By the river ten miles outside Suining City, Shi Simian said with a look of helplessness, "The Yongning River is a branch of the Suiyu River. Its flow is already small. After the waterwheels were built, it can barely supply the surrounding fields during the dry season, but it's simply not enough for areas further away."
"The wasteland reclaimed by the government office is ten miles away from here. The frequent water carrying recently has caused complaints among the common people. I'm afraid that when the dry season comes, there won't be any water left to draw."
The stones at the bottom of the river were clearly visible. The water was indeed clear, but it was also undeniably shallow.
Song Jinzhao looked around. Not far away, some commoners were watching them, their faces filled with fear and worry.
When the dry season truly arrived, the government certainly could not fight with the people over water.
Looking out at the laborers drawing and carrying water from the end of the main canal, their steps were heavy and slow, clearly showing that their physical strength was failing them.
They had to think of another way.
Song Jinzhao confirmed with Shi Simian, "There are water wells in the government office, as well as in the inner and outer cities. Why not dig a well here to get water?"
She hadn't seen a single water well since leaving the city. If they weren't digging any, there had to be a reason.
Shi Simian nodded, his chin dropping to his chest as if it weighed a thousand pounds.
"County Princess, you might not know this, but the soil layer in many parts of Suining Prefecture is very shallow. The rocks beneath the soil are like mountains, impossible to drill through."
"Suining Prefecture and the other four counties are located in low-lying areas with relatively deep soil layers. Furthermore, groundwater flows down through the crevices of the rocks to these lower places, which is why we can draw water there. Take Suining City for example: from the inner city to the outer city, the water table goes from deep to shallow. Once you pass the outer city wall, any well you dig will be a dry well, completely unable to store water."
Returning to the fields being reclaimed, Song Jinzhao said to Shi Simian, "Go ahead with your work first. I'll just look around."
Shi Simian smiled and called over Liu Hucheng. "Constable Liu and his ancestors for seven generations have been locals of Suining. County Princess, if you have any questions, feel free to ask him."
Song Jinzhao walked along the edge of the wasteland being cleared and noticed that the soil to the west was relatively softer and appeared to be more fertile.
She straightened her back, observed her surroundings, and pointed to the wasteland in the west, asking Liu Hucheng, "Is that area going to be reclaimed as well?"
Liu Hucheng stood on his tiptoes to look into the distance, then reached out and pointed to a spot far away.
"Yes, it will be, all the way to the Old Dry Trench over there."
Song Jinzhao's eyebrows rose slightly. "Is the Old Dry Trench a canal that has already dried up?"
Liu Hucheng replied, "It's a dried-up riverbed. However, it has been dry for many years, and now it's as shallow as a trench."
Her interest piqued, Song Jinzhao stepped toward the direction Liu Hucheng was pointing.
It was indeed a trench, quite shallow, perhaps only a few meters deep.
"When did it dry up?"
Liu Hucheng scratched his head and said, "It was already dry when this humble one was born. I don't know exactly when it happened."
Song Jinzhao gazed at the dried-up trench, falling into deep thought.
The soil near a water source was usually better, but the soil here was only slightly better than elsewhere. This indicated that an exceptionally long time had passed—at least a century.
The Yongning River had water, yet this river had dried up. There had to be a problem with the water source upstream.
She picked up her binoculars and looked upstream along the riverbed, faintly able to see a cluster of towering mountains in the far distance.
Seeing Song Jinzhao cover her eyes with two long tubes, Liu Hucheng felt somewhat confused.
He narrowed his eyes and came up with an explanation for himself.
He figured the sunlight was too glaring, so she had to cover her eyes, or else she wouldn't be able to see.
Putting down the binoculars, Song Jinzhao asked Liu Hucheng, "How far are the mountains ahead from here?"
Liu Hucheng took a look and answered, "That is Suiyu Mountain. It's about three hundred miles from here."
Song Jinzhao asked in return, "Is the Suiyu River over there?"
Liu Hucheng nodded slightly. "All the rivers inside Suiyu Mountain are called the Suiyu River. Most of the water in the waterways of Suining City flows down from the Suiyu River, and the same goes for the streams."
