kingnovel Chapter 919 Temporary Stop
Chapter 919 Temporary Stop
After driving for about three more hours, it was almost 1 p.m. when the convoy arrived at a temporary rest stop.
"Commander Chu, you must be tired after traveling for several hours. We have arrived at a rest stop. Let's have some food and rest for half an hour before continuing our journey."
"By the way, there are outhouses nearby. Please feel free to use them if you wish."
Faced with this situation, Chu Yunfei was speechless. Were they here on a military expedition or a vacation?
After sitting in the car for several hours, I did feel the urge to urinate. If I were in my own unit, it would be simple; I could just find a random spot in the wild to relieve myself.
But this was in someone else's car, and such a beautiful one at that, so there was absolutely no way to bring up something so unromantic. I could only hold it in.
Now that I've heard there's a restroom here, I might as well use it.
It must be said that, despite the remote location, the toilet is quite well-built.
Most importantly, there was water to wash hands next to the toilet, which was quite unusual. Even in hotels in many big cities, this kind of service is rare.
After cleaning up their personal hygiene, Chu Yunfei and the others, led by Section Chief Ma, went to the rest stop for a meal.
He first showed an ID card, then stated the amount of food needed, and then said with a smile:
"Commander Chu, the conditions are simple, so please eat something light. We'll treat you properly once we get to our post."
"Section Chief Ma, this is already quite good. In the past, we marched on horseback and ate dry rations. This kind of treatment is the first time we've ever seen it. It's already beyond our usual standards."
"I never imagined that long marches could be so easy and comfortable. I really envy your Eighth Route Army for having such abundant supplies."
Ten minutes later, more than forty boxes of food were brought up. They were all in military mess kits, still steaming, and everyone received the same food without any distinction.
Although this did not conform to the dining habits of the Jin-Sui Army, everyone understood the principle of "when in Rome, do as the Romans do" since they were on someone else's territory.
Besides, if even Division Commander Chu Yunfei didn't say anything, then no one else had the right to speak.
Chu Yunfei opened the lunchbox and found that there were three dishes inside: braised ribbonfish, braised pork, and a vegetable dish.
Judging from the situation, it was probably just taken out of the pot, which is a bit of an exaggeration.
To be honest, we had been eating dry rations and drinking boiled water that had long since gone bad during our previous journeys. Being able to eat hot food like this now is better than anything else.
Moreover, this standard is not low; there are three dishes, which can be considered a balanced mix of meat and vegetables, making it nutritionally rich.
Chu Yunfei picked up a piece of ribbonfish with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth to savor it carefully. Instantly, a rich flavor filled his taste buds.
He nodded in satisfaction and said with a smile:
"This braised ribbonfish is made from canned food. Our Jin-Sui Army also bought some. They say it's a family dish, and we never get tired of it."
"Our Shanxi province is an inland province and has no seafood at all. Since we started having various canned goods, it has been a blessing for the Chinese people."
"However, this kind of canned food is too expensive, half the price of similar canned food. We can only eat it during festivals or when there is war."
After he finished speaking, he picked up another piece of braised pork. This was not bad. Well, for Chinese people, canned meat is heavy on oil and salt, and it is delicious no matter how it is cooked.
Lieutenant Sun remained silent, simply enjoying the delicious food. At this moment, any pause would be considered disrespectful to such a delicacy.
The guards were even more so, practically burying their heads in their lunchboxes; their eating habits were indeed rather unsightly.
There was no way around it; the food today was just too tough, almost half rice and half meat. Even Chu Yunfei's trusted men didn't get to eat this kind of food very often.
At this moment, another bus pulled into the contact point, and a large group of people got off. Judging from their attire, they were all ordinary people.
The people who came down seemed to go to the toilet, and then eat; they seemed to be used to this kind of thing.
Seeing this, Chu Yunfei suddenly had a good idea, so he gave his adjutant Sun a wink.
Lieutenant Sun understood, quickly got up, took his lunchbox, and went into the crowd to investigate. He returned after a while and said:
"Commander, I just made a special inquiry. These people are all from the neighboring county. They're just visiting each other or doing small business."
"Tickets are charged according to distance. It costs one yuan for distances within 50 kilometers, two yuan for distances between 50 and 100 kilometers, and you need to transfer at other stations for longer distances."
"Many people eat the same food as us, which costs only 50 cents a serving, and there's nothing else unusual about it."
After hearing this, Chu Yunfei nodded. As long as it wasn't an act for him, it was the other person's real ability.
Besides, there's no need to put on a brave face when it comes to this kind of thing.
The reason we set the fares and prices so low was mainly to encourage ordinary people and businessmen to go out and travel more, so as to revitalize the economy of the base area.
The local government subsidizes facilities such as buses, bus stops, and other supporting infrastructure to facilitate the flow of goods and funds.
After all, the various industrial products produced in the base area have little value if they cannot circulate in the market and are simply stored in warehouses.
The opening of numerous bus routes has provided convenience for many businesspeople to travel.
In the past, when merchants traveled long distances, they would travel with caravans. This was not only arduous, but they were also prone to being robbed by bandits and mountain robbers, making it a tough job.
But things were much easier in our base area. We could easily take the bus from one place to another, and the journey was perfectly safe.
As for bandits, they have become legendary figures in our base area. After all, most of our militiamen are armed with Type 38 rifles, a combination of Mauser pistols and Czech light machine guns. Most bandits would probably be scared out of their wits at the sight of them.
Even if they hide in secluded hilltops, the militia will still find them and eliminate them.
If all else fails, we can ask the main force to take action. Our troops are equipped with a large number of 60mm mortars, and no matter how sturdy the mountain fortress is, it cannot withstand the continuous bombardment of shells.
Furthermore, our base area issued a reward: for each bandit eliminated, the reward would be canned goods of equal weight. This immediately ignited the enthusiasm of the entire base area, and many militiamen participated in the operation to capture the bandits.