Siheyuan (traditional courtyard house): Starting with the Korean War, returning home to take charge

The atmosphere at the front lines changed. The enemy's large-scale artillery bombardment and tank assaults during the day decreased significantly, but at night, the sounds of insects and wind that should have filled the mountains and fields were mixed with something else.

First, a mortar position on the flank was suddenly hit by several stray shells in the middle of the night. The shells landed with pinpoint accuracy, destroying two mortars and wounding seven or eight soldiers. The direction of the shells was strange, unlike what one would expect from long-range heavy artillery. Then, the telephone lines leading to the rear were cut three or four times that night. One of the communications soldiers sent to check the lines never returned, only to find a pool of barely dried blood in the grass.

Sporadic reports reached the regimental headquarters, gradually piecing together a vague outline—it wasn't a large force coming, but a small group of enemies. These men were specially trained, choosing nighttime, foggy days, or gaps in troop rotations to slip through the defensive lines like eels, taking a bite and then retreating. Their targets were clear: command points, artillery, and logistics—all vulnerable points.

"Damn it, they've changed tactics." Old Geng slammed several blood-stained reports onto He Yuzhu's makeshift wooden table. "They can't crack it head-on, so they've started using underhanded methods, like the special forces."

He Yuzhu didn't rush to look at the report. His finger slowly traced the depth of his regiment's defense zone on the map. No matter how dense the defensive line, it's still just a line, and there will always be gaps. In the past, when the enemy set up a grand formation, these gaps weren't fatal; now, the enemy has become a slippery eel, and every loophole could lead to bloodshed.

"As expected." He Yuzhu raised his eyes, his voice calm. "With the negotiations deadlocked and a direct attack proving ineffective, a second front is naturally needed. This piecemeal approach will wear us down, create panic, and hopefully take down one or two command posts."

He looked at Lao Geng and Political Commissar Zhao, who had just come in: "We need to change too. Fixed sentry posts and patrol teams can't stop these seasoned infiltrators."

"What does the regimental commander mean?" Political Commissar Zhao adjusted his glasses.

"Form a special team, we'll call it the anti-infiltration unit." He Yuzhu pointed out a few key points deep inland on the map. "The number of people doesn't need to be large, but they must be absolutely elite. Select from the entire regiment, preferably veteran hunters, or skilled, bold, and meticulous old soldiers. Wu Dayong's reconnaissance company should have some good candidates."

"What about the equipment?" Old Geng frowned. "Our current rifles and machine guns are too noisy. If they fire, the whole position can hear them, and it's easy to alert the enemy."

He Yuzhu did not answer immediately.

Consciousness sinks into the system. Points: 6,091,398. To deal with this underhanded tactic, something unconventional is needed.

[Exchange: 30 silenced submachine guns (M3-like improved version), 10000 rounds of subsonic ammunition, -30,000 points.]

[Exchange: 20 military crossbows (steel arms, with simple sights), 500 special crossbow bolts, -5,000 points.]

[Exchange: 50 anti-personnel directional mines, 20 booby trap kits, -10,000 points.]

[Exchange: Basic Counter-Special Operations Knowledge Handbook (including reconnaissance, traps, and close combat techniques), targeted instruction (no more than 15 key personnel), -8,000 points.]

A total of 53,000 points were deducted.

Battlefield Points: 6,038,398.

"I'll figure out the equipment," He Yuzhu said to Lao Geng. "The division might have some 'special stockpiles,' I'll apply for them. Also, notify all battalions and companies to collect all captured weapons and tools suitable for silent operations."

A few days later, a batch of seemingly old and even strange "special equipment" was delivered to a secluded mountain ravine behind the regimental headquarters. Thirty submachine guns with short, thick barrels and silencers, twenty steel crossbows gleaming coldly, and various ingenious trap parts.

The anti-infiltration unit was quickly assembled. Twenty-five men, all elites handpicked by Wu Dayong from the reconnaissance company and various battalions, their eyes gleaming with a wolf-like alertness and patience. He Yuzhu personally gave them their first lesson.

There's no empty theory, just practical advice: how to use terrain to set up inconspicuous early warning devices; how to choose ambush locations—they must be on the enemy's infiltration route and easy for our own troops to conceal their retreat; how to use these silent weapons—the trajectory of a silenced submachine gun has a significant drop, and the flight time of a crossbow bolt needs to be predicted; how to identify traces, and how to silently approach and kill the enemy.

Some of the techniques he described were quite "evil": using animal droppings to determine the time and number of people passing by; concealing one's scent based on wind direction. The team members' eyes lit up. They knew they were learning how to be more ruthless and cunning than those "ghosts" in the dark.

At the same time, He Yuzhu adjusted the deployment depth of the defense zone. The number of fixed sentries in the open was reduced, and a large number of concealed, rotating sentries were added. Patrol routes were no longer fixed, and the times were irregular, like weaving an invisible net behind the defense zone that could tighten at any time.

The enemy was very patient, remaining silent for nearly ten days. Just when some people were wondering if they were overreacting, at around 11 p.m., a warning trap by a stream behind the Second Battalion's defense zone was triggered—not by an explosion, but by the muffled sound of several cleverly balanced stones rolling down the ravine.

The moment the stone rolled down, the two reverse osmosis teams, hidden in the bushes upwind, sprang into action. There were no shouts, no light. With a gesture from the team leader, several crossbow bolts silently shot towards the blurry, dark figures along the stream.

A muffled groan. The heavy object fell to the ground.

The infiltrating American squad was also seasoned; upon being attacked, they immediately scattered and took cover, attempting to return fire with silenced pistols. However, their position had been exposed, and they had fallen into the pre-arranged ambush. More crossbow bolts flew from different directions, and several figures painted with camouflage and clad in jungle stripes emerged from the shadows, swiftly and silently striking with daggers and rifle butts at extremely close range.

The battle ended quickly, in less than three minutes. Seven well-equipped American soldiers lay dead by the creek, carrying explosives, maps, wire cutters, and primitive night vision equipment. Only one was "lucky"—he was shot through the thigh with a crossbow bolt, unable to move, and became a prisoner.

He Yuzhu was still awake when he received the report; he was revising the fortification reinforcement plan under the light of an oil lamp. He immediately rushed to the scene.

Under the moonlight, the bodies of the American squad were neatly laid out, their equipment placed aside. The prisoners' leg wounds had been simply bandaged and they were tightly bound, their mouths stuffed with cloth, their eyes filled with shock, anger, and resentment.

"Check identities," He Yuzhu said to Lao Geng, then squatted down to examine the equipment and body identification closely. The arm patch had an eagle and lightning bolt pattern, as well as the word "RANGER".

Rangers. They're definitely professionals.

The prisoner was put in solitary confinement in a small cave in the mountainside, originally used to store tools. He Yuzhu didn't rush to interrogate him. He had someone treat the prisoner's leg injury, gave him some water, and then left him there to cool off. He knew that with these trained tough nuts, sometimes letting them cool off was more effective than resorting to direct methods.

Several hours later, as dawn approached, He Yuzhu entered the cave alone. The prisoner leaned against the earthen wall, his face pale, but his eyes still defiant.

He Yuzhu didn't speak, but took out a small glass bottle and a syringe from his pocket. The liquid inside was colorless and transparent. This was the "truth serum" he had redeemed with 5000 points (a simplified version of the system, with limited effects and an expiration date). Without explaining, he walked over and, ignoring the prisoner's weak struggles, injected the liquid into his arm.

After waiting for about twenty minutes, He Yuzhu moved a wooden stool to sit down and began questioning him in simple English. The prisoner's eyes were unfocused, and his will to resist was gradually crumbling under the influence of drugs and prolonged psychological pressure. He intermittently explained his unit (a task force under a US division), the approximate location of the training camp, the principles for choosing common infiltration routes, and his recent mission: to harass the Chinese army's command and logistics system as much as possible, create chaos, and create conditions for a frontal attack.

He Yuzhu asked very detailed questions: communication frequencies, rendezvous codes, and evacuation plans. The prisoners knew limited information, but the information they revealed was extremely valuable. He had their statements recorded in detail.

As dawn broke, the effects of the drug wore off, and the prisoner regained some of his senses, but he was listless and looked at He Yuzhu with fear and confusion—as if he did not understand why he had said those words.

He Yuzhu ignored it and ordered the guards to be kept under strict surveillance. He also ordered that the confessions and some of the captured equipment be photographed, compiled into a detailed report, and sent to the division headquarters by a special envoy. At the end of the report, he added: "Enemy special forces infiltration and harassment have become commonplace. It is recommended that all forward units of the army strengthen anti-infiltration training and in-depth vigilance, and study targeted tactics."

Stepping out of the cave, the morning light was blinding. He Yuzhu stretched his stiff neck. His knowledge of counter-infiltration and counter-surveillance had become clearer and more systematic thanks to this successful practical operation and interrogation.

[Successfully commanded the counter-infiltration operation, annihilating the enemy's elite special operations team and capturing key personnel.]

[Gain Battlefield Points: +150,000 points (Special Forces team members have higher rank and equipment value).]

Based on practical experience and interrogation, we successfully mastered the knowledge system of "basic counter-special operations".

Battlefield Points: 6,188,398.

The score surpassed 6.18 million. He Yuzhu gazed at the defense line, now under construction again in the morning mist, knowing full well that this line was no longer just about defending against ground attacks. A more covert and dangerous "special war" had silently begun. And he and his anti-infiltration unit were the first hunters to smell the blood on this invisible defense line.