Soldiers Assault: Starting from the 7th Steel Company

Chapter 238 Life hangs on a thread

By the afternoon, the roads were becoming increasingly difficult to navigate.

This road clearly hasn't been repaired for years; it's full of potholes, and the dust it kicks up makes it impossible to open the windows. Luckily, it's not raining, otherwise it would be even more troublesome.

He Yuanchao and Chen Jiang dared not continue chatting, for fear of affecting the driver's concentration. Although they would rest every two hours on the road, they had been driving all day, and even the toughest men were getting tired.

There were almost no passing vehicles or pedestrians on this road; some sections were steep mountain roads, with cliffs on one side and sheer drops on the other.

Just as He Yuanchao told the driver that he could rest more if he felt he couldn't take it anymore, Xiao Wu said that they were almost at the border defense regiment's station.

Just a few minutes after he finished speaking, several cars appeared in front of them.
"Chief, it should be the border defense regiment coming to greet us." Driver Xiao Wu had a keen eye and immediately understood their tactics.

When He Yuanchao saw that their leader was a colonel, he immediately understood. Since they had already made a show of welcoming him, he naturally had to get out of the car and go through the formalities.

After the car came to a stop, a group of people immediately came forward, saluting and shaking hands with He Yuanchao and Chen Jiang.

Don't be fooled by the fact that they are all colonels and lieutenant colonels, roughly the same rank as Chen Jiang and his group, who are senior colonels and senior colonels respectively. After all, He Yuanchao and his men are from higher up, and lower-ranking officers can't afford to offend them.
More importantly, He Yuanchao was also a section chief in the General Logistics Department, holding a high position and great power. As the border defense regiment with the worst supplies, wasn't he practically a god of wealth?

"Director He, Director Chen, you must be tired from your journey! Welcome, welcome! The regiment has prepared a simple meal. Let's go to the regimental headquarters to rest and listen to our brief report on the situation," the colonel, who came to greet them, said warmly with a sincere smile.

He Yuanchao shook hands firmly with him and the political commissar, but did not turn around and get back into the car as instructed. He looked up at the distant, seemingly endless mountain range and asked, "Comrade Regiment Commander, which is the farthest company in your regiment? How far is it from here?"

The other person paused for a moment, then replied, "It's the Ninth Company, at the northernmost point. You have to keep going along this mountain road, but the road conditions are extremely poor; it'll be at least another two hours of bumpy travel to get there. Director He, look at the sky..."

“Let’s go to the Ninth Company.” He Yuanchao’s tone was calm, but carried an undeniable determination. “We can review the regimental headquarters’ situation report anytime, but since we’re here, if we don’t go to the most arduous front line and experience firsthand the places where the soldiers live and perform their duties every day, then this trip will lose its main purpose. Deputy Director Chen, what do you think?”

Chen Jiang immediately nodded: "I completely agree with Director He's opinion. The headquarters leaders have repeatedly instructed that the investigation should go deep into the grassroots level to obtain first-hand information."

The border regiment commander and political commissar exchanged a glance, a look that held surprise, but also barely perceptible admiration and emotion. They had received many visitors from higher authorities, but it was rare to see someone get out of the car and head straight for the most remote company without even having a sip of water.

“Alright! Since the two leaders insist, we will accompany you!” Commander Wang was a straightforward man and did not try to persuade them further. “I will have someone lead the way.”

He called over a staff officer and asked him for directions to the Ninth Company, but the staff officer stammered for a long time and couldn't explain it clearly.

"Huh? You don't even know which route your own companies are taking?"

The staff officer's face flushed red, and he lowered his head in embarrassment.

Regiment Commander Wang's face instantly darkened, clearly extremely dissatisfied with his subordinates' performance. Just as he was about to reprimand them, the political commissar quickly stepped forward to smooth things over:
"Director He, Director Chen, I'm so sorry." The political commissar's tone was apologetic, but also tinged with helplessness. "It's like this, the road to the Ninth Company, strictly speaking, can't be called a road; it's practically a path carved into the cliff face, extremely treacherous. Aside from the Ninth Company's own supply convoy that regularly goes there, the regimental headquarters rarely sends anyone. The Ninth Company's commander also rarely comes to the regimental headquarters, so..."

Upon hearing this, He Yuanchao frowned slightly, but his eyes became even more determined: "Precisely because the road is difficult and the conditions are harsh, we should go even more. If even we stop because of the treacherous road, what about the soldiers who are stationed there year-round? Will their supplies and their difficulties also be cut off because of this road?"

He turned to Commander Wang and the political commissar: "How about this, your regimental leaders don't need to accompany us personally. Just send a guide who knows the way, and we'll set off now."

"How can that be!" Regiment Commander Wang immediately shook his head. "The leaders insist on going, how can we not accompany them?" He immediately turned around and said sternly to the staff officer, "What are you all standing there for? Call the old squad leader from the transportation section here right now! He used to deliver supplies to the Ninth Company all the time, he could find his way there even with his eyes closed!"

After a while, a dark-skinned, lean old sergeant hurriedly drove up in a military truck and gave a crisp salute.

"Sir, the supplies won't be delivered until the end of the year. Why are you in such a hurry this time? The supplies aren't ready yet." The sergeant was confused and thought that the regimental leaders had asked him to deliver the supplies to the Ninth Company ahead of schedule, so he quickly explained.

Upon hearing this, Regiment Commander Wang's face turned ashen, and he immediately ordered, "Enough talk, get in the car right now and lead the officers to the Ninth Company! Make sure they are safe!"

"Yes! Promise to complete the mission!"

There was no other way; the superior's task had to be completed without fail.

Besides, it's not about giving alms, it's just about showing the way, so that's better.

The convoy set off again, with the regiment's trucks leading the way and He Yuanchao's car following closely behind. The regimental commander told the political commissar to return to the regimental headquarters first, while he himself got into He Yuanchao's car.

Sure enough, just as the political commissar said, after leaving the main road, the so-called "road" was almost completely submerged in weeds and gravel. The vehicle began to tilt and bounce violently from side to side. Many times, the end of the downhill slope was a sharp turn, with an unobstructed cliff on the side.

Driver Xiao Wu was completely focused, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, as he carefully followed the car in front of him, moving slowly forward.

He Yuanchao and Chen Jiang gripped the handrails on the roof of the car tightly, their bodies swaying violently with the car's movement. Through the car windows, they could clearly see the swirling clouds and bottomless ravines below the cliff.

After nearly three hours of arduous trekking, we were finally nearing the Ninth Company's encampment, but a landslide ahead and several huge rocks in the middle of the road made it impossible for the vehicles to pass.

"Directors, this car can't get through. What do you think? Should we turn back and come back when the road conditions are better?"

"How far is it from here to the Ninth Company?" He Yuanchao seemed to ignore him.

"There are still about 6 or 7 kilometers of mountain road ahead," the sergeant leading the way answered cautiously. He could tell that these two were high-ranking officials from above.

He Yuanchao and Chen Jiang exchanged a glance and instantly understood each other. "Then let's walk there! We're already here, a little extra won't make a difference!"

After saying that, they started carrying some supplies, including bottled water and biscuits. The border regiment commander and the others naturally couldn't let He Yuanchao and his men carry them, and wanted to take them over, but He Yuanchao waved his hand and refused.

Therefore, after parking their cars, they could only carry a little more and then hurry to catch up.

The 6-7 kilometer mountain path took 2 hours to walk, which exhausted everyone. Only Chen Jiang had no problem maintaining his stamina, while even He Yuanchao was too tired to speak. As for the border defense regiment commander, he was so exhausted that he had unbuttoned his top button and was covered in sweat.

If they hadn't brought bottled water, he probably wouldn't have made it.

Seeing this, He Yuanchao could only order everyone to rest on the spot, since there shouldn't be much road left to travel anyway.

However, shortly after they rested, a chilling rustling sound and a low whistling sound suddenly came from the surrounding mountains and forests.

"Not good!" The experienced veteran sergeant's expression changed drastically, and he abruptly raised his hand to signal, "It's a pack of wolves!"

Before they finished speaking, a dozen pairs of eerie green eyes, like will-o'-the-wisps, lit up in the deepening twilight of the woods and slowly approached them.

These wolves in the mountains are strong and muscular, with gray-black fur, baring their teeth and growling menacingly, clearly regarding them as prey that has invaded their territory.

"Back to back! Form a circle! Protect the commander in the middle!" Commander Wang was actually in a panic, but he still shouted the order while quickly drawing his sidearm. The driver, Xiao Wu, and the old sergeant were unarmed and could only nervously pick up the stones beside them, preparing for a desperate fight.

The wolves seemed to be enraged by their actions. A particularly powerful alpha wolf let out a long howl, and the pack immediately began to tighten their encirclement.

"Bang!" Commander Wang fired a warning shot, trying to scare away the wolf pack.

Gunshots echoed through the valley. The wolves hesitated for a moment, but did not retreat. One of the wolves, with its blue fur, flashed an even more ferocious light in its eyes. It crouched low, then suddenly lunged forward, launching an attack! Its target was none other than He Yuanchao, who was standing in the middle!

"Director He, be careful!" In the blink of an eye, Chen Jiang, who was standing next to He Yuanchao, shouted in a low voice, his reaction was astonishingly fast.

No one expected that this deputy director of the headquarters would have such good skills.

He slid sideways, dodging the wolf's bite with precision. His left hand shot out like lightning, grabbing the fur behind the alpha wolf's neck, while his right arm delivered a heavy elbow strike to the wolf's side!

"Awooo!" The wolf cried out in pain, and was knocked to the ground by Chen Jiang's powerful hammer blow. It couldn't get up for a while!

Chen Jiang's move was clean, efficient, and explosive, leaving Commander Wang and the others stunned.

"Don't just stand there! Observe carefully and cooperate!" Chen Jiang shouted, his eyes sharp as knives, instantly transforming from a high-ranking official back into a seasoned soldier who seemed to have fought his way up from the bottom. He stood in front of He Yuanchao, his fighting stance extremely professional.

The alpha wolf in the pack seemed to be enraged by Chen Jiang's counterattack, letting out a long howl.
The wolf pack seemed to have received the order to attack, and several wolves pounced at the same time from different directions!

How powerful is Chen Jiang's perception?
He moved swiftly and skillfully, dodging attacks and striking weaknesses. A sharp whip kick struck one wolf in the waist and abdomen, while simultaneously parrying another wolf's attack. His movements were swift and efficient.

The others also fought back fiercely against the approaching wolves.

However, the wolf pack was too large and extremely cunning, constantly launching feint attacks and harassing the enemy.

Although Chen Jiang was brave and took down two or three wolves in an instant, he was ultimately no match for a pack of ferocious wolves.

While he was facing the front, a wolf silently attacked from the side and rear, suddenly pouncing on his shoulder!

"Chen Jiang!" He Yuanchao exclaimed.

Hearing the wind whistling past, Chen Jiang didn't have time to dodge completely and could only try his best to turn to the side. The wolf's claws tore through his military uniform, leaving several bloody scratches on his arm.

The others were too busy dealing with the wolves that had surrounded them to pay any attention to him. When the border guard commander ran out of bullets and was trembling as he tried to change the magazine, the alpha wolf, which hadn't made a move yet, pounced on him and knocked him to the ground.

The alpha wolf's pounce was swift and precise. The captain felt a tremendous force strike his chest, throwing him backward and causing his gun to fly from his hand. A wave of pungent, hot stench hit him as the wolf's jaws were aimed at his throat!
"Commander!" the old sergeant exclaimed, trying to rush over to help, but was entangled by another wolf.

At this critical moment——

"You beast! You're asking for death!" A furious shout exploded like thunder!
Chen Jiang, who was originally trying to flank the sneak attack, disregarded the threat behind him and suddenly spun around and pushed off the ground, rushing towards the commander like an arrow! He was so fast that he only left a blur, and just before the wolf's fangs were about to touch the commander's throat, Chen Jiang's iron arm had already tightly gripped the alpha wolf's neck from the side!

"Ugh!" The alpha wolf was gripped by the immense force, its biting motion abruptly interrupted, and it let out a painful whimper.

Chen Jiang's eyes widened, his arm muscles bulged, and using the momentum, he actually dragged the nearly 100-pound burly wolf off Commander Wang and slammed it into a thick tree trunk next to him!

With a muffled thud, the alpha wolf was smashed into a daze.

But Chen Jiang also paid a price for this rescue. The wolf that had attacked him from the side and behind finally landed its claws hard on his back, tearing his uniform and revealing several deep, bloody scratches.

"Ugh!" Chen Jiang groaned, staggered, and his forehead was instantly covered in cold sweat.

The wolf pack seemed to be briefly stunned by Chen Jiang's desperate bravery and the momentum of instantly knocking down the alpha wolf, and their attack paused slightly.

But they still outnumbered each other, baring their teeth and growling as they slowly approached, surrounding the group even more tightly, and the situation remained extremely critical.

Battalion Commander Wang scrambled to his feet and frantically picked up his rifle to change the magazine. Young Wu and the veteran sergeant were also covered in wounds.

"Damn it, let's fight these beasts!" Commander Wang changed the magazine, raised his gun to aim, and put his finger on the trigger, but he only had one spare magazine. With so many wolves, it was probably just a drop in the ocean.

I never imagined that after a lifetime of military service, I would capsize in this unknown little mountain valley.

(End of this chapter)