Chapter 1122: A Man-Made Calamity

Hearing those words, Zhao Jin did not react immediately. He froze in place for a moment, then scrambled out of bed without even bothering to put on his shoes. His movements were so violent he knocked over a wooden stand; the vase atop it shattered to pieces. The noise even woke his children in the next room, who began wailing loudly. At that very moment, the maidservant outside had already lit a lamp and gone to check on them. Xu Zhenzhen draped a robe over herself and sat up in bed.

This was no time for petty anger. She asked softly, "Husband..."

But just then, the maidservant entered with the lamp, its light falling directly on Zhao Jin's face. Seeing his expression, Xu Zhenzhen gasped and hurriedly covered her mouth, nearly crying out in shock. It was the first time she had ever seen that look on Zhao Jin's face. His complexion was deathly pale, and there was cold sweat on his forehead. Zhao Jin was actually terrified. Her decisive, iron-willed husband was, at this moment, somewhat panicked.

By the lamplight, Zhao Jin also saw Xu Zhenzhen's expression. He immediately realized something was off with him. Zhao Jin let out a long breath, inhaled deeply, waved a hand at Xu Zhenzhen, then walked to the door and asked in a deep voice, "Has it breached over there?"

"Fifteen li west of the prefectural city. It's already been blocked. The local militia and civilian levies nearby have all rushed over," Sun Dalin answered in a low voice.

Hearing this news, Zhao Jin felt his body go limp. The sudden release from such intense tension made him almost unable to stay steady on his feet. Any unusual activity along the southern bank of the Yellow River had to be reported immediately — this was a military order he had issued, and it had indeed been strictly carried out. When he was first jolted awake, Zhao Jin had still been a bit groggy. In an instant, his mind had conjured images of a collapsed dike, a vast expanse of floodwater, the entire city of Xuzhou swallowed by the Yellow River. He had never imagined the situation was not so dire.

"Wake everyone in the council hall. Have the personal guards ready the horses. Go, quickly!" Zhao Jin gave a few orders. Hurried footsteps sounded outside; Sun Dalin had already gone to make the arrangements.

Only then did Zhao Jin have the presence of mind to sit down in a chair and let himself relax for a moment. Xu Zhenzhen, having thrown on clothes and gotten out of bed, brought over a bowl of hot tea. It was convenient that the stove always had a fire going. After drinking a few mouthfuls of tea, Zhao Jin finally felt back to normal. He looked up, about to speak, but met Xu Zhenzhen's gaze full of concern. Zhao Jin smiled and said, "It's nothing major. Go soothe the children. I have to go out; you don't need to wait up."

Ever since the sixth month began, Xuzhou had seen rain from time to time. Compared to the droughts of previous years, the rain was plentiful, but it was nothing to worry about — one could even call it favorable weather.

The trouble was, it wasn't just raining in Xuzhou. The entire territory of Henan had seen heavy rainfall, sweeping from west to east. The Yellow River's water level had thus risen higher and higher. To make matters worse, after so many years of silt deposition, the river channels in the middle reaches of the Yellow River were narrow and higher than the surrounding ground level — a "suspended river." By the time it reached Xuzhou, the river channel widened and the current slowed. This meant the hydraulic force accumulated in the middle reaches was all unleashed upon Xuzhou and the downstream areas. This was the cause of the flooding around Xuzhou and Pizhou.

News of the breach took time to travel from the prefectural city of Xuzhou. By the time Zhao Jin had finished his preparations and was ready to set out, the first light of dawn was already appearing on the horizon.

Although it had rained just a few days prior, the road maintenance carried out by the Zhao Battalion proved its worth at this moment. Roads that elsewhere would have long since turned into muddy quagmires were still passable in Xuzhou. After Zhao Jin made his arrangements here, Liu Yong rushed to the Yellow River dike near He Village. Ji Xiang deployed his men to patrol the river embankments. Wang Zhaojing mobilized manpower and supplies to make full preparations.

Knowing the breach had already been plugged, Zhao Jin did not rush his journey too urgently. Between He Village and the prefectural city of Xuzhou, there was an official road running along the river. Zhao Jin simply traveled along the river dike, climbing up from time to time to inspect the situation.

The water level had not surged violently, and it hadn't rained in the past few days either. They had even filled every ditch and channel within Xuzhou territory to capacity. There was no reason for a breach...

By the time they arrived, the sun had already risen and the sky was bright. They could see the state of the breach in the river dike, though it looked more like a collapse than something washed away by the current.

Seeing Zhao Jin and his party arrive, Zhao Shiyi Lang and the others who had long been waiting there hurried forward to greet them. Everyone's eyes were bloodshot. Reckoning the time, they would have been lucky to get a single shichen of sleep the previous night.

The breach site was a scene of utter devastation. There were houses that had been swept away, garbage strewn everywhere, and even the carcasses of livestock. But what was strange was how small the scale of the damage was. Only one village at the breach point had been destroyed, and even calling it destroyed was an overstatement.

"Last night, the river dike suddenly collapsed, opening a hole. Water surged out from below, and then that section of the dike gave way, flooding in. Fortunately, the river patrols discovered it in time, and there were several hundred men stationed nearby. They rallied the villagers from that hamlet and together blocked the breach. Heaven be praised, the water wasn't too fierce at the time, or the city of Xuzhou would have been ruined," Zhao Shiyi Lang reported, his expression still one of lingering fear.

Though his expression was as such, his tone through gritted teeth was one of fury. Zhao Jin already sensed something was amiss, but what he learned next left him not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

This hamlet was situated close to the river dike. In Xuzhou, villages and stockades near the Yellow River had a tradition of building earthen enclosures. However, these enclosures were not for defense against mounted bandits or robbers, but for flood protection.

The Yellow River had not seen a major flood in these years. So-called water disasters were merely rising waters that overflowed. A village's own earthen enclosure could hold back the water, which would naturally recede after a few days. Besides, drought had been the norm in recent years.

Once the Zhao Battalion had truly gained control of Xuzhou and could mobilize over ten thousand laborers, they began constructing water conservancy projects. The Yellow River dikes were built up day by day, and this hamlet had contributed considerable effort.

However, just as the water level had been rising recently, the villages along the dike were all required to send men to stand guard and await orders. This particular hamlet watched the Yellow River rise day by day, and the villagers grew increasingly panicked. They also felt that the great dikes built by the officials had never withstood anything, so what use could the dike built by Zhao Jin — a man with no official rank or title — possibly be? Even if this dike did look quite impressive.

So when the village's able-bodied men were guarding the dike, they transported earth back toward the village. There was no longer any place nearby to source earth, so they simply dug earth directly from the dike. They even came up with an idea: stuffing broken bamboo baskets into the dug-out spots, covering them with straw mats, and then scattering loose earth on top. Unless one looked carefully, it was impossible to notice.

This activity did not last many days, because the Zhao Battalion increased its patrols of the river dike, making it impossible to secretly dig and transport earth. But it was precisely this weakened section that could not hold tonight. First, a hole was washed out where the earth had been dug, then that section of the embankment collapsed, and the Yellow River's waters surged in.

The Yellow River's water level had been rising continuously, but it had not yet reached flood stage. So when this water rushed in, the collapsed embankment itself served to block it. Then the patrols discovered it immediately. The mobile company and the civilian levies from the very village that had dug the earth were all mobilized. It must be said, the method of filling bamboo baskets with earth and stone proved very effective — they were hard for the current to scatter. The bamboo baskets were piled up and then covered with earth, and the breach was quickly sealed.

As soon as the dike breached, Zhao Shiyi Lang, who had long been on duty outside the city, rushed over immediately. At the same time, he dispatched someone to deliver a message to Zhao Jin. No one dared to disobey this strict order. However, since the breach was plugged so quickly, a second messenger was hastily sent, racing forward regardless of the danger, to overtake the first. Only thus did complete news reach He Village.

At this point, Zhao Jin finally understood. No wonder the damage from the breach was so minimal. No wonder Zhao Shiyi Lang was so furiously gritting his teeth. And he blamed himself for having been so increasingly preoccupied with the Yellow River's flood conditions these past days. Hearing the news late at night, his mind had raced and his heart had stirred, leaping to the worst possible conclusion. He had forgotten that if it were truly a major disaster, Sun Dalin would not have reported it so calmly.

Zhao Jin looked at the dike, then at the wreckage strewn across the ground. It was rare for Xuzhou in the seventh month to have such hot, humid weather. Having rushed over in the night, Zhao Jin's head was already covered in sweat. He did not wipe it away, but merely drew a deep breath. The few men standing beside Zhao Jin were all very nervous. They rarely saw Zhao Jin so utterly expressionless.

"Have the people been brought over?"

"Master Jin is asking about the ones from Shitouwa. They've all been brought."

"From where I stand, thirty li to the east and thirty li to the west. Bring everyone who has a say in the riverside villages here. Do it now."

As soon as Zhao Jin gave the order, men immediately set out in all directions. Zhao Shiyi Lang seemed to want to say something more, but Zhao Jin paid him no heed and simply walked up onto the great dike. At the breach, several hundred able-bodied men were right then laboring furiously to repair it. Zhao Jin walked up to them and said, "Everyone has worked hard. The noon meal will come with a reward!"

When he said "reward," it definitely meant good food with meat and grease. The laborers burst into a raucous cheer, all shouting, "Many thanks, Master Jin!"

After climbing onto the embankment, Zhao Jin gazed at the surging Yellow River, then turned back to look at the minor damage caused by the breach. He stood there, deep in thought and silent. Seeing his demeanor, those around him grew increasingly uneasy.

Covering thirty li of villages along the riverbank in both directions and bringing the people back took a great deal of time. At noon, a sheep was specially slaughtered to give the dike repairers a taste of meat. For Zhao Jin, noodles with a mutton gravy were prepared. Zhao Jin refused it, instead going among the laborers repairing the dike to eat sorghum mixed-grain flatbread and drink mutton soup with them. The atmosphere was very spirited. Seeing the lofty Master Jin eating the same humble fare with such relish, the militia and civilian levies from every village were deeply stirred.

By the time the sun was sinking in the west, the people from along the riverbank had all been brought here. The figures of authority from each village were either landlords or elders. Given their status, they would normally be obsequiously polite even to the runners and hangers-on of the yamen, let alone meeting Zhao Jin. Every one of them was terrified and uneasy, not knowing what had happened.

The entire populace of Shitouwa village had also been brought over. The headmen of the riverside villages were taken to one side. Zhao Jin walked forward.

"Everyone from Shitouwa, kneel! Children under ten, take them away. Give each one a flatbread and have someone watch them," Zhao Jin ordered.

The children were led away. The terrified, panic-stricken villagers all knelt. Among these villagers were men and women, old and young. Even in the countryside, it was improper for young women to show their faces in public, but now they could only kneel in the mud and water. Everyone was already frightened; some had begun to tremble all over.

"Bring out the ones who make the decisions in this village," Zhao Jin ordered again.

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