The speed of the car was extremely slow. It was already 12 o'clock in the middle of the night when Qiao Liang and He Qingqing arrived at Pingshan Township, where Liangshui Lake is located downstream.
The three-story township government building was brightly lit. When Qiao Liang and He Qingqing's cars arrived, the township head Zhang Zhenfu was waiting in the courtyard with two staff members. When he saw Qiao Liang's car approaching, Zhang Zhenfu stepped forward: " County Magistrate Qiao, you are here."
"Have you started evacuating the masses in advance?" Qiao Liang asked as soon as he got off the car.
"It has been launched. Now all the cadres from the township have been dispatched. Secretary Yan Yu has personally taken the lead and gone straight to the front line to personally mobilize the villagers to relocate." Zhang Zhenfu said, referring to Yan Yu as the secretary of Pingshan Township.
"How did the villagers react? Are they willing to cooperate?" Qiao Liang asked eagerly.
"How should I put it? Some villagers are more cooperative, but some are very resistant." Zhang Zhenfu frowned slightly and said honestly, "County Chief Qiao, I'm afraid this job is very difficult to do."
"It is difficult but also necessary to do. According to the judgment of the County Meteorological Bureau, the next round of heavy rainfall may be coming soon. We must race against time to complete the relocation of villagers and discharge floodwaters from Liangshui Lake before the new wave of floods arrives. "Qiao Liang said firmly.
"But..." Zhang Zhenfu hesitated.
"Head Zhang, don't worry. This is the decision of the county team meeting. During the meeting in the evening, Secretary Xiao from the city was also present. He also acquiesced to the county's decision, so we must complete the task no matter what." He Qingqing said from the side that after becoming the director of the Poverty Alleviation Office, she often went to the countryside and was very familiar with Zhang Zhenfu, so she spoke quite casually.
When Zhang Zhenfu heard He Qingqing's words, his face became serious. Unexpectedly, this decision was also approved by Xiao Shun and Xiao Shun. Zhang Zhenfu immediately did not dare to raise any objections.
Qiao Liang had already walked into the office building at this time, and said as he walked: "Mr. Zhang, do you have a map around Liangshui Lake? Let's study the terrain first."
"Yes, I'll ask the staff to bring it over right away." Zhang Zhenfu nodded.
Several people entered the office, and the staff had already brought over a map of Pingshan Township with very detailed markings.
Spreading the map on the table, the terrain of the entire Pingshan Township, including Liangshui Lake, was clear at a glance. Zhang Zhenfu pointed at the map and said: "County Chief Qiao, look, there are Shanglin and two villages in the lower corner below Liangshui Lake. If Liangshui Lake In order to discharge floods, the entire villages in these two villages need to be evacuated and relocated."
"How many people are there in these two villages?" Qiao Liang asked.
"There are more than 300 households in the two villages, but most of them are left-behind elderly people. Taken together, there may be more than 400 people at home in the two villages," Zhang Zhenfu said.
"Then evacuate immediately without delaying for a moment." Qiao Liang said firmly.
"Well, all the staff in the township have gone down now and are mobilizing door to door." Zhang Zhenfu nodded.
Hearing this, Qiao Liang nodded and said, "Let's go to the village and have a look."
Under the leadership of Zhang Zhenfu, Qiao Liang and He Qingqing came to Xiajiao Village, which is located directly below Liangshui Lake. Once the flood is released, the entire village will be submerged. Therefore, the entire village must be evacuated. When Qiao Liang arrived, he discovered that something had happened The progress was much slower than he expected. Although some villagers cooperated with the work, they were slowly moving things from the house, as if they were moving, with no sense of urgency at all. As for the uncooperative villagers, not to mention, there was no sense of urgency at all. There was no movement at all, the village cadres were patiently doing their work.
Hearing Qiao Liang's approach, Yan Yu, the township secretary in Xiajiao Village, also rushed over.
"County Magistrate Qiao, this is Secretary Yan Yu of Pingshan Township." He Qingqing saw Yan Yu and introduced him to Qiao Liang.
"Comrade Yan Yu, what's going on now?" Qiao Liang asked in a deep voice.
"County Magistrate Qiao, it's not easy to do your job." Yan Yu looked troubled, "The villagers have lived here for generations, and many people can't accept it when they are asked to move out all of a sudden."
"Now is not the time to accept it, but the question of whether it must be moved." Qiao Liang said with a serious face, "The water level of the upstream river has surged. Once the next wave of heavy rainfall arrives, the entire Liangshui River Basin may be flooded. Liangshui Lake will encounter unpredictable dangers, so the county decided to release the flood in advance. This was a decision made after careful discussion. The villagers must understand that this is an unquestionable decision. What the township needs to do now is to go all out Cooperate, we must complete the evacuation and transfer of the villagers in the shortest possible time."
"County Magistrate Qiao, we are also working hard and doing our best to do the ideological work of the villagers, but this happened too suddenly. It is not easy to do the ideological work of the villagers," Yan Yu said helplessly.
"Comrade Yan Yu, I know that we will always encounter difficulties of one kind or another in our work, but now is not the time to emphasize the difficulties. We must do ideological work to understand the villagers. If this is not possible, we must use some coercive means. , at this juncture, we cannot be too rigid in doing things." Qiao Liang said.
"County Magistrate Qiao, isn't it good to use coercive means?" Yan Yu was startled.
"Comrade Yan Yu, it seems that you still don't realize the seriousness of the problem." Qiao Liang's eyes were stern, and he turned to look at Zhang Zhenfu and other people in the township. Qiao Liang realized that the cadres in the township have not realized how serious the situation is. , just with a coping mentality to complete the county's orders.
Qiao Liang was about to say something else, when a staff member ran over and said in a hurry: "Secretary Yan, it's not good. A small section of the sand embankment on the north side of Liangshui Lake has burst, and water has rushed out."
"What?" Yan Yu was surprised, "Didn't the people patrolling the embankment during the day say everything was fine?"
When Qiao Liang heard this, his face became serious and he looked at the staff member: "Is the situation serious now?"
"The village has organized villagers to go up to block the opening, but the river upstream is very large and may be dangerous," the staff member replied.
"Where is the embankment breach?" Qiao Liang asked again.
"The north side is located in Shanglin Village."
Upon hearing this, Qiao Liang immediately said: "Let's rush there right now."
Qiao Liang, Yan Yu and others got on the bus and were about to go to Shanglin Village. Seeing that the township head Zhang Zhenfu wanted to follow them, Qiao Liang stopped him and said: "Chang Zhang, you are taking command in Xiajiao Village. Immediately mobilize the villagers to move. Take your valuables with you." Just take the items and leave, but don't move ordinary belongings. It is urgent to make the villagers aware of the danger. Once the dike breaks, even a small section may cause huge dangers."
"Okay, then I'll guard here in Xiajiao Village." Zhang Zhenfu nodded hurriedly.
"Well, let's call if necessary." Qiao Liang said.
He and Yan Yu rushed to Shanglin Village by car. Qiao Liang said to Yan Yu in the car: "Comrade Yan Yu, the current situation further proves that the county's decision to release floods is correct. The breach of the sand embankment shows that hidden dangers have been laid for a long time." , it’s just that you haven’t discovered it yet.”
"County Chief Qiao, during this period, due to the influx of water from the upstream river, the water level of Liangshui Lake is much higher than usual, so our township has made corresponding arrangements. We have people patrolling the embankments every day, and we also invite people from the county water conservancy department. I have checked the risks at all dam entrances and found no problems." Yan Yu said with a wry smile.
"What does this mean? It means that some of our comrades in departments only do their work on the surface." Qiao Liang said with an ugly face, "Forget it, now is not the time to take this seriously. Let's rush over and take a look at the situation first."
Taking a car to the village committee of Shanglin Village, Qiao Liang, Yan Yu and others were led by the village chief to the mouth of the burst dam. The lake water rushed into the village like a wild horse, and the entire road in the village was flooded with water. Although the flooding at the ankle is not very serious, Qiao Liang knows how serious the situation is, because there is a wave of heavy rainfall upstream, and the river water continues to flow into Liangshui Lake, which will only continue to push up the water level of Liangshui Lake. It's not a matter of a short break.
"Now the village has organized all the young adults at home and is urgently using sandbags to block the breach. The problem now is that there are not enough sandbags." The village chief introduced to Qiao Liang and Yan Yu.
"Use everything that can be used and ignore the rest. The top priority is to organize the relocation of villagers as soon as possible. The county has decided to release floodwaters in Liangshui Lake. In my opinion, this breach can be dug later, and it will save money to release floods from here. Kung fu." Qiao Liang stared ahead and breathed a sigh of relief after realizing that the breach was not very big.
"Well, the village has organized the elderly and children to be transferred first." the village chief replied.
Hearing this, Qiao Liang nodded slightly and asked the village cadres to take him to the village to see the situation in detail. After walking for more than half a circle, Qiao Liang felt relieved. It turned out that many of the villagers were quite resistant. As a result, they broke up with each other. , on the contrary, the villagers were really aware of the danger, and their cooperation was greatly improved. This really corresponds to the saying: bad things turn into good things, and there is no absolute in everything.
As time went by, the lake water that originally reached the ankles had gradually reached the calves, especially in the lower areas of the village, and some were flooded up to the knees. At this time, more than an hour had passed. Qiao Liang took a look. The time is two o'clock in the morning. Tonight is destined to be a sleepless night for Qiao Liang.
Returning to the village committee, Qiao Liang asked the village chief: "Have all the villagers evacuated?"
"It's almost time. We will definitely be able to evacuate in another hour." the village chief replied.
"That's good. For those villagers who haven't left yet, tell them to move quickly. Look at the speed of the water rising. Now it's up to the calves. It will soon be submerged to the knees. There can't be any further delay. Time is life now. , It’s not an exaggeration at all.” Qiao Liang said seriously.
After hearing Qiao Liang's words, the village chief nodded solemnly.
At this time, a village staff member walked over quickly and said: "Village chief, Aunt Yang at the head of the village has been reluctant to leave. She said that their house is located in a relatively high position and cannot be flooded. She is unwilling to leave."
"Why are you so stubborn?" The villager, who was also an older man, became anxious when he heard this and walked out quickly.
Seeing this, Qiao Liang also followed him, planning to go there and have a look together.
Several people arrived at the head of the village. The terrain here was indeed higher. The lower areas in the village were already flooded up to their knees, but the water here had just reached the soles of their feet.
But when he saw Aunt Yang's house, Qiao Liang frowned. This was at least thirty or forty years old, an early civil structure house. Looking at the furnishings in the house, one could tell that the family was also poor.
Very.
The village cadres were still trying to persuade Aunt Yang, and the village chief himself came forward to persuade her. They were almost getting angry, but Aunt Yang was unmoved.
Qiao Liang looked at the situation in the house and walked forward and said: "Auntie, you really have to leave. Although the water can't flood your area now, but when the county releases floods and the lake water pours down, your area will also be flooded."
Yes, and you see that there is water in your house now. It will be dangerous if you don't leave. Look at the wooden pillars. The bottom part of the pillars is a bit rotten. Strictly speaking, your house is a dangerous building.
Yes, it’s very dangerous.”
"Little kid, don't talk nonsense. I've lived in this house for decades. It's very safe. How could it be in danger?" the old lady said, glaring.
"Auntie, I'm not scaring you. Look, the bottom of this pillar is rotten due to moisture. In addition, this pillar is a load-bearing beam. Now the bottom is soaked in water, which is very dangerous." Qiao Liang pointed to a pillar and said seriously.
.
The old lady curled her lips, turned her head and ignored Qiao Liang, obviously not believing it.
Seeing this, Qiao Liang shook his head helplessly, looked at the village chief and asked, "Where are the young people in this family?"
"I went out to work, but I'm not at home. Usually only this old lady is at home." the village chief replied.
"Then call their young people and ask them to do the work of the elderly." Qiao Liang said.
"Okay, I'll make a call." The village chief nodded and walked outside to make a call.
The village chief walked out, and Qiao Liang suddenly felt as if he heard something breaking. At first, Qiao Liang thought it was the sound of water hitting the pillars under his feet. Suddenly, Qiao Liang felt something was wrong. When he looked up, Qiao Liang's eyes suddenly opened.
It was so round that I saw the thick load-bearing beam above where the old lady was sitting slowly falling down!
"Mom, be careful-" At the critical moment, Qiao Liang didn't think much and subconsciously rushed forward...
"County Magistrate Qiao..." He Qingqing screamed from behind.
…
In the county, at three o'clock in the middle of the night, Ding Xiaoyun and Xiao Shunhe, who were sitting in the dispatching and command center of the county meteorological bureau, had just finished talking about the topic of flood discharge. Xiao Shunhe declined Ding Xiaoyun's suggestion to go to the hotel to rest and was about to lie down on the table in the dispatching and command center.
After taking a nap, Ding Xiaoyun's cell phone rang.
Ding Xiaoyun saw that it was He Qingqing's call and hurriedly answered it.
"Secretary Ding, it's bad, County Magistrate Qiao is injured!" He Qingqing's voice was faintly crying.
"Ah!" Ding Xiaoyun was shocked, and then asked, "Is it serious?"
"It's serious. I hit my head with a pillar. I'm unconscious now. I have to be sent to the hospital immediately. However, the medical facilities in the village are limited. Now the roads are flooded and difficult to walk. I'm afraid..." He Qingqing cried as she spoke.
When Ding Xiaoyun heard this, he panicked and didn't know what to say.
"What's going on?" Xiao Shunhe asked in a deep voice when he saw Ding Xiaoyun's face.
"Something happened to County Magistrate Qiao..." Ding Xiaoyun came to his senses and hurriedly reported to Xiao Shunhe.
Xiao Shunhe was stunned when he heard this. He did not expect that something would happen to Qiao Liang, and his injuries were quite serious.
Soon Xiao Shunhe came to his senses and said quickly: "Immediately ask them to put Comrade Qiao Liang in the car and drive to the county. I will contact the people in the army and arrange a helicopter to pick him up."
After Xiao Shunhe finished speaking, he took out his mobile phone to contact the army.
After making the call, Xiao Shunhe thought of something and looked solemn. He realized that this matter must be reported to Liao Gufeng immediately.
After checking the time, Xiao Shunhe hesitated. It was the third watch in the middle of the night. Wouldn't it be a good idea to call Liao Gufeng?
After thinking for a moment, Xiao Shunhe gritted his teeth and decided to call Liao Gufeng now.
At three o'clock in the morning, the phone rang urgently at Liao Gufeng's house...
