cicada

Chapter 1136 Yellow River Ballad

The Yellow River, the mother river of the Republic of China, has given birth to Chinese civilization for thousands of years, but it is also a "harmful river".

Its water flow is extremely turbulent, and it has changed its course many times and destroyed its embankments. This has not only brought serious disasters to the people on both sides of the strait, but also restricted the development of shipping.

When the condolence group arrived at the bank of the Yellow River under the escort and surveillance of the Shannan guerrilla detachment, they immediately heard the roaring sound of water, the sound was deafening, and a moist vapor rushed towards them.

The guerrillas looked worried, and Cui Hongyong also frowned and said in a deep voice.

"Oops, the flood season is coming!"

Zuo Zhong's heart tightened. The flood season of the Yellow River is from July to October, and July to August is the main flood season. The water flow reaches the highest peak of the year.

When crossing the river from Zhichuan, he carefully observed the river surface. At that time, the flow speed was not very high. He did not expect that there would be such a big change in a few hours.

The risk of crossing the river in this situation is very high, and it is easy for the boat to be destroyed and people to die.

Unless they have a powerful robotic boat or an experienced boat captain at the helm, they will have to find other ways to cross the river.

Thinking of this, Zuo Zhong walked up to Cui Hongyong and asked the other party if there was anyone familiar with the water conditions of the Yellow River and if there were any large ships.

"Of course there are people who are familiar with the water conditions, but don't even think about big ships."

Hearing Zuo Zhong's question, Cui Hong sounded helpless, then pointed at the white-haired old man in the team and explained in detail.

"He has been working as a gangster on the Yellow River all his life and has never had any trouble. But last year the Japanese invaded the Kuomintang-controlled areas and border areas and confiscated all the ships on the east bank.

This gang of beasts not only robbed the ship, but also killed people and set fires everywhere. More than a dozen members of his family were killed. Only then did they join the team to fight the Japanese with us.

Originally, I planned to send you across the river on a sheepskin raft, but now it seems too dangerous. Why don't you go to the guerrilla base and wait until the water subsides before leaving. "

Sheepskin rafts are a traditional means of transportation on the Yellow River. They are small in size and have a shallow draft, making them very suitable for navigation in the Yellow River with complex hydrological conditions.

Moreover, all the parts can be disassembled, and it is very light and easy to carry. Several people can carry it and run around, and it is also easy to hide.

For guerrillas who need mobile combat, this is undoubtedly the most suitable tool for crossing the river, provided that there is a gorge-handled paddle that is familiar with water to pilot.

Zuo Zhong looked at the old man, and then at a few guerrillas carrying skin bags and boat frames. He was silent for a moment and shook his head at Cui Hongyong.

"Please forgive me. My mission is to send the condolences group to the border area as soon as possible, and our whereabouts have been leaked. We cannot stay here for too long. We must cross the river tonight."

After rejecting Cui Hongyong's suggestion, he communicated with the old man: "Old sir, are you sure about crossing the river now?"

The old man held an unlit cigarette bag in his mouth, glanced at Zuo Zhong, listened to the sound of water flowing with his ears, and said slowly.

"Crossing the river is possible, but I'm old and young, so I can bring a boatload of people across at most."

Driving a sheepskin raft is both dangerous and strenuous, and it consumes a lot of energy. You really can’t ask too much of an old man with white hair.

Zuo Zhong nodded in thought and glanced at the caravan carriages. When he saw the hemp rope and rubber boat on one of the carriages, he suddenly had an idea.

Since the old man can only send one boatload of people, he first ties one end of the hemp rope to the east bank, and then uses a sheepskin raft to send the other end of the hemp rope to the west bank. The remaining people grab the rope and drag it across the river, which saves effort. too much.

In this way, the military's inflatable rubber boat can also be used. Using two boats together can increase the speed of crossing the river and try to get everyone to the west bank before sunrise.

The Japanese patrols were not blind, and there was no cover on the Yellow River. They could be seen at dawn, and it would be no more difficult for the enemy to shoot them than target practice.

He told him his method. The old man took a puff of his pipe and grinned, showing his scorched teeth, and spoke with a thick accent.

"Well, I think it's okay. Isn't this just trying to pull a boat? There are so many of them in Gansu Province. You're a very smart kid, so just do it like this."

After confirming the feasibility of the plan, the guerrillas and agents got busy. One party began to assemble the sheepskin raft, and the other began to inflate the rubber boat.

Soon, the assembled sheepskin raft was pushed into the Yellow River. The old man and five or six guerrilla fighters grabbed one end of the hemp rope and boarded the raft, quickly disappearing on the dark river.

At the same time, the agents on the shore held onto the hemp rope tightly and slowly released the rope. The rough surface of the hemp rope frayed their palms, but no one cared.

Cui Hongyong, who watched his men leave, turned around and saw the performance of the Guo party. Thinking of the other party's performance during the previous ambush, he couldn't help but become curious about these "members of the attendant's room".

He has seen many Guo armies, including the Central Army, Jinsui Army, and miscellaneous armies. No team can be like this team, neither complaining nor tired, and being so vigilant.

The guerrillas also looked at the spies with admiration, and cheered up again, always paying attention to the actions of these elite fruit troops.

More than half an hour passed, and it was getting darker and darker. There was only less than two hours left before dawn.

Cui Hongyong anxiously paced the shore, looking up at the river from time to time. If the sheepskin raft still didn't come back in half an hour, they would have to consider retreating.

Because returning from the shore to the guerrilla base also requires the cover of darkness, the whole journey takes about an hour and a half.

Thirty minutes passed in a blink of an eye. Cui Hongyong was about to give the order to retreat. The old man and a guerrilla fighter came back holding the rope. The old man gasped and said something.

"Sure!"

"Let's go! Launch the rubber boat and send Mr. Chen and others across the river first."

Without further ado, Zuo Zhong immediately waved to his men, and Gui Youguang led the little agent to push the rubber boat into the water, and then helped Mr. Chen and others get on the boat.

The guerrillas on the other side did the same thing. Two boats carrying more than ten people merged into the night again, and most of the condolence group was gone in an instant. Just a few more times, everyone will be able to cross the Yellow River's natural chasm, and the most dangerous and tense part of this trip will also come to an end.

When the sky will be bright.

Zuo Chong, Gui Youguang, Wu Chunyang, Cui Hongyong and a small guerrilla team boarded the last sheepskin raft, and the remaining small agents also boarded the rubber boat. At this point, both parties had left the east coast.

Everyone pulled the hemp rope hard, and the two boats moved quickly towards the opposite bank, one after the other. When they saw the west bank of the Yellow River looming, the old man at the helm had a smile on his face and sang a Shanxi tune at the top of his lungs.

"The first month of the first month is right."

"Hang up the red light on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month."

"The red one is hanging outside the door of Heida Lai."

"Just wait for my fifth brother to come to work."

The cheerful and rough singing floats on the surging Yellow River, which reminds people of the people on this land who have gone through hardships but are full of vitality and live extremely tenaciously.

The turbid river water splashed on the raft from time to time. Zuo Zhong listened to the tune with a smile, and the speed of pulling the rope in his hand increased a few points. He just shook his head and didn't pay much attention to the water droplets splashing on his face.

During the movement, his peripheral vision inadvertently swept across the east bank, and he discovered that a dozen Japanese soldiers had appeared on the originally deserted bank, screaming and shouting something.

After a while, some of the Japanese raised their guns and aimed in the direction of the sheepskin raft, while others took off their bayonets and rushed to the other end of the hemp rope. Zuo Zhong's expression suddenly changed.

"Quick! Japanese patrol!"

"Bang~"

As soon as he said the words, a gunshot was heard. People on the two boats lowered their bodies and pulled the ropes desperately.

The water was stronger at this time, and if the hemp rope broke, the rubber boat and sheepskin raft would easily capsize, and they would all have to go see the Dragon King.

The old man singing the minor tune also stopped for a moment, but after a few seconds he straightened his back and spoke again, and his voice became louder and louder, as if he was cheering for everyone.

"Fifth brother, he herded the sheep and returned home."

"One day, God will come and open my eyes."

"I'm here to consummate the marriage to my fifth brother."

"Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch."

The rubber boat and sheepskin raft hit the shore hard, and the hemp rope over the Yellow River suddenly loosened. The Japanese were still a step too late.

Everyone had no time to be happy and hurriedly lowered their bodies and ran towards the back of the river embankment. The Japanese's marksmanship was very accurate and they could still hit the target across the Yellow River.

At this time, the total amount of ammunition consumed by Japanese recruits during training was no less than 2000 rounds, and most of them could even shoot "waist guns."

The so-called waist gun means that you can shoot within 100 meters of the target without aiming. You can just put the gun on your waist and shoot with a certain degree of accuracy.

Cui Hongyong ran two steps and found that the old man had not followed, so he turned around and called out, only to find that the other man was sitting at the stern of the boat, lowering his head little by little, and the singing voice in his mouth gradually dropped.

"I'm here to consummate the marriage to my fifth brother."

"Get married and get married."

A mass of red blood slowly seeped out from the old man's chest. He was obviously injured by the gunshot just now. He just managed to hold on without falling, but now he could no longer hold on.

A burst of waves hit the sheepskin raft, and his body swayed, and he fell backwards into the Yellow River. He sank into the water and was never seen again, leaving only a pool of bright red blood that merged with the water of the Yellow River.

The children of the Yellow River finally returned to their mother's arms, and the old man was not the first, nor the last.

As long as the Japanese are not driven out of the Republic of China, this war between justice and evil will not stop! never!

Bullets swished across the river. Zuo Zhong pulled the sad Cui Hongyong into the bunker and patted the other party's shoulder gently without saying anything.

After a long time, the Japanese on the other side had nothing to do and did not dare to cross the river, so they had to leave in frustration.

Everyone came out of the bunker one by one. The guerrillas and government personnel stood by the river, including Zuo Zhong, and solemnly saluted the Yellow River to see off their common comrades.

Mr. Chen and others also bowed towards the river and thanked each other for saving their lives. Without the old man, they would not have been able to cross the rough Yellow River.

Xu Enzeng, who had laughed at the guerrillas before, now shrank his head in despair and closed his mouth, for fear of saying the wrong thing and attracting public anger.

He is just bad, not stupid. He knows what to say at what time. If he really angers the underground party, Zuo Zhong will never intercede for him.

After a brief silence ceremony, the two teams embarked on their journey again under the sunshine.

At the same time, in the woods dozens of kilometers away from the ferry, a man wearing an Eighth Route Army uniform put down his walkie-talkie and shouted in a low voice to his men who were sorting out their equipment.

"Let's go, no Japanese allowed!"

(There are video easter eggs, still under review)

(End of this chapter)