When Ren Xiaosu saw the 178 barrier from a distance, he was suddenly shocked.
This barrier was different from any other barrier he had seen. The towering and vicissitudes of the barrier was full of scars, and there were even large traces of repairs, as if this barrier had experienced too much. It collapsed and was rebuilt again and again.
Misfortune comes and goes again and again, but it always stands here.
Although the previous barriers also have traces of time, the walls of the barriers have not been severely damaged, so they look very neat.
But the wall of Barrier 178 was different. When Ren Xiaosu looked at it for the first time, he suddenly felt that this wall seemed to have a tough life.
He also suddenly understood why some people called Barrier 178 a fortress.
This is a fortress-level fortress truly built for war. It pays more attention to defensive functions than any previous fortress.
Zhou Yinglong said proudly: "We all call this place 178 Fortress, which is different from those weak fortresses outside!"
Ren Xiaosu stood under the towering wall of 178 Fortress. Above, there were soldiers with live ammunition on guard, but because they arrived with Zhang Jinglin, the soldiers on the wall did not warn.
According to what Xu Xianchu said, it would be difficult for anyone with unknown origins to approach this barrier. It would have been impossible for him to get in without Ren Xiaosu's letter of recommendation.
Ren Xiaosu suddenly asked: "I have written letters of recommendation to some people before. Have they come to Fortress 178?"
Xu Xianchu shook his head: "No."
"It seems they also had an accident," Ren Xiaosu sighed.
At this time, Ren Xiaosu pulled out a bullet from the wall: "Why are there bullets on the wall?"
Of course the purpose of building Fortress 178 was to defend against the enemy, but when Ren Xiaosu In Su's impression, everyone has been saying that Fortress 178 is to defend against wild beasts.
Everyone is saying that there are few wild beasts in the interior because humans have driven the wild beasts outside the barrier circle, and the 178 Fortress stands in the northwest to prevent the invasion of a large number of terrifying wild beasts.
But how to explain the bullets on the wall? They were clearly caused by foreign enemies hitting the wall with firearms.
Only humans use firearms.
Xu Xianchu smiled and said: "You will understand in the future. In the era of thermal weapons, the only real enemy of mankind is mankind itself."
This sentence is somewhat familiar to Ren Xiaosu. There is a man called An Yuqian's librarian also said the same thing.
However, what An Yuqian means is that the uncontrollability of science will allow humans to create forces that they cannot control.
And Xu Xianchu’s meaning is more straightforward. The enemy of Fortress 178 is human beings.
The heavy gate of 178 Fortress was slowly raised, and the rumbling sound was like a giant dragon roaring within the barrier.
The group of people walked in and were surprised to find these 178Although the appearance of the fortress is shabby, it is extremely neat and clean.
Ren Xiaosu originally thought that the place where a group of northwest men lived would be dirty and messy, but that was not the case.
Entering the long street where the gate is located, you can see a huge copper bell hanging on a tower at the end.
Xu Xianchu introduced to Ren Xiaosu: "This bell is different from our previous fortresses. The bells in other fortresses are used to tell time. The bell in Fortress 178 will only ring when warning. When the bell When the bell rings, everyone in the army will be ready to fight to the death. "When was the last time the bell rang?" Ren Xiaosu asked curiously.
“Sixteen years ago,” Xu Xianchu said with emotion: “It’s a pity that I didn’t see that scene. Many people in the mainland didn’t even know that there was a war here. Fortress 178 was like a wall. The wall keeps out the danger and darkness.”
There are many people on the street, everyone is wearing coarse clothes, and there are few neon lights at the door of the shops. There are almost no private vehicles on the road, except occasionally. Military cross-country passes through.
Wang Shengyin asked curiously: "Your place looks so primitive."
Xu Xianchu said: "There is insufficient power, and new power plants are being built in the periphery, but there is not enough talent in the 178 Fortress. It was very slow. There was a large power station before, but it was destroyed artificially during the war."
"The resources don't seem to be very sufficient," Wang Shengyin said: "The northwest is very suitable for growing cotton, because of the light. There is plenty of water and groundwater in the snow-capped mountains. Why not grow some cotton?"
Xu Xianchu glanced at her and said, "You have to eat enough first."
Ren Xiaosu. Looking at the scene in Fortress 178, it was a bit shabby to be honest, but for some reason, he felt much more comfortable here than in other fortresses.
When pedestrians on the street saw Zhang Jinglin's motorcade passing by, they did not deliberately fawn over them. Instead, they said hello like old friends and then went about their own business.
Xu Xianchu glanced at Ren Xiaosu: "Xiaosu, does your black medicine have enough energy? Someone here got frostbite in the winter. The frostbite never healed, and the medicines needed for war are always in short supply. If you can Your black medicine is great news for our 178 fortress."
Xu Xianchu had heard about Ren Xiaosu becoming a doctor in the market town, and Zhang Jinglin also knew about it.
Ren Xiaosu shook his head: "It can't be mass-produced."
Xu Xianchu was a little disappointed: "It's okay. When the trade routes open, we can buy medicine from the Central Plains people."
Fortress 178 is short of not only medicine, but also clothing, food, etc. Opening trade routes is an urgent matter for Zhang Jinglin who returns to Fortress 178.
Zhang Jinglin spent several months clearing up the chaos in Fortress 178 one by one. Now it is time to consider the development of the fortress.
Xu Xianchu arranged Ren Xiaosu and the others in a small building: "This is our guest house. It's a bit shabby. Don't dislike it."
Ren Xiaosu shook his head: "It's already pretty good."
Wang Shengzhi and Wang Shengyin may have never lived in such a shabby house, but Ren Xiaosu has lived in a shack, so of course he won't care about this.
At this time, Xu Xianchu said a little embarrassedly: "Xiaosu, your wound is not healed. I will go to the Military Supplies Department to apply for some medicine for you. However, the medicine in the fortress is too short now, so I may not be able to apply..."
Ren Xiaosu smiled and said: "It's okay, I also brought some black medicine."
"That's good, that's good," Xu Xianchu rubbed his hands and smiled: "Then you Is there any extra black powder, that..."
Xu Xianchu was a little embarrassed to say it. One of his soldiers was injured during training before, and the wound has not healed yet. In fact, the Military Supplies Department has already had it. The medicine is gone, so I can only carry it. But Ren Xiaosu had just arrived, and even though he hadn't taken good care of him, he actually asked for things from others. What kind of thing was that?
But Ren Xiaosu put a small porcelain bottle into Xu Xianchu's hand: "You're welcome."
When Xu Xianchu was the most impoverished, he was still willing to give himself the remaining half of the steamed bread. , then Ren Xiaosu would not be stingy with Xu Xianchu.
......
Thanks to two classmates, Thirty-One 1984 and Cheating Loneliness, for becoming the new allies of this book