Literary Master 1983

Chapter 419 The Final Battle

Today, most of the Laoshan area is occupied by our side, while the Vietnamese are lurking on the other side of the mountain.

This narrow river valley has seen no fewer than a hundred fierce battles.

There have been no fewer than ten major battles that have been recorded in the newspapers, and probing conflicts like today's are commonplace.

For safety reasons, no one was allowed to travel by car. The action team, which was already prepared to move out at any time, grabbed their guns and ammunition and rushed down the mountain... Xian Yunqiang, carrying his camera, followed after them, stumbling and crawling. Suddenly, he heard Yu Qie ask, "Do you have another set of military uniform?"

"Yes! Old Tang has another one. His body type is closest to yours."

Old Tang, the platoon leader of the second platoon, grinned at Yu Qie and said, "Teacher Yu, you want to come with us? Combat isn't like arm wrestling. You'd better not come down the mountain."

"I will not participate in the battle. Wherever Xianyunqiang goes, I will follow."

"Great!" Xian Yunqiang clapped his hands and said, "I've been here for two years and filmed countless battles. I have experience."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Lian remained silent for a few seconds, then suddenly looked up and grasped Yu Qie's hand: "Teacher Yu, you must stay with Xian Yunqiang and not go to the front lines of the battle; the leaders have instructed me to protect you at all costs, and I was even going to find a bodyguard for you... Your safety is of utmost importance to us."

Yu Qie assured him, "I promise not to violate any rules. Also, I request to bring my pistol."

Everyone was stunned. Xianyunqiang excitedly exclaimed, "Your foreign gun?"

"That's the gun, and there are six bullets left. NATO caliber."

Yu Qie's "Colombian Gun" is actually a Glock, used by the Colombian government for urban operations by anti-narcotics special forces. Because the pistol is relatively light and has a high rate of fire, it is also relatively easy to handle in close-quarters combat, such as in the jungle.

Yu Qie said, "There's something I've never admitted to, but I'll only tell you this... In 86, I was in Colombia, and there were two special agents on the other side. I did kill them."

This is someone who has truly seen blood!

The situation was urgent, and there was no time to hesitate. Qiu Lian gritted her teeth and said, "I believe you! Come with us!"

The mountain roads in southern Xinjiang are rugged and treacherous. The paths are only 30 or 40 centimeters wide, but the slopes are over 50 degrees. The weather is hot, slippery, and overgrown with weeds. Even veteran scouts have to grit their teeth to get down. There are a real 8 kilometers of descent! It's a real tumble and crawl. When the soldiers in front heard the gunfire, their speed increased dramatically.

On the battlefield, victory depends on the commander's resourceful, efficient, and decisive command. Throughout the journey, Qiu Lian and Deputy Company Commander Du Hai communicated, each time for only a few seconds, mostly using extremely simple, standard phrases:

"stop!"

"Get down!"

"observe!"

The entire company obeyed orders without question, acting as one unified entity without any delays. Keep in mind, they were still traveling at high speed.

"Get down!"

The group immediately disappeared into the woods in silence. A few seconds later, those in the front row saw Qiu Lian make a "forward" gesture, which was then passed to the rear... Yu Qie was protected in the middle, with soldiers carrying submachine guns on both sides providing guards.

Xianyunqiang carried a Ricoh KR-10 camera on his back and quietly slipped to the back of the line to take pictures.

After taking five or six photos, he found that Yu Qie was experienced in marching and did not hesitate. He had already started to coordinate with the soldiers... He felt relieved and completely believed the "legends" surrounding Yu Qie.

I can't believe it's true! Xianyun spat out the leaf in his mouth, thinking to himself: He's more like a soldier than a soldier.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but take a few more photos of Yu Qie.

To avoid the minefield, everyone scrambled and rolled, covered in mud and water, trying to get as fast as possible... and soon they were out of breath. Deputy Captain Xu, holding a submachine gun, followed closely behind the group, stepping into every pit that had been verified as safe earlier.

They marched at breakneck speed for an unknown amount of time. The men's faces had become noticeably pale, and they were especially thirsty. Qiu Lian ordered, "Drink water!"

Immediately, someone from the company dashed into the woods and brought back a bucket of prepared clean water. The water was like sweet spring water; one soldier immediately plunged into the bucket…

"We need to reach the combat zone now and wait for the Vietnamese to completely descend the mountain. We'll make plans based on the combat situation," Xian Yunqiang said.

Nothing unexpected happened along the way, and Qiu Lian seemed to be in a good mood. He chimed in, "It's been like this for the past two years... or rather, the past four years. The Vietnamese always send small teams down the mountain to harass us, and our scouts immediately send out a message, and then the company on the mountain immediately goes down to intercept them!"

"Most of the time, nothing happens. Because they also have scouts who react quickly when they see us, and they find their way back, so we don't even see each other; but sometimes we have to fight first!"

"Like military aircraft driving away foreign aircraft?" Xianyun interrupted.

“Yes!” Qiu Lian nodded. “There’s another possibility! The momentum could quickly exceed our expectations. In that case, we need to report it, as it might escalate into a large-scale operation.”

"They want to harass us and tire us out?" Yu Qie said.

“That’s right.” Qiu Lian nodded again. “They do it, and we do it too, but we do it less often… because we have already occupied advantageous terrain and can wait for the enemy to attack.”

Platoon Leader Tang, who was standing nearby, thought Yu Qie was nervous and came over to pat him on the shoulder. "Teacher Yu, don't worry. If a big battle really breaks out, not only will you have to hurry up the mountain, but we will also have to retreat."

After traveling for a while, they finally reached the combat zone, only to find it filled with jungle and nothing else. Qiu Shu collapsed to the ground, panting heavily as he waited for the team to rejoin him. The intense concentration he had been maintaining was giving him a terrible headache. Several other young men in the company sat on rocks, guns at their sides, saying nothing.

Soon, companies from other outposts gathered here.

Qiu Lian began to contact the scouts via radio. The situation was dire; the Vietnamese were not prepared to stop this time, which meant a fierce battle was about to begin.

Before the battle began, Company Commander Qiu Shu, Deputy Company Commander Lao Du, Platoon Leader Lao Tang, and others deployed troops at the front line. Yu Qie and Xian Yunqiang could already see the Vietnamese on the other side of the valley with their naked eyes, and they silently moved closer to them.

As Company Commander Qiu Shu shouted the order, "Heavy machine guns, take up positions...", Deputy Battalion Commander Lao Xu sprinted to the front of the column, closely monitoring the enemy situation. The atmosphere suddenly became suffocatingly tense. Xian Yunqiang's heart raced, and he frantically pressed the shutter of his camera, panting heavily.

Through the viewfinder, he saw Yu Qie holding a pistol, quietly waiting for the Vietnamese to approach.

Is Teacher Yu going to join the operation?
How bizarre is this? A writer yearns for war.

Under immense pressure, Xian Yunqiang almost forgot that Yu Qie, who shared his artistic background with him, was a scholar; he almost assumed he was a well-trained reconnaissance soldier. However, Yu Qie's uniform didn't fit properly, giving him away. The sleeve of Yu Qie's uniform had ripped open, revealing his fair skin, which stood out conspicuously.

"Oh shit!"

Yu Qie cursed angrily and quickly smeared mud on his exposed skin.

The company scattered and occupied the high ground in the combat area. Gunfire had already begun, but most of it caused little damage, only sending dirt flying. At a distance of six to eight hundred meters, even low-powered sniper rifles had difficulty hitting their targets.

However, as the distance closed, the bullets became increasingly accurate. Xian Yunqiang's heart was pounding.

Really, it’s true!

This operation was more dangerous than any he had faced in the past two years. He looked around from the back of the column and saw only a sentry lurking in the jungle, closely watching the enemy's movements. He asked the man, "Are we about to start fighting?"

The man was startled when he heard the voice and realized that Xian Yunqiang, the photographer for "Military Pictorial," had accidentally stumbled into the heart of the battle zone.

He immediately said sternly, "Why are you still here? Go back right now!"

As if given a starting pistol, Xian Yunqiang quickly retreated. However, on the hilltop, he saw Yu Qie about to flank him from above, having already fired several shots... Platoon Leader Tang caught up with him and said a few words. Yu Qie's expression turned grim, and he turned and retreated to the very back.

"Teacher Yu, did you really want to kill the Vietnamese just now?" Xianyun asked as soon as Yu Qie returned.

"Why not?" Yu Qie asked him in return.

“Let me tell you, although I’ve been here for two years, the most intense time was when I reached the combat zone, took the photos, and had to return immediately,” Xian Yunqiang said somewhat incoherently. “They don’t know you, the bullets don’t know you. Nobel, Stockholm… if you die right now, it’s all over.”

"I'd like to ask you, why didn't you bring a submachine gun?" Yu Qie said. "So I only have a pistol to use. If the fighting starts, wouldn't it be suicide for me to charge with a pistol?"

"what?"

At this moment, Xian Yunqiang's face turned deathly pale, because the battle had suddenly broken out. A shell, seemingly from nowhere, exploded beside him, sending him reeling. A sharp, piercing scream followed. Terrified, Xian Yunqiang's limbs went numb. Yu Qie grabbed him and fled the battlefield as fast as he could, glancing back from afar…

A light rain began to fall, the rain mingling with the smoke and fire, casting a gloomy shadow over the entire battlefield. Soldiers from the Fourth Company carried stretchers through the smoke-shrouded jungle, and soldiers continued to be shot. Yu Qie assumed the soldiers there were dead! A moment later, gunfire miraculously rang out again!

The Vietnamese were driven back in defeat.

The skirmish was extremely short and fierce. After about five or six minutes, only sporadic gunfire could be heard from the opposite valley. The soldiers of the Fourth Company chased after them for a while, but Company Commander Qiu Shu ordered them not to advance rashly. The sentry who had spoken with Xian Yunqiang earlier was caught by Company Commander Qiu because he was eager to make a name for himself. He was slapped on the spot, and half of his face was swollen.

"If you're not afraid of getting blown up by a landmine, then go ahead and charge! You!"

It turns out that the Vietnamese leave behind "butterfly mines" when they evacuate. These are anti-personnel mines with a simple structure: they contain about 9 grams of nitromethane, essentially a liquid explosive. Their explosive power is precise and concentrated, primarily harming the person who touches and detonates them. They are extremely small, almost undetectable in the jungle.

This was originally used by the Americans to persecute the Vietnamese, but the Vietnamese found it useful and used it on the northern front as well.

In the Bagu Ridge area, the Vietnamese army used them extensively, which made them very difficult for the soldiers to detect. Moreover, the butterfly mines were so small that they were not easy to identify with mine-clearing tools.

"These landmines won't kill people?" Xianyun leaned closer to ask.

"It's true that the bomb won't kill anyone, but it's more troublesome!" Qiu Lian explained, "After someone is crippled and rendered unable to fight, it forces more people to protect their comrades, inevitably exposing them to the Vietnamese guns..."

He was explaining these things to Xianyun Qiang and Yu Qie, two complete laymen.

Yu Qie already understood: if they didn't rescue them, it would obviously demoralize their side.

Going to the rescue would be falling right into the Vietnamese army's trap. During the war, they repeatedly used these landmines to encircle and ambush reinforcements, causing one wounded soldier to become a burden on many of his comrades.

Next, the medics began to organize the rescue of the wounded, while the surviving soldiers were responsible for cleaning up the battlefield and checking the casualties.

It was initially a minor victory; the Vietnamese left behind at least five or six corpses. However, the morale of the company quickly plummeted. During the battle, Second Platoon Leader Tang and Xiao Lü, a soldier in the capture team, were seriously wounded during the encirclement.

Xiao Lü is back, and Lao Tang is honored on the spot.

After being wounded, Lao Tang collapsed in the grass. During the fierce battle, his comrades could not find him. When he woke up, the enemy was already more than ten meters away from him. In order to allow his comrades to withdraw quickly and not sacrifice for him, and to uphold the dignity of a soldier, he resolutely detonated the "glorious grenade" and died for his country.

On the way back to the outpost, they remained silent. Despite their triumphant return, everyone sat exhausted on the ground in the camp. Company Commander Qiu Shu chain-smoked, choked on his cigarette, coughed a few times, and soon tears streamed down his face.

Looking at Old Tang's body covered with a white sheet, no one asked why.

That evening, Old Jiang, the director of the political department of the front-line division, and Old Xu, the head of the propaganda section, arrived at the camp together. They first checked on Yu Qie and found that he was unharmed, which put their minds at ease.

Then I went to see Xian Yunqiang, the photographer for "Military Pictorial," and he was also in good health.

Old Jiang and Old Xu then approached Company Commander Qiu Shu: "Your company did a good job, completing the mission assigned by the higher-ups. You thwarted the Vietnamese people's wolfish ambitions."

"Old Tang is dead," Qiu Shu simply said after hearing this.

"Who is Comrade Lao Tang?"

“He sacrificed his life,” Yu Qie said as he walked over. “Old Tang was the platoon leader of their company and used to be a machine gunner. He was about the same size as me, and I was wearing his other uniform… I thought the Vietnamese recognized me and were planning to arrest me, but they accidentally arrested Old Tang instead. He couldn’t bear the humiliation and died a martyr.”

“I owe him my life; Old Tang has done us a great service.”

What Yu Qie said was not true, but neither of the two comrades from the Political Department and the Propaganda Section were willing to investigate further.

I can't believe such a thing happened!
Old Jiang from the Political Department and Old Xu, the head of the Propaganda Section, exchanged a glance and immediately said, "Comrade Tang's sacrifice was meaningful, and we will report his achievements as soon as possible... Fortunately, Teacher Yu, you were not hurt, otherwise it would have been too unfair."

"why?"

"According to news from the capital, the two sides are already in formal negotiations. Therefore, today's battle may be the last one."

(End of this chapter)