30: Chapter 30 Infantry Gun Unearthed

"We don't have the sea where I'm from, but we have fish ponds," Zhang Wei continued his nonsense. "Back home, we use shovels like this to dig fish ponds."

The kind-hearted auntie stopped trying to persuade him. Was digging a fish pond the same as foraging by the sea? This young man before her clearly wasn't right in the head. Continuing would just be a waste of breath.

Having sent the kind auntie away, Zhang Wei continued to work hard. Information showed that this cannon was buried 1.5 meters deep under the silt. At first glance, that height didn't seem like much, but in reality, it was equivalent to burying a standing girl completely. It was definitely a massive project.

"Just think of it as exercise," Zhang Wei comforted himself.

He dug like this for over an hour. During that time, Liu Haorui had switched spots several times without any luck, eventually just running over to the middle-aged women to watch them forage.

An Xiaoxi had good luck; after playing around for a bit, she actually dug up a few clams, making the young girl dance with joy.

By now, Zhang Wei was digging deeper and deeper, with more than half his body obscured by the silt. His arms began to feel sore and weak.

Suddenly, a different sensation came from the end of the shovel, as if it had struck something hard. Zhang Wei instantly perked up. He hurriedly dropped the shovel and, disregarding the dirt on his hands, vigorously brushed aside the silt.

A metallic glint appeared amidst the brown mud.

"This must be it!" Zhang Wei's breathing quickened, his mind filled with excitement. Unlike recovering gold bars or graphics cards before, he had dug this out of the mud shovel by shovel. It felt like unearthing a real treasure.

He shouted loudly toward Liu Haorui, "Old Liu! An Xiaoxi, come over and help!"

Hearing his call, Liu Haorui and An Xiaoxi stumbled over.

"Let me see what big prize you've found?" Liu Haorui leaned in but couldn't make heads or tails of it. "The color doesn't look like gold or silver; it's not just a piece of scrap iron, is it?"

Zhang Wei said crossly, "You slacker, you start with the sarcasm the moment you arrive. Hurry up and dig for me for a bit." After saying that, he took a small trowel from An Xiaoxi's hand.

"An Xiaoxi, use your phone to record. You're in charge of filming the rest of the excavation. If what we dig up is an antique, it's better to have video evidence to prove we didn't steal it and definitely aren't grave robbers. Also, remember to delete any footage from nearby cameras that might have caught us when we get back."

An Xiaoxi's digging skills were negligible, so filming from the side was perfect for her. This iconic scene of capturing heavy weaponry from the Japanese Army definitely needed to be well-recorded; it was a feat one could brag about for a lifetime. Showing it at a future wedding would be more prestigious than hiring a celebrity to sing.

Zhang Wei handed the small trowel to Liu Haorui. "Old Liu, use this to dig." He couldn't use the large shovel anymore; it would be a huge loss if he accidentally damaged the buried object. "Dig slowly with the trowel. Your clothes are already a mess anyway."

Liu Haorui took the trowel, lay flat on the ground, and began to shovel away the dirt bit by bit along the exposed metal edge.

In this way, a cylindrical metal section began to emerge. Only then did Zhang Wei realize that the spot he had just dug into was the barrel of the Infantry Cannon.

Another hour passed quickly. With continuous digging, the entire Infantry Cannon finally saw the light of day again after more than eighty years.

The cannon was visually estimated to be just over two meters long and only fifty to sixty centimeters high. The barrel was supported by a pair of long, narrow triangular bases, with a large wooden wheel on each side. The hubs were wrapped in iron sheets to protect the wheels from bumps. There was also a metal shield above the cannon, resembling a windshield.

Because the entire cannon had been buried in the sand for a long time, isolated from the air, it hadn't suffered much damage aside from a few spots of rust.

"Holy crap! This... this is a cannon, right? Will it explode?" Liu Haorui cried out in alarm.

Zhang Wei said disdainfully, "Have you ever seen a gun without bullets kill anyone?"

"No."

"Then how would this cannon explode without shells? Is it going to spontaneously combust like in the legends?"

"So cold." An Xiaoxi shivered, suddenly feeling that Zhang Wei had a real talent for telling bad jokes.

Facing this cannon, Zhang Wei was now in a dilemma. How could they transport it away? The cannon was currently stuck in a mud pit over a meter deep, and even if they got it out, they would still need to pull it to the shore fifty meters away.

Just as he was wondering what to do, the aunties nearby heard the commotion and came over to see what was happening.

The kind auntie from before stepped forward and said in surprise, "You really did dig up such a big thing. That fish pond digging method from your hometown is actually quite effective."

Zhang Wei smiled wryly. "Auntie, please don't tease me. I've dug it out, but now I don't know how to get it out. Even if I called a tow truck, it couldn't drive on the tidal flats, could it?"

Zhang Wei had looked up information; this cannon was a light Infantry Cannon, but even so, its total weight reached 230 kilograms. It would take six adult men to lift it, although two people could push it if it had wheels. However, it was impossible to gain any traction in this silt.

The kind auntie thought for a moment and said, "I have an idea. When we go foraging, we often bring a wooden board to lay on the mud, then lie on it and slide forward with our hands. That way, we don't sink into the mud. You might want to try the same method."

Hearing the auntie's words, Zhang Wei's eyes lit up. This method sounded quite reliable. He hurriedly asked, "Auntie, do you have any spare wooden boards I could borrow to try?"

"No problem. Even though the mud is relatively dry and hard in autumn and winter and we don't need them, we still brought some. They're up on the embankment."

So, one of the women led Zhang Wei and Liu Haorui back to the shore. In a corner by the road, there were several wooden boards as wide as a person. Each of the two men carried two boards back to the tidal flats. They were already stumbling as they walked, and carrying two such large boards made it even more difficult.

Zhang Wei simply followed the auntie's method, laid the board down, and lay on it, paddling forward with his hands.

With the surface area increased several times over, the board didn't sink. Not only did it save a lot of effort, but it was also faster than walking.

Truly, the wisdom of the working people.

Returning to the pit with the boards, Zhang Wei had Liu Haorui dig a slope leading to the bottom. Then they laid the boards at the bottom and along the slope. Finally, he and Liu Haorui jumped down next to the Infantry Cannon and began to push with all their might.

It had to be said that the military industry quality of the little japanese was quite good; the two wheels were still usable after all those years. The cannon wobbled a few times and began to move slowly forward, soon reaching the slope.

It's working!

Seeing this, the two of them were overjoyed and pushed the cannon even harder.

Soon, the cannon was pushed out. Although the aunties didn't help push, they kindly helped carry the boards up and laid them in front of the cannon.

"You two boys just keep pushing. We'll lay the boards for you," the kind auntie said as she began a board relay. Whenever the cannon was pushed past a section, they would pick up the boards from behind and relay them in front of the cannon, repeating the cycle.

"It's a good thing you aunties are here. Thank you all so much," Zhang Wei couldn't help but feel touched by their kindness.

Many friends from out of town always felt that people in the City Name were xenophobic and looked down on outsiders. When he first came to the City Name to study, his relatives back home had constantly warned him that people in the City Name were exclusive and calculating, and that he should keep his distance. This had made him very cautious and worried about being ostracized when he first arrived.

In reality, these were all stereotypes. Whether it was his classmates, teachers, or his later landlord, everyone was very friendly.

Actually, there are good people everywhere, and there are always a few bad apples. Some people come to the City Name for tourism, see an impatient shop assistant, and think all people in the City Name have such a bad attitude. But in reality, that's usually just a drop in the bucket.

With everyone's efforts, the Infantry Cannon was finally moved to the edge of the embankment.