One day later, the cargo ship successfully passed through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and headed for its destination.
The two warships also arrived at the Djibouti Port Supply Base, bringing valuable support to the officers and soldiers stationed here.
Inside the base, Wang Wusheng, the chief officer stationed here, held a small glass of liquor in his hand and said to Hu Shuming:
"I hope for the stars and the moon, and finally my mother's family is here!"
"Today I'm here to cleanse you from the wind. Don't drink too much wine. Let's take a sip each and express our feelings!"
After hearing Wang Wusheng's words, Hu Shuming didn't hesitate, picked up the wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.
In fact, in this era before Prohibition, it was not unusual for the troops to drink.
Even in many places, beer is served in the back-end cafeteria every Wednesday and Friday for dinner events, but of course, the quantity is not that much.
At this time, there was also a popular drinking order in the army, which was for the three armies to have a good time after the battle. That is to say, drink three drinks at the beginning, and then fight separately.
It can be seen that the attitude towards drinking is relatively open internally.
——
But in Djibouti, the situation is completely different.
Wang Wusheng strictly controls drinking in the base and does not let go even on important occasions like now.
It's said to be drinking, but in fact it's just a ritual.
After drinking a glass, Hu Shuming was not drunk at all. He pulled Wang Wusheng to sit down, and then said with concern:
"You guys have worked hard. It's been a hard time for more than a year, hasn't it?"
Wang Wusheng shook his head quickly and replied:
"It's not a good thing, it's just a little harder than in China."
"But the psychological pressure is really great. I can't stand it anymore as I fight with them every day."
"As you know, they stopped our civilian ships some time ago, euphemistically calling it 'anti-terrorism inspection'. In fact, everyone knows what their intention is."
"We originally planned to take care of it, but the base cannot resort to empty-city tactics, so we have to watch our compatriots being made things difficult for them."
"It's better now. After you guys came, our pressure has been greatly reduced. It is estimated that Djibouti will be much quieter during this period."
"It's not our fault."
Hu Shuming quickly waved his hand and explained:
"They have been honest these days, probably because of things on the other side."
"Also a possibility!"
Wang Wusheng nodded heavily and then said:
"Hey, what a fucking relief! Where were you in 1994?"
"His grandma's, I was on duty when the accident happened!"
"Now that I think about it, there were so many things going on in those years."
"It's not just in the air, there's also trouble in the water."
"It's been more than ten years now, and I still get so angry when I think about it."
Hu Shuming knew what Wang Wusheng was talking about. Although he was just an ordinary soldier that year, he had experienced a thrilling year.
…
Hu Shuming sighed softly and said:
"It's in the past."
"In the future, if they want to bully us again, it won't be that easy."
Hearing this, Wang Wusheng laughed.
"That's true!"
"Hey, let's not talk about this today, let's eat first!"
“Ethiopian roasted lamb, local specialty, try it!”
Having said this, the atmosphere among everyone became relaxed again. Although there was no wine, they drank the local yogurt Sprite to their heart's content. After being "full of wine and food", Hu Shuming began to chat with Wang Wusheng about serious matters.
“What is the current situation in Sudan?”
he asked.
"not good."
Wang Wusheng answered bluntly.
"The Revolutionary Front has broken through the Shambat Bridge, all satellite cities around Khartoum have been occupied, and the official defense line has almost been completely broken."
"Although we haven't entered the city yet, there is no doubt that it will be a matter of time."
"The official inner city defense line is a joke, and air superiority is no longer effective."
"We estimate that Khartoum will be completely taken over within two weeks at most."
"It might not even last two weeks - they'll surrender."
"The situation is very serious."
Hu Shuming sighed.
"Yes, it's very serious. We have already contacted the embassy. They are tough enough and insist on not withdrawing. They plan to use their small compound to collect all the more than a thousand Chinese in Khartoum in case of extreme circumstances. Get in."
"To be honest, I admire them very much. They only have a few guns in their hands. If they can persist until now, they really don't take their own lives seriously."
There was a look of emotion on Wang Wusheng's face. After a moment of silence, he continued:
"So, the urgency of evacuating overseas Chinese is now very high."
"You just arrived. We didn't want to rush you, but we have no choice but to go."
Hu Shuming nodded solemnly and replied:
"Start resupplying tonight and set off tomorrow."
"Weishanhu is coming with us, we will evacuate directly from Port Sudan."
Wang Wusheng frowned slightly, and then he asked:
"Dock?"
"We have to dock, there are too many people."
"That would be risky, and the Revolutionary Front might not cooperate."
"We can't control it. If we are pressed, we will land and fight. Even the United States and the United States dare not stop us. I want to see if they have the guts!"
"good!"
Wang Wusheng laughed after hearing Hu Shuming's words.
In fact, what he was most worried about was that Hu Shuming was too indecisive during the evacuation process.
If that was the case, then he would rather lead the team himself.
But judging from the current situation, the other party is indeed somewhat bloody.
Leave those more than a thousand people to him and you can rest assured.
"After receiving the person, we will return directly to Djibouti."
"After reaching the high seas, we will send military aircraft to escort."
"J-10?"
Hu Shuming asked curiously.
In fact, the Djibouti base currently does not have the latest fourth-generation aircraft - as far as he knows, there are no plans to deploy fourth-generation aircraft for the time being.
Wang Wusheng smiled and replied:
"no."
"It's Rainbow-9."
"Rainbow-9 just flew over."
Meanwhile, Khartoum.
Ji Feng stood in front of the bus that had been prepared long ago, with military attache Lin Tao standing next to him.
The latter looked at the compatriots getting on the bus in an orderly manner and said to him:
"Thanks to your resources this time, if it weren't for your company's connections here, under this situation, it would be really difficult for us to find such a bus."
"After you return to China, we will apply for awards for you. Of course, you will also be awarded individually."
After hearing his words, Ji Feng waved his hand and replied:
"I just did what I was supposed to do. Whether I am rewarded or not is not that important."
"This group of 330 people has a total of 4 vehicles. The fuel is sufficient and the daily necessities are well prepared. They can set off in half an hour."
"We will explore the route first. If we can reach Port Sudan successfully, we will then notify the following teams to follow via satellite phone."
"If something happens, it's up to you to find a solution."
Lin Tao nodded solemnly and said:
"Don't worry, we will stay here until the last person evacuates."
"If they cannot withdraw, as long as we are here, the Revolutionary Front should not dare to forcefully attack."
"On your part, be sure to pay attention to safety along the way."
"The Revolutionary Front has set up checkpoints on the main roads. If you encounter any interrogation, you will directly reveal your identity."
"Our warship has arrived near Port Sudan, and our superiors have also communicated with the other party's senior officials. The theory is that there will not be too much danger."
Ji Feng hummed and said nothing.
In fact, he knew very well what Lin Tao meant when he said "there is not much danger".
It's not "without danger".
The reason is very simple. After all, the Revolutionary Front is not a real official armed force. They talk about rules, but they don't talk much.
Especially in areas outside the capital, those poorly controlled rebels don't care who you are or what your background is.
They only know that on this continent, yellow-skinned faces are fat sheep.
Once they collide, once something goes wrong during the negotiation process, what awaits everyone is probably the fate of the entire army being annihilated.
——
But even so, Monsoon can only try.
Khartoum will soon fall completely, and staying here is even more dangerous than on the road.
After all, artillery shells have no eyesight - in just the past two days, several Chinese people have been injured by stray bullets.
The only good thing is that no one has died as a result.
“Red flag ready?”
Lin Tao suddenly asked.
Ji Feng nodded and replied:
"Every car is ready."
"But I hope it won't be necessary - there are people from the Revolutionary Front outside. When it comes time to display the national flag, it will probably be useless."
"Whether it's useful or not, it must be bright."
Lin Tao's tone was firm, and from his expression, Ji Feng understood the underlying meaning.
Yes, maybe this red flag can't save your life from those brainless soldiers.
But as long as the flag is raised, those people behind who have not had time to evacuate will be 100% safe.
Thinking of this, he said:
"I understand, I'll take care of it."
Lin Tao patted Ji Feng on the shoulder, and the two of them were speechless.
After a short preparation, all the first batch of evacuees boarded the vehicle. Under the escort of the official army, this special convoy left Khartoum through the only undefended road in the southwest.
Later, official troops returned and the convoy turned around and headed north.
From this moment on, everyone's fate is truly in their own hands.
They will have to cross a distance of 1,100 kilometers to rush to the only glimmer of life.
Ward Hamid is the first test they will experience. It is a major military base of the Revolutionary Front organization and the only place where the only road must pass.
As there were more and more military vehicles and armed personnel on both sides of the road, Ji Feng became extremely nervous.
But fortunately, they did not encounter any difficulties at this level.
After determining their whereabouts, the local revolutionary front organization released them on the spot.
In the bus, someone whispered:
"These rebels are quite reasonable and very efficient."
"Yeah, it looks more reliable than the official one."
Hearing this, Ji Feng smiled disdainfully.
He opened his mouth and said:
"The Revolutionary Front is reasonable? Don't be naive. Even if they are reasonable, it is only limited to those at the top."
"I'm not being challenged here because this is Hamidi's home base."
"He didn't dare to make it too ugly, for fear that we would settle the score later."
"The real difficulties have not yet begun. Everyone, please be mentally prepared. This journey will not be smooth."
As soon as these words came out, everyone fell silent instantly.
The next trip confirmed Ji Feng’s judgment.
First, the road condition deteriorated. After experiencing the baptism of artillery fire, the road had already become bumpy and bumpy, and the driving speed of the convoy was forced to drop below 30 kilometers.
Immediately afterwards, the fighting that had almost disappeared near the capital reappeared. In places occupied by the Revolutionary Front but not fully controlled, official armed forces continued to fight back.
There were dead bodies everywhere on the roadside, and it became increasingly difficult to pass the customs.
If Ji Feng hadn't been careful and obtained a certificate stamped by the Revolutionary Front from Ward Hamid, I'm afraid those rebels would have "detained" everyone on the spot.
Under such circumstances, Monsoon did not dare to let the convoy stop for rest. Several drivers took turns driving and could not rest even late at night.
With less than 300 kilometers left to Port Sudan, the road conditions were getting worse and worse. Monsoon, who was just about to rest for a while, was awakened. When he leaned in front of the windshield to check the situation, he suddenly discovered that the cause of the bumps was not so-called at all. "Road conditions", but corpses randomly dumped in the middle of the road.
This scene was like hell. If the driver hadn't been mentally strong, he would have collapsed on the spot.
Ji Feng patted the driver's shoulder, as if comforting and affirming.
But the latter's expression remained unchanged at all - he was not numb or indifferent.
It's just that he has no right to be weak in front of hundreds of compatriots' lives.
Under great pressure, the team passed one level after another.
Thirty hours after setting off, they finally reached the last hurdle to Port Sudan.
Hinkat.
As long as you pass this small town, the road ahead will be smooth.
Ji Feng finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, just when he was about to get out of the car to communicate with the armed men, the other party pointed their gun directly at him.
Ji Feng suddenly broke out in cold sweat. He pretended to be calm and greeted the other party in a friendly manner, but the other party broke all his hopes with a broken English.
"Everyone get out of the car and are not allowed to move forward!"
(End of chapter)
