bookrandom Chapter 649: The Nanyang Heavenly Soldiers Are Coming, and the Siamese Family Is Saved
Chapter 649: The Nanyang Heavenly Soldiers Are Coming, and the Siamese Family Is Saved
"Dad, will we die here..." A young woman holding a baby looked at Song En with a crying voice.
The child in her arms cried non-stop because of hunger and discomfort, and the cry pierced everyone's heart like needles.
Several young and middle-aged men from the village squatted on one side, looking at the flood under their feet, their eyes full of confusion and helplessness.
Faced with this natural disaster, their strength seemed so insignificant.
Song En sighed inwardly.
If it were in the past, when Siam was still Siam, who could we rely on when faced with such a disaster?
Those gentlemen in Bangkok?
They only stayed in the magnificent palaces and government offices and didn't care about the lives of these remote mountain people.
In the end, the villagers still have to rely on themselves, and rely on a few conscientious local landlords to donate some porridge and rice, and just get through one day at a time.
It is very common to die of starvation or disease after a disaster.
just now……
The country is gone and has become the United States of Southeast Asia.
The radio says every day that we are all "Nanyang people" and we should unite and help each other.
But Nanyang is, after all, a country dominated by Chinese.
Do they...really care about the lives of us Siamese?
Song En was unsure.
He looked at the faces around him that were frightened, tired, and yet looking at him with a hint of expectation, and his throat seemed to be blocked by something.
It has been two days since the flood destroyed the home.
The little dry food they brought had long been eaten up, their clothes were wet and dry, dry and wet again, and they huddled together at night to keep warm by body temperature.
Wet, hungry, and cold.
How to do?
Am I really going to be trapped here to death?
Just when the feeling of despair was about to completely submerge this small hill like the surrounding flood, a low "thump thump" sound, different from the sound of wind and rain, came from far away.
"What's that sound?" A young man raised his head alertly.
Song En also looked intently.
In the distance, several green shadows appeared on the flood surface, cutting through the waves and rushing towards them!
As the distance got closer, we could see that they were several strange ships with no sails, black smoke coming out of the stern and the powerful roar of diesel engines.
There were many people wearing colorful clothes and hats of the same color standing on the boat, holding black "fire sticks" in their hands.
"He's a soldier, he's serving in the army." The sharp-eyed young man shouted.
As the boat got closer, we could see clearly that the men were wearing the jungle camouflage uniforms of the Nanyang Army.
At the bow, a Siamese man holding a tin trumpet was shouting loudly, his voice still clear amid the roar of the flood:
"Fellow villagers, don't be afraid. We are the Army of the United States of Southeast Asia and we are here to rescue you."
"Everyone is saved. Nanyang hasn't forgotten you."
"We are the Nanyang Heavenly Soldiers, here to take everyone to a safe place."
There was silence at first on the high ground, and then it erupted into ecstasy and crying of those who had survived the disaster.
"Did you hear that? They're here to save us!"
“The Nanyang soldiers…the Nanyang soldiers really came to rescue us!”
Song En felt his eyes warm up and he almost burst into tears.
He rubbed his eyes vigorously and called out to the villagers in Siamese: "Hurry up, pack up and get ready to board the ship. Follow the orders of the military commander."
The assault boat flexibly approached the edge of the high ground.
The soldiers jumped into the water and held the boat in the water, their movements quick and professional.
A young man who looked like an officer, with dark skin, sharp eyes but a gentle tone, shouted in Siamese with an accent:
"Old people, women and children go first. Don't be impatient. Take your time. We have enough boats and we are sure to take everyone away."
Under his command, women holding children and trembling elderly people were helped onto the boat first.
The whole process was orderly and there was no scramble.
Song En looked at this scene with mixed feelings in his heart.
-----
A temporary relief camp was set up on the outskirts of the town on higher ground that was not flooded.
Rows of green tents were set up on the open space.
Song En and the men, women, and children in his village were now sitting under the shade of the tents assigned to them, wrapped in thin blankets issued by the soldiers. Although they were still in a mess, they were at least safe for the time being.
The villagers who survived the disaster gathered together and talked in low voices, their tone full of disbelief.
"I never thought... that the officials from Nanyang would actually send troops to rescue us mountain people." An old lady with almost all her teeth falling out murmured, still tightly clutching the small piece of compressed biscuit she was given in her hand, reluctant to eat it.
"Yes, in the past, the Siamese officials came very diligently to collect taxes, but when the flood came, not a single one was to be seen."
A middle-aged man nearby said that one of his arms was injured by a piece of wood in the flood and has now been bandaged by the military medical officer.
"Those soldiers look really energetic and their movements are very agile."
A young girl named Ping from the village secretly watched the busy soldiers in the distance, blushing slightly, and whispered to the sister beside her:
"Look at that official. He's tall, with well-proportioned features..."
"Oh, you silly girl, you're still thinking about this at this time." Her sister pushed her away in annoyance, but she couldn't help but look at her a few more times.
Gratitude, happiness, and an indescribable sense of novelty permeated the villagers.
At this moment, someone's stomach growled very loudly.
Everyone was stunned at first, then they all smiled bitterly.
It was safe temporarily, but after two days of hunger, I was already feeling very uncomfortable.
Not far away, several Nanyang soldiers set up several large iron barrels and boiled water with the solid fuel they brought.
After the water boiled, they sprinkled in some white powder (water purification powder), broke up a lot of gray-green cardboard-like things (compressed biscuits) and threw them in. Then they opened a few tin cans and poured the contents in. Finally, they sprinkled some seasoning powder and stirred it with a large wooden stick.
A warm, salty aroma mixed with grains and seafood wafts over with the steam, making people feel like there are worms crawling in their stomachs.
Song En swallowed his saliva and thought to himself:
Is this the Nanyang Heavenly Soldiers' own food? It smells so good...
Unfortunately, it is military rations.
I hope the flood will recede soon so I can go back and see if I can find something edible in the fields or at home.
Just be patient for the next few days. It's already a huge favor that they rescued us, and we can't ask for anything more.
Just as he was thinking about it, he saw the young platoon leader who had just commanded the boarding, along with several soldiers, carrying two steaming iron barrels, walking straight towards their tent area.
The Siamese translator followed him.
The translator said excitedly:
"Fellow villagers, dinner is ready!
The soldiers from Nanyang shared their own rations and cooked hot porridge for us.
Everyone line up, everyone has a share."