Digging tunnels and finding water sources, this is what Xia Yuan can do at present, in fact, even if he is a platoon leader, there are not many things that can be done, the only thing that can be done is to change the tunnel, it is best to be able to find a water source, and the water source is currently a stone on his head.

In fact, there is a water source, there is a village of more than ten households between Shangganling and 597.9 highland, and there is a well in the village, but it is too far from the 597.9 high ground to the small village, and often wait until the water in the tunnel is almost drunk, and then send people to get water.

It would be a good thing to be able to solve the water problem in the tunnel, but it is easier said than done.

The tunnels are rocky, hard, and difficult to excavate, and it is not easy to get a source of water.

The commanders and fighters of the Ninth Company pondered for a while, and Instructor Lin: "Then let's discuss it, at present, our Ninth Company does not have any combat missions, and digging trenches and tunnels is our main task at present, but according to the combat orders issued by the superiors, we will organize a small-scale strike war recently, so digging tunnels should still be put on the agenda." ”

Company Commander Gao said: "Since it is Comrade Xia Yuan's suggestion, the matter of digging tunnels will be handed over to the second platoon, the first platoon will assist the second platoon, and the third platoon and the fourth platoon will be responsible for the ground trenches and wait for the combat tasks issued by the superiors." ”

"Yes!"

The environment in the tunnel is not good, the air is stuffy, the walls are cold and damp, the glimmer is through the mouth of the tunnel, there are only a few kerosene lamps working inside, there are a lot of weapons and ammunition in the tunnel, as well as food.

The Korean War in 1952 was accompanied by the end of five campaigns, and had entered the second stage, when the volunteers turned to defensive operations, and while building a solid defensive position with tunnels as the backbone, they adopted a policy of active tactical activities on the battlefield, and the battalion and company scale continued to take the initiative to attack, seize positions, sniper activities, and so on.

Tunnels must be dug and battles must be fought.

Early the next morning, the leader of the second platoon led the second platoon to the No. 1 tunnel, and everyone gathered together to discuss how to dig the tunnel.

The strategy given by Xia Yuan is to choose a place that is easier to dig and extend it inward, don't dislike the large tunnel to be dug, the bigger the tunnel, the better, it is best to extend in all directions, if you can dig to the mountains of the frontal battlefield and open up bunkers one by one, it will be better.

Xia Yuan said: "To dig a water source, you only need to choose a wet place on the ground to dig, the more humid, the greater the possibility of having a water source, and dig a tunnel, we can dig a 'U' shaped tunnel, one tunnel mouth is not covered, and the other tunnel mouth is blocked with gravel, the enemy finds our tunnel mouth, and we have another tunnel mouth." ”

Platoon Commander Sun said: "Comrade Xia Yuan's proposal is good, digging tunnels, we must pay attention to saving time and effort, select weak places in the mountains to dig, take the class as a unit, let's start work now, we must grasp the direction." ”

He also said: "Lao Hu, you take Comrade Xia Yuan to try to dig up water sources, he knows more about this aspect. ”

"Yes!"

Squad Leader Hu nodded, and asked the other soldiers of the second squad to dig the tunnel, while he took Xia Yuan with an iron pickaxe to the position where he stayed yesterday.

Xia Yuan put the gun next to the wall on the side, reached out and touched the ground, and said: "Squad leader, let's start from this place, this position is the place where I have observed the entire tunnel, the location with the highest humidity on the ground, digging water sources may not be dug at one time, we need to make many attempts." ”

Squad Leader Hu didn't know much about this aspect, and when he heard Xia Yuan say this, he also felt that it made sense, the wetter the ground, the greater the possibility of a water source.

In fact, Xia Yuan's idea was still a relatively optimistic idea, and when he really started digging, he felt that he had thought about everything too simply.

The rock was unusually hard, and it was dug down so hard that it left only a single mark on the hard rock surface.

Xia Yuan stretched out his hand and touched it, his brows furrowed, this position was even harder than he imagined, no wonder in the entire tunnel of the Shangganling Battle, there was obviously the possibility of digging out the water source, but there was no such example.

"Yugong can still move mountains, my Xia Yuan has opened the hanging, if I can't dig a well, even if it is a pool, I can still die headlong."

Xia Yuan put down the iron pickaxe and reached out to touch the ground, since it is difficult to dig in this position, you might as well dig diagonally in another position.

After all, people are alive, can they still be blocked by a big rock?

After carefully thinking about the feasible plan, Xia Yuan found a good breakthrough at a position more than three meters away from this ground.

Squad Leader Hu looked at Xia Yuan's movements differently, Xia Yuan explained: "Squad leader, it is too difficult to dig from that position, and the progress of digging will be very slow for a day, if I dig diagonally down from this position, the situation should be different." ”

Xia Yuan raised the iron pickaxe and excavated the ground, while Team Leader Hu assisted with a hammer and nails, the speed of the two digging was not fast, little by little progress, little by little advance, half a day, digging down half a person deep, the position was very small, and it could only accommodate one person squatting.

The excavation speed of the other method is still considerable, the mountains in Shangganling are not all rocks, there are also soft soil and gravel blocks, the further down the excavation, Xia Yuan can clearly feel that the soil is getting wetter and wetter.

In three days, the excavation work did not go smoothly, because he dug into the rock layer again, the rock was extremely hard, and it took a lot of time and salute to dig up, and the time from the start of the Shangganling Battle was getting closer and closer, Xia Yuan knew that the excavation work would continue, and after the Battle of Shangganling began, the most cruel side of the war would be highlighted.

The location that Xia Yuan dug was already one person high, and he didn't dig a water source, and digging down was a hard rock layer, which was the second position he tried. Xia Yuan leaned against the rock wall a little dejectedly.

"Three days, two pits, the method of digging the water source did not work."

He tried, but this method did not work, the tunnel was too narrow, the rock was too hard, and his personal strength was limited, and it was basically impossible to dig a well in the interior of such a mountain in half a month.

"Won't it work?" Team Leader Hu pulled Xia Yuan up from the pit.

"It won't work." Xia Yuan shook his head: "I dug into the rock layer again, and it was difficult to break it with the tools in my hand." ”

"There haven't been any combat missions in Lianli lately." Squad leader Hu comforted, "It's better to take your time, if there are difficulties, let's overcome them, there are no difficulties that can't be overcome!" ”

Xia Yuan raised his head and looked at squad leader Hu, and nodded emphatically.

The second row dug the tunnel in full swing, digging wells, and the first row assisted the second row to dig the tunnel, and in a week's time, the second tunnel was dug out by them with hammers, nails and pickaxes, and they dug day and night, opening up three tunnel mouths, two on the anticline, and one extending into the trench of the No. 1 earthquake in the 597.9 high ground.

Xia Yuan's well has also made some progress.

After a few days of hard work, he finally broke through the rock layer, but then a big problem appeared, that is, although the humidity was enough, but there was no water source, and even the pit was left overnight, there was no water storage, so this situation can only explain one problem, that is, this location is not right.

Xia Yuan could only squat in the well tunnel he dug and ponder, pondering for more than an hour, squad leader Hu would bring Xia Yuan a kerosene lamp, the tunnel itself was dark, Xia Yuan dug a pit that extended down in the tunnel, and he couldn't see his five fingers inside.

Xia Yuan didn't refuse, so he left the kerosene lamp by his side.

In fact, Xia Yuan didn't need this thing, and with night vision, he was almost no different from daytime in such darkness.

He reached out and touched everywhere, pondering every day.

Xia Yuan had no experience in digging wells, but according to the humidity of the cliff wall and the soil, he knew that there must be water, but the depth of the digging was not enough, and if he wanted to dig out the water, he needed to reach a certain depth.

"Comrade Xia Yuan, come up for dinner."

A comrade called him above, Xia Yuan answered, and decided to continue digging down after eating.

The soldiers' lunch is still relatively rich, there are vegetables, there are white steamed buns, and even sometimes you can eat meat, during the festival, the logistics will basically prepare some special food for the volunteer soldiers, such as the Spring Festival in 51 years, the volunteer soldiers made dumplings in a piece, and also ate dumplings, the North Korean people also prepared some of their special food for the volunteer soldiers, and also organized a condolence performance group to perform national dances for the volunteer soldiers on the front line.

In 1952, the logistics of the volunteer soldiers were basically able to keep up, and at this stage, the Korean battlefield had reached the second stage, and the volunteers were compressing the gap with the US army in terms of individual soldier allocation and food and clothing.

The soldiers sitting in the pit held small bowls with smiles on their faces, although they were physically and mentally tired from digging the pit for a day, but a simple meal of food could make them feel extremely satisfied and dispel the fatigue of the day.

But today, the atmosphere in the tunnel is obviously different, after Wang Yongmeng became a communicator, the main task is to be responsible for liaising with the rear regiment headquarters, it is estimated that the higher authorities will issue some combat mission, lunch time, the platoon commander was called to a meeting, until the end of the meal, the meeting is not over.

Xia Yuan was eating, there was a feeling that the mountain rain was about to come and the wind was full of buildings, the soldiers in the tunnel were basically veterans, and the soldiers of the second class felt that Xia Yuan's expression was a little wrong, so he asked with a smile: "Comrade Xia Yuan, how is your well dug?" ”

They tried to use this way to distract Xia Yuan's attention.

Recruits, the first time they fight, nervousness is inevitable, especially at this time of time.

Today's meeting is very special, and the veterans are basically aware of it, and it is obvious that there is going to be a big move.

Xia Yuan drank the soup and responded sullenly: "It's still a little worse." ”

He asked, "What happened to the third tunnel you dug?" ”

One of the soldiers replied: "The day after tomorrow, it will almost be able to dig through." ”

Three tunnels, in the original Shangganling Campaign, the tunnels under the No. 1 position were only two tunnels, one tunnel mouth facing south, and one tunnel mouth facing north, and now, the tunnel facing the north has one more on the original basis, and this tunnel is hidden by them as a hidden tunnel for counterattack.

Xia Yuan pondered the time, there were only seven days left before the Battle of Shangganling broke out, and the progress he had only reached in digging the well, and it was still early for the water to come out.

Most crucially, they are likely to engage in a small-scale night campaign.

Sure enough, after Platoon Commander Sun came back, he immediately summoned all the squad leaders of the second platoon, "The superiors asked our company to cooperate with the 537.7 high ground to launch a small-scale surprise attack on the South Korean army in the direction of Hagganling tonight, this task fell on the head of our second platoon, and our target was the small formation enemy army on the unnamed heights, the time was ten o'clock in the evening, and the time was to evacuate before four o'clock." ”

Squad Leader Hu grinned and said, "I've wanted to my mother for a long time, but I've been suffocating Lao Tzu for this time!" ”

The leaders of the other three squads showed joy on their faces, and they were all gearing up, eager to carry a gun to kill them now.

Platoon Commander Sun said with a smile: "The tunnel must be dug, and the battle must be fought, you can't stop digging the tunnel because of the war, everyone go back to mobilize first, recently I see that the soldiers of our platoon are not in a high mood." The tunnel is well dug and the credit is indispensable. The tunnel is conducive to our hiding troops and hoarding weapons and ammunition, and it is also the key to winning the battle in battle, and if we dig the tunnel well, the company commander will see it, and when the battle is over, the opportunity for meritorious service will come. ”

"After everyone goes back, they will mobilize well, and then come to me to make a simple report, and I will go and discuss the combat mission with the company commander."

Platoon Commander Sun paused and stopped squad leader Hu: "Old Hu, there is a new comrade in your class, we are all from the past, we all know that we will be timid when we go to the battlefield for the first time, do a good job in ideological work, the first time we fight, we will criticize if we don't do well, and we will mainly encourage you." ”

He smiled again and said: "When I first went to the battlefield, I wasn't chased by bullets and cried for my father and mother. The squad leader asked me to follow him and see how he fought. ”

He said: "In the face of the new comrades, we must be more tolerant and understanding. If the battle is not fought well, it doesn't matter, after the war, go to sum up, and the squad leaders should also pay attention to the fact that if the battle is not fought well, the soldiers may blame themselves psychologically, and at this time you still criticize them, it will not have any effect, but will make the soldiers blame themselves even more, there will always be times when the war is not good, and the victorious general is not able to win the battle every time. ”

Platoon Commander Sun thought about what the instructor had just taught them, and he told the squad leaders again and again.

The instructor told them: "The more difficult the time, the more important it is to do the best ideological work, mobilize the emotions of the soldiers to actively respond to the battle, use the emotions between the soldiers as a bond, help each other, encourage each other, so that we can fight and win the battle!" ”

The squad leaders of the four squads of the second platoon nodded, and after listening to Platoon Commander Sun's suggestion, they began to go back one after another, mobilizing the soldiers of the whole squad in the squad as a unit, company to platoon, platoon to squad, squad to individual, encouraging each other, helping each other, equipment is not as good as the enemy, food and clothing are not as good as the enemy, but we have a tenacious will to fight!

The first squad of squad leader Hu is the vanguard squad of the second platoon, the assault squad, and the firepower squad, with fourteen soldiers and one recruit in the squad, can form five combat groups.