Chapter 310: If Heaven is Ruthless, People Are Kind

"Jingle Bell……"

"Jingle Bell……"

The silence of the night was broken by the ringing of the phone, and Liu Zhiye woke up from his dream. He quickly stood up, rushed to the desk, and grabbed the phone.

"Hey……"

"What? The house collapsed? How much of it collapsed..."

"Fuck... You organize rescue personnel immediately, we will be there soon." Liu Zhiye cursed and said anxiously.

After hanging up the phone, Liu Zhiye took quick action. He put on a rubber raincoat and waders swiftly, and trotted towards the meeting place with firm and fast steps.

Liu Zhiye knew that his team was waiting for him and their target was Chaoyang, where their emergency reinforcements were needed.

"Comrades!" Liu Zhiye's eyes were as sharp as torches as he swept across the exhausted team in front of him and shouted in a loud voice.

After a week of fighting the flood, they were already exhausted. Their ragged clothes and untidy beards revealed their extreme physical and mental exhaustion in every detail.

However, even in the face of such difficulties, they still stick to the front line of flood control, interpreting responsibility and commitment with their sweat and tenacity.

"Yes!" The members of the Zhi'an Detachment had hoarse but firm and powerful voices. Their eyes were bloodshot but revealed an indomitable fighting spirit. They responded in unison with no intention of retreating.

In the early morning of this stormy day, Liu Zhiye quickly carried out a brief mobilization.

His voice was firm and powerful, penetrating the noise of the heavy rain and reaching the ears of everyone present.

"I know you are very tired and need to rest. But I hope you can hold on a little longer, comrades. People need us right now..."

"Persist, persist, and persist again..."

"We will definitely achieve final victory..."

With a loud "Anti-Flood", everyone shouted like a volcano erupting:
"Fighting floods" "Fighting floods..."

They boarded the troop carrier resolutely, with firm steps and no intention of retreating.

The vehicles drove out of the compound one after another, like a giant steel dragon, galloping towards the rising sun and disappearing on the distant horizon.

…………

Inside the jeep, Liu Zhiye frowned, as the flood had arrived as expected. Although his early warning reduced some losses, time was running out, and the flood risks in Beihe and Beijing and Tianjin could not be completely eliminated in the short term.

This rainstorm started on August 8st and moved from the upper reaches of the Huaihe River to the Haihe River Basin. The main path of the rainstorm started from Nanyang, HEN Province, passed through Nanhe, and finally reached the Beihe area.

Heavy rainstorms occurred throughout the route, with some areas receiving up to 24 mm of rainfall within 950 hours.

It started to rain heavily in the capital on August 8. On August 2, a cold front suddenly poured in from the north, and the cold and hot air reacted violently.

A new southwest low vortex emerged to the north of the original southwest low vortex, and it rushed towards the capital with great momentum.

On the 7th, Beihe Sicang received nearly 800 mm of rainfall in one day. On the 8th, this "new force" arrived in Beijing.

As a result, all areas of the capital were in a state of emergency, and at nightfall, the rainfall suddenly increased.

The daily rainfall in Laiyuanying area is close to 500 mm, which is more than two-thirds of the average annual rainfall in Beijing.

The Chaoyang District Meteorological Station recorded the highest rainfall in Jiuxianqiao, which was over 400 mm. Rivers in the urban and suburban areas overflowed, and the entire area was in emergency. The water level of the moat rose rapidly, exceeding the highest water level in history.

The worst-hit area in Beijing was Fang County. On the 8th, floodwaters rushed in from the northwest along the mountain.

Along the way, thousands of streams of water flowed in from the mountains. Floods in the mountains are completely different from those in the plains.

The water on the plains rises and overflows continuously, while in the mountainous areas it rises suddenly and comes suddenly. The locals call it "Qi Tou Shui".

Wherever the "Qi Tou Shui" passed, the soil loosened, rocks rolled down, and plants were uprooted, as if they were grabbed by the sharp claws of a blue dragon.

The local people all said that "Dragon Ba" was coming!
There was no such thing as "mudslide" in those days. The floods caused tens of thousands of acres of farmland in Fangshan to be submerged, and also shattered the people's hopes for a good harvest.

Fortunately, due to advance preparation and timely evacuation, no casualties were caused, only industrial losses.

The Beijing Public Security Detachment followed the established plan and acted upon hearing the order. Their vanguard quickly surpassed the other teams and arrived in Fang County first to launch a rescue operation.

Along the way, bursts of crying, shouting and cries for help were heard from time to time. Liu Zhiye and others witnessed moving scenes.

Groups of people, holding hands, shoulder to shoulder, carrying young children and supporting elderly people, walked forward with difficulty in the heavy rain.

The cold rain wet their clothes but could not wet their firm belief and determination.

Even though we have lost our homes, we still have the Party and the country. As long as the country is there, people are not afraid and firmly believe that they can rebuild a better home...

Going further up the mountain, there was a vast expanse of water all along the way. Liu Zhiye had no choice but to lead the team and abandon the car.

As the support boat had not arrived yet, Liu Zhiye could not wait any longer. Relying on his good swimming ability, he decided to lead his team to swim across the flood to take a look at the farm.

The vast expanse of white water in front of me used to be farmland, but now it is connected to the road, and it is impossible to tell where the road is and where the sorghum field is.

As we walked through the sorghum field, the toads and water snakes lying on the top of the sorghum ears began to jump onto our comrades, so everyone simply took off their raincoats.

Naked, wading through the water. The further you swim, the higher the water level and the faster the current becomes, and you are swimming against the current.

Fortunately, Liu Zhiye grew up by the Yongding River and has been splashing in the river since he was a child. In his own words, "I can walk in the water and sleep in the water."

So he led the way, and the team members followed. After swimming for a while, Liu Zhiye found a telephone pole, which made him feel more at ease.

"Where there are electric poles, there are electric wires. If I follow the electric wires, I won't get lost, and I can also get some support." Liu Zhiye thought.

In this way, after fighting the flood for nearly two hours along the route, the group finally waded through the water to the state-owned farm that needed rescue.

From a distance, Liu Zhiye saw some people riding on the roof and waving at them.

Those were the trapped farm workers, who had been trapped by the flood for more than ten hours.

As soon as Liu Zhiye and others arrived, they hurried to find the farm manager to ask: "Are there any casualties?" The manager replied: "No, we haven't found any so far. Alas! But we also lost more than a dozen big fat pigs." He was heartbroken.

Hearing this, Liu Zhiye finally breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the staff were safe, the loss of a dozen pigs was nothing. This was already a blessing!

…………

That afternoon, rescue boats also arrived one after another. Liu Zhiye looked around and saw all kinds of boats.

There were green iron boats from the boat corps, wooden rafts that the villagers had just made, and small boats used by fishermen for fishing. "Hey!" There were even more than a dozen small cruise boats in Beihai Park.

This "miscellaneous navy" came ashore one after another, and ran over to report to Liu Zhiye and receive their mission.

Then, under the command of Liu Zhiye, everyone methodically transported the farm workers and some nearby villagers to the embankment at a high geographical point nearby.

As the rescue operation was drawing to a close, Liu Zhiye finally couldn't hold on any longer and sat down on the ground, gasping for breath.

He felt exhausted, as if all his strength had been drained away. At this moment, he was really exhausted.

As night fell, the radio of Liu Zhiye's unit sounded, breaking the surrounding noise. It was an urgent order from the General Command Center, brief and urgent: "There is a dangerous situation in the Southeast Suburb Industrial Zone east of Tonghui River. Lead the team to support immediately!" He jumped up from the ground in an instant, his eyes firm and resolute.

After Liu Zhiye's troops finally arrived near Tonghui River, they found that the situation was already fraught with danger.

The water level of Tonghui River rose little by little, and Gaobeidian sluice gate was also raised little by little, and the pressure on the downstream increased little by little. However, they could not take care of the downstream at all now.

Liu Zhiye knew that the water level at Gaobeidian Gate could not exceed 31 meters. If it exceeded 31 meters, the river would flood the Dongjiao Thermal Power Plant.

The power supply of the entire capital now depends on it. If something happens to this power plant, the losses will be immeasurable.

Fortunately, however, the flood level at Gaobeidian Gate stopped rising when it was less than half a meter away from the water pump of the thermal power plant.

The water level at the Yuyuantan Gate also dropped at the last moment when it was approaching the maximum water limit, and no flood diversion was carried out.

At this moment, many leaders and support teams gathered on the Tonghui River Dike. The scene was quite spectacular with red flags waving and loud voices.

Liu Zhiye rushed to the front-line command post without hesitation, ready to report and receive the mission.

At the scene, a deputy mayor was busy directing the work. He saw Liu Zhiye and others coming and immediately turned to the water conservancy experts without much politeness and listened carefully to their opinions.

The leader knew that time was running out and could not be wasted, so he made a quick decision and prepared to take action.

Technical personnel from the Beijing City Planning Bureau and comrades from the Water Conservancy Department are making emergency calculations based on the current situation.

They have to imagine what would happen if the center of the rainstorm moved 20 kilometers west and fell in the Nanhan River or Yongding River?
The calculated results shocked everyone. The water of Nanhan River will rush into the capital at a speed of 146 cubic meters per second. The water depth in the zoo will exceed 1 meter. The General Machinery Factory, the Guest House, and the Sanlihe area will all be flooded.

After the flood enters the city, it is likely to destroy the Helinge Gate and the South Moat Flood Discharge Gate at the front three gates. The flood will come ashore from the Zhengyangmen Bridge and flow south along Qianmen Outer Street, further aggravating the disaster in the area around the overpass and the goldfish pond.

Waterlogging in the city will worsen, and traffic in the east, south, west and north will be completely interrupted. Several rivers at Zuoanmen, Youanmen and Dongzhimen may burst.

In order to guard against possible problems, the leader ordered everyone to go to Nanhan River for support immediately after reinforcing the Tonghui River and resolving the danger here.

In the early morning, the rain gradually weakened. After a night of unremitting efforts, thousands of people on the scene finally succeeded in blocking the breach of Tonghui River.

However, they did not have a chance to breathe, because more difficult tasks were quietly approaching, and the challenges waiting for them had just begun.

As far as Liu Zhiye could see, there were mud monkey-like warriors all over the mountains. Although they were already exhausted, their eyes were still shining with determination and perseverance.

These men, their figures appear more resilient in the mud, and their eyes appear brighter in the midst of hardship.

They are fighters, warriors, and men who never give up. In them, Liu Zhiye sees hope, strength, and future victory.

Liu Zhiye didn't say much, just said heavily, "Let's go!"

Afterwards, trucks drove over the accumulated water that had not yet receded and rushed to Nanhan River, carrying truckloads of soldiers and straw bags.

These straw bags were filled with mud, and everyone was going to raise the embankment of the Nanhan River again and again. They absolutely could not let the flood rush into the capital.

…………

After fighting for two days and two nights in Nanhan River, Liu Zhiye had just returned to the detachment from the front line of flood control. Before he could catch his breath, he was notified to go to the city for a meeting.

"Zhiye! You should have a good rest. I'll go to the meeting!" Zheng Chaoyang looked at the handsome man in front of him and couldn't help feeling distressed.

Now, his partner has become untidy, with greasy hair, dusty face and red eyes.

Liu Zhiye's mental state was obviously on the verge of collapse. For many consecutive days, he had been at the forefront of flood control, fighting the raging flood with all his might.

Others were able to take turns finding a moment to catch their breath, but he, relying on his extraordinary physical strength, refused to leave himself any time to rest.

"No need, Old Zheng, you have other tasks. Besides, you are quite old, not as young as me..." Liu Zhiye said with all his strength.

His eyes were full of determination and persistence, as if he was fighting against his inner fatigue and sleepiness.

However, no matter how hard he tried, the exhaustion of his body and the mental stress were gradually eroding his will.

His current state was as light as a feather. It seemed that only a breeze could blow him to the ground, and then he would fall into a deep sleep and never be able to get up on his own.

After this meeting, Liu Zhiye led the team to take on another important task.

At this meeting, a leader conveyed the instructions from his superiors: if it rains for another two hours, the southeast moat must be opened to divert the floodwater, and the flood will flow along Jiasongfen and inundate eight villages in four townships in the southern suburbs.

Crowds of people flocked to designated locations, their faces full of tension and anxiety. Comrades stepped forward to help evacuate the masses, transfer property and materials, and try their best to reduce the economic losses in these places.

They acted quickly, organized everything in an orderly manner, and showed perseverance and decisiveness. At this critical moment, everyone was struggling for survival and home.

In the battle against floods, Liu Zhiye and his comrades became fearless warriors. Whenever danger arose, they were always the first to appear on the scene, stepping forward bravely and never flinching.

They worked tirelessly, shed blood and sweat, and even braved strong winds and heavy rains, always staying on the front line of flood control.

After a long wait, the rain finally subsided, and the flood in the capital began to recede, revealing the flooded streets and houses.

Liu Zhiye and his comrades couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when they saw this scene. Although the damage and losses caused by the flood were still shocking, at least now they had a chance to breathe.

…………

Tonight, Liu Zhiye finally found a bit of peace in the office and prepared to take a short rest, but fate's trick happened again.

The jeep was driving on the main road in Chaoyang District. The road was covered with silt and along the way, one could see dilapidated houses that had collapsed.

"Get out of the car quickly and join the rescue operation!" Liu jumped down, and the scene in front of him instantly tensed his nerves. Now, under the orderly command of the neighborhood committee and the police, a group of ordinary people are desperately digging lives out of the rubble.

"Who is the leader of this support operation?" When the comrades from the subdistrict office saw a team coming to reinforce, they immediately stepped forward, their tone revealing eagerness and expectation.

Li Ming quickly introduced the man: "This is the captain of our public security detachment, Comrade Liu Zhiye."

When the comrade heard that it was a senior leader who was here in person, he immediately straightened his back and said in a voice that was a bit respectful and nervous: "Hello, Chief. I am Li Minghui from Balizhuang Sub-district. The current situation is like this..."

Liu Zhiye was worried when he heard this, because the flood was gradually receding. Last night, some people did not listen to the advice of the street cadres and thought that everything was fine, so they returned home directly.

The houses in this area are all old courtyard houses. After years of baptism, they have long lost their former glory.

After years of disrepair, the mud walls were crumbling in the wind and rain, and seemed extremely fragile. The floods made the already weak walls even more vulnerable.

Then, tragedy struck in an instant, and more than thirty people were ruthlessly buried under the rubble.

The search and rescue work at the scene was extremely difficult. So far, only six or seven people have been rescued. They are all wounded and bleeding, and some are still alive or dead. The situation is grim and there is no room for optimism. Every moment is full of unknowns and dangers.

Because there were no machines, everyone had to dig little by little using their hands, shovels and other tools.

Soon, Liu Zhiye and his colleagues' gloves were torn and the skin on their palms was worn out and bleeding. However, they had no time to care about the pain and continued to work.

"Hoo, hoo..." Liu Zhiye, who was so strong, felt overwhelmed. He hadn't been so tired for a long time. He panted and gritted his teeth to hold on.

I thought to myself, "It's almost there, it's almost there, let's hold on a little longer, there are still a few people who haven't been rescued, Liu Zhiye, you and I must hold on, and go to sleep later..."

Suddenly, a strong wind blew, and the wall that had not completely collapsed began to shake violently under the raging wind, as if it could collapse completely at any time.

A group of them were busy doing earthwork under the wall.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Liu Zhiye immediately shouted, "Run, it's dangerous!" Before he finished speaking, he had quickly pushed several confused people to a safe area.

Just as he was about to escape, a deafening "Boom!" instantly resounded throughout the scene.

As everyone was astonished, they saw Liu Zhiye's figure being ruthlessly swallowed up by the collapsed wall. Everything happened too fast and caught everyone off guard.

"Captain..."

(End of this chapter)