The personnel of the special operations company formed by Qian Tiandun in Heitu Port were basically composed of North Vietnamese immigrants, and the platoon-level officers were served by the crossers, and Qian Tiandun personally served as the company commander. The average age of this contingent is less than 20 years old, and there are more than 180 including officers, which is already far exceeding the current army company-level establishment of the Military Police Department, which is basically the size of a semi-normal company. Of course, this kind of supernumerary is also on the record with the Military Police Department, and it is not Qian Tiandun's wanton behavior.

Since the establishment of this company, Qian Tiandun has taken combat capability in the field environment as its main training goal, and the training site of this unit is not located within the port area of Heitu Port, but on Cat Ba Island between Heitu Port and Tushan Peninsula.

This island with an area of more than 100 square kilometers is the largest island in the Beibu Gulf region, and most of the island is rocky mountains and primeval forests. The small number of fishermen who originally lived on the island were also consciously moved to Heitu Port by Qian Tiandun to settle down, completely turning the island into a field military training base.

The training content formulated by Qian Tiandun was basically based on the field tactics he had previously accepted, and he focused more on the cultivation of individual combat awareness and skills in a certain course. It's just that because the weapon used is a front-loading flintlock pistol with an extremely long body, no matter whether it is loaded or carried, it cannot meet the training effect that Qian Tiandun wants to achieve, and there are still many inconveniences in fighting in jungles and mountains. However, Qian Tiandun has also submitted a report to the Military Police Department, asking the military industry department to design and manufacture a weapon with a shorter body that is easy to carry and more powerful at close range. Of course, before that, Qian Tiandun had to prove the value of his company's existence, at least worthy of the military industry department to design and manufacture a new weapon for this purpose.

If we look at individual soldiers, the tactical skills learned by the team led by Qian Tiandun have far exceeded those of the militia in the base camp, and the only thing they lack is real combat experience. In this southward operation, Qian Tiandun had already made up his mind to show his colleagues in the Military Police Department the results of the training for more than two months.

After a while, Wang Tom and his friends also came to the dock and joined Qian Tiandun's team. The commanders on both sides checked the time together, and then checked the communication channels between the radio and the walkie-talkie to ensure that the means of communication were unobstructed, and then they boarded the ship and prepared to leave.

In order to ensure that this operation was foolproof, the Ministry of Shipping and the Ministry of Military Police jointly equipped the "Discovery" with the strongest staffing, Sun Changmi personally served as the captain, and the crew members were all veteran sailors carefully selected from the existing establishment of the Ministry of Shipping, and there were also more than 50 people in the artillery company militia plus artillery cadets, ensuring that the more than 10 guns on the ship were fully loaded and could enter the combat state at any time. In addition, Xie Chun, who audited the war readiness meeting yesterday, also asked Sun Changmi for a first mate position overnight, and he will board the ship and travel together today.

Since the launch of the "Discovery", this time is the largest number of passengers, even the waterline is more than a foot lower than usual, and when it sails away from the dock, it is obviously not as light as before. And the strange appearance of this ship also caused a large number of people to go to the dock for a collective onlooker, and it was dark when the "Discovery" arrived at the dock last night, so most people could not see the real body of this ship in time.

Don't say that those soldiers of North Vietnam, even after Qian Tiandun himself boarded the ship, they were constantly admired. Due to the negotiations with the North Vietnamese side on the Tu Son Peninsula before the New Year, Qian Tiandun did not return to Shengli Port to participate in the year-end debriefing meeting, so this was the first time he saw this new sailing ship, which was regarded as a treasure by the Ministry of Shipping. And Xie Chun, who was traveling with him, was much more exaggerated than him, he got on the boat after the meeting last night and never came down all night.

After Qian Tiandun boarded the ship, Xie Chun immediately squeezed to his side from the crowd on the deck: "Lieutenant Qian, have you seen this ship? Let me tell you, there are indeed many doorways on this ship...... I don't think we should just build a few small fishing boats, we should apply for drawings and craftsmen from the base camp, and start building this new style of sailing ship in Heitu Harbor. ”

Qian Tiandun said disapprenously: "Lao Xie, you have found the wrong person, right? I am in charge of the military, and you are in charge of shipping! If you want to make a report, you should also draft it, and I heard that there are many parts on this ship that can only be manufactured in the base camp, and the production capacity is also very low, I am afraid that the shipping department does not have the ability to open a branch in Heitu Port now." ”

Xie Chunying said: "Our two departments are jointly named, and the chance of applying for a pass guò is a little greater! By the way, you haven't seen the gun room on the second deck, have you? Let's take a walk, I'll take you down to have a look, the system designed by the military industry department looks pretty good......

At 8 a.m., the "Discovery" and "Speed" left the Wharf of Yongan Port one after the other, bypassed the protruding headland to the northeast, and then turned around and headed for the southeastern sea.

The reason why they did not choose to go south along the coastline was also due to safety concerns. According to the route drawn up by the Ministry of Maritime Transport overnight, after departing from Yongan Port, the reconnaissance fleet will make a large circle in the open sea, first going southeast to bypass the coast of the war zone, and then turning back to the southwest to carry out reconnaissance activities near the coastline behind the war zone. While this would have increased the range by a considerable amount, it greatly reduced the likelihood of being discovered by land by the South Vietnamese troops stationed in the warring area.

Since the Discovery is now almost fully loaded, the speed of the ship has also been reduced significantly compared to usual, and it can only maintain a speed of 7-8 knots. For this reason, the "Speedy" also had to slow down and accompany the "Discovery" side and rear to travel together. However, for the North American gang on the "Speed", this trip is not so much a military mission as an opportunity to let off steam, except for Wang Tom, who often goes to sea, several other people have less and less time to go to sea because they are busy with various work. Like Roger, Shi Diwen and Qiao Zhiya have been stationed in Tiandu Industrial Zone for a long time, and the opportunity to go to sea is even more pitiful, and they have long been looking forward to such an opportunity to go for a ride on the sea.

At noon, the walkie-talkie placed on the slipway rang: "Attention, attention, the island three nautical miles in front of you is the No. 1 target, turn south after passing the No. 1 target, over!"

Qiao Zhiya raised the telescope to check the sea area in front of him, looked down at the chart, and said to Tom Wang, who was in charge of the steering wheel: "According to the mark on the chart, the right front is the island of Duyue." ”

"What kind of island is Duyo Island, is it famous?" Shi Diwen asked curiously.

It was one of the bases for the demarcation of the maritime boundary between China and Vietnam in later generations. Tom Wang, who had done a special study of the maritime situation in the South China Sea before the crossing, explained: "The midpoint of the shortest connection between Hainan Island and the island is one of the base points for maritime demarcation between China and Vietnam, and there are 10 such base points. However, there is nothing special about the island itself, it is just a small uninhabited island at this time. ”

Soon the "Feisu" approached this small island near the east coast of Vietnam, and in terms of area, the island was much smaller than the floating water island located in the Beibu Gulf, and there was no natural harbor on the shore of the island, so it really did not have much development value. This place is about twenty nautical miles from the port of Yong'an to the northwest, and only ten nautical miles from the defense line of the North Crossing Mountains to the west. If you stand at the highest point of the mountain line, you can directly see the two sailing boats sailing past the island at this time when the weather is fine. Of course, the South Vietnamese Army, which was at the bottom of the mountain range and whose line of sight was almost level with the sea, would not have been able to spot a target on the sea ten nautical miles away without a telescope or other sharp weapon.

After rounding the island, the fleet turned south for an hour and a half, then redirected again and headed southwest. Their target was the first key target of this reconnaissance activity, which was located at the mouth of the Zhengjiang River, 40 miles behind the combat zone.

During the decades-long civil war between North and South Vietnam in the 17th century, the Trung clan raised several unsuccessful campaigns against the Nguyen clan in the south, and the Nguyen clan relied on the battle for the river and the Heng Son to block the offensive from the north on the east coast of the Indochina Peninsula. This time, the South Vietnamese Army attacked the front line of fighting for the river and Hengshan, and it was also the first time that North Vietnam lost ground since the Civil War, and before that, the North Vietnamese Army even suppressed the main force of South Vietnam to the Quang Tri area further south, but now this strategic advantage has disappeared, and the offensive and defensive forces of the two sides have also been completely exchanged.

In the original history, the civil war between North and South Vietnam did not end until 1672 under the mediation of Kangxi, and the dividing line between the forces of North and South Vietnam was demarcated by the struggle for the Hengshan River, and peace was maintained for a hundred years after that. Of course, Emperor Kangxi did not manage this idle matter out of any humanitarianism, but to unite the Zheng clan in the north to fight against the rebellion of the three feudatories caused by Wu Sangui and others in southern China. The person who reached a cooperation agreement with Emperor Kangxi is Zheng Zheng, who is now representing the Zheng family and the crossing group in affairs, but at this time, there are still nearly thirty years before he becomes the king and takes power, and the crossing group still has a lot of opportunities to influence the course of history.

After studying the historical materials of the relevant departments, it was concluded that in the civil war between North and South Vietnam that lasted for more than 50 years, the battle for the Hengshan line has always had a very important strategic position, and no matter which side has the advantage in offensive for a period of time, the final battle situation will still return to this balance point. On the one hand, the military action taken by the Crossing Group this time should help North Vietnam regain its disadvantage and prevent the North Vietnamese Trung clan from falling due to military defeat, and on the other hand, it should maintain a delicate balance between the combat strength of the two sides, so that the Trung clan can continue to rely on the military aid provided by the Crossing Group for a period of time in the future.

Of course, in order to implement the spirit of the Executive Committee of "increasing military support for the North Vietnamese regime," this operation was not only to repel the offensive of the South Vietnamese army, but also to strike a certain blow to its military forces, so that its large forces could not retreat to the south of the Hang Son without any damage.

Since the outbreak of the Annam Civil War in 1619, the Nguyen clan of South Vietnam has been operating on the defense line of Thanh Son for many years, and has many military strongholds stationed on the south bank of the Truong River, the commanding heights and passes of Truong Son. After the South Vietnamese Army attacked the Zhengjiang River, the coastal plains also became the most important logistical supply line for the South Vietnamese Army, and small military stations were stationed every few miles along the way. Therefore, the investigative activities in this area are actually quite dangerous.

Because there was a reference on the land for the Yokoyama mountain range, the fleet was able to confirm the orientation very smoothly. About three or four nautical miles from the coastline, Qian Tiandun used a telescope to confirm the location of the mouth of the Zhengjiang River and conveyed this information to the "Feisu" that followed behind.

According to the plan planned in advance, the "Feisu," which has a faster ship speed and better armament, will conduct an approach reconnaissance at the mouth of the Zhengjiang River and confirm the safety situation, and then let the personnel on board the "Discovery" land to carry out the mission.

The "Flying Speed" quickly adjusted its sails and headed for the mouth of the Zhengjiang River. Everyone on the boat had stopped laughing and began to seriously examine their equipment and weapons.

In terms of equipment level alone, the North American Gang must be regarded as the elite in the establishment of the Military Police Department. These guys invested most of their personal property in weapons and armaments, and the level of individual equipment was much higher than the average level of the military police department. In addition to the full staff equipped with long and short weapons such as HK416 and MK23, helmets, external tactical vests, assault backpacks, and throat shock intercom systems are all standard military configurations. Although this squad only has five people, their actual combat ability is not weak at all, and it is enough to deal with all kinds of unexpected situations.

The "Feisu" docked on the coast south of the estuary of the Zhengjiang River, and Tom Wang and the others jumped directly into the waist-deep sea water and waded ashore. The only one left on board was Morgan Sr., who was tasked with being a sniper, and a $14,000 M200 sniper rifle was his companion. This sniper rifle can be used from the "Speedy" to effectively strike targets within a range of 2,000 meters, and this range is basically the area that this team needs to reach for reconnaissance missions.

About 2,500 meters south from the landing site is the closest branch of the Yokoyama Mountains to the coast, with an average altitude of only about 100 meters. The reconnaissance team did not know if there were any South Vietnamese strongholds in this mountain range, so they had to be careful.

According to the information obtained from the North Vietnamese side in advance, the South Vietnamese supply line was not close to the coast, but was located about 10 kilometers inland. The supplies were loaded on ships upstream of a tributary of the Zhengjiang River south of Hengshan, and then transported from south to north by water to the north bank of the Zhengjiang River, and then transported by land to the warring zone on the back. Of course, the North Vietnamese Army, which lacked sea transport capacity, had no way to send troops from the sea to the banks of the Zheng River to carry out raids and harassment operations, even if they knew the supply line arrangements of the South Vietnamese Army.

After going ashore, the detachment did not rush to survey the interior, but made a detailed record of the water depth, current velocity, and geographical environment near the estuary. Originally, some residents on both sides of the Zhengjiang River reclaimed the alluvial plains here, but after several years of war, this area has long been turned into a no-man's land, and the former fertile fields are now restored to their original natural features. After making sure that there was no threat within a few miles, Morgan signaled to the Discovery.

Soon the "Discovery" sailed to the mouth of the sea, and Qian Tiandun led the soldiers of the special operations company to quickly land on the shore. The next arrangement was for the "Feisu" to lead the way, and the "Exploration" to follow behind, heading towards the upper reaches of the Zhengjiang River. The special operations company led by Qian Tiandun marched on foot along the river bank and cooperated with the fleet to reconnoiter the areas along the Zhengjiang River. Another reason why they need to be put ashore is that the "Discovery" needs to swim against the current, and the weight reduction can greatly increase the speed and agility of the vessel.

The reason why the two boats dared to go upstream was also because this section of the river was wide, more than 500 meters, and if the South Vietnamese army launched an attack from the shore, there was plenty of room to evade, and it would not be too difficult to turn around and go back. Of course, the most important thing is that the river channel is wide enough, so that it will not be blocked downstream by means such as wooden stakes or semi-floating boats, and it will be blocked in the middle and cannot run out.

After going retrograde for about ten miles from the mouth of the sea, we arrived at the first confluence of the upper reaches of the Zhenghe River. The two main rivers here come from the main stream of the Zheng River in the depths of the Heng Son Mountains to the west, and the other from the tributaries of the south, where the South Vietnamese logistics supply channel is located.

Perhaps it was because the South Vietnamese army fought too smoothly during this period and relaxed the vigilance in the rear, and the reconnaissance team went all the way along the river, but did not even find the South Vietnamese patrol troops. It is estimated that the top brass of the South Vietnamese Army also believes that North Vietnam does not have the ability to project troops remotely by sea, so they are extremely relaxed in their defense of these areas.

However, the reconnaissance team did not intend to ambush a South Vietnamese supply team here, the main task of this trip was to reconnoiter rather than startle the snakes, and the main purpose of this reconnaissance mission was to collect the geographical environment here and prepare for the next raid.

After arriving at the confluence of the river, the reconnaissance team spent an hour photographing and documenting the situation of the river in detail, and even found the way for the South Vietnamese army to transport supplies on the north bank of the river through the Guò telescope. At this point, the first task of this reconnaissance operation was basically completed, and the two boats slowly turned around in the center of the river, and then Qian Tiandun and his special operations company returned to the "Exploration" and headed for the direction of the sea outlet.

Although the special operations company's march during this period also reached the usual training level, Qian Tiandun still had a little regret in his heart, and he always felt that it would be good if he could have the opportunity to make the special operations company show its combat effectiveness.

However, this regret did not affect him for long, because soon there was an opportunity to appear in front of him. Xie Chun, who was standing at the bow of the boat and was in charge, sent a report: "Two small boats have appeared on the river ahead, about two kilometers away!"