Chapter 24 Chapter 23 Mysterious Star Stack

1 My educated youth friend Zeng Yan has lived in the Golden Triangle for 12 years. If we distinguish it, she taught and wrote in Maesle for seven years, she was full of stars for two years, and she wandered around the Golden Triangle for three years.During this period, she was detained by the immigration bureau many times, got married once, gave birth to two children, lost a husband, and published (published) six novels.And my friend Jiao Kun, another educated youth who is underappreciated, still lives in the Golden Triangle. He left the country in 1969 to join the guerrillas of the Burmese Communist Party. He has not returned to China for 30 years and has been living a life of poverty.His wife is a Burmese Chinese who gave birth to six strong sons.At present, Jiao Kun's only spiritual comfort is teaching and writing poems.And smoking opium.

I asked Jiao Kun: The outside world thinks that the Kunsha drug cartel is terrifying. You have taught at Manxingdie for ten years, how do you feel? Jiao Kun's face was sallow, which is a common feature of opium smokers.He yawned and said: It's all nonsense, but the center of the typhoon is actually the calmest.Manxingdie is even more civilized than other places in the Golden Triangle. Everyone lives peacefully, there is no crime, and the road does not pick up lost things. I was not convinced, and said: But they are selling drugs, obtaining ill-gotten gains, and creating human crises!

Jiao Kun explained: That is something other than Star Stacks.There have never been poppies in Manxingdui, or they are not allowed to grow, and you can't see any trace of drugs.Crops are planted on the hillside, and people are busy building roads and schools, a thriving scene. I said: Have you met Kun Sha and Zhang Suquan?Are they living a life of extravagance, dissoluteness and shamelessness, as the outside world says? Jiao Kun laughed and said: In the 1980s, the commander-in-chief (Kun Sha), the chief of staff (Zhang Suquan), and the deputy chief of staff, Liang Zhongying, served as the principal of Manxingdie Datong Chinese Middle School almost every day.Kun Sha likes to wear plain clothes and holds a rattan cane in his hand. He is white and fat, and looks very kind, without airs.During the rice planting season, he would often roll up his trouser legs and go to the paddy fields to help the common people plant rice seedlings. I have seen this kind of thing with my own eyes.Zhang Suquan likes to wear military uniforms, I have never seen him wear other clothes.He liked to hold a riding whip, stride and swing his arms, and he was straightforward and completely military.They all have one thing in common, that is, respect for educated people.Those of us homeless educated youths, as long as they are willing to go to Manxingdie, they will not refuse, and most of them are arranged to be teachers in schools.It was the first time I was called "Sir" by someone, and I was not used to it. The mainland calls me "Teacher". This is the difference.The treatment of the husband is better than that of ordinary officers, so many educated youths are attracted to Manxingdie.I have been to Kunsha's home, and I will tell you a secret, Kunsha's wife is a woman of the Wa ethnic group, she is very ugly, and she is a few years older than Kunsha.From the eyes of our educated youths, Kun Sha is handsome and can be called a good-looking talent. His wife is an ugly monster, but he is very afraid of her, because he is afraid of his internal affairs. Do you think it is strange that his wife controls him very strictly?At least I've never heard of Khun Sha's love affairs among the local population.Kunsha's home is very simple, with two iron houses and a few more pieces of furniture than the average person.Zhang Suquan is a soldier at all, there is nothing in the room, he sleeps on a bamboo bed, a writing desk, and sleeps an orderly outside.As for whether they lived a luxurious life in Yangon after Kun Sa surrendered, then I don't know.

I sneered: According to what you said, they are almost like communist fighters. Since they are willing to be ascetics, why are they selling drugs? Jiao Kun: For a period of time, the commander-in-chief (Kun Sha) and the chief of staff (Zhang Suquan) often came to us educated youths to discuss issues. Among them, the most discussed issue was how to establish a society where everyone is happy and equal after the independence of Shan State?The independence of the Shan State is the highest ideal and interest of the 10 million people of all ethnic groups in the Shan State, and they can do whatever they can to realize their ideals. These are their original words.

I said: How do ordinary people in the Golden Triangle view Kunsha Group?Are they for or against this group of self-proclaimed saviors?Don't they know what a huge disaster the Kunsha Group has brought to Asia and even mankind? Jiao Kun didn't speak for a long time, he shook his head with a wry smile and said: Brother Deng Xian, you are wrong.Kunsha is in the Golden Triangle, and the prestige among the common people of Shan State is so high that you can hardly imagine.They are all poor people, and they regard Kun Sha as the only savior, the great savior of people of all ethnic groups in Shan State.The common people respectfully call Kunsha "Zhao Kunsha". Zhao means king, which means supreme, which is equivalent to the ancient emperor. Doesn't this explain the problem?Let me tell you one more thing, Manxingdi has a unique "rock transport troop" in the world, which is a kind of boy scouts, professional reserve soldiers, as young as four or five years old, and when they are seven or eight years old, they are sent by their parents to serve as soldiers. Soldiers, receive cultural education and military training, accept the idea of ​​loyalty to Khun Sa and the independence of Shan State, and will be added to the army when they reach the age of sixteen.In the Golden Triangle, the common people are poor and hopeless, and their children have no future, so serving as a soldier is the only way out.Serving as a soldier at a young age can not only eat enough to eat, reduce a burden for the family, but also earn a good military salary in the eyes of the locals, so ordinary people are very enthusiastic about sending their children to join the army.There are as many as tens of thousands of young soldiers in the stars, and I personally teach many such young men in military uniforms.Tell me, if there is no Kunsha, what is the way out for the people in the Golden Triangle?Who will save them?For hundreds of years, who cares about the life and death of ordinary people?Are they so stupid that they support the big drug lord Kun Sha not from the heart but in a muddle?

I'm literally blown away by this goddamn logic. In my opinion, drug dealers are drug dealers, they are all bad guys with no humanity, like the gangsters in Hong Kong and Taiwan movies, spend money like water, and cheat each other.I didn't expect the Golden Triangle to be so complicated, and even drug trafficking has a whole set of theories. Isn't it true, as Hegel said, "whatever exists is reasonable"?But when I think of the 300 million drug addicts in the world, one out of every 20 people has become a victim of drug monsters, and I think of the sad and indignant eyes of drug addict girls in Chinese drug rehabilitation centers and their parents, and I feel righteous indignation in my heart.In this way, the good life of the people of all ethnic groups in the Golden Triangle will inevitably create the root cause of disasters for the people of other countries?Do you base your happiness on the suffering of others?I thought of the oath made by the Yunnan armed police again. I believe that if the superiors allow, many passionate sons and daughters are willing to use their lives to eliminate all drugs and drug dealers in the Golden Triangle.The question is, is the Devil's Golden Triangle, the drug kingdom that endangers mankind and the world, just an abyss of crime created by drug dealers such as Kun Sha?

Jiao Kun looked at me and said with a wry smile, "I'm sorry, brother Deng Xian, we don't need to argue too hard, as this kind of thing is not clear."I also didn't mean to paint good things for Kunsha and Zhang Suquan. As you can see, I am poor and addicted to smoking, and I am also a victim.But I was just telling the truth. I believe in Jiao Kun, he is an honest man.I nodded, speechless. 2 In the fall of the year when Kun Sha was released from prison, he adopted Zhang Suquan’s suggestion and secretly moved the headquarters of the Shan State United Revolutionary Army to a hidden valley called “Manxingdie” in the southern part of the Golden Triangle.This is the southern foot of the Longpa Mountains on the east bank of the Mekong River, located on the Thai side of the Thai-Myanmar border.The difference is that Mesle is on a mountain ridge, with a cool climate, while Manxingdi is in a deep valley, with a temperature as high as 40 degrees during the day, like a big furnace.Man Xing Die is Thai, "man" means stone, and "Xing Die" means explosion, which means that the weather is so hot that even the stone will explode.

Kun Sha has lived in Manxingdieyi for more than ten years, turning this remote mountain and valley into the base camp of the unsuccessful Shan State rebels and the heart of the world-famous drug kingdom.He controls most of the Golden Triangle area here, with a team of more than 30,000 people, well-trained and well-equipped, with various modern weapons, and even advanced American-made anti-aircraft missiles, which are enough to fight against any government army and become the successor of the remnants of the Kuomintang. After that, the largest local armed forces in the Golden Triangle. It is not the so-called "Shan State Republic (MTA)" that makes Kun Sha famous all over the world, but the drug kingdom he has painstakingly managed.According to statistics from the United Nations, in 1949, the opium production in the Golden Triangle was only 37 tons. By the end of the 1960s, the opium production in the Golden Triangle had increased sharply to 1,000 tons. By the 1990s, opium production had exceeded a record 2,500 tons. The output of Luoying reached 250 tons, accounting for 85% of the world's total opium.Kunsha Group smuggles 60% of the world's heroin every year.

After the 1970s, Kunsha's control over drug smuggling gradually changed from transporting heavy opium to producing, processing and refining morphine and heroin which are small in size, light in weight, high in purity and easy to transport.He built a secret heroin processing factory deep in the mountains, and hired "Shanghai masters" with special skills from Hong Kong with a lot of money to smuggle the drugs produced to all parts of the world.In the past, the main export destinations of drugs were Europe and the United States. The heroin produced in the Golden Triangle accounted for more than half of the American market. Therefore, Kunsha became the biggest thorn in the side of the US federal government.But since the 1980s, with China's reform and opening up and the opening of the country, drugs that had been extinct have resurfaced in China, and 100% of the drugs that threaten and harm the Chinese people come from the Golden Triangle.It can be seen from this that the drug problem is no longer just a means of revenge against the West, as the big drug lord Kun Sha has argued.As the world's largest poison source center in this century, the Golden Triangle has long been notorious and well-known to every household.

Two hundred years ago, Westerners used the opium trade to make a lot of money. They released the devil and used the power of the devil to complete the primitive accumulation of capitalism. Their civilization is as clear as Marx said, with dirty blood dripping from every pore .Now it's their turn to come out and stop drugs.I don't doubt the sincerity of Westerners in drug control. They want to take back the devils released by their grandpas and grandpa's grandpas, but this kind of sincerity just shows the extreme egoism of Westerners.Just imagine if drug abuse is not the social problem that worries the US government the most, would they be willing to spend so much money on drug control?It can be seen that their starting point is not for all mankind, but to protect their own interests.Of course, as long as this kind of self-interest does not harm others and is beneficial to others, we welcome it.In the late 1970s, as the vice president and defense minister of the Shan State Republic, Kun Sha secretly met with Mr. Woolf, a member of the U.S. Narcotics Control Commission, in Manxingde.He submitted a detailed anti-drug plan to U.S. congressmen, the core content of which is that the U.S. government will exchange one percent of the billions of U.S. dollars spent on anti-drugs each year, that is, 17 million U.S. dollars to the Shan State Republic , Kun Sha handed over all the drugs under his control to the US government for disposal.However, this proposal was flatly rejected by the U.S. government. Their reason was that the U.S. government would never do business with drug traffickers. For this reason, the U.S. Congress allocated another billion dollars in anti-drug spending that year.I started to admire Americans.I thought Yankees were the biggest businessmen and pragmatists in the world. In the eyes of businessmen, there are no principles, only interests. This is just the shrewd side of Americans.On the other hand, they stick to their principles and never compromise. They would rather increase another billion dollars in anti-drug spending than make a deal with Kunsha.This kind of determination made me see a rich American spirit. I think the Americans are right. If drug dealers all over the world follow Kunsha’s example, wouldn’t the Americans become the biggest blackmail targets in the world?

Since then, the United States has increased anti-drug funding every year, but the production of drugs in the Golden Triangle doubled ten years later.International anti-drug organizations have always regarded Kun Sha as the number one criminal, and offered huge rewards for arresting and killing Kun Sha. However, this "Zhao Kun Sha", worshiped by the locals, was lucky enough to escape the patronage of death time and time again.According to his own remarks to reporters, he experienced "...at least forty assassinations, ambushes, assassinations, plots and traps of all kinds".Kun Sha has been living in a healthy and mysterious way, and he has become one of the few extraordinary characters (heroes or devils) who disturb the peace of our blue planet with his existence. In the spring of 1996, an explosive news spread all over the world through radio waves: Zhang Kunsha, the world's number one drug lord and commander-in-chief of the Shan State United Revolutionary Army in the Golden Triangle, surrendered to the Burmese government.From the short TV news screen, we saw the scene of Burmese government officials accepting surrender in the Golden Triangle: Rows of American-made carbines, submachine guns, light and heavy machine guns, grenades, rockets, various artillery, and shoulder-fired missiles lying quietly On the ground, people who put down their weapons lined up to leave.The announcer explained that this armed drug cartel also has more modern military equipment, such as helicopters and so on. There have been different opinions about the reasons for Kunsha's surrender. Some say that it is because of internal conflicts, some say that Kunsha and Zhang Suquan are out of harmony, and some say that the uneven distribution of spoils is caused by internal strife. Some even speculate that it is because Kunsha is seriously ill and does not want to stay. In the forest, he wanted to live a decent life in the sun like everyone else, and so on.In any case, Kun Sha did end his career as a drug lord. When this brief TV news blew like the wind, Kun Sha disappeared from the Golden Triangle, and Zhang Suquan also disappeared.They all disappeared completely like shadows, as if they had never appeared in this land of right and wrong, although the Golden Triangle did not restore calm because of their disappearance. The disintegration of the Kunsha Group aroused my great interest.A major issue I am concerned about is: the existence and disappearance of the world's largest transnational armed drug trafficking group centered on Han Chinese (Chinese descent), what important references does it have for the eradication of drugs for mankind? 3 The rainy season was coming to an end in 1998, and I returned to the Maesle Hotel from Cat River Valley. According to the interview plan, I should wait for Qian Dayu to come back from Bangkok. He had a business there, and then he would accompany me to Phra Mengshan and Khao Kho Kao Yashan inspection, it was the last tragic battlefield where the remnants of the Kuomintang finally became international mercenaries.At this time, there was news of a gun battle in Manxingdie. My heart was beating wildly and my spirits were high, like a wild dog smelling the smell of carrion.As we all know, Manxingdie is the base camp of the Kunsha Kingdom. It is said that after Kunsha handed over the gun, the local situation has not been calm. Kunsha's remnants who refused to hand over the gun are still active, and drug smuggling is rampant. There were gunfights, and there were frequent clashes between them and among themselves, so people said it was a dangerous and restless place to be. There are many theories about the gun battle in the sky. Some say it was a firefight between drug cartels, while others say it has something to do with the anti-government armed forces.In short, guns rang out all night, killing six or seven people, all of whom were shot by submachine guns, and their bodies were thrown in the ditch.This story was played up very horribly, like a real shootout movie, I immediately decided to set off to Starstack immediately!But my translator and guide, Xiaomi, refused to go. Xiaomi's attitude was very firm, which made me helpless.He thought we should not go in that direction, so I had to beg the old educated youth Jiao Kun for help.Jiao Kun couldn't push it, so he asked his son Axiang to guide me. Axiang is a middle school student and understands Thai and Shan. Going with the child will not attract too much attention.Although Ah Xiang is a descendant of overseas Chinese, he developed early like all tropical teenagers. His face is tanned and red. At first glance, you may mistake him for a Shan nationality.Ah Xiang doesn't talk much, and has a shy personality. He is a good boy who listens to his parents.Jiao Kun said, it is a troubled area, the situation is complicated, you go early and return early, don't linger.Don't bring a video camera, and don't bring a camera. The people over there don't like people who carry these things on their backs.In short, his face was full of expressions of strong disapproval of our adventure in that right and wrong place. For the convenience of coming and going, I decided not to take a car and gave up bringing a camera. The camera was hidden in my pocket, and Ah Xiang drove me there on his beloved scooter.Manxingdie is not too far from Maesle. It takes a day to walk. Now that there is a highway, it takes about two hours to drive by car.The old educated youth Jiao Kun kept telling Ah Xiang to do whatever he wanted, and if... he went to find Daddy Daddy, and so and so, so and so.Until Ah Xiang started the scooter, the desperate father chased after him and shouted: If there is any situation, turn around quickly, thousands of dollars... Ah Xiang's Japanese "HONDA" motorcycle is similar to a toy car, with a cylinder bore of 110CC. It takes a heavyweight man like me to do adventure activities over mountains and mountains. My two legs are almost dragged on the ground, and it feels like riding on a small Almost on the dog's back.This mountainous road is not well-built, with extremely steep slopes and sharp curves. We are like climbing a ladder. We are often frightened by the cars coming from the opposite side, panting and sweating on our backs.The horsepower of the motorcycle was low, and the engine stalled several times when going uphill, so I had to get down and push the cart.A Xiang blushed and admitted that he had learned to drive for less than a month, and that local motorcycles did not need a license plate or test for a driver's license. His words made me even more nervous. Gradually, I thought that Ah Xiang’s reaction was still quick. In fact, I didn’t tell Ah Xiang that I have more than ten years of motorcycle driving experience.But I saw that Ah Xiang was eager to show his skills in front of my strange uncle, so I tried to encourage him to strengthen the young man's self-confidence.Probably because it was hard to carry me, I saw many shiny beads of sweat oozing from his neck from behind.Turning from Meisler to the starry intersection, I saw the green iron roof of the military camp exposed among the trees, the sentry box was standing guard, and the warning sign of "STOP!" was erected at the door of the barracks.Ah Xiang exaggeratedly said that it was the "Black Tiger Division" of the National Defense Forces, and it often did war exercises.In the past, Xiaomi said that this is the last military line of defense to enter Manxingdie. I think it is self-evident who the army is guarding against. The road leading to Starstacks is worse. This poor-grade road was built by the government not long ago, and its significance is equivalent to a road to peace.However, the quality of the asphalt road surface is very poor, and there are many big holes, which can knock us high if we are not careful.From the map, this is the Longpa Mountains on the Thai-Myanmar border, and it can also be counted as the remnants of the Shan State Plateau.The mountains are getting steeper and steeper, and there are no people along the way, and there are no crops, just barren hills, weeds and woods.As far as the eye can see, in the depths of the Golden Triangle Mountains under the scorching sun, except for the overlapping peaks, there are still peaks, and occasionally there are one or two faint shadows of houses. One can imagine what kind of cottage it should be.The road winds on the ridge for a while, and goes down to the bottom of the valley for a while. The mountain wind blows quietly, and the hot sun makes the asphalt on the road turn into mud, and the wheels make a sticky sound when they run over it.Occasionally, one or two motorcycles sped by, and the riders on the vehicles were not wearing helmets but black or red kerchiefs, with long knives on their waists. Ah Xiang said loudly that they were black people from Myanmar.I said what nationality is the black man?Axiang couldn't answer. After passing a few more hills, I finally saw a village halfway ahead. Instead of the common bamboo buildings in the area, there were Chinese-style brick and tile houses.I saw red paper couplets on the doors of many people, with Chinese characters for good luck written on them. Several men and women in Han costumes were sitting under the eaves of their houses to rest their heads when they heard the sound of motorcycles.Ah Xiang said that this is Huipeng, and behind it is Huimo, which used to be stationed in the Zhangjia Army and is also a Han refugee village.I ask now?Axiang's hair was blown up by the wind, and he said, "It's still them, but they don't stand guard anymore." After Huimo, the mountain in front of him suddenly sank, and a narrow and deep crack appeared, which was a hidden mountain depression.Going down the col, you will soon see some sparse iron roofs and buildings exposed among the trees.Ah Xiang said with a finger, it was full of stars, and my heart immediately beat violently like a clockwork.According to the outside newspapers, this is the heart of the famous drug kingdom, and it can be called the devil's lair.What should the devil's lair look like?Are there many drugs?I'm afraid there are drug dealers everywhere, right?What kind of people still live here?how do they liveDances with Wolves?How will they treat me, an uninvited guest? Thinking of six or seven people being killed by submachine guns at night, and thinking that the Kunsha Group has occupied this place for a long time, which is the area where drug smuggling is the most rampant, despite the scorching sun overhead, I can't help but shiver in my heart. I thought, anyway, starry sky, here I come! 4 In broad daylight with the sun shining brightly, it is almost impossible for people to open their eyes and have nightmares in broad daylight.We are usually accustomed to arranging terrorist events to happen in the dark, under the cover of night and mysterious atmosphere, the imagination is extraordinarily active.But this time I was very wrong, because I saw the six bloody corpses from behind Ah Xiang's head all at once. The corpses were thrown on the river beach, and a clear mountain stream flowed outside the village. The dead people lay there in a quiet posture. It was probably the scene of a gun battle, because I saw that the blood on the ground had turned black.I became impulsive and wanted to jump out of the car to take pictures, but Ah Xiang didn't stop the car, but rushed over with the accelerator pedal. Only then did I see that there were several men in black clothes squatting on the riverside with submachine guns on their backs.As soon as I saw the submachine gun, I became tense and had difficulty breathing. I thought logically they should be anti-narcotics police. Ah Xiang said in a low voice: No way!They will escort you back to Chiang Rai.I was surprised and said why?I have a passport.Ah Xiang replied that this is not a tourist place, and tourists are not allowed to enter without authorization.Having said that, I secretly rejoiced that if I swaggered here by car, I might have been driven down the mountain. But I still don't give up, I think I must find a way to secretly take photos of those corpses, and publish them in the book in the future so that this trip will not be in vain.Motorbikes drove into the village. In fact, Manxingdie can be regarded as a small town that has just begun to take shape. It should be said to be more prosperous than the Longchuan county town I went to the countryside. Basically, they are all Chinese-style buildings. Two or three-story concrete buildings, shops, restaurants, and business shops abound. At first glance, it will make people mistakenly think that they are in Chinatown.There is a magnificent school at the entrance of the village. At this time, the school is over. Groups of male and female students, some drive motorcycles, some walk. They are dressed in neat and uniform school uniforms, their faces are glowing, and they look neat, civilized and polite.Ah Xiang stopped the car at the school gate, pointed out to me that this is Datong Middle School, which used to be a Chinese school run by Kunsha.I realized that this is where my educated youth friends Zeng Yan, Jiao Kun, Yang Fei, Yang Lin and others lived and taught twenty years ago. Mr. Liang Zhongying from Mantang, whom I interviewed, was once the principal of the school.I saw that the school building of this school is quite complete, and its appearance is not inferior to any urban middle school in mainland China.Ah Xiang proudly said that their Maesle Middle School played basketball with Datong Middle School every year, and he was the main center forward.I asked him who won this year?He bowed his head and said he didn't play well. "Stars are stacked, stones explode." This is a local folk song. It was noon, and the heat was unbearable. The sun was like a fireball, and the ground rolled up heat waves like white flames. Dogs and people were hiding under the eaves and sticking out their tongues.My whole body was drenched with sweat, and only then did I realize how vivid the folk song "Stone Explosion" is!Ah Xiang slowed down, and the motorcycle drove around the street, which was equivalent to sightseeing.I didn't find any trace of opium poppy or heroin. If you don't know that this is the famous drug kingdom, you will almost think it is a pure land.On the contrary, I was in some places on the China-Myanmar border, such as Foreigner Street, Muse, Nankan, Bhamo, etc. Drug dealers bite you like a rope, and they even put drugs under your nose.But in this world-famous star-studded place, I saw very few pedestrians on the street, and there was no sign of open drug sales. Most residents were having lunch or taking a nap at home, and the shops and restaurants were open, creating a scene of peace and tranquility. There is a large open space in the center of the village, which has the same layout as a rural market in China. Colorful tarpaulins are pulled up everywhere, and the stalls are full of fruits, agricultural and sideline products, department stores, foreign goods, tobacco, wine, sugar and tea.I went around and still couldn't find any trace of heroin or opium.I found that the bazaar here is different from that in China.In what is called a market place, there should be crowds of people, cars and horses, smoke, cups and glasses, restaurants, and shops with tape recorders and televisions at full blast.And the market in front of me is basically silent and noisy, which can be called "the dawn is quiet here".People talked to each other with eyes, whispered, and whispered, as if they were doing underground work.I also noticed that there are only vendors in the market, and there are no customers, not even a shadow of a customer. How do you do business in a market without customers?But people are still waiting patiently, as if confident, knowing that customers and business will come out of the ground.I think the atmosphere is eerie, depressing and mysterious, as if everyone is an actor, performing a mysterious pantomime "Waiting for Godot".I don't know if this vibe has something to do with the gunfights at night, did they used to do business like this quietly? On a scorchingly hot day at the end of the rainy season in 1998, in this strange market with no sound in the hinterland of the Golden Triangle, in the former world-famous Khunsha base camp full of stars, I was in a family with a local Chinese boy named Axiang. Beverage Shop Sit down and drink an ice-cold Coke.This shop faces the market, like a well-positioned window, although the air is very hot, my eyes are dazzled by the sunlight reflected on the ground, I still feel a cold air crawling out of my heart like a snake .We slowly sipped the iced Coke, and after we finished drinking, we wanted to listen again. At this time, I saw that there seemed to be a gust of wind, and there was movement on the calm water. A group of motorcycles roared over, probably more than a dozen of them, raising a puff of smoke and dust.The rider rushed into the market, stopped abruptly, and the people in the car did not get out of the car, chatting with the stall owner for a while, and then galloped away in a shocking manner.I counted, and in more than half an hour, dozens of motorcycles shuttled back and forth.Those motorcycles did not carry goods or customers, as if they were running around just to show their skills.And the businessmen are still waiting patiently, as if they are sitting here to admire the superb skills of the motorcyclists. I decided to strike up a conversation with the lady owner of the beverage store.She is a middle-aged woman with good features, fair skin, wearing black trousers (the locals wear skirts), and I judged that she should be Chinese as soon as she appeared.I asked her in Yunnan dialect: "Excuse me, your family is good for business?" The female boss didn't answer my question, but asked me: "Where did you come from, sir, Japan, Taiwan?" I already recognized her western Yunnan accent, and I said, "I'm from Yunnan. Is your family a Western Yunnan personality?" She raised her eyebrows, as if surprised, and said in a flat tone, "Oh, my hometown is Baoshan, but I haven't been there." I pretended not to understand and asked her: "I see that you are all Han Chinese, why did you come to settle down here?" She gave me a wary look, and replied, "There are so many Han Chinese, and they all come to beg for a living, what's so strange?" I still didn't give up, and asked her deliberately: "I don't think your business is easy to do, and you don't have any customers. Who are you selling to?" She pointed to the mountain and said, "There are many villages up there (referring to Myanmar), and the horses and oxen will come down and carry them away, so the business will be easy." I pretended to be casual and said: "I heard that people were beaten to death at night, what kind of thing is it for?" She said: "We are businessmen, we don't know these things." I pointed to those stalls and asked her: "They do these small businesses, can they make money?" She said, "I don't know, your family should ask them." I whispered, "Are you in any other business, guns, heroin, opium?" The female boss shouted sternly: "What are you doing asking about this? Are you looking for death?" Her tone really startled me. When I turned around, I accidentally saw a thick double-barreled shotgun leaning behind the counter. The muzzle of the gun was like the eyes of death, and the black hole made people jump in fear.I know that in the Golden Triangle, many families have weapons, or it is not too much to say that every family has guns.I quickly paid for the drink and left the store. I still didn't give up, and walked around the market pretending to be a tourist.But no matter which stall I walked to, the owner immediately looked away, as if they didn't see me as a customer, but as soon as I left, their eyes immediately stuck to my back, like a blood-sucking leech. of.I found nothing, saw nothing, and understood nothing, so I had no choice but to ask Ah Xiang to take two photos for me as a souvenir.Unexpectedly, as soon as he raised the camera, someone immediately yelled, looking very ferocious, with eyes wide open and white foam hanging from the corners of their mouths.Ah Xiang translated in a low voice and said that they don't like people taking pictures of them, so let's get out of here. As soon as I thought of the double-barreled shotguns with black holes like eyes, and thought that they would all have one or another kind of gun, I hurried away in despair and went to find Uncle Moran, an acquaintance of Ah Xiang's father. 5 Uncle Mo Lang's hometown is in Menghai, Yunnan. When he was young, he drove a caravan, served as a soldier in the Fifth Army of Maesle, and later worked as a bodyguard for Kunsha. He can speak fluent Chinese.When Ah Xiang found the bodyguard of the former drug lord at the corner of a street, I saw Uncle Moran, a gray-haired local bailiff, squatting on the street talking to someone.His body is thin, like a dried salted octopus, no different from the local Shan people.I greeted him and invited him to lunch without having lunch.I ordered two catties of local rice wine at a roadside restaurant, a plate of fried beef jerky, a plate of dried fish, and scrambled egg fruit strips (fried rice noodles).I saw that his two fingers were yellow and black, so I bought him a box of "35" cigarettes, and he accepted it without refusing. We ate and chatted, and the topic of course was the stars. "...The commander-in-chief is gone, and the chief of staff is gone. They have all gone to Yangon. Now it is not good to be full of stars." After drinking rice wine, Uncle Mo Lang opened his mouth. I think he is the same as most of the local people. A drinker is no different, with confused logic and impulsive emotions, because I saw him turn red, shake his head, and smell of alcohol from his mouth: "In the past, there were teams on the mountain, and our people... the government troops dared not come in. How proud! Those bandits and thieves, who dares to act wild? It’s like a mouse meeting a cat.” I guessed that this had something to do with killing people in the middle of the night, so I asked him tentatively, "Why did Man Xingdie have a shootout? Who was it?" He suddenly looked at me vigilantly, and I saw that his eyes were sober, as if erecting a city wall, which made my attempt run into a wall all at once.The restaurateur sat behind the counter, his eyes piercing, his ears pricked up to listen to our conversation.I had no choice but to ask him, "I heard that you and Kun Sha have been bodyguards for many years. Can you tell me about Kun Sha?" As soon as he mentioned being Kunsha's bodyguard, it was like mentioning a glorious history, and Morang's face immediately glowed with brilliance.He said: "What are you talking about... Well, let's talk about the 1982 encirclement and suppression of Manxingdie by the government forces. The battle happened suddenly that day, and there was no sign on the first day. There are also armored vehicles, tanks and helicopters. The chief of the general staff saw that it was not good and ordered to retreat in the direction of Lai Nang. Do you know Lai Nang? It is on the other side of the mountain, which is our base. I followed the commander in chief, and a shell exploded. Come on, I jumped on it and saved the commander-in-chief's life." He lifted up his jacket proudly, showing us the scars on his body. I said, "What happened afterwards? How does Kunsha thank you for saving your life?" Mo Lang's eyes suddenly dimmed, and he said discouragedly: "It's all my own fault, I'm sorry for the commander-in-chief." I saw Ah Xiang winking at me frequently, and guessed that this Uncle Mo Lang must have something to hide, so I quickly changed the subject and said: "There is a female educated youth named Zeng Yan, and her husband Yang Lin died at the school. Do you remember this?" Mo Lang said loudly: "How can you not remember? Among the people in the stars, no one does not remember this Mr. Yang! Before that battle, some colonel in the United States was killed in Dagudi, and the Thai government dispatched the Black Tiger Division and helicopters. During the attack, several students from China died. None of them had weapons. Teacher Yang waved the school flag and was killed on the roof of the building. His body was thrown away for several days, and it stinks." Suddenly a deep sadness welled up in my heart, and I wanted to present a bouquet of small flowers to my friend Zeng Yan's husband, Yang Lin, a peer I had never met.I said, "Is their grave still there? Where is it?" Mo Lang said, "It's just on the side of the road above the school, not far away. I'll take you there later." Uncle Mo Lang finally poured all the two catties of rice wine into his stomach. He hiccupped and said, "You came and saw it, go back to the shed, go back to Mo, there used to be positions. Here, big smoke is grown in the mountains, and the smoke is collected." Just sell it to the army. The army is fair, and no one dares to deceive the people. The commander-in-chief lives on the mountain, but he often comes down the mountain, and the stars are full of people. We all support him, so we can live a good life... Uh, on the mountain They are so poor, Baiyi, Lahu, Wa, Lisu, and Luohei, how can they live without growing opium? There is no one to protect them when they grow opium, and they have been robbed by bandits long ago. It is better to be the commander-in-chief.” 我相信他说的话都是实情，因为我亲眼目睹金三角的贫困，和老百姓生活对大烟的依赖。我叹口气说：“莫朗大叔，坤沙自己不吸毒，也不许部下吸毒，但是他却把毒品卖到别的国家，给别国社会和人民造成多大危害？这是多大的犯罪呀！” 莫朗头摇得拨浪鼓一般，瞪着眼睛说：“不不，政府不让种烟，山上人(缅甸)都要饿死，满星叠也没有饭吃。” 我说：“前天打死人，是不是贩毒集团火并？” 莫朗大叔嘘了一声，他看看饭店老板，刚好那个老板进里屋去了，他低声警告我说：“这个地方，大家忌讳提这种事，当心挨黑枪！” 我连忙低声问：“到底怎么回事，求你告诉我？” 他吞吞吐吐说：“反正，一下子说不清，这年头，什么样的人都有。” 我急了，说：“究竟谁跟谁？打死的又是什么人？” 莫朗大叔突然朝我翻起白眼珠，哈欠连天，鼻涕口水一齐涌出来，倒把我吓了一跳。阿祥告诉我说，莫朗大叔烟瘾发了，要不然怎么会被赶出部队呢？听说还是看在救命之恩的情面上没有枪毙他。于是我们饭没吃完，这位大叔就跌跌撞撞地回家吸鸦片去了。 阿祥下午还要赶回学校去上课，而我好容易进入满星叠，许多神秘面纱尚未揭开，许多故事刚刚开头，所以我让他开摩托车回去，我要独自留下来，留在这个令我神往已久又胆战心惊的神秘世界。 6 太阳落山，集市散场了，我还没有看明白，倏忽间人们就散光了，就跟钻进地下去一样。黑夜像一幅巨大的幕布徐徐拉上了，我相信满星叠的白天只是它的假象，而黑夜才是它的舞台和真面目。 这天下午我独自到山上转了转，没有发现罂粟地，倒有一些废弃工事、战壕和地堡。我下榻是家小旅店，老板是个汉人，姓罗，祖籍云南思茅，他说满星叠从来没有人种鸦片，坤沙时代没有，现在更没有。看我表示惊讶，他笑一笑，很有优越感地说，你不信？告诉你，在金三角，汉人不种鸦片，种鸦片的都是摆夷。 我明白了，难怪在美斯乐、曼塘、塘窝，你绝对看不见罂粟花的罪恶身影。但是这并不是说，汉人与罂粟无涉。我说，这是不是说，在金三角，摆夷种鸦片，而你们汉人只做鸦片生意？ 他不与我争论，这时候又来了客人，他忙着招待去了。我心中挂记河滩上尸体，欲拍照而不成，心中耿耿于怀。对我来说，照片比文字更重要，试想这本关于金三角的书出版时，附上现场照片，多么权威，多么有说服力！我暗暗下决心，不管怎样一定要拍，悄悄趁黑夜，用闪光灯偷拍，总不至于那些黑衣人通宵守着死人不睡觉，难道他们怕尸体飞走不成？这样一想，我就按捺不住，满心都是兴奋和刺激。我怕自己熬不住夜打瞌睡，泡了一杯酽酽的当地炒青茶，记了半夜日记。又换一件深色体恤衫，牛仔短裤，检查了相机和闪光灯，万事俱备，看看手表已经指着深夜两点半钟，我心里打着小鼓，手脚紧张得直打颤。我说服自己一定要冷静，要沉住气，然后悄悄摸出旅店。金三角所有旅店都一样，没有围墙，出入自由。 老天保佑，天上没有月亮，四周大山夹峙，所以到处很黑，基本上可以称作伸手不见五指。我发现自己不大适合做秘密工作，因为在黑暗中辨别方向很困难，又不敢开手电筒，野地里到处都差不多，转几个圈就晕头转向。我好容易摸上小桥，看看表，已经凌晨四点。我想这样更好，据说小偷作案一般都在下半夜，那是人们放松警惕的时候。下桥就离尸体现场不远，为了谨慎起见，我躲在桥下向河里扔了一块石头，这一招是从影碟中学来的，目的是试探有没有人打埋伏。 Nothing happened. 又扔一块石头，还是没有动静。我满心都是压抑不住的兴奋，我想自己注定要成功了！我猫着腰，迅速奔上前去，微微发白的河滩上，我已经隐隐看见那些无声无息的死人，他们好像一些不真实的道具或者河水冲下来的木头，横七竖八地躺在地上。我心紧张得或者说刺激得快要跳出胸口，我这人的毛病，一取得成绩就控制不住自己，忘乎所以，不知天高地厚。原本计划是，按下一张全景就胜利大撤退，就算成功。可是一到现场我就贪婪起来，控制不住想要多按几张，拍局部，拍近景，拍特写，最多五分钟，不，三分钟！三分钟同半分钟有什么区别呢？ 我把相机凑向尸体的面部，我模模糊糊看见死人的眼睛是半睁开的，也许还在动，不过没有关系，这都是天黑的错觉，并且我从不怕鬼。我相信将来的照片上，这人的眼睛一定像死鱼一样灰白和暗淡无光。我跪下一条腿，屏住呼吸，已经充足电的闪光灯亮着红色信号，我刚要按下快门，一件出乎意料和匪夷所思的事情突然发生了。这件事发生得那样迅速，就像大地开裂，飞机失事，令我完全没有准备和猝不及防！ sky!死人居然坐起来，一下子抱住我的头！ ... ... 不难想象，我当场险些灵魂出窍，心脏窒息，变成一个真正的死人。我想我决不是一个优秀的士兵，我根本不懂搏击格斗之类战术，我只是一个四肢和体力都日渐蜕化的大陆作家。所以我基本上不堪一击，眼睛一黑就被按翻在地上。我听见自己那架日本“理光”自动相机重重砸在石头上，发出一声清脆而且凄惨的破裂声。我魂飞魄散，绝望地想完了，明天一早也许满星叠居民发现河滩上多了一具陌生尸体。他们见惯不惊，见怪不怪，只有野狗将为多了一顿肥美的人肉大餐而欢欣鼓舞。但是一座远在千里之外的中国城市将因此多了一个寡妇，一双年迈老人将为失去他们亲爱的儿子而悲痛…… 更重要的是，我的雄心勃勃的采访和写作计划将因此化为泡影，我的写作生涯将划上一个句号，我的读者将永远看不到这本书，我的一切冒险和努力将付诸东流前功尽弃。在这片异国他乡的土地上，我也许没有坟，没有名字，永远只是一个神秘的失踪者，一个谜，只有我自己知道发生了什么可怕的事情…… 我被捆住手臂，眼睛蒙上布条，我感觉自己像只结实的粽子。我什么也看不见，任凭一些很粗重的手在我背上推来搡去。我认为这是典型的黑帮手法，为的是怕俘虏看见什么不该看见的秘密。我浑浑噩噩，大脑一片空白，只嗅到空气中散发出一股浓重的人体汗臭味，还有枪械的机油和冷冰冰的铁腥味。我猜想那是一些体格粗壮的男人，在他们眼里，我一定是个神情沮丧而又可笑的俘虏。我绝望极了，四肢痉挛，就像怕冷一样打起抖来，如果此时有人对我头上开一枪，我相信自己一定麻木不仁，一点反抗都没有。 人只有到了这个地步，才知道自己多么软弱，多么身不由己！不知过了多久，我磕磕绊绊的脚步停下来，我感到脚下被什么东西又绊了一下，很硬，可能是门槛，所以我判断被带进一间屋子。屋子的空气滞重而闷热，散发出浓重的烟草味。一双手替我解下蒙在眼睛上的布条，我终于看见一束亮光，那亮光像太阳一样刺得我睁不开眼睛。等我渐渐适应光线，周围的东西清晰起来，我看见屋子里有桌子，椅子，也有床，有家具，不像审讯室，也不是地下室，那些地方容易让人引起恐怖联想。门口站着几个人，他们背着武器，都默不作声，因为光线暗淡，看不清他们的脸。我本想问问这是什么地方，但是想到自己不会当地话，就忍住了。 屋子外面响起脚步声，一个人噔噔地走进来，带来一股外面的山风和草木气息。我猜想这人是个头目，他穿一身黑衣服，没有带枪，也没有坐椅子，而是坐在桌子上。那些带武器的人都对他毕恭毕敬，说明他的地位在他们之上。头目背对我，低头点燃一枝香烟，喷出一口烟雾，然后把脸转向我。 我觉得做了一个梦，因为事情发生太突然，太不可思议，连我自己都觉得不大真实。这是拍电影？Hallucination?还是明明白白的生活？ 他的脸上现出惊愕的神情，这种吃惊一点不亚于我这个绝望的俘虏，他和我的问号都写在脸上。 我们几乎同时说：“怎么……是你？” 7 关于这个神秘的朋友，许多性急的读者会猜测他是谁，但是请原谅我暂时不能透露他的姓名，因为这将危及和损害他所从事的特殊工作。谢天谢地，他的奇迹般出现拯救了我，使得这天晚上的惊险故事发生戏剧性转折。他居然眯缝着眼睛，用警察那样的口吻教训我说：“你怎么跑到这种地方来？要是今晚我不在你的麻烦可就大了。” 我说你到底是干什么的？情报局？缉毒局？国家安全局？他根本不回答我的问话，吩咐手下人马上送我回美斯乐。我抗议说你们把我相机摔坏了，你得赔我，不过不赔也可以，你得让我重新拍几张照片。他冒火地说，你再到河滩上看看，还有什么尸体吗？告诉你，什么也没有！ 我气坏了，我说你妈的还算朋友吗？这点小忙都不肯帮，你把我的计划都毁了！他也发火了，拍着桌子说你瞎掺乎什么？你知道这是多重要的行动？联合国禁毒署都来了人！……你快走吧，不要对任何人讲你看见什么，不然最好结果也是驱逐出境！ 我被吓住了，驱逐出境不是好玩的事情，这才乖乖出了门，不敢再提非分要求，我自以为聪明的偷拍计划终于以失败告终。当天我即被一辆汽车送出满星叠，路过小桥的时候，明晃晃的阳光下，果然什么尸体也没有，好像这个世界上什么也没有发生过一样。 回到美斯乐，我简直累坏了，就像从地狱回到人间。焦昆见我安全归来，显得很高兴。他主动告诉我两件事：第一，坤沙确实受人爱戴。泰军进攻满星叠，许多人自动拿起枪保卫家园，当时他在大同学校教书，亲眼目睹那场壮烈战斗。 第二，坤沙被人栽赃陷害。他虽是毒贩，并不是外面传言那样，他做了许多好事，造福掸邦老百姓。这次向缅甸政府投降，换取政府向掸邦自治作出重大让步，也可以看作是某种自我牺牲，不然他本来可以稳稳当当享福，成为世界上少数几个最富有的富翁之一。 我觉得有些啼笑皆非。难道我冒着危险，不远万里跋涉而来，就是为了寻找这样一个救世主么？ 关于坤沙向政府投诚的原因众说纷纭，据刘舟所言，他与张苏泉女儿张××女士一直保持较为密切联系。他说，一是张家军内部权力之争，张苏泉重用汉人军官，引起掸邦军官强烈不满，以至于发生多次内讧、叛乱和哗变，直接导致张家军衰落。二是与佤邦军作战不胜，节节失利。三是国际禁毒压力增大，难以为继等等。还有一个重要的个人原因，坤沙年事已高，身体患病，所以很难说哪个原因起了主导作用，当然也很难说哪个原因没有起作用。 我个人倾向于认同刘舟的分析，焦昆认为坤沙做出自我牺牲也并非完全没有道理，总之我相信反对毒品是人类大趋势，所以促成1998年春天全世界都看到的轰动一幕。 一年之后的1999年，媒体再爆一条新闻：坤沙重新出山，再登世界贩毒大王宝座。我立即向刘舟询问此消息的可靠性。刘舟断然否定道：简直是空穴来风！真不知道这种无中生有的消息如何变成新闻的？他郑重相告：坤沙已是六十七岁的老人，脑瘫中风，健康状况每况愈下。即使有心重演二十几年前的金蝉脱壳之计，也是心有余力不足。张苏泉更是古稀之年，他是主动要求与坤沙一起软禁，相伴生死的。 我宁愿相信这样一个普遍真理：地球是圆的，人也是圆的。