Traveling through the Hengduan Mountains, the most difficult part was actually the journey itself. Dangers were not encountered frequently, at most, it was harassment from mutated beasts or attacks from numerous mutated insects. These attacks were not much of a threat to the army, as they could be easily defended against.
The terrain in the Hengduan Mountains was very steep, and this region had been a poverty-stricken area since ancient times. Apart from those who could not survive and fled here to hide, basically no one would choose to come to this area because it was very difficult to enter and exit. Therefore, as long as they hid here, they could avoid government taxes.
Crossing the Jinsha River was not too difficult, as there were bridges in many places. These bridges had withstood the test of time. Although more than ten years had passed since the doomsday, they had not collapsed. So, people crossed these bridges. However, when they reached the Lancang River, they encountered a problem.
Bridges over the Lancang River were few and far between, and many had very wide spans. After years of erosion, these bridges were already in a state of decay, and many had fallen into the river.
Moreover, everyone was carrying a lot of heavy supplies, which could not be easily discarded. To defeat the insects, sufficient weapons were needed, and ordinary weapons were generally ineffective against insects. Only weapons with poison could kill them.
The simplest weapons were actually these poison gases stored in high-pressure cylinders, but each use required a long storage time before it could be used again.
Injecting poison gas into the high-pressure cylinders also required special machinery. This machine was very large and could only be lifted by more than ten people. It was very difficult to transport while on the move, but no one dared to discard these items.
Many young recruits, upon encountering this situation, began to complain incessantly: "I thought that after joining the army, we would face tests of life and death, but I didn't expect that we would completely become coolies. Not to mention traveling on the plateau every day, we also have to carry heavy machinery!"
Originally, many roads had already been built in the Hengduan Mountains region. However, in the doomsday, after more than ten years, many roads lost their maintenance personnel and eventually collapsed. These places were already quite broken, and once there was heavy rain, landslides would occur, and roads being buried was a common occurrence.
So, everyone could only walk on the newly opened mountain paths, their feet developing many blisters, yet they still did not know how much further they had to go.
"Hold on a little longer, and you will enjoy blessings later, because then you will have enough money, and the City Lord never mistreats any of his subordinates!" At this time, some veterans in the army began to comfort them.
"Logically speaking, we new recruits have not undergone formal training, and now we are going to the battlefield. How can the City Lord be at ease?" a young soldier couldn't help but ask.
"Isn't it simple? Because those veterans have more important tasks, so they can't all come out. It's enough to have us veterans leading you now. Anyway, when it comes to shooting, even a child can learn it after practicing for a couple of days. Fighting in the mountains is not like fighting human armies on the battlefield, so there's no need for too many formations," the veteran explained.
"Didn't they say they would also bring many mercenaries? Why haven't the mercenaries appeared?" the young soldier continued to inquire.
"These mercenaries are not true soldiers, so it is difficult to gather them in a short period. However, it is estimated that they will also head south in the next two months, and then they will rendezvous with us in the more southern regions," the veteran explained.
"So that's how it is. I wonder how we will cross the Lancang River. The bridges over the river have all collapsed," the soldiers stood by the Lancang River, with steep cliffs on both sides. The original bridge here had already fallen into the river, and crossing this fierce river was not easy at all.
"We can probably rest for the next few days, because in this situation, the army must build a bridge to pass here, and this will take two or three days to accomplish," the veteran analyzed calmly.
"Finally, we can rest? If that's really the case, I want to sleep soundly!" the young soldier finally heard some good news.
Not long after, someone came to deliver an order: "Everyone, rest in place, set up tents in an orderly manner, and also start fires to cook. It is estimated that we will be delayed here for a few days."
So, when the soldiers heard this news, they finally breathed a long sigh of relief, because they finally had a chance to rest, and they felt that resting was too difficult. They threw their belongings aside and sat on the ground.
Shen Feng, with Chu Chaoyan, stood by the edge of the cliff and watched. The river here was very turbulent. Because of the cliffs on both sides, the river channel was very narrow. Thus, the river rushed down with great force, and anything that fell into it would immediately be washed away by the current.
"I didn't expect this situation to occur, so we can only rest for a while. During this time, it's best to set up a suspension bridge, and you can also inject new poison gas into the cylinders," Shen Feng said to Chu Chaoyan.
"I suddenly remembered something. Can't Yu Renshu control the water flow and cut off this great river so we can pass quickly?" Chu Chaoyan asked innocently.
"You're thinking too simply. This river is very famous. After it flows out of our country, it is renamed the Mekong River and supports the population of a country. It's impossible to cut off such a large river," Shen Feng said, shaking his head.
After hearing this answer, Chu Chaoyan frowned and thought for a moment, saying, "If we delay here, we will have to keep rushing. If those insects see that the situation is unfavorable and abandon their nests and flee, then we will have made a trip in vain."
In the recent period, the army had entered the vast mountains, and every day they encountered insect attacks, specifically parasitic fruit fly attacks. If people did not have a lot of protective gear, many of them would have been parasitized by the insects by now. However, even with excellent protection, some soldiers accidentally exposed their skin, and then the fruit flies would fly onto them to lay eggs, making them unable to move.
The attacks of these fruit flies were very tricky because after they laid eggs in the human body, the larvae would continue to develop, and the human body would become a source of energy.
It was very simple to kill these larvae, but if one tried to kill the larvae recklessly, they would end up killing the person as well. This was the disgusting nature of parasitic worms. It was not an easy task to get rid of them, unless one was willing to kill the host along with them.
"Don't worry, these insects are not that intelligent. They won't escape easily. Instead, they might keep harassing us. During this time, we just need to keep moving forward," Shen Feng seemed very relaxed about this concern, not taking it seriously at all.
Shen Feng was so confident that the insects would not escape for two reasons. Firstly, he understood the habits of insects. Most insects, after building their nests, would not abandon them easily unless the nests were no longer habitable. Then they would move.
The habits of these insects had not changed much even after mutation, so even if the insects discovered that the human army was approaching their nests, they would not escape, nor would they abandon their nests.
Secondly, the nervous systems of insects could not be compared to humans. Because the nervous systems of these insects were too simple, they could be easily controlled. At the same time, their rudimentary nervous systems did not allow them to provide complex thinking, nor could they cope with human strategies.
There were not many animals that could recognize human strategies. Even if animals saw through human plans, these animals were mostly primates, because only primate brains were sufficient to analyze human strategies.
Yu Renshu also came into play at this time. The scene of her leaping off the cliff stunned many soldiers around. Because these soldiers could not understand why such a beautiful woman would jump off a cliff, and when they looked into the Lancang River, they were surprised to find that Yu Renshu was now standing on the surface of the water and walking, not sinking.
"Are you all stunned? She is an ability user, how could she be drowned by the water? Hurry up and set up tents, don't be so surprised. She's just scouting the enemy situation," an old soldier had already seen this situation and said.
Yu Renshu walked continuously on the river surface. After observing the surrounding terrain, she confirmed that there were no terrifying animals around. However, when she looked into the Lancang River, she found many black fish in the water. These black fish were very cruel. Seeing humans appear on the water surface, they immediately pounced. They could even jump out of the water to attack humans directly.
"You're really looking for death. Do you think I'm a pushover?" When Yu Renshu saw the black fish in the water attacking her, she felt rare anger. After all, she was an ability user, how could she be killed by these small black fish?
So, in her anger, Yu Renshu began to use her abilities. Numerous streams of water converged, gradually forming a vortex. The vortex spun faster and faster, throwing all the black fish in the water out of the water, and finally landing on the edge of the cliff.
"Has Heaven opened its eyes? It actually sent us so much delicious fish meat at this time. It seems we will have a good meal tonight. I heard that this kind of black fish is very ferocious, but at the same time, its meat is also very delicious and is a great tonic," someone exclaimed with joy upon seeing the black fish falling from the sky.
But then someone explained the reason: "Look quickly, there's someone in the Lancang River. It's Madam Broken Arm. She's the one who sent this delicious fish meat. Hurry up and thank her!"
The title Madam Broken Arm was given by others. When people gave nicknames, they would first look at the appearance, determine the person's characteristics, and then give a corresponding title.
Yu Renshu's characteristic was that her right arm had been cut off, so she only had one arm left. This characteristic was so obvious that she was given the title Madam Broken Arm.
After coming ashore, Yu Renshu said to Shen Feng, "I plan to see if these bridges can be salvaged. If they can be salvaged, they can still be used. However, I just took a look, and these collapsed bridges in the Lancang River cannot be repaired. Next, we either have to build a pontoon bridge or a suspension bridge. There are no other choices."
"Thank you for your hard work. You two should go and rest quickly. The task of building the bridge will be handed over to us. If there is any danger, Lu Xian will also give a warning," Shen Feng quickly said to the two of them, not wanting to see his two beloved women exhausted.
But Yu Renshu stubbornly said, "Now is a good opportunity for me to make contributions. How can I go to rest? Besides, by the Lancang River, my abilities can be maximized, and I won't be a burden to you."