NOVEL NEXT
Chapter 113
"Beep! Beep! Beep!"
"Alert! Ancient flood disaster approaching!"
At 2 AM.
The system suddenly emitted a sharp alarm, startling Gu Sang awake from her deep slumber. She rolled over and then jolted upright, springing out of bed.
Gu Sang got up and turned on the light, her mind still foggy, but the words already tumbling out of her mouth: "System, what's happening?"
"Liujiang City is experiencing a flood!"
"Do you want to view it?"
The words "flood disaster" struck again, fully awakening Gu Sang.
"View it."
As soon as Gu Sang finished speaking, a massive screen appeared before her eyes.
Terrifying floodwaters mixed with tree branches and rocks surged from afar. In the blink of an eye, they had already crashed into the city with a thunderous roar.
The villagers who hadn't managed to escape from the city yet were calling out to each other in panic, clutching their children and fleeing to higher ground with their belongings.
But before they could get far, the rolling floodwaters had already scattered them.
Houses collapsed!
The flood, carrying rocks, washed over the entire city in a bloody torrent!
The people were like fish on the brink of death, desperately crying out in their final moments. Their struggles and will to survive gripped Gu Sang's heart tightly, making even breathing difficult.
"Waa... Father! Father! Ah!"
"Heavens above, save us, we can't go on living!"
"Could the strange omen that suddenly appeared at the city gate a few days ago have been a sign of this natural disaster? Is the Divine Lady punishing us?"
"Divine Lady, we know we were wrong. We shouldn't have doubted you then. Please be merciful and forgive us, let the floodwaters recede quickly."
"My house! My house!!"
Those who knew they couldn't escape all crowded onto the city walls.
They knelt en masse, kowtowing forcefully towards the direction of the live broadcast projection.
Even when their foreheads bled from the repeated bowing, they didn't stop.
As if unaware of the pain, they kept banging their heads against the wall, one after another.
Suddenly, someone cried out in sheer terror: "What do we do? What do we do? The flood is about to wash over us, and the city walls can't hold much longer!"
"Divine Lady, please show yourself and save us!"
"Our homes are gone, waa..."
"Beep—"
The split screen before her eyes went dark, and the viewing ended.
Gu Sang's mood was extremely heavy.
It was currently the rainy season, and this flood had come so quickly and violently that it likely wouldn't dissipate in a short time!
Moreover, there were no drainage systems in ancient times, and Liujiang City was situated at the lowest point, where all the water from the surrounding areas would flow.
Gu Sang asked in a calm voice: "How long will this flood last?"
"According to the data, it will last about fifteen days, and on the tenth day, the flood will reach its peak. At that time, the mountain torrents will backflow, and the entire city will be submerged."
Hearing this, Gu Sang's heart sank completely.
Even in modern times, there had been several large-scale flash floods.
Even with modern technology, it was impossible to avoid the damage caused by floods. Natural disasters were terrifyingly powerful, far beyond what human strength could easily resist!
But in ancient times, with limited communication...
They couldn't even call for help.
By the time the imperial court learned of this incident, ten days to half a month would have passed.
By then, corpses would be floating on the water's surface.
Those who starved to death, drowned, died from disease, or exhaustion: too many to count!
In the future, there would be various instruments to predict life signs, rescue boats, and all kinds of supplies that could be airdropped, greatly ensuring everyone's safety and survival.
Gu Sang had previously seen news of a major flood in a certain area where a man squatted on his house's wall picking fruit while waiting for national rescue. The wall beneath his feet had long been submerged by floodwaters, but he remained calm, eating fruit.
That was because he knew the country wouldn't abandon anyone!
The country would come to save him!
But when faced with such disasters in ancient times, people could only flee to higher ground with their families, enduring day after day of hopeless waiting.
Until finally, their food ran out, and they had nothing left to eat or drink...
"System, help me connect with Pei Weiqi."
"Right away."
Gu Sang thought to herself, there were still ten days!
Ten days should be enough!
As long as Pei Weiqi could relocate everyone within ten days, they could avoid the massive mountain flood that would come after.
Now, she just hoped the civilians had brought enough food to last a few more days.
"Deducting five merit points, do you want to connect?"
"Yes, quickly deduct them."
The next second, the Elder Princess's face appeared on the screen.
The Elder Princess was sitting behind a desk with official documents in front of her. It seemed she was still dealing with city affairs, her expression revealing exhaustion and weariness.
The Elder Princess looked up: "What's so urgent that you need to find me?"
Gu Sang: "How far is Liujiang City from where you are? Can you reach Liujiang City within seven days?"
The Elder Princess had originally wanted to discuss the women's guard unit with Gu Sang and inform her that recruitment wasn't going well.
But seeing Gu Sang's expression, a sense of unease welled up in the Elder Princess's heart.
She pondered for a moment, then said: "Traveling light or day and night, I could arrive in five days."
Gu Sang nodded: "Weiqi, Liujiang City has been hit by a flood. On the tenth day, there will be a particularly severe mountain flood, so you need to relocate the villagers within ten days."
"Five days for the journey, three days for rescue, and the remaining two days to arrange the relocation."
"To prevent unforeseen circumstances or emergencies, you must evacuate Liujiang City by the ninth day."
"Moreover, time is of the essence. The civilians fled in a hurry and probably didn't bring much food. They can likely only sustain themselves for a few days of rescue time. If it's too late, they'll starve to death if they don't drown."
The Elder Princess's expression changed drastically.
But she still maintained her composure, her mind beginning to analyze rescue methods.
A minute later.
The Elder Princess's eyes revealed a hint of pain and helplessness as she shook her head at Gu Sang: "Seeing how urgent you are, you must have witnessed the flood in Liujiang City."
"I have no problem going to rescue people, but with such a massive flood, even if my soldiers could arrive there early, they would already be exhausted."
"They would need at least a day to recover, leaving only three days at most for the rescue operation."
"Even if we use boats for the rescue, I can't find that many small boats in such a short time, and we'd still need to transport them there. There's not enough time for all of this." Rescuing people from water was incredibly difficult!
And this wasn't just one or two civilians, but an entire city's worth of people.
Even if the soldiers could save people, their bodies couldn't withstand continuously going back and forth to rescue people. This wasn't the modern era; this was the ancient world where they could only travel on foot!
Before the call, Gu Sang had already considered this point.
She immediately said to the Elder Princess, "I already have a preliminary rescue plan. In the future, there's something called a lifeboat!"
"Weiqi, first arrange the rescue personnel."
"By tomorrow, I'll give you simple instructions on how to make lifeboats. For any special materials that don't exist in ancient times, I'll search to see if we can substitute them with other materials."
"Also, I'll have a list ready for you by tomorrow with all the supplies, methods, and medicines needed for the rescue operation."