Chapter 104 Rescue

Having understood the situation, Wei Yang wasted no more time. He drove the truck at top speed, following the rapid current downstream. When he saw that the water was blocked and branched off by a small hill, he divided the team into two groups, one with more people and one with fewer people.

The road ahead is impassable for driving.

One team went towards the Uyghur village to rescue people, while the other team went to find the six people from the Third Company who were delivering agricultural machinery parts.

The road to the small village had to be taken by waterway. Wei Yang's team were all good swimmers, and they plunged into the rushing water.

The terrain became lower and lower, just as the man had said.

The reservoir has only been completed for a year, and this is the first time we've seen such a heavy rain this year. Nobody expected such an accident to happen.

When they reached the shallow water, they helped each other walk forward.

Despite being chilled to the bone by the torrent, everyone's hearts burned with anxiety.

Every second was incredibly nerve-wracking. After what seemed like an eternity, Wei Yang and his group finally encountered the mud-brick house underwater.

The situation here was more serious than he had imagined, because the water level had completely submerged his head, and the deepest part was estimated to be three and a half to four meters deep.

I wonder how the people in the village are doing. Also, the rescue team needs to find a landing point quickly, otherwise something bad might happen.

Wei Yang surfaced and looked around. He called out to his companions, "There are hills to the north that rise above the water. Swim over there first. I'll go find some farm tools."

The water is stuck here and can't get out. We have to dive down to the bottom and dig an opening to open the waterway and drain the water.

The idea is perfect, but it's difficult to implement.

The roof of the underwater mud-brick house collapsed due to the water, and the fence and courtyard wall were washed away and their whereabouts are unknown.

Wei Yang's lungs felt like they were about to burst, but he still hadn't found anything. He could only step on the top of the collapsed mud bricks and stick his head out to gasp for breath.

As soon as I poked my head out, I saw someone struggling in the water, looking like they were about to drown.

Wei Yang's heart tightened, and he quickly swam over there.

The one who almost couldn't hold on was Xiao Wang from the department. He was only nineteen years old and tall and thin.

Wei Yang had no choice but to give up looking for Kantuman and send Xiao Wang to a mound on the level ground.

After spitting out the water he had choked on, Xiao Wang coughed incessantly, feeling extremely grateful to Wei Yang.

Xiao Liu wiped the water off his face and pointed to the hill further north: "Brother Yang, the villagers are all hiding over there."

The mounds in this area are connected, and the mound closest to the flood is already surrounded by water. It is precisely because the connection between the mounds is at least one meter higher that the water that rushed into this area cannot escape.

As Wei Yang saw the whole picture and was calculating how to drain the water as quickly as possible, Xiao Wang, pale-faced and trembling, pointed to the angle between two mounds not far away and said, "Deputy Minister, there's a child floating there."

They carefully surveyed the water again, and found three more people floating on the surface.

Of the four people, three were elderly and one was a child.

The group felt heavy-hearted.

If the news had arrived earlier, and they had come a day earlier, these people might not have died.

Wei Yang wasted no more time and methodically issued the orders one by one.

"Sun Hu, you and Zhao Gang go back and report the news. Tell the people guarding outside to call over more strong young men from the nearest company, the 25th Company. They all need to know how to swim. Have them bring farm tools for digging. Going upstream is not easy, so you two must protect yourselves!"

Sun Hu and Zhao Gang responded loudly, "Yes, Vice Minister!"

"Xiao Wang, go to the north and check on the villagers' situation, count the number of people, and find out how many people originally lived in the village."

Xiao Wang frowned: "Deputy Minister, I don't understand Uyghur, so I'm afraid I won't be able to communicate with them."

Wei Yang looked around and realized that no one in the group understood Uyghur.

He had only been here for less than two months and could only understand simple greetings in Uyghur.

"It's alright, let's count the people first. Maybe their village officials can speak some Chinese."

Xiao Wang nodded and left.

Wei Yang looked around at everyone, his eyes revealing authority: "The rest of you, come with me to conduct an underwater survey. The water here is flowing out faster than it is flowing in, which is why it's accumulating. The water can't escape, so there must be some farm tools that can be used for digging underwater."

"Also, no individual heroism allowed. If you're exhausted, be sure to swim back and rest immediately. Do you all understand?"

Everyone straightened their backs and replied solemnly, "Understood!"

Persistence pays off; with everyone working together, a small number of hoes and shovels were found.

Wei Yang groped his way through the murky water and, after surveying the area, determined a path leading out.

To excavate the waterway, work must be done underwater, which is difficult and involves a significant amount of work.

If more people come to dredge the river, the water can be drained out faster, and the villagers hiding in the mountains can be rescued more quickly.

After a difficult journey back along the same route, Sun Hu and Zhao Gang drove their truck to the 25th Company.

In the 25th Company, the company commander and political instructor were sitting under the shed talking.

The rain was lighter than a few days ago, and everyone thought it would stop today. But who would have thought that the rain would continue for most of the day without any sign of stopping?

As the truck drew closer in the rain, the company commander and political instructor stood up.

As soon as the car stopped, Sun Hu and Zhao Gang rushed out.

"Which one is the company commander of the 25th Company? The villages downstream of the Guhe River are flooded and the water can't be drained. We urgently need rescue. Quickly call a truckload of men who can swim and come with us."

Upon hearing this, the company commander and political instructor immediately became serious and ran over to the bungalow to start shouting.

In a short while, everyone who had been sheltering from the rain inside the house came out.

Zhao Aiguo roared, "Is one truck enough for the people? Our company has a tractor, I can take some more people who can swim with me."

Zhao Gang: "Come on, you drive the tractor and come with us. Hurry up, the water is very high over there. Don't forget to bring your farm tools."

And so, all the able-bodied young men from the 25th Company who knew how to swim took their farm tools and left in carts.

The remaining people were naturally filled with anxiety.

Most people don't understand how this place, which is so dry and has flat land, could be flooded. How much rain would it take for such a large flood to occur?

As everyone was discussing this, an old veteran from the military reclamation team in the crowd said, "There's a reservoir over there on the Guhe River. It's been raining heavily for three days in a row, and the water must have overflowed."

Song Lubai had seen the male comrade who had just come to report the news and ask for people at the entrance of the armed forces department.

Since they're here, Wei Yang should be at the rescue site.

If the situation weren't critical, how could they possibly need so many people?

She prayed that the rain would stop soon and that everyone would be safe.

However, fate did not hear her plea, and the rain still hadn't stopped the next morning.

The rain lasted longer than everyone expected.

The group of people who went to the rescue site yesterday did not return overnight.

The company commander and political instructor had both left, and those who remained at the camp gathered in groups, speculating about what was happening over there.