diskusbooks Chapter 302 Arrival at Zhongning
Chapter 302 Arrival at Zhongning
On May 26th, the early sunshine has added a bit of warmth to the early summer season.
In the early morning, a gentle breeze blew, with just the right amount of coolness and not a bit of coldness at all, gently passing over the river bank of Jiaxian County.
Along the river bank, our troops were lined up in an orderly manner, like an indestructible Great Wall of Steel.
The soldiers stood tall, with determined eyes, and slowly set off with firm and powerful steps.
The uniform footsteps seemed like the drumbeats of the earth, playing the music of fearless progress.
The Yellow River is rushing along the side, presenting a magnificent and majestic scene.
The frozen silence of winter is no longer seen. At this moment, the river is like a giant dragon that has broken free from its restraints, roaring, rolling and rushing forward.
The endless flow of water carries the soldiers' firm belief in moving forward bravely and fearlessly, and witnesses their great journey that is like a firm leap across the long river of history.
Before I knew it, the sun was setting in the west.
The red sun was like a burning fireball, dyeing the entire sky a brilliant orange-red color.
The afterglow poured down like a golden veil, gently wrapping the soldiers' tall bodies, stretching their shadows into slender shapes, and clearly reflecting them on the vast loess slopes in the Yulin area.
This ancient and profound land is now covered with a layer of sacred glory by this magnificent afterglow.
After arriving in Yulin, the soldiers immediately engaged in intense operations.
They quickly and methodically set up fortifications and arranged camping.
In the context of modern warfare, camping in the wild is very different from that in ancient times.
If, like in ancient times, thousands or even tens of thousands of people were crowded in one camp and were exposed to enemy artillery fire, it would inevitably cause devastating consequences and would be an unimaginable disaster.
Therefore, camping arrangements are now more dispersed.
Here, the soldiers used barbed wire and soil to build a simple anti-artillery wall. They piled up the soil shovel by shovel, as if they were building a barrier to protect lives. Although this barrier was simple, it could withstand the enemy's direct fire.
Over there, soldiers were holding tools and digging trenches and anti-artillery holes on the spot.
Their movements were skillful and quick. Beads of sweat rolled down their foreheads, but it did not affect their focused expressions at all.
In order to reduce the number of people, this force did not carry engineering vehicles and corresponding personnel.
These field fortifications must be built with manpower.
During this special period of war, comfort has long become a luxury and survival has become the first priority.
You can look at the ongoing war between the two bears. In the summer, many soldiers slept in the mud.
Every simple campsite and every hastily built fortification carries the soldiers' determination to silently persevere and fight tenaciously for victory, for the country and the people.
As night falls, bonfires are lit in the camp. The jumping flames are like bright stars falling into the world, echoing with the twinkling stars in the night sky, forming a unique and moving picture on this silent loess land.
On the first night, the camp was immersed in peace and tranquility, with only the occasional chirping of insects, as if they were gently singing songs for the soldiers to fall asleep.
The next day, May 27th, the sky had just begun to turn pale, and the faint light of morning light gently sprinkled on the earth, and our soldiers had already embarked on a new journey in high spirits.
The team moved forward along the winding mountain road. On both sides of the road, the forests were lush and green. The branches and leaves swayed gently in the breeze, and birds sang happily on the branches, as if sending blessings to the soldiers on their long journey.
However, there was no sign of the enemy along the way, and this unusual calm made the atmosphere slightly depressing.
When night fell again, our army quickly set up tents in the valley of Zhangjiagou.
Smoke curled up from each tent, interweaving with the gauze-like mist that filled the distant mountains, like a dreamy ink painting, creating a seemingly peaceful atmosphere.
However, this tranquility did not make Captain Chen and his staff feel at ease at all. Instead, it made them feel a little uneasy.
Captain Chen's brows were tightly twisted into a knot, and his eyes were filled with solemnity and vigilance, like a sharp blade, trying to dig out the secret behind the calm.
He turned around abruptly and said to the staff officer beside him:
“I said, this journey has been too peaceful!
It was so damned calm that it was abnormal. It was exactly like the creepy silence before a storm!
I have been fighting on the battlefield for so many years, I know too well that there is no good behind this kind of silence! "
He knew clearly in his heart that there must be a huge crisis behind the strange tranquility on the battlefield. Perhaps a storm was brewing silently.
He immediately responded with great vigor and decisiveness, waving his hand and giving a decisive order:
"Quick, ask the 1st Battalion ahead if there is any unusual movement!"
Soon, the reply came:
"everything is normal."
When he heard this, his brows furrowed even more tightly, and then he shouted anxiously:
"What about the results of the drone reconnaissance? Report it to me now!"
The answer I got was still “no abnormalities found”.
Although all the information currently indicates that everything is calm, Captain Chen is still very nervous.
He widened his eyes, his expression was as serious as steel, and he emphasized in a hoarse voice:
"Listen carefully, we must continue the drone reconnaissance at night, and we cannot let our guard down even for a moment!
Everyone should be on high alert. If anyone dares to fail, I will skin him alive!"
Throughout the night, the camp was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Only the steady and rhythmic footsteps of the patrolling soldiers broke the silence from time to time, guarding the safety of the camp like loyal guards.
On the morning of May 28th, the sun slowly climbed up from the horizon. The first ray of sunlight seemed to have legs, and it swiftly penetrated the thin clouds and gently sprinkled on the earth.
At this time, the earth is full of vitality and liveliness.
The tender green grass was dazzling in the sunlight, and the luster of life seemed to be overflowing. Wild flowers popped up in the grass, red, yellow, and purple, as colorful as a painting.
Captain Chen stood on a high ground, his hands on his hips, his eyes wide open, gazing into the distance at the land that was brightly illuminated by the sun and full of vitality.
He gritted his teeth and became more determined to reach Lop Nur as soon as possible. He shouted at the top of his voice:
"Pass on my orders!
Today, everyone must speed up our march, travel a little further, cross the Hongliu River, and camp at Jiejiatai!
Don’t be lazy, if anyone falls behind, I won’t forgive him!
The sooner we reach our destination, the sooner we can resolve potential dangers and gain more initiative for the mission!"
Nothing happened during the day, and the team arrived safely at Jiejiatai.
This was once the area where the Eighth Route Army galloped across the country and fought bloody battles with the Japanese invaders.
Every inch of land under your feet is like a heavy history book, silently telling the story of that magnificent history.
The wind of time blows gently across this land, and in a trance, I can still seem to hear the passionate slogans of the Eighth Route Army soldiers in the past, the sound was deafening, and the sound of gunfire that made people's ears buzz when fighting with the enemy.
The land seems to still be seeping with the blood of the martyrs, nourishing this land full of hope.
Recalling that our army gave Yanzhou to Gu Shousan, and for the sake of long-term development, after weighing the pros and cons, we reluctantly gave up the controlled area to the west.
Captain Chen smoked one cigarette after another, feeling mixed emotions.
Those decisions were made after repeated weighing of pros and cons in a situation as complicated as a tangled mess.
Only people like him who have experienced it personally can truly understand the difficulties and reluctance involved.
Now I am revisiting the place, and the scenery before my eyes has changed a lot, but the familiar mountains, rivers and streams are still there.
But the comrades who once fought side by side with me, as well as the enthusiastic people, have all changed.
The feeling that everything had changed and people had changed suddenly came to his mind, and he couldn't help but sigh heavily.
If we go further west, we will enter Ma Ning's territory.
When Captain Chen thought of Ma Ning, his heart felt as if it was clamped by an iron clamp and it hurt terribly.
This bastard is cruel and ruthless, with a lot of bad intentions in his mind. He is as cunning as a thousand-year-old fox and has caused a lot of trouble to our army and the Eighth Route Army. Captain Chen hates him so much when he mentions him.
Inside the tent, the bright lights illuminated the surroundings like day.
Captain Chen sat there, his face as resolute as granite. The angular contours on his face seemed as if they were carefully carved by the years with the sharpest chisel, and every line was filled with the vicissitudes of the past.
His eyes were deep and sharp, like an abyss of coldness or like lightning that streaked across the night sky, revealing a deep worry.
This worry is like the oppressive dark clouds before a storm.
That is the worry of stepping into a dangerous area. No one knows how many dangers are lurking ahead.
But at the same time, his eyes were gleaming with unwavering determination, like a blazing fire.
As if roaring at all the difficulties and obstacles:
The People's Liberation Army will never retreat, and no enemy can stop us!
The hatred between the People's Liberation Army and the Ma family army has been going on for a long time. It is like a deep scar that can never be healed, firmly engraved in Captain Chen's heart.
No matter how time passes, this memory can never be erased.
Those brutal and fierce battle scenes, the scenes of his comrades' heroic but unfortunate sacrifices, one by one, played in his mind like a movie.
Those fallen comrades, their vivid faces, determined eyes, and flowing blood, have become eternal pain in Captain Chen's heart.
It also became a powerful driving force for him to move forward courageously.
He secretly vowed to make the Ma family army pay a heavy price for their evil deeds!
"We'll be arriving in Zhongning soon..."
Captain Chen frowned slightly, opened his lips slightly, and spoke in a low and powerful voice. Every word seemed to carry a thousand pounds of weight, making the air heavy.
He looked through the window of the command vehicle, toward the distant and unknown future.
The place is shrouded in darkness, like a huge mystery, full of uncertainties.
But Captain Chen's eyes remained as firm as ever, without the slightest wavering, as if the darkness could not stop his determination to move forward. He seemed to be able to penetrate this endless darkness and see the dawn of hope for victory.
At this moment, his heart was like a turbulent sea, surging with complex emotions. He was nervous about the upcoming battle, after all, the enemy's strength should not be underestimated;
He also had a strong desire to defeat his enemies, a desire that burned like a flame in his chest.
"Yes, I'm afraid our mass base won't be that good going forward."
A staff officer echoed softly, with obvious worry in his voice.
At this moment, he lowered his head slightly, his eyes solemn, staring closely at the map spread out at his feet, as if trying to find clues to break through the predicament from the dense lines and marks.