Dramatic changes in the movies and TV shows

Chapter 1322 Stopping construction is impossible; even a god couldn't stop it.
Li Mingyang initially wanted to decline, but Lin Jie stopped him. Although he didn't directly agree, he indicated that he would consider it.

Lin Jie knew that Wang Danian wouldn't have asked for this unless things had reached such a critical point.

At the same time, Lin Jie suddenly realized that Deputy Secretary Yu's summons to his office was probably not for good reasons.

Whether he agrees to lend grain or not, it will inevitably affect the construction of the Red Flag Canal.

If they borrow grain, their existing grain shortage will only worsen, further impacting the construction of the irrigation canals and potentially forcing them to halt work.

If they don't lend grain, will Ping Shun County still agree to draw water from them?

This person is so vicious; the more Lin Jie thought about it, the colder he felt.

Now he suddenly understood why Wang Danian from Pingshun County, Shanxi Province, was also a participant in their Henan Province drought relief conference.

Unexpectedly, Deputy Secretary Yu came up with a new trick, and managed to absolve himself of all responsibility, leaving him with a feeling of having no way to approach the situation.

At this time, Lin Jie thought that not lending grain to Wang Danian might affect the construction of the Red Flag Canal, but he did not realize the deeper issues involved.

That is the issue of water rights for the Hongqi Canal, which has always been controlled by Pingshun County in Shanxi Province.

If not handled properly, Linxian County could become a bloodsucker, and this hidden danger must be resolved once and for all.

Lin Jie couldn't think that far ahead for the time being, because the biggest problem right now was that Deputy Secretary Yu had ordered them to stop work.

So after Wang Danian left the office, Lin Jie spoke to Deputy Secretary Yu again:

"Deputy Secretary Yu, isn't it too hasty to halt the construction of the Red Flag Canal?"

Deputy Secretary Yu glanced around at the group, finally fixing his gaze on Lin Jie:
"My comrade Lin Jie, the current task of drought relief is the overriding political task."

"After deliberation by the prefectural committee, all non-urgent large-scale projects are to be suspended. Your Hongqi Canal project will have to be put on hold for now."

Lin Jie suddenly looked up, his face full of resentment, and said:

“Deputy Secretary Yu, how did the Red Flag Canal become a non-urgent project? It is a life-saving project for 600,000 people in Linxian County!”

"Help?" Deputy Secretary Yu sneered, speaking slowly and deliberately:
"The whole province is fighting drought to save lives, but you are putting tens of thousands of laborers on the mountain to build canals. This will undoubtedly accelerate the consumption of grain. Isn't this too disregarding the overall situation?"

"We have already calculated that canal construction and drought relief can be completely coordinated!"

Deputy Secretary Yu slammed his fist on the table and roared, "The prefectural committee has already held a meeting and ordered you to stop work immediately! That's an order!"

Lin Jie left with a livid face. After returning to Lin County, he convened a meeting of the county committee. Lin Hao, who was at the construction site, was also called back to attend the meeting.

After Lin Jie conveyed the superior's order to suspend non-urgent large-scale projects, the meeting room erupted in chaos.

“Isn’t this going to kill us?” Sun Shihou was the first to slam his fist on the table and say, “The canal was only half-finished, and now we’re stopping. All our previous efforts will be wasted.”

Director Luo of the Water Resources Bureau was so anxious he was jumping up and down: "Why did it have to happen at this critical juncture? Just when the workers were getting into a good mood."

“We made a solemn pledge,” Li Mingyang sighed. “If we stop now, how will we explain it to the people?”

Frustration and resentment filled the conference room, but just then, Lin Hao's surprised voice suddenly rang out.

"Wait a minute." Lin Hao, who had been silent all along, picked up the document, examined it carefully, and suddenly spoke:

"The document should say 'suggestion to pause,' not 'an order or requirement to stop work!'"

These words were like a thunderclap, instantly illuminating the darkness for everyone.

"What!" Lin Jie suddenly stood up, took the document, and looked at it carefully.

Li Mingyang chimed in, "It really is a suggestion, not a request for us to stop work!"

Lin Hao looked around at everyone, smiled, and said:

"Since it is a suggestion, it is not mandatory. We can make the most appropriate choice based on the actual situation in Linxian County."

Sun Shihou suddenly realized what was going on and slapped his thigh hard: "Good heavens! I was almost fooled."

“But,” Li Mingyang still had concerns, “if it was the prefectural committee’s suggestion, why did Deputy Secretary Yu ask us to stop work?”

"They're just making a big deal out of nothing!" Lin Hao said dismissively.

Lin Jie nodded in agreement. Deputy Secretary Yu had always been strongly opposed to diverting the Zhang River into Lin County, and this was not the first or second time he had obstructed them.

Lin Jie had calmed down and was pacing around the conference room. "Let's just continue working and ignore the superiors' suggestions."

Then he looked at Lin Hao and said, "There's one more thing that needs to be decided!"

"Xiao Lin, before we go to the meeting, could you please introduce the plan you mentioned to expedite the water flow through the main canal?"

Lin Hao nodded and said, "Okay, everyone knows about the current drought, so I won't go into details..."

Lin Hao then explained the 60-meter-high aqueduct plan and the plan for full-scale construction to everyone!
Finally, Lin Hao concluded, "Secretary Lin and I agree; we recommend using the aqueduct solution."

"Shortening the project by more than 20 kilometers will save a lot of explosives, food, and construction time!"

"Of course, it's not without its drawbacks. This aqueduct across the river will inevitably consume a lot of cement and steel bars."

"But he can complete the construction of the main canal as quickly as possible and solve the water shortage problem for the people of Linxian County as soon as possible."

"That's great, I'll choose the aqueduct too!"

"If it can speed up the water flow in the main canal, then I wholeheartedly agree!"

Upon hearing that the water supply could be turned on ahead of schedule, everyone supported the proposal. However, after reviewing Lin Hao's design drawings, they frowned and pointed out:

"Xiaolin, have you considered the difficulties of constructing the aqueduct across the river? This middle section is a full sixty meters high, which poses a significant challenge to both construction and safety!"

Lin Hao nodded upon hearing this, then pointed to the aqueduct blueprints and said:

"The entire aqueduct is designed to be 860 meters long and only four meters wide. Because of insufficient flow, a drop of 1.5 meters was added to increase the flow rate to 25 cubic meters per second."

"The most challenging part of the construction is the 400-meter-long flat riverbed in the middle, where the height needs to be between 60.2 meters and 59.5 meters!"

"Fortunately, the riverbed is dry year-round, and the flowing water is only a dozen meters wide with a very small flow, so it does not affect the construction."

"Therefore, I used a three-tiered, double-layered aqueduct and directly filled in a 20-meter-high foundation as the base of the aqueduct."

“Build a second 20-meter-high structure for pedestrian use, and then build a 20-meter-high arched aqueduct on top of that.”

"Moreover, the raw materials will be sourced from our abundant stone reserves, and we can leverage the labor force of our 60 residents." "If it's truly completed, it will be the highest and longest aqueduct in the entire country!"

Lin Hao's enticing words immediately stirred everyone's hearts, making them eager to get involved in the aqueduct construction.

What they didn't know was that even if they mobilized 60 people to manufacture standard stone blocks, it would still take at least one to two years.

Of course, this is under normal circumstances, but with Lin Hao's help, the construction difficulty would naturally be reduced to a simple level.

It's worth noting that the Qunying Aqueduct in Linli, Hunan, is 1200 meters long and 44 meters high, requiring 600,000 person-times (equivalent to 600,000 man-days) to build and took nearly two years to complete.

The Yanlako Miao Village Aqueduct is 204 meters long and 42 meters high, similar to the ancient Roman Pont des Gards.

The Friendship Aqueduct in Neijiang, Sichuan, is 270 meters long and 41.7 meters high. It has been in operation for two years and four months.

"Now that everyone understands the situation, let's begin the vote on whether to continue the construction of the Red Flag Canal..."

The discussion on whether to adjust the Hongqi Canal and whether to continue construction is nearing its end, with opinions converging and a vote being prepared.

Just then, Tong Kun, who had been silent all along, felt that the time was right, cleared his throat, and suddenly stood up.

"Secretary Lin, comrades!" He looked around the room and said with a worried tone:

"After careful consideration, I feel that Deputy Secretary Yu's instructions are based on the overall situation and make a lot of sense."

Tong Kun paused deliberately, sensing the focus of everyone's attention, before continuing:
"As everyone can see, the drought is getting worse and the pressure on food production is increasing. The way the Red Flag Canal is being built is indeed... a waste of manpower and resources."

"Our food and supplies are already in short supply, so why don't we go with the flow and simply stop work for a while, which will also give the migrant workers a rest."

"This not only responds to the instructions from higher authorities, but also suits our current difficult situation."

County Magistrate Li Mingyang frowned and was the first to refute, though his tone was relatively restrained.

"Old Tong, you make it sound so easy. If you're talking about stopping work, do you think the people fighting on the front lines would agree? Can't you see their enthusiasm and expectations?"

"Hey~!" The impatient Sun Shihou wasn't so patient; he directly addressed Tong Kun:

"Old Tong, everyone is united in overcoming these difficulties, why are you contradicting us?"

"Let me tell you, the people are so enthusiastic right now, they wish they could wake up tomorrow and the Red Flag Canal would be flowing! You want to go and tell them to stop construction now? You'd just be asking for trouble!"

Tong Kun's face turned somewhat pale after being rebuked by Sun Shihou, but confident in his position as the deputy secretary, he stubbornly argued back:

"The masses? Don't the masses still have to listen to the guidance and arrangements of our county party committee? Once our county party committee has made a decision, how can the masses not listen?"

Lin Jie, who had been observing coldly, could no longer contain his anger. He slammed his hand on the table, stood up abruptly, and glared at Tong Kun, reprimanding him:

“That’s right! The masses listen to the county committee! But you, Comrade Tong Kun, tell me, who does the county committee represent?”
"Does the county party committee represent the most fundamental interests and urgent desires of the broadest masses of people?"

The county committee's decision wasn't made out of thin air; the people's demand for diverting the Zhang River into the forest is louder than the sky, and their will is firmer than stone!

"Do you expect me, the county party committee secretary, to listen to you, Deputy Secretary Yu, alone, or to listen to the voices of 600,000 people outside?!"

Lin Jie's righteous and stern questioning was like a heavy hammer, leaving Tong Kun speechless. His face turned from red to white, and he sat back down sullenly.

"Now we shall begin the vote..."

After the vote was completed, Lin Jie immediately said:
"After a vote, the Linxian County Party Committee unanimously agreed to continue the construction of the Hongqi Canal, build an aqueduct across the river, expedite the main canal's water supply, and report the meeting's decision to higher authorities!"

"The construction of the Hongqi Canal cannot be stopped for even a day. The sooner the water is diverted, the better it will be for the people of Linxian County to fight drought."

"At the same time, we will immediately start the second half of the fourth phase of the project, as well as the construction of the aqueduct across the river!"

······
As soon as the meeting ended, Tong Kun slipped back to his office and eagerly picked up the phone.

"Deputy Secretary Yu!" he said, his voice filled with grievance and urgency.

"I proposed stopping the work at the meeting as you suggested, but... but Lin Jie and the others wouldn't listen at all!"

He embellished the details of the meeting:
"Lin Jie slammed his fist on the table, Sun Shihou pointed his finger at me and scolded me for being dissenting, and Li Mingyang chimed in. In their eyes now, there is no such thing as the prefectural committee or you!"

"Lin Jie also said... that the county committee must listen to the masses, which means that your and the prefectural committee's decisions do not conform to the wishes of the people of Linxian!"

Upon hearing this, Deputy Secretary Yu's face turned as black as ink, but he still suppressed his anger and said:

"Any more?"

"There's a chance!" Tong Kun lowered his voice upon hearing this and continued to plead his case.

"I think they're determined to fight to the end now. And I suspect they might have some shady dealings with funding and supplies, otherwise where would they get such confidence?"

"Deputy Secretary Yu, we can't let them continue to run rampant like this!"

On the other end of the phone, Deputy Secretary Yu was silent for a moment, and when he spoke again, his voice was as cold as ice:

"Alright, I understand. Keep an eye on things in Lin County."

Tong Kun put down the receiver, a smug look on his face. He knew that Deputy Secretary Yu would not let this go so easily.

······
Meanwhile, after the meeting, Lin Jie deliberately kept Lin Hao behind.

"Thanks to your thoughtfulness today," Lin Jie said with gratitude. "However, I'm worried that Deputy Secretary Yu won't let this go so easily."

Lin Hao nodded and said, "Indeed, since he has made a move, he will definitely not only have this one move. We must be prepared to face even greater difficulties."

At this point, Lin Jie remembered Wang Danian's matter of borrowing grain, so he told Lin Hao about the situation.

"Borrow grain?" Upon hearing this, Lin Hao immediately realized something was wrong, and then solemnly said, "Things are probably not that simple!"

"What do you mean?" Lin Jie asked, puzzled. "If it's just about borrowing grain for an emergency, we still have some savings!"

"You didn't understand what I meant!" Lin Hao then explained:

“This is not a simple matter of borrowing grain. If Wang Danian can borrow grain this time, then if their county encounters difficulties again next time, can they borrow again, and then borrow endlessly!”

"If the water rights are not clearly defined and remain in the hands of Pingshun County, it will definitely lead to endless troubles in the future!"

"The Party Secretary of Pingshun County is your comrade-in-arms now, so he certainly won't go too far. But what if it's a different person? What if the other party goes too far? Wouldn't Lin County become Pingshun County's ATM and bloodsucker?"

Lin Hao explained the seriousness of the matter to Lin Jie in great detail.