Binjiang Police Affairs-Chapter 1044 - 685: Saving Lives

The day broke, and the river near the breach was filled with boats!

There were over twenty oared boats, small tugs, and small passenger boats urgently gathered by the Hanwu City Navigation Office, and five large tugs and ten 1,500-ton flat barges rushed overnight by the Yangtze River Shipping Company.

There were eight passenger ferries with capacities of 1000 to 1500 passengers led by the leadership of the Hanwu Ferry Company, the fleet of E307 from the Beihu Jiangxia Ship Corporation, the Changhang Group's fleet, and small motorboats urgently gathered by the county, even nearby fishermen had come with their small fishing boats.

Looking around, the number of boats was even more than during the "Eel Fishing Battle" years ago in the Binjiang waters, Xu Mingyuan felt that probably more than half of all Hanwu's boats were here.

However, the current at the breach was swift, forming a hanging cliff between the breach and the dike, making it impossible for boats to get in and out.

The civil dike was a vast expanse of water, with at least thirty villages submerged!

On the riverbank, there was a dense mass of people, tens of thousands of people who had fled to the dike were anxiously waiting to be evacuated.

Over twenty motorized barges from Hanwu showcased their advantages of stability, shallow draft, and maneuverability by quickly approaching the riverbank, transferring the traumatized victims on the dike onto six deck barges and ferries anchored three kilometers upstream from the breach, before Changhang Group's fleet and ferries transported the victims to Panjiawan Town, over twenty kilometers upstream from the breach.

The fleet involved in transferring the victims tried every means to empty cabins, make room in compartments, clearing all possible standing space for the victims to be transported.

Compared to the victims on the dike, there were more victims stranded in the vast expanse of water within the dike!

Other boats couldn't get in, but the assault boats, power boats, and rescue boats from the Linghai Reserve Camp and several other Boat Bridge troops who came for the rescue could.

Small boats and crafts became the main rescue force.

Xu Mingyuan designated a newly cleared section of the dike as the "transshipment point," organizing various rescue teams to transport the assault boats and fiberglass boats onto the dike, placing them onto the water surface within the dike, speeding towards the visible rooftops and tree crowns nearby, to rescue people who haven't been evacuated to the dike.

In fact, there was no need to search, only to rescue.

There were so many people trapped that each team hadn't traveled a kilometer from the dike, and there were people on every visible rooftop, tree crown, and higher ground.

"Comrades, don't panic, don't crowd, our assault boats and fiberglass boats can't carry too many people, elderly and children come up first!"

"We'll send the elderly and children to the dike and come back for the rest, please don't be afraid, and don't worry, we'll definitely come back, our superiors have mobilized all available forces to save everyone!"

"Liberation Army comrades, please excuse us."

"No problem, take it slow."

"Little friend, sit tight, hold onto the rope."

The group led by Xu Mingyuan had so many people to save that they were overwhelmed.

Xiao Yu and Xiao Gu faced the same situation, and while loading a few civilians onto the fiberglass boat, they urgently said, "Comrade, there are still more people waiting for us to rescue ahead, you come up first, and we'll come back for your things later."

"Liberation Army comrade, can I just bring a TV? I'll hold onto it!"

"No, there are too many people, and we're using a small boat, carrying too many things is unsafe and might capsize the boat."

"Liberation Army comrade, I beg you."

"Leave it on the rooftop for now, the water isn't rising that fast, it won't get submerged, I'll help you bring it back later."

...

The house was flooded, valuable things couldn't afford to be swamped again, everyone wanted to take a little more, but the assault boats and fiberglass boats were too small and couldn't carry many items, and besides, saving lives was more crucial now; possessions could be dealt with later. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Rescue operations continued trip after trip, and in less than an hour, the Water Rescue Team had rescued over five hundred people from the "vast waters."

The overall commander and two deputy commanders responsible for the rescue divided their work.

The overall commander was the secretary of Yu Jia County, responsible for commanding the rescue organized by the county personnel and boats.

The leader of the Beihu Province Navigation Bureau was responsible for organizing and commanding the rescue by the personnel and fleets summoned by the province and Hanwu City, while Deputy Director Yuan of the Hanwu Port Supervision Bureau commanded the fleet from the Changhang System.

The Linghai Reserve Camp, with not only half the shares of the Changhang System but also being a reserve camp of the transportation system, naturally had to obey Director Yuan's command.

Director Yuan was not staying on the supervision boat but stood on the dike, holding up a walkie-talkie to command the fleet from the Changhang Group to transport the disaster victims rescued by the Linghai Reserve Camp inside the dike.

Political Commissar Yang, standing by Director Yuan, anxiously asked, "Comrade Mingyuan, have you seen the Air Force personnel supporting the emergency rescue?"

"No, our search and rescue range is less than two kilometers!"

"Alright, go and carry on with the search and rescue quickly."

As Xu Mingyuan helped the last disaster victim onto the dike with the assistance of Changhang System staff, he immediately grasped the control stick, adjusted the course, and continued to "pick up" people from the vast waters.

Xiao Yu's group was also highly efficient, refueling quickly and heading out immediately.

They had hardly traveled eight hundred meters when a sudden roar was heard from the sky.

Looking up, they saw more than a dozen helicopters flying overhead.

Soon after, three transport aircraft flew into the dike.

They flew very low, the red Ba Yi insignia distinctly visible!

"Captain Yu, look, the Air Force is here, the Air Force is here..." Xiao Gu's eyes were brimming with excited tears.

Xiao Yu was equally awestruck but couldn't afford to be distracted, gripping the control stick tightly, "What do you mean the Air Force is here, aren't you the Air Force?"

"I meant the planes are here!"

"What good are planes, they can't land on the water to rescue people."

"Captain Yu, the planes are making air drops!"

Xiao Yu followed the direction of Xiao Gu's pointing finger and shockingly discovered that those three transport aircraft were indeed air-dropping emergency supplies, but it was too far from their current search and rescue range to see exactly what was being airdropped.