The train driver in the courtyard

The staff carefully selected by Wang Wude were mostly strong, fanatical and impulsive young men, each of them was equipped with a steel drill, about ten feet long.

The group of people came to the door of the maintenance workshop in a mighty manner, with a show of force and arrogant steps.

At that time, the door of the workshop was closed tightly, covering up everything inside.

Wang Wude looked fierce, with his hands behind his back, and walked to the front door at a brisk pace, shouting angrily at the top of his voice: "How dare you disrupt the work of the Progressive Studio, Li Aiguo, get out here!"

The sound was like thunder, echoing in the open space outside the workshop.

With a dull "creak" sound, the door of the workshop slowly opened.

However, the person who showed up was not Li Aiguo, but a dozen comrades from the railway police station in uniform.

They stood tall and straight with stern expressions, and all pointed their weapons at Wang Wude.

The black gun barrel exuded a cold deterrent force. When the gang of tough guys saw it, their faces turned pale instantly.

Are you kidding? How can a mob be a match for a regular army?

Their eyes were full of fear and panic. Their hands holding the steel chisels trembled violently, and the steel chisels in their hands fell to the ground with a clang, making a harsh sound in the silent atmosphere.

Wang Wude was also shocked by this sudden scene and stood there in a daze, his pupils shrinking sharply.

Even if he was slow at this moment, he realized that Li Aiguo was already prepared and had won over the Railway Police Station.

But Wang Wude quickly pretended to be calm, and quickly put on a nonchalant expression on his face, saying with a fake smile: "It turned out that the comrades from the police station were performing their duties... It was a misunderstanding, it was a complete misunderstanding, we just happened to pass by here."

After saying that, he turned around and shouted to the staff behind him: "What are you all standing there for? Go, hurry up and go!"

Wang Wude shouted, turned around and was about to run, but he heard the crisp sound of a bullet being loaded behind him. At that moment, it seemed as if time had stopped.

His feet seemed to be nailed to the ground, and his whole body was frozen in place, unable to move at all.

It seemed as if all the blood in his body had stopped flowing at this moment, leaving only his heart beating wildly in his chest, and every beat hurt his eardrums.

"Now that you're here, don't leave."

A figure walked out of the maintenance workshop, this time it was Li Aiguo.

"Driver Li, what are you doing? I'm the director of the Progress Office. Do you, a train driver, want to commit such a crime?" Wang Wude's heart was beating violently, but he could only force himself to calm down and shout loudly.

Li Aiguo laughed and said, "What a traitor! Director Wang has always thought that he is superior to the workers."

"You" Wang Wude felt like he had been tricked by this guy.

He argued: "Even if we are just ordinary workers, you have no right to arrest us."

"Driver Li may not have the power, but what about me?" At this time, another dull voice came from the maintenance workshop.

Hearing the voice, Wang Wude was startled. He looked up and saw Xing Duanchang walking over and standing next to Li Aiguo.

Wang Wude felt discouraged, and Xing Duanchang also stood on Li Aiguo's side. This kid is so quick!

Section Chief Xing looked Wang Wude up and down and said in a cold voice: "Wang Wude, since you took office as the director of the Progress Office, you have made the section a mess. Now, in the name of the section chief, I hereby announce your dismissal."

Wang Wude still struggled desperately: "Duanzhang, I..."

"Give me back my title as Minister of Armed Forces. Am I qualified enough?"

Minister Niu of the Armed Forces Department also came out at this time, walked straight up to Wang Wude and grabbed him by the collar.

"Wang Wude, you are under arrest for allegedly inciting riots!"

Then there was Chief Zhang from the police station, several deputy section chiefs, and workshop directors. It can be said that most of the leaders of the Qianmen Locomotive Depot showed up.

Looking at those section leaders and workshop directors, Wang Wude realized at this time that he seemed to have fallen into a trap.

The funniest thing is that he didn't even know about it, and just asked his men to carry a dozen broken steel chisels and dared to come and cause trouble.

However, Wang Wude still has one last support.

Wang Wude yelled at the top of his voice: "You are following Li Aiguo to mess around. You are going against your superiors. The leaders in the department will not let you go!"

"What a coincidence! We were just thinking of going to the department to discuss it." Li Aiguo waved his hand.

Zhou Ke and a few comrades took away the weapons of those tough guys, and then tied up Wang Wude with ropes.

Those young men who usually acted arrogantly in the section were now as obedient as little lambs in front of the comrades from the railway police station.

Of course, maybe it was because the leader wanted to grumble a few words and was kicked by Zhou Ke and fell into the stinky ditch nearby, so the rest of the guys squatted on the ground obediently.

The strong guys were handcuffed and taken to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot Police Station.

Wang Wude, the arrogant director of the Progress Office, was instantly defeated in the contest with the Liangjian Office and became a lonely man.

Li Aiguo walked up to Wang Wude and said with a smile: "Wang Wude, come with me to the ministry."

At this time, Wang Wude still couldn't figure out what Li Aiguo was going to do, or perhaps his subconscious mind denied from the bottom of his heart that Li Aiguo dared to do that.

When he was pushed into the jeep by Zhou Ke, his eyes were dazzled by the jeep's rearview mirror.

An incredible thought suddenly emerged in his mind. His whole body shook violently and he felt the sky around him suddenly darken.

Wang Wude widened his eyes and looked at Li Aiguo in disbelief: "You are crazy!"

"It's not that I'm crazy, it's that some people are crazy. I have to find a way to wake them up!"

Li Aiguo knew very well that when the real strong wind had not yet blown, it would be easy to deal with Wang Wude by relying on a disciplined team like the railway.

But Wang Wude’s foundation is the old leader in the department.

If you don't remove the roots of the problem, you will inevitably suffer great harm.

If you want to root them out, you have to do something big.

In order to restore peace to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot, we would not hesitate even if it means exposing the truth.

This is the spirit of Bright Sword!
At this time, more than a dozen GAZ trucks rumbled over from a distance, and the trucks were full of railway workers.

After the truck stopped, Cao Wenzhi jumped off and ran to Li Aiguo: "Apprentice, all the activists are here. Master is very supportive this time."

Li Aiguo gave Cao Wenzhi a thumbs up.

Looking at the trucks and the railway workers on them, Wang Wude's face turned pale.

He sat in the jeep in a daze, repeating over and over again: "You are crazy, you are all crazy."

Li Aiguo ignored Wang Wude and waved at the truck.

Trucks left the Qianmen Locomotive Depot and headed towards the Ministry of Railways.

The bright red flags on the truck fluttered in the wind, like bright red flames.

Watching the truck disappear at the end of the road, Li Aiguo walked up to Section Chief Xing and shook his hand tightly: "Section Chief, it's up to you from now on."

"Don't worry, since you are willing to sacrifice your life, I, the section chief, naturally cannot fall behind." Section Chief Xing personally sent Li Aiguo to the jeep and then returned to the office.

He took a deep breath, picked up the phone that seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, and said loudly to the operator: "Please help me transfer to Chen Duanchang of Huairou North Locomotive Depot."

*
*
*
*
The Ministry of Railways compound is located on Fuxing Road, adjacent to the old TV building and the Military Museum. The Bayi Building is opposite, and it is surrounded by many important institutions.

The westernmost end of Fuxing Road is the Railway Corps Compound, which is the smallest of all the military compounds.

During those years, although the Railway Corps was not incorporated into the Ministry of Railways, the two had a close relationship.

The First and Second Railway Divisions have become teams directly under the Ministry of Railways.

As the most important institution, the security of the Ministry of Railways compound is the responsibility of the Railway Corps.

Squad leader Chen of the 8th squad of the 3rd company of the 2nd Iron Division's garrison detachment stayed in the guard booth as usual, keeping his eyes fixed outside.

When he saw a jeep with a dozen GAZ trucks coming, Squad Leader Chen realized that he was seeing things because the garrison detachment had not received any news about the meeting in the department.

"Stop them."

In fact, there was no need for Squad Leader Chen to give any orders, as seven or eight guards had already rushed over and blocked the jeep.

"Which unit are you from? What do you do?!" Squad Leader Chen walked forward, hands on his waist, looking alert.

Li Aiguo pushed open the passenger door, walked down, and handed over his work ID.

"Comrade, we are employees of the Qianmen Locomotive Depot. We came here today to report the situation to the Ministry."

"Reaction?" Squad Leader Chen was a little confused for a moment.

Although he couldn't figure out what Li Aiguo's intention was, the hundreds of people on those dozen or so trucks were no joke.

"Drive the truck aside first. Don't disrupt normal order." Squad Leader Chen realized the seriousness of the problem. He immediately ran into the guard room and picked up the phone to notify the commander of the garrison detachment.

"What? Hundreds of employees from the Qianmen Locomotive Depot came to the department to report the situation? They also arrested a person?" The detachment leader was also confused.

This situation can only continue to be reported.

Finally, the call went all the way to Minister Teng’s office.

A serious voice came from the other end of the phone: "Let them in and park the truck in front of the building. Remember, they are all worker comrades and class brothers. You should be nicer."

"Yes!" After receiving the order, the detachment leader immediately felt that something seemed to be wrong.

Generally speaking, even if employees report a situation, Minister Teng does not need to treat it so cautiously.

Is something big going to happen?

The bright red flag on the truck was fluttering in the strong wind. The detachment leader woke up with a start, put down the phone and ran out.

After a while, a jeep and a dozen trucks slowly drove into the Ministry of Railways compound.

People who work in government agencies for many years are well-informed.

Soon all kinds of rumors spread within the department.

"Li Aiguo from the Qianmen Locomotive Depot was too reckless. Because of the September 9.27 accident, he arrested Wang Wude from the Progress Office and asked the leaders in the department to judge for him."

"They were just pissed off. The Qianmen Locomotive Depot had over 30 production safety accidents in one month. Who could tolerate that?"

"Minister Teng has returned from the lake and is holding a meeting. I heard he even slammed the table." "This matter has become a big deal."

Although the comrades in the department felt that Li Aiguo and the Qianmen Locomotive Depot were a bit too bold.

But most people still understand their actions.

No one thought that Li Aiguo was trying to flatter the department, or even had ulterior motives.

Afterwards, Liu Guozhang reviewed the entire operation after drinking half a bottle of Moutai. He commented on this seemingly strange phenomenon: "That guy is a worker. Leaders can have intentions, experts can argue about the route, but workers will never make mistakes!"

The facts are just as Liu Guozhang commented.

At this time, the ministry was holding a conference to accelerate the pace of progress.

After learning the news, several leaders slammed the table at Minister Teng.

"Is that reasonable? Is that reasonable? Is that reasonable?!"

"The Qianmen locomotive section actually dared to go against the rules of their superiors. They are disorganized and undisciplined."

"I suggest severe punishment. The section chief and deputy section chief of Qianmen Locomotive Depot should all be dismissed, and Li Aiguo's driving work should be suspended."

Facing those leaders, Minister Teng just asked a question lightly, leaving them speechless.

"Now that frontline workers are opposing the rules and regulations we have formulated, should we reflect on whether those rules and regulations are practical?"

"As the director of the Progress Office, what on earth did Wang Wude do to anger these simple railway workers so much?"

The venue fell into silence.

Now that Minister Teng has raised the banner of front-line workers, every leader present has to re-examine the current situation.

They know very well that front-line workers are the cornerstone of the railway, and without the support of workers, all progress will be castles in the air.

After a long time, the old leader, who had been silent, twitched his ears twice when he heard this and slowly opened his eyes.

"Minister Teng, now all departments and factories are demanding progress. Our subordinate Progress Office is also responding to the call from the higher-ups."

The old leader's face became more and more serious. He tapped his fingers on the table and his voice became heavier: "If we abandon those rules and regulations, how can we complete the tasks assigned by our superiors?

There are always people who are unwilling to follow the rules. It is normal for the comrades below to have some small complaints!
At this critical moment, we, as the heads of the family, must withstand the pressure so that we can achieve the final victory."

The old leader is a veteran in the department and has been very popular recently. As soon as he said this, the atmosphere in the meeting room instantly became solemn again.

Many leaders nodded in agreement with the old leader's opinion.

Minister Teng noticed this, his expression unchanged, and said in a deep voice: "Comrade Jianhui, this is indeed our important mission at the moment.

But we must also understand that the advancement of rail transportation must not come at the expense of safety and the rights of grassroots workers."

After saying this, Minister Teng nodded slightly, and the assistant understood what he meant and quickly distributed newspapers to the leaders present.

Minister Teng's voice became increasingly sad, like a heavy hammer, striking everyone's heartstrings:
"Safety is our top priority in railway work. Any system that violates safety will ultimately bring negative effects."

He paused, and his eyes slowly swept across the audience, his eyes full of earnestness: "This is the heartfelt call of the front-line workers. They are the true practitioners of the railway industry and the warriors who work day and night on the tracks.

As leaders, we shoulder the responsibility of ensuring their well-being and safety, and we must not turn a deaf ear or a blind eye to their demands.”

Then, Minister Teng emphasized solemnly: "The painful lesson brought by the 927 accident is like a deep scar, which always warns us. It is the pain of the entire railway system. How dare we forget it, and how can we ignore it!"

On the newspapers in everyone's hands, there were the signatures of hundreds of train drivers, and each name was so vivid that it could be seen through the paper.

At the same time, outside the venue, more than a dozen large trucks were loaded with railway workers.

Plus the accident report of the "9.27" accident investigation team.

Any one of them can produce a groundbreaking effect.

Now they are all gathered together.

This is a cannon.

Considering the dire situation, those leaders who were originally wavering between the two views spoke out and expressed their support for Minister Teng's opinion.

However, the old leader remained calm and composed, showing no sign of panic at all.

He knew very well that in this debate, as long as he had the "banner" in his hand, he would be invincible in this fierce confrontation.

For a moment, the two sides in the meeting hall were in a stalemate.

Just when the atmosphere in the conference hall was tense and almost frozen, a gentle knock on the door broke the suffocating silence.

A staff member walked in regardless of the tense situation in the venue.

He deliberately lowered his voice, but the volume was just right, enough for everyone in the room to hear clearly: "Report, Section Chief Chen from Huairou North Locomotive Section called."

He paused for a moment, looked around, and then continued, "The employees of Huairou North Locomotive Depot strongly demand a thorough investigation of the 927 accident and are firmly opposed to the new rules and regulations. They plan to take a truck to the ministry to express their demands."

"Huairou North Locomotive Depot must have been bewitched by Qianmen Locomotive Depot." Upon hearing this, the leader slammed the table with anger on his face.

Minister Teng looked calm, and his tone was gentle but unquestionable: "We must not turn a deaf ear to the voices of our comrades on the front line, otherwise it will lead to serious consequences. Let them select a few representatives to come."

As soon as the staff member turned and left, another staff member hurried in.

"Report, Section Chief Zhou of the Jincheng Locomotive Depot called and said that the employees of the Jincheng Depot have already boarded the train and are heading this way."

"The Tianjin Locomotive Depot has also been involved..." The old leader's originally calm expression also showed a hint of panic.

He felt as if he had underestimated the little train driver.

He holds the title of National Advanced Train Driver!
This title is not just an honor. In the eyes of train drivers, national advanced train drivers are benchmarks, idols, and true members of their own group.

Those leaders who had originally firmly supported the Progress Office now looked at each other, leaned back in their chairs silently, and chose to remain silent.

The staff continued to report: ".The Fengtai Locomotive Depot, Shijiazhuang Electric Power Locomotive Depot, and Tangshan Locomotive Depot called.

Their demands are the same as those of Qianmen Locomotive Depot.

In addition, several railway bureaus including Harbin Railway Bureau, Zhengzhou Railway Bureau, Lanzhou Railway Bureau, Jinan Railway Bureau, Xi'an Railway Bureau also called to express their support for Qianmen Locomotive Depot."

The voice just fell.

The conference room fell into silence in an instant.

If the several locomotive depots of the Beijing Railway Bureau supported the Qianmen Locomotive Depot, it could be explained as a comradeship.
Or there may be real dissatisfaction with the Office of Advancement.

Well, the statements made by many railway bureaus today undoubtedly and clearly show that the wind direction has undergone a fundamental change.

More importantly, it would be impossible for so many railway bureaus to express their stance at the same time without the support of powerful figures behind them.

The leaders looked up involuntarily and focused their eyes on Minister Teng.

The old leader also keenly realized the seriousness of the situation, and his face turned pale.

Li Aiguo was doing grassroots work before, and he decisively took down Zhang Wude and contacted several locomotive depots of the Beijing Bureau.

Later, Minister Teng secretly contacted various local railway bureaus.

The old leader suddenly felt as if he had stepped into a carefully designed trap.

This trap is hidden so cleverly that it is hard to guard against.

Neither Li Aiguo nor Minister Teng directly opposed the Progress Office from beginning to end, but instead tactfully discussed the issue at hand.

First, the "927" accident was used as a starting point to bring the seriousness of the problem to the surface, and then the spearhead was naturally directed at the Progress Office.

Leading the charge was the simple railway worker, the national advanced train driver Li Aiguo.

Li Aiguo took the first step and arrested Wang Wude, obtaining evidence of Wang Wude's misconduct.

Soon after, locomotive depots and railway bureaus in various places also expressed their opposition to the Progress Office in the name of their employees.

This bottom-up, united opposition is like a surging tide, unstoppable and most frightening.

The most important thing is that Minister Teng is in charge of the ministry.

Behind Minister Teng is Haizi
All this made him feel like he had no energy to use.

The old leader could no longer maintain his usual calm and composure, and argued loudly and emotionally: "The Progress Office has just been established, and the tasks are arduous and heavy. It is inevitable that there will be some negligence in the work.

But we must not completely deny the efforts and contributions of the Progress Office because of these minor issues! "

Minister Teng still looked calm: "Comrade Jianhui, please don't get excited. Since the comrades at the grassroots level are eager to report the problem, we should understand it in depth and resolve the conflict in a timely manner.

I propose to invite comrades from the Qianmen Locomotive Depot to participate in this meeting and listen to their voices. "

Although the old leaders tried to continue to hold high the so-called "banner" and stick to their position.

But Minister Teng not only has the strong support of many locomotive depots, but also has just returned from Haizili, so his influence cannot be underestimated.

The current situation is already clear, and the balance of victory and defeat is beginning to tilt towards Minister Teng.

"We must implement the advocacy from above, but the new rules and regulations are related to front-line workers. We really need to go deep into the masses and listen to their opinions. After all, the mass line is our magic weapon."

"Driver Li is already waiting outside, and there are so many workers. If we meet them, it will chill the hearts of our comrades."

In an instant, the situation in the conference hall changed drastically.

Although the old leader was unwilling and wanted to strongly oppose it, he looked around and found that he was isolated and helpless. He had no choice but to give up temporarily.

After all, the big banner is still there, and as long as it is held high in hands, no one can do anything to the Office of Progress.
-
ten minutes later.

Three train driver representatives, Li Aiguo, Cao Wenzhi and Zhang Dache, were invited into the meeting room.

Minister Teng asked bluntly: "Driver Li, as a national advanced train driver, you actually did such an outrageous thing, causing such a big mess, and even arrested the director of the Qianjin Office. I hope you have sufficient reasons."

These words seemed to be a reproach, but in fact they gave Li Aiguo an opportunity to "complain".

Li Aiguo took out a document from his canvas bag and handed it over.

"Minister, we have no choice but to do this. Just look at how many accidents have happened in our Qianmen Locomotive Depot in the past two months!"

(End of this chapter)