Chapter 733: The Arrest Operation Begins!
On the gravel road leading from the county seat to Nianzishan Village, a convoy consisting of five jeeps and five three-wheeled motorcycles with side-dump beds was speeding along.
Inside the vehicles, Li Gang looked tense and anxious, glancing at his wristwatch from time to time.
At the same time, he urged Zhang Ziqiang, who was driving up front, “Bro, hurry up! Don’t let those bastards get away!”
Li Yi immediately replied, “We’re already going as fast as we can. Any faster and we might flip the car—don’t forget it just snowed heavily on the road!”
“Ah, I’m just worried. If those guys get away with it, it’ll be a disgrace to the entire public security system of our North Province!” Li Gang said.
“Don’t worry, those guys aren’t that fast!”
Li Yi continued, “It’s freezing out here—every inch they dig is a struggle. Plus, they can’t operate in broad daylight, so they can’t be moving that fast!”
“But we don’t know how long those dirt rats have been digging. If they started a while ago, maybe…”
“Don’t worry. They haven’t dug up much soil. I’d guess they’ve dug no more than six or seven feet deep. Normally, ancient tombs aren’t buried that shallow!” Li Yi said.
“You’re right!”
Just then, Li Yi suddenly asked, “By the way, back in town, you said you were originally going to look for me. What did you mean by that?”
“Look at me—I got so flustered I completely forgot about it!”
Li Gang continued, “I got a call from your sister this afternoon. She asked you to call her back when you had a chance. I was actually planning to come find you this afternoon, but there was an emergency meeting at the county office. By the time it ended, it was already past seven in the evening, so I decided to come to the village to find you tomorrow morning. I never expected you to show up in the middle of the night!”
“Did my sister say what it was about?” Li Yi asked.
“No, she didn’t, but she sounded pretty urgent!”
“Alright, I got it. I’ll call her back once I’ve taken care of this,” Li Yi said.
“Alright!”
Just then, Zhang Ziqiang, who was driving up front, suddenly said, “Brother Yi, Team Leader Li, we’re almost at the village!”
Li Yi looked out the car window and sure enough, saw scattered lights in the distance—it was Nianzishan Village.
Seeing that the village was relatively quiet, Li Yi immediately breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Don’t stop now. Hurry into the village, and turn off the headlights as soon as we’re inside!”
“Roger that!”
Zhang Ziqiang then slammed his foot on the gas pedal, and the car sped ahead, racing toward the village…
………
Nianzishan Village!
It was late at night, yet the village was far from quiet. In winter, no one likes to be out and about, so most villagers had long since gone to bed—many had even woken up from their first sleep.
But just half an hour ago, village officials suddenly began going door to door, knocking on every house and ordering the young and able-bodied men to get up immediately and assemble.
Fortunately, everyone knew something must have happened, so they didn’t ask many questions and got up one after another.
It must be said that the people’s obedience in those days was truly remarkable—unlike in later times, when the government had to explain every action clearly to the public, or else very few would be willing to cooperate.
And so, this sudden turn of events shattered the tranquility of Nianzishan Village!
Under the orders of Village Party Secretary Feng Kai and Brigade Commander Zhang Tongfu, the village militia company quickly assembled, while the rest of the able-bodied men stood by on high alert.
At the same time, the village armory—which had been sealed away for several years—was opened once more, and long guns were distributed to the men.
Before long, a force of over a hundred men had assembled.
The scene—with its militia and arsenal—might sound a bit exaggerated, but it was perfectly normal in those days.
It must be understood that in those days, to prepare for crises that could arise at any moment, the higher-ups strictly enforced the strategy of “hiding soldiers among the people”—a policy that could almost be described as “everyone is a soldier.”
Consequently, most villages in those days had militia organizations and their own armories.
Nianzi Mountain Village’s armory was located right next to the village committee office—a reinforced mud-brick building housing over a hundred old-style rifles and a small number of semi-automatic rifles, all outdated equipment phased out by the regular army.
Although their firepower was mediocre, they were more than sufficient for the militia’s daily training.
In fact, it wasn’t just Nianzi Mountain Village that had a militia and an armory; most villages did. Every year during the off-season, the village would organize intensive training for the militia, which could last as long as a month or as short as a week or two.
Every year or two, the county even organizes large-scale militia competitions, and Nianzishan Village consistently achieves strong results in these county-wide events—after all, the village Party branch secretary, Feng Kai, is a veteran who has seen combat.
However, with the domestic and international situation having remained stable in recent years, and the village busy with agricultural production, militia training had fallen somewhat by the wayside.
Even so, the results of years of rigorous training remained.
At a single command, the militia company was mobilized!
To prevent armed intruders from the woods on the back mountain from entering the village, Feng Kai personally took charge, arranging for the militia to set up patrols throughout the village while awaiting the arrival of the police!
Just past four in the morning, as several points of light gradually approached the village, the villagers’ hearts, which had been in their throats, finally relaxed.
It must be the police—after all, in these times, most people who could afford a car were government officials. While there were certainly a few like Li Yi who’d earned their own through hard work, they were few and far between.
Soon, the convoy arrived at the entrance to Nianzishan Village!
Immediately, several police officers stepped out of the lead jeep, and to everyone’s surprise, Li Gang was at the front.
Immediately afterward, the doors of the Jeeps and military trucks behind opened, and dozens of police officers, fully armed, leaped out in a flash.
Li Yi also got out of the car and walked over to Feng Kai alongside Li Gang.
“Uncle Feng, what’s the situation? Did those guys give chase?”
Feng Kai replied immediately, “No. I had Da Lei lead a platoon of militia to set up defenses behind the village. There’s been no movement over there so far!”
Li Yi nodded, then turned to Li Gang and said, “It’s up to you guys now!”
Li Gang replied immediately, “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure not a single one of those bastards gets away!”
Just then, Zhang Ziqiang, standing nearby, said to Li Gang, “Captain Li, I’ve observed those men. They’re highly alert—they’ve even posted lookouts. You can tell at a glance they’re hardened criminals.”
“Plus, they’re armed, and they’re involved in capital offenses. These guys aren’t going to surrender without a fight. So I suggest you split into three groups and approach them from three different directions in the woods simultaneously to surround and capture them. That’s the only way to make sure none of them slip through the net!”
No sooner had he finished speaking than Li Gang replied, “But we’re not very familiar with the terrain in the woods. Could you find a few comrades to guide us?”
No sooner had he spoken than Yongzi and Xiaogouwa stepped forward from the side and said, “We’re willing to lead the way!”
Then Feng Kai spoke up: “Officers, our village’s militia has also assembled and is ready to assist you in your operation!”
“Good. Then let’s discuss the upcoming arrest operation. We must ensure that not a single person escapes, while also doing our best to avoid casualties!” said Li Gang.
“Agreed!”
The group then crouched in the snow at the village entrance to discuss the arrest plan.
First, Yongzi and Xiaogouwa gave a brief overview of the terrain around the General’s Tomb. Then, Li Gang and Feng Kai outlined the troop strength and firepower on both sides.
After sorting out these details, Li Gang quickly devised an arrest plan based on their previous experience in apprehending criminals.
The plan was then refined by Feng Kai, Zhang Ziqiang, and others, and preparations began accordingly.
At 4:30 a.m., more than 160 public security officers and militia split into three groups and charged into the dense forest on the back mountain from three different directions, launching an operation to apprehend the suspected tomb raiders…
……….
PS: I was in the middle of writing this when the power and water suddenly went out in the neighborhood. My computer is about to run out of battery—what a headache!
Hope the power comes back soon, or today’s work is ruined!