Free Web NovelChapter 340: Chapter 273: Geology Enthusiast?
Fang Huai brought the two to the vicinity of the Command and handed them over to the staff.
The two were making a fuss, claiming that their company had sent over a large amount of supplies and that they just wanted to keep a photo of them participating in the disaster relief as a memento.
Fang Huai couldn’t be bothered to argue with them and simply let the government’s staff check their camera.
Upon viewing the photos they had taken, the staff found even more than what Fang Huai had seen, including some taken standing on the ruins, and some surreptitiously taken photos of the deceased.
All these staff members were from Sichuan.
Soon, the two were stripped of their vests and rescue certificates and, along with their relief supplies, were driven out of Hanwang.
All that was left was the name of their company, ready to be reported to the Command.
Companies that dared to use a disaster as a publicity stunt were bound to face the Socialist iron fist.
The government staff member also left him with a message:
"The people in the disaster area can’t eat your unscrupulous supplies, they’ll get a stomachache!"
In the end, the people walked away, tails between their legs.
The local residents who came with their help certificates to collect supplies learned about the situation and started to applaud loudly, shouting their approval.
The commotion outside drew the attention of a Colonel of the People’s Liberation Army, who came out from the Command to inspect the scene.
Maintaining order was also one of their important tasks, apart from disaster relief work. Now that the government was short-handed, the Troops, which kept pouring into the disaster area, also helped maintain stability on the streets.
After getting briefed, the Colonel took the paper with the company name, his expression grave, and led Fang Huai to the entrance of the Command’s large tent.
"Report!"
Upon reaching the door, Fang Huai saw the situation inside and automatically straightened up.
Inside were a dozen or so people, wearing a mix of military uniforms and suits.
At a glance, the highest rank he could see was that of a Wheat ear.
The leaders in the center looked up and saw Fang Huai’s clothes but didn’t pay much attention, continuing their discussion.
"With the heavy rainfall recently, the Qingping fault zone remains a serious problem. In my opinion, we still need to report this."
"I think we should do some reconnaissance, and we must ensure that all the nearby displaced people are evacuated."
Fang Huai stood at the door, unsure whether to enter or leave.
They were clearly discussing important matters inside. He hadn’t been told who exactly had called him in when he arrived.
Just then, a PLA Major General finished reading a document, stood up, and waved Fang Huai over.
"Come in!"
General Luo and Zhang Zhongting, who were gathered around the leader, finally noticed him.
"Little Fang, what brings you here?" General Luo asked.
When the Major General heard this, he burst into laughter: "Corps Captain Luo, do you know this young soldier as well? His performance in the middle school rescue was excellent!"
Zhang Zhongting was somewhat startled: "Brigade Commander Liu... why did you call him here?"
"You all know him?" Brigade Commander Liu was surprised and then explained:
"Today, Battalion Commander Liang from our mechanical battalion reported to me that this young soldier participated in the middle school rescue throughout and was involved in two operations that rescued more than three trapped individuals each time. He hasn’t slept for over thirty hours, so I hoped I could speak with your firefighting leaders and let him get some proper rest!
Just so happens that Reporter Huang from CCTV wanted to conduct an interview to understand the details of the rescue process. Our soldiers aren’t very eloquent, so I thought we could have your soldier come over to assist and then rest well.
That’s acceptable, isn’t it? I’m not overstepping, am I?"
"Far from it!" General Luo said with a smile.
"This comrade is the champion of our Corps Martial Arts Competition this year! It’s unexpected to see such exemplary performance at the rescue site as well!
Zhongting, he’s your soldier, so you arrange it."
With a reporter present, General Luo naturally wouldn’t mention any uncle or nephew. Fang Huai had earned the care of other unit leaders through his own strength, and any honors he received were rightfully his.
Being interviewed by a CCTV reporter was, of course, an honor.
Zhang Zhongting felt a mix of emotions inside, uncertain whether he should arrange for him to be interviewed in this situation.
This kid really knew how to keep himself busy.
Yesterday, when the top brass arrived, he was by their side, and the sound of Fang Huai’s voice on the two-way radio made not only Cao Yi nervous but also caused his own heartbeat to hang suspended for a long time.
However, the female reporter at the edge of the tent, upon seeing Fang Huai’s face, immediately stood up:
"It’s you? Yes, you! Comrade, last night, we even captured a moment of you flipping into danger to rescue those four students!
Afterwards, I wanted to find you, but since you were constantly busy, I didn’t want to disturb you. I hope you can accept our interview!"
Fang Huai instinctively nodded his head, but his attention remained fixed on the table where a heated discussion was still ongoing.
"This Qingping River, situated at the source of the Tuo River, now has a dam formed around the Hanjia Daping area. A barrier lake has already taken shape, and downstream all along the way, it’s all low-lying land with over a dozen villages!
There was rainfall on the 16th, 18th, and 19th.
Right now, we need to be prepared for both scenarios. The Armed Police Hydroelectric Forces must be ready to discharge floodwaters, and the villages along the route must also be evacuated immediately!"
While the intense debate was happening on the other side, Fang Huai quickly gathered information about the barrier lake in his mind.
He had heard about the danger of this barrier lake in his previous life.
In his previous life, the earthquake rescue operation continued for 7 days and 8 nights, and the disaster relief efforts spanned 19 days, but handling the Tangjia Mountain barrier lake persisted until June. Although the situation was properly managed and successful flooding was achieved, the bulk of the Armed Police Hydropower troops were engaged there for a full half-month. The hardships they endured can be imagined simply from the duration of their efforts.
If they could act quickly to deal with the dam before it began to store a large volume of water, the cost would be much lower.
Upon hearing the discussions about this issue, Fang Huai immediately used 4 points of military merit value to exchange for information about the formation of this particular barrier lake.
The moment Fang Huai obtained the specific information, he immediately raised his voice and said,
"Commander, the Qingping barrier lake might be dangerous, but I have been to Beichuan, and there, even more perilous barrier lakes are likely to form!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the senior leader with wheat ear insignia finally looked over.
A knot formed in Fang Huai’s throat, and he couldn’t help but feel nervous.
He was betting on the temperaments of these leaders. If he encountered someone with a bad temper, his rash shouting today could result in him being dragged out and given thirty military lashes as a light punishment.
Luckily, many people had just heard of his acts of rescue. It was only because major issues were at hand that no one had openly praised him for his deeds.
At this time, there was somewhat of a tolerance for him.
"Beichuan? We are not too clear about the damming situation in Beichuan right now, the roads there are mostly collapsed, and the engineers are still rushing to repair them. Specific assessments will have to wait until the situation is confirmed. Furthermore, those areas are under the unified command of the frontline command, and we only have the authority to handle disaster coordination in the Hanwang and Qingping area."
A man dressed in a suit and wearing glasses, seemingly an expert, spoke up.
He responded this way because he shared the same view as this young man.
Beichuan is located in a valley surrounded by continuous high mountains and is closer to the center of the earthquake-affected area, the Longmen Mountain Range. Once a barrier lake forms, not to mention other places, the centers of Beichuan and Yingxiu would definitely be hit by the disaster.
But Fang Huai seized this opportunity to speak up, stepping forward briskly, looking at the military map in front of everyone. Using his sharp eyes, he quickly located Tangjia Mountain’s approximate position and said,
"Here, located upstream of Beichuan, with the Jianjiang River below, if damming occurs, it must be cleared immediately. Otherwise, once the main flood season arrives, water will accumulate rapidly!
And there, next to Quyou Town..."
General Luo and Zhang Zhongting, standing on the side, were somewhat stunned as they watched Fang Huai speak with ease.
Truth be told, they didn’t have a voice in this conversation. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
All present were earthquake experts and also included hydropower experts. Their purpose in participating in the discussion was mainly to understand the overall strategic intent of the relief efforts, to coordinate the evacuation of rural residents, and to establish evacuation priorities and rescue plans.
The topic of hydropower was really not much of their concern.
Yet Fang Huai pointed out several locations where extremely dangerous barrier lakes might form, and he explained the rationale for each.
In his previous life, this earthquake actually resulted in the formation of 34 barrier lakes, among which 20 were considered dangerous, including the Qingping barrier lake that they had mentioned. Fang Huai did not only talk about the most dangerous and most disastrous Tangjia Mountain barrier lake, also to avoid suspicion.
But as the topic unfolded, the experts beside him listened more earnestly, occasionally asking a few questions.
"The positions of the potential barrier lakes you mentioned around Beichuan will depend on the specific extent of the collapse. How can you be sure that barrier lakes will form now?"
Fang Huai shook his head, "I don’t know."
He then pointed to geological structure markers on the map and said,
"But here, the land’s strength is not high, the geological structure is weak, and surrounded by mountains, there are many depressions. Once a barrier lake is formed, the damage will be immense!
And I have been here before and heard from the locals that in the 1930s there was a major earthquake of magnitude 7.8, right?
It resulted in the formation of a barrier lake, and when the water burst through, it caused a severe flood.
The severity of the disaster was even worse than that of the earthquake, with a death toll of eight thousand just from the flood, and it was only because the population was sparse back then. It even affected the villagers near Jiuding Mountain in Hanwang.
I am a geology enthusiast, and after returning, I researched some information about Hanwang in the library and confirmed it.
This event is recorded in county histories; you can check the relevant documents!"
As Fang Huai brought up county histories, the people around couldn’t help but grow more solemn listening to him.
In fact, the potential disaster of barrier lakes formation due to the earthquake had only been included in the discussion this afternoon. Everyone was primarily considering rescue plans within the scope of a medium-to-small disaster.
After all, the disaster caused by this earthquake was already quite horrific. Comparatively speaking, a mere barrier lake didn’t seem like much.
At this moment, Fang Huai saw the general blinking thoughtfully with folded hands. He raised his hand again, with a grave expression, and pointed to a spot near Tangjia Mountain, unleashing another bombshell:
"Other places might be manageable, but once damming occurs here, if we were to calculate the potential water volume, it could exceed one hundred million cubic meters.
The difference in water levels between the upstream and downstream could be as low as forty to fifty meters, and as high as over a hundred meters."
