Chapter 2159: Crisis Situation

July 13, 1994, the fifth day of the sixth lunar month, Wednesday!

On this morning, Zhou Andong got up early. Looking at the gloomy sky outside and the drizzling rain, the expression on his face looked very solemn.

There was another rainstorm today, which was also the last one, but it was even heavier than the rain on the 8th.

The water level of the Jiangzhou River rose sharply, but the most serious one was the Lingchuan River, where the short-term flow exceeded the flood control capacity of the embankment by nearly double.

Zhou Andong stood in front of the office window, recalling the events of this day in his previous life. His memory was very deep.

Because the Jiangzhou River was in danger of breaching, Chen Wenqi would return to the city in the afternoon. If he stayed in the city on the grounds of controlling the overall situation and urging the implementation of the flood control plan, he could avoid death, and this reason was high-sounding and impeccable.

If he didn't go to the front line in Jinli County to inspect the disaster situation after inspecting the Jiangzhou River, he could still avoid death. The affairs of Jinli County could be handled by the local leaders of Jinli County; there was no need for a high-level cadre like him to urge them.

Even if he came to Jinli County, if he didn't go to Tushanzi Village where the danger appeared, he could still be safe and sound. Anyway, he had already fulfilled his responsibilities in flood control and disaster relief, and this credit couldn't be taken away.

As a municipal party secretary, a top leader, and a local official leading millions of people, why would you risk your life when you could have a stable life...

In the history of New China, there were many, many cadres and masses who sacrificed themselves for flood control and disaster relief, but there were very few cadres at the department level who sacrificed themselves.

After Chen Wenqi sacrificed himself, on the day of the memorial service, thousands of people in Jiangzhou emptied the streets to see him off. Zhou Andong was one of them. Some citizens put up funeral couplets: "Yellow currents and muddy waters cannot damage a clean body. Blue sky and white clouds will always remember the loyal soul of a clean official."

"Romance of the Three Kingdoms" says: "Though the body dies, the name can be passed down in history!"

Whether a cadre is good or not is not something they boast about themselves, not something subordinates blow about, and not something the media evaluates; it is ultimately determined by the reputation among the people.

Zhou Andong stood in front of the window for a long time, until the telephone on the desk behind him rang, and his thoughts were pulled back in the long river of time.

He turned and came to the desk, grabbed the phone: "Hello, I am Zhou Andong."

Yao Jun's voice came from the receiver: "Brother Dong, we are already in Jinli County. The situation of the Lingchuan River is not optimistic."

Zhou Andong pondered for a moment: "You go to the First Branch Factory first, and I will be there immediately."

"Okay!" Yao Jun agreed.

Zhou Andong put down the phone, put on his raincoat, and walked out. He came to the door of Wu Huilin's office and knocked.

"Come in!" Gu Bing's voice came from inside.

Zhou Andong pushed the door and entered, saying to Gu Bing: "I'm going to Jinli County immediately. You organize manpower right now to load disaster relief supplies onto trucks, including two thousand tents."

Gu Bing stood up immediately: "When should I go over?"

"You stay at home and wait for orders." Zhou Andong said: "When the time comes, I will call."

The expression on Gu Bing's face became very serious: "The situation is very serious."

Zhou Andong nodded: "Yao Jun is already in Jinli County. According to him, the situation is not optimistic. We must be fully prepared. Once needed, the supplies must be delivered within two hours."

"No problem." Gu Bing walked out of the office quickly: "I'll go arrange it now."

Zhou Andong said to Wu Huilin: "I'll leave the home front to you."

"Don't worry." Wu Huilin stood up, looked out the window, and said with a solemn expression: "The information from the Meteorological Bureau says that there will be a super rainstorm tonight. I don't know if the Jiangzhou River can hold up."

"Whether it can hold up or not, we just need to do our best. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. We are a company, not a savior."

Zhou Andong glanced out the window and then turned to walk out.

After leaving the factory, two 130 light trucks were parked at the entrance. Going to Jinli County, there must be places with serious water accumulation on the road. Not to mention sedans, even jeeps would be dangerous, so Zhou Andong asked Wang Wentian and the others to drive light trucks.

More than an hour later, the two light trucks turned into the First Branch Factory. The leaders of the First Branch Factory and the people brought by Yao Jun were all standing in the courtyard, smoking in groups of three or five.

"The Chairman is here!" said Liang Mukuan, deputy director of the First Branch Factory.

Factory Director Yan Guohai looked up and saw Zhou Andong getting out of the car, so he hurriedly walked over quickly.

Now Comrade Old Yan was in high spirits. After Gao Qingkui, the old factory director of Jiangzhou Winery, was arrested, he was transferred to the Huwang Town Winery to serve as factory director.

Before the year ended, the group transferred Yan Guohai to the First Branch Factory in Jinli County to serve as factory director. This guy was full of energy and wanted to be transferred to the group within two years.

Zhou Andong was looking up at a large construction site on the west side of the First Branch Factory, where small buildings had already been half-built.

"Chairman!" Yan Guohai extended his hand from afar.

Zhou Andong shook hands with Yan Guohai: "Don't be polite. Is there any problem with the First Branch Factory?"

"No problem." Yan Guohai said with a smile: "Our First Branch Factory is located on high ground. The heavy rain on the 8th had no impact on the factory at all."

The terrain of Jinli County is high in the west and low in the east, and the Lingchuan River at the north end flows from west to east into the Bohai Sea. And the First Branch Factory is in the west, not at the highest point.

However, if the water at the First Branch Factory reached the feet, the entire center of Jinli County would become a vast ocean.

Therefore, even if the Lingchuan River breached and the entire Jinli County was flooded, the western part where the First Branch Factory is located would not have any problems.

Zhou Andong asked: "What is the situation with the Lingchuan River?"

"The situation is not very good!" The expression on Yan Guohai's face became serious: "I just called the County Magistrate. It is said that the rain upstream is very heavy, and the Lingchuan River water is rising violently."

Liang Mukuan took out cigarettes to distribute to everyone, and then took a lighter to light one for Zhou Andong.

"We have already received notice from the Municipal Meteorological Bureau that there will be another rainstorm after 3:00 PM. Now all factory employees are on standby."

Yan Guohai continued: "The 700th Regiment of the South Camp in Huwang Town has already moved over and is reinforcing and raising the embankment two kilometers above and below the Lingchuan Bridge."

Zhou Andong fell into silence. Reinforcing and raising the embankment two kilometers above and below the Lingchuan Bridge to ensure the safety of the county seat was correct.

But the place where the breach occurred was Tushanzi Village, more than ten miles away from the county seat, and Chen Wenqi sacrificed himself in Tushanzi Village.

"Come with me to see the Lingchuan Bridge."

Yan Guohai looked at the time: "It's almost noon. Let's eat before going. Otherwise, we might not be able to eat at night."

"That's right!" Zhou Andong agreed: "Let's go. Let's eat first, and then go after eating."

Because the situation was special, the meal was eaten very quickly, and it was settled in less than half an hour.

Everyone came out of the cafeteria. Zhou Andong glanced at the speedboats on the two trucks and said to Yao Jun.

"Pull those two speedboats over too. Don't leave them here."

Then, Zhou Andong left Deputy Factory Director Liang Mukuan behind to sit in command, and then took Yan Guohai, Yao Jun, and more than a hundred people from Jin Dun Security, got in the car, and headed straight for the Lingchuan River in the northeast of the county.

At this time, the rain gradually became heavier, and Chen Wenqi had already returned to Jiangzhou. After deploying the flood control and disaster relief plan at the Municipal Flood Control Headquarters, he still couldn't rest assured, so he organized the main party and government leaders of the city to inspect the water situation in different ways, strengthen embankment measures, and resolutely guard against it.

By 4:10 PM, the rain suddenly became heavier, and the whole world became blurred.

Chen Wenqi inspected the flood situation of the Jiangzhou River in the urban area, and after hearing the news that the situation of the Lingchuan River in Jinli County was tight and many villages and towns were besieged by floods, he immediately had a brief exchange with Deng Zhangli and then took people to Jinli County.

Because the rain was too heavy and the visibility was poor, and the water accumulation in some places was deep, it was already 6:00 PM when they arrived in Jinli County, and it was completely dark.

Jinli County Secretary Lian Zhongyu had been waiting for a long time. He hadn't slept much for several days, and his eyes were bloodshot. After seeing Chen Wenqi, he didn't exchange too many pleasantries and headed straight for the Lingchuan River Bridge.

In the car, Lian Zhongyu said: "Secretary, Chairman Zhou Andong of Yugong Group has also come, bringing quite a few people, and is currently reinforcing the embankment with armed police officers."

Chen Wenqi was not surprised, and said in a low voice: "Zhou Andong is an entrepreneur with the Party, the country, the people, and a conscience in his heart.

On the 8th, danger appeared in Beiliang Village. Because the work in the North Mountain District was not done well, after organizing the villagers to relocate, the food problem could not be solved, and it was Yugong Group that took on this responsibility. So, I am not surprised at all that he could bring people over."

Soon, they arrived at the Lingchuan Bridge, only to see the muddy waves surging under the bridge, with a terrifying momentum, and the instantaneous flow exceeded 12,000 cubic meters. As long as there was any slight mistake anywhere, the rolling flood would pour in from east to west, and the entire county seat would be flooded, with unimaginable consequences. ===== CHAPTER 2160 =====