SWNOVELXO Chapter 632 - 588 Working Group of the Ministry of Civil Affairs (asking for minimum monthly tickets)_1
Chapter 632: Chapter 588 Working Group of the Ministry of Civil Affairs (asking for minimum monthly tickets)_1
“We’ve made it, the breach has been sealed!”
“Long live Mayor Nie!”
“We’re grateful to Mayor Nie, who has put in so much for us common people.”
At this moment, after the breach had been sealed, many people started to cheer loudly, filled with genuine admiration and jubilation.
Nie Zhenbang stepped up from below the breach at this moment, and Li Jupeng, who had been watching from the side, quickly approached him, handing him a towel: “Mayor, wipe off your sweat first.”
Right then, Wu Peng also approached. His expression held no impurity — soldiers always admired strength.
Standing at attention, Wu Peng offered a standard military salute before saying, “Mayor, the typhoon has made landfall. The most dangerous phase has passed. The intensity, as well as the magnitude of the storm, should decrease from here on out. We are here for everything else. I assure you, as long as the dyke stands, we will survive. If the dyke breaks, we die.”
As a soldier’s promise, it was resolute and firm. There was no room for retreat. At that moment, Nie Zhenbang nodded solemnly, acknowledging the commitment: “Colonel Wu, Captain Liu, we leave this to you. The lives and property safety of hundreds of thousands of people in Wanghai Island are in your hands. Reinforce the seawalls, prepare for the worst. Ensure the seawall defenses are infallible.”
He didn’t have time to change out of his drenched clothes. He got straight into his car — besides the seawall, the current disaster situation across the city troubled Nie Zhenbang, making him anxious.
If this part of the Wanghai Sea Wall was in such danger, there would undoubtedly be endless risks for the rest of the city.
Now the power supply lines were destroyed by the typhoon. At least half the city was plunged into darkness.
The streets were a mess. Many bins were knocked down by the gale. Severe wind-broken branches could be seen scattered all over. Some cars parked on the side of the road were completely crushed by large trees, their hazard lights flickering in the dark night.
“Ju Peng, this super typhoon has severely damaged Wanghai City. Things aren’t looking too optimistic. I dread to think of any casualties.” Nie Zhenbang’s mood was very heavy at this moment.
Throughout Nie Zhenbang’s term, he had never seen such a natural disaster. The biggest one being when he encountered an earthquake in Xinli. This was the second time he had encountered a situation like this and this disaster of a completely different nature compared to an earthquake.
But on the other hand, Li Jupeng turned around and comforted him: “Mayor, do not worry too much. Although it seems scary, there usually won’t be too many casualties. We had made comprehensive preparations in advance, and most residents have already returned home. Most buildings in Wanghai City can withstand typhoons.”
Upon hearing Li Jupeng’s words, Nie Zhenbang appeared deep in thought. He nodded and said, “I hope so.”
…
All the leading leaders of the municipal party committee’s standing committee had returned to the municipal office building one after another. Typhoons arrive quickly and leave just as fast.
Currently, even though Wanghai City was still in the typhoon’s path, the greatest danger had passed, and what was left was the rainfall phase.
At this moment, the municipal office building was brightly lit. Despite it being past eight o’clock at night under such a crucial circumstance, no leader would rest. Everyone had changed into dry clothes and was sitting in the municipal party committee meeting room once again.
The municipal party building’s power supply is usually provided by double or triple dedicated lines. This ensured the energy supply to the city committee and city government was smooth. Once the power was restored, the command was back in action.
Tian Xujian entered with a solemn expression on his face, his voice grave. “Everyone, please report on the extent of the damage.”
As Tian Xujian’s voice dropped, Nie Zhenbang began to speak. “At the Wanghai Sea Wall, over four hundred meters of the surrounding wall has been breached by the waves. The sea wall also has a breach, however, through the combined efforts of the armed police and stationed military, the breach has been effectively blocked. The exact damage has not been fully calculated yet, but thankfully, I believe there hasn’t been much casualty. As for the economic losses, detailed estimates have yet to be made.”
Nie Zhenbang spoke lightly, but his words sent a shock through the other officials of Wanghai City. The very sea wall had been breached. If it hadn’t come from Nie Zhenbang himself, such news would have been hard for the people present to believe.
What added to their astonishment was that the breach had been blocked. The enormity of the waves, the strength of their impact—except for a few outsiders like Li Chaoyang, Tian Xujian, and Nie Zhenbang—everyone present had faced the turbulence of sea storms in Wanghai City. There had been only one instance in the history of Wanghai when the sea wall had ruptured, and that time, Wanghai Island was submerged. Now, the breach had been blocked, and so quickly at that. Nie Zhenbang might have described it casually, but everyone understood the peril involved, something that words failed to convey.
Next, other regular committee leaders also reported the damage in their respective areas. So far, this potent typhoon had caused five people to go missing in Wanghai City. Plus, the total economical loss was already well into the billions.
At that moment, Li Chaoyang volunteered to speak up. “Secretary Tian, Mayor Nie, comrades, this super typhoon, which has affected the entire Minan Province, has dealt a significant blow to our Wanghai City. I have just received news that the Ministry of Civil Affairs Disaster Relief Department’s task group is about to head to Wanghai City to survey the damage and initiate disaster relief.”
Before coming to Wanghai City, Li Chaoyang was the director of the Ministry of Civil Affairs Disaster Relief Department. The department was practically his old territory. Therefore, receiving advance news like this was not unusual. If he couldn’t even manage that, his time at the Ministry would have been a waste.
Hearing this news excited the officials of Wanghai City. Having someone in central leadership sure made things convenient. Wanghai City, a coastal city, regularly faced typhoon invasions throughout the year.
However, each time, the Ministry merely sent some disaster-relief supplies. This would be the first-ever visit from a task group, a debut event for Wanghai City.
The arrival of the task group not only represented the distribution of disaster relief supplies but also indicated policy-related support from the Ministry. That was what the officials considered most important.
As Li Chaoyang’s words echoed, Tian Xujian next to him immediately spoke. “Comrades, Secretary Chaoyang’s information is very important and timely. The visit of the Disaster Relief Task Group from the Ministry to survey the damage in Wanghai City indicates the attention of our superior leaders towards our city. Comrade Chaoyang is the former leader of the Disaster Relief Department. He must ensure we extend a warm welcome and provide them with excellent hospitality upon their arrival. I think we should collectively discuss this.”
Tian Xujian had a hidden agenda behind his words. His attitude towards forming an alliance with Li Chaoyang was crystal clear.
Nie Zhenbang was aware that presently, within Wanghai City’s Standing Committee, Liu Yafu, Zhou Zihui, Liu Gaohua, Wang Jianhua, and Zhang Zhengguang were basically tilted towards him.
Jiang Huguang and Gu Dongliang were more of independent systems. Because of the incident about the suspension of work at Wanghai New Port, Jiang Li and Zhao Fei had doubts about Tian Xujian’s political awareness and maneuvers. One has to be extremely cautious about supporting and aligning with leaders within the system. Unrestrained words or rash alliances could end one’s future prospects.
Therefore, both Jiang Li and Zhao Fei were maintaining a more observatory stance. Now, just after Li Chaoyang, Tian Xujian had stepped forward in haste, clearly intending to attract Li Chaoyang first.
As the deputy secretary of the municipal party committee and the third-ranked leader, winning over Li Chaoyang would make handling things much easier, especially for the Organization Department.
Nie Zhenbang immediately countered, “Secretary Tian, I beg to differ. Indeed, it is necessary to welcome and receive the comrades of the Ministry of Civil Affairs Disaster Relief Task Group. However, I believe we shouldn’t overdo the hospitality. If it were usual times, the grander, the better. But now? I personally feel that we should focus on real work and put the work in Wanghai City at the center. I believe that the leaders of the Ministry will understand and sympathize with our actual situation.”
As Nie Zhenbang’s voice faded, the room fell into silence. Tian Xujian’s face went slightly awkward; Nie Zhenbang’s words essentially disregarded his authority. Everyone’s eyes turned to Li Chaoyang, considering the issue’s impact on his face.
Tian Xujian felt a pang of annoyance. Nie Zhenbang had seized an opportunity to undermine him again. Earlier, he was only considering Li Chaoyang’s feelings and had overlooked Wanghai City’s current situation. If they were to grandly welcome and receive the task group, wouldn’t that give off the impression of focusing on trivial matters while ignoring pressing issues? Wouldn’t it subtly imply that him, the Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, cared more for networking and less for the people’s hardships?
After a moment’s silence, Tian Xujian turned to Li Chaoyang beside him, smiled and said, “Comrade Chaoyang, you are more familiar with this than we are. Do you have any thoughts?”
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