The famine of 1959 to 1961 affected the cattle. After three years, the number of cattle in the countryside declined sharply, and some production teams were left with one or two thin cattle that had lost their ability to work, with their shoulder blades and iliac bones raised, which farmers jokingly called “cattle with six horns. The plow was widely pulled by human beings in the countryside. In 1963, the state organized the northern plain areas to buy cattle in the southwest mountains. At that Time, I was working in a county agricultural production material company in northern Jiangsu Province, and I participated in the “southern cattle transportation to the north”, which is still fresh in my mind.
In September 1965, a group of us left for Guizhou. Part of the travelers were cattle buyers, in addition to the company’s cattle workers, but also hired experienced farmers to participate; another part of the people responsible for the transfer. In addition, the county veterinary station sent veterinarians to participate, responsible for quarantine, to prevent the sick cattle back to buy. The relevant authorities in Guizhou arranged for us to go to Qinglong County in Qianxi. We went to Anshun City first, leaving two people in charge of the transfer, and the rest of us rushed to Qinglong.
Qinglong County is a mountainous area with many mountains and little arable land. The production team raised a lot of cattle, and the cattle were scattered in the mountains. The Miao farmers herded the cattle in the mountains with long whips in their hands, walking as fast as they could. Some women carry their young children on their backs and also participate in herding. Cattle raising is the main side business of local farmers.
Those who buy cattle are divided into several groups and go to each township fair to catch up. Each market has a special market for cattle. Buy cattle to buy young and strong, buy back to be able to plow the fields. Yellow cows, buffaloes are required. Choose a good cow, negotiate a good price, ask farmers to drive the cattle to the county transfer station, accompanied by veterinarians to each head of cattle on the number, draw blood, handed to the local veterinary station for inspection, inspection of cattle passed the transfer to Anshun.
The cattle are transported by car from Qinglong to Anshun. This highway is a mountain road. It is really a mountain road with 18 turns, with steep slopes and sharp turns everywhere. The drivers are all experts, and sometimes they can drive at night. This highway passes by the famous Huangguoshu Falls, and I have passed it six times back and forth. The war in Vietnam was at a tense stage and military transport was busy, the highway was almost a line of military vehicles heading to Yunnan, while our cattle trucks were going in the opposite direction and no one seemed to have the leisure to enjoy the falls.
The transfer station in Anshun was located near the train station, and the cattle were sent by the production team to be raised on their behalf. When the number reached about a hundred, they could be loaded and shipped away. At that time, the railroad freight is very tight, because the cattle is a live mouth, the railroad gives priority to arrange wagons. After loading the cattle on the East Longhai Road, straight to Xinyi station. The owner of the goods himself sent someone to escort. I participated in a railroad escort.
It was in early November 1965, two wagons, the kind of non-enclosed shed car. After getting the wagons, local workers were asked to build a nest in one corner of the car with wooden sticks and spread hay, which was the place where the escort slept. The hay was piled up under the bunk for the cattle to eat along the way. After the cattle are driven to the car, the two exits are closed by a fence made of wooden sticks and wire, which is impossible for the cattle to cross, while people can climb in and out from the fence. At the exit, two empty gasoline barrels were fixed and filled with water for the cattle to drink. In addition to the escort, each trip to hire a local farmer as an assistant. Chen, who was with me, is a young Hmong man, 24 years old, not very tall but smart and strong. He had already escorted two cattle cars, both to Jiangsu. We rented four quilts from the hostel, bought a lot of cookies and pot helmets (a local noodle cake), pickles as dry Food, brought two hot water bottles, and Chen also brought a packet of dried chili. Thus began this time to pass through seven provinces and regions of the “southern cattle transport north”.
The train started. I first observed the movement of cattle, but fortunately, these animals in the mountains are used to the wild quickly adapted to the moving carriage, quietly grazing, regurgitation. Xiao Chen used a small tin bucket to give them water to drink. When the train is running, there is nothing to do, looking at the scenery along the fence, lying on the berth and chatting with Xiao Chen, or reading a book. At night, the train traveled in darkness. In addition to our flashlights, there was no lighting in the carriage, so we had to sleep. Listening to the rhythmic rumble of the train, I soon fell asleep.
After a day or so of travel, the train would come to a junction station and be regrouped, which was our busiest moment. The first junction station was Liuzhou. The car stopped. Seeing the front of the car leave alone, we immediately climbed out of the carriage. I went to the other carriage first to check on the cattle. Chen immediately looked for the water supply valve, pulled the leather hose and filled the four gasoline drums with fresh water. Then, I contacted the grass station to replenish the forage. The “South-North cattle transport” is a multi-province operation, and there are many cattle cars passing by, and the hubs have grass stations to supply forage. We even got green grass at Zhuzhou station, which Chen said was for cattle to “eat”. After the cattle busy busy people’s business: to the station platform to find boiling water to fill the water bottle, buy a little dry food, a good wash face, wash feet. After doing these things quickly on board, the formation is about to start, the carriage will be broken up and dragged around. At the junction station, you can see the same cattle cars with escorts all busy, and sometimes busy talking to each other. People who come to Guizhou to buy cattle come from all over, I have met Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Anhui, Jiangsu and so on. The place to buy cattle, there are Qianxi, Qianxinan, Qiandongnan counties, I heard that there are also to Yunnan.
Ordinary stations also often stop, which is the usual meeting. Usually we don’t dare to get off because we don’t know how long it will stop. And the only time we risked getting off midway, something went wrong.
The train was about to leave Hubei. Xiao Chen accidentally spilled the only half of the bottle of boiled water. That night we had to dry swallow dry food. The next day at dawn, the train stopped at Xinyang station, Chen carried the water bottle to get off, I do not agree. He said he had stopped in Xinyang before and stopped for more than half an hour. He got off and quickly ran out of the station. Unexpectedly, the station dispatcher whistled, the green flag waved, and the train moved forward. I saw Xiao Chen rushing back, but it was too late. The train gradually accelerated, I sat alone in the car, very worried about Xiao Chen, regret that I did not prevent him from getting off, do not know whether he can cope with the situation. To the cattle drink water, a person lying quietly, only to the next junction station to say.
It was 3:00 p.m. when I arrived in Zhengzhou. I immediately went to the platform to tell the duty officer that one of us had fallen off the train in Xinyang and asked him to contact him. He said it did not matter, this is a common thing, the station will arrange for his passenger car to catch up. I was a little relieved to hear that.
Zhengzhou was the last grouping station of the trip. I filled the gas tank with water and saw that there was still a lot of forage, so I didn’t buy any more. Checking the cattle in both cars, they were normal. These cattle left their hometown and came to the Yellow River, but there is no unconventional appearance, still a look of peace and quiet. Just the carriage is dirty enough, a few days down, full of cow dung and urine, almost can not be inserted to go.
Nearly five o’clock, only to hear Xiao Chen shouting my name in search of the carriage, I quickly agreed. He carried two water bottles, holding a packet of things, smiling and climbed on the car. It turns out that Xinyang station arranged for him to take a passenger car, three o’clock also to Zhengzhou. Zhengzhou station is a big station, the station and the grouping station are far apart. Zhengzhou grouping station is the largest grouping station I passed through, as dense as a spider web of tracks, countless carriages, as if a maze of general. Xiao Chen found it very quickly. He brought a box lunch and a few Dangshan pears from the coach, and boiled water, which was the only meal I had on the way that was not dry food.
Almost to the destination. There was no danger, everything was normal, and we lay down on the berth and slept peacefully.
The next morning, the train slowly into the East Longhai Road, Xinyi station, where there is also our company’s transfer station, the staff has long been from Anshun sent a telegram to know our departure date and wagon number, so we know the time to the station. The cattle were transferred once more and transported back to the county by car.
This time it took 7 days and 8 nights, after Guizhou, Guangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu 7 provinces and regions of the cattle transport trip finally ended. The cattle clear, quickly shower and change clothes for dinner. Xiao Chen has also long changed into clean clothes, he is going Home. We gave him his salary and return travel expenses, he borrowed the quilt consignment back to Anshun, to use the return trip once. Last time he went to Shanghai, this time he was going to stay in Wuhan for two days.
The agricultural company sold cattle, only seeking to preserve capital, and the price was set very low. But at that time, just after the catastrophe, the production team was very poor and still could not afford to buy. For this reason, the state specially allocated a cattle loan to help the production team to buy back the cattle.
The work of “transporting cattle from the south to the north” was carried out continuously and intensely, and about 1,000 head were transported back in a year. There was no interruption in the Cultural Revolution either. In addition to Qinglong, he also went to Anlong and Xingyi in southwest China. For one or two years, a batch was bought in the suburban counties of Shanghai, Chuansha and Nanhui. It was not until the early 70s that this work was gradually stopped.
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