The Red Era: Living in Seclusion in a Siheyuan as a Boss

Chapter 429: All Growing
On December 1973, 12, the wind was howling and the snow was falling heavily.

Banggeng squatted behind a huge rock on the top of the mountain. His hands were red from the cold, but he ignored the cold and stared intently at the pheasant in front of him.

This pheasant was hard to come by; it took him a whole week to catch it.

Finally I caught you!

Banggeng is an expert at catching chickens, a skill he has mastered since childhood. However, pheasants are much harder to catch than domestic chickens.

He grabbed the pheasant and almost jumped up with excitement.

This is a rare delicacy. Bang Geng hasn't eaten meat for several months.

He quickly built a fire and started roasting the chicken.

The aroma quickly wafted away and his stomach growled.

Just as Bang Geng was about to eat heartily, a timid voice suddenly came from behind him: "Um. Excuse me..."

When Bang Geng looked back, his eyes lit up.

A girl with a refined face and wearing a blue cotton jacket was standing behind him, staring at the roast chicken in his hand.

"Who are you?" Banggeng smiled at her, revealing his big white teeth. She didn't look like a country girl at all.

In the remote mountain village where Banggeng worked as a sent-down youth, it was rare to see strangers, let alone a pretty city girl.

"My name is Yang Xiaotong, and I'm a new educated youth. Nice to meet you..."

She rubbed her red hands, smiled slightly, and continued, "I got lost at the foot of the mountain, and came here when I smelled the scent."

Bang Geng secretly groaned inwardly when he heard this, this was a pheasant he had caught with great difficulty, and he had wanted to enjoy it all to himself, but now there was an uninvited guest.

But seeing Yang Xiaotong shivering with cold, he couldn't bear to send her away. Besides, after so many years, a city girl who he liked finally came.

"Come, let's eat together." Banggeng's eyes rolled and he smiled like the big bad wolf looking at the little white rabbit, and handed her a chicken leg.

Yang Xiaotong was cold and hungry, and didn't care about anything else. She immediately took the chicken leg and her eyes suddenly lit up.

She nibbled it in small bites, with a happy smile on her face, her cheeks looking rosy and adorable.

Seeing her, Bang Geng's heartbeat quickened. To be honest, he was already 21 years old this year and this was the first time he had been so excited...

"It's delicious! You should try some too. What are you just standing there looking at?" Li Xiaotong exclaimed. She hadn't eaten meat for a long time.

Bang Geng nodded proudly, indicating that he agreed deeply.

He's not bragging, he has learned the skill of roasting chicken since he was a child, and most people can't make it taste this good.

In this age of material scarcity, being able to eat meat was a luxury, let alone chicken!

"Hey, judging from your accent, you are also from Beijing?"

"Yes, you too?"

"Yes, yes, I'm from Zhushikou. Where are you from?"

"Hey! We're from the same hometown. But I'm from Nanluoguxiang, so we're not far away..."

"How old are you?"

"I'm 21 and I'm a dragon."

"I'm 18 and I'm a sheep."

They chatted idly like this, and before they knew it, they had finished making the whole chicken.

"Thank you!" Yang Xiaotong said sincerely, "If it weren't for you, I might have been hungry today..." Banggeng waved his hands, feeling a little proud in his heart.

Although sharing the food was hard-earned, Banggeng felt it was worth it to be able to help this beautiful girl from Beijing.

"Can I come to you to eat roast chicken in the future?" Yang Xiaotong asked Banggeng with a smile before leaving.

Banggeng was stunned for a moment, then he was overjoyed and nodded in agreement.

Looking at her departing back, Bang Geng suddenly had a strange feeling, as if from this moment on, his life would change.

Since that meeting on the top of the mountain, Banggeng and Yang Xiaotong gradually became familiar with each other.

Every time Bang Geng went up the mountain to hunt, he would call her to go along.

They sat on the top of the mountain, sharing roasted game and chatting and laughing.

They told each other stories about the city, reminiscing about the tall buildings and bustling streets in the capital, as well as the books they had read and the movies they had watched.

"You are the only one among our educated youth who is good at hunting. I think no one else can compare to you! How do you do it?"

Once, Yang Xiaotong asked Banggeng curiously.

Banggeng couldn't help laughing, "There, I may be the worst hunter in the whole village. If it wasn't for treating you to game, I wouldn't bother to climb the mountain." As soon as he said it, he regretted it.

It sounded as if Banggeng had some special feelings for her.

Yang Xiaotong was stunned for a moment, then lowered her head, a blush appearing on her face.

They were both silent and the atmosphere was a little awkward for a moment.

"Well, what do you think of life in the countryside? I don't know if we can go back. I mean, if, if..." Bang Geng hurriedly changed the subject, trying to test Yang Xiaotong's attitude towards him.

Yang Xiaotong was silent for a long time, then suddenly raised her head with a gleam in her eyes, "It's actually pretty good. Although life here is hard, the people here are very simple and honest. Especially..." She paused and glanced at Bang Geng, "Especially after meeting you, I think it's right to come here."

Banggeng was overjoyed when he heard this. He felt that his spring had come, and it would be nice if he could stay here for the rest of his life.

……

In early winter, the mountains in northern Xinjiang are covered with snow, and everything is white. There is not much work to do in the fields, and people spend most of their time "hibernating" in the dormitory.

Before coming to the Corps, Ge Xiaohu thought they were here to fight the "Russians". Now that he has arrived at the border, he has to be prepared at all times.

Looking out the window at the thousands of miles of ice and snow, it was a crystal clear world, a completely unfamiliar environment.

Their company's base was actually an ordinary small mountain village with a population of thousands and hundreds of households. The only way to communicate with the outside world was a hand-cranked telephone at the company headquarters, and calls could only be made to the battalion headquarters first and then transferred to the regiment headquarters.

This phone can only be used within the regiment headquarters. Any external calls are long-distance calls and no one has ever called it.

When Ge Xiaohu first arrived, there was a wired broadcast from the battalion headquarters through the telephone line, but it disappeared later.

There was no radio in the company, and very few families had semiconductors. The village was very isolated, and many of the elderly there had never left the village since they arrived in the northern Xinjiang agricultural reclamation area.

Ge Xiaohu asked the company leader, Lao Song, "How far are we from Country S? Where is the border? Have we ever fought a war here?"

Company commander Lao Song told Ge Xiaohu, "There was a battle behind this mountain, and there are traces of the Anti-Japanese Allied Forces there."

Suddenly, a feeling of admiration rose in Ge Xiaohu's heart.

"So how are our logistical supplies here?"

"Once the war breaks out, the logistics will definitely be able to keep up. We have a military factory in the mountains that can manufacture guns, artillery and ammunition."

Ge Xiaohu felt much more relieved after hearing this.

He was just transferred here this year. Due to his outstanding performance in his original unit, he is now a platoon leader and deputy company commander.

As he was not busy, Company Commander Lao Song introduced to Ge Xiaohu the situation near their troops’ base.

Lao Song said that about 500 meters away from the regiment’s headquarters, Erlongshan Station, there stands a water tower, which is a relic left behind by the Japanese.

This area was ruled by the Japanese for a long time. The Japanese pioneers opened up wasteland, cultivated land, married, had children, and settled down here.

The Japanese invading army built many military fortifications and also constructed military facilities deep in the mountains for them to station troops and store supplies in preparation for war.

The Kaituotuan was a military and civilian organization sent by Japan to Xia Kingdom after the "September 9th Incident".

The "pioneer group" not only consisted of troops, but also a large number of immigrants.

According to incomplete statistics, during the period of its invasion of Northeast China, Japan sent more than 860 pioneer groups with more than 330,000 people.

The "Kaitakudan" forcibly occupied or forced to purchase the land of the Xia people at extremely low prices, and then rented it to the Xia farmers for cultivation, causing millions of Xia farmers to lose their land and wander around or suffer from hunger and cold in the more than 12,000 "group tribes" formed in Japan. Countless people died of starvation and freezing during this period.

It is said that there were about 400 people in the Anti-Japanese War Victory Pioneer Group when they evacuated, and many of them died on the way. Walking in the mountains from the Xia-S border, many women and children could not walk anymore and stayed in the Heihe area of ​​Xia.

There was a female educated youth in the company's garrison, and her mother was Japanese. Her uncle was a pioneer who came from Japan to Northeast China. Her grandmother was worried about him at home, so she sent her mother to take care of him.

Unexpectedly, not long after arriving here, Japan surrendered. Without finding her uncle, my mother could not return to Japan, so she married her father.

A few months after the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and Japan last summer, her mother returned to Japan.

After Ge Xiaohu arrived at the army, he got used to writing a diary. On the first page of his diary he wrote: "Who is our enemy and who is our friend? This is the primary question for GM..."

Ge Xiaohu, as the deputy company commander and concurrently the leader of the first platoon, has a new recruit, Li Huaguo, under his command, whose performance is particularly outstanding.

Ge Xiaohu had a keen eye for talent and believed that Li Huaguo was a promising individual, so he often encouraged him, urging him not only to strengthen his training but also to improve his cultural cultivation, in the hope that one day he would be able to be promoted successfully through unremitting efforts like himself, enter the military academy, and achieve a gorgeous transformation in his military career.

This fall, 19-year-old Li Huaguo enlisted in the army, realizing his childhood dream of becoming a soldier.

It all started when he was 10 years old and the troops moved into his empty house during winter training.

In that cold winter, the soldiers not only helped his family fetch water and clean the yard, but also often brought extra food. These small actions made the young Li Huaguo feel the deep bond between the military and the people.

At that time, he made up his mind that when he grew up, he must join the army to repay this friendship.

Li Guohua has a junior high school education and is now in charge of purchasing vegetables and grain for the company.

In the winter in the north, life in the company is particularly hard, and the storage of vegetables is particularly important.

Every year in early December, the company would start purchasing and storing winter vegetables, and Li Huaguo and his comrades were responsible for transporting these vegetables to the vegetable cellar.

These vegetable cellars are not only places to store food, but also an important part of the company's life.

…………

In peacetime, camping and training in the 1970s was an effective means to improve the combat effectiveness of troops.

In winter, camping and training for more than a month in a freezing cold environment can better hone the will of the troops' commanders and fighters.

"Train hard in winter and train hard in summer." During his four years in the army, Yi Yuanchao, a platoon leader of a special forces company, had the honor of participating in three winter camping training sessions and two summer swimming training sessions.

The Second Guard Division Engineer Regiment is a modernized engineering unit that was built with great effort by the Beijing Garrison District and is one of the best engineering regiments in the entire military region.

It is also a heroic collective with a glorious title. The "Pioneer Company for Cutting Through Mountains and Opening Up Roads" comes from this regiment.

The reason why the Second Guard Division Engineering Corps is one of the best is first of all because it was formed by the merger of several outstanding engineering corps in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Second, the equipment is advanced. Most of the engineering machinery is imported by the country with foreign exchange. This is rare in the current situation where Xia’s technology and economy are relatively backward. It also reflects Xia’s military thinking of overcoming the blockade of hostile countries and strengthening the army for war.

The Second Division's Engineering Corps has a high degree of mechanization, many vehicles, a transport company, and a pontoon company, which are one of the characteristics of the engineering corps.

In addition, the regiment has a large number of soldiers, a strong ability to deal with wars and emergencies, and can undertake a full range of work projects.

Three engineering battalions plus a technical battalion, as well as the regimental headquarters, political and logistics organs and a special forces company directly under the regiment, guards, reconnaissance, chemical defense, high machine guns, radio communications, medical teams, repair shops, etc.

The construction machinery and transport convoys covered with camouflage nets stretched for more than ten miles, which was quite spectacular!
In recent years, under the leadership of Chief of Staff Liu Zhiye, the various divisions of the Beijing Garrison District have launched round after round of training crazes.

In order to improve combat effectiveness and train the soldiers' endurance and ability to adapt to the environment, the Engineering Corps often chooses to march on foot instead of riding in vehicles.

It was an evening after a few days of training during a camping exercise. It was getting dark, and when the bugle sounded, the troops gathered and prepared to set off.

It took only 7 minutes for the platoon leader Yi Yuanchao, the clerk, and the signalman (bugler) to pack the luggage of the special forces company and load it onto the truck.

The marching plans of the troops are in the minds of the regiment commanders and commanders at all levels. As a soldier, you cannot ask where the destination is casually, but can only follow the team and move forward without falling behind.

During the march, various trainings were constantly interspersed, such as forced marches, seizing a roadside high ground or a village ahead.

Then the front troops pass the order to the rear, and finally check whether the information obtained at the end is consistent with the information transmitted from the front.

After several hours of marching at night, the pace slowed down.

When the troops were resting, the soldiers didn't care much and just lay down on the spot with their backpacks on their backs. No matter if it was the edge of a ditch by the road or in a cemetery, any slope would be filled with people lying there. They would eat something and rest for a while to restore their strength, and then they would be energetic again when they started marching again.

In the darkness of night, the kitchen staff are busy digging stoves and setting up pots to cook, and generally the entire process from cooking to eating has to be completed within 60 minutes.

The comrades in the kitchen squad were very hard-working at this time. In order to save time, some companies often burned the bottom of the pot in a rush, leaving smoke and half-cooked rice. As a result, all the officers and soldiers in the company could not eat a delicious meal.

The quartermaster of Yi Yuanchao's special forces company was Liu Quan. He led the cooking squad to create a cooking method that was both quick and delicious under field conditions.

Just cut the meat into cubes, stir-fry it with ginger and scallions in a pan, and cook it with rice. This kind of rice tastes very delicious.

After a long march to the base, the ginger soup made by the kitchen staff was delicious, and a bowl of it warmed me up.

The troops' winter camping and training is not only to train a strong team that can march and fight well, but also to maintain good relations between the military and the people, which is also an important task of the troops.

The camping and training includes both marching and station training.

After the winter came this year, the Engineering Corps went to Fshan County to help the local people repair the reservoir.

Colorful flags were flying on the construction site, and the Engineering Corps made full use of its large-scale construction machinery, including bulldozers, excavators, and scraper and leveling machines.

First, it completed a huge earthwork project for the construction of a local reservoir, and second, it trained the actual combat capabilities of the troops' operators.

However, there are blind spots in mechanical operations, and some parts still need to be carried by human hands and shoulders. On one side, there is the rumbling of machines, and on the other side, there are shoulder poles, baskets, small carts, and wheelbarrows.

Once the soldiers took off their uniforms, it was impossible to tell who were the members and who were soldiers on the construction site.

The task of the special forces company was quite arduous. It was freezing cold, with snowflakes floating in the air. Yi Yuanchao and his men were wearing shirts and vests, and they were working hard.

Yi Yuanchao pushed a wheelbarrow loaded with 100 to 200 kilograms of soil and stones down the slope from halfway up the mountain and did not feel cold at all.

When working, the kitchen team delivered meals to the mountain. Yi Yuanchao ate them with cabbage and shrimp soup, sometimes with green onions and fermented tofu, and could eat five or six steamed buns in one meal.

In such a labor scene, not only the grassroots officers and soldiers were working enthusiastically, but also big leaders like the military region chief of staff Liu Zhiye were leading the cadres from the organs to participate in the labor.

Moreover, the cadres eat the same thing as the soldiers, and there is absolutely no special treatment.

Chief of Staff Liu said: "Water conservancy is the lifeblood of agriculture."

"We are the people's soldiers, and only the common people's agricultural production..."

"We soldiers are not afraid of shedding blood and sacrificing our lives, so why should we be afraid of sweating and hard work?"

Over the past year, Liu Zhiye's work focus has gradually shifted to the military region's general staff, and he may soon be able to completely let go of the Second Guard Division.

As the chief of staff of a garrison of 100,000 troops, the burden on him is indeed heavy.

Liu Zhiye's main responsibility was to assist the deputy commander of the garrison district in military command and management.

The General Staff is responsible for organizing combat information, providing data and making recommendations to military leaders, and assigning specific combat and training tasks to subordinate units.

In the army, the position of the chief of staff is very important. Their suggestions and decisions have a significant impact on the development and combat effectiveness of the entire army.

Liu Zhiye was in charge of the winter training of the entire army in the garrison area, so he could only visit various troops to inspect and stay on the spot.

However, when conducting field training, too many unexpected situations will occur.

In freezing cold weather, when communication equipment breaks down, it is inevitable to measure and inspect the equipment's circuit boards. If necessary, a soldering iron is needed to remove and replace parts before the equipment can be repaired.

There was generally no electricity in rural areas at that time, and radio stations in the field were powered by special batteries and hand-cranked generators.

Farmers rarely have coal stoves for heating. Firstly, coal is in planned supply, and secondly, it costs a lot of money and is a luxury.

The electric soldering iron cannot be used without electricity, and there is no place to heat the soldering iron.

By chance, Yi Yuanchao discovered that the company's medical staff used an alcohol lamp to disinfect acupuncture needles at high temperatures.

He thought that he could put alcohol and cotton balls in an iron bottle cap, light it, and use it to heat the soldering iron.

The results were surprisingly good upon trying. Firstly, the copper tip of the soldering iron had no oxide layer and was clean as a wash, making it very easy to absorb tin. Secondly, there was enough heat, and the soldered joints were smooth and free of burrs.

Yi Yuanchao solved the problem of equipment maintenance and welding under field conditions and was commended by the military region for this.

The duration of each year's field training is roughly the same, lasting more than a month and is carried out in full swing.

By the time this arduous and fulfilling training comes to an end, the end of the year is often approaching, marking a unique end to the year.

(End of this chapter)