Chapter 41: The Battle of Tongdeng (11)

Chapter 41: The Battle of Tongdeng (11)

Commander Zhao made a phone call, and the artillery observers immediately started. But that amount ...... It wasn't just a few of them that I mentioned, but dozens of observers who could be found in the regiment were all sent in one go.

What they have to do is to determine the entrance and exit of the secret passage according to the information provided by the old militiaman He Guoan and the observation on the battlefield, and then measure the possible direction of the secret passage. After all, the secret tunnel, because it is difficult to dig and is hidden underground, is mostly in a straight line. Since it is a straight line, once you know the direction of the entrance and exit, you can basically determine the location of the dark passage.

"Haha......" After Commander Zhao gave the order, his mood seemed to suddenly brighten, he walked up to me and patted me on the shoulder enthusiastically, and said: "You still have a way, and the situation of this fort is reversed at once."

"Yes" Political Commissar Huang also nodded, looked at me approvingly and said: "We also surrounded the Guitun Fort before, but no one expected that the encirclement was only superficial, and we didn't know that the devils were drilling around in the ground." Now...... I think it's really surrounded."

"No," I turned around and asked He Guoan, "Comrade, is there still electricity and water in this fort?" Will you remember this water, this electricity...... Where did you get in from? ”

"Yo" He Guoan frowned and thought for a while, shook his head and replied: "I really didn't pay attention to this, at that time...... I only saw lights and water pipes inside, and I didn't really pay attention to where I got in."

"This is no problem" Regiment Commander Zhao laughed, turned around and said to the chief of staff beside him: "Immediately notify the communications team, responsible for finding out the wire leading to the Guitun Fort, no more...... Just cut all the wires and drain them to the water...... Carefully inspect the nearby water sources, and remove all the pipes that have been connected to me."

"Yes," the chief of staff responded, and immediately walked to the other end of the phone to make arrangements.

"This time it's called a real encirclement" Political Commissar Huang laughed: "It's still Company Commander Cui who thinks thoughtfully, there is no water, no electricity, and there is no way out, let's see how long those devils can hold out."

"There is another ......" looked at the suspicious 'confused' political commissar Huang and head Zhao, and I added: "There are also ventilation holes"

"You're really ruthless," Hearing this, Commander Zhao and Political Commissar Huang couldn't help laughing.

What they don't know is that it's not that I'm ruthless enough, or that I'm thoughtful, but that ...... I myself have fought with the enemy in the tunnels of Shangganling for a few days and nights, what is the importance of that, or how to deal with the enemies hiding in the tunnels, I still don't know? Even I can say that the methods used by the puppet army and the US military to deal with us at the beginning can be used by me when I move here

The search for the hidden passage went smoothly, and with the efforts of the artillery scouts, the secret passage leading to Tan Mou and Tan Ridge was quickly found. Although there is no longer much need to find out the tunnel, because Tan is already under the control of our army, and the Vietnamese army wants to go out of Tan again, it is tantamount to asking for a dead end.

However, both Regiment Commander Zhao and Political Commissar Huang had the intention of verifying my idea, or they also had the intention of verifying whether the artillery measurements were accurate, so they ordered the artillery scouts to meticulously find out these two secret passages. Even the secret passage leading to Tan was dug directly from top to bottom, 'exposed' out of the top of the underground tunnel supported by layers of logs and the bottom covered with footprints and blood. Obviously, even the wounded of the Vietnamese army were transported to Ghost Tun through this secret passage.

As for the treatment of these dark passages, it is naturally needless to say, stuff seven or eight explosive 'charge' bags into both ends, and then all of them are blocked with a "boom". The soldiers of the 637th Regiment may have bundled more than a dozen blasting canisters into a bundle in order to relieve their hatred, and stuffed them into the secret passage like sugar cane...... When it explodes, you can feel the ground moving for miles.

"Company Commander Cui" In the evening of the same day, Regiment Commander Zhao took a telegram to me and said excitedly: "Good news, we just received a telegram from the 638th Regiment, they said that the pressure from Tanlong is obviously much smaller, it should be that after the secret passage was sealed by us, the Vietnamese army could not send reinforcements in the direction of Tanlong, so the Vietnamese army in Tanlong is fighting less and less, and the weaker and weaker it is, and it is estimated that it can be defeated early tomorrow morning."

"Sure enough, it's good news," I nodded and said, "Once the ridge is knocked down, then the Ghost Forts will be alone."

"That's right" Political Commissar Huang also nodded in response: "If the battle situation in Tanling is stabilized and the secret passages are blocked by us, then this Ghost Tun Fort is a turtle in an urn, and it is only a matter of time before it is captured and slaughtered."

"But ......" then Regiment Commander Zhang hesitated again, pointed to the map and said: "The artillery scouts have some difficulties when detecting the secret passages of the Vietnamese army......

"Can't you find it?" I asked suspiciously. Supposedly, this is not a difficult task for them.

"No, they found it," said Regiment Commander Zhang, pointing to the two lines on the map, "Tongdeng Railway Station and the Nameless Heights are not far from Pingdingshan, as long as you use them to compare the Guitun Fort, it is not difficult to find the secret passage leading to these two places." But here's the problem...... This... The firepower is mutually supportive, and there is no way for us to 'plug' between them......"

"Oh" When I heard this, I understood, it's not that I can't find those secret passages, but that I can't blow them up.

"I'm going to see the terrain," I said, grabbing my rifle and heading out.

"Xiao Li, Xiao Chen" I heard Commander Zhao behind me instruct the guards: "Protect the safety of Company Commander Cui"

Hearing this, I couldn't help but sweat, I was a company commander, I was supposed to charge on the battlefield, and when did I become a protected object.

However, I didn't say anything to refuse Captain Zhao's kindness, saving me another prevarication. After a few turns in the mountain road with two guards, Pingdingshan appeared in front of me.

It's been a long time since I've been here, and this is the first time I've seen this legendary Ghost Fort. At first glance, this flat-topped mountain seems to be no different from other mountains, and the ghost fort on the top of the mountain is just a short thing. Looking at all this, it is hard for me to imagine that this is the battery that the 637th Regiment is a little afraid of...... It's no wonder that they didn't take it seriously at first, because there was really nothing difficult to fight just by looking at this appearance, but who would have thought that there were so many famous names among them.

Cautiously raised the telescope and looked left and right, the train station was on the right, and the nameless heights were on the left. The two strongholds are like the two tentacles of the Ghost Fort, which are distributed in front of Pingdingshan. If these two strongholds are not captured, then the attack on the oblique plane of the Guitun Fort is undoubtedly a fantasy. Because then we will shine our backs in front of the Vietnamese troops at the railway station and on the nameless heights.

Do you want to attack the anticline of the mesama? The nameless heights can also form flank 'firing' fire on our troops. On the contrary, the Ghost Forts can condescendingly provide them with fire cover. And not only that, but the Ghost Tun Fort can also increase troops to these two strongholds through the secret passage

So...... If you want to take down the Guitun Fort, you must first occupy the nameless heights and the railway station, and if you want to occupy the nameless heights and the railway station, you must first cut off the connection between them and the Guitun Fort, that is, blow up the secret tunnel.

But...... How can you blow up the secret passage that connects them? I was so embarrassed that I used my telescope to look to the left and then to the right.

In order to blow up the secret passage between them, it is necessary to send troops to 'insert' into the middle of the two strongholds. This will undoubtedly be hit by the enemy's 'shooting' from the high ground on the left and right sides, or even from three sides. Just like Captain Zhao said, there is simply no way for us to dig and blast in this situation

I took out the map and compared it to the terrain in front of me, looking at the line on the map and comparing it to the scenery. Thereupon...... I found a bamboo hut on that line on the nameless plateau that was about to collapse. Looking at the topography of the train station, I quickly had an idea.

He put away his rifle and ran back to the regimental headquarters with the two guards in a few steps. Head Zhao and Political Commissar Huang immediately greeted them and asked anxiously, "How is it?" ”

"It's easy to solve on the side of the train station," I said, pointing to the map, "but you need a fighter with good driving skills and familiarity with the terrain......"

"Good driving skills? Familiar with the terrain? Listening to Captain Zhao, he couldn't help but be a little inexplicable.

I simply said: "The terrain of the railway station is relatively gentle, and it is ...... at the junction between the meadin mountain and the railway station."

I pointed to a location on the map and said, "Right here, this is the vacuum of the Vietnamese army's defense, use a car to pull a cart of explosives, I don't think it will be like blowing up that dark passage."

"It's as simple as that?" Head Zhao couldn't help but 'touch' his head in some disbelief: "How could I not have thought of ......?"

"But ......" Political Commissar Huang was a little worried: "What if the explosion is not serious and the Vietnamese army can dig through?" ”

"That's okay," I replied, "what we need is to temporarily block this passage so that the Vietnamese army cannot increase its troops at the railway station, and then ......"

"Then immediately launch an attack on the railway station" Commander Zhao replied: "I think it can be done, there are not many Vietnamese troops at the railway station, and the terrain is relatively low, so tanks can go up." As long as the secret passage is blown up, the Vietnamese army will not be able to increase its troops for the time being, and there will be no problem in storming it. As soon as the train station is knocked down by us, we can blast the dark tunnel in time......"

"Makes sense," Commissar Huang nodded in agreement with the plan.

"And what about the direction of Nameless Heights?" Head Zhao asked again.

"It's a bit difficult," I said, pointing to the map, "and there's a bamboo hut in this location, and this bamboo hut is right above the Vietnamese army's secret passage." I need someone to infiltrate this bamboo hut and dig under the cover of our artillery, and then blast it."

Hearing this, Regiment Commander Zhao and Political Commissar Huang couldn't help but 'gasp', if this was accidentally discovered by the Vietnamese army, not only would the people who carried out the task be finished, but the plan would definitely be aborted.

But Head Zhao only hesitated, and quickly nodded and said, "No problem, let me arrange all this."

"Hmm," I nodded, and said, "Since the demolition mission is all up to you, the task of attacking the Nameless Heights and the train station will be 'handed over' to us."

"That's not good," Regiment Leader Zhao replied: "Our regiment is just waiting for revenge, and now that we have the opportunity, how can we let you do it?"

"Commander Zhao," I replied, "you have suffered heavy casualties in successive battles, and the soldiers are also very tired, so this is the time to take a breather. Let's go up we have two infantry companies and two dozen tanks, just right to deal with them"

Head Zhao hesitated, but nodded silently.

In fact, there is another point that I did not make explicit, the setbacks of the first two attacks and such heavy casualties have actually affected the morale of the 637th Regiment. At this time, if they go up to fight again, it is very likely that a winning battle will be a losing battle. As the head of a regiment, Captain Zhao certainly won't fail to understand this truth. Moreover, this battle can almost be said to be the basis for attacking the Guitun Fort, so no one dares to be careless. Considering these factors, Head Zhao did not dare to be reckless

Seeing that Regiment Commander Zhang nodded in agreement, I saluted them, turned around and walked out of the regiment headquarters and returned to the temporary residence of the soldiers.

"Company Commander"

"Company Commander"

……

As soon as I returned to the station, the soldiers saluted me one after another, even the company of Battalion Commander Ding and the tank unit of Battalion Commander Wu.

If this had been before, I might have been a little flustered again. But after a few years as a regimental commander, I seemed to have gotten used to all this, and just nodded casually to the soldiers and walked into the queue.

"Company Commander Cui, what's going on?" Battalion Commander Wu and Battalion Commander Ding were looking at the topographic map next to a tank, and they seemed to be worried about how to attack the Guitun Fort.

"Get ready for battle," I replied: "Tonight's attack, Battalion Commander Ding and Battalion Commander Wu will cooperate in the attack on the railway station, and I will lead five companies to attack the nameless heights and lay down these two targets, and then quickly blast the secret passage and withdraw immediately."

"Yes," Battalion Commander Ding and Battalion Commander Wu 'stood up' in response.

Our aim was to cut off the unnamed heights and railway stations from the Ghost Tun Fort, and to kill all the Vietnamese troops stationed on them. As long as these two points are achieved, if the Vietnamese army wants to reoccupy the nameless heights and railway stations, it must come out of the batteries, which will undoubtedly become our targets.

Of course, we will not be stupid enough to station a large number of troops in these two places, which is undoubtedly to use the Vietnamese army on the Ghost Tun Fort as a target. Therefore, the nameless heights and the railway station are destined to become two no-man's lands.

In fact, anyone with a discerning eye can see that I actually gave up the target of the easy fight to Battalion Commander Ding and Battalion Commander Wu. The station was low-lying and suitable for tanks, and after the artillery was ready, the infantry followed the tanks, and there was basically nothing left. But I later learned that the battle at the train station was not as easy as I had imagined.

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At eight o'clock that night, I led the soldiers to lurk more than two hundred meters in front of the nameless heights. This is a battle with no specific start time, because we have to wait, waiting for the successful blasting of the dark passage in the direction of the nameless heights.

I couldn't help but raise my rifle and look nervously at the nameless heights, but I couldn't see the bamboo house at all. The bamboo hut was between the ghost and the nameless heights, that is, on the other side of the heights, and it was impossible for me to see through unless I could see through.

But I knew that there were four soldiers quietly lurking inside, and they were nervously digging with the sound of our bombardment. When they succeed in blasting will be directly related to the timing of our army's attack; Whether they succeed or not will be directly related to whether or not tonight's battle can be fought......

That's why I had a walkie-talkie in my hand to connect with the engineer unit in charge of demolition.

"How's it going?" I whispered into the intercom.

"Everything is normal" came the voice of the engineer captain over the intercom: "It's just too smelly, it's all feces......"

I almost laughed out loud when I heard this, I forgot to tell them that the Vietnamese people who live in bamboo houses are always used to living upstairs and livestock living downstairs, and they are going to dig secret passages, so they can suffer

Time passed bit by bit, and all the fighters were waiting, waiting for the good news from the walkie-talkie in my hand. But after more than an hour, there was still no movement.

I tried to use the walkie-talkie several times to ask about the situation, but in the end I resisted, for fear that the sound of our speech would attract the attention of the Vietnamese army, even though it might be very 'sex' in the sound of the artillery.

At this time, the breathless voice of the engineer captain came over the intercom: "The progress is too slow, request to increase the density of shelling"

The sapper corps needed to mask their digging with the sound of explosions.

"No," I immediately refused: "The density of the shelling is too high, which may arouse the suspicion of the Vietnamese army, take your time, we have time"

"Yes," the engineer captain replied and continued his work.

Taking advantage of this time, I took a look at the nameless heights in front of me, which was actually only a small hill, perhaps less than 200 meters above sea level, but there were barbed wire, trenches, anti-artillery 'holes', etc.

Except for the hazy moonlight, it was pitch black everywhere. It's a little different from the Korean battlefield, where if it was on the Korean battlefield, there were searchlights, flares, but now there is nothing.

However, this is also normal, during the Korean War, it was the United Nations forces that had the superiority in artillery fire and air supremacy, and they could blatantly hit searchlights and flares...... On the battlefield of this counterattack, if the Yue devils also learn to use searchlights like that, it will not be enough to let our artillery fire cover it in two clicks......

At this time, the excited voice of the engineer captain suddenly came from the walkie-talkie: "It's through, it's through and the wood has been dug up......"