The train driver in the courtyard

night.
The inky blackness was like a huge and thick blanket, tightly covering the capital, wrapping the entire city tightly.

After Li Aiguo returned to the house, he crawled into bed, hugged Chen Xueru and quickly fell asleep.

I don’t know how long it took.

There was a rapid knock on the door.

The first person to be awakened was Chen Xueru. She pushed Li Aiguo's arm and said, "Brother Aiguo, brother Aiguo, there's someone knocking on the door."

"Who is it at this late hour?"

Being awakened from his sleep, Li Aiguo sat up with a grumpiness, put on his clothes and put on his shoes.

At this time, the person outside the door seemed to be waiting anxiously, and the knocking on the door became more rapid.

The wooden door of the Li family is made of pure jujube wood.
The old carpenter who built it once proudly declared that the reason this wooden door was more expensive than ordinary wooden doors was because it made a pleasant sound when knocked.

However, the old carpenter probably never expected it.
At this moment, someone knocked on the door so hard that the sound of the wooden door had already become sharp and piercing, which seemed particularly abrupt in the silent night.

"Oh, if you break the door, I'll have to pull your pants off!"

Li Aiguo muttered as he unbolted the door in anger and slammed the door open.

But when he saw the scene outside the door, the anger on his face was instantly replaced by astonishment.

Standing outside the door was Captain Zhang from the weather station.
Behind him stood two comrades in grey Zhongshan suits. The one in front was raising his hand to knock on the door, while the one behind was on guard.

"Patriotic comrade, please come with us." Captain Zhang looked nervous and did not hesitate at all.

"Wait a moment." Li Aiguo realized that the matter might be serious, so he turned around and walked quickly into the house.

At this time, Chen Xueru had also put on her clothes and sat up. She looked at Li Aiguo with a worried look on her face and asked, "Brother Aiguo, what happened?"

"Maybe there is a small task in the maintenance section. You should continue to rest. You don't need to save breakfast for me." Li Aiguo reminded her, leaned over to nibble on her forehead, then turned and left the room.

It was common for Li Aiguo to go on business trips in the middle of the night, and Miss Chen didn't take it too seriously. She curled up in the bed, pulled the quilt over her, and soon fell into a deep sleep again.

The night is still quiet and silent.

After leaving the courtyard, there was a car parked on the side of the road. When it saw Li Aiguo and others coming out, the car immediately started the engine and emitted a low roar.

"Lao Zhang, what happened..." Li Aiguo was about to ask what happened after getting in the car, but when the words came to his lips, he suddenly realized that his question was a bit stupid.

Captain Zhang is an experienced meteorologist. How could he easily reveal secrets?
Sure enough, Captain Zhang turned his head from the co-pilot seat and smiled: "You will understand when we get to the weather station."

In the darkness of night, cars sped along the wide streets of the capital.

The dim light from the street lamps shines through the car windows, casting mottled shadows inside the car, like starlight.

When Li Aiguo arrived at the weather station, he raised his wrist to check the time. It was exactly two o'clock in the morning.

The office in the weather station's courtyard was still brightly lit, and the bright lights were particularly eye-catching in the darkness.

The man in a gray Zhongshan suit at the office door verified Li Aiguo's identity and opened the door.

Li Aiguo walked into the office and saw the farmer, who was marking documents at the desk, put down his pen.

"Patriotic, take a look at this." The farmer stood up, picked up a telegram and handed it over.

The telegram was sent by Yang Jizong in the name of Hextech Technology and was encrypted. The recipient was Comrade Li Qiqi of the Qianmen Locomotive Depot in Beijing.

"Comrade Li Qiqi?" Li Aiguo frowned slightly, looking puzzled.

"Aren't you the flag bearer of the Qianmen Locomotive Depot?"

Even in such a serious atmosphere, the farmer couldn't help laughing when he saw Yang Jizong's little trick.

This telegram might cause trouble, and by using the nickname "Li Qiqi", Li Aiguo could be kept out of trouble.

But Yang Jizong was still too naive. In such a big matter, these little tricks were completely useless.

"Isn't Yang Jizong preparing food? Why did he suddenly send me a telegram?" Li Aiguo noticed something was wrong and hurriedly picked up the telegram to check it carefully.

The content of the telegram was simple: "Brother, someone is trying to take our food away, you need to think of a solution quickly!"

Li Aiguo was completely confused by this telegram that had no beginning or end.

What confused him even more was how this telegram ended up in the hands of the weather station?
There was indeed a large telegraph room on a hill within the weather station.

However, most of the telegrams received there are related to meteorology at home and abroad.

The farmer saw Li Aiguo's doubts and explained, "The telegram was indeed sent by Yang Jizong, but he sent it with the help of our comrades who were planted next to him."

"Yang Jizong wouldn't be so reluctant as to even spend the money to send a telegram," Li Aiguo said.

"You think he's as much of a taker as you are."

The farmer responded, "Yang Jizong is now on a 10,000-ton ship. The ship is fully loaded with 10,000 tons of wheat and is heading towards Jincheng Port."

Li Aiguo had also heard about Yang Jizong's purchase of grain, but he didn't expect the news to come out so soon.

He had just breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that as long as the grain was shipped into the country, the food shortage in the country would be greatly alleviated.

But suddenly, he seemed to realize something and his expression became serious.

He quickly picked up the telegram, frowning: "Someone wants to steal our food? Could it be pirates?

No, it's impossible. The route of a 10,000-ton giant ship does not pass through remote waters.

And there are no pirate activities now... Could it be that many Tie family members came to the bunker to ask for food? ! "

When he thought of this possibility, Li Aiguo's face was filled with anger.

"You really guessed it right."

The farmer took out a cigarette from his pocket, handed one to Li Aiguo, lit one for himself, and said slowly: "The foreign affairs department is responsible for the communication with the brothers' homes, and our meteorological department is not involved.

So when I first received the telegram, I immediately contacted several senior colleagues in the foreign affairs department to find out what happened. "

The farmer paused, his brow furrowed into deep furrows, "Since you came back from Bulgaria, many iron companies in the bunker have sent a working group to us in order to get those locomotives.

A while ago, they heard that we had obtained a batch of food, so they came to complain.

They are living a hard life and their families have nothing to eat, so they hope we can transfer the food to them.”

"Have the comrades above agreed?" Li Aiguo frowned.

The farmer understood Li Aiguo's feelings and sighed, "Before the locomotive incident, we offended the Tie family in the bunker. This time, a minister of the Tie family in the bunker came to the capital in person.

Some comrades feel that we are all brothers in one big family and we should help each other.”

Li Aiguo said in a deep voice: "I don't think it's mutual help, it's being fleeced!
No, this is not wool anymore. Tens of thousands of tons of food are enough to feed so many people!
If some comrades want to develop their own style, they can just give away their food and then sit at the door and starve to death.

Isn't this just using the fruits of other people's labor as a favor?

The key is, will people really thank them?"

What Li Aiguo said was somewhat "incorrect" under the circumstances at the time.

Under normal circumstances, the farmer would have already "taught" him a lesson.

But this time, the farmer pretended not to hear him and continued, "Yang Jizong probably received a notice to turn the ship around, so he sent a telegram for help. He is at sea, and we are the only ones he can contact. He hopes we can find a solution."

Li Aiguo stood up suddenly, clenching his fists: "Comrade farmer, I can't just watch these grains being taken away by others."

We, Li Aiguo, know what many of the Iron Family members in the bunker are!
That's an ungrateful person!
".Are you really not afraid?"

"How can I not be afraid? But compared with those 10,000 tons of grain, I'm willing to take a chance." Li Aiguo did not say part of the reason.

He was sure enough.

"Good! Good! Good!" The farmer was shocked by Li Aiguo's attitude.

After realizing what was happening, he said "OK" three times in a row, "I'm your leader, I'll take the lead this time!"

One old and one young, two hands tightly clasped together...

Time: 10:30 am.
The turbulent sea surface was like an angry beast, constantly creating huge waves.

The 10,000-ton ship Amazon slowed down on the rough sea.

In the small conference room of the Amazon, an emergency meeting with a tense atmosphere was underway.

The bearded captain frowned, and there seemed to be a deep knot between his brows.

He slammed the table hard and said loudly: "Gentlemen, if the ship wants to change its route to the western part of the Balkan Peninsula, we must act immediately, otherwise if we miss the route, it will be delayed for at least two days."

After that, he glanced at Yang Jizong and a middle-aged man in a black Mao suit, and then said in a serious tone: "I hope you can make a decision as soon as possible."

The man in the black Zhongshan suit nodded slightly to the bearded captain and said politely and calmly, "Dear Captain Francis, can you allow us to discuss this privately?"

"Of course, Representative Chen. But I have to remind you that this is the Amazon, and I don't want to see anything unpleasant happen."

After leaving these meaningful words, the bearded captain turned and left the conference room. The heavy hatch slowly closed behind him, making a muffled sound, which seemed to add a bit of solemnity to the atmosphere in the conference room.

After the cabin door was completely closed, Representative Chen turned around and faced Yang Jizong with a wry smile on his face: "Comrade Yang Jizong, twenty hours have passed since our superiors issued the order to divert us.

I hope you can consider the overall situation and agree to turn the ship to carry out the mission assigned to us by our superiors."

Yang Jizong's expression did not change at all: "The superiors may change their minds at any time. I suggest waiting a little longer."

"Are you going to disobey orders?" Representative Chen's face gradually became gloomy.

In fact, if possible, he would have ordered the ship to turn.

However, it was Hongcheng Hextech that signed the shipping contract with the Amazon, and Yang Jizong was the representative, not the so-called real representative.

In addition, the bearded captain is a very strict person and insists on strictly following the contract, which has caused the matter to be delayed until now.

"Representative Chen, I cannot understand the decision of my superiors." Faced with the big hat put on him by Representative Chen, Yang Jizong's momentum inevitably weakened a little.

"If you understand, you must execute. If you don't understand, you must execute even more. Comrade Yang Jizong, although you are not a formal member of the organization, you know your identity better than anyone else." Representative Chen took the opportunity to do ideological work: "I hope you can implement the organization's decision."

Hearing Representative Chen mentioning "organization" all the time, Yang Jizong couldn't help but feel a little shaken.

He thought to himself that it had been twenty hours since he sent the telegram, but there was no response from the capital.

Is it true, as Representative Chen said, that the ship's turning was the true intention of the superiors?
Thinking of this, Yang Jizong slowly stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the turbulent and endless sea. His mood became heavier, and he murmured to himself: "Brother Aiguo, have you failed?"

When Representative Chen saw that Yang Jizong began to hesitate, he was secretly delighted. He immediately stood up and was about to ask the captain to change the course.

But as soon as he opened the door, Representative Chen bumped into a man in a gray Zhongshan suit.

"Comrade Wang, what are you in such a hurry to do?"

Secretary Wang saluted Representative Chen and said, "Report, we have just received a telegram from the capital, ordering us not to change the route and to sail the ship directly to the Tanggu operation area of ​​​​Tianjin Port."

As soon as these words were spoken, Representative Chen's face changed instantly.

He snatched the telegram from Wang's hand, stared at the contents of the telegram, and kept muttering to himself: "How is this possible? Why did he suddenly change his mind?"

Yang Jizong, who had been ready to give in, clenched his fists excitedly after seeing the telegram, and couldn't help shouting, "It must be Brother Aiguo and the others!"

After shouting, he turned and ran towards the cab, pushed open the door of the cab, and shouted to the captain: "Speed ​​up, speed up, we are going to Jincheng Port!"

The bearded captain also understood what this shipload of grain meant. The reason why he was willing to cooperate with Yang Jizong's order to delay changing the course was that he was determined to deliver the grain to the port of Tianjin.

Hearing Yang Jizong's shout, the bearded captain loudly gave an order: "Set the rudder in the current direction and go full speed ahead."

As the order was given, the heavy-duty low-speed diesel engine with a power of 17672 horsepower in the cabin instantly burst out with huge energy, and the propeller at the stern, which was more than a person tall, began to rotate rapidly.

The Amazon was like an awakened steel behemoth, breaking through the raging waves and rushing towards the direction of Tianjin Port.

At this time, Yang Jizong finally breathed a sigh of relief, he knew that he could proceed to the next step of work.

He turned around and quickly returned to the telegraph room, reporting in detail to the capital the location of the Amazon and the expected time of arrival at Tianjin Port.

Not only that, Yang Jizong also requested the relevant units in the telegram to make preparations for unloading grain in advance to save every minute and every second of precious time.

So that the Amazon cargo ship can return to the Maple Leaf Country in time to transfer the second batch of food.

After this telegram arrived in Beijing, the relevant units took quick action.

During this special period, Jincheng Port was managed by Jincheng City, and an intense preparation work surrounding grain unloading and transshipment began.

Under the leadership of the foreign trade department and the maritime department, Jincheng City quickly established a working group specifically responsible for grain unloading.

The working group is headed by Director Liu of the Port Authority of Jincheng Port, and Representative Zhang from the city serves as deputy head.

The team members include several directors of the Tianjin Port Authority, public managers of the Tianjin First Transport Company and the Second Transport Company, as well as Director Zhang of the Tianjin Railway Bureau and other relevant personnel.

The director in charge of labor work spoke first: "At present, the Amazon will arrive at the Tanggu operation area in eight days.

We have joined forces with surrounding communes to organize an unloading team of more than a thousand people to ensure that once the ship docks, the food can be unloaded as soon as possible. "

After hearing this, Representative Zhang raised his hand and asked, "We can't say anything else here, but we have a lot of people. In addition to the commune, the city can also deploy personnel here, so why are we only organizing more than a thousand people?"

Seeing that Representative Zhang did not seem to understand the actual situation of port affairs, Team Leader Liu patiently explained: "You should know that the entrances and exits of cargo ships are limited. An unloading team of more than 1,000 people is actually beyond the normal standard. If there are more people, it will not only fail to improve the unloading efficiency, but may cause all kinds of troubles."

After listening to this explanation, Representative Zhang nodded and signaled other comrades to continue speaking.

Team leader Liu continued, "Most of our port warehouses have not been vacated yet, and at least half of the 10,000 tons of grain must be transported away in a timely manner.

According to the above allocation plan, 1,500 tons of it will be sent to the granaries of grain stations around Tianjin, and then the grain stations will distribute relief grain to various communes.

The transportation of these 1,500 tons of grain will be entrusted to the First Transport Company and the Second Transport Company."

"Don't worry, we will organize a group of trucks to complete the transfer task as soon as we return." The managers of the two transportation companies nodded quickly in agreement.

Team leader Liu adjusted the frame of his glasses and looked at Director Zhang of the Jincheng Railway Branch: "According to the dispatch plan, 3,000 tons of grain need to be transported to Beijing. Our port has a railway, and this part of the transportation work will be handled by your railway department."

Hearing this, Director Zhang raised his hand and said, "Team Leader, the railways in the Tanggu Operation Area are all relatively old lines. They have not been maintained for several years. I am afraid it will be difficult to bear the weight of the grain train.

Wouldn't it be more appropriate to first transport the grain to the station by truck and then have the station transport the grain?"

After hearing this, Team Leader Zhang waved his hand and said, "We are aware of this problem, but according to the meteorological department's forecast, there will be large-scale rainfall in Tianjin in a few days.

If we use trucks for secondary transport, it will not only take time, but the food will also get damp, so your railway department will have to find a way to overcome this problem."

Director Zhang was silent for a moment, then nodded: "I will send people to survey the railway and try to ensure that the grain can be transported away by train in a timely manner."

"It's not about trying to ensure it, it's about ensuring it!" Team Leader Zhang slapped the table and stood up suddenly: "These grains are not grains, they are lives. Even if there are mountains of swords and seas of fire ahead, everyone here must rush forward, and I will be no exception!"

When the leaders present heard this, they were all shocked. They stood up and made solemn promises.

After finishing the meeting, Director Zhang did not waste any time.

Maintenance workers from the Jincheng Railway Bureau were immediately organized to inspect the railway from Jincheng Station to the Tanggu operation area of ​​Jincheng Port.

However, the results of the examination were not optimistic.

The Tanggu operation area of ​​Jincheng Port was built in 1939 and planned by the Japanese "Xingya Institute".

The Japanese regarded Tianjin as an important transportation base. The original plan was for an annual throughput capacity of 2750 million tons, which could accommodate 45 -ton ships.

Because of the huge scale of the project, the progress is relatively slow.

By 42, affected by the defeat in the war and the Pacific War, it became increasingly difficult to raise funds and supply materials. The Japanese decided to abandon most of the plans and focus on shipping.

In July of 42, the Jincheng Port was forcibly put into operation, and the Japanese began to plunder large quantities of strategic materials from the Tanggu New Port.

This section of transfer railway was a semi-finished product and was also used by the Japanese to transport supplies.

After years of rolling, some sections of the road have collapsed on both sides and some of the sleepers have broken.

After liberation, the Tianjin Port was reopened and the Ministry of Railways also had plans to repair this section of the transfer railway. However, there were so many places in the country that needed railways, so the plan was shelved.

After being placed for several years, the rails became rusty and weeds grew in the gaps between them, making driving safety difficult to ensure.

The most critical thing is that even if emergency repairs are carried out immediately, there is no guarantee that the road can be reopened to traffic smoothly.

"Director, isn't this making things difficult for us?" After learning about this, several leaders in the station felt a little depressed.

Director Zhang sighed: "It's not just us who are in trouble. To unload the grain in the wind and rain, the loaders are also taking risks. The trucks transporting the grain also have to take risks.

But if we don’t take the risk, then the people will go hungry. So we really have to take this risk this time!"

The leaders of the branch also understood that orders were as important as mountains, and they began to offer suggestions.

"It would be best to use two trains for transfer, so that each train is not fully loaded, and the transfer efficiency can be improved."

"The only way now is to use the best trains and the best train drivers to perhaps ensure smooth transportation."

"I immediately reported the situation to the ministry and requested that they dispatch trains and train drivers.

You must immediately mobilize all maintenance workers to repair that section of railway!

We will try to use five days to repair the railway as much as possible and ensure transportation safety."

After Director Zhang made up his mind, he suddenly remembered something and turned to look at the comrades at Jincheng Station: "Has Director Chen from the Jincheng Seventh Machinery Factory delivered the batch of electric hoists?"

"It has been delivered and unloaded in the cargo yard. I was just about to report it to you."

"Have someone take him to the train and take him to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot right away. Old Xing is an impatient guy and he's probably already started cursing."

"Yes!" The comrade from Jincheng Station nodded and turned to leave.

Director Zhang adjourned the meeting, then made a phone call within the department and reported the situation.

"The best train? Of course it's the freight train pulled by the Patriot locomotive, and the best train driver."

As the leader of the department spoke, he flipped through the list of train drivers and circled the name of Li Aiguo, a fifth-level train driver from the Qianmen Locomotive Depot.

(End of this chapter)