Nominal: Intercepting Zhong Xiaoai, Dominating Handong

In June 1993, summer came early and fiercely to Pingzhou.

The scorching sun beat down on the earth, but the airport construction site was a scene of bustling activity.

The main structure of the terminal building has been completed, and its silver-gray metal shell gleams in the sunlight, resembling a giant bird about to spread its wings.

Wearing a white hard hat, Gu Mingyuan stood on the top floor of the newly built control tower, overlooking the entire airport construction site.

A wave of heat hit him, and sweat soaked the back of his light blue shirt.

Wang Jianguo, the chief engineer of the airport construction command, who was accompanying the delegation, pointed to the runway being laid in the distance and said, "Director Gu, at this pace, there is no problem completing the installation of all supporting facilities by the end of October. We are fully confident that we can conduct test flights before the Spring Festival next year and officially open to traffic on May 1st."

"Quality must be the top priority." Gu Mingyuan's gaze swept over the busy workers on the construction site.

"The tighter the deadline, the less we can relax our standards. Especially the runway smoothness and the accuracy of the navigation system, these are matters of life and death."

"Don't worry, the supervision unit is on-site 24 hours a day, and every step is recorded." Wang Jianguo handed over a bottle of mineral water.

"It's just that the weather has been too hot lately, and the workers really can't work in the afternoon, so we've adjusted their work hours, so they work more in the morning and evening and rest at noon."

Gu Mingyuan nodded and was about to speak when his secretary, Xiao Liu, rushed up and whispered, "Director Gu, Secretary Pei wants you to return to the Municipal Party Committee immediately for an urgent meeting."

Ten minutes later, Gu Mingyuan's car drove into the municipal party committee compound.

The atmosphere was unusually heavy when I entered the meeting room.

Pei Yihong sat in the main seat with a serious expression. The vice mayor in charge of agriculture, the director of the water resources bureau, the director of the meteorological bureau, and others were already present.

"Mingyuan is here, please sit down." Pei Yihong pointed to the empty seat next to him.

"The meteorological bureau just issued a warning that Pingzhou will experience continuous heavy rainfall over the next three days, with some areas possibly experiencing torrential rain. The provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters has activated a level-three emergency response."

Li Weidong, director of the Water Resources Bureau, unfolded a map of the Pingzhou water system: "What's most worrying is the upper reaches of the Qingjiang River. It's been raining heavily there for two days, and the water level of the Qingjiang River continues to rise. If we have another heavy rain here, the pressure on the Qingjiang River dike will be enormous."

Pei Yihong tapped his fingers on the table: "The Qingjiang Dike is related to the safety of seven townships and more than 200,000 people downstream."

"The flood two years ago was a lesson that was too profound."

"Mingyuan, take people to inspect the flood prevention preparations along the Qingjiang River immediately, especially the dangerous sections."

"Resolve problems on the spot; if you can't resolve them, report them immediately!"

"Yes!" Gu Mingyuan stood up.

"I'm leaving now."

"Be careful," Pei Yihong added.

"Bring along the technical personnel from the Water Resources Bureau; they are experienced."

At 2 p.m., three SUVs drove out of Pingzhou city and headed northeast toward the Qingjiang River embankment.

The sky was covered with dark clouds, and the air was so hot and humid that it was hard to breathe.

Gu Mingyuan sat in the first car, carefully reviewing the relevant information about the Qingjiang Embankment.

"Director Gu, the Qingjiang Dike is 87 kilometers long, of which 30 kilometers are sandy dike sections, which are most prone to problems," said Lao Zhang, a senior engineer from the Water Resources Bureau, who was in the same car.

"The flood two years ago was caused by a breach in the Shaji embankment, which inundated three townships."

"Has this year's reinforcement project been completed?"

"The main construction is complete, but some ancillary facilities are still not in place."

"The main problem is funding; the local matching funds have been delayed."

Gu Mingyuan frowned: "We'll talk about the money when we get back. Right now, the key is to check for potential hazards. Lao Zhang, which sections should we focus on?"

"I suggest starting from the most dangerous section, Longwang Temple, where the river bends and the current is strong."

The convoy bumped along the muddy road atop the embankment.

When we arrived at the Longwangmiao section, large raindrops had already begun to fall.

Gu Mingyuan put on his raincoat and rain boots and led the group down the embankment.

The turbid river water had risen to less than three meters from the top of the embankment, and the waves crashed against the bank with a dull roar.

"This section of the embankment is made of sandy soil. Although it has been treated to prevent seepage, there is still a risk of being soaked in high water for a long time." Old Zhang squatted down, parted the turf on the embankment slope, grabbed a handful of soil and squeezed it.

"The moisture content is already too high."

Gu Mingyuan bent down to check and indeed saw several small leaks.

"These seepage points must be dealt with immediately. Notify the dike management office to mobilize personnel and materials; they must be cleared tonight!"

"Yes!" The accompanying county government official quickly made a phone call.

Just then, Gu Mingyuan's phone rang.

It was Zhong Xiaoai calling.

"Mingyuan, where are you? It's raining so hard." Zhong Xiaoai's worried voice came from the phone.

"I'm inspecting flood control measures on the Qingjiang River embankment."

"Is everything alright at home? Where's Pengpeng?"

"Things are fine at home, but Pengpeng is a bit fussy, probably scared by the thunder. Is it dangerous where you are?"

"Don't worry, we're on the embankment, it's safe. Take good care of yourself and Pengpeng, keep the doors and windows closed, and don't go out at night."

After hanging up the phone, Gu Mingyuan felt a pang of guilt.

My son is only nine months old, a time when he needs his father's company, but I'm always on the go.

He shook his head, banishing his distracting thoughts, and continued his patrol along the embankment.

The rain grew heavier and heavier, turning the world into a vast expanse of white.

By 7 p.m., Gu Mingyuan had discovered more than a dozen potential hazards and arranged for their immediate handling.

Dinner was eaten at the dike management office—a few steamed buns and a bowl of cabbage stew with vermicelli, which everyone wolfed down with the rainwater.

"Director Gu, please go back. We'll keep an eye on things here," the county water resources bureau chief advised.

Gu Mingyuan shook his head: "Secretary Pei sent me here, not just to go through the motions. Tonight is a crucial night, so I'm here."

At 11 p.m., the rain showed no signs of letting up.

Gu Mingyuan, wrapped in a military overcoat, sat in the makeshift prefabricated house of the management office, listening to the sound of rain and the river outside the window.

The walkie-talkie on the table constantly relayed reports from various patrol points:

"The water level at Gate No. 3 has risen another 20 centimeters!"

"A new piping point has been discovered in section five; it is being addressed!"

"The rescue team requests additional manpower!"

Old Zhang stared at the hydrological monitoring data, his expression growing increasingly grave: "The rainfall upstream is even greater than predicted, and the inflow into the Qingjiang River has already exceeded the warning line. At this rate, the flood peak will reach us tomorrow morning."

Gu Mingyuan walked to the window and looked at the pitch-black river outside, with only the beam of his flashlight flickering in the rain.

He recalled the flood data from two years ago—the levee breach occurred at three in the morning, precisely when people are most tired.

That night, twenty-three people went missing, and tens of thousands were left homeless.

"Notify all patrol points to increase patrol frequency and report every half hour."

"Get all the rescue teams on the levee and concentrate the supplies at the dangerous sections," Gu Mingyuan ordered as he turned around.

"I will report to Secretary Pei."

When the call connected, Pei Yihong was clearly still awake: "Mingyuan, how's the situation?"

"The situation is not optimistic. The water volume from upstream is too large, and the flood peak is expected to arrive tomorrow morning."

"We have discovered multiple potential hazards and are currently addressing them."

"I suggest that we immediately activate a Level II emergency response and relocate residents from the danger zone in advance."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone: "The relocation of people involves a wide range of people and a lot of noise. If the flood is not this big, it will cause panic."

"Secretary Pei, the lesson from two years ago was too profound. We hesitated back then and missed the opportunity," Gu Mingyuan said firmly.

"It's better to be overly cautious than to be caught off guard. I guarantee with my Party spirit that this suggestion has been carefully considered."

After a long silence, Pei Yihong said, "Alright, I trust your judgment. I'll convene an emergency meeting immediately and activate a Level II response. You, on your end, make sure to hold the dike!"

At 1 a.m., the Pingzhou City Flood Control Headquarters was brightly lit.

A series of orders were issued: Residents in the danger zone must be evacuated immediately!

Schools, stadiums, and other public places will be opened as resettlement sites!