Dramatic changes in the movies and TV shows

Chapter 1321 Bad News

"With so many advantages, what about the disadvantages?" Lin Jie was intrigued upon hearing this and then asked.

"The shortcomings are equally obvious!" Lin Hao said, looking directly at Lin Jie.

"The commencement of full-scale construction means that the consumption of food, tools, and explosives will increase exponentially, and the financial pressure will exceed Linxian County's capacity to bear it."

"With our current resources, I'm afraid... it would be difficult to support the costs of such a full-scale operation."

The two options, one sacrificing extreme costs to save time and the other relying on rapid, comprehensive deployment, both point to the same unsolvable problem: money and supplies.

Lin Jie fell into a long silence, his brows furrowed, pacing back and forth in the command post.

“Build a 60-meter-high aqueduct across the river, or start construction on the entire line…!” He muttered to himself, these two extremely bold plans clashing fiercely in his mind.

Thanks to Lin Hao's intervention, permission for diverting water from the Zhang River to the forest was obtained ahead of schedule, and construction began more than three months earlier than originally planned.

Therefore, they naturally assumed that with each person digging one meter, and considering other factors, the project would be completed in at most three months. That's why they mentioned the water supply would be operational before the Spring Festival before construction began.

What Lin Jie didn't expect was that Lin Hao's engineering plan would make it possible for them to have water supply before Labor Day.

However, the two solutions Lin Hao offered made him hesitant. Completing the main canal ahead of schedule would inevitably consume more money and supplies, which was beyond their capacity.

If they don't want to spend extra money and supplies, then they should proceed with the construction according to the planned schedule. This way, the money and supplies can be spread over each year, which will greatly reduce their financial burden.

But whichever option he chooses, it will be a high-stakes gamble that will cost him his political life and the future of the entire county.

Thinking of the current drought and the people of Linxian's thirst for water, Lin Jie asked firmly:
"Since both methods can save time, which one requires the least amount of money and resources?"

"Of course, we should build an aqueduct across the river. Actually, I've calculated it. After all, we're building an aqueduct, not a bridge. And according to my design, the cost of the aqueduct and the amount of cement required are basically within our budget!"

In fact, with Lin Hao's vast reserves of supplies, any plan could be met, but it was just not appropriate to take them all out under a legitimate pretext.

However, if he wanted to get water to the street as quickly as possible, he would have to provide much less supplies and it wouldn't be as conspicuous as if the entire line was under construction.

Hearing this, Lin Jie stared blankly at the map, then suddenly said:
"It's a pity that the Nangudong Reservoir will have to wait another year and a half, otherwise we could directly build the fourth phase of the project and temporarily solve the water shortage problem in Linxian County!"

In fact, the Hongqi Canal main canal project was started with construction along the entire line, but it was later found that its own strength was completely insufficient to support it, mainly due to drought, insufficient funds, insufficient tools, and the inability to support various materials such as explosives.

Therefore, the construction plan for the main canal was decisively adjusted, and the original plan to launch a full-scale attack was changed to concentrate efforts on repairing the 20 kilometers within Shanxi Province first.

When the second phase of the project reached Mujiazhuang, the drought became even more severe. The key issue was that the third phase of the project still had 24 kilometers to go, which would take at least two more years. At this point, Linxian County could not wait that long.

Therefore, the plan was adjusted again, and a new decision was made: "Adjust the process and repair every three to four days!"

Of course, most importantly, they have a better solution that can temporarily solve the water problem for the people of Linxian County.

That is the newly built Nangudong Reservoir in Linxian County. This medium-sized reservoir has a capacity of 6900 million cubic meters and has officially started storing water, but it has not yet come into use.

The Nangudong Reservoir is located on the Lushui River, a tributary of the Zhuozhang River. This is a seasonal river, and after the reservoir was built, it became a source of water for the Hongqi Canal.

Its downstream channels belong to the fourth phase of the project.

In the four phases of the Hongqi Canal main canal project, the third phase, from Mujiazhuang to Nangudong, is the longest, with a length of 23 kilometers and an estimated construction period of two years.

After three phases of construction, and then a fourth phase, it will take at least three more years for the main canal to be fully completed and operational.

Moreover, the difficult period has not yet passed, and the continuous construction over the years has not yielded any benefits, which will affect the morale of the migrant workers.

If the project is carried out "every three or four times" and the fourth phase is completed first, the water from the Nangudong Reservoir can cross the Fentou Ridge ahead of schedule, and most of the dry land in the county can be effectively irrigated, thus solving the problem of drinking water for people and livestock.

This is a real and huge benefit, achieving multiple goals at once. This is why the construction of the four phases of the project proceeded smoothly in the order of one, two, four, and three.

Lin Hao's plan was even more extreme: he would designate the latter half of the third phase of the project and the first half of the fourth phase as branch canals, directly constructing aqueducts across the river to transport water, while simultaneously commencing construction on the latter half of the fourth phase.

Although the projects started at the same time, the project required less funding and food because it was more than 20 kilometers shorter.

Just as Lin Jie was hesitating, the prefectural committee called.

Holding the phone receiver, Lin Jie listened to Deputy Secretary Yu's words and said with a furrowed brow, "Deputy Secretary Yu, the construction site is in a critical stage, and I really can't leave right now...!"

However, on the other end of the phone, Deputy Secretary Yu stated in an unquestionable manner:
"This is a provincial-level meeting of grain officials at all three levels. The top two leaders of the provincial and county-level Party committees must all be present."

Lin Jie, feeling utterly helpless, tried to negotiate, "Deputy Secretary Yu, could Comrade Li Mingyang attend in my place?"

"Comrade Lin Jie!" Upon hearing this, Deputy Secretary Yu immediately became displeased, his voice suddenly turning stern as he said, "Lin Jie, do you think you're particularly arrogant?"

Sensing the other person's displeasure, Lin Jie immediately lowered his voice and said:
"Deputy Secretary Yu, let me be frank with you. Chief Engineer Lin and I are discussing a way to speed up the construction of the Red Flag Canal. If this plan succeeds, we hope to have the main canal flowing with water this year!"

"Besides, since County Chief Li and I are leaving, there will be no one to keep an eye on this construction site!"

"Since you're in such a difficult position!" Deputy Secretary Yu's voice turned cold. "Then let's stop work for now and discuss it after the meeting!"

"Stop work?" Lin Jie stood up abruptly, his voice rising involuntarily. "Absolutely not! If the project stops—!"

“My comrade Lin Jie, I’m waiting for you at the prefectural committee!” Deputy Secretary Yu coldly interrupted, then hung up the phone, giving Lin Jie no chance to refute.

Lin Jie slowly put down the phone, her brows furrowed.

"Does Deputy Secretary Yu still need you to attend the meeting?" Li Mingyang approached with concern.

"This Deputy Secretary Yu is really something!" Lin Jie rubbed his temples, his tone tinged with helplessness.

"They're just pressing me; they insist on letting me attend the provincial meeting!"

Sun Shihou immediately patted his chest and assured him, "Old Lin, don't worry, I'll take care of things at the construction site!"

"You?" Lin Jie raised an eyebrow at him, her eyes filled with distrust.

"I am the commander-in-chief at the front!" Sun Shihou straightened his back and said, "Besides, Chief Engineer Lin is here, what else do you have to worry about?"

Lin Jie's gaze met that of Lin Hao, who had been silent all along. Seeing him nod slightly, Lin Jie finally made up his mind.

"Alright, the construction site is now in your hands. Safety, quality, and logistics—none of these can be neglected!"

"Don't worry!" Lin Hao nodded and said.

Lin Jie was about to leave when, as if remembering something, she pulled Lin Hao aside and asked in a low voice:

"By the way, how's that special fund we're working on going?" "Don't worry!" Lin Hao smiled and said, "We haven't received a report from Beijing yet!"

"Still haven't received it?" Lin Jie asked, puzzled. Then he frowned and said, "That's not right. It's been over a month. Why haven't we received a report yet?"

Lin Hao, confident and shrewd, said mysteriously, "Perhaps not receiving a report is a good thing!"

The lack of response to the report confirmed his suspicions: Deputy Secretary Yu and Tong Kun were secretly obstructing the process.

They wanted to take advantage of the food shortage to both withhold funding applications and exert pressure through meetings, forcing the project to stop.

But this gave Lin Hao an opportunity. When the time was right, he not only needed to secure the funding, but also to use it to completely remove these obstacles.

Lin Jie nodded thoughtfully, then turned to Li Mingyang and said, "Make preparations for going to the prefectural committee; this meeting might not be easy to hold."

······
Lin Jie and Li Mingyang arrived at the prefectural committee's conference room and then started talking while holding the documents.

Li Mingyang said in a low voice, "I've looked at some of the figures. You don't really feel it from being on the construction site, but the situation across the country is very tense right now!"

"Natural disasters have occurred frequently from last year to this year, and everyone is tightening their belts. We must make plans in advance!"

"Sigh!" Lin Jie sighed and nodded heavily, saying, "I know."

Before the meeting even started, Wang Danian, an official from Pingshun County, saw Lin Jie and approached him with a bitter expression, saying:
"Two big spenders have arrived!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Jie quickly waved his hand and said, "What big family? Don't talk nonsense!"

"Pretend it for me?" Wang Danian didn't respond, but said in a low voice, "Don't run away later, I need to talk to you!"

Seeing his expression, Lin Jie understood most of it and quickly waved his hand like he was shooing away a fly: "Meeting! Meeting!"

On the stage, Secretary Fang was solemnly reporting on this year's disaster situation:
"...Regarding this famine, all levels of government must prioritize the food supply. Our minimum requirement is that no one should starve to death...!"

"While ensuring the basic food supply for the people, we must also reserve necessary grain for the government...!"

While the audience was speaking passionately, Lin Jie whispered to Li Mingyang, "I'm going to slip away after the meeting. Can you stop Wang Danian for me?"

"Where are you going?" Li Mingyang asked, puzzled.

"Tsk, don't you understand?" Lin Jie said with a click of his tongue.

"There's a food shortage everywhere right now, what else could he be trying to do by getting close to me? Do you mean you want to give him our food?"

"You mean, he came to borrow grain from us?" Li Mingyang immediately realized what he meant.

"Isn't that obvious?" Lin Jie said irritably.

The conference lasted for half a day. After the conference ended, Lin Jie was about to slip away when he was stopped by Deputy Secretary Yu's secretary, who asked him to go to the office with Li Mingyang for a meeting.

Without any pleasantries, Deputy Secretary Yu cut straight to the point with a set of high-sounding words, saying in a heavy tone:

"Lin Jie, Ming Yang, you are both aware of the spirit of the meeting. The food situation across the country is extremely serious. Our bottom line is that we must not let a single person starve to death!"

"We cannot underestimate this problem. To underestimate this problem is to underestimate the lives of our people!"

"The province has instructed local committees to expedite famine preparedness, therefore all large-scale projects have been halted, and efforts are being made to tap into potential grain reserves!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Jie almost jumped up, excitedly saying:

Deputy Secretary Yu, the situation in our Linxian County is really too special right now. We don't even have water to drink...!
"Is your Lin County special?" Before Lin Jie could finish speaking, Deputy Secretary Yu interrupted him sharply:
"Your superiors have further instructions to convey, and I can tell you now that the Zhang River Diversion Project must be stopped immediately!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Jie and Li Mingyang were so anxious they jumped up and down. Just as they were about to say something, Wang Danian knocked on the open door from outside.

Deputy Secretary Yu glanced at Lin Jie, feeling quite pleased with himself, as he had personally arranged this.

Upon seeing Wang Danian, Deputy Secretary Yu immediately said, "Didn't you say you needed to see Lin Jie? He's right here!"

Lin Jie was immediately at a loss for words upon seeing this, but he could only bite the bullet and say, "Happy New Year! Please sit down!"

Wang Danian entered with a grateful expression, then turned to Lin Jie, abandoning all formalities, and said directly:
"Old Lin, I'm not going to beat around the bush with you. I have something important to tell you!"

"Look, you want to divert the Zhang River into the forest and build the Hongqi Canal. Pingshun County will cooperate. You said you wanted to build the Hongqi Canal, and we agreed without hesitation!"

“If your construction team has nowhere to stay, we will immediately ask the local people to vacate their own houses and lend them to you.”

"Tell me, is my old brother good enough?" Wang Danian's few words quickly got Lin Jie on his feet.

Back then, he and Wang Danian served as bodyguards for Secretary Fang together, and they knew each other well. Therefore, he knew what the other was thinking even before Wang Danian spoke.

The key point is that everything Wang Danian said made sense, and his support for the Zhang River diversion project was unquestionable and left him with no room for argument; otherwise, he would be looked down upon.

But the problem is, they are also short of food. If they lend it to Pingshun County, what will happen to their own construction of the Red Flag Canal?
Sure enough, after a round of flattery, Wang Danian revealed his true intentions: "I know your Lin County is wealthy, at least much wealthier than our Pingshun County!"

"Given such a challenging environment, the fact that they dared to undertake such a massive project as diverting water from the Zhang River to the forest speaks volumes!"

"This means you have grain on hand, lend us some!"

Upon hearing this, Li Mingyang, who was standing to the side, quickly chimed in with an official tone: "It's not like you're starving!"

"We really are starving!" Wang Danian said solemnly, then added with a heavy heart, "We now have people in our county who can't even afford to eat!"

Although Wang Danian didn't finish his sentence, the people in the office, all of whom were shrewd, immediately understood the meaning behind his words.

Upon hearing this, Lin Jie couldn't help but ask, "Is it that serious?"

"Is it really that serious?" Wang Danian's face darkened.

At this moment, Wang Danian stood up, bowed solemnly to the two of them, and said:

"Old Lin, Mingyang, I'm seriously bowing down to you today. Please help your brother out!"

"Da Nian, Da Nian, no, no, no!" Lin Jie and Li Mingyang quickly stepped forward to help him up.

Li Mingyang said with a troubled expression, "Old Wang, it's not that we don't want to help, but our Lin County isn't very wealthy either!"

Lin Jie looked helpless, and after thinking for a moment, said, "Well, this matter isn't up to us two to decide. Let's go back and discuss it!"