Chapter 199: Chapter 199 Liu Wenqing Arrives (Second Update Seeking Monthly Ticket)_1

Translator: 549690339

Looking at the children still covered in dirt, the earthquake had caused a substantial shock to their hearts. For a moment, it seemed impossible to restore their spirits. Having experienced an earthquake himself, Nie Zhenbang could understand the children’s feelings.

Nie Zhenbang was very careful at this moment, gently wiping mud off a child’s face. In a subdued voice, Zhenbang asked, “Are their parents here? Take the children home. There’ll probably be aftershocks in the next few days. Classes will be suspended for now as the school is unusable. Teacher Zhu, please take care of them. The children are quite shaken, they need comforting.”

Fortunately, the houses collapsed in impoverished Gemu Township had not been too lethal. By this time, the collapsed houses in the township had been cleared. All those who were injured had been rescued. Apart from two elderly people who were crushed to death, only two other deaths occurred in the strong quake here, with over a dozen people injured. This could be considered fortunate amid the misfortune.

At this moment, Zhenbang relaxed somewhat and turned to Yao Lianghua, asking, “Secretary Yao, have people been dispatched to the other villages already? If not, how about I accompany Director Chen to the village Deputy Chief Wang went to?”

Upon hearing Nie Zhenbang’s words, Yao Lianghua stiffened. The village that Deputy Chief Wang went to was the most remote in Gemu Township. More importantly, the village was on a mountainside. If something were to occur to Director Nie… Yao Lianghua then plucked up the courage to say, “Sir, in our Gemu Township, there is one official monitoring each village. After the earthquake happened, all our officials went down. By now, they should all be almost back. Why don’t you wait for the news here at the township government?”

Seeing Yao Lianghua’s anxious expression, Nie Zhenbang pondered. It was now past two in the afternoon. Close to three hours had passed since the earthquake, and any trapped or injured people should have been rescued by now. Moreover, if he went there, it would take about an hour. Going there now held no significant meaning.

Sometimes, as a leader, you have to show empathy for your subordinates. If you are not familiar with the situation in Gemu Township and the overall situation has stabilized, there is not much to worry about. Nie Zhenbang then nonchalantly stood up and said, “In that case, I won’t go. I’ll wait for the news here.”

Then he turned to Chen Le and said, “Director Chen, designate someone to return the way we came and head back to reunite with Secretary Yi. Then, immediately bring in mechanical engineering equipment from the county. Make sure to clear the road by midnight. Tell Wei Chenglin from the Department of Transportation that this is an absolute order.”

While Nie Zhenbang was busy dealing with matters in Gemu Township, Bazhou City was also spurred into action. Zhang Chubin immediately drove to the development zone.

Luckily, the construction here was not greatly affected. Most of the construction workers had already reached a safe area when the earthquake started. Aside from some impact on the recently poured concrete, everything else was normal.

Earthquakes were common in Bazhou and even the entire Northwest region. In other words, people in the Northwest had grown acquainted to earthquakes. A 6.0 magnitude was considered a major quake. After spending some time outside, many citizens had already returned home. The situation in Li County gradually calmed down.

Around 4:30 in the afternoon, Zhang Chubin received a call from Li Qingde, a member of the standing committee of the municipal party committee and the municipal party committee secretary. Liu Wenqing, the party secretary of the municipal party committee, was about to arrive in Li County.

Zhang Chubin didn’t dare to delay. He immediately organized a team to wait by the side of Li County Avenue. Soon, the vehicle convoy from Bazhou city slowly arrived. In front of them, Liu Wenqing’s car had already stopped.

At this moment, Liu Wenqing also looked serious. Li County was not only famous in Bazhou city but also received considerable attention in the whole Northwest region. As soon as he heard about the 6.0 magnitude quake, Liu Wenqing rushed over immediately.

“Secretary Chu Bin, what’s the situation? Are there any casualties? How are the people’s emotions? What measures has the county taken?” A series of questions came out of Liu Wenqing’s mouth. It was clear how earnestly he was taking the earthquake in Li County.

Liu Wenqing had considered his focus on Li County carefully. On one hand, the current development trend of Li County was likely to become a top political achievement in the Xibei Autonomous Region. This would greatly benefit Liu Wenqing’s promotion and for his personal interest, Liu Wenqing had to weigh this in.

On the other hand, considering the astonishing background Nie Zhenbang had shown—a director of the local taxation bureau, a department level official, collapsed overnight. Although on the surface, Cui Jinsheng had voluntarily resigned from his work due to health reasons and took up the position of an inspector at the department level of the Autonomous Region Taxation Bureau. Yet, that was just child’s play. At Liu Wenqing’s level, it was clear what was going on. This was directly pressed from above. That Cui Jinsheng ended up the way he did, he probably owed it to his hard work at not messing up any cases.

Despite Nie Zhenbang’s explanation on Cui Jinsheng’s annoyance to the two major investors in Lixian, Liu Wenqing, who had sat through a fair share of political courses, looked beyond the appearance. It occurred to him that Zhenbang himself must be an influential figure to be even capable of bringing in such big investors to begin with.

“Secretary Liu, according to the seismic data we’ve obtained from the Li County Seismological Bureau, the epicentre of the earthquake was in the Gemu Township area with a focal depth of six kilometers. The magnitude is 6.3, classifying it as a strong earthquake. However, the intensity of the shock was not great, causing minimal damage. At present, in Li County City and surrounding areas of the development zone, apart from some minor damage to civilian housing, there have been no casualties reported. We are still awaiting updates from some remote townships. Rest assured, we in the Li County Committee and County Government are confident we can calm the citizens and restore life to normal as quickly as possible.” Zhang Chubin responded to Liu Wenqing calmly.

At present, Zhang Chubin was unphased. In the past, local officials had one of two mentalities – hoping for their superiors to visit which often meant they had achieved something and wanted the superiors to witness their achievements or fearing a visit from their superiors. A visit often put everyone on edge, choosing inspection routes and arranging personnel wreaked havoc. That’s because their results were disappointing, or there was public discontent. Any potential slip-ups could cause backlash for the visiting superior and, consequently, wreck their career.

However, under Nie Zhenbang’s influence, the mentality of the entire Li County officials had undergone a shift. They had become grounded, pragmatic, and seemingly at ease with inspections from their higher-ups. There was no need for preparations or falsified data, and that had a calming effect on them.

At this moment, Liu Wenqing also nodded his head and continued, “Please get in the car, Comrade Chu Bin. Let’s go take a look at your Li County Development Zone together. Nowadays, Li County is progressing faster than the municipal party committee. Your achievements are highly commendable.”

Upon their arrival at the Li County Development Zone, the construction workers of the zone, the local residents, and a group of officials from the zone, all organised by the head of the county committee office, Qu Feng, were already waiting for them.

At that moment, Liu Wenqing seemed to sense something was off. He turned and looked around, his brows furrowing in concern. “Comrade Chu Bin, why don’t I see Director Nie?”

“Secretary Liu, this is how it is. Director Nie is currently personally directing rescue operations in Gemu Township. You know about the situation in Gemu; it’s notoriously known in our county, especially now being the earthquake’s epicenter. Originally, I was thinking of joining Nie there, but he said he lacked experience in this area, so he went alone.” Zhang Chubin began to worry about Liu Wenqing’s unusual behavior.

After hearing Zhang Chubin’s words, Liu Wenqing’s face darkened. The news came too suddenly – Nie Zhenbang had gone to the epicenter, Gemu Township with mountains on all sides. Anything could happen there.

Thinking of this, Liu Wenqing quickly asked, “Has Director Nie sent any messages? Is the situation in Gemu severe?”

At this moment, Wei Chenglin, the director of the Bureau of Transportation, rushed over. Seeing all the officials, especially Secretary Liu Wenqing, Wei Chenglin quickly greeted them and hurriedly said, “Secretary Liu, Secretary Zhang, Director Nie has sent back a message. The situation in Gemu Township is now under control. The collapsed school has been evacuated with all students accounted for. However, the road to Gemu Township has been blocked by a landslide. Director Nie has requested heavy machinery from the county to unblock the road as soon as possible.”

Without any hesitation, Liu Wenqing quickly commanded in a deep voice: “Comrade Chu Bin, gather all the heavy machinery equipment from Li County and provide immediate support. Director Wei, if your Bureau of Transportation does not have enough equipment, you can request support from the municipal Bureau of Transportation. Tell them it’s my order. The disaster situation is like a mandate. There’s no time to waste, act immediately.”

With Liu Wenqing’s words, Li County sprang into action. Large machinery equipment was gathered. In the past, this was something Li County couldn’t arrange. However, thanks to the vast development in recent times, Li County had procured ample equipment. Several large excavators were swiftly deployed, and bulldozers and large trucks were also assembled.

By six o’clock in the afternoon, all the mechanical equipment had reached the scene. Large spotlights were erected, diesel generators were roaring, and the collapsed earth began to be cleared. After more than three hours of furious work, a road was finally cleared. At that moment, Nie Zhenbang emerged from the site. Behind him, a long line of torchbearers left everyone in awe.

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Congratulations to brother A1398796 on becoming a Law Enforcer, brother Weiru! (To be continued. If you like this work, you may vote for it at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)