Chapter 35: Mistakes

At 9 a.m. on December 17, the press conference at the Zhongjiang People's Hotel.

Zhongjiang City Propaganda Minister Zhang Jie informed domestic and foreign reporters with a heavy face that the losses after Yangjia Village was attacked by a group of rats:

27 people died and 38 people seriously injured

Cattle: 15

Chicken: 134

Dogs: 9

Nearly half of the residents of Yangjia Village were injured or killed, and all the livestock were almost wiped out by the rat group, let alone crops such as grain, vegetables, etc. It can be imagined that these have become food for the rat group. The surviving villagers in Yangjia Village are now all extremely poor people, with only clothes for their own, waiting for government relief.

After a brief silence, the reporter began to ask questions freely. At the beginning, it was a domestic reporter who asked questions. It was obvious that the questions of domestic reporters were all formulaic, and Zhang Jie could hardly use some familiar clichés to deal with them easily.

Next is a question from a foreign reporter.

The first person allowed to ask a question was a reporter from the British Times.

"Minister Zhang, as early as last month, there were many rat groups attacking humans in the mountainous areas. The number of human deaths has exceeded 2,000. After the tragic tragedy, why didn't the Zhongjiang Municipal Government transfer the residents of mountain villages from dangerous mountainous areas to avoid similar disasters again?"

Under countless spotlights, Zhang Jie's face was a little flushed. He was a local official in his 40s. As the propaganda minister of Zhongjiang City, he was better at following the central government's public opinion orientation to control local media in accordance with the central government's mentality. When facing the public relations handling of emergencies, he was still very awkward. At least, the sharp questions from foreign journalists made him uncomfortable. Originally, press conferences of this level should be chaired by the main leaders of the Rat Prevention Command Center - at least the main leaders of the municipal government should be headed. However, now senior members of the command center, including the acting mayor of Zhongjiang City, are holding an emergency secret meeting, so the publication of external information falls on this inexperienced local official.

"Well, this... After the 73rd train subversion tragedy, we have also studied the mandatory refuge plan for mountain residents. However, there are hundreds of villages and towns in the mountains. If mandatory refuge is carried out, it will be a huge systematic project. Such a huge project cannot be implemented in a short time."

"Can I understand this way," British journalist aggressively: "Because the government's administrative agency is too inefficient, the tragedy of 27 people was attacked by a group of rats in Yangjia Village?"

Sweat immediately appeared on Zhang Jie's forehead. When he was nervous, he subconsciously said: "It's not a problem of our work efficiency, but mainly a problem of funding. It involves a huge budget to organize hundreds of thousands of residents to take refuge. Such a large budget cannot be borne by Zhongjiang City's finance. We are applying to the central government and ask the central government to provide us with financial support."

The reporter group in the audience made a small commotion. All the domestic reporters present opened their mouths in surprise - why is this Zhongjiang City news official so stupid? The wording on such a sensitive issue is full of loopholes. Foreign reporters have to pick on the bones in the eggs for no reason, let alone you teach people how to handle it!

really.

The British reporter didn't give Zhang Jie any room to think, and immediately forced him up again:

"Minister Zhang, do you mean that the government will not consider mandating mountain residents to take refuge before the funding is insufficient or the central government has not approved financial support?"

"This... I don't mean that," Zhang Jie was a little panicked. He had realized that he had made a big mistake, but he could only stutter in a hurry: "We have been studying the route of the mountain rat group's action. Only by mastering the movements of the rat group can we formulate targeted measures... We also organized mountain villages and towns to strengthen defense, and organized powerful rescue forces to carry out all-round rescue in villages and towns that were attacked by the rat group at any time..."

Zhang Jieyu talked incoherently for a long time and finally sent the British reporter down. What he didn't know was that the mistake he had just made was enough to cause a storm in major media in the world tomorrow!

The second one who was allowed to ask a question was a reporter from Japan's Asahi Shimbun.

"Minister Zhang, recently several villages and towns in Zhongjiang City have been blocked by the army, and all villagers are not allowed to go out. What is the reason?"

Zhang Jie was shocked. These foreign journalists had a very good nose. It was only a few days before blocking Anchang Town and other 8 villages and towns. They actually smelled the smell so quickly! With the lesson I just learned, Zhang Jie's answer became cautious this time:

"Because we have to guard against the impact of rat groups on the city, we have mobilized a considerable number of troops to lay out defense lines on the edge of mountainous areas. It is normal for a few villages and towns to be blocked by the army. It may be a temporary measure for the army to lay out defense lines."

The Japanese reporter smiled slightly and was not entangled in this issue. He stared at Zhang Jie and suddenly threw a heavy pound bomb:

"Minister Zhang, according to your introduction, the mountainous rat population has grown to a huge scale of billions. Will a plague break out of such a huge rat population?"

The venue suddenly became quiet and everyone held their breath.

Zhang Jie held the microphone and his hand trembled slightly. He pondered for a moment and said in a word: "So far, we have not found any signs of a plague outbreak. After all, the plague has been extinct in our country for decades, and our country has a complete quarantine system. Without pathogens - it is impossible to break out of plague."

It should be said that Zhang Jie's answer this time was quite appropriate, which not only denied the possibility of a plague outbreak, but also left room for words. However, these room - if it weren't for those who knew the inside story, there would be no loopholes.

The Japanese reporter did not give up, and he continued to ask:

"Yesterday, I noticed that a hotel on Renmin Road in this city was blocked by the army. No one in the blockade area could go out, and even people outside were prohibited from entering the blockade area. I also noticed that medical personnel were wearing protective clothing to enter the blockade area for disinfection tasks. This phenomenon can only make me have an association - some kind of severe infectious disease appeared in the blockade area. May I ask, is my guess correct? If it is correct, what is this infectious disease?"

The venue became quiet again, and countless spotlights were aimed at Zhang Jie.

Zhang Jie swallowed hard, and he slowly picked up the microphone and said slowly:

"The medical experts involved are currently verifying this matter and there is no way to tell me."

A buzzing noise sounded in the venue, and a Japanese reporter smiled faintly and said, "Minister Zhang, I want to remind you that your country enacted the Information Law five years ago. It is illegal for government officials to conceal information that may cause public harm. Moreover, concealing major infectious disease information will cause a very bad international impact. Unfortunately, your country has had such a precedent. In the end, although officials who concealed information were removed from office, it also caused huge losses to your country. May I ask, if such an incident occurs, can you bear such a great responsibility?"

The muscles on Zhang Jie's face hopped for a moment, but when things got to this point, he could only grit his teeth and hold on: "Mr. Reporter, thank you for your reminder. I understand my responsibilities very well. Is there any problem?"

The Japanese reporter shook his head and sat in his seat. Immediately, countless hands were raised - it was obvious that Zhang Jie's answer just now had already made many people smell the abnormal smell, and everyone wanted to take out more shocking information from the inexperienced news official's mouth.

Zhang Jie was exhausted, and the underwear on his back was wet with sweat. He stood up and said with a blank face: "Today's press conference is over, thank you everyone."

The venue was in an uproar, and countless reporters came up, and countless questions were overwhelming in the flashing spotlights:

"Minister Zhang, can you tell us about the specific situation in the quarantine area of ​​Zhongjiang City?"

"Minister Zhang, if a plague breaks out in Zhongjiang City, what emergency plans do you have?"

"Minister Zhang, what are your countermeasures if the rat group attacks more villages?"

"Minister Zhang..."

Under the protection of the venue, Zhang Jie finally escaped from the venue.

I poked the hornet's nest. Before getting into the car, Zhang Jie said in her heart - it seems that the propaganda minister has finished his work.
Chapter completed!