SWNOVELXO Chapter 630 - 586: Breach in the Seawall_1
Chapter 630: Chapter 586: Breach in the Seawall_1
Stepping out of the city committee and city government office building.
In the sky, an absolute gloominess has set, and the wind was strong, emitting an eerie, howling sensation. The typhoon was imminent.
The standing committee members hurriedly got into their designated cars one by one, rushing to their respective areas of responsibility. At this moment, however, Wang Jianhua approached Nie Zhenbang from behind and said, “Mayor, you are in charge of the Wanghai Sea Wall this time, which is an extremely dangerous section. Given the powerful typhoon and your lack of experience, why don’t I take over? A private swap wouldn’t be a big deal.”
Nie Zhenbang waved his hand in rejection, saying, “Old Wang, it’s unnecessary. The reason I assigned you to handle the Wanghai New Port is clear. You have rich experience in typhoon fighting. The New Port relates to the recent development of Wanghai City, which must not fail. It’s most suitable for you to go there. On my side, Ju Peng is with me; he can remind me in case of anything.”
Wang Jianhua nodded reluctantly, and said, “In that case, be careful, Mayor. I will leave now.”
After Wang Jianhua left, Nie Zhenbang also got into his designated car, heading straight to the sea wall on Wanghai Island. Halfway through the journey, the sky began to light up with sparks of lightning and rumbling thunder. The wind started to pick up as well.
On the road, tower cranes at various construction sites had been secured, and construction workers at the sites had evacuated. Numerous students had already left school, and the entire Wanghai City seemed to be a spring-driven machinery that started operating as a whole.
Under normal circumstances, the journey from the city committee and city government to the sea wall on Wanghai Island would take no more than twenty minutes. However, due to school dismissal and factory closures now, many citizens hurried home, causing traffic jams. Nie Zhenbang and his team took almost an hour to arrive at the Wanghai Sea Wall.
Considering the importance of the Wanghai Sea Wall, any breach would result in the flooding of the entire Wanghai Island, causing incalculable economic losses.
Therefore, the disaster relief work here is entrusted to the elite force of the city. A battalion from the armed policeforce detached from the military region and stationed in Wanghai is stationed here.
When Nie Zhenbang’s car arrived at the sea wall, soldiers were hustling and bustling around the sea wall, doing their final preparations.
As soon as he got out of the car, two military officers at the rank of major quickly approached him. In unison, they reported in a strong and clear voice, “Reporting to the leader, Xu Zhiyong, the brigade commander of the Firefighting Brigade of the Armed Police of Wanghai Military Region, and Wu Peng, the commanding officer of the 379th Engineering Battalion of Wanghai Military Region, are currently performing the sea wall defense duty. Awaiting instructions!”
Seeing their standard moves and uniform voices brought Nie Zhenbang back to the days when he was in Xibei.
In a typical military salute, Nie Zhenbang nodded and said, “At ease! Continue the mission!”
Nie Zhenbang’s response caught both men by surprise. This kind of reply is typical of a military officer’s temperament. Usually, local leaders would reach out for a handshake, express their condolences, and say a few words to acknowledge their hard work.
Caught by surprise, Nie Zhenbang asked, “Comrades Liu Zhiyong and Wu Peng, in the past, what preparation work needed to be done in order to defend the sea wall against a typhoon invasion?”
Nie Zhenbang’s question was direct and showed his ignorance, but it didn’t hinder the display of his charisma. On the contrary, it made him appear admirable and respectable. Nie Zhenbang did not pretend to know something he did not, unlike many officials. Instead, his humility and eagerness to learn were quite refreshing to Liu Zhiyong and Wu Peng.
Most military officers are straightforward and uphold the military tradition of being direct. After glancing at each other, Wu Peng replied, “Sir, the defense of the sea wall usually involves strengthening the entirety of the sea wall and its fences to enhance the ability to withstand the waves. Additionally, we need to prepare woven bags and sand boulders for emergencies, using them to plug the holes.”
“So, how many sand boulders and woven bags are available at present?” Nie Zhenbang quickly followed up with another question.
His practical attitude and work style made the two men stunned again. They had only heard about Mayor Nie’s straightforward and pragmatic work style, which displayed a strong military spirit. Now, they have genuinely experienced it.
This time it was Liu Zhiyong who replied, “Sir, at the warehouse near the sea wall, there are approximately five thousand woven bags and a corresponding amount of sand boulders.”
Hearing this, Nie Zhenbang also loosened up, he hadn’t eaten pork, but he had seen pigs run. Although he had never experienced such an incident, the longer he spent in Wanghai, the more typhoons he witnessed land. But they were easily overcome, like this one which he had never encountered before.
However, last year, the unprecedented massive flood on the Changjiang River; although he hadn’t directly participated, he had witnessed from television news, how powerful nature can be. Humans seemed tiny in the face of such power. He saw some of the local government’s flood control and rescue strategies on TV and Nie Zhenbang remembered them. A typhoon, although more destructive and terrifying, lasts a shorter time. The response measures seem similar. After hearing about the gravel problem, Nie Zhenbang was completely relieved.
Nie Zhenbang nodded and said: “Captain Liu, Colonel Wu, you don’t need to worry about me. Currently, there is no superior leader here, you are the highest authority. Fulfilling the task of fighting against the typhoon is the greatest respect.”
The wind on the sea wall gradually intensified, the cloud layer pressed down, making the whole Wanghai City as if plunged into the night.
The wind speed had increased significantly; a few temporary military tents built on the inside of the sea wall were being whipped by the wild wind.
From afar, two black cars drove towards the sea wall. As they got out of the cars, a few leaders, against the sea breeze, walked towards them. The wind was strong and their clothes were tight against their bodies. It seemed like each step was taxing.
Under the leadership of Li Jupeng, two people came up to Nie Zhenbang. Li Jupeng introduced: “Mayor, this is Comrade Yang Lifeng, the district head of Wangxia District.”
Nie Zhenbang was very familiar with the secretary of the Wangxia District Committee, Ding Jianhui, but he had little interaction with this district head. Right now, Nie Zhenbang was sizing up Yang Lifeng. He was about 50 years old, sporting a striped t-shirt, a beard, and a flat-topped hairstyle. He wasn’t tall and gave off the impression of being an ordinary citizen without any hint of the usual officialdom.
This appearance made Nie Zhenbang have a favorable impression of Yang Lifeng. He nodded and asked, “District Chief Yang, how is the evacuation situation here at the seawall?”
Yang Lifeng’s Mandarin wasn’t fluent. As a native Wanghai resident, he spoke with a strong Minan accent. He reported, “Mayor, the residents in the area near the seawall have been evacuated. Everything was arranged adequately to ensure that the evacuated victims have no difficulties in their daily life.”
Yang Lifeng’s report was straightforward with little regard for formality or respectful words. At this moment, Nie Zhenbang understood why he never reported to him before. After this term, he planned to retire, so no one in the district would risk offending him.
Nie Zhenbang nodded and advised, “District Chief Yang, we must do well in comforting and resettling the people. Properly arrange post-typhoon logistics. This time, the typhoon is fierce. We must have confidence and determination to win this battle. Now, you can go back first.”
The sky was getting darker as the rain intensified. Four hours had passed since the television conference, and it was almost time for the typhoon to hit. It was almost four in the afternoon, but the sky had completely darkened. Searchlights installed at a few high points on both sides of the seawall, and behind, illuminated the seawall as if it were daytime.
Li Jupeng held an umbrella, but with the strong wind, it was impossible to use normally. Eventually, Li Jupeng had to give up, facing the wind and rain, he walked over to Nie Zhenbang and suggested loudly, “Mayor, why don’t you take a break in the tent? The typhoon has not yet landed, waiting here is not a solution.”
At five o’clock in the afternoon, the air raid sirens throughout Wanghai city had sounded. It was a signal indicating that the super typhoon had officially landed.
On the seawall, the wind and waves had suddenly intensified. Under the raging wind, waves of seven or eight meters high were lashing against the seawall. It felt as if the earth was shaking.
Feeling the power of nature, Nie Zhenbang was stunned. Humans seemed insignificant under such force.
Immediately after, another wave crashed against the sea wall. A wave head of ten meters high hit against the wall, the massive force caused a support log within the wall to snap.
The wave head that exceeded the height of the wall swept a large amount of seawater over the top of the wall and into the interior of the seawall. The massive flow of water swiftly spread, a thin layer of water appeared on the ground of the tent.
At this moment, Wu Peng’s eyebrows also frowned. Looking at Nie Zhenbang next to him, he said, “Mayor, this typhoon is too strong. It looks like there is danger of the dike breaking.”
As he finished speaking, another wave crashed against the wall, a section of the seawall collapsed. (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)