Chapter 19 Chapter Nineteen

In early August, a group of 10 members from the Japanese Taisho Foundation came to Hirakawa City as scheduled. Mr. Taisho’s daughter, Taisho Yoshiko, also came with her husband, Mr. Nakamura.The Pingchuan Municipal Party Committee and the municipal government organized a reception team headed by Mayor Shu Huaru to be responsible for all the activities of the Taisho Foundation during the Pingchuan period.The top leaders of the Municipal Party Committee, Municipal Government, Municipal People's Congress, and CPPCC came forward at the same time to greet the guests grandly. Yoshiko Taisho and his Japanese guests were very moved.However, the overall evaluation of Pingchuan International Industrial Park by the guests of Taisho Foundation is still very low.In the words of Mr. Nakamura, in view of the lack of supporting municipal infrastructure and the unsatisfactory investment environment, it seems too early to talk about investment intentions.

At this time, the drought in the eight counties and cities of Pingchuan became more and more serious. There was no rain for more than three months. Many rivers, reservoirs, and wells in the northern and central regions dried up. Acres of late autumn crops cannot be sown, and a severe reduction in mid-autumn crop production is a foregone conclusion.The domestic water use of residents in Pingchuan City has also been greatly affected. The water supply plant supplies water for one hour each morning and afternoon. As the plenipotentiary representative of the Taisho Foundation, Mr. Nakamura noticed the severe water shortage in the city and the water shortage in the International Industrial Park. Turn over the water station to see.Pointing to the dry and narrow riverbed and looking at the drawings provided by the Water Conservancy Bureau, Mr. Nakamura asked Shu Huaru: "Mr. Mayor, is it a bit too romantic to expect this seasonal river to supply industrial water to the industrial park?"

Shu Huaru explained: "There are two-way pipelines in the industrial park, and the old water plants in the city can also supply water." Mr. Nakamura immediately said: "It seems that the old water plant can't even guarantee the domestic water in your city?!" The vigorous investment promotion ended in a silent failure... The atmosphere of the next two days was depressed and depressing.Shu Huaru and the comrades in the reception group could no longer cheer up; the Japanese guests also felt embarrassed, and stopped talking about the international industrial park, but talked about the determination of China and Japan to stop the war and the Chinese and Japanese people. friendship.Mr. Nakamura's father was the captain of the Japanese Army that invaded China. He was stationed in Damo County in the Pingchuan area for more than a year around 1943 and caused the "Damo Tragedy".Mr. Nakamura went to Damo County together with Taisho Yoshiko to apologize to the dead Chinese anti-Japanese soldiers and civilians in Damo County on behalf of his parents, and donated a primary school in the name of the Taisho Foundation.

On the last night of leaving Hirakawa, Mr. Nakamura asked Yoshiko Taisho to consult the Tokyo headquarters, and then he and Shu Huaru initialed an agreement of intent to attract international investment.The agreement was beautifully worded, with grand promises, but hardly binding. After getting this face-saving agreement, Shu Huaru approached Wu Mingxiong disheartened and said, "Look, after working for more than two years and investing 300 million yuan, in the end, there is such a dead letter, what is it called. If Secretary Guo Huaiqiu is still alive, I don't know how angry he will be!"

Wu Mingxiong patted Shu Huaru on the shoulder and said, "Brother, don't be dejected. Isn't this result already in our expectation?" Shu Huaru's mood was still very low: "I never thought that there would be such a big problem on the water. God really didn't give us any face." Wu Mingxiong said: "Even if God gives me face, it won't do. Relying on a seasonal river and limited groundwater, our central city with a population of over one million cannot survive. If we miss today, we won't miss tomorrow; if we miss Japan people, and they can’t fool the common people in the city.”

Shu Huaru sighed, "How can we explain the matter of the International Industrial Park to the people of Pingchuan City?" Wu Mingxiong said: "Why is it difficult to explain? Ask the "Pingchuan Daily" and the radio and television stations to send news. Today there is an agreement of intent. Are you afraid that there will be no formal investment agreement tomorrow? There is a parasol tree at home, and there is no need to worry about the phoenix. As long as we improve the infrastructure and investment environment, even if he does not come, we can attract investment internationally by ourselves.”

Shu Huaru nodded and said, "That's true." To see off the Japanese guests from the Taisho Foundation, Wu Mingxiong asked Xiao Daoqing, deputy secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, to go with him to various counties. He had made it clear to Xiao Daoqing in advance that the main purpose of this trip was to conduct investigations and research, and the itinerary might be longer, within a day or two He definitely won't be able to come back, so Xiao Daoqing needs to arrange and deal with all the matters at hand. Wu Mingxiong also made a joke with Xiao Daoqing, saying: "You, the secretary in charge of discipline inspection, will go down with me, and the land masters below probably won't dare to invite wine unscrupulously, right?"

Xiao Daoqing felt both sudden and unexpected, so he couldn't guess Wu Mingxiong's real intention.After the Standing Committee re-divided work, he was still in charge of the original Disciplinary Committee. He didn't care about the industry or agriculture in the eight counties and cities below. Xiao Daoqing didn't ask directly, but also said with a smile: "Secretary Wu, you don't mean to ask me to go with you to inspect the clean government?" Wu Mingxiong said: "Of course not. There is a very important job related to the overall situation. I want to discuss it with you and listen to your opinion. Let's talk slowly along the way."

The first stop is Damo County, which is severely arid. On the way to the desert, Wu Mingxiong asked Xiao Daoqing casually: Have you read the briefing just sent by the Political and Legal Committee? Xiao Daoqing nodded and said, "I've seen it." Wu Mingxiong asked: "Have you noticed the handling of the fighting case in Quanwang Township, Damo County?" Xiao Daoqing became alert, and asked: "Why, didn't the desert handle it properly? Didn't the murderer who blew up people during the weapon fight be arrested? He was from Xiaquanwang Cao's family. Many relatives of Cao's family came to intercede with Mayor Cao. The mayor didn’t pay any attention to them. I didn’t care if someone surnamed Shangquan Wangxiao came to see me. The county party secretary Liu Jinping and the county magistrate Huang Jianguo are very clear about this.”

Wu Mingxiong said: "A tuberculosis patient in his 50s would carry dozens of catties of explosives to blow up the embankment and kill people? Do you believe Secretary Xiao? Don't you doubt that there is something famous in it?" Xiao Daoqing smiled wryly and said: "You Secretary Wu said, what is the name? The murderer surrendered himself, and the evidence and testimony are all there. According to Liu Jinping and Huang Jianguo, under the direct interrogation of the county party committee and the county government, the Damo Public Security Bureau and the procuratorate The investigation and evidence collection work is very meticulous, so how can we randomly suspect the comrades in the county without any basis? In this way, how will they work in the future?"

Wu Mingxiong waved his hand and said, "Forget it, you! You and I don't know about the tricks in Damo County? Every year there is a fight for water every year, and there are always old, weak and sick people who come out and voluntarily surrender when they are killed. I've known for a long time that the old county magistrate Huang has a weak sense of land law, but I didn't expect that Liu Jinping, who was very principled in the past, would follow suit." Xiao Daoqing tentatively asked: "Then what do you mean?" Wu Mingxiong said flatly: "I don't settle accounts with others, but with her Liu Jinping! She is the secretary of the county party committee and has to be responsible for the legal system in the desert! How can the wind of fighting be stopped by such unprincipled fooling around? She thought she This is showing kindness, I don’t think so! What if we fight again next year? What if we beat people to death again?! Let me ask you.” Xiao Daoqing sighed for a long time and said: "Liu Jinping is also difficult. To be honest, it is really difficult for her to put a lesbian in such an arid and poor county with financial upside down. If we are still so demanding on her, I'm afraid Conscience is a bit unreasonable, right?" Wu Mingxiong said: "I don't care if she is gay or lesbian, as long as she is a piece of land, you have to keep one side safe and one side prosperous, and you can't just keep fooling around like this!" Xiao Daoqing argued: "Liu Jinping is not the kind of cadre who doesn't seek to make progress. To be honest, I really can't blame her for what happened in Damo. I am from Damo, and I know that the water problem is not a day or two. Without overall planning, who can solve it? Some time ago, Liu Jinping approached me to talk about the water problem.” Wu Mingxiong regained his energy: "Oh? Does she have any good ideas?" Xiao Daoqing shook his head and smiled wryly: "Where did she come up with such a good idea? This female county party secretary probably lost her head in a hurry, and suggested that we raise funds in eight counties and cities at the same time, raising 600 to 700 million yuan for the water diversion project. I told her at the time Now, the central government has issued repeated orders not to increase the burden on farmers, and it won’t work for us to do so. I settled a deal with her.” Not counting the people who went to Pingchuan City, the total population of the eight counties and cities is about 9 million. Even if they raise 600 million by themselves, each agricultural population will have to share more than 60 yuan. A family of three is nearly 200 yuan. Last year, Damo County The per capita income is only 592 yuan.Wu Mingxiong nodded and said: Yes, our farmers are suffering too much. They always dig food from the ground with their faces turned to the loess and their backs to the sky.But the problem of water must be solved.It now appears that this is not a question of development, but a question of survival—the survival of the agricultural population in eight counties and cities and the survival of a central city in Pingchuan.The problem is so serious!Secretary Xiao, what do you think our municipal party committee should do?Xiao Daoqing hadn't realized Wu Mingxiong's real intention of letting him go down to the county together until now, and thought it had nothing to do with him. , do our best, do more things within our power. Wu Mingxiong became upset, and said, "What you said is very principled and correct, but it's like you didn't say anything." Xiao Daoqing blushed a little, but didn't make another sound.But Wu Mingxiong said again: "Secretary Xiao, you are a native of the desert, and you grew up drinking mud soup from the desert river. When you spoke for Comrade Liu Jinping just now, I thought that you are very fair and conscientious. I know the crux of the desert. Now, I want to ask you, as a conscientious communist and the son of a desert farmer, have you never thought about fulfilling your responsibilities? You just have the heart to watch our farmers fight for Do you fight with weapons every year and die every year? You know, showing a little mercy to the peasants fighting with weapons, and talking about empty words that are always correct, will not solve any practical problems. My comrade!" Bewildered, he realized dimly that this time Wu Mingxiong dragged him down to the county to conduct investigation and research was definitely not a sudden whim. I am afraid that there is a big article, which may affect his future future and destiny.Sure enough, Wu Mingxiong made everything clear: "Secretary Xiao, let me tell you the truth, I decided to let you go down to the county with me this time. I thought about it for a long time before deciding. What are you going to do in the county? It is to fundamentally solve the water problem. Question. In the past few days, we will walk all the way to Daze Lake along the Damo River. While watching, listening, and researching, we will finally come up with a plan and report it to the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee for discussion and finalization. This South-to-North Water Diversion Project is no longer impossible It is not a question of doing it, but a question of how to do it. I, the secretary of the municipal party committee, intend to take charge personally, and you are the youngest deputy secretary in our municipal party committee team. I would like to recommend you to take full charge of this historic project." Even though he had made some psychological preparations, Xiao Daoqing was still taken aback, and asked, "Secretary Wu, then, to whom should I hand over the mess I was in charge of?" Wu Mingxiong said: "No one will hand over, and you are in charge. Unlike Secretary Chen Zhongyang, you are young and vigorous. You can and should do more work, do some big things, and create a big business. It is hard work, but it is an exercise for you. I Wu Mingxiong is 56 years old this year, and he won't be able to do it for a few years. The future work will always be done by you younger comrades. You should get on stage earlier and perform a few successful dramas." Xiao Daoqing turned his mind quickly, and the first thing he thought of was two words: conspiracy.Wu Mingxiong was playing tricks against him, Xiao Daoqing.It was obvious that the ambitious Wu Mingxiong wanted the people in the eight counties and cities of Pingchuan to tighten their belts to create political achievements for him, but he did not do it himself, and pushed him, a promising young deputy secretary, to the front line.If it's done well, Wu Mingxiong is responsible for the credit; if something goes wrong, it's Xiao Daoqing's responsibility, and he will pay a heavy price for it. Wu Mingxiong said: "Secretary Xiao, think about it carefully. Would it be good for you if you were fully in charge of such a key project that has attracted much attention? Another point, I said first, this project is done well, and the results It’s yours; if something goes wrong, it’s all due to me, the secretary of the municipal party committee.” Now it seems that it is not a question of grades at all, but a question of how much trouble has gone wrong.What Secretary Xie Xuedong was most worried about had already appeared. He Xiao Daoqing was really going to follow Wu Mingxiong in this way. It was a trivial matter to ruin his own future, but it was a major event to overturn the big ship Pingchuan.Therefore, Xiao Daoqing suppressed his emotions, and asked as calmly as possible: "Secretary Wu, I'm afraid we should report to the provincial government for such a big matter? How about taking this project under the premise of paying for it?” Wu Mingxiong laughed: "Your brother is right. Not only do we need to report to the province, but we also need to get more funds from the province. The old governor said that he will go to the Provincial Water Conservancy Bureau to discuss it himself. Ten million. You go to Secretary Xie Xuedong. He is the old secretary of our Pingchuan. You can ask him for some loans. Based on this calculation, the total funding gap is only about 400 million yuan. Calculated based on the three-year construction period, it is only more than 100 million yuan per year. Let's go down and have a look this time, self-raising funds may be feasible .The current severe drought may be benefiting our work.” Xiao Daoqing asked: "Are you so sure about fighting for the provincial funds?" Wu Mingxiong patted Xiao Daoqing on the shoulder and said: "The old governor is an old water conservancy, and he promised me on the phone again, there must be no problem. Your secretary Xiao will be no problem. I may not get money from Xie Xuedong , you must be there, and the Agricultural Bank of China must also go to you. Therefore, the chief engineer of the project must be you. I know how to use good steel to the blade!" Xiao Daoqing's words caught his ears a little bit.If Wu Mingxiong's original intention was to ask him to come forward to raise some funds, he would still be willing to do so.Wu Mingxiong was right. As a native of Pingchuan, Xiao Daoqing did have a responsibility.Therefore, he stated: "Well, as long as the province supports us in this South-to-North Water Diversion Project, I will go all out to the province to raise funds." Having said this, Xiao Daoqing thought, even if the provincial funds and loans can be won, there is still a total funding gap of 400 million yuan. It is still a major issue of principle to apportion the farmers. He has to ask Secretary Xie Xuedong first anyway. Let's talk about it after the report... Afterwards, the conversation about funds did not continue.Wu Mingxiong turned to talk about his history of working on water conservancy with the old governor many years ago.Xiao Daoqing also talked about some old things about his work in the desert.After passing the Mohe Bridge, Wu Mingxiong didn't say anything, asked the driver to stop the car, and invited Xiao Daoqing to walk up the Mohe embankment.Only then did Xiao Daoqing realize that there was a Mitsubishi van parked on the levee, and many people gathered beside the car, including Bai Yulong, deputy mayor in charge of agriculture and water conservancy, directors of the Water Conservancy Bureau, Agriculture Bureau, Finance Bureau, and a large group of engineering technicians. People are here.