Chapter Thirty-Six: Rare Fellow Travelers
PS: Today is National Day, I wish everyone a happy holiday. The festival must be updated twice, this kid's promise, one update has arrived, and the second update will not be far away? A new month begins, please support!!
"Little horse brother, carrying big and small bags, where are you going?"
"Oh, it's Wang Erwa!" The person who was called Little Horse Brother turned around with the train ticket in his hand and found that the one behind him was actually his former apprentice. However, it wasn't easy for this person to get on the train with so many big and small bags, especially when someone shouted from behind during the ticket check. In the orderly queue, safely turning around was a very difficult action, because if you weren't careful, the big bag on your back would rub against the people behind you intensely.
"I'm going back to Sichuan, it's been hundreds of years since I left, and I should go back and take a look!" Xiaomage took the ticket checked by the conductor and climbed onto the train with great difficulty, carrying a large package on his back. He then said to Wang Erwa behind him, "By the way, help me pass that trunk over to me!" Xiaomage smiled at the conductor and said.
"Go ahead and get on, I'll help you with your luggage!" Wang Erwa's face lit up with a smile when he ran into Teacher Fu. He eagerly helped his teacher carry the trunk onto the train, and after struggling for half a day, they finally found two hard seats. After stowing their luggage, they sat down comfortably, and as soon as Wang Erwa's buttocks touched the leather seat, he said: "Teacher, it's been a whole year since we last met! You're still as robust as ever!"
Wang Erwa used to be a person called "fool" in the countryside, with little land and many people at home, so there was never enough food. However, Wang Erwa had been clever and skilled since childhood, climbing mountains, picking birds' nests, fishing, and catching crabs, all of which he was very good at. But as time went on, people grow up, appetite increases, and it's impossible to survive on just wild game. So his family was anxious, but there was no solution for the time being, after all, this child had some problems with his brain.
Time flies and the era has changed, the people's government is on stage singing opera, this good day has finally arrived. The land in the village no longer belongs to the landlord, and Wang Erwa's family has finally found a way to make a living. They are eager to cultivate and work hard, with all their might, to create a good harvest, striving for an early opportunity for each of their children to find a wife and start a family. However, this matter of starting a family ruined the harmony of the household. As the era develops and life progresses, every village and town is building cement roads, and every household is building new houses. Wang Erwa's older brother and clever third brother have all put down their hoes and baskets to go out and work, leaving only Wang Erwa and his parents to support the family.
But the things that happened in the village every day were just a little bit, nothing special. It's just that people who came and went said that the world outside the mountain was wonderful, and gradually there were sayings in the village that working outside to make money was more promising than farming in the village. And after three or five months, my elder brother and third younger brother could send back a bright red 100-yuan bill to our family one after another, and Wang Erwa didn't want to be stupid anymore.
The parents gritted their teeth and took out two red tickets, taking advantage of the slack season to take Wang Erwa out to find a way. Unexpectedly, they didn't find a way out, but instead mistook the government office building for an inn rumored in the village, causing some laughter. Thanks to the help of the government staff, they thought of a solution, which led to Wang Erwa entering technical school to study, and naturally, today's reunion between Wang Erwa and Teacher Fu.
"Second child, when did your brain become not so muddle-headed? I think you're smarter than anyone else!" Xiao Ma Ge carefully examined the intermediate welder certificate handed to him by Wang Er Wa, the red steel seal was absolutely authentic, and the unique technician number was also exclusive. A phone call could verify whether the owner of this technician number was indeed Er Wa. "With this certificate, I reckon your days are quite comfortable now!"
Wang Erwa still smiled foolishly for a while before saying, "I went to see the doctor and they said I'm not stupid but rather lacked communication with peers when I was young. Everyone in my family went to help the landlord's old money, so I could only be a lonely wild child by myself. After being autistic for a long time, people started calling me an idiot. By the way, I still haven't received my salary! The school nurtured me, and I voluntarily did a period of training work there, which is considered repaying the school's nurturing grace. Otherwise, I would have gone out to do big things like you!"
When Xiao Ma heard this answer from the fool, he was satisfied. All along, the education in the autonomous region has been mainly provided by the government, and the government has paid for all expenses. Students who have received education will basically choose their own way to repay, of course, students from technical schools will have their own way to repay the school and the government. But Xiao Ma didn't expect this fool to learn from him, although not as much as he did in two or even three periods. There must be some bitterness behind this fool's actions. However, this also made him feel very pleased. "I didn't think you'd know about this tradition, not bad!" After saying that, Xiao Ma smiled satisfactorily and returned the technical certificate to Wang Erwa.
"Master, why do you suddenly want to go back to Sichuan?" Wang Erwa carefully put the red book into her own bag and couldn't help but ask the big question in her heart. "You're not doing well at Liuqi, are you making enough money? Are you going back home to get married like my brother and younger brother?"
Wang Erwa inadvertently revealed the reason why he chose to use a period of time as a return, in traditional China where ideas are still relatively heavy, although it's not said that foot binding and male chauvinism are still popular, at least there is still a distinction between elders and juniors, his younger brother is already getting married and starting a career, which puts a lot of pressure on the second brother, I guess Wang Erwa's parents are now worried about his major affairs.
"Me?" Pointing to his own face, Little Horse Brother said: "You probably don't know about the War of Protection of the Country, do you? The Yunnan Army and Yuan Shikai's men have been causing trouble in our Sichuan for half a day now. I'm at my wit's end, I must go back home to take a look. If things are not going well, I'll hurry up and move to the autonomous region. It's really hard to live in such a chaotic world! Let Yuan Shikai be his emperor if he wants to, why does he have to make a big fuss in my hometown? Whether or not he becomes an emperor is none of our business."
The train chugged along, and everything outside the window began to move slowly. Looking at the peaceful and serene scene outside the window, Xiao Ma Ge thought of his hometown which had suffered from war, and his heart was filled with indignation again. "Whether others become emperors or republicans has nothing to do with us common people. The National Protection Army is still poor, with their buttocks exposed halfway, yet they care about Beijing city tens of thousands of miles away? They shout slogans about revolution and protecting the republic, but in the end it's all for their own selfish desires."
"Master, drink some water!" Wang Erwa saw that the master was getting more and more excited, and many people in the car were also chiming in, so she quickly went to pour a cup of hot water and came back to stuff it into the master's mouth.
Because there are special passenger lines and a large number of passenger trains, the train tickets in the autonomous region were originally cheap. However, with the recent surge in cargo transportation on the railways, especially after the Hongshui River Cascade Hydropower Station project began on a large scale, the railway and highway from Liuzhou to Hechi became extremely busy. Of course, the emergence of this massive construction site naturally requires a large number of laborers. As a result, the hard-seat carriages of the night trains, which are usually not crowded with people, were now packed with passengers. But the commotion stirred up by Master Ma's words, after being fanned by everyone, seemed more like a bustling market than a standard hard-seat carriage that can only seat over 100 people.
"If I were to say it, the People's Army should directly send troops and solve all of China's warlords in a snap, saving them from constantly fighting for territory and power."
"Tang Jiyao still has those kinds of people like Liu Xianshi, especially that guy Cai E. The first two are the kind of people who are not satisfied with what they have and want to swallow an elephant, while the other one is a dead man walking who wants revolution day and night, I really don't know if they think that when they fire their cannons, it's absolutely not Chinese people who will get killed." A merchant-like person became more agitated as he spoke, rolling up his sleeves, and if those people were standing in front of him, he would probably beat them to death in just a few moves.
"They fired a cannon, definitely aiming to kill people, and of course the ones who would be killed are Chinese. But it won't hit your house, will it?"
"You're really telling the truth, my hometown is a battlefield, and with one cannon shot, they blew my old mother to death! Revolution, revolution, in the end, it's my family members who got eliminated. I'm a businessman traveling all over the place, when have I ever not given enough tolls? When have I ever shortchanged on good deeds fees? When have I ever mistreated those soldiers? This is great, after working hard to sell some goods and earning some money, I paid some good deeds fees and they turned into cannonballs as a gift to my old mother. If you add that servant girl who got blown to death, it's two lives with one cannonball!"
It wasn't until then that they discovered a black object protruding from his rolled-up sleeve, and the person who was being mourned indeed had a fiery temper!
"Master, don't listen to their nonsense. The Protection Army doesn't have cannons and won't kill your family!" The fool took the master's finished water cup and somehow said something so infuriating that the master had to say he'd go get another cup of water to calm down.
The War of Resistance against Japan had no impact on everything within the autonomous region from head to toe, which only refers to the production and life of the people living in the autonomous region. After all, it was a war that took place among Chinese people themselves, and the battles that took place in China's densely populated inland areas would have been affected as long as one bullet didn't miss its target, let alone shells without an accurate head. With just one cannon shot, traditional Chinese brick houses or even thatched cottages couldn't withstand such a fierce impact.
Of course, people have different views on the significance of this war. Just like Wang Erwa, a native of Guangxi, the war has not affected his life and studies at all, nor has it had any impact on his family. But others are different, especially that businessman who used to make "contributions" to the warlord government, only to find himself hit by the warlords' shells in the end. This also includes people like Wang Erwa's master, who still don't know what happened to their families back home.
"Second child, where are you taking this train? You're not going to Sichuan too, are you?" After drinking several cups of water, the anger in his heart was swallowed, and the surrounding crowd was also stopped by the oncoming train staff. Of course, after the atmosphere gradually eased, everyone no longer discussed those annoying things, but instead talked about their work and children, which occupied most of the conversation. It's estimated that it will take 20 years to build a relationship with fellow passengers. The lively Chinese people have never let the journey become lonely. Master Ma had to chat with Wang Erwa sitting opposite him to relieve his boredom. The two soldiers on the other seats were like wooden men, maintaining a posture and refusing to move."
"After the company finished training me, they sent me to work as a welder at the Dahua Hydroelectric Power Station, where there was a labor shortage during the rush period. Besides, this trip won't reach Sichuan anyway." Wang Erwa said, opening his iron lunch box, which contained some clean fruit. However, he respectfully invited the two soldiers, but only got two words in return, "no need" and "thank you". He had no choice but to share it with his master who was beside him. With a hint of disappointment, Wang Erwa pushed the lunch box in front of his master and said, "Master, this fruit is sweet, try some!"
"Right, the factories in the autonomous region are getting more and more, and the demand for electricity will one day be huge. It's very necessary to rush the construction of the Dahua Power Plant." After finishing speaking, Master Ma picked up a small apple and was about to take a bite. "By the way, do you two want something to eat? The dining car is coming soon and we can order some small dishes!"
Master Ma's response was still just two words, but different from Wang Erwa's, it became "Really not needed" and "Thank you". "Master, they are to uphold the discipline and moral integrity of the troops, even when going out, we must adhere to the three major disciplines and eight points of attention. Let's talk about our own affairs, you brought so much luggage earlier, aren't you planning on coming back?" Wang Erwa bit down hard on a green apple, her eyes fixed intently on Master Ma.
"You don't know, I heard that the road back this time is very difficult. I brought so many pieces of luggage just to make it easier on the road and give some benefits. If we didn't take some things or a little money to give to Liu Xiansheng's soldiers, we wouldn't be able to pass through Guizhou's checkpoints and return to Sichuan. Of course, I also brought some things back for my family. The autonomous region has many good and cheap products, I brought some back to entertain guests and it's not bad! Besides, the autonomous region is so good, why wouldn't I come back? Unless in the future, my hometown becomes like this autonomous region too, of course, there's also the work I do, then I won't have to rush back like this."
"That's right, the days in the autonomous region are definitely good. Oh, I forgot to tell you, this set of clothes and the work uniform in my backpack are all from Yamei Fashion, a big brand with great quality. And, I heard that our future shoes will also be specially made by Nike, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Yamei Fashion. It's really troublesome not having a good work uniform and shoes for welding! ” Just as Wang Erwa finished speaking, she saw the train attendant pushing the dining car over from afar, and hurriedly waved her hand to indicate that she was ready to invite everyone to eat.
The rumbling train runs through the fields, and the light projected from the carriage makes the train look like a transparent dragon from afar. In the quiet night, only the roaring sound of the train remains, emitting "chugging" sounds and white steam, carrying a car full of people chatting endlessly to distant places.
"Major! Captain! Have a good trip?" Inside the train station, a first-class officer who came to pick up people punctually received two "soldiers" who had just left the train station, of course, in Xiao Ma Ge and Wang Er Wa's eyes. The private did not loudly salute with his chest out and abdomen in, but instead smiled and joked with the two officers before quickly leaving the train station in a jeep carrying the two military officers.
"Let's go straight to the factory, we'll stay there tonight!" The major spoke up first on the train, but his stomach also made an untimely sound. "Officer, is there food on the train?" The major rubbed his stomach, feeling both love and hate in his heart, thinking it was fortunate that he hadn't lost face on the train.
The officer directly handed over a pocket on the co-pilot's seat, which contained some food. Of course, this was the food prepared by the officer for himself, because he did not know that the train, which was often late during this period, was no longer late.
The major took the bag and looked at it for a few moments under the dim light of the street lamp, then patted the lieutenant's shoulder with a smile and said, "After you send us to the factory later, find a place to eat by yourself. I've been starving for over ten hours, can't hold on anymore." After that, he shared the only bread and bottle of mineral water with the captain.
The jeep sped past the quiet streets under the streetlights, while some people still lingered at Hechi Railway Station, such as Wang Erwa and his master.
The train had arrived and was about to depart, Wang Erwa was still in the car chatting with her teacher. When the second whistle of the train sounded, Wang Erwa finally said her last words: "Teacher, after passing Mazui, there will be no more trains to take, and the roads are impassable too. You must be careful on your way back, crossing mountains and rivers!" After finishing speaking, she took out two 10-yuan bills from her purse and handed them to her teacher.
"What do you mean?"
"Take it and buy some cigarettes to smoke!" After finishing speaking, Wang Erwa smiled and carried her own backpack, quickly getting off the train and standing outside the window waving goodbye to her teacher.
"Take your money and work hard on the construction site, find a wife and start a family soon!" Xiaomage coolly opened the car window, crumpled two banknotes into small balls and threw them out, finally laughing and waving his hand saying: "Your master quit smoking long ago, idiot!"
Picking up the money on the ground, Wang Erwa slowly smoothed it out and muttered to herself: "The cigarette box says that smoking is harmful to health. Master is a good person and can't get sick from smoking!" After finishing speaking, she put the two crumpled bills back into her pocket and quickly left the train station with her canvas backpack. There was a temporary lodging nearby that provided cheap overnight beds, where Wang Erwa would sleep well and start a new journey.
Wang Erwa had just checked into a small single room at the railway hotel, where she could spend the night on a bed. Two "soldiers" who had exchanged a few words with her on the train also arrived at their destination by jeep.
"Documents are in order, you may enter!" Outside the gate with several machine guns aimed at it, two soldiers checked the military IDs of the three late-night visitors and slowly removed the protective barrier to let the jeep pass through.
The jeep soon arrived at the second checkpoint, but the guards here were obviously more gentle than the first ones. Seeing that it was their direct superior who had returned, they didn't check anything and let them pass. The defense of the military factory is generally the responsibility of two unrelated troops for the inner and outer layers of defense and daily patrol tasks. Therefore, no matter which troop's soldiers or officers want to enter the most core production area, they must be strictly checked by the other side once, which is also a tradition.
After entering the core production area, the most intuitive difference from the outside is that the periphery is quiet and peaceful, while inside there are machines roaring and lights shining brightly. "Our current task is to digest these drawings and strive to start production within a week, and we must manufacture 20,000 sets within four months. Time is pressing and tasks are heavy, everyone's responsibility is very important." As soon as he arrived at the duty room, the lieutenant colonel gathered many engineers and technicians on duty. The drawings brought back from Liuzhou were always transported extremely carefully, often with a large military convoy making a big show, but actually there were no drawings inside, instead they would occasionally appear on trains wearing ordinary soldier uniforms, carrying the real thing.
This time, the title of the drawings they brought back from Liuzhou was actually very simple, "X-style machine gun for infantry use". The reason why an English letter is used to represent it, rather than something like 16-style or 17-style, only suggests three possibilities. First, this gun may still be just on the designer's drawing board or even in their mind, with some concept and idea. Second, this gun may have only completed theoretical research work, with sample production and related experiments going well, having the ability to enter the next stage of small batch testing, but there is still a lot of verification work waiting for it.
Third, this gun is fully qualified and has excellent performance, meeting all the conditions for production. However, due to some objective reasons, such as the military's current firearms being capable of performing their current tasks, there are no plans or budget to replace them. Of course, advanced weapons have always been a key focus of secrecy, and large-scale production would mean that it may be leaked out.
Of course, the thing in Lieutenant Colonel's hand is obviously not one of these three points. This gun does not belong to the People's Army at this time. They are secretly manufactured and will be secretly transported out, and finally will be secretly used on the battlefield. In other words, before this gun fires its first shot on the battlefield, it must be kept secret again and again. Only after being widely used on the battlefield and producing certain results will it be named.
Of course, many people are also questioning the secrecy of this machine gun. After all, they will be going to the battlefield anyway, and there is no need for that. However, almost all the factories in the entire autonomous region are busy with the European war, and only the secret arsenal built in the Hepu area with abundant electricity has the ability to expand production capacity to continue expanding trade with Germany. Of course, it's not possible to expose the factory just yet, after all, this is a major production base for the southwest, especially for Guizhou, and revealing its specific strength too early would not be something worth boasting about.
Of course, the lieutenant colonel repeated what the commander-in-chief had said to him before he left, "The Germans will soon be fighting extremely hard, and we must prepare to give them strong support!" With World War I as a natural testing ground for weapons, which officer would not want the weapons they used in the future to undergo some tests? Of course, what needs to be tested even more is the large-scale production capacity of military industry. In the future, the equipment of the People's Army will definitely be better and have better performance, but the weapon must be mass-produced. At that time, it was hard to imagine the output and quality of weapons during a war like World War I.
If you want to do a good job, you must first sharpen your tools. As for the People's Liberation Army, it may be too early to talk about sharp weapons, but there is another saying that "whetting the knife does not delay cutting firewood". With World War I as a whetstone to hone one's skills, the blade will be even sharper in the future.
