Chapter 44: The Battle of Tongdeng (14)

Chapter 44: The Battle of Tongdeng (14)

After a night of fighting, the warriors were too tired to do so. I'm okay, the war that lasted less than an hour before and after was just a piece of cake for me, but for others, it was a battle of life and death, especially the battalion commanders Wu and Ding were also wounded, and the troops they led still suffered so many casualties.

Considering this, Head Zhao and Political Commissar Wang didn't have much to do, and after each 'handed' a few words, they dispersed and let us go down to rest.

"Battalion Commander Ding and Battalion Commander Wu ......" walked out of the regiment headquarters, and when I saw Battalion Commander Ding and Battalion Commander Wu walking slowly in front, I couldn't help but chase after them.

Even though they made it clear at the meeting, I still felt that I owed them a debt to them. After all, none of them are my subordinates, and they trust me so much, but I have caused them to suffer so many casualties.

Originally, I felt that I had a lot to say to them, but as soon as I walked in front of them, I found that I didn't know what to say, yes, they lost a lot of lives, they were a soldier, what words could make up for those lives, those soldiers?

"Company Commander Cui, don't say anything" Camp Commander Ding seemed to know what I wanted to say, so he preemptively answered: "I understand what you mean, we really don't blame you, and if you say it, you won't treat us as brothers."

"Brother" Battalion Commander Wu also patted me on the shoulder and said: "Actually, you should think like this, if you hadn't commanded this, if you hadn't ordered those anti-chemical soldiers to attack the fort, all these people we brought with us might not be able to come back." You guy, you saved our lives again, can we still blame you? ”

"Battalion Commander Wu is right" Battalion Commander Ding also nodded and said: "So Company Commander Cui, don't worry, even if there is not a single soldier left in our two troops, we are still willing to listen to your command." It's not why, it's just one word - it's worth us to be soldiers, exchange our lives for the lives of the devils, and we can achieve strategic goals and win the battle, then there is nothing to say about what I hate...... Our soldiers died in vain, and I resented it...... Our lives are used to make up for the mistakes made by our superiors."

As Camp Commander Ding spoke, his eyes slowly turned red, and two tears fell down the wrinkles on his face unconsciously. Perhaps in order to cover up his gaffe, Battalion Commander Ding hurriedly turned his back on me, waved his hand at me without looking back, and dropped two words: "Go" and returned to the station as if Battalion Commander Wu had fled.

I couldn't help but sigh, what Camp Commander Ding said was indeed not very popular. If this is in the era of ten years of turmoil and chaos, it may be "anti-**". But I knew that he was fully qualified to say such things. Because most of the soldiers under him were caused by the wrong command and wrong guiding ideology of the superiors.

And I also know that these words he said were not for himself, these words did him no good at all, and he may even plant a bomb for his future. After all, this is still a sensitive period, and the "exposing, criticizing, and investigating" campaign is still vigorous in China. Many cadres did not fall into the 10-year turmoil, but they fell into the "exposing, criticizing, and investigating."

He said these words for the sake of those sacrificed soldiers, for their grievances, and for their grievances......

When I returned to the station, the guards had already arranged a large and comfortable anti-artillery 'hole' for me. In other words, there are still some advantages to being a company commander, and you don't need to think about anything when you come back after fighting on the battlefield. But it seems that this was all prepared for me by the fighters on their own initiative. In these years, the emphasis was on the equality of officers and soldiers, which is why the clothes worn by cadres from the commander of the military region to the platoon commander were all the same, and even the military rank was abolished, and it is said that it was to carry forward the "Jinggangshan 'spirit' spirit"

I don't really understand what the 'spirit' god of Jinggangshan is, I just know that the soldiers of this year are not easy to bring. Because it's about the equality of officers and soldiers, isn't it? If an ordinary soldier is not satisfied with the rewards and punishments of cadres, there is nothing he can do about public provocation or even a fight. I have seen a soldier who made meritorious contributions after a battle, and he began to question the platoon commander because he had no merit: "Did you go to the back 'door'?" ", "Do you look down on me", "Do you mean to get along with me? "Why don't I have the merit of other people's merits? ”

In the end, I had a fight with the platoon commander, if this is in modern times, if you dare to fight with your superiors, you don't want to live, and confinement and punishment are indispensable. But now...... Officers and soldiers are equal, and fighting should not be regarded as a subordinate fighting a superior, but as an equal, as two soldiers fighting, so each fighting 50 boards, and both soldiers criticize and self-criticize......

Not to mention, under this system, there are really a lot of soldiers in the army, and you can meet a few in any company, and even some company commanders and platoon commanders are soldiers. Just like the deputy company commander under me, he was also a well-known soldier in our battalion. But I don't know why...... I don't seem to have encountered a single soldier like this, and all of them are obedient, aren't they? The deputy company commander was a well-known soldier...... Doesn't it look like anything in front of me? Isn't it convincing in a few clicks?

After thinking about it, I think this should have a lot to do with whether a cadre will lead troops to fight. After all, the battlefield is a big bad environment of life or death, and it is beneficial for everyone to have a cadre who can lead troops to fight on top, so all my subordinates are obedient, so I now have a large and comfortable anti-artillery 'hole' that is free of labor.

If you let an incompetent cadre lead the troops, then those soldiers under your command will come...... "Officers and soldiers are equal, why do you want us to dig fortifications for you?" "You have your own hands and feet, we don't have more...... There are even some soldiers who will tell you a lot of slogans and a lot of big truths, until you are convinced.

Don't doubt the ability of these soldiers now, although they haven't fought much, they all grew up in the era of 10 years of turmoil and chaos, and they have done a lot of things such as telling big truths, shouting slogans, and engaging in criticism and fighting

I didn't say anything all night, and I was woken up by a few gunshots in the early hours of the next morning.

The battlefield in Vietnam is somewhat different from the Korean battlefield in that it is relatively quiet during the truce between the two sides, and unless one side starts to attack, it is rare to hear a few explosions in one night, and occasionally a few gunshots are also cold shots. Unlike during the Korean War, in order to prevent us from getting a good night's sleep or blocking our army's logistical supply lines, the US military bombed planes and artillery shells day and night.

However, this is also very understandable, when we did not have air force artillery at the time of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, it was not at the same level as the US military, so the US military could naturally bomb unscrupulously. And the Yankees are rich, aren't they? Sometimes it's nothing when you see a suspicious target, and it's just a crackling shot.

But now the times are different, and after so many years of development, the artillery units of our army have far surpassed the artillery units of the Vietnamese army. If the Vietnamese army still dares to fight like this, and let our artillery scouts calculate that their artillery positions are covered by a burst of artillery fire, then they will lose more than they gain.

From this point of view, the counterattack is still relatively human, at least we still have sleep and something to eat. It won't be like the Korean battlefield, where you have to go hungry and can't sleep while doing life-saving work......

"Company Commander"

"Company Commander"

……

As soon as I walked out of the anti-artillery 'hole', I was greeted by the attention of several soldiers.

I nodded at them, sat down next to a tree root, and handed a few cigarettes: "Woke up so early?" Why don't you sleep a little longer? ”

"I can't sleep," replied one of the soldiers with a tired face, "my mind is full of gunfire, cannons, and corpses......

"Me too" Another fighter nodded: "I slept for a while, dreamed of being chased by a dozen enemies, and woke up as soon as I was nervous"

"There are more than a dozen enemies chasing," one soldier quipped: "An enemy chases me and sees that your life is over, why do you need so much?" ”

With a "coax", the soldiers burst out laughing.

"Hmm" I realized that the soldiers had to face not only training and equipment problems, but also psychological problems when they first started fighting and killing people for the first time.

In other words, I had this reaction when I was on the Korean battlefield, but the harsh environment of the Korean battlefield gave me no time to think about these issues. In this respect, the relatively relaxed battlefield environment of the Vietnam War was not a good thing.

"It's okay," I comforted the fighters, "fight a few more battles, and you'll get used to it."

That being said, I also know in my heart that when they get used to it, they may not know how many people will be left.

A soldier from the "company commander" came up, looked at me with admiration and said, "You are not very old, you should have never fought like us, why do you look like you ......?"

"Yes, company commander" Another soldier also said with admiration: "We all think that you are like you have fought for more than ten years, you can do anything, you are not afraid of anything, no matter how difficult the problem is, it is as easy as cutting tofu in your hands."

"It's ......" another soldier answered: "The last time I was besieged in Dongxi, I thought I must be a martyr, but I didn't expect it to be so easy to escape without saying anything, no one will listen to the future war, let's listen to the company commander"

"We will do whatever we say to the company commander"

"Other troops will be miserable," some soldiers also said, "Let's just talk about Nadin's battalion commander's troops, listen to the command of the superiors......"

"Eh," I made a gesture to stop, "Some things can't be said 'randomly', everyone just understands it in their hearts."

"Yes"

"Yes"

……

The fighters stopped their mouths when I said this.

"Company Commander Cui" At this time, a communications soldier ran to me and reported: "Regiment Commander Zhao asked you to go to the regiment headquarters."

"Come," I stood up and straightened my uniform, and said to the soldiers, "Go and rest for a while, maybe there will be another mission later."

"Yes" The soldiers responded respectfully, and when I turned around, I heard the soldiers whispering: "Look, even the regiment commander has to listen to our company commander."

"Isn't that right? Which battle plans are not all the ideas of our company commanders? ”

……

I couldn't help frowning, although these words were a compliment to me, and I believe that they were also from the hearts of the warriors. But...... If this reaches the ears of the regiment commander and the chief of staff, I am afraid that it will be jealous.

But on this battlefield, I really can't care about so much. This attitude of the soldiers actually helps me to give orders, and at the same time, it also helps me to command them like an arm.

"Company Commander Cui" When I walked into the regiment headquarters, Commander Zhao enthusiastically motioned me to the map, and said excitedly: "To tell you a good news, last night our army's communications troops have successfully found and cut the wires and canals leading to the Guitun Fort, and the current Guitun Fort is tantamount to a dead fort."

"There are two hands," I laughed, "I have to give credit to the signal soldiers for finding and cutting off their power and water sources so quickly."

"Eh" Commander Zhao handed me a cup of tea, and said with a smile: "If you want to talk about merit, who can compare to you Company Commander Cui"

"That's it," Wang Political Commissar also agreed: "The so-called 'waves' after the Yangtze River push forward 'waves', I also boasted that I had fought for a few years, but I didn't expect that compared with you, it was still a big difference, I really didn't accept the old man."

"Commissar Wang fought?" I couldn't help but ask, confused.

In this era, there have been several years of war...... Could it be the Korean War?

"Yes, I fought the Yankees in North Korea" As expected, Political Commissar Wang said casually: "When I entered the DPRK in 51, there is still a scar on the 'leg', and shrapnel exploded. But I was a teenager then, and I'm old now."

I listened unintentionally and intentionally, and when I heard what Commissar Wang said, I couldn't help but chuckle in my heart. No wonder I seem to have seen some simple shadows of the volunteer army in Commissar Wang. The people who came from that era are really different from the soldiers of today.

Looking at Political Commissar Wang, a veteran who had participated in the Korean War with me, I couldn't help but feel a lot of 'crossing' feelings, and a sense of comrade-in-arms for no reason soon filled every 'hairy' hole in my body.

But I didn't dare to continue to ask, because I was worried that talking would make Political Commissar Wang suspicious: "How do you know so much about resisting US aggression and aiding Korea?" "You've also beaten the Yankees? Impossible? At that time, you were still wearing open crotch 'pants', what the hell was going on? ”

More things are better than less, and talking about these things will not do me any good at this time, so I can only sigh, and then turn the topic back to the Ghost Tun Fort on the map and say: "Since we have blocked all the ways out of the Ghost Tun Fort, and also cut off their water and electricity, then it is enough to inflict a devastating 'sex' blow on the Vietnamese army psychologically." I believe that as long as we besiege them like this for a few more days, someone from the Vietnamese army will soon come out and surrender."

A day without food is not pleasant, but a day without water is even worse. Even if the Vietnamese army is well-trained, even if the Vietnamese army fights bravely, but after facing the real danger of dying of thirst in the dark tunnels, I believe they will not last long.

"So," I continued, after a pause: "As long as we do a good job of propaganda to the Vietnamese troops in the fort, and treat the prisoners well, and then use the captives to convince the Vietnamese troops in the fort, I think the Ghost Forts will soon be self-defeating."

This is undoubtedly the best way, if we can really treat the prisoners well, then for those Vietnamese soldiers who are blocked in the fort, one side is life, and the other side is death, which is a great 'temptation' and 'confusion' for everyone.

But Commander Zhao and Political Commissar Wang are silent when you look at me and I look at you.

"What's wrong?" Seeing this, I couldn't help but ask in doubt.

"Company Commander Cui, your idea is very good" Commander Zhao said hesitantly: "But ......"

"That's right," Commissar Wang continued: "The higher authorities ordered us to make every effort to take the Guitun Fort in the shortest possible time."

"Do whatever it takes? The shortest amount of time? I couldn't help but be stunned when I heard this, and said a little angrily: "How to fight? Everyone saw the ghost fort, and the shells didn't move, so what should we fight? Fight for your life? ”

At this time, I was really angry, we could have easily taken down the ghost without a single soldier, but now we have to use a large number of human lives to fight and top

"Time does not allow," Commissar Wang sighed and said, "Originally, we thought the same way as you, but the superiors meant that our troops would be held back by the Vietnamese army for too long......"

"Hmm" Hearing Commissar Wang's explanation, I understood a little.

This may not really be blamed on the superiors' eagerness for quick success, the entire counterattack against Vietnam only lasted more than three weeks, and it was impossible for our army to stagnate because of a single Ghost Fort. If it's somewhere else, it's fine, we'll go around it, but the location of the Ghost Forts is too important. The railway station is just below it, and the road is not a few hundred meters away from it, and if this nail is not removed, then it means that our army will not be able to march smoothly to Lang Son.

In other words, the more time the Ghost Tun Fort drags on, the less time we have to attack Lang Son

Thinking of this, I sat down in my chair and looked at the Ghost Forts on the map in a daze, as if I saw the soldiers rushing to the forts one after another, and falling in front of it one after another. It should be said that the Guitun Fort is not a fortress that cannot be defeated. In fact, there is no fortress in the world that cannot be defeated, especially after the railway station and the nameless high ground have been knocked down, and the fort has actually become a lonely fortress. But there is no doubt that in order to defeat it, there will still be a large number of warriors who will fall in front of it.

Now what I want to think about is not whether to fight, but how to fight

But how should I gnaw this black ghost shell? At that time, the Japanese attacked the French, who had extremely poor combat effectiveness here, and they could not defeat them for 45 days, and we are still dealing with the well-trained Vietnamese army......

Perhaps, some people will say that the weapons we use now are much better than the Japanese 38 big cover, but for the battery that doesn't even go into the battery, it doesn't seem to make a difference whether you have a machine gun, a submachine gun, or a 38 big cover in your hand.

It's another headache, and I just hope that the fighters will be sacrificed as little as possible