Following an order from Wang Biao, commander of the 323rd Regiment, all officers and soldiers, who had just celebrated the New Year, immediately plunged into the battle.
An entire infantry regiment, with about 1,200 people, more than 20 trucks, and three jeeps, carrying countless shovels and pickaxes, as well as a lot of salt for melting snow, marched out of the barracks in a mighty manner.
As soon as the soldiers were dispatched, the common people of the Red Star Commune heard the noise and began to inquire curiously.
Those who were well-informed immediately told the story of the rat plague in the countryside.
Suddenly, people began to panic.
After all, it was not only the countryside that was plagued by rats, but there were also rats in the town, ten times more than usual, which destroyed the food supply of many families.
So...
The people of the commune all recalled the rat plague warning that Lin Huowang had publicly issued at the commune meeting more than half a month ago.
"Oh my god! Did that… that Wang thing really come true? There really is a rat plague."
"Maybe there's some great god in his body! He used his mouth to tell people about the rat plague. But no one believed him at the time. Instead, they treated his words as a joke."
“The forest fire in Linjiagou is raging. I seemed to have seen him coming to the commune for a meeting a few days ago.
I heard that he came to the meeting on behalf of the team leader of Linjiagou, and he mentioned the rat plague at the meeting. I wonder if the team leaders of the production teams below listened to him?"
"Just now some villagers from a nearby production brigade came to the commune, and I heard them say that the rat plague last night was so scary!
There are tens of thousands of rats, all of them are spirits, and they bite people to death when they see them!"
"Yes, yes, yes! I was just at the clinic and saw several villagers whose legs and feet were bitten by rats. Fortunately, the road to their production team was not closed, so they were able to get to the commune for medical treatment in time..."
"That's it! As far as I know, at least a dozen production brigades will be closed off by heavy snow during the New Year.
If you want to go out of the mountain again, you have to wait until the snow melts in the spring of next year. Otherwise, the snow, which is at least half a meter to one meter thick, will flood all the roads out of the mountain. "
"Eh? Do you think those soldiers who were dispatched just now were going to open the passage?"
"How is that possible? How much manpower would that require? So many production teams! Each one has at least several miles of mountain roads..."
"That's right! I heard from the doctor at the health center that you can't eat food that rats have eaten or crawled over! If you eat it, you will get plague, have a stomachache, or even die..."
"Ah! Then I have to go back and tell my wife. She is so stingy that she will definitely not want to throw it away."
…
The residents of Red Star Commune were all in a panic.
They also returned to their homes, cleaned out some food that had been eaten by the rats and buried it.
In the commune compound, the commune secretary Liu Qisheng also heard that the rat plague was very serious and immediately convened a party committee meeting.
However, they found out that the commune director Zhao Tiechui was not there. After asking around, they found out that he had actually gone to the county with a bunch of information to claim credit.
"Nonsense! This Zhao Tiechui is really going too far.
Is this the time to take credit? He doesn't even know the details of each production brigade, so why is he so eager to take credit? "
Secretary Liu was really angry this time.
Logically speaking, as the secretary of the commune, he is the top leader and should have the greatest power.
But on the one hand, Zhao Tiechui was quite powerful, formed cliques for personal gain, and cultivated a group of villains around him who specifically competed for power with the secretary.
Secretary Liu was weak and old, and the higher-ups had always advocated that party affairs should be kept by the party and local affairs by local governments, so he seldom interfered in local affairs.
Just like in some factories that are as big as a small city, the secretary is the most powerful person. He has the final say and can manage everything.
Later, after the implementation of the "factory director responsibility system", the secretary, the top leader, had to stand aside, and the factory immediately went from being crowded with people to being deserted.
Although the level and treatment have not changed, the difference is huge once the power changes.
Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year.
The second-in-command, Zhao Tiechui, went to the county to take credit, and the top leader, Secretary Liu, simply took over his power and responsibilities.
"Now that Director Zhao is not here, my orders will prevail in the fight against the rat plague. Accountant, please count the amount of grain reserves in our commune's granary.
The armed forces department called upon our militia and tractor team to follow me to the countryside to clear the way.
Several deputy secretaries and deputy directors, you should mobilize the young and strong laborers in the commune to pick up shovels and spades to clear the snow and open the road together.
The PLA comrades have already taken action, so we can’t fall behind! This is our own commune’s business!”
As soon as Secretary Liu started the mobilization meeting, the entire commune immediately started to operate at a high level.
After all, the people's commune of this era can be regarded as a relatively good policy and organizational structure in a special historical period.
Although it is not as good as the current one with clear responsibilities and powers, and various subdivided departments and institutions.
However, in this era, the people's communes possessed enormous prestige and appeal.
At the command of the commune, all the young and strong labor force in the commune was mobilized.
Everyone picked up their own shovels and spades and followed the commune's tractor team, dividing into several directions to clear the way for the production brigades below.
"Dad! Is the rat plague in the countryside really that serious?"
Liu Wenzhen, a tractor driver, took the lead and was the first to drive a tractor, carrying the secretary's father and seven or eight militiamen, and drove to the mountain road blocked by wind and snow.
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