisiveness.

At this point, it no longer matters how the dike broke; what matters is that Chenqiao Town has breached its banks!

He quickly scanned his surroundings and decisively gave the order:

"Ten people will remain to monitor the water level; the rest will accompany me to Chenqiao Town."
In addition, someone was sent to inform the three departments to expedite the dispatch of personnel.
No need to bring sandbags or supplies, just send people over!

"Yes!"

With the clear order given, the more than one hundred officials on the Dahuangsi embankment immediately dispersed.
They grabbed their horses and galloped off in all directions.

At Zhuxian Town Port, the residents and merchants who were trapped in the market during the day had already been evacuated.
Only a few dim lanterns illuminated the mess on the ground.

Most of the stalls in the market were dilapidated and in disarray, as if they had been ransacked by bandits.

Several figures were sweeping through the area, creating a particularly desolate scene.

The waterway remained blocked, with more than a dozen official boats firmly holding it off.
Officials carrying torches walked back and forth across the area, like ghosts in the night.

The blockaded ships remained in place.

Some merchants, shopkeepers, and boat captains are still awake, working through the night to maintain their vessels.
We plan to leave Zhuxian Town first thing tomorrow morning.
This place is so unlucky!
The canal transport office, not far from the port, was still brightly lit.

The officials, instead of going home, stood in the courtyard looking at each other in bewilderment.
Hearing the commotion inside the main hall, a strange expression appeared on his face.

"Lord Ma, what exactly do you want to do?"
Looking outside, the market was in complete chaos, with hundreds of boats overturned.

Do you know how they insulted us?
They called us Ming Dynasty scoundrels who only knew how to harm the people!

Wei Qiwen, dressed in a scarlet official robe, had an extremely grim expression.

He launched into a tirade of insults at Ma Lingchuan, who was sitting in silence.

Ma Lingchuan remained calm, simply sitting there quietly, seemingly completely accustomed to this scene.

After taking a sip of tea, he looked up and said with a somber expression:

"Lord Wei, have you said enough?"

"not enough!"

Wei Qiwen flicked his sleeve, snapped out of his daze, and glared angrily.

"Tell me, how are we going to explain this now?"

If Zhuxian Town's reputation is ruined because of this, you will be a sinner to Kaifeng Prefecture and Henan Provincial Administration Commission!

"Lord Wei, you certainly know how to put a big label on someone very skillfully."

Ma Lingchuan gave a light snort.
"What's wrong with me carrying out flood prevention work?"
What's wrong with searching markets and boarding ships for inspection?
If this matter incurs the jealousy of those merchants and common people, then they are nothing but troublemakers!

Wei Qiwen never expected that the person in front of him would be so shameless as to lie through his teeth.
"Lord Ma, I won't waste my breath on this."

Tell me, when will things quiet down?

In such a large canal transport office, you and I spend all our time arguing over such trivial matters.

Should the river embankment still be repaired?
Is there any hope of controlling the Yellow River floods?

Lord Li from the capital has just arrived; I presume you know that Lord Li has come to Kaifeng on a mission.
The purpose was to build dikes and reservoirs after the rainy season to quell the floods.

What now?
He was left alone to measure the water level and patrol the dike.

We've been arguing and making a scene here, and it's turned into this embarrassing mess.
If word got out, even I, an official, would feel ashamed.
If this isn't us holding positions without doing our jobs, what is it?

Ma Lingchuan's face turned ugly after hearing what he said. He clenched his fists at his side and his breathing became slightly rapid.

"Lord Wei, when this matter ends is not up to you or me to decide."

Your yelling at me here is useless.

If I am dissatisfied with my actions, I may report this to the Provincial Governor, and the two of them will handle the matter impartially.

A flash of annoyance crossed Wei Qiwen's eyes.

If the Provincial Administration Commissioner could come forward, why would he need to make such a fuss here?
Today, so many ordinary people and vendors have been blocked.

Among them were many people with powerful backgrounds who had already filed complaints with the Provincial Administration Commissioner's Office.

But the government remained unmoved.

They acted as if they knew nothing, quietly watching the infighting within the Grand Canal transport office.

Ma Lingchuan took in his expression.

He had mixed feelings about this old rival.

Although he likes to take advantage of others, Wei Qiwen is a man of action.

"Lord Wei, we have known each other for many years and have fought each other for a long time."

But in matters like this today, my word is not enough; I cannot and dare not interfere.

My advice to you is to mind your own business and keep quiet.
After everything was over, you and I continued to hold high positions and enjoy comfortable lives.

Wei Qiwen's eyes were wide open, bloodshot.

He naturally understood this principle as well.

But the person in front of him has powerful backers in the capital, while he doesn't!

If he really sits idly by and tries to smooth things over without making any statement, he will be the first to die!

Just as he was about to burst into a tirade,

Hurried footsteps came from outside the door, accompanied by panicked shouts:
"Oh no! The dike has breached! The dike in Chenqiao Town has breached!!"

The entire canal transport office fell into a deathly silence.

Only the shouts of the messenger echoed.

The main hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Wei Qiwen and Ma Lingchuan stood there dumbfounded, disbelief flashing in their eyes.

Wei Qiwen reacted faster; he suddenly pointed at Ma Lingchuan and began to curse:
"Damn it, look what you've done! You've really ruined my life!"

Having said that, without waiting for Ma Lingchuan's reply, Wei Qiwen turned and left.

He even took off his official robe while running.

Soon only the neat inner lining remained, and the pace quickened considerably.

"Go, go, all officials of the Grand Canal Transport Office, to the embankment!"

If the person is not home, go to their house to call them and inform the county government to prevent the people from wandering around.
"Tell them to stay in Zhuxian Town and not move. This is high ground; it won't flood!"

He ran and shouted, his face extremely pale.

After today's setback, rumors and gossip are rampant in Zhuxian Town.
If the people in the city were to panic at this time, that would be a truly catastrophic disaster.

Soon, Ma Lingchuan also took off his cumbersome official robes and rushed out in a hurry.

His face was equally pale.
My heart sank to the bottom, and I kept thinking, "It's all over, it's all over."

Watching their departing figures,
After a moment's thought, Ma Lingchuan gritted his teeth and ran in the exact opposite direction.

Ma Lingchuan rode swiftly to the government office in Zhuxian Town.

This area and half of the nearby street have become the garrison of the two thousand soldiers brought by Tang Jingye.

The guards at the gate were all replaced with soldiers.
So much so that when Ma Lingchuan, the Right Vice Minister of the Provincial Administration Commission, arrived here, he was actually stopped at the door.

"Lord Ma, you are on military duty and may not enter without orders!"

Ma Lingchuan stared blankly at the two soldiers blocking his way, a look of absurdity flashing in his eyes:
"How dare you! I am a dignified third-rank official. Do I need your permission to enter the government office?"

After saying this, he prepared to force his way in, but two soldiers held his arms tightly, preventing him from making any progress.

This infuriated Ma Lingchuan:
"Overbearing, utterly overbearing!"

"You, go and tell Tang Jingye now."

"Damn it, there's a huge flood! Everyone's doomed this time!!"

He struggled fiercely, cursing and swearing, even hurling insults at his ancestors for eighteen generations.
The two soldiers looked at each other, their faces grave.

The two men exchanged a glance and gave each other a signal. One of the soldiers then turned and ran into the yamen (government office).

A moment later, he rushed out again:

"His lord has ordered that Lord Ma be allowed in, and only he may enter!"

Only then did the two soldiers release Malingchuan, even offering him a smile:

"Please forgive me, Lord Ma."

Ma Lingchuan showed no appreciation whatsoever, simply spitting out a curse into the distance:

"Soldier!!"

Before long, after wandering around, Ma Lingchuan was led to the underground area of ​​the back hall of the government office.

After passing through the dark, damp stairs, open the large, black iron gate.

The overwhelming smell of blood almost made Ma Lingchuan vomit. He quickly took a step back and leaned against the wall, gagging.

"What the hell?" However, Ma Lingchuan quickly realized that this was a severe torture of the person captured that day.

Left with no other choice, Ma Lingchuan forced himself to endure the nausea and pinched his nose as he went inside.

The few remaining prison cells have already been fitted with torture racks.
Figures were bound to the ropes, and soldiers used various methods to restrain them.
The sound of whips clashing against flesh echoed repeatedly, sending chills down his spine.

The sticky, dried blood underfoot was especially disgusting.

He's starting to regret it.
Why should I associate with such a group of unscrupulous people?

Before long, he met Tang Jingye and Tang Xingbang in the center of the prison.

The two men were each holding a document and examining it carefully.

Ma Lingchuan glanced at it and, judging from the format of the records, they should be some confessions.

Ma Lingchuan felt a surge of anger at their indifference.

He stepped forward, his eyes bloodshot, glaring fiercely at the two people before him:

"My lords, the dike in Chenqiao Town has collapsed!!!"

The two remained unmoved. Tang Jingye merely glanced at him and scoffed:
Will Zhuxian Town be flooded?

Ma Lingchuan frowned deeply:
"What does General Tang mean? Does he mean that everything will be fine as long as Zhuxian Town isn't flooded?"

What could happen?

Instead, Tang Jingye looked puzzled and asked him a question.

"General Tang, the turmoil these past few days has prevented the canal transport office from doing its work properly."
This is why the dam collapse went unnoticed in advance.

If this matter were to reach the ears of the imperial court, I would be beheaded!

A flicker of fear crossed Ma Lingchuan's eyes.
He was increasingly dissatisfied with the two people in front of him.

A suspicion even crossed my mind: had I been used as a pawn?
Tang Jingye smiled and shook his head:

"The imperial court values ​​Li Zhigang highly in the matter of flood control."

He was in charge of patrolling the river during this period, so wasn't the collapse of the dike his fault?

How did I get involved with Lord Ma?

Ma Lingchuan's eyes widened suddenly:
"General, I am the grain supervisor of the Grand Canal Transport Office."

Not only must grain transport be maintained, but waterway management must also be maintained.

Now that the dike has collapsed, how can it be unrelated to me?

"Ha ha ha ha."

Tang Jingye smiled and patted him on the shoulder, giving him a reassuring look:

"Lord Ma, whether this has anything to do with you is not for you to decide."

As long as someone in the court is willing to speak up for you, what does this have to do with you?
Don't worry, if this succeeds, you'll have done a great service!

Ma Lingchuan understood the deeper meaning in his words.
She also noticed the change in his expression; he was nowhere near as irritable as he had been in the evening.

A hint of doubt flashed in his eyes:
"Has there been any progress?"

"Yes, great progress!"

Tang Jingye laughed heartily and tossed the document in his hand over:

"Look, the people we arrested today were all advance spies."
The real ship is still ahead; it should arrive in the next day or two if all goes well.

Ma Lingchuan raised his eyebrows slightly, a hint of joy flashing across his face.
He carefully examined the document in his hand, not missing a single word.

Soon, the joy on his face began to spread.
Although I don't know what the goods are, I imagine they must be extremely important.

If this matter is accomplished, perhaps the floods today will truly be prevented, and we might even get promoted and make a fortune.

Suddenly, Ma Lingchuan was no longer as angry as before.

Now that his official position is secure and things are progressing, everything is moving in a positive direction!

At this moment, Tang Xingbang, who had remained silent, put down the document in his hand, looked at Ma Lingchuan, and said in a deep voice:

"Lord Ma, this is an opportunity that will not come again."

With so many people arrested, they'll definitely notice.

Therefore, we need to act quickly.

Ma Lingchuan also knew that this person was in charge of this matter, so he put down the document:

"Lord Tang is right, we should act quickly."

"Well then, please, Lord Ma, allocate twenty ships for us."
We will advance by land and water to intercept and kill them, lest delay lead to unforeseen complications.

Ma Lingchuan's face suddenly stiffened.

The smile that had just spread gradually disappeared, and the light in his eyes seemed to slowly fade away as well.

"Lord Tang, the dike in Chenqiao Town has breached."
The Three Departments will pay close attention to this matter, and all vessels will be needed for the flood relief efforts.

Where am I supposed to get twenty ships?
"If it were only one or two ships, I could try to find a solution."

The atmosphere in the prison suddenly froze.

The smiles on the faces of the two officials surnamed Tang vanished, replaced by stern expressions.
He stared at Ma Lingchuan with a sinister look, remaining silent for a long time.

Ma Lingchuan was instantly covered in sweat, his whole body tense, and the hairs on his body stood on end.

"My lord, General, there is truly no way to spare so many ships."
"Having already caused such a huge disaster, it would be unreasonable and morally unacceptable to divert the relief ships away."

Tang Xingbang looked at him coldly and spoke calmly:
"That depends on whether Lord Ma wants to save his own life or the lives of the disaster victims."

Tang Jingye also spoke up at this moment:
"Whether a thousand or two thousand die, it's still death."
For Lord Ma, it was nothing more than an account.
But a man with a motor only has one life.
"Lord Ma, you'd better think carefully about what to do."

Ma Lingchuan's expression changed drastically, and he inwardly groaned.

A tiger is in front, and a jackal is behind; there's no way to advance or retreat!

He realized he seemed to have fallen into a bottomless pit, and could only be lured little by little to fall off the cliff.

But the thought of the consequences of falling out with the two men made him hesitant.

When that time comes, that will be a true crisis both internally and externally.
"Huhu."

After pondering for a long time, a ruthless glint flashed in Ma Lingchuan's eyes, and he clenched his fist tightly:
"I will allocate twenty ships to the two gentlemen."

They claimed that soldiers were involved in disaster relief efforts.
We also hope that the two officials can take advantage of the situation and rescue some disaster victims after the deed is done.
This would give us an explanation to the Three Departments and the imperial court.
"If you two gentlemen don't agree, you won't be able to take this ship with you."

Tang Jingye and his companion exchanged a glance, a hint of smugness flashing in their eyes:
"Don't worry, Lord Ma, we're in the same boat now."

Regardless, we will keep the ship from capsizing.

Once it's done, you can expect a promotion and a fortune.

By the way, your family background is quite prominent in the area, but you're still a long way from being able to gain official recognition.

How about this, Lord Ma's son will participate in the imperial examination next year.

"How about we promise you a Jinshi degree?"

In an instant, Ma Lingchuan held his breath, and his eyes turned red.

Originally, only one person was promised a degree in the provincial examination, but now it has become a degree in the imperial examination.
The scales in my heart tipped almost instantly.

A Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) can at least ensure that his family will not fall into ruin for a hundred years; it is no exaggeration to say that he has been granted an ironclad guarantee.

"Thank you both, gentlemen. Regarding the matters concerning the Grand Canal Transport Office and the Three Departments..."
I have done my best to persuade you, gentlemen, but I urge you to return as soon as possible.

"Don't worry, now that we've found them, there's absolutely no reason for us to let them escape."

Tang Xingbang's eyes were cold and menacing.

Half an hour later, more than twenty official ships docked at the port of Zhuxian Town, carrying more than a thousand soldiers, headed north.

On the shore, more than a thousand soldiers were heading north along the official road.

This surprised many merchant ships that were waiting there, looking at each other in bewilderment.

What's going on here?
At that moment, the rapid sound of horses' hooves rang out from outside the harbor.

Song Yue rode his warhorse at breakneck speed, his face grim.

Before even entering the port, he had already started shouting:
"Immediately lift the blockade! All ships docked at Zhuxian Town should leave port as soon as possible and head south!"

Just as everyone looked puzzled, wondering what was happening,
His next shout caused everyone's expression to change drastically:

"Heavy rains upstream are causing water levels to rise sharply."

All official ships and military supplies from Zhuxian Town were reassigned to the dike in Chenqiao Town to fill the gaps.
Except for essential officials who must remain, everyone else must go!

The dike has been breached?
As soon as the news spread, the entire port of Zhuxian Town was thrown into panic.

Many boatmen reacted quickly, immediately weighing anchor and moving forward.

Run as fast as you can, since the congested ships ahead are no longer visible.

Although the river where Zhuxian Town is located is a tributary and the possibility of being affected is small, it is still not a sure thing.

The goal was to quickly leave the waters through which the Yellow River flowed, not only to save themselves but also to protect their goods.

They knew that the disaster victims were not afraid of anything.

Just as Song Yue was shouting back and forth, a clerk came running over, crying and yelling:

"Sir, the ships have all been taken away, and most of the supplies have been taken with them."

"What?! The boat's been taken away?! Who took it?!"

Song Yue's voice suddenly rose by more than eight octaves, and his facial features became ferocious!

(End of this chapter)