After passing Huahu Station, train No. 4099 kept clanging until the evening of the next day. During the whole day, during the nearly 800-kilometer journey, there was no rest except passing by military stations and dropping off people who had finished their family leave.
When night fell, the train arrived at the Wangkui base, which meant that the train passed through the vastest virgin forest in the alliance. With Wangkui Base as the boundary, it falls under the jurisdiction of the Eastern Military Region from here on. If placed in the pre-war geographical divisions, the Hai Lan River that passes through Wang Kui City and bisects it is naturally the dividing line between Ha Hui Province and Linh Hai Province.
The predecessor of the alliance was the Tianhai Empire, and the modern alliance's understanding of the empire can be read from the flag.
The Union's purple flag is divided into three equal parts by a golden line, and four purple stars are distributed in the southeast, northwest and guard the two white stars in the center. The purple flag means that the alliance's legal inheritance continues the Tianhai Empire, which is symbolized by purple, and the three equal divisions signify that the alliance is the inheritor of the Tianhai Empire's three thousand years of great achievements, rather than a subversive one as considered by foreign countries. The four purple stars in the southeast and northwest represent the four union republics respectively. Since the capital of the alliance was located in the south before the war, there was only one white star in the center of the flag. In the 67th year of the Restoration Calendar, the day when the reconstruction of the earth's surface was officially announced, there were two white stars in the center of the flag. Symbolizing the sacred dragon mountain and the glorious capital.
During the days of the First and Second Tianhai Empires, the Linghai Kingdom in the northeast regarded Wangkui Mansion at the throat of the middle reaches of the Hailan River as a battleground for military strategists, so it was under its control for a thousand years. However, at the end of the Second Tianhai Empire, the Linghai Kingdom was completely defeated by the empire. "Linghai" was changed to "Linghai" by Emperor Ning, and Wangkui also cut off the newly established Linghai Road and placed it into Hehui East Road, thereby restricting The tough Linghai people thought of rebelling again one day.
But who would have expected that thousands of years would pass by in a blink of an eye. When the military region system was reestablished after the war, the Wangkui base lost its regional significance, so it was very happily handed over to the Eastern Military Region by the Alliance Supreme Command. This is not considered to be a win-over. , but was regarded as useless by the latter.
Bringing up history in the midst of idle chatter leaves people speechless. At the end, only Shen Rusong was still interested and listened to the man in front of him.
"I see you're very interested. Let's talk some more." Seeing Shen Rusong looking thoughtful, this guy instantly became excited.
"No, no, no, no, no." Shen Rusong quickly stopped this guy from taking out the flask and pouring wine. He was not someone who drank too much. Besides, he didn't even have a single peanut, so drinking it dry would be too much.
The man took back the wine bottle with great disappointment and cleared away a few thread-bound books scattered on the bed. He said to himself: "There are fewer and fewer people willing to study these days."
Shen Rusong shrugged and ignored him.
The carriage was noisy, and the aisles were covered with small benches. I had to marvel that these people could gather so many people to play cards and chess in such a narrow place.
Shen Rusong walked past the carriage of returning infantry cadets and returned to his bunk. He lay on his stomach and looked out the still window. The clear blue Hailan Tuduo River was close at hand.
This river rushes out from the Qianshan Mountains. When it reaches Wangkui Base, it is no longer as fast as the upstream. It turns a corner here, widens and slows down. It is an excellent inland waterway, capable of carrying thousands of tons of ships during the flood season. Similarly, it is surrounded by river mouth plains, which are extremely fertile farmland. Today's Wangkui Base is a standard resource base. The 282nd and 283rd Infrastructure Corps stationed here have established many farms with an area of tens of thousands of hectares, as well as more state-owned farms.
So, living on the surface is much better than living in the underground city. At least you can eat meat five times a month. But whether you eat farmed animals or killed mutant beasts is another topic.
It was time to send off another group of classmates. At the station, a female official named Mai Qiu half-jokingly and half-seriously suggested that Shen Rusong play a piece of music to see her off.
What's this? Shen Rusong naturally agreed to Mai Qiu's request. Wasn't it just to entertain himself and others by buying this Swan harmonica, which cost him three months of military school allowance?
Shen Rusong thought for a moment, and when he looked up, wasn't it the Hailan Tuduo River that was about to thaw?
A simple and bright melody rises, dancing between the steaming white mist of the train and the white steam exhaled and condensed by people.
Mai Qiu raised her head and sang with a clear voice:
"In my hometown, deep in the vast mountains
There are two beautiful springs flowing long
One is gentle, the other is cool, they merge into a river
The waves of Hailan Tuduo River are splashing and splashing
Reflecting the blue sky, white clouds and red clouds shining brightly
Water nymphs play happily in the ripples under the moonlight
river through forest
It falls down thousands of feet
Flying down and falling down thousands of feet..."
The song ended with thunderous applause.
Shen Rusong shook hands and hugged his classmates one by one. When it was Mai Qiu's turn, as soon as they met her tearful eyes, Shen Rusong's heart moved slightly and he hugged her.
"Be sure to take care."
"Well, you have a safe journey."
Just when Shen Rusong was carrying the heavy luggage for Mai Qiu, Mai Qiu gently pushed his arm away. The moment their eyes met, she turned her head away, as if smiling, she blinked, her eyelashes moved slightly, and said: "Next time you go to the canteen, just buy some dried plums."
The setting sun was like blood, and under the crimson and fading clouds, Shen Rusong watched his classmates go down the stairs and walked into the shadow of the station. Between the sometimes shining and sometimes dim street lights, Shen Rusong looked at Mai Qiu, who was wearing a tan military coat. Slowly walking away, in the summer of the military academy, her short, free-flying ear-length hair was gathered together in the thick ear protection hat in the cold temperature, and her figure finally blended into the queue.
Amidst the whistles that resounded through the sky in the military camp, some memories were like flowing warm water drops, sliding over the cheeks, falling down the chin and onto the toes of the boots.
Putting his hand into his pocket and holding the harmonica, Shen Rusong suddenly didn't want to play it anymore.
The train stopped at Wangkui base for two hours, waiting for the higher-priority armament train to pass before continuing its departure. The next stop is Yanqi base.
Halfway through the journey, you will feel that the journey is about to reach the end, but as the old saying goes, this last night feels extremely long to Shen Rusong.
Outside the train is no longer a forest, but a vast plain. It was not yet March and the fields were still naked. Occasionally, a few haystacks flashed past, and rollers and rusty harvester wheels were piled beside the ditch. When the sky was bright, there were already agricultural workers patrolling the field ridges with lanterns, and young boys with immature faces pointed at the eastbound train. He seemed to be asking his father how many young people from the capital were on this green-painted train. They came here to prepare for war on the radio, or to prepare for disaster on the radio. Yes, March is approaching and the first crop of spring wheat is about to be sown.
The people in the reflection of the car window also flew by, and Longshan in the distance was still vivid in his mind. Shen Rusong opened the diary and wrote a line with black pen on the title page.
"I came here to rebuild my country."
Three days and two nights on the slow train, the final station was getting closer and closer, and the mahjong players began to calm down. The last stop is the one with the most people. Starting from the Yanqi base, many branch line and double-line military stations are no longer accessible by train, and must be reached by car or on foot.
"Woo!!!" After crossing the last railway bridge, the whistle sounded, and the Yanqi base arrived.
The station was crowded, and the sergeants of each company took back the cadets of the next company.
In the hall, the iron triangle of Shen Rusong, Gao Keming, and Shao Gang tilted their heads and said "bye" to each other. The three of them were all in the same base. They would see each other if they looked down, and they would meet tomorrow if they looked down. They were just different companies. .
Although the three of them are all in the broad category of engineers and soldiers, the differences are still quite big. Because although the Yanqi garrison has the word "garrison", it is actually a fully independent combined force of various arms. The motorized infantry regiment has an armored battalion, and the motorized force has higher road traffic conditions. , with a "defensive" nature and a reconstruction task, the need for engineers is even higher. It requires both concentrated use of engineers and single-batch investment.
Shen Rusong is assigned to the 3rd Company of the 1st Battalion. This is an armored battalion. It is cool to drive a tank and wear an exoskeleton. Outside of wartime, it is the task of the battalion to maintain large-scale field facilities. Therefore, Shen Rusong is a combat engineer who focuses on maintenance skills. .
The Yanqi base not only houses the Yanqi garrison, but also the 96th Infantry Regiment and various scattered units that look troublesome to outsiders. Gao Keming is assigned to the division-directed engineer battalion of the 7th Mountain Division of the Eastern Military Region. This battalion has been strengthened and assigned to the permanent base garrison. Gao Keming's nature is a relatively simple technical noncommissioned officer, building bridges and paving roads, repairing cars and houses. All are duties.
As for Shao Gang, he is assigned to the 4th Battalion and 2nd Company of the regiment. He also has to take on the daily tasks of an engineer, but the biggest difference is that he is a combat engineer. When wartime comes, the deployment of this assault infantry battalion means that Participate in street fighting, equipped with heavy water-cooled armor and shotguns. Combat engineers go to the front line to fight the enemy. The danger is dangerous, but people have their own strengths. It is better to vent his fiery temper on monsters and enemies than to yell at his own comrades. Be strong.
It was crowded, and Shen Rusong felt that Yanqi Base was no different from the 102 Deployment Base along the way. Maybe it was because the Hailan Tuduo River was on the side, so it was just a little bit colder and damper.
When we arrived at the company, we put our bags in the barracks. The new recruits would not arrive until two days later. It was also time to open fire and eat. In order to take care of the new cadets, we followed the old rules and ate bald noodles~
Add lard, sesame oil, sprinkle a lot of chopped green onion, and eat as much as the troops can, a bowl of noodles and a spoonful of sesame seeds, and if you are brave enough, add chili oil. Outside was the bitterly cold snow, and inside was a large iron pot of noodles that was bright red. This meal was made of Shen Rusong, whose belly was bursting with red.
After everyone felt comfortable and could no longer move from their seats, the deputy company commander and a few old sergeants came out to talk.
The deputy company commander's surname was Liu. He came with a routine squeak and a routine applause after he finished speaking. It was the senior sergeants in the company who could really get along with corporals like Shen Rusong and directly interact with each other in work and combat.
There are four thick bars under the crossed golden gear ears, and the collar badge indicates that the person speaking is a fourth-level sergeant major. He has served for at least eleven years before he is eligible for selection and promotion to the fourth-level sergeant major. For this group of fledgling cadets, the old man in front of them had to think carefully about even his farts.
