Great Power Reclamation

Chapter 2956 Teamwork
“Cost and time are important, but people’s hearts are even more important,” Gulimire said firmly.

"Don't forget the original intention of this project. If we hurt the feelings of the people just to bring water, then even if we bring the water here, it will taste bitter."

She immediately reported the situation to Chen Shanhe and Ayijiang. Ayijiang's instructions came quickly:
Respect local customs and show care. Subject to meeting overall project safety and technical requirements, minor adjustments to the route can be made to avoid cemeteries.

Meanwhile, the command center and the local township government provided appropriate emotional support and material compensation to Grandma Aysham's family, and assisted her in moving the child's remains to a suitable cemetery if she wished.

The plan was ultimately slightly adjusted, with the channel route shifted outward by a mere five meters. Those five meters preserved a mother's emotional anchor of many years.

As the bulldozers began working on the adjusted track, Grandma Ayishamu, supported by her daughter, watched silently, then bowed deeply in the direction of Gulimire and the construction team.

Later, "Thunder God" told Gulimire privately, "Engineer Gu, I almost made a mistake that day. I was so focused on the steel and cement that I forgot there were living people underneath. Your 'lubricant' really worked!"

Gulimire smiled and said, "Manager Lei, engineering projects are cold, but people's hearts are warm. Let the warm ones warm the cold ones, and that's how an engineering project comes to life."

Meanwhile, in the installation and commissioning section of the intelligent irrigation system in the Turpan Basin, which was under Li Zhe's responsibility, an unusual "rebellion" took place.

Li Zhe learned from his previous mistakes and put a lot of effort into design optimization and communication with the local community.

His system design simplifies the user interface, provides bilingual prompts in Chinese and Uyghur, and he plans to provide system training to the water managers selected locally.

He was full of confidence and ready to make a big splash, creating his ideal "smart agriculture demonstration zone".

However, problems arose when the first batch of solar-powered automatic control valves, soil moisture sensors, and other equipment arrived on site and installation began.

The local young water pipe managers who were selected to learn management instinctively felt unfamiliar and repulsed by these "iron lumps" with flashing indicator lights and connected wires.

They are more accustomed to observing the water level and soil moisture, and relying on experience to judge when and how much water should be released.

Getting them to set parameters and check the circuitry on the screen is harder than taming a wild horse.

On one occasion, the system detected that the soil moisture in a vineyard was below the threshold and automatically started irrigation.

However, Adil, the local waterworks manager, based on his years of experience, believed that the weather was about to turn cloudy and there was no need to water the plants. He forcibly shut off the valve manually, complaining:

"This thing is so rigid! What does it know? Does it know when the clouds in the sky will come?"

On another occasion, a control valve malfunctioned due to sand and dust intrusion, causing it to drip water continuously.

Adil and his team didn't know how to fix it, so they could only report it and wait for Li Zhe to bring technicians from dozens of kilometers away. During this waiting period, water resources were wasted.

Li Zhe was constantly on the go, putting out fires everywhere. He found that his meticulously designed system seemed somewhat "foolish" in the complex agricultural environment.

It cannot comprehend the wisdom of farmers who have accumulated over thousands of years of relying on the weather for their livelihood, nor can it cope with sudden weather changes and subtle differences in the fields.

What troubled him even more was that some elderly farmers had secretly opened a new opening behind the smart valve and connected it to the traditional earthen ditch, wanting to use their old methods to irrigate their fields.

A silent "technological rebellion" is spreading across the fields.

Li Zhe felt incredibly frustrated and complained to the senior engineer, "Why can't they accept more advanced and efficient methods?"

Looking at Li Zhe, whose skin was tanned dark by the sun, the old engineer said earnestly:

“Xiao Li, it’s not that they don’t accept advanced technology, but that your ‘advanced’ technology isn’t fully ‘grounded’ yet. Intelligent systems should be tools, helpers, not ‘gods’ that replace their experience. You need to find a way to integrate the system with people’s experience.”

This statement enlightened Li Zhe. He stopped forcing the water managers to completely obey the system's instructions and instead organized them to "dialogue" with the system.

He had Adil and others record their experience-based judgments about the timing and amount of irrigation needed, and then compare and analyze this data with the data automatically recorded by the system.

They found that the system's judgment was accurate in most cases, especially during prolonged periods of sunny and hot weather.

However, experienced farmers can often make predictions earlier than usual before sudden weather changes.

Deeply inspired, Li Zhe decided to modify the program and add an "experience intervention" mode.

Water managers can pause or modify the system's automatic irrigation plan in advance based on their own judgment, but they need to briefly explain the reasons.

These reasons and data will be recorded and learned by the system to optimize future algorithms.

At the same time, he simplified the maintenance process, equipped the system with more easily replaceable modular parts, and focused on training several young people, including Adil, to master the most basic fault identification and parts replacement skills.

Gradually, Adil discovered that this "iron lump" was not entirely useless.

During the critical growth period when precise water control and water conservation are required, the system performs better than humans.

His successful "interventions" were adopted by the system, which gave him a great sense of accomplishment.

He began to study the instruction manual on his own initiative, and even offered a few suggestions for optimizing the interface display.

Technology and people have moved from confrontation to collaboration. The process of quelling this "rebellion" made Li Zhe truly understand that the most ingenious technology is not about demonstrating its own power, but about empowering those who use it and respecting and integrating local wisdom.

In the Gobi Desert section, where the environment is the harshest, the construction conditions are extremely difficult.

This area is remote and lacks water and electricity; sandstorms are a frequent occurrence. The construction team responsible for this section is an elite unit of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Construction Division. The project manager is a veteran with twenty years of Party membership, named Ma Jianguo.

On the Gobi Desert, a sudden sandstorm can bring construction to a standstill for several days, and newly dug trenches can be filled with shifting sand overnight.

The harsh natural environment tests the limits of everyone's will.

Ma Jianguo knew that under such extreme conditions, material support and disciplinary constraints alone were not enough; strong spiritual support was also essential.

Thus, a mobile Party branch was established in a simple shed. Ma Jianguo served as the branch secretary.

The Party branch's activities are simple, yet very effective. Every day before work, they use a short time to emphasize safety and boost morale.

Every night, a meeting is held with Party members and key technical personnel to summarize the problems of the day and plan the tasks for the next day.

Every week, there is a concentrated political theory study session, or the stories of the older generation of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps who "dedicated their youth, their lives, and even their children and grandchildren" are told.

One night, a fierce wind whipped up sand and gravel that lashed against the workers' sheds, as if trying to swallow the entire camp.

Several young technicians who had just started working hid under their blankets, listening to the howling wind outside, their hearts filled with fear and unease.

Wearing a coat covered in sand and dust, and carrying a flashlight, Ma Jianguo inspected each of the work sheds.

He walked to the young technician's bunk, sat down, and took out a small notebook wrapped in oilcloth from his pocket.

"Scared?" Ma Jianguo asked with a smile, his voice still steady despite the wind. The young man nodded sheepishly.

Ma Jianguo opened the notebook, which was a yellowed handwritten diary left by his father, an old soldier who had worked in the reclamation army.

He read aloud: "Today, while clearing land, we encountered a strong wind. The tents were overturned, and most of the pots and pans were blown away. The comrades held hands and sang songs in the sandstorm all day long, managing to keep the land they had cleared from being buried by the sand... Thinking of our fallen comrades, what is our little bit of suffering?"

Closing the notebook, Ma Jianguo looked at the young man:
"Children, our conditions are much better now than our parents' generation. At least we have a sturdy work shed. How much land will this canal we're building now be able to feed, and how many people will it benefit in the future?"

"Think about this, doesn't this little bit of sandstorm seem less scary?"

He didn't preach any grand principles; he simply shared stories from his parents' generation, conveying a sense of belief.

Gradually, the young people calmed down. The next day, the wind subsided slightly, and everyone immediately got to work clearing the sand without complaint.

The Party branch also plays a fighting fortress role. On one occasion, a critical water pipeline encountered technical difficulties during welding; the weld pass rate remained low due to the windy and sandy environment.

The Party member technical task force volunteered to work on the project, staying up for several consecutive nights and conducting repeated experiments. They eventually developed a set of sand-resistant welding techniques, ensuring both construction quality and progress.

On this construction site filled with sandstorms, the Party flag planted at the highest point, though often obscured by the sand, appears even more vibrant red each time it is wiped clean again.

It is not just a flag, but a symbol—no matter how harsh the environment, the beacon of faith and spirit will never be extinguished, and the power of organization can unite scattered sand into a rock.

When the first spring of the project arrived, the snow on the Tianshan Mountains began to melt, and the real test followed – snowmelt floods.

Chen Shanhe's worst fears came true. The persistent high temperatures caused the snow and ice to melt rapidly, and the water levels of many rivers surged. The raging floodwaters, carrying silt and deadwood, rushed down the river, posing a serious threat to the river engineering projects, diversion channels, and cofferdams under construction.

A critical construction site at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains is in dire need of attention! The temporary diversion channel is insufficient, and floodwaters have begun to overflow, impacting the foundation pit of the main project.

If the foundation pit is flooded, not only will the concrete poured in the early stage be wasted, but it may also cause a collapse, with unimaginable consequences.

Danger is an order! Chen Shanhe and Gulimire immediately rushed to the front line.

Ma Jianguo's construction team from the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps provided nearby support, and together with the local militia emergency response team, they quickly formed a rescue assault team.

The scene was chaotic, with turbid floodwaters roaring and relentlessly eroding the riverbanks. Cold rain fell from the sky, and the temperature plummeted.

"Reinforce the diversion channel! Raise the cofferdam! We absolutely cannot let water enter the foundation pit!" Chen Shanhe commanded in a hoarse voice. He hadn't slept well for several days, and his eyes were bloodshot.

People risked being swept away by the flood, carrying sandbags and wading through mud to reach the most dangerous areas. Party members and cadres were at the forefront.

Ma Jianguo led the way, jumping into waist-deep icy water to work with his teammates, driving in wooden stakes and stacking sandbags. Gulimire, meanwhile, was busy coordinating supplies from the rear, with sandbags, stones, and machinery arriving continuously.

Adil and several local water pipers he trained also rushed to help.

They are familiar with the local water conditions and use their knowledge of the terrain to help determine the direction of the flood peak and vulnerable points.

The wind and rain were fierce, and the cold was biting. But the construction site was bustling with activity, with shouts, the roar of machinery, and the roar of water all mingling together.

No one backed down, because everyone understood that they were protecting not just a project, but the future hope of northern Xinjiang.

The battle lasted a full day and night. At dawn the next day, the rain stopped and the flood peak gradually subsided. The battered cofferdam and diversion channel finally withstood the impact, and the foundation pit remained intact.

Exhausted, the people slumped in the mud, looking at each other's disheveled state, yet all wore victorious smiles.

Ma Jianguo wiped the mud off his face and said to the young technician beside him:
"Look, this is our 'spirit'! The spirit of our ancestors' army has not been lost!"

Having withstood the test of the snowmelt season, the project not only survived, but the construction team also became more united and more effective in the struggle against natural disasters.

That harmonious atmosphere of "discussing things together and helping each other in times of difficulty" has expanded from between people to between people and projects, and between people and the natural environment.

The Qingquan Project, this new artery in northern Xinjiang, is becoming more resilient and vibrant after undergoing meticulous surveying and design, and weathering various hardships and human trials in the early stages of construction.

It flows not only with water that nourishes all things, but also with the deep affection between the military and the local people, the strength of ethnic unity, and the unyielding ideals and beliefs passed down by generations of builders on this land.

The road ahead is still long, but the waters of hope are already flowing beneath our feet.

During the construction of the main canal leading to Awati Township, there was a section that needed to pass through a small section of hard granite mountain.

Blasting excavation is costly, risky, and could affect the stability of the surrounding geology. The command decided to use a combination of mechanical and manual excavation, which resulted in a relatively slow pace of progress.

A special old man named Kurbanjan came to the construction site. He was a well-known stonemason in Awat Township and even the entire county. In his youth, he had participated in the construction of many traditional water conservancy facilities.

He was taciturn and spent his days wandering around the construction site with his hands behind his back, watching the workers struggle with the stubborn rocks using jackhammers and chisels.

The construction foreman initially didn't pay much attention, assuming the old man was just there to watch the spectacle.

Until one day, they encountered an exceptionally hard rock formation. The pneumatic drills could only leave white spots when they struck it, and progress almost came to a standstill. The workers were exhausted and full of complaints.

Kurbanjan, an elderly man, walked over, touched the rock, and said to the team leader in broken Chinese:

“That won’t work. Stones have their own ‘temperament’ too; you have to follow their grain.”

He picked up a discarded, worn-out steel chisel, tapped it here and there on the rock, and then drew a few seemingly random lines on the rock surface with chalk.

"Start from here, make a shallow shot, use less explosives, and fire a muffled blast," he gestured.

The captain was skeptical, but seeing the old man's determined look, he decided to give it a try.

Following the location and method marked by the old man, several shallow holes were drilled and a small amount of explosives were inserted.

After a muffled thud, the rock was not shattered into pieces, but instead, a neat crack appeared along the lines drawn by the old man.

The workers then used crowbars to pry, and a large rock fell off with a snap, greatly improving efficiency.

The construction team leader was both surprised and delighted, and repeatedly thanked the old man.

Kurbanjan simply waved his hand, a barely perceptible smile appearing on his face. From then on, he became the "technical consultant" for this section of the construction site.

Without using modern instruments, relying solely on decades of experience and his own hands, he can determine the direction and hardness of rocks, guiding workers on how to insert drills and apply force, often achieving twice the result with half the effort.

What's even more touching is that when the inner walls of the canal needed to be reinforced with stones, the elderly Kurbanjan volunteered to participate.

He didn't want a high salary; he only asked to use bluestone that he was familiar with and that he had selected from the nearby riverbank.

He led a few young men who had apprenticed under him to polish the stones using the most traditional methods, hammering and chiseling them one by one. Then, they used a traditional mortar made of lime, glutinous rice paste, and fine sand to tightly stack the stones together.