Chapter 245: The Nan'ao Troops Have Not Forgotten

Zhang Moye laughed: "I don't know either, I just felt we should do it. Look at those disaster victims—they're saved now, isn't that great?" Little Cheng took back the empty bowl and muttered: "I really can't understand you people."

Little Cheng was silent for a moment, then said: "But honestly, the brothers all quite admire you."

He stamped on the mound of earth beneath his feet—though it rose above the floodwater, capillary action had soaked it through, and stepping on it felt like treading on mud. "You lot stay here in this cold, damp barbican, giving the dry spots up on the city wall to the common folk.

These past few days, Garrison Commander Zhao keeps saying we should learn from you and give Yuexiu Mountain to the people too…

When you young soldier-students first arrived, Garrison Commander Zhao wasn't saying that.

He said you were putting on a show to win hearts, and he made a bet with a Battalion Commander that you wouldn't last a few days before scurrying back to school, hahaha…

As they spoke, Old Cheng came down from the city wall and quietly called his son to change the watch.

He trod softly along the mound of earth, looking at the soldier-students sitting on stones, leaning against the wall asleep, and let out a deep sigh.

He'd been a soldier for most of his life, previously stationed at Zhangzhou.

He'd seen with his own eyes the devastation when the Jiulong River flooded.

Since when did soldiers sleep in the barbican while the common folk took the city wall?

Since when did those gripping sword hilts go hungry while those shouldering hoes ate their fill?

This world-turned-upside-down sight—he never thought he'd live to see it.

Less than an hour later, a sharp whistle pierced the barbican.

"Emergency muster! Each squad, run to Jinghai Gate, move fast!"

Inside Wenming Gate, Zhang Moye, who had just fallen asleep, jolted awake, and the whole squad stumbled into formation.

Old Cheng and Little Cheng watched them run out of the barbican.

In the ranks, Zhang Moye asked as he ran: "Squad leader, what's happened?"

The squad leader led them splashing through puddle after puddle, saying: "Don't know, but it must be something big—the squads stationed at Zhengnan Gate are going too." By the moonlight, Zhang Moye turned his head and indeed saw several more squads running behind them.

The soldier-students ran ten li every few days and were in excellent shape; crossing the outer city was normally no effort at all.

But with empty stomachs, soaked clothes, and bad roads, their strength drained fast—by the time they reached Jinghai Gate, the whole squad was panting hard. Outside the gate, by the Pearl River, a great swath of torches had been lit, and people were arguing.

Among them, an old man said: "…After the gale left Guangzhou, it turned northwest and struck Sanshui, Sihui, Zhaoqing, and other places.

And before the gale arrived, those places had already seen prolonged rainfall—the flood crest won't reach Guangzhou for several days.

And after the gale passes, storm surge at the Pearl River mouth will back up the water, blocking the discharge.

With pressure from above and below, an even larger, fiercer flood crest may form—we must not be caught unprepared!

This old man suggests the people outside the city… cough, cough…"

A young man holding an umbrella beside the old man hurriedly patted his back with concern.

Sun Yu said: "Academy Head, this subordinate understands what you've said. This subordinate will order the river embankments reinforced at once. Academy Head, you are advanced in years, and with the heavy rain and strong tide, please return to the school quarters."

The old man said: "No, I must stay and watch. Flood control is a science—it can't… can't be done carelessly…"

The young man behind him said: "Academy Head, let me do it!"

The old man hesitated: "You?"

"Flood control requires external support and internal blocking—drive piles to firm the foundations, raise and thicken the embankments, and patrol the levees with lanterns by night.

Evacuate the people outside the city into the city, reinforce the Jade Belt Moat and the Six Veins Canals. Focus on reinforcing river bends, loose-soil sections, and old embankment stretches. Priority one is protecting the city wall sections, priority two the government granaries, priority three the densely populated areas…"

The young man spoke with confidence and ease.

Zhang Moye recognized the accent at once—it was his fellow townsman Li Shixiong.

Since Li Shixiong called the old man Academy Head, he was clearly Xu Guangqi.

Civilization University was even closer to Guangzhou, so of course they couldn't stand by and do nothing.

Xu Guangqi looked at his student in surprise: "Read it in books?"

Li Shixiong said: "In the Shouxin Pavilion, this student has read works like the Jingzhi Collection and the River Defense Survey."

Xu Guangqi said: "That's thoughtful of you, but flood control is no small matter. You've only read books—never actually done it. That won't do."

Sun Yu said: "It will do fine. The men under my command were soldier-students just days ago, and once they reached Guangzhou city, each one became a soldier. I believe university students can do it too. First squad leader!"

"Find two men to escort the Academy Head back!"

"Zhang Moye, Zhao Youwei—you two escort the Academy Head back!"

"Yes sir!" Zhang Moye answered loudly.

The two then each took one of Xu Guangqi's arms, urging him to return. Zhang Moye took the umbrella from Li Shixiong's hand and held it over Xu Guangqi. In the instant the umbrella changed hands, Li Shixiong also recognized his fellow townsman—the moment was too brief; after a start of surprise, the two nodded at each other.

Li Shixiong laid out the embankment reinforcement plan.

Zhang Moye, meanwhile, dragged Xu Guangqi toward the university.

Xu Guangqi struggled at first, but after being forcibly pulled more than ten paces, he gave up and obediently followed back.

Supported on left and right by Zhang Moye and the other, he quickly felt that both their sleeves were soaked through, and murmured: "You've suffered for this." After the two escorted Xu Guangqi back, they ran to rejoin their unit.

Their squad was assigned the task of evacuating the people outside Yongxing Gate.

Guangzhou city was built along the Pearl River, but the southern city wall didn't stand right at the water's edge—between the wall's base and the docks lay a dense stretch of dwellings.

These dwellings sat on low ground, close to the river—once the flood came, they would certainly be submerged.

So the people had to be brought inside the city, letting the wall hold back the flood.

It was nighttime after all—waking the common folk, driving them from their homes, and getting them into the city was extremely difficult, and many people didn't understand.

The soldier-students could only plead with them patiently, again and again.

By the time dawn was breaking, Zhang Moye was so exhausted he could fall asleep standing up; his canteen was empty and his voice was hoarse.

Most of his comrades were in the same state.

Fortunately, the task was completed—all the people outside Yongxing Gate had been evacuated.

His comrade Zhao Youwei was already seeing stars; bleary-eyed, he said: "Look, there's a flock of yellow ducks on the river. Let's catch them and eat them."

The squad leader cursed: "How do you know those ducks don't have an owner? Mind you don't break discipline!"

The squad leader looked out over the river, then cursed: "What ducks are those? Those are boat lanterns!"

Zhang Moye looked toward the river and indeed saw specks of firelight dotting the waterway, piercing through the thin mist as they approached.

Many other soldiers also spotted the boat lanterns and crowded to the shore, gazing out over the river.

Zhang Moye grew wary, his hand gripping his knife handle.

They hadn't brought guns on this trip to Guangzhou, but bayonets were carried on their persons at all times.

This bayonet was an improved version of the Fo Ye Type-01 matchlock musket bayonet, fashioned in the shape of a thick-backed single-edged chopping knife, with the front third double-edged for thrusting and the rear two-thirds single-edged for slashing and everyday tasks.

But its socket section had been deliberately lengthened so it could be gripped in one hand, and where the socket met the blade, it was forged into a flat square cross-section, extending forward into a simple cross-shaped guard.

In an emergency, it could be used as a short sword.

This bayonet also came with hemp cord, specifically for wrapping around the handle when used standalone, to make it more comfortable to grip.

Seeing Zhang Moye's movement, everyone in the squad reacted, crouching low and hiding behind the buildings of the dock.

If the ones coming were enemies, he would fight to the death to hold them back!

After a long while, the boat lanterns drew closer—about twenty or thirty of them—and through the morning mist, the outlines of the hulls could be faintly discerned.

A soldier from the same squad said in a low voice: "They're single-masted bird boats!"

The Nan'ao navy had almost completely phased out this type of vessel, so the probability that the arrivals were enemy ships had greatly increased.

Not only their squad, but several other squads also sensed something wrong, and the squad leaders hurriedly ordered their soldiers to take cover at the dock.

Zhang Moye gripped the bayonet handle tightly in his right hand, focusing his mind and waiting.

The bird boats moved very slowly through the river, and finally, the lead ship broke through the morning mist and drew near—on its bow, a shield-and-halberd flag fluttered slowly.

For a moment, Zhang Moye thought he was seeing things, but soon, more bird boats flying the shield-and-halberd flag emerged from the morning mist.

Someone stood up and shouted: "That's our military flag! It's our own people!"

At these words, the trainee soldiers all came out from their hiding places, stood on the pier, and waved desperately at the approaching ships.

The lead bird boat tossed a mooring line to the pier; the trainee soldiers caught it, and the whole squad pulled together, hauling the boat toward the dock.

After the bird boat docked, Bailangzai came ashore and ordered the crew to unload the supplies as quickly as possible.

He swept his gaze around, saw the trainee soldiers in sorry states—some even crying outright—and hurriedly had his men open a crate of sesame sugar sticks to give the trainees something to tide them over.

Zhang Moye received one sugar stick. He'd eaten plenty of these during training, to the point where just looking at one made him feel sick of them.

But tasting it again today, he found it incomparably sweet.

Sun Yu heard the news and came running. Seeing that Bailangzai had personally led the convoy, he was startled, and stepping forward with cupped hands, said: "Commander Bai."

Bailangzai nodded and asked about the situation in the city.

Sun Yu gave a brief introduction, then said: "Commander Bai, it's fortunate you arrived early. We just received a sheep-skin alarm from the flood patrol at Zhaoqing—the river upstream has risen three chi. At the earliest three hours, at the latest tonight, the flood crest will arrive."

The sheep-skin alarm was an emergency reporting method: flood patrol soldiers sat on sheepskin rafts and rode the current downstream to deliver the message. It was much faster than horses, but also extremely dangerous—practically risking one's life to send word. It was never used except for major dangers.

Sun Yu said: "This humble officer has set up a camp within the city. Commander and the navy brothers can take shelter from the flood crest there tonight."

Bailangzai turned to look at the dock. The bird boats had all moored, and the trainee soldiers were helping carry supplies.

Among these supplies, besides food, there were large quantities of straw mats, medicine, lime, charcoal, and other goods—all things Guangzhou city urgently needed at this moment.

The leading convoy consisted of five Fujian junks and two whale boats in total, with a great deal of supplies—the bird boats had carried less than twenty percent of it in one trip.

If they stayed in the city overnight to avoid the flood crest, these bird boats would certainly be lost, and transporting the remaining supplies would become difficult.

So after thinking for a moment, he declared loudly: "Everyone, unload the supplies at maximum speed!"

"Yes!" The crew members responded in unison.

Sun Yu was greatly alarmed: "Commander Bai, what are you doing?"

Bailangzai said: "The flood is almost here. I'm going to lead them out before the flood crest arrives!"

Sun Yu was frantic and pleaded repeatedly, but Bailangzai's mind was made up.

Bailangzai was a very pure person. Whether the common people could be saved, frankly, he didn't care—but doing everything in his power to rescue the people was the helmsman's order. Even at the cost of his life, he was determined to complete it.

With the efforts of the army and navy, all the supplies were unloaded onto the dock. Bailangzai jumped onto a bird boat, personally took the helm, and was the last to leave.

Sun Yu ordered the trainee soldiers to carry the supplies back into the city.

Even as they made trip after trip, the water level of the Pearl River was visibly rising.

The river water drew closer and closer to the pier, then spilled over it. Zhang Moye's shoulders were rubbed raw by the supply crates, burning with pain, and his feet were nearly standing in water.

The common people on the southern section of the city wall saw this scene, and none were unmoved. Someone shouted: "Stop carrying! The water's rising! Come back!" But what Zhang Moye thought was: these supplies were bought with the navy brothers' lives—they absolutely could not be wasted.

The sky grew ever more overcast. Though it was nearly noon, the world was as dark as dusk.

At the dock, the water had risen past the ankles, and the civilian houses between the city wall and the dock were also completely flooded.

There were still twenty percent of the supplies left uncleared on the dock. Sun Yu looked at the sky, gritted his teeth, and gave the order to abandon the supplies and enter the city.

After the city gates were closed, the trainee soldiers sealed them with sandbags that had been prepared in advance.

Sun Yu summoned the head constable of the prefectural office and ordered him to distribute grain, fuel, and other supplies to the people on the city wall.

He himself led his men to the Yudai Canal and the Liuxue Canal—both inner waterways of Guangzhou city connected to the Pearl River—which needed special attention. Below the city wall, the head constable had people open the supply crates, then called for the crowd to line up and receive their shares.

Only then did the people on the city wall realize that the supplies the soldiers had risked their lives to carry into the city were all for them...

Low sobbing sounds rose from the city wall, and the people in line wiped their tears as they went to receive supplies.

Someone, after receiving supplies, came down from the city wall and pressed several sesame sugar sticks into the head constable's hands.

"You eat."

The head constable was momentarily stunned. He wasn't from Nan'ao Island—he was originally the head constable of the prefectural office, kept on because he'd stolen too little for the Commission for Clarifying Officials to have anything on him.

In the old days, never mind a commoner voluntarily giving him a sugar stick—even seizing a chicken or stealing a dog was nothing worth mentioning.

But today he waved his hands again and again: "No, no, I'm not... I'm not..."

"Take it. My family has firewood now, and the government issued us grain—we can cook our own meals!" The man shoved the sesame sugar sticks into the constable's hands, then waded through the water and hurried away.

The constable took the sugar sticks, wiped his eyes, then shouted to his men: "Hurry up and distribute! Once it's done, we're going up on the dikes!"

Two hours later, amid the smoke and fire on the city wall, a commoner shouted: "Look!"

The other commoners followed his gaze and saw a black line appear on the Pearl River, while a faint rumbling sound echoed between heaven and earth.

That black line did not seem to be moving fast, but the rumbling grew louder and louder, and by the time it drew near, it was almost like a waterfall—deafening.

The flood crest was coming!

The leading edge of the black line gradually approached, and the water level of the Pearl River rose rapidly. The water quickly turned a dark brown, and as the waves surged forward, the river rushed up onto the docks at tremendous speed. The current did not look strong, but soon the sound of collapsing houses came.

In less than half a stick of incense, the entire outer city of Guangzhou was leveled by the flood. No structure of wood or stone could survive such a deluge. Looking out, the Pearl River seemed to have expanded fivefold in an instant; everything in sight had become a vast expanse of water, and the city walls of Guangzhou had become levees.

The floodwater was extremely turbid, mixed with large amounts of timber, roof beams, furniture, and the like. Vague shapes of dead cattle and sheep were visible, and even coffins.

The commoners on the southern city wall were all stunned. Many of them lived outside the city—if the cadet soldiers had not insisted that they move inside, their fate by now would likely have been the same as those cattle and sheep.

As the flood crest arrived, the Pearl River's level surged violently, and the floodwater poured backward into the Jade Belt Moat with a rushing torrent.

The turbulent current collided fiercely with the backflowing water inside the moat, forming enormous whirlpools at corners and bridges, producing a shocking roar.

The Six Vein Channels were Guangzhou's underground drainage culverts, with the other end connecting directly to the Pearl River. Now they could not drain at all—instead, like Baotu Spring, water burst violently outward, even flipping up the stone slab covers.

The water churned endlessly through the complex underground pipe network, and a dull, heavy rumble transmitted through the ground. At an old residential building in the southeast of Guangzhou, the ground suddenly collapsed.

The floodwater, carrying sewage and filth, all surged back up onto the streets, the stench overwhelming.

Cadet soldiers, garrison camp soldiers, officials and yamen runners from the prefectural and county offices, and civilian laborers all joined forces, throwing themselves into the flood-fighting effort.

Sandbags were transported down from Yuexiu Mountain and delivered to every breach.

Ye Yifan had taken off his official robes and was carrying sandbags one by one along the edge of the Jade Belt Moat.

When a large wave came, everyone rushed forward together, using their bodies to brace the sandbags.

Guangzhou's terrain was high in the north and low in the south. The Yuexiu Mountain and Greater and Lesser North Towers areas were less affected and were designated as the rear base for flood fighting.

Ye Yifan established a set of rules, ordering the civilian laborers in the city to work in two shifts with rotating rest.

But he himself never went to rest, always standing at the edge of the temporary levee on the Jade Belt Moat.

The next morning at dawn, a civilian laborer on the Great North Gate nodded off, then suddenly woke with a start. He rubbed his eyes and saw that the sky was just barely light, with hazy mist all around. He rubbed his face, casually glanced outside the city, and was about to eat something before heading to the southern part of the city to work.

But then he froze. He stared fixedly outside the city and saw, shrouded in the hazy mist, a black dragon winding its way across the wilderness north of Guangzhou.

The laborer rubbed his eyes and looked again—the black dragon's vanguard was now less than a li from Guangzhou.

They were soldiers in crow-blue yisai military uniforms, marching in columns along the official road. The column was extremely long, stretching beyond the horizon. A gust of northwest wind blew, scattering the mist below the city walls.

The great banners in the soldiers' hands snapped loudly in the wind—on a dark red background, golden shields and halberds danced.

More than a hundred military banners extended from the head of the column backward, red flags unfurled, boundless and endless.

The laborer shouted excitedly: "The Nan'ao Army? The Nan'ao Army is here!"

His shout startled the other laborers on the city wall awake. Everyone peered outside the city, then waved and shouted.

Garrison Commander Zhao had already received word and gave the order to open the city gates.

The Nan'ao Army's troops entered the city with the stride of dragons and tigers.

Battalion Commanders and Company Commanders moved among the ranks, shouting loudly.

"Brothers, this is Guangzhou! After seven days and seven nights of marching, we've finally made it!"

"We can't let up yet—the flood hasn't receded, and there are still hundreds of thousands of people in the city counting on us!"

"…Each banner company, take your positions on the levee!"

"Remember discipline—no entering private homes without permission, no looting supplies!"

On the main road, their formation converged into a single blue-grey sword, heading straight for the southern part of the city.

By this time, on the Jade Belt Moat, the force of the water was no longer as fierce as the day before.

Although breakwaters had been built on both sides of the Jade Belt Moat, they could not last forever—soaked and battered by the waves, the sandbags would soon be damaged and the sand washed out, requiring constant repair.

According to Li Shixiong's estimate, another two hundred thousand sandbags would need to be added to the levee today, while some manpower would also have to be diverted to deal with the accumulated water in the Six Vein Channels. The cadet soldiers, yamen runners, and civilian laborers were all at the limit of their strength.

Sun Yu had heavy dark circles under his eyes, and his arms trembled uncontrollably. He gritted his teeth and said: "Brothers, keep your spirits up! The main force of our new army is about to arrive—hold on for one more day, and we're about to win!"

Zhang Moye staggered to his feet and went to carry a sandbag, but he couldn't lift it no matter what. In the blink of an eye, he slumped downward, his forehead struck with sharp pain—only then did he wake up.

He had actually fallen asleep for a moment while lifting the sandbag. Fortunately, his forehead had hit the sandbag, and he hadn't been hurt.

Most of the others were just as exhausted and drowsy.

After the navy transported dry rations and fuel, the grain stored in Yongfeng Granary was cooked into rice, solving the cadet soldiers' food supply problem.

It was said they would work in two shifts on the levee.

But there simply weren't enough hands. Squad leaders and even the Prefect were carrying sacks on the levee—how could the cadet soldiers leave on their own?

After a full night of work, everyone was now utterly exhausted.

Just then, the sound of orderly footsteps came from the inner city. The footsteps grew louder and louder, soon drowning out the rushing water of the Jade Belt Moat. Everyone turned to look at the Gui De Gate.

Through the gate, a roll of shield-and-halberd banners emerged first, followed by the new army pouring out in force.

Soldiers in crow-blue uniforms were numerous beyond count, streaming out of the gate without end, quickly filling the entire levee.

An officer ran up to Sun Yu, cupped his fist, and said in a clear voice: "I am Nie Zhao, Battalion Commander of the Third Company, Second Division, Nan'ao Land Army, commanding one thousand three hundred and fifty men, ordered to hold the river section northwest of Gui De Gate. You all rest—leave what comes next to us!"

Sun Yu smiled and returned the salute: "Sun Yu, Battalion Commander of the First Company, First Division, Nan'ao Land Army."

Battalion Commander Nie showed great respect, cupped his fist, and said: "I've long heard of your name."

He did not know Sun Yu personally, but the designation of First Company, First Division was illustrious—it was the most veteran unit in the Nan'ao Land Army, with the most battle experience.

With fresh troops joining in, the levee along the river was built up at astonishing speed.

Where water had been seeping through the gaps between sandbags, now nothing could be seen at all.

Zhang Moye had a smile on his face, and warmth in his heart.

In that moment, he only wanted to shout at the top of his lungs, to tell the world—this was the army he belonged to, and he was a part of it!

The Nan'ao Army had not forgotten them!

The Nan'ao Army's arrangements were extremely thorough: some banner companies were responsible for digging earth and filling sandbags, some for reinforcing the river levee, and others for carrying the wounded and setting up camp.

Zhang Moye and the others were also treated as wounded and carried back to the barracks outside the city.

Lying on a dry, simple camp cot with a charcoal brazier warming him nearby, his whole body felt warm and cozy—an indescribable comfort—and tears flowed uncontrollably. He couldn't say why he was crying; he just couldn't stop.

Crying and crying, his head lolled to one side and he fell into a dead sleep.

When the medics came into the barracks to dress his wounds, no matter how they moved him around, he wouldn't wake.

This flood had made a fearsome showing, but set against the late Ming, it wasn't really anything major.

Once the main force of the new army arrived, the flooding inside the city was basically brought under control.

A few days later, the Pearl River's water level receded, and Bailangzai again led the bird boats back and forth several times, ferrying in supplies.

A few more days passed, the weather in Guangzhou cleared, the winds steadied considerably, and the Pearl River's volume diminished.

Fujian junks and whale boats also sailed into the Pearl River, unloading supplies directly.

Though the dock had been washed away, the bird boats had a shallow draft, making them just right for shuttling between ship and shore to move supplies.

A few days later still, the follow-up fleet personally commanded by Lin Qian also sailed into the Pearl River, bringing more supplies and manpower.

Sun Yu received the summons and boarded the Tianyuan, going before Lin Qian.

"Helmsman."

Lin Qian studied him for a moment, seeing how gaunt he had become, his hands and shoulders both wrapped in bandages.

"How many cadets were killed or wounded?"

"Nineteen." Sun Yu lowered his head.

Nan'ao had spent enormously to train these cadet soldiers—they carried great hopes, all of them officer material.

Nineteen dead from a single flood rescue—more than would die in a major battle.

How could he not feel deep guilt?

Lin Qian gave no verdict, asking instead: "How many commoners died?"

"This subordinate's count isn't precise, but it should be under a hundred."

Typhoons and floods themselves aren't what's terrifying—what's terrifying is houses collapsing, being buried under rubble, floodwaters striking, shortages of firewood and food, and illness from exposure. These have always been the main causes of civilian death in natural and man-made disasters.

Fortunately, the cadet soldiers had entered Guangzhou the very night the gale struck, risking their own lives to protect the people's, and that was how such a low casualty count was achieved.

After a long silence, Lin Qian spoke: "You've instilled a precious spirit in those cadets—sacrifice. From now on, this is a strong army. Compile a roster of casualties and meritorious deeds and submit it to the Ministry of the Army."

"Once this class graduates, return to your unit. Your rank should be advancing to Mobile Corps Commander."

Yahei

Pink Round

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