Chapter 54: It's Good to Have Someone in the Imperial Court

The County Armed Forces Department took my aunt's bridge-building unit into the mountains.

When I received this news, I was racking my brains for the widening project of the Laoyingzui road. After eating the meal cooked by Sister Yuebai at noon, I originally wanted to lie on the recliner for a nap, but before I could lie down, I received a call from my aunt, saying that my uncle had brought a battalion of equipment.

In Laoyingzui, manpower could never widen the road surface, and the possibility of blowing up the mountain with cannons did not exist. If it wasn't blown well, the falling stones would smash the villagers' houses, which was something that couldn't be eaten and had to be carried. I wouldn't take this risk, and Zhao Jinming was even more afraid. He would only take a group of people with iron hoes, destroying a few small stones like scratching the earth.

The arrival of my uncle's unit added infinite hope to my dark project.

As soon as my uncle arrived at the county, he asked the Armed Forces Department to find me. The Armed Forces Department didn't know who I was at all, so they had to make a call to the county government. When the county government heard that a battalion of soldiers had come to Suxi Township to conduct exercises, they were first surprised and couldn't speak, and then asked if they had made a mistake. Although Suxi Township's terrain was dangerous and troops had marched through it during the Three Kingdoms period, since liberation, few people wearing military uniforms had been seen in Suxi Township every year. Besides, this place was not a strategic location. Why did troops suddenly go there to conduct exercises? What were they exercising?

Hearing that it was a bridge-building unit, not a business of shooting guns and cannons, they were even more puzzled.

The matter was reported to County Magistrate Liu Qimeng. County Magistrate Liu thought for a moment and clapped his hands in approval. He immediately arranged for the government office to contact me, saying that no matter what, I must rush to the county as soon as possible.

By the time I rushed to the county, my uncle's unit had already set up camp and was lighting a fire to cook.

The director of the county government office and the head of the Armed Forces Department took me to see my uncle. I saw my uncle standing on the track of an excavator. Seeing us coming, he jumped down, shook hands with the director and the head one by one, and asked me, "Are you Xiao Feng?"

I had only seen this uncle of mine in photos. I hadn't attended any of my aunt's major events such as falling in love and getting married. My uncle only had one home leave a year, and he didn't come to my house much.

"Your aunt asked me to bring you some food." He waved for the communicator to go to the tent to get things.

"Zhang Yingzhang, is Secretary Chen your nephew?" The head of the Armed Forces Department looked at me and said, "I really didn't know."

My uncle, Zhang Yingzhang, smiled and said, "It's not a big deal. The reason for coming to exercise this time is that there is a task from above. As a newly promoted battalion commander, leading the troops to prepare for war is my duty. Sorry to disturb you, please forgive me."

It turned out that my uncle had been promoted from company commander to battalion commander. Such big good news, but my aunt had never revealed a hint of it.

The director of the government office laughed and said, "Zhang Yingzhang, the army and the people are one family, so don't talk about polite words."

It was the head of the Armed Forces Department who asked suspiciously, "Zhang Yingzhang, the place you are going to, Suxi Township, has no roads, and even electricity has not been installed. Now they are repairing roads and erecting wires, I'm afraid it's not easy to walk."

My uncle, Zhang Yingzhang, said heroically, "What do we do? Bridge-building unit, it's the business of building bridges and repairing roads. Isn't this hitting the muzzle of a gun?"

He pointed to the neatly arranged heavy vehicles behind him and said, "Look, opening mountains, building bridges, rolling, what kind of machinery do I not have?" He pointed to a car in the distance with two soldiers on duty next to it and said, "What is that? A whole car of explosives!" He made a big gesture with a "boom," scaring the director of the government office back a few steps: "A mountain is just a matter of a few seconds."

My uncle's words made the director of the government office understand. He immediately smiled, grabbed my uncle's hand and shook it hard, and said, "County Magistrate Liu invites Zhang Yingzhang to have dinner tonight, Secretary Chen and Minister Li will accompany you. Zhang Yingzhang, what do you think?"

My uncle said, "Is it appropriate?"

The director of the government office said, "What's inappropriate? Your troops have come to the locality, and we should support the army. What is our relationship? Fish and water relationship, don't be an outsider."

My uncle waved his big hand and said, "Okay, I will definitely see the county magistrate."

Still in the County Party Committee Reception Office, County Magistrate Liu had been waiting there for a long time, his gray hair lowered as he read the newspaper, and a young man stood beside him. Looking closely, it was actually Huang Qishan.

County Magistrate Liu stretched out his hand from afar and accompanied my uncle to take his seat.

After some pleasantries, County Magistrate Liu pointed to Huang Qishan and said, "Xiao Chen, Xiao Huang is now working in our Chunshan County. You came out of the same working group, so you should communicate more."

I accompanied him with a smile and said, "Brother Qishan has made rapid progress, I need to learn more."

Huang Qishan glanced at me and gave a look, which was seen by County Magistrate Liu. He laughed and said, "Xiao Huang, sending secret signals?"

Huang Qishan smiled awkwardly and said, "County Magistrate Liu, we haven't seen each other for more than half a year."

"You can talk slowly later." County Magistrate Liu ordered the dishes to be served. The waiters came up like flowing water, and in a blink of an eye, a table of rich dishes was filled with the whole table.

According to the level, County Magistrate Liu is at the regimental level, and my uncle is at the battalion level. If my uncle went to the locality, his level would have to be one level lower, at most a company-level treatment. Now County Magistrate Liu personally hosted the banquet, showing that he attached great importance to this matter.

Taking advantage of the gap, I asked Huang Qishan what he was doing in Chunshan County now?

Huang Qishan whispered, "Secretary of the County Youth League Committee, not yet appointed."

My heart ached. Damn it, it's good to have someone in the imperial court to be an official! He is the secretary of the County Youth League Committee, a county-level leader, and what about me?

Huang Qishan smiled slightly and said confidently, "I don't want to come, but Weiwei's dad said that young people should go to the grassroots to exercise, there is no way."

Weiwei's dad? Organization Department Minister Huang Shan! Huang Qishan, what is your relationship with him? The doubts in my heart gathered, and my chest felt like a stone was pressed, unable to breathe.

"Where is Group Leader Guo?" I asked. I was still very interested in Guo Wei. This person had the ambition of a swan, and he might be an opponent in the future, or he might be a friend. Having one more friend is one more way, so I lowered my posture.

"After this study, he was the only one who wasn't sent down. Now he is in the Policy Research Office of the Municipal Party Committee." Huang Qishan told me, "Weiwei went to the Municipal Women's Federation, and others went to various county bureaus, and some returned to their original units. I am the person with the highest position adjustment this time." Huang Qishan patted the back of my hand and said, "To be an official, you have to use strange soldiers. Today you used strange soldiers."

After the meal, County Magistrate Liu was still in high spirits, pulling my uncle and shouting, "Zhang Yingzhang, you support local construction, and we should support the army's work. Well, any place in Chunshan County, as long as your troops like it, the county will cooperate unconditionally."

Finally, it was determined that the troops would enter Laoyingzui, blow up stones and open mountains, and open this road into a big road that could walk two cars side by side. ===== CHAPTER 55 =====