Chapter 1257
Li Aiguo outwits smugglers; Ahead lies China, the Japanese are forbidden!
Inside the bridge.
The radar rotates at a constant speed, and the Yangtze River cruiser cruises smoothly.
Patrolling the river is different from patrolling the sea; there are many unexpected situations.
Fortunately, the ships in the waterway saw the gunboat flying the red flag approaching and gave way.
This was Li Aiguo's first time boarding a warship, and he couldn't help but be curious, so he wandered around the ship.
The crew members on the Yangtze were all well-trained; the helmsman kept a steady course, and the lookouts kept a close watch on the river.
The gunners and gunners at the main gun, secondary gun, and anti-aircraft gun positions were on high alert.
There were also ammunition handlers and sailing crewmen on deck.
Xiong Meng was assigning tasks and didn't pay any attention to Li Aiguo's actions.
Before he set off, Staff Officer Xiao had given him specific instructions.
This was Staff Officer Xiao from Jinling, one of Xu Lao's top lieutenants, who was in charge of this visit.
After assigning the task, Xiong Meng walked towards Li Aiguo and said with a smile, "Comrade Li, the visibility is good at the moment, the radar is fully operational, and the lookout posts are in place. Once enemy special forces boats are spotted, we can switch to combat firing mode at any time."
Li Aiguo nodded and smiled, "Captain Xiong, it would be best to capture these people alive."
Xiong Meng responded loudly, "Comrade Li, rest assured, we have plenty of experience in pursuing and suppressing enemy special agents' ships on inland waterways."
Looking at Li Aiguo, Xiong Meng added, "Chasing boats on inland waterways is different from chasing them at sea. The Yangtze River has many shallows and reed beds, and enemy special agents' boats are small and can disappear in an instant. If we do spot a target, we don't chase it into the deep tributaries, but only block the entrance and exit, forcing it back to the main channel."
"Our ship will not ram directly, but will use the bow to obstruct its course, first warning it by pointing towards the waterline at the stern, then ruddering it without hitting its crew, thus disabling its maneuverability."
Li Aiguo nodded: "Captain Xiong is experienced."
Xiong Meng replied, "The Yangtze River has a shallow draft and is agile. If it really comes down to it, it can't outrun us, nor can it dodge us. Don't worry."
It was Zhou Ke's first time boarding a warship, and he looked around before asking, "Captain Xiong, this warship is one of the best in the country, isn't it?"
It was the first time he had ever seen such a large ship.
Upon hearing this, Xiong Meng laughed: "The Yangtze River is a shallow-draft gunboat with a displacement of only 460 tons."
The first tier of domestically produced warships consists of the "Four Great Kings," followed by several medium-sized warships such as the Nanchang and Guangzhou.
Li Aiguo knew that the Four King Kongs were Anshan-class destroyers imported from his elder brother's country.
Seeing that the two were interested in the warship, Xiong Meng continued:
"The Gangut-class aircraft carriers of the Big Brother are now under construction, with a displacement of 23,400 tons, and the Moskva-class aircraft carriers are also under construction."
Needless to say, the US has six aircraft carriers.
Even the British Empire possessed several aircraft carriers, including the HMS Eagle, HMS Ark Royal, HMS Victory, and HMS Formidable.
He changed the subject.
"Our four heavy-duty trucks only weigh a little over two thousand tons when fully loaded, a world of difference."
Only by building truly large ocean-going warships can we transform from a navy operating on coastal waters into a true navy operating in the deep blue sea.
The Yellow River guards the inland waterways near the sea, while the Deep Blue River allows for journeys to the open ocean.
This is a deep-seated belief that every naval officer understands; which captain doesn't yearn to lead their ship across the open sea?
Li Aiguo smiled slightly: "It won't be long before we have our own large warships."
Xiong Meng didn't believe Li Aiguo's words and thought Li Aiguo was just trying to comfort him.
"Then I'll wait for that day."
“I’m waiting too! Once Captain Xiong gets a bigger ship, he’ll have to give this gunboat to our Changjiang Waterway Bureau!” Director Zhao of the Public Security and Security Department of the Changjiang Waterway Bureau, who was traveling with us, interjected with a smile.
The Public Security and Security Department of the Yangtze River Navigation Administration is in charge of maintaining order on the Yangtze River waterway, handling everything from waterway disputes to maritime smuggling.
Director Zhao, a veteran, got along well with Xiong Meng and Li Aiguo, and the group chatted idly on the deck.
People of that era shared the same ideals and quickly became acquainted, even agreeing that after the mission was over, Director Zhao would treat them to the freshest Yangtze River fish.
Just now.
The comrade on lookout suddenly sent a signal.
"Captain, at 30 degrees to port, 3 chains away, a motorized fishing boat has been spotted. The vessel number is deliberately obscured, heading 110, speed 6 knots, and it is fleeing towards the river branch on the left!"
Something's up!
Xiong Meng strode to the gunwale, picked up a megaphone, and shouted at the fishing boat ahead, "That fishing boat ahead, stop immediately!"
Instead of stopping, the fishing boat accelerated and entered the tributary.
"Motor vessel ahead, stop immediately for inspection! First warning!"
"Second warning, stop immediately!"
"Third warning, stop immediately!"
When the warnings proved ineffective, Xiong Meng decisively ordered: "Gunner, take up position of the 57mm machine gun on the port side and fire warning shots into the waters ahead of the target vessel!"
The gunner quickly set the firing parameters, tilted and rotated the gun to position, and locked onto the firing area.
"Fire!"
Two jets of water suddenly rose up in front of the fishing boat.
From spotting the fishing boat to opening fire, it took less than two minutes, leaving Zhou Ke astonished by the speed.
"These people are too fierce."
Li Aiguo said, "What do you think? The Yangtze River is a warship that has participated in major battles. If it had been dragging its feet, it would have been sunk by the enemy long ago."
The Yangtze River may be nothing at sea, but it is an invincible fortress on the river.
All resistance was futile in the face of those two 57mm rapid-fire cannons.
Realizing that escape was impossible, the fishing boat turned off its engine and stopped on the river.
The Yangtze River slowly approached, and as is customary, Director Zhao of the Yangtze River Navigation Administration led a team aboard to conduct an investigation.
Because Li Aiguo and Zhou Ke had a special mission, they also followed.
"Comrade Patriot, how about it? Can you jump over here?" Director Zhao said, climbing from the warship onto the small fishing boat and standing on it.
"I've capsized trains before, but never fishing boats."
As Li Aiguo spoke, he pulled on the rope and, in a swift and decisive movement, jumped from the Yangtze River ship onto the fishing boat.
Director Zhao was amazed.
"Skills like yours are quite rare."
"Brother, you're not bad either."
Zhou Ke also jumped down. Although he was very steady, he lacked the temperament of Li Aiguo, the old train driver.
As they were talking, the officers rushed into the cabin and took control of everyone inside.
If there were azaleas inside, it would save a lot of trouble.
Unfortunately.
There were only three men on the fishing boat, and they all looked terrified.
Director Zhao asked with a stern face, "Why is your ship's number covered up?"
The leader was a fat man wearing a commune worker's work clothes, his small eyes darting around, and he cried out innocence with a face full of grievance.
"Boss, I really don't know! Maybe some naughty kid just messed with it! You know, the kids in our fishing commune always love to run onto the boats, we can't get rid of them no matter how hard we try!"
Director Zhao said no more, and waved his hand: "Search!"
This was a small motorized fishing boat with limited space, and the crew quickly searched the entire cabin.
Broken fishing nets, old enamel basins, chipped iron pots, diesel drums, pickle jars, rice bags... a pile of miscellaneous items were unearthed.
However, no suspicious supplies were found.
The fat man immediately feigned a wronged and dissatisfied expression and muttered something.
"I told you it was a misunderstanding! We're from Chunshan Commune, we just got back from fishing, but the leaders wouldn't believe us. Now look what's happened, everything's a mess, we have to clean it all up again, it's exhausting!"
The chubby man was also a bit resentful at this point. He completely ignored the staff, spat, and bent over to get to work.
Li Aiguo looked around and suddenly asked, "Where's the fish?"
The fat man's eyes widened: "It's in the basket! What's wrong?"
Li Aiguo went into the cabin, where there were indeed several baskets of fish.
"Pour it out," Li Aiguo said, pointing to the basket.
"Ah?!" The chubby man's face changed drastically, and he hurriedly said, "Comrade, aren't you making things difficult for us? How could there be anything wrong with these fish? We absolutely can't throw them away! If we do, the food station won't accept them anymore. They're the lifeblood of our fishing commune!"
The chubby man perfectly portrayed a range of emotions, including grievance, anger, and resentment.
To anyone else, it looked like Li Aiguo, a government official, was bullying an honest and simple commune member.
Director Zhao also felt a pang of sympathy: "Patriotism, what could possibly be wrong with this fish basket?"
Li Aiguo pointed to the fishing net next to him: "I don't know if there's anything wrong with the fish basket, but this is the first time I've seen fishermen not using fishing nets."
Director Zhao turned his head and his expression changed immediately. He saw that the fishing net was completely dry, without any trace of it having been in the water.
"Pour it out."
Seeing that the officers were about to make a move, the chubby man gritted his teeth, grabbed a pair of iron hooks, and charged over.
Li Aiguo had been watching him closely. He lunged forward, dodging the iron hook, and thrust his elbow upward, striking the man's neck directly.
The man felt a sharp pain, followed by difficulty breathing. He swayed and collapsed to the ground.
What does it mean to defeat an enemy in one move?
That's it.
The remaining two men were just about to make their move when they saw the fat leader being defeated in one move and lying on the ground. They were so frightened that they shrank back and obediently squatted back in their original positions, not daring to even breathe loudly.
Several officers raised their hands and turned the fish basket upside down in the cabin, and dozens of fresh fish spilled out with a splash. Surprisingly, a dozen or so small yellow croakers were hidden in the pile of fish.
Real gold.
"Well, using real fish to cover up fake fish, you guys are really cunning." Director Zhao was also a little scared at this point. If it weren't for Comrade Aiguo's timely reminder, these little yellow croakers would probably have been smuggled out.
The fat man and the two crew members, seeing that the gold had been exposed, were completely deflated and slumped on the deck, their faces ashen.
Although the operation failed to capture Du Juan, it did dismantle a smuggling ring, so it was still a worthwhile trip.
Smuggling along the Yangtze River was still a serious problem in those days.
If these ships were only carrying some food or the like, that would be fine; the local authorities would confiscate the supplies, detain them for a few days at most, and then release them.
If you're transporting smuggled goods, such as gold, watches, diamonds, cosmetics, or Western medicine, even the ship will be impounded.
The smugglers were taken to the Yangtze River Navigation Administration's accompanying vessel, and the fishing boat was towed away. Li Aiguo and Director Zhao and the others returned to the Yangtze River.
Director Zhao was still pondering what had just happened when he said, "Comrade Aiguo, thank you very much this time."
"We're all one family, why are we speaking like strangers?"
"How did you spot the problem with that fishing net at a glance?"
"It's probably my professional instinct. I'm a train driver, and I've seen a lot of smuggling and shady dealings on the railway. They all follow the same pattern."
"Then our two families should communicate more in the future." Director Zhao nodded, already planning to send someone to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot to learn from their experience after the mission was over.
Xiong Meng was also very excited when he learned that the case of the smuggled gold had been uncovered.
He immediately ordered the lookouts to intensify their surveillance, and to stop and inspect any suspicious vessels they spotted. After an entire afternoon, they failed to locate the American-made armed speedboat, but instead apprehended several small boats engaged in speculation and profiteering.
As evening approached, sensing that the operation would have to continue all night, Captain Xiong Meng arranged for dinner early.
The mess hall on the Yangtze was located in a small, compact cabin in the middle of the ship.
Several long wooden tables and benches were neatly arranged, and red paper slogans such as "Save Food" and "Strictly Abide by Discipline" were posted on the wall.
On the iron cabinet in the corner, there were neatly stacked enamel bowls and aluminum lunch boxes.
The meal was plentiful.
They ate white rice with white flour steamed buns, and the hot dishes included braised mixed fish, stir-fried cabbage, and kelp stewed with tofu, accompanied by pickled radish and pickled vegetables. The soup was vegetable and egg drop soup.
After eating and drinking my fill, I felt energetic again.
Li Aiguo returned to the bow of the ship, chatting with Xiong Meng while looking into the distance through binoculars.
*****
At this moment, in the Yangtze River waterway, a converted fishing boat was moored among the reeds.
On the fishing boat, Du Juan raised her wrist to check the time and said, "It's 10 p.m. now. The people from the Yangtze River Navigation Administration should be off work by now. Xu Wentao, set sail. Let's go back to Xiaguan."
As the young man named Xu Wentao started the engine, he said nonchalantly, "Sister Du, what are you afraid of? With the ship I modified, those few small, dilapidated boats from the Yangtze River Navigation Bureau can't catch up at all."
Before Du Juan could reply, a voice came from inside the cabin: "Du Juan is right. Our mission is very important, so we should try to avoid being noticed as much as possible."
As soon as he finished speaking, a middle-aged man slowly walked out of the cabin, looked at the scenery on both banks of the river in the breeze, and muttered to himself: "I never thought I would be back here. This place is so big, much bigger than home. This is the place we should be, not a place for those peasants."
"Cuckoo, it's been seventeen years since I left this place, hasn't it?"
Du Juan was clearly somewhat afraid of this middle-aged man, not for any other reason than that he was her former boss, who had brought her into the Boda Trading Company and trained her into a female diva.
Du Juan still vividly remembers the ruthless methods used by the middle-aged man.
He replied respectfully, "Mr. Lin, you left with the military in 45, so it's been exactly seventeen years since then."
Mr. Lin nodded slightly: "Du Juan, how many years have you been with me?"
Du Juan couldn't figure out Mr. Lin's intentions, so she honestly replied, "Back then, I was sold to a women's brothel, and you helped me redeem myself. That was in 1939, which is 23 years ago now."
"You've suffered for 23 years."
"I will dedicate myself to His Majesty Tianhuang until my dying breath."
Mr. Lin adjusted his glasses and looked at Du Juan: "Don't worry, as long as you complete this mission, you will be a great hero. When we get back to our hometown, I will reward you handsomely."
"Don't worry, I've made all the arrangements. The people inside Xiaguan Station are in place, and we're just waiting for the day of the visit before we can make our move."
"Well done, Dujuan." Mr. Lin nodded slightly.
"It wasn't for nothing that I valued you so much back then. Most of the spies I planted back then were wiped out by those peasants, but you're the only one who's managed to hold out until now. I'm very satisfied."
"In a few years, when we set foot here again, I will definitely arrange a very important position for you."
Du Juan bowed slightly, her expression obsequious and flattering: "This is all I should do! Rest assured, sir, you saved my life. I will do whatever you ask without the slightest hesitation!"
Du Juan was completely unaware that in front of Mr. Lin, she had long since become a sycophantic lackey.
Xu Wentao, who was in charge of driving the fishing boat, was a little jealous.
"Ahem, Sister Dujuan, what kind of reward can I get?"
"You'll get your share. Once we're done here, I'll find you a few cherry blossom girls," Du Juan casually replied.
Xu Wentao was so tempted that he almost drooled.
Because of his family background, although he wasn't fired from the shipyard, no girl was willing to marry him.
Only through the cuckoo can one taste meat.
Japanese girls are so pretty and obedient.
Xu Wentao nodded with a smile, pushed the control lever, and the armed speedboat disguised as a fishing boat increased its speed a bit.
"This ship is going way too fast."
On the Yangtze River, Li Aiguo was surveying the area with binoculars. Although it was already dark, he could still vaguely make out the shadow of a fishing boat.
"Report! Fishing boat spotted!" The lookout sent the signal after clearing radar interference.
"Fishing boats ahead, stop for inspection," Captain Xiong Meng announced over the loudspeaker.
At that moment, upon hearing the shouts from the armed speedboat, Du Juan's face immediately turned grim.
"What's going on? Shouldn't the people from the Yangtze River Navigation Administration be off work by now?!" Du Juan looked outside, but it was pitch black, and she could only vaguely see the shadows of ships.
"Don't rush, the other side may not have noticed anything amiss. Stay calm." Mr. Lin first scolded Du Juan, then told Xu Wentao to quickly go to the bow of the boat and shout.
“Tell them that we are fishermen taking patients to the hospital and we can’t waste time.”
Xu Wentao thought to himself, "This little Japanese guy is really clever." Then he climbed up to the bow of the ship, but after just one glance, he froze.
"Yes, it's a warship."
The moment the word "warship" was uttered, the atmosphere inside the armed speedboat changed abruptly.
"Oh no, we've definitely been discovered! Run!" Mr. Lin immediately gave the order.
Xu Wentao turned back and started the engine.
With both engines running at full speed, the armed speedboat shot off like an arrow.
"Mr. Lin, don't worry, our speedboats have been specially modified so that even ordinary warships can't catch up with them."
Du Juan wasn't flustered; after all, the price she paid to get this speedboat was far too high.
“I’m not worried. This mission was personally arranged by the remnant clan. The mission is very meticulous and there is absolutely no way there will be any problems. We were just unlucky. We escaped first and will come back when we have a chance.”
Mr. Lin remained calm.
To plan this mission, the Orphanage had already collaborated with Langley, receiving substantial support in both the design and planning of the mission.
How could we be overthrown by these peasants?
"Baka! Set sail!" Mr. Lin ordered Xu Wentao.
The speedboat picked up speed, but the three people on board remained calm.
But soon, they began to panic.
because.
The rapid-fire cannon opened fire.
Whoosh whoosh!
The bullet did not fire towards the river surface as a warning, but instead precisely pierced the bow of the speedboat.
"Hurry up, go faster!" Du Juan shouted frantically.
"I'm already going full speed ahead!" Xu Wentao also felt a little regretful.
If he had known it would be this dangerous, he wouldn't have gotten involved, no matter how much money the woman offered or how proactive she was.
at this time.
Whoosh whoosh!
Another round of precise firing, the bullets piercing the hull of the boat.
The engine emitted a piercing noise and then suddenly shut off.
"The engine is destroyed!" Xu Wentao's face turned pale.
"How could this cannon be so accurate?" Mr. Lin's face showed panic for the first time.
On the Yangtze River, Xiong Meng watched as the speedboat spun in circles in the middle of the river, its engine clearly destroyed. He couldn't help but exclaim, "Aiguo, your cannon shooting is incredibly accurate!"
Just now, Li Aiguo asked to operate the rapid-fire cannon himself, and he was a little worried.
Although the principle of a rapid-fire cannon is similar to that of a heavy machine gun, and it can be regarded as an enlarged version of a heavy machine gun, it still has the word "cannon" in its name, making it much more difficult to operate than a heavy machine gun.
Can a novice operate this well?
result.
As soon as Li Aiguo got his hands on the gun, he sensed something was wrong. He ejected the shell, pushed it down, loaded it into the chamber, locked it, and fired it all in one smooth motion.
The marksmanship—or rather, artillerymanship—was ridiculously accurate. After a probing attack, the second round directly destroyed the power unit.
"That's right, Brother Aiguo is really good at firing cannons!" Zhou Ke watched with envy, wishing he could do it himself, but unfortunately Li Aiguo wouldn't let him touch it.
From the moment the cannon fired to the moment the speedboat came to a complete stop, only a few minutes passed. The Yangtze River cruiser approached at full speed and had already blocked the speedboat completely.
"Listen up, everyone on the speedboat! Surrender immediately! Anyone who resists will be shot on the spot!"
Li Aiguo took the megaphone from Captain Xiong Meng and shouted a message.
Chaos had broken out on the speedboat. Xu Wentao was trembling with fear, repeatedly saying, "Let's surrender, let's surrender quickly."
Du Juan's face was also very pale, while Mr. Lin stood there, lost in thought.
Upon hearing the shout, Mr. Lin turned sharply to Du Juan, his tone icy: "I have a heavy responsibility and cannot be captured. You must cover my evacuation immediately."
Du Juan never expected Mr. Lin to use her as a scapegoat at this moment. She instinctively reached for her gun, but it was too late. Mr. Lin had already aimed his gun at her.
"What are you doing!" Xu Wentao shouted as he rushed toward Mr. Lin.
"boom!"
A shot rang out.
Xu Wentao fell to the ground with a thud, his leg broken on the spot.
Du Juan seemed to have thought of something, and her expression turned even more unpleasant.
*****
On the pitch-black river, only the searchlight on the mast of the Yangtze River ship shone a blinding beam of light.
The guards aimed their guns at the speedboat, and Zhou Ke, along with several guards, hooked a rope onto the speedboat and jumped aboard.
Just then, Du Juan helped the wounded Xu Wentao stumble out of the cabin.
Du Juan has experienced a lot in her life.
Before liberation, she was sold to a women's brothel and then taken to the Boda Foreign Firm. She endured countless tortures but never regretted it, simply because she believed that hope always existed and that there were people in this world who cared about her.
but.
But that person wanted to kill her with his own hands.
Du Juan regretted it.
Seeing the approaching guards, Du Juan burst into tears and shouted, "Run! We've been strapped with explosives, and Mr. Lin is about to detonate them!"
Zhou Ke then noticed that the two men were covered in explosives, and an electrical wire had extended into the back of the speedboat.
"Go to hell!" At this moment, Mr. Lin, who was hiding at the stern of the speedboat, smiled sinisterly. As long as the speedboat exploded, he could take advantage of the chaos to escape and continue to complete the mission of the Remnant Clan Association.
Mr. Lin pressed the switch hard.
"Clatter"
No response.
Mr. Lin was bewildered and pressed the button several more times, but there was still no response.
Just then, a cold and resounding voice pierced the night and struck his ear:
"China ahead, Japanese devils are forbidden from entering!"
Mr. Lin froze, a bone-chilling coldness rising from the top of his head straight to the bottom of the Yangtze River.
Icy.
Bone-chilling cold.
(End of this chapter)