readx; After all this has passed, people remember: why not tear the forest out first?

There was no need for anyone to give orders, and all the knife hands were automatically assembled. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info Choose a mountain, ding ding dong, the sound of knives and axes resounds. Big trees were brought down and carried away, and an open space the size of a basketball court appeared in the forest. The soldiers brought bundles of dead branches and leaves, piled up three large pyres in the clearing, and waited for the plane to arrive again.

The next day, when the sun was in the sky, there was the hum of an airplane.

The soldiers, who had long been unable to hold back, lit the fire, and three puffs of smoke rose into the sky.

The plane flew closer and closer, and it was already overhead. This time you can see it clearly. It is a light combat reconnaissance plane nicknamed "Black Widow", with a silver-gray fuselage as small as a swallow, and under the wings, the blue sky and white emblem shine brightly.

"Black Widow."

"Black Widow."

"My Black Widow."

"Lao Tzu is looking forward to your suffering!"

The soldiers danced and cheered, waved to the plane, and jumped desperately upward, eager to jump up and shake hands and hug the "Black Widow".

The "Black Widow" understood, flapped its wings a few times, and began to circle low, and the huge whirlwind stirred by the propellers blew off the soldier's hat and crackled his clothes. It was "Black Widow" hugging and kissing them. The soldiers were excited.

Amid cheers, the plane dropped two parachutes.

The parachute opens in the breeze, colorful and gorgeous, like two lotus flowers open in the sky.

The soldiers all stretched out their hands to the sky, and a fleshy forest rose from the flat ground.

The lotus landed. It landed in the arms of the soldiers.

Countless pairs of trembling hands, holding the two black suitcases under the parachute, seemed to hold two mountains. The soldiers crowded around and brought the suitcase to Du Yuming.

Du Yuming looked very good today. He motioned for the soldier to place the suitcase on his canvas stretcher. Du Yuming stretched out his bony hands and carefully weighed the weight of the suitcase. He felt heavy and light. I wondered what it would be inside. Is it food? Is it a drug? In the face of thousands of soldiers suffering from hunger and disease, two mountains of food and medicine are not enough! What can two suitcases do? If it's a cornucopia that can constantly conjure chicken, duck, fish, rice, and steamed buns, it's pretty much the same. However, he thought again, even if it contained a few packets of salt and a few cans, it would be a piece of grace from the commander-in-chief.

Thousands of miles to send goose feathers, the gift is light and affectionate!

After weighing the two suitcases back and forth, Du Yuming decided to open the heavier one first. He opened it with his own hands. This is the power of the deputy commander, who has not exercised his power for a long time.

The soldiers stared at the suitcase in the hands of the deputy commander as they watched and held their breath, as if hoping for a miracle. The ropes were loosened, the seals were removed, the leather buckle at the mouth of the box was released, and the lid was opened—a radio, a brand new radio!

The soldiers shouted in frenzy.

Radio is too important. Radio is a cornucopia of everything. What we lack, we ask for from Yucheng; Whatever you want, Commander-in-Chief Chiang will give. In the past two months, we have suffered from the interruption of the radio station! Now that we have radio, we are not afraid of anything.

Du Yuming brought another suitcase over. This suitcase is larger, but lighter, and it also has a seal. What's inside?

It's a good thing anyway, hurry up and open it!

It's the same set of procedures again, untie the ropes, unseal the seals, and loosen the leather buckles. Du Yuming lifted the lid of the box - yah! It's banknotes, full of boxes of Burmese rupees.

The soldiers were dumbfounded.

In this deserted savage mountain, what is the use of money, if you don't eat, don't drink, and you have to be a burden. They don't know much about Savage Mountain.

"My Commander-in-Chief Chiang."

Du Yuming said sadly in his heart.

Fortunately, there is a reliable radio station.

In the evening, Du Yuming made a long list of requests for airdrop supplies and handed it to the confidential staff officer. Staff Officer Li calmly photographed the telegram to Yucheng, and he no longer had to worry about the battery running out.

The next day, a medium-sized transport plane loaded with food and medicine flew to Savage Mountain. The airdrop field, which had been expanded, was surrounded by a large group of hungry soldiers. Today, we won't let them down again!

Compared with the slender "Black Widow" yesterday, what came today is really a bloated "pregnant woman" who is about to give birth. This is an American-made C-45 transport plane, which can carry two and a half tons of cargo in a big belly, and a jeep can drive into it.

After the plane accurately finds the airdrop target, it lowers the altitude, adjusts the position, and starts the airdrop.

I saw that under the big belly of the plane, many small black dots popped up, and in an instant, countless flowers bloomed all over the sky. What a goddess scattered flowers!

The airdropped supplies were quickly gathered up, and the grain was piled up into a hill, and the medicine was piled up into a hill.

Savage Mountain has never been so rich.

There was no need for anyone to greet them, and the soldiers had consciously lined up in front of the grain mountain. The quartermasters, who had been stripped of their power by the Savage Mountains for two months, had something to do. The quartermaster of the military department, who was calculating and conscientious, held an enamel jar in one hand and a piece of bamboo that had been cut extremely straight in the other. He used the mouth jar to dig out the rice bag of Bai Huahua, and what came out was a full bowl of rice, and then scraped it with bamboo slices, and a plane appeared at the mouth of the cylinder, which was neither convex nor concave, absolutely fair.

Some soldiers were still not at ease, and their eyes were firmly fixed on the small plane at the mouth of the cylinder, for fear that when they decifed rice, the quartermaster would scrape a little harder and give a few grains of rice. That's not rice, it's all life-saving golden pills!

After the rice was distributed, the soldiers couldn't wait, found a place for everyone, and made a fire to cook.

Smoke rises from the jungle everywhere.

All the household items that can be burned are used, iron pots, shovels, steel helmets, kettles, tea jars, and if it doesn't work, bamboo tubes are chopped, rice is stuffed in the middle, mud is used to block the two ends, and they are thrown into the fire to simmer.

The firelight smeared the puffy and pale faces with the blood of life.

Under a plantain tree, a bearded veteran was alone guarding a fire and cooking his own meal. He was the engineer squad leader who had buried five female soldiers. Since burying the last female soldier around him, he has become the loneliest and most melancholy person in the forest.

In the light of the fire, his beard was longer than before, his eye sockets were more collapsed, his face was covered with wrinkles, and there were blood marks from bramps. He was ten years old.

Just now, after he received a ration of his own from the quartermaster, he couldn't believe that this jar of rice belonged to him. How could he have so much wealth alone? He felt that he had suddenly become a large landowner. After he became rich, he pitied the female soldiers who starved to death even more. If they were all alive, each of them would have received a jar of rice today. With rice, the lively and lovely little Fangzi, the shy translator girl with glasses, the old and serious head nurse, and the two translators like sisters, how happy they must be!

The old squad leader couldn't help but feel sad.

He was hungry after all. On one side are tears glistening; On one side is hunger.

The firewood was very wet, the fire was weak, and the rice grains were turning slowly in the small pot. The cooking pot is a small iron jar the size of a fist, which can cook at most two taels of rice at a time. The old squad leader kept stirring the firewood, and at the same time, he couldn't help but use a small iron spoon to scoop up the half-cooked rice grains in the pot and stuff them into his mouth.

While cooking, I ate at the same time, and when it was cooked, there was only half a jar of rice left.

Lian Ha took down the spoon and reimbursed the first pot of rice in three clicks and two clicks. I didn't taste the taste of rice.

Then boil the second pot

I cooked and ate, ate and cooked, and cooked five pots of rice in a row. This meal, from noon to dusk, is eaten until dusk.

When he got up, he found that his stomach was swollen like a big drum. I had never eaten such a full meal in my life.

Prolonged starvation, reduced eating, malnutrition, atrophy of the stomach cavity, thinning of the intestinal wall, failure of the entire digestive system, and sudden overeating.

When the old squad leader realized that he had done something very wrong, it was too late.

The half-cooked rice is constantly expanding in the stomach, and the stomach pouch is expanding dramatically, as if it wants to squeeze other organs out of the abdominal cavity and even the chest cavity. The heart is compressed and the heart beats faster. The lobes of the lungs are compressed, and breathing is short. And the belly is still expanding, like a balloon that is constantly pumping, round and about to explode.

The veteran, who suffered from hunger, realized that gluttony was worse than hunger.

After daybreak, it was discovered that in the little shed made of oilcloth, the poor old soldier was exhausted.

It is said that on this night, no less than thirty or fifty people died of gluttony in the Savage Mountain.

The food that fell from the sky brought hope for survival to the officers and men, but also brought unexpected death.

The rescue of Du Yuming's troops is in full swing.

Commander-in-Chief Chiang ordered Yu Feipeng, director of the Joint Logistics Department, to fly to the Indian border town of Ledo to implement the rescue plan.

Wavell promised the British army to supply Dubu with food and medicine.

The U.S. Air Force, which is based in India, has pledged to send four planes a day to airdrop supplies to Savage Mountain.

Sun Liren's troops, who had arrived in India in advance, were duty-bound to organize several advance teams, carrying food, stretchers, medicines, and clothing, and entering the Savage Mountains by separate roads to meet the officers and men of the 5th Army.

The Indian government mobilized thousands of people to rush from the India-Myanmar border to build an emergency road leading to the Savage Mountain, erect a zipline in the canyon, and build a wooden bridge over the river.

Civilian elephant convoys were also urgently requisitioned, and dozens of elephants carried various relief supplies deep into the mountains.

On the edge of the Savage Mountain, every few miles, a shelter was set up, prepared with tents, mosquito nets, bedding, drinking water, food, and medicine.

A series of life-saving stairs stretched from the air and from the ground to the depths of Savage Mountain; A pair of big hands full of love and humanity reached out to the suffering Chinese brothers.

The Chinese Expeditionary Force in the Savage Mountains finally took a turn for the better, and in Yucheng, the already discordant relationship between Commander-in-Chief Chiang and Chief of Staff Stilwell was in crisis.

The failure of the battle in Burma has exacerbated the contradictions. Chiang Kai-shek said that the battle of Burma was completely lost after Stilwell did not listen to orders. Stilwell said that the Burmese war was so unwinnable because of the "peanuts" that were indiscriminately inserted into the bar.

There are three other things that add fuel to the fire and sprinkle salt on the edge of the knife. Chiang Kai-shek wanted the United States to provide 500 planes to form an air force for China. Chiang Kai-shek himself was not easy to speak, and he knew that it was useless for him to say, and he asked Stilwell several times to exert personal influence and apply directly to the US Congress. To this, Stilwell flatly refused. Chiang Kai-shek was greatly annoyed. In another case, Chinese Airlines received more than 10 large transport planes from the United States under the Lend-Lease Act, and Mrs. Chiang's desire to transfer two planes to the Aviation Commission under her jurisdiction was also rejected by Stilwell. The chief of staff wiped the face of the commander-in-chief's wife, and the commander-in-chief himself was furious. Third, the United States transferred the B29 long-range bombers of the 10th Air Force stationed in India to North Africa, which was responsible for supporting the Chinese battlefield. This made Chiang Kai-shek even more angry. One is angry that the United States despises China's theater of operations, the second is that Stilwell did not stop it, and the third is that he knew about it and did not report it in advance.

Several things are added together, and Chiang Kai-shek really hated Stilwell. He snorted angrily and wrote to his brother-in-law Song Ziwen, saying, "Stilwell was invited by you from Roosevelt, and you returned it to Roosevelt. I don't want this chief of staff. He even threatened that he had good advice to him, and that if the United States was reluctant to fly, he would find another way.

From late June to mid-July, Chiang Kai-shek refused Stilwell's repeated requests to see him and ignored Stilwell's report.

The commander-in-chief of Yucheng and the chief of staff had a complete falling out. In Washington, on the west coast of the Pacific Ocean, President Roosevelt was anxious. Roosevelt knew that Chiang Kai-shek was not trying to frighten him, and there were many signs that he was stepping up threats and temptations against Chongqing, and the shadow of "great Asian unity" was getting bigger and bigger. If one day Chiang Kai-shek's wind direction really changes and turns to the original and the Asians really join hands, the United States will be in great trouble. While complaining to Marshall that Stilwell was ignorant of current affairs and playing a childish temper, President Rowe hurriedly sent Curie, a think tank, as his special envoy to mediate between Chiang Kai-shek and Stilwell.

Curie's mission was difficult. Chiang Kai-shek and Stilwell are too typical, one is the endless greed of the Oriental scholars, and the other is the arrogance of the Western generals, what is the gap between them, what to use to fill the gap?

However, Curie was confident in his mission. He had in his pocket some promises from President Roosevelt to Chiang Kai-shek, which were all intriguing "chewing gum".

In late July, Curie crossed the Pacific Ocean and arrived in the mountain city of Yucheng. The sweltering heat in Chongqing was unbearable for the American. He joked to his entourage: "It turns out that the president told us to jump into the fire pit." ”

In the hot summer, in the city of Huohuzi, the US envoy and Chiang Kai-shek and his wife talked about one hot topic after another.

"After I arrived in Yucheng, I spoke with General Stilwell several times. The general had just returned from the battlefield in Burma, and was suffering from jaundice and hookworms, and his physical strength was very weak. Especially depressed, quite annoying. According to the general, in the three weeks since he returned to Chongqing, he has not seen the demeanor of the commander-in-chief, and has submitted written reports several times, but has not received a reply. I don't know why? At the Huangshan Mansion, Curie took a sip of the herbal tea that Madame Jiang personally poured for him and said.

On a hot day, Commander-in-Chief Chiang was still dressed upright, sitting upright, and his shirt buttoned down to his chin, showing the unique quality of a military politician. Soong Meiling translated Curie's words to Chiang Kai-shek sentence by sentence. Every time Chiang Kai-shek received a distinguished guest from the West, his wife acted as an interpreter. Today is no exception. After understanding Curie's words, Commander-in-Chief Chiang first laughed bitterly twice, and then, in Fenghua, which is difficult for many Chinese to understand, said sharply and quickly: "It's not that I don't want to see General Stilwell, but it's hard to see him!" ”

Madame Chiang translated this sentence to Curie, and Curie hurriedly asked: "What is the difficulty of the commander-in-chief when he sees his chief of staff?" ”

"General Shi is not only my chief of staff, he wears six hats, and he is also the representative of President Luo." Chiang Kai-shek said, "As far as the post of chief of staff of the Chinese theater is concerned, I should treat him as a subordinate, but as a representative of the president, I should treat him as a guest." I don't know how to receive him without understanding the intricacies of the matter. ”

"Your Excellency Commander-in-Chief, what's so difficult about this?" Curie laughed and said, "When dealing with the military in the Chinese theater, you can treat them with the courtesy of the chief of staff; During the discussion of matters related to China and the United States, he was treated with the courtesy of the president's representative. Justifiably. ”

Chiang Kai-shek shook his head and said, "Your Excellency, you don't know that General Shi spent more time in China as a representative of the president than as chief of staff. Even if he is the chief of staff, he is also the chief of staff. For example, the Burma war. Speaking of this, the commander-in-chief became more and more annoyed, and Fenghua's words became sharper and faster: "When the Burma war reached the time of the general retreat, he did not report to me the direction of the troops, but only telegraphed to General Magrud. Before the defeat, I ordered him to withdraw the squadron to Myitkyina, and he did not carry out the order and retreated to India. It is a matter of the overall situation, and he did not directly ask me for instructions and made his own opinions. Is there such a chief of staff? ”

When translating the words of the commander-in-chief, Song Meiling added her own opinions and said: "We have a password with General Shi, but he does not use it, but directly communicates with General Magrud, which shows that General Shi has no officials. ”

Madame Chiang is a translator, but not just a translator. She was Chiang Kai-shek's political partner, military staff, and tacit assistant at the negotiating table, and when she translated every sentence of Chiang Kai-shek, she often gave necessary scrutiny, consideration, supplementation, and play, and in essence was the final gate. Foreigners often wonder which sentence was uttered by Chiang Kai-shek himself, and which meant that Madame Chiang had added it.

When questioned by Chiang Kai-shek and his wife, the alert and sleek Curie replied: "Imagine that at that time, Stilwell must have been extremely disappointed to see that the Chinese troops were scattered into a number of small units and could not be assembled. However, I myself was not a soldier, and I did not know the truth at that time, so I did not explain on behalf of General Shi. ”

"It wasn't impossible. General Du Yuming was able to assemble four divisions north of Mandalay. Chiang Kai-shek went on to say, "I entrusted General Shi with a large army and ordered to advance to Myitkyina. Instead, he ordered a withdrawal into India. Even if General Shi himself retreats to India, he should ask me for instructions. Regardless of whether this is done properly or not, since he is my chief of staff, he should have my permission before acting, and he should report any changes at any time. This is common sense. ”

"As the commander-in-chief said, General Shi is indeed suspected of overstepping his authority. However, when I observed General Shi's recent situation, he was very active and deeply annoyed. He is a soldier, not a diplomat, so it should be forgiven for being anxious and inappropriate when he is unable to do anything. ”

Curie slapped Stilwell at the beginning to smooth the commander-in-chief, but immediately interceded on Stilwell's behalf and asked the commander-in-chief to raise his noble hand.

Since Mr. Curie is interceding, give some face! Adults don't remember villains. Commander-in-Chief Jiang breathed a sigh of relief and said, "If Your Excellency does not come to Yucheng, I will hide these words in my heart and never repeat them!" ”

(To be continued)