"Director Zhou," Huang Chao called the director of the Lianzhou Prefecture Office, "you immediately call a boat and send a squad of the National Army to escort Pinda to Yangshan to take office early tomorrow morning."
Zhou Liangchen secretly wondered: He heard the news yesterday that the Australians suffered a defeat in Yangshan, and even the county magistrate almost died. It was expected that a new official should be appointed urgently - he once felt that he was very hopeful this time. Unexpectedly, at this critical moment, Chief Huang actually appointed a female county magistrate. No matter what, she was still a Liman! This Australian is very eclectic in employing people!
Although Zhou Liangchen said "no" in his heart, he still understood in his mind. Although Panda is a female and a Liman, she is an "old naturalized citizen" brought by the chiefs from Qiongzhou, and is on the same level as Wang Chuyi and Fu Debang. Naturally, his status in the mind of the chief was not comparable to that of a newcomer like himself.
So he immediately adjusted his position and said: "The boat is easy. There will be a supply fleet going to Yangshan tomorrow. Just ask Magistrate Pi to go with the fleet. Should the guards follow them all the way or come back after escorting them?" "
"Of course I'll come back when I get there. What I'm short of right now are soldiers..." Huang Chao grabbed his hair: Although Fanda had received the mission, he was actually a bare commander - he had nothing on hand at the moment.
"There are a few servants beside me, all of whom are very brave." Zhou Liangchen whispered, "Let us send them to accompany Magistrate Pi. Although they are not allowed to go to the battlefield, they can accompany them to protect them and they can drive them around."
As soon as he said this, Huang Chao remembered that Zhou Liangchen did have a dozen servants around him, all of whom he brought from his hometown. His skills are pretty good - when Zhou Liangchen led his men to suppress bandits not long ago, although his servants all used spears and waist knives, their performance was much better than that of the Lianzhou National Army, which had recently been reorganized from the Ming Army's demoted soldiers.
"Okay, you pick four people to follow Magistrate Pi." Huang Chao nodded.
Early the next morning, Pinda set out with four "guards". The ship that Pinda boarded was one of the joint logistics supply fleet. Originally, the convoy captain wanted her to take a tugboat. Although the tugboat was noisy, it had strong firepower and armor, so the safety factor was relatively high. She declined: the sound of the tugboat machinery made it difficult for her to calm down, and the noise of the machinery made her head hurt. The smell of soot and lubricating oil always made her nauseous. She had been living with the Australians for almost five years. But I still can't adapt to these machines.
The boat she chose was one in the middle of the tug fleet, and the cargo was about grain. Although a temporary bunk was arranged for her in the cargo hold, she could rest and sleep there. However, Pinda didn't like the short and stuffy cabin. She would rather sit in the "watchtower" at the stern of the ship - a small steel plate shelter that could only accommodate two people and could withstand enemy cannons and arrows. The view is very good.
Accompanied by the roar of the tugboats, the fleet slowly sailed on the river, with the blue morning star flag fluttering at the stern of each ship. The mountains and rivers on both sides of the strait stretch endlessly, with mountains connecting mountains as far as the eye can see. The forests on the mountains are lush and green, and the valleys between the mountains are dotted with green paddy fields and cottages. The Beijiang River meanders through these mountains and valleys.
In northern Guangdong in July, the sun was already scorching hot, and every part of the steel watchtower was hot to the touch. Fenda didn't take it seriously - she had also experienced days that were much hotter than this - in order to appease the living creatures in Limu Mountain and Taiwan, she followed the work team deep into the airtight primeval jungle, underground. It was a shrub entangled with vines, making it difficult to move even an inch. Although the sunlight above the head was only reflected in dots, the jungle was airtight and so hot that it was difficult to breathe. Although the steel plate on the head is hot at the moment, the watchtower is well ventilated from all sides, and the cool breeze blows from the river from time to time, which makes people feel refreshed physically and mentally.
The scenery on the river is endless, even in the hot summer, it can make people feel relaxed. However, Pinda's mood was very complicated. Although her mood was not one of depression, it still made her irritable.
The source of the trouble is this "appointment". She has never been willing to "be an official", let alone take on such a heavy responsibility. She is always willing to work hard to complete the tasks assigned to her by her boss. However this is only limited to simple tasks. Whether she is asked to talk to people, to mobilize the masses... No matter what she is asked to do, work is a kind of fun for her, and it is a good way for her to forget her hometown and kill time. However, she has never been willing to "be an official", even a "team leader" or "captain". When she was alone, she felt that she was not afraid of anything. Whether she was right or wrong, it was all her personal business. But after becoming an "officer", it is no longer her business alone, but the business of the entire team and the entire department - she can only do it well and do it right.
A few years ago, she went to participate in grassroots cadre training. Dong Weiwei, who was in charge of the training, asked her very puzzledly why she resisted promotion and responsible work, and only wanted to be a basic clerk. Pinda hesitated again and again and said:
"Chiefs have said it more than once: With great power comes great responsibility. I cannot bear this responsibility."
"Why can't you afford it? You are no longer the same person as you were in the past." Dong Weiwei persuaded her with sincerity - Fuda is not only a commoner but also a woman. Although she is not "ignorant", she is a genuine "girl", just This identity and background made Du Wen include Finda in the list of "key training". And her practical work ability is also good. She has participated in almost all the "Li Miao work" in Hainan Island. As the work team went deep into the Li Mu Mountain, she went to work with Li Miao people who were familiar with them and rarely interacted with them. A lot of meticulous and hard work was done. It can be called an outstanding performance.
"If I make a mistake, it's not my fault alone. I have to bring trouble to everyone." Pinda said.
"How can people not make mistakes? As long as the starting point is good, everyone can forgive them if they make mistakes..."
"If you make some mistakes, you will be ruined for life. How can you be forgiven?" Finda lowered her head. She was falsely accused of being a forbidden mother and almost lost her life. Although she escaped with the help of the elders, she became a wanderer in a foreign land. Although the leaders treated her well and her comrades all cared about her, the grievances deep in her heart always haunted her: What did I know? You haven’t made any mistakes, so why are you wandering around?
"It's because you are an upright person. The more such a person is, the more responsibility he has to take! Only in this way can everyone be protected to the maximum extent." Dong Weiwei patted her on the shoulder, "The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility. .”
At this moment, she thought of this sentence again and chewed it over and over again.
With great ability comes greater responsibility. Do I really have such great abilities? She asked herself, feeling very scared. The largest place she has ever been responsible for independently was an immigrant village in Jeju. Now an entire county has been handed over to her, and she has no room for mistakes...
Her heart felt heavy at the thought. Then he took out the crumpled "Compilation of Basic Situations of Yangshan". She had read this slim booklet several times last night and read and reread the latest Intelligence Brief. She originally had poor Chinese reading skills, and it was quite difficult to understand. However, after reading the general situation several times, she understood what kind of situation she was about to take over.
It was the second day that the fleet arrived at the Yangshan County Pier. The entire terminal was heavily guarded, with walls built with sandbags and watchtowers erected around it. Trenches were dug outside. The White Horse soldiers escorting the field hospital were armed with live ammunition, and the atmosphere was very tense. Luo Yiming had already received the news that the acting county magistrate was coming, and was waiting anxiously at the dock. However, he was disappointed when he found out that the person who came was a young woman. He thought it was a female cadre who came.
"What? The new county magistrate didn't come?"
"I am the new acting county magistrate, Pinda," she said.
"What, you are the new county magistrate?!" Luo Yiming is an old naturalized citizen who has seen many female cadres. He is not a "newcomer" who would make a fuss when seeing female cadres. But the new county magistrate in front of him is only twenty-three or four years old at best. Although her expression is calm and sophisticated, the green color on the whites of her eyes has not faded, and there are still many messy short hairs on the temples - she is truly a "yellow-haired girl"!
"Yes, I am." Pinda nodded and said, "Are you Comrade Luo Yiming, the chief of the Public Security Section of Yangshan? This is my letter of appointment."
"Yes, yes, I am." Luo Yiming could hardly close his mouth. Is Director Huang crazy or can't find anyone? Why did you get a girl to be the county magistrate? ! Although the Senate attaches great importance to the selection and appointment of women cadres, women cadres do not play an important role in the bureaucracy of the Senate. Except for some business departments, most female cadres have low-level positions, and they rarely serve as county-level administrative leaders. In fact, even in the Senate, female senators have not held any local county magistrate positions.
The situation in Yangshan is extremely critical, and Director Huang actually comes out like this! Luo Yiming's forehead was sweating, and he couldn't help but mutter in a low voice: "Come on!"
These words were spoken in Luo Yiming's hometown dialect, so of course Finda couldn't understand it, but the "disapproval" on the other person's face already made her understand: she was not the person he was waiting for.
"Let's go," said Pinda, "I guess there's a lot of work waiting for us to do."
No matter how dissatisfied Luo Yiming is, he can't change the situation for a while. Besides, there is no room for him to raise any more opinions now. In this case, it is nothing more than taking on more work and supporting the situation for the time being.
"I have arranged a place to stay. If you have been tired all the way, go take a shower and rest. After lunch, I will convene a meeting with the county cadres."
"I already had a rest last night." Pinda said, "Let's walk around Yangshan County first, and you can introduce the situation to me on the way."
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Next update: Volume 7 - Guangzhou Governance Chapter 440
