Chongxi 18 in the 1960s
Tao Yuan sat on the bed in a daze, He Liyuan came in with water, helped him take off his shoes and socks, and then put his feet in the water.
"How is your investigation going? When will you start fighting?" Tao Yuan asked suddenly.
"You have to block them to fight. Now you can't even meet them. It's hard to fight." He Liyuan said, "Those bandits are very cunning, and they are more familiar with the environment here than us. They are very good at running and hiding. .”
Tao Yuan nodded, "They grew up in these mountains, so they naturally know better how to rely on these mountains to protect themselves."
"But this is only temporary. Now that all the exits are blocked, it is basically impossible for them to leave this mountain area. It is just a waste of time with us now."
"However, those people can survive in the mountains no matter what, it's just that they don't live very well." Tao Yuan said, "The cultural relics hidden by them must be found, so we can't let them They are all dead, so we must save some lives. This task is really not easy."
"Our most important task is to capture the bandit leader King Shanjia alive. Those under him may not know where the cultural relics are hidden, but he must know." These words are not confidential, and King Shanjia himself probably I already guessed it, so it's okay for He Liyuan to talk to Tao Yuan.
"Pangolin King?" Tao Yuan said, "Pangolin King?"
"Yes, according to the militiamen, that man can walk freely in this mountain, and nothing can stop him. As long as he enters the mountain, no one else can find him. Moreover, this man is not only fierce and rough, but also very resistant to beatings. It is not easy to catch him and get something out of his mouth."
"Really?" Tao Yuan smiled and said, "If you can capture him alive, let me come and meet him. I won't keep him for ten minutes. I will let him say everything he doesn't want to say."
"Really?" He Liyuan looked up at him.
"I can not only prepare medicines that save people, but also medicines that torture people, and medicines that make people unconscious. There are many poisonous insects and weeds here, which is more conducive for me to obtain local materials."
He Liyuan helped him dry his feet and put them on the bed. Then he took off his shoes and socks, and put his feet in the water. "There, you prepare the medicine first, and I will catch him as soon as possible."
"You don't need to hurry up, it's better for you to act steadily, don't act too hastily, and focus on your own safety." Tao Yuan pulled the quilt over and told him earnestly.
"Understood, I will be careful, I have to live with you for the rest of my life, I don't want to die." He Liyuan said.
"What's not dead, don't say that in the future." Tao Yuan was not happy. They were soldiers with high-risk occupations, and he didn't like to hear him say that.
"Okay, I won't talk about it in the future." Seeing that he was upset, He Liyuan hurriedly coaxed him.
After He Liyuan went to bed, Tao Yuan nestled into his arms and quickly fell asleep.
When he slept until midnight, the system in Tao Yuan's brain suddenly rang. Only when his life was in danger, the system would make a sound to remind him. Tao Yuan suddenly opened his eyes, and then smelled a smell, which smelled like nothing, mixed with the smell of plants at night, and it was difficult for ordinary people to distinguish.
"Brother Liyuan, get up!" Tao Yuan pushed He Liyuan.
"What's wrong?!" He Liyuan immediately sat up.
"There is smoke! Let the soldiers get up, put a bucket of water in each tent, and I will go there immediately with medicine. Remember not to light up the lights, as long as there is a light at night, you may be discovered, and you must move quietly. Tao Yuan got out of bed, walked to the wooden box he brought, fumbled for the key to open it, and rummaged inside.
As soon as Tao Yuan finished speaking, He Liyuan rushed out immediately. He went to the nearest camp to wake up the soldiers. According to what Tao Yuan said, he assigned them tasks, and then asked them to wake up the soldiers in other camps.
Tao Yuan took the medicine bottle and ran out carefully. After running outside, his vision became clearer. With the moonlight, at least his eyes were not completely dark.
"Brother Liyuan?" Tao Yuan stood outside the tent and called in a low voice.
"Here, come in." He Liyuan opened the tent curtain and reached out to take Tao Yuan in.
"Is the water ready?" Tao Yuan asked.
"Get ready, sister-in-law." A soldier came in from outside carrying water.
"Bring it here." Tao Yuan heard the sound of the bucket being put down, fumbled for a while, poured the medicine in, and then said, "Wet your towels in the water, and then cover your mouth and nose. Those bandits will definitely come to attack at night." Hurry up and replace the soldiers on duty at night, they must have inhaled a lot of smoke outside!"
Tao Yuan put a few bottles of medicine into He Liyuan's hands, "Let the soldiers in other camps do the same, as well as the Wolf Squadron, let people wake them up too."
"I'll go! Give me the medicine, Captain." Wang Songming had already tied up the wet towel, and quickly walked to He Liyuan's side, reaching out to him.
He Liyuan put the medicine in his hand, and he rushed out immediately.
He Liyuan put the other bottles of medicine into the hands of the second platoon leader and told him to take them to other tents, and then he led Tao Yuan back to his own tent.
"You just stay here. Don't be afraid if you hear gunshots. With me here, I will definitely not let those bandits rush up." He Liyuan pushed Tao Yuan to sit on the bed, and then turned to leave.
"Wait a minute!" Tao Yuan stopped him, and gave him another bottle of medicine, "If any soldiers feel weak, give them this smell. Also, you must be careful yourself."
"Understood." He Liyuan shook his hand vigorously, then quickly left with the medicine bottle.
Tao Yuan put his legs on the bed, sat hugging the quilt, took out his gun from the clothes beside him, and put it beside his legs. Just in case, military doctors also have guns.
About half an hour later, Tao Yuan heard the first gunshot, as if a hole had been cut in the silent night, and then the sound of bullets began.
Tao Yuan hugged his body, closed his eyes and carefully identified how far the bandits were. Amid the incessant gunfire, there was the occasional sound of a grenade exploding. The grenade must have been thrown by the soldiers. No matter how strong the bandits were, they couldn't have thrown the grenade up.
About two hours later, the gunfire gradually stopped, and the sky outside was already getting brighter. The sky began to light up, and the bandits must have retreated. They must have thought that even if the soldiers were awakened, but the misty smoke kept drifting towards them, they would definitely be able to attack them easily. And they are familiar with the mountain environment, fighting at night is more beneficial to them. But they didn't expect that those soldiers could last for so long, but they suffered serious casualties.
Another hour later, a little orange sun appeared in the sky.
Tao Yuan put on his coat and got out of bed, put the gun in the holster, walked to the door of the tent, raised the curtain and looked out.
There were soldiers running outside, Tao Yuan went out, and then looked for He Liyuan's figure.
Seeing He Liyuan standing there looking down the mountain, Tao Yuan walked up to him and asked, "Are any soldiers injured?"
"No." He Liyuan turned to look at him and said, "They must have suffered a lot of casualties. Last night's night attack, it seems that they felt very confident, so a lot of people came. They must want to take us down, Fortunately, you found out in time, otherwise, the consequences would be disastrous."
"This mountain is easy to defend and difficult to attack. There are only two roads that can go up the mountain. Even if it is more beneficial for them at night, as long as the soldiers are awake, it is impossible for them to attack."
"Go to sleep for a while, the fight is over and it's dawn, those bandits can't come here to die now." He Liyuan looked at him and said.
Tao Yuan shook his head, "I can't sleep. I want to pick some herbal medicine after dawn. With the lessons learned this time, I think we should prepare more medicine and bring it with each soldier, just in case. Just like last night, if every soldier inhales a lot of smoke, I will spend a lot of time even if I have a bottle of medicine that can make them recover quickly."
He Liyuan thinks about it. Those bandits have lived in the mountains for many years, and they are more familiar with those herbs than they are, so they can use them easily, but they still need to make more preparations.
"In a while, the soldiers will go down and search to see if there are any bandits who have ambushed because they were injured and couldn't leave. You go to rest first, and you should wait until tomorrow." He Liyuan Quan said.
Tao Yuan thought about it, and felt that it was really not good to go to gather medicine today, so he agreed, "Then I'll lie down for a while."
"Go." Knowing that he hadn't slept all night, He Liyuan touched his face in distress.
Tao Yuan knew that he would not be able to fall asleep, but lying on the bed for a while was also good for resting his mind. By the way, think about how to prevent those bandits from using smoke again.
The sun has risen high, and a group of soldiers who went down to investigate have already returned.
Sitting under the big tree, Wang Songming and the others still had lingering fears.
Ren Xiuyang said with a sullen face, "Last night was really thrilling. I have never been so scared since I was a soldier."
"I was almost taken over by those bandits. Can you not be afraid? Fortunately, my sister-in-law found out in time, otherwise when the bandits touched us and we were all caught in the smoke, we would have to let them slaughter us." Wang Songming was also afraid. , he felt that Tao Yuan saved him once again, and also saved all the soldiers once again.
"This mountain is not too short, how did they get Miyan up?" Ren Xiuyang was a little puzzled.
Gu Yu looked at the opposite mountain and said, "Using the wind direction, people who live in the mountains all year round can definitely tell where the wind direction passes by. Burn a particularly powerful drug on the opposite mountain. When the wind blows, it will Bring Miyan over here, too."
"Then what should we do? If the wind blows again, we won't be able to tell it! My sister-in-law also has to sleep at night, what if he doesn't find out next time?"
There are many kinds of plants growing on these mountains, and the fragrance of the plants becomes stronger at night, and the smoke is also sweet and sweet, and he can't tell the difference at all.
"Sister-in-law should be able to find a way. He is so good at dispensing medicine. With this experience, he will definitely make some preparations." Gu Yu said, "Those bandits have learned from this lesson, and the possibility of using the same method is also very high. became very small."
... ...
two days later.
Wang Songming and some soldiers came out of the temple wearing masks, with their heads held high and their chests held high, with a special air.
Ren Xiuyang, Gu Yu, and some other soldiers of the Wolf Squadron stood outside and watched them.
"How is it? Does it look good?" Wang Songming said, tugging at the mask on his face.
"It's so beautiful! It's the first time I saw such a beautiful mask. Compared with the big white cotton mask, this mask is much better!" Ren Xiuyang said and went to take off his mask.
"What are you doing?!" Wang Songming patted his hand away and said, "This is mine."
"I know it's yours, so I'll just take a look, don't be stingy, you, can't you just let me see it?" Ren Xiuyang acted like if you don't let me see it, I'm going to grab it.
"Okay, okay, let's take a look, snacks, don't get dirty for me." Wang Songming had no choice but to take off the mask and hand it to him.
The soldiers gathered around and looked at the mask on Ren Xiuyang's hand.
"It's really beautiful. It's the first time I've seen a camouflage mask, and it's still three-dimensional."
"A mask of this shape will certainly not press the nose."
"Good-looking is good-looking, but half of the face is tightly covered, how about the breathability?"
Wang Songming said, "Although the mask is tight, the air permeability is much better than that of the white mask, and it is not difficult to breathe at all. And there are medicine bags inside. Our sister-in-law said that these medicine bags are more effective than gas masks. Even if those bandits release poison gas, We are not afraid anymore. But these medicine packs have to be changed every few days.”
Ren Xiuyang touched the mask and indeed felt the interlayer, but the interlayer was not thick and felt very soft.
"Soldiers on night watch, wearing this mask, will not be afraid of smoke and poisonous gas. As long as they don't get caught in the smoke, those bandits won't be able to touch it." Wang Songming said.
"Then do we have any?" Ren Xiuyang quickly asked, "We also have a night watch here!"
"Why are you in such a hurry? You won't be missing. My sister-in-law is still working on it. It will take some time." Wang Songming said.
"I'll go see how my sister-in-law is doing, if I need help." Ren Xiuyang threw the mask back to Wang Songming, and ran into the temple.
"Oh, you!" Wang Songming quickly caught the mask, trying to catch him but failed, so he could only stop other soldiers who also wanted to go in and said, "Don't all of you go in, it's not good to disturb other doctors and nurses. Let your platoon leader Just go in and have a look, don't all follow in."
After Wang Songming finished speaking, he and Gu Yu also walked in. He wanted to go in and watch Ren Xiuyang not to make trouble.
Tao Yuan was teaching the nurses how to sew masks. If all the soldiers had a mask, he would definitely not be able to do it alone. The method of making the mask is not difficult, and the nurses are skillful and quickly learned it. Tao Yuan also needs to prepare medicine for making medicine packs. The demand for this is greater than that of masks, and they need to be changed every two or three days.
After Tao Yuan prepared the medicine, he asked the doctors to help make it into the shape of a medicine bag. The medicine bag should not be too thick, otherwise it will be difficult to breathe, and it should not be too thin, otherwise the effect will not be good if it encounters strong smoke.
Tao Yuan raised his head and saw them walking in, his hands didn't stop, "Is there something wrong?"
"It's nothing." Ren Xiuyang said quickly, "We just came to see if there is any need for help."
"You can't help with these things." Tao Yuan said, "Sewing masks and making medicine bags, you have never done it before, and you won't be able to learn it after a while. But I do have something that needs your help. "
"What do you need us to do, just tell me, sister-in-law!" Ren Xiuyang immediately became excited when he heard that he could finally help.
"I don't have enough herbs. I have to go pick some herbs today. Most of the soldiers of the Tiger Squadron have gone out to investigate. Wang Songming and the others have to defend. So I want you soldiers of the Wolf Squadron to pick a few people to accompany me Go pick herbs." Tao Yuan said.
"No problem!" Ren Xiuyang said immediately, "I just have a rest today, and I will take someone to accompany my sister-in-law."
"Then thank you, I'll prepare something and leave in a while."
"We should thank sister-in-law. It is also our duty to protect sister-in-law to collect medicine." Ren Xiuyang said.
Tao Yuan smiled and nodded, then turned to get things.
Ren Xiuyang and the others walked out, and Wang Songming said, "Let me tell you, protect our sister-in-law well. If he gets hurt a little bit, people in our squadron will not let you go."
"Don't worry, even if I risk my life, I will never hurt my sister-in-law." Ren Xiuyang assured.
"If I hadn't led the troops to guard today, it wouldn't be your turn to protect our sister-in-law." Wang Songming said unwillingly.
"Didn't my sister-in-law say before that we are all the same people's soldiers, and your sister-in-law is also our sister-in-law, why are you so clear?"
Wang Songming curled his lips, thinking to himself, this is counted as kinship, we are the direct line, and those of you collateral lines are of course not as close as we are.
"I'm going to collect herbs, you have to remember to take out the steamed herbs and dry them in the sun." Tao Yuan instructed the nurses.
Some medicinal materials need to be steamed several times and then dried in the sun, so that the medicinal properties will be better and they can be preserved for a longer period of time.
"I know Dr. Yue, we will definitely remember, don't worry." The head nurse replied.
Tao Yuan carried the herbal medicine box, the basket and tools for collecting herbs, and a bow and crossbow, and walked outside the temple. Ren Xiuyang has ordered people and is waiting for him outside.
Watching Tao Yuan leave, a nurse said, "Dr. Yue is really good, he can do everything."
"Knowing everything is not the most powerful thing. Two nights ago, Dr. Yue discovered the misty smoke and saved all of us. That's the most powerful thing."
"Now that I'm talking about it, I'm still flustered. I slept soundly at night, but suddenly gunshots rang out. I thought those bandits were coming."
"Fortunately, Dr. Yue lived in a tent with Squadron He at night. If he also lived in this temple at night and failed to find the misty smoke, it would be scary to think about it."
"According to what you said, fortunately Doctor Yue and He Squadron are husband and wife, otherwise they wouldn't be living in the camp with He Squadron."
"Isn't it lucky that they are husband and wife? I used to think that Dr. Yue was lucky to be able to marry He Squadron. But now I think it is the greatest blessing that He Squadron can marry Dr. Yue."
Wen Han sat alone in the corner grinding the medicine powder, hearing their words, felt very sad.
Tao Yuan carefully dug out a herb with a small hoe and a shovel, and put it into the herb box. These mountains, if there are not too many poisonous insects and snakes, will definitely be the favorite holy places of traditional Chinese medicine. Not only are there various medicinal herbs, but if you search carefully, you can also find some very precious medicinal materials.
Soldiers scattered around, armed with guns, although the bandits kept avoiding them, obviously not wanting to confront them head-on. But we still have to guard against them jumping over the wall in a hurry and bumping into them suddenly.
"There are snakes!" Suddenly a soldier shouted.
The soldier who should be on guard continued to be on guard, and the other soldiers looked in the direction the soldier pointed.
Tao Yuan also looked over. It was a snake as thick as a woman's small arm. It stopped there and spit out letters. It was estimated to be two or three meters long.
"Give way." Tao Yuan took out the bow and crossbow from the basket. He knew that he would encounter a snake, so he was ready.
How dare those soldiers step aside, in case Tao Yuan was bitten by a snake, they would be scolded to death when they went back, even if they didn't get scolded, they couldn't let him get hurt a little bit.
"Sister-in-law, that snake is too big to deal with. Let's go." Ren Xiuyang persuaded.
Tao Yuan knew that they were doing it for his own benefit, but he would not be hurt by a snake. They refused to let him, so he had no choice but to walk over by himself.
Ren Xiuyang was about to stop him, when he suddenly saw something flying over, and when he fixed his eyes, the snake's head and body had been separated, writhing on the ground non-stop.
Ren Xiuyang and the other soldiers were stunned. They didn't see Tao Yuan throwing the axe. They only saw a shadow flying over and the snake's head broke off. Such a fast speed requires a lot of strength to do it. In their eyes, Tao Yuan really doesn't seem like someone who can have such great strength.
Of course Tao Yuan didn't throw the ax himself, but the improved crossbow in his hand.
Tao Yuan picked up a thick branch, took out the knife He Liyuan gave him, and after sharpening the branch, walked over and stuck the snake's head into the ground. Even if the snake's head is broken, the snake won't die for a while, so we still have to prevent the snake's head from biting people. Without the body, the snake's head alone doesn't have much strength to break free from the wooden stick.
"Take the snake back, and I'll make braised snake slices for you tonight," Tao Yuan said.
Hearing that Tao wanted to make snake meat, the soldiers immediately walked over to pick up the snake.
Tao Yuan continued to search for herbs. When he came across a snake, the soldiers looked at him and saw him pick up the crossbow, and the ax without a handle flew out with a swish. Not only is the speed fast, but the key point is that it is also very accurate. Just one click will definitely break the snake's head. But none of them could understand why a crossbow had such great power.
After picking a box full of herbs, and picking up some matsutake and ganoderma at random, Tao Yuan thought to himself that when those bandits are wiped out, he must pick more herbs and bring them back.
The soldiers dragged three big snakes and were ready to return.
Halfway there, I happened to meet He Liyuan and the others.
"Hey, did you catch the snake?" said a soldier on He Liyuan's side. They were investigating on the mountain and didn't have time to catch the snake. The main reason is that catching snakes requires skill and patience, and snakes move fast, so you may not be able to hit them with a gun, and you won't die immediately if you hit them. And they came out to carry out missions, so it's not good to waste bullets for catching snakes.
"We didn't catch it." The soldiers dragging the snake looked at each other and said, "Sister-in-law caught it."
"Sister-in-law can still catch snakes?" The soldier was surprised. "These snakes are so big, they must be quite strong. They are all caught by sister-in-law?"
"It's not considered arresting. My sister-in-law cut off the snake's head with an axe. We can just pick it up."
What does it mean to cut off the snake's head? Could it be that the living snake would stay in place and be chopped off? The soldiers who didn't see how Tao Yuan cut the snake were all at a loss and couldn't imagine what they were talking about.
He Liyuan walked to Tao Yuan's side, took the medicine box in his hand and asked, "How long have you been out?"
"It came out in the morning." Tao Yuan looked up at the sky, "It's a few hours, I picked a lot of herbs today."
"Are you tired?" He Liyuan asked.
"Fortunately, I'm not very tired." Tao Yuan said, "I caught a snake today, and I'll go back and make snake meat to eat."
Soldiers, armed with guns, walked back while maintaining vigilance.