Starting from South America, speeding through the world

Chapter 354 **Community June 15th Telegram

Vietnam, June 16.

Fog rose in the valleys north of Langshan.

The rain had just stopped, the ground was still wet, and the grass beside the tracks was covered with water droplets.

Rows of wooden crates were stacked at the end of the platform, with Russian writing on them.

Fan Wu stood under the shed, holding the list in his hand.

The railway stretches into the mountains in the distance.

That's the direction of Friendship Pass.

The soldiers behind him had just parked several trucks.

Deputy platoon leader Hu Qing was holding a shortwave radio.

After trying to debug it for a long time, all I could hear was a "zzzz" noise.

“The signal is too weak,” Hu Qing said, somewhat frustrated.

"I'd also like to hear them read the editorial."

"Which one are you referring to?" Fan Wu asked.

"It was released by the **organization yesterday," Hu Qing said.

"Li Zhong mentioned it to me last night, but I haven't had time to read it carefully yet."

Fan Wu slapped his forehead, turned around, and pulled two pieces of paper out of his bag.

"Why didn't you say so sooner?" He smiled and handed the things over.

"I happened to have a copy. Take a look at it before they come."

Hu Qing became excited upon seeing this.

The nearby soldiers heard the conversation and came over.

"You wrote about us?"

"What did they say? Are they going to get serious?"

The group chattered amongst themselves, sweating profusely, but their expressions were quite excited.

Hu Qing hesitated for a moment and glanced at Fan Wu.

Seeing that he didn't object, I simply read the two pieces of paper aloud:

"Recently, the US ruling class, disregarding strong international opposition, brazenly passed a new war bill, drastically increasing funding for the Vietnam War and authorizing the Johnson administration to take all so-called 'necessary measures.' US recruitment agencies are stepping up their efforts to send more young Americans to the Vietnam battlefield. The US government is further expanding an already unjust local war into a full-scale war of aggression."

"Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China and the Vietnamese Workers' Party, the Vietnamese people persisted in a heroic people's war. The liberation fighters and the broad masses of people in the South, with their outdated weapons, defeated the well-equipped enemy and shattered one enemy 'mopping-up' operation after another; the military and civilians in the North were united in their hatred of the enemy and vowed to provide all support for the victory in the South. Facts fully prove that the Vietnamese people are invincible! The more US imperialism clamors, the more it will fail."

"The Vietnamese people have always firmly supported the just struggle of the Vietnamese people against US imperialist aggression. Vietnam's front line is Asia's front line. We resolutely oppose the aggressive actions of US imperialism and resolutely support the Vietnamese people's self-defense counterattack. The Vietnamese people have solemnly declared: If US imperialism dares to extend the war to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, the Vietnamese people will never stand idly by."

"Asia is not a paradise for American imperialism! The people of the world can see clearly that the more the Vietnam War expands, the deeper American imperialism will be mired, and the more disastrous its defeat will be. The American ruling group must immediately cease all acts of aggression, withdraw its troops from Vietnam, and respect the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of the Vietnamese people."

"We call on all peace-loving countries and peoples around the world to unite, expose and oppose the new adventures of US imperialism in Vietnam, and support the just struggle of the Vietnamese people to defend their independence and win victory."

"Justice will prevail! The people will prevail! The Vietnamese people will prevail!"

As Hu Qing finished speaking, the wind blew across the mountain pass.

The paper was blown up.

No one spoke first.

The soldiers looked at each other, as if to confirm that they had heard clearly.

"'They won't stand idly by'—are they really the ones who came today?!"

"Didn't we say a long time ago that some comrades were coming?"

"I thought he was a Soviet expert."

"Experts don't know how to fight," another said.

Seeing that the topic was veering off course, Fan Wu quickly coughed twice.

"Don't make wild guesses," he said.

"They're here to support us in building air defense positions, not to fight."

"That's it! The person coming later is really something!!"

The young man's eyes lit up immediately.

The group of people took turns talking about the rumors they had heard.

Hu Qing laughed along with them.

He stared at the paper, thinking that it might really be more effective than any order.

At least it gives people something to look forward to.

The sky outside the awning was gradually brightening, and the morning mist was dissipating somewhat.

Fan Wu glanced at the time on his wrist.

“Form ranks,” he said, “and prepare to welcome our comrades.” The steam whistle sounded almost simultaneously.

Hu Qing subconsciously straightened his back and looked north.

A gray-green train slowly glided into the platform.

The car body was covered in mud, but the glass was shiny from being washed by the rain.

"They're here," someone said in a low voice, their voice filled with barely suppressed tension.

The train finally came to a stop.

The first carriage opened first.

Several young soldiers in green uniforms came down.

After landing, they didn't look around; they went straight to untie the ropes and unload the equipment.

Another officer followed suit and jumped down.

Fan Wu led Hu Qing forward.

"Fan Wu," he introduced himself.

"The rear engineering battalion. I've sent over all the trucks you requested."

"Li Changlin, People's Volunteer Engineering Corps."

The two then shook hands.

"You must be tired from the journey," Fan Wu said. "How many men did you bring?"

"One platoon, thirty-two men."

As Li Changlin spoke, he turned around to check on the unloading situation.

"The equipment and supplies are in the last few carriages."

How many vehicles are needed?

"At least eight vehicles. There's also explosives and detonators; they have to be transported separately."

Fan Wu nodded.

"I arranged for ten Jiefang brand trucks. The explosives will travel separately; it's safe."

"That's good." Li Changlin breathed a sigh of relief. "We can transport it all in one go."

The two walked side by side toward the freight car.

The soldiers have already begun carrying the steel pipes down.

Fan Wu glanced at it. "H-beams?"

“Yes. For making a framework,” Li Changlin said.

Vietnamese soldiers also stepped forward to help.

Hu Qing stood silently by, watching the soldiers from both countries work together to unload the cargo.

"Are you going to repair work site number six?" Fan Wu asked.

"Number six," Li Changlin said. "I just received the order a few hours ago."

How many meters of the roadbed collapsed?

“I went to see it the day before yesterday. I estimate it to be over 400 meters, maybe even longer.”

"The rock strata were completely loosened by the blasting, and rocks are still falling from the sides."

Do you have a geological map?

"Yes. I'll give it to you later." Fan Wu paused.

"However, that section is still being bombed; another round of bombing came yesterday afternoon."

Li Changlin frowned: "Is it possible to carry out construction during the day?"

“No. We can only do it at night,” Fan Wu said bluntly.

"The Americans are keeping a close watch; we have to leave as soon as it's light."

"clear."

Once the two reached a consensus, they said no more.

Trucks started arriving one after another.

Steel pipes, cement bags, and bundles of timber were all carried up one by one.

After observing for a while, Hu Qing finally whispered to Fan Wu, taking advantage of Li Changlin's absence:

Do you really think the locals can fix that road?

Fan Wu looked at the man who was loading the truck with the soldiers.

“Yes,” he said firmly.
-
The Old School

(End of this chapter)