Chapter 0488 – Dangerous Jungle
Both of the SUVs had large tires. Setting the chassis of the car very high, it looked like they were both specially modified.
When he came by helicopter yesterday, Zhuang Rui had seen the roads in the neighborhood, basically all mountain roads, if he had done Hu Rong’s previous caravan, he would have been lying down if he hadn’t traveled two miles.
Zhuang Rui and Peng Fei and Hu Rong sat in a car, there is also a Burmese soldier from Mandalay to follow, the other two soldiers and Feng Chen two professors sat in a car.
Although this way, the three Burmese soldiers did not talk much, have been kept silent, but Zhuang Rui still feel, they are paying attention to their every move, is monitoring their behavior, and in their waist, but unabashedly hanging in the pistol holster, Zhuang Rui does not doubt that there is no real guy.
This makes Zhuang Rui a little difficult, because his purpose this time, is not to investigate the jadeite mine, but want to look for the treasure from the forest, if you follow these few soldiers, it is hard not to find the treasure offered to the Burmese government?
Zhuang Rui can not be so noble, Japan robbed something, buddy is to take back to the country to build hope elementary school, that is also cheaper than the gang of Myanmar warlords strong.
After getting on the car, Zhuang Rui is sitting in the car in front, slowly drive to the outside of the city, do not look at the poorer Myitkyina, but the population is quite a lot of that narrow streets, everywhere is running bare ass children, so the car simply can not speed up, just a few kilometers, driving nearly half an hour.
Think of China from the end of the 1970s to engage in family planning, or very necessary, otherwise these decades down, I’m afraid that by now it is not 1.6 billion people, and then doubled is also very likely, think of that situation, Zhuang Rui shuddered and hit a shiver.
Originally thought to the outside of the city, the car speed can accelerate a little, but Zhuang Rui look at the small stone paved road, can not help but laugh bitterly, this kind of road simply do not drive fast, otherwise it is estimated that the tires do not hold up to Pagang.
Myitkyina is actually the capital of Kachin State, the road condition is so bad, I think those warlords are only concerned about seizing territory, no one cares about these things!
Kachin State is actually the Jingpo ethnic group in China. However, the Jingpo people are much happier than them, at least they don’t roll in the mud when they go out on rainy days.
Walked through a section of gravel road, Zhuang Rui realized that he still think of the journey to Pachang is too simple, the road ahead has been completely earth bumps road, high piece of a low piece of the car with the car’s bumps, hands and feet up and down, if it is not here in the mountains are more dangerous, Zhuang Rui would rather do it again on a helicopter.
The bumps are tolerable, but the thought of those plastic bombs and grenades in Peng Fei’s bag, Zhuang Rui is a little fidgety, this is Zhuang Rui but feel like sitting on a dynamite packet in general.
Zhuang Rui is not a military fan, and do not know the plastic bombs do not go through a special detonation, that is, using fire will not explode, this heart is white manipulation.
“Hu …… Hu big brother, I see to let the Burmese government people, to …… to the Chinese countryside to investigate, this road is also too poor point it!”
Zhuang Rui was bumped by the car a sentence divided into several paragraphs before saying it, he is to see the road on both sides of those low wooden houses. There were children running around everywhere, and couldn’t help but think of a saying often seen in the domestic countryside:
“To be rich, have fewer children and build more roads.”
This saying could not be more appropriate when used in Burma, which was empty of gold, silver, copper mines and many gemstone mines, but the people’s standard of living was as poor as that of war-torn countries in Africa, and the root cause of this was still with the government.
“Older brother, it’s easy for you to say this, who’s going to manage it, here can be everyone sweeps the snow in front of the door, don’t care about the frost on the tiles of others.”
Hu Rong heard Zhuang Rui’s words, could not help but laugh bitterly, he and Zhuang Rui said Chinese, and not afraid of being heard by that soldier, even if heard, it does not matter, Hu Rong family can stand in Burma for hundreds of years, based on more than just money.
Hu Rong family has been rooted in Burma for hundreds of years, witnessed the hundred years of Burma’s wind and rain, can be said to be the best witness and observer.
Myanmar in the early 1900s, has always been as a British colony, to the Great Britain empire is no longer powerful, was Japan to drive out of Burma, and then in China’s help, Burma rebuilt the regime, but also out of the British rule.
However, due to the large number of ethnic groups in Burma, apart from the government army, each place basically has its own local army. Together with the Nationalist rebels in the Golden Triangle, Burma has always been dominated by warlords and wars, each occupying the mountain as the king.
To the late 1980s, the value of the emerald mine gradually highlighted, the Myitkyina region has become the focus of the government forces and local forces to fight, this dispute has been to the present, have not completely calmed down.
Although now Zhuang Rui and other people see is a song and dance, under the control of the government are happy, but in fact in the Myitkyina more than 150 kilometers across the emerald mine, all kinds of relations are extremely complex, often will break out some small-scale war, of course, these things are not suitable for the public to announce.
Hu Rong and Hu Rong’s family people, is belong to the local forces, their family trained mine guards, in a certain period of time to turn a change can become the army, and the government forces to fight against, the current calm, is only the result of the forces of all sides of the compromise.
In such a situation, including Hu Rong’s family, any power is reluctant to put money into infrastructure, because today this land is yours. You build it, maybe tomorrow it will be taken by someone else, who is willing to do this effort is not pleasing to the thing ah!
Like Zhuang Rui and Peng Fei with weapons, is known by Hu Rong, he will not care, those things, compared to his family’s arsenal, not at all conspicuous, in the periphery of his home patrol security personnel, the body is carrying the Soviet Union’s AK47 submachine gun.
In this area, there is no relationship with the background of the people simply do not dare to go deep, otherwise it may be what people to be tied up in a meat ticket, good luck, maybe take the money can be ransomed back to the bad luck, then to the jungle plants and trees to do fertilizer.
The car is really bumpy, Zhuang Rui also did not have the mood to talk, with a hand gripping the door above the vice, boredom in the car looked around, but let him find some differences.
Zhuang Rui looked carefully, the car he sat in, the doors are reinforced by steel plate, the window glass looks, and the usual glass is also a little different, maybe it is the legendary bulletproof glass.
In front of Zhuang Rui car glass, affixed with a very conspicuous pass, according to Peng Fei’s translation, that written above is the meaning of “state guest”, all the way to the line although the car is not a lot of encountered, but will take the initiative to pull over, to give way to their convoy.
On the road from Myitkyina to Pachang, basically every 20 to 30 kilometers, there will be a checkpoint, although only a few wooden tools to stop the car, but it is very practical.
Every time at a distance from the checkpoint, Hu Rong will poke his head out and greet a few words in Burmese, these real soldiers seem to recognize Hu Rong, not even a glance inside the car, they move the wooden frame to let the car pass.
After a bumpy ride of more than three hours, Zhuang Rui and the others arrived at Mengkang, which is the major town of Myitkyina heading to Pachang, and also the place where the Chinese Expeditionary Army launched the Battle of Mengkang Valley back then.
Here, the Chinese army, commanded by Sun Liren, captured the Bujeban Mountain natural dangers in just one day, wiping out and killing more than 12,000 Japanese soldiers in total. General Sun Liren was also famous for this battle.
However, Zhuang Rui this time, but there is no time to condole with the deceased anti-Japanese generals, in Hu Rong get off the car for some formalities, and after resting for more than half an hour, the two cars continue to drive to Pachang.
After Mengkang, the road became more and more difficult to travel, there is no road surface to speak of, off-road vehicles just follow the large trucks transporting raw stone pressed out of the roadbed, difficult to move forward.
According to Hu Rong’s statement, in a few decades ago, the lack of machinery of those jade miners, like Xinjiang jade miners in general, all rely on the shoulders of the arm resistance to jadeite out of the mountains, only their tools, from Xinjiang’s donkeys replaced by the Burmese production of elephants only.
In this overgrown road on both sides, are lifting eyes can not see the treetops of the tall trees, these trees are distributed in the mountains above, looks a little eerie, coupled with Hu Rong said that this hides a variety of dangerous creatures, and every evening and early morning, will produce miasma, many mistakenly into the forest, few people can survive.
Hu Rong’s words gave Zhuang Rui the creeps, he was reflecting on his treasure hunting trip, it seemed that it was not as simple as he thought, that the forest where even the light from the sky could not be shot into, as if the monster’s mouth, darkly devouring all the people and creatures that entered.
“Brother Hu, I heard that there are quite a lot of black bears in Burma, we would like to go hunting, this is no chance in the country!”
Peng Fei, who had been sitting in the back row and hadn’t said anything, suddenly interjected, his face full of curiosity. Zhuang Rui couldn’t help but look back at Peng Fei, who had just beaten a retreat in his heart.
“The black bear is there, the bear bile of that thing, but it is known as liquid gold, but now the number is also very rare, Cheng, these days to see if there is an opportunity, I will take the two of you to have some fun …….”
Hu Rong is not an animal protector, after hearing Peng Fei’s words, there was not much hesitation, and he agreed in one bite. And in this place in Burma hunting, is no longer normal behavior, his own nothing will go to the mountains to put a few shots, hit some pheasants or something to improve the food.