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

Chapter 569 Liu Xiaotao joins the battle!!!
At the headquarters of a battalion of an armored regiment, sunlight shines through the blinds and casts fine shadows on the office desk.

Battalion Commander Liu Wu was reviewing the training plan at his desk when the military green phone on the table suddenly rang.

"Jingle Bell--"

Liu Wu put down his pen and reached out to pick up the receiver. "Hello, this is Liu Wu."

"Second brother! I heard that you have made another contribution? Tell me what happened!" The excited voice of his younger brother Liu Xiaotao came from the microphone. The familiar yelling made Liu Wu smile.

Liu Wu moved the microphone slightly away from his ear, and waited for his brother to finish speaking rapidly before he smiled and replied: "Hey, you are still so impetuous. This little thing is not worth mentioning. Your second brother has made many military achievements." After a pause, he asked curiously: "But how did you know? You are well-informed."

The electric fan in the office made a slight hum, and the banners hanging on the wall sparkled in the sun.

Liu Wu's eyes inadvertently swept across the honors that witnessed his military career, and a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"I'm just concerned about you!" Liu Xiaotao's voice was full of pride. "I know a staff officer in your regiment. He was my classmate in the military academy and he told me. Second brother, don't keep me in suspense. Tell me now!"

Liu Wu leaned back in his chair, looking out the window at the neat and orderly formations of soldiers on the training ground, and his thoughts inevitably went back to the thrilling flood fighting and rescue process.

He pondered for a moment, and his tone became serious: "Actually, there's nothing special. We just participated in flood relief during the night training last month."

The young officer Liu Xiaotao on the other end of the phone said with a hint of regret: "Ah, why didn't I encounter such a good opportunity to make meritorious service!"

Liu Wu's face darkened, and he warned in a serious tone: "Don't talk nonsense, we'd better never encounter such an opportunity!"

Liu Xiaotao immediately realized that he had said the wrong thing and hurriedly explained: "Second brother, I, I didn't mean that, I just... just..."

"Okay, no more words." Liu Wu interrupted him, softened his tone, and asked with a smile, "I heard that you have made great progress recently? My old man has praised you a lot." He has always been concerned about this cousin who has been with him since he was a child.

When Liu Xiaotao heard this, he straightened his back immediately, his tone full of pride: "Brother, I'm not bragging, I'm the leader of a platoon now! You can't look down on me anymore, you should look at me with new eyes!"

Liu Wu patted him on the shoulder and said earnestly: "Remember, the army is a whole, and the success or failure of one person often affects the entire team.

You must learn to unite everyone and bring out everyone's strengths. Only in this way can you be invincible on the battlefield."

Liu Xiaotao nodded seriously: "I remember it, brother. I will definitely work hard, lead my soldiers well, and strive to become an excellent commander as soon as possible."

Liu Wu smiled with satisfaction: "Okay, I feel relieved when you say that. However, you should also pay attention to the combination of work and rest, and don't exhaust yourself. Go home when you have time, your grandfather misses you every day."

Liu Xiaotao agreed with a smile: "Okay, I will go back to see him after I finish my work. Brother, you should take care of yourself too. We can have a good chat next time we meet."

After hanging up the phone, Liu Wu looked out the window at the night, feeling deeply moved. The playboy he once was has now grown into an excellent officer.

He believes that as long as Liu Xiaotao continues to maintain this enthusiasm and sense of responsibility, he will achieve greater success in the future.

…………

Just when Liu Xiaotao envied his second brother for having the opportunity to be awarded for merit and was complaining that he had no chance to be awarded for merit, he did not expect that this opportunity would come so quietly.

In mid-September, Liu Xiaotao and his division suddenly received an order to move their entire unit to the border between An and Zhejiang, more than 9 miles away, for a military exercise.

Since the outbreak of the Southwest War 10 years ago, soldiers in the mainland who have not participated in the war have been constantly reviewing their military careers, and the leaders have also felt pressure and urgency.

As a result, military exercises to test the combat capabilities of troops have become an important means to enhance the combat effectiveness of troops, and their frequency has increased compared to the past.

However, as a platoon leader who has been in the army for four years, Liu Xiaotao is like a screw in a machine at this time, fulfilling the duties of a grassroots military cadre on the parade ground where wheels are rolling and smoke is rising.

At noon that day, Liu Xiaotao and his men had just completed an infantry company offensive drill in rivers, lakes and other areas, and were dragging their tired bodies back to their temporary field tents.

Liu Xiaotao took off his military cap and had no time to drink water or wash his face before the emergency assembly whistle sounded. The officer on duty shouted outside the tent, "Platoon level officers and above should hurry to Tent No. 1 for a meeting..."

Liu Xiaotao and his men dressed neatly again and lined up to run towards the battalion headquarters tent which was more than a hundred meters away. He found that cadres from other companies were also jogging towards them.

Although the weather was hot and humid, the battalion commander was already standing outside the tent waiting.

The cadres who came over from each company and platoon consciously lined up in three horizontal rows in front of the tent. At this time, several leading cadres of the battalion who led the exercise also stood in a small row in front of Liu Xiaotao and his team.

After the company cadres finished signing up with the on-duty Deputy Battalion Commander Li, the always serious Deputy Battalion Commander Li reorganized the team and saluted the majestic battalion commander: "Comrade Battalion Commander, all the platoon-level and above cadres of the Third Battalion who are participating in the exercise have lined up. Please give your instructions!"

"Take a break!"

"Yes!" The deputy battalion commander answered and quickly turned to Liu Xiaotao and the others and gave them an order: "At ease!"

At this time, the battalion commander took two steps forward and moved closer to the cadres in front of him.

He looked from front to back at Liu Xiaotao and the others, and said in a clear voice, "Comrades, the superiors have just issued an order to cancel the exercise mission. Gather the troops immediately and leave here in two hours and return to the camp!"

Before the battalion commander finished speaking, dozens of company and platoon leaders looked at each other in bewilderment: the exercise was originally scheduled to last for 14 days, and it had only started for 3 days, so why was the mission suddenly cancelled and they had to return to the barracks... But they knew that the thing that could make them interrupt the exercise and quickly return to the base must be something more important than the exercise.

Military orders are as heavy as mountains. Liu Xiaotao and his colleagues quickly returned to their respective posts and urgently arranged for the collection and loading of personnel and equipment.

As the incident happened suddenly, the kitchen squad had no time to eat the meals they had prepared. The quartermaster and the kitchen squad leader were extremely anxious, as if they didn't eat the prepared meals, they would not be able to collect the supplies and retreat with the troops.

However, the battalion commander's order only gave each unit two hours. If the troops wanted to gather for a meal, they would not be able to eat properly without half an hour.

Later, the battalion commander notified all units to quickly send back meals in squads and eat in the car when it started...

In a row of transport vehicles, Liu Xiaotao and several platoon leaders also finished their lunch on the vehicle.

The convoy sped along the rugged mountain road, its wheels rolling over gravel and raising a cloud of dust.

Liu Xiaotao sat in the co-pilot seat, his eyes fixed on the front, but he felt a little excited in his heart.

The battalion commander's order came so suddenly that he didn't even have time to explain the follow-up arrangements for the exercise.

Liu Xiaotao kept recalling the details of the exercise in his mind, trying to find clues.

However, apart from those intense confrontation drills, there seemed to be nothing unusual.

"Platoon leader, do you think this emergency retreat is related to the rotation battle?" Wang Lei, a squad leader in the back row, broke the silence with a hint of tentativeness in his tone.

Liu Xiaotao frowned and did not answer immediately.

He shook his head and said in a deep voice: "Don't guess blindly, you will know when you return to the camp."

The convoy drove through a dense forest. The sunlight shone through the branches and leaves onto the car windows, creating mottled light and shadows.

Liu Xiaotao's eyes inadvertently swept across the rearview mirror and found that the speed of the cars behind him had obviously increased, and they seemed to be in a hurry as well.

He was moved. Could it be that the scale of this pullback was larger than he had imagined?

At this moment, the battalion commander's voice suddenly came from the car radio: "Attention, all units, there is a temporary checkpoint three kilometers ahead. All vehicles must slow down and pass through, and maintain formation."

Liu Xiaotao immediately picked up the walkie-talkie and conveyed the order to the entire platoon.

The convoy slowly slowed down and finally stopped at a makeshift checkpoint. Several soldiers in camouflage uniforms quickly stepped forward and carefully inspected each vehicle.

"What's going on?" Liu Xiaotao asked the driver beside him in a low voice. The driver shook his head, obviously not knowing the situation either.

After the inspection, the convoy continued on its way.

Liu Xiaotao's doubts grew stronger. He realized that this retreat was no ordinary task, and perhaps what they were about to face would be a real test.

This is a long journey of more than 500 kilometers. The entire division of troops and equipment and vehicles had no food or water along the way. When they were hungry, they ate what they brought with them. If they had nothing else, they would just starve...

Along the way, Liu Xiaotao and his colleagues guessed all kinds of possibilities, but as grassroots cadres, it was impossible for them to know the specific details, so they had to wait until they returned to the camp to decide everything.

On the way, except for temporary stops for convenience, there was no rest or meal stops. As a result, the entire regiment rushed back to the camp at dawn.

As the return trip was in a hurry and there were no traffic checkpoints along the way, we occasionally took the wrong route, but there were no vehicle breakdowns, which was a bit incredible.

As soon as they returned to the camp, Liu Xiaotao and his colleagues immediately felt that the atmosphere was different, mainly because of the feeling given to them by the comrades who stayed behind.

At that time, a battalion commander of the Third Battalion was at home with a small number of comrades from the headquarters and various companies. After Liu Xiaotao and his comrades returned to the barracks, they did not bother to go to the family area to visit the families who accompanied the troops, and rushed to the office to find the battalion commander. Although the battalion commander did not say anything, his expression was extremely solemn.

However, later that day, Liu Xiaotao and his colleagues heard bits and pieces of exciting news: the troops would soon arrive at the Yunnan border to participate in the rotation battle. Immediately afterwards, the regiment convened a meeting of the chief officers of each battalion and company to convey the instructions from their superiors and deploy matters related to the rotation battle.

After Liu Xiaotao joined the army, everyone in the army, from top to bottom, kept saying that being a soldier means fighting in wars, and decades passed in the blink of an eye.

Now, the war is about to begin, and the cadres and soldiers, including the leaders, are nervous and excited, but also a little bit at a loss.

However, the tension and busyness of cadres and soldiers are quite different.

The cadres, including the battalion and company cadres who bear leadership responsibilities, are making all kinds of preparations to go to the front line.

However, the division headquarters responsible for drawing up the plan had just received the task of this round of war. It would take time to study and formulate plans in various aspects such as training, equipment, ideological work and logistics. It was impossible to assign the task today and get a specific action plan in the evening.

Therefore, cadres from all companies and platoons ran to various departments to ask for action plans. The busiest among them was the logistics department. Hundreds of troops were to be dispatched, including vehicles, fuel, armed equipment, financial and military supplies, engineers, communications, confidential matters... From a car to a barrel of oil or a bag of dry food, everyone wanted to arm all the people in their unit.

After finishing his work in the camp, Captain Li had some free time and then he thought about his wife and children who had been with the army for only one year and what he should do with them.

But this matter is not something that he, an ordinary battalion-level cadre, has the final say on.

There are dozens of military dependents in the regiment, and the leaders will definitely consider the issue of military dependents together. Captain Li simply doesn't consider his wife and children for the time being. The regiment will not ignore it, after all, the wives and children of the regiment commander and deputy commander are also in the regiment.

Liu Xiaotao remembered that his salary was deposited in the savings bank in the town, so he borrowed a bicycle and went to the savings bank. Unexpectedly, the savings bank was full of cadres and soldiers of their regiment. It turned out that his comrades also thought about the little savings in the savings bank and wanted to withdraw the money and send it home before the troops set off.

It seems that everyone has the same idea.

However, what moved the soldiers was that the leaders and employees of the savings bank saw that in recent days, soldiers suddenly came in groups to withdraw money and send money home, and the lines were very long. Although they didn't know why this happened, they probably realized that the troops were about to take action.

As a result, savings banks and post office remittance counters stopped serving ordinary people and focused on serving the military.

The next morning, Liu Xiaotao and his comrades gathered on the playground early, waiting for the order to set off.

The sunlight shines on everyone's face, reflecting their resolute expressions.

The battalion commander stood in front of the team, his eyes swept over every soldier, and he said in a loud voice: "Comrades, this rotation is not only a test of our military quality, but also a test of our will and faith. We must carry forward the spirit of not fearing hardship, fatigue, or death, and resolutely complete the mission!"

The deputy regiment commander set off ahead with dozens of cadres and soldiers from the forward command post, and Liu Xiaotao was fortunate to be one of them.

At that time, they took their personal equipment and carry-on supplies on a special train carriage and arrived at a county under Lincang two days later.

This place is still a long distance from the border, and their superiors ordered them to assemble and train troops here.

Therefore, after Liu Xiaotao and his team contacted the local garrison, they quickly started working and made preparations in all aspects for the arrival of the subsequent large force.

More than ten days later, the main force of the division arrived at the garrison, and the Third Battalion began pre-war training in accordance with the training requirements and precautions put forward by the friendly forces during the handover.

The training lasted for two months, and the cadres and soldiers have basically adapted to the climate and environment of the tropical southern region.

When they arrived here, Liu Xiaotao and his team not only had to face the harsh natural environment, but also had to be vigilant against the emergence of the enemy at all times.

During every patrol and every drill, everyone went all out and did not dare to slack off. Liu Xiaotao wrote in his diary: "Every inch of land here is full of unknown dangers, but we have only one belief in our hearts: to defend the motherland and protect the people."

In December, the troops entered a town near the border. According to local village cadres and garrison troops, this place had been frequently bombarded by the enemy. The border residents welcomed Liu Xiaotao and his team very much and provided them with drinking water, guides and other assistance. The troops seized every bit of time to continue their pre-war training.

At the end of the month, Liu Xiaotao and his men officially entered the battlefield and conducted a one-day handover of positions with the withdrawing troops.

The first row is no longer the same row as before. There are more people in the platoon, but the original main cadres are still there. Each class has generally expanded its troops, and the original three-three system has been changed to a four-four system. When eating or holding meetings, the crowd below is filled with soldiers.

Unexpectedly, the first thing that harassed them after entering the position was not the enemy, but the harsh natural environment on the front line.

Liu Xiaotao and his team had adapted well to the climate and environment at their previous base, but they did not expect that after entering the position, the harsh natural environment of the tropical jungle posed a considerable challenge to them, which were all overlooked during previous training.

There is a lot of rain in the tropics, the air is hot and humid, the battlefield is overgrown with weeds, and poisonous snakes and mosquitoes can come into close contact with you without you noticing.

Many soldiers felt uncomfortable when they saw these things, after all, mosquitoes, insects, and snakes came and went without a trace.

You must set up the mosquito net before going to bed at night, otherwise if you are careless, mosquitoes, insects, and snakes will sleep with you in the tent. Some timid soldiers were troubled by these things and could not eat or sleep well.

However, there was another annoying thing. The position was within the enemy's firepower range. The officers and soldiers had to eat canned food for a long time and could not eat fresh vegetables. They lacked vitamins, which brought them a series of problems such as skin diseases. It became a big problem to eat vegetables and fresh meat.

However, the soldiers had their own tricks. They carried out the "Battlefield Nanniwan" activity according to local conditions. They used the soil from the shell boxes to plant bean sprouts and vegetables, and raised chickens that ate insects and grass on the hilltops. In this way, the vegetables, chicken and eggs were solved. The soldiers fried the chicken with shovels, which became a signature dish on the battlefield...

However, Liu Xiaotao and his men all knew that their biggest enemy was the cunning enemy special forces.

The front-line positions were intertwined with the enemy's positions, and the enemy's special forces were the students and apprentices we had taught for many years.

The enemy was very proficient in our skills and tactics, including being able to understand our speech. When the friendly forces were handing over positions, they repeatedly reminded Liu Xiaotao and his men to be careful of harassment and sabotage by special agents.

Therefore, Liu Xiaotao and his team regarded preventing harassment from special agents as an important combat task to ensure the safety of their positions, and adopted a "combination of light and dark, and staggered deployment" approach to deploy latent forces.

While on the battlefield, Liu Xiaotao had led elite undercover forces many times to ambush at important points where the enemy spies came and went, lurking all day and all night to attack the spies and ensure the absolute safety of our comrades and equipment on the battlefield.

One evening, Liu Xiaotao was patrolling position No. 4 when he suddenly heard a rumbling sound of artillery fire in the distance.

Liu Xiaotao realized that it was the sound of artillery fire. Sure enough, a dozen seconds later, the shells hit their position and they quickly hid in the trenches.

The enemy stopped shelling after more than ten minutes. Liu Xiaotao and his men were still inexperienced.

Thinking that the enemy had stopped shooting and that perhaps there was some small action going on down below, I entered the observation post.

Suddenly, the enemy's artillery fire came again, and more heavily than last time.

Liu Xiaotao and several other comrades were blocked at the observation point, and the situation was very dangerous.

They didn't know why the enemy was shooting or how long it would take.

(End of this chapter)