PFC Chapter 345: The tiger doesn't show its might. Chen Minggeng really thinks I'm a sick cat.
Chapter 345: The tiger doesn't show its might. Chen Minggeng really thinks I'm a sick cat.
Li Yunlong and his party came to the bandit stronghold. The stronghold was not big. Including the Juyi Hall, there were only six buildings in total, covering an area of about 1000 square meters. The main building of the stronghold, the Juyi Hall, was still intact, but the accommodation for the people in the stronghold had collapsed long ago due to years of disrepair. The whole stronghold looked very dilapidated and desolate.
Lin Zhenhua looked around the entire bandit village and said with a sigh, "Judging from the age, this village has only been abandoned for two or three years. The rooms on the east and west sides have collapsed and are no longer habitable. We can only live in the hall. I'll ask someone to go to the kitchen next door to see if there are any pots and pans left there. If there are, we can use them!"
The whistling north wind blew, and the thatched roof of the house flew high. Seeing Li Yunlong's eyelids twitching, he replied with a serious face: "College student, this Juyi Hall cannot be lived in for the time being. The wind outside is so strong now, and this house has been in disrepair for a long time. We have to repair and reinforce it a little before we can move in."
"Monk, take a squad of soldiers and go up to the roof immediately to fix the thatch back up. Add a few more pillars inside the hall, using the pillars from the collapsed house next door."
"Duan Peng, you lead two squads of soldiers to transport the supplies we left behind. You must be quick and complete it before the snow comes!"
Under Li Yunlong's arrangement, everyone immediately got busy, even Lin Zhenhua helped to collect supplies and ammunition and dig defensive trenches. Everyone was busy in the mountain village, and the whistling wind sounded in their ears, but it could not extinguish everyone's enthusiasm.
The snow did not fall until the afternoon, which reduced the anxiety in Li Yunlong and Lin Zhenhua's hearts by a lot. With Duan Peng and his men's repeated trips, most of the supplies had been transported back.
"College student, even if it snows today, it will be at night. The two of us have already set up the machine guns and machine cannons. The monks are now repairing and reinforcing the house. The two of us should hurry up and pick up some dry firewood. We can use it to make a fire and keep warm at night." Li Yunlong put down the small shovel in his hand and suggested with sweat on his forehead.
Lin Zhenhua wiped the sweat from his forehead, exhaled lightly, and said in a melancholy tone: "Old Li, I always feel that God is holding back a big move. If things go wrong, the snow will be very heavy this time. We have to find a way to store more firewood. It would be best if we can find a coal mine. This stuff is much easier to burn than firewood. As long as ventilation is done well, it is also very safe to burn."
Li Yunlong did not refute, he knew that what Lin Zhenhua said was the truth. The two men each took a submachine gun and two magazines, walked out of the forest and went to collect firewood in the surrounding forests.
After the monk led the men to repair the Juyi Hall, he left two people to guard the mountain stronghold and took the others to pick up dead branches and rotten leaves around to use as firewood for heating. Duan Peng was also quick in action. He led the men to hurry and finally transported the last batch of supplies to the mountain stronghold. Before they could catch their breath, he pulled a cart to help bring back the coal.
At six o'clock in the evening, everyone returned to the mountain village. The firewood and coal they had collected were placed in a woodshed on the east side, filling up half of the room. But even so, Li Yunlong and Lin Zhenhua still felt it was not enough, and planned to take everyone to see more firewood and coal after dinner.
As a result, Lin Zhenhua soaked the compressed biscuits in the hot can of beef that Li Yunlong handed over, and his mouth was full of oil while eating it, and he felt very happy.
"Old Li, all our supplies have been delivered. The only thing we lack now is firewood and coal. After dinner, let's go out and pick up more. We have to stock up for at least a month's needs. Besides, it's too cold tonight. We have to find a way to light up the kang tomorrow, otherwise we will freeze to death!" Lin Zhenhua said as he sipped the broth.
Li Yunlong sniffed, smelling the aroma of canned beef, which whetted his appetite. He ate the whole can of beef in one gulp, and ate compressed biscuits with hot water while saying, "College students, it's very easy to build a kang. I'll arrange three or four people to be responsible for this task. Even if it takes all night, we have to build the kang."
"As long as we heat up the kang, we won't feel too cold when we sleep in the Juyi Hall. We shouldn't rest tonight. As long as it doesn't snow, we'll keep picking up coal and firewood. When will it snow? According to my estimation, it will snow in the second half of the night. It's too cold today. I feel cold even in my leather jacket. I wrapped myself in a cotton coat and I feel better!"
Lin Zhenhua also felt the cold, even though he was wearing a leather jacket. The fine wind blew into his clothes and chilled him to the bone, making him shiver with cold.
"Comrades, hurry up and eat, and get back to work. When the snow starts to fall, we can have a good rest for a few days. Apart from standing guard, we can spend the rest of the time lying in the house and sleeping soundly, making up for the sleep we missed in the past two days!"
Lin Zhenhua's words caused everyone to laugh. Everyone consciously sped up their eating speed and set out half an hour later to see the firewood and coal. They made three trips back and forth. When they were about to go out again, heavy snow fell from the sky like goose feathers, and everyone immediately retreated back to the bandit's stronghold.
Li Yunlong led his men to brave the snow to retrieve the machine guns and machine cannons deployed outside, and placed them inside the house. They quickly built a shelter using the collapsed east and west wing rooms.
"Monk, you immediately lead people to erect the pillars and build two snowproof huts to deploy defensive positions."
"Duan Peng, build another layer of brick wall outside the bunker. Make sure it is thicker and use wet mud as cement. On the one hand, it can block the wind and snow outside, and on the other hand, it can help us block bullets and shells. Act quickly, we must finish it before dawn."
They worked all night and until dawn to build the two huts and the defensive brick wall. The fire bed in the Juyi Hall was also built. All they had to do was wait for it to dry in the shade before they could light a fire and use it.
There were six fires in the gathering hall. Everyone sat around them and started roasting canned food. They used the leftover cans to cook biscuits and paste. A simple breakfast was ready. After dinner, a squad of soldiers was assigned to keep watch, while the others lay down in the gathering hall and fell asleep. The shifts were rotated every four hours. After a short rest, everyone's physical strength and spirit were restored, and the fatigue was relieved a lot.
"College student, the snow is really heavy this time. It is impossible for us to return to the base in a short time. I estimate that we will not be able to leave in ten days or half a month!"
Li Yunlong looked through the gap in the window and saw that the snow outside had reached a depth of one foot. Snowflakes were still floating in the sky. They had stopped for a while, otherwise the snow on the ground would have been at least two feet deep, and there would have been no way for them to march back.
Lin Zhenhua replied with a worried look on his face: "Lao Li, the weather is getting colder day by day, and the snow is falling so heavily. It is not easy for us to return to the base. We have to break through several blockades of the devils in the middle, so we must prepare for the worst. If we had a radio, we could ask the base to send a transport plane to take us back. But now we can only rely on our own two pairs of feet to go back, which is very difficult."
"After we get back, we will solve the radio problem no matter how much it costs. Short-distance communication can be solved with telephones, but long-distance communication can only be solved with radios. This time we suffered a great loss on this issue. I suspect that the seven bombers that fell behind may have misread the order and fell from an altitude of 21 meters, and eventually fell into the encirclement of the Japanese. All soldiers died heroically without a single survivor."
Li Yunlong also cursed with regret: "Damn Chen Minggeng, he made so much money from us, he was willing to sell us weapons and ammunition, but he was not willing to sell it to our radio station. These businessmen really shouldn't be trusted. The suspension of the air transport line has a great impact on the base. We originally wanted to use this air transport line to make up for the food shortage, but now it seems difficult to do so."
Lin Zhenhua also said bitterly: "Old Li, we have already fed Chen Minggeng well through many transactions before. I have a hunch that the reason why Chen Minggeng did not sell to our radio station is not the reason he said, but he wants to use this as a means to completely control our independent group's drug export channels, obtain pricing power, and thus grab more profits."
"People's hearts cannot stand the test of money. In this regard, we have made a big mistake this time. The most hateful thing is that we cannot change suppliers in a short period of time. We can only compromise and let Chen Minggeng buy radios for us. But this also means that Chen Minggeng will keep the price of our medicines extremely low to clamp down on our independent group."
"The Japanese blockade is actually a good thing for us. We will have enough food for three to five months. But Chen Minggeng can't wait for three to five months. I decided to suspend this air transport line after I go back and transport all the materials stored in the transfer station back at night. Now only nighttime transportation is the safest way. At most, we can fly slower and spend more time and fuel. As long as safety is guaranteed, we can afford these costs!"
Li Yunlong also felt that this was the right thing to do. Instead of cursing angrily, he said, "Humph, Chen Minggeng, this bastard, really looks down on me, Li Yunlong. Even if I keep the medicine and let it expire, I will never sell it to this bastard again! If a tiger doesn't show its power, the bastard Chen Minggeng will really treat me as a sick cat. This time, let's take this opportunity to teach Chen Minggeng a lesson."
"As for the base, there is no need to worry too much. This heavy snow means that even if the Japanese know that we bombed their homeland, they will not be able to retaliate. With heavy snow all over the sky, no matter how powerful the Japanese fighter planes and infantry are, they will never dare to move out under the current circumstances. This can be considered a blessing in disguise for us!"