The sun never sets

Chapter 849 Flood

The territory of the alliance is so vast that natural disasters occur every year, including floods, droughts, locust plagues, earthquakes, typhoons, etc. The central government prepares a sum of money for disaster relief every year, and warehouses in various places also store disaster relief supplies.

This system has played an important role in the past. No matter where a natural disaster occurs, the central government has sufficient funds and materials to provide disaster relief.

In 1931, the rainfall process can be divided into three stages. The first stage lasted from June 6 to July 28, about half a month. The rainfall in many places was more than 7 mm, and in some places the rainfall exceeded 12 mm in one day.

The second stage lasted from July 7 to 18, lasting 28 days. Regardless of whether it was near the river or some places far from the river, there were records of continuous heavy rains, such as "heavy rain for days and days" in Anqing, Anhui, and "torrential rain for more than ten days and nights" in Tongling... The third stage was from the end of July to August 11. During this period, the main rain area moved north to the area between the Yellow River and the Huai River and the lower reaches of the Han River. There were records of about 7 mm of rainfall in two days in Pingyin, Shandong, and more than 8 mm of rainfall in three days in Zhongxiang, Hubei.

Connected with the "rain conditions" is the "water conditions". Due to the confluence of various rivers flowing into the river, the flood season of the Yangtze River came quite early this year. In late April, a flood peak of 4 cubic meters per second appeared at the Changsha station of the Xiangjiang River, and the Ganjiang River also reached a high water level of more than 12500 meters.

The water level in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River rose rapidly, exceeding 5 meters at Hankou Station on May 10, approaching 22 meters on July 7, and exceeding 5 meters on August 24, with the maximum peak flow approaching 8 cubic meters per second. Ten days before that, the water level at Yichang Station exceeded 19 meters, with a peak flow of 28 cubic meters per second. Hankou and other cities along the river, such as Jiujiang, Anqing, Wuhu, and Nanjing, experienced floods exceeding the warning water level for two or three months.

After the construction of Gezhouba and a series of reservoirs and hydropower stations, they have a certain regulating effect on the water level in the Yangtze River Basin. However, the rainfall this year is too heavy and has exceeded the regulating range of Gezhouba. The only option is to open the gates to release water. Otherwise, the dam that cost a huge amount of money to build is in danger of being washed away.

The flood was so severe that many places in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River were in danger. The central government set up a "flood control and rescue headquarters" to coordinate and direct the flood control and rescue work in the entire Yangtze River basin.

Except for a very small number of party members and cadres who were unable to go to the dike due to health reasons, they all took turns to go to the front line of flood control and rescue. The cadres in charge of water conservancy almost lived on the dike. Other party members and cadres could take turns, but those in charge of water conservancy could not. All cadres had to live on the dike until the flood was over.

No matter what the reason, water conservancy cadres have to fight on the front line of flood control and rescue. If they cannot go to the front line due to physical reasons, such as serious illness, they will be directly dismissed and replaced by those who can work.

The cadres only play a leading role, and it is the people who really play a role. Local governments in the Yangtze River Basin have mobilized local people to watch over the embankments in batches of ten or 15 days.

When the flood peak occurs, people will inspect the dam day and night. If water is found anywhere, emergency repairs will be carried out immediately.

The people living in the Yangtze River Basin have a deep-seated fear of floods. The government's massive intervention did not cause dissatisfaction among the people. Instead, most people felt more identified with the government because of this.

The central government allocated a large amount of funds for flood control and rescue, and opened strategic reserve warehouses to pull out a large amount of supplies. Many sacks and rice beans were distributed on dams in various places. The former was used to hold soil to plug the gaps, and the latter was for the flood control and rescue personnel to eat.

Newspapers and television media broadcast news about flood conditions and peak water levels every day. Sometimes when an emergency occurs, radio and television will broadcast emergency reports in the middle of the night or early morning.

The European part of the alliance did not feel so strongly about the Yangtze River floods, because they did not empathize with them. In Asia and Southeast Asia, the flood situation became the most concerned issue. People in many places donated money spontaneously. Well, some of them were not spontaneous, but were forced to do so by their superiors.

As a member of the People's Party, you must shoulder more responsibilities.

People living on both sides of the Yangtze River are particularly concerned about the flood situation. If a dam collapses, it will cost lives. When the flood peak arrives, many places in the Yangtze River Basin are in danger. People pack up valuable things at home and prepare wooden basins and barrels. If the flood comes, the whole family can use the basins and barrels to escape.

The Central Committee of the League paid great attention to the flood situation this year. It not only mobilized party members, cadres and the masses, but also sent troops to the front line. These measures played a great role. Many times, the dams had water gushing out, but they were blocked by the people and the people's soldiers.

However, dams still collapsed in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Local leaders and people tried their best, but some things cannot be delayed by human power.

On August 8, the Nth flood peak arrived, and the water level exceeded any previous one. Jingzhou, Hubei

The Mengxi dam collapsed in the early morning, and the flood poured into the enclosure, sweeping the cadres and masses who came forward to block the entrance more than ten meters away, and some people even disappeared in the flood.

The current was too fierce, and the sacks thrown down were directly washed away. It was impossible to block the hole hand in hand, and it would only add to the net. Seeing the hole getting bigger and bigger, and the muddy yellow water level inside the dam getting higher and higher, many people on the side burst into tears.

After daybreak, fertile fields and residential areas turned into swamps. Thousands of people had to move to dikes and other high places. Mengxi is a fenced area, like many places in the Yangtze River Basin, surrounded by man-made dikes, which trapped the flood in this small area of Mengxi and prevented it from spreading to the entire Jianghan Plain.

The news of the Mengxi embankment breach was quickly reported to the municipal government, provincial government, flood relief headquarters, and even to the central leadership. Wang Qi, the chairman of this term's alliance, was already in his sixties. He flew to Wuhan overnight. He also wanted to take a car to Jingzhou, but was dissuaded by Lin Yongchang.

Specific matters should be handled by the Prime Minister and officials from the provincial and municipal governments, and Chairman Wang should stay in Wuhan to coordinate the allocation of materials. Overstepping one's authority will not play a positive role in flood control and rescue, but will interfere with the rescue work on the front line.

Wang Qi was so concerned that he was confused. After being persuaded by Lin Yongchang, he gave up the idea of going to Jingzhou in person.

Chapter 850: Flood Fight

After the Mengxi breach, the situation did not improve. The water level of the Yangtze River only dropped a little. The rainfall continued, and the water level of the Yangtze River soon reached a new peak. Many dams showed signs of danger. Although the people and the army blocked those holes, the water level continued to rise. The rainfall in the three towns of Wuhan was about to break through the constraints of the dams.

"Jingle Bell--"

Late at night, Lin Yongchang received an urgent call from Wang Qi in Wuhan. "It's so late, is there something urgent?"

“The water level is still rising!”

Wang Qi's tone was filled with anxiety. "In order to save Wuhan, we must blow up the dikes in the flood discharge areas in Jingzhou and Jiangxi."

Lin Yongchang held the microphone and listened to Wang Qi finish his words quickly. "Do as you think is right. Don't worry. I will give the troops this order."

Is it unfair to allow other places to be flooded in order to save the three towns of Wuhan? It is indeed unfair. The person who issued this order may be repeatedly discussed in the future.

However, as the president of the country, Wang Qi had no choice. The areas designated as flood discharge areas had little industry, and their annual output value was not even a fraction of Wuhan's. Wuhan not only had steel mills, but also military factories and many heavy and light industries. In order to save those many factories in Wuhan, he could only adopt the strategy of "abandoning the car to save the driver".

The news was sent to the village committee in the flood discharge area at two or three in the morning. The village loudspeaker broadcast the news repeatedly. In order to prevent some people from sleeping too deeply and not hearing it, village cadres went to notify every household with flashlights at night.

When the local people heard that their place was going to be turned into a flood diversion area, they did not complain. Instead, they were busy waking up their elderly and children, packing up their belongings and pots and pans, and preparing to go to the dam at daybreak.

There are no high grounds in the Jianghan Plain, and only circles of embankments can prevent floods.

Before dawn, people gathered in twos and threes to discuss their houses and crops. Because of the continuous rainy days for several months, the crops this season were destined to have a reduced yield, but there was still some harvest. Although the house at home might not be very good, it was still their home after all. Would there be any problems if it was soaked by the flood?

There was a lot of discussion among the crowd, some were worried about the future, some were worried about floods, but no one thought there was anything wrong with the country's move to release floodwaters in order to save Wuhan.

The day finally dawned, and people stopped talking and returned home, preparing to stay temporarily on the embankment. They would come back when the flood receded.

But at this moment, the loudspeaker in the village sounded again.

"The flood peak has passed and the water level is gradually decreasing!"

"The city government has temporarily stopped releasing floodwaters. Please return home in an orderly manner."

So people sighed. It was said that after the flood was released, every household would receive subsidies. When the Three Gorges Dam was being built, the families who were relocated moved into two-story Western-style buildings. Many people dreamed that the government would also build buildings for everyone and install telephones and air conditioners. That would be wonderful.

Not many people think this way, but there are still some. Now that the authorities have issued another notice that the dam will not be blown up, those who love fantasy will inevitably feel a little disappointed.

The water level was indeed steadily decreasing, which made Wang Qi and the Hubei Provincial Party Committee's determination a joke. If they could hold out for two or three more hours, nothing would happen. But what if the water level did not decrease, but continued to rise?

What if no preventive measures were taken and the Wuhan dam was destroyed by the flood?

Just because the flood peak has passed and the water level has dropped, we cannot negate the emergency plans made by the government. There is no such voice in society. This year's flood is a once-in-a-century event. In the past, it would have turned the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River into a land of water, with hundreds of thousands of casualties and millions of people displaced.

Under the coordination of the Central Committee of the Alliance and the efforts of cadres, masses and the army from all over the country, the dikes on both sides of the Yangtze River did not suffer any major damage.

The massive breach and heavy rainfall triggered the largest flood in decades, but it did not turn into a disaster.

The public did not blame the government. Although some soldiers, cadres and the general public died in the flood fighting and rescue operations, it was a natural disaster, not a man-made one. It is not easy to achieve the current situation.

The national and local governments have made arduous efforts to fight the floods and deal with the disasters, and everyone has seen it.

The flood peak in mid-August was the most dangerous time this year, with the water level reaching its highest level this year. Then, the rainy season ended, the water level continued to drop, and the most dangerous moment has passed.

By September, the water level had fallen back below the warning line, and the rainy season had ended. The Yangtze River would not have any more trouble this year. The army returned to its garrison, and the number of cadres and people involved in flood prevention gradually decreased, leaving only one or two people guarding the embankment.

The flood control and rescue operations were successful. The once-in-a-century flood did not affect several provinces as in the past, leaving millions of people displaced and homeless.

The central government produced many reports on flood rescue and relief, and strengthened the maintenance and construction of mid- and lower-level water conservancy facilities. If it hadn't dug many reservoirs and dredged rivers in various places, it might not have been possible to survive this year's flood.

In addition, the Gezhouba Dam also made great efforts in flood control and rescue. The central government accelerated the construction of the Three Gorges Dam. If the Three Gorges Dam had been built, the downstream would not be so dangerous and Wuhan would have almost become a lake.

During the most dangerous times, the water depth in many places in Wuhan was more than one meter. The accumulated water inside could not be drained out, and people living on the first floor had to leave their homes and set up tents at higher places, or live in the open air.

After the People's Party liberated China, flood prevention measures were taken along the Yangtze River for several months every year during the rainy season. People had long been accustomed to the rains that came every year, but in the past, there were loud thunder and little rain. Although there were floods, they were not serious enough to endanger many lives.

The situation this year was particularly serious. Even Wuhan was almost flooded. The dikes in Mengxi and several other places were destroyed. Tens of thousands of people had to rely on government relief to survive. When the water level reached its peak, the central government was ready to blow up the dikes and release the flood.

The devastating flood of 1931 will become a memory that will never be erased for many people.

After the People's Party liberated the country, Taiyuan was no longer suitable to continue to be the capital of China. Comrades in the party once discussed where to move the capital. At that time, Wuhan had the largest steel plant in Asia and the Hanyang Arsenal, which was built at a huge cost. Many comrades believed that Wuhan was located in the center of the country, had both steel plants and arsenals, as well as a large number of light and heavy industries, and it was the most suitable place to be the capital.

But Lin Yongchang finally chose Chang'an as the new capital. Wuhan is good in every way except that it is prone to flooding. Before the Three Gorges Dam upstream is built, it is not suitable to be the capital.

Many years later, when the Gezhouba Dam and the Three Gorges Dam were completed, Chang'an had established its status as the capital, and there was no possibility for Wuhan at all.

Chapter 851 The Great Depression

The devastating flood in 1931 touched the hearts of people across the country. For three or four months, flood control and rescue was the hottest topic in the alliance, far exceeding the discussion of the economic crisis.

Although the impact was great, this year's floods did not cause too much damage, with few casualties, and the economic losses were not too great, nor did they have a big impact on national construction. After the Haiyuan earthquake and the Tokyo earthquake, the central government issued bonds specifically for disaster relief. This year's floods were a once-in-a-century event, but no bonds were issued, only a number of disaster relief donations were organized.

On the one hand, it was because there was no large-scale breach of the dam, and on the other hand, the strength of the alliance had increased a lot, and the central government’s fiscal revenue was in good condition, so things could be handled without issuing bonds.

The third five-year plan is more relaxed than the second five-year plan. It does not require doubling or tripling steel production as before. The alliance is too large, and it is difficult to maintain the previous high growth.

The alliance's growth rate dropped from the initial 14% to 11%, and then from 11% to 10%. For a while, the government regarded maintaining the 10% growth rate as a top priority and even came up with a bunch of new statistical methods for this purpose.

But it was obvious that the 10% growth rate could not be maintained forever. Lin Yongchang hated the practice of modifying statistical standards and severely punished a group of cadres who deceived their superiors and subordinates, which was considered to have curbed a trend of evil in the party.

It is inevitable that the development speed will slow down. The better the alliance develops, the slower the growth rate will become. This is an objective fact and will not change due to human will.

Unless there is a major technological breakthrough, the development speed will be able to be improved. Lin Yongchang can come up with many new technologies, but he has to lay a solid foundation first. He will not learn from the toothpaste factory to squeeze toothpaste bit by bit, but he also needs to consider the production and processing capabilities of the alliance.

It is not so easy to achieve a breakthrough in technology and apply it to production and life. Engineers need to try again and again. The alliance already has the theory and some data of nuclear bombs, but it still needs to use centrifuges to purify the raw materials bit by bit.

The transformation of other technologies into practical applications does not require as much trouble as the "Zhurong Project", but it also takes a lot of time.

In addition,

As the alliance continues to develop, the problem of environmental pollution has become more and more serious. Inevitably, the alliance has also taken the path of development first and governance later. In addition to developing the military industry, the third five-year plan is mainly about industrial upgrading, and environmental pollution cannot be ignored.

The technology to control pollution is readily available. As long as the sewage and smoke discharged from factories are treated in strict accordance with regulations and systems, pollution can be reduced by more than 80%. The problem is that the treatment of toxic gases and liquids costs money.

It would cost a lot of money to make all factories meet the emission standards for the waste liquids they produce during production. State-owned enterprises can use government funding to deal with pollution problems, but what about private enterprises?

If private enterprises cannot afford to deal with pollution, will they be forced to close? If a factory or an enterprise closes, many people will lose their jobs. In this year's government work report, promoting development and stabilizing employment are at the forefront. The forced closure of factories and enterprises will lead to an increase in unemployment. Will this have a negative impact?

Lin Yongchang doesn't really care about the impact. Private enterprises just sound good, but aren't they actually private enterprises? It's normal for the market to select and eliminate them, isn't it?

Not to mention private enterprises, even if they are enterprises with local government participation or are completely state-owned enterprises, if their production capacity is lagging behind, they should be closed down or merged.

How can we promote the application of new technologies and new equipment without eliminating backward production capacity?

In this process, it is inevitable that some problems will arise and some pain will occur, but it is all worth it. Don't always think about "harmony", because harmony only covers up the problems in places where you can't see them. Problems must be solved after all. Should they be accumulated and explode all at once in the future, or should they be solved immediately after they are discovered? This is a question.

Sometimes, we need to leave problems for later, because development will solve many problems. Sometimes, we need to solve them as soon as we find them.

The alliance is large enough. If the unemployment rate is too high after closing factories and businesses, people can be transported to remote areas to farm or herd livestock, or to mine coal or extract oil. There will always be something to do.

However, few people choose to do so. Most people still prefer to go to cities. Cities have a full range of public services and a variety of new and interesting things. Many young people would rather hang out in cities than go to remote areas to farm and herd.

The alliance is still developing rapidly. Although the growth rate has fallen below the 10% mark, it still ranks first in the world in terms of absolute growth.

In this era of rapid development, development has covered up many problems, but many new problems have also emerged. For example, the problem of unbalanced development between regions, the problem of the dual system of urban and rural household registration, the problem of educational equity, the game between state-owned capital and private capital, etc.

Chairman Lin once lamented that the alliance would have to step into all the pitfalls that other countries encountered in their development. Even if there was no pit originally, we would dig one first and then jump in to give it a try.

Compared with other parts of the world - especially the United States - the problems the alliance is facing now can be called happy troubles. After the United States entered a depression from the economic crisis, the unemployment rate hit a new high, more factories and companies closed down, and more workers lost their jobs. This is no longer news.

After Germany took the lead in implementing foreign exchange controls, the United States followed suit and began to restrict gold exports and private ownership of gold. This actually decoupled the dollar from gold. The dollar abandoned the gold standard and became a credit currency. But what credit does the United States have now?

As a result, the dollar depreciated significantly, but even so, it failed to save the United States from the Great Depression. Millions of people lost their jobs, were evicted by their landlords, and had to wander the streets.

Many people moved back to live with their parents to save on renting a house. Many others returned to the countryside or stayed with relatives in the countryside. After all, they could still have food to eat and a place to sleep in the countryside, so they wouldn't starve or freeze to death on the street.

A state recruited four cleaners, and nearly a thousand people applied, including former university professors. Someone set a fire in the forest so that he could get a job as a firefighter.

In many places, girls have to sell their bodies for a piece of bread. They stand on the street, lift up their skirts, go in and out quickly, endure the destruction of their bodies and the risk of venereal diseases, just to earn enough to fill their stomachs.

The central government of the Union believes that there are many problems in the country, but in the eyes of Americans, those problems are not a big deal at all! Can it be worse than the current situation in the United States?

The same scene that had occurred in Germany also appeared in the United States, with large numbers of Americans crowding in front of the embassies and consulates of the Alliance just to get a visa to go to the Alliance.

The Alliance's need for scientists and engineers is endless, and it has been working hard to recruit talents from all over the world. The Great Depression has made the recruitment work a hundred times easier. In the past, diplomats came to do the work, but now talents flocked to them just to leave the United States as soon as possible.

Chapter 852 Expeditionary Force

Time goes by quickly

It was 1932, the year of the US presidential election. Countless Americans believed that this was the best opportunity to change the United States. The economic crisis and the Great Depression made the lower classes full of resentment towards the current President Hoover. No matter who came to power, it would not be worse than President Hoover, right?

After the economic crisis, as the US economy continued to deteriorate, the unemployed suffered from hunger and cold. They wandered around the country, sometimes sleeping in the jungle, parks, streets, and train stations, and sometimes living in shabby houses made of wood boards, old iron sheets, tarpaulins, and even brown paper, relying on meager relief to survive. Shanty towns made of old iron sheets, cardboard, and burlap appeared on the once prosperous streets, which was very different from the prosperity Hoover claimed during his campaign.

By 1931, people were increasingly angry about Hoover's relief ideas. But he insisted on letting communities solve their own poverty problems...Homeless unemployed people built shelters with scraps in big cities. These miserable urban slums were called "Hoover Villages" to mock the Hoover administration's helplessness in the face of the financial crisis. Even in Manhattan, New York, which is famous for its rich people, there are two such "Hoover Villages".

When Hoover took office as president in 1929, he said in his inaugural address: "I have no concerns about the future of our country. It is bright and full of hope." "Our life and stability have reached a new height in world history. No country is more secure than the United States." However, less than three months later, an unprecedented economic crisis swept the entire capitalist world. The United States was the first to bear the brunt and suffered the heaviest losses.

To be fair, the economic crisis was not Hoover's fault, but the fault of previous presidents. But who asked Hoover to be president when the economic crisis broke out?

Faced with the economic crisis, the Hoover administration initially refused to acknowledge the crisis. As the situation worsened, the government was unwilling to implement relief and reversal measures, but insisted on a laissez-faire policy, allowing people to find ways to get out of the predicament on their own.

So people, disappointed and angry, began to protest: rows of small temporary shelters made of broken tin cans, wood chips, cardboard and burlap picked up from garbage dumps that sprang up like mushrooms after rain were called "Hoover Villages", the rags carried by the unemployed were called "Hoover Bags", the old newspapers wrapped around the body to keep warm at night were called "Hoover Blankets", and the empty money bags turned inside out were called "Hoover Flags". This is a satire on Hoover, who was once called a "relief engineer" and is now called the "Hungry President".

Although a large number of lower-class people were full of resentment towards Hoover, the big financial groups and banks in the United States, the real rulers, had a good attitude towards Hoover. In the eyes of the ruling class, Hoover was one of their own and had upheld the bottom line of freedom in the United States.

With the support of big banks and big financial groups, Hoover felt that he still had a chance to be re-elected. The public opinion at the grassroots level was nothing. Running for president was a game of burning money. As long as there was enough money, nothing was impossible. Even if he lost the election by a little bit, wasn't there a way to modify the ballot?

This tactic is no secret, and it has appeared countless times in American history. As president, Hoover had countless means at his disposal. Just when Mr. Hoover was gearing up for another term, the "Retirement Bonus March Incident" occurred.

At the end of the world war, the US government did not pay enough attention to the demobilization of American veterans after the war, resulting in an extremely chaotic demobilization process. Millions of soldiers were sent back to the United States penniless and without any resettlement plans or relief.

During the war, the US government promised that all soldiers in the European Expeditionary Force would receive a salary of $1 a day and a subsidy of 25 cents. However, when the war ended, the money was still not paid.