Siheyuan: Starting from a Truck Driver

The flags fluttered in the wind, like flames burning in the darkness, illuminating the dreary scenery around them.

Railway workers in uniform stood on the roof, body and even on the flatbed trailer behind the train. Due to the limited space in the train, some of them even stood on the pedals, holding the handles, half hanging in the air, as if they were performing a stunt.

These railway workers looked calm, and it was obvious that this kind of scene was not the first time they had seen it.

In later times, this would have to be written into a thousands-page censorship book to justify such a bold move. They were truly a railway powerhouse, using trains as mobile garrisons.

It seemed that the situation would only get worse: before one train left, another would arrive. Further back, the lights of another locomotive could be vaguely seen, and it was obvious that there was another train following.

The local train driver would definitely be very impatient and swear when encountering this situation.

It turns out that the railway troops involved in the rescue operation were quite large, numbering hundreds of people. In one move, some trains were loaded with passengers, while other vehicles were loaded with eight large flatbed cars loaded with all kinds of rescue equipment and supplies.

As a regular army, the railway workers were trained in discipline and professionalism from a young age, just like the soldiers in the army. The leader of the rescue team was a company commander named Cai Fangshun. He had a rough accent, and you could tell he was from Sichuan.

Sichuanese are famous for their perseverance and hard work, and they often get the most quota allocations when recruiting railway workers.

Cai Fangshun strode out of the carriage and saluted solemnly to Commander-in-Chief Zhang.

"Comrade Commander Zhang, I am Cai Fangshun, the company commander of the 11th Company of the Railway Corps. I have been ordered to come to the rescue. Please give the order to act immediately!"

It was getting towards evening.

To the surprise of Commander-in-Chief Zhang, this group of railway soldiers seemed extremely selfless.

"Comrade Cai, there is already a fire in the camp. Let the brothers fill their stomachs first, and then we can discuss the follow-up work."

"No need. We have already had some dry food in the car!" Cai Fangshun took out a black steamed bun from his pocket and smiled.

He thought for a while, frowned and said: "This mission is related to..."

Unable to think of the right words, he slapped his thigh heavily: "Anyway, this is extremely important, there is no time to lose!"

Now Commander Zhang has finally met someone who is more dedicated than the rescue team members.

He took a deep breath and said, "Okay, let's go to the scene immediately."

The railway soldiers have now been arranged in neat rows. Under the illumination of the locomotive headlights, the scene appears solemn and orderly.

Compared with the rescue team, their discipline is stricter, like a real iron-blooded army.

Li Aiguo turned his head and glanced at the cannon at the end of the carriage and the soldiers carrying submachine guns, and the corners of his mouth twitched.

Well, this is the true iron-blooded army.

Commander Zhang unfolded the design drawings and, under the illumination of the car lights, briefly summarized the current situation: "According to the plan proposed by the young stoker, we plan to have you ensure the stability of the top cave during the excavation process."

"Little stoker?" Captain Cai frowned in confusion.

The commander-in-chief pointed at Li Aiguo and said, "This is the fireman."

Many colleagues in the locomotive section were once railway soldiers, and the locomotive section was often their first choice after they were demobilized. For example, the deputy director of the passenger transport workshop, the section chief surnamed Xing, and even the head of the armed forces department, Niu, all grew up in this industry.

For the railway soldiers, the locomotive depot is like another home, and Li Aiguo is like a member of the family.

Cai Fangshun stood up and shook hands with Li Aiguo vigorously: "I knew it long ago that only we railway people can come up with such a clever countermeasure."

Commander-in-chief Zhang and a group of rescue team leaders listened silently.

Li Aiguo continued the topic: "We still need your support this time. Due to the complicated working conditions, we have to mine and work at the same time." He spoke quickly and directly.

"Although time is urgent, I, Cai, have been drilling for many years. Even my wife at home doesn't want me to come out because I stay in the cave for too long." He patted his chest and promised, "All the brothers I brought with me are carefully selected experts in drilling holes. I guarantee that nothing will go wrong."

Faced with time pressure, Company Commander Cai still quickly organized a brief pre-war mobilization on the spot.

He said sternly, "Brothers, I want to make one thing clear."

It concerns... He fell into a brief thought again, but was unable to reveal the identity of the trapped person, so he could only speak vaguely: "This mission... is very important, and we cannot neglect it for a moment!"

Finally, he simply slapped his thigh hard and said loudly: "In short, the mission must succeed or fail. There is no room for failure."

"You bunch of bastards, if anyone dares to shrink back and delay the great plan, I will never let him go easily."

The railway soldiers should come from where Cai Fangshun is.

After listening to Li Aiguo's difficult-to-understand dialect, they all stood up straight.

"Please rest assured, Captain. We promise not to joke around, cause trouble, or delay anything!"

"We must live up to the important task entrusted to us by the organization."

At this time, many members of the rescue team could no longer hold back their laughter.

Seeing this, Captain Cai was obviously quite satisfied with his own fighting spirit. He waved his hand and said, "Let's go!"

In the subsequent developments,

Captain Cai demonstrated the railway troops' unparalleled decisiveness and execution ability.

On the way to the camp, there is a narrow mountain road.

Captain Cai looked at the large trucks transporting supplies behind him and the two large rocks blocking his way ahead. He stroked his short hair with one hand and cursed angrily: "Damn it, you dare to block my way? I think you don't want to live anymore!"

He waved his hand again, pointing at the stone, "Excavation team, blast these two pieces apart!"

It seemed that Commander-in-Chief Zhang thought that Captain Cai's behavior was too barbaric, so when he wanted to stop him, he was stopped by Li Aiguo.

"Comrade Commander-in-Chief, the railway troops have sent dozens of tons of cement and hundreds of cubic meters of sand. If these cannot be transported to the tunnel in time, the rescue progress will be seriously delayed."

"But it shouldn't be blown up, isn't that the rule?"

“There is no hard and fast rule that says so.”

Commander Zhang gave a bitter smile, shook his head, and turned away, unwilling to watch the reckless behavior of these railway soldiers.

This is not rescue at all, it is clearly deliberate road demolition.

The so-called excavation team is actually the working group responsible for drilling holes in the rock and placing bombs.

After receiving the order, seven or eight young men quickly jumped off the truck.

He picked up an eight-pound sledgehammer and hit the surface of the stone hard, banging more than a hundred times until a standardized drill hole was chiseled in the stone.

Next, they filled the hole with , installed the , and lit the wire.

Rumble!

With a flash of fire, the huge stone turned into rubble.

And that’s not all.

Seven or eight people pulled out shovels from their backs and dug hard at the shattered part, with the shovels cutting in the area where stone chips were flying.

In less than ten minutes, the road became wide and flat.

Li Aiguo couldn't help but give a thumbs up and praised: "Comrade Cai, you are really experts in road construction."

"Of course! Whoever dares to block my way, I will make it smooth for him!"

It seems that Captain Cai has long been accustomed to this kind of straightforward and rough way of expression.

This may be understandable in difficult circumstances - when stress builds up inside, people often resort to primitive language to vent their emotions.

Just like when charging towards the enemy on the battlefield, no one would hum Peking Opera elegantly and softly, because that would instead cause one's own soldiers to retreat out of shock.

Faced with the difficult situation, the railway soldiers were well prepared, with all kinds of equipment and materials intact.

After a field meeting, Cai Fangshun led two technicians to carefully measure the cave data and developed a detailed and comprehensive plan.

The detailed specifications, rigorous line drawing and standardized operating rules in the plan make it impossible for even the professionals of the rescue team to find any omissions.

For those present, there was no reason to question the professionalism of this team.

“Here are the data for the load bearing structure. The arch has a curvature of 32 degrees and there is a high risk of collapse because the top has become loose.”

“So we need to use a steel grid and steel arch structure to support the tunnel lining, and then reinforce the top with cement during the excavation process to enhance stability.”

Cai Fangshun stood up and reported the design plan to Commander-in-Chief Zhang, who looked at Li Aiguo with a little surprise.

This plan was consistent with his previous understanding, but was more detailed.

After repeated discussions and the opinions of the experts, the commander-in-chief decisively and forcefully slammed his hand on the table.

"Then do it this way!"

“Let’s do it, kids!”

As soon as the command was given, the whole scene suddenly became busy.

Instructor Cai directed the railway troops to build a steel frame structure on the top of the cave, while local partners were responsible for carrying cement and sand to make concrete on site.

Looking at the intricate steel structures and the mountains of building materials, Commander-in-Chief Zhang understood the reason for the previous blasting.

The rescue team is like a delicate craftsman embroidering, while the railway soldiers are as direct and effective as heavy artillery. Under the coordination of Captain Cai and the commander-in-chief, these two very different types of work are moving towards the same goal.

Because the top of the head needed stronger protection, they chose an alternating construction method.

Every time the tunnel boring machine advanced one meter, it would retreat and the steel troops would be responsible for reinforcing the entrance of the tunnel. This operation of course significantly reduced the speed.

It may take two days to actually complete the connection of the collapsed area.

At this time, Li Aiguo had nothing to do. He regained his position as an investigation commissioner, sat cross-legged on the rock, and stared vigilantly at the guard at the cave entrance.

The guards were the soldiers brought by Cai Fangshun. They were carrying submachine guns and had extremely sharp eyes that would attract their attention to anything unusual.

In such an environment, even the most reckless people would not dare to cause trouble, and Li Aiguo's workload was greatly reduced.

After yawning, Li Aiguo hesitated whether to go back to the camp to rest. At this time, Yan Zi came in quickly and reported:

"Driver, Old Cat is calling you."