Chapter 55

Chapter 11: A Thousand Miles for Power

Meng Di and Xiong Xi's hearts sank: "Could it be...?"

Xiang Haiyang loudly said, "The reservoir dam foundation is severely leaking, and several places have already... already..."

Meng Di hurriedly asked, "What do you mean by 'already'?"

"Already collapsed..." Xiang Haiyang lowered his head, not daring to look at Meng Di's eyes.

Li Yi drew a sharp breath. How long had he been away, and it had already started to breach!

The dam has breached! This news, coming from Xiang Haiyang's mouth, could not be false. For a moment, the standing committee meeting room was in an uproar, and the secretaries waiting outside also squeezed in, discussing the matter.

Not long after, the former director of the Water Conservancy Bureau, Wang Youmin, ran up, wiping the rain from his head, and said, "It's bad! The dam has breached! The observation station just called, the dam has breached!"

At this point, no one doubted the authenticity of the matter!

Meng Di was in a panic, pacing around and shouting, "The dam has breached? What can we do, what can we do!"

Xiong Xi, who had just been speaking with great enthusiasm, was shocked and sat down in a chair, with only one thought in his mind: "It's over, this mayor's position is hard to keep!" His first thought was not how to save the dam or rescue the people, but to call the provincial authorities to find connections to protect his position.

Meng Di quickly calmed down and asked calmly, "Is there any good way to deal with this?"

Xiang Haiyang said, "The dam is still intact overall. My suggestion is to immediately organize people to block the breach! If we can seal the breach, the dam won't be so easy to collapse."

Li Yi sneered, "Throughout history, blocking water has never been as effective as疏导 (疏导 means '疏导' in Chinese, which can be translated as 'diverting' or 'channeling' in this context)! You can block one breach, but can you guarantee there won't be another? If the dam collapses, what will you use to block it? The top priority is to find a way to lower the water level in the reservoir, to quickly release the flood. Only then can we possibly save the dam. As long as the dam doesn't collapse, a major disaster can be avoided!"

Wang Youmin said, "I agree with Mr. Li's suggestion! Secretary Meng, Mayor Xiong, disaster relief is like fighting a fire! Please make a quick decision!"

"What's a good method?" Meng Di asked.

"Well!" Wang Youmin glanced at Li Yi.

Li Yi loudly said, "Immediately blow up the secondary spillway! This is the fastest and safest method!"

When Meng Di heard about blowing up the secondary spillway, he dared not make the decision alone and said hesitantly, "I will immediately report this situation to the provincial party committee and provincial government." At the same time, he looked at Wang Youmin and Xiang Haiyang, the experts.

Wang Youmin and Xiang Haiyang both nodded heavily, indicating that Li Yi's suggestion was feasible.

Xiong Xi called out, "Wait a moment! Secretary Meng, if the provincial authorities know about this, they will likely report it to the central government, and that will be a big deal!" His implication was that as long as there was no major problem, they should keep the situation under control at the city level, and then make a report later. This way, the matter could be minimized, and they would not bear any leadership responsibility.

Meng Di hesitated for a moment. A thousand miles for power, who doesn't want to advance, who doesn't want smooth sailing?

Li Yi loudly said, "Time is of the essence, Secretary Meng!"

Xiong Xi said, "We can notify the armed forces and the public security bureau, and ask them to find a way to blow up the secondary spillway!"

Li Yi shook his head and said, "No, that's too dangerous. We must request air support; that's the safest and most secure way!"

"Air support? Only the military region has that!" Xiong Xi said, "Is it necessary to make such a big fuss?"

Meng Di made up his mind and said, "I will make the call! I will consult with the provincial leaders and follow their instructions! Mayor Xiong, you immediately notify all departments to prepare for the highest level of flood control, organize the police, armed police, and fire services, mobilize all available personnel, and head to Malin Reservoir for flood control and evacuation of the people! Maintain constant communication!"

Meng Di believed that, given the stakes, Xiong Xi would not dare to be careless. No matter how fierce the struggle at the standing committee meeting, when a major disaster strikes, the party and government leaders must unite, work together, and overcome the difficulties.

Half an hour later, dozens of fire trucks, police and armed police vehicles, and cars from the municipal and city government compound formed a long line and headed for Malin Reservoir.

Li Yi's suggestion was still not adopted. He smiled bitterly and looked at Gu Heng, saying, "Secretary Gu, with the strength of Sanjiang City, we can't stop this disaster from happening!"

Gu Heng smiled and said, "I know you have ideas, so go ahead and do it, I support you!"

Li Yi nodded and quickly ran back to the guesthouse.

When Wen Yuxi received the report, he was shocked beyond measure. Such a large national-level reservoir, and it breached just like that? No warning signs beforehand? The officials in Sanjiang City didn't try to prevent this from happening? This is clearly administrative inaction!

Wen Yuxi immediately called Tang Chunqiang. Governor Tang Chunqiang had already received the report and was about to call to inquire.

The two exchanged information, and during their discussion, Tang Chunqiang casually said, "Comrade Xiong Xi is no longer suitable for the position of mayor of Sanjiang City. Please consider making an adjustment, Secretary Wen."

Wen Yuxi put down the phone and received a call from the provincial military region commander, Ding Jin. "Secretary Wen, I just received a call from Li Yi, asking me to send military aircraft to blow up the secondary spillway at Malin Reservoir! I think this is a big deal, so I want to ask for your opinion."

Wen Yuxi said, "Li Yi? Is he in Sanjiang?"

"Hehe, I asked him too. He said he works in the provincial government's advisory office and is currently conducting water research in Sanjiang City," Ding Jin laughed.

"Oh! I see. Has the Sanjiang City Party Committee and Municipal Government made any such request to you?" Wen Yuxi asked calmly.

"No! So far, I've only received a call from Li Yi. I find it suspicious and dare not act on my own," Ding Jin laughed. "This might be Li Yi's suggestion, but it was rejected by the leaders of Sanjiang City. These officials, they don't take action until it's too late. As long as the dam doesn't collapse, they always hope for a one-in-ten-thousand chance and try to avoid making a big fuss!"

Wen Yuxi thought for a few seconds and replied, "Commander Ding, get everything ready and wait for my call."

After putting down the phone, he thought for a few seconds and then picked up the red secure phone and dialed the State Council General Office...

Ten minutes later, Wen Yuxi called Huang Shuqi in, "Prepare the car, we're going to the military region!"

"Yes!" Huang Shuqi had recently learned to be efficient in his work, doing his secretary duties well without asking unnecessary questions or listening to unnecessary information. Wen Yuxi was quite satisfied with him.

At the military region's airfield, two military aircraft were already ready. Ding Jin stood in front of a helicopter, shook hands with the newly arrived Wen Yuxi, and laughed, "That Li Yi, afraid I would be lazy, called Beijing again. They found me again. I just put down the phone, and here you are."

"Hehe, in times of crisis, we must act quickly!" Wen Yuxi, worried about the Malin Reservoir, did not laugh and asked, "How are the preparations?"

"Ready!" Ding Jin pointed to the military aircraft, "We can take off at any time!"

Ding Jin and Wen Yuxi got into the helicopter and ordered it to take off.

The pilot fiddled with the controls for a while, but the plane wouldn't take off, breaking out in a cold sweat and running to report, "Commander, there's a small malfunction with the plane, it will be fixed in five minutes!"