Lin Yiqing was wandering in the wonderful snowy scenery of the Tianshan Mountains when an officer hurriedly walked over and delivered a battle report. Pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info

Just today, Yuan Weiting, Wang Shizhen, and Feng Guozhang's three-way cadres have successfully joined forces in Kashgar, the last main force of the rebels has been completely annihilated, and the rebel leaders Ustman and Bai Yanbiao have been captured alive and are now being relieved to Urumqi.

And another news in the battle report somewhat surprised Lin Yiqing.

After the city of Kashgar was recovered by the cadres, most of the rebels were annihilated, but about 1,000 rebels fled to the Russian border, and the cadres failed to pursue them, but soon after, the Russian side sent people to inform them that the Russian army had disarmed these rebels and was ready to hand them over to the Qianguo, and asked the cadres to send people to receive them.

According to the battle report, Yuan Weiting has personally led an army of 1,000 people to receive these rebel prisoners.

"The Russians suddenly changed their sex, but I still didn't expect it." Lin Yiqing quietly handed over the battle report to Zhao Erzhen, the secretary of the Ministry of Industry beside him.

"The Russians are deliberately showing favor to me," Zhao Erzhen laughed after reading the battle report, "Looking at the actions of the Russians, it seems that they are suspected of being thieves." ”

"They were thieves in the first place." Lin Yiqing smiled, "Don't think I don't know where those Kazakh gunners in the rebels came from. ”

"Russia is so anxious to show goodwill, presumably there will be actions in the capital, but we are far away now, and we don't know for the time being." Zhao Erzhen said, "I estimate that the Russians want to sign a peace treaty with us this time." ”

"Oh? How does Brother Tie Shan know? Lin Yiqing raised her eyebrows and asked.

"I think the Russians are doing this in order to grab time to build the railway." As Lin Yiqing's "road construction manager", Zhao Erzhen can say three sentences without leaving his bank, "This time, we took the opportunity of counterinsurgency to build the railway into the Western Regions, and it is impossible for the Russians not to be nervous." ”

"What Brother Tie Shan said is very true." Remembering that the Russians started the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway last year, Lin Yiqing couldn't help but nod his head again and again.

Over the years, under his covert promotion, the railway industry in Qianguo has grown explosively, and Russia is deeply disturbed by this, and has also devoted itself to the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway.

The Trans-Siberian Railway is of great strategic importance to the Russian Empire, once the entire line is opened, it will connect the European part of Russia with Northeast Asia with a population of 500 million, Russian goods and capital will find a huge export market, and the vast and resource-rich Siberia will be developed in the modern sense; Politically, it will connect the inhospitable hinterland of Russia with the distant frontiers, which can strengthen the encroachment on the Great Qian Empire; Militarily, it will certainly greatly facilitate the mobilization of Russian troops and enhance the military strength of the Far East with the Qianguo.

What Russia needs most now is time to build railways.

Now that the Qianguo railway has been built to the frontier and is approaching Central Asia, the Russians will undoubtedly be greatly nervous, and if the Siberian railway is not completed, it will be impossible for Russia to prepare for war, so it is very important to choose to maintain peace with the Qianguo. However, Qianguo put down the rebellion in Xinjiang in a short period of time, which made Russia's desire for "peace" even stronger.

"Oh no, the Russians will ask you to visit them." Zhao Erzhen seemed to have a premonition of something, and said, "If the imperial court invites you, Lin Hanpeng, you have to be careful." ”

"I understand." Lin Yiqing took a deep breath of the fresh air in the falling snow and looked straight at the mountain peaks in the distance.

Russia, Novosibirsk, railway site.

What did Jacob say last night? I can't really remember it all of a sudden. It seems like a very important thing. Alas, if only I hadn't been so sleepy at the time!

Abraham. Kovman stood on the parade ground. The prisoners had just finished their breakfast and were slowly queuing up. The so-called "breakfast" is nothing more than a black soup with a bitter taste. Thanks to the camp cooks, who called the soup "coffee." In order to catch up with the roll call, the prisoners lined up to gather while drinking this black soup.

Kovman didn't go get his share of the "coffee." He didn't want to squeeze in the crowd. For the sadists of the railway garrison, this small clearing in front of the kitchen is an ideal hunting ground. As a rule, they always hide in huts. When the need arises, they rush to the helpless prisoners like eagles pounced. There are such victims every day, and it has become a fixture.

Without saying a word, everyone lined up and waited for the roll call. Such occasions are inevitably surrounded by dangers. Now, however, Kovman has no heart to consider these dangers. He was lost in his memories and tried to remember the conversation he had last night.

Oh, remember!

Late at night, it was pitch black. They lay in bed. There were moans everywhere, whispers. Occasionally, someone would roll over, crushing the plank bed. In the darkness, it is impossible to distinguish whose face is who. However, as soon as you listen to the voice, you will naturally know who it is. During the day, two of them went back to the living quarters. It was the Sentinel who gave them permission to go. Will the Sentinel give them permission to go? What an unconscionable idea. What would a prisoner take to bribe the sentry chief?

Now, these two men are telling everyone what they have seen.

Jacob squeezed into the crowd as hard as he could, trying to get as close as possible to the two men, lest he miss a word. They brought back news from outside. He was so sleepy, hazy, and he didn't seem to be listening.

People in the settlements were able to hear a great deal of information, and those of them in the camps could only learn about a small part of it from them. Those who went out to work during the day brought back very little news. Occasionally, though, you can hear something from the conversations of Poles or Ukrainians. What you hear may be facts, or it may be rumors. Sometimes, people on the street, out of sympathy, will whisper a few words to them, pass on a little news, and comfort them.

Good news is rarely heard. Even if they hear it, some people will doubt its authenticity, thinking that it is nothing more than a self-consoling thought. On the contrary, as long as it is bad news, they will always accept it without thinking; They've long been accustomed to receiving messages like this. The bad news, one after the other, is more shocking than the other. Today's news is worse than yesterday's, and tomorrow's news is worse than today's.

The air inside the hut was suffocating. After a day's work, my undershirt was soaked. At night, everyone went to bed together in these wet sweatshirts. Most people were so sleepy that they didn't even have time to take off their boots before they fell asleep. Someone screamed from time to time at night, probably because of a nightmare, or because the neighbor bed kicked him. The cottage turned out to be a stable, and the skylight was half the size of a normal room. The high and low beds were densely packed with more than 150 people, and there was not enough air at all.

Although people speak different languages, they are usually divided into different social classes: the educated and the illiterate; religious and agnostic; the zealous and the selfish; The brave and the dull. Now, a common fate has leveled them all. However, they inevitably have to divide into some small groups, small circles. On other occasions, they may be strangers, but here, they come together.

The circle to which Kovman belonged included his old friend Jacob and a Jew named Jimini. He's just been sent in. They were his closest companions. Jimini is sensitive, but strong. The conditions of the barracks, including the ridicule and ridicule of others, were a disservice to his faith, but it did not shake his convictions. Kovman had nothing but envy for him. He has a definite view of everything, and the rest of them simply cling to some explanations in vain, often falling into despair. He was in a calm mood, which sometimes made them feel uneasy. Jacob is always cynical about life, so Jimini's calmness will only irritate him. He even made fun of Jimini in a different way and lost his temper at Jimini.

Kovman half-jokingly refers to Jimini as a "rabbi." He was certainly not a "rabbi", he turned out to be a businessman. But faith permeated his life. He knew he was superior to them. They are all poor in faith. He is willing to share his wisdom and faith with them at any time, and he is willing to share his divine power with them.

But what comfort does it give them to know that they were not the first Jews to suffer? Jimini always told them stories and anecdotes, proving to them that every human being was destined to suffer from the day he was born. What comfort does this give them?

As soon as Jiminy spoke, he completely forgot (and ignored) where he was. According to them, he was not aware of his position at all. At one point, they almost quarreled over it.

It was a Sunday night. They stopped their work at noon and lay down on their bunks to rest. Someone is talking about what they heard. Of course, the news, as usual, was frustrating. Jimini didn't seem to be listening to anyone else and didn't ask any questions. Suddenly, he sat up, his face glowing. He began to speak.

"Our scholars say that when God created man, there were four angels who stood there as the righteous parents of mankind. These four angels are mercy, truth, peace, and justice. They were at loggerheads about whether God should have created man. The fiercest opposition is the Angel of Truth. God was annoyed. As punishment, God exiled the Angel of Truth to earth. The rest of the angels pleaded with God to forgive him. Eventually, God listened to the three angels and summoned the Angel of Truth back to heaven. Because of his exile from heaven to earth, the Truth Angel shed a lot of tears, and a large piece of dirt accumulated in his tears. It was the use of the large piece of dirt brought back by the angel of truth that God created man. ”

Enraged, Jacob, a cynic, interrupted Jimini.

"Jimini," he said, "I can believe that God created the Jews out of this tear-soaked soil, but do you also want me to believe that God made our concentration camp commander Gonchanov out of the same piece of material?" ”

"You forgot Cain." Jimini argued.

"You forgot where you were. In a fit of rage, Cain killed Abel, but he did not torture him. Cain and his brother had a personal connection. However, in the eyes of their murderers, they are nothing more than strangers. ”

Kovman understood that Jimini was hurt. To avoid an argument, he joined the conversation.

"Jacob," said Komman, "you forget that you have evolved for thousands of years, and you know that man has progressed. ”

They both just smiled wryly - the cliché now makes no sense.

But Jacob's question is not entirely unreasonable. Are they really all made of the same material? If so, why did some people become murderers and others victims? Is there a personal connection between the murderer and the victim, between the battalion officer Gonchanov and the tortured Jews?

Last night, Kovman had been lying on the bunk as if he were asleep. His back was wounded, and he was a little dizzy.

Jacob suddenly grabbed him by the shoulder and shook him.

"Abraham, are you listening?" He shouted.

"Well," Kovman muttered, "I'm listening." ”

"I want you to pricked up your ears and listen. You squinted, I thought you were asleep. You should have heard what the old woman said. ”

"Which old woman?" He asked, "What can she say?" Does she know when we'll be able to get out? Or do you know when they're going to kill us? ”

No one can answer these questions. But she touched on something else. They should perhaps think about these issues in a timely manner, as she did. In her mind, God was gone. Jacob paused for a moment to get Komman to understand every word he said. What do you think, Abraham? He asked, "God has departed from us." ”

"Let me sleep," said Kofman, "and please let me know when God returns." ”

For the first time since they moved into the stables, he heard his friend's laughter. Was he just dreaming?

They are still waiting to be listed. Apparently there were some obstacles in the queue. So he still had time to ask Jacob if he was dreaming, or if he had actually talked.

"Jacob," he asked, "what did we talk about last night?" Talked about God? Speaking of 'God has departed from us'? ”

"Jimini went to the residential area yesterday. He inquired about an old woman, who looked up at the sky and said very solemnly, 'Oh Almighty God, please do not leave.' Come back, come back and see your land. ’”

"Look, that's the news? Do we live in a world that has been abandoned by God? Kofman concluded.

He had known Jacob for years. From the time he became a young architect, Jacof became his senior counselor and friend. The two of them are like a pair of brothers. He used to be a lawyer and a writer, and he always had a mocking smile on his lips. Kovman gradually became fatalistic, feeling that he could no longer build houses, and that it was no longer possible for people to live in them freely and happily. In the concentration camps, their ideas were always at odds. Living in another world, Jacob thinks ahead of time what is unlikely to happen even years later. Yes, he did not think they would survive, but he was adamant that the Russians would not escape punishment after all. They may have succeeded in killing them and thousands of other innocent people, but they themselves will eventually be destroyed by it.

Kovman lived more in reality: tasting hunger, exhaustion, worry about his family, humiliation...... Especially humiliation.

There is a book that says that man's firm faith is unshakable. If he had ever believed this, life in the concentration camp would have changed his mind completely. In this place, the daily events repeatedly "prove" that a person is no longer a person. In a world where people are no longer treated as human beings, nothing can be believed. So man began to doubt and no longer believe in the order of the world, in God's definite place in the world. They really begin to think that God is gone. Otherwise, this would not be the case. God must be gone. And he didn't leave a proxy either.

The old woman's words did not surprise Kovman at all, she merely stated what he had assumed.

They went back to the camp for another week. A new round of "registration" was carried out at the camps working on the Eastern Railway Line. Registration contains new dangers that are unimaginable to those who live in a normal state. The more often they register them, the fewer they become. In the language of the railway garrison, registration is more than just inventory. It also means something else, the redistribution of labor, the selection of people who no longer have the actual ability to work, and throwing them out - usually throwing them into a pit and burying them directly. Based on their limited personal experience, they cannot believe words that may sound harmless on paper. The Russians never had the intention of harmless to them. They are suspicious of everything. They have good reason to be suspicious.

Not long ago, more than 200 of them were sent to work on the Eastern Railway Line. It wasn't easy to work there, but I didn't have to go back to the camp every night, and I felt a little freer. The rice was still brought from the concentration camps, so the taste was still the same. However, it was the railway police who were on guard, so they didn't have to worry about the railroad garrison patrolling the barracks.

In the eyes of the Russians, foremen and foremen were nothing more than second-class citizens. Minorities in the Russian Empire were treated better. But the Poles and Ukrainians formed a special class of people who were sandwiched between the Russians, who claimed to be superior peoples, and the lowly Jews. They would also shudder at the thought of if the Jews ceased to exist. By that time, the mad extermination machine was destined to drive at them. Of course, not all minorities are upset. Some of them, in order to get rid of their unease, try to pretend to be more like "Russians" than ordinary Russians. A few people, out of sympathy, would secretly stuff them with a few slices of bread from time to time, hoping that they would not die of exhaustion.

Among them was a drunkard named Nash, who was older and not so cruel to them. But as long as he didn't drink alcohol, he would beat the prisoners to pass the time. (To be continued.) )