Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 30 Unexpected disaster
In the southern suburbs of Luoyang and northwest of the Yi River, there is a large dike located on the plateau, which cuts off a river flowing from the Xiyuan.

Upstream of the dike, the river's water level continued to rise, overflowing from both sides due to the impassable flow. Downstream of the dike, the river had dried up due to a prolonged drought and the obstruction of upstream water flow. The farmland on both sides was covered in cracks, and any crops that did grow were languishing and lifeless.

"Let the water go, let the water go!"

On both sides of the dike downstream stood many villagers and farmers, waving their farm tools and shouting indignantly.

Hundreds of strong slaves holding sticks stood on the top of the dike. They turned a deaf ear to the angry roars of the farmers below, and some even deliberately imitated the villagers' angry looks for fun.

Zhou Liang, dressed in official uniform, slowly climbed the embankment and shouted to the leader of these powerful slaves, "This embankment was hastily rammed and blocked, and the workmanship was poor to begin with. With too much water stored upstream, the dam has begun to leak. If we don't open it up to divert the water, it will probably collapse soon. Furthermore, the dam is too tightly blocked here, and the water in the upstream canal has already overflowed. Any rain will inevitably cause a disaster. Lu Qutou, you must not delay any longer. The best plan is to release the water as soon as possible!"

"Haha! Mr. Zhou, are you kidding me? Or do you think I'm as easy to bully as those fools down there?"

Upon hearing this, the canal headman sent by the powerful clan burst into laughter and pointed at Zhou Liang, mocking him, "One moment you're talking about the dam collapsing, and the next moment you're talking about rain. Are you some star god who controls wind and rain?"

If that's the case, why not summon some rain to soothe the thirsty villagers and stop them from gathering here to make a scene? Those villagers don't know, but don't you know whose farms are on either side of this canal? If you want to put an end to this, quickly drive away the villagers gathered below and stop talking nonsense about releasing water.

"You thief! Heaven provides everything for mankind. How could you, a scoundrel, take it all and enrich a few families? I'm telling you this with all my heart. If this really causes a flood, I'll make sure you die without a burial place!"

Zhou Liang had been discussing the dike issue for several days, but the other party simply refused to comply. Even with orders from the Henan government, they still gathered their servants to protect the dam. Not only was there a problem of water shortage for the downstream farmland, but the danger of flooding upstream was also accumulating. Hearing the other party's continued stubbornness, Zhou Liang couldn't help but burst into curses.

Upon hearing this, the canal manager was furious and immediately ordered, "Drive this bastard official out, and chase those unruly people away! Let's see who dares to clamor for the water to be released!"

Several slaves immediately rushed forward waving sticks, and Zhou Liang was forced to retreat repeatedly.

The villagers gathered below had hoped that the Henan officials would support them and release water to irrigate their fields. However, when they saw that these powerful slaves were so arrogant that they didn't even take the Henan officials seriously, they were filled with grief and anger, and even a bit of despair.

"These thieves won't release the water, and the government isn't doing anything. Let's dig it ourselves! Dig through this dam!"

Suddenly, someone in the crowd shouted loudly. Upon hearing this, the other villagers became furious and raised their farm tools to dig at the embankment.

"Stop, stop, you troublemakers!"

When the canal head saw this scene, his face suddenly changed and he stamped his feet and roared.

Zhou Liang was also shocked when he saw this. The height difference between the inside and outside of the dam was more than two meters. If it suddenly broke, it would inevitably cause a torrent of water. So he quickly waved his hands and shouted to stop it. However, this only caused the villagers below to misunderstand him. They thought he was colluding with those powerful slaves to stop them, so they dug even harder.

Boom!

The dam was not very solid to begin with, and had been under huge water pressure for many days. It was now being violently dug from below, and soon a corner of it collapsed. Seeing this, the slaves on the dam fled to both sides of the river.

"Run away, run away!"

Zhou Liang saw the dam shaking violently under his feet, and his face changed drastically. He ran down while waving his hands to warn. However, before he could escape from the dam, the dam completely collapsed under the impact of the leaking water, and Zhou Liang was directly drowned in the flood.

“Help, help…”

Without the dam to block it, the river water accumulated upstream suddenly rushed into the dry riverbed below like a wild horse. Most of the villagers who gathered in front of the dam and tried to dig hard were unable to escape and were swept into the flood in an instant!

"Where is the envoy? Envoy, something has happened, it's terrible... The river outside Luonan West Garden burst its banks, hundreds of people drowned on the spot, Zhou Lushi and Zhou Lushi also died on the spot..."

The official who had brought the news rushed back to the Henan government office to report the incident. Upon hearing the news, the officials were immediately shocked and in an uproar. The newly appointed Henan prefect, Zhang Jingzhong, was even more distraught. He summoned the official to the hall and demanded, "How could this be? Wasn't Mr. Zhou here to quell a dispute among the villagers? How did he encounter a canal bursting its banks?"

The messenger quickly recounted the events of the incident, and everyone in the hall had different expressions upon hearing it. Most looked worried, while a few secretly felt relieved that the incident hadn't happened to them.

Henan Yin Zhang Jingzhong's face turned particularly grim. He glanced around at everyone and said in a deep voice, "Now that things have come to this, how can we remedy the situation? What are your plans?" "Recruiter Zhou was clearly ordered to quell the villagers' dispute, but he allowed them to forcibly dig the dam, causing this disaster. His crime is truly unforgivable!"

Suddenly, someone spoke loudly, causing the atmosphere in the hall to freeze. A moment later, others began to echo: "That's right, Zhou Liang is incompetent and has committed a serious crime. He cannot be forgiven lightly!"

Zhou Liang was a diligent and serious person. Although he was annoying at times, he did not have many conflicts with his colleagues.

However, floods have hit Luonan repeatedly since this spring, and many people have been killed or injured. If the court investigates, all the officials in Henan Prefecture will probably be punished. Zhou Liang happened to be there, and now he has drowned, making him an ideal candidate to bear the blame.

"Our most urgent task is to rescue the distressed villagers and prevent the flood from spreading further. Those in the prefecture who do not have any urgent responsibilities should immediately follow me to Luonan! Shao Yin will report to the Imperial City and inform us that the Henan Prefecture is responding to the emergency. Once the flood is contained, I will then submit my apology!"

After a moment's hesitation, the prefect Zhang Jingzhong spoke in a deep voice. He paused and added, "Send another team of officials to temporarily detain Mr. Zhou's family. Once the flooding is over, we'll judge their crimes in detail!"

So under the order of the prefect, all the officials in Henan Prefecture quickly took action. Most of them followed the prefect to the place where the flood occurred in Luonan, and another team of prefectural officials went to Gande Township in the southeast of Luoyang.

In the Zhou family courtyard, Mrs. Zhou had been feeling frightened and restless since this morning. She thought it was because her illness had worsened, and she couldn't help but feel sorry for herself, thinking that she had become a heavy burden to her husband and son.

"Madam Zhou, Madam Zhou, are you at home? There's a group of soldiers coming towards your house from outside the village, and they look hostile!"

Suddenly, the voice of a familiar woman in the village called out in the yard. Mrs. Zhou's face changed drastically when she heard it. She quickly walked out and said to the woman, "Thank you, Madam Liu, for bringing the news. My son is still working behind the village. Please tell him not to come home for the time being!"

After the woman left, Madam Zhou returned to her room and pulled out the list of wealthy families who had encroached on her land from the cabinet. She threw it into the brazier and set it on fire. Also in the cabinet were some visiting cards and letters from envoys from other states asking her husband to introduce them to Master Zhang. Madam Zhou thought for a moment and threw those into the brazier as well.

"Zhou Liang's family is here... What are you burning?"

There was a shout outside the door. After entering the room, he saw Madam Zhou guarding the brazier with billowing smoke, and immediately pointed at her and asked in a hurry.

"I am seriously ill and am fumigating my house for treatment. Are you my husband's colleagues? What are you doing here?"

Mrs. Zhou saw that among the officials who rushed into the room, there were a few people she knew. She tried to remain calm and looked at them and asked.

When the officials who were familiar with Zhou Liang heard this question, they all avoided Madam Zhou's sight in shame, but some glared and shouted angrily, "Zhou Liang has caused trouble and committed a serious crime! He died in Luonan, but his crimes are still unforgivable. The magistrate has ordered us to arrest him at his home..."

"What? How could my husband…how could he…"

Mrs. Zhou had been weak due to a long-term illness. Although she had a bad premonition in her heart, after hearing the bad news, she was so angry that she fainted.

"Zhou Liang has another son. Search for him hiding there and don't let him escape!"

Seeing Madam Zhou faint, two people stepped forward to help her out and shouted a warning, but this quickly aroused the dissatisfaction of others: "Are they really going to kill this whole family? The superiors don't care about right and wrong and arrest people to take the blame. We, the lower officials, have no official titles or future prospects to guarantee, so why do we have to commit such evil?"

At this moment, the official in charge of searching the room suddenly cried out in surprise. The official leading the team hurried into the room and looked in the direction of the sound. They saw two baskets taken out from under Zhou Liang's bed, and the baskets were full of valuable light goods.

"This Zhou Lushi is really not an ordinary person! How come his family has so many treasures?"

The official frowned upon seeing this and hurriedly had the boxes sealed. He then summoned several officials who were familiar with Zhou Liang and asked in a deep voice, "Do you know if Mr. Zhou has any relatives or friends with unusual backgrounds?"

After hearing this, several people shook their heads. If Zhou Liang really had some relatives or friends to support him, he would not have been serving as a lowly official in the government for so many years without any promotion.

After seeing this, the official did not ask any more questions. He just asked someone to move the two full baskets of light goods onto a cart and transport them back to the government office. He would wait until the magistrate finished dealing with the flood in Luonan and returned to the government office before interrogating Zhou Liang's wife in detail. At the same time, he sent government officials to inform the nearby neighbors not to wander around at will and to stay at home until they were summoned by the government office.

Zhou Lang, who fled the village upon hearing the news, hid in the woods outside the village. He watched his mother and household belongings being taken away by a car, tears streaming down his face. He didn't dare to go closer to ask, so he could only grit his teeth and run towards Luonan.

(End of this chapter)