Wen Huaiming had just left the building and was about to get in the car to Shishan Town. Tang Ye, wearing a set of camouflage uniforms that he had gotten from nowhere, hurried out of the building, blocked the car door, and said, "Longtougou Reservoir is dangerous, right? I'm going too!"
Wen Huaiming frowned and said, "Director Tang, the situation at the reservoir is unclear and there may be great danger. It is not appropriate for you to go with them. Rest in the county for one night. I will arrange for you to go for an on-site interview tomorrow."
Tang Ye didn't know why, but when he heard that Wen Huaiming was going to the rescue front in person, his heart kept pounding. An ominous premonition filled his mind. He grabbed the car door tightly and begged, "Please let me go, I will definitely not cause any trouble for you!"
"You're just playing the piano!" Wen Huaiming shouted angrily, "Tang Ye, let go!"
Wen Huaiming's authority is growing day by day, and he is a serious person. When he gets angry, everyone is afraid of him. But Tang Ye didn't have the slightest fear or uneasiness. He stared into his eyes, his handsome face without any emotion, and said, "I must go! Secretary Wen, disaster relief is your responsibility, but news reporting is also my responsibility... If you don't take me with you, I will go by myself, and you have no right to interfere with any of my actions in Yishan!"
Wen Huaiming was furious, but he had no way to deal with this woman. It would be better to take her along than to let her go alone, at least there would be someone to take care of her. He snorted coldly and got into the car. Tang Ye took a deep breath, a confused look flashed in her eyes. She didn't know if she would come back safely, nor did she know if she would regret her impulse the next moment, but she knew that if she just watched Wen Huaiming go alone, her heart would keep beating like it did just now!
As we all know, the Huaihe River Basin is divided into two major water systems, the Huaihe River and the Yishu River, with the abandoned Yellow River as the boundary. Because the Yellow River is sandy and silted, it changes unpredictably and changes its course frequently. It has also "taken the Huaihe River into the sea" and frequently disrupted the Huaihe River waterway system. Especially in modern times, after the Huayuankou was blasted open and the Yellow River flood area was formed, the Huaihe River has experienced a situation of "heavy rain, big disasters, light rain, small disasters, and no rain, drought disasters", making it a high-risk area for drought and flood disasters.
Jiangdong Province is mainly located in the Yishusi River system. The mighty Yi River and Shu River are about 20 kilometers apart. They flow southward in parallel like a pair of good friends, passing through Jiangdong, Suhai and other provinces and rushing into the Yellow Sea at Luoma Lake. There are many tributaries along the two rivers, the main ones being the Donghe River, Menghe River, Qingliu River, Baihe River, Gaoyu River and other larger rivers. The largest tributary, Qingliu River, is located in Shishan Town, Yishan County. Whenever heavy rains rage, the Qingliu River will surge and then ruthlessly destroy all the farmland and villages along the coast. Since the 1980s, it has been the focus of water conservancy construction and flood prevention and disaster relief in Yishan County.
Shishan Town is sandwiched between the Yi and Shu rivers, with the Qingliu River winding through it. It has four freshwater lakes under its jurisdiction, a 4-kilometer-long first-line flood control levee, a 7-kilometer-long inner lake levee, and seven large and small reservoirs. It involves a village for mountain torrent and geological disaster defense, with a population of more than 57,000. The largest Longtougou Reservoir in the town was built in 1981. The design standard has the ability to withstand a major flood that occurs once every 20 years. It is a magic weapon used by Shishan Town to curb the Qingliu River from ravaging the people along the river. After continuous repairs and reinforcements over the years, it has performed outstandingly in many flood disasters and has played a significant role. There is a folk song that goes, "Since Longtougou was built, there is no need to worry about wind and rain." But no one expected that in just one day, there would be a dangerous situation of levee collapse here.
On the way to Shishan Town, Wen Huaiming had already learned the basic situation from Yan Dan, director of the county party committee office, while Yang Dingjun, the county magistrate, who was at another rescue site, also hurried to Longtougou Reservoir. Wen and Yang met at the intersection entering the town. As good friends for many years, they did not bother to exchange pleasantries at this time. They flashed their lights twice and drove to the reservoir one after the other.
Longtougou Reservoir, as the name suggests, was built in Longtougou Village. Because the Qingliu River has a narrow riverbed in this section, with steep slopes and high cliffs on both sides, exposed rocks, and no obvious mountain movement or geological faults, it was decided to build a dam here in 1981 after much discussion. The three reasons are: one is to eliminate floods, two is to utilize water power, and three is to supply water to many places downstream.
Fortunately, in 1995, when there was no village-to-village road project, the road leading to Longtougou Reservoir was asphalt, and although it was raining heavily, vehicles could still pass through with difficulty. After about half an hour, the vehicle finally arrived at the entrance of the reservoir. Li Qiang, a senior party official in Shishan Town, was waiting by the side wearing a raincoat and holding an umbrella. Yang Dingjun introduced Wen Huaiming, and Li Qiang said ashamedly: "I am incompetent and have caused trouble for the leaders..."
The embankment was brightly lit and crowded with people. Countless people kept running back and forth, throwing sandbags under the embankment.
Wen Huaiming waved his hand, interrupting Li Qiang's self-examination, and strode towards Bashang. Li Qiang was startled, and hurriedly ran forward a few steps to block his way, holding the umbrella over his head, and said: "Secretary Wen, let's go to the office building first, and I will report the situation to you. Bashang is now..."
The implication was that the dam could collapse at any time, so it was better for the leaders not to take risks themselves. He winked at Yang Dingjun while speaking. Yang Dingjun knew Wen Huaiming's character and knew that Li Qiang had stirred up a hornet's nest, so he stood by and said nothing. Wen Huaiming was furious when he heard this. At this time, he was still trying to curry favor with his superiors. He waved his right hand and blew away the umbrella. Pointing at the dam not far away, he said sternly: "Secretary Li, my life is not as valuable as theirs. If you are afraid of death, go back to the office. County Magistrate Yang and I will command the scene!"
Li Qiang's face turned red, and he threw his raincoat to the ground, shouting, "If you are afraid of death, you are not a Communist Party member. Secretary-General Wen, County Magistrate Yang, even if I, Li Qiang, die today, I will die on the dam!"
Tang Ye, who was standing behind the three people, watched this scene. Even though she was used to seeing all kinds of people at the scene, she still felt moved from the bottom of her heart.
"Walk!"
Wen Huaiming stopped talking nonsense and walked forward on the muddy road, staggering but extremely determined.
There, the flood was raging!
As soon as he stepped onto the dam, Wen Huaiming knew that this trip was extremely dangerous. Under the illumination of the large searchlight, he could see the vast white river water mixed with branches, wood, stones and other debris rushing towards him, with the waves rolling up to more than ten meters high, as if a ferocious dragon was leaning down from the sky, mixed with a pressure and sense of coercion that was difficult for human power to resist, and it was going to destroy all obstacles in its way.
This was another flood peak that could decide life or death. The speed was measured at 750m/s. Everyone stopped at the same time, staring blankly at the approaching water. The dam was dead silent, with only the roar of the flood echoing in the deep sky and earth, one hundred meters, fifty meters, ten meters!
"Bang!"
It was like thousands of giant drums beating in his ears at the same time. Wen Huaiming felt the ground beneath his feet rotate 90 degrees. His ears became temporarily deaf. All he could see was the mist in front of him. For a moment, he could not see anything. After about ten seconds, or perhaps even longer, he heard a voice:
"Is it over? Is it over?"
"No, no, haha, I'm still alive!"
"Dad, Mom, what's going on? Ku can't be saved..."
"Retreat, everyone retreat!"
People looked at each other, with unconcealable fear in their eyes and faces. If just one person wavered and ran back at this moment, the whole line would immediately retreat. By then, not to mention the Longtougou Reservoir could not be saved, tens of thousands of people in the nine villages downstream would also die.
When that time comes, what's the point of talking about a bright future and benefiting the people? When that time comes, you will either be drowned in the people's spit or be tortured by guilt for the rest of your life!
Wen Huaiming looked around. In addition to Yang Dingjun, Li Qiang and other county and township government staff, there was also Zhao Jianchi, the commander of the 7th Company of the 56th Regiment stationed in Yishan County who was sent to support Longtougou. He made a prompt decision and shouted to Zhao Jianchi in military uniform, "Bring your people and follow me!"
Wen Huaiming bent down and carried a cement bag full of sand, then resolutely walked towards the pipe burst of the dam. Soldiers are bound by their duty to obey orders. Without saying a word, Zhao Jianchi led the entire company of 10 people to carry sandbags and follow behind Wen Huaiming. Yang Dingjun also reacted very quickly. He took the loud speaker from Li Qiang and shouted with all his strength: "Comrades, folks, this is Wen Huaiming, the leader sent down by the Municipal Party Committee. He is also on the dam now, personally leading everyone to resist this flood. Folks, think about what is behind us. It is your parents, your wife, your children, your relatives, the land where we eat and the home where we live. If we take a step back today, several generations will be destroyed..."
The searchlights were timely shone on Wen Huaiming and the army behind him. Even though it was pitch dark and the rain was so heavy that they couldn't open their eyes, everyone could feel their fearless spirit. Li Qiang grabbed the loudspeaker from Yang Dingjun, climbed onto the roof of the truck next to him, and shouted, "The leaders of the city and county are not afraid, so are the men of Shishan afraid of death? Anyone who doesn't have balls in his pants should get the hell out of here and go warm your wife's feet!"
The people of Qingzhou are tough, especially the men who cannot stand provocation. Moreover, the Chinese people have always been the most simple group. They are not troubled by scarcity but by inequality. As long as it looks fair, even if it is only fair on the surface, it is enough for them to sacrifice their lives. What's more, this time they are defending their own homes!
Life or death is not a problem, I will never refuse!
"Fuck him, let's show you, Secretary Li, if there are any men in Shishan!"
"All the big leaders in the city are carrying sandbags to block the breach. If anyone dares to run, I will beat him to death!"
"Go, go, hurry up and put on your bags, you are just standing there begging!"
…
The crisis was finally alleviated temporarily, and this wave of flood peak was successfully passed. Wen Huaiming checked the reservoir design drawings in the command tent temporarily built on the dam. After all, his role was not to carry a few bags and throw a few stones. What he needed to focus on was the overall situation, decision-making, and responsibility!
“… The total storage capacity of the reservoir is 174 million cubic meters, and the average annual runoff is 81 million m3. The normal water level of the reservoir is 170.0 m, the corresponding storage capacity is 145 million m3, and the flood control capacity of the reservoir is 40 million m3. After flood regulation by the reservoir, floods with a return period of less than 0 years can be reduced to a flow of 5 years, thus playing the role of flood control of the reservoir…”
Wen Huaiming interrupted the expert from the county water conservancy bureau and asked, "Since the design capacity has not been exceeded and it is a concrete face rockfill dam, why is there still a dangerous situation?"
The expert looked a little embarrassed and said, "The watershed on both sides of the reservoir is composed of sandstone, mudstone and Triassic rock layers in the core of the anticline. The cracks in the sandstone are relatively developed, so the reservoir water will penetrate through the pores and cracks... Now it has been found that deformed bodies and paleo-slide bodies are deformed and unstable. The sandstone underlying the mudstone has partially collapsed under the action of gravity due to the cutting of the cracks, resulting in multiple pipe bursts, landslides or subsidence..."
Wen Huaiming thought calmly and asked, "What's the plan? What remedy do you have?"
"The common practices in China generally include two methods: reverse filtration and seepage, and reverse filtration and well enclosure. Specifically..."
These words made Wen Huaiming look at Comrade Meng Hun, a county-level water conservancy expert whose name sounded a bit strange, with a new eye. Although his name was Meng Hun, he seemed to be quite reliable when doing things. He immediately made the decision, "You are an expert, do as you say! Now set up three emergency response teams. The first team is responsible for organizing personnel to rescue and fight floods on the spot. Yang Dingjun, you will be in full command. If one person is not fully utilized and the scene is in chaos and disorder, I will remove you from your position on the spot. The second team is responsible for the preparation and transportation of flood control materials to ensure that all kinds of supplies are in place in time. Li Qiang, you are in charge of this team. You must mobilize all the people in the town and continue to draw manpower from various villages to support the dam... Don't talk to me about conditions. If there are no cement bags, use woven bags. If there are no woven bags, use sheets and quilt covers. Dismantle the door panels and bed boards and send them to the dam. Just do it. I will cover you if something goes wrong. But if there is a shortage of people and materials..."
Li Qiang's eyes were bloodshot, and he shouted, "If there are people or things missing, I won't even need to remove the secretary general. I'll just jump off this dam!"
Wen Huaiming stared at Li Qiang, a young town party official who was about thirty years old. He was a little dark and thin, tall, with a loud voice, a barbaric style and rude words. But at this moment, he was more respectable than many of the well-mannered and high-ranking officials.
Wen Huaiming patted his shoulder and said, "Go ahead. Once you get over this hurdle, come to Qingzhou and I'll treat you to a drink!"
"yes!"
When Li Qiang's back disappeared in the heavy rain, Wen Huaiming turned around suddenly and said calmly: "The third group..."
Tang Ye watched this scene, his fingers were trembling slightly, clear and fluent words slowly passed through his mind like a layout, great love comes out in times of disaster, heroes are seen in times of trouble,
What guilt have the people incurred, that they have been ravaged by the flood
How lucky Shishan is to have Wen Huaiming!
(Many people don't like to read the background information, but Maru has to say it. I don't know how long I have to look up information for this content, and no one will believe it if I tell you! So, for Maru's meticulousness, try not to skip, dear!) (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.) (To be continued)