Chapter Thirty-One

  Rumble...

  Soon, the sound of gunfire and explosions came from the entrance of the tunnel, with some of our troops advancing in and others being driven out by the devils. Although the gunfire and explosions sounded intense, neither side could gain the upper hand... Why? The entrance to the tunnel was so small, and the passage was long, narrow, and winding, while those bullets wouldn't turn corners or recognize people like modern missiles, so most of them ended up feeding the mud on the tunnel walls.

  We who just walked out of the trenches are certainly aware of this, but since it's an attack, we have to shoot guns, right? And the devils have to shoot too, because they're afraid, what if they don't shoot and accidentally let us sneak in? So as long as we're attacking, they keep shooting from inside out, occasionally throwing out one or two hand grenades... Of course, these hand grenades usually can't be thrown near us, because we also shoot inward, the devils can't get close.

  "Squad leader!" The bayonet shouted loudly at me while changing the magazine after firing a burst of bullets: "This way of fighting is not working, nothing can be hit, I think it's better to throw in an explosive pack!"

  "Nobody is allowed to come over recklessly!" The gunshot was loud, and in order to ensure that the bayonet and other soldiers could hear my command, I had to shout with all my might: "Everyone listen up, only shoot guns and throw hand grenades, no throwing explosive packs, do you understand?"

  "Understood!" The warriors responded, raised their guns again and fired several rounds of bullets into the tunnel, but no one knew what kind of trick I was playing.

  "Second Lieutenant!" Just then a familiar voice appeared behind me, I turned around to take a look, and it was actually Commander Li leading the Regimental Commander here, with several guards standing around like they were facing a great enemy.

  "Captain, how did you get here......" I hastily put away my weapon and went forward to greet him. Although it's common for high-ranking officers in our unit to visit the front line, I didn't expect the captain to dare to come so close to the battlefield. In fact, I think this is completely unnecessary. Isn't this no longer an era where bravery is the only thing that matters? So, commanders visiting the front line can be said to be irresponsible to their own lives and irresponsible to the command of the entire unit.

  The team leader didn't say much, beckoned me to come out with a serious face and said: "Comrade Yang Xuefeng, it's okay if you can't complete the task, but there's no need to make a big fuss!"

  "Yes! Comrade Yang Xuefeng!" The company commander also advised, "This task is too difficult, and you've done enough. The other troops couldn't even get in, but you're the only one who entered the Vietnamese army's tunnel and came out. The superiors are considering your difficulties..."

  "Huh?..." I looked at the two people in front of me with some confusion and asked, "What do you mean we didn't complete the task? What's this nonsense about...I..."

  "Comrade Yang Xuefeng!" The team leader said with a heavier tone: "Don't demand too much of yourself! If the task is not completed, you can continue to work hard, but shooting randomly will not have any effect! These bullets are also earned by our transportation team with sweat, blood, and even lives, we can't just use them to vent!"

  It took me a good half day to realize that the squad leader thought I was firing at the enemy's trench because I hadn't completed my task.

  "Report to the team leader!" I said with a wry smile: "I don't think I failed to complete the task, in fact..."

  I pointed to the soldiers behind me who were firing randomly at the Vietnamese trenches and said: "In fact, I am now fulfilling my duty!"

  Lian Chang heard this and frowned slightly, his face already showing a hint of displeasure. Just as he was about to speak up in criticism, the team leader interrupted him.

  "Oh, speak up." The squad leader nodded and asked: "How did you complete the task?"

  "We've already found the ammunition depot of the Viet Cong!" I replied: "And I set a booby trap when I left the depot..."

  "Hmm!" The team leader's eyes lit up with joy upon hearing this.

  "But the problem is..." I continued: "The problem is that those devils also found out we sneaked into the tunnel and went to the ammunition depot, so it's very likely they will carefully inspect the ammunition depot..."

  "Ah!" As soon as I said that, the team leader quickly understood: "You attack the enemy's tunnel... in order to consume their ammunition, making them anxious to transport ammunition for defense and thus having no time to inspect the ammunition depot!"

  "Right!" I nodded in agreement: "That's exactly what I'm after, that's why I hoped the team leader would order a simultaneous attack on several other tunnels! The more fiercely we fight and the more ammunition we consume, the better..."

  "Hey! Why didn't you say so earlier!" The squad leader slapped his thigh, gave me a fierce stare and turned to the communication officer beside him, ordering: "Quickly! Order the troops to launch an attack on the Vietnamese devils' tunnels, all of them!"

  "Furthermore!" The team leader continued to add: "Order all troops, immediately launch a search for the enemy's tunnel entrance, and attack as soon as it is discovered!"

  "Yes!" The messenger responded and hastily ran off.

  At this time, I couldn't help but smile bitterly in my heart: When did I not say it early? Didn't I send Xiao Shi Tou to inform them early on?

  "Ha! You've got it!" The team leader patted my shoulder and chuckled: "Alright! You're a real talent, not just good at fighting, but also using your brain! At such a young age... you've surpassed us old guys!"

  "Captain..." I replied somewhat embarrassed: "I wouldn't dare... compared to you guys!"

  At this time, what I was thinking in my heart was that old man who is still lying on the sickbed in modern times. If it weren't for him...I think even if I had three heads, I wouldn't have been able to come up with this plan.

  "Report to the team leader!" At this time, the communicator ran back and reported: "The order has been conveyed, please instruct!"

  "The squad leader waved his hand and said: 'Don't do anything, just wait!'"

  The captain was right, there's a saying that goes "man proposes, God disposes", now we've done all we can do, whether we succeed or not depends on whether heaven is on our side. So everyone stood outside the house quietly waiting, listening to the sound of gunfire and hand grenades exploding one after another nearby...

  I waited for a long time, but there was no movement. I felt anxious in my heart. What if the Vietnamese devils had already discovered the booby trap I set up in the ammunition depot? Or what if they had already defused it? Should we continue to fight stupidly like this? As the main person responsible for this operation, perhaps I should have left someone behind to detonate the bomb by hand. After all, completing the mission is more important than sacrificing one person. If I prioritize saving one person over the task, wouldn't that put more soldiers in harm's way... Am I wrong to think like this?

  Thinking of this, I couldn't sit or stand still. The longer time passed, the deeper my guilt grew. It was unbearable to walk back and forth outside. On the other hand, the captain seemed calm, quietly sitting on a rock drinking water, and somehow he and Knife Scar were each smoking a cigarette, chatting about something.

  "Comrade Yang Xuefeng!" The team leader saw my expression and beckoned me to sit down, saying: "Young man, don't be in a hurry! Hurrying is useless, you need to have some patience, and never give up until the last moment, understand?"

  "Yes!" I nodded in response, took a deep breath and slowly calmed down.

  Director Zhou is right, no matter whether the devils have discovered the trap I set or not, staying here anxiously will not affect the outcome of the task, but it will instead affect my state and influence my future battles.

  In this regard, I may be a bit clever, but the psychological quality on the battlefield is far inferior to that of Lao Long and Dapeng.

  Just as the old man said, the battlefield needs us to forget the past. No matter what mistakes or achievements we had before, we should put them down and not leave any burden behind. Only in this way can we exert our greatest potential on the battlefield!

  "Report!" At this time, an officer led a dozen soldiers to run in front of Captain Liu and reported: "The 2nd platoon of the 3rd battalion is reporting for duty, requesting instructions!"

  "Hmm!" The captain nodded towards the house and said: "Go swap out the comrades inside!"

  "Yes!" Those dozen or so warriors responded in unison and without another word charged into the house with their weapons at the ready.

  I couldn't help but feel a little surprised, I didn't expect the team leader to be so thoughtful. He also knew that my soldiers and I were already tired from turning around in the trenches and continuing to fight, so he summoned a troop to take over for us...

  "Hello, boss!"

  "Hello, boss!"

  ……

  In a little while, I saw the soldiers under my command, panting and gasping for breath, walking out of the house with their bayonets. Although we didn't fight any big battles this time, and it was just physical labor like helping the devils transport food in the ammunition depot, the psychological pressure of being deep in the tiger's den and possibly facing annihilation at any moment was really hard to bear. So, if we don't replace them soon, they won't be able to hold on for much longer.

  "Comrades have worked hard!" Liu Team Leader nodded in approval towards the soldiers: "Go down and take a rest...hmm..."

  At this time, the team leader's face changed slightly, and his right hand reflexively went to touch the pistol at his waist... I followed Liu Team Leader's gaze and saw that Chen Yiyi had also timidly walked out from behind the team.

  Several guards rushed up, and I hastily explained: "She's one of us, she's Chinese. It was her who helped us find the enemy's ammunition depot in the tunnel!"

  The squad leader was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing at Daoban: "I'm telling you, Second Squad Leader, your soldiers are not only good at fighting, but also experts at making trouble!"

  "Hah!" The guards around them also burst out laughing.

  Just then, a loud explosion suddenly came, and the ground shook violently, making it hard for us to stand... I couldn't help but feel a thrill: It's done! The enemy's ammunition depot is finished!