They still didn't listen to me and put a poached egg in every bowl of hot soup noodles and brought a few dishes of shredded pickled mustard tuber.
Everyone was obviously very hungry, and they picked up their bowls and began to eat voraciously.
I also arranged for food to be prepared for the staff who were still reinforcing the levee. After the meeting, the staff gradually dispersed to do their own things.
Wei Shuang came over and whispered to me, "County Magistrate Guan, it's still a while before dawn. Why don't you go to my office and rest for a while? There's a bed inside."
I waved my hand and said, "You can't fall asleep even if you lie down. Go and get some rest. It's dawn and there's still a lot to do."
After I persuaded him repeatedly, Wei Shuang agreed to go to rest. Zhang Shuangli, Xiong Jifei and I stayed in the meeting room, each leaning back in our chairs and resting our eyes.
I looked out the window, and the rainstorm showed no sign of abating. The room was completely silent, and I thought to myself: This might be the last silence before the decisive battle.
After being busy all night, I was exhausted and fell into a deep sleep without realizing it.
I don't know how long it took before someone woke me up. I opened my eyes with difficulty and dimly recognized that it was Zhang Shuangli.
"County Magistrate Guan, County Magistrate Tong called."
I nodded, my voice hoarse: "What time is it?"
"Seven o'clock."
I stood up with the help of the chair and stretched my stiff muscles: "What instructions does County Magistrate Tong have?"
"There were no specific instructions. I just asked about the situation here." Zhang Shuangli replied.
I groaned, my brows unconsciously furrowed, a trace of dissatisfaction quietly passed through my heart - as the highest-ranking official in Dongxiang Town at the moment, Tong Yazhou actually bypassed me and directly handed the phone to Zhang Shuangli, which made me feel very uncomfortable.
Without continuing the topic, I turned and walked to the window. Outside the window, the gloomy sky seemed to be punctured, and rain poured down.
I just turned around and saw Hu Jia leading a group of people walking in, holding a lunch box in his hand: "County Magistrate Guan, breakfast is ready, white rice porridge and steamed buns."
I motioned for them to put their things down and turned my gaze to Zhang Shuangli: "Where is Secretary Wei?"
"The situation on the riverbank is quite serious," Zhang Shuangli replied immediately, "He has just rushed to the scene."
I really had no appetite, so I motioned to the others to finish their meal, then left the meeting room alone.
Xiong Jifei and Hu Jia followed immediately. We came downstairs in three days, and Xiang Qianjin, who was waiting at the door, quickly handed me a raincoat. I hurriedly put on the raincoat and turned back to him and said, "You stay and have something to eat. Lao Xiong, Xiao Hu and I will go to the river to take a look."
After that, the three of us plunged into the heavy rain.
The scene before me shocked me greatly - a night of heavy rain had caused the river water to surge, the turbid torrent was surging and rolling, the water level in many sections of the embankment was approaching the top of the dam, and it looked like it was about to overflow!
My heart tightened, and I almost ran to the section of the dike that the militia emergency team was working hard to reinforce.
I spotted Wei Shuang among the crowd of people running in the mud, grabbed his arm, and said in an urgent and hoarse voice: "Secretary Wei! Looking at the current water level, reinforcing the water may not be enough! We must adjust the plan immediately and release the flood in advance!"
Wei Shuang suddenly pulled off the rain hat on his head, water splashed everywhere, and panic was written all over his face: "No, County Magistrate Guan! Lao Ma just came back from Xiaocheng Steel Structure, and the negotiations broke down! The company is not willing to do it at all!"
My heart suddenly sank, as if it was soaked by cold river water. I trembled slightly uncontrollably, and took out the phone from my wet bag with difficulty. The screen was covered with water droplets. I wiped it a few times, held my breath, and anxiously searched in the address book. Finally, Lin Haisheng's name jumped out.
The call was finally connected. I tried my best to explain the pros and cons first, then put pressure on him. After using both soft and hard tactics, Lin Haisheng reluctantly gave in and agreed to the request to release the flood.
As soon as I hung up the phone, I immediately turned to Wei Shuang and spoke quickly and deliberately: "Secretary Wei! Immediately withdraw the militia to rest! Immediately contact the police station and coordinate the emergency transportation of explosives from the coal mine! Immediately select the flood discharge channel and prepare to blow up the dike! Remember——"
I emphasized my tone, my eyes were sharp, "The first task: ensure that all employees of the company are evacuated to an absolutely safe area without a single one left behind! The blasters must be the most experienced veteran blasters in the coal mine! I will be responsible for contacting the downstream towns. Execute immediately!"
The color on Wei Shuang's face faded, and his expression was uglier than crying. His Adam's apple rolled, and his voice was dry and tight, almost squeezed out from the cracks of his mouth: "County Magistrate Guan... For such an important matter, do you want to... ask the county again for instructions?"
I said firmly, without question: "Time is life, it's too late! I gave the order, and I will bear the responsibility!"
He bit his teeth hard, his cheeks tensed: "...Okay! I'll organize it right away!"
Before he finished speaking, he had already picked up the loudspeaker on the ground and hoarsely ordered the militia to withdraw to the town office. Then, he turned to the several town leaders who had gathered around him and gave them instructions at a rapid speed.
As soon as I returned to the town office, the deputy secretary of the Party Committee, Lao Ma, came up to me, his face full of guilt. He rubbed his lips and whispered, "County Magistrate Guan, this is all my fault for being incompetent..."
I waved my hand, signaling him not to do so, and said in a gentle tone: "The power of corporate managers is limited, so it is understandable that we couldn't reach an agreement. Don't take it personally. I have already contacted the CEO in Hangzhou directly, and he has agreed."
Hearing this, Lao Ma's tense expression relaxed visibly, and he breathed a sigh of relief: "Great! At the critical moment, you still have to step in person to make the final decision." Then, he took a step closer and lowered his voice: "Zhang Qiming... found it."
My brows knitted immediately, and I lowered my voice to ask, "Where did you dig it out?"
"He was said to be drunk last night," Old Ma curled his lips with a hint of contempt, "and slept at the home of the women's director of Shengli Village. Our ⷸ ran into him when we were mobilizing the masses to evacuate, and the smell of alcohol was still there. I heard he was on his way back."
I understood in my heart - this Zhang Qiming had an ambiguous relationship with the director of women's affairs. A wave of anger rushed to my head, and I snorted coldly: "He is not good at doing things, but always makes trouble! What else can this kind of cadre do except make trouble at the critical moment? Ignore him!"
Old Ma said "hmm", and his tone was clearly full of dissatisfaction, and it was obvious that he had a deep grudge against Zhang Qiming. He then straightened his back and asked: "County Magistrate Guan, please tell me what I should do next?"
I pressed his shoulder and said, "Good steel must be put to good use! Old Wei has been up all night without sleeping much. We are going to relocate and resettle a large number of people soon, so you should help him share more of the burden. At this point, we must work together and help each other!"
Old Ma stood up straight and assured firmly: "Please rest assured, leader! I will do my best to cooperate with Secretary Wei!"
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