In a chaotic world of infrastructure development, a woman's path to survival after being reborn

The crisis was successfully resolved, and Su Li and the others who had been staying quietly on the floor were overjoyed to hear the news. They couldn't wait to witness the scene unfold, but they knew they shouldn't cause trouble, so after the crisis was over, they simply continued working and didn't join in the fun.

The water level has now submerged the seventh floor, so the main standoff was on the eighth floor of the Star Gazing Tower. Generals Zhao Zexuan and others were interrogating the bandits who hadn't been swept away by the flood on the eighth floor, including the leader from earlier and the displaced man Wu Jun who had sown discord.

The most important people are all here, so it doesn't matter whether the other bandits are here or not.

Looking at the dejected and listless bandit leader, Zhao Zexuan sneered, "Why did you stop cursing? Weren't you cursing quite enthusiastically just now!"

The bandit leader still couldn't believe he had been defeated so easily. He had never lost before. Thinking of Wu Jun, who had instigated him to come, the bandit leader's face turned ugly. Just then, Wu Jun was in front of him, and in his anger, he struggled to kill Wu Jun.

Originally intending to take revenge, Wu Jun not only failed to do so but was also captured. He was filled with regret. When he saw the bandits about to kill him, he trembled with fear. If his mouth hadn't been gagged, he probably would have screamed.

Zhao Zexuan watched their actions, not in a hurry to ask questions. He ordered the soldiers to remove the gags from their mouths, wanting to see how the two would fight like dogs.

The two men whose strips of cloth were removed also screamed, but one screamed in anger and the other screamed in fear. The bandits wanted to kill Wu Jun, but Wu Jun desperately begged them for mercy.

Without much time to waste, after enjoying the dog-eat-dog drama between the two, Zhao Zexuan snorted and said, "If you continue to make such a racket, I don't mind throwing you down to wake you up."

Upon hearing this, the two who were struggling immediately stopped, their expressions becoming listless, looking utterly innocent.

Just as arrogant they were a moment ago, they were now in a sorry state. Undeterred by their appearance, Zhao Zexuan immediately had Wu Jun's mouth gagged, then turned to the bandit leader and asked, "Where did all this grain on the ship come from?"

Upon hearing this, the bandit leader hurriedly said, "That grain has nothing to do with me; that bastard took it all out."

Hearing this, Zhao Zexuan looked at the amount of grain that had been retrieved, somewhat disbelieving, and squinted his eyes to ask again, "To be honest, did he take out this grain?"

Upon hearing Zhao Zexuan's question, the bandit leader looked somewhat uneasy and stammered for a long time without speaking.

Seeing this, Zhao Zexuan lost patience and ordered someone to gag the bandit leader. He then turned to the refugee Wu Jun and said, "You heard what was said just now, so you're the one who brought out all this grain?"

The gag in Wu Jun's mouth was pulled off, and he quickly denied it, saying, "I didn't take out all of this grain. I only took out a small portion. These people already had a lot of grain before."

Zhao Zexuan knew Wu Jun's identity and also understood that a group of newly formed refugees wouldn't have much food hoarded, so Wu Jun's words were somewhat credible.

The truth or falsehood in their words could be discerned, but it would take time. Looking at the boats tied to the windows and drifting with the flood, Zhao Zexuan remembered the interruption he had just experienced. He lost his patience and gave Wang Zong a look. Wang Zong then led his soldiers to take the people aside for questioning.

The specific results will be known soon. Zhao Zexuan is not in a hurry at this time. Instead, he led a group of generals to the window, looked at the drifting boats, and said, "Generals, what do you think about taking the boats to travel before the flood recedes?"

Upon hearing this, the generals exchanged incredulous glances, looking at the ship swaying from side to side with some uncertainty.

Some people thought the idea was good, but others thought it was unreliable. The general who thought it was unreliable retorted: "General, this is not feasible. Putting aside whether we have enough ships, the dangers involved are unpredictable. If an accident occurs on the water, we may not be able to cope."

"Yes, General, and we're not sure we'll find the right direction, nor do we have enough soldiers to steer."

Zhao Zexuan had considered the generals' concerns, and it was precisely because of this consideration that he made the proposal. Faced with opposing voices, he asked, "Are you confident that you will be safe here?"

Upon hearing this, the generals who had just objected immediately fell silent, because they could not guarantee anything.

Seeing that no one spoke, Zhao Zexuan said in a deep voice, "I am well aware of the dangers in the water, but compared to these unknown risks, the shortage of food is the most pressing issue at present."

Everyone knows how deep the floodwaters are now. How long do you think it will take for the floodwaters to recede completely? Ten days to two weeks, perhaps?

The generals present naturally understood that the estimate that the flood would recede in ten days or half a month was too low; it could take as long as twenty days or a month. If they waited for the flood to recede, it would mean that they would have to bear the pressure of not having enough food.

After a rough calculation, it seems that no matter which choice you make, there is a risk, the only difference is whether the risk is immediate or long-term.

The generals were considering the risks of the two options, while Zhao Zexuan continued, "I understand everyone's concerns, but at present, we only have these two choices in front of us."

"If we don't have enough boats, we can build them ourselves. With so many civilians and soldiers, I don't believe we can't find a skilled craftsman. If they don't know how to steer, they can learn. I don't believe that they won't learn even after being taught a hundred or a thousand times. If they can't tell which way to go, that's okay. Just row downstream with the flood. The general direction is the same anyway."

……

Zhao Zexuan said many things like this, wanting to convey a principle to his generals: now was not the time to make choices, but a time when they were forced to choose.

Upon hearing Zhao Zexuan's statement, the generals present fell silent, unsure of what to say, given the current situation.

Just as everyone was silent, Wang Zong returned with the confessions of the bandit leader and Wu Jun, and told everyone some very bad news.

"So, the capital city has also been flooded?" a military advisor asked incredulously.

Wang Zong nodded and said, "That's what they said. They also said that there are many others like them who have come out to escape the famine."

Hearing this, Zhao Zexuan was not surprised, but asked, "Did they explain what happened to the extra grain?"

At this point, Wang Zong glanced at the surrounding generals and then said, "They were stolen!"