Young and old, men and women worked from sun up to sun down, through the summer heat and bitterly cold winter.

CNN: The story of Yaojin: Rebuilding a quake village

The assistant highways director said a "Herculean effort" was going into fixing road damage in the county after a bitterly cold winter.

BBC: Pothole

But he and his generals underestimated the endurance and valor of the Russian people, as well as the bitterly cold winter conditions under which they would be fighting.

FORBES: Declining Populations Make Peaceful Neighbors