Chapter 452: Depart on Time

Ma Dagang divided the platoon he brought into batches, directing them to each carriage, and began helping to move military supplies.

Then he leapt onto a carriage already loaded with supplies; Ma Dagang, like Lu Cheng earlier, touched the left side, patted the right, and was clearly very excited.

"Great, with these weapons we can give the White-eyed Wolf a good lesson."

Lu Cheng, wanting to inquire about the Frontline situation, deliberately said, "At this rate, it really looks like a fight is coming."

Ma Dagang nodded and said, "Now the monkeys keep provoking the Border Frontline, encroaching on our territory; that is an absolutely intolerable red line. It is said a unit even penetrated several kilometers into the Border Frontline—that's blatant provocation. Not fighting is definitely not an option."

"Of course, whether we fight and to what extent depends on higher orders, but we must be ready to fight at any moment; once we fight, we must win, inflict pain, and subdue the enemy."

Ma Dagang gestured emphatically as he spoke, full of vigor.

People of this era fear no war; though poor, they all firmly believe that if we don't fight now, we'll leave it to future generations, and it's better to fight early than later.

It is precisely this spirit of brave, self‑sacrificing ancestors that has secured rapid development opportunities for later generations.

As the logistics transport commander, Lu Cheng feels a natural sense of pride in taking part in this historic moment.

The more detailed Frontline situation, Ma Dagang admits, he does not know well; what he knows comes only from internal reports.

After Ma Dagang busied himself arranging the material handling, they chatted briefly, and Lu Cheng went to the Jiwu Section to inspect, ensuring a timely departure.

The locomotive driver is Liu Baoquan; the last time a military‑supply convoy went on the northern line, Lu Cheng had worked with this veteran driver, whose piloting skills are among the best in the country.

"Master Liu, how are the preparations here? Tonight at twelve, can we depart on schedule?"

Liu Baoquan was squatting in front of the locomotive, directing a few mechanics to replace parts; hearing Lu Cheng's voice, he stood up, took out his watch, checked the time, and said,

"Don't worry, Lu Jingzhang, there are still eight hours until departure; we only need to replace a few old parts here, it will definitely not delay the departure."

Liu Baoquan, who frequently handles military‑supply transport, is well‑versed in the principle that time is life.

"Then it's a favor to you, Master Liu; with you here, I feel much more at ease."

Transporting military supplies is not like carrying passengers; when a Passenger Train encounters a situation on the road, it can stop temporarily, and delays are common.

But transporting military supplies tolerates no contingencies; even if knives fall from the sky or planes bomb incessantly, it must arrive on time.

Otherwise it would delay military intelligence and lead to execution by firing squad.

Therefore, having someone as experienced as Master Liu on board is extremely important.

Liu Baoquan laughed, "No, no, with Lu Jingzhang as the person in charge, I'm truly at ease."

Although Lu Cheng is very young, Liu Baoquan would not speak so politely to a raw youngster.

But Liu Baoquan has seen Lu Cheng's abilities with his own eyes.

Like the last time a snow‑avalanche blocked the road—a sudden natural disaster that even he could not handle—when it seemed impossible to deliver the military supplies on time, Lu Cheng found a way, mobilizing over a hundred people to solve the problem.

This young man never shies away from trouble, and Liu Baoquan greatly admires him.

"Lu Jingzhang, I heard you were promoted to a senior rank; you're impressive for your age."

"Just a promotion to senior rank, why make such a fuss?"

"Sigh, compared to you, an eighth‑grade worker, I'm still far behind," Liu Baoquan disagreed, saying, "You have Administrative Treatment, which is different from me; even a one‑rank promotion makes your words carry weight."

"If I recall correctly, among the captains at Beijing Station, besides Ding Jingzhang who is senior, you're the second; and you're still so young—there will be plenty of opportunities ahead."

Liu Baoquan's remark was not wrong; a higher rank can crush people. Though they're all captains, a senior captain has the authority to reassign other deputy‑rank captains.

Deputy captains Deng Hairong and Jiang Yuanchao, who also rose through assessment, were depressed for several days after learning of Lu Cheng's promotion to senior rank.

After all the supplies were loaded, at midnight the train departed on schedule.

With Railway Troops on board, Lu Cheng did not bring any team members; the train line he is responsible for still required a few of them to serve on the train.

Only after completing the military‑supply transport mission could he return to that train line and resume his duties as Train Police.

On the train, a platoon of Railway Troops was spread across three carriages; you could call them soldiers. Before boarding, they ate a midnight snack in the Beijing Station Cafeteria at a very fast pace.

Once on the train, under Ma Dagang's orders, they quickly entered a sleep state.

The strict military discipline meant that the sleepless Lu Cheng could not find anyone to play cards with to pass the idle time.

Lu Cheng could only walk along the carriages to the locomotive to chat with the Jiwu Section staff.

Because this journey was long, Liu Baoquan brought three assistant drivers, plus a fire‑box worker, an electrician, a mechanic, and others, totaling over a dozen people.

As long as the train encounters any problem, they ensure it is resolved immediately, without wasting time.

"Master Liu, is there anything I can help with?"

Liu Baoquan was communicating with the fire‑box worker; hearing Lu Cheng's voice, he walked over.

"Lu Jingzhang is here; everything on my side is normal. You can rest, and I'll inform you of any situation."

Lu Cheng simply couldn't sleep; as soon as he stepped onto the train, his circadian rhythm was thrown off.

"No, Master Liu, just give me any task; otherwise I won't be able to sleep and can at least chat with you all here."

Liu Baoquan, helplessly, smiled and asked, "Dirty work okay? Shovel over a pile of coal from the store."

Since it mainly involves technical train‑operation jobs, Lu Cheng cannot do it.

Lu Cheng rolled up his sleeve and immediately grabbed a shovel, saying, "It's tough, you know. I was a poor student as a child; as I grew a bit older I kept wondering what job I could do. Do you know what my father said?"

Liu Baoquan smiled and shook his head.

Lu Cheng stood there and said, "He said, with a guy like you, you'll end up doing physical labor like shoveling coal or mining. Look, my dad was right; I'm shoveling coal right now."

The remarks made several people burst into hearty laughter, lightening the atmosphere considerably.

After all, this transport differs from previous shipments of military daily supplies; this time it's weapons for war, and a clash is truly possible—if a shell lands, the whole train could be blown up.

Therefore, at the outset everyone was very nervous, fearing that a mission mishap could cost lives.

Liu Baoquan feels at ease here; as long as Lu Cheng is present, the atmosphere along the route remains relaxed.

"Lu Jingzhang, you're the first coal‑shoveling captain! The other captains all find the locomotive dirty and would rather stay far away."

While shoveling coal, Lu Cheng casually said, "Your work environment is indeed a bit dirty, but that's fine; the Iron Science Institute is currently developing an Internal Combustion Engine, and soon we can say goodbye to these traditional old‑style boilers…"

Lu Cheng was immersed in the imagined success of Internal Combustion Engine Development when,

it seemed he had some comment about equipping the train with an Internal Combustion Engine.