The troops on the shore are orderly withdrawing from Dongshan Island.

Due to insufficient vehicles, the troops that cannot leave temporarily cannot stay in the barracks and have to live in tents. The locations for setting up the tents are carefully chosen to prevent disasters like landslides caused by the earthquake.

The naval fleet that can leave have already left.

Only the landing craft battalion is "burning the midnight oil," racing against time to supply the militia reserve fleet that is about to be disbanded.

Facts have proved that the superior's decision is correct.

At 8:17 PM, Han Yu had just returned to the training ship when another aftershock occurred, and the tremor was stronger than the aftershocks in the morning.

By the time the machine repair squad helped fix the remaining damaged fishing boats and returned to the training ship on a power boat, the on-duty officer of the logistics support team reported that the recent aftershock reached a magnitude of 6.8 on the Richter scale!

Han Yu wanted to bid farewell to Captain Meng of the 402nd Army and Deputy Chief of Staff Jiang of the 105th Army, but they had led the troops away during the day.

Thinking about how it is indeed not suitable to stay here for long, he immediately picked up the radio: "Bin Xun calling Binjiang Civilian Transport Team, respond if received."

"Received, Secretary Han, please proceed."

"Check the boats of each squadron, count the personnel on each boat, and report upon completion."

"Understood!"

"Director Qin, you are responsible for counting the personnel of each squadron."

"Just finished counting, all personnel are onboard, and the power boats have also been hoisted up."

"Director Qian, what about your side?"

"All personnel are in position, ready to set sail anytime."

"Alright, prepare the vehicle and stand by."

"Understood!"

...

When we came, we did not move together with the main troops, but when returning, we must act with the main troop.

Han Yu waited at the helm for about half an hour until the fleet formation from East Sea Base issued the sailing orders. With a series of whistles, the Bin Xun, under Teacher Xia's command, slowly steered away from the anchorage.

Next up, was the big 001.

The current concern is not enemy naval cannon attacks or air raids but guarding against earthquakes and potential tsunamis they might trigger.

On-duty crew members remain steadfast at their posts. Crew members and "passengers" on rotation rests must wear life jackets while sleeping and use ropes to bind themselves to their beds to avoid injuries from falls.

The mission of the Rescue Boat Team is to ensure the safety of the Binjiang Civilian Transport Team and Guzhou Civilian Transport Team. Han Yu watched the radar and confirmed via radio that the over one hundred fishing boats just joined from Binjiang and Guzhou. He then handed over command to Qin Weiquan and rushed back to the crew cabin to rest.

He hadn't slept for a day and night, and he could no longer withstand it.

Unexpectedly, he slept all the way until 9:30 AM on the 22nd, awakened by the cheers of Ma Jintao, Xiao Yu, and others.

Han Yu got up, grabbed the intercom, and asked: "What's happening?"

"Salted Fish, 825 and 823 caught up with us!" Xiao Yu stood on the deck, lifted his intercom with one hand, and waved desperately at the China Customs 825 boat sailing alongside on the port side.

Han Yu, equally excited, rushed out of the cabin, stood at the railing on the second level, adjusted the intercom to the frequency of the 825 boat, and joyfully asked: "Old Jiang, Old Jiang, where did you go? Why are you only joining us now?"

Jiang Shengqi, equally ecstatic, stood by the porthole gazing at Han Yu with a bitter smile and said: "As soon as we received the order, we rushed to your exercise area, but we couldn't make it in time. Instead, Navy leaders conscripted us!"

"Who conscripted you? What did they conscript you for?"

"Escort, you were the first to return. After you left, there were still many fishing boats over there. Fishing boats can't travel fast, so we had to help the Navy escort a fleet from Zhehai to their fish port before speeding up to catch up with the main force."

"So, it was that conscription!" Han Yu laughed and asked: "Where were you when the earthquake first hit? Were you affected, did anyone sustain injuries?"

"We were sailing at sea when a surge almost capsized us, several brothers sustained minor injuries, but they've been bandaged and are fine."

"Glad to hear it's nothing serious."

"Secretary Han, how are you? Is everything alright with you?" Captain Liu from the 823 boat called out through the intercom.

Han Yu promptly replied: "We're good, we're fine."

"Good to hear. We never expected an earthquake, let alone encountering it." Captain Liu reminisced about yesterday's experience with lingering fear.

"Let's not dwell on it, Brother Liu, did you report to the superior? Does the superior know we're on our way home?"

"Reported, Marine helped us report." Talking about his unit's affairs, Captain Liu said excitedly: "Chief Xu and Director Hu are probably arriving at Binjiang by now. Colleagues from the Maritime Bureau said leaders will be at Binjiang Anti-Smuggling Dock to welcome our triumphant return."

Just then, Guo Weitao's voice came through the intercom.

"Secretary Han, I am Guo Weitao. You participated in such a long military exercise. Now that it's over, won't you hold a parade or a commendation meeting?"

"No."

"No?"

"That place is too close to Taiwan, and Taiwan is experiencing an earthquake. The priority for the superior is troop safety, so organizing a retreat quickly is essential. We need to repair the boats, resupply, prepare for departure. The shore troops don't have as much preparation as us, so they left earlier."

Han Yu didn't wish to discuss too much about the military exercise over the intercom, so he asked back: "Old Guo, what about Xiao Gong, has Xiao Gong's burn healed?"

"Healed, I'll let him speak to you."

"Sure."

"Secretary Han, I saw you. I'm fine. My hand and arm are healed."

"That's good, otherwise I wouldn't know how to explain to your girlfriend when we return."

...

Han Yu was leaning on the guardrail chatting with colleagues.

Ma Jintao, Xiao Yu, and Gao Jichun were seeing the 823 and 825 boats for the first time, admiring the sleek design and the machine gun covered in oilcloth at the bow, discussing and immensely envying them.

"No wonder Salted Fish was transferred to Customs, isn't this an anti-smuggling boat, it's a warship!"

"Indeed, it looks prettier than the Navy's frigate."

"There are speedboats behind!"

"Jealous, if you're envious, go transfer to Customs."

Xiao Yu was quite envious, but after thinking for a moment, he shook his head: "I still prefer my Little 001. Little 001 was left to me by my master."

Chen Jian reminded, "Little 001 was left not to you but to Salted Fish by your master, wasn't it? You didn't inherit Little 001 from your master; you got it from Salted Fish!"

"What do you know, city manager? Little 001 is mine. If you don't believe me, ask Salted Fish. Who has spent more time on Little 001, him or me?" Xiao Yu paused and emphasized, "The Dunship is also mine. Old Ma is just borrowing my Dunship for his office."

"Alright, alright, it's all yours, satisfied?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"I'm just joking with you."

Meanwhile, Han Yu washed his face and went to the cockpit, asking the on-duty Chief Officer: "Master Li, were there any aftershocks last night?"

"No."

"Good, otherwise who knows what would happen in Taiwan."

"Salted Fish, we shouldn't be overly optimistic." The Chief Officer turned around, picked up a telegram, and handed it over with a wry smile: "This is a telegram sent by the Logistics Support Group at 6 am, saying that the National Seismological Bureau predicts the possibility of more aftershocks."

"This is endless!"

"The telegram clearly says that area is on a seismic belt."

Han Yu bent down to look at the sea chart, pondering: "We're already far enough from Taiwan, even if there were a major aftershock, it shouldn't affect us."

"That's true. If everything goes smoothly, we should be home by midnight at the latest."

"Getting home by midnight isn't suitable, as our leaders are waiting for us; we shouldn't keep them up all night."

The Chief Officer found it strange and couldn't believe that Salted Fish was considering the leaders.

Just when he thought Salted Fish had grown up and matured, knowing how to handle superior-subordinate relations, Han Yu pointed at the sea chart: "Master Li, we need to adjust our route."

"How do we adjust it?"

"We don't need to take the fishing boats to Lvsi Port; once we reach the Yangtze River estuary, let's disband and let each fishing boat head home."

Not all fifty-five fishing boats are from Dongqi; there are also boats from Si Gang, Dongru, and Linghai.

Even if we took the boats back to Lvsi Port, they would still have to head back to their respective 'Mother Ports' separately.

The Chief Officer realized and was about to agree when Han Yu continued: "After the formation disperses, we'll first head to the Changxing Island Pier of the Zhuangming Maritime Bureau."

"What for?"

"I have 62 logs deposited there, need to pick them up on the way back."

"Logs!"

"We salvaged them from the sea when returning from Qingdao. Each log is nearly a meter in diameter and about fifteen to sixteen meters long, worth quite a bit."

Turns out he was thinking about the logs salvaged from the sea!

Towing logs won't be fast; it might take until tomorrow noon to tow those logs back to Binjiang.

The Chief Officer chuckled, looking at the sea chart: "Alright."

"You work out the route first. I'll have the radiotelegraphist send a telegram to the Binjiang Maritime Bureau, asking them to inform our Investigation Bureau leadership that we will be home by around 10 am tomorrow."

"Go ahead, I'll take care of things here."

...

Binjiang Customs doesn't have high-powered radios, nor do they have dedicated radiotelegraphists.

The message from Han Yu's side has to be relayed through the Maritime Bureau.

Vice Director Ma received a call from the Maritime Bureau and promptly reported to Chief Xu and Vice Chief Hu of Jiangcheng Customs, who arrived in Binjiang early this morning, as well as Director Zeng of Binjiang Customs.

"Arriving in Binjiang around 10 am tomorrow?"

"Yes, they need to first stop by the Changxing Island Maritime Pier to tow back the logs they salvaged at sea while returning from Qingdao."

"What logs?" Chief Xu was puzzled.

Vice Director Ma was unsure how to respond when Zhou Huixin couldn't help but chuckle and explain the origins of those logs.

Chief Xu laughed heartily: "He's good at managing life; those logs should be towed back, after all, they're worth quite a bit."

"He's used to careful calculations. Even though his team and his boat are still on the way back, he's already got the retrofitting of the 825 boat on the agenda. This is a telegram he sent from the sea, asking us to notify the shipyard to prepare. After the induction ceremony, let the 825 boat enter the dock for retrofitting, aiming to complete it within a month."

"He's someone who gets things done. There are increasingly few colleagues like him who are solely focused on doing their job."

"Yes, so as long as he has good ideas, Old Zhou and I will support him."

"Almost forgot, you need to quickly call the City Committee Office. Secretary Lu said they want to welcome their triumphant return and also attend the 825 boat's induction ceremony, so we can't let Secretary Lu stay up late for nothing."

"Alright, I'll contact the City Committee Office right away."

"And the Military District."

"I understand."

Although Customs and the Smuggling Crime Investigation Branch are vertically managed, in this Binjiang territory, they couldn't afford to disrespect local party and government leaders.

Vice Director Ma contacted the City Committee Office in front of several leaders, informing them that the Rescue Boat Team would arrive in Binjiang around 10 am tomorrow, and then called Commander Wang of the Military District.

Unexpectedly, just as he finished explaining the situation, Commander Wang laughed: "Director Ma, even if you hadn't called me, I was going to call you later."

"Really?"

"I just received an order from our superiors; I need to request leave for Salted Fish from you."

"Another mission?"

"It's not a mission, but it's something even more important and honorable than a mission. It's an honor for both your Customs system and Binjiang." Commander Wang smiled and continued, "In a few days, it's National Day. There's going to be a grand military parade this year. The Military Region Commander said Salted Fish performed outstandingly in this sea-crossing landing exercise, and has called for him to attend the ceremony in the Capital."

"Salted Fish is going to the Capital to watch the parade?"

"Yes, our Nanjing Military Region has quite a few soldiers participating in the parade, but mostly within the parade formations. Salted Fish is different; this time he's going to the viewing platform for the ceremony. Apparently, there aren't many like him in the entire military region."

"Great, great, this leave is definitely approved; we'll cover his travel expenses!"

"Travel expenses won't be on your tab. Just like when attending last year's flood commemoration, the military region will organize a group. At that time, let him report to Jiangcheng and go with the delegation."