Reborn as a Noble’s Son
Chapter 1132 - Chapter 1132 Chapter 1088 The Power of Role Models

Chapter 1132: Chapter 1088: The Power of Role Models Chapter 1132: Chapter 1088: The Power of Role Models After issuing his commands, Nie Zhenbang turned to Fu Zhengping and said, “Professor Fu, the situation on the dike is still very urgent, so I must excuse myself.”

As he stepped out of the tent, all around him, atop the dike, the din of human voices filled the air. Within the dike, at the location where massive piping had occurred, at least hundreds of people were bustling around the area.

On the dike, a section had sunk by about a meter, transforming the once flat surface of the dike into a concave arc. This depression was not abrupt but instead had a gently sloping curve.

This was normal, as breaches generally caused by floods in dikes, where the break occurred, were at least several tens to hundreds of meters wide.

At this moment, on both sides of the depression, soldiers from the army and armed police were sprinting. Each person was filled with a sense of urgency and mission.

At the same time, one could see that several solid hemp ropes had been tied off at the ends, and over a hundred People’s Liberation Army soldiers, wearing bright yellow life jackets, had jumped into the water.

The muddy floodwaters were a turbid yellow, filled with a large amount of sediment. Under these conditions, not tying on a rope, not wearing a life jacket, that was akin to seeking death. The water’s current was fast; though it seemed placid, there was a raging undercurrent. One misstep could easily lead to being swept away.

In just the short time since Nie Zhenbang had come out, he saw at least a dozen young soldiers who had lost their footing and were washed away, thankfully holding on to the ropes before pulling themselves back up to the edge of the dike.

Piles several meters long were being driven into the ground, and with an eight-pound hammer, alternating strikes–yours and mine–the stake disappeared into the water. One could imagine how loose the geology beneath the dike must be by now.

At the edge, a commanding officer was still shouting loudly, “Faster! Speed up, run!”

Sandbags were in short supply. Basically, if one out of ten sandbags thrown in stayed in place, it was considered quite good. No wonder the officer was anxious.

Seeing this scene, Nie Zhenbang also stepped forward. Next to the gravel-filled bags, he said to the locals, “Give me one.”

The locals were stunned. At that moment, Nie Zhenbang grabbed one, then two sandbags, which weighed well over a hundred pounds combined. Nie Zhenbang moved quickly to the edge of the dike and promptly tossed them down.

Following behind Nie Zhenbang, Liu Junwei, Xia Hong, Zeng Xinhua, Li Kaiyong, Lei Yi, and other leaders also started lifting sandbags. At this time, even Secretary Nie was carrying sandbags. If others stood on the sidelines, what did that make them? Could they possibly consider themselves higher in status or more important than Secretary Nie?

At that moment, everyone on the scene witnessed this. Whether they were soldiers from the People’s Liberation Army or the armed police, or militiamen from Lushan City and the ordinary folk, they were all moved by this scene.

From ancient times to the present, a position like Secretary Nie’s would have been considered quite significant; in ancient times, it would be akin to a high-ranking border official, a governor of a province. Now, it was the same. It was rare to see the top leader of a provincial party committee work so desperately.

Everyone was invisibly touched. At that moment, all erupted with immense potential; such is the power of an example.

In everyone’s heart, there was only one belief. Secretary Nie was personally participating in the rescue; he was working hard for the people. He was doing this for the people; then what reason did they have to not work hard as well?

After half an hour, cries arose from the crowd. “We’re out of gravel! Hurry up!”

Liu Junwei straightened his body, panting from half an hour of labor, and being out of shape, he found himself a bit winded. Taking out his phone, Liu Junwei dialed a number and shouted loudly, “This is Liu Junwei from the municipal party committee. I don’t care how you do it, but you must arrange for a large number of trucks to transport massive amounts of gravel to the Lushan Embankment Heishi Town section right now, immediately, without delay. What? No trucks? Even if you have to hijack them, you must find me those trucks. Contact all the large truck sales companies in the city immediately. The municipal party committee temporarily requisitions the trucks and will buy them afterwards at market price.”

At that moment, just as Liu Junwei hung up the phone, someone in the crowd shouted, “It’s not good! It’s going to breach! Quick, move to the sides!”

At this time, with no supply of gravel to reinforce it, the fragile dike tore open, a gap more than three meters wide gushed forth, and the raging floodwater surged into the dike, instantly inundating the farmland within the dike.

The soldiers still underwater were in the most danger. The ends of the ropes had been pulled taut, and the soldiers were grasping the ropes, moving one by one toward safety.

Nie Zhenbang had already made his way up. As the raging waters backflowed through the breach in the dike, the soil at both ends of the crevice was swept away. With time, the breach would only continue to expand. In just this short span of three minutes, the three-meter-wide gap had already widened to five meters.

Suddenly, someone yelled out urgently, “No good, the rope over there snapped!”

Hearing this, Nie Zhenbang immediately stood up, his gaze swiftly scanning the area and fixing on the water where the rope had broken. At this moment, the soldiers still in the water were like drifting duckweed that had lost its anchor, in peril of being swept away by the current at any moment.

Gripping the rope, Nie Zhenbang bellowed, “Quick, everyone come help!”

The last of the soldiers was dragged from the water, his strength utterly drained by the water’s force. As soon as he was pulled out, he collapsed onto the ground. Nie Zhenbang stepped forward to take a look, then turned and said, “Get an ambulance right away, take him to the hospital, he’s completely exhausted. Don’t let him be left with lingering health issues.”

By now, the breach had widened to over ten meters. In such a short time, water had already inundated the interior of the dike, and the rice and crops near the breach were utterly destroyed.

Observing the breach, Nie Zhenbang felt tremendously heavy-hearted. At the last moment, it had still failed. How would he explain this to Comrade Mu Dingjian, and how would he face the fifty million people of Hongjiang Province?

Looking at Liu Junwei, Nie Zhenbang said gravely, “Comrade Junwei, call and urge them again, how long until the boats arrive? Also, we absolutely cannot let the breach widen further. If it gets any larger, the boats won’t even be able to block it when they arrive.”

As Nie Zhenbang’s words fell, shouts rose up, and on the water’s surface, two tugboats, each hauling a thousand-ton ship, approached from the distance.

Seeing this scene, Nie Zhenbang also excitedly brandished his fist. There was hope–so long as they could block the breach, the losses could be minimized to the barest extent. A perfect resolution seemed possible for all fronts.

The tugboats shut off their engines a few dozen meters from the breach and then slowly moved closer. It was only once they approached the dike that the engines were restarted. After the cranes on both sides of the dike secured the ships and released the steel cables, the powerless ships were pulled closer to the breach. The first ship wedged into the middle of the breach, and at the same time, the second ship aligned with it, overlapping the first. Meanwhile, sandbags were rapidly piled into the breach, and numerous wooden stakes were hammered into both sides of the dike. More and more sandbags were stacked up, and the flow of water through the breach began to lessen.

Five o’clock in the afternoon.

Four hours had passed since the dike had first been breached, and now, it was finally sealed off again. On the inner side of the dike, a massive number of sandbags were mounded up to form a trapezoidal slope protection. This design was meant to ensure the absolute stability of the now-closed breach.

As the last vulnerable spot at the breach was sealed, when not a single drop of water seeped through anymore, an ear-splitting cheer rose from everyone atop the dike.

In that instant, the People’s Liberation Army soldiers, armed police officers, and local civilians all embraced each other excitedly. Though they were strangers, not even knowing each other’s surnames, everyone was united by a single goal, striving and battling with unyielding determination.

Nie Zhenbang also looked exhausted, and beside him, Hong Feng was completely worn out. Next to Hong Feng, Liu Junwei and Xia Hong were also far from relaxed, sitting atop the dike. At this moment, there were no distinctions of rank–everyone was a participant.

Nie Zhenbang stepped up and extended a hand, pulling up Liu Junwei and others one by one. Surveying the crowd, Nie Zhenbang bowed deeply and announced loudly, “On behalf of the provincial party committee and government, and the fifty million people of Hongjiang Province, I express my sincere thanks to everyone here.”

Following his speech, the cheers on the dike grew even louder. Nie Zhenbang had already returned to the tent, where Fu Zhengping and other water conservancy experts were waiting to greet him. They were genuinely moved as they said, “Secretary Nie, you’ve shown us what a true Party member and a pure cadre look like. I am sincerely grateful for this memorable experience you’ve given me.”

Fu Zhengping was a nationally renowned water conservancy expert, not only receiving a special government allowance but also a state advisor on water conservancy and hydropower projects for the State Council. At this moment, his use of honorifics was enough to show his deep admiration for Nie Zhenbang.

Nie Zhenbang waved his hand and replied with a smile, “Professor Fu, you flatter me. This is not my personal achievement alone; it is the joint effort of all the people of Hongjiang, including the People’s Liberation Army and armed police officers.”

Continuing, Nie Zhenbang shifted the conversation, “Professor Fu, the breach in the dike is sealed, but we will need your technical support even more on the repairs to follow.”

“Also, Comrade Junwei, we must intensify the patrols on the dike. We absolutely cannot be careless again and let this happen; another incident like this, and we won’t be able to withstand it,” Nie Zhenbang turned and instructed Liu Junwei.

At that moment, a commotion rose outside, and soon Lushan City’s Deputy Party Secretary Niu Weiguo entered, saying, “Secretary Nie, the chief has arrived.” (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you’re welcome to vote supporting tickets and monthly tickets on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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