NCCnovel Chapter 974: Passing Wujiang River
Chapter 974: Passing Wujiang River
Yunnan had already connected to the southern section of the Burma Road. The troops moved northward, then moved from Kunming to Qujing, then entered Liupanshui, moved eastward to Duyun, and then entered Guiyang.
Guizhou is considered the safest place in the southwest. It has mountain cities in the north, Guangxi in the south, Yunnan in the west and Hunan in the east.
However, this place is very poor. When the Guizhou Army was here a few years ago, the taxes here were very heavy. The old man used a transport plane to remove Lao Wang from his military power, and then this force was incorporated into the Central Army, the 102nd Division, which was formerly the Guizhou Army.
The moment the huge military force entered Guiyang, there was a huge crowd of people.
Although this is an important transportation route, the troops currently transporting supplies mainly use transport planes, so only troops can pass through here. This is the first time that troops equipped with heavy weapons on a large scale have passed through here. As for tanks, armored vehicles and heavy artillery, they may have never seen them before.
"Why are you slowing down?" Zhou Weiguo noticed something was wrong in the car and stuck his head out to ask.
Chaoxiang Xiuling looked outside and saw people on the roofs and on the roadsides.
"There are too many people, and the car in front is moving slowly."
Zhou Weiguo thought for a moment and said, "Then let the troops slow down a bit, and have the security forces prepared to avoid any accidents."
It was originally planned that the entire convoy would pass through the city in half an hour, but it ended up taking three hours. After leaving Guiyang, the troops immediately headed north. At this moment, at the Wujiang River, countless civilians, local police and garrisons were busy on the banks of the Wujiang River. They needed to build a pontoon bridge here to facilitate the passage of the independent brigade.
Thick wooden boards were laid on the bridge piers formed by large fishing boats and gasoline barrels. The county magistrate of Xifeng County, who was in charge of building the floating bridge, went to the scene to direct the construction. He took off his coat, which was originally worn in a long gown and jacket, and carried the wood himself.
"County Magistrate, they've already left Guiyang and will probably be here tomorrow." The secretary beside him came up to him, and County Magistrate Zhou, who was carrying a piece of wood, sighed. "Okay, they'll come. We're still about thirty meters away, and they'll be here soon. Also, have the locals find some thick ropes, the kind used to tie coffin boards together, to reinforce them. Also, bring over any wire or iron locks you have."
The secretary beside him sighed. This floating bridge is about six meters long. Gasoline barrels, wooden boats, and even thick wood are thrown into the river in some places. It is so strong, why use ropes to tie it up?
"County Chief, it's stable now. Why do we need to reinforce it?"
"You know what? This army has tanks. They're very heavy, don't you know?"
"She's just a woman, County Magistrate, you..."
"Get out of here!" County Magistrate Zhou kicked him. "I'm talking about tanks, weapons. Forget it, I can't tell you anything. Just wait until they get here and see for yourself."
It's a shameful thing, it really brings shame to yourself.
County Magistrate Zhou led his men to continue laying the pontoon bridge. In the afternoon, exhausted, he sat down by the river and looked around. He saw several places where coffin boards were clearly lying. He sighed, "Someone bring the coffin boards here."
The mayor standing next to him said, "It belongs to Old Li."
"You have to pay, we are not bandits."
"Yes, I gave it to you. The rest he had people carry it here." The mayor answered carefully. He wanted to not give it to you, but this was a task assigned by the higher-ups and it had to be built quickly. Moreover, it sounded like the road was being built not only here but everywhere. It was said that it would be connected directly to the north so that the troops could pass through quickly.
The troops replenished fuel on the way. In order not to disturb the people, Zhou Weiguo spent the night in the wild. They arrived at the bank of Wujiang River the next day. The surrounding people had already been waiting by the bridge. County Magistrate Zhou was also there. The first to pass by were the motorcycle soldiers. The mounted machine guns and their attire were refreshing.
Old Li has lived here for many years and has seen many soldiers. He sighed and asked, "County Magistrate Zhou, this is the Central Army, why are they different?"
The Central Army wore blue-grey cloth hats, but these people were wearing something different.
"You know what I mean. These are elite soldiers. They wear helmets pressed from iron. Just stand there and watch. Don't act like you've never seen the world before."
County Magistrate Zhou had already used up his vocabulary, and even if he were asked again, he wouldn't have known. He only knew that the troops about to pass through were a mechanized force equipped with tanks and heavy artillery. As for what a tank was, he had to find someone to cram in, but he knew it was a large vehicle.
After the motorcycle passed, there were some cars and trucks in the middle. Zhou Weiguo had already seen a man wearing a black hat and a long gown standing there. He gestured for the car to stop nearby, and Zhou Weiguo got out of the car.
The rank of lieutenant general made County Chief Zhou's legs tremble. When he looked again, he saw that the several female officers who came down with him were all at the level of regimental commanders.
"General." County Chief Zhou hurried over to greet him. He also brought several prestigious local elders with him. Zhou Weiguo greeted each of them one by one.
Just as he was speaking, the tanks began to cross the river. The rumbling sound was deafening. Tracked vehicles were very unfamiliar to the locals. For them, there were vehicles without wheels.
"General Zhou, is this the tank?" County Magistrate Zhou asked as he looked at the tank passing in front with soldiers guiding the way.
Zhou Weiguo turned his head, took a look, and nodded; "Yes, it's a tank."
Seeing the local people's expressions of surprise and fear, he said, "Would you like to take a look? I can temporarily stop a tank and give you half an hour to watch and take pictures. You can also go inside, but you can't touch anything."
Taking pictures? County Magistrate Zhou knew, but he didn't really take pictures much; he didn't have the resources. And the local people had never taken pictures, either.
"Is it okay?" County Magistrate Zhou asked cautiously.
Zhou Weiguo turned his head and said, "Shoutian, have a tank drive over to the side for the people to see. Leave another artillery vehicle behind. Also, notify the Quartermaster General's Office to leave some canned food for the locals. Have Wang Yun come over and take photos for everyone before reporting back. We'll bother the people along the way, take some photos of them, and publish them later."
Zhao Shoutian immediately went to convey the message. Not long after, a tank and an 88mm anti-aircraft gun vehicle entered a relatively flat river beach under the guidance of the villagers. As for the rest of the troops continued to cross the river, Zhou Weiguo stood quietly by and watched the group of people pass by with smiles on their faces.
With his hands on his belly, he smiled at everyone, until the vehicles crossing the river suddenly stopped. Zhou Weiguo hummed and turned to ask, "What's going on? Why did the convoy stop?"
It's said there are no enemy bombers in this place, but stopping there would waste time.
"Could it have run aground?" Asaka Hiderei turned her head and asked.
"We just checked it yesterday. It's impossible." Kuroki Ichiro's affirmation made Zhou Weiguo turn his head and point at the special forces battalion commander Xu Hu; "Go and take a look."