Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 213 Eat it!

Just as the Japanese high command was in chaos, blaming each other and urgently redeploying troops due to the disastrous air battle at Jiuquhe Airport, a place called "Jinshaling" about 80 kilometers away from Jiuquhe Airport was quietly undergoing a dramatic transformation.

Jinsha Ridge, as its name suggests, was once famous for its abundant gold sand.

Many years ago, perhaps in the late Qing Dynasty or the early Republic of China, when the first handful of glittering sand shone in this desolate mountain range, it was like a spark igniting a prairie fire, quickly attracting tens of thousands of gold prospectors with dreams of getting rich.

They flocked from all directions, carrying rudimentary tools and burning desires, and took root in this once sparsely populated land.

In less than a year, Jinshaling became bustling with noise and filled with dust.

Simple shacks sprang up like mushrooms after rain, forming chaotic yet vibrant temporary settlements.

The sounds of picks and shovels clashing, the rattling of gold pans, the ecstatic shouts of people who had struck gold, and the arguments and even brawls that erupted over territory or profit, all continued day and night, together forming the cacophony of that brief "golden age."

However, this good fortune did not last long, as nature's gifts are not endless.

After less than two years of frenzied and predatory mining, the surface and shallow gold sands of Jinshaling were quickly exhausted.

Those golden particles that once drove countless people crazy disappeared as quickly as they appeared.

With their hopes dashed, the gold prospectors' enthusiasm dissipated as quickly as the tide receded.

Just as they had come, they flocked off again, families in tow, grumbling and cursing, in search of the next "promised land" that might bring them wealth.

Behind them, all that remained was this desolate mountain range, riddled with holes and pits, as if gnawed by a giant beast, and the vast wasteland below it, equally ravaged.

Exposed to wind and sun, washed by rain, and with the passage of time, Jinshaling was gradually forgotten by the world, returning to its former silence and desolation.

The abandoned mines, collapsed shacks, and rusty tools scattered everywhere are like silent tombstones, telling the story of that brief but crazy gold rush era.

However, recently, Jinshaling, which had been silent for many years, has once again ushered in its "rebirth".

This time, those who came here were no longer gold prospectors chasing after wealth, but tens of thousands of ordinary people and a large number of soldiers in gray-stone uniforms. They did not come for the elusive gold dust; their goal was this abandoned land itself.

Under unified command and coordination, a massive project was launched in full swing on the plains of Jinshaling and its surrounding areas.

The people, mostly young men and women from nearby villages, were organized and carried out their tasks. They used the most primitive tools, such as shovels, hoes, and carrying poles and baskets, and under the guidance of soldiers in military uniforms, they began to level the land that had become pitted and uneven due to over-exploitation.

The soldiers, on the other hand, appeared to be more professional and efficient.

They were not only commanders and supervisors, but also the main workforce. Among them were even some soldiers who were clearly engineers or technical troops, operating dozens of bulldozers and road rollers that had been brought in from who-knows-where and were making deafening noise.

These steel behemoths were absolutely rare sights in inland China at that time.

Like industrious worker ants, they leveled the uneven mounds, filled the mine pits of varying depths, and then used heavy rollers to compact the soft soil again and again.

Dust filled the air, and the shouts, roars of machines, and clanging of tools once again echoed through Jinshaling. But this time, it was not for personal gain, but for a grander goal.

Over time, the plains surrounding Jinshaling are changing at a visible pace.

Those former potholes and ruins have gradually been replaced by flat and solid ground.

Immediately afterwards, in the area that had been precisely measured and planned, brand-new buildings began to rise from the ground.

These buildings included barracks and warehouses built of brick and stone, temporary hangars and maintenance workshops built of wood and tarpaulin, and sturdy fortifications made of reinforced concrete that clearly had military uses, such as the prototype of a command tower and the foundation of an ammunition depot.

The most eye-catching feature is the eight straight and wide runways that are being meticulously constructed!

The length and width of this runway far exceed the specifications of a typical small airport.

Workers mixed gravel and sand, laid it layer by layer, and then repeatedly rolled it with a road roller to make it strong and flat.

On both sides of the runway, spaces have been reserved for taxiways and parking aprons.

When the basic shape of the main runway began to take shape, even the most ordinary laborers could guess what was being built here... It was clearly another airport! Moreover, judging from its scale and investment, this airport seemed to be of a higher level than Jiuquhe Airport!

As the project progressed, more and more soldiers began to be stationed at Jinshaling. They were heavily armed and set up sentry posts and patrol lines around the airport, strictly sealing off all roads leading there and prohibiting any unauthorized personnel from approaching.

A tense and mysterious atmosphere began to envelop this once gold rush land.

At dawn, as the first rays of sunlight pierced the eastern clouds, casting a faint golden hue over Jinsha Airport, a series of neat yet slightly immature slogans broke the construction site's clamor and echoed across the makeshift playground next to the airport.

"One! Two! Three! Four!"

"one two three four!"

Teams of young people, dressed in brand-new but slightly oversized gray-yellow training uniforms, were running and trying to keep their formations in order. Under the guidance of several tall, foreign instructors of various skin colors, they were undergoing a tedious and arduous physical training exercise.

These young people, mostly between seventeen or eighteen and their early twenties, still have a youthful innocence on their faces, but their eyes sparkle with longing for the blue sky and anticipation for the future.

They were the first batch of flight cadets carefully selected by Su Yaoyang from outstanding soldiers in the militia and patriotic students recruited from various places.

Many of them, not long ago, may have been farm children living in the fields or frail scholars buried in their studies in the school.

Now, they have become the first batch of pilots in the Shanxi militia, and in the near future they will also shoulder the important task of defending the motherland's airspace.

However, most of these people are still too naive. They first undergo several weeks of basic military training, including discipline, drills, weapons use (mainly for self-defense), military regulations, physical training, etc., to complete the transformation from civilians to soldiers.

The young flight cadets, carrying heavy M1 Garand rifles, were engaged in an endless long-distance run under heavy loads, amidst the death knell-like shouts of their foreign instructors.

Among the group, a fair-skinned, refined young man with a scholarly air was in the worst condition.

Sweat had already soaked through his gray-yellow training uniform, clinging tightly to his body and outlining his thin frame, which trembled slightly from exhaustion.

His cheeks were abnormally pale due to lack of oxygen and extreme fatigue, and his lips had lost their color, becoming dry and cracked.

Every step I took felt as heavy as if it were filled with lead, and my legs felt like they were being pierced by countless steel needles, burning with pain.

His chest was heaving violently, each breath accompanied by a hoarse bellows sound, and he felt as if a ball of fire was stuck in his throat, burning and dry.

The Garand rifle, which should have been carried on his back, now felt like a heavy burden, making it almost impossible for him to straighten his back.

The edge of the stock dug painfully into his shoulder, while the cold gun became slippery due to the sweat on his palms, nearly slipping from his grasp several times.

The scenery before his eyes began to darken, and his ears began to ring. The instructor's piercing roar also became distant and indistinct.

"I can't take it anymore... really... I can't take it anymore..." Li Yufeng groaned in despair, feeling his consciousness beginning to fade.

Just as he felt he was about to reach his limit and collapse to his knees, a large, strong hand suddenly reached out from the side and grabbed the sling of the Garand rifle he was carrying, while another hand gripped his arm tightly. "Li Yufeng... hold on! Don't fall behind!" A slightly panting but still loud voice rang in his ear.

Li Yufeng turned his head with difficulty and saw a dark, honest face. It was his roommate Zhu Jin, who came from a rural area in southern Shanxi and had a sturdy build.

Before Li Yufeng could react, Zhu Jin had already nimbly taken the Garand rifle from Li Yufeng's back and slung it over his own shoulder along with it.

The two rifles together weighed about twenty pounds, which would be a heavy burden for anyone, but Zhu Jin acted as if nothing was wrong, simply grinning at Li Yufeng and revealing a set of white teeth.

"Come on! I'll hold you! Stay close!" Zhu Jin said, tightening his grip on Li Yufeng's arm and forcefully pulling him forward.

A warm current instantly surged into Li Yufeng's heart, dispelling some of his physical fatigue and inner despair.

Looking at Zhu Jin's broad back and the two heavy rifles slung over his shoulders, he felt a lump in his throat. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but his throat felt blocked, and he couldn't make a sound.

He could only nod forcefully, grit his teeth, and struggle to move his heavy legs forward, continuing to run forward with Zhu Jin's pull and encouragement.

Time ticked by, and the sun rose higher and higher, scorching the earth. After another long and agonizing ordeal, when the trainees felt completely exhausted and barely had the strength to lift a finger, a voice, like that of a demon, finally rang out with a hint of "mercy."

"Stop! Newbies! You have five minutes to rest! Continue in five minutes!"

"call……"

As if granted a pardon! Almost all the trainees stopped in their tracks at the same time, and then collapsed to the ground as if their bones had been removed, panting heavily and greedily inhaling the dusty air.

Li Yufeng didn't care about anything else and sat down on the ground with a thud, feeling like his whole body was about to fall apart.

He shakily pulled out a palm-sized, yellowish-brown compressed biscuit from the worn-out canvas bag at his waist. Without even wiping the sweat and dirt off his hands, he eagerly stuffed it into his mouth and wolfed it down with water from his kettle.

"Hey... Li Yufeng! You..." Zhu Jin was about to speak to stop him, but it was too late.

A dark shadow swept over like a whirlwind. With a muffled thud and a painful groan, Li Yufeng fell backward as if he had been hit by a bull!

The blindfolded instructor had appeared before him at some point, his single, cold eye flashing with undisguised rage. He had just delivered a merciless kick to Li Yufeng's stomach!
Li Yufeng was so struck by the sudden kick that he saw stars and felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, making it almost impossible for him to breathe. The half-eaten compressed biscuit in his hand fell to the sandy ground.

"Idiot! Who gave you permission to eat now?"

One-Eyed Jack roared in his broken Chinese, spitting almost onto Li Yufeng's face.

Immediately afterwards, he stomped hard on the half of the compressed biscuit that had fallen to the ground with his big foot, which was clad in a heavy military boot, and crushed it into powder, mixing it with the sand on the ground.

Li Yufeng was shocked, angry, aggrieved, and scared. He struggled to get up from the ground, but the excruciating pain in his abdomen rendered him powerless. He looked at the crushed biscuit, his eyes filled with despair.

"Pick it up! Eat it!"

The surrounding students were stunned. Looking at One-Eyed Jack's ferocious appearance and Li Yufeng's disheveled state, they all fell silent, not daring to even breathe.

Zhu Jin wanted to step forward and plead for mercy, but seeing One-Eyed Jack's cold eyes, he swallowed his words.

Tears welled up in Li Yufeng's eyes; he felt incredibly humiliated and angry.

Making him eat cookies mixed with sand? That's worse than killing him!
"Why should I?" he roared, filled with resentment.

Jack grinned maliciously, his huge head almost touching Li Yufeng's face. "Why... because I'm your rookie instructor. If you're not happy, that's fine too. Get out of my team right now. My team doesn't need a stupid rookie!"

"Rookie, now it's your choice: stay and be a fool who eats sand, or be a brave warrior who dares to defy the instructors?"

Looking at the hideous face of the one-eyed foreigner in front of him, Li Yufeng wanted to throw his hat on the ground and yell "I quit!" several times, but in the end, he gritted his teeth, endured the pain in his abdomen and the humiliation in his heart, and tremblingly reached out to pick up the crumbs of biscuits mixed with sand from the ground, then closed his eyes and stuffed them into his mouth...

The roughness of the sand, the dryness of the biscuits, and the saltiness of the tears mixed together to create an indescribable, nauseating taste that irritated his taste buds and throat.

Tears streamed down his face as he fought back the urge to vomit, chewing and swallowing with difficulty...

For Li Yufeng, this moment seemed even more unbearable than the long, arduous run with heavy loads that followed.

One-Eyed Jack watched coldly as Li Yufeng ate the "specially made" cookies, and only after confirming that Li Yufeng had indeed swallowed them did he slowly withdraw his gaze.

“Remember! In my team, there is no sympathy, no pity! Only obedience and discipline! If you can’t even endure this much hardship, get out of here! Don’t waste food here, and don’t expect to become a qualified pilot!” One-Eyed Jack looked around at all the trainees and said in a cold voice.

After saying that, he ignored Li Yufeng, who was slumped on the ground with a pale face, and turned to walk towards the front of the group.

"Rest time over! Everyone stand up! Prepare for the next training exercise!"

The trainees dared not slack off and quickly got up from the ground to regroup.

Zhu Jin glanced at Li Yufeng with concern, wanting to help him up, but Li Yufeng stopped him with a look.

He gritted his teeth, mustered all his strength, and shakily stood up, rejoining the group.

Not far away, Doolittle stood with his arms crossed, calmly watching everything unfold. He shook his head helplessly and said, "Jack is still as simple and brutal as ever."

"But this also honed the trainees, allowing them to integrate into the team as quickly as possible, didn't it?" a voice sounded from behind.

"Boss, what brings you here too?" Doolittle turned his head and saw Su Yaoyang standing behind him.

“I had to come. I’m really looking forward to seeing our first batch of pilots grow up quickly.” Su Yaoyang smiled and took two steps forward to stand next to Doolittle.

Watching the group of pilots run off into the distance, Doolittle asked curiously, "Boss, I remember you've been very busy these days. How come you have time to come here and watch the new trainees train?"

"Since the items you requested have already been delivered, I need to come here personally to oversee the installation."

"Boss, you mean the simulators have arrived?" Doolittle was overjoyed upon hearing this.

"Of course!"

"Boss, take me to see it quickly!"

Doolittle didn't care about anything else and immediately dragged Su Yaoyang to see the new arrivals.

Soon, they arrived at a large warehouse covering more than a thousand square meters. The once empty warehouse now had a row of machines placed side by side, which at first glance looked like a simple airplane and an instrument panel.

Looking at the rather ugly simulator, Doolittle smiled with delight. He strode forward, touched and examined it, and after a while turned around and said happily, "Boss, with this thing, I'm confident I can shorten the training time for trainees from one year to six months."

"Really? That's great!"

Su Yaoyang grinned. This thing was definitely worth the effort to shorten the training time of flight cadets by nearly half.

(End of this chapter)