Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

"After the rural work conference, water conservancy construction surged across the province. Comrades Zhang Kaifan and Lu Xuebin, after visiting local areas, gave high praise to local water conservancy development. Therefore, our provincial party committee and government continued to encourage everyone in the newspaper."

"Local enthusiasm went too far, and some areas privately expanded reservoirs, tripling the original plan. As a result, the technology wasn't up to par, and serious problems arose in the reservoirs. This is truly the responsibility of our provincial party committee and government."

Wei Hongjun frowned.

Song Yuhe made a lot of claims, but in reality, he didn't clearly identify the responsible party. He simply said it was the collective responsibility of the Anhui Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Government, which is also a kind of "the law does not hold everyone responsible" attitude.

Song Yuhe was a veteran cadre who participated in the Autumn Harvest Uprising. He had been involved in the revolution in East China during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation, serving as the head of the New Fourth Army's logistics department and commander of the East China Military Region's logistics headquarters. Therefore, when the Anhui Provincial Party Committee Secretary was selected, Song Yuhe was chosen.

Song Yuhe's attitude now is to distribute the leadership responsibility of this incident equally to every leading cadre of the provincial party committee and provincial government.

Although this incident is serious, if the responsibility is evenly distributed, the burden on these leading cadres will not be too great. The central government cannot possibly discipline or reshuffle all the leading cadres of the Anhui Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government. After all, Anhui has developed rapidly since liberation, with significant progress in both industry and agriculture, and the achievements of Anhui cadres are still very good.

Wei Hongjun wasn't angry. It was normal for Song Yuhe, the Anhui Provincial Party Secretary, to try to minimize the incident. But how could he be so disloyal to the over 180 people who died in such a serious incident? Wei Hongjun disagreed with Song Yuhe's attempt to protect the interests of Anhui officials, and neither could the Chairman.

So Wei Hongjun was silent for a while. Wei Hongjun suddenly stopped talking, and the atmosphere became depressing again.

After several minutes, Wei Hongjun asked, "Comrade Song Yuhe, who is the official in charge of rural affairs and water conservancy in the Anhui Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government?"

"Comrade Huang Yan is in charge of rural work, and Comrade Zhang Kaifan is in charge of water conservancy work."

Song Yuhe replied.

"What areas of work are Comrade Lu Weisheng and Comrade Lu Xuebin in charge of?"

"Comrade Lu Weisheng is in charge of party affairs, and Comrade Lu Xuebin is also the head of the Propaganda Department."

Wei Hongjun had a general understanding of the situation in Anhui. It was not easy for the leading cadres of the Anhui Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government to share the responsibility.

Anhui Vice Governor Zhang Kaifan will definitely receive a more severe punishment because he is in charge of water conservancy construction and must bear leadership responsibility.

Zhang Kaifan was severely criticized by Zeng Xisheng and sent to the countryside for forced labor because he wrote a letter to the emperor, stating that local areas simply did not have enough grain and criticizing the culture of exaggeration. However, Zhang Kaifan himself held Zeng Xisheng in high regard, and after his return to power, he spoke up for Zeng Xisheng several times.

Wei Hongjun turned to Niu Shucai and said, "Comrade Niu Shucai, this isn't your first day at work. Don't you understand that haste makes waste? Especially with water conservancy projects that affect the national economy and people's livelihood, you must be extremely cautious."

Wei Hongjun was not so kind to Niu Shucai.

"Secretary Wei, this is my mistake at work."

"We need to mobilize the enthusiasm of the people, but we can't be blind and follow science. We can't just do whatever we want. After we return, Anhui must conduct a comprehensive review of the province's water conservancy construction during this period."

"Yes."

Although Wei Hongjun has tried to tone down the tone, and the central government has not raised the slogan of a Great Leap Forward, overheating is still prone to occur at the local level. One of the important reasons is the quality of the cadres.

Many cadres only have enthusiasm but lack the thinking ability to use scientific methods.

Wei Hongjun looked at the officials from the Henan Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government and said, "It's the same in Henan. This kind of project must follow scientific planning."

"Yes."

Wei Hongjun simply spoke to the leaders of Henan and Anhui. As for the further answers they wanted, Wei Hongjun would not give them.

After they left, Wei Hongjun said to Lin Dafeng, "Why was the Huaihe River Management Committee abolished?"

Problems had arisen in the Huai River basin, and Wei Hongjun had investigated some of the issues on his way there. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Huai River Control Committee was established to manage the Huai River.

At the time, Wei Hongjun was the deputy director of the Finance and Economics Committee of the State Council, in charge of the Ministry of Water Resources. Therefore, when the Huaihe River Control Committee was established, Wei Hongjun also participated.

The Huaihe River Control Committee still existed until Wei Hongjun left the State Council and became the first secretary of the Secretariat, that is, in 1956.

But on this trip, Wei Hongjun looked up documents and discovered that the Huaihe River Control Commission had been abolished the previous year. Wei Hongjun was so busy with his work in the Secretariat, as well as with the Scientific Work Committee and the Central Special Committee, that he hadn't noticed the committee had been abolished.

"Secretary Wei, the Huai River management has achieved initial success. The Huai River management plan formulated in 1949 has been largely completed. The four provinces affected by the Huai River have always been dissatisfied with the Huai River Management Committee's excessive control. Therefore, the Ministry of Water Resources abolished the Huai River Management Committee last year, and the four provinces are now responsible for their respective sections of the Huai River."

Lin Dafeng gave Wei Hongjun a general introduction to the situation.

Wei Hongjun frowned.

It was generally clear what was happening. When the Huai River Control Commission was established, several provinces were very dissatisfied.

Later, the Huaihe River Management Committee made a Huaihe River Management Plan, with the upper reaches "taking flood control and water conservancy development as the long-term goal", the middle reaches focusing on both storage and discharge, and the lower reaches opening up water channels into the sea to facilitate discharge.

During the meeting, officials from upstream provinces said, "We're already busy dealing with flood control, and you're spending money on irrigation?"

Jiangsu Province, a downstream province, also opposes the flood release, believing that if floodwaters from Anhui and Henan are released, it will easily overwhelm northern Jiangsu.

It can be said that everyone has their own interests. As a result, the work of the Huaihe River Control Committee could not be carried out. So Wei Hongjun personally convened a work meeting, but unexpectedly, Wei Hongjun was unable to control the situation during the meeting.

At the time, cadres in Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu, and Shandong had little contact with Wei Hongjun. Many people didn't even know him, only knowing him as a rising cadre in North China. The East China Bureau hadn't been abolished, but its secretary, Rao Shushi, wasn't very active. Wei Hongjun had only been a member of the Central Committee for a year and couldn't suppress the various forces.

Ultimately, the Premier personally attended the meeting. Faced with resistance from four provinces, he even slammed the table before the Huai River control plan was successfully approved. However, it's clear that local governments still feel the Huai River Control Committee is depriving them of their power and interests.

However, Wei Hongjun continued to rise, rising from a member of the Central Committee to an alternate member of the Politburo, and then to a member of the Politburo. After the Korean War, his power was even greater. Regardless of which faction the cadre came from, after Wei Hongjun returned from the Korean War, no one dared to confront him in person as they had before.

Therefore, when Wei Hongjun was Vice Premier of the State Council, the Huaihe River Control Commission was stable. None of the four provinces dared to tell Wei Hongjun that they wanted to abolish the Huaihe River Control Commission.

But after Wei Hongjun left the State Council and was no longer in charge of water conservancy, local governments began to stir again. After the original Huai River control plan was largely completed, several provinces united to oppose the continued existence of the Huai River Control Committee.

If the Huaihe River Control Commission continues to exist, any water conservancy projects along the Huaihe River, including its tributaries, will have to be approved by the Commission. The Huaihe River, along with its tributaries, is a vast river system, which is why several provinces are united in opposing it.

Apparently, the Ministry of Water Resources and Electric Power was unable to withstand the pressure. Or perhaps, under pressure, the Ministry of Water Resources and Electric Power also believed that the Huaihe River management had passed an important stage and there was no need to continue to maintain the Huaihe River Management Committee.

Wei Hongjun said solemnly, "Harnessing the Huai River is a major project. Currently, we've only just completed preliminary steps, but we're still a long way from truly resolving the Huai River's problems. Especially now that large-scale water conservancy projects are underway nationwide, the Huai River and its tributaries are the most heavily involved. These projects must be coordinated, not just implemented as individual provinces please."

The reason why the provinces are so determined to oppose the Huaihe River Control Commission is because it has too much control over water conservancy projects on the Huaihe River and its tributaries. Any water conservancy project involving the Huaihe River and its tributaries, no matter how big or small, must be approved by the Huaihe River Control Commission.

The local government now wants to carry out large-scale water conservancy construction, but this kind of water conservancy construction cannot avoid the Huaihe River and its tributaries, so of course they feel that the Huaihe River Management Committee is in the way.

However, these people are not concerned about the more important issue: the indiscriminate water conservancy construction in the Huai River and its tributaries could easily cause problems in the Huai River again.

The Huai River has been dangerous since ancient times, and the Huai River and its tributaries are surrounded by farmland. If a problem occurs in the Huai River, even a minor one can flood 10 to 20 million mu (approximately 100 million acres), and a serious one can often flood 100 million mu (approximately 100 million acres).

The Huaihe River is so dangerous, but local governments, for the sake of their own development, have jointly pressured to abolish the Huaihe River Management Committee.

Localism is truly detrimental. Each individual only cares about their own interests, not the overall development.

"When you return, go find Comrade Deng Zhihui and Comrade Zeng Xisheng. Tell them what happened here and emphasize the need for coordinated management of the Huai River. Local governments must not be allowed to arbitrarily carry out water conservancy projects on the Huai River. The Huai River Management Committee must be restored. With something like this happening, it's difficult for the provinces to directly oppose it."

"Yes."

"Comrade Qian Zhengying is familiar with the work of Huaihe River management. We should restore the Huaihe River Management Committee and listen more to her opinions on both the Huaihe River management plan and personnel arrangements. If possible, she could serve as the director of the Huaihe River Management Committee for a period of time."

When the Huaihe River Control Committee was established, the person who impressed Wei Hongjun the most was Qian Zhengying from the East China Bureau.

A 26-year-old girl, she had already taken on the technical responsibility for the Huaihe River management, serving as the deputy director of the Engineering Department of the Huaihe River Management Committee. Later, she gradually became a core figure in the Huaihe River management.

At the time of the Eighth National Congress, Qian Zhengying, who was only 29 years old, was transferred to the central government as Vice Minister of Water Resources, becoming the youngest Vice Minister in the entire central government at that time.

Qian Zhengying personally took charge of many of the central government’s key water conservancy projects that followed.

Now that the Huaihe River Management Committee has been restored, Qian Zhengying is the most suitable person to serve as the director and restore the functions of the Huaihe River Management Committee as soon as possible.

After instructing Lin Dafeng, Wei Hongjun let himself take a nap.

Because there were other things to do. The Chairman had previously been meeting with local provincial and municipal officials, but now he planned to speak with county officials. He wanted to understand the county's situation and hear their opinions. In Henan, each prefecture would select a county and have the county party secretary report to the Chairman. The Chairman asked Wei Hongjun to accompany him.

"I remember you, Comrade Yang Gui. We met in 51."

The chairman looked at the dozen or so county party secretaries who came to report on their work, and his eyes stopped on Yang Gui.

The Chairman was deeply impressed by Yang Gui. At that time, the Chairman was furious about the problems of the Henan Cooperative, but the young Yang Gui stood up and reported the situation to the Chairman in a clear and coherent manner.

"Yes, Chairman."

Wei Hongjun introduced Yang Gui to the Chairman: "Chairman, Comrade Yang Gui just graduated from the Central Party School's training program for young and middle-aged cadres in June this year. He is currently the Deputy Secretary of the Xinxiang Prefectural Party Committee and the Secretary of the Lin County Party Committee."

The Chairman looked through Yang Gui's report and said with a smile, "It seems to me that it's all self-criticism."

"Chairman, I'm not doing my job well. After I became the Lin County Party Secretary, I implemented the plan to build a reservoir to solve the county's water shortage. The idea of ​​using water storage to combat drought has been quite effective in recent years."

"But this year, Henan Province was hit by a severe drought, and our reservoirs dried up. This showed that our previous plan had completely failed. Lin County's water shortage cannot be solved by relying solely on reservoirs. Only by bringing in new water from other sources can the problem be completely resolved."

Yang Gui is now deeply regretful and frustrated. The reservoir, built with so much manpower and resources, has been of little use during the drought. It's been completely ineffective in solving Lin County's problems.

Although he hid his emotions, the Chairman could still see Yang Gui's frustration. He said, "Our socialist construction is a path no one has traversed before. Occasional detours are normal. We Communists cannot become discouraged by setbacks, but must overcome difficulties with an even greater fighting spirit. As long as we have the determination to move mountains like Yugong, I believe the people of Lin County will be able to solve their water problem. Comrade Yang Gui, as the Lin County Party Secretary, you must have this confidence."

"Yes."

Hearing the Chairman's encouragement, Yang Gui was very excited, and his eyes were filled with fighting spirit again.

The chairman nodded slightly.

Yang Gui’s work report was well written, but the Chairman was more satisfied with Yang Gui’s spirit of daring to face difficulties.

"Comrade Luo Weilin, the province needs to count the areas where this problem is most severe. The provincial, municipal, and county governments should discuss this together to see if there are any good ways to support them."

"Yes."

The Chairman then read the reports of the county party secretaries and inquired about the specifics of the situation, including questions from industry, agriculture, and commerce.

These county party secretaries had made extensive preparations before coming, so they all answered the chairman's questions very well.

After listening to their reports, the Chairman's expression brightened considerably. Henan's overall achievements in recent years have been very good, especially in agricultural development.

It was Wei Zhaoming, the Nanyang County Party Secretary, who was a bit nervous and stood up immediately. Before the Chairman could even ask him, he had already described Nanyang's grain production situation, including how much grain and cooking oil farmers consumed each month.

Including the characteristics of Nanyang, how to develop industry and agriculture in the future based on Nanyang’s actual situation, etc.

Wei Zhaoming was a bit nervous, but his work plan was very clear. Wei Hongjun believed that among the county party secretaries reporting today, Wei Zhaoming and Yang Gui had the clearest ideas for the future development of the region.

However, the Chairman looked at his report and did not ask him about his work. Instead, he suddenly asked, "Comrade Wei Zhaoming, there is a story in Nanyang County called 'Twenty-Eight Mansions Walking in Nanyang'. Have you heard of it?"

Wei Zhaoming was stunned.

He had memorized his report by heart, including numerous industrial and agricultural statistics. He even had a detailed plan for Nanyang's future development. Unexpectedly, the Chairman suddenly asked about something else.

Fortunately, he had been in Nanyang for a while, so he immediately said, "Chairman, I've heard of it."

The so-called "Twenty-Eight Mansions Going to Nanyang" refers to the twenty-eight famous generals who followed Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu to conquer the world. This story is very popular in Nanyang, and Wei Zhaoming has heard of it.

"Then do you know who ranks first among the twenty-eight constellations?"

The Chairman's words left Wei Zhaoming at a loss for words, as he had heard these words in Nanyang before, but he did not know the specific story.

Seeing Wei Zhaoming was a little embarrassed, the Chairman changed the subject and said, "There has always been controversy about whether Zhuge Liang worked as a farmer in Xiangyang or Nanyang. What are your thoughts on this matter?"

Wei Zhaoming was dumbfounded again.

Wei Zhaoming hadn't researched whether it was Xiangyang or Nanyang. Besides, wasn't the competition between Xiangyang and Nanyang just to increase their own city's fame?

So Wei Zhaoming could only bite the bullet and say, "Chairman, I haven't studied this issue."

The others were all very nervous when they saw this. The chairman saw that no one was talking, so he gave everyone cigarettes and then started smoking himself.

The atmosphere brightened considerably after a cigarette. The Chairman asked again, "Why did Zhuge Liang settle in Nanyang?"

Wei Zhaoming was dumbfounded again.