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Chapter 1314 Diverting the Zhang River into the Forest: Construction Begins

Lin Jie suppressed the anger rising within him; reason told him he couldn't lose his temper, but his tone had already taken on a hard edge:
“Deputy Secretary Yu, we want to start construction as soon as possible, but there’s another reason for that.”

"What are your considerations?" Deputy Secretary Yu frowned slightly.

"It's about the food issue, which is what you're most concerned about!" Lin Jie met his gaze and said patiently:

"Who knows how long this drought will last? We're thinking of taking advantage of this winter to repair the canal!"

"Now that the canal is repaired, I can't guarantee the success of next year's spring planting, but for the autumn planting, our hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland in Linxian County will definitely be able to use the Zhanghe River water!"

"Don't I want to solve the water shortage problem for the people of Linxian County?" Deputy Secretary Yu said earnestly, as if he were entirely concerned for the other party's well-being.

"Why am I going to such lengths to persuade you? It's for your sake, Lin Jie! If the project is abandoned halfway through, who will take responsibility?"

"You are a county official in Lin County, not me, Yu Fenggao!"

"Let me give you another piece of advice: don't consider diverting the Zhang River into Linxian for now! Without support from higher authorities, how big of a lotus leaf does your Linxian have to wrap up such a huge rice dumpling?"

The subtext of those words was tantamount to pointing a finger at him and saying, "You're overestimating yourself." Lin Jie suddenly stood up.

Upon hearing this, Lin Jie suddenly stood up. Perhaps his anger had reached its peak, for his face was no longer filled with harsh words, but rather calm and composed.

Lin Jie took a deep breath, then said with utmost calmness:

“Deputy Secretary Yu, our Linxian County is short of water, and we don’t have lotus leaves as big as you described. But in Linxian County, we have 600,000 people who would risk their lives for water!”

"I believe that under the leadership of the Party, we, the people of Linxian, can rely on our own efforts and work hard!"

"Moreover, our Linxian County Party Committee has the ability and the determination to change the landscape of Linxian!"

His gaze was intense, and the confidence and power within it made Deputy Secretary Yu feel uneasy, as if he had become a stumbling block to the people's pursuit of happiness.

Lin Jie's words were based on reason and popular support, leaving him with no room for argument.

As soon as Lin Jie finished speaking, everyone in the office stood up abruptly, the meaning of which was self-evident.

Deputy Secretary Yu's face darkened, and he stared at Lin Jie with a sinister gaze for a long time before finally squeezing out a few words through gritted teeth.

"Fine, fine! As the saying goes, good medicine tastes bitter, and honest advice is hard to hear. Since the higher authorities have handed over the decision-making power to your county committee, and you insist on going your own way, then I won't say any more."

"You... better watch yourselves!"

"Deputy Secretary Yu!" Lin Jie shouted, "Once the arrow is released, there's no turning back..."

Before Lin Jie could finish speaking, Deputy Secretary Yu stood up and interrupted him:

"If the project to divert water from the Zhang River to the forest is abandoned halfway, it will be a huge crime against the Party, the country, and the people! I hope you will discuss this further before you decide to report it to the prefectural committee!"

"Let's go!" With that, he turned and left with his men.

The meeting room door slammed shut, breaking the oppressive silence.

After a long silence, Old Sun slapped his thigh angrily and said:
"I find this very strange! The county committee was soliciting opinions from the masses, and we hadn't even reported it to our superiors yet. How did Deputy Secretary Yu find out?"

The deputy director of the office glanced at Tong Kun, who was sitting beside him with his eyes downcast and seemingly lost in thought, and then slowly replied:

"I have a feeling that Deputy Secretary Yu came here specifically to stop us from starting construction."

“Yes!” Sun Shihou chimed in, “He seems to know everything! Like a tapeworm in our stomachs!”

Tong Kun was so uncomfortable by these two sarcastic remarks that he tried to distance himself from the situation: "Did...Deputy Secretary Yu hear something?"

He had barely finished speaking when Lin Jie's sharp gaze swept over him like a knife. Tong Kun felt a chill run down his spine and hurriedly looked away.

Lin Jie withdrew his gaze, no longer looking at him, and said to the crowd in a deep voice:

"Let's not talk about this anymore. Anyway, whatever decision the county committee makes, it has to be reported to the prefectural committee. Sooner or later, we'll find out."

"Now, let's begin the vote!"

Thinking he hadn't been exposed yet, Tong Kun couldn't help but speak up again: "Secretary Lin, perhaps...we should think about it some more?"

These words were like a fuse, instantly igniting Lin Jie's pent-up anger!

"Bang!" Lin Jie slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups rattle, and roared, pointing at Tong Kun's nose:
"What are you thinking about? Thinking about how you tipped them off?!"

"We haven't explicitly stated what you did, which is already giving Deputy Secretary Yu face. And you're really pushing your luck, aren't you?! Huh?!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's gazes immediately focused on Tong Kun, filled with surprise, disdain, and understanding... all sorts of looks that instantly drained his face of color.

He understood that once this thin veil was lifted, his political future would be completely over.

Lin Jie was still not satisfied. He slammed the chair aside and shouted angrily:
"After each meeting, you eagerly go and report back. Do you feel honored?"

"This is even worse! The meeting wasn't even over yet, and you were already jumping out to stop it! What exactly are you trying to do?"

"How many times have you reported on the matter of diverting the Zhang River into the forest? Is it still not over?!"

"What's there to think about now? I'm making a decision today, what's there to think about?!"

"Old Lin! Old Lin!" Several committee members, seeing this, quickly got up to try to persuade him.

"Don't try to persuade me!" Lin Jie waved his hand dismissively, speaking with great emotion.

"If we decide to start construction, should we coordinate with Shanxi? The Zhanghe River is about to enter its flood season; should we start building the dam?"

"There's no need for discussion now, what's needed is to make a decision!"

One committee member also looked worried: "November is almost over. If we submit the report now, it's questionable whether the province can coordinate with Shanxi before the end of the year..."

Just as everyone fell silent and anxious again because of these words, a confident voice came from the doorway:
"Yes! It must be possible!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Lin Hao standing at the door, a calm and confident smile on his face.

Seeing everyone in the room looking at him, Lin Hao smiled and said:

"I've learned through some connections that the neighboring province has agreed in principle that we can draw water from the Houbi section!"

"Huh? Really?!"

"Great! This solves a huge problem!"

An excited murmur immediately filled the conference room.

Upon hearing this, Lin Jie's spirits lifted, the gloom on his face vanished, and he waved his hand forcefully, saying decisively:

"Great! That's fantastic! We've even taken care of the problems in the neighboring province; now it's just us left!"

"Now, raise your hand if you agree to the Zhang River Diversion Project and start construction immediately!"

As soon as Lin Jie finished speaking, he immediately raised his hand, and the others followed suit without hesitation.

Seeing that everyone else had raised their hands, Tong Kun could only awkwardly raise his own halfway, afraid that others would notice him.

Lin Jie looked around, then said decisively:
"I'll report to the prefectural committee right now. Old Li, you immediately start mobilizing the villages to prepare for construction!"
Lin Jie went to the prefectural committee to report, and the reason it was a report was because the decision-making power was in his hands.

Unlike before when approval from higher authorities was required, the decision-making power has now been delegated to Linxian County, so only reporting is needed.

County Chief Li immediately made a phone call to convene a meeting of all townships.

"I've called everyone here urgently today because there are two things I need to tell you!"

"The first thing is that the neighboring province has agreed to let us draw water from Pingshun County, and our Secretary Lin Jie has already reported this to the prefectural committee."

"Once Secretary Lin returns, our grand canal-building project can begin!"

"The second thing is to have all the commune secretaries go down and inform everyone to prepare their tools so that people can be called to work immediately once work begins!"

"Okay!"

"We've been waiting for this day for so long!"

The secretaries of each township immediately cheered.

······
Meanwhile, Lin Jie and Deputy Secretary Yu arrived at the Prefectural Committee one after the other. Lin Jie took the materials and went directly to Secretary Gao.

He then explained Linxian's decision to Secretary Gao and submitted the prepared materials. Secretary Gao carefully reviewed and signed them, and then had them sent to the province immediately.

Deputy Secretary Yu remained expressionless throughout, watching Lin Jie complete the final procedures and sign the documents.

His opposition wasn't because he opposed diverting the Zhang River into the forest. He wasn't stupid; he knew that growing crops required water, and he also knew the current situation: let alone drought relief and replanting, there wasn't even enough water for people to drink.

This is also why he directly said he didn't want to go to the countryside. There are some things you can pretend not to know, but if you continue to turn a blind eye when you see the real tragedy, you will lose your position.

His main purpose in opposing the diversion of the Zhang River into the forest was to punish Lin Jie in order to avenge the production report he submitted in 58.

Now that the diversion of the Zhang River into the Linxi River is a done deal, if he were to explicitly oppose it again, that would be politically incorrect and a mistake.

If he couldn't even see this clearly, then his political education classes would have been a waste. Therefore, he had no choice but to sign the document, but he only wrote "read" and submitted it to his superiors without expressing his agreement or disagreement.

Lin Jie, fearing further unforeseen circumstances, went directly to the provincial capital following the documents.

After all, his position was quite close to the provincial capital, and he soon met Secretary Fang.

"Secretary Fang!" Lin Jie quickly greeted.

When Secretary Fang saw Lin Jie, he said with some surprise:

"Goodness, your information network is quite impressive. Shanxi just agreed, and you've already arrived!"

"Ah, Shanxi really agreed!" Lin Jie exclaimed in surprise, then said with delight, "That's wonderful!"

Lin Jie then handed the document to Secretary Fang and explained the situation.
······
Meanwhile, in Shanggeda Village, Shuisheng rushed back to his own yard.

Before the person even arrived, a voice burst through the door: "Father! Father! Fantastic news!"

Grandpa Stone was sitting in the courtyard puffing on his pipe when his son's boisterous manner startled him. He frowned and scolded him:
"How old are you? You have no sense of composure at all! What are you doing? Is the sky falling down?"

"This is better than the sky falling down!" Shui Sheng rushed to his father, his chest heaving, his face beaming with ecstasy.

"The canal construction project is a success; Shanxi has given their approval! Before long, we'll be able to get down to business!"

"What?!" Stone Grandpa's hand trembled, and he almost dropped his pipe. He stood up abruptly.

His cloudy eyes suddenly lit up with disbelief, and he exclaimed excitedly, "Are you sure about this? Who told you that?"

"The county magistrate announced it himself at the meeting, so how could it be false?" Shui Sheng said with certainty, as if he had personally participated in the meeting.

Overwhelmed with joy, Grandpa Stone rubbed his calloused hands together, paced hurriedly in the yard, and excitedly asked repeatedly:

"Great! When exactly will construction begin?"

"I'm not sure yet, but I reckon it's just around the corner!"

"Then what are we waiting for!" Old Stone instantly regained his decisiveness as the person in charge, waving his hand and saying:
"Go and call your brother! We need to get things ready right away!"

Shui Sheng was taken aback, then asked in confusion, "Prepare what?"

Stone Grandpa said irritably, "Of course, we need to prepare steel chisels and tools for chiseling stone!"

Shui Sheng couldn't help but ask, "Didn't they say the higher-ups would send down a batch of steel drills?"

"Foolish!" Old Stone glared at him and said:
"You can't complain about having too much stuff! It's always good to have an extra set! Go tell Shuiwang to get all our equipment out!"

"Hey! I'm going right now!" Shui Sheng suddenly realized, turned around and rushed out of the yard like a gust of wind, his loud shouts echoing along the village road, "Shui Wang! Shui Wang—!"

At almost the same time, at Gu Fengshan's house in Xiageda Village, Gu Dahai also rushed into the house with the same news.

"Father! It's decided! The canal construction is a done deal!"

Gu Fengshan was tidying up his farm tools, and without looking up, he said in a calm tone:
"Start work, start work, we've heard that so many times we're sick of it. When will we ever get a definite answer?"

"This time is different!" Gu Dahai stamped his feet anxiously, glaring and swearing as he spoke:

"It was approved by the Shanxi provincial government! I heard the paperwork is all done, it's absolutely true!"

His son's resolute tone slowed Gu Fengshan's movements, and he became seven or eight parts convinced.

Then, his voice trembled slightly as he said:
"Who...who told you that? You can't say things like that to make Dad happy."

"Father! How could I dare to lie to you!" Gu Dahai swore, "It's all over the place! Old Man Shi has already started hammering in steel rods!"

As soon as Gu Dahai finished speaking, Gu Fengshan reacted as if he had been pricked by a needle, threw his farm tools aside, and turned to crawl into the house.

Gu Dahai was bewildered by his father's sudden action and asked in surprise, "Dad, what are you doing now?"

From inside came the clanging sounds of Gu Fengshan rummaging through drawers and cabinets, and his booming reply:

"What are you doing? Our family can't fall behind!"

"Quickly call all your brothers back, get the gear ready! Let's get to work!"

Such an event occurred throughout Linxian County, and subsequently, a large number of village party secretaries and village chiefs gathered at the entrance of the Linxian County Party Committee.

Then everyone waited for Lin Jie to return and confirm the final good news.

Not long after, Lin Jie's jeep returned, and Lin Jie did not disappoint everyone, holding up the documents approving the provincial and prefectural governments.

Seeing everyone's expectant gazes, Lin Jie shouted in a hoarse voice:

"Let's start diverting water from the Zhang River into the forest!"

"Oh oh oh~!" Upon hearing Lin Jie's words, both ordinary people and officials immediately cheered loudly.

Then everyone started beating drums and dancing the Yangko to celebrate.