Qi Tongwei at the start: Not relying on Liang Lu, but winning by a single move against Heaven.

Upon assuming command, Qi Tongwei immediately got into character.

His gaze sharpened, as if he had transformed back into the imperious Director Qi from his previous life.

He looked at Deputy County Head Liu and asked in a loud voice:

"Does the county have bulldozers? How many?"

Deputy County Head Liu was taken aback, then immediately replied:

"Yes, two Dongfanghong 60 units."

Qi Tongwei immediately gave the order:

"Give me both. How long will it take to find a welder to weld the buckets into an inverted V shape?"

Deputy County Head Liu thought for a moment, then slowly began to speak:

"It will take two or three hours..."

As soon as Deputy County Head Liu finished speaking, before Qi Tongwei could say anything, Secretary Qin spoke first.

His voice wasn't loud, but his tone was very dissatisfied:

"Three hours? This is a life-saving mission! Or, how about I come and help you out? To speed things up?"

Deputy County Head Liu was taken aback, and sweat instantly appeared on his forehead.

He quickly changed his tune:

"One hour, I guarantee the task will be completed within one hour."

Qi Tongwei glanced at Secretary Qin, smiled slightly, and his eyes were full of gratitude.

He knew that he had just arrived in Leishan and did not have enough prestige, so Secretary Qin was supporting him.

Secretary Qin nodded slightly, signaling Qi Tongwei to continue.

Qi Tongwei didn't hesitate and spoke again:

How many tractors are there?

Deputy County Head Liu had just been reprimanded by the Party Secretary, and without the slightest hesitation, immediately replied:

"Nine four-wheeled vehicles and three large tractors."

Qi Tongwei quickly jotted down notes in his notebook, speaking as he wrote:

"I need six four-wheeled vehicles and two large tractors. All the wheels must be chained with iron chains."

Deputy County Head Liu was taken aback, but immediately understood what Qi Tongwei meant.

At first, he thought Qi Tongwei was just putting on an act, but the more he listened, the more reliable it seemed.

He immediately added:

"There are still 5 trucks in the county."

Qi Tongwei didn't even look up, and simply threw out a sentence:

"That thing is useless; if it gets stuck in the snow, the road will be blocked."

After saying that, he continued to issue orders.

"Mobilize the entire militia. We'll depart in an hour."

After saying his last sentence, he closed his notebook and grinned at Baimaiti:

"Brother Bai, go back to Bianxi City and tell Secretary Wang that I didn't embarrass him."

He was about to get up when Baimaiti and Secretary Qin grabbed him at the same time.

"Tongwei, you can just stay here and take command. There's no need for you to be on-site."

Secretary Qin nodded in agreement:

"Yes, the site doesn't need your help..."

Qi Tongwei smiled at the two of them, his eyes full of gratitude:

"Secretary, Brother Bai, we have to drive over 50 kilometers of ski slopes, and there could be many unexpected situations. We can't afford not to go to the scene..."

He paused slightly and made a promise to the two of them.

"Don't worry, I promise. I will only direct operations on-site and will not participate in the rescue."

"No matter the outcome, I will bring them back to you, guaranteed to be safe and sound!"

The two were still worried.

No matter how much they tried to persuade him, Qi Tongwei insisted on personally going to the site to direct the operation.

The two had no choice but to agree.

Qi Tongwei had thought it through clearly: if he wanted to gain a foothold in Leishan, he had to go to this site.

What's more, there's a third-class merit award waiting for him ahead of him.

An hour later, a rescue team drove out of the county government compound in a grand procession.

The team consisted of two bulldozers and eight tractors, all loaded with relief supplies.

Two temporarily modified bulldozers led the way, followed by a string of tractors.

In the heavy snow, the procession moved very slowly, like a caterpillar wriggling on a white silver blanket.

Qi Tongwei sat in the first bulldozer and repeatedly instructed the driver:

"Don't keep the snow shovel too close to the ground, ten centimeters, or even twenty centimeters, as long as it's enough to allow the tractor to pass."

These makeshift welded snow shovels are not sturdy and could fall apart at any time if they hit a rock.

Even with welders to ensure safety, a single breakdown can waste a lot of time.

In the current situation, time is not money, it's life!

As the team advanced, the snow fell heavier and heavier, showing no sign of stopping.

The county party committee's jeep came twice, wanting to take Qi Tongwei back.

Qi Tongwei firmly refused.

Even if Secretary Qin gave the order, or even if Secretary Wang gave the order, he wouldn't be prepared to go back.

If this project succeeds, he will have the leverage to be transferred out of Leishan even if the road is not completed.

As dawn broke, the convoy finally drove out of Leishan County.

The county committee's jeep never came again.

Because the road that had just been opened was blocked again.

The snow had accumulated into a thick layer, about forty or fifty centimeters deep.

Standing on the bulldozer, Qi Tongwei looked back at the road he had come from and couldn't help but frown slightly.

There was no end in sight ahead, and no one to help from behind.

In this isolated city, the rescue team he led became a lone boat.

It was observed that some of the weaker militiamen in the group were already showing signs of hypothermia.

Qi Tongwei immediately made a decision that everyone must get off the bus and walk for ten minutes every half hour.

As dawn broke, Qi Tongwei ordered the team to stop and rest, and to eat some dry rations.

He and the driver climbed onto the roof of the vehicle to determine the direction.

Upon seeing the vast expanse of desolation, Qi Tongwei was immediately dumbfounded.

He grinned, a wry smile on his face, and muttered to himself:

"What the hell do we do? I can't tell which way is which... Where's Dongweizi?"

The driver handed Qi Tongwei a cigarette and grinned.

He was a Kazakh man, and his Mandarin was somewhat broken.

"Cadre Qi, look over there..."

Qi Tongwei looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a snow-white mountain piercing the clouds.

The driver lit a cigarette and gestured towards the snow-capped mountains.

"Dongweizi is at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains..."

"If we drive straight ahead, we'll eventually come across yurts on the grasslands."

He paused slightly, then patted Qi Tongwei on the shoulder rather tactlessly.

"You're a Giggart, don't worry, we'll definitely find them."

Qi Tongwei was taken aback, not understanding what it meant.

Beneath the bulldozer, a militiaman chuckled and chimed in:

He said you're a real man...

As soon as he finished speaking, the militiamen burst into laughter, and Qi Tongwei also laughed along.

How long has it been since he last heard the term "man"? Twenty years? Or thirty years?

He lit the cigarette the driver offered him and took a deep drag.

The cigarette was an unfiltered nicotine, which made him cough.

Standing atop the bulldozer, he shouted to the militia behind him:

"Gigerts, let's go!"

The convoy slowly started again, heading towards the foot of the Tianshan Mountains.

Leaving the county town, the roads became even more difficult to travel.

To be precise, everything was covered in white snow, and there was no path underfoot.

Only a path was carved out by bulldozers, a lifeline.

The bulldozer got stuck in the pit several times.

The high-horsepower tractor came in handy, managing to pull the three-ton bulldozer out.

After escaping, Qi Tongwei stared at the pit and was puzzled.

He didn't bring anything to fill such a big hole.

The veteran militiamen didn't care at all and started filling the pit with snow.

Once it's full, jump around on it, then fill it again, until you can't step on it anymore.

An old militiaman patted the snow off his hands and grinned:

"Cadre Qi, tightly packed snow is no softer than stone."

The journey was fraught with danger but ultimately safe. As night fell again, the group finally arrived at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains.

At this point, a full twenty hours had passed since Dongweizi was trapped.

The bulldozer advanced another two or three kilometers at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains before it came to a complete standstill.

There was no way to get up the slope; it was too steep for the bulldozer to climb.

Qi Tongwei climbed back onto the roof of the vehicle, and with the help of his flashlight, he could already see the yurts in the distance.

The driver came to his side, sighed, and said in a voice full of helplessness:

"I really can't walk anymore. I slipped just now, and if I go any further, I might overturn..."

The yurt was right in front of them.

Qi Tongwei gritted his teeth, jumped out of the car, grabbed a shovel, and started digging.

As he dug, he sang loudly:

"I found a penny on the side of the road. I handed it to the policeman..."

His voice was very loud; he wasn't singing, he was shouting.

The sound echoed in the silent night sky, carrying far and wide.

He didn't say a word, nor did he give any encouragement to the militia behind him.

The second shovel arrived, then the third, the fourth...

More than forty militiamen sang the most childish nursery rhymes in unison.

They used their shovels to dig forward inch by inch.

Inch by inch, they dug a path to life...

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