Suo Qian sighed. “We have to. Wearing masks can at least help prevent the spread of disease.”
The two continued chatting. As physicians, they had plenty in common to discuss, especially when it came to the diseases that might break out after the flooding. They delved into the matter, making more detailed speculations and predictions.
By the time they finished lunch, the temporary dock was more or less complete. Stretching in a neat line along the shore, it made for a spectacular sight.
Qi Pingwei praised them. “Your soldiers have remarkable execution.”
Xie Nanxiao smiled modestly. “It was nothing. We merely leveled the landing area so that planks could be laid across it.”
The Jinyang Naval Force often handled such tasks. There were very few proper docks in Yan, and the places they visited rarely had one, so they had to find their own solutions.
The fleet slowly drew alongside. Although the temporary dock looked impressive, the limited time had restricted what they could accomplish. Only five or six large vessels could berth at once.
Handcarts were carried off the ships one by one. Since the torrential rain had left the roads in terrible condition, most of the carts prepared were wheelbarrows.
Sacks of grain, medicine, and other supplies were carried ashore and placed on the carts, each one carefully tied down.
Just then, two soldiers came galloping toward them. They were the men who had been sent ahead to Bilan County to scout the roads and assess the situation.
“Commander, the roads are still passable. Quite a few refugees are gathered around Bilan County, but the county gates haven’t been opened.”
This came as no surprise to Xie Nanxiao. Just as had happened in Jiu’an City, the First Prince had chosen to keep the gates firmly shut when faced with disaster victims.
He nodded. “Very well. Let’s go to Bilan County and see what the situation is like.”
Then he turned to the more than one hundred Cangming Guards and ordered, “Organize yourselves by squad and head to the surrounding areas to assess the refugees’ condition. If you find any trapped survivors, report back as quickly as possible.”
He had brought roughly three hundred Cangming Guards with him this time. One hundred had been sent out, another hundred remained at his side, and the last hundred stayed with the fleet.
He had also brought around fifteen thousand naval soldiers. Two thousand remained behind with the fleet, together with the Cangming Guards, to guard the ships.
After all, this was not their territory, and the ships carried a huge quantity of supplies. They needed to leave plenty of men behind.
Tao Commandery and Shankang Commandery were not especially large. Between the two commanderies there were only nine counties, which meant that, on average, each county could be assigned only a little over a thousand soldiers for disaster relief.
Those soldiers were responsible not only for transporting grain and conducting rescues, but also for clearing the roads ahead and handling countless other tasks.
“Yes, sir!” the Cangming Guards who had been selected answered in unison.
Before long, they had taken provisions, mounted their horses, and ridden off toward the various areas according to plan.
Qi Pingwei likewise dispatched more than a hundred soldiers to accompany the Cangming Guards and inspect the surrounding regions. Since they were more familiar with the terrain, they would serve as guides.
He had brought only two thousand soldiers this time, and nearly two hundred had been sent out at once. Since they had few supplies aboard the ships, he intended to leave only two hundred men behind to guard them.
The rest would spread out and follow the Jinyang troops’ grain-transport and relief teams, taking part in the rescue efforts.
Xie Nanxiao and the others mounted their horses and set off with the relief convoy.
Yan Ke remained aboard the ships to help coordinate the vessels arriving later and to prevent any trouble from the forces of Sizhou that might come to make things difficult for them.
Once they reached the main road, everyone finally saw the true devastation wrought by the flood. It looked like a living hell.
The ground was covered with filth and corpses. Some were human, others belonged to animals, and under the scorching sunlight they gave off strange, foul odors.
Fortunately, Fengzhou had made thorough preparations. Everyone was wearing a mask, which at least kept some of the stench at bay.
No one knew how long they traveled before the outlines of a village gradually appeared in the distance. Yet it was already a scene of utter ruin. Houses had collapsed, trees leaned at crooked angles, and filth covered the ground.
Faced with such devastation, everyone’s mood grew heavy.
Ye Cang carried his niece on his back, his steps unsteady. Behind him came his elderly mother, along with his elder brother and sister-in-law. The family followed the stream of people toward the sea.
The flood had destroyed his home. Nothing remained—not even his father, who had been swept away by the water.
After the rain stopped, they had no choice but to follow the surviving villagers to Bilan County, hoping they might find some way to stay alive.
They had reached the county seat two days ago, only to discover that the authorities had made no effort to provide relief.
Not only had the officials refused to open the gates, they had even ordered the soldiers to shoot whenever civilians approached the city walls.
They had waited for two days and gone hungry for two days, unable to see any hope at all. They could not wait any longer. If they stayed, they would starve to death.
They had heard that they might be able to find fish and shrimp by the sea, enough to fill their stomachs. So, under the village headman’s leadership, the villagers had decided to go to the shore and take their chances.
But Ye Cang felt he might not make it that far. The figures before his eyes swayed, and when his foot stepped on something, he pitched forward.
Beside his ear came the faint, catlike wail of a child. The tip of his nose was filled with the stench of earth mixed with the rank odor of corpses.
He struggled to push himself up and saw that he had fallen over the body of a child. The corpse was already decomposing, yellow fluid leaking from it, while flies covered its surface.
He had seen far too many bodies like this in the past few days. He was already numb to them.
The only thought that crossed his mind was that perhaps, in another two days, he would become a corpse just like this one.
His mother was about to go help him up when a cry of surprise rang out from the procession. She lifted her head and looked over.
In the distance, a long procession was slowly making its way toward them, stretching so far that its end could not be seen.
The people at the front were on horseback, while everyone else pushed handcarts. Sack after sack of bulging burlap was tied to the carts. They looked like sacks of grain.
“What—what kind of people are they?” the village headman asked, his eyes widening.
Unfortunately, no one in the village could read, so they could not make out the words on the flags.
But a display this grand could only mean one of two things: they were either government officials or members of some wealthy, powerful family.
“Could someone have come to save us? Is it the government?” someone asked excitedly.
The village headman’s eyes filled with hope, though he still found it hard to believe.
If the government or the powerful families had intended to save them, they would have done so long ago. Why wait until now?
“Go… go ask them,” he said at last, unwilling to give up without trying. He staggered forward, and his eldest son quickly moved to support him.
The others followed behind him. Hunger had robbed them of nearly all their strength, but now that hope had appeared, they somehow felt they could keep going a little longer.
Ye Cang likewise found a sudden burst of strength. After getting back to his feet, he pulled his fallen niece up and hurried after the procession.
When he saw the several hundred refugees ahead, Xie Nanxiao slowed down. They were the first living civilians his group had encountered.
Before he could say anything, the refugees at the front dropped to their knees in the middle of the road.
“Sir! Sir, please save us!”
Xie Nanxiao frowned. “Get up and speak.”
The village headman’s lips trembled. Though he was afraid of being disappointed yet again, the stern look on the other man’s face made him afraid to disobey. With his eldest son’s help, he shakily rose to his feet.
“Are you refugees from Bilan County? Where are you headed?” Xie Nanxiao asked, his expression softening.
The village headman nodded. “Yes. I’m a villager from Ye Family Village in Bilan County. The county seat… the county seat won’t open its gates, and there hasn’t been any…”
He suddenly dared not continue. If these men were also government officials, one wrong word could get them all killed on the spot.
Xie Nanxiao immediately understood what he meant. He swept his gaze over the refugees and spoke in a clear voice.
“We serve under Princess Jinyang of Fengzhou. Hearing that Sizhou has suffered a devastating flood, Her Highness, in her mercy, has specially sent us here to provide disaster relief.”
