Chapter 1244
Li Aiguo, a promising young talent in the Security Department, discovers suspicious poi
Inside the office of the head of the safety section of the railway bureau.
The atmosphere was very heavy.
Qin Xun, the leader of the third investigation team, stared at Ma Dele, who was constantly puffing on his cigarette behind the table. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke: "Section Chief, the investigation into the accident of train No. 4317 has ended. The person responsible is the track patrolman Zhang Tuo. There is no need to start another investigation, right?"
Although his tone was quite respectful, it was full of dissatisfaction.
After he said that, the office became so quiet that you could hear the ticking of the wall clock.
The other staff members nearby understood the team leader's feelings.
Following the accident on train number 4317 in Fengtai.
The three teams went to the scene overnight and spent three full days investigating the scene and interrogating the relevant personnel before they were able to clarify the incident.
The investigation report has now been released, and the railway bureau has even convened a safety meeting.
Section Chief Ma Dele, however, delayed signing the investigation report, wanting to restart the investigation.
No one would accept that.
Sure enough, when Team Leader Qin learned that Ma Dele had made a move, he immediately led his men to the office, but they were still a step too late. Ma Dele had already contacted the Qianmen Locomotive Depot.
Faced with his subordinates' questioning, Ma Dele was not angry. He took out cigarettes from his drawer, handed one to each of his team members, and then handed one to Qin Xun before speaking.
"Xiao Qin, I've seen and appreciated all the hard work you've done these past few days. But you have to think about this: the results of this investigation will affect a line patrolman's future. We can't afford to make a single mistake or be careless in the slightest."
"Don't worry, once Comrade Li Aiguo from the Qianmen Locomotive Depot arrives, we'll double-check a few details. As long as there are no problems, the department will approve the case closure immediately."
"Section Chief, isn't it against the rules to have an outsider interfere in the investigation of our Security Section's cases?" Qin Xun held a cigarette but didn't light it, his brows furrowing even more tightly.
He had also heard of Li Aiguo's name and felt somewhat unconvinced. This man was from the Qianmen Locomotive Depot; what did he know about safety work?
"You can't say that. Although Aiguo isn't in the railway bureau's safety department, he's quite capable when it comes to inspecting train safety," Ma Dele said, taking a drag of his cigarette and raising his voice slightly.
Although Qin Xun felt somewhat helpless, he didn't care too much.
He made thorough preparations for this investigation and even personally inspected the site, so there's definitely no way there could be any problems.
"Section Chief, I'll listen to you, but we need to make this clear: once the case is investigated, we need to close it immediately."
"Of course, of course." Ma Dele still had a smile on his face, but a hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes.
Now that Deputy Section Chief Liu of the Safety Section has retired, his position is vacant. According to the Railway Bureau's plan, someone will be selected from within the section for promotion.
Qin Xun is highly educated, is a team leader, and has connections with Director Zhang in the Railway Bureau's office, making him a strong contender, though he lacks some seniority.
That's why they're in such a hurry to close the case.
"Why hasn't Driver Li arrived yet?" Qin Xun finished his cigarette, raised his wrist to check the time, and became somewhat anxious.
As soon as he finished speaking, footsteps echoed down the corridor, approaching from afar.
The next second, the office door was pushed open.
A burly young man walked in, the sunlight falling perfectly on his shoulders, casting a warm golden halo around him.
Qin Xun was considered one of the most outstanding young talents in the Bureau of Transportation, but looking at Li Aiguo's tall and upright figure, he felt a strange sense of resistance and discomfort.
As soon as Li Aiguo entered the office, he sensed that something was off. After Ma Dele introduced Qin Xun's identity, he immediately understood.
"Team Leader Qin, is the area where the incident occurred now sealed off?" Li Aiguo didn't mince words and immediately got to work, flipping through the investigation report before asking.
"The investigation is over, and the affected section of the railway will be reopened to traffic. We have already planned to have the Fengtai Locomotive Depot repair the tracks," Qin Xun said curtly.
Li Aiguo raised his eyes, his tone turning cold: "Since the site needs to be demolished and the railway tracks need to be repaired, why did you call me here?"
The question in those words couldn't be clearer.
You're all wrapping things up, and you're calling me in again? Is it just a formality for me to endorse something, or is it a sign of your complete distrust of the previous investigation results?
Qin Xun's face flushed red, and anger surged within him.
This train driver is taking himself far too seriously; he's clearly making a mountain out of a molehill and deliberately picking a fight.
Ma Dele coughed lightly twice and looked at Qin Xun: "Little Qin, immediately notify the Fengtai Locomotive Depot and have them block off the accident section. No one is allowed to enter without the railway bureau's approval."
"Yes," Qin Xun replied reluctantly, but he had no choice but to turn around and leave the office, returning to his department to make the phone call.
"Team leader, isn't Li Aiguo just here to cause trouble? What problems could there be with our investigation!"
"Exactly! They sealed off the scene just when the case was about to be closed. Isn't that a slap in the face for us?"
"Shut up, all of you."
Qin Xun was also a little annoyed. He looked at the team members and said, "Go to Section Chief Ma now and ask for leave for me. Tell him I'm not feeling well."
After saying that, Qin Xun left the office with his hands behind his back.
I strolled over to the door of an office on the second floor of the railway bureau and knocked on it.
"Come in." A familiar voice came from inside the door, and Qin Xun pushed open the door and went in.
Director Zhang of the railway bureau's office was engrossed in processing documents when he saw him. He immediately put down his pen, stood up, and beckoned him to sit down.
When the warm water was handed to Qin Xun, Director Zhang lowered his voice, his tone carrying a hint of reproach.
"This is a crucial time for promotion. There are many people watching in the office. Why did you come here so blatantly?"
"Uncle, there's been a problem with the investigation into the accident in Fengtai." Qin Xun leaned closer, his voice even lower.
Director Zhang's face instantly darkened, and his brows furrowed: "What's going on?"
"Ma Dele thought our investigation wasn't thorough enough, so he brought in a train driver from the Qianmen Locomotive Depot. Isn't that ridiculous?" Qin Xun embellished the story.
It's nothing more than Ma Dele being domineering and Li Aiguo meddling in other people's work.
After listening, Director Zhang also had a headache: "Xiao Qin, you only joined the railway bureau last year, so there are some things you don't know. Ma Dele and Li Aiguo have a very good relationship. They cooperated in investigating several accidents back then. But don't worry, as long as your investigation is sound..."
At this point, Director Zhang paused, looked at Qin Xun, and asked, "Is the investigation alright?"
"Uncle, there's absolutely no problem. I personally inspected the scene."
Qin Xun straightened his back and said, "How could someone with formal training like me be outdone by someone who doesn't know the ropes?"
"That's good, that's good." Director Zhang breathed a sigh of relief.
He patted him on the shoulder and said, "Go back and cooperate well with Li Aiguo's work. Don't throw a tantrum. As long as no problems are found, closing the case and getting promoted will be a natural progression."
After seeing Qin Xun off, Director Zhang frowned slightly.
He played a key role in significantly shortening the investigation time for this accident, all in order to close the case before the promotion assessment.
If something is really found out during the investigation.
Thinking of this, Director Zhang quickly shook his head: "Impossible. Although Qin Xun is young and impetuous, his ability is not a problem. Even if Li Aiguo investigates, he cannot find any problems."
Li Aiguo hasn't actually been found to have any problems yet.
The investigation team conducted a very comprehensive investigation.
The on-site investigation data included seven or eight photos showing an overturned train and broken rails.
The train was a Patriot Type 2 freight steam locomotive, consisting of a locomotive and sixteen carriages. Since it was a station dispatcher, it was not carrying any cargo and there was no overloading issue.
The third investigation team also re-inspected the train and found no problems with its braking and braking systems.
After reviewing the materials, Li Aiguo's gaze returned to the transcript.
This transcript is exceptionally brief, consisting only of the statements of the train driver, co-driver, and stoker, with no questions from the investigation team throughout.
"What's going on here?" Li Aiguo asked, pointing to the transcript.
"At that time, all three of them, including the driver, were injured and were lying in the hospital receiving intravenous fluids."
"We're all on the same side, we can't just pull out their IV line and take them back to the police station for questioning, can we?" Qin Xun walked in slowly at this moment.
"now what?"
"He's already been discharged from the hospital," a team member quickly chimed in.
"In that case, let's go to the Fengtai Locomotive Depot." Li Aiguo casually tidied up the documents and got up to leave.
Qin Xun was about to object, but Ma Dele beat him to it.
“That track patrolman is also at the Fengtai Locomotive Depot, and the accident site needs to be re-examined. Let’s listen to Comrade Aiguo and go to Fengtai.”
Ma Dele spoke decisively. As the head of the security department, he personally led the team and therefore had the most say.
Qin Xun felt a surge of anger welling up inside him, and he could only force it back, his face growing increasingly grim.
Ma Dele immediately contacted the dispatch center, and luckily there was a freight train heading to Fengtai.
The group traveled a bumpy journey on this freight train. By the time they arrived at the Fengtai Locomotive Depot, it was nearly noon. The sun was gradually rising, and the air was filled with the unique smell of the railway.
Fengtai Locomotive Depot is the earliest locomotive depot established by the Beijing Railway Bureau. Located in the southwest of Fengtai, it is one of the largest in the entire bureau. The railway tracks are crisscrossed, and locomotives roar past from time to time.
Deputy Section Chief Chen, who is in charge of safety at the locomotive depot, had already received advance notice from the safety department.
As soon as Li Aiguo and his group jumped off the bus, they saw Deputy Section Chief Chen and several other section leaders waiting by the platform.
"Welcome to the comrades from the Safety Department for their guidance."
Deputy Section Chief Chen stepped forward to greet him, his dark circles under his eyes indicating that he hadn't had a good night's sleep in the past few days.
When an accident occurs in the line workshop, he, as the deputy section chief in charge of safety, is inevitably responsible.
What gave him even more trouble was...
Zhang Tuo's sister firmly believes that her brother has been wronged. For the past few days, she has been blocking the locomotive depot every day, demanding an explanation from him, which has made him very uneasy.
"Deputy Section Chief Chen, let me introduce you. This is Comrade Li Aiguo." Ma Dele stepped aside to let the person behind him pass.
"So it's Comrade Li, the model worker! I've heard so much about you!" Deputy Section Chief Chen immediately extended his hand and warmly shook hands with Li Aiguo.
"It's almost noon now. Let's grab some food first, and we can discuss work in detail this afternoon?"
"No need to trouble yourself, we just arrived. Let's meet the driver's team of train 4317 first. Please arrange it now."
Li Aiguo said directly.
"I'll make the arrangements now."
After Deputy Section Chief Chen arranged for someone to invite the driver crew of train 4317, he led a few people into the locomotive depot's office and had someone bring them food from the canteen.
The meal was very plentiful, with a full bowl of white rice, served with stir-fried cabbage and tofu. The aroma of lard permeated the cabbage and tofu, making it a rare feast in those days.
After Li Aiguo finished eating, someone came in to report that the drivers' team had arrived. "Should we invite them in?"
"No need, just take him to the railway police station," Li Aiguo said.
Upon hearing this, Deputy Section Chief Chen's expression changed, and he hesitated before saying, "Comrade Aiguo, the accident has been thoroughly investigated and has nothing to do with the driver's crew."
As soon as he said it, Deputy Section Chief Chen realized something was wrong.
Today, Ma Dele personally led the team and even invited people from the Qianmen Locomotive Depot. It's definitely not just for a simple review of the case.
Seeing Qin Xun's ashen face, Deputy Section Chief Chen understood.
It turns out that there was no consensus within the safety department regarding the conclusions of this accident, likely due to significant disagreement with the previous investigation results.
Having figured this out, Deputy Section Chief Chen suppressed his surprise and readily agreed, "Okay, I'll arrange for someone to send it over right away."
He was determined to find out the truth about the accident. No matter who was responsible, they should be held accountable in detail. There should be no leniency or injustice.
A few minutes later.
The interrogation room inside the Fengtai Railway Police Station.
A wooden table, Li Aiguo, Ma Dele, Qin Xun, and Bai Sheng, the driver of train 4317, sitting opposite each other.
Li Aiguo didn't speak first. He took out a cigarette, lit it, and slowly smoked it.
He stubbed out the cigarette hard on the edge of the table after it had burned out completely, and said in a deep voice, "Name."
"Bai, Bai Sheng."
"age."
Bai Sheng, his neck stiff, didn't answer Li Aiguo, but instead shouted at Qin Xun: "Team Leader Qin! Wasn't the accident already investigated and cleared up? Zhang Tuo has already been arrested, what are you doing? Are you interrogating me like a criminal?"
Qin Xun was overjoyed and was about to speak when Li Aiguo slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly: "Bai Sheng, I am now interrogating you on behalf of the Railway Bureau. Answer whatever I ask you. If you conceal the truth, you will be held accountable!"
He had interrogated many enemy agents at the weather station, and had long since developed an imposing and stern aura about him.
Upon hearing this, Bai Sheng shuddered and his arrogance instantly vanished.
"32."
Li Aiguo sat down again, squinted, and asked, "What speed did you maintain after departing from Fengtai Locomotive Depot? Did you see the speed reduction sign at Liumawan?"
Bai Sheng's eyes flickered, but his tone was firm: "The train speed was according to the operation manual, about 40 kilometers per hour. When we saw the signal sign, we slowed down to 25 kilometers per hour. When we went around the bend, the speed was even slower. I don't know how, but the train went off the tracks. The rails at the bend broke because the rails were old. This is the responsibility of the engineering section."
"Are you sure about the cornering speed of 25 km/h?" Li Aiguo pressed.
"They were watching it closely, and the speedometer clearly showed it was 25!" Bai Sheng's voice was slightly flustered, but he still managed to get through to the point.
Li Aiguo nodded and didn't ask any further questions.
Ma Dele immediately retorted, his tone suddenly sharp and threatening: "After you applied the emergency brakes, did the wheels lock up? How long were the brake marks on the tracks?"
Bai Sheng composed himself and replied, "How was I supposed to know the rails were worn out? I didn't even apply the brakes before the accident; I only did so after the derailment. It was bound to happen sooner or later!"
Ma Dele glanced at Li Aiguo, who, seeing the situation, knew he wouldn't get anything out of him, so he ordered Bai Sheng to be taken away.
The interrogation room door closed, shutting out all the noise.
Seeing that the interrogation had yielded no results, Qin Xun was particularly pleased and said sarcastically, "Well, no problems, right? Our investigation team has questioned you several times already, but you just wouldn't believe me."
stab
Hiss. Whoosh.
Li Aiguo lit a cigarette with a match, and as he exhaled the smoke, he uttered a sentence that sent a chill down Qin Xun's spine: "Bai Sheng lied just now!"
"This, how is this possible? We checked the driving recorder and all the ledgers, and there's absolutely no problem." Qin Xun was somewhat agitated.
The so-called ledger is a professional term used by the locomotive depot.
In the early days after liberation, train accidents occurred frequently. In order to prevent accidents, the Ministry of Railways promulgated the nationally unified "Rules for Handling Railway Traffic Accidents" in 1950.
According to the rules, each locomotive depot is required to retain and archive records of train operation, maintenance, and calibration, which will serve as the core basis for accident investigations.
These records were documented in the "Locomotive Technical History Book," a practice first implemented by the China-Changchun Railway and later promoted nationwide.
Because they need to be permanently archived, they are also known as ledgers by railway workers.
The ledger was cross-verified across departments, with three copies kept in the workshop, locomotive depot, and railway bureau technical department respectively, to cross-check each other and prevent alteration.
Therefore, it is highly reliable.
Thinking of this, Qin Xun felt even more confident: "What makes you say he's lying? There's no evidence. Are you deliberately targeting me?"
“The ledgers are also written down by people. If Bai Sheng lied about the speed, how would you verify it?” Li Aiguo asked.
"What makes you think Bai Sheng lied?" Qin Xun felt that Li Aiguo was targeting him as well as Bai Sheng.
Li Aiguo said calmly, "Bai Sheng just said that he confirmed the train's speed is 25 km/h, and the speed limit at the bend is exactly 25 km/h."
"What's so strange about that?"
"Let me ask you something, is it possible for a train to maintain a precise speed of 25 km/h when entering a curve?" Li Aiguo leaned forward.
Upon hearing this, Qin Xun was instantly stunned, his mouth agape, unable to utter a word.
Ma Dele suddenly slapped his thigh, realizing something: "No wonder you're an old railwayman! You hit the nail on the head!"
After saying that, Ma Dele turned to look at Qin Xun, who was still in a daze, and scolded him: "It is true that you are a professionally trained train, but you have overlooked the actual situation. Trains are driven by steam engines, and the power needs to be regulated by steam. It is very difficult to control the speed precisely."
The maximum deceleration limit is 25. Generally, freight trains and passenger trains may slow down to the limit in order to save time.
In this kind of vehicle dispatching, drivers can't possibly focus on controlling the speed.
Qin Xun's heart skipped a beat, and a cold sweat broke out on his back.
He hadn't thought of it that way, but now, upon reflection, Bai Sheng's words were indeed full of flaws.
There's no need for the dispatching vehicle to rush, so why risk speeding?
"Then why didn't you just question him directly?" Qin Xun finally managed to utter this question after a long pause.
Ma Dele looked at him helplessly: "Xiao Qin, you are also the head of the investigation team. Can't you even figure out this simple trick? Without solid evidence, the more you press him, the more stubborn he will become. It's all for nothing."
Qin Xun wanted to ask more questions, but Ma Dele waved his hand, telling him to figure it out himself.
Ma Dele hadn't expected that Li Aiguo would break the ice with just a few questions, and he perked up at that moment.
"Patriotism, if we bring the co-driver and stoker over, we might be able to find out the truth."
"The chances are slim," Li Aiguo said with a smile, shaking his head.
Now that four or five days have passed since the accident, Bai Sheng has had enough time to fabricate excuses, and the entire driver crew may have even exchanged statements.
Li Aiguo wasn't blaming the railway bureau for not acting quickly enough; rather, he was simply saying that's how things were back then—the railway wasn't a disciplinary department, and details were often overlooked.
After an accident, the locomotive depot will definitely prioritize the safety of its workers.
Things went as Li Aiguo had predicted.
Subsequently, Ma Dele called in the co-driver Zhang Xiangnian and the stoker Chen Deshui, and interrogated them separately.
The co-driver, Zhang Xiangnian, was about the same age as Bai Sheng, and his testimony was the same as Bai Sheng's. He only knew that the train was running normally and then derailed.
Chen Deshui, who was older and nearly forty, claimed that he was in charge of filling the coal and did not notice anything unusual.
"Comrade Chen Deshui, please tell us what happened. Don't cover it up for them!" Ma Dele emphasized, hoping to get a breakthrough from Chen Deshui.
Li Aiguo, who had been silent all along, finally spoke up: "Comrade Chen Deshui, this is your only chance. I hope you can seize it."
Li Aiguo was not deceiving Chen Deshui; he genuinely hoped that this veteran stoker, who had worked at the Fengtai Locomotive Depot since before liberation, could see the error of his ways.
Unfortunately.
Chen Deshui simply lowered his head, hesitated for a long time, and finally shook his head: "I...I don't know anything."
"Take them away." Ma Dele sighed, had Chen Deshui sign and fingerprint the statement, and then instructed the police officers to detain Bai Sheng, Zhang Xiangnian, and Chen Deshui separately.
After organizing the notes, the three went straight to Deputy Section Chief Chen's office.
"I heard you detained the driver crew? Did you find something wrong?" Deputy Section Chief Chen poured some hot water and handed it over.
Li Aiguo took the drink, took a sip, and said, "We have found some problems, but there is no concrete evidence. Now we need to go to the scene of the incident."
“That’s easy. I’ll contact the office right away and have them send a minibus over.” Deputy Section Chief Chen stood up to make the call.
Li Aiguo stopped him, saying, "The incident site is quite far from the highway, so let's use the rail inspection vehicle instead."
“That’s easy to handle.” Deputy Section Chief Chen thought for a moment and agreed, then contacted the line workshop.
When Li Aiguo, Ma Dele, and Qin Xun arrived at the station, several track patrol workers were already waiting in a patrol vehicle.
The Fengtai Locomotive Depot has relatively good conditions. The patrol vehicles are powered by old tractor engines, have a cargo bed, can carry seven or eight people, and can also carry tools such as flaw detectors.
This was the first time Li Aiguo had ever seen such a patrol vehicle, so he couldn't help but take a few extra glances at it.
"Are you driver Li?" After the patrol vehicle started, an old patrolman suddenly ran over from a distance and asked.
"you are?"
"I'm Lao Ma, the patrolman from the patrol workshop. Arrest me!" After confirming Li Aiguo's identity, Patrolman Ma became agitated and tightly grasped Li Aiguo's hand.
"Patrolman Ma, what's going on?" Li Aiguo asked in surprise.
"Old Ma, stop fooling around." At this moment, the director of the line workshop stepped forward, grabbed Ma Xun's arm with one hand, and explained to Li Aiguo, "Old Ma is talking nonsense, don't mind him."
"Director, Zhang Tuo squatted in the fence for me, and I feel terrible." Ma Xunxian's tears flowed down his face, and his voice was hoarse.
Seeing this, Li Aiguo called out to the workshop director and asked, "Old Ma, what exactly happened?"
“Driver Li, you don’t know, my wife was sick a while ago and needed someone to take care of her in the hospital. Our line workshop is short-staffed and we really can’t spare any more people. Zhang Tuo volunteered to patrol the line in my place, doing the work of two people by himself. As a result, this bad thing happened. Now that my wife is better, you lock me up and bring Zhang Tuo back.”
"Hey, Lao Ma, aren't you just messing around? Hurry back to work. Driver Li and the comrades from the railway bureau will investigate and find out the truth."
The workshop director forcibly dragged Ma Xunxian away.
Ma Dele turned to look at Qin Xun, who gently turned his face away, his expression somewhat unpleasant.
"Let's go." Li Aiguo withdrew his gaze and boarded the patrol vehicle.
The patrol vehicle started up and drove along the dark railway tracks into the distance.
(End of this chapter)