Binjiang Police Affairs
Chapter 87 - 79: The Four Youngest

Chapter 87: Chapter 79: The Four Youngest

Reporter Wang is boarding the ship, Master Ding can’t just sit in the office waiting, he also needs a life vest on, hurriedly rushing over to the shipyard’s small dock with Li Weiguo.

Yanjiang Police Station is most in need of mechanical engineers and sailors, Captain Wang has been training Zhu Baogen these days. Now they need to prepare the boat (heat the ship), which provides a perfect practical teaching opportunity.

"Do you see that, first open the sea valve, then the fuel valve, there’s another one here."

"Supply the generator with power, it’s 24 volts, don’t be afraid, it won’t electrocute you."

"Start the generator; engage the distribution board’s circuit breaker!"

The auxiliary engine started turning, the generator began operating, and the entire engine room lit up.

Captain Wang ran over to press a button and shouted, "Start the air compressor to pump air."

Zhu Baogen tried hard to remember the sequence, holding on to a pipe and asked, "What next?"

"Wait, at least ten minutes of airing!"

Captain Wang glanced at his watch and climbed out of the engine room.

The task is an extremely urgent rescue mission; he can’t afford to greet Master Ding, Li Weiguo, and Reporter Wang who had just come aboard, and those he had never seen before. Pulling open a door, he entered the control cabin, turned on the broadcast power, raised the handset, and shouted, "Director Liu, Director Liu, I’m Wang Dalong, hurry to the storage room and get me a diesel engine crank handle!"

The second-floor pilot house was equipped with a loudspeaker, not only could the shipyard’s managers and workers hear it, but also the boat owners and workers waiting on the river to pass through the locks.

Director Liu ran out from a workshop, glanced over at 001, and quickly ran towards another workshop.

Li Weiguo, accompanying Master Ding and Reporter Wang into the control room, asked perplexedly, "Captain Wang, does the main engine of 001 also need to be started with a crank handle?"

"Our main engine doesn’t need one; it’s the runaway ship that might."

On land, they are leaders; on a ship, they must all stand aside.

Captain Wang finds them in the way, puts down the handset, squeezes out of the control room, puts on gloves and runs to the stern, making the most of his time to check the towing cables.

Reporter Wang has been on passenger ships, ferries, and motor ferries, but has never been on a tug that looks like a small warship; he’s curious about everything.

Just as he was about to climb up to the second floor pilot house, he saw an old man and a young man dressed in blue cotton coats, riding bicycles hastily to the dock.

"Captain Wang... Commander Li is also here."

"Master Zhou, what’s the matter?"

"Director Xu called our general dispatch, instructing us to use 002 to join the rescue and be responsible for vigilance."

The two in front of him were workers from the ship lock management office; the older Master Zhou was a boat operator, except what he operated was the ship lock’s small traffic boat.

He participated in the study of the fire drill plan a while ago, and these few days during the major security check on the waterway, they borrowed their small boat for the Bailong River area.

In two days they needed a boat on standby during the towing test for safeguarding, now, conducting rescue on the more complex river surface, vigilance is even more necessary.

Li Weiguo couldn’t afford to waste time, hurriedly said, "I’ll call Captain Wang for you, he has the keys."

While Master Zhou locked his bicycle, he said with a smile, "Then we won’t board 001."

After Captain Wang got the full picture, he ran into the control room, found two keys and threw them to them, and then turned back to say, "Commander Li, you won’t be needing your walkie-talkie for now. Give it to Master Zhou."

What if Xu Sanye and the two ’fishes’ fall into the water?

Li Weiguo felt uneasy after thinking about it, so he simply leaped off the ship: "Master Zhou, I’ll board 002 with you. Master Ding, Reporter Wang, I’ll go keep an eye on 002 and can’t accompany you."

"Alright, you do your thing, don’t mind us."

As soon as Master Ding finished speaking, Captain Wang ran into the engine room and shouted, "Baogen, start the main engine oil pump, the valve on your left-hand side."

"Right, immediately."

"Start the main engine!"

...

The main engine started; the noise was louder than the generator, thunderous and deafening.

Reporter Wang was curious about all this and stood at the doorway of the engine cabin looking in.

"Switch the main engine control to the pilot house."

Captain Wang pressed a red button and shouted with a strained voice, "From now on, don’t touch anything, watch out for fuel lines, valves, and electrical wiring. If you see any oil or water leaks, or sparks anywhere, let me know immediately."

Zhu Baogen answered anxiously, "Understood!"

Just as he was captivated by the sight, an old man came running over with a crank handle and called out to Captain Wang from the dock. Master Ding hurriedly went over to take the crank handle and greet the man.

had already started and was slowly moving out of the small dock.

Not sure if Master Zhou rarely got the chance to drive a police law enforcement boat, or if Li Weiguo had instructed him, but he turned on the siren, activated the police lights, and used the boat’s speaker to address the impatient waiting boats.

He informed the boats waiting to pass through the locks that there was an emergency on the river and that law enforcement boats had priority, asking the others to wait patiently.

One big and one small police law enforcement boats were deployed, it was almost like watching a movie!

Reporter Wang hastily opened his camera case and began snapping photos.

While busy focusing and pressing the shutter, Xu Sanye arrived at the small dock driving a riverside three-wheeler.

He and the two ’fishes’ were wearing steel helmets, ammunition pouch belts, and carrying 56 assault rifles; they looked like the local police, yet as if they were the Armed Police, startling Master Ding.

Reporter Wang hadn’t expected to witness this scene and subconsciously lifted his camera to keep pressing the shutter.

Xu Sanye didn’t have time to greet them, climbing aboard the ship he asked urgently, "Captain Wang, are we ready, when can we set sail?"

"Five more minutes."

"Salted Fish, I’ll go back first to grab a life jacket; you lock guns and ammunition in the gun cabinet and hurry to start the radio to contact Old Liu."

Xu Sanye removed the 56 Assault Rifle, unfastened the ammunition carrier, and handed it over to Salted Fish, who had just gotten off the car, then once again mounted the motorcycle.

Han Yu quickly hugged the gun, leading Liang Xiaoyu onto the boat, and headed straight for the command center.

Professionals do what they are best at.

Master Ding, knowing he could not provide any help at the moment and not wanting to add to his subordinate’s troubles, saw Reporter Wang’s astonished face and started to introduce with a smile.

"Reporter Wang, Salted Fish is the youngest officer of our Linghai Police Bureau, only sixteen years old this year, a junior college graduate from the Binjiang Shipping School."

"Only sixteen years old, wow, so young."

"Actually, Yanjiang Police Station has the four ’youngests.’ First of all, the Yanjiang Police Station was just established this year, making it the youngest branch of our Linghai Police Bureau."

Master Ding smiled and explained animatedly, "Director Xu Sanye, who is forty-two this year, is the youngest police station chief in our Police Bureau.

I’ve already mentioned Salted Fish, the youngest officer. The kid who went in with Salted Fish just now is called Liang Xiaoyu, and he’s the youngest member of our Cooperative Defense Team!"

Nowadays, leaders like to summarize all sorts of "firsts" or various "mosts"...

Reporter Wang, who specializes in press supervision and deals with government departments almost daily, was not so interested in this "four youngest." She asked with a smile, "Master Ding, do your police cooperative defense team members also carry guns?"

Yes, Xu Sanye went too far, how could he let a defense team member carry a gun!

Master Ding didn’t know how to explain for a moment, but Captain Wang, who was busy at the stern, heard everything clearly and turned around to say:

"Leader, Xiao Yu is a Civilian Soldier; he has just completed militia training, has practiced shooting, holds a certified training qualification, and has been awarded by the Armed Forces Department as an advanced individual in training."

"So, he’s a Civilian Soldier."

Reporter Wang suddenly understood and nodded slightly.

"He is both a Civilian Soldier and a member of the Cooperative Defense Team."

Master Ding smiled and echoed, but thought to himself that he must talk to Xu Sanye later about how firearm safety is no trivial matter and that such actions should not be taken.

Han Yu locked the gun and climbed from the crew’s cabin up to the command center.

Following the tug test plan previously prepared, Liang Xiaoyu put on gloves and ran to the stern to assist Captain Wang.

Master Ding accompanied Reporter Wang into the command center and saw Han Yu calling out over the radio.

"Police 001 calling Bai Gang Communication 005, please respond, please respond."

"Bai Gang Communication has received, 001 please go ahead!"

"Bai Gang Communication 005, can you report your current location?"

"Police 001 Police 001, we have just reached buoy number 38 and can see the out-of-control vessel."

"What’s the situation now?"

Han Yu took up the work log, asking and recording simultaneously.

Master Ding and Reporter Wang held their breath and focused, not wanting to disturb his work, only to hear someone shouting over the radio: "We’ve circled it and found no one on board, no mooring facilities at the bow or stern, just drifting along the current and the wake of passing vessels."

"Can you board it?"

"The wind’s strong on the river, and our boat is small, we dare not approach too closely."

"How strong is the wind on the river?"

"Northwest wind, force three to four."

Force three to four, big trouble.

Han Yu steadied his nerves and asked further, "Have you contacted Port Supervision?"

"We have. Supervision boat 39 is near Liuhe Port’s waters. Although it’s closest to us, it’ll probably take two hours to get here."

There was a pause on the radio, and then came an anxious voice: "Port Supervision reports that around 3:30 this morning, a collision occurred in the waters near Zhangjia Port. A fleet from the Jiangnan Shipping Company was struck by an out-of-control ship. Supervision boats 36 and 39 are directing emergency-towed tugboats to rescue the barges that ran aground after being hit."

Han Yu asked, "Is there a possibility that this is the same out-of-control ship?"

"It should be, they’re also looking for it."

"What do we do now?"

"They only have a few supervision boats; even if they come over, we’ll still need to find a way to call in tugboats. We’ve reported the situation here, and they’re asking us to stay on guard and alert passing vessels to avoid it."

"It looks like we can only rely on ourselves now. Please continue to monitor the situation; we’ll arrive in about forty minutes."

"Received, thank you for your effort."

"It’s our duty; please ensure your safety."

"Received, over."

The situation was roughly clear now; the vessel adrift in the river was not just out of control but likely to be the culprit in an accident!

Seeing Han Yu finish the call, Master Ding asked in confusion, "Salted Fish, why did Port Supervision’s law enforcement boat go to Liuhe Port? They’re neglecting their own jurisdiction’s traffic safety to do what in someone else’s area?"

Han Yu quickly finished the entry and stood up to explain, "Master Ding, Binjiang Port Supervision Bureau isn’t a law enforcement agency for Binjiang City. They report to the Yangtze River Port Supervision Bureau, which is responsible for the entire Yangtze River Shipping.

They are not only in charge of the Binjiang section but also responsible for the ninety-six-kilometer stretch of the Yangtze from Xu Liujiang at the Yangtze River estuary to the Old Sea Dam near Zhangjia Port, as well as the fifty-kilometer tributary waters near Linghai and Dongqi."

"A vertical management system?"

"They belong to the Ministry of Transport’s Port Supervision; the same seems true for Fishery Administration, as they also have Fishery Stations near Liuhe Port."

With so few people and boats to deal with so much and such a long stretch of water, how could they manage it well...

As Master Ding was muttering to himself, Xu Sanye returned. They only heard him shout from outside, "Salted Fish, have the traffic boats from Bailong Port seen the out-of-control ship? Has there been any news from Port Supervision?"