Hunting system, and I ended up becoming the empress!

Chapter 272 Fight!

"No hurry, let's not rush for now. So, Ying Er, send our people out to help the common people evacuate to the high ground, and then follow my order to mobilize the internal defense officers and soldiers here, and let them cooperate with Mao Lichang's people to build a second line of defense. Tell them that natural disasters are wars, and anyone who dares to make mistakes will be sacrificed to the heavens by my king!"

"Yes!" After taking the seal, Ying Er turned around and rushed into the heavy rain.

"Black Tiger, spread the word throughout the city, calling on all young and strong men to build a defense line and protect our homeland."

Black Tiger transformed into Xue Yue and jumped onto the roof, taking a deep breath, "Fathers and mothers of Datan Village, I am a subordinate of King Yuan Sheng. I have been ordered to spread the word. All the elderly, children, women and children should leave the high ground. All the young and strong people in your family should go and build a second flood defense line with the government soldiers. At this time when our homeland is in danger, we must unite as one and defeat the flood."

The voice carrying the power of a third-level heavenly master spread in all directions. Hei Hu ran to all directions and repeated it several times, making sure that everyone could hear it.

Xiao Zhixing continued to give orders quickly, "Bai Mei, go to the Beizhou Commercial Bank branch and order them to open the warehouse. All materials can be taken away by the people, and the stored cement, wood and stone can be used by the government."

"Lichang Mao, have the yamen runners beat drums and gongs and go door to door to tell the people what's going on."

Orders were issued in an orderly manner, and everyone seemed to have found a backbone.

Huo Baijun, Xiong Chumo and others rushed out to help.

The others were also busy, responsible for collecting information from various places, summarizing it, and then conveying Xiao Zhixing's handling orders.

The heavy rain is still pouring down.

"The water has risen another half an inch!"

"Found a small breach!"

"The interior guards have arrived!"

"The young and strong men in the city have already set up the second line of defense."

"Oh no, there's a lake overflowing its dike upstream—" The eagle brought the bad news.

Xiao Zhixing calmly ordered, "Let everyone speed up the construction of the defense line and use everything that can be dismantled and used nearby."

If there was someone to command her, she would have wanted to go to the front line.

Unfortunately, just as she had this idea, everyone united to oppose it and did not allow her to go.

"Your Majesty, you cannot make mistakes. A gentleman does not stand on a dangerous wall. You are the backbone, you cannot take risks."

"Yes, we feel at ease when Your Highness is in charge. If you go to the front line, they will still be worried about you." Li Wenxiu said.

Xiao Zhixing was helpless. It was just a flood and she could protect herself. But they were right. She had gone to the front line and could not give timely commands.

Fortunately, the rain gradually subsided in the middle of the night and everyone moved faster.

Huo Baijun stood at the front line carrying a military drum, beating it and shouting, "Soldiers, fellow villagers, behind us is our homeland, and we have our Prince Yuansheng, who is personally commanding us with all the adults. We will not retreat, and we cannot give in. We will definitely win if we kill the flood!"

"Win! Win! Win!!"

With torches lit and bare-chested, the men rushed forward with roars, carrying sacks of sand, and poured out bags of cement, mixing it directly with water.

For fear that the cement would not dry, some people specially placed rainproof boards and umbrellas on the defense line.

The logistics staff were cooking on the front line, drinking the soup directly from the bowl and then continuing to work.

There were also young women helping to pack food in the rain.

However, at night the rainstorm came again.

Xiong Chumo wiped the rain off his face, quickly inspected the area and immediately ran back to report, "The flood is about to overflow the second line of defense. Fortunately, the rain upstream has decreased, and we can buy some time... What happened?"

Seeing Xiao Zhixing's face darken, he was puzzled.

Feng Zhen'er sighed, "Just now, the news said that there was heavy rain in a large area in southern Huzhou, and countless rivers and lakes overflowed their banks."

Thanks to Li Jun's contribution, the dams did not collapse, but because of heavy rain, they could not contain the water and overflowed.

Xiao Zhixing's face was heavy, "The Jianan River and Hongshui River are in danger."

This is a rare downpour in the world. In just one day, half a year's rainfall fell. It cannot be prevented at all and we can only protect one place at a time.

At this time, news also came from the county magistrate's office.

"Your Highness, Lord Li has sent a message that the rain line has moved upstream. If Yuansha City can't bear it, he will request to dig the dike to release the floodwaters in order to protect the city!"

Li Tongye could give the order directly on this matter, but since Xiao Zhixing was here, he naturally had to ask for instructions, which also meant sharing the responsibility and risk together.

Xiao Zhixing took out the map and his expression became worse the more he looked at it.

Yuansha City is located on the bank of the Hongshui River, a tributary of the Jianan River. It is the flattest section of the river and when it floods, it floods in large areas.

It is surrounded by densely populated cities. No matter whether the flood is released above or below, countless villages and towns will be turned into vast oceans.

There are no flood control dam projects here, no power to regulate floods, and even a lack of rescue forces.

Floods are merciless and will inevitably cause widespread suffering and devastating losses.

Post-disaster epidemics are another killer. Floods on such a large scale cannot prevent epidemics at all.

The others looked equally grim.

This feeling of powerlessness and fear in the face of natural disasters is so uncomfortable that it makes people feel unable to breathe.

Li Jun covered his forehead, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and looked dejected.

Was his three years of hard work in vain?

Xiao Zhixing had no time to be depressed. He quickly calculated the best flood discharge point in his mind and drew lines on the map with charcoal pencil.

Seeing this, they cheered up and helped with the calculations.

"Here, the terrain is the highest. If we dig a gap, the flood will flow southward and into this tributary. The least cities and villages will be destroyed along the way. And this side is a canyon area, which can prevent flooding."

Everyone helped calculate other routes, and finally decided to use her method after choosing the best one.

It was dawn, and the rain had not stopped all night. The people, with red eyes from staying up all night, felt their hearts sink as they listened to the sound of the rain getting heavier.

Xiao Zhixing threw down the charcoal pencil and made a decision. "Report to Lord Li that I agree to dig the dike to release the floodwaters. Then, tell the people in the towns and villages along the flood discharge point that their lives are the most important. Please evacuate their homes as soon as possible and move to higher ground. The court will bear all the compensation for the damage to all houses and fields. Just tell them that this is what I, Xiao Zhixing, said, and I will not let them down!"

If the court has no money, she will pay for it.

She can afford it.

Everyone present was silent and shocked.

Once such an order is issued, it will determine the life and death of countless people, and they tremble with fear just by hearing it.

Xiao Zhixing looked calm as he continued to give orders, "Send a message to Beizhou Merchants, Ning's Merchants, Beizhou Medical Hall, the Cao Gang, and the Navy. Use all available transportation routes to gather all kinds of supplies nearby to aid Huzhou, especially doctors, disinfectants, and food. They must be delivered as soon as possible, at any cost."

"Another order, Huo Baijun and Xiong Chumo, you two quickly return to the barracks and guard the border to prevent the enemy from causing chaos. By the way, tell Generals Xue and Feng that during this turmoil, I hope they will advance and retreat with my Xiao family army to protect the country."

"Send a message to the North. All troops are on alert. Activate Level 2 combat readiness. Kill any enemy that dares to attack!"

"Finally, publish the Dasheng Daily and tell the people of Huzhou that I am stationed here and will help them through this difficult time! I will not leave until the flood recedes, so please obey the government's orders and save your lives for the future!"

She asked Li Wenxiu to write down her words word for word. "Also, give this king a stern warning to all officials in various places. Anyone who dares to take advantage of the opportunity to do evil, disobey orders, take human lives lightly, or conceal the truth will be killed. If the situation becomes serious, the entire clan will be exterminated!"

"Everyone knows my temper. If you can't do something well, you can tell me in advance. I won't blame you. But if you dare to falsify or cover up and cause greater disasters, I will not be polite."

Everyone was shocked and felt her murderous intent.

(Thanks to @爱吃清炒蟹粉的贾君嗣 for the first tip?)