Chapter 341 - 274: You Also Deserve to be Thanked

The air inside the tent seemed to thin out, everyone’s lungs were in an extremely expanded state right now.

A storage capacity of over a billion cubic meters, a several dozen meter difference in water levels upstream and downstream?!

How is that any different from a tsunami?

Those present had all experienced the floods from 10 years ago.

Back then, there was a calculation: a flood burst of one billion cubic meters could devour a city with a population of 500,000 to 1,000,000 inhabitants.

Devour.

Right now, at the time of disaster, let alone devouring cities, causing large-scale actual harm, even the psychological impact on these displaced people caused by the passing floodwaters would be immense.

This would completely destroy all the arduous efforts made by the entire earthquake frontline Command in this period.

Everyone couldn’t help but look again at the high-level military map before them.

Military maps can be divided into operational topographic maps, nautical charts, aerial photographs, and various thematic military maps according to use.

The one right now is a topographic map, and it’s a small-scale one, with very detailed geological features, elevation, etc., spread out across the entire table.

The situation he mentioned, as long as the calculations are done, could all be substantiated with the data on the map. The only uncertainty was whether a cofferdam had actually formed.

And if it had, to what extent.

Fang Huai took advantage of the chance to stand in the spotlight and hastily circled Tangjia Mountain with his finger, continuing to say,

"Moreover, once a breach forms here, passing through Jiangyou, what follows downstream is the famous river of central Sichuan, the Fujiang, flowing through Mianyang, Santai, Shehong, Suining, and other places - all economic and population hubs!

The potential harm could far outweigh the current Qingping barrier lake flooding a few townships!

Commander, although this is not within the jurisdiction of the Hanwang Headquarters, the disaster situation in Beichuan right now is quite severe, and the workload is complicated. We cannot guarantee that everyone is paying attention to this issue. Should we report this matter and use satellites to explore this location’s conditions?

With an area so large, our satellite technology should still be able to capture it, right?

If a cofferdam has indeed formed, now is a good time to act, whether by blasting or digging; there won’t be too many considerations. However, if floodwaters have already accumulated, any approach we consider would carry enormous risks!"

As Fang Huai spoke, his tone became increasingly assertive, and when he mentioned satellite exploration, he exuded a bit of a bold and reckless attitude.

In this day and age, though the state’s aerospace technology was burgeoning, it was not yet advanced. With merely a small number of satellites in orbit, utilizing satellites for exploration was not a trivial matter; authorization rested with only a few departments.

But, since the topic was already raised, boldness and even greater boldness didn’t make much difference.

Actually, Fang Huai had already spoken very cautiously. He referred to the earthquake that happened in Mao County, just a few dozen kilometers away in a straight line from Beichuan in the 1930s, as the Beichuan earthquake. He also stated the maximum storage capacity of Tangjia Mountain Barrier Lake as over a billion cubic meters, rather than three billion.

He left many areas where the average person might make incorrect assumptions.

But in fact, Tangjia Mountain had already formed a very large reservoir upstream, waiting for the heavy rain to come and start accumulating water aggressively.

Once the water hit a certain level, the cofferdam might break under the pressure, creating an opening.

At that point, it would be a catastrophic uncontrolled release, and due to the force of the impact, the opening would rapidly expand, potentially leading to a complete collapse of the barrier.

An earthquake might still leave some room for survival, but once the raging floodwaters emerged, it would be like a devastating storm. The already earthquake-shaken mountains would trigger massive mudslides, sweeping down with them.

Water carrying mud and boulders would act like massive siege weaponry, and cities in its path would be extremely vulnerable, drowning those caught in its wake, who would be swept dozens or even hundreds of kilometers away, becoming missing persons.

Natural disasters, choose any one, and once they gain momentum, they can make heaven and earth change color.

Chengdu, a place with a great history of heavy rainfall and frequent water disasters, was able to thrive and become prosperous because of the great miraculous engineering feat - Dujiangyan, which could divide the water into six parts and the sand into four, harnessing and utilizing floodwaters for irrigation, contributing greatly.

The big shots present didn’t really want to listen to the analysis of a young Firefighting soldier because his words carried little weight.

But what he talked about was significant, compelling everyone to take the matter seriously.

The crucial point was that so many people had heard it, if this event really happened and had not been reported, once word got out, no one could bear the responsibility.

Everyone turned to the highest Commander.

"As for this matter... I will get in touch with the Beichuan side, it’s best if someone goes there to investigate on-site, take photos, and gather evidence."

Hearing this, Fang Huai once again precisely pointed to the mouth of Tangjia Mountain Barrier on the map, saying,

"Commander, right here."

Afterwards, seeing the leader looked at the spot, he withdrew his hand and stepped back slowly.

He wanted to volunteer because that specific area was imprinted in his mind.

But one mustn’t overdo things.

This wasn’t their responsible area. To go, they had to be arranged by the others.

The latitude and longitude on the map were already very clear; people only needed to explore the place to surely discover it.

Such a big matter required a huge investment of manpower and resources, and at such a critical time when personnel was needed, how to handle it had to be discussed by the leadership. Recklessly seeking credit was a path to doom.

At this moment, Zhang Zhongting finally spoke up, "Leaders, Little Fang himself said, he’s just an enthusiast. We can’t take his words as certain... Fang Huai, you’ve performed well in the rescue operations. Go rest now, and when you’re refreshed, do your duty well!"

Zhang Zhongting, adopting an attitude of neither seeking credit nor avoiding mistakes, added that comment for him.

General Luo also felt that the situation was critical, but he spoke with much more confidence than Zhang Zhongting. Seeing that none of the experts had raised objections, he encouraged,

"The experts here all see the potential danger! However, it’s good to study! Go rest well, we Firefighting need soldiers like you. Don’t ruin your health!"

"Yes," Fang Huai no longer tried to be bold, saluted, turned around, and left the tent.

With this "irrelevant person" stepping back, inside, a serious discussion immediately began.

Hearing several people inside saying "feasible," he finally felt relieved.

In this earthquake, he didn’t know how much of a role he had played, but he would give all he could to whatever was within his influence.

Reporter Huang inside clearly listened to the leadership’s discussion inside and confirmed that what Fang Huai had done was a positive action, before coming out to join him.

After all, her reporting could not contain even a sliver of negativity, so everyone was extremely cautious.

"Comrade, I asked just now, your name is Fang Huai, right?" Reporter Huang asked with a beaming smile.

Only then did Fang Huai return to his thoughts, remembering about the interview and feeling like he should say something, he nodded.

"Yes, Huai, as in the Huaihe River."

"I heard you haven’t rested yet, can I begin your interview now?"

"No problem, but make it quick, I’ve got things to do."

Fang Huai had no intention of resting at all.

It was only here in Hanwang, where conditions were somewhat better and everyone had support, that they dared to talk about rest.

In a previous life, he had heard from a comrade from another Detachment, that the first two batches of People’s Liberation Army paratroopers who entered Yingxiu had confirmed coordinates, and the following troops, just one regiment, involved seventeen squads.

Before departing, they were still training, on the first day of the earthquake, they unaware of it until they received orders the next day to return to camp, quickly assembling and setting out.

When they left, they only carried pickaxe farming tools and four days of marching rations.

Navigating via Russian Il-76 and American Black Hawks to Chengdu, they boarded helicopters to reach Yingxiu.

While rope descending, without gloves, they used their clothing wrapped around their hands for protection.

After a tough landing, without reinforcement, they worked non-stop for five days and nights, digging almost blindly.

Some upon hearing reinforcements were coming on the morning of the fifth day, let out a breath of relief, collapsed right there, and just like that, they were gone.

Others were walking, and mid-walk, they just collapsed...

The notion of toiling to death was something most ordinary people couldn’t comprehend, and the media never reported the specifics, but on this land, it had been a reality.

They were part of the "incomplete statistics," the "incomplete" portion.

Many things are hidden in the passage of time, and those who remember, have turned these events into silent, peaceful years.

Most people see the heroes on the mountaintops, but it’s the roots of the high mountains buried underground.

Upon hearing Fang Huai’s words, Reporter Huang knew their task was heavy, and promptly directed the camera crew to set up the equipment.

She then wrote down the questions she would ask during the interview and showed them to Fang Huai for a glance.

Fang Huai scanned them and nodded in affirmation.

The interview began quickly.

Huang: "When you arrived in the earthquake area, did the troops tell you how to conduct the rescue?"

Fang: "How to rescue is part of our daily training, not something we’re told on the spot."

Huang: "Hmm... We captured you on camera taking a risk to jump into a hole to prop up a concrete slab while rescuing Teacher Tan’s protected students. I want to know, what were you thinking when you went in?"

Fang: "At that moment, there wasn’t time to think, it was too fast."

Huang (giving a meaningful look): "Such fearlessness, is it a physical memory you’ve formed through training?"

Fang: "... It’s the memory of the uniform, not just me, anyone who dons the uniform would do the same."

Huang (nodding her head): "I’ve heard you’ve participated in two major rescues, there were the four students protected by Teacher Tan, the Cola boy, and the girl who sang ’Yellow River Chorus’ from the rubble; could you talk us through the rescues?"

Fang: "The one who first discovered there were people under Rescue Zone 4 was a comrade from the National Earthquake Rescue Team. By the time I got there, they had already begun the rescue..."

Fang Huai recounted the experience almost in a narrative way.

Reporter Huang, again and again, asked about the heartwarming details, trying to record the warmth.

Huang: "When they came out, what were you thinking?"

Fang: "Adorable, they were incredibly lovely. It’s hard to imagine, every local person I met, including children, even when hurt, were concerned about others."

Huang (smiling): "You are all very adorable as well. To have soldiers like you, at this moment, what would you like to say to the people in the disaster area and the entire country?"

Reporter Huang gestured with her mouth, implying "Keep fighting."

Fang (pondering): "I hope... that my comrades fighting in the harsh conditions of the mountain towns can return safely. I hope all the afflicted people do not despair and maintain their faith in life. I hope our motherland remains forever healthy, its rivers and mountains unblemished... If my hopes are too many, then I have only one wish, and that is for everyone to live on ... Keep fighting, we have never given up."

After his words, there was a moment of silence.

Reporter Huang hadn’t expected that in the end, those six words would shake her heart.

"We have never given up." These six words were, in fact, the original intention of all the reporters who came to the earthquake area.

"Thank you, soldier," Reporter Huang said, her eyes brimming with tears.

Fang Huai looked at Reporter Huang’s shoes, covered in yellow mud and mismatching her clean professional attire, and said:

"Everyone struggling here deserves thanks, you included."

In those 50-plus hours where tears were shed every hour, Reporter Huang shed them once again.