The train driver in the courtyard

Chapter 437 Special Train
Woo woo woo.

Eat like crazy eat like crazy.

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 depot and does not appear on regular train dispatch maps.

There are black wooden boards on the surrounding barbed wire with the words "Forbidden area, strictly prohibited" written on it. Sentries are also placed around the area, with heavily armed soldiers standing guard.

Under the dim light, the platform was filled with soldiers wearing cotton hats and navy blue winter clothes, 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 salute: "After all, the army and the people are one family, I am also an organizer. These are what I should do."

In these days and months, it seems that instant noodles have not yet appeared.

"You mean the old fried noodles?" Zhang Yingzhang was stunned for a moment, frowned and said: "That thing is too unpalatable, it's better to eat steamed buns!"

It is made by frying and grinding 70% wheat and 30% soybeans and sorghum cornmeal.

At this time, a soldier raised his hand: "Comrade driver, what if we want a bigger size?"

Although Li Aiguo's 'driver' identity is absolutely confidential, Zhang Yingzhang's level is not high enough and there is no way to know.

"Time is of the essence, we need to leave immediately."

Because the tank car is not equipped with a train set.

But the few missions Li Aiguo has performed before are enough to show that he is a good comrade who is trustworthy.

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.

In the stuffy tank car, the kerosene lamp emitted a weak light, which made the soldiers' faces flicker.

The soldiers and civilians are as close as one family. Li Aiguo explained to the soldiers the solutions to the most important physiological problems of the human body.

This was met with laughter.

There were not many military supply stations on the road in 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?

Yes, life is hard these days. Who would be willing to eat canned food on weekdays?

As the commands "Stand at attention, take a rest, turn left, turn right and back" and "Target Car No. 1, Car No. 2..." were issued continuously.

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.

(In the old movie "Shangganling", the biscuits that Captain Zhang Zhongfa took the lead in eating when the volunteers held the tunnel.

The soldiers understood instantly.

The most important thing is that the process is relatively simple, otherwise it will be in vain if you research it and get stuck in manufacturing.

"Old Zhang, don't our troops have any other rations?"

Li Aiguo pointed to the car door.

Zhang Yingzhang glanced at Li Aiguo gratefully and said loudly: "You must remember all the precautions that driver Li told you. Do not get on the bus during the day, especially when the train passes through the city, so as not to affect our image. "

In fact, because this transportation was a confidential mission, the superiors also carefully investigated Li Aiguo's situation when selecting the train driver.

Li Aiguo frowned slightly when he saw the steamed buns.

When driving, the inside is tied with a rope. Passengers need to be careful when sleeping at night, otherwise they may fall.

Li Aiguo remembers that two years later, in 1958, Ando of the island nation developed instant noodles.

From the outside, he looks like a mess.

At this time, the logistics of the military supply station also sent supplies.

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.

This fried noodles has almost no taste. When it comes to your mouth, it is dry, hard and mushy. You must chew it slowly. If you eat it in a big mouth, it will easily block your respiratory tract.

"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."

That thing is easy to transport, can be stored for a long time, and tastes particularly delicious.

The cabin of the tank truck is actually the skin, and the door is a large metal sliding door.

Our family is poor and cannot afford canned meat, but instant noodles can always keep us satisfied.

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."

Li Aiguo looked at the soldiers who were eating cornbread, and suddenly thought of something.

In less than half an hour, all the soldiers standing on the platform were all on the tanker truck.

The soldiers all turned their attention to Li Aiguo.

A few steamed buns and an apple for each person.

Five-star General MacArthur commented: Ward, is this food for human consumption? If I let my boys eat this food, they'd turn their guns and shoot 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."

"Gather! Get in the car!"

However, Li Aiguo felt that An Teng might have plagiarized the "Yi Mian" idea of ​​Yi Bingshou, the former calligrapher and painter of our country.

Yi Bingshou liked to enjoy 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 is noon time, they naturally want to invite guests to eat.

There were too many people, and the guests came at different times, so the chef was a little overwhelmed.

Yi Bingshou thought of a way.

He asked people to mix flour and eggs with water, knead 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. How about naming it 'Yifu Noodles'?"

From then on, Yi Fumian became popular and was referred to as "Yi Noodles".

Today it is today.

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 Ganshu, Li Aiguo has read the whole book, so he 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.

But he claimed that he was inspired by "tempura", which is quite a stick style.

Naturally, Li Aiguo couldn't spoil 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 are proud of 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 carriages of stuffy tankers are made of 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 brake, and slowly push the steam valve.

Under the cover of night, the tanker truck made a dull chirping sound, and soon started to set off.

Driving is relatively simple, and as an experienced driver, Li Aiguo doesn't need to spend 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 has started.

The destination of this train is not the so-called Fujian.

After all, in this year and month, the only railway line in Fujian Province, the Yingxia Railway, which was built by the 8560-strong Railway Corps 8511 and troops, was under construction.

It will take at least two more years to complete.

Therefore, trains 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 for 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 really too few railway lines in the south these days.

The most densely populated area 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."

"Then it'll be hard work."

Zhang Yingzhang didn't talk 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 filled with frost, and the mouth and nose of their hats were covered with ice.

When they heard the car was parked, the soldiers stood up one after another.

They looked like they were moving in slow motion, almost like a rusty robot, but they were actually frozen.

Lao Zheng couldn't bear to see it and sighed: "In fact, it is completely 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 precisely because of these comrades who are not afraid of hardships and hardships that ordinary people can live a good life in peace and contentment.

Zhang Yingzhang explained from the side: "Now is the time when transportation capacity is tight. How can we compete with ordinary people for trains? In addition, the confidentiality of passenger trains is not as good as that of tank cars."

Li Aiguo agrees with this.

Zhang Yingzhang should have contacted the military supply station.

Not long after the train stopped, the staff of the Military Supply Station at the station came over carrying more than ten wooden barrels filled with white rice.

The dishes are served in wooden basins, which are boiled cabbage with a layer of oily flowers floating on it.

Li Aiguo came to life while eating the hot meal.

People are like rice and steel. No wonder the troops always attach great importance to logistics when they go on an expedition. 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 boring things.

After a day and night of running-in in the driver's building, Li Aiguo had become familiar with Zhang Yingzhang.

Several people were chatting happily in the driver's building.

Of course, Li Aiguo also understood 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, it passed four military supply stations and finally entered Gan Province along the Zhuping Railway.

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 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 going on? Will we have to use the gun later?"

Zhang Yingzhang checked it out, put his pistol back into the holster on his waist, and said with a serious expression: "This place is no better than the capital, so it's better to be careful."

On both sides of the railway, there were high mountains and woods blocking out the sun, and Li Patriot's spirit became vigilant.

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"

"Those who assist the soldiers will be killed, those who welcome the soldiers will be killed, those who give things to the soldiers will be killed..."

The bandits also provide electricity to the island.

As soon as the message was sent, it received "strong praise" from the so-called superior.

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.

An army of 100,000 people marched past, and the bandits fled.

In 1951, the bandit leader Liao Dadu was arrested.

Because he was afraid of being cut into pieces, he struggled desperately, but because he was too fat, he turned over and rolled to the bottom of the cliff.

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.

Therefore, it is not an exaggeration for Zhang Yingzhang to be so cautious.

It's already a very 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.

Li Aiguo and Zhang Yingzhang 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 through it on weekdays.

The railway station is particularly dilapidated. It is just a small wooden house, which 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, it is one thousand meters away from Liujiapu crossing station. Please slow down."

Li Aiguo pulled down the steam door and let the train slide on the track. When the barrier was in front of him, the train stopped steadily.

This was not the first time Zhang Yingzhang took a train. He said in surprise: "Driver Li, OK, I have 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.

Along the way, Li Aiguo's driving skills far exceeded those of ordinary drivers.

Otherwise, at several dangerous places along the way, the train would have given up its options.

Well, you must know that in this era, there are many bumpy roads. If you are not careful, you will be punished by heaven.

The dark train stopped in front of the railway station.

White smoke was billowing from both sides of the car, and the train brakes made 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.

“It’s such a snowy day, and there are cars.”

When he saw the train, he stood at the door for a moment and exhaled a puff of white air. Then he realized that he had seen it correctly and walked over calmly.

Liu Qingquan kept staring at the switchman.

"Driver Li, this man is limping. His legs and feet should be injured."

"Don't be too troublesome. This is not a military supply station. Please be careful later."

Li Aiguo also took a look and 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, but he 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 dispatch inform you?" Li Aiguo handed over a large door to the front door.

The switchman took the cigarette and took out a lighter from his pocket to light it. He didn't 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 cut. We only have ten and a half days here." It’s a car and there’s no one to fix the phone.”

"Yeah."

Li Aiguo took out the dispatch sheet and handed it over: "Please change the branch, our task is more urgent."

The switchman took the order and his eyes suddenly froze.

"Those who transport relief food, didn't you transport it once a while ago? It's only been half a month, why are you here again?"

Li Aiguo felt that this switching task was a bit too talkative: "We also accepted the dispatching task from our superiors."

"Yes, yes, you train drivers only know how to drive, what can you know!"

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 watched the train disappear into the mountains and forests, then turned 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 drove away along the snow-covered mountain road.

(End of this chapter)