Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 661 It's all because of poverty

The young soldier said, "Even if we catch them, it's no big deal. Most of these people have been in and out of prison multiple times, so they're not afraid at all. They won't get long sentences anyway, and when they come out, they'll even increase their notoriety and make a name for themselves. These days, many thugs in various places have built their connections in prison."

The older soldier said, "They're all poor. It's not so bad in the Northeast. It's just some local thugs robbing people for a few pocket money. But in the interior, whole villages are attacked. There are plenty of murders and robberies. Getting a little money from a traffic jam is a minor issue. Don't get too close, don't let them take over your car. Stop 20 meters away."

In the early 90s, highway robbery was rampant. They would intercept vehicles, rob goods, and extort tolls—the methods were varied and varied. The most common was simply demanding money. In some places, they would specifically intercept goods, openly robbing them. In some places, they would even take the vehicle and its cargo, burying the people inside. Later, during a crackdown, several villages in the area were reduced to almost nothing after the executions.

Back then, whether it was private or state-owned, truck drivers always had several people with them when they went out. State-owned drivers carried guns, while private drivers carried knives or iron bars. They also prepared money and cigarettes. If they encountered someone, they would offer them cigarettes first, and if they could afford to buy something, they would do so. If they couldn't buy something, they would ensure their personal safety. The weapons were for self-defense, not for fighting to the death, because they couldn't win a fight. At that time, the most ruthless people in the country were definitely truck drivers.

Not only cars were robbed, but trains were also targeted. In those days, trains were slow, and in the summer, windows could be opened freely. Robbers would use tools made of bamboo poles or wire to reach through the windows and hook people in, often leaving them with bloodied heads. Back then, when a train arrived at a certain destination, the conductor would come over and shout, "Close the windows! Close the windows! Hold your things securely!"

There are also those who "book" carriages on the train. They get on at some small station, and if there's a blockage at either end, they start robbing. When they get off at the next station, the train staff and police don't dare to interfere. They're all alone and helpless.

Xiao Wei stopped the car about 20 meters away from the people in front of him, turned off the engine, and sat in the car watching them.

Two motorcycles followed and stopped about ten meters away from the car. Five men parked their motorcycles in the middle of the road and walked over with iron chains and bars. The group of people in front also began to surround them. Xiao Wei saw that the leader was smoking a cigarette and carrying a Japanese sword. He said to the older soldier, "That's the leader, the one with the sword."

The older soldier looked out the car window and said, "This guy's got some nerve. If we can't beat him, he'll be a problem. Let's go, let's go for a spin." He and the younger soldier grabbed their Type 81 rifles, pushed open the door, and jumped out.

The military's management of firearms is completely different from that of local police. Back then, police couldn't just fire their weapons anywhere; nobody cared about the situation. If you fired, you had to write a report and be questioned. Every bullet had to have a clear destination, and mishandling it could result in disciplinary action. It's different for soldiers. The mission is paramount. When orders are given to carry out official duties, all actions are based on ensuring the mission is accomplished; nothing else matters.

"Rat-a-tat-tat." The veteran got out of the vehicle, took a few steps forward, and pulled the trigger towards the sky. The young man raised his gun, aimed at the approaching person, and shouted, "Kneel down on the spot! Anyone who tries to escape will be shot!" The veteran lowered his gun, and the two men each pointed in a different direction: "Kneel down."

The leader's face turned pale, and he dropped his cigarette: "What the hell? Who said it was a fake military vehicle?"

"Rat-a-tat." Bullets struck the pavement in front of these people, kicking up gravel and dust. "Kneel down." Against such a group, a pistol was really useless. An eight-round gun could only fire for thirty meters, enough for self-defense, but forget about fighting. It wasn't intimidating enough; one shot and it was all over. The Type 81 rifle, on the other hand, didn't have this problem at all. A magazine of thirty rounds could fire for one kilometer, and within five hundred meters was an absolute controllable range.

The leader threw his sword far into the roadside bushes and slowly knelt down.

Most people were stunned for a moment before choosing to kneel down and admit defeat. Although their eyes were full of resentment, they had no thought of fighting back or running away. These were real soldiers, not police officers. In their minds, the intimidation of soldiers was far greater than that of police officers; it was like comparing a giant tree to a blade of grass.

Xiao Wei got out of the car and said to Hao Dawei, who was looking excited, "Get out and help, tie them all up."

Hao Dawei got out of the car and walked around to Xiaowei, asking, "What are you going to use to tie him up? Did you prepare a rope?"

Xiao Wei said, "They have belts, don't they?"

"Bang, bang bang." Three crisp gunshots rang out.

Xiao Wei turned around sharply and saw that the leader had already fallen to the ground in the roadside bushes. This guy had taken advantage of the chaos as everyone knelt down to try and slip into the woods by the roadside. The woods were only a few meters away from the road, just a step across the bushes away, but he was too confident in his speed and underestimated the veteran's reaction time and marksmanship.

Another man was running alongside him. He didn't even get into the bushes before he fell down on the side of the road, clutching his leg and howling.

Now everyone behaved themselves. Those who had been observing the situation and hesitating earlier stopped hesitating and all obediently knelt down. The sight of more than twenty people kneeling together was quite a spectacle. A car came up behind them, pulled over to the side of the road without even honking, and then immediately turned around and drove away.

The veteran said, "Big guy, go tie them up, start with the ones in the back. Xiao Zhuang, go check on those two. Give the gun to Xiao Wei."

The young soldier handed the Type 81 pistol to Xiao Wei and walked over there. The guy sitting in the grass didn't make a sound or struggle, and no one knew what was going on.

Hao Dawei ran to the back to tie people up, using several people's belts to bind them together, then led them to the front to continue tying them up. The veteran calmly surveyed the scene with his gun pointed at the ground, easily taking control of the situation by himself.

Xiao Wei imitated the veteran, pointing his gun at the ground. The veteran said, "We're outnumbered, so we can't all get close now, understand? You should have a gun on you, right? So you absolutely can't go over there, remember? Keeping your distance is the only way to maintain intimidation, act decisively to control the situation, and at the same time, be careful to protect your own safety."

The young soldier in the bushes raised his right hand and made a gesture. The old soldier said, "He's passed out. What a coward."

Hao Dawei went over to help the young soldier lift the leader out of the grass. The young soldier tore open the leader's clothes, stabbed the legs of the two who had been shot, and then started tying people up with Hao Dawei. The speed and quality of tying people up were on a completely different level, and Hao Dawei was completely stunned.

Xiao Wei asked, "You guys still practice this?"

The veteran said, "It's a normal subject. There's a lot to learn about arresting and binding people. What will you do if you don't learn it well and end up on the battlefield?"

At this time, the fighting in the south had just ended, and the national army was at its most combat-ready, with training directly geared towards actual combat.

After tying the man up, the veteran said to Xiaowei, "Go to the city, find the armed police, and have them send a vehicle to pick him up."

Xiao Wei asked, "Armed Police? Why not the Public Security Bureau?"

The veteran glanced at Xiao Wei's police uniform and said, "Why are you involving the police in this military matter? Don't you find it troublesome?"

Xiao Wei nodded, got into the car, started the engine, and drove towards Zhelimum. After asking around among several people, he finally found the military unit on Holingol Road. Luckily, the city was small.

(End of this chapter)