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墨書 Inktalez
Everyone quickly ran towards the convoy by the roadside. I pulled open the door of the first truck and jumped inside in one swift motion. As I turned to close the door, I saw the Observer blocking my way with one hand, preparing to climb up.
"What are you doing here?" I asked in surprise.
"Recording your command and engagement process," the Observer replied expressionlessly.
With no choice, I settled into my seat and signaled the driver to hurry up.
The truck roared to life and sped away. The Red Army field hospital quickly disappeared from the rearview mirror, and I faintly heard gunfire coming from behind us.
"You, leave someone behind to snipe. How is effectiveness determined?" I suddenly asked.
At that moment, the Observer placed a recording device in front of him and took out a notebook to jot something down. Without thinking, he said, "That depends on the comparison of troop strength, the types of weapons held, and the construction of cooperation."
I hesitated for a moment before asking, "How long can about a platoon hold off two companies of the Red Army?"
"At most ten minutes. You don't have heavy weapons; you won't last long," the Observer replied without looking up.
I fell silent. Old Tang had brought nearly a platoon with him just to buy us ten minutes. The road ahead was getting tougher! I had no idea how many more people we would lose as we pressed on; I just knew I had no other choice.
The Red Army's tank blitzkrieg surged like a tide. Our main force was not here, and we couldn't establish an effective defense line. The Aviation Troops had also been taken out by enemy special forces. The only card left was our artillery units, but they needed first-hand intelligence for effective strikes. The Red Army tank battalions kept moving, making precise artillery coverage impossible. We had no idea how long reinforcements would take to arrive; relying entirely on them felt too optimistic.
It seemed that no matter what, we had to charge forward! I pressed down on the intercom, "Calling Beta, calling Beta. Right now, it's just you and me as company-level officers. If I'm declared KIA, you will take over command of my unit and continue the assault without stopping for a moment!"
A response came back immediately: "Received! Unfortunately, I don't have much for you to take over. If I'm declared KIA, it means the tank has been hit."
I smiled quietly and remained silent. Beta continued, "Brother, I really admire you all. A bridging Engineer Corps company has made it this far; that's no easy feat. Sometimes I feel like you guys are even tougher than infantry companies!"
I softly replied, "The Engineer Corps are soldiers too; we need to know how to fight and be able to fight!"
At that moment, the Observer suddenly interjected, "What kind of unit are you?"
I turned my head to look at him, and he stared at me in surprise. "Engineering Corps? What's going on?"
"Really?" He seemed even more astonished. "I thought you were the Blue Army Special Forces!"
I smiled silently. "No, we're just the regular Engineer Corps."
"Tsk tsk!" He clicked his tongue a couple of times and started scribbling in his notebook.
"Company Commander, we're about to cross the river!" the driver called out.
I looked ahead and indeed saw we had reached the riverbank. Based on what we had felt earlier, this river was shallow enough to wade across. Sure enough, there were countless obvious tracks from tank treads ahead. I noticed a patch of forest on the left and a hilltop on the right. The hilltop was bare, and its terrain was quite distinctive; it should be easy to locate on the map.
"Slow down as we cross the river!" I ordered, then pulled out a military map, pressed down on the waterproof cover, and began checking our position. I clearly saw the terrain between the Landing Point and our forces' command center—two rivers running diagonally from the upper left to the lower right like parallel lines. One was right in front of us, and a larger one lay about 0 kilometers ahead. Beyond that was a flat plain where the Red Army could charge over 100 kilometers straight to the command center.
If it weren't for the large river blocking their way, the Red Army would have likely crossed by now. I felt relieved as I looked again at the map. According to conventional thinking, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line; after crossing the river, the Red Army would certainly choose to head straight for our command center for speed.
So, where would the Red Army cross? I fell into deep thought.
The vehicle slowed as it entered the river; the water was shallow, and the car shook slightly over the pebbly riverbed. I paid no mind to it, focusing intently on the map: at our current location where we were crossing, there were three major crossing points downstream that I referred to as upper, middle, and lower. These three crossing points had all been mentioned in prior intelligence reports and had been scouted by our team; they were indeed viable crossings with slow currents and relatively narrow river surfaces. When we came here, we took the lower crossing point because it was easier to navigate at night; this route had been chosen by our Company Commander before we set out.
I thought that perhaps the Red Army had sent out their Vanguard—those "dogs"—to scout for the best crossing point!
Using a ruler for reference, I realized that taking the upper point would involve a significant detour since we would have to head north for about thirty kilometers. The middle point was straightforward; we could reach it in just over ten kilometers. The lower point was slightly farther but still around twenty kilometers away.
At that moment, I noticed that the vehicle suddenly stopped shaking. Looking up, I saw that we had already crossed the river and were driving away from the riverbank.
Seeing numerous tracks from tanks and vehicles on the riverbank, I quickly made a decision: "Head west!" The driver silently complied with my command and turned in that direction while the vehicles behind closely followed.
I chose to use the lower crossing point mainly because I had already constructed an Underwater Floating Bridge there, allowing us to quickly find our brothers waiting to assist us across. Additionally, this route was too dangerous with pursuing enemies behind us; if anything delayed us ahead, it could spell disaster. The upper point was too far away; taking the lower point might even allow us to reach the Red Army Command Center faster than expected.
It is possible that the Red Army amphibious tanks can cross the river without a Floating Bridge, but the vehicles carrying personnel and command must use the Floating Bridge. Judging by the time we missed the Red Army Command Center, it is at most ten kilometers away from us. Sun Guangyu, leading the Guard Battalion, is urgently pursuing us, likely fearing that we might reach the Red Army Command Center first.
Typically, the Red Army Command Center would be deployed at a safe distance behind the main force, unlikely to be too close. Of course, this is just my rough judgment and may not be accurate. However, just like playing cards, if you have a five or six out of ten confidence level, you can play your hand; it’s not necessary to have everything figured out before taking action.
With that in mind, our convoy continued without pause toward the crossing point marked on the map.
As we approached the river crossing, I noticed something unusual: a group of our soldiers was standing by the riverbank. It seemed they had already found our Underwater Floating Bridge and were heading in that direction.
Hmm? Are there Allies here?
Upon seeing our convoy, the people on the opposite bank became alert. Those remaining by the river sought cover and prepared for combat.
“Stop the vehicle!” I commanded.
I didn’t get out of the car because I was wearing Red Army attire. I feared that driving past in a truck full of Red Army Marine Corps uniforms would lead to a misjudgment by the Allies.
The truck came to a halt, and those behind us, unsure of what was happening, also stopped. Without receiving my order, no one got out. Strangely enough, there was no movement from across the river; no one came to check or interrogate us. The people on the Floating Bridge were hastening toward the opposite bank.
Both sides quietly observed each other, creating a somewhat strange atmosphere.
After hesitating for a moment and considering my options, I decided to take the initiative and get out to make contact.
I let Observer exit first, then jumped down from the driver’s seat and called for Sheng Xiong and Xuanhua. The three of us slowly made our way toward the crossing point.
The people on the opposite side were very vigilant as they watched us approach, quickly occupying advantageous positions. How decisive! I thought to myself; which unit is so efficient? Could they be paratroopers? Did their command send someone behind enemy lines since they couldn’t reach their forces here? Are they planning to retreat back to headquarters? If that’s the case, I need to relay this information to them quickly so they can take it back. With this thought in mind, I quickened my pace.
After taking several more steps,
I suddenly felt something was off! These Blue Army soldiers are well-trained; logically speaking, upon discovering Red Army forces, they would immediately take cover and open fire. There’s no reason for them to remain hidden without firing or speaking at all!
My heart sank! The only possibility for this situation was that they, like us, were also disguised as the Red Army. When their troops discovered our presence, they were unsure of the situation and took no action. After all, it was much more common to encounter the Red Army in this area than the Blue Army.
I hesitated, about to stop, but at that moment, we were already exposed under their guns. If they opened fire, it would surely be deemed as casualties. The Observer was behind us with a recording device, making it impossible to deny our presence; it was truly a dire situation.
Sweat poured down my face, and my heart raced to my throat! It was too awkward; retreating now was impossible and would expose us even more. Moving forward quietly wasn’t an option either. I had to do something! But what could I do?
Suddenly, an idea struck me. I shouted loudly, “Blue Army Brothers, you are surrounded by us! I am Sun Guangyu, Deputy Battalion Commander of the Red Army Command Center's Guard Battalion! Surrender your weapons and do not resist futilely. The Observer is behind us, and we have tanks. With your numbers, you will inevitably be judged as casualties.”
There was no response from the other side, but behind me, Xuanhua stood there dumbfounded and asked, “Company Commander, what’s going on? Isn’t that our troop?”
“Shut up!” I whispered back, calculating how to relay information to our Brothers behind us.
Just then, a series of gunshots rang out from across the river! “Tat tat tat! Tat tat tat tat!” The few people on the Floating Bridge who were almost at the shore suddenly stopped, looking around in confusion, clearly unaware of what was happening.
It really was the Red Army! Disguised as the Red Army! I was about to shout out in desperation.
(To be continued; more exciting content tomorrow!)
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