Insufficient balance

  A sharp whistling sound came from the sky, and I yelled: "Take cover!"

  Before the words had fallen, a shell landed in the jungle, and more than a dozen trees as thick as a bowl were torn to pieces. Countless shrapnel mixed with mud and wood chips spread outward at subsonic speeds, deeply embedded in the surrounding trees amidst the sound of "popping and cracking".

  Looking at the black smoke rising into the sky, the assault team members felt tears of despair. For three days, they had been running through the dense forest for over 200 miles, constantly encountering the enemy and engaging in fierce battles, constantly being bombarded by long-range 155mm heavy artillery, constantly having someone step on infantry landmines due to exhaustion and have their legs blown off without timely detection, finally having no choice but to swallow cyanide-soaked buttons to die for the country.

  In just three days, our assault team of originally 270 people was reduced to 136, and almost everyone was injured.

  Everyone was lying down in the jungle, I crouched and ran to Captain Fang Xiang's front, took out a military map from my body, and hadn't spread it on the ground yet. Another shell landed near us, a sandstorm fell from the sky, beating our helmets, making a rustling sound.

  Fang Xiang angrily and urgently shouted: "I'm being shot at again, which high ground is the enemy on? Old Liu come over quickly!"

  The Indian army was equipped with Swedish-made HF-77B heavy artillery, which could accurately hit targets within 40 kilometers on flat ground. In three days, we lost fifteen brothers due to this long-range artillery. If it weren't for the trees in the dense forest providing cover, the number of casualties would have increased exponentially.

  This remote artillery shell is heavy, and without the installation of an automatic loading device, it requires four soldiers to hold the shell with steel tongs to send it into the barrel. It can fire about one shot every forty seconds. As long as you can determine the enemy's firing point, you can lead the assault team to avoid the heavy artillery bombardment.

  Fang Xiang shouted the old Liu is the only company commander beside him, Old Liu also like me crouching waist with familiar military action quickly approached us, I took out a red and blue double-color pencil and a compass, carefully drew several coordinate functions on the map, through the impact point of the shell to quickly determine the enemy's direction and distance.

  This set of jungle warfare skills was something I painstakingly learned at the age of 18, sacrificing two weeks of my time under the strict supervision and scolding of my old man. My dad said it's a necessary military skill for any qualified commander, but I've always thought it's the most useless skill. In modern battlefields where troops are equipped with satellite communication equipment as units, they can quickly grasp the distribution of enemy forces through information sharing. Where is the need to painstakingly calculate coordinate functions?

  Only now do I deeply understand my father's concern and hope for me. Even Fang Xiang, a graduate of the regular army military academy, cannot calculate a complex function equation in one minute like I can. It is precisely because of this unique skill that I can lead the brothers of the assault team to miraculously escape the Indian army's firepower points, heavy artillery, and patrol teams time and time again. Like a magician who can turn his hands into clouds and rain, I have been constantly inflicting heavy casualties on the Indian army at the boundary between life and death.

  When I drew three intersecting colored lines on the map, which finally converged to a point, my pupils suddenly enlarged and I shouted in a low voice: "Lao Liu be careful..."

  Old Liu raised his head in surprise, revealing a smile to me. When the sharp whistle suddenly sounded above his head, his smile turned into absolute astonishment. In just twenty seconds, the enemy fired their second shot!

  The shell landed right at Old Liu's feet, the steel helmet he was wearing was blown off and flew straight up for over 20 meters, spinning tens of times in mid-air before landing on the ground with a loud "clang" sound, rolling and spinning to my feet.

  Fang Xiang stared at the steel helmet for a full five seconds, licked his dry lips and asked: "Yin Xue, what's going on here?"

  I too stared at the steel helmet, saying in a low voice: "We are surrounded. In our front, left and right sides, there is an Indian army-controlled firepower point. We are now within the range of three 155mm heavy artillery attacks. No matter which direction we move forward, we will inevitably be blocked by a firepower stronghold guarded by a whole company."

  Fang Xiang let out a soft "oh" and looked at me with eyes full of hope, asking: "If we retreat immediately now, what are the chances that we can bypass the enemy's encirclement?"

  "I see no chance of success." I replied with a bitter smile: "For the past few days, I have been feeling uneasy in my heart, and now I finally understand where this unease comes from. The commander of the Indian military who is directing this operation is a very formidable opponent. From the ambush on our transport planes to the three-day siege, we were all caught off guard because we were in the midst of battle and couldn't see the big picture like he did. Our marching route has been gradually led into this deadly trap under his precise strikes and guidance. In this battle, he has the upper hand in terms of timing, terrain, and human resources, the three decisive factors. We have already been pushed to the brink of despair, and can only wait for him to play the role of a wise and cunning general."

  I drew two arrows on the map and said in a low voice, "The blue arrow is the Indian Army's super-strong infantry brigade, the Indo-Tibetan Border Special Forces, stationed at the border. In a situation where the soldiers' strength is basically equal, with just one battalion of soldiers, they can crush me to death. The red arrow is the Assam Infantry Regiment, a relatively strong local armed force, with a basic combat unit of a battalion. Three days ago, we suddenly encountered their troops in the dense forest, and it's estimated that they were from the Assam Infantry Regiment. Their combat capability is limited, but if they can entangle us for twelve minutes, we will be caught by the Indian Air Force. Now, with these two forces added to the three firepower strongholds, all our possible escape routes have been completely strangled. Turning back would only lead us to encounter these two forces earlier and engage in a battle with no chance of winning!"

  He glared fiercely at the map in front of him, even the continuous explosions of shells and the soldiers' cries of pain nearby couldn't make him flinch. After two minutes, he spoke in a low voice: "For me, a commander who usually follows the rules and likes to fight with conventional methods, this is indeed a dead end. But you're different, Fu Yuxue. Although we've only been together for three days, I'm convinced that you're an extraordinary person who can achieve great things through unconventional means. You have a heroic charm that makes me jealous, and you can unknowingly attract people around you, inspiring them to unleash their strongest fighting power. If it were just that, it would be fine, but you also possess excellent judgment, knowing when to advance or retreat on the battlefield. A person like you will never allow yourself to be manipulated by the enemy. I firmly believe that you will break through this deadlock with force!!! You just need more space and power."

  The two of us looked at each other, carefully measuring the thoughts hidden deep within our hearts. No one would like a subordinate who is difficult to control and has signs of surpassing their superior. Promoting me to squad leader was already the limit of what Fang Xiang could tolerate, but on the battlefield, facing increasingly dire circumstances, he had no choice but to deepen his reliance on me.

  We are now facing a desperate situation, to get out of here alive, the two surviving commanders of our assault team must eliminate all obstacles in the shortest time possible and concentrate all our minds and strength to break through the encirclement.

  "There is only one way," I stared at Fang Xiang, saying in a low voice: "That is to stake our lives, use our blood and flesh to pave a path of life on this land!"

  I pointed to a location on the map and said calmly, "As long as we retreat five miles back, we will be out of range of the enemy's three heavy artillery firepower points. Here there is a mountain slope with an elevation of 236 meters, behind which is a deep ditch that makes it impossible for the enemy to organize a large-scale attack. Without worrying about our rear, our assault team can hastily build some temporary fortifications on top and lay anti-tank mines. I estimate that with just fifty men, we can hold off two enemy forces for over twelve hours."

  "Then we can use the remaining eighty people to form a dare-to-die corps, launch a strong attack on the Indian army's right-wing firepower stronghold. As long as we break through this stronghold, Davang will become a beautiful woman in front of us, and we can take her at will!!!"

  "Fang Xiang shouted in shock: "Are you crazy? You actually want to use a team of 80 people to launch a desperate attack on a high ground defended by an entire regiment? With just their mortars and heavy machine guns, plus the air force's bombers, they can annihilate all of you at the foot of the mountain."

  "I'm going crazy!" I burst out laughing: "In this situation, the only way to survive is to fight with our lives, and if we die, we'll die together for the country. Although our bodies will sleep forever on this land, criticized by thousands of people and spat upon by tens of thousands, but we can be proud of ourselves, proud of the red military soul passed down through generations of Chinese troops!"

  "We'd rather die with our elder brother on the battlefield than live without honor!"

  The loud shouts of Chang Sun-ting, Yang Qing, Yang Yu and Bai Ruiqi rose up around me at the same time.

  I shouted loudly: "Yang Qing!"

  Disregarding the enemy's shells constantly falling around us, Yang Qing suddenly jumped up and shouted: "Charge!"

  "I said solemnly: 'I'll give you the best sniper rifle, choose the best angle for yourself. When we launch a strong attack on the enemy's firepower point, you can hide far away and don't need to fire a single shot. But when the enemy's bomber appears, you must use one rifle to shoot it down, can you do it?'"

  Ordering a soldier to shoot down the world's number one twin-seat strategic bomber with a sniper rifle is an almost idiotic command. Yang Qing stared straight into my eyes, full of strong confidence and hope, hesitated for ten seconds, then suddenly puffed out his chest and roared: "I can do it! As long as I get to fire three shots, I can solve the problem of the plane's high-speed movement and the bullet's flight time!"

  "Good, you succeeded and we have a glimmer of hope. You failed, and we're done for!" I shouted loudly: "Bairuiqi!"

  Bai Ruiqi also jumped up like Yang Qing and shouted: "Agreed!"

  "When we're storming the strongpoint, the enemy's 155mm heavy artillery will be out of range and won't be a threat. The biggest threat to us is their dual-purpose heavy machine guns. Your mission is to use your sniper rifle to suppress their heavy firepower. If anyone dares to show up in front of those two heavy machine guns, take them out! Can you do it?!"

  "Swear to complete the task! If I can't suppress those two heavy machine guns, I'll take a pack of explosives and blow them up!!!"

  Chang Sun Ting, Yang Yu!

  "Arrived!"

  "Arrived!"

  I gazed at the two of them and sternly asked, "With fifty men, can you hold your ground for twelve hours, withstand the dense attack of more than two battalions of enemy troops and the repeated bombing of the Indian Air Force?"

  Chang Sun Ting and Yang Yu looked at each other and said in unison: "We can!"

  It was just one word, but every single person present could clearly feel their unyielding determination to win, which was more massive and formidable than Mount Tai.

  I slowly stood up, saluted Fang Xiang with a military salute, and shouted: "Please order, Captain! I will personally lead the dare-to-die squad to capture the enemy's right-wing position! Let those Indian bastards know what is the true Chinese army spirit! I want to make it clear in this battlefield that even after ten or twenty years, a hundred years, the Chinese Army will still be the invincible lion of the world!!!"

  He gazed deeply at me, then looked around at the soldiers beside him who were full of morale and shouted: "If we're going to die, let's die together! I'll go with Chang Sun-ting to block the enemy's attack. Although I have no right to give orders, this is already what everyone wants. From this moment on, Fu Yinxue, you are the company commander! If I unfortunately fall in battle, it will be up to you to lead the entire assault team and use your own methods to inflict the greatest damage on the enemy!!!"