It was Soviet fire, and he could tell from the direction in which they struck. Liu Zongsheng's heart fell into complete despair again: 9 consecutive shots were fired! Highland 634 is still controlled by the Soviet army!
Not at any other time, it was precisely at this time that Xiao Qiang reported to him the sad news of the death of instructor Cui Shian from the heights of 633! After dark, Xiao Qiang sent people to quietly go to the cedar forest in the Eastern Canyon of Highland 634 and verify the news that Cui Shian and the platoon he led were all martyred. These two things that happened one after another completely changed Liu Zongsheng's heart!
Before the last bad news came, Liu Zongsheng's sad, angry and despairing heart was only filled with the following regrets: Because he failed to be more alert to Peng Tao, he muddleheadedly brought the entire battalion into the 632 Highland area today. If If he was more alert at that time, he would choose another route instead of the route he took in the morning to attack the 632 Highland area. The result is likely that the entire battalion will be blocked at the mountain pass between No. 1 Ridge and the high ground east of Vulture Ridge. Without being able to approach the 632 Highland area, of course he would not fall into this dead land; secondly, he knew that the 9th Company could not fight, but he let this company attack the 634 Highland, which finally brought about its total destruction. Now he realized that he had made a big mistake that afternoon: he was the one who agreed with Cui Shi'an to take a platoon supported by the 3rd Regiment to participate in the battle at Highland 634. It was he who directly caused Cui Shi'an's death!
Before the 9th company was completely destroyed and Cui Shian was sacrificed, although he was desperate about the situation of the whole battalion in the 632 Highland area today, this despair actually aroused his strong offensive consciousness. He was eager for all the officers and soldiers of the battalion to fight the Soviet army to the end. However, when the above two things happened, this offensive awareness and impulse disappeared, and a new and extremely heavy sense of guilt seized his heart. !
In this short half-day, enough people from the 3rd Battalion of the 5th Regiment died! He can't let others continue to die because of his mistakes! He has no such power!
Today they made the greatest sacrifice in the 632 Highland area! The failure to capture Highland 634 was not because they did not try their best, but because their strength was exhausted! With a battalion of troops, they tenaciously resisted the Soviet attacks from both directions of Vulture Ridge and Xilian Mountain. In any sense, they are worthy of it! There is no reason for anyone to ask this troop with heavy casualties to continue the attack on Highland 634! No reason!
He stood up, paused, and glanced at Highland 634 in the southeast. He walked towards the foot of the mountain without hesitation. His first wish came true, and now he has to fulfill his second wish He will arrive tonight. Go to Highland 634, with those who died because of his mistakes - Cui Shi'an, Cheng Yukun, Liang Tenghui, with the 17-year-old platoon leader Shang Yujun whom he met during the march last night, with everyone whose name he did not know The soldiers who felt guilty about it - together.
Behind him, a small team followed silently.
They followed the route that the 1st Platoon of the 9th Company had taken, along the depressions and gullies on the west side of Highlands 632 and 633, and headed south to the place where Li Ansheng, the leader of the 1st Platoon of the Company, died. He also thought of this route that Xiao Qiang thought of Liu Zongsheng lay down next to Li Ansheng's body and calmly took out a large paper clip from the pocket of his jacket. Patiently pinch it straight
Every veteran who returns to the battlefield has a few large paper clips in his pocket. He pinches them straight and searches for pressure-detonating mines. Much lighter than using a standard mine detector. As for triggering mines, you should carefully touch and fumble in the grass in front of you with your hands, then bring your teeth up and gently bite off the trip wire
What hits my face is a kind and strong smell of earth, grass, and night dew that wets the soil and grass blades There is a feeling that the burden of life for decades has been lifted away in an instant. It feels like returning to your hometown Maybe you can't clear every landmine in front of you, but that's not important We come from the soil, and we have to return to the soil. But this is foreign soil
He took a slow breath and plunged the homemade lightning detector into the soil in front of his face
Peng Tao threw away the receiver of the radio station, sat down, and once again buried the huge soldier-shaped bald head deeply in the palm of his hands between his knees.
Liu Zongsheng did not answer his call! Liu Zongsheng didn't want to answer him! In the stoic silence of the deputy commander of the 5th regiment, he clearly felt a desire and determination to force him into a corner!
From the afternoon to the evening, he was immersed in the thought that made him anxious: the Soviet army's attack on heights 630, 632, and 633 from the direction of Vulture Ridge was their massive counterattack from the direction of Mount Xilien toward heights 164 and 342. prelude. He felt that he had seen through the Soviet commander's conspiracy. It was a very correct choice to only give reinforcements to one platoon of the 3rd Battalion of the 5th Regiment and maintain the original troop strength and defensive deployment on heights 164 and 342.
Since then, although the Soviet army has not left Xilian Mountain, he did not dare to relax his high vigilance in this direction. at the same time. Occurrences occurred up and down the 630 plateau at the east end of No. 1 RidgeThe battle has also become another point of anxiety in his heart. The longer the battle there dragged on and the more intense it became, the more unsure he was about how today's battle would develop. In his subconscious, the silence of the Soviet army in Xilian Mountain and the fierce fighting in the 630 and 632 highlands were two parts of the Soviet conspiracy: the Soviet commander was testing his will with the battles taking place on the above-mentioned highlands. Waiting for him to finally be unable to withstand the pressure brought by the dangerous prospect of losing Hill 630 - once the highland is lost, the Soviet army will move up the mountain ridge of No. 1 Ridge, which can threaten Highland 631 and the entire Chinese army position in No. 1 Ridge to the west. , and can also move diagonally to the southwest with the Soviet army in the Xilian Mountains to encircle the 3rd Battalion of the 5th Regiment in the 632 Highland area - finally the decision was made to reinforce the 630 Highland or 632 Highland area from the 164 and 342 Highland areas, leading to the No. 1 Ridge The defenses in the western and middle sections were empty, so they launched a large-scale attack from the direction of Xilian Mountain and captured the No. 1 Ridge with lightning speed.
No, he can't fall into the Soviet trap. But the danger of losing Highland 630 is there. Once Hill 630 is lost, the dangers mentioned above will appear. Even if Ridge No. 1 is only partially lost, he will be held responsible for the loss of position. Later, he had to realize that in fact, 630 Hill was becoming the key to the decisive battle between the Soviet army and our army today, especially the commanders: if 630 Hill was not lost, he would not send reinforcements to the highland or the 632 Hill area. The Soviet army in the mountains may not dare to attack 164 and 342 heights rashly; and once the 630 heights are in danger of being lost, they will have to send the 1st or 2nd battalion to reinforce the 3rd battalion, and the Soviet army in the Xilian mountains may take the opportunity to attack. move. The defense of the entire No. 1 Ridge will be in jeopardy!
After the sky outside the cave became dark, gunshots from Highland 630 became sparse. After an afternoon of frantic attacks, the Soviet army finally did not take away the high ground, which made Peng Tao breathe a long sigh of relief. A certain life rhythm inside his body reminded him that as long as the Soviet army could not take Hill 630 before dark, it would be difficult to do so after dark. They took the initiative to stop the attack, indicating that they had exhausted their strength in the afternoon's attack, and could only continue the attack after resting and replenishing. Exhausted, he sat down on the edge of the bed, his head hanging down. Closing his eyes, the premonition of imminent failure that had been oppressing him for most of the day suddenly became unreal.
He sat for a while with tears in his eyes. The mind gradually wakes up from the frenzy and a certain degree of confusion. At this time, he heard intermittent gunshots coming from the direction of Highland 001. Not an inch of soil was lost on Ridge No. 1. The 4th Regiment still failed to capture Highland 001. The crisis that appeared in his life today is temporarily over, but the crisis in Zhu Yongde's life continues. The Soviet army exhausted its strength after fighting for a long time under Hill 630, and had to stop the attack after dark. The 4th Regiment, which had been fighting hard for a day between the Soviet troops on Mount Xillian and Hill 001, would of course also be there. Stopping to take a breath after dark, it is unrealistic for Zhu Yongde to do something amazing now. Compared with Zhu Yongde, today's winner is still himself.
At this time, he thought of the 3rd Battalion of the 5th Regiment. In fact, once he decided to give the battalion a platoon of reinforcements, he largely forgot about it. In terms of the overall situation of guarding Ridge No. 1, this battalion and the 632 Highland area where it is located are not the most important. Due to the lack of more reinforcements, the area has become a dead end for the Chinese army on the battlefield. Liu Zongsheng and his battalion are in trouble today. But in any case, as the supreme commander of the No. 1 Ridge battlefield, he could only be more concerned about the key point of Highland 630. Things are different now. He can and should care about Liu Zongsheng and his camp. Peng Tao found the commander of the 3rd Battalion on Highland 631 by phone. The latter reported: From the time when the Soviet troops at Vulture Ridge launched a counterattack on Highlands 632 and 633 until now, the fighting in the 632 Highland area has been very fierce. The 3rd Battalion of the 5th Regiment is still fighting, and they have not lost the two highlands they have occupied! Peng Tao's heart warmed up: Well done to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Regiment! Well done Liu Zongsheng! Today, this battalion was like a wedge inserted deep into the Soviet defense, attracting a large number of Soviet troops from the direction of Xilian Mountain and Vulture Ridge. The barrier also blocked the Soviet army's possible direct attack on the front of Highland 631. Objectively speaking, we only defended the main position of the No. 1 Linghua Army! As his mind becomes clearer and clearer, Peng Tao can now come up with a new explanation for the crisis that lasted all afternoon: The reason why the Soviet army in Xilian Mountain did not launch a counterattack on the 164 and 342 highland areas may be because of Liu Zongsheng's The existence of 632 Highlands is greatly related! The large mountain ridge of No. 1 Ridge is the weakest link in the Chinese army's defense system, and the 632 Highland area is the most sensitive part of the Soviet army's Xilian Mountain-Vulture Ridge defense system. Once - now he has a new vision - the Chinese army continues to advance deeper into the Soviet defenses from that area, the entire Soviet defense system in the Xilian Mountain-Vulture Ridge area will be divided and face the danger of complete collapse! Today's fierce battles in the 630 and 632 Highland areas may have another explanation: the Soviet army did not know the real intention of the Chinese army to break into the 632 Highland area. They were just to ensure the defense system of Xilian Mountain-Vulture Ridge, and A large number of troops were invested in the area, trying to retake Highlands 632 and 633 and hold on to Highland 634. The conclusion is astonishing: Today's Soviet attack on Highland 630 on Vulture Ridge was not to seize Ridge No. 1, but merely to divert the troops.The Chinese army on Ridge No. 1 did not allow him, as the commander, to make up his mind to reinforce Liu Zongsheng in order to achieve his operational goal of retaking the entire 632 Highland area. The next shocking conclusion is: It was precisely because of Liu Zongsheng and the 3rd Battalion of the 5th Regiment's bloody battle in the 632 Highland area today that the Soviet army could not let go and boldly launch a counterattack against it after losing Ridge No. 1. It was Liu Zongsheng and the 3rd Battalion of the 5th Regiment who saved Ridge No. 1!
Peng Tao¡¯s heart became warm. He was again pleased with his decision to send Liu Zongsheng to the 632 Highland area in the morning. He wanted to contact Liu Zongsheng in person. Even if it is just to express gratitude and condolences to the other person. But he immediately suppressed the urge. The 3rd Battalion of the 5th Regiment has persisted in the 632 Highland area with one battalion strength until now. You can imagine the difficulty of the situation.
Liu Zongsheng asked him for reinforcements in the afternoon, but he only gave him one platoon! Now that he has taken the initiative to talk to Liu Zongsheng, the other party is likely to ask him for reinforcements again. After resisting a large number of Soviet troops alone, Liu Zongsheng had every reason to do so. If he did not agree to the other party's request, the 3rd Battalion of the 5th Regiment would not be able to complete all combat tasks-that is, the final occupation of Highland 634. Peng Tao himself I also believe that it is difficult - he has to bear part of the responsibility. Liu Zongsheng has not contacted his command post since the last time he called for reinforcements, so let the former continue to forget about him - the day has passed and night is coming. Who knows if the Soviet army will suddenly launch an attack on Ridge No. 1 after taking a breather (the opponent is also good at night fighting, and in his opinion, the Soviet army did not "gnaw" the hard nut of the 3rd Battalion of the 5th Regiment after an afternoon of attacks) , tonight there is more reason to change the main combat direction, and achieve the encirclement of the 3rd Battalion of the 5th Regiment in the 632 Highland area by capturing the 631 Highland area in the eastern section of No. 1 Ridge). He must be vigilant and cannot easily send troops to the 632 Highland area!
But Liu Zongsheng has now become the key to his success or failure, honor or disgrace! Did he offend the deputy commander on something else today? In the afternoon, when the Soviet army at Vulture Ridge counterattacked towards the 632 Highland area, Liu Zongsheng asked him for reinforcements, but he only gave the opponent one platoon! But did he really do something wrong in this matter? No, just thinking about it now. He also cannot think that the 632 Highland area is more important than the No. 1 Ridge!
" But Liu Zongsheng won't think so. He will think that you deliberately ignore the life and death of his battalion!
Even if he now orders the 3rd Battalion on Highland 631 to immediately send troops south to Highland 634. It is also unrealistic to capture that small highland before 24:00 midnight! It takes an hour to go down from the No. 1 mountain ridge to the 632 Highland area! What's more, doing so will leave the eastern section of No. 1 Ridge empty of troops. If the Soviet army at Vulture Ridge launches a night attack, Highland 630 may still be unprotected.
Time does not allow for the deployment of troops from Highland 164 and Highland 342!
He lifted the huge soldier-shaped bald head from between his knees, as if lifting it from an abyss of despair. His failure and humiliation are a foregone conclusion! But from this moment on, he is also free! He is no longer an infantry regiment commander who must be trapped at the command post of the 3rd Regiment in Xueling, but a failed soldier who has given up his responsibility and will never shoulder this kind of responsibility again! Today he did not lose to the Soviet army, he just lost to Liu Zongsheng, a farmer with a head full of sorghum seeds! He was betrayed by this person at a critical moment! After the war, he could pursue this person for malfeasance in duty, but he could not change his own destiny! No matter what, as the commander of the 3rd regiment, he failed to complete the combat mission within the specified time!
"Don't you do anything at all?" Just hide on the snowy ridge and wait for that shameful moment to come? ¡¡No! Peng Tao's heart screamed in pain. This war was the first war he commanded a regiment, and it was also the last war! If you fail on Highland 634, you should personally lead people to Highland 634 and take it down!
Although this cannot rewrite your failure, it can at least make everyone who laughs at you understand: as a soldier, Peng Tao is at least as brave and fearless as Zhu Yongde who personally led people to attack No. 001 Heights!
For everyone in Cave No. 2, this moment is a long one. It was short-lived again - they saw their leader stand up stubbornly from failure and humiliation!
"Chief of Staff, you stay at the command post, I will take the guard platoon to Hill 634 now! Let's set off now!" He said impulsively in a fanatical tone, his eyes sparkling.
Xu Yanglin looked at Peng Tao motionless. He suddenly felt. It was at this moment that he discovered the true nature of a hero in the leader!
"Yes, leader! I'll make arrangements right away!" He responded excitedly, feeling like tears were about to burst out, and hurriedly turned around and ran out of the cave.
The jeep stopped at an empty creek beach at the bottom of the northern valley of Highland 631. This is his drop-off point. With the help of the misty moonlight, Peng Tao looked to the south and saw the towering mountain ridge of No. 1 Ridge stretching across the night sky. Three hours after leaving Snow Ridge, the despair, anger and shame in his chest were still the same, but he had to avoid that embarrassing moment - Midnight 24 o'clock - but it has already passed. The anxiety, sense of crisis and urgency that filled Peng Tao's life disappeared. So, when he led this small team to climb the big ridge of No. 1 Ridge, there was only a simple and strong feeling left in his heart. His idea: Go to Highland 634 and capture this small highland!
ps: You never know which one will come first, accident or tomorrow, cherish everyone you love.