Chapter 43: Military Exercise!

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  On April 21, 1936 (the 25th year of the Republic), the tenth class of cadets from the Central Army Academy and the school's instructional troops began a joint military exercise.

  As soon as the exercise began, the Eastern Army's tactical offense was met with a fierce counterattack from the Western Army, which was formed by the Instructional General Headquarters. This was an army that had been baptized in actual combat, with excellent equipment and rigorous training. Whether it was individual soldier quality or coordination between different branches of troops, they were far superior to the Student General Headquarters, i.e., the Eastern Army, who had no experience in actual combat.

  After the failure of the Eastern Army's offensive, they were forced to switch to defense and defend their core position - Bao Huashan with all their might.

  The Western Army surrounded Bao Huashan with a victorious momentum, launching a fierce attack in turns. After three days of intense battle, more than half of the Eastern Army's officers and soldiers defending the mountain had been killed or wounded.

  Bao Hua Mountain, Diaoyu Reef is located in the northwest of Bao Hua Mountain, which is a key defense line for the Eastern Army. It is said that Diaoyu Reef was where Wang Anshi fished in those years.

  However, at this time, Diaoyu Island had already lost its tranquility of the past. The sound of gunfire and shouting had been noisy here for three days and three nights.

  The defense of Diaoyu Island was a battalion of the Eastern Army, and the battalion commander was Zhang Xinghan, an outstanding student from the 10th period. Due to the heavy losses suffered by the main force of the Eastern Army during the attack, the entire army retreated to Baohua Mountain, where they fought fiercely for three days and nights, resulting in more than half of Zhang's battalion being reduced.

  Now with Zhang Xinghan joining in, there were less than seventy people left. After a fierce battle for a day, the sky had darkened and the Western army's attack ceased.

  Zhang Xinghan and Zhao Desheng sat back to back in the trench, silently smoking, neither of them speaking. Although this was just a drill, it was also a battlefield. If they couldn't hold onto Baohua Mountain for six days, it would mean defeat for the Eastern Army.

  In the dead of night, Sun Siwei, who was in charge of sentry duty, suddenly sounded an alarm signal. Zhang Xinghan, Zhao Desheng and dozens of soldiers from the whole company immediately got up, picked up their weapons with vigilant expressions, and aimed at the front.

  "Enemy attack! The Western Army launched a night raid!" Sun Siwei swiftly returned from the front grass thicket, panting heavily as he spoke to Zhang Xinghan.

  "How many of them are there?" Zhang Xinghan asked while cocking his rifle.

  "It's unclear, can't see clearly at night, there must be over a hundred people!" Sun Siwei replied breathlessly.

  "Tell the brothers not to shoot first! Get closer and then hit!" Zhang Xinghan commanded calmly.

  "Xing Han, this is just an exercise, and it's at night too. We're using blank rounds, what if we accidentally hit them and they don't realize it, then continue to charge forward?" Zhao De Sheng asked.

  "No way! Each battalion has a school officer in charge of supervision and arbitration, if they dare to do so, then we will win this exercise!" Zhang Xinghan said while looking ahead.

  "They're coming up!" Sun Siwei whispered in warning.

  Everyone held their breath and looked ahead, and indeed saw a group of black shadows slowly creeping towards them in the distance.

  "Fifty meters... forty meters!" Zhang Xinghan counted silently in his heart, "Thirty meters!" When the Western army's night raid unit reached a distance of thirty meters, Zhang Xinghan shouted loudly: "Fire!" As he pulled the trigger, a blank cartridge accurately hit a black shadow more than thirty meters away. The black shadow let out a mournful cry, fell to the ground with a thud, and immediately retreated from the battlefield in disarray.

  Upon hearing the order, dozens of student soldiers suddenly opened fire, and a dense barrage of gunfire erupted. At a distance of only 30 meters, the Western army's night raiders were completely caught off guard, instantly knocked down in large numbers. They had not expected that this group of student soldiers, who had been fighting all day, still had preparations for the evening.

  The Western army's surprise attack aircraft has been lost, and after losing dozens of people, they can only retreat in dismay.

  After the Western Army retreated, Zhang Xinghan hastily asked Zhao Desheng: "Desheng, how many casualties?"

  "Xing Han, we didn't lose a single man, it's a complete victory!" Zhao De Sheng loudly reported shortly after.

  "Everyone, at ease!" Zhang Xinghan ordered.

  Zhang Xinghan had just sat down when Zhao Desheng and Sun Siwei walked over with their waists bent, sitting on either side of him.

  "Hurray! The Western Army suffered a setback in this night raid, they will not let it go easily, tomorrow's attack will definitely be more fierce, can we hold on?" Sun Siwei asked anxiously after sitting down.

  "If we continue to fight like this, it's not going to be easy to hold on! Our artillery has been completely destroyed by the Western army. Without artillery, wanting to hold onto the main peak of Bao Hua Mountain is... difficult!" Zhang Xinghan said thoughtfully.

  "Hmm! The Western army has artillery support, and most of our fallen brothers were killed by their cannon fire!" Zhao Desheng nodded in agreement.

  "What are we going to do then? Are we just going to lose like this?" Sun Siwei asked unwillingly.

  Zhang Xinghan hesitated for a moment and said: "I have an idea, but it's a bit risky."

  "What's the solution? Speak up quickly and let's hear it." Zhao Desheng and Sun Siwei urged in unison.

  "My idea is that we take the initiative to attack, infiltrate into the rear of the Western army, and wipe out all their artillery positions. This way, we can eliminate their artillery threat. Even if we can't win, holding on to Bao Huashan until the scheduled time shouldn't be a problem!" Zhang Xinghan said.

  "Take the initiative to attack? We don't even know where the Western army's artillery positions are, how can we go there? Moreover, since it is an artillery position, it must be heavily guarded. Even if we find it, I'm afraid we won't be able to destroy it." Sun Siwei raised his objections upon hearing this.

  Moreover, we received orders from the superior to hold our ground here. The terrain is treacherous, and if we launch a private attack, the main peak of Bao Hua Mountain and the Eastern Military Command will be lost! Zhao De Sheng also worriedly said.

  "So I'm saying there's a risk that if we can't complete the task and return to camp before dawn, this eastern expedition will be doomed," said Zhang Xinghan.

  After a pause, Zhang Xinghan said: "Actually, the artillery position of the Western army is at most three miles away from here. Within five miles, based on their trajectory analysis during the day, it should be not far from here, finding them shouldn't be a problem!"

  "But how can we break through the Western army's lines?" Sun Siwei asked.

  "It's definitely not possible with a large troop, but if we dispatch a small squad of ten or so people to infiltrate their lines, it might just work. And now that it's nighttime, the dark will provide us with the best cover." Zhang Xinghan said.

  "Will such an action violate the rehearsal regulations?" Zhao Desheng asked.

  "Exercises stipulate straightforwardness, no capture is allowed, no disguise and infiltration are allowed, no hiring of farmers is allowed, no destruction of buildings and crops is allowed. Although we are launching a surprise attack, we do not violate any of the above regulations!" Zhang Xinghan replied.

  "How about it! Dare you try?" Zhang Xinghan asked.

  "Listen to you! Anyway, continuing to defend is also a loss. Fortunately, we can try our luck and maybe turn the tide of battle!" Zhao Desheng said first.

  "Hmm! De Sheng is right, I agree too!" Sun Siwei nodded in agreement.

  "What about you? Who wants to go?" Zhang Xinghan asked the other warriors.

  "I will go! I will go! I'll go too!" All the warriors responded in unison.

  "Not bad! There's a spirit of vitality, this is what a soldier should be like. Although it's just an exercise, we must treat it as if it were real war. The Western Army is now the Japanese, they are the invaders, and we must defeat them! Next, I will select personnel, those who aren't selected shouldn't feel discouraged, staying behind to guard this place is also a great responsibility!" Zhang Xinghan said.

  Soon, Zhang Xinghan selected 17 soldiers who were agile and good at shooting, plus him, Zhao Desheng and Sun Siwei, making a total of 20 people. The 20 people formed a small team and quietly moved down the mountain under Zhang Xinghan's leadership.