Seeing Lu Yiwei drawing a huge circle, Zhang Zhiyuan's heart was bleeding. But he couldn't be bothered to think about it now. "We'll do as you say. But where are the people? "
Lu Yiwei knew that Zhang Zhiyuan had never encountered such a situation, so he said, "County Zhang, in the name of the county government, mobilize all the departments and people in the county to put out the fire. According to the area we've demarcated, we need at least a thousand people for a line of defense."
"How long will it take to dig a line?" Zhang Zhiyuan asked.
"It'll take at least four to five hours if there's a lot of people!" Lu Yiwei replied.
"Alright!" Zhang Zhiyuan couldn't be bothered anymore and said, "Yiwei, I don't care what you're thinking of, but we'll do as you say. Three lines of defense will be constructed. I'll deploy the people, and I'll leave everything to you. You must dig three lines of defense tonight. "
Hearing this difficult task, Lu Yiwei felt immense pressure. But he agreed without any hesitation. "County Zhang, give me a thousand people. I promise to complete this task."
"Alright! I'll agree to your request. "Zhang Zhiyuan said fiercely.
Liu Kecheng, the secretary of the County Party Committee, had also arrived. Other members of the Standing Committee of the County Party Committee also arrived one after another. The government of Guiyu Township became a temporary headquarters. A room full of people surrounded the topographic map, pretending to analyze and judge. They discussed at once, but they could not come up with any substantive countermeasures to fight against the fire.
When Zhang Zhiyuan explained Lu Yiwei's idea, Liu Kecheng slammed the table and roared, "No, this idea is completely wrong. The priority now is to put out the fire and dig a line of defense ten kilometers away. What are you thinking? You're just going to watch the fire spread? "
Zhang Zhiyuan still insisted on Lu Yiwei's idea, but Liu Kecheng acted arbitrarily and said, "I'm the leader. Listen to my orders, and I'm in charge tonight!"
Zhang Zhiyuan immediately said, "If there are inestimable consequences, you will bear the responsibility?"
When the word "responsibility" was mentioned, Liu Kecheng was at a loss. But on second thought, he widened his bloodshot eyes and said, "Do you think you can escape responsibility after such a big thing happened?"
The two of them could not hold on to the countermeasures to put out the fire and argued endlessly. Suddenly, another mountain fire soared into the sky like a giant dragon, shocking everyone present. Liu Kecheng's eyes almost popped out. He rushed out and said, "Everyone, go up the mountain and fight the fire."
With the joint efforts of the County party committee office and the government office, a steady stream of firefighting teams gathered at Guiyu Village. Hundreds and thousands of people rushed to the hilltop. It was like commanding a war. The outcome of the war depended on a capable commander.
Lu Yiwei contacted Li Haidong, Niu Fuyong, and Zhou Sanmao, and they met up on the mountain. When Lu Yiwei saw the crowd marching blindly towards the center of the fire, he ordered the three village chiefs to call their respective people back.
Niu Fuyong was puzzled when he heard Lu Yiwei's decision. "We're not going to fight the fire?"
"Of course!" Lu Yiwei said, "How many people did you bring?"
The few of them did a rough calculation and estimated that there were about 300 people. Lu Yiwei nodded and said, "Haidong, you're the closest to Guanyin Mountain. Organize a group of people to go down the mountain. Go from house to house and search for saws and axes in the village. Bring some dry rations and water up the mountain. We're going to the Mountain Deity Temple now. Catch up with us as soon as possible. "
Li Haidong did not have many questions. As long as Lu Yiwei ordered him to do it, he would do it. So he led the villagers of Dongwa Village down the mountain.
After Li Haidong left, Lu Yiwei pointed to the Mountain Deity Temple in the distance and said, "Fuyong, take your people from the left side of the Guanyin Temple to the top of the Mountain Deity Temple. Line up and start chopping down trees. Chop out a 10-meter-wide isolation belt. Brother Sanmao, take your people from the right side of the Guanyin Temple and use the same method to start digging the isolation belt. Then, when Haidong comes up, I'll chop from the middle to both sides to form a coordinated force. "
Niu Fuyong said, "Yiwei, look at the villagers. They only have shovels in their hands. How are they going to chop down? Besides, the trees at the Mountain Deity Temple are as thick as urns. You can't chop them down even with shovels. "
Lu Yiwei knew in his heart that there was no other way. He could only use the simple tools available. He comforted him, "Fuyong, we have no other way at this time. We have to do everything we can to dig out a isolation belt. Otherwise, the fire will not be able to be controlled."
Originally, he did not care about Niu Fuyong's matters. But for the sake of his brother, he was moved. Then he turned around and shouted in the dark mountain, "People of Beihe Village, follow me!"
"Fuyong!" Lu Yiwei saw that Niu Fuyong was about to leave. He grabbed him and squeezed his arm hard, saying, "You must pay attention to safety. Don't let a single person fall behind!"
Niu Fuyong revealed his white teeth, which were especially dazzling in the night. He said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing!" With that, he led the villagers up the mountain.
Lu Yiwei turned around and said to Zhou Sanmao, "Brother Sanmao, I won't say anything unnecessary to you. Safety first."
Zhou Sanmao was not a sloppy person. He said, "Yiwei, don't worry about this. Xikou Village might not be united, but we will definitely be united in the face of a big problem!" After that, he said to the villagers, "Villagers of Xikou Village, follow me. Anyone who contributes tonight will get an additional 100 yuan each!"
Zhou Sanmao's encouragement immediately received a response. The villagers rolled up their sleeves and carried a weak flashlight up the mountain.
The fire on the other side of the mountain was still burning fiercely. Lu Yiwei couldn't help but sigh. He took out his phone and wanted to call Zhang Zhiyuan, but there was no signal. His body trembled. He was a little nervous. What if he lost contact with the outside world?
He couldn't think too much. He closed his phone and walked up the mountain.
At the foot of the mountain, the Xianyu Village government building was in a mess. The stubborn Liu Kecheng kept pressuring the bureau leaders to bring tools and water up the mountain to fight the fire. Zhang Zhiyuan, on the other hand, insisted on going up the mountain and digging the isolation belt. Everyone didn't know who to listen to.
In the end, Liu Kecheng was completely infuriated. He roared, "Who's the leader of Nanyang County? It's me! Listen to my command tonight! "
The person in charge immediately understood. They listened to Liu Kecheng's words and quickly advanced towards the burning mountain.
Zhang Zhiyuan was stunned. His idea couldn't get Liu Kecheng's support, so it was useless to argue. He had no choice but to compromise with Liu Kecheng and said, "Secretary Liu, leave the forest fire brigade to me. I'll take them up the mountain to dig the isolation belt!"
"No!" Liu Kecheng flatly refused, "The forest fire brigade is a professional fire fighting team. What isolation belt? Can't you see that the fire is still spreading? "
Zhang Zhiyuan's opinions were rejected by Liu Kecheng one by one. He swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue and ran to the side to call Lu Yiwei. But he couldn't get in touch with Lu Yiwei, which made him anxious.
It was already 3 a.m., and two hours had passed since the fire started. But the fire still couldn't be controlled and continued to spread deep into the mountain.
The first batch of relief supplies from the County Commerce Bureau had arrived. The director of the County party committee, Dong Guoping, took a coat from the car and draped it over Liu Kecheng. He comforted, "Secretary Liu, come in. It's cold out here!"
When the director of the government office, Cai Jianguo, saw this, he immediately followed suit, but was ruthlessly rejected by Zhang Zhiyuan. "The people who need the most resources now are the people fighting the fire. Quickly transport the food and water up the mountain and provide logistical support for the firefighters."
Liu Kecheng knew that Zhang Zhiyuan was going against him, so he did not say a word and walked into the room.
At this moment, the person that Zhang Zhiyuan was most concerned about was Lu Yiwei. He couldn't get in touch with Lu Yiwei's phone. Where was he now? He had no idea.
Ma Tianen, the secretary of the Guiyu Village, seized every opportunity to flatter Liu Kecheng. He even took out his treasured cigarettes and tea to show his filial respect. At this moment, Liu Kecheng finally had the time to ask, "Where did Xu Zeming go? Why haven't I seen him the whole night? "
Ma Tianen turned around and saw that Zhang Zhiyuan was not around. He did not dare to lie and whispered, "Village Head Xu went to his daughter's house in Beijing for Chinese New Year."
"What?" Liu Kecheng was furious. "Didn't we inform all the village heads to be on duty during Chinese New Year? Why did he go to Beijing? This is ridiculous. Have you informed him? "
"Yes, he's on his way back now!" Ma Tianen whispered, afraid that Zhang Zhiyuan would hear him.
"What's this?" Liu Kecheng looked down and saw something red at the bottom of Ma Tianen's trousers.
Ma Tianen looked down and panicked. He hurriedly pulled the thing out and put it in his pocket. He blushed and said, "Socks, it's socks. I was in a hurry when I came here and forgot to wear them."
Who was Liu Kecheng? He saw through Ma Tianen's trick with a glance. Ma Tianen was wearing white socks, yet he was still trying to argue. The red thing was obviously a woman's briefs, and it was the fashionable kind of lace briefs. According to Liu Kecheng's understanding, Ma Tianen's wife was tall and burly, and she was from the countryside. It was impossible for her to wear briefs like that. Even if she did, how could she wear them? Liu Kecheng could guess that Ma Tianen was fooling around outside.
No matter what, Ma Tianen was still his subordinate, and he did not want to expose him. He asked in disgust, "Tell me, what's going on with the fire?"
Ma Tianen scratched his head and said, "According to the villagers, the fire was accidentally ignited when they were setting off firecrackers. We still need to investigate the details."
"Ma Tianen, you don't want to be the Secretary anymore? Let me tell you, if this fire can be extinguished in time, it's fine. But if it can't be extinguished, I will dismiss you on the spot! "Liu Kecheng was furious.
Ma Tianen was drenched in cold sweat and did not know what to do.
"County Magistrate Zhang, go in. It's cold outside!" Cai Jianguo tried to persuade Zhang Zhiyuan, but Zhang Zhiyuan stubbornly stood outside the courtyard, like an iron man staring at the flames leaping up one by one.
At this moment, the Public Security Bureau's Director, Xiao Dingyuan, rushed over. Zhang Zhiyuan seemed to have seen his savior. He grabbed his hand and said, "Old Xiao, transfer your men here and quickly go up the mountain to find Lu Yiwei."
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