Chapter 10 taboo day

(Written on September 12, 1936, see diary on December 23, 1934) Probably the border between Guizhou and Guangxi, where is the middle of the minority area - the Miao area.Surrounded by such tall mountains, there are few villages along the way. It is indeed a "vast land and sparsely populated" realm, especially those Miao people who have never seen an army. , which added to many difficulties in our march. In order to reach the new area in a hurry, I have been marching for two days, and I will do it again tomorrow. Climbing up and down the mountain and crossing the peak, I walked only sixty or seventy miles in a day, and I didn't reach the campsite.Although it is dark, hungry, legs are sore, and spirit is exhausted, we still continue to move forward to the camp; otherwise, we will stop on the mountain and have no house and no food. Not only will we have to camp, but we will also go hungry. There is simply no way to cook it.

It was late at night, and the crooked moon had already reached the zenith, and we began to arrive at the scheduled campsite (not to mention the campsite).The entire directly-affiliated army had only a dozen or so houses, so it was only enough for cooking. The team camped in the rice field on the other side of the river in the village, and some sick and weak comrades and cooks entered the house. Camping is something we often do, especially in this hot weather, it is everyone's pleasure.There, the straw mats are placed on the ground, and the umbrellas are propped on it. It doesn't feel hot, it doesn't feel like mosquitoes suck, and it doesn't even touch the dew. It's really a good place to sleep.

Sleeping until dawn, when I was sitting and eating, the headquarters suddenly sent a report, saying that on the way today, because of the deep mountains and dense forests, there is sometimes miasma, and the water is poisonous. It is forbidden to drink cold water on the way to avoid poisoning. First send personnel to boil water on the way, and bring boiling water before departure.As a result, everyone felt very strange and dubious. "What exactly is miasma? Why have you climbed larger mountains and walked through denser forests in the past, but never heard that there is miasma on the mountain and the water is poisonous?" "Or it is caused by the lack of air circulation in the deep mountains and dense forests" , "Could it be that the water came from a poisonous place?"... Various conjectures were shouted or thought among everyone.However, everyone believes that the notification from the headquarters is well-founded. Although many comrades don't believe it and are baffled, they have to find a way to deal with it. Otherwise, if they are really poisoned, it will be very dangerous in these places. .

The person in charge of each unit has been conveyed separately.Every soldier was very surprised when he heard it, but everyone was afraid that it was true, so everyone scrambled to use pots and gourds (a kind of gourd special in Guizhou, which is shaped like a gourd) to remove the flesh and seeds. for the kettle) filled with boiling water.Many comrades who are used to drinking cold water and never bring boiled water also brought them.After the boiling water is over, bring a pot of cold water in the river, because the water in this river is not yet taboo. The mountains are getting higher and higher, the weather is getting hotter and hotter, and everyone is sweating.At this time, it is impossible not to drink water, but the water I brought is only one pot, and I dare not drink the water on the road. It is still so far away (thirty miles) from the place where I rest and boil water, and my mouth is so dry. The only way is to start drinking the water that I brought.But today is different.If it was not enough to drink a pot once in such a hot day, but today you can only drink one or two sips, and it is enough to moisten the mouth a little. It is more precious than drinking ginseng soup.Some comrades think, "We haven't reached the poisonous place yet!" They want to drink some water on the road early and keep what they bring, but who will allow you to do so?Who told you to drink water poisoning?Before the bowl is untied, everyone is already clamoring to stop you, so you have to be patient for a while, not daring to take risks.

When going up the mountain to the highest point, the sun is at its peak, and it is the time when the weather is the hottest, and it is also the time when the sweat is the biggest and the mouth is the most thirsty.Who can resist drinking water?One sip didn't even wet the mouth, so many comrades couldn't help drinking one after another, and drank it all after a few times. However, the mountain was still climbing like that, the weather was still so hot, and the mouth was still so thirsty. I am the one who believes the most. I am afraid that I will be poisoned and thirsty, so I moisten my mouth with water, or think of some way to lie to myself: "It is not far to reach the place where you can rest and drink boiled water. Be patient." "Before There are red bayberries on the mountain, and eating red bayberries can quench your thirst," etc.Although this is a psychological solution, it has some effect, especially when thinking of red bayberry, the saliva comes out, which can be perfunctory for a while, and I only drink the boiled water when I have to, so I went to the resting place , There is still boiling water in the gourd.

We just went down to the middle of the mountain and found a cool spring, which really made everyone sad.drink?I'm afraid I've been poisoned, what should I do if I can't walk on this mountain?How about being poisoned?Don't drink?My mouth is so thirsty that I don't even have saliva left.The determination at this time is really more difficult than the determination of the senior commander to fight a big battle. Some "brave" comrades don't care about him, just take off the bowl and drink it.Comrades who are more "hesitant" will follow suit, but drink less.Those "wavering" comrades saw them drinking, and said "probably not poisonous" while drinking, or untied the bowl, walked to others to stop it and turned it back, or rinsed their mouths with water and that's all.This is a group of people.The other batch is "resolute".The most "resolute" thing is to resolutely oppose their drinking, stop them, and stop them.Those who are more "resolute" don't drink by themselves, but continue to move forward patiently.As for the comrades who are responsible for leadership, on the one hand they are more "resolute" and on the other hand they want to lead by example to manage their comrades, so most of them dare not drink, but only stop other comrades, and they still endure it.

There are still a few small houses in the mountains, and I rest on the spot.In the house, under the shade of the trees, tired and thirsty people were crowded everywhere, and there were also camping pots that were burning hotly in front of and behind the house.When the boiled water was delivered, everyone was like a hungry ghost picking up steamed buns. They were not afraid of heat or burning, and drank it immediately.Even some comrades drank too much, and their tongues were burned. They drank bowl after bowl, as if they didn’t drink on the way, and they had to replenish here, and they had to prepare for tomorrow’s water.

When I was drinking happily, I suddenly heard a comrade from the storage team say: "A soldier in a certain regiment drank water and his stomach was very distended. It took a few hours for him to recover." The comrades in the water were both surprised and happy. They were surprised that they might also be poisoned, but they were happy that they drank the water and found that they were all right, probably not a problem.After lunch, we continued to move forward, but we still camped in the rice fields until late at night, but today—a dangerous day, a taboo day, has passed, and the comrades who drank water are still safe and sound.

What exactly this rumor is today is still inexplicable!