Chapter Eighty-Four: Kuma Mountain

The meeting room was quiet for a while before the chief of staff cleared his throat and said: "Battalion Commander Cui's proposal will be considered later, but the current priority of our army ......"

Speaking of this, the chief of staff pointed to the Kuma Mountain on the map with the command 'stick' and said: "The superiors believe that our army wants to gain a firm foothold in the Lang Son area and avoid being attacked by the Vietnamese army from inside and outside, and the most important thing is to occupy Kuma Mountain before the Vietnamese reinforcements arrive!" ”

It should be said that my superiors have the same consideration for this as I do. Koma Hill is the highest elevation on the outer perimeter of Lang Son, and artillery observers can easily guide artillery to bombard the surrounding heights and even Lang Son City. On the battlefield where both sides have sufficiently powerful artillery, this can be said to be crucial.

When we took Kuma Mountain, it was equivalent to knocking out the eyes of the Vietnamese artillery, and then equipping our own artillery with a pair of eyes.

More importantly, in the iron triangle defense zone formed by the three highlands of Kuma Mountain, 417 Heights and 516 Heights, Kuuma Mountain is undoubtedly the key. Once Kuma Mountain is in the hands of our army, then the position of the Vietnamese army on the 417 heights will be self-defeating, and the occupation of the 536 heights by our troops will be just around the corner. So there is no doubt that it is completely correct to focus the attack on Kuma Mountain.

Hearing these orders from my superiors, I couldn't help but feel that I had found a soulmate, how could it seem that the command of my superiors had suddenly become so wise and powerful.

"Because we don't know when the Vietnamese reinforcements will arrive, the task of attacking Kuma Mountain is urgent!" The chief of staff frowned and said, "The superiors only give us twenty-four hours, which means that we will take down Kuma Mountain by noon tomorrow at the latest!" That's why we've brought you down from the firing line for a meeting this time. ”

"Tomorrow at noon?" Hearing this, the soldiers couldn't help but 'gasp'.

"Chief of Staff!" He Liqiang, the commander of the second battalion who served as the assistant to the task of Kuma Mountain, said: "It's not that we don't want to fight, it's not that the soldiers are not brave, but the jungle of this Kuoma Mountain is too dense, plus the fog and smoke are so big that you can't see the main peak at all, and the soldiers of several of our companies can't find the direction when they go in." The more devils play 'hide' with us in the jungle, sometimes they come out of here to shoot, sometimes they come out of there to shoot...... When we really caught up, we couldn't find anyone, only landmines...... Let's fight for a few days! Only one of the three companies happened to attack the main peak, but the number of troops was too small to defeat it......"

Listening to He Liqiang's words, I understood that there were still so many difficulties in beating Ma Shan, and I guess that the Yue devils were there to give full play to their expertise in jungle warfare and guerrilla warfare! If that's the case, it's a real headache......

"Camp Commander Cui!"

"Here!" The shouts of the chief of staff woke me up.

"Tell me what you think!" The chief of staff asked: "In response to the question raised by Battalion Commander He, tell me what you think!" ”

"Thoughts? I don't have any ideas! I replied with some headaches: "I also fought against the Vietnamese army in the jungle, they are like monkeys in the jungle, and that advantage is obvious." It's definitely not okay to fight guerrilla with them, we don't have experience...... That can only be played by them, if...... If you really have any ideas, I think it's just to fight steadily step by step, all the way to the main peak to take down the main peak first! ”

"I agree with Camp Commander Cui!" Political Commissar Huang nodded and said: "Although our army was also good at guerrilla warfare in the past, in fact, in the final analysis, we are still the masters of guerrilla warfare. But the apprentice has learned the skill, but those of us who are masters have wasted this skill! Therefore, it will definitely not work to use guerrilla warfare to fight the enemy, and it is obvious that people's skills and actual combat experience of several decades will not be able to catch up with them even if they take rockets! So if you want to fight, you can run all over the mountain like a monkey, but the 'flower' fruit mountain is just such a water curtain 'hole', let's go to their nest to see where they can run! ”

"But the problem is ......," He Liqiang said with some concern: "It is not easy to find the main peak of Kuma Mountain......

"Find the soldiers who have gone up to lead the way......"

"Kuoma Mountain is high and densely forested, you can find it the first time, and the second time you may be 'lost' again!" He Liqiang replied helplessly.

All of you here know this very well, the jungle in Vietnam is like this, every place seems to be the same, and the trees on the top of the head are also sealed to death, and it is difficult to rely on other highlands as a reference to determine the direction. So listening to He Liqiang's words, he was silent.

"The artillerymen know the coordinates of the main peak!" After a moment of silence, I suddenly asked.

"Of course I do!" A cadre who seemed to be an artillery battalion belonging to the regiment stood up and said: "We don't know how many artillery shots have been fired at the main peak these days, how can we not know ......?"

"It's good to know!" I nodded and replied, "Wouldn't that lead the way for the infantry?" ”

"We've tried it!" He Liqiang replied: "But as soon as the fight starts during the day, there is cannon fire in all directions, and it doesn't work!" ”

"I didn't say it was during the day!" I replied unhurriedly.

"What?" Everyone couldn't help but be stunned when they heard this.

"It's not daytime...... He Liqiang said with some difficulty: "Is that still at night?" It's easier to get 'lost' at night, and it's also easier to be blocked by the Vietnamese army......"

"Not necessarily!" I replied, "Kuoma Mountain is so dense that we can't find its main peak during the day." At night, our artillery made a silent noise towards the main peak, and we 'touched' the darkness and followed the sound of shell explosions. In this way, we will not be affected by any mountain roads and paths, and it may be easier to find the main peak. ”

"Makes sense!" Political Commissar Huang couldn't help but nodded: "It's like 'getting lost' on the sea, as long as you go in the direction guided by the navigation lights, you won't be wrong!" Merely...... Isn't it too dangerous to move at night! ”

It should be said that Political Commissar Hoang's worries are justified, since the first shot was fired in Vietnam, our army has avoided fighting at night as much as possible because of its unfamiliarity with the terrain. Moreover, our army has an absolute superiority in artillery, so in general it is more beneficial for our army to start a war during the day.

But...... Now this is not the case!

"I think ......," I thought about and continued: "It's more dangerous to move in the jungle during the day!" ”

"Hmm! Why? ”

"How is that possible?"

"We are not familiar with the terrain, and we have the advantage of artillery fire, how can we choose to act at night!"

……

My words were immediately questioned by the soldiers, and even the chief of staff and Political Commissar Huang were full of doubt.

I continued unhurriedly: "Just like what Political Commissar Hoang said just now, the combat quality of the Vietnamese army in the jungle is obvious. If we act in the daytime, our visibility will naturally be stronger, and our combat effectiveness will also increase. But...... Our army is not good at fighting in the jungle, how much can it improve its combat effectiveness? This unit drilled into the jungle, and the artillerymen could see where they were? Can artillery assistance be provided to the troops? ”

As soon as I said this, the soldiers were speechless, especially He Liqiang and the cadres of the artillery battalion, who had fought in the jungle and knew very well that the troops there did not even know where their positions were, so how could they provide correct coordinates for artillery fire support? Therefore, many times the powerful artillery of our army is just an ornament, and there is nowhere to use it.

"On the contrary!" I continued: "The Vietnamese army can give full play to their familiarity with the terrain and their ability to fight guerrilla warfare during the daytime, change places with a single shot in the jungle, take our troops around the jungle, and even lay mines along the way waiting for us to step on them...... What if it's a night when you can't see your fingers? Even if you're familiar with the terrain! Even if you're good at guerrilla warfare! We are all 'door' and eyes, and no one can please anyone! We just need to meet the mountains, the mountains and the water, and follow the explosion of the shells all the way! ”

"Makes sense!" The chief of staff slapped the table and said: "The analysis makes sense, the more devils are good at fighting jungle warfare during the day, but if no one can see anyone at night, their skills will not be able to play either!" Political Commissar Huang, just do what Battalion Commander Cui said, let the troops move at night, follow the explosion of the shells to 'touch', 'touch' to a similar position, and then attack at dawn! ”

"Chief of Staff......" Political Commissar Huang said with some hesitation: "This thing is easy to say, but it is still difficult to do!" ”

"What's the difficulty?"

"It's easy for troops to get separated!" Political Commissar Huang replied: "This Kuoma Mountain can make people 'lost' during the day, and it is even more uncertain at night. On the road, if you encounter a few more devils, it is easy to be 'chaotic', and it is difficult to say how many people can 'touch' the darkness to the main peak in this 'chaos'......"

I have to admit that Political Commissar Hoang's fears are justified, especially if the Vietnamese army knows about our plan and launches an infiltration war with the troops who 'touch' the black soul into our army, the consequences will be unimaginable. But as the saying goes, if there is a benefit, there must be a disadvantage, and the battlefield is no exception, if you want to achieve greater results, you must take greater risks!

"That's right!" The chief of staff was 'lewd' for a moment, then nodded and said, "So...... We must send a well-organized and combat-ready force up to ......"

Saying that, the chief of staff and political commissar Huang invariably turned their eyes to me. Then the warriors followed suit and turned their gaze to me. Seeing this, I couldn't help but half-open my mouth and screamed, it turned out that the chief of staff and Political Commissar Huang were singing a double reed! I didn't know that I fell into their trap unknowingly, and they were even more 'treacherous' than those devils......

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The combat mission soon came down, and the task of 'touching' the main peak of Kuma Mountain at night really fell on our second battalion. As for the 417 heights, the reinforcements of the 209th Division defended it for us.

In other words, it is still very difficult to change the defense at the 417 heights, because the open land in front of the 417 heights is completely exposed, and under the fire of the 536 heights and the Kuma Mountain, if the enemy suddenly launches an attack and kills and injures a large number of our troops passing through the open with artillery fire, then the consequences will be unimaginable.

It was for these reasons that I did not dare to switch guards with friendly forces during the day. Although the visibility was not high during the day, the hilltop position on Heights 417 was still under the control of the Vietnamese army, and as long as there were a few Vietnamese observers, it would be tantamount to killing ourselves to change our guard under their noses.

So it was not until 7 o'clock in the evening, after the 'color' of the day was completely dark, that our artillery fire smashed a bunch of shells into several high ground in front of us, and set off a cloud of gunsmoke, which replaced the second battalion.

"Battalion commander! How did you replace us? ”

"Yes! The position we have finally laid has been fortified, and this is what we say! ”

……

As soon as the soldiers got out of the position and saw me, they hula and surrounded me and asked me to leave.

"There's a new mission!" I replied coldly: "All of them, hurry up and rest, and learn from the Fifth Company how to communicate with the night march while resting!" ”

"Yes!" The soldiers answered, and soon separated and set up tents in the garrison to rest.

However, it was a rest, but many of them, according to my orders, learned from the soldiers of the Fifth Company the various gestures and sounds of communication on the march at night. In fact, these were all used by me in the cold-gun unit during the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, and when I was training in the new barracks, I felt that these were very useful, so I easily 'handed them over' the Fifth Company, but I didn't expect them to come in handy at this time.

As for organizational learning, then I don't need to worry about it as a battalion commander, I just need to give orders, and the company commanders and instructors of each company will naturally arrange it. Some of them asked the soldiers of the fifth company to be instructors, while others simply dragged the soldiers of the fifth company to sleep in the same tent, resting and learning at the same time...... So the garrison was full of the sound of soldiers gesturing and 'communicating'.

It is also difficult for the soldiers to be so interested in learning after a day of fighting, and they start to study without any complaints as soon as they hear my orders. However, I am still a little worried in my heart, the soldiers of the fifth company have done several exercises in the bamboo forest at night when they were in the new barracks, but other companies do not seem to have such experience at all, will there be any problems at that time? After all, there are many of them, and anything can happen......

"Battalion commander!" At this time, the people from my hometown came up and asked, "Do we have a mission at night?" ”

"Hmmm! I nodded, then raised my head at the Kuma Mountain, which was proudly looking down on the peaks in front of me, and said, "I'm going to deal with it at night!" ”

The look on the faces of the hometown people couldn't help but change, and after nodding, they didn't say anything and returned to the company.

I know what he's doing in such a hurry to go back, he's going to clean up his team.

The gestures and sounds of simulated animals were not complicated for the nocturnal communication, and the comings and goings were the same techniques and long and short sounds to indicate commands such as "stop advancing", "keep moving", "discover the enemy", etc., so that in less than half an hour, the soldiers wrote them all down.

But I'm also very clear that now that I've written it down, whether it will be used on the battlefield is another matter.

At this time, the chief of staff asked the people of the cooking squad to carry several large buckets of 'meat' buns for us, and the soldiers immediately became a sensation. After fighting on the battlefield for so long, it is rare to eat a mouthful of hot food, and every day I eat cold and hard compressed biscuits. At this time, there were still hot buns to eat, which one was not happy, hula lined up to get two and chewed on them in their hands.

Of course, the soldiers naturally didn't forget me, and many soldiers saw that I didn't go to get the buns, so they helped me get a few more and stuffed them into my arms...... As a result, the guards and I hugged a lot, which made me both moved and helpless.

What the soldiers didn't know was that the soldiers of the bun cooking class risked being shelled by the Vietnamese army and being attacked by the Vietnamese army's agents, hiding in the houses of the Vietnamese people and secretly making a fire and steaming it. People risked their lives to make it for us, didn't they?

So I remembered Liu Yun and Yichen, two little girls...... Will they not be able to squeeze those five big and three thick fighters and not be able to grab the buns? I could just give them a few of them, and by the way, I can show off my popularity in front of the two of them...... But I didn't expect it...... When I found the two girls with these dozen buns, I was stunned to find that the buns in front of them were piled up like a hill!

These rabbits, looking at the soldiers who circled around them, I couldn't help but scold fiercely - these guys usually seem to be very kind, but I didn't expect that all of them are masters who are heavy on 'lust' and light friends!

It's been a long time since I've tasted hot 'meat' buns, and it's really tasty, but we have to hurry up and rest, so I ordered the soldiers to finish eating the buns in ten minutes. This is a bitter thing, Liu Yun and Yichen, the two little girls, glared at me fiercely, and then hurriedly 'messily' redistributed the buns to the soldiers, and the embarrassment only made me almost laugh out of my mouth.

After a day's fighting, the soldiers were exhausted when they had had drunk their fill, and as soon as they received the order to rest on the spot, they would go into the air-raid 'shelter' or the tent and fall asleep, and soon the snoring sound sounded one after another around the station.

I also went back to my air-raid 'shelter', changed into a clean military uniform, and lay down on the 'bed' that the guards had laid for me. Although I was still worried about whether I would be able to successfully lead the warriors to the main peak of Kuma Mountain at night, I still forced myself not to think about those things and forced myself to fall asleep......

Having several years of battlefield experience, I know very well that sometimes I don't need to worry too much on the battlefield, and more importantly, I can get enough rest so that I can have more 'energy' to deal with the difficulties in front of me.

As for whether the task can be successfully completed at night, it can only be counted one step at a time. No one can say for sure what is going on on the battlefield!