Crossing the wilds of Kunlun, who would take the starring role of the whole Qinghai-Tibet Railway line? Li Jincheng's name suddenly emerged, and it seemed as if the simple and honest vice-president of the First Survey and Design Institute's Lanzhou branch had come to report for duty—he had never before opened his mouth—and he smiled shyly, not saying anything, yet possessing inner cultivation. Since 1984, after graduating from Shanghai Rail Academy, he has participated in taking upon himself almost all of the rail planning projects of the First Survey and Design Institute, and when he undertook the re-invention of the railway, he had already held the position as head of the entire railway, lifting the heavy weight as if it were nothing, and his competence and ability to endure can be counted as foremost among the younger group of the First Survey and Design Institute. There was no-one else worthy to be head of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway line except him. Li Jincheng became the head of the entire Qinghai-Tibet line, and his old comrades adjusted to being his assistants.
The position of head of the permafrost team leader was still held by Lou Wenhu, and although his background was from the Worker's University, he had rich experience of the line, key of which was displaying his talent, together with his assistant Zhang Zhao, and he naturally became Lin Lansheng's most preferred choice, he was a graduate student in Permafrost Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Sciences, with copious inside information from academia, just thirty years old, he had arrived at an opportune moment. So, in this manner, in every group that ascended the mountain there was a younger generation, if the older comrades failed physically, they could step forward bravely and laugh haughtily at the wastelands.
"Notify the logistics department, and immediately input the resources from successive surveys of the Qinghai-Tibet line!" Giving his first order from the train, Lin Lansheng, breathed a sigh of relief while lying in the bunk, and he cast his eyes to the train's final stop and Lanzhou—he was to be plunged into a quandary of unnameable anguish shortly after. Among the 10,000 staff of the First Survey and Design Institute, there were in fact excess personnel, and as the railway had stepped out for fifty years, people seemed to be accustomed to existing in an inter system, drying their cups in the countryside and at home, all receiving the same money, with little existential pressure. In this respect, thorough revision was necessary, and they were finally able to travel lightly on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, and Lin Lansheng beat his clutched fist on the soft sleeper carriage, he would have to risk it all for the fight, and leave himself no retreat.
Setting foot into Lanzhou City, he quickly entered the First Survey and Design Institute, down a long cool and breezy corridor, almost as if to stir up a hurricane in this old shop. After several days, measures were implemented to do away with Lin Lansheng's mark and style of governance. Cadres with positions lower than middle-level ranks were to participate in a democratic evaluation and competitive election process for postings. Six deputy director generals were dismissed, a further six deputies were convinced to resign and another six were given 'non-dismissal warning talks'. For the first time, eighteen cadres who had drifted comfortably were faced with imminent danger. However, on average, the salaries of employees increased by 900 to 1000 yuan, with the largest increase being by 2000 yuan.
For several days, the institute dean, Zhu Xu's mood had been becoming more and more serious, he was unable to get over his frustration and regret at not being more proactive in his role, his group had not yet been up the mountain, and through the implementation of such harsh reforms, he could be harmed by the actions and person of Principal Lin.
It appeared that Lin Lansheng peered into the haze which Zhu Xu had faced early. The time to knock off work had already gone, however, Lin Lansheng was still bent over at work, when Zhu Xu approached to ask a question, after they had finished talking, he turned around to leave. With a woosh, Lin Lansheng said from the soft chair of a business executive, "Zhu, don't go, I've been able to see for a while now that you have something to say!"
Zhu Xu's desire to speak left him.
"In the beginning when I was secretary, didn't I tell you to let me know if there were any problems?" Lin Lansheng laughed sincerely.
"At that time you were the department head, but now you're the head of the institute." There was some emotion in Zhu Xu's voice.
"Don't evade the question. Lin Lansheng the principal of the institute and Lin Lansheng the department head are the same person." Lin Lansheng was particularly sincere.
"Of course you've changed! At least, you've become fierce." Zhu Xu laughed.
"Well then, don't be evasive or skirt around the issue. I want to hear the truth." Lin Lansheng smiled brightly, as before.
"Ok, there's no harm in me speaking directly!" Zhu Xu was somewhat agitated, "going on like this is inexcusable!"
"I have no alternative!" Lin Lansheng said gloomily, "do you think I want to be like this, everyone who is laid off is like my sister or my brother, but if I don't offend people, and smash out the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, it'd be me who would be in the wrong, I'd be embarrassed in front of the Central Committee, in front of Tibet and the whole of China."
"Principal, I get it!" Zhu Xu nodded his head silently.
Zhu Xu left. Lin Lansheng sat in front of his desk, and pulled out some already faded exploration materials, but the wind of the Tibetan mountains blew away the dust of the years, and a century of the great dream of a remarkable railway clearly appeared: the revolutionary pioneer, Sun Yat-sen and the giant of the East, Mao Zedong had looked into the distance at Kunlun, and dreamed to build a railway to Tawang, for a highway to Ngari, the silhouette of a century of dreams for the Himalayas and Kunlun stood majestically in their field of vision; in Tibet, there was also the all-powerful General Mu Shengzhong, who brought several generations of head engineers of the First Survey and Design Institute to the green mountains of the Yellow River, the winter snow of the cold mountains, leaving an epic song to shake heaven and earth.
