Chapter 84: Kuangmashan

Chapter 84: Kuangmashan

The venue was quiet for a while, and the Chief of Staff cleared his throat and said, "We will consider Battalion Commander Cui's suggestion later, but our army's top priority is currently..."

Speaking of this, the Chief of Staff pointed at Komashan on the map with his baton and said: "The superiors believe that our army wants to gain a foothold in the Lang Son area and avoid being attacked by the Vietnamese army inside and outside. The most important thing is to occupy Komashan before the Vietnamese reinforcements arrived!"

It should be said that the superiors' consideration for this is exactly the same as mine. Koumashan is the highest elevation outside Lang Son, and artillery observers can easily guide artillery to bomb the surrounding high ground and even Lang Son Moon City. This can be said to be crucial in a battlefield where both sides have sufficient artillery weapons.

When we took down Kumashan, it was equivalent to knocking off the eyes of the Vietnamese artillery and then installing a pair of eyes for our own artillery. After all, it can be said that the balance of war has largely tilted towards our army.

More importantly, in the iron triangle defense zone formed by the three highlands of Guma Mountain, 417 and 516, Guma Mountain is undoubtedly the key. Once Guma Mountain is in the hands of our army, the positions of the Vietnamese army in the 417 Highland will be destroyed without attacking, and our army is just around the corner. Therefore, there is no doubt that it is completely correct to focus on Guma Mountain.

When I heard these commands from my superiors, I couldn't help but feel like I had found a soulmate. Why did my superiors suddenly become so wise and powerful?

"Because we don't know when the reinforcements of the Vietnamese army will arrive, the task of attacking Gumashan is urgent!" The chief of staff frowned and said, "The superiors only give us twenty-four hours, which means we will take Gumashan down before noon tomorrow at the latest! This is also the reason why we have transferred you from the line of fire for a meeting this time. Are there any difficulties for comrades?"

"Tomorrow at noon?" The soldiers couldn't help but gasp.

"Chief of Staff!" He Liqiang, the second battalion commander who assisted the Qaimashan mission, said: "It's not that we don't want to fight, nor that the soldiers are not brave enough to fight. The jungle of Qaimashan is too dense, and the fog and smoke are too heavy to see the main peak. The soldiers of our companies cannot find the direction even if they enter. The Japanese devils are playing hide-and-seek with us in the jungle. Sometimes they come out from here and fire, and sometimes they shoot from there... When we really catch up, we can't find people, so we only have landmines... After firing these few days, there is only one third company that happens to be at the main peak to launch an attack, but the troops are too small and cannot be killed..."

Listening to He Liqiang's words, I understood that there are so many difficulties in fighting Mashan. I guess the Vietnamese Japanese are there to fully utilize their expertise in jungle warfare and guerrilla warfare! If this is the case, it will be a headache...

"Captain Cui!"

"Come on!" The Chief of Staff's cry suddenly woke me up.

"Tell me what you think!" asked the Chief of Staff: "Tell me what you think in response to the questions raised by Battalion Commander He!"

"Thinking? I don't have any ideas!" I replied with a headache: "I have also fought with the Vietnamese army in the jungle. They are like monkeys in the jungle. The advantage is obvious. It is definitely not enough to fight guerrillas with them. We have no experience... we can only be played by them. If... I really have any ideas, I think it is to fight steadily step by step, kill all the way to the main peak and take down the main peak first!"

"I agree with Battalion Commander Cui!" Political Commissar Huang nodded and said, "Although our army was good at fighting guerrilla warfare in the past, we were still masters of the Vietnamese Japanese. But after all, our disciples learned their skills, and we masters abandoned this skill! Therefore, it is definitely not feasible to use guerrilla warfare to fight the enemy's guerrilla warfare. Their decades of skills and practical experience are obvious, so we can't catch up with rockets! So if we want to fight, we will fight head-on. The Vietnamese Japanese can run around the mountain like Sun Monkey, but there is only a water curtain cave in Huaguo Mountain, so we went to copy their nests to see where they could run!"

"But the problem is..." He Liqiang said with some concern: "It is not easy to find the main peak of Komashan..."

"Look for soldiers who have been there to lead the way..."

"Kumashan Mountain is high and dense forests. If you can find it in the first chapter, you may not be lost again!" He Liqiang replied helplessly.

Everyone here has a deep understanding of this. The jungle in Vietnam looks like this. Every place looks the same. The trees are sealed tightly above their heads, so it is difficult to rely on other high grounds as references to determine the direction. So he stopped talking after listening to He Liqiang's words.

"The artillery knows the coordinates of the main peak!" I suddenly asked after a while of silence.

"Of course I know!" A cadre who seemed to be a regiment artillery battalion stood up and said, "We don't know how many artillery fired at the main peak these days, why don't we know..."

"It's good to know!" I nodded and replied, "Then can you guide the infantry?"

"We have tried this method!" He Liqiang replied: "But when the fight occurs during the day, there are gunfire sounds in every direction, and it doesn't work!"

"I didn't say it was during the day!" I replied slowly.

"What?" Everyone was stunned when they heard this.

"It's not during the day..." He Liqiang said with some difficulty: "It's still at night? It's easier to get lost at night and it's more likely to be blocked by the Vietnamese army..."

"Not necessarily!" I replied: "Kumashan Mountain is high and dense, and we can't find its main peak during the day. At night, our artillery soldiers are heading towards the main peak without a single sound. We are touching the darkness and following the explosion of shells. In this way, we will not be affected by the mountain roads and small roads, and it may be easier to find the main peak."

"It makes sense!" Political Commissar Huang couldn't help but nodded: "It's like getting lost on the sea. As long as you walk in the direction guided by the beacon, you won't be wrong! But... Isn't it too dangerous to act at night?"

It should be said that Political Commissar Huang’s concerns make sense. Since he entered Vietnam and fired the first shot, our army has tried to avoid starting war at night because of unfamiliarity with the terrain. Moreover, our army has an absolute advantage in artillery, so generally speaking, starting war during the day is more beneficial to our army.

But...it's not the case now!

"I think..." I continued to think about it, "It's more dangerous to act in the jungle during the day!"

"Well! Why?"

"How is that possible?"

"We are not familiar with the terrain and have the advantage of artillery fire. How could we choose to operate at night!"

...

My words were immediately questioned by the soldiers, and even the Chief of Staff and Political Commissar Huang were full of doubts.

I continued calmly: "Just as Political Commissar Huang said just now, the combat quality of the Vietnamese army in the jungle is obvious. If we act during the day, our visibility will naturally be stronger and our combat effectiveness will be improved. But... our army is not good at fighting in the jungle, how much combat effectiveness can it improve? Once this unit drills into the jungle, can the artillery see where they are? Can we provide artillery fire assistance to the troops?"

As soon as I said this, the soldiers were speechless, especially He Liqiang and the cadres of the artillery battalion. They had fought in the jungle and knew very well that the troops there didn't even know where they were. How could they provide the correct coordinates to support the artillery fire? So many times, the powerful artillery of our army is just a decoration, and there is no place to use it if you have the strength.

"On the contrary!" I continued: "The Vietnamese army can fully utilize their advantages of being familiar with the terrain and being good at fighting guerrilla warfare when fighting during the day. They can shoot one shot in the jungle and change another place, take our army around the jungle, and even lay mines all the way for us to step on... What if it's a night when you can't see your fingers? Even if you are familiar with the terrain! Even if you are good at fighting guerrilla warfare! We all fight with our eyes blindfolded, no one can get it! We just need to cross mountains and water, and follow the explosion of shells all the way!"

"It makes sense!" The Chief of Staff slapped the table hard and said, "The analysis makes sense. The Japanese devils are good at fighting jungle wars during the day, but if no one can see anyone at night, their abilities will not be able to be displayed! Political Commissar Huang, as Battalion Commander Cui said, let the troops act at night, follow the explosion of shells, and touch it at about the same position, and then launch an attack when dawn!"

"Chief of Staff..." Political Commissar Huang said hesitantly: "This matter is simple, but it is still difficult to do it!"

“What’s the difficulty?”

"The troops are easily disbanded!" Political Commissar Huang replied: "This is a harboring Mashan during the day, and it is even more impossible to say at night. If you encounter a few more Japanese devils on the road, it is easy to get confused. It is hard to say how many people can walk to the main peak in the dark..."

I have to admit that Political Commissar Huang’s concerns make sense, especially if the Vietnamese army knows our plan and starts an infiltration war by touching the black army, the consequences will be unimaginable. But as the saying goes, there will be one advantage in everything, and the battlefield is no exception. If you want to achieve greater results, you must take greater risks!

"That's right!" The Chief of Staff pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "So... we must send a well-organized and highly combat-capable force to go up..."

As he said that, the Chief of Staff and Political Commissar Huang turned their eyes to me at the same time. Then the soldiers also turned their eyes to me. Seeing this, I couldn't help but open my mouth and scream. It turned out that the Chief of Staff and Political Commissar Huang were singing a double act! I didn't know that they fell into their trap without knowing it. They were even more traitorous than those Yue Japanese...

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The combat mission was soon over. The task of touching the main peak of Kumashan at night fell on our second battalion with no choice. As for the 417th Highland, the reinforcements of the 209th Division defended us.

By the way, it is still very difficult to change defenses on the 417 Highland. The reason is that the open area several hundred meters wide in front of the 417 Highland was completely exposed to the firepower of the 536 Highland and Kumashan. If the enemy suddenly launched an attack while we were changing defenses and used artillery fire to kill the troops passing through the open land, the consequences would be unimaginable.

It is precisely for these reasons that I did not dare to switch defenses with friendly troops during the day. Although the visibility during the day is not high, the top position of the 417 Highland is still under the control of the Vietnamese army. As long as there are a few Vietnamese observers there, changing defenses under their noses is tantamount to seeking death.

So until seven o'clock in the evening, when the sky was completely dark, our army's artillery fire smashed a bunch of shells into several high grounds in front of us and stirred up a piece of gunpowder, which replaced the Second Battalion.

"Battery Commander! Why did you replace us?"

"Yes! The fortifications we finally set up were made, and we gave it to you as soon as we said it!"

...

When the soldiers got out of the position and saw me, they surrounded me and asked.

"There is a new task!" I replied coldly: "Everyone has it. Take the time to rest. While resting, learn the night marching communication methods from the fifth company!"

"Yes!" the soldiers responded and soon set up tents in the base to rest.

However, when it comes to rest, many people learned from the soldiers of the Fifth Company's various gestures and voices of marching at night from the soldiers. These were actually used by me in the cold gun troops during the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea. When I was training in the recruit battalion, I thought these were very useful and handed them over to the Fifth Company. Unexpectedly, they would come in handy at this time.

As for organizational learning, there is no need for me as the battalion commander to worry about it. I just need to issue orders, and the company commanders and instructors of each company will naturally arrange it. Some of them invite the soldiers from the fifth company to be instructors, while others simply pull the soldiers from the fifth company to sleep in the same tent, resting and learning... So the sound of soldiers gesturing and communicating everywhere in the garrison.

It is hard for the soldiers to be so excited after fighting for a day. They started learning without any complaints when they heard my order. However, I was still a little worried. The soldiers of the Fifth Company had conducted several night-march exercises in the bamboo forest during the recruits camp, but other companies seemed to have no such experience at all. Will there be any problem? After all, with too many people, any situation could happen...

"Battery Commander!" At this time, the people from the hometown came up and asked, "We have a mission tonight, right?"

"Well! I nodded, then raised my head to Kumashan, who was proudly looking down at the peaks in front of me, and said, "I'm going to deal with it tonight!"

The expression on the faces of the people in my hometown changed. After nodding, he returned to the company without saying anything.

I knew why he was in such a hurry to go back, and he was going to punish his troops.

The gestures used for night communication and the sounds of simulated animals are not complicated. They are just the techniques and long sounds to express orders such as "stop moving forward", "continue moving forward", and "discover enemy situation". So in less than half an hour, the soldiers recorded them all.

But I am also very clear. Now I have to write it down. Whether it will be used on the battlefield will be another matter.

At this time, the Chief of Staff asked the people in the kitchen to specially carry several buckets of meat buns for us, and the soldiers were in a sensation. It was rare to eat a bite of hot food after fighting on the battlefield for such a long time. Every day, they ate cold and hard compressed biscuits. At this moment, there were hot buns to eat, and no one was happy. They lined up and took two of them and grabbed them in their hands and chewed them.

Of course, the soldiers naturally would not forget me. Many soldiers helped me get a few more when they saw that I didn’t go to get the buns... The result was that the guards and I were holding a lot of them, which made me both moved and helpless.

What the soldiers didn't know was that the buns were all made by the soldiers in the kitchen squad, who risked being bombarded by the Vietnamese army and attacked by the Vietnamese agents, and secretly steamed them in the rooms of ordinary Vietnamese people. Isn't it a waste to give them so much to me? At least they risked their lives to make them for us?

So I remembered the two little girls Liu Yun and Yichen... Could they not squeeze out those big and thick warriors who couldn't grab the buns? I could just share a few for them, and by the way, I also showed off my popularity in front of them... But I didn't expect... When I brought these dozen buns to find the two girls, I was shocked to find that the buns in front of them were piled up like a hill!

These rabbits, looking at the soldiers surrounding them, couldn't help but curse fiercely. These guys usually look very kind, but they didn't expect that they are all masters who value sex over friends!

I haven't tasted the hot meat buns for a long time, and now they taste really delicious. But we have to hurry up and rest, so I asked the soldiers to complete the task of eating buns within ten minutes with the order. This made me suffer, the two little girls Liu Yun and Yichen, glared at me fiercely and then scurriedly distributed the buns to the soldiers again. The embarrassed look made me almost laugh out loud.

The soldiers fought for a day, and now they were exhausted after being full and drinking. As soon as they received the order to rest on the spot, they would go into the air-raid shelter or fall asleep in a tent. Soon, snoring sounds rang out around the base.

I also got back to my air-raid shelter, changed into a clean military uniform and lay on the bed prepared by the guards for me to rest. Although I was still worried about whether I could successfully take the soldiers to the main peak of Kumashan at night, I still forced myself not to think about those things and forced myself to fall asleep...

I have had several years of experience on the battlefield and know very well that sometimes I don’t need to worry too much on the battlefield. What’s more important is that I can get enough rest and give myself more energy to deal with the difficulties in front of me.
Chapter completed!