Reborn as a Noble’s Son
Chapter 1123 - Chapter 1123 Chapter 1079 Flood Control of the Hongjiang

Chapter 1123: Chapter 1079: Flood Control of the Hongjiang River Chapter 1123: Chapter 1079: Flood Control of the Hongjiang River The sky was oppressively low, with dark clouds overhead and a peculiar heaviness in the air. Lightning flashed, and thunder rumbled in the distance. Though it was just after nine in the morning, it felt as if night had fallen, with streetlights ablaze and vehicles turning on their headlights.

Nie Zhenbang stood before the office window, wearing a white-striped short-sleeved T-shirt. His well-proportioned figure looked handsome; at forty-one, his physique had not changed at all.

Large raindrops pattered against the aluminum window frame, making a loud smacking noise. Nie Zhenbang’s eyebrows furrowed. As he turned around, Hong Feng came in through the door, and Nie Zhenbang suddenly asked, “Hong, how long has it been raining in Hongjiang Province since April?”

Hong Feng entered carrying documents. As the provincial Party committee’s top official, Nie Zhenbang was never short of paperwork. Documents were constantly being sent from various departments underneath the Party committee, the government side, and various bureaus and commissions, as well as municipalities below them.

The secretary’s job was to sift through these documents to determine their importance and urgency, and then, after classifying them accordingly, present them to the leader for review.

Startled by Nie Zhenbang’s question, Hong Feng hesitated. He wasn’t familiar with Hongjiang Province’s hydrological data. However, recollecting from April to now, he pondered for a moment and replied, “Since April, it’s been raining on and off; in April, the Sun shone for less than two days, and May was slightly better, but not more than five days.”

Hong Feng’s words weighed heavily on Nie Zhenbang. Continuous overcast and rainy weather, even if not every day brought a downpour, was relentless over two months’ time. And now, with June bringing relentless heavy rain, it felt as though the sky was a leaking canopy.

With a sigh, Nie Zhenbang could only shake his head with a bitter smile. Lately, extreme weather conditions had become more frequent–mild winters, scorching summers, mudslides, hail, typhoons, dust storms, smog, and so on. Humanity incessantly ravaged and took from nature. Now, with such erratic weather, it was as if nature was retaliating against mankind.

After a moment of contemplation, Nie Zhenbang looked up at Hong Feng and said, “Hong, call He Zhenghui from the provincial Water Resources Department and ask him to come over.”

He Zhenghui, the director of the Hongjiang Province Water Resources and Hydropower Department, was considerably vexed and troubled lately. The continuous rains had intensified the flood prevention situation across the province.

According to the data from the Dajiang Lushan Hydrological Station, the water level had already exceeded the warning line by one meter. Across Hongjiang Province, the water levels of other main tributaries were rising as well, and the level of Hongyang Lake had reached a historical peak. All this kept he Zhenghui busy all day to the point of disarray.

Even with the torrential downpour outside, He Zhenghui was preparing to leave, with several other leaders of the department’s party group ready for travel as well.

While walking into the lobby of the Water Resources and Hydropower Department, He Zhenghui’s phone began to ring. His secretary came over with the phone, his expression rather grave and serious. “Director, it’s a call from Secretary Hong of the Provincial Party Committee.”

‘Secretary Hong of the Provincial Party Committee’–at that moment, it was clear to everyone that the only Secretary Hong in the entire region of Hongjiang was Nie Zhenbang’s deputy secretary, Hong Feng.

Upon hearing this, He Zhenghui did not dare to delay, he took the phone from his secretary’s hand and pressed the answer button, “Hello, Secretary Hong.”

Hong Feng, without any preliminary courtesies, got straight to the point, “Director He, hello. The secretary requests that you come over immediately.”

Upon hearing this, He Zhenghui wasn’t surprised. Two months of continuous rain was bound to attract Secretary Nie’s attention eventually; it was inevitable.

He Zhenghui nodded and replied, “Alright, I’ll be there right away.”

After hanging up, He Zhenghui turned to the deputy directors beside him and said, “Old Li, Old Zhang, Old Hu, I think we’d better split up. You guys go check out the other areas first, and report any updates immediately to me and to the National Flood Control. I just received a call from Secretary Nie, asking me to come over.”

Having said this, He Zhenghui took the umbrella his secretary handed him and dashed into the rain.

The SUV’s windshield wipers were on their highest speed setting, yet the torrential rain was pouring down like a waterfall. Driving cautiously, the driver was moving forward at a mere speed of 20 kilometers per hour.

The trip from the Department of Water Resources to the Provincial Party Committee building was usually just two streets away, not more than three kilometers in distance–a matter of minutes under normal circumstances. But now, it took almost a whole fifteen minutes. The car stopped in front of the Provincial Party Committee building, and He Zhenghui, popping open his umbrella, ran out.

Simply by getting in and out of a car, and even under the shelter of an umbrella, He Zhenghui’s clothes were still soaked. This was enough to demonstrate how heavy the rain was at that moment.

He took the elevator directly to the top floor, stepped out, and straightened his clothes and demeanor before he reached the door to Nie Zhenbang’s office.

After knocking, a voice from inside, belonging to Hong Feng, said, “Please come in.”

As soon as He Zhenghui entered the office, Hong Feng stood up and greeted him with a smile, “Director He has arrived. Please come in; the Secretary is waiting for you in his office.”

Nie Zhenbang was reviewing materials. The restructuring of the Red Textile Factory had been progressively deepening. The hard work of the workgroup was not in vain. Zhou Chuanjia had gone deep among the employees, and after the workgroup members patiently explained the purpose and content of the restructuring, the employees of the Red Textile Factory had also changed their mindset.

Seeing this, a smile appeared on Nie Zhenbang’s face. The shareholding reform of the Red Textile Factory was, by this point, essentially a success. What followed, the most critical part, would be the selection of investors.

The sound of a latch echoed as the door was pushed open from the outside, and Hong Feng entered, followed by He Zhenghui.

Nie Zhenbang also stood up and gestured to the seat in front of him, saying, “Comrade Zhenghui has arrived, please take a seat.”

Once He Zhenghui had taken his seat, Nie Zhenbang got straight to the point, “Comrade Zhenghui, I asked you to come mainly to inquire about the flooding situation in Hongjiang. Currently, within Hongjiang Province, what are the conditions of the various tributaries, the Changjiang River and Hongjiang River section, and Hongyang Lake?”

Upon hearing Nie Zhenbang’s question, He Zhenghui let out a sigh of relief in his heart. Considering for a long time what Secretary Nie’s summoning could be about, He Zhenghui thought the most reliable topic was flood season matters. Now, hearing Nie Zhenbang’s words, He Zhenghui actually felt relieved.

The flood season data were basically etched in his mind. When it came to this, He Zhenghui was least worried.

After a moment of contemplation, He Zhenghui began, “Secretary, the current flooding situation in Hongjiang is not optimistic.”

Saying this, He Zhenghui explained, “Secretary, you are aware that since the beginning of April, to be precise, since April 2nd, continuous rainfall has plagued Central-Southern Huaxia. Up to now, in sixty-seven days, the sun has shown for only seven days. The other sixty days have been overcast and rainy. Out of these sixty days, there have been thirty-one days of moderate to heavy rain, and nine days of torrential downpours. Simply calculating the rainfall amount, without considering water runoff, the total accumulated rainfall has exceeded six thousand millimeters.”

Hearing this, Nie Zhenbang’s brows furrowed. Six thousand millimeters, what does that equate to? Ten millimeters equals one centimeter, hence six thousand millimeters would be six hundred centimeters, or six meters.

Moreover, a six-meter surge in the rivers alone would be unbearable. Furthermore, this affected most parts of the province. When tributaries confluence into the river, by how much would the water level rise?

Thinking about this, Nie Zhenbang’s expression darkened. He looked at He Zhenghui and said, “The situation is indeed serious; the prospect for flood control and flood fighting is not optimistic. What are the conditions of the major tributaries within the province and the dams along the Changjiang River? Additionally, how has the National Flood Control arranged the unified dispatching? Are there any protective measures in place for the safety of the people’s lives and property in the province?”

Nie Zhenbang’s questions directly reflected his pragmatism and the richness of his governing experience. All his questions went straight to the core, showcasing his adept abilities.

Upon hearing this, He Zhenghui nodded and replied, “The Provincial Flood Control Authority, the Water Resources Department, and inspections throughout the province have determined that the condition of the dikes is generally intact. The Provincial Flood Control Authority has urgently allocated five million woven bags distributed to every city in the province. Substantial amounts of sand and gravel have also been prepared. The National Flood Control has exerted significant pressure on Hongjiang, as violent rains have occurred across Bashu, Yu State, and both the southern and northern regions of Chunan, causing the upstream water levels to surge fiercely. The Three Gorges Water Conservancy hub has urgently initiated a flood discharge contingency plan, but overall, the flood control pressure upstream is immense. Consequently, it requires us to undertake certain flood diversion tasks.”

“We also have to take on flood diversion from upstream?” Hearing this, Nie Zhenbang frowned deeply; such a situation meant Hongyang Lake’s floodgates could not be opened. Dams along the major tributaries in the province would have to control the discharge of floodwaters. Once the upstream flood peak arrived and backflowed into Hongyang Lake, it would pose a massive challenge to the entire flood control and flood-fighting effort in Hongjiang Province.

However, at this moment, Nie Zhenbang was quite aware that the decisions from above must have their reasoning. Hongjiang Province could not solely look after its own interests without considering the overall situation upstream and downstream. At this time, the interest of the entire country was most important.

After a moment of contemplation, Nie Zhenbang stood up, pressed the telephone, and said to Hong Feng, “Hong, immediately notify the Secretary-General and have all standing committee members convene in the meeting room without delay.”

As he spoke, Nie Zhenbang looked at He Zhenghui and instructed, “Comrade Zhenghui, please stay behind. In a short while, we will need you to elaborate on the flood prevention situation in the province at the meeting.” (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at Qidian, your support is my greatest motivation.)