Binjiang Police Affairs
Chapter 85 - 77: The Great Patrol and Inspection

Chapter 85: Chapter 77: The Great Patrol and Inspection

Sister Zhang and her husband had barely left with Director Zhang when the instructor, Old Zhang, and Zhu Baogen came back.

Xu Sanye sent Liang Xiaoyu to the shipyard to call Captain Wang back for a meeting with all the police officers and Cooperative Defense Team members.

They were arranging work for the next half month to make final preparations for deploying along the river.

"Developing combat readiness is the top priority. Since we’re going to engage in operations after entering the Yangtze River, we need to form a combat group. I’ll be the group leader, and Salted Fish and Liang Xiaoyu will be members. We start physical training tonight."

"Morning drills were originally planned to run to Four Factory Police Station and back, but that’s all under their jurisdiction. Running around in someone else’s territory is pointless. It’s better to seize this opportunity to run along the coastline of the Yangtze River and get a measure of our jurisdiction!"

"We’ll run along the entire 45-kilometer coastline, for internal physical training and as a public display of Yanjiang Police Station’s pre-Spring Festival coastline security patrol!"

Xu Sanye gesticulated with his arms, his words ringing with determination.

You want to play Children’s Team Captain, leading two fish in drills, but we don’t have to run along...

Li Weiguo wasn’t foolish enough to object; he nodded slightly to show he had no objections.

Although Old Zhang was a few years younger than Li Weiguo, his body wasn’t as robust. Confirming that his old bones didn’t need to take part in the runs, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Han Yu had already known that training would resume upon return, so this wasn’t surprising to him.

Liang Xiaoyu thought that no matter how exhausting the training might be, it could not be more so than the training at the firefighting team, so he kept grinning foolishly.

Captain Wang knew this had nothing to do with him, so he just picked up his tea bowl and continued drinking.

Xu Sanye took a few puffs of his cigarette, then continued: "The main patrolling of the coastline will be from five to eight in the morning. Every day from nine to eleven in the morning, and from one-thirty to five in the afternoon, we’re going to conduct a major security sweep of the waterways before Spring Festival!"

There was the coastline patrol just now, and now there’s a major waterborne security inspection.

This seemed new to Han Yu, and he was puzzled.

Li Weiguo couldn’t help asking: "Director Xu, how will we conduct the waterborne security inspection?"

"It’s not just security inspection; it’s also military training."

Xu Sanye put out his cigarette, and with a smile, explained: "Once we enter the Yangtze River, we’ll inevitably need to hop between vessels and handle mooring lines. With just Captain Wang and Salted Fish, the two of them definitely won’t be enough. Baogen and Liang Xiaoyu can both steer a boat, but they haven’t been on large ships and don’t know how to handle mooring lines.

I’ve decided to form two groups. When the time comes, we will get a small boat, and let one group take it from Bailong River to hop onto the ships about to enter the lock, inspecting the credentials of the ship owners and crew while simultaneously learning how to handle mooring lines by taking advantage of their lock passing."

Handling mooring lines might seem simple, but it’s a skilled task that requires learning.

Han Yu caught on and couldn’t resist asking: "Director Xu, it’s easy to get on a ship before it leaves the lock, but there’s no dock to berth at after it leaves the lock, and those few hundred meters of waterway entering the river don’t allow for anchoring. How do we get off the ship after it leaves the lock?"

"That’s a good question."

Xu Sanye dipped his finger in the teacup and, while sketching on the table, excitedly explained: "As I said earlier about splitting into two groups, the first group will board from the Bailong River side, while team two will be ready on the 002 vessel in the river.

Once the cargo ship enters the Yangtze River, the first group will have another chance to practice hopping vessels, meaning jumping from the cargo ship onto the afterdeck of the 002.

Then, we rotate. The first group takes over 002, while the second group jumps from the river onto the ships about to pass through the lock into Bailong River and inspects them. After entering the lock, learn mooring, and then hop back onto our boat after leaving the lock."

It’s both training and inspection, and his plans really don’t waste any time...

Li Weiguo roughly understood and smiled as he asked: "Director Xu, do we have enough manpower?"

"Enough, everyone must participate in the major security inspection. I’ll assign the tasks now. Old Zhang, Captain Wang, Liang Xiaoyu, and I will form one group;

Old Li, you’ll be with Salted Fish and Baogen in the other group. This arrangement will ensure that both groups can successfully take over 002 after we enter the Yangtze River, as both Captain Wang and Salted Fish know how to pilot the boat."

"I and Old Zhang have to participate too!"

"Can’t be helped, we are Yanjiang Police Station after all. If we don’t get a feel of being on the boat, how will we enforce the law on the river later."

Xu Sanye distributed cigarettes around again and chuckled: "Don’t worry, safety will definitely be ensured. I’ve asked Zhang Lan to purchase life jackets and firefighter’s fireproof clothing, and they told me on the phone that they would be delivered this afternoon."

Li Weiguo thought to himself that if they had to board ships, so be it. It was better than early morning runs by the river.

Old Zhang already knew he’d soon be promoted to deputy director. Although the pay raise wasn’t much, becoming a deputy before retirement wasn’t bad, and he felt he should support their work.

"Furthermore, considering the complex situation on the river, we must always be ready for combat. Everyone must be fully equipped during the morning runs, and for the major waterborne security inspection, we’ll wear helmets, strap on ammo pouches and pack, and carry the 56 Assault Rifle."

Li Weiguo was startled.

Old Zhang was dumbfounded, thinking he had heard wrong.

Han Yu already knew and wasn’t surprised, he couldn’t help but smile.

Xu Sanye didn’t care about anything else, and continued to assign tasks: "Old Li, after the meeting, let’s go to the bureau together to collect weapons and ammunition. Old Zhang, you and Baogen go to the Four Factory Town Government."

Old Zhang subconsciously asked, "What are we going to the Four Factory Town Government for?"

"I asked Minister Lei, he said they have a gun cabinet there. You go find Minister Lei, then find a truck in Four Factory, and try to bring the gun cabinet back before it gets dark."

Li Weiguo realized he was serious and asked with a wry smile, "Director Xu, how many guns are you planning to take?"

"Four 56 assault rifles."

"Would the bureau agree?"

"If the bureau doesn’t agree, I’ll borrow from the Armed Forces Department. I’m the old Civilian Militia Camp Commander, Salted Fish and Liang Xiaoyu are new civilian soldiers. Don’t talk about a few 56 rifles, even machine guns and mortars I can borrow!"

This was no bragging.

He could be called an unofficial officer of the Armed Forces Department, and his relationship with the Armed Forces Department was as close as wearing the same pair of pants.

What others couldn’t borrow, he could.

What the Armed Forces Department dared not lend to others, they dared to lend to him.

While Li Weiguo didn’t know what to say, Xu Sanye turned around and said, "Salted Fish, isn’t there a lot of cabins underneath the deck of our dunship? You guys go to the shipyard later, pick a cabin to make an armory, and if it needs refitting, quickly find Manager Wu to arrange someone to do it."

Han Yu reminded, "Director Xu, Manager Wu has already arranged for Xiao Jiang to weld a gun cabinet in the crew cabin of 001."

"The gun cabinet on 001 is for 001; I’m talking about the dunship. Gun safety is no small matter; we have to keep the guns with us. When we are at the police station we have to put the guns in the station’s gun cabinet, when on the dunship we have to put them in the dunship’s armory, and when we go on other missions on the river without the need for guns, we have to put them in 001’s gun cabinet."

"Understood, I’ll go in a bit."

"And the command room on the second floor of the dunship, you have to quickly think about how to set it up. We have radios, a broadcast station, and standing there we should be able to oversee the waterway. Bailong Port Passenger Pier also has a dispatch room; if you don’t know how to set it up, you can go to Bailong Port to take a look and learn."

No need to ask, he wanted to create a command center that looked very high-end like those seen in movies and TV shows.

Han Yu also wanted a good working environment, but still reminded, "Director Xu, setting up will cost money, this is not in the budget, and our budget has already exceeded by seventy or eighty thousand."

"We’ve already exceeded by seventy or eighty thousand, so what difference does another seven or eight thousand make? Besides, a simple setup wouldn’t even need seven or eight thousand."

Xu Sanye, with a wave of his hand, was determined to keep exceeding the budget.

Just as Han Yu was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, he saw Captain Wang hesitating to speak and quickly said, "Director Xu, I almost forgot something important."

Xu Sanye stared at him and asked, "What important thing?"

"001 is refitted and ready, but to ensure it can be on duty at any time, we need to purchase some spare parts."

"This small matter, no need to tell me, list what consumable parts we need to buy!"

"Sister Zhang said we’ve exceeded the budget, making lists is useless, Master Ding won’t sign it."

"Whatever we need to buy, quickly make a list, I’ll take it to the bureau to find wall grass to get it signed."

Captain Wang took out a purchase list he had prepared earlier: "Besides spare parts, we also need engine oil, common tools, and some protective gear like gloves."

"Got it, leave it to me."

After Xu Sanye looked over the list briefly, he folded it and stuffed it into his pocket, then looked up and said, "Old Li, we mentioned the broadcast station earlier, it seems we have to make a trip to the farm first."

Li Weiguo asked puzzledly, "What are we going to the farm for?"

"Most of the sent-down youth have returned to the city, and the cadres who were sent down have left early; the farm’s broadcasting equipment is not in use. Let’s go find Farm Director Xue together and borrow their amplifier and tweeters for a few days."

"Sure, if you go, he will definitely lend them."

"That’s settled then, meeting dismissed."

Xu Sanye closed his notebook and then remembered to instruct, "Old Zhang, you need to organize physical training for Salted Fish and Xiao Yu, and the nutrition has to keep up, there has to be meat every day."

Old Zhang laughed, "No problem, the seizure forfeiture return from the bicycle theft case just came in, we have money in the account."

"Old Qian, we can’t be short on fish soup either."

"There’s plenty of fish; I’ve raised a dozen kilos of big crucian carp by the river." Old Qian, who had never had the chance or qualification to speak up, quickly got up.