At this time, those standing on the embankment in the flood were not only Li You and Eunuch Hai, but also other eunuchs, sergeants guarding the mausoleum, and strong men in the mausoleum. If the ancestral mausoleum was flooded, the eunuchs, as the emperor's servants, would inevitably be martyred. The mausoleum guards are expected to be disbanded and distributed, and the loss for the mausoleum household is that there will no longer be a discount on money and food.
When the situation was desperate, Mr. Li took a shocking dive and died in the line of duty! Then the flood began to recede even more shockingly! It's amazing!
Using the superstitious saying of telepathy from heaven and man, Mr. Li moved the heaven and earth to conquer the flood with his unparalleled loyalty and integrity in life and death?
The guards Li You brought were all selected. They were all familiar with water and had military skills. At this moment, they naturally entered the water to save people. Braving the surging torrent, they managed to save the struggling boss by all means. He was dragged across the water to the embankment.
Master Li was panting, his body was wet and in a mess, his official hat had long since disappeared, his hair had been washed away by the water, and there were still a few water plants hanging on his shoulders. Although he had no image at all, he still stood tall and tall to face the situation. He yelled from left to right: "I have no face to go see the Holy One again. What are you going to do to save me?"
It's a pity that these personal guards are all rough people. They haven't read books and don't know how to respond loudly and appropriately. They can only hold on to their superiors tightly and persuade them in boring words: "Don't commit suicide..."
Li You shouted: "The dragon veins of our ancestors were destroyed by my hands. How can a minister of others live in an ignoble existence? He should sacrifice his life and be a martyr!"
Next to him, Eunuch Hai woke up from the ecstasy of the subsidence of the flood, and recovered from the shock of God's will. Suddenly he heard Li You shouting loudly. Without even looking, he knew that this was another civil servant's trick of showing off his loyalty. The first half of his career I spent time in the palace, and I often saw scenes like this.
But this time it was too magical. Even if it was a trick, it was like a trick by a god. Could it be that God also cooperated with him on purpose? Wouldn't this be God's will?
With envy and jealousy, Eunuch Hai stepped forward and said to Li You: "Master Li, don't talk about life and death lightly, the water has begun to recede!"
Mr. Li, who had failed to do all the calculations, was so involved that he didn't even notice the water level after being rescued ashore.
He was immersed in a tragic mood and couldn't extricate himself. While imagining himself as Zhang Xun who defended Suiyang, he was thinking about new lines. Eunuch Hai's words seemed like thunder, which shocked Li You.
He looked down almost in disbelief. The top of the embankment, which had been covered by floods, was gradually revealed...
Li Youzhen did not expect that the flood would recede at this time. It was a strange coincidence. In fact, his original intention was just to imitate Zeng Guofan, who had suffered repeated defeats and dives in another time and space, and put on a martyrdom posture to win the widest sympathy and public opinion for himself. support.
Then all the responsibilities will be borne by that damn Wang Zhizhou. He, Li You, knew clearly that the ancestor's mausoleum was in danger and that the responsibility was at stake, but he still dared to be full of passion, courage to do his job, and come to the rescue regardless of his own safety!
You can't be afraid of "the water is too cold" at this time, but why did the flood recede as soon as you jumped into the water, and the peak of the flood just passed?
Li You couldn't care less about his surprise, he raised his arms in great joy and shouted: "My Ming Dynasty is blessed by God, this is the spirit of our ancestors!"
Do you mean that all the gods and ancestors have appeared for you... Eunuch Hai complained in his heart, but he could only smile in agreement.
He is indeed envious, but not hateful, because Eunuch Hai knows that he cannot be imitated. Civil servants are civil servants, and eunuchs are eunuchs. Each has its own code of conduct and its own way of playing. As a eunuch, you can keep yourself clean and be a righteous person. But if you want to imitate civil servants and deliberately gain fame, you are just seeking death. Don't forget that eunuchs are essentially slaves of the emperor.
When the water on the embankment receded, they lit a fire to warm themselves up. Master Li, disheveled, sat by the fire and continued chatting with Eunuch Hai.
The two of them worked together to fight the flood for several days. They faced the huge danger of the sky collapsing and the earth collapsed together, and they struggled in despair together. Although they shared the same hardships, their relationship was a bit closer. They talked more casually and no longer guarded against each other.
.
"Sir, did you jump into the water after you knew the water level was starting to drop, or did you just jump into the water regardless of it?"
Li You said impatiently: "How many times have you asked? I am not as straightforward as you, Eunuch Hai, so how can I predict the future?"
Don't say that he really didn't know in advance. Even if he knew in advance that the flood was about to recede, he still had to answer "I don't know" at this time. Otherwise, how could he show that he was so loyal and loyal that the flood would recede on its own? The brighter the aura, the heavier the reward from the court.
But this time it was really dangerous. The feeling of struggling in despair was not good. He didn’t want it to happen again. So he cherished his life and stayed away from the ancestral mausoleum. After this year’s flood season, he would never come to Sizhou again in his life.
This is a hell of a place, and in the future, if anyone doesn’t like it, he will be encouraged to come to Sizhou to serve as an official.
Eunuch Hai, a self-taught water conservancy expert, sighed: "The flood season has just passed halfway. This time it is just a major flood peak that exceeds the previous ones. I am afraid there will be new flood peaks below..."
Li You quickly raised his head and glanced at the water in the distance, then pointed at Eunuch Hai's nose and shouted: "Shut up!"
He was not a superstitious person, but this time he was really frightened and couldn't help but become superstitious, worried that Eunuch Hai would start to use great prophecy skills again.
Eunuch Hai also slapped himself in the face and took the initiative to change the subject: "You have done a great job in protecting the mausoleum this time. Mr. Li will be highly rewarded by the court. Saving the dragon vein where the country's destiny lies, this contribution is second only to Qingtian's protection. The country has never
There is precedent, so I am very curious about how the imperial court will reward you."
"To be honest, I am also very curious." Li You said truthfully. It is a very wonderful achievement. The wonderful thing is that it is a great achievement, but it is not a great achievement such as defeating the enemy and destroying the country. It will not cause any shock.
There is suspicion and trouble like the Lord, but they cannot but be rewarded generously.
"I guess it's just a matter of making my wife a wife, or earning a book of alchemy..."
Li You only thought about these good things in the future, but was careful not to discuss them publicly, because spreading the word would not only damage his image, but might also cause trouble. He interrupted Eunuch Hai's discussion and asked: "Aren't you the same?
, with this merit, I think he is enough to return to the palace as a palm eunuch, I don’t know which yamen he is from,"
"I dare not think about it. I have no other wishes. As long as I can leave the ancestral mausoleum, I will be satisfied."
Li Youqi asked: "Are you so eager to leave the ancestral mausoleum? Are you even willing to sit back and watch Wang Zhizhou do such treacherous things, just for meritorious service and promotion?"
Li You said it very implicitly. In fact, it was Eunuch Hai who connived and even conspired, rather than just sitting back and watching.
Eunuch Hai thought for a while and then explained: "When there was a flood five years ago, it wet the Zuling Shinto, but it almost scared my heart out, so I deliberately read through the archives of Sizhou hydrology writings in the past few decades.
Did you know that more than a hundred years ago, Hongze was thirty miles away from Sizhou, so what happens now? And in an inconspicuous place, it is recorded that someone measured the water level of Huaihu Lake in Sizhou decades ago
And the depth, I was inspired by this, and secretly sent someone to measure it again. Compared with decades ago, the results are frightening."
"At that time, I had a feeling that the ancestral mausoleum might be submerged by the lake. Even if it was not submerged, it was very likely that water would enter. Once the Xuan Palace entered the water, I would lose my head, so I guarded the ancestral mausoleum.
Just like waiting for death, it is right to escape as soon as possible. But others did not think that the ancestral mausoleum would be flooded. If they took any precautionary measures out of caution, it would not be a credit, so they had to think of creating some dangerous situations and meritorious service, but they did not expect
Mr. Li, please step in."
Finally, Eunuch Hai said with a slight sigh: "Actually, I just want to live, I don't want to die here inexplicably."
Li You smiled and said: "Don't pretend to be pitiful. You are just worried that I will trap you. If you have enough merit, you and I will praise each other. After I give you a few nice words, I will let you return to the palace to serve."
Eunuch Hai waved his hands and said, "Actually, I don't want to go back to the palace. I would rather stay outside and stay at ease."
After that, the flood season continued, but it was no longer as dangerous as in mid-September. A few days passed and it entered the second half of the year.
When Li You was walking on the embankment that day, it was suddenly reported that Yang Dazhongcheng, the governor of Fengyang, had set off from Huai'an Prefecture to inspect Sizhou and the ancestral mausoleum!
This is normal, and Li You is not surprised. The Dragon Vein, which is related to the fate of the country, is in such great danger. Governor Yang has to come and see it in person. But the local official of Sizhou has been imprisoned, and the eunuch who guards the mausoleum, Eunuch Hai, is not a local official.
He was a middle-aged man, so Mr. Li had no choice but to come forward to greet him.
There are also etiquettes for greeting, such as greeting at the yamen station, greeting at the city gate, and greeting at the border of the jurisdiction, which represent different levels of etiquette. The governor is not only a feudal official, but also an imperial envoy sent by the Metropolitan Procuratorate in name.
Use the highest level of etiquette.
However, Master Li was speechless as he looked at the vast ocean in front of him. Where is Sizhou City? Where is the border of Sizhou? Where should he go to welcome the governor on behalf of Sizhou?
The old site of Sizhou City is less than ten miles away from Xuyi, and the Sizhou Prefectural Government has also temporarily moved to Xuyi for refuge. Li You thought about it and decided to go directly to Xuyi to greet Governor Yang.
At first, Zuling, Sizhou City, and Xuyi were arranged in order from northwest to southeast. Zuling and Xuyi were slightly higher on both sides, and Sizhou was low-lying in the middle. Zuling was only ten miles away from Sizhou, separated by a river.
, Xuyi is less than ten miles away from Sizhou, and there is a river in between.
The decisive Master Li broke the levee and allowed the high-water Hongze Lake to flood into Sizhou, creating a water surface more than ten miles wide between Zuling and Xuyi. This water surface has not yet followed the end of the flood season.
The signs of retreat have instead connected with Hongze Lake and become the small corner at the southernmost end of Hongze Lake.
At this time, the flood season was coming to an end, and the water flow was not as fierce as it was at the beginning. Mr. Li took a boat from the shore of Zuling to cross the lake he had created by his own hands, heading to Xuyi on the other side.
When the boat passed near the old site of Sizhou City, the city gate tower that had stood firm in the flood for 20 days suddenly collapsed in front of Li You's sight, and the last sign of the thousand-year-old city disappeared from the water.