Chapter 437 Special Train
Woo woo woo.
Eat, eat, eat, eat.
The train sped along with billowing black smoke, and finally stopped at an unknown station more than 200 kilometers away from the locomotive depot.
This is a military supply station and does not appear on regular train dispatch maps.
On the surrounding barbed wire fence, there are wooden boards with the words "Forbidden Area, Strictly Prohibited" written in black. There are sentries around and there are heavily armed soldiers standing guard.
At this time, under the dim light, the platform was filled with soldiers wearing cotton hats, navy blue winter clothes, and carrying bags on their shoulders.
Li Aiguo jumped off the driver's building.
A comrade in uniform came over and saluted Li Aiguo.
"Hello, comrade driver, I am Zhang Yingzhang of a certain unit. I am going to the south this time. I would like to help you."
Li Aiguo responded with a gift: "After all, the army and the people are one family, I am also a person in the organization, these are what I should do."
In fact, because this transportation is a confidential task, there is no choice in the selection of the train driver. , the situation of Li Aiguo was also carefully investigated.
Although Li Aiguo’s ‘driver’ identity is absolutely confidential, Zhang Yingzhang’s level is not high enough and there is no way to know.
But the several missions Li Aiguo has performed before are enough to show that he is a good comrade who is trustworthy.
"Time is tight, we need to leave immediately."
Zhang Yingzhang asked about the status of the train. After receiving a satisfactory answer, he turned around and ran to the team on the platform.
"Assemble! Get in the car!"
With a series of "Stand at attention, take a breath, turn left, turn right and back", "Target car No. 1, car No. 2... ..." the commands were issued continuously.
In less than half an hour, all the soldiers standing on the platform were all on the tanker truck.
Because the tank car is not equipped with a train set.
As the driver and the de facto owner of the train, Li Aiguo had to board the tank car and explain the precautions to his comrades.
In the stuffy tank car, the kerosene lamp emitted a weak light, which made the soldiers' faces flicker.
Li Aiguo said loudly: "Our train does not have a toilet. If you want to be more convenient, you can just open the door and water outside. However, I suggest you water towards the back, otherwise you may get choked on yourself. . ”
This caused a burst of laughter.
At this time, a soldier raised his hand: "Comrade driver, what if we want a big one?"
The soldiers all turned their attention to Li Aiguo.
Li Aiguo pointed to the car door.
The cabin of the tank truck is actually the skin, and the door is a large metal sliding door.
When driving, the inside is tied with a rope. Passengers need to be careful when sleeping at night, otherwise they may fall.
The military and civilians are as close as one family. Li Aiguo explained the most important solutions to human physiological problems to the soldiers.
"Two comrades can hold his arms and he sticks his butt out of the door. However, I suggest you try to get on the train when the train is passing through a tunnel, or in a very desolate area."
The soldiers understood instantly.
Pedestrians on the roadside are humming and playing happily, and you suddenly make them look happy. How can they not be angry?
Hmm. Don’t ask Li Aiguo how he knows the old experience.
Zhang Yingzhang glanced at Li Aiguo gratefully and said loudly: "Please remember all the precautions that driver Li has given you. Never get on the bus during the day, especially when the train passes through the city. So as not to affect our image.”
At this time, the logistics of the military supply station also sent supplies.
A few steamed buns and an apple per person.
Seeing the steamed buns, Li Aiguo frowned slightly.
There were not many military supply stations on the road these days, and there was often no way to park for a whole day. The soldiers had to eat steamed buns and drink cold water. Can they bear it?
“Old Zhang, don’t our troops have any other dry food?”
"You mean the old fried noodles?" Zhang Yingzhang was stunned for a moment, frowned and said: "That thing is too unpalatable, it is better to eat steamed buns!"
(In the old movie "Shangganling", the volunteers stick to the tunnel The biscuits that Captain Zhang Zhongfa took the lead in eating are made from 70% wheat and 30% soybeans and sorghum cornmeal.
From the outside. It looks like a pile of noodles.
This fried noodles has almost no taste. It is dry, hard and mushy when it comes to your mouth. You must chew it slowly. If you eat it in a big mouth, it will be very chewy. It is easy to block the respiratory tract.
Five-star General MacArthur commented: Ward, is this food for people to eat? If I let my boys eat this kind of food, they will turn their guns. Hit me.)
Zhang Yingzhang continued: "At that time, we also seized a lot of cans from the United States, but those things should be reserved for critical moments."
Yes. , these days are hard, who would be willing to eat canned food on weekdays?
Li Aiguo looked at the soldiers who were eating cornbread, and suddenly thought of something.
In these days, it seems that instant noodles have not yet appeared.
Our family is poor and cannot afford canned meat, but instant noodles can always keep us satisfied.
That thing is easy to transport, has a long storage time, and tastes particularly delicious.
The most important thing is that the process is relatively simple, otherwise it will be in vain if you study it and get stuck in manufacturing.
Li Aiguo remembers that two years later, in 1958, Ando of the island country developed instant noodles.
Li Aiguo felt that An Teng might have plagiarized the "Yi Mian" idea of the former calligrapher and painter Yi Bingshou of our country.
Yi Bingshou enjoyed banquets and singing with literati. His busy official duties and frequent interactions with calligraphy and painting made his house often crowded with guests and there was a constant flow of people.
Chinese people are very hospitable, so when it’s noon time, they naturally want to keep guests for dinner.
There are too many people, and the guests come at an irregular time, so the chef is a bit overwhelmed.
Yi Bingshou thought of a way.
He asked people to mix flour and eggs with water, make them into noodles, dry them and fry them in oil until golden brown.
When guests come, you only need to take the dough, put it in a bowl, rinse it with boiling water, and add seasonings, and it becomes a bowl of smooth and delicious noodles, which is extremely convenient for entertaining sporadic guests.
Once, the poet and calligrapher Song Xiang tasted it and found it very delicious. Knowing that it had no name, he said: "It's a shame that such a delicious food has no name. It would be better to name it 'Yifu Noodles' How?"
From then on, Yi Fumian became popular and was referred to as "Yi Mian".
To this day.
Some manufacturers still call instant noodles produced by modern methods "Yi Noodles", such as "Three Fresh Yi Noodles", "Beef Yi Noodles" and so on.
As the little prince of Gan Shu, Li Aiguo has read the whole book and naturally knows the allusions in it.
An Teng developed instant noodles based on Yi Mian, and earned a lot of patent fees, making a lot of money.
He claimed to be inspired by "tempura", which is quite a stick style.
Li Aiguo naturally couldn't coddle him.
Instant noodles are done!
But now that he was about to drive, Li Aiguo could only write down this idea first.
There are no seats in the stew car.
The ground was covered with quilts, and the soldiers sat on the ground. Although the conditions were difficult, there were sparks in their eyes.
They feel honored for their future mission.
Li Aiguo was also puzzled as to why he wanted to mobilize his troops to the south at this time.
But as a train driver, Li Aiguo couldn't ask.
Because the compartments of the stuffy tank cars are wagons, each wagon is not connected to each other.
It took Zhang Yingzhang a full ten minutes to convey Li Aiguo's precautions to each carriage.
When he returned to the driver's building again, he gave three sets of steamed buns and apples to Li Aiguo and the others.
“Driver Li, it’s time to leave.”
There is no dispatcher, no signal flag, the "special train" is so arrogant.
Sound the whistle, loosen the gate, and push the steam valve slowly.
Under the night, the tank truck made a dull chirping sound, and soon started to set off.
Driving is relatively simple. As an experienced driver, Li Aiguo does not need to spend too much effort.
But he still has important things to do now, which is to study the route map provided by Zhang Yingzhang.
To prevent leaks, the driver can only know the route after the train starts.
The destination of this train is not the so-called Fujian.
After all, in this era, the only railway line in Fujian Province, the Yingxia Railway, which is built by the 200,000-strong Railway Corps 8560 and 8511 troops, is under construction.
It will take at least another two years to complete.
So the train from Beijing to the coast of Fujian Province can only transfer to Hunan Province first, then transfer to Gan Province, take the Pinghan-Han Railway line, pass through Zhuzhou, and take Yingtan to transfer.
Finally, it passes through the railway track that has not yet been fully opened to traffic, passing through Shaowu, Nanping, Yong'an, and reaches the suburbs of Zhangzhou.
Some of the railway lines that need to be passed are not passenger lines, but freight lines from many years ago. The lines are very complicated and the driving conditions are difficult.
But there is nothing we can do. There are too few railway lines in the south these days.
The most densely populated place with domestic railway transportation lines is the Northeast.
After studying the route clearly, Li Aiguo took out a cigarette from his pocket and handed one to Zhang Yingzhang: "Zhang Yingzhang, don't worry, I will definitely deliver you on time."
"That's good work."
Zhang Yingzhang didn't say much. After entering the driver's building, he always leaned against the wall of the tender, his eyes slightly narrowed, and he seemed to be asleep.
Li Aiguo noticed that whenever the train slowed down, Zhang Yingzhang would always widen his eyes warily, feeling that this man might have come down from the battlefield.
The train traveled in the dark for more than ten hours before arriving at the first military supply station.
With a rapid "creeping" sound, the train slowly stopped.
It was already early morning, and the rays of light were shining all over the land of China. Li Aiguo jumped off the train and asked the soldiers to get off and take a rest.
When he opened the car door, he was stunned.
In the iron carriage where the temperature was more than ten degrees below zero, the soldiers were all wearing cotton jackets, cotton trousers, and cotton hats, huddled in bed.
They also had to wear military coats. When they woke up in the morning, the carriage was covered with frost, and the mouth and nose of their hats were covered with ice.
Hearing that the car was parked, the soldiers stood up one after another.
They all seemed to be in slow motion, and their movements were similar to those of rusty robots, but in fact they were completely frozen.
Old Zheng couldn't bear to see it, and sighed: "In fact, it is entirely possible to requisition passenger trains, at least the heating measures are better."
The corners of Li Aiguo's eyes couldn't help but feel a little moist.
It is because of these comrades who are not afraid of hardships and hardships that the people can live a good life in peace and contentment.
Zhang Yingzhang explained from the side: "Now is a time when transportation capacity is tight. How can we compete with ordinary people for trains? In addition, passenger trains are not as confidential as tank cars."
Li Aiguo agrees with this point.
Zhang Yingzhang should have contacted the military supply station.
Not long after the train stopped, staff from the Military Agency Office of the station’s military supply station came over carrying more than ten wooden barrels filled with white rice.
The dishes are served in wooden basins. They are boiled cabbage with a layer of oily flowers floating on it.
Li Aiguo came to life while eating the hot food.
People are like rice and steel. No wonder the troops always attach great importance to logistics when they go on expeditions. Li Aiguo also firmly determined to develop instant noodles.
After a short rest, the train continued to set off, braving the severe cold and black smoke, heading south.
Driving a train and riding a train are both boring things.
After a day and night of running-in in the driver's building, Li Aiguo has become familiar with Zhang Yingzhang.
Several people were chatting happily in the driver's building.
Of course, Li Aiguo also understands discipline and did not ask Zhang Yingzhang why he went to Fu Jian this time.
The train ran very fast along the dark railway. After two days and two nights, after passing 4 military supply stations, it finally entered Gan Province along the Zhuping Railway.
The Zhuping Railway is a special line for coal transportation.
It was built in 1905 and was mainly used to transport coal from Anyuan Coal Mine. After decades of rolling, some sleepers have decayed and broken, and the quality of the railway line is relatively poor.
Li Aiguo also cheered up and ordered his co-driver Liu Qingquan to keep a lookout.
Looking at the mountains on both sides, Zhang Yingzhang also cheered up and began to check weapons and ammunition.
He used a Type 52 semi-automatic pistol, which was also the main pistol used by domestic officers in these years. It was also called the "765 Public Security Pistol".
Although the appearance is rough, the performance is not weak at all.
I saw Zhang Yingzhang skillfully loading the bullet, wiping the barrel, and flipping the switch
Lao Zheng was surprised when he saw this: "Comrade Zhang, what's the matter, do you have to use the gun later?"
Zhang Yingzhang checked the tent, put the pistol back into the holster on his waist, and said seriously: " This land is no better than the capital, so it’s better to be careful.”
There are mountains and mountains on both sides of the railway, and the trees cover the sky, and Li Aiguo’s spirit is also on guard.
He once heard Li Yunlong tell some stories about deep mountains and old forests.
In the 1950s, bandits made a big fuss here in Gan Province.
Even the bandit leader Liao Dadu issued the so-called "Ten Kill Order"
"Kill those who assist the soldiers, kill those who welcome the soldiers, and kill those who give things to the soldiers..."
The bandits also sent electricity to the island.
As soon as the telegram was sent, it received "strong praise" from the so-called Shangfeng.
But it attracted the wrath of Thunder.
The superiors formally issued instructions to "suppress the bandits and establish a new order", which kicked off the three-year "struggle to suppress the bandits" with great vigor.
A hundred thousand troops drove past in a mighty manner, and the bandits fled upon hearing the news.
In 1951, the bandit leader Liao Dadu was arrested.
Because he was afraid of being cut into pieces, he struggled desperately. As a result, he turned over and rolled to the bottom of the cliff because he was too fat.
This is a very narrow mountain road with cliffs on the top and deep valleys on the bottom. When Liao Dadu was found, he was already a corpse.
He fell so badly that the soldiers spent a lot of effort to get him up, put him on the "piggy sedan" and continued to carry him away.
The core members of the gang were arrested one after another.
However, there are still some bandits hiding in the mountains and forests.
So it is not an exaggeration for Zhang Yingzhang to be so cautious.
It is already a severe cold time.
It is very cold in northern Jiangxi. The biting north wind is howling all over the sky, silver-gray clouds are galloping in the sky, cold currents are rolling, and goose-feather snowflakes are flying in the wind and rain.
Liu Qingquan, who was in charge of the lookout, had frost on his beard and eyebrows, almost like an elderly grandfather.
It caused Li Aiguo and Zhang Yingzhang to burst into laughter.
After two hours of running, the train arrived at the second switching station entering Gan Province.
This railway line is in a semi-abandoned state, and few trains pass by on weekdays.
The crossing station is particularly shabby. It is just a small wooden house. It is difficult to detect under the cover of dead branches.
Fortunately, Liu Qingquan has good eyesight.
When he was far away, he reported: "Report to the driver, one thousand meters away from Liujiapu Switching Station, please slow down."
Li Aiguo pulled down the steam door and let the train run on the track. Sliding, when the gate was in front of us, the train stopped steadily.
This was not the first time Zhang Yingzhang took a train. He said in surprise: "Driver Li, OK, there are two brushes."
"Our Driver Li is the most skilled driver in the locomotive depot, otherwise he wouldn't be able to go on this mission." Liu Qingquan said with a smile.
Zhang Yingzhang nodded in agreement.
Li Aiguo’s driving skills displayed along the way were far superior to those of ordinary drivers.
Otherwise, the train would have given up its options at several dangerous places along the way.
Ahem, you must know that in this era, there are many roads that are quite bumpy. If you are not careful, you will be punished by heaven.
The black train stopped in front of the railway station.
White smoke was billowing from both sides of the car. The train brakes made quite a lot of noise, but no one on duty came to change the barrier.
Li Aiguo felt something was wrong.
While sounding the whistle, he reached out and grasped the pistol at his waist.
The crisp sound of the whistle broke the tranquility of the mountain forest, causing the snow on the branches of the nearby trees to fall rustlingly.
After a while.
The dilapidated wooden door of the wooden house opened with a squeak.
A middle-aged switchman wearing a felt hat and unshaven face came out of the house wearing a tattered cloak.
“There are still cars on this snowy day.”
When he saw the train, he stood at the door for a moment, exhaled a puff of white air, and then realized that he had read correctly. Came over in a hurry.
Liu Qingquan kept staring at the switchman.
“Driver Li, this man is limping, his legs and feet must have been injured.”
“Don’t be too fussy, this is not a military supply station, please be careful later.”< br>
Li Aiguo also took a look. He always felt that this switchman was a bit strange, but he couldn't explain the details.
The switchman walked to the locomotive and tried to put his head against the window. He only tried twice and failed.
He could only ask at the top of his lungs: "Comrade driver, where are you going? What is being transported in the car?"
"Didn't the dispatcher notify you?" Li Aiguo held out a large front door.
The switchman took the cigarette and took out a lighter from his pocket to light it. He did not notice that Li Aiguo kept staring at the lighter.
After taking a deep breath, he smiled self-deprecatingly: "Comrade driver, it seems that you are from a distant place and don't understand the situation. It snowed heavily here a while ago and the phone line was broken. We are here It only takes ten days and a half to get one car, and there is no one to repair the phone."
"Really?"
Li Aiguo took out the dispatch sheet and handed it over: "Please change the road, ours. The task is rather urgent.”
The switchman’s eyes suddenly froze as he took the order.
"Those who transport relief grains, didn't they transport them once a while ago? It's only been half a month, why are they here again?"
Li Aiguo felt that this switch job was a bit too talkative: " We also accepted the dispatching task from our superiors.”
“Yes, that’s right, you train drivers only know how to drive.”
The switchman smiled self-deprecatingly. He turned to look at the dozen tanker trucks behind him, turned around and returned to the gate, picked up the manual switch switch and changed the switch.
Then waved the flag at the train.
Li Aiguo put the pistol back into his waist, sounded the whistle, pushed the steam door, and the train roared as it slowly passed through the switching station.
Behind.
The switchman kept watching the train disappear into the mountains and forests, and then turned around and returned to the wooden house.
When he came out again, he changed into a thick cotton-padded jacket, pushed a bicycle out from behind the wooden house, and galloped away along the snow-covered mountain road.
(End of this chapter)