Chapter 29 Hard March
March in East Africa is the rainy season. Amid rumbling thunder, heavy rain pours down. The raindrops are dense and powerful. On the ground with sparse vegetation and exposed loess, the strong rainstorm washes the soil, and in just a short while, it turns into a dirty quagmire.
The dirty rain water gradually gathered, bypassing the grasslands and high slopes, and thousands of small streams flowed along the depressions and gullies into the river.
The Little Rhine River is no longer as calm as it used to be. It has become turbulent, with the surging river water mixed with driftwood, weeds, and mud from upstream rushing along the river channel.
In the paddy fields of the second town (Rufu), overflowing rainwater continuously poured into the river along the drainage canals. The rice was blown all over the place by the rain and strong wind. The houses built with grass and bricks and earth seemed to be crumbling in the storm, roaring as if to lift everything visible on the land of East Africa into the sky.
This kind of storm that seems to be powered by heaven and earth is very common in the rainy season. In the dry season, the whole of Africa is like a stagnant pool of water. There is no human habitation for thousands of miles on the grassland. Occasionally, explorers and hunters observe hundreds of animals migrating on the vast and withered grassland. The entire African continent is dead silent.
Once the rainy season arrives, the entire African continent seems to come alive, with rainwater that has been stored for more than half a year violently hitting the continent. However, the more life appears in the face of this terrible natural scene, the more vigorous it becomes. The dry river channels on the entire grassland become tortuous and intricately intertwined.
The withered yellow plants put on new green clothes, wildebeests and antelopes chase the most lush aquatic plants in groups, hippos frolic in the lakes, and crocodiles wander around waiting for their opportunity.
…
All things are full of vitality.
But this was not good news for the East African advance team that was advancing inland.
Andre, the captain of the fourth team, was sitting on a rock, scraping the mud off his shoes with a knife.
Staff officer Zhou Wei instructed his men to count the supplies: "Remember to put the food and ammunition on the top of the frame, don't let it touch the ground and get wet."
"How do we put up this rainproof cloth? What if rainwater seeps in? Everything must be arranged strictly according to the training process! We still have a long way to go, and we must ensure the safety of food and ammunition."
The sudden rainstorm just now forced the advance group to stop their march, and the team temporarily rested on a high ground.
"Zhou! Let's not walk anymore today. Let's rest here for a day. We have been traveling for the past two weeks and the team's morale has declined a lot. We still need to ease the team's mood." Andre said to Zhou Wei.
Zhou Wei looked around. The rain had lessened a bit, but it was still falling. He didn't know when it would stop, so he nodded and said, "Mr. Andre, you are right. It was mainly because we were too tight on time. We chose the most inappropriate time to set out. We didn't expect the rainstorm here to be so heavy!"
Andre said with a smile: "Seeing this rain reminds me of the days on the European battlefield. At that time, I was still a new soldier. It was my first time to camp with the army. As a result, it suddenly rained heavily in the middle of the night. In order to march quickly, the temporary resting place was in a depression. As a result, the shelters we built were soaked in puddles. Many people in the army didn't even have dry clothes. The next day, they wore wet clothes to fight Napoleon's army."
Zhou Wei listened to Andre's story. Zhou Wei had seen Napoleon in textbooks. He was indeed a great hero. Andre actually participated in the anti-French war that year. But thinking about Andre, he was about the same age. Andre never said how old he was, but Zhou Wei inferred from Andre's appearance that he was at least fifty years old.
"Mr. Andre, your past is indeed very exciting!"
"Thank you for your compliment, Zhou. I was surprised by your performance. I went to elementary school and had never seen Qing people at that time. I only saw their appearance in the teacher's picture album. Our teacher said that Chinese people all had big braids, looked the same as men and women, liked to smoke opium, and always looked listless." Andre recalled.
"After I retired, I was hired by the Hei Xingen Company and came to East Africa. They transferred my salary to my family's bank account. It was my first time to travel across the ocean to such a faraway place, and it was also my first time to see Chinese people."
Andre continued, "When they first got off the ship, they did have braids and were malnourished, but the first rule of the colony was to cut off the braids and keep short hair. After removing the braids, they did look different, especially after changing into German military uniforms. Their spirits were improved. I saw that after cleaning, the Chinese looked more like the dark-haired Italians on the Mediterranean coast."
"But you Chinese soon changed my impression. In the early days of the East African colony, when we were in the first town, your hard work made me realize that the Italians could not compare to you because the Italians were too good at enjoying life. But at that time, I still thought that the Chinese could not compare to the Germans."
"Until I met you, Zhou, I completely changed my previous ideas. Your cultural knowledge and rigorous spirit made me realize that there is no need to compare the Chinese. They are as good as us Germans. You know, some of my former comrades, including the French and British I met, are very rude."
Andre then expressed his own thoughts: "You Chinese are just like us Prussians, born soldiers and the best farmers in the world."
Zhou Wei listened to Andre's words quietly and said, "Mr. Andre, I want to correct one thing first. I have obtained the citizenship certificate issued by the Hechingen government, so I am also a German. And I believe that these people will also be part of the German Empire in the future, because our principal, Mr. Ernst, said that no matter where you come from, as long as you are loyal to Germany and are willing to fight for it all your life, you are a real 'German'."
When Andre heard Zhou Wei's words, he laughed and said, "You are right, Zhou, I am narrow-minded."
…
It's getting dark.
In the makeshift camp, the members of the advance team who had been on the road for the past few days fell asleep peacefully. Even though it was raining outside, it did not disturb the sleeping team members at all.
The sentries were alert to the surroundings in the rainy night to prevent wild animals and other dangers from breaking in. Zhou Wei would come out to check on the guard from time to time. Everyone could sleep, but not Zhou Wei. As a person who had been educated at the Heixingen Military Academy, the education in the school always reminded him that a qualified soldier should remember to practice what he preached and do everything personally.
…
On the third day, the advance group, which had rested, set out again. The mud caused by rain made the march extremely difficult, but they moved forward unswervingly towards Lake Solon (Lake Tanganyika).
(End of this chapter)
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