Courtyard Houses: From Bronze Compasses to Global Reach

Chapter 365 Fighting Against Fate

Meanwhile, in Tangshan.

On the 21st, an unusual atmosphere began to permeate the city during the day.

First, officials from the municipal party committee and government were urgently recalled, and various meetings were held in a somber atmosphere.

Then, the neighborhood committee staff received an urgent notice from above and began to go door-to-door to "promote earthquake preparedness knowledge." Their tone was more serious than ever before, and they asked everyone to "clear the clutter in the stairwells, plan escape routes, and prepare flashlights, dry food, and water."

The radio began repeatedly broadcasting basic earthquake emergency procedures, reminding citizens to remain vigilant. Some factories received instructions to reduce their stockpiles of hazardous materials and inspect their equipment. Although schools did not explicitly announce closures, teachers were instructed to strengthen safety education for students.

News of the earthquake spread like wildfire, penetrating every nook and cranny, stirring the nerves of ordinary people.

In Xiaoshan Subdistrict, Lunan District, an elderly worker named Zhao Dazhu squatted at the door of his bungalow, puffing on his pipe as he listened to the radio broadcast from his neighbor, his brow furrowed.

He had experienced some minor earthquakes in his early years and had an instinctive awe of earthquakes. "Honey," he called into the house, "find a cloth and wrap up our thick quilt and the few pounds of flour we saved up for the New Year, and put them somewhere easy to reach."

His wife came out of the house, her hands still covered in flour: "What's wrong? Is there really going to be an earthquake? Didn't the radio warn us to be careful?"

"Just get ready! Don't panic," Zhao Dazhu said in a muffled voice. "This time, it seems like the higher-ups are serious. Didn't you see the look on Director Wang's face at the neighborhood committee? It looked like they were going to war."

Kailuan Coal Mine, workers' dormitory area. Young miner Li Jianguo had just come up from underground when he heard his coworkers gathered together, discussing something.

"Did you hear? There might be an earthquake. We should all get ready to run!"

"Nonsense! We've been here for so many years, what major earthquake could there be? It's probably just the higher-ups messing things up."

"Exactly, with so many people, where are they going? Is the mine even producing coal anymore?"

Li Jianguo didn't speak. He remembered hearing a low rumbling sound a few nights ago, which he initially thought was a train in the distance. He silently walked back to his dormitory and carefully packed his newly bought "Plum Blossom" watch, which he had saved up for several months, and a few nice clothes into a canvas bag.

Some disagreed.

In a state-run restaurant in Lubei District, several middle-aged men were drinking, and the conversation naturally turned to the recent "rumors".

"Don't believe everything you hear! Tangshan is a blessed place, what major disaster could possibly happen here?"

"I think it's just some people trying to stir up trouble, showing off their abilities. They're just making a scene for the common people!"

"Yes, eat and drink as you please! If anything really happens, there's always someone tall enough to hold the sky up!"

The waiter came over to refill their water, whispering a reminder: "Gentlemen, please drink less. We've been told to be careful lately..."

"Go away, what does a little brat know!" A man with a red face and thick neck waved his hand.

Those who believed had already begun quietly packing their belongings, instructing their families, and inquiring about the news. Those who didn't believe continued to go to work, buy groceries, and chat as usual, treating various notices and rumors as topics of conversation or even jokes. Panic, like oil slicks on water, began to spread and accumulate unevenly, intertwining with inertia, doubt, and numbness, making the atmosphere of the entire city strange and tense.

July 22, cloudy

Beijing's decision-making is accelerating. The "Central Earthquake Relief Leading Group," headed by a vice-premier, has been formally established to oversee and direct the disaster relief efforts.

Nationwide orders for the allocation of supplies were issued. The General Staff of the People's Liberation Army, the Ministry of Railways, the Ministry of Communications, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Health, and other agencies entered a state of emergency.

The Hebei Provincial Command Center began operating beyond its capacity under immense pressure. Temporary resettlement sites were hastily selected—open spaces on the outskirts of the city, school playgrounds, parks, and even freshly harvested farmland.

Countless telegrams and phone calls were sent to surrounding provinces and cities, requesting aid in the form of tents, food, and medicine. Orders to requisition civilian vehicles were being drafted, and the railway department began to rearrange train schedules in preparation for setting up "evacuation special trains."

The army's transport and motor transport regiments began to assemble, with the vanguard carrying some supplies and engineering equipment, and advancing towards the designated assembly point on the outskirts of Tangshan.

The expert team's monitoring continued, but the data remained ambiguous. However, a strong sense of unease continued to fester among the top brass of the command center. Li Moran and Zhao Qinian worked almost non-stop, their eyes bloodshot and their voices completely hoarse. They knew that with every hour that passed, they were one hour closer to that unknown "Xth day," and the massive machine that was evacuating millions of people had only just begun to turn a few gears into operation.

In Tangshan, mobilization efforts at the grassroots level are intensifying. Street offices and factories are holding more explicit "earthquake preparedness meetings," though they still don't directly say "a major earthquake is coming, run!" but the requirement to "be prepared for emergency evacuation at any time" is repeatedly emphasized. Some organizations are organizing employees' families to sign "emergency contact forms," ​​registering the addresses of family members and relatives outside the city they can rely on. Primary and secondary schools have received preliminary notices to prepare for early holidays or organize "outdoor summer camps."

More people believed, and their actions became more concrete. A small number of people lined up at banks and savings offices to withdraw money. Sales of items such as flashlights, batteries, canned goods, and biscuits increased significantly in department stores. Bicycle repair shops were busy, with many people coming to check their bikes and inflate their tires. On the main roads leading out of the city, bicycles, rickshaws, and even people carrying bundles began to appear sporadically on the 23rd.

However, some factory leaders are worried about production targets and are reluctant to mobilize workers' families to prepare.

Some grassroots officials were skeptical of such a large-scale mobilization and carried out the orders with less leeway. Among ordinary citizens, there are quite a few who believe that "if the sky falls, everyone will die" and "fate is determined by heaven," especially some elderly people who are reluctant to leave their hometowns and are full of resistance to leaving home.

Time ticked by as preparations progressed, bringing us closer to July 28th.

The atmosphere in the command center was extremely tense. The evacuation net had been set up, all factories and mines had stopped operating, and residents of Tangshan were not allowed to spend the night in buildings and were all placed in open areas. However, no one knew whether enough people could be evacuated from danger before the unknown disaster struck.

Every minute and every second was filled with torment and uncertainty.