However, the two emperors clearly did not appreciate Zhao Jiaqi's good intentions.
This was a great opportunity to learn, and how could they possibly miss it? Both of them refused her kind offer.
Baili Kain waved his hand, saying, "It's fine. If you, a woman, are not afraid, we are all grown men, how could we be afraid of such a small matter?"
Helian Zhicheng finally agreed with his words, nodding in concurrence, "Indeed. Your Highness, please rest assured, we two will not run around. Perhaps we can even offer you some useful suggestions."
Thank you, gentlemen. As long as you don't cause her any trouble, the suggestions can be omitted.
These two were very stubborn. Zhao Jiaqi tried to persuade them a few times, but it was almost useless. In the end, she simply let them be.
If they wanted to watch to their heart's content, as long as they weren't worried about their own safety, Zhao Jiaqi was too lazy to bother.
Thus, what was originally a party of two, with the addition of these two, the special forces commander was forced to call for a squad of special forces soldiers to follow.
The first purpose was to protect the Princess Consort, the second was to protect the two of them, and the third was in case of important matters, they could send someone out to deliver messages.
The group traveled by carriage. As they reached the low-lying areas, the water was already below their knees, much deeper than in the higher ground.
Zhao Jiaqi found the village chief's house. After making inquiries, she learned that this was the only village in the area, and it was a large one, with a population of nearly a thousand people, including the old and young.
Zhao Jiaqi heard this and thought, "Well, this is quite a large village."
But seeing the water level still rising, if they continued to live here, they would surely suffer. So, she immediately decided to have them evacuate at once.
"Village Chief, quickly inform the villagers to evacuate immediately and go to a village on higher ground. I will send people to accompany you. Don't take anything from your homes, your lives are more important, understand?"
The old village chief understood this logic, but he did not dare to guarantee it. He could only say that he would try his best to do as the Princess Consort said.
The village chief relayed the Princess Consort's words. However, when the villagers appeared, they were all carrying cloth bags. Zhao Jiaqi couldn't see what was inside.
But for people fleeing for their lives, the things they carried were likely valuable, either silver, food, or essential clothing. Besides these, Zhao Jiaqi found it hard to imagine what else they could be carrying.
To her surprise, some people even carried their family's pots with them, leaving her dumbfounded.
The village chief's mouth twitched when he saw this. They said they were going to stay at someone else's house, so why were they bringing the pots? Were they planning to divide the household?
The Princess Consort said nothing, and the village chief did not want to look for trouble. He simply arranged for the villagers to retreat in an orderly fashion, following the people sent by the Princess Consort to find a large village on higher ground.
The rain was still falling, and Zhao Jiaqi's clothes were soaked, but she had no intention of returning to the manor.
She left the village, got into the carriage, and asked the special forces commander to take her to the nearest riverbank to inspect.
Seeing the situation, the special forces commander thought that if the village was like this, the water in the riverbank must be rising even more fiercely. He hesitated, "Your Highness, why don't I go and take a look and report back to you?"
"I want to see it myself. You just lead the way."
The special forces commander said nothing more and hurried the carriage towards the nearest riverbank. In the carriage behind, Helian Zhicheng and Baili Kain exchanged glances.
Baili Kain said, "This Princess Consort is truly stubborn. She goes to dangerous places like the riverbank just like that and doesn't listen to advice."
"The Princess Consort loves her people as her children and cares deeply for the people and the region. To achieve this level is truly not easy. If we could do as she does, it would be quite commendable."
Helian Zhicheng still gave Zhao Jiaqi a very high evaluation.
Baili Kain felt uncomfortable hearing this, but he had to admit that this Princess Consort was capable.
The carriage traveled for half an hour before finally reaching the riverbank. The water had risen considerably. According to the benchmark, it had risen by more than two meters.
Zhao Jiaqi was startled by this. It had only rained for two days, and the river had swollen so much. If she had come two days later, the situation here would have been truly dangerous.
The immediate priority was to speed up the drainage.
Zhao Jiaqi turned and instructed the special forces commander beside her to quickly have people open the sluice gates for drainage.
Her words sounded rather strange to the ears of the other two emperors. Open the sluice gates? To let out river water?
The two were momentarily bewildered, but seeing the guards' serious demeanor, it seemed they were not joking.
Helian Zhicheng, not understanding, asked, "What do you mean by 'open the sluice gates'?"
Zhao Jiaqi explained to them, "Once these sluice gates are opened, the river water will flow away. When the water level here returns to a safe range, these gates will be closed, and the river water will no longer flow out."
Everyone thought this was a good thing. They were all eager to witness the grand spectacle of opening the sluice gates. However, when they heard that the sluice gates were in Deming Prefecture, Helian Zhicheng suddenly understood.
Many years ago, Deming Prefecture had built something by the river, like an iron gate, chained and blocking the passage between the river and the Yangtze River. Was that thing the so-called sluice gate?
A seed was planted in his heart, and it began to sprout.
Helian Zhicheng insisted on going to see it. Zhao Jiaqi did not object. If they wanted to see, they could. The thing was there for all to see; she could not hide it.
"Emperor of Dingbei Liao, opening the sluice gates to release water is quite dangerous. If you wish to go, please be careful."
He waved his hand at Zhao Jiaqi, appearing nonchalant. If she, a woman, was not afraid of death, would he, a grown man, be afraid of such things?
It would be too embarrassing to spread such a story, so he firmly stated, "Your Highness, please rest assured, I am responsible for my own life. If any accident were to happen, it would absolutely have nothing to do with the inner city."
Since he had said that, she had nothing more to say.
"Very well. When the special forces commander sends people later, they will take you along. You can return after you have seen it."
Although Kain did not quite understand what opening the sluice gates entailed, he was observant. Seeing Helian Zhicheng's solemn expression, he felt that there was something hidden and unspoken here.
He decided to go along to see it for himself, and perhaps, to probe Dingbei Liao's intentions. If nothing was amiss, it would be for the best. If something was indeed wrong, then he would have struck gold.
They set off for Deming Prefecture to witness the opening of the sluice gates. As they were leaving, the two of them discovered that Zhao Jiaqi was not going, which confused them greatly.
However, since they had already spoken, they had no choice but to go.
Standing by the riverbank, looking at the iron gate-like structure, they whispered to each other. When a group of people pulled on the chains, the iron gate slowly rose. The river water surged outward with great force, splashing high, a magnificent and astounding sight.
The river water rushed forward in waves. The higher the gate rose, the more water flowed out. However, after this water mixed with the Yangtze River, the water level on the Yangtze River's surface did not rise at all. This was another discovery.
As time passed, after several hours of the sluice gates being open, they were slowly lowered, and everything returned to normal.
On the way back, Helian Zhicheng suddenly asked Baili Kain beside him, "If the river water level rises and can be released, then if the river is lacking water, can opening the gates also fill the river?"
Hearing this, Baili Kain also realized the problem, "Yes. If the river is connected to irrigation canals, then if the fields lack water, can opening the sluice gates there send water to the fields?"
Their heads came together, and as they discussed it, a model began to form.
As the two of them thought of this, their eyes suddenly filled with brilliance, indicating that this trip had yielded some results.
The gains were indeed immense. If it was truly as they imagined, as soon as they returned to their own territories, they would definitely emulate it.