Chapter 220: Seeking Command Authority

On site, the snow removal work involves over ten people from the local Railway Division, four horse‑drawn carts, all holding Iron Shovels, loading snow onto the Snow Plow, then hauling it to a distant spot to dump.

One could say the efficiency is extremely low, mainly because there are too few people.

Seeing Lu Cheng's solemn expression, Cheng Jianhua stepped forward tentatively and said, "Group Leader Lu, this is a tough battle; with only a few days left, there's no way to clear a path. Perhaps you could talk to the General Bureau and simply postpone the departure by a few days."

Lu Cheng was somewhat helpless and muttered, "What the heck, when I arrived, Lei Zhan Ge already told me this is military supplies; no matter what difficulties arise, we must figure it out ourselves, no excuses, no reasons."

Lu Cheng pledged his chest and agreed, but now that a minor difficulty has arisen, he's already thinking of shirking, and he can already imagine how displeased Lei Zhan Ge's face will be.

Seeing Lu Cheng remain silent, Cheng Jianhua added, "Group Leader Lu, I have no other intention; this is military supplies that cannot be delayed. I fear my ability is insufficient, so…"

Lu Cheng gave him a glance, not expecting that this guy, though looking honest, is still a sly old fox; with the snow removal task urgent, what does he mean by saying that?

He's just afraid of taking responsibility.

Lu Cheng didn't expose his ulterior motive; after all, the snow removal is urgent, and everyone should unite.

"Then, Director Cheng, regarding the snow removal, I have some experience. If you trust me, just hand over the on‑site command to me; whatever problems arise, I'll take responsibility."

Cheng Jianhua meant exactly that; he didn't expect the young man to be so adept, though he wasn't sure whether it was genuine skill or arrogance.

With such a massive snow load, even if one is capable, it's impossible to finish clearing within three days, and even if completed, what then?

The time left for Lu Cheng to deliver the supplies was already under two days, and the subsequent leg would take at least nearly a day to reach the Border Station.

That means, even if a path is cleared here within three days, time has already been lost.

Unless Lu Cheng can clear all the snow within a day and dispatch immediately, there's still a chance to deliver the supplies on time.

But how can that be calculated? It's an impossible task.

But since Lu Cheng voluntarily took on the responsibility, Cheng Jianhua was too pleased to even react; if this delays the transport, it's no longer his concern.

"Trustworthy, trustworthy—Group Leader Lu came from the Capital City, so his ability is unquestionable. From now on, I'll follow all your orders."

Lu Cheng forced a thin smile; the guy's agreement was indeed brisk.

"Director Cheng, since I'm in command, I'll start arranging. First, this few people are too few; the comrades from the other Railway Divisions—when exactly can they arrive?"

Cheng Jianhua glanced back and replied, "They should arrive gradually within two hours."

Lu Cheng looked over and said, "Too slow! Director Cheng, please call again to urge them, have them bring more people; the tools are insufficient, they must arrive within an hour."

Cheng Jianhua felt the time was tight, but nodded and said, "Alright, I'll urge them again."

Cheng Jianhua turned to make the call, and Lu Cheng added, "Director Cheng, tell them this is an order from the General Bureau; anyone who dawdles and delays will be punished."

Cheng Jianhua's steps faltered for a moment; he hadn't realized how forceful the kid was—bringing the General Bureau into it—so he dared not delay any longer and sprinted to make the call.

Lu Cheng finally turned, rolling up his sleeves to begin snow removal, and ordered, "Master Liu, let's get started as well."

Master Liu and his crew had already begun taking out tools; Wu Zhekun hefted an Iron Shovel and came over, "Lao Lu…"

Lu Cheng glanced left and right, then realized Wu Zhekun was calling him.

"To hell with you, who are you calling Old Lu? Call Senior Uncle."

After several days together, the two have grown noticeably closer, yet Wu Zhekun still won't open his mouth to call Senior Uncle.

"I'll just call you Old Lu; at worst you can call me Lao Wu."

Lu Cheng laughed, the two youngsters now using the "Old Lu, Lao Wu" address.

"Fine, fine, call me whatever you like, just get on with the snow removal. If this delays time, I'll have to ask you to step forward and talk to your Military District Leader, try not to get me shot; better yet, find me a few women to die of exhaustion in bed."

Wu Zhekun had no intention of joking about Lu Cheng's teasing.

"I'm saying you're not stupid either; didn't you hear Director Cheng's words just now? He's trying to shift the responsibility, yet you voluntarily asked to command! Sharing the burden together is better than you bearing it alone."

Lu Cheng lifted an Iron Shovel and said, "Of course I know, but if we don't do it this way, Director Cheng would inevitably feel uneasy, and his hesitance would delay things even more."

"It's right for him to feel uneasy; I'm just puzzled—don't you feel uneasy? With this much snow, unless it's cleared within a day, the supplies definitely can't arrive on time. Do you think it can be cleared in a day?"

Clearing it within three days is already the most optimistic claim, let alone a single day.

Lu Cheng was certainly worried; according to the original plan, the supplies should have arrived a day early, and now, if they can be delivered on schedule, that's already good.

That still assumes the snow can be cleared within a day.

"Let's wait an hour and see how many people arrive. Right now we mainly lack manpower; as long as we have enough hands, clearing it within a day is still possible."

Lu Cheng said that, but Wu Zhekun remained skeptical— even if people come, how many can actually arrive?

Lu Cheng's earlier words had some effect; Cheng Jianhua said the people who would take two hours to arrive came in about forty minutes.

About thirty‑plus people arrived, plus the over thirty already on site, totaling more than sixty.

Seeing so many people on site, Lu Cheng still felt confident.

But after a while, Lu Cheng immediately spotted a problem.

All these people crowded together; on the surface it looks busy, but efficiency is low, and some can't even get in, forced to stand aside smoking.

Lu Cheng immediately ordered everyone to disperse along the Iron Rail, five per team: three to shovel snow, two to operate the Snow Plow to transport the snow.

Thus the over sixty were split by Lu Cheng into a dozen small groups, arranged in a line along the Iron Rail, each point staffed, and efficiency clearly improved.

An hour later, during the ten‑minute break, Lu Cheng didn't rest; he went to the frontmost spot to observe the situation.

Cheng Jianhua stood beside him, "Group Leader Lu, it seems you still need to command; the efficiency is fast— in an hour we've advanced nearly a kilometer. At this rate, completing the work in a day is truly possible."

But Lu Cheng, looking at the site, was not so optimistic.