Zhu Tian: Beginning to Cross the Changjin Lake

Chapter 159: All-round talent!
Under the dark night, Li Guotao led the soldiers of the Seventh Company and marched quickly southward along the mountain path.

The surrounding areas are filled with troops marching southward in large numbers. There are at least tens of thousands of troops on the move, which can be said to be a huge force.

Li Guotao and his men didn’t even know where to go. The order they received was to go south to the vicinity of the 38th parallel.

Maybe the superiors know the exact location, or maybe even they don’t know the exact location.

Because according to Li Guotao's memory, the volunteer army was gradually retreating at this moment, and the enemy, under the command of General Ridgway, was taking advantage of the situation to pursue them, and the battle would continue for some time.

The situation on the battlefield is changing rapidly, and it is probably not yet certain which battlefield their troops will be deployed to.

So even the superiors may not know where exactly they are going.

However, the strategic retreat of the Volunteer Army was only a limited retreat, and at most they only retreated to the vicinity of the 38th parallel.

According to the course of history, the next war lasting more than two years will also be fought in the area near the 38th parallel. It will be a protracted tug-of-war.

Li Guotao and his men were still several hundred miles away from the 38th parallel, so the order they received was to go all the way south to the vicinity of the 38th parallel.

The troops marched for a distance and then slowly stopped.

"The troops will rest for half an hour and then continue their journey."

After receiving the order, Li Guotao notified the soldiers of the Seventh Company to rest on the spot.

The team stopped and the soldiers scattered along the roadside, looking for places sheltered from the wind, and gathered in groups of three or five to rest.

The winter nights are very cold, and the chill wind cuts on people’s faces like a knife.

However, the soldiers who had experienced the extreme cold test of the Battle of Changjin Lake had long been accustomed to it.

Moreover, as the troops gradually moved south and left the cold plateau area like Changjin Lake, the temperature was not so low.

Moreover, the Spring Festival has passed now, and the temperature will gradually rise in the future, so the soldiers who have to sleep in the open air will suffer less.

Li Guotao stood on the hillside by the road and observed the surrounding terrain. He then discovered that there was an open space on the side of the road not far ahead. All the soldiers were hiding far away and did not dare to approach.

A red flag was planted on the open ground, and some stones were placed around it, forming a large circle. In the center of the circle, a bomb was stuck in the ground.

It was too dark and the distance was too far, so Li Guotao couldn't see clearly.

"What is that? Let me go take a look!"

Yu Congrong and several soldiers followed.

A few people came closer to see it clearly.

"It was a bomb dropped by an enemy plane! It's a stinky egg!"

"No wonder everyone stays away."

"It can't be a time bomb!"

"Damn it, don't scare me, I'm timid."

The enemy has a time-delay bomb. When it is dropped, it will not explode immediately. It is timed and will explode at the appointed time.

Li Guotao shook his head and said, "It doesn't look like a time-delay bomb. This bomb should have been here for some time. If it was a time-delay bomb, it would have exploded long ago."

Everyone was visibly relieved when they heard this.

Li Guotao continued: "Even if it is a rotten egg, it is dangerous to leave it here. What if it suddenly explodes?"

"No one cares! Since we've come across it, I'll just take it apart."

Yu Congrong grabbed Li Guotao and said, "Stop joking. Is this bomb so easy to dismantle?"

"Don't let it explode. If a bomb like this explodes, not even a bone will be left of you." Li Guotao smiled and said confidently, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. This kind of conventional bomb is easy to dismantle."

The troops rested for about two months. Li Guotao received a skill point reward every day and learned many new skills.

For example, bomb disposal, mine laying, etc. As long as it can be used, Li Guotao has learned it.

Now Li Guotao's bomb disposal skill has reached level six. Ordinary bombs can't stump him at all. Conventional bombs like this are a piece of cake for Li Guotao.

Yu Congrong was somewhat worried and advised Li Guotao not to meddle in other people's affairs.

But Li Guotao was full of confidence and insisted on demolishing it.

The bomb disposal process was quite smooth. Li Guotao defused the bomb in no time.

Dozens of kilograms of explosives were carefully taken out from it.

Yu Congrong and others nearby were all terrified, fearing that this big guy would suddenly explode.

Li Guotao laughed and said, "These explosives are good stuff. They can be used to make several explosive packs."

"As for this lump of iron, just leave it here! In the future, if there are passing troops, they might take it back to the country and make good use of it."

At that time, the country was extremely poor and backward, and there was a lot of work to be done.

The baggage trains that transport supplies to the front lines would also bring back some scrapped weapons and equipment when they returned.

Yu Congrong said with some fear: "You are really bold."

Li Guotao smiled slightly and said, "It's just a rotten egg. What's there to be afraid of?"

"During this period of rest, I was not idle. I learned a lot."

"I learned this bomb disposal skill from the people in the engineering corps."

"They have a group of people who specialize in finding these stinky eggs and dismantling them to get the explosives."

"It's actually very easy to learn, and it came in handy today."

What Li Guotao said was half true and half false. He had indeed seen people from the engineering corps defusing bombs before, but this skill was something he learned by himself.

Yu Congrong said with approval: "I never thought that you have become such an all-round talent now."

Li Guotao smiled and said, "It's nothing, not worth mentioning."

Yu Congrong reminded: "Hurry up and take a rest, the troops will set out again soon."

Li Guotao raised his head to the south and said thoughtfully: "I don't know what the situation is at the front line now. I really want to get to the front line as soon as possible."

Li Guotao was indeed a little impatient, but the journey of hundreds of miles would take at least several days if he walked alone.

Yu Congrong followed Li Guotao's gaze, shook his head and said, "I'm not sure. When we get to the front, everything will be clear."

Not long after, the troops set out again, advancing southward.

……

Inside the enemy's headquarters, Lieutenant General Ridgway summoned all of his senior generals and held an emergency military meeting.

At the meeting, Lieutenant General Ridgway danced with excitement and shouted loudly: "The enemy has been worn down by us and has run out of ammunition and food. Now is a good opportunity for us to counterattack and the best time for us to avenge our previous humiliation."

"Now they have begun to retreat across the board! What we have to do now is to chase them! Defeat them and destroy them."

Because he was too excited, Ridgway was dancing with joy, and the two grenades hanging on his body were swinging back and forth, making the senior enemy generals present frown.

(End of this chapter)