Courtyard House: A System Connecting Two Worlds, Resources for the Nation

A week later, a convoy of more than ten trucks slowly drove up to the border between the south and India.

"Squad leader, I don't understand what's going on. Is this going to be a war?"

"But haven't the Indians only been conducting reactionary propaganda and building military fortifications over there? They haven't even crossed the border yet, have they?"

"Then tell me, what else could it be if so much ammunition is being sent over if not for war?"

At this moment, on the border defense position, hundreds of soldiers were unloading boxes of ammunition from trucks, hand in hand.

This quantity is simply outrageous. They've been stationed here for so many years, and they've never seen more ammunition than they have today.

While these border guards were moving supplies, the border command post was filled with smoke.

A dozen or so officers sat around a long table covered with maps, some standing and some sitting, but all of them had extremely solemn expressions.

The tea in the enamel mugs on the table had gone cold, but no one bothered to drink it.

"When I say no, I mean no!"

An officer in a Type 65 uniform slammed his hand on the table: "Although the other side is constantly building military fortifications, they haven't attacked us yet. If we take the initiative, how will we explain it to the international community?"

"What else is there to confess?" A bespectacled staff officer sitting opposite him slammed his pencil on the map, his eyes widening. "From last year until now, they've been conducting reactionary propaganda along the border, crossing the border for reconnaissance countless times! Every time we tolerated it, every time we had to negotiate. And what was the result of those negotiations? Now they treat us like pushovers!"

"Then let's fight? And what happens after we fight?"

"We'll talk after we've fought!"

"Naive! You think you can solve diplomatic problems by slamming your fist on the table?"

"So what do you suggest we do? Keep watching them build a fortress right at our doorstep? When will they ever finish?"

The two became more and more excited as they talked, their voices rising higher and higher.

Several officers nearby were either frowning and smoking, or looking down at a map without saying a word; not one of them stepped in to mediate the fight.

Sitting at the head of the long table was a middle-aged man in his fifties, with a square face, thick eyebrows, and small but very bright eyes.

He had unbuttoned two buttons on his collar and rolled up his sleeves to his forearms, revealing his muscular forearms.

He held an unlit cigarette in his hand, twirling it around as if he were plotting something.

This man, surnamed Zhao, is the commander of this border defense regiment and has been stationed in this border area for nearly ten years.

He's almost learned what the Indians are saying.

"Alright."

Commander Zhao finally spoke, his voice not loud, but the command post fell silent instantly.

"Will arguing solve anything? All of you, sit down!"

The officers exchanged glances and obediently sat back down.

He stood up, walked to the front of the map, and drew a circle on several marked points in the direction of India.

"These fortifications have been under construction since last year, almost a year now, and they're constantly getting closer to our border. The closest one is now less than 300 meters from our forward positions. What does 300 meters mean? It means a single charge could cross the border!"

Commander Zhao paused here, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.

"My instructions to my superiors were: 'Strike hard enough to avoid a hundred blows later.' I don't need to explain what that means, do I?"

With the instructions from above, everyone present fell silent.

If they knew that their commander had received instructions from their superiors, they wouldn't have argued at all. Why bother?

"Our main problem now is how to justify this operation? We can't just set foot on another country's soil because they've built fortifications and are constantly closing in on us."

The staff officer glanced at Commander Zhao, pursed his lips, hesitated for a few seconds, but did not speak.

Commander Zhao understood his meaning and waved to the others: "You can all go back now. The whole regiment should remain on alert. We will issue further instructions on the specific actions later."

After everyone had left, the staff officer approached Commander Zhao and whispered his plan. The latter's pupils constricted slightly, and after hesitating for a few seconds, he nodded in agreement.

"You must be careful when looking for reliable people."

"yes!"

Night slowly enveloped the border.

This area is mountainous, and the mountain winds howl through the exposed rocks and low bushes, making a whistling sound.

Along the border, electricity is a luxury, let alone streetlights. Only occasionally, beams of flashlight beams flash across the Indian positions on the other side, darting back and forth in the darkness.

In the middle of the night, a small team crossed the border in the dark.

There were only a few of them, all dressed in dark training uniforms, their faces covered in mud, and carrying bulging packs on their backs.

An hour later, several streaks of fire ripped through the sky.

The flames, trailing long tails of fire, rose from the darkness on the Indian side of the border, slamming heavily onto the ground dozens of meters away from the border guard post with a sharp whistling sound.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions rang out one after another, and flames shot into the sky.

The shockwave, carrying debris and dust, spread outwards, striking the bunkers on the position with a crackling sound.

On the sentry post, a young soldier standing guard was so shocked that he stumbled and almost fell off the watchtower.

He steadied himself by holding onto the railing, and then quickly sounded the alarm.

In fact, with such a large commotion, no alarm was needed; the entire barracks were awakened by the explosions.

Border guards rushed out of their barracks, some not even properly dressed, but all clutching their weapons, and quickly assembled.

"What's going on?"

"They've opened fire!"

"Rocket! It's a rocket!"

"Emergency assembly! Everyone, assemble immediately!"

A few minutes later, all the border guards had lined up in the open space in front of the barracks.

More than a hundred soldiers stood in neat rows, not one of them spoke, only the heavy breathing rose and fell in the night wind.

Their eyes were all focused on Commander Zhao, who stood ramrod straight in front of them.

He was wearing a full military uniform, his peaked cap pulled low, and his face was expressionless.

Several battalion and company-level officers stood behind him, and each of them had the same expression as him.

After a few seconds of silence, Commander Zhao's deep voice came through: "Comrades, did you hear the explosion just now?"

Everyone present could sense the anger beneath his calm exterior.

"India, located across our border, fired rockets at our positions!"

"This is a provocation, a test of our bottom line, a mockery of us, implying that we dare not retaliate!"

His voice remained steady, but every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth!

"But today, I want to tell you that the warriors of our Dragon Kingdom have never been afraid to fight back!"

No one spoke from the audience, but everyone's gaze sharpened.

The soldiers' chests heaved, and their fingers gripped their guns more tightly.

"We endured before because we were poor, weak, lacked sufficient ammunition, had many enemies, and so on! We couldn't afford to fight!"

Commander Zhao's voice suddenly rose, and he pointed behind him: "Comrades, turn around and look!"

More than a hundred soldiers turned around in unison.

There were neatly stacked ammunition boxes that they had unloaded from the truck during the day.

"That's the ammunition we just received! You can have as much as you want! You can fight for as long as you want!"

He turned around, facing the opposite direction, and pointed to the still-smoking battlefield: "Today, I'll show them that the borders of the Dragon Kingdom aren't places anyone can cross!"

"Listen to my command—"

"107th Fire, push to the front line! Target: the enemy's military fortifications! Give them a good beating!"