On August 25, Luo Wenqian arrived at Pianguan County, the county where he wanted to inspect in person.

Pianguan County is located in the northwest corner of Taiyuan Prefecture. Pianguan County borders the Tatars. It is an important military area. The commanders of the Shanxi General Army and Taiyuan Prefecture have stationed soldiers here all year round. However, due to the mutual and friendly relations with the Tatars, they have been stationed here since

There has been no war between the two countries since the late emperor ascended the throne, so although Pianguan County is remote, it is bustling with activity.

When Luo Wenqian entered the county, he felt the prosperity of Pianguan County. The streets were spacious and there were many shops along the street. Before leaving, the clothes of the people were different from those in Taiyuan Fucheng, with a hint of alien style.

Luo Wenqian also saw a person with snow-white skin, and when he met his eyes, he found that they still had blue eyes. After reading the documents in Taiyuan Prefecture, Luo Wenqian knew that these were Bai Tatars, although he had seen documents that stated that the two countries could communicate with each other and marry each other.

, but witnessing it with my own eyes still has some complicated emotions that I can’t explain.

The purpose of Luo Wenqian's visit to Pianguan County was to check the drought situation in the fields. He went directly to the county government office in Pianguan County. The county magistrate personally welcomed Luo Wenqian. During his stay in Pianguan County, Luo Wenqian had to live in the county government office. He packed up and ate.

After dinner, Luo Wenqian went directly to see the farmland conditions.

This time, the only person following Luo Wenqian was Qian Dongliang. Zhu Shanfang did not enter the county government office but stayed at an inn in the county. Luo Wenqian asked him to secretly inquire about Pianguan County.

This time, Luo Wenqian brought two secret guards, one followed him, and the other asked him to follow Zhu Shanfang secretly. Mrs. Yuan also had two secret guards in Taiyuan City, so this time Chen Xiuyan made the final decision with her words.

Luo Wenqian and his entourage rode out of the city on horseback, traveling in light clothes. They looked directly at the farmland along the road. In rural areas with wells, people lined up to fetch water.

"Master Tongpan, in the past, the well water in the village was not only sufficient for people's daily needs, but also for irrigation of farmland. But this year, it has not rained for more than four months, and the temperature is so high that even the Pianguan River has dried up.

If those wells are dried up, the consequences will be disastrous." The magistrate of Pianguan County who accompanied Luo Wenqian when he went out said with a serious expression.

Luo Wenqian has seen the water system in Pianguan County. The main river is the Pianguan River. The geographical location and soil conditions of the Pianguan River determine that the river changes with the seasonal changes in rainfall. When it rains heavily, it is easy to cause floods. Once it does not rain for a long time,

When it rains, rivers tend to dry up.

Luo Wenqian specially brought the well diggers with him this time. The condition of the river could not be changed. All he could think of was to find another water source. He asked the well diggers to work separately to find a place where they could dig for water.

The county magistrate also thought of this method and asked people to search for it. However, due to limited personnel and limited ability, no water came out after digging a lot of land, so he very much hoped that Luo Wenqian would bring capable people.

After five days of hard work, Luo Wenqian ran non-stop through all the fields in Pianguan County. Everywhere he went, he would ask people to look for water sources, but he still had no harvest.

Luo Wenqian's expression became increasingly serious. Apart from the well diggers and weather watchers he brought, there were no signs of rain.

If you can't find it in the places where ordinary people go, you can only go to places where others don't go.

Luo Wenqian looked at the map of Pianguan County on the table and took a fancy to the mountains he would go to tomorrow.

When going up the mountain in summer, trouser legs and sleeves should be tightly tied, and the collar should be small. Luo Wenqian carried a bag on his back, which mainly contained the medicine prepared by Chen Xiuyan, and hung two water bags on his waist.

Luo Wenqian chose a hilltop far away from the Pianguan River, close to the dangers along the river, exposed land, and close to the river. Even if there is water on the mountain, it is the river below. If the river is dry, what can be found on the mountain.

Luo Wenqian did not ask people from the county government to follow him today. He wanted to lead people from the capital this time. Many officials occasionally showed dissatisfaction on their faces. They followed him around for five days but got nothing. They also had doubts about Luo Wenqian's ability.

Now they have to climb the mountain. When have they ever experienced this hardship?

However, Luo Wenqian took the lead in person. They could not refuse openly and could only complain of illness. Some said they were suffering from heatstroke, some said they had diarrhea, and some injured their legs. In the end, the only people who followed Luo Wenqian up the mountain were three officials from the government office and a work secretary.

, two government officials, and a well digger.

Counting Luo Wenqian and Qian Dongliang's group of six people, Luo Wenqian did not blindly and arrogantly want to lead the way in person. Instead, he first searched for villagers near the foot of the mountain, found a villager who was good at hunting to lead the way, gave him five taels of silver, and tied the horse to

Hunter's house.

The hunter took the money and asked his mother-in-law to prepare dry food. Luo Wenqian gave another one or two silver coins, asked for dry food for everyone, and filled the water bags.

"Uncle Zhong, let's go." The hunter Luo Wenqian was looking for was named Zhang Zhong. Luo Wenqian did not identify himself and called the hunter according to his seniority.

"Now go up the mountain and you may have to live in the mountain tonight." Zhang Zhong sounded the alarm to Luo Wenqian in advance.

"Can."

A group of seven people hiked up the mountain. On the way, Zhang Zhongcai asked Luo Wenqian about their intention to go up the mountain. He agreed because Luo Wenqian had a kind face, and there was a lot of movement. They were all on horseback. They didn't think they would do anything wrong, but they didn't want to worry the family, so they did it now.

Ask.

"What are you looking for when you go up the mountain?" Zhang Zhong asked.

"Looking for water." Luo Wenqian said without any concealment.

Zhang Zhong stopped in a daze, thinking that he was looking for rare furs, rare game, or even precious medicinal materials, but he never expected that he would get the word "water source".

"Looking for water?" Zhang Zhong said incredulously, "Even if you find it, you won't be able to transport it. It's not a wild card."

Not everyone will come to the deep mountains. This is a life-threatening matter. Who would come here just to carry water?

"As long as we can find it, there is always a way to transport it out." Luo Wenqian said, "If we can find the source and the place where it flows, we only need to open an opening at the foot of the mountain and the water will stay."

"The topography of the mountain determines that water flows downward," Luo Wenqian replied.

After hearing this, Zhang Zhong felt that it made sense.

"Did Uncle Zhong find any water, creeks, or mountain springs when he went hunting in the mountains?" Luo Wenqian asked.

Zhang Zhong shook his head, "Every time I drink, I bring my own. The main reason is that the hunting range is set early in the morning. I rarely go beyond it. The game within the range is enough for me to hunt."

"Can Uncle Zhong take us somewhere outside the range?" Luo Wenqian stopped and asked.

Zhang Zhong thought for a while and nodded, then took out a picture drawn with charcoal from his arms, "This is passed down from my family. My family has been hunters for generations, and many of our ancestors also died on the mountain, so we...

The scope of mountain climbing for future generations is getting smaller and smaller.”

"According to my grandfather's marks, there seems to be a creek here." Zhang Zhong pointed to the northwest corner of the map and said.

"Then go here."
Chapter completed!