Qi Tongwei's Rebirth: Playing the Bell and the Qin, He Surpasses Heaven.

As the first flood peak receded, the water level of the Murray River also began to slowly recede.

Standing on the embankment, Qi Tongwei finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Looking at the temporary flood control canal that stretched for dozens of kilometers beneath his feet, he felt a mix of emotions.

To be honest, he had mixed feelings about the flood, both loving and hating it.

This feeling is subtle, somewhat like how lesbians feel about their periods.

If we don't come, it definitely won't work; but if we do come, the quantity will be too large, which also won't work.

There's no way around it; he was the one who proposed the flood warning and coordinated the work with the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.

He's made such a fuss, and if the flood doesn't come, then he's just being a worrier and trying to attract attention.

But now that the flood has arrived, he is worried that the flood peak is too large and too fierce, and that the flood control dike may not be able to withstand it.

The first flood peak has now passed smoothly, the flood control dikes remain standing, and all work is proceeding in an orderly manner.

There was no need for Qi Tongwei to stay at the scene.

He gave a few instructions, then mounted his horse and headed towards the county government.

......

Back in the county government compound, Qi Tongwei didn't dare to delay and went straight to Qin Xuefeng's office.

As soon as he pushed open the door, Qin Xuefeng came to greet him.

He grabbed Qi Tongwei's hand and squeezed it tightly, his voice trembling slightly.

"Tongwei, the first wave is over... You mean, it's not over yet? There will be more?"

Qi Tongwei frowned slightly, nodded, and answered very seriously.

"Yes! And there's more than one wave... This snowmelt flood will intensify with each layer of temperature increase."

"Today's high temperature is only thirteen degrees Celsius, and the flood peak is less than one meter high."

"As temperatures rise and snow melts faster, even larger flood peaks could arrive at any time!"

Qin Xuefeng nodded slowly with a solemn expression.

"I have already reported this to my superiors, and they have given our work high praise."

He paused slightly, lowering his voice a few decibels.

"The situation in Hami is not good; the losses have been severe."

Qi Tongwei's heart tightened, and he casually asked, "Is it serious?"

Qin Xuefeng nodded, sighed, and continued.

"It's very serious! The entire eastern part of Hami is flooded."

Qi Tongwei's heart tightened, and he gasped.

Half of Hami was flooded. How much loss would that be? Hundreds of millions, or even billions?

He didn't dare to think any further and quickly asked another question.

"Were there any casualties?"

Qin Xuefeng shook his head, handed him a cigarette, and said with a hint of helplessness in his voice.

"We don't know yet..."

All I know is that the Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway was washed away and a section of the national highway was also destroyed.

After saying that, he glanced at Qi Tongwei and tentatively asked.

"Tongwei, do you think we should report this to our superiors...?"

Before he could finish speaking, Qi Tongwei interrupted him.

"Secretary, I think the most urgent task is to prepare to receive the disaster-stricken people in Hami."

"As for the rest, the Hami team will handle it themselves, what do you think?"

Qin Xuefeng was taken aback, gave Qi Tongwei a deep look, and immediately understood.

He picked up the electric arc from the table and nodded to Qi Tongwei.

"Okay! I'll contact Hami right away..."

As he dialed, he asked, "How many numbers should we receive?"

Qi Tongwei sighed and answered with a wry smile.

"We'll accept whatever you send. If we don't have a house, we'll live in a felt tent."

He paused slightly and glanced at Qin Xuefeng.

"Secretary, you should contact Hami first, I'll coordinate transportation and medical supplies..."

Qin Xuefeng does not need to report the situation in Hami.

The problem is too big to be contained, and no one dares to contain it.

Leaving aside the losses within the county, let's just talk about the losses in public transportation.

The Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway was destroyed, leaving nearly 2 people stranded at Hami Station; 130 kilometers of national highway were also washed away...

The losses from these two items alone amount to billions. Who can withstand that? And who dares to?

Compared to Hami, Taiqi County fared much better, suffering minimal losses.

Taiqi is located downstream of Murei, with more than 30 kilometers of Gobi Desert between the two county towns.

This barren Gobi Desert became a buffer zone and a lifeline for Taiqi County.

After the first flood peak rushed out of Murray's flood control channel, it was consumed in this buffer zone.

By the time the floodwaters reached Taiqi County, they had lost their intensity and turned into a major waterlogging event.

Although it was just a minor flood, it was a solid slap in the face to the entire government.

The team members finally believed it: the arid Gobi Desert really can flood!

Tai Qi immediately convened a meeting of his team.

The team members reached a consensus in less than ten minutes.

Following the example of Murray County, they immediately requested assistance from the Sixth Division of the Corps.

However, the Sixth Division of the Corps was already overwhelmed and caught in a dilemma.

Hami is anxiously awaiting rescue, and Taiqi is coming again. The Sixth Division also has its own flood control tasks.

Left with no other choice, the Sixth Division had to divide its forces for combat.

The 108th Regiment was dispatched to Hami for disaster relief, and the 109th Regiment rushed to Taiqi.

The 110th Regiment remained at the division headquarters to be responsible for flood control in the area.

Actually, the Sixth Division wasn't without men; it had eight regiments under its command.

However, the eight regiments were stationed too far away to provide timely support.

There's no way around it, Xinjiang is just too big.

The distance between cities is not measured in kilometers, but in time.

......

At four o'clock in the afternoon, Qi Tongwei met Zhao Aiguo again at Dongweizi Grassland.

As soon as the two met, Zhao Aiguo's face darkened and he immediately started cursing.

"Damn it! Some officials are just full of shit!"

"His mother's child died, and he came to nurse. After the flood, he remembered he wanted me to repair the dam."

Qi Tongwei didn't respond, but offered him a cigarette and said with a wry smile.

"Commander Zhao, this time your mission is more important and more dangerous."

"I checked the weather forecast, and it says there will be a big temperature rise on the 25th, which could very well bring a second flood peak."

Zhao Aiguo was taken aback and frowned as he looked at Qi Tongwei.

"What do we do? There are only three days left... It took seven days to repair the flood diversion for Murray."

Qi Tongwei remained silent and shook his head helplessly.

Actually, he wasn't without a solution, but he couldn't bring himself to say it.

Firstly, he couldn't bear to make the soldiers work tirelessly for three days and nights at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains.

Secondly, he also had his own selfish motives.

He worried that if he did things his way, Murray's floodgates wouldn't hold up.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Zhao Aiguo didn't say anything either.

He threw the cigarette butt on the ground and spat.

"Damn it, I'm not going to argue with you anymore. I'm going to find that county magistrate whose head is full of shit..."

After saying that, he jumped into the jeep and drove towards Hami East.

......

The situation in Hami and Taiqi quickly came to the attention of the city authorities.

Inside the municipal party committee office building, Wang Quanyou saw the disaster report and was so angry that he smashed a cup.

"The flood control notice was issued, and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps coordinated resources, so why did Hami still suffer such great losses?"

"This isn't a natural disaster, it's a man-made catastrophe! It's a serious dereliction of duty!"

That's not a harsh statement.

But when it comes out of Wang Quanyou's mouth, it sounds different; it's a definitive statement!

In the 1990s, dereliction of duty was written into the criminal law, with a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison.

After his initial outrage, Wang Quanyou did not continue his calls for violence; instead, he calmed down considerably.

But his approach was even more ruthless and merciless.

Without wasting any words, Wang Quanyou immediately gave the order.

Baimaiti, director of the municipal party committee office, was immediately dispatched to the scene to participate in the entire flood prevention and disaster relief work.

Anyone with a modicum of political acumen understands how the director of the municipal party committee office could be involved in flood prevention and disaster relief.

Baimaiti is the supervisor, and regardless of the outcome of the flood control work, someone will suffer.