Siheyuan, Shazhu: I have both parents in this life

Chapter 297 Show off your skills

"So you were forced to leave back then?" Wu Qianli asked after He Yuzhu finished speaking.

"Ah."

Why didn't you come looking for us?

“I’m afraid you guys aren’t having an easy time either,” He Yuzhu said.

The crowd fell silent. They were indeed having a hard time, but fortunately, the core members were all old hands who had returned from the peninsula together, so they could still keep things under control.

"But you're still the best, kid. You're a king of soldiers on the battlefield, and you're also top-notch in the business world." Wu Qianli broke the silence first.

"I'm just trying to make a living."

"Still being modest with us? The people below don't know how much those helicopters cost, but we certainly do," Wu Qianli said.

“Exactly, in the past you would have been our target, but times have changed!” Xiong Jie said.

"Hahahaha!" Everyone burst into laughter.

"So you're here to be our instructor?" Mei Sheng asked after laughing.

"I'm sending people over. My guys are all troublemakers, I don't trust them."

"Oh, what kind of troublemaker are you? I, Old Wu, am not afraid of troublemakers at all," Wu Qianli said.

“They used to be security guards. I trained them, and later I started learning helicopter piloting and emergency rescue.”

"Wasn't that Hong Kong rescue team that went to Jidong a few years ago led by you?" Mei Sheng asked with a strange expression.

"Correct."

"No way, we almost ran into each other." Xiong Jie slapped his thigh.

"You went too?"

"Yes, you had all left when we arrived."

"You guys aren't an engineering corps, are you?" He Yuzhu asked with a laugh.

"We're here to introduce the equipment, what kind of engineering unit?" Xiong Jie asked.

"What did you receive?"

"Jeeps, wheeled trucks, and a few helicopters... Oh, I see, they all have Yellow River markings on them. Did you bring them over?"

"Hmm, so you're saying your division is now mechanized?"

"What mechanization? At most, it's only semi-mechanized. If we hadn't taken that batch of stuff back then, we would still be on foot. We didn't join the engineering corps, but we did work in the transport brigade for a few months," Wu Qianli said.

"To be honest, your Yellow River trucks are quite durable and have a very low failure rate. It's just that we don't have spare parts, so we can only disassemble parts and repair trucks in good condition," Yu Congrong said.

"Brother Zhu, didn't the purchasing agent buy a car from you?"

"No, domestically produced ones should gradually replace what you used before," He Yuzhu said, shaking his head.

“Well, that’s going to be a long time. We’ve submitted so many reports already, and every time they just tell us to overcome the difficulties,” Wu Wanli said.

"Do you need me to send you some spare parts?" He Yuzhu asked.

“We don’t have any money,” Wu Qianli said.

"Give me a list, I can afford to send some spare parts."

"See? Zhu Zi is really a rich dog now. Should we go and rob him of his wealth?" Xiong Jie laughed.

"Yes, take down the rich."

"No problem. Are there any good places near your base? I'll treat your families to a nice meal."

"Forget it, the food here is totally not to our liking. We'd rather have the cafeteria make something," Xiong Jie said.

“There’s not enough room for all of us families to sit down,” Yu Congrong said with a smile.

"By the way, I haven't asked the old company commander how many children he has?"

“My brother’s family is small, only two children. My sister-in-law developed some health problems after giving birth to his second son,” Wu Wanli said.

"Old Xiong, what about you? You're not still single, are you?"

"Who do you think you are? My family has three boys and two girls."

"Girl, I don't think I'll look just like you, do I?" He Yuzhu teased.

“Go away, go away, my girl looks just like her mother, she’s beautiful,” Xiong Jie said urgently.

"Really?" He Yuzhu looked incredulous.

"Hahaha, Zhu Zi, he wasn't lying," Mei Sheng laughed.

"By the way, where's yours?" He Yuzhu asked Mei Sheng.

"You've met both of my family members. The eldest is married and settled in Shanghai. The second is in the military, but not here. Your sister-in-law always talks about you. She said she wouldn't know how she would have managed to raise her child if it weren't for you. It's also my fault. I thought sending some money home would be enough. Sigh."

"That's all ancient history, it's been over twenty years, let's not talk about it."

“I have to mention it. You might think it’s just a small favor, but for us it’s a lifesaver,” Wu Qianli interrupted He Yuzhu.

"So what do you want to do? Repay me tenfold?" He Yuzhu said with a smile.

“We can’t pay it back, but we have a son and a daughter,” Wu Qianli said.

"Hurry up and tell me, look at Zhu Zi now, what does he need? Do you want us to pay him back?" Xiong Jie said.

"See, Old Xiong sees things clearly. I don't want anything from you, so let bygones be bygones."

“We brothers will remember this kindness,” Wu Qianli said.

“Yes,” Wu Wanli also said.

"Old Xiong, go call Old Hao. We're at the * regiment today. Tell him to keep an eye on things at the division."

"Perhaps I should go back; it's not good that the commander isn't here," Mei Sheng said.

"I called the commander. Zhu Zi is back. How could he not let us get together?"

"Our old regimental commander," Mei Sheng explained to He Yuzhu.

"I guessed it. What, you guys want to take me down again today?"

“We can’t let you get away with this. We just want to drink to our hearts’ content. Wanli, you should also explain things to your regiment. Lao Yu, you should go to the regimental canteen and give them a heads-up.”

"Okay." The two got up and walked out.

Wu Qianli and Xiong Jie also started making phone calls. Deputy Division Commander Hao was appeased by Xiong Jie with a pack of cigarettes. As soon as the commander heard that He Yuzhu had arrived, he immediately approved the leave.

As for Wu Wanli and Yu Congrong, their division commander and political commissar are here; they can simply report directly.

The canteen supervisor of Wu Wanli's regiment was a Sichuan cuisine student. He was definitely not as good as He Yuzhu, but it was still a piece of cake for him to handle the people in the regiment.

The wine wasn't high-quality; it was just locally produced, but there was a lot of it.

This drinking session lasted from noon until night. They drank and talked, and the grown men cried, laughed, and vomited. These past twenty years have been too difficult.

In the end, He Yuzhu called over a few guards to take the person back, while he himself went to the assigned dormitory, the cadre dormitory, a single room.

The next morning, Wu Qianli and his group returned to the division headquarters, and then He Yuzhu went to the training ground with Wu Wanli and the others.

The training ground was filled with old-fashioned helicopters of all models, about seven or eight of them, which were constantly taking off and landing.

"What kind of military branch are you in now?" He Yuzhu asked.

"Who knows? We'll just practice whatever they tell us to," Yu Congrong said.

"How's your air-to-ground teamwork practice going?"

"I'll show you around later," Wu Wanli said.

After He Yuzhu looked at it, he asked in confusion, "Is this all you've practiced?"

"What's the problem? It's just aerial reconnaissance, ground follow-up, and striking key targets, isn't it?"

He Yuzhu didn't answer Wu Wanli's question directly. He just squinted and looked at the slightly awkward teamwork on the field again. He turned to the Wolf Fang Squad leader 'Violent Wolf' standing behind him and waved: "Chen Feng, take the brothers to our 'Yellow River H-1' and show Commander Wu and Political Commissar Yu what it really means to 'have your eyes in the sky and let your fists follow your eyes'."

Chen Feng grinned, revealing his white teeth: "Understood, boss!"

He turned around and made a few quick hand gestures, and ten Wolf Fang team members quickly ran towards an H-1 helicopter painted in military green on the tarmac.

Their movements were swift and coordinated, without the slightest waste, making the base soldiers watching nearby twitch – the smell emanating from these “instructors” was too overpowering.

Wu Wanli and Yu Congrong exchanged a glance, both seeing the surprise and seriousness in each other's eyes.

They remained silent, their eyes fixed on the helicopter that had begun to spin its rotor blades.

The H-1 took off gracefully, not climbing to its normal altitude, but maintaining a low altitude almost touching the treetops, and like a ghost, it quickly swept towards a simulated area deep in the training field.

"01 in position, 'Blue Army' command post located, coordinates A7, two-story brick-concrete structure, signs of heavy firepower at the window." Chen Feng's calm voice came through He Yuzhu's radio.

"Take action," He Yuzhu replied.

Almost as soon as the words were spoken, the side door of the cabin opened, and the team members inside used ropes to quickly rappel down, landing precisely on the rooftop adjacent to the target building, and then quickly dispersed.

The H-1 did not go far away, but circled in the outer airspace, with the observer on board speaking rapidly:
"Assault team, take your positions and establish a flank suppression point."

"Assault Team Two, take position and control the rear passage."

"Snipers in position, with coverage of the main entrance and the west side."

Wu Wanli and Yu Congrong held their breath. The Wolf Fang didn't have any weapons, but they knew that these young men would become killing machines on the battlefield once they picked up weapons.

This is not at all the "aerial reconnaissance, ground follow-up" they learned from military textbooks.

"Smoke marker, red, target rooftop," Chen Feng's voice rang out again.

puff!puff!puff!
Three conspicuous red smoke grenades exploded almost simultaneously from the roof of the target building and two high points of an adjacent building, accurately marking the target's location and potential fire support points.

"Attack team, move in!"

The 'Wolf Fang' began their assault, though they had no weapons and could only simulate the attack. Then came the order to 'clear target'.

Wu Wanli and Yu Congrong kept watching through their binoculars. They knew that although it was a simulation, the target had indeed been eliminated.

The two exchanged a glance, then looked at He Yuzhu, who smiled and said, "Keep watching."

At the same time, the circling H-1 suddenly tilted and dived, its simulated rocket pods under its nose spewing out symbolic "water dragons" that covered an open area attempting to reinforce from the west.

"Target cleared, evacuate." Chen Feng's voice remained calm.

The entire process, from target discovery to completion of the clearing and withdrawal from the threat area, took less than ten minutes. The ground team's infiltration, sabotage, and clearing operations were seamless, working in perfect coordination with the aerial platform's reconnaissance, guidance, and fire suppression, as if they were a single, unified entity.

The training ground was deathly silent.

The crew of the old-fashioned helicopter, which had just been taking off and landing, forgot to operate it. The officers and soldiers watching on the ground stared wide-eyed, mouths agape. Wu Wanli and Yu Congrong felt a cold sweat creep down their backs without them even realizing it.

This is not a performance; it is a tactical storm that will overturn their understanding!

Yu Congrong's throat was a little dry. He licked his lips, his voice hoarse without him even realizing it: "Zhu Zi... how the hell did he learn this? This fighting style... I've never heard of it before!"

"I'm not just trying to brush you off. Haven't you noticed anything?"

"what?"

"Water hoses, smoke markers—I'm putting out a fire!!!"

"Huh???" the two exclaimed in surprise.

“I was wondering why it looked a bit strange,” Wu Wanli continued.

“No, no, this is military tactic, and you’ve used it to rescue people,” Yu Congrong said.

"No wonder he's a guy who dares to stand on a hilltop and shoot down planes with a submachine gun. His military acumen is impeccable!" He Yuzhu gave him a thumbs up.

“I said, can we not bring this up anymore? It’s been decades, and you’re the only one who remembers it clearly.”

"Yes, I will never forget your glorious deeds in my life. After all, I saw it most clearly. That was a whole squadron of bombers, hahaha!"

"You just want to say that you shot down all those bombers, right? Using me to highlight your own prowess!"

"I didn't. When did I ever say I masturbated?"

"Hmph, that's exactly what you're thinking," Yu Congrong said.

"Alright, alright, Brother Zhu, your men know how to use guns, right? Can we do it again? We have special ammunition for drills."

"No problem, Chen Feng, bring the man back, and let's do it again fully armed!"

“Yes, boss!” 'Wolf' replied, his tone filled with excitement.

Meanwhile, Wu Wanli had already run out to send equipment to 'Wolf Fang'.

The second time, everyone watched it up close, along with several operations staff officers and company/battalion commanders.

After reading it, Wu Wanli asked, "Did you understand everything?"

“Commander, we can make this too,” a battalion commander said.

"Then why didn't you come up with it?" Wu Wanli said bluntly.

"I"

"If you don't know, you don't know. I'm showing you this so you can learn."

"Yes."

"Old He, do you have any other tactics you'd like us to see?" Wu Wanli asked.

"Have your men coordinate and conduct a simulation. Send a company first, ground troops, and you can equip them with 40 guns."

"Okay, I'll arrange it right away." Wu Qianli turned around and shouted, "Seventh Company Commander, where's the Seventh Company Commander!"

"Here!" a soldier with four pockets shouted as he stepped forward.

"Do you dare to challenge the soldiers under your old company commander?" Why did they say that? Because many officers had already recognized He Yuzhu, especially those from the Seventh Company. He Yuzhu's name was even in the company's history. Although it was only a few words, the achievements those words represented could only be understood by those who had experienced them.

"Dare!" The company commander of the seventh company was a new recruit who had just joined the army when He Yuzhu went to Hainan Province to see Wu Qianli and the others. He had met He Yuzhu before.

"Alright, Seventh Company, go get ready!" Wu Wanli patted his shoulder forcefully.
"Yes."

Wu Wanli turned to He Yuzhu: "Old He, you mark the lanes, how do you plan to play? What about the terrain and the rules?"

He Yuzhu used binoculars to survey the training ground. The training ground was very large and had a fairly complete range of terrain features.

He Yuzhu pointed to a mountainous terrain resembling a monkey kingdom: "That's it. Standard field fortifications. Seventh Company will defend, my men will attack. Huanghe's helicopters won't do. Lend us your aircraft equipped with training weapons."

Wu Wanli and Yu Congrong exchanged a glance, but did not agree immediately. Instead, they called several regimental-level officers together for a brief discussion.

Wu Wanli then came over and said, "Old He, we'll have to wait. We didn't equip anything before, so we just practiced casually. We need to report this if we bring weapons."

"I understand. Whether you agree or not is another matter. Let the Seventh Company prepare first. Even if we don't actually fight, I'll still tell you all about it."

"Okay." Wu Wanli waited for the car to go and arrange how the Seventh Company should be deployed.

A moment later, Yu Congrong came over and said to He Yuzhu, "Zhuzi, the division commander and the others also want to come and see, otherwise they won't agree to let us practice."

"Let them look, why are you afraid that Qianli and his group will poach them?"

"Hehe, you really understand me. Your rescue team members are all treasures. It's a pity they're not from China and can't join the army, otherwise I would have definitely brought them into the team."

"You seem to understand it very well, but you can learn it yourselves."

"Doesn't that take time?"

"What you have in abundance is time; you've been practicing for twenty years."

"Hey, I wasn't so frustrated until you said it. Now that you've mentioned it, I feel really frustrated. We're finally free from war after leaving the peninsula, but this daily military training is so annoying. Over the years, batches of good soldiers have been sent away because their service is over, and it makes me feel terrible!"

"Isn't it good if there's no battle to fight!" He Yuzhu patted his shoulder, but sighed deeply in his heart: "I hope it's not you guys in the first round!"

He knew that his brothers were most likely to be in the first round, since they were the most recent ones. Now he could only hope that he could teach them as much as possible during this time.

More people came from the division headquarters than expected. In addition to the main officers Wu Qianli, Xiong Jie, and Mei Sheng, almost the entire staff came out, along with a few people with pockets. Judging from Wu Qianli's attitude, they should be observers or something from the army.

The observation area was set up on a high ground on the flank of the position, a dense crowd of people, each with a pair of binoculars.

The Seventh Company's defensive fortifications were dug to a high standard, with communication trenches, foxholes, and machine gun emplacements arranged in a well-organized manner. Light and heavy machine guns were set up on the pre-designated positions, their dark muzzles pointing towards the open ground. Several rocket launcher operators also occupied advantageous firing positions, while ammunition handlers squatted nearby, inspecting simulated warheads.

The entire company was full of fighting spirit, and they never lost to any other company in the competition.

On the "Wolf Fang" side, three helicopters equipped with simulated firepower devices were already parked at the takeoff point.

He Yuzhu and nineteen members of the Wolf Fang team, fully armed and with camouflage paint on their faces, stood silently under the plane.

That's right, He Yuzhu took to the stage himself. He felt that he should make his old comrades remember this day and not underestimate any enemy.

"Are the rules clear?" He Yuzhu shouted.

"Understood. A simulated bullet hit results in 'death,' and the attacking side wins if the core fortifications of the position are breached," all Wolf Fang members said in unison.

"Boarding."

"Yes."

Once aboard the helicopter, He Yuzhu spoke into the radio: "Blue Army ready, requesting commencement of the exercise!"

"You can begin!" Wu Qianli's voice came through the radio.

After the call ended, Wu Qianli waved to his staff officer, and a signal flare rose into the sky with a red trail of flame.

Almost at the same time the signal flares exploded, the three helicopters suddenly took off, and the wind whipped up by their rotors sent dust flying everywhere.

Instead of charging directly at the position, they first maneuvered to the flanks, and the simulated machine guns under their fuselages began to fire, with tracer rounds tracing arcs in the air and landing precisely near several machine gun bunkers at the front of the Seventh Company.

"Heavy machine gunners, take cover!" the 7th Company Commander shouted from inside the fortifications, while simultaneously directing the rocket launcher operators to aim at the helicopter. "Whoosh—" A rocket shot into the air, trailing white smoke, but was nimbly dodged by the helicopter's side roll.

Just as the Seventh Company's attention was drawn to the air, one of the helicopters suddenly descended, the cabin door opened, and several "Wolf Fang" team members landed on a hillside behind the position by grabbing ropes.

They scattered as soon as they landed, quickly using the terrain for cover, and began firing their rifles. Several soldiers from the 7th Company responsible for guarding the rear were judged to have been shot and killed, and were withdrawn from the exercise.

"Attacked from the rear!" the 7th Company Commander roared over the walkie-talkie. Just as he was about to send troops to reinforce, a helicopter in front of them began to dive. After the helicopter's heavy machine gun opened fire, machine gun bullets covered the front line of the position, suppressing the defenders so they could not raise their heads.

Another helicopter hovered in mid-air, with the observer continuously broadcasting coordinates over a loudspeaker: "150 meters to the left front, heavy machine gun nest, suppress!"

"There's a rocket launcher in the foxhole on the right!"

The "whoosh whoosh whoosh" drill involved destroying targets one by one with rockets.

The main force of the "Wolf Fang" cavalry used the cover of firepower to rappel down from the front.

After landing, there was a burst of grenade throwing, and the 'Wolf Fang' members used smoke grenades as cover to run towards the cover they had chosen from the plane.

As the smoke cleared, the 'Wolf Fang' was no longer visible in front. The helicopters flew away and continued to suppress the enemy with heavy machine gun fire.

And so, the helicopter moved at varying distances, targeting and eliminating heavy firepower, thus drawing the attention of most of the Seventh Company.

The ground team continued to expand their gains piecemeal.

This tactic made everyone in the spectator stands frown; it was practically cheating.

But upon closer reflection, isn't this how bald eagles and polar bears always cheat?

Many people stopped paying attention to how the game went afterward, because they had already started a heated discussion.

Only Wu Wanli and Yu Congrong watched the exercise field nervously. The Seventh Company had already lost more than half of its men, while the 'Wolf Fang' still had half of its men left. This casualty ratio was unprecedented.

"This pillar, hitting it like this is a slap in the face! It's an old company, can't you hold back a little?" Yu Congrong said in a muffled voice.

“He’s already held back; he didn’t use his best skills,” Wu Wanli sighed.

"Sniping? Yeah, and he's such a good helicopter pilot too. What has he been doing all these years?"

“I don’t know what he did, but he did the right thing. If we don’t beat these arrogant and fierce soldiers until they are subdued, we won’t be able to train better soldiers,” Wu Wanli said.

"I understand the logic, but..."

"This is just an exercise. What if we really fight? It won't just be the 7th Company's position that gets taken down, it will be our command post, the division's command post."

"You've learned your lesson, haven't you?" Wu Qianli's voice came from behind them.

"Master."

“Look at Zhu Zi, he can still be as good as those young men. Then look at us, we’ve all become lazy!”

“Who can compare to him? Back then, they marched dozens of miles in one night. If it weren’t for him leading the way, the troops would have scattered. When they arrived at their destination, none of them could stand up. But he was completely fine. He’s not human,” Yu Congrong said.

"You little brat, you deserve a beating. That's what I meant. I meant that they've been learning and improving in both tactics and operations. Look at us, though. You know he's not a soldier; he's a businessman now."

"Then why do you think he did it? Is he just bored?"

"Be prepared for danger even in times of peace. You all went to Jidong and you all know about the deeds of his rescue team. Haven't you reflected on this? He didn't train like a rescue team; he trained soldiers."

"Could it be?" Wu Wanli asked.

“Don’t talk nonsense, I was just using an analogy,” Wu Qianli interrupted him directly.

(End of this chapter)