Chapter 62: On the Marching Route

  "Iron troops, iron heroes, iron will, iron heart. From the Pingjiang Uprising to Jinggangshan, the iron flow heads north. Hey! The great battle of Pingxing Pass, the enemy's heart is chilled, south and north battles, arduous struggle, brave and strong. Crossing the Yalu River, blood splatters on neighboring countries, blood stains the war flag red, fame spreads throughout the world. We fight harder and stronger..."

  The officers and soldiers of the whole regiment stood in formation on the parade ground with their field backpacks, the dazzling spotlights on both sides of the rostrum illuminated the scene as if it were daylight. Behind the neat phalanx were dozens of olive-green trucks parked side by side, all materials had been loaded, and the drivers were sitting in the vehicles. Here, the regiment commander was about to announce the order for the troops to fight against floods and disasters.

  Under the leadership of the director of the political department, the passionate military song sounded on the parade ground. Among the students, only a few old soldiers from the same group army as A Corps could sing this song. Most of the students, like Qu Mingjun, just stood silently in the team, accepting the baptism of this magnificent and stirring military song.

  The military song ended, the commander of Team A, dressed in uniform, stood on the podium holding a microphone and shouted loudly: "Today is the oath-taking rally for our team to receive orders from higher authorities to participate in flood relief and disaster relief tasks. I have nothing more to say. The motherland is watching us, the people are watching us, and the revolutionary martyrs of Team A are all watching us."

  The captain said after finishing, neat and efficient, with a big wave of his hand, "Board the vehicle!"

  "Everyone get down, turn around!"

  "Company, right turn, double time - march!"

  "One, two, three, four!"

  “……”

  Behind the reviewing stand, the fleet of vehicles almost simultaneously started their engines, a buzzing sound filled the air, mixed with the shouting of numbers from each company, a scene that seemed to be on the eve of battle. Qu Mingjun's blood was boiling, following his own 1st Company of the 3rd Battalion, loudly shouting slogans, running towards the trucks assigned to his company.

  Soon, truck after truck loaded with personnel and materials lit up their headlights in order, and the white light of dozens of headlights instantly suppressed the light of the two searchlights in front of the podium. The team leader's off-road vehicle started first, followed by a long string of vehicles, speeding towards the train station.

  All the intersections along the way have been cleared by the military police and traffic police who were dispatched to cooperate. As the motorcade whizzed by, all the military police and traffic police saluted the motorcade. The ordinary people on both sides of the road did not make a sound, but quietly saw off the motorcade as it drove away.

  All green lights, the convoy almost non-stop directly rushed into the train station, and stopped at a platform cleared by railway staff.

  A military green train was quietly parked, several small cars at the station were adding water to the train, and a fleet belonging to the logistics department of A Corps had already begun loading supplies. The station was bustling with activity, presenting a tense scene.

  Qu Mingjun and others only carried their own backpacks, following the instructions of the conductor and the train staff, and got into their respective compartments. The appearance of the military train's compartment is similar to that of an ordinary passenger car, except that the windows are not large, and it can be considered as a kind of "stuffy" car with more windows. The military train does not have the usual hard seats, soft seats, hard berths, and soft berths, but has special compartments that have been modified when the group army allocated the military train.

  Inside the carriage, there were only steel frame bunk beds, which were fixed to the high and low beds in the carriage with screws and iron wires. The high and low beds were densely packed, without any gaps, on one side of the carriage, while the other side was a narrow passageway.

  This time, another team from our school also set out with Team A. According to the coordination of the staff in each battalion, due to the large number of people, basically one compartment had to squeeze in a whole company. The upper and lower bunks were tightly packed together, making the two-tiered bed look more like a large platform bed. The soldiers squeezed together, with about three people on two beds, which wasn't too inconvenient.

  After about half an hour, the train finished its preparations and let out a long whistle before speeding off towards the south. This was much faster than an ordinary train, thought Qu Mingjun as he watched the train that seemed to be flying away.

  The initial excitement had vanished into thin air, and all the warriors inside the carriage were pondering where they might be going, what tasks they might have to complete, and the dangers that the flood might bring.

  "Fall back." A small warrior tugged at Qu Mingjun's arm.

  "Hmm?" Qu Mingjun sat at the head of the bed, smiling as he looked over. The little warrior looked very young, seemingly not yet an adult.

  "Paichang, you said, this time we go to fight against the flood, is there any danger?" To Little Warrior, every officer might be someone who knows everything about geography and astronomy. Even if Qu Mingjun was only carrying a red flag on his shoulder, in Little Warrior's eyes, he was also an officer.

  "What do you think?" Qu Mingjun thought it was interesting and asked back.

  "I think, I think with so many of us, nothing should happen, we can definitely hold back the flood." Little Warrior said somewhat uncertainly.

  "Xiao Mao, what are you spouting?" The class monitor of Class 5, Row 2 saw Xiao Zhan Shi pulling Qu Ming Jun and was afraid he would annoy Qu Ming Jun.

  "It's nothing, let's just chat." Seeing this warrior named Xiaomao shrug his shoulders and stick out his tongue, Qu Mingjun laughed and quickly explained to the squad leader.

  "Hmm, fine. You useless soldier, I've trained you for so long and you still don't have the demeanor of a soldier." The fifth squad leader grumbled as he sat down.

  "Who said that." The little warrior did not dare to retort face-to-face and muttered very softly in his mouth.

  "Where are you from?" Qu Mingjun smiled and asked Xiao Mao.

  "Report to the squad leader, I'm from Inner Mongolia." said Little Mao.

  "Inner Mongolian?" Qu Mingjun was somewhat surprised, wasn't it said that the Mongolians were born to be warriors on horseback? How come Little Mao's body looks so slender? Looking at the wrestlers in the Naadam Festival on TV, they could fit two and a half Little Maos inside them.

  "Uh-huh. Where's your home?" Little Mao nodded.

  "I? I am from Jianghai." Qu Mingjun thought for a moment and asked, "Are you Mongolian?"

  "No, I'm Han Chinese." Little Mao scratched his head.

  Oh, so they were Han Chinese who had moved to Mongolia, Qu Mingjun nodded.

  "Xiao Mao, come and sing a song for everyone, boost the morale!" The instructor saw Qu Mingjun chatting happily with Xiao Mao and thought this was a good opportunity to liven up the atmosphere in the carriage. (Note: Qu Mingjun is currently acting as the deputy squad leader of the second row, yesterday it was said that he was the second squad leader of the second row, for fear of ambiguity, it has been adjusted.)

  "Great!" Xiaomao stood up straightforwardly as soon as he was asked to sing.

  Suddenly, there was a burst of applause in the carriage, which quickly subsided. It seemed that Little Mao wasn't making his debut after all.

  "To be honest with you, I miss home too. My old mother at home is already grey-haired; to be realistic, I also have feelings, often thinking of that her in my dreams, the her in my dreams. Come on, come on, since we're soldiers, we know our responsibility is great. You don't carry a gun and neither do I..."

  Xiao Mao's voice was still a bit childish when he spoke, but as soon as he sang, his clear and wide voice filled with deep emotions, it didn't lose out to a real singer at all.

  "To be honest, I'm not stupid either, I understand the hardships of being a soldier; to tell the truth, I also have feelings, the warmth of human relationships has nurtured me. But let's put it this way, without a country, there is no home, if you don't stand guard, I won't stand guard, who will protect our motherland, who will protect our homes..."

  Singing to the end, Xiaomao's body was excited and slightly trembling. All the cadres and soldiers in the carriage were moved by the song and entered a deep emotional state towards their motherland, people, and their own families. They couldn't help but hum along with Xiaomao in a low voice, their voices growing louder and louder. For a time, the ninth carriage where the third battalion's first company was located became a grand chorus, with songs soaring and warmth filling the carriage.

  "...Wow..." After finishing singing, warm applause and cheers echoed in the carriage for a long time.

  Xiao Mao suddenly reverted to his childish expression, scratching the back of his head and giggling with some embarrassment. He wanted to walk back and sit down beside Qu Mingjun, but several old soldiers pushed him out again, refusing to give in.

  "Everyone says, is Little Mao's singing good or not?" the instructor shouted loudly.

  "Good——" Qu Mingjun also laughed and shouted loudly along with him.

  "Want another one?" The instructor's voice was even higher.

  "Want——" Wanlian warrior's voice almost blew off the top of the carriage.

  "Here comes our great singer Xiao Mao, bravo!" The instructor led the applause.

  "Heh heh." Amidst everyone's uniform and thunderous applause, Xiao Mao still foolishly smiled.

  "This good-for-nothing soldier!" The squad leader muttered again, but when Qu Mingjun turned to look at him, the squad leader's face was clearly written with pride and arrogance.

  "Well, then I'll sing another folk song for everyone, 'In That Distant Place'." Little Mao said after some thought.

  "Alright, alright, alright..." The old soldiers shouted in a chaotic manner, then they heard the loud and discontented shout of the fifth squad leader, "Everyone be quiet, what's all the commotion about? If you keep making noise, how can Little Mao sing?"

  "In that distant place, there was a good girl. People passing by her tent all had to turn back and gaze longingly at her. Her pink smiling face was like the red sun; her lively and moving eyes were like the bright moon at night..."

  My goodness, Qu Mingjun can't believe it, this is completely different from the singing style of "Say a Heartfelt Word" sung by Xiao Mao earlier, both are perfectly suitable for the song and bring out the most touching musical flavor. If you add music accompaniment, Xiao Mao is fully qualified to hold a concert, just look at him singing a cappella can sing such beautiful melodies and deep emotions, Xiao Mao in this aspect of singing can be considered a genius.

  As soon as the music ended, Little Mao didn't wait for everyone to start applauding and quickly climbed onto the bed, running to sit down behind Qu Mingjun's back, hehe laughing.

  The old soldiers were still relentless, and they wanted Little Mao to continue singing. The fifth squad leader stood up again, loudly saying: "Brothers of the second platoon? Is our Little Mao's singing good or not?"

  "Good——" "Huh? Why is the captain of the fifth company only greeting the soldiers in the second row?"

  "Then shouldn't classes one and three also put on a show?" Class Five's monitor said loudly.

  "Yes!" The brothers in the second row were overjoyed.

  "Come on, let's pull them!" The head of Class Five stood up and began to lead a chant in unison with the third row.

  After a commotion, an old soldier was pushed out, and to everyone's surprise, he was holding a pair of cymbals. The old soldier had a joyful face and immediately started clanging the cymbals loudly, which instantly drew a round of applause.

  "Don't speak nonsense, let's talk about the good Han Wu Erlang. Wu Song learned boxing at Shaolin Temple for eight years. On his way home, he made a big disturbance at Dongyue Temple and injured Li's evil tyrant, Five Tigers. He killed five of Li's evil tigers, this hero didn't want to deal with the officials and ran away...". The old soldier began the classic Shandong fast board "Wu Song Fights the Tiger" while playing the fast board and acting out with his hands and feet.

  This team has a lot of talented people, Qu Mingjun couldn't help but deeply admire them. Looking at the little Mao beside him who was smiling and hugging his knees, who would have thought that this unassuming little warrior actually had a golden voice?

  At this time, singing voices came from the front and rear carriages. It seemed that the whole train was lively with the movement of the three battalions. The soldiers had long since thrown away their tension and were laughing and chatting as if they were on a normal march.

  The train ran until the next afternoon and still hadn't reached its destination, but it had to stop for everyone to replenish their water supply and allow the soldiers to ease their travel fatigue.

  As soon as the car door opened, Qu Mingjun followed the soldiers to get off the train and stood in the shadow of the platform, taking a slightly comfortable breath of fresh air. The station was not too big, and there were not many ordinary people waiting for the train, all looking curiously at the military train parked on the platform, discussing it in whispers.

  At this time, another train entered the station, a passenger car that was heading in the opposite direction of Qu Mingjun and his group.

  After a night and a morning, Qu Mingjun had already become familiar with Xiao Mao, the two were very close, at this time they were still talking under the car, Qu Mingjun thought that Xiao Mao should go to further study his singing, in the future he might become a famous singer, while Xiao Mao said that no matter what he had to do well as a soldier first.

  "Xiao Mao? Xiao Mao!" A sudden call came from a window of the train that had just entered the station.

  Xiao Mao turned around in confusion and was shocked, "Deputy Company Commander?"

  The deputy battalion commander of the third battalion had taken a wedding leave before Qiu Mingjun and his group arrived, returning to his hometown to get married. Qiu Mingjun had never seen this deputy battalion commander before, so how could he be on this train now?

  Deputy platoon leader wore a white shirt, but the clothes were all soaked with sweat, and he asked anxiously: "Xiao Mao, is this our regiment's train?"

  "Right, Deputy Platoon Leader." Little Mao nodded.

  "Are we going to use this vehicle for flood relief? Are there any other vehicles behind?" Deputy Company Commander asked hastily.

  "Yes. Just this one." Little Mao answered mechanically.

  "Damn it, it's too good." The deputy company commander was excited. At this time, the train he was sitting on suddenly sounded a whistle and was about to start.

  "Damn it!" The deputy company commander cursed again, and without thinking, he stretched his upper body out of the car window with one swift motion, a nimble move that cleared the high wall, landing lightly on the ground. At this moment, a cry of surprise came from inside the train carriage.

  "Hey, comrade!" At this time, another middle-aged woman stuck her head out of the car window, waving a bag and a suit jacket at the deputy battalion commander.

  "Ah yo, thank you sister, thank you sister!" The deputy platoon leader hastily nodded and bowed to receive it, the train had slowly started moving, slowly disappearing into the distance.

  Qu Mingjun and Xiao Mao stared at Deputy Commander in a daze, watching his series of actions, without knowing which act he was performing.

  At this time, on Qu Mingjun's military train, the duty officer blew the whistle for boarding.

  The deputy company commander followed Qu Mingjun and they drilled into the carriage. The platoon cadres inside the carriage had all gone to the regimental carriage for a meeting. The new and old soldiers in the carriage were stunned when they saw the deputy company commander wearing a suit full of wrinkles.

  The train had not been moving for long when the leader of the A team brought several staff members to inspect the carriage. He immediately spotted a man in a western suit, extremely eye-catching among the soldiers - the deputy commander of the third company of the first battalion.

  "Reporting to the team leader, Wang Hongsheng has arrived!" The deputy company commander hastily stood up.

  "What the f*** is this? What time is it and why are you dressed like that?" The team leader scowled, opening his mouth to curse.

  (My wife was on the phone with someone last night and swapped her shift from yesterday to today, so she stayed at work for another day. I'm updating late again, please forgive me. The angel can only add some more words to apologize to everyone. This chapter is almost 5,000 words long, haha. Yeah, Chinese New Year is coming soon, the angel promises that there will be updates every day. The song at the beginning of this chapter is the military anthem of the Wan Sui Army, which can be downloaded online; brothers and sisters who haven't heard it before can go download and listen to it - it's a very passionate and iron-blooded military song.)