PS: There are still 12 hours after the last, please ask you for the most late monthly pass this month.

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Packing up last night's writing, Millard straightened his outfit and walked out of the budget hotel empty-handed.

He ordered a ramen under the sign of a Chinese ramen restaurant on the road, and after eating, he walked out into the street with a strong dissatisfaction with European Italian ramen.

Since he already knew some Chinese, he was able to communicate with the Chinese after a month or two of making up for it. Because he found that here in Somalia, English is not very good, and many people do not understand it. But many Somalis speak Mandarin, and many speak Mandarin. Instead of communicating in English and learning the difficult Somali language, he chose Mandarin.

In the past month, he has been very happy with his wise decision, because on the streets of Bagua City, you can see Chinese road signs everywhere, and the residents of Bagua City also regard Chinese as their second language. Therefore, when he came here, there was no communication difficulty.

Millard flagged down a taxi at the intersection, a common means of transportation in the world, and the most common in Bagua City. The fixed starting price is eight Somali shillings, plus two Somali shillings per kilometre, after which a 50 per cent surcharge will be charged for each kilometre.

This kind of fee price is not expensive, and it is very cheap for Lamid, who has a very good income from manuscript fees. On the first day he arrived in Bagua City, he asked the hotel to exchange $10,000 in Somali shillings, a ratio of 1 to 8. The 80,000 Somali shillings are the funds for his future activities in Somalia.

"Hello. Where are you going? As soon as the driver saw that it was a foreigner, he immediately pulled out an electronic map from the storage compartment. He gestured to hand it to Millard. Taxi companies do not have an organization that requires drivers to learn a foreign language, and they often encounter foreign passengers. In order to avoid communication difficulties, maps come in handy at this time. The map is multilingual, and the driver will take you wherever the passenger points it.

"Hello, I'm going to the People's Square of Bagua City!" Millard replied in a somewhat off-tune Mandarin without taking the map.

The driver did not show much surprise, he understood the words of the white man in the back seat, and said: "Sir, there will be a grand military parade there in the square today. There will definitely be a lot of cars and people, and I can't get you to your destination, and now that it's also closed to motor vehicles, I'll give you at most the entrance to the square. If you think you can, then let's go. ”

"No problem, let's go!" Millard nodded, according to his understanding, this military parade will not only be attended by tens of thousands of soldiers, but also hundreds of thousands of people will go to see this military parade. He was already prepared for this.

He is not afraid of crowding, whether it is in China or Russia, it is crowded when encountering such a grand occasion, and he has a lot of experience. All he had at the moment was excitement. After all, he can't see this kind of pomp and circumstance in the United States at all.

"Okay, please fasten your seatbelts." In the driver's Mandarin voice. Here, the sturdy taxis are starting to walk on the neat roads. Unpretentious car styling. It's very simple, and there are only two things to pay attention to. One is sturdy and durable, and the other is low emissions and fuel economy.

Since today is a military parade, the streets are full of vehicles and bicycles and pedestrians, all in the same direction.

When the taxi came to a place two kilometers away from the People's Square in Bagua City, it had to stop, because there were already a lot of pedestrians who were checking through.

At this time, the sky in Bagua City was clear, and the time had come to eight o'clock in the morning, and at the various entrances of the square, there were already long queues, and many soldiers of the garrison were monitoring the electronic detection instruments at each entrance. Nearby, military dogs were also keeping an eye on everyone who entered the square.

"Thank you!" Millard pulled out a 100-denomination Somali shilling and handed it to the driver, who then stepped out of the car without waiting for the driver to find the money. More than a dozen dollars is nothing to his remuneration.

"Thank you!"

With the driver's thanks, he walked to the long queue and joined the queue. He didn't bring anything with him today except his eyes and ears, not a camera or pen and paper.

A journalist friend from Switzerland learned that foreigners were not denied access to the parade, but there was no special treatment. Unless you are invited, or you are a well-known person in the world, like everyone, you can only line up to enter the factory, and then be assigned to a station. As for whether you can see the whole parade, it depends on your luck.

Looking at the Somalis in line in front and back, Milad shook his head, the civilized world really knows too little about this place, there is a very civilized side here, the queue is orderly, and there is no confusion in the queue of thousands of people. This kind of picture, even in developed countries, is sometimes difficult to see.

They followed the rules, everyone was talking about the parade, and the purpose was the same, but not a single one was cut in line. Some of them are not badly dressed, and their living standards are also very high, and some of them who come by car do not think they are superior, but only feel that they are queuing up with the public. Such a scene is unimaginable in the idea of a democratic United States that can pay attention to the hierarchy of the upper class.

The march was fast, the march of thousands of men was completed in less than half an hour, and soon Muradi came to the entrance.

As soon as the supervising soldier saw that it was a foreigner, he immediately shouted: "Please show your passport!" or any valid document. ”

In Millard's eyes, the soldiers on duty were no less powerful than the American GIs.

"You can go in, please take the foreign channel." After looking at the passport, the soldiers on duty immediately let the military dog go after not finding any reaction from the military dog.

After passing through the detector and entering the square, there are several passages marked in front of you, including the sightseeing passage, the performance passage, and a special passage for foreigners.

It is understood that foreign access is not a privilege, but rather an area designed to distinguish foreign tourists from Somalis. So as not to cause any friction in the case of crowding. And the tourist passage is the passage of the Somalis. Those who walked in were purely here to watch the parade. And the performance channel, is those who have applied after the parade. A dedicated passage for groups to walk for performances.

Africans love to sing and dance to celebrate every meaningful day, and Somalis are no exception. Today's military parade is not only a day for the Somali army to further demonstrate its strength to the outside world, but also the most meaningful day for Somalis, because today is designated as Somali Reunification Day, commemorating the true national unity of Somalis. On a day like today, the Somali tribes have prepared their own customs to celebrate this great occasion. Li Lan also agreed with the enthusiasm of the Somalis, and after the military parade, prepared a follow-up Somali custom performance.

Millard followed a group of foreign tourists of different colors, and under the leadership of the soldiers on duty, stood at the No. 1 position of the People's Square in Bagua City, which was not far from Li Lan's palace (base) viewing building.

"It's good to finally have a time to appreciate this kind of festival very clearly."

He has participated in many military parades. It's the first time Millard has such a good position. He has participated in many military parades, but except for China and Russia, he rarely sees military parades that shock his heart. Either the parade was too simple, or the crowd was so crowded that many things could not be seen.

After half an hour of waiting. Milard finally saw some change in the auditorium, but before he could see the faces of the people who walked up to the auditorium. The sudden burst of loud cheers around him made him almost think that his eardrums had been punctured.

"Hooray, hooray......"

The sea and the river were turned upside down. The cries of landslides and earth cracks are all in Chinese.

Millard couldn't imagine how much support it would take for everyone to express their emotions in another language on the most important day in a country. It is hard for a Chinese to be able to get hundreds of thousands of Somalis to shout such a slogan, and he really can't imagine how strong the emotions it takes to ignore the racial divide between the two and achieve wholehearted support.

He even thought that once this Chinese had any crazy thoughts, I was afraid that these Somalis would follow him without hesitation. This kind of blind worship, he has seen similar pictures from history, in short, in his heart, there is always a lingering sense of fear.

The buzzing in his ears gradually subsided, and he also suppressed the premonition that was very bad in his heart, and looked at the figure that appeared on the viewing tower.

At this moment, not only him, but every pair of eyes on the square converged on the viewing tower.

Vaguely visible, more than a dozen figures stood by the side of the viewing tower that looked like a city tower, and Millard was very attentive to scan everyone above, although the distance was far away, it didn't seem very clear, but he knew it very well. The dozen or so people above are the core figures of this emerging country.

Among them, the tall figure standing in the middle is the founder of this magical country, a legend.

At this time, a majestic voice announced: "The ceremony begins, the national flag is raised, and the national anthem is played!" ”

The impassioned melody sounded, and Millard found that every Somali citizen around him was singing to the melody with great concentration.

He even had the illusion that if he could sing it himself, he would not be able to help but follow the tone, because this melody had a shocking momentum.

When the Somali flag with a five-pointed star on a blue background was raised on the flag stand in the square, rows of salutes rang out in front of the auditorium, announcing the official start of this great ceremony.

“…… Warmly welcome His Excellency Li Lan, President of the Somali Democratic Republic, Supreme Military Commander of Somalia and Supreme Leader of the Somali Alliance for Freedom and Democracy. ”

Just for a moment, the whole square was completely silent, followed by a tsunami of applause, if nothing else, everyone looked forward to Li Lan's speech with their own hands.

"Somalia is where it is today, not because of individual efforts, but because of the efforts of everyone, the Freedom Alliance has gone through three full years, and we have proved our philosophy time and time again with our actions, and at the same time, we have also won the support of everyone. I am very proud of this, because we have always been united under the banner of the Freedom Alliance, working together for a better life.

……

Today it belongs to the Liberal Union. A great celebration for every Somali and for this fledgling country. As the supreme leader of this country, I declare. Today, there will be a huge ceremony to show our achievements and our Somali voice to the world.

……

Our people love this country, and our capacity building belongs to our family, and we use our hands to create a better place.

And our army, capable and determined to preserve our sovereignty and dignity, is the armed forces of the people. They are also the patron saints of the Somali Democratic Republic, and they vow to defend the country with their blood, and to use their courage to fight against the enemy, no matter how strong it is, they are useless, because behind them, there are countless Somalis who support and encourage them.

……

As President of the Republic, I guarantee you food, clothing, shelter and transportation, and as Supreme Military Commander, I guarantee you security and peace. As the leader of the Freedom League, I assure you that those who violate my sovereignty will bear a price they cannot afford.

Now I announce. The Somali statehood parade officially began.

Warriors, take up your steel guns and use your promises. Show your majesty to the whole world. Take firm steps and tell the whole world with a sonorous and powerful voice. You're always the best......"

"It's really exciting, and I will never forget it." Millard memorized the rich notes coming from the auditorium. Although he doesn't speak Chinese very well, he believes that he will never forget every sentence just now, because it is so shocking.

The next picture, which Millard is very familiar with, seems to be to show the friendship between Somalia and China, and the steps of this grand ceremony are exactly the same as China's military parade ten years ago.

An extended version of the sedan drove out of the gate under the viewing hall, and accompanied by Ahmed, Li Lan stood in the back seat of the open sedan to inspect the troops.

And this time, Milad really saw the young Somali leader, and he couldn't help but subconsciously touch the beard on his chin, and the Chinese in front of him looked much younger than himself. It is estimated that he is only twenty-six or seventeen years old.

His appearance is not very outstanding, but he is taller than himself, and his whole person looks sturdy, and he has a look and momentum that is completely inconsistent with those leaders of other countries who are fifty or sixty years old.

The popularity of the Somali leader was evident in the people around him, who, though not cheering, quietly followed his car with their eyes until he disappeared ahead.

After the inspection, the car drove back again, and this time, Millard saw Li Lan again, a seemingly ordinary, but thought-provoking face, which seemed to be full of hope.

For a moment, he even felt that this seemingly ordinary face would be remembered for a lifetime, even if he died, he would remember today's face. Because he saw that there are too many different temperaments in this kind of Chinese, and it has been difficult to express the intimidating temperament in words.

Subsequently, as he had seen at the military parade marking the 60th anniversary of the Chinese people's Republic of China, the parade began after the parade.

At this time, the people in the front row began to sit down in the entire viewing hall, because only in this way can the people in the back also see this grand occasion.

Milad was not special, he also sat down, and behind him, there was already a mat ready for the stump, which was apparently taken into account by the Somali government.

The whole National Day ceremony looks uncomplicated in Millard, with the country's rulers appearing, the flag-raising ceremony, then the Yuan reviewing the army, and then the parade.

"Smack, smack......"

Under the march, the sound of neat steps came from the parade avenue, and the earth seemed to tremble with this very rhythmic footsteps, and Millard knew very well that this was just his own illusion, and it was the other party's overly neat pace that made him feel as if the earth was trembling.

His eyes followed the sound of footsteps getting closer and closer, he couldn't help but hold his breath like everyone else, the audience was silent, there was no host to introduce anything, only the sound of footsteps that shook his heart. As the rhythm became clearer and clearer, at the end of the line of sight, a neat phalanx appeared in his eyes, and there was no honor guard of the three armed services as he expected, but a military official team came directly.

The neat square team was in the same shape, as if it was not a square team, but a person, so neat that people couldn't find any sense of disharmony. The army team that was slowly advancing was like a cube of giant steel advancing gently.

"Look to the right!"

An abrupt voice rang out in the silent square, a Somali one. Although Millard couldn't understand what the three notes meant, he was in the uniform movement of the neat square. He also understood.

The two colonels who walked in the front led the team, at the moment when they stepped on the starting line. In an instant, he changed the way he stepped and raised his left foot high, with his right hand, and shouted loudly: "Salute!" ”

Look to the right and salute Li Lan on the viewing floor. agreed, and Li Lan also returned a military salute.

Under the leadership of the leader, the salute gestures of the entire army official team were completely integrated, as if they were all controlled by the same person, and there was no difference in the slightest.

"This is the Somali army. Sure enough, it's an elite ......"

Millard couldn't help but sigh in his heart, in the military parades he participated in in the past, there was always an idea that in addition to the military parades in Russia and China, there was no equally majestic military parade at all. Today, in his heart, there is another country that can be compared with the military parade between China and Russia.

Just by seeing the first team, he felt his heart beat violently with the rhythm, and this rhythm also made him seem to be out of breath. Instant visual impact. It was as if a million lions were rushing straight over, and the powerful momentum was vividly reflected in just a small square team.

At this moment, Millard even thought that he was back in China four years ago, and that kind of blood-boiling feeling once again ignited from the bottom of his heart. The adrenaline rush was constantly increasing, and he felt a deep sense of pleasure. This is the third time he has felt this way, and he is not a native of the country. But I deeply felt that iron-blooded pride.

When he looked at the people around him, he saw the exact same look as him. None of these foreign tourists around me were not deeply shocked.

Next is the neat three-military formation. He was dressed in a completely different kind of military uniform from that of American soldiers, which, according to Millard's memory, was somewhat similar to the regular uniform of German soldiers, and was a non-combat uniform. The khaki cloth, the three colors of sea, land and air constitute the entire phalanx. Each soldier was about the same height, and his face was filled with the most resolute, murderous expression, and his whole face was flushed with blood and excitement.

They were followed by the infantry platoon, the bayonets of the steel guns shining coldly, the muzzles of the guns pointing upwards to make the light of the bayonets flicker with a chilling chill, and the barrels of the guns shimmered in the deep color of the steel in the sun.

At the same time, the tall chest, the expression of murderous intent, and the steel gun with bayonets all tell people that this is not an army for people to watch, but an army that can be pulled into the battlefield at any time and fight to the death with the enemy.

"German soldiers, Chinese soldiers, and now there is a Somali soldier, only this kind of soldier can have such momentum, and Russia and the United States will be a little worse, because they don't have such a terrifying atmosphere."

Millard did not hesitate to evaluate himself, in his opinion, the rigorous German soldiers, the solemn Chinese soldiers, and the formidable Somali soldiers, can be called the best troops. In the past, he only had Germany and China in his heart, and now he has to add one.

As for his country's army, in his heart, the evaluation is really not high, because since World War II, he has not seen that kind of shocking and indomitable momentum in his own army.

At this moment, he even has the terrifying aura of returning to Berlin before World War II, when the German SS was tested by Hitler. The most visually striking part of the documentary of the military parade Millard was the SS soldiers walking in front of Hitler, their parade was just as grand and serious, and even the Nazi soldiers shouted 'Hi, Hitler' with all their might.

The army in front of him only had a simple salute, but he clearly saw that the glint in the eyes of these soldiers in front of him was exactly the same as the look of the German SS when they looked at Hitler in the documentary.

"Elite, no need for too much rhetoric." There is no need to think, Millard has already figured out how to express these feelings one by one in the article, just like he participated in the Chinese military parade four years ago, this feeling does not need to be embellished with too many flowery words, and writing his inner shock is the simplest and most perfect. (To be continued......)