The Red Era: Living in Seclusion in a Siheyuan as a Boss

Chapter 547: The disciple is better than the master!!!

Liu Wu shook his dizzy and splitting headache head and struggled to stand up and continue commanding the battle. At this time, dozens of enemies attacked them in two directions.

He quickly used a radio to request artillery support from the rear, and calmly commanded several team members around him to launch a counterattack, striving to repel this wave of enemy counterattacks.

Seeing that they were beaten back again, the angry enemy once again launched artillery fire at Hill 167.

In an instant, the artillery fire that covered the sky and the sun came, swooping down like a whistling meteor with extreme ferocity. The members of the "Black Panther Second Squadron" could only pause and retreat to avoid the artillery fire.

Then, our army also launched artillery attacks on the enemy. The two sides attacked each other with artillery fire, and the enemy's artillery fire was gradually suppressed by our army.

Four hours later, the sound of gunfire gradually died down, and squadron leader Liu Wu called together the cadres and held a special group meeting.

The main theme of the meeting was that we must not abandon a sacrificed comrade and never give up on an injured team member.

The battle lasted more than 30 hours from the beginning of the ambush to the end, and almost all the members of the death squad led by Deputy Squadron Leader Sun Xinchun were injured.

The support troops, blocked by enemy artillery fire, suffered heavy casualties, with more than 30 people killed or wounded.

On the small Hill 167, tens of thousands of shells fell, with an average of one shell falling for every three square meters.

This battle, led by Liu Wu, was particularly difficult.
They repelled eight enemy counterattacks, annihilated more than 8 enemies, and destroyed 600 Vietnamese troop stations.

After the battle, the military industry began to clear the battlefield.

When the military workers were too late to return, soldier Shi Dajin stayed with the bodies of more than 30 comrades and was unwilling to leave: "There is a custom in our hometown that after a person leaves this world, someone must keep watch and light a perpetual lamp to guide them."

After the assault, dozens of suicide squad members were awarded first and second class merit.

Their "Black Panther Second Squadron" was also awarded the title of "Heroic Second Squadron", and the surviving team members were widely publicized in military newspapers.

……

Liu Wu did not bring shame to his father Liu Zhiye, and Zhong Xingguo, Liu Zhiye's son-in-law, was no less so.

In late February, the enemy organized a large-scale offensive.

The enemy mobilized two regiments to try to seize our position in the Nara direction of L Mountain.

Although this attack was repelled by our army, it also exposed some problems in the defense of the position.

In order to strengthen the defense, our army immediately adjusted its deployment and increased firepower configuration in the front-line positions.

Heavy firepower was deployed at each key point and multiple lines of defense were built.

At the same time, our military's intelligence departments obtained information through various channels and closely monitored the enemy's movements.

Through interrogation of prisoners, our army gradually grasped the enemy's combat intentions.

Intelligence shows that the enemy is planning a large-scale military operation code-named "North Light".

The enemy's "North Light Plan" was a carefully planned military operation aimed directly at our defensive positions in the L Mountain area.

This plan mobilized nearly 8 troops from eight elite enemy regiments, a scale far exceeding any previous border conflict.

The first stage of the plan was to wear down our army's vigilance through small-scale exploratory attacks.

The enemy frequently launched artillery attacks on our positions and harassed our positions with small groups of troops in an attempt to paralyze our nerves.

The core of this plan is to use the cover of night to organize special forces to infiltrate near our military positions.

They chose the darkest hour of midnight to launch their attack when our troops were completely unprepared.

Our army learned of the existence of this plan through a captured enemy junior officer.

The officer revealed that the enemy planned to launch a general offensive in mid-March with the intention of seizing the commanding heights in the L Mountain area in one fell swoop.

On March 3, the front command held an emergency meeting in Moshan to discuss combat plans to deal with the enemy's large-scale counterattack.

Faced with this threat, our army has taken a series of active defensive measures.

Strengthening fortifications became the top priority, and engineering corps worked day and night to build fortifications on the front lines.

At the same time, mines were laid on the frontline positions. In just a few days, our army laid a large number of mines in an area 7 kilometers long and 0.5 kilometers wide on the front line.

The engineering troops used mine-laying vehicles to work quickly and built a dense killing line of defense.

In addition, our army has strengthened the configuration of artillery firepower.

The logistics department also began to transport ammunition and supplies on a large scale, with more than 800 transport vehicles traveling back and forth between the front line and the rear.

In order to deal with possible surprise attacks, our army also deployed rocket artillery companies at various key points.

The firepower configuration of each position has increased several times compared to usual, forming a tight firepower network.

The ammunition reserves of various artillery positions have increased by more than four times compared to usual.

Intelligence agencies have also stepped up their efforts to collect information on enemy forces through various channels.

Various electronic reconnaissance teams went deep behind enemy lines and closely monitored the enemy's every move.

Through comprehensive analysis of intelligence from all parties, our army gradually grasped the enemy's specific deployment.

They not only confirmed the authenticity of the "Northern Light Plan", but also grasped the enemy's attack route and time nodes.

Therefore, the meeting discussed and decided that the X Army Group would defend the area west of Lujiang River, namely the L Mountain position, the Narakouzi area and the Songmaoling position.

In order to ensure the victory of this defensive operation, the group army commander Liu personally gave a death order to Zhong Xingguo, the captain of the "Black Panther Assault" battalion responsible for defending the Songmaoling position:
"Didn't the enemy say that it would take three days to recapture Songmaoling? Your mission is to fight the enemy for five days!"

After receiving the order, the officers and soldiers of the "Black Panther Commando" remained highly vigilant.

They understood that the coming battle would be extremely brutal.

"We marched forward to attack the dangerous place secretly and made plans to invade the border town."

In this battle, Zhong Xingguo lived up to everyone's expectations and successfully completed the task assigned by Commander Liu.

But the process was extremely difficult, and Zhong Xingguo's command center was almost surrounded by enemy forces.

The Battle of Songmaoling officially started at 12 a.m. on the 3th.

A few hours before this, the enemy had secretly moved towards our positions.

The electronic reconnaissance team monitored the enemy's radio station and learned that the enemy would launch an attack at 3 o'clock.

The front command immediately ordered the artillery unit to launch an artillery attack before the enemy attacked.

That night, the front line of L Mountain was shrouded in an eerie silence.

This silence was broken by heavy artillery fire in the early hours of the morning.
In accordance with the command of the headquarters, our artillery took the lead in launching a covering attack on the enemy's rear.

The focus of the artillery fire was on the enemy's artillery positions and logistical supply lines, and the attack lasted a full 10 minutes.

At the same time, three small-caliber artillery battalions provided fire coverage within a three-kilometer range on the front line to block the enemy's potential attack routes.

This move was unexpected and caused heavy casualties to the enemy.

The "Black Panther Commandos" guarded the front-line positions, and the forward observation posts continued to report the battlefield situation to the headquarters.

The strange thing is that under such intensive artillery fire, no trace of the enemy was found.

It turned out that the enemy headquarters had issued a death order to remain silent, but the enemy did not lose their composure.

Commander Liu sensed something was amiss and ordered the artillery to launch a second round of bombardment.

But it was already two o'clock in the morning, and the forward observation post still hadn't found any enemy.

The six artillery companies distributed in various positions launched two rounds of fierce artillery bombardment again.

Between each round of shelling, the forward observation posts conducted carpet searches, but there was still no sign of enemy forces on the battlefield.

The headquarters decided to fire flares, and instantly the mountains, forests, and rivers were all illuminated. Under the light of the flares, every detail on the battlefield was clearly visible...

At this moment, our army's forward observation post finally discovered the abnormality.

It turned out that the enemy had already approached us in the middle of the night and were hiding in an area 500 meters away from our position.

This enemy special forces unit showed amazing willpower.

In several rounds of artillery bombardment by our army, their two battalion commanders were killed on the spot, but in order not to expose their whereabouts, they gritted their teeth and persisted and continued to remain hidden.

As the sky gradually turned towards dawn, the enemy thought this was the best time to launch an attack.

They chose this moment when visibility was the worst and approached our positions silently.

Our army's 12 artillery companies and 4 tank companies immediately launched a counterattack in accordance with the "Wild Boar" firepower plan.

The rocket launcher companies are distributed in different positions and commanding heights, forming a dense firepower network.

This time, the enemy could no longer hold on and kept reporting casualties to the headquarters via the radio.

The enemy commander-in-chief Wu Changli was a veteran after all, and he immediately ordered the enemy artillery unit to launch a counterattack.

Our army also retaliated, and the two sides engaged in a fierce artillery battle.

"The artillery fire on the mountaintop illuminates the sky, and the bloody battle shows the military might."

In the early morning hours, the artillery battle continued and was expanding in scale.

In this battle, both sides deployed more than 50 artillery battalions, with countless artillery pieces of various types and calibers.

On the battlefield seven kilometers deep, the fire from the shells

The soldiers on both sides could see each other, and a fierce battle between the infantry units of both sides began. The pre-dawn artillery fire turned the sky red, and the enemy's surprise attack plan was completely exposed.

The enemy had to change its tactics and launch a frontal attack on our positions.

The battle lasted from dawn to noon. Our artillery fire suppressed the enemy's follow-up echelons, leaving its front troops isolated and helpless.

The enemy's 500-man special forces were defeated under intensive artillery fire.

As the attacking party, the enemy was determined to capture the front-line positions at Songmaoling.

As the defending side, all members of our Black Panther Battalion dared not lose an inch of land.

The enemy was well prepared, aggressive, and had the advantage in numbers.

The Black Panther Battalion was under tremendous pressure, but with the firm belief of living and dying with the position, they vowed not to retreat even a single step.

By 8 a.m., the battle had become increasingly intense.

All the guard positions defended by the Black Panther Battalion were lost, and only position 142 was still in our hands.

The platoon responsible for defending the 142 position was the second squadron of the brigade, and the platoon leader was Li Erniu.

At this point in the fight, there were only 20 people left in their entire platoon.

However, they stubbornly held the position and, under the leadership of Li Erniu, repelled the enemy's attacks time and time again.

When the battle reached its most intense moment, the position was filled with the sound of artillery fire and enemy charges.

The enemy surged onto the position like a tide, and the situation began to turn unfavorable to our army.

By noon, the ammunition in our front positions was exhausted.

The enemy seized this opportunity and launched a desperate charge on our positions, threatening the Black Panther Battalion's headquarters at one point.

Then, the tide of enemies gradually occupied some surface positions on the battlefield.

Li Erniu had no choice but to take his soldiers into the tunnel, as the position would be lost at any moment.

Both the enemy and us were determined to capture Position 142.

The reason why this position is so important is that not far behind the position is the headquarters of the "Black Panther Commando".

If Hill 142 is lost, it will not only mean the collapse of our defense line,
It also announced that the command of the "Black Panther Brigade" would face the enemy's attack directly, and Zhong Xingguo's situation became worrying.

At this time, in order to attack the enemy, our artillery units began to fire artillery shells at Hill 142.

Although the artillery fire delayed the enemy's attack, it also threatened the safety of Li Erniu and others.

Zhong Xingguo saw the situation of the 142nd position through the telescope and immediately called the artillery command post. He said in a tough tone:
"There are still my men on the battlefield. If I kill you, I will take full responsibility. We will meet at the headquarters after the battle."

Zhong Xingguo's statement put the artillery command in a dilemma.

How can we stop the enemy's attack without hurting our own people?
This will test the level of the artillery.

Facts have proved that the military quality of our army's artillery units is very good.

The artillerymen adopted a special aiming method.

That is to say, with the location of Li Erniu and others as the center, spread outward to attack the enemy forces on the position.

It's like throwing your hand into the water and creating ripples.

This high-level attack method unexpectedly protected Li Erniu and others. The observers sent by Zhong Xingguo came back to report:
"The shells created a wall of fire, and when the enemy approached the wall of fire, their bodies flew everywhere."

"Well, continue to observe and report any situation in time." Zhong Xingguo received the report and simply responded.

He did not show any excitement because the small victory at the 142 position could not affect the overall situation on the battlefield.

As the enemy successively occupied Hill 145 and Hill 142.

The Black Panther Battalion's frontal defense line was torn open, and the enemy's attacking figures began to appear in Zhong Xingguo's field of vision...

From the beginning of the battle, the enemy charged forward desperately as if they had received a death order.

This was also an important reason for the loss of Hill 145 and Hill 142.

After occupying Position 142, the enemy continued their charge despite the bombardment from our artillery units.

At the most critical moment, a special forces unit of the enemy army, with a strength of about a company, even rushed to the vicinity of the "Black Panther Battalion" headquarters.

This reckless "suicide squad" has already engaged in a firefight with Zhong Xingguo's command center.

Upon hearing the situation, the staff at the command center instinctively packed up the radio and documents.

The guard asked Zhong Xingguo whether to retreat, and Zhong Xingguo fell into thought for a moment.

According to the battlefield situation, Zhong Xingguo should lead the command post to retreat.

However, Zhong Xingguo did not do so. He believed that retreating at this time would
Not only will you be unable to contact your subordinate units, but you may also miss favorable opportunities.

Zhong Xingguo believed that the battle started at 3 a.m. and had lasted for more than ten hours, and the enemy was actually at the end of its strength.

The suicide raid by its 100-man special forces team was proof of their desperate attempt.

After seeing this clearly, Zhong Xingguo decisively issued an order to hold on:

"The command post will not be moved for the time being. The guard platoon members must fight hard. Troops surrounded by the enemy can hide in the tunnels. They must maintain contact with the command post and conserve ammunition and firepower."

In order to ensure the smooth implementation of the plan, Zhong Xingguo instructed each squadron to let the enemy within 50 meters and then counterattack, using the least firepower to inflict casualties on the enemy.

Although the staff of the brigade headquarters were full of concerns about Zhong Xingguo's order,

But Zhong Xingguo was confident. This battalion commander who rose from a private soldier indeed had the demeanor of a general.

After a fierce battle, the battalion successfully wiped out a company of the enemy's special forces. Only more than 10 enemies survived the battle and escaped back to the enemy's position.

At noon, our army's reinforcements were delivered and the artillery units showed their might again.

The brief silence on the battlefield was broken, replaced by deafening artillery fire.

Taking advantage of our army's artillery advantage, Zhong Xingguo commanded his subordinate troops to launch a counterattack.

At 1 p.m., hundreds of transport trucks delivered new ammunition to the front line.

Our army's firepower network was re-established and the enemy's attack came to a standstill again.

In the end, in this brutal battle, the enemy's 500-strong special forces were almost wiped out.

By about 5 p.m., the enemy's offensive was completely crushed...

This fierce battle caused more than 3000 enemy casualties and the entire battlefield was in a mess.

In this area of ​​less than one square kilometer, traces of battle are everywhere.

Post-war cleanup posed a daunting challenge.

The weather in the tropical rainforest made the battlefield environment increasingly deteriorating, and a large number of unprocessed corpses began to pose a threat to the health of military and civilians.

Out of humanitarian considerations, our army notified the enemy through negotiation channels to come and deal with the remains.

We have put forward clear requirements: the body collection team must be unarmed and their number must be strictly limited.

However, the enemy did not fully comply with this regulation. They tried to send armed personnel to infiltrate the corpse collection team in an attempt to take the opportunity to scout our army's position.

This action was immediately met with warning artillery fire from our army.

The enemy's corpse collection operation was forced to be interrupted and the battlefield cleanup work came to a standstill.

In order to prevent the spread of the epidemic, our army had to take emergency measures.

After fully considering various factors, it was decided to incinerate the remains on the battlefield.

The experience of the battle was quickly summarized and promoted.

Our army has learned valuable lessons in border fortification construction, firepower deployment, and troop deployment.

Especially in terms of firepower coordination, the success of the "Wild Boar" firepower plan provided an important reference for subsequent border defense operations.

This firepower configuration mode played an important role in many subsequent battles.

This battle also changed the enemy's combat strategy.

They gradually abandoned the tactics of large-scale raids and instead adopted a harassment approach with small forces.

For the officers and soldiers on the front line, this victory was hard-won.

The courage and wisdom they demonstrated in combat made important contributions to defending national security.

After this battle, Zhong Xingguo was also called the "Iron-Blooded Captain".

This is naturally related to his bravery in fighting, but it is mainly due to his iron will.

When he was resting after retreating from the front line, Zhong Xingguo unexpectedly received a call from his father-in-law Liu Zhiye.

"Xingguo, you fought beautifully in this battle. I've read the battle report. You have the demeanor of a great general..."

Zhong Xingguo didn't care how others praised him, but he was very excited by his father-in-law's exaggeration.

He said modestly: "Dad, I still have a long way to go. I hope you can give us more experience in the future so that we can avoid taking detours..."

(End of this chapter)