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

Chapter 571 It turns out that we are all acquaintances!!!
Looking at the scene in front of him, Liu Xiaotao wondered what a beautiful pastoral scenery this would be if there were no war.

Raise fish in the pond, plant melons and bamboo in front of the house, grow vegetables and raise chickens by the pond.

Watching the sunrise and sunset every day, and the smoke rising...it's so pleasant just thinking about it.

At around two o'clock in the afternoon, two enemy soldiers walked eastward with guns, one in front and one behind, keeping alert.

After asking for instructions, the company commander decided to capture the enemy when they returned and then destroy the garrison.

Around five o'clock in the afternoon, two more enemy soldiers appeared outside the attic. Two men who looked like farmers walked towards the pond. The two enemy soldiers who went out in the afternoon had not returned yet.

At this time, a middle-aged woman carrying a child on her back walked towards the hiding place of Liu Xiaotao and his team, getting closer and closer. The company commander asked Xiao Li to lead her away.

But it was too late, she had already reached the edge of the gully. Xiao Li gestured to her, meaning for her to lie down.

The woman was probably frightened by the scene in front of her. She covered her mouth, shook her head and backed away, while shouting "Wow wow wow".

At this time, the deputy squad leader of Class 6, Lao Sang Gang, jumped up, decisively grabbed the retreating woman, and then rolled into the ditch.

Liu Xiaotao and the others wiped the cold sweat from their heads, thinking that they were almost exposed.

However, the noise here still aroused the enemy's vigilance.

The enemy outside the attic noticed the abnormality here and quickly ran into the house. Two farmers who came over stood there for a moment, then turned around and ran south.

The third platoon leader Jia Minghui hurriedly asked the company commander: "What should we do? Should we capture more prisoners?"

The company commander looked at the sky and considered that the enemy situation had changed. He said, "If we attack too late, we may not be able to withdraw!" So he decisively ordered, "Attack!"

At this time, rapid gunfire rang out, and the enemy attacked Liu Xiaotao and his men from the attic.

Xiao Luan asked the company commander: "Let me go first?"

Without waiting for the company commander to express his opinion, he suddenly stood up, braving the enemy's hail of bullets, and fired a rocket at the attic with a "40 fire" rifle.

The attic in the middle suddenly soared into the air like a fireball.

Deputy shooter Dong Lei also stood up quickly and fired rockets at two other targets.

The firing of the "40 Fire" has strict regulations. Because of the tail flame and the surrounding environment are full of bushes and weeds, standing up to fire is a last resort.

At the same time, Fire Group 1 and Fire Group 2 launched an attack on the target.

With the explosion in the attic, the enemy's firepower was significantly weakened, but the battle was not over.

Captain Qiao quickly gave the order: "Fire team, continue to suppress! Cover them!"

Dong Lei and his comrades dispersed tacitly to find new cover.

Dong Lei took a deep breath and aimed at the enemy's machine gun position again.

He knew that every rocket was crucial and had to hit the target accurately.

In the bushes, enemy snipers began to fight back, bullets whizzed past and hit the surrounding rocks, splashing sparks.

Dong Lei's forehead was covered with cold sweat, but he did not flinch. He adjusted his posture, his finger firmly on the trigger, waiting for the best opportunity.
At this moment, he heard Captain Qiao's low but firm voice: "Hold steady, don't panic, aim and shoot!"

Dong Lei held his breath and pulled the trigger. The rocket drew a dazzling arc and headed straight for the enemy's machine gun position.

With a loud bang, the machine gun position was completely destroyed and the enemy's firepower was weakened again.

The soldiers from Firepower Groups 1 and 2 took the opportunity to advance forward and quickly occupied a favorable position.

The battle entered a white-hot stage, and the enemy reinforcements began to outflank us from the flank.

About five minutes later, enemy artillery shells also came over. Captain Qiao used the radio to ask Deputy Captain Liu, the brigade's front commander of this operation, whether to allow evacuation.
Deputy Captain Liu ordered: "Evacuate immediately," and at the same time instructed the artillery scouts around him to report the coordinates of the enemy's position to the artillery unit as soon as possible.
direction and intercept the enemy with artillery fire.

Captain Qiao realized the urgency of the situation and immediately ordered: "Everyone, pay attention, prepare to retreat! Cover them and evacuate in turns!"

Liu Xiaotao and his comrades quickly followed the order, providing cover and retreating in an orderly manner.

During the retreat, Liu Xiaotao looked back at the burning battlefield and mixed emotions surged in his heart.

Not long after the reconnaissance platoon, the prisoner-capturing team and the firepower team retreated urgently, they heard intensive gunfire behind them, as if enemy reinforcements were chasing Liu Xiaotao and his team.

Fortunately, our army's artillery fire intercepted them in time, ensuring the safe evacuation of several groups. However, the enemy's artillery shells kept exploding behind Liu Xiaotao and his team.

Liu Xiaotao gritted his teeth and gripped the rifle tightly in his hand, the roar of the exploding shells echoing in his ears.

He took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and continued running forward.

The comrades around me were also moving forward at full speed, and everyone's face was filled with tension and determination.

"Watch your step! Don't step on the bomb craters!" Captain Qiao's voice was still clear in the chaos.

Liu Xiaotao glanced down and saw that the ground was covered with craters of various sizes, some of which were still emitting black smoke.

He quickly adjusted his pace to avoid the dangerous area, while not forgetting to look back and observe the enemy's movements.

Suddenly, a shell exploded not far away. The strong shock wave caused Liu Xiaotao to stagger and almost fall.

He steadied himself and felt a buzzing in his ears and his vision became a little blurry.

But he knew that he must not stop at this moment, otherwise he would be engulfed by the enemy's firepower.

"Xiao Tao, follow me!" Qiao Lian grabbed Liu Xiaotao's arm and pulled him forward.

Liu Xiaotao nodded and tried hard to keep up with the team.

His breathing became more and more rapid, and his legs felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead, but the belief in his heart supported him to keep moving forward.

"There is a cover point ahead, hurry!" Captain Qiao pointed to a forest not far away and shouted.

Liu Xiaotao and his comrades quickly rushed to the woods and hid in the dense bushes.

As soon as they entered the woods, the sound of artillery fire behind them seemed to weaken a little, but Liu Xiaotao knew that this did not mean it was safe.

"Check the equipment and prepare for the next stage of retreat!" Captain Qiao whispered the order.

Liu Xiaotao quickly checked his ammunition and equipment to confirm that everything was normal.

He looked up at his comrades. Everyone had fatigue on their face, but there was an unyielding light in their eyes.

To prevent the enemy from pursuing them, the engineers risked their lives to lay mines along the retreat route under the cover of Fire Group 2.

In the middle of the night, Liu Xiaotao and his team finally evacuated the primeval forest and came to the river.

At this time, everyone was extremely tired. Some people lay down by the wet river, gasping for breath.

The company commander asked Deputy Captain Liu if they could rest for an hour. Deputy Captain Liu ordered: "Don't stay, keep retreating!"

At dawn, everyone finally evacuated to a place about one kilometer away from the base. It started to drizzle, and many people lay down and didn't want to get up, letting the rain hit their faces. They no longer reacted to the cold and hunger, they just wanted to have a good sleep...

Captain Qiao looked at his exhausted comrades and felt a pang of sadness in his heart.

He knew what a luxury it was for them to rest at this moment, but the enemy was chasing them closely and they had to keep moving forward.

He took a deep breath and shouted loudly: "Brothers, hold on a little longer! The base is right in front of us, we can't fall here!"

Hearing Qiao Lian's cry, the soldiers lying on the ground struggled to stand up, supporting each other.

The raindrops hit their faces, mixed with sweat and dirt, blurring their vision, but they still gritted their teeth and moved forward step by step.

Liu Xiaotao's investigation team walked at the front of the team with a determined look.

He looked back at the soldiers behind him and prayed in his heart: "I hope we can arrive at the base safely before the enemy catches up."

Suddenly, bursts of gunfire were heard in the distance. Liu Xiaotao's heart tightened and he quickly ordered, "Everyone hide! The enemy may be catching up!"

The soldiers quickly dispersed and hid in the bushes along the roadside.

Liu Xiaotao held his breath, gripped the rifle tightly in his hand, and stared at the direction where the gunshot came from.

Liu Xiaotao breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, and whispered, “Keep going, don’t make any noise.”

The team moved silently again, the rain gradually got heavier, washing away their fatigue and tension.

Suddenly, a low and urgent command came from the front: "Shanhe!"

Liu Xiaotao, who was searching cautiously, became alert instantly. He crouched down instinctively and responded quickly: "No problem!" As soon as he finished speaking, a figure slowly stood up from the bushes opposite.

It's one of ours! Liu Xiaotao's tense heart finally relaxed a little.

He Qiu was wearing the camouflage uniform unique to our army's scouts, with a carefully designed camouflage painted on his face, making him look particularly secretive.

He whispered, "Don't be nervous, we are one of us. Captain Liu sent us here to pick you up."

After hearing these words, Liu Xiaotao finally felt relieved.

When you are in enemy territory, you need to be extra careful with every step. After all, the enemy often disguises themselves as our troops to carry out sabotage activities, and you may fall into danger if you are not careful.

At this moment, Captain Qiao hurried over from behind, frowning slightly, with a hint of nervousness in his tone: "What's going on?"

Liu Xiaotao immediately straightened up and replied firmly, "Company Commander, they are our own people! Captain Liu specially sent them to pick us up."

Upon hearing this, Captain Qiao immediately showed a happy smile on his face. He quickly stepped forward and shook hands tightly with He Qiu, expressing his gratitude in words: "Thank you so much, comrades! You came at the right time!"

However, when he looked at He Qiu carefully, he found that he looked unfamiliar. Doubts rose in his heart again. He asked cautiously, "Excuse me, which unit are you from?"

He Qiu smiled and explained calmly, "We are from the X Army Reconnaissance Brigade and are on a mission. Suddenly we received an urgent order from the headquarters, requiring us to pick you up immediately..."

Hearing this, Captain Qiao finally breathed a sigh of relief, and said apologetically, "I see! I'm so sorry, Captain He, I'm just too cautious. After all, this is a special mission, so I have to be more cautious."

As the commander, He Qiu understood him very well, "I understand, I understand, we are all comrades..."

Captain Qiao nodded, and the last trace of doubt in his heart completely dissipated.

He looked around and said in a low voice, "Captain He, since you are here to pick us up, let's act quickly.

The enemy may catch up with us at any time, so we must evacuate this area as soon as possible."

He Qiu's expression froze, and he nodded quickly: "Okay, we already have a retreat route and backup plan, you just follow us."

After saying that, he turned around and gestured to the team members behind him, signaling them to stay alert and be ready to act at any time.

The team assembled quickly. He Qiu and Captain Qiao walked side by side at the front, whispering to each other about information as they walked.

He Qiu asked, "Captain Qiao, what are the details of your mission this time? What are the enemy's movements?"

Captain Qiao frowned and said in a heavy tone: "We were originally carrying out a reconnaissance and capture mission, but we didn't expect to be discovered by the enemy.

We have to retreat. The situation is urgent now, and a large number of enemy troops are chasing us closely... "

He Qiu nodded, with a firm look in his eyes: “Don’t worry, we will do our best to assist you.

We have arranged a rendezvous point on the retreat route. As long as we can get there successfully, we will be temporarily safe."

At this moment, a faint shouting was heard in the distance, and everyone's nerves were instantly tense.

He Qiu immediately raised his hand to signal the team to stop, and whispered, "Everyone hide and observe the situation!"

The team members quickly dispersed, each found cover, and stared intently in the direction where the sound came from, holding their breath.

Captain Qiao: "Captain He, the enemy's pursuers are catching up."

He Qiu observed calmly for a while, then said: "They don't look like the enemy's main force, but more like the vanguard.

Let's not delay any longer, retreat quickly!"

He quickly mapped out a new route, leading the team around possible danger areas and moving quickly toward the rendezvous point.

Along the way, He Qiu and Captain Qiao worked in perfect harmony and commanded the team to avoid the enemy's pursuit.

Finally, under the cover of night, the team successfully arrived at a safe rendezvous point.

He Qiu let out a long sigh, turned around and said to Captain Qiao, "Captain Qiao, you guys take a rest first. We have contacted the headquarters and will have further instructions soon."

Captain Qiao nodded gratefully and said, "Captain He, it's all thanks to you guys this time. Otherwise, we really don't know if we could get out of this situation successfully."

He Qiu smiled and patted him on the shoulder: "We are all comrades, and we should help each other. Next, we will face more challenges together."

Finally arriving here, not far from our main force, everyone's tense nerves finally relaxed a little.

Liu Xiaotao was chatting with his comrades in the platoon when he suddenly felt someone patting him gently on the shoulder.

He turned around and saw that it was Captain He. Captain He smiled and asked, "Brother, judging from your accent, you are from Yanjing, right?"

Liu Xiaotao nodded and smiled: "Yes, I am from Liujiazhuang in Yanjing. Are you too?"

He Qiu heard this, a glimmer of joy flashed in his eyes, and he said excitedly: "Oh, you are from Liujiazhuang! Hey, your last name is also Liu, do you know Liu Wu?"

When Liu Xiaotao heard this, his eyes lit up immediately: "Liu Wu? That's my cousin! Captain He, do you know him?"

He Qiu smiled and nodded: "That's right, Liu Wu is my childhood friend. We used to play pranks together and played slingshots under the old locust tree! I didn't expect to meet his cousin here, it's fate!"

The two of them got along better and better as they talked, from the courtyards in Nanluoguxiang to the past events in Liujiazhuang to the current war, as if they were old friends.

The brothers around were also attracted by their conversation and gathered around, listening with great interest.

He Qiu patted Liu Xiaotao on the shoulder and said with emotion: "We are all brothers. Let's get along more in the future."

"I'm telling you, don't be a coward on the battlefield. We, the men of Yanjing, can't afford to lose this man!"

Liu Xiaotao nodded, with a hint of determination in his eyes: "Yes, we Yanjing people can't be cowardly, we have to let the enemy know how powerful we are!" He Qiu laughed: "Well said! After this battle, let's go back to Liujiazhuang together and have a drink with Liu Wu!"

As he was talking, a burst of hurried footsteps came from a distance, and a scout came running over, panting and reporting: "Captain He, we found traces of the enemy behind us, and they seem to be outflanking us!"

"Damn it, how dare you chase us here!" Upon hearing this, He Qiu immediately put away his smile and became serious: "Brothers, prepare for battle! Show these little slaves how powerful we are!"

It was really fate that He Qiu met Liu Xiaotao here.

Back then, He Qiu was an out-and-out playboy, who spent his days doing nothing and squandering money.

However, the gears of fate turned quietly, pushing him onto a completely different life trajectory.

After being tempered in the military camp, he shed his former vanity and frivolity, and replaced them with perseverance and responsibility.

Today, He Qiu, who has experienced war, is already an excellent soldier who is highly praised. He exudes calmness and strength in his every move.

This transformation journey not only reshaped his character, but also helped him find his true self-worth.

For example, the fact that he was able to become the squadron leader of the military reconnaissance brigade in just seven years shows how much sweat and effort He Qiu put in.

Not everyone can become a scout on the front line. The intensity and difficulty of the training they face is far beyond the imagination of most people.

In just a few short months, they need to undergo comprehensive and high-intensity training and make every effort to master various reconnaissance skills.

The reconnaissance teams on the front line are selected from veterans of various armies and then trained intensively.

The scouts’ physical training is the foundation of everything. Every morning, before the camp is illuminated by the first ray of sunlight, they have already started a 5-kilometer armed cross-country journey.

They were carrying heavy equipment and their clothes were soaked with sweat, but no one fell behind along the way.

In the 400-meter obstacle training ground, they were as agile and swift as cheetahs, overcoming one obstacle after another. Even if they fell, they got up without hesitation and continued to move forward. The injuries left on their bodies became a clear symbol of their continuous growth.

Combat training is also the key among the keys. Only when scouts have super close combat capabilities can they gain an advantage when encountering the enemy.

They practiced various fighting techniques such as prisoner-capturing fist, prisoner-capturing knife, military boxing, Sanda, grappling, etc. over and over again, striving for precision and power in every move and every form.

He Qiu has an advantage in this regard, as he has been practicing family martial arts since he was a child.

Even so, when He Qiu and his comrades practiced sparring, he was often bruised all over, but he never cried out in pain, just to be able to subdue the enemy with one move in actual combat.

Of course, the use of firearms as a scout should not be underestimated.

From the Type 64 silenced submachine gun to the Type 85 silenced/light submachine gun, they must be familiar with the performance and characteristics of each firearm to ensure accurate shooting in all kinds of complex environments.

When he was a new recruit, He Qiu was so nervous that his first few bullets missed the target, but he did not lose heart.

However, under the guidance of the squad leader, He Qiu adjusted his mentality, aimed again, and finally successfully hit the target.

At that moment, a confident smile appeared on He Qiu's face, which also made him realize that only by continuous practice can he show his best condition on the battlefield.

(End of this chapter)