Chapter 219: Road Blocked

To go to the Manchurian border station, one must pass through Ha City for transfer.

During the transfer at Ha City, we were already delayed by several hours, and before we had gone far beyond Ha City, we ran into this situation.

Lu Cheng was urgently called to the locomotive: "Liu, why have I heard that the road ahead is blocked, what's the reason?"

Liu Baoquan replied with an anxious face: "They say the blockage is caused by heavy snow."

Lu Cheng furrowed his brows: "Heavy snow again? Was the snowfall up ahead that severe? Why wasn't it cleared in time?"

The last time he was on duty with a train, he encountered a heavy‑snow blockage that delayed them by nearly a day; if this time the situation is equally severe, it will be hard to deliver the supplies on schedule.

When Lu Cheng assumed it was just too much snow, Liu Baoquan shook his head: "If it were just heavy snow, we could clear it in time, but this time it's an avalanche."

"Avalanche?"

Liu Baoquan took out a route map, pointed to a spot and said: "Look, right around here, there's a high mountain on one side; although the rail line is a bit farther away, this avalanche was so fierce that about a third of the falling snow piled onto the tracks, making the train unable to pass."

Lu Cheng's mind went blank; the snow carried down by the avalanche was far more than ordinary snowfall, meaning it's worse than the previous heavy‑snow blockage.

"How is the site being dealt with?"

Liu Baoquan replied: "The relevant Railway Branch has already sent people to start clearing, but because the accumulated snow is massive, so…"

Lu Cheng quickly took over: "So how long will it take before trains can run again?"

Liu Baoquan's shoulders slumped: "The fastest estimate is three days; if it's slower, four or five days is uncertain."

"Fastest is still three days?" Lu Cheng muttered, noting they have less than two days left.

If the supplies aren't safely delivered within two days, it means Lu Cheng fails the mission.

If the delay is short, they could explain to the Military District, but if it truly takes another four or five days, that would seriously postpone the military intelligence.

Seeing Lu Cheng's stern face, Liu Baoquan tried: "Group Leader Lu, what should we do next? Should we wait until we reach the next platform, stay there to rest, and then wait for news…?"

Lu Cheng extended his hand and interrupted: "No, keep moving forward; we must race against the clock now."

Liu Baoquan sighed helplessly: "It's not a matter of continuing forward now; this stretch has no issue, but once we hit the blocked zone, we can't get through."

"Group Leader Lu, I know you're diligent, but this is a natural disaster, no one can help it; tell the Military District later, they'll surely understand."

Lu Cheng lifted his head, his gaze resolute: "A natural disaster? These are military supplies; if it were wartime, not even a natural disaster—let alone relentless aerial bombing—would stop us from finding a way."

Liu Baoquan, of course, knew the principle "military orders are like mountains": "So what do you mean, Group Leader Lu?"

Lu Cheng took a shallow breath: "We'll have to trouble everyone a bit—drive the train to the blocked spot, stop, and we'll all get off to help clear the snow; an extra pair of hands always adds strength."

Liu Baoquan had no issue: "Group Leader Lu, this isn't hard at all; it's our duty. You're the person in charge—whatever you say, we'll do, following your command."

Lu Cheng nodded; the Jiwu Section now has eight people, plus his Train Police team of five, and five soldiers, totaling eighteen, which should speed up the snow‑clearing process.

Eighteen people can make a big difference; after the two discussed, Lu Cheng returned to the carriage and briefed everyone on the blockage and the need to clear snow.

Da Kui and his crew certainly had no objections; after all, this shipment is military supplies, and Wu Zhekun's team also had no objections.

Three hours later, they reached the blocked section; outside was ice and snow, the carriage doors were frozen shut, and they finally had to smash them open with a hammer.

When the carriage doors were pulled open, a blast of cold rushed in with the snowflakes.

"Everyone put on their cotton‑padded jackets and get off the train immediately."

The farther north they went, the colder it got; daytime temperatures were now below minus twenty degrees.

Having notified the Railway Bureau in advance, a few horse‑drawn carts arrived shortly after the train stopped.

A person in a thick military coat leapt from a cart, got off, and asked: "Which one of you is Group Leader Lu?"

Lu Cheng stepped forward: "Hello, I'm Lu Cheng; I contacted you in advance from the train."

Seeing Lu Cheng extend his hand, the man was surprised; after all, he's the person in charge of transporting military supplies, yet so young—Capital City truly hides dragons and crouching tigers.

Not daring to delay, he removed his cotton gloves, shook hands: "Hello Group Leader Lu, I'm the deputy bureau chief of this branch, surname Cheng, Cheng Jianhua."

"Director Cheng, what's the situation on the ground now?" Lu Cheng skipped small talk; understanding the current condition was the priority.

Fortunately, the Railway Branch deputy bureau chief Cheng Jianhua was a hands‑on person and immediately led Lu Cheng's group onto the cart.

"Group Leader Lu, we'll chat as we go; our unit's jeep can't get through, so you'll have to endure riding in a cart."

"Director Cheng, you're too kind."

The train stopped about two kilometers from the avalanche site.

Da Kui's crew and the Jiwu Section folks sat in the rear cart, while Lu Cheng, Liu Baoquan, and Cheng Jianhua sat in the front cart.

The cart was the kind pulled by a snow plow; the road was covered in deep snow, and only such a vehicle could traverse it.

Cheng Jianhua handed out a cigarette, then, while smoking, described the on‑site conditions.

"Group Leader Lu, Liu, the situation isn't optimistic; the snow accumulation is huge. Our bureau's comrades are already on site clearing, but given the volume, a preliminary estimate says it will be very hard to clear in less than four or five days."

Lu Cheng then asked: "Have you coordinated with other branches to send more manpower? We'll also help with the snow‑clearing."

Cheng Jianhua replied: "Notifications have been sent. You're transporting military supplies; I know it's not a small matter. Personnel from several branches along the line are already on the way and will arrive within an hour or two."

After hearing Cheng Jianhua's words, Lu Cheng finally relaxed; with so many people joining the snow‑clearing, it shouldn't take long.

But as the cart approached the site, Lu Cheng leapt down, and upon seeing the scene, couldn't help inhaling a gasp of cold air.

On distant mountains, the avalanche's scar remained stark and alarming.

The snow piled on the tracks stretched for over ten kilometers.

Lu Cheng and Liu Baoquan exchanged a glance; large snow‑removal machines couldn't get in, and relying solely on manpower, clearing that much snow in four or five days was overly optimistic.