The day after Ming Ge's report, Teng Jinglin arrived in Qingzhou on time and immediately started working. Qinghe's advertising planning and marketing departments worked together to come up with three drafts, all of which were ruthlessly rejected by him. Li Shengli had no choice but to organize a meeting of all staff to let everyone brainstorm and offer suggestions to solve the problem of the draft in the shortest time.
Lu Xinyan's trick was later exposed. Mao Lihua, who had secured the prime time slot for the city TV station, hit a wall at Guanshan. The director of the provincial TV station's advertising department, who had been prepared at first, suddenly changed his mind. Not only did the promised patch advertising time before and after the second episode of the prime-time drama go missing, but even the time slot before and after the evening news was gone.
In a nutshell, you have money, but I didn't cheat you. It's a real pity. Let's work together again next time if there is a chance.
Mao Lihua spent ten days in Guanshan but still failed to make any progress. Finally, she got some inside information through an old relative. It seemed that a leader of the Provincial Radio, Film and Television Bureau had said that the entry standards for provincial stations should be raised and all the wrong money-oriented ideas should be corrected. In principle, advertisements from companies that are not nationally renowned or influential should not appear during prime time.
At first glance, this statement did not sound definite, but this is the art of officialdom. When the leader said in principle, it actually meant that it was absolutely not allowed. The provincial TV station understood it very thoroughly and simply refused to give Mao Lihua advertising space in other garbage time slots. Although Mao Lihua was very good at handling things and had connections in the TV station, she was involved in a higher-level struggle that was beyond her ability to resolve, so she had no choice but to return home.
Wen Liang listened to Li Shengli's report and made a few more phone calls to learn about the situation from the side. Combined with what Mingge relayed to Li Cui'er yesterday, he immediately realized that it was the fast and capable Lu Xinyan who was behind this, and Gu Shitong's efforts at Guanshan that made Mao Lihua return empty-handed.
It is not difficult to solve this problem. After all, Qinghe is a company that Zhu Jiusi wrote a name for and Yu Peidong visited. It cannot be said that it is a name in the leader's mind, but at least it has left an impression. It is unacceptable to be maliciously set up like this. As long as you find a way to pass the news to Yu Peidong's ears and speak more in favor of Qinghe soy milk, everything will be solved naturally. But the difficulty lies in what means to do this.
Xu Fuyan, Zuo Jing, Yin Qingquan, He Xihua, etc. can all be used, but this seems to be overdoing it and is full of confrontation. Qinghe fought with Gu Shitong last time, and although he won in the end, it does not mean that Yu Peidong will like it. If he makes a big fuss this time, any leader will feel annoyed.
Therefore, what Wen Liang had to do was to choose a suitable person and pass the message to Yu Peidong's ears seemingly inadvertently.
This is the best strategy that works silently and subtly!
Either you are in the officialdom, or you will be involved in too many things. You must have freedom of speech, otherwise talking nonsense will only arouse suspicion. Your status must be neither too high nor too low. If it is too high, it will be too conspicuous, and if it is too low, it will be useless. You must also be able to talk to Yu Peidong. Lao Yi is not an idle person and has no time to chat with ordinary people.
And Wen Liang only knows one such candidate!
When Wen Huaiming received the call from his son, his first reaction was that he was making a fuss, and his second reaction was that this kid deserved a beating. After he explained the reason, he frowned and said, "Didn't you take her business card last time? How can I call?"
Wen Liang strongly expressed his disbelief, saying, "When you were fighting the flood, you were together day and night, didn't you leave your phone number with each other?"
Wen Huaiming said coldly: "You are almost dead, who cares about these things? I can't make this call, you figure it out yourself!"
After hanging up the phone, Wen Liang stuck out his tongue. His father was like a scaredy-cat who had been bitten once and refused to get involved in this mess. There was no other way but to do it himself.
Wen Liang was very self-aware and knew that his words carried less weight in front of this lady than his father's, so when the cell phone beeped, he quickly cleared his throat, striving for a perfect voice and trying his best to confuse her. It would be best if she could forget the old grudge.
"Hello, who is this?"
There was a faint sound of wind and rain on the other end of the microphone. The voice was intermittent and the signal was very bad. Wen Liang looked at the watch. It was almost nine o'clock in the evening, and he was still hanging out outside in the rain. He was worthy of being a petty bourgeoisie in the provincial capital. His nightlife was much more exciting than that of the natives of Qingzhou.
"Director Tang, I'm Wen Liang..."
Just as he started, he heard a click and the other party hung up. Uncle Wen looked at the phone screen stupidly and complained, "After all, we slept on the same seat before, and I was kind enough to call a car repair service for you last time. Do you have to be so ruthless?"
His relationship with Tang Ye has always been bad, but after fighting the flood in the mountains, they fought together and their relationship improved slightly. Although there was a misunderstanding about sleeping, it was not serious. Later, Tang Ye got the information about Wen Huaiming and Qinghe, and came to Qingzhou overnight to investigate. The car broke down on the way, and Wen Liang asked Dushe to find someone from the repair shop to help repair the car. (See Volume 4, Chapter 91, The Wind Rises in Qinghe for details)
After all the exchanges, the relationship should have improved. Is it necessary to not give him such a small face? Poor Wen Liang didn't know that Dushe had kidnapped the mechanic in a hurry and drove two vans. His ferocious appearance scared Tang Ye, who thought he had encountered a car thief. Although he later found out, he thought Wen Liang was deliberately doing bad things, so it was strange that he would have a good face.
Seeing that his actions had such a dismal effect, Wen Liang thought of Wen Huaiming again and ran back home to wait for him. However, Wen Huaiming was more prudent and moved directly to the Municipal Party Committee without showing up. Wen Liang complained in his heart, but could only go to bed helplessly.
I was woken up by the phone again. It was almost twelve o'clock. Wen Liang answered the call in a daze. The female voice on the line sounded thin and thin in the middle of the night: "Come and save me... I'm at the bottom of the cliff... "
Wen Liang was so shocked that he lost all his sleepiness. He turned over and sat up, saying, "Hello, is this Director Tang? Where are you? What happened?"
The other end of the phone suddenly hung up again. Wen Liang hurriedly called again, but was told that the other party's phone was turned off. He didn't think it was a prank by Tang Ye. With her status and age, there was no need for her to play a prank on him like this. There was only one possibility, that she really had an accident!
Wen Liang immediately called Yang and his group, and learned from him that Tang Ye was indeed in Yishan, and was going to do a follow-up report on rebuilding homes after the flood. According to the schedule tonight, he should be in Beiling Town. Beiling Town is next to Shishan Town, which is where the Longtougou Reservoir is located, and is one of the hardest-hit areas in this flood disaster.
"Secretary Yang, if I'm not mistaken, Director Tang must have had an accident on the way. Please immediately notify the County Public Security Bureau, Fire Department, Beiling Town Government, and Shishan Town Government to dispatch all personnel to search and rescue. Pay more attention to the mountains, cliffs, steep slopes, and blind spots in perspective and thinking. No matter what the cost, we must find the person!"
Yang Yixing's forehead was covered with sweat. He said, "It rained heavily in the mountains tonight. The mountain road over there is rugged and muddy. If something happens..."
Although Wen Liang still doesn't know the specific relationship between Tang Ye and Yu Peidong, Tang Ye can occupy a place in Yu Peidong's plan, so there must be a deep connection. If something really happens in Yishan, the consequences will be unimaginable.
"Secretary Yang, if something really happens to Tang Ye, your job as secretary will be over. Not only you, but even the city government will have to take responsibility. Hurry up and make arrangements. The sooner you act, the more hope there is for survival."
"Okay, I'll arrange it right away." Yang Yihang was not a fool. He could tell from Wen Liang's words that Tang Ye was not just the deputy director of the provincial newspaper's news department, but had a bigger background. So he hesitated for a moment and asked, "Young Master Wen, should we report this to the city?"
The current situation is unknown, and it may not be good if the matter gets out of hand, but if there are really irreversible consequences, Yang Yihang's career will be completely ruined if he conceals it. Wen Liang thought for a moment and said, "Confirm with Beiling first. If you have indeed lost contact with Director Tang, report it to the Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government. Don't mention my matter for now. You can decide for yourself what to say about the rest."
Five minutes later, Yang Yihang called and confirmed that Tang Ye had lost contact. She left Beiling Town at 2 pm, declined the town government propaganda staff's company, and went to Mozhuang Village, the most remote mountain village in Yishan. At 5:30 pm, Zeng called the town office duty officer and said that she was going to visit a village group in Mozhuang, but because she had to climb two hills, she did not plan to return that night.
This was the last piece of information the county could find. What followed was that Wen Liang received Tang Ye’s call for help. As for why he didn’t call the town government or the county but called Wen Liang, now was not the time to consider this.
Yang and his team also stated that they had reported to the municipal party committee and government, Secretary Xu had issued instructions, and Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee Member and Propaganda Minister Zhu Wansheng had also set off for Yishan to personally guide the search and rescue work.
Zhu Wansheng was previously the deputy director of the Propaganda Department. He was honest and loyal, with a long career and mediocre ability. He was always suppressed by Wei Chenfeng, and the two had a deep conflict, so he didn't get along well with Zhou Yuanting. Later, Wei Chenfeng fell, Feng Wenxue served as the acting mayor for a while, and when he was promoted to mayor, Xu Fuyan promoted Zhu Wansheng. Although this person had mediocre ability, he was grateful to Xu Fuyan for his kindness, and could be called loyal.
Hearing that he was the leader, Wen Liang was afraid that one incompetent general would tire out the entire army, so he spoke without mercy, saying, "Minister Zhu is not familiar with Yishan's situation after all, so you have to be aware of this."
Yang and his entourage understood what was going on, so they put down the phone and immediately began to make arrangements. Without waiting for Zhu Wansheng to arrive, they led the team to Beiling first, leaving Yang Dingjun at home to greet them.
Wen Liang then called Wen Huaiming, who should have received the news by now. Hearing that Tang Ye was asking Wen Liang for help, Wen Huaiming, thinking of the friendship they had fought side by side in the face of life and death at Longtougou Reservoir, sighed and said, "Actually, I should lead the team..."
Wen Liang shook his head and said, "Zhu Wansheng is in charge of publicity. He was the one who informed Yishan County that Tang Ye was coming this time. If you really rush to lead the team, you will be thankless for your efforts. Besides, if something happens to Tang Ye, Zhu Wansheng will definitely take the blame. You should not get involved in this mess."
Wen Huaiming, however, did not have Wen Liang's concerns. He angrily said, "Human lives are at stake. Why would you care so much?"
Wen Liang said sarcastically, "If the person missing tonight was not Tang Ye, but an ordinary citizen of Beiling Town, would Secretary Xu personally give instructions and Minister Zhu leave overnight? Dad, you have no other thoughts and only care about your friendship, but others may not think so. Who knows how Yu Peidong will react when the hat of ineffective rescue is put on him? At that time, will you care or not?"
Wen Huaiming was speechless after hearing what Wen Liang said. Wen Liang softened his tone and said, "But after all, we have had a relationship with Tang Ye. We can't just sit back and relax... How about this, I'll go on your behalf. It will not only fulfill our friendship, but also leave others speechless..."
Wen Liang drove all the way and when he arrived at Yishan County, he saw Yang Dingjun and others waiting anxiously in front of the government. He asked and found out that Zhu Wansheng had not arrived yet. It was not as easy for a member of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee and the Minister of Propaganda to go out as Wen Liang did. It was late at night, so it was understandable that he was a few steps behind, but it was also inevitable that people would complain about the low efficiency of his work.
Wen Liang was not interested in waiting for Zhu Wansheng here, so he asked Yang Dingjun for someone, namely, Deputy County Mayor Li Chonggu, an old acquaintance who had participated in the last flood relief effort, to take him to Beiling Town.
Yang Dingjun originally wanted to say that it was raining heavily, it was dark and the roads were slippery, and it was too dangerous to go to Beiling, but seeing Wen Liang's expression, he knew that he could not persuade him, so he sent two young cadres to follow him, and called Li Chonggu aside, asking him to ensure Wen Liang's safety.
Li Chonggu knew Wen Liang's identity and was deeply impressed by what he had done at the Longtougou Reservoir. He did not dare to take it lightly. On the way to Beiling, he repeatedly emphasized that Wen Liang should follow them and act as a group, and not indulge in individual heroism. He became a complete gossip.
Wen Liang had no intention of being a hero. He was completely clueless about the terrain of Beiling, and search and rescue work depended on numbers. He couldn't help but feel anxious, and his eyes were always fixed on the darkness outside the window, as if he was trying to find the woman through the rushing rain.
The car stopped at Shishan Town. The road ahead was all mountainous and dirt. On weekdays, it was barely passable, but once it rained heavily, people had to walk. Wen Liang and his four companions put on the prepared raincoats, changed into deep-tube rain boots, carried mining lamps, and staggered towards Beiling Town with another search and rescue team that had just set out.
Walking on the road, Wen Liang realized that the terrain here was not too dangerous. It was somewhat different from the imagined cliff road, because the mountain was not high, more like some continuous hills, but the problem was that the mountain road at that time had not been hardened, and the road was narrow, winding and winding, leaning against the unstable mountain on one side, and a gully of more than ten meters or more on the other side. The ground underfoot was full of mud and potholes. If you were not careful, you would fall into the mud pit, which was shallow and ankle-deep, and deep and knee-deep. What was more terrible was that the body would lose balance, and spraining and falling were minor matters. If you fell into the ditch on the side of the road, you could be lucky enough to save your life, which was a blessing from your ancestors.
Especially in the dark night, when you can't see your hand in front of you, the strong wind and heavy rain are mixed together, hitting your body and causing pain. The sharp and piercing whistling sound is stirring back and forth in the mountain stream, like thousands of evil spirits crying to the sky, so terrifying! For the timid and weak, let alone saving the victims, just walking this road in the rainy night is enough to make them proud.
Wen Liang looked ahead, the beam of the mining lamp illuminating the increasingly muddy road, and asked, "County Magistrate Li, how far is it?"
Li Chonggu remembered Yang Dingjun's instructions and followed Wen Liang closely. He turned his head and looked around, saying, "We should be more than halfway there. Usually, it would only take another ten minutes, but today it might take half an hour."
Li Chonggu's estimate was correct. Half an hour later, Wen Liang arrived at the Beiling Town Government and met with Yang and his party who were in charge. Yang and his party did not expect Wen Liang to come. They were shocked and took him to the secretary's office. After closing the door, they asked, "Is the secretary general here?"
"No, Minister Zhu is still in charge of the city, but I got there first and asked County Magistrate Li to send me here." Wen Liang explained a few words and said, "What's the situation now?"
Yang Yihang said bitterly, "We have dispatched 20 search and rescue teams, with Mozhuang Village as the center, to search the roads and surrounding areas within a radius of ten miles. However, the rain was too heavy tonight, resulting in poor communication and all power lines being cut off. Several villages in Mozhuang have lost power, which has brought great inconvenience to the search and rescue work."
"You said earlier that the town received a call from Director Tang last time. Which village did she say she was going to visit?"
Yang Yihang was immediately furious and said, "The person on duty said that the signal was bad at the time and he didn't hear clearly the specific location Director Tang mentioned. Fuck him, he failed me at the critical moment!"
Yang Da Nao Tou was well-known in Huashan District for his hot temper. Later, his temperament had changed a lot after his ups and downs, but tonight, he showed his true colors again when he was angry.
"What about Mozhuang Village? Does anyone know?"
"There is no telephone in the village, and it is quite far from the town government. It would take too much time to notify the village party secretary to come. I was just about to arrange this group of personnel and move the search and rescue command center to Mozhuang Village..."
Wen Liang shook his head and said, "You should stay here. Zhu Wansheng will be here soon. You have to report the situation to him. Besides, there is no telephone in Mozhuang, and the power is out. How can you command the overall situation? It will be a mess. I think I should go with County Chief Li to ask the secretary about the situation and act accordingly!"
Yang Yihang looked embarrassed, but he smiled gently and said, "Don't worry, I will be careful. I will go there safely and come back safely. I will never cause any trouble for Secretary Yang!"
Before leaving, Li Chonggu was called aside by Yang and his entourage and given some instructions. When they arrived at Mozhuang Village and found the village party secretary, he was already stunned by the large groups of people who had arrived before and after him. He didn't know anything when asked. He only said that a beautiful female reporter had indeed come in the afternoon and went door to door, asking whether the reconstruction materials had been distributed, how much relief money each household could receive, what difficulties the family had, etc. Later, no one knew when she left, let alone where she went.
Wen Liang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. In order to obtain accurate first-hand information, Tang Ye not only refused to allow anyone from the town to accompany him, but he even avoided the party secretary when he entered the village. Although his seriousness in this work was worthy of praise, it also caused the inconvenience of finding people now.
It's a dark and windy night, where are the people? (To be continued)