Binjiang Police Affairs-Chapter 967 - 641: Defending and Reinforcing the Levee (2)
Their purposes are different—one mainly pumps, and the other mainly irrigates.
Many hands make light work; soon, the pump and a bunch of pipes were carried onto the shore.
Yang Daming and the mechanics team quickly installed them, while Du Yuan grabbed a shovel and rushed down the embankment. Together with the old platoon leaders of the "Hong Kong Garrison," they dug soil, fetched water, and mixed the mud needed to manage the cracks.
Diving team leader Feng Qingsong and several divers squeezed into 001's command cabin, curious to see how Master Yao was using the underwater surveying system to X-ray this section of the embankment.
"Master Yao, what is this?"
"This is the riverbed, and over here is the old riverbank."
"If there were no flooding, would the riverbank be exposed above the water?"
"Yes, usually the dry embankment is some distance from the water surface, with the longest being three to four hundred meters. Don't be fooled by the current water surface; beneath us might have been where many crops were planted before."
"So much water has risen!"
"Indeed."
Master Yao pointed to the computer monitor and continued, "Captain Feng, this here is the dry embankment. According to the inspection team's report on the embankment, there are several cracks, but there's no water seepage or leakage; it might just be surface cracking.
However, we cannot rule out the possibility that cracks on the water-facing side are blocked by weeds, sediment, or dead fish and shrimp. We've encountered this before, so later you need to dive down for a careful inspection."
Having advanced equipment is great; it allows us to see the underwater terrain on the computer.
Feng Qingsong decided to go down himself later, kept his eyes on the computer monitor for a moment, and asked, "Should we go down from the ship or from the shore?"
"Secretary Han instructed that if you can go down from the shore, then do so. To ensure safety, add an extra safety rope later; Captain Fan, Old Zhu, and Xiao Chen will guard you from the river."
"Alright."
Master Yao completed the underwater inspection of this embankment section and notified Captain Fan to approach the shore via walkie-talkie.
Diving equipment is heavy, but the divers in the team didn't need the "Hong Kong Garrison" on the shore to help; they carried it themselves onto the shore.
Everyone understood.
Du Yuan from the 132 regiment, the "Little Bricklayer," understood even more as he diligently dug holes and proudly said, "Old platoon leader, safety is crucial; we paratroopers don't let others pack our parachutes."
Retired soldier Zhang Yucai from the Linghai Police Bureau laughed and asked, "Have you ever flown on a plane or parachuted?"
"No."
"Then what's the boast about?"
"Old platoon leader, I'm a new recruit; once I'm qualified after training and assigned to combat troops, I can fly and parachute. Besides, we paratroopers aren't just about parachuting; we also conduct airborne assaults."
"You should be prepared; it's quite possible you might not even get a chance for airborne assaults."
"Impossible."
"Why not possible!" An old soldier from the Linghai Transportation Bureau Inspection Team looked up and laughed, "Xiao Du, do you know what kind of soldier I was before?"
"What kind?" Du Yuan asked curiously.
The old soldier pointed to Feng Qingsong and others busy on the embankment, laughing, "I used to be in the Navy just like them, was very happy and excited to enlist, thinking I could ride on huge warships through the sea territory.
But after basic training, I was assigned to a warehouse. Forget getting on a warship; I didn't even see the sea. Our base was farther from the coast than my hometown."
"A navy who hasn't seen the sea!"
"That's quite normal."
Another old soldier from the "Hong Kong Garrison" squeezed over, laughing, "Xiao Du, you're Air Force; I used to be Air Force too. I'm slightly better than Old Xu; I got to see planes every day, but never sat in one, hahaha."
Du Yuan curiously asked, "Platoon leader, were you with the Air Force ground crew?"
"Not ground crew; we were logistics."
"Then what did you do in the military?"
"Field station production team. Said to be in the Air Force for four years, but actually raised pigs and farmed for four years."
"Platoon leader, you were really unlucky."
"What's unlucky about it? You don't understand now, but you'll know in the future. Getting assigned to the production team to raise pigs and farm is a good deal."
"Like being assigned to the cook squad?"
"Life was better than the cook squad, just that cleaning the pigsty and applying manure on fields was a bit dirty."
Initially thought the Reserve Forces were similar to civilian soldiers.
Only after interacting did I realize how formidable the Reserve Forces were, especially the "Hong Kong Garrison," not only many old platoon leaders but also many "commanders"!
Du Yuan looked up at the "Hong Kong Garrison" commander talking to the Navy chief on the embankment and curiously asked, "Platoon leader, who in your camp has the longest service and highest rank?"
"Most officers are veterans transitioning from standard or deputy camp commanders or standard company commanders; their ranks aren't very high. In terms of service, Deputy Company Commander Guo Weitao of Third Company probably has the longest; he joined at five and retired at twenty-five, serving for twenty years, possibly longer than your regiment commander, and your camp commander calls him old platoon leader." 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺
"What about Han Camp Commander?"
"Secretary Han hasn't served in the military; Secretary Han used to be a civilian soldier."
Talking about the gossips in the camp, an old soldier suddenly remembered something and said excitedly, "In terms of military experience, our Environmental Protection Bureau's Director Liu is the most legendary."
An old soldier asked curiously, "How is your Director Liu legendary?"
"I was Navy, Old Wu was Army, you were Air Force; our Director Liu was amazing, not long in service, but served in the Navy, Air Force, and Army."
"Really, how is that possible!"
"Why not possible! He was initially in the Army; his unit was to be equipped with radar, so he got sent to the Air Force military academy as a cadet for three years. Then somehow, upon graduation, was assigned not back to his unit but to a Navy radar station, served until retirement, experiencing Navy, Army, and Air Force complete with all three military branches; how cool is that."
