Chapter 571: Building Small Towns

He Daqing was already a bit tipsy, his head swimming, so he waved his hand and said, "A local official is no match for the one currently in charge. You three are the managing elders of this courtyard. I've had quite a bit to drink today, so I need to head back and sleep."

Seeing the situation, Liu Haizhong hurriedly tried to smooth things over, "Lao Yi, don't trouble Daqing. I think the idea you proposed is quite good. Let's just leave it at that."

He stared straight at Jia Zhangshi and said, "Sister-in-law Jia, you stole things from the Xu Family and got a stomachache, yet you still want to go and argue with them? If this gets out, it won't sound good." He raised his eyes and glared at Liu Guangtian and Yan Jiefang, "You little brats, putting croton beans into food—that's a life-threatening matter! If this is reported to the police station, you'll all be locked up!"

Yan Jiefang and Liu Guangtian lowered their heads, but their eyes darted around.

Seeing this, Xu Damao spoke up, "Since Second Uncle has stepped in, I'll swallow my anger. After all, Yingzi is my senior fellow apprentice. If not for the monk, I'll look at the Buddha. Let's just leave it at that!"

Just then, Wang Xia and the others walked quickly into the courtyard under the guidance of Liu Guangqi.

As soon as she entered, she said loudly, "I heard there was poisoning in your courtyard? Captain Ma, hurry and collect the evidence."

Ten minutes ago, Liu Guangqi had run to the Street Office and told Director Wang Xia everything exactly as it happened.

Now that Liu Guangqi was a teacher at the night school, he had gradually gained some weight in the street office.

Although Wang Xia had some opinions about his past, his attitude of teaching free classes at the night school rain or shine for the past year had ultimately softened her stance quite a bit.

Upon hearing that another poisoning incident had occurred at the 95 Courtyard, she immediately called Captain Ma of the Lianfang Team and hurried over.

Seeing that his son had actually brought the Lianfang Team, Liu Haizhong couldn't help but feel a bit displeased, but seeing the Street Office Director there in person, he had to put on a smiling face and greet her: "Director Wang, it's just a prank the kids were playing. We can just talk it over and let it pass."

Wang Xia did not answer, only keeping a stern face.

Last year, because of the incident where Liu Guangqi was drugged, she had missed out on the advanced evaluation for the street.

Over these years, she had painstakingly managed the Street Small Factory, and this year she had organized over seventy people to go to the Northeast to reclaim wasteland. If any more trouble broke out, her official career would likely be ruined here.

Thinking of this, she became even more determined: this matter must be investigated until the truth is revealed.

Captain Ma had already walked straight up to Jia Zhangshi and asked, "Where is the leftover food you ate?"

Seeing that someone had come to back her up, Jia Zhangshi felt emboldened and pointed into the room: "In that big bowl, there's still a little left."

Captain Ma immediately stepped forward and collected the bit of leftover food from the bowl.

Seeing that the situation was developing beyond his expectations, Xu Damao hurriedly grabbed a handful of candies, handed them to Wang Xia, and apologized with a smile: "Director Wang, it's just kids playing around. I think we should just let it go."

Wang Xia only said coldly, "This time, Comrade Liu Guangqi reported it voluntarily. He was poisoned last year, and seeing someone repeat the same trick this year, he hopes we can root out the mastermind. I can only cooperate."

Only then did Xu Damao realize that this kid Liu Guangqi had been holding a grudge since last year!

The display today was clearly meant to keep him from finishing his wedding smoothly.

He leaned over to Liu Guangqi and said in a low, humble voice, "Brother, give me some face and drop this case."

Liu Guangqi's expression was stern, and he said righteously, "I was harmed by this despicable method once last year, and now this stuff has appeared in the courtyard again. If I don't get to the bottom of it, I'm afraid someone will repeat the same trick in the future and harm even more people!"

Yi Zhonghai and Yan Bugui both understood now that Liu Guangqi was dissatisfied with how they handled Liu Guangtian and Yan Jiefang last year, so this year he had invited the Street Office to step in.

Soon, Xu Damao, Jiefang, Liu Guangtian, and Jia Zhangshi were all taken away.

This wedding was also completely ruined.

A trace of a secret smile appeared in Liu Guangqi's eyes.

Inside the General Command of the Sartu Base, smoke swirled, and various Cadres were arguing until their faces were red on both sides of a large table over the issue of the base's later construction.

In just two short months, the number of people pouring into Sartu had exceeded twenty thousand.

There were key personnel transferred from various old oilfields, but more were newly demobilized soldiers and Cadres, as well as technical personnel recruited from nearby counties and cities.

As more and more people gathered, the housing prepared in advance around Sartu was already packed to the brim.

Next, the issue of personnel resettlement became the topic everyone discussed the most.

Most Cadres hoped to concentrate on building a city with Sartu as the center!

He Yuzhu, however, raised an opposing opinion.

He knew better than anyone that in this type of resource-based city, once the underground oil was exhausted, the entire city would quickly fall into ruin.

Rather than wasting manpower and money to build one city, it would be better to directly plan a batch of Petroleum Towns.

The houses didn't need to be built too luxuriously; as long as they could be lived in securely for thirty or forty years, that would be enough.

The money saved could be fully invested in improving the lives of the staff.

After hearing He Yuzhu's opinion, a Cadre named Zhang Qingshan slammed the table and stood up with an unfriendly expression.

"Minister Liu, I do not agree with Comrade He's statement! I suggest building a central city right in the center of the oilfield. Let every oil extraction area be at the same distance from this city."

After hearing this, He Yuzhu laughed out loud.

"Deputy Director Zhang, have you calculated it? If we really do as you say, the distance from this city to some oil wells would exceed one hundred kilometers!"

Zhang Qingshan's expression changed, but he didn't yield at all:

"If people are concentrated together, we only need to build one set of hospitals, schools, shops, and Boiler rooms. It saves money, saves materials, and is easy to manage!"

He Yuzhu joked, "Deputy Director Zhang, you have also stayed in Beijing. If you were asked to live in Beijing every day and commute to Tianjin for work, would you be willing?"

Zhang Qingshan was embarrassed and angry: "Workers can live in temporary simple housing first! What's wrong with concentrating the Refinery, Power Plant, hospital, and other facilities together?"

He Yuzhu's tone gradually turned cold: "If we let workers spend an hour or two on the road every day in freezing temperatures of minus tens of degrees, eating poorly, living without warmth, and having their hands and feet frozen stiff, then what is the point of us building this city?"

Another Cadre immediately stood up to chime in, "We are a major national oilfield! You build a village here and a stronghold there—what does that look like? Where is the grandeur of a major oilfield?"

He Yuzhu shook his head; it seemed that without showing something, it would be hard to convince these people. "Lv Hong, Man Yatou, bring up the planning map!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a giant map three meters square was nailed to the wall.

The map clearly marked: all potential oil extraction areas, the most suitable locations for building small towns, house styles, supporting facilities, water supply, power supply, heating... every stroke was detailed to the extreme.

Not only that, but at the transportation hubs, they had also planned the Refinery, Power Plant, Central Hospital, large Material Station, and so on.

The command post, which had just been noisy, instantly fell silent.

Several Cadres who were preparing to refute stared at the drawings and couldn't say a word for a long time.

He Yuzhu's plan was too detailed, too comprehensive, and too difficult to refute.

Man Yatou simultaneously handed over another comparison table.

It clearly calculated: once a central city was forcibly built unreasonably, how much transport capacity would be wasted, how much time would be lost, and how much capital would be wasted—every item was calculated clearly.

For a time, the scene was deathly silent. He Yuzhu said calmly, "Comrades, a city is formed slowly; it cannot be forcibly arranged. Therefore, my suggestion is to build Petroleum Towns according to blocks! Each town will have three thousand to ten thousand people, and workers can walk to the wells in fifteen minutes! Unified housing, centralized heating... primary schools, clinics, shops, bathhouses, not one can be missing! In areas where towns are dense, we can then uniformly provide cinemas and entertainment venues!"

Zhang Qingshan's face turned livid, and he retorted, "How much material will this consume? It's too extravagant and wasteful!"

He Yuzhu sneered, "Deputy Director Zhang, oil wells will run dry. When the area around your big city runs out of oil, what will happen to the city? Will it become a dead city? That would be the real waste!"

Lv Hong immediately followed up with a jab: "It gets down to minus thirty or forty degrees here in winter. If the workers spend three hours on the road every day, by the time they actually reach the wells, their energy will have long been exhausted!"

Minister Liu, who had been silent all along, had originally also been in favor of building a big city.

But after reading through He Yuzhu's complete plan and the bloody, stark comparative data, the scales in his heart tilted completely.

Yet, the majority of the Cadres at the scene still clung to their own notions.

A fierce debate surrounding "building a big city versus building small towns" erupted instantly.

Zhang Qingshan stiffened his neck and said, "I've been to Su Guo; their industrial cities are what you call grand! Your proposal is too narrow-minded!"

He Yuzhu said with a smile, "They are them, and we are us. Cities follow industries. It's not that I don't want Saertu to be built into a larger city; it's that right now, we cannot be biased and force the creation of a city!"

Minister Liu slapped the table, and the whole room went quiet instantly, "I support Little He's proposal. Let's build small towns as a pilot project first! Today, let's unify our opinions, and I will report this immediately. As for the final decision, we wait for the approval from above!"