In the summer of 1877, there were heavy rains for several days and nights. The raging floods, mixed with broken branches and stones, poured down the valley and rushed into the already turbulent Zhangwei River and Yellow River.
While the sound slapped the shore, it also shocked the hearts of those watching to the maximum extent.
After the floods receded, the fields were in chaos. Pieces of corn stubbles were buried in the washed soil, with only a few withered leaves exposed, swaying in the breeze. In the distance, a middle-aged woman stared at the turbidity in front of her eyes.
The river looked at it dreamily, calling vaguely to the children. As the saying goes, water and fire are merciless, floods come in such a mighty manner and go away miserably, leaving only people's tears.
The governor Tu Zongying clasped his hands behind his back, looked out the window, and sighed to the sky. As an official, seeing the people around him suffer such a disaster, it is inevitable that his heart would twist like a knife. After the imperial court approved it, he had to solve it on the spot. Even the imperial court could not solve it.
, but as an official, how can one person return to heaven?
Tu Zongying thought about it, came to the desk, picked up his pen, and started writing a letter.
...
In the hall of Liu Mansion, Liu Yong and his son An Lan were talking. Liu Yong said to An Lan: Now that you are a husband, you will have to have children in the future. Therefore, you must have a responsibility for the family. Once you have a family, you will also have children.
I have to establish a career. Now that I am old, and the Liu family has such a large fortune, sooner or later you will have to take over. In the future, in addition to entering a private school, continuing your studies, and seeking fame, you will also have to participate more in the business world.
Liu Anlan said humbly: Dad, please rest assured, Wei'er will humbly learn from Dad and carry forward the country you have built so hard. This is also Wei'er's responsibility.
At this time, Hu Gen came in to report that there was a letter from the master. I saw the words on the envelope: Urgent! Urgent! Urgent!
Liu Yong took the letter, opened it and saw that it read:
Sincerely, His Excellency Liu Yong:
I take the liberty to write to you. It is because our area has recently been hit by floods that have not happened in a century. Many people have become homeless. I feel really sad for you. Therefore, I am writing to you to ask for your full help. I hope you will give me your permission.
Tu Zongying
The eighth day of the lunar month in the third year of Guangxu's reign
Liu Yong thought for a moment and said to Hu Gen: Make some preparations, prepare your horse and go with me, and set off immediately.
Hu Gen said: I'll just go and get ready.
Hugen went home and briefly talked to Ziwei.
Ziwei was a little worried and walked to the door, saying: Henan is a long way, and you have to ensure the safety of the master at all times on the way.
Hugen smiled and said: Don't worry, I don't know which one is more serious.
...
Along the way, Hu Gen was young and strong after all, and was an expert on horseback, so he rode in front of the horse, and Liu Yong sat behind, running non-stop all the way north. When we arrived at the Yangtze River Ferry in Jiangyin, it was already dark.
Hu Gen said to Liu Yong, "Sir, it's getting late and the wind and waves are high on the river. It's inconvenient. I'm afraid there are no boats at the ferry. Do you want to stay temporarily and cross the river early tomorrow morning?"
Liu Yong said: "This is not possible. After one night's stay, we have almost arrived in Henan. The moment we arrived earlier, the people there would have escaped from the disaster earlier. Under the heavy reward, there must be brave men. Please give more silver and ask the boatman to come immediately.
Send us across the river.
Hu Gen had no choice but to run away from home one after another. Finally, one family was willing to take the risk and send them across the river overnight.
In the dark night of the Yangtze River, there is a mist and darkness everywhere, the water is fast and the waves are high, and only a few fishing fires shine in the reed marshes in the distance.
After getting on the boat, Liu Yong felt hungry and extremely thirsty. He didn't care about anything, picked up a water ladle in the cabin and went to scoop water from the river. Unexpectedly, at this time, a huge wave came and the boat crashed.
Due to the severe turbulence, most of Liu Yong's body had already rushed out of the cabin, scaring the boatman who was doing it into a cold sweat and screaming. Thanks to the quick eyes and quick hands of Hu Gen sitting next to him, he grabbed Liu Yong's clothes.
There was no danger, but all the clothes were soaked by the water from the river.
The boatman took care of them again and again, and sat firmly in the cabin. He then said: If the young man hadn't had quick eyesight and quick hands, the consequences would have been disastrous.
Liu Yong smiled and said: King Yama knows that I still have many things to do, so he will not ask me to go yet. But he knows in his heart that if it were not for the quick eyes and quick hands of the tiger root just now, he would have fallen into the Yangtze River to feed the fish. And
I feel a sincere feeling of gratitude towards Hu Gen.
The boat gradually reached the north shore. They went ashore, picked up the horses, paid the boatman's fees, and continued on their way.
In the early morning, the white fish belly had just appeared in the east, and they had arrived in the Heze Prefecture area of Shandong Province. At this time, they passed by a maple forest. Unexpectedly, the horse's hooves were tripped by a rope set in the middle of the path. Liu Yong and Hu Gen jumped from the horseback at the same time.
It fell down. It took a little while, but it was fast. Suddenly, two sturdy men sprang out from the maple forest, holding sticks in their hands. They knocked Liu Yong and Hu Gen to the ground with the sticks. One of them said: Stay.
Buying money for the road can save your lives.
Liu Yong thought to himself: So many banknotes are gone now, and even his life is hard to save.
Unexpectedly, Hu Gen had learned boxing skills in the Taiping Army. He thought calmly for a moment, turned over and squatted, and pushed the person next to him more than three meters away. The person next to Liu Yong saw that the situation was not good.
, raised the stick and struck the tiger on the head.
With quick eyes and quick hands, Hu Gen took the stick with both hands, picked it up, and threw him a few meters away. With a thud, he fell to the ground, making him scream.
The first one fell to the ground, got up and rushed towards him with all his strength. Unexpectedly, Hu Gen turned to one side and hit him hard on the back with his right hand.
It was too violent, and the man was hit with a black nose and swollen eyes, a few teeth were lost, and his back was severely stepped on by tiger roots. He kept saying: Big, please spare your life, the little one is too poor to think about it.
I won’t dare to do it next time.
The one who was thrown a few meters away got up and saw that his accomplice had been trampled under his feet. Knowing that something was wrong, he got up and ran away into the maple forest.
Liu Yong was hit with a stick on his waist and slowly got up. He said: Let him live.
Only then did Hugen slowly lift his feet. The man got up and ran away without looking back.
Hu Gen came to Liu Yong and helped Liu Yong up. He asked with concern: Master, are you okay?
Liu Yong shook his head and said: It's okay. Thanks to you for coming out this time, otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Hu Gen smiled and said: It is Hu Gen's duty to protect the master's safety. When he went out, his wife Ziwei also paid attention to him again and again. The master's safety was more important than anything else.
Liu Yong said: That is really difficult for you.
...
In the afternoon, Tu Zongying was walking around in the living room, feeling uneasy.
At this time, someone came in and reported: Sir, Liu Yong from Gui'an County is here to see you.
Tu Zongying couldn't help but be overjoyed when he heard Liu Yong's arrival. He said: Please come in quickly.
As soon as Liu Yong entered the door, he bowed with both hands, knelt down and said: "Go back to An, Liu Yong, and kowtow to see the governor."
Tu Zongying saw that Liu Yong's clothes were wet and covered with mud. He said with concern: Get up quickly, get up quickly. It must be a hard journey, so I will go down and make corrections for a while.
Liu Yong said: "It is a small matter for me to make corrections, but it is a big thing to appease the people. I received your letter from your Excellency and came here specially to donate two or three hundred thousand taels of silver. I would like to express my gratitude to you. I hope you will accept it."
Tu Zongying heard that Liu Yong had traveled thousands of miles and personally delivered 300,000 taels of silver notes, which could relieve his urgent need. He was really grateful. He ordered his men to take Liu Yong with him, and Hu Gen treated him well, and then left after a day of correction.
...
On the way home, Liu Yong smiled and specifically told Hu Gen: After returning home, no one should tell anyone what happened on the way. Otherwise, if his wife knows about it, will she be able to let him out in the future?
Hu Gen said: Sir, please rest assured, Hu Gen is not a talkative person.
Returning to Nanxun, Liu Yong received another request for help from Jiangxi. Liu Yong led people to Jiangxi, distributed food at the gate of Nanchang to help the victims, and donated money to build embankments to resist floods.
Liu Yong sighed and said: The way of heaven and earth is that if something is stored up, it will be released. I will not wait for it to be released but will release it myself first. I have already punished you.
In gratitude for Liu Yong's kindness, the local people built a memorial hall by the river and erected his longevity pillar in the middle. This is something to be said later. This chapter has been completed!