Episode 9 recap: Luo Xiang Qian encountered resistance and obstacles in his experiments, but Wu Qiang, with the support of the Communist Party members, stood by Luo Xiang Qian.
Luo Xiang Qian led his soldiers to fetch water from the pond to pour on the roadbed. Sha Kai checked the progress every two hours, but the results did not meet the standards for laying tracks. He suggested that Luo Xiang Qian give up early, but Luo Xiang Qian did not want to give up. He tried several methods in his experiments and finally found that adding stones to the roadbed could improve stability. Unable to resist Luo Xiang Qian's persistence, Wu Qiang agreed to let a squad of soldiers conduct the experiment. Luo Xiang Qian mobilized the soldiers of the Tiger Platoon to mix stones into the soil to increase the hardness of the roadbed. Zhang Biao suggested that a technician should come and see if it was feasible, but when Sha Kai arrived, he rejected Luo Xiang Qian's idea, citing high costs.
Nevertheless, Luo Xiang Qian insisted on trying. The exploration team continued its arduous work, and the data they collected and researched had been reported to the bureau, receiving high praise from experts and leaders. Everyone felt that Tian Jianguo had made a significant contribution. After the incident at Sun's ancestral grave, in order to protect the safety of the exploration team, a squad of soldiers was specially assigned to escort them. With the help of these soldiers, their exploration speed increased significantly.
However, the spies had already been keeping an eye on the exploration team. Due to the dense villages in the plains, with each village having its own militia organization, they dared not take action. They only secretly tracked the exploration team and planned to cause damage when they reached the mountains. Luo Xiang Qian and the soldiers added gravel to the roadbed to increase its hardness, hoping to meet the standards for laying tracks.
Sha Kai came to the site for testing, but the results still did not meet the standards for laying tracks. Luo Xiang Qian's efforts were in vain again, but he was not quick to admit failure. He became obsessed with experimenting every day, and as a result, he accidentally fell into a pit while being mentally absent. Sha Kai mocked him for not giving up his stubbornness, but Luo Xiang Qian retorted.
Wu Qiang advised Luo Xiang Qian not to be stubborn, but Luo Xiang Qian was determined and refused to turn back. Sha Kai ridiculed him, calling him an ignorant brute. Luo Xiang Qian took the signal soldier Wu Zhi to the health center to have his back examined. On the way, he saw villagers laying foundations and building houses. The villagers directly compacted the foundations and built houses on them. This inspired Luo Xiang Qian, and he decided to do the same.
When Sha Kai learned of his idea, he strongly opposed it, believing that building houses and laying railroad tracks were not comparable. However, Luo Xiang Qian believed that without trying, how would they know if it wouldn't work? So, he divided the soldiers into groups of four and started compacting the roadbed.
The repeated failures made the soldiers doubt themselves, but Luo Xiang Qian encouraged them not to fear failure. He reminded them that even in warfare, not all mountain assaults end in victory. He urged everyone to stay motivated and overcome the challenges.
To boost morale, Luo Xiang Qian led the way in chanting slogans, and the construction site became lively. However, the signal soldier Wu Zhi suddenly collapsed and fell to the ground, causing panic among everyone. Zhang Biao quickly carried him to the medical room. After a diagnosis from Dr. Yu, it was determined that Wu Zhi had suffered from heatstroke. Dr. Yu advised Zhang Biao that the soldiers were not getting enough nutrition and that Luo Xiang Qian should properly manage their workload to prevent exhaustion and delays.
Sha Kai conducted tests on the experimental site and found that the stability and strength of the road surface had improved, but it still did not meet the standards. Seeing the exhausted soldiers, Luo Xiang Qian suddenly felt discouraged and told them to rest. It was late when Luo Xiang Qian arrived at the mess hall for dinner. He saw the old squad leader making porridge for the sick soldiers layer by layer, which gave him an idea. He thought that using a layered compaction method might solve the problem.
In the early morning, Wu Qiang found Luo Xiang Qian leaning against a pillar, asleep, realizing that he hadn't slept all night. Luo Xiang Qian shared his idea with Wu Qiang, who strongly opposed it. Zhang Biao also expressed disagreement, stating that the soldiers were already too tired.
Luo Xiang Qian requested support from Wu Qiang and said that he would mobilize the Communist Party members to conduct small-scale experiments at night. They gathered the Communist Party members from the company, and Luo Xiang Qian explained how the successful experiment would significantly improve the construction progress of the Chengdu-Chongqing Railway, benefiting the people of Sichuan ahead of schedule.
Wu Qiang called for everyone to cooperate with Luo Xiang Qian's work and lead by example in supporting him. Luo Xiang Qian, Wu Qiang, and the Communist Party members worked tirelessly throughout the night. They worked continuously for a week and finally completed the road reinforcement work. Early in the morning, Wu Qiang and Luo Xiang Qian went to find Sha Kai for testing, but the results still did not meet the requirements.
Unable to bear it any longer, Zhang Biao openly expressed his opposition to Luo Xiang Qian.
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