Chapter 185: Decaying Flesh in Life

The winding and undulating Yunlong Mountain, resembling a divine dragon, raises its head to the northeast and trails to the southwest.

To the north of the mountain lies the Yellow River.

Zhang Xianzong, Song Li, Pan Xing, Gao Wei, Xue Xia, and others stand on a low hill, gazing at the surging river with a heavy heart.

“If we don’t dredge the river soon, the Yellow River embankment is on the verge of a complete collapse!”

Song Li raised his head, looking at the gloomy sky. The continuous days of heavy rain felt as urgent as pushing someone onto the guillotine!

No, people are already on the guillotine!

Gao Wei kicked away a small stone and gritted his teeth, saying, “This damn weather is downright deadly. Lord Zhang, we can’t continue the journey; we must stop and figure out how to deal with the flooding.”

Pan Xing also nodded, his face gloomy. “We are now in the south of Xuzhou City. The prefect of Xuzhou should have received the message and will be rushing over with people. It’s better to handle the flood here in Yunlong Mountain.”

Zhang Xianzong’s eye sockets were deeply sunken, showing signs of exhaustion. Despite falling off his horse twice, almost costing him his life, he stood here with a face of determination.

“The Yellow River water is too vast, too heavy. If this continues, many lives will be lost,” Zhang Xianzong’s voice was hoarse.

He turned to look at Xue Xia and said, “Considering the time, the prefect of Xuzhou should have arrived, right? Could it be that the Security Bureau hasn’t delivered the message?”

Xue Xia’s eyes chilled slightly, and he said in a deep voice, “The Security Bureau will not delay the delivery of the report.”

“Heh, sir, the Security Bureau won’t delay, but some people might.”

Gao Wei pointed to the north.

Zhang Xianzong looked up, and a burst of anger surged in his heart.

In the distance, a bronze gong led the way, solemn tablets were raised high, and a tall horse took the lead, followed by a swaying carriage. After that, there were hundreds of officials marching in orderly formation.

“Is this the Prefect of Xuzhou, Dai Wan?!”

Zhang Xianzong gritted his teeth.

Now, with the Yellow River in a violent flood and the water situation complex, it was a critical moment. However, the officials were still proceeding at a leisurely pace, displaying their authority.

“Unfortunately…”

Pan Xing shook his head.

Gao Wei asked, “Unfortunately what?”

Pan Xing smiled bitterly, “Unfortunately, among us, there is no high-ranking official from the Ministry of Personnel. Otherwise, based on his actions, it would be enough to remove the black hat on his head!”

“Heh, just because he’s riding in a carriage? With such a reason, you might not even be able to submit a memorial for impeachment. If he were riding in a sedan chair, perhaps you could criticize him a bit.”

Gao Wei sneered.

In the early Ming Dynasty, there was a strict system for riding in sedan chairs.

Initially, officials could only ride in plain sedan chairs, while officials of ranks one to three were allowed to use gold-decorated sedan chairs.

In the sixth year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang stipulated that only elderly or disabled officials, as well as women, could ride in sedan chairs. Other officials were required to use carts and horses.

In the later period of Hongwu, only officials of the third rank and above were entitled to use sedan chairs for travel.

Currently, although Prefect Dai Wan of Xuzhou arrived leisurely, he only used a horse-drawn carriage, which did not violate the regulations of the court.

As Dai Wan reached the foot of the mountain and dismounted from the carriage, he led a group of subordinates up the mountain. Upon seeing Zhang Xianzong and the others, he quickly stepped forward and paid his respects, saying, “Prefect Dai Wan of Xuzhou pays respects to Lord Zhang.”

Zhang Xianzong forcefully suppressed his anger but found no outlet for his frustration.

Dai Wan is a local prefect with the official rank of the fourth rank, and his superior is the Provincial Administration office. Although Zhang Xianzong holds the rank of the third rank, he is only a Ministry of Works official and has no authority to question Dai Wan.

Overstepping one’s authority is a major taboo in the bureaucratic hierarchy.

With a stern expression, Zhang Xianzong pointed to the turbulent Yellow River and said, “I, Zhang, am here on the Emperor’s orders to inspect waterways in various regions. The current water situation is severe. I wonder how Prefect Dai intends to deal with it?”

Dai Wan looked at Zhang Xianzong, bowed respectfully, and replied, “Since Lord Zhang is here on the Imperial edict, then I and the officials under my command will certainly obey Lord Zhang’s directives. If the Yellow River causes disasters, I, as an official, won’t be able to withstand it.”

Zhang Xianzong frowned. What did Dai Wan mean by saying he couldn’t withstand it?

If he can’t bear it, who will bear it?

Could it be that he intends to let me take the blame?

Even before the flood occurs, he is already scheming for an escape route, thinking about how to protect himself?

“Since that’s the case, I will issue the orders.”

With no time to argue with Dai Wan, Zhang Xianzong looked at the Yellow River and said sternly, “First, immediately evacuate the people from the counties in Xu prefecture and both sides of the Yellow River dikes. Second, dispatch personnel to patrol the dikes. Once any danger is detected, they must not leave without reporting to me. Third, find people who understand the Yellow River waterways and surrounding water systems, whether they are officials, merchants, boatmen, craftsmen, or farmers—I want them all!”

“Fourth, send me maps of the Yellow River, Huai River, and all water systems, lakes, and rivers in Henan, Shandong, and South zhili region. Fifth, send people to investigate the water conditions in the upstream Kaifeng and downstream Suqian areas and report back as quickly as possible.”

“If there are delays and disasters occur, I can’t hold each of you accountable but the court can! I hope you all work together for the people on both sides of the river and contribute your efforts.”

After hearing this, Dai Wan turned to the officials behind him and shouted, “Haven’t you heard it clearly? Go and do it!”

The officials hurriedly left.

The sky became increasingly gloomy, and heavy rain could pour down at any moment.

“Lord Zhang, you’ve been exhausted on the journey. Investigating and gathering information takes time. How about I serve as your guide and take you to see the Northern Wei Giant Stone Buddha and the Tang-Song cliff carvings?” Dai Wan suggested.

“Lord Dai has a good taste, but we are truly not in the mood for sightseeing,”

Song Li frowned, took a step forward, saluted, and then looked at Zhang Xianzong, saying seriously, “My Lord, if there is another torrential rain, causing the Yellow River to breach its dike and redirecting the Huai River, a tragedy may occur again. I propose that you allow us to investigate north of the Yellow River.”

“Very well! Be careful on your journey,” Zhang Xianzong said, looking at Song Li with deep concern.

Song Li saluted Zhang Xianzong and then saluted the others individually, intentionally skipping Dai Wan, saying, “I’m leaving.”

Gao Wei, Pan Xing, and Xue Xia all understood Song Li’s purpose in leaving. One by one they watched Song Li’s figure, feeling extremely suppressed.

Later that night, Xue Xia was on guard duty when he suddenly heard a thunderclap. Startled, he looked out in the direction of the lightning that pierced through the darkness, revealing endless dark clouds and pouring rain.

“Something’s wrong; Lord Zhang is sick.”

Pan Xing rushed out and shouted loudly.

Xue Xia quickly went into the house to check. At this moment, Zhang Xianzong was lying on the bed in the meditation room, trembling incessantly, and his lips were turning slightly pale.

“He has a high fever, I’ll go find a doctor!”

Xue Xia, anxious, asked Dai Wan where the doctor might be. Then he braved the rain and headed straight for Xuzhou City.

Gao Wei dampened the handkerchief and covered it on Zhang Xianzong’s forehead, uneasily saying, “It’s really a matter of life and death now. Why is this rain so intense?”

Pan Xing didn’t say anything, just silently watched the sick Zhang Xianzong.

Four hours later, Xue Xia, carrying an elderly man on his back and holding a wooden box, arrived at the meditation room.

Gao Wei and Pan Xing looked in astonishment at the elderly man who couldn’t stop vomiting. Gao Wei asked, “Is he the doctor? He looks more like a patient to me.”

Xue Xia grinned, “There’s no other way, he doesn’t know how to ride a horse.”

“And then?”

“I taught him how to ride a horse.”

Hearing Xue Xia’s brief words, Gao Wei shivered.

Teaching someone to ride a horse?

It seems like he was brought over hanging directly on the horse?

The doctor wiped the corners of his mouth, tears in his eyes. He originally had three more years to live, but now he could probably only last three more days. There’s no way around it; officials from the court are ruthless.

“Quickly treat the illness,” urged Xue Xia.

After the doctor calmed down, he walked to the bedside, felt Zhang Xianzong’s pulse, then frowned. He stood up, uncovered the blanket on Zhang Xianzong, and examined carefully.

“It’s not just a common cold or fever; it’s a fever caused by the wound festering.”

The doctor pointed to Zhang Xianzong’s thigh, where, beneath the clothes, everything was blurred with blood and flesh.

“Long hours of horseback riding have worn down his skin and flesh, coupled with the dampness of rainy days, the wound has festered. Look, this flesh has turned white, and it’s even rotten.”

The doctor looked at Xue Xia and others, saying, “For this kind of wound, we can only remove the dead flesh. Whether he can survive is hard to say.”

“How could this happen?”

No one had ever considered this possibility.

Xue Xia is from the Security Bureau and often needs to ride horses in daily life. Pan Xing is the Director of the Ministry of War, and Gao Wei is a judge of central army commandery. Both of them frequently need to ride horses to go to military camps.

Although Song Li is secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, in recent years, he has made several trips out of the capital to inspect the implementation of a Single whip method. However, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, Zhang Xianzong, has not left the capital in recent years, let alone engaged in prolonged horseback riding.

Continuously riding horses for several days, even Xue Xia and others found it somewhat uncomfortable, let alone Zhang Xianzong, who usually sits in court.

“How could he endure this?”

Gao Wei found it hard to believe.

It takes an incredibly strong will and conviction to endure the constant friction and piercing pain during days of continuous horseback riding!

“I want him to survive!”

Xue Xia took out the medical gauze he carried with him. Upon opening it, he found it soaked and unusable. The medical alcohol, which shattered on the way, made him grit his teeth and ask, “Prefect Dai, does the Xu Prefecture have medical gauze?”

“Medical gauze? What is that?”

Dai Wan asked somewhat puzzled.

Xue Xia gritted his teeth. Medical gauze and alcohol were considered strategic supplies for the military. Currently, they were only supplied to the northern border, the three major camps, and the navy fleet. There was still not enough quantity to supply the inland guard stations.

“Let’s leave it to fate.”

Gao Wei said softly.

The doctor took the short knife from Xue Xia’s waist, heated it over the flame, glanced at the unconscious Zhang Xianzong, and began scraping away the dead flesh. The atmosphere was heavy, creating a chilling feeling.

Outside, thunder continued to roar, and the wind howled.

Dong, dong.

The officials from the prefectural’s office wiped the rain off their faces and walked into the room. In a low voice, they said, “My Lord, the water level in the river is rising rapidly. If this continues for another day or two, the river surface will be level with the Dikes. Once the embankment collapses, the people within a few hundred miles will be in danger.”

“How is the evacuation of the people going?”

Dai Wan anxiously inquired.

“The time is too tight, and it’s raining. Many people are unwilling to evacuate, so…”

“Don’t tell me the people haven’t evacuated yet?!”

Dai Wan glared angrily.

“I will go immediately to urge them!”

The official lowered his head and responded.

Dai Wan roared angrily, “Get out! I don’t care how you do it, get everyone out of Xuzhou for me! Immediately!”

A southeast wind suddenly stirred up water splashes, and a wave hit the north bank of the Yellow River. Song Li stood on the embankment, watching the flying spray, which had reached his feet.

“Can this embankment still hold?”

Song Li looked at Yang Yong, the former transport official, standing beside him.

Yang Yong remained silent for a moment, his voice low and filled with pain. “Sir, it’s time to make a decision. If the embankment on the south bank collapses, the Yellow River will inevitably divert into the Huai River again. By then, Xuzhou, Suzhou, Bozhou, Wuhe, Lingbi, and other areas will face flooding, and it might even extend to Huaiyuan and Fengyang Prefecture. Millions of people will be in peril!”

Song Li gritted his teeth, turned to look north, pointed in that direction, and said, “Do you know that your method will turn a large part of the northern region into a swamp? Yi County, Pei County, Teng County, Linyi, Yanzhou, Juye, Jining Prefecture, and even much of Shandong will be affected! Is this method considered a solution to disaster?”

Yang Yong smiled coldly, a bitter smile that was heart-wrenching. “Sir, is Henan, Anhui, and southern Zhili more important, or is a partial part of Shandong more important? With the continuous heavy rain, the collapse of the embankment is only a matter of time. If we delay, Upstream Kaifeng can’t withstand it, and downstream Suqian can’t either!”

“If an embankment collapse occurs, what will be the consequences… If we take the initiative to divert the Yellow River, channeling its course into Shandong, leveraging the numerous water systems and lakes in Shandong, it may not necessarily result in a major disaster!”