The train driver in the courtyard

"A-choo! Is Miss Chen scolding me again?"

"I thought I could go back now, but I have to wait another week."

After returning to the base, Li Aiguo prepared to attend the Fifth Institute's seminar. He rubbed his nose while organizing his speech.

According to the delegation's itinerary, after obtaining the right to formulate technical standards, the delegation will return to China.

Matters such as technology transfer, equipment sales, and technical personnel dispatch, which involve foreign affairs, are handled by special comrades sent by the Ministry of Railways and the Railway Research Institute and have nothing to do with Li Aiguo.

However, after the meeting, the Railway Group extended an invitation to the Tokyo University delegation. Observers from French Railways, German Railways and other countries were particularly interested in automatic railway signaling and hoped that Li Aiguo, the developer, would go to discuss the issue of automatic railway signaling.

French Railways and German Railways are the big brothers in the Railway Alliance. Communicating with them will be beneficial to the promotion of automatic railway signals. Li Aiguo agreed without hesitation.

Therefore, we need to stay in Sofia for a while longer.

"Dear patriotic comrade, is the house closed?"

There was a sound of poor Beijing dialect outside.

When he heard the voice, Li Aiguo knew it was Comrade Becker from Iraq without opening the door.

Since purchasing the locomotives and automatic railway signals, Becker's relationship with the University of Tokyo delegation has become closer and closer.

Li Aiguo also often chatted with Becker because he spoke up for justice at the conference and thought he was a man who could pee while standing.

Becker was a language genius. In just a few days, he learned a half-baked Beijing dialect from Li Aiguo.

Li Aiguo put down the manuscript and opened the door. Seeing that it was indeed Becker standing outside, he asked, "Old Bei, how come you have time to come here today?"

Becker handed a bag of dates to Li Aiguo and said, "I am saying goodbye to you. The technicians sent by your Dongda University to Iraq have arrived in Baghdad. I have to go back to greet them."

"Take care of yourself!"

Li Aiguo stretched out his hand and shook hands with Becker.

"Take care, comrade!"

Becker straightened his collar, turned around and walked away into the cold wind.

Back in the house, Li Aiguo took out a date from the bag and tasted it slowly.

Iraq has an extreme climate, and the dates grown there are so sweet, with a pot of fire above their heads and a pot of water under their feet.

Dates are high in sugar and energy. Just a few of them can replace a meal, which is definitely a good thing these days.

In his previous life, Li Aiguo had also heard rumors that dates spread hepatitis, but that was pure nonsense.

Hepatitis is a disease caused by the hepatitis virus. How could the hepatitis virus survive on date palms?

In the process of introducing date palms, Li Aiguo also specifically learned that the dates imported from Iraq had been sterilized at high temperatures, making it even more impossible for them to contain the so-called virus.

"Old Bei is a good comrade. I won't eat your dates for nothing. When Saddam comes to power in a few years, I will find a way to protect you."

Li Aiguo pondered for a moment and returned to his work.

In the following days, Li Aiguo had very pleasant exchanges with French Railways and German Railways. They were also particularly interested in Dongda's automatic railway signaling and said that they would organize relevant experts to conduct seminars after returning to China.

Li Aiguo was not worried about the results of the other party's research.

Automatic railway signaling can become the mainstream in the future, which is a dimensionality reduction attack in this era. However, it will take some time to replace the existing standards.

All Li Aiguo needs to do is wait.

Minister Teng seemed very happy after learning about Li Aiguo's achievements.

If the railway automatic signal can be "penetrated" into the Railway Alliance, it will gain huge economic and regulatory benefits.

Although the Beijing Railway Research Institute cannot trade directly with members of the Railway Alliance such as Deutsche Bahn and French Railways due to camp issues, it is very easy to circumvent this restriction.

Now Hextech is growing stronger and stronger.

Whether you drive one sheep or let two sheep go, you will also be able to let them go.

It is not too much to let Yang Jizong take on the responsibility of selling railway equipment.

“I think Comrade Patriot’s idea is very feasible. Hextech has already made a name for itself internationally.

Contact with members of the Iron Alliance can be accomplished through Hextech."

Inside the residence, Minister Teng made the final decision, setting the tone for the transaction with the Iron Alliance.

"Minister, if you have nothing else to do, please go to bed early."

It was already past eight o'clock in the evening. Seeing that it was getting late, Liu Guozhang prepared to get up and say goodbye to Li Aiguo.

"Lao Liu, Aiguo, wait a minute. I want to ask for your opinions on something." Seeing the two men standing up, Minister Teng hesitated for a moment and stopped them.

He asked Chen Dong to turn on the radio.

Liu Guozhang saw Chen Dong busy there. Although he didn't know what the radio was, he knew that Minister Teng must have something important to tell him, so he hurried back to his seat.

Li Aiguo also turned his gaze to Minister Teng.

Minister Teng saw Chen Dong nodded, knowing that the anti-eavesdropping device was already running, and then he said slowly: "A few days ago, many iron representatives in the bunker came to me. They heard that we produced the most advanced steam locomotive in the world.

We are also trading locomotives with Iraq. They are having a very hard time right now and need ten Patriotic steam locomotives. We hope we can help them."

Liu Guozhang immediately became excited. "Doing business? This is a good thing. Now the manufacturing technology of Aiguo steam locomotives has matured. If Datong Locomotive Factory is short of manpower, we still have Dalian Factory, Sifang Factory and Changxindian Locomotive Factory. The output can fully meet the demand."

Minister Teng looked embarrassed and didn't speak. Li Aiguo saw something and smiled: "Minister, the bunker has a lot of iron. I'm afraid they don't want to buy locomotives, but want us to give them."

"That's what the bunker means." Minister Teng nodded: "Their representatives have a hard life and their families are poor. As brothers, we should help their families more."

Liu Guozhang's expression suddenly changed: "We can exchange hundreds of thousands of foreign exchange for one locomotive, and they have the nerve to make a profit out of nothing."

Minister Teng waved to Liu Guozhang and said, "Comrade Guozhang, many railways in the bunker have a special relationship with us. In addition, these things are not just our railway's business. We should consider them comprehensively."

Hearing this, Liu Guozhang, who had been filled with righteous indignation just now, became a little discouraged.

Many iron matters in the bunker belong to the upper level, and Li Aiguo and Liu Guozhang's level is far from enough.

Minister Teng said: "We have relatively few friends now. If we want to gain support from others, we should be more generous."

Li Aiguo interjected, "Minister, I'm afraid you don't agree with this point of view, otherwise you wouldn't talk to us about this."

Minister Teng looked at Li Aiguo in surprise and said, "You are quite perceptive. The view just now was put forward by some comrades in the department.

I saw with my own eyes how our railways were built from scratch. In order to manufacture locomotives, our comrades on the railways worked so hard, and in order to support the railways, so many comrades tightened their belts to make ends meet.

I can’t accept the idea of ​​giving away my belongings to others emotionally.”

Minister Teng paused for a moment, sighed and said: "Under the current circumstances, the views of some departments have prevailed."

After Liu Guozhang knew that this was the opinion of some departments, he remained silent.

The wind and waves are too strong, and if you get involved in such a thing, it will easily cause trouble.

Liu Guozhang also gave Li Aiguo a wink, hoping that Li Aiguo would be more cautious.

If it was to help other brothers, Li Aiguo would not object. After all, the views of some comrades in the department made sense.

However, Li Aiguo knew too well that many people in the fortress had a strong temper.

Giving them locomotives will not only fail to earn their gratitude, but they will become even more demanding and ask for more locomotives, asking you to help them build railways.

If you don't agree to their request.

They will start to curse.

These guys are real ungrateful people, and their personalities are similar to Jia Zhang's.

Li Aiguo naturally couldn't sit idly by.

He pondered for a moment and said, "Minister, I once heard a man named Lu say that friends bought with money are not real friends and cannot be relied upon."

“There is some truth in the saying that friends bought with money are not real friends.”

Minister Teng pondered for a moment, then stood up and said, "Sorry for wasting your time."

After leaving the minister's room, Liu Guozhang grabbed Li Aiguo's arm, and when they reached a secluded place, he frowned and said, "Aiguo, this kind of thing is not something we can interfere with. Why can't you listen to the teacher's advice?"

Li Aiguo said: "Teacher, I don't want to see the fruits of our labor being wasted."

"You, kid, why are you so stubborn?" Liu Guozhang understood Li Aiguo's character. He shook his head and didn't say anything more.

Of course, Li Aiguo always puts his own safety first when doing things.

After returning to his residence, Li Aiguo simply wrote a telegram and asked Chen Dong to send it to Comrade Nongfu at the Beijing Meteorological Station.

In the following few days, Li Aiguo focused all his energy on finishing work and seemed to be completely unaware of the many tricks of the bunker.

Minister Teng also knew that it was extremely dangerous for ordinary people to be involved in such matters, so he did not seek the opinions of Li Aiguo and Liu Guozhang.

There are a lot of iron in the bunker, and I thought Dongda would be generous enough to give them a locomotive.

Seeing that there was no response from the University of Tokyo, they became anxious and sent representatives again to meet with the delegation from the University of Tokyo, but were rejected by Minister Teng.

Just because the opinions in Beijing were inconsistent, the Tokyo University delegation did not explicitly reject the requests of many loyal representatives in the bunker.

Li Aiguo knew that this kind of thing could not be decided in a day or two, so he was not in a hurry, but focused on his work.

Time passed day by day.

On the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, Li Aiguo completed all his work in Sofia and had preliminary discussions with French Railways and German Railways, agreeing that the two sides would continue to contact each other through the Hextech technology in the port city.

Li Aiguo followed Liu Guozhang and Deputy Chief Engineer Wang onto the train back to the capital.

Before leaving, Li Aiguo learned from Chen Dong that Minister Teng had returned to the capital, and many people in the bunker would soon send people to the capital.

"These people will never give up until they get the upper hand." In the private room, Liu Guozhang was furious when he heard the news.

"Teacher, don't you say you won't express your opinions?" Li Aiguo asked with a smile.

"Oh, you little brat, you're trying to betray your teacher and ancestors!" After Liu Guozhang realized his misconduct, he started throwing a tantrum like a child.

Deputy Chief Engineer Wang looked at the two of them, smiled and shook his head.

After a long journey, it was already the end of February when Li Aiguo boarded the international train back to Beijing.

During the past ten days, Li Aiguo has been staying in the private room. Even though the environment in a first-class private room is far better than that of an ordinary soft sleeper, he still feels stuffy.

While the international train stopped at Erenhot to replace the locomotive and bogie, Li Aiguo got off the train and squatted beside the warehouse with Liu Guozhang and Deputy Chief Engineer Wang to watch the fun.

Replacing the locomotive and bogie is a huge project. Various mechanical equipment are used together to replace the entire train with the new frame, which looks particularly spectacular.

"The Russians think they are Big Brother, and even make their rail tracks 85mm wider than ours and other countries, which has caused a lot of trouble."

It was the first time for Deputy Chief Engineer Wang to see the replacement process. Looking at the fitters, machine tool operators, and welders busy in the garage, he couldn't help but grumble a few words.

When it comes to the problem of rectification, Liu Guozhang did not respond and changed the subject: "Old Wang, we have received so many orders this time. When you go back, you must control the quality. The Russians have suffered a setback this time and have been keeping an eye on us. Don't be careless."

"Don't worry, our Datong factory is aware of the importance of this order. I assure you that all the employees of our Datong factory will complete the task successfully even if it costs their lives."

Just then, a voice came from a distance.

"Aiguo, have you returned to China?"

Li Aiguo, who was squatting nearby and listening to the two bosses arranging work, looked up and saw Zhang Dache and his comrades from the driver team coming over.

They all carried canvas bags and iron-thin lunch boxes, obviously preparing to change shifts.

When international trains enter the country, all the drivers, crew members and police officers will be replaced by our people.

"Uncle Zhang, are you at work?" Li Aiguo stood up and introduced the identities of Liu Guozhang and Deputy Chief Engineer Wang to Zhang Dache.

When Zhang Da Che heard that Liu Guozhang was the director of the Railway Research Institute, he looked at Li Aiguo with a smile and said, "Li Da Che, great! You are getting higher and higher in status now."

"There is no distinction between high and low jobs. We are just completing the tasks assigned to us by our superiors."

Li Aiguo looked at the young fireman who had walked to the locomotive and suddenly asked, "Uncle Zhang, I have always wanted to learn from you, but I just didn't have the chance. How about I follow you and sit in the locomotive on the way back?"

Zhang Dache was obviously shocked by Li Aiguo's request.

You have to know that when traveling with a person of Liu Guozhang's level, they would at least ride in a private room.

"The locomotive is not as comfortable as the private room. You should think carefully about your patriotism."

"Let me tell you this, I haven't driven a train in a month or two, and I'm a little itchy."

Zhang Dache could understand Li Aiguo's feelings.

Driving a train can be addictive.

It's the big cars like theirs that run trains all year round. They run trains on the rails 360 days out of 365 days a year.

If I really couldn't drive for a period of time, I would really feel depressed.

"Okay, since you are also a big shot now, I have to have a good communication with you." Zhang Dache agreed immediately.

Li Aiguo asked for leave from Liu Guozhang.

Although Liu Guozhang felt that Li Aiguo was asking for trouble, he also knew that Li Aiguo liked driving trains, so he agreed.

The train changed its locomotive and bogie and set off again. Li Aiguo stayed in the locomotive and chatted with Zhang Dache, the assistant driver Lao Zhou, and the fireman Xiao Ma.

Lao Zhou is Zhang’s full-time co-driver, and the two have been working together for most of their lives.

The boiler operator Xiao Ma is a second-generation ironworker who has just taken over his father Lao Ma's job as a boiler operator.

Xiao Ma, a second-generation railway worker, was able to become a fireman on international trains as soon as he took over. He could get an extra allowance of 6.5 yuan per month, which shows that he is quite capable.

Although his skills were not as good as those of Lao Zheng, the boiler operator of Unit 131, he was very strong and could shovel hundreds of shovels of coal at a time without breathing heavily or sweating.

The most important thing is that Xiao Ma is not that muscular man. He looks a little thin, and the boiler operator's work clothes are obviously one size too big for him.

It was the first time that Li Aiguo had seen such a strange person, and he couldn't help but admire him.

"This child is truly blessed by God." Zhang Dache, who is always very strict, praised Xiao Ma highly.

"Master Zhang, my father said that the sky is big and the earth is big, but they are not as important as strength. As long as you have strength, you can accomplish anything." Xiao Ma is also very proud of his strength.

"Strength is one thing, but skill is also important." Master Zhou retracted his head and wanted to give some advice.

Just as he pulled his head in, there was a bang outside.

The sound was not loud, but Zhang Dache was startled and immediately dropped the car. The train wheels rubbed against the rails, sparks flew, and the train slowly stopped.

"Xiao Ma, Lao Zhou, can you guys go and see what happened?"

Zhang Dache was an experienced master. After realizing that the train was not damaged, he sent people down to check the situation.

"Take your guns with you. There's no village or shop here. Don't let anything get into trouble."

Li Aiguo had nothing to do, so he pulled out a pistol from his waist and got off the train with Master Zhou and Xiao Ma.

The train stops about four or five hundred miles away from Erlianhot, in the middle of the desert.

Looking around, there was a lifeless and desolate scene all around. Under my feet was dry and cracked land with some rough sand and stones scattered on the ground.

After getting off the train and coming to the front of the locomotive, the three of them were stunned.

There were no signs of impact or blood on the front of the locomotive.

"Could it have been hit under a train?" Master Zhou squatted down and looked under the car, but found nothing.

Although there was a clear crashing sound, the train did not hit anything, which seemed particularly strange.

If this situation happened in later generations, at least ten episodes of "Science Approach" could be made.

Here there is only the whistling wind, carrying with it sand and dust, raging in this dead silent desert, making a heart-pounding whistling sound.

If it were a TV series, Nie Xiaoqian and grandma would probably appear soon.

As a true materialist fighter, Li Aiguo did not believe in these superstitious things. He clutched his pistol and went along the train with Lao Zhou and Xiao Ma to check the situation.

"Master Zhou, Master Li, come quickly, look at what I found."

As soon as Li Aiguo walked to the back carriage, he heard Xiao Ma's shouting from the opposite side.

He quickly ran around the locomotive and saw Xiao Ma pointing and shouting at the connection between the locomotive's tender and a carriage.

When he got closer, Li Aiguo burst out laughing. It turned out to be a wild camel stuck between the coal truck and a carriage.

This place is located in the desert, and wild camels often cross the railway tracks.

This unfortunate creature was probably standing next to the train, trying to compete with the steel locomotive in strength, but ended up losing his life.

The wild camel's head was hit with red and white things, it was definitely beyond saving.

Xiao Ma reported the collision with the wild camel to Zhang Da Che, and when he came back he said excitedly, "Li Da Che, Master Zhou, Zhang Da Che asked us to deal with the wild camel according to the established procedures."

Established procedures All railway personnel know what the so-called procedures are.

If you hit a fellow villager's livestock, you will definitely need to pay compensation.

Now that we have encountered a wild camel, it is like picking it up for free.

No need to write an accident report.

Well, our Li Aiguo is really lucky. He got a ride and was able to eat wild camel meat.

Master Zhou was also excited to eat wild camel meat, so he reached out and tried to pull the wild camel out of the gap.

But the wild camel was caught in the trap and was stuck very tightly. He tried twice but failed to pull it down.

Xiao Ma also went up to help, but the result was the same.

"How about we just dismember it on the spot?" The pony squatted on the ground and looked at the wild camel for a moment, then came up with an idea.

"That's called cutting up the meat, not dismembering the pony. Don't say such weird things in the future. If someone hears us, they will think we are doing something bad."

Li Aiguo reminded Xiao Ma of two things.

Now the camel is stuck in the gap, which not only affects driving but also makes it impossible to eat camel meat. The only way is to cut the meat.

The pony ran back to the locomotive, and when he came back again, he had a big guillotine in his hand.

Yes, it was indeed a large guillotine removed from a guillotine. There was a hole for threading strips in the front of the guillotine, and a red tassel was tapered on the back of the black handle.

There are dense scratches on the big guillotine, some deep and some shallow, and it looks like it is quite old.

According to regulations in those days, only train drivers were allowed to carry guns. Assistant drivers and firemen were unable to carry guns, but they would also find ways to carry some weapons for self-defense.

Liu Qingquan's weapon is an axe, which he usually wears at his waist.

The weapon of the boiler operator, Lao Zheng, is a sharpened steel chisel that can be tied into the trouser leg.

It's rare to see someone like Xiao Ma holding such a large guillotine in such a conspicuous manner.

"This thing should be quite heavy." Even though Li Aiguo was knowledgeable, it was the first time he saw someone using a guillotine as a close combat self-defense weapon.

"It weighs more than 60 kilograms. It was left to me by my father for self-defense. The guillotine in my family is very powerful. My grandfather used it to chop off the heads of several Japanese soldiers. My grandfather said that the blood of Japanese soldiers is similar to dog blood and is especially good for warding off evil spirits. So this guillotine has become an ancestral treasure in my family."

Seeing Li Aiguo staring at his machete, Xiao Ma explained embarrassedly.

"It can indeed ward off evil spirits. Anyone who sees such a big guillotine will have to stay away." When Li Aiguo saw Xiao Ma raising the guillotine, he could not help but take two steps back.

Xiao Ma entered the joint with a guillotine and began to cut up the wild camel.

It went quite smoothly at the beginning. The big guillotine was very sharp and the camel's legs and head were quickly cut off.

Until the pony cut open the wild camel's belly with a guillotine.

There was a loud "bang!", like thunder coming out of nowhere.

The wild camel's stomach suddenly exploded without any warning, like a bomb.

In an instant, all kinds of disgusting things splashed around like a fountain.

Various thin liquids mixed with various broken residues. There was a thick, paste-like yellowish-brown liquid that hung around stickily. There was also a white substance that might be fat, which also burst out and covered the pony.

Xiao Ma was instantly enveloped by this sudden impact.

He felt his stomach churning wildly, and he almost fainted.

Fortunately, Li Aiguo was far away and was not affected.

But now he couldn't understand why the wild camel's stomach exploded.

[Students who know the answer can type it on the public screen]

Although Xiao Ma was "attacked" by the explosion, he was still driving and could not escape.

He endured the fishy smell and followed Li Aiguo and Master Zhou to bring the camel meat back to the locomotive.

Zhang Dache saw Xiao Ma's appearance and asked in surprise, "Xiao Ma, you were just born from a horse's belly?"

pony:"."

Li Aiguo and Master Zhou almost couldn't help laughing out loud.

(End of this chapter)