Insufficient balance

  Calculating the time of the cannon fire, Bao Yulin carefully poked his head out of the shell hole and observed through the yellowed grass in front of him that had been smoked by the gunpowder. His fingers were hooked on the trigger, ready to fire at any moment. The rifle was placed horizontally, which made it difficult to shoot, but there was no other way, as this was the only way to minimize the probability of being discovered. "Where is that little brat?" he muttered to himself. At this moment, he didn't dare to curse out loud, and his top priority was not to be discovered and to save his own life.

  He couldn't be careless, and didn't even dare to wear a helmet. Because experience told him that at this distance, helmets were useless, as long as he was hit, it would definitely penetrate! Moreover, the large helmet would obviously increase the chances of being discovered. In fact, once discovered by the opposing sniper, there was almost no escape, and that guy shot very accurately.

  Bao Yulin had been lying still in this crater for a long time, he was well hidden because he knew that if he didn't hide himself well, he would be dead. Zhang Bin and Liu Yonghua were killed just like that, after all, the enemy had been fighting for decades, their experience wasn't ordinary.

  Their squad has been trapped here for two days, and by this afternoon at 4 o'clock, only Bao Yulin was left. He wasn't very clear about the situation on the other side, but he believed that after two days of continuous consumption and 125 howitzers covering fire every half hour, there should be only one person left on the other side. "If he had been killed by the shell just now, it would have been great." He thought to himself, but he knew this was almost impossible. The experience of the past two days told him that the guy on the other side was absolutely a slippery fish, and more than a dozen people had fallen under his gun. This morning, Zhang Bin was shot in the head because of a slight carelessness after the artillery fire, wanting to see if the guy was blown to death, resulting in the entire back of his head being blown off.

  Actually, Bao Yulin didn't understand the current situation very well. After all, it had only been three months since he enlisted, and apart from learning to tidy up his quarters, he hadn't even learned how to disassemble a gun until two days before departing for Vietnam. Fortunately, back home he had used an air rifle to go hunting, or else he wouldn't have known how to fire a gun at all. This wasn't the fault of the unit; when they arranged for target practice, Bao Yulin happened to be assigned to the last watch, and according to regulations, he needed to take a rest, so he didn't participate in the target practice.

  All of this doesn't matter now, the key is how to survive.

  Only by discovering and killing the enemy first can one possibly survive on the battlefield. Bai Yulin told himself.

  Bao Yulin's company belonged to the 41st Group Army, and after arriving in Vietnam, they were assigned an infiltration mission. The company divided the task into smaller parts, so they became the spearhead of the whole company, who made them a company, and the old soldiers were the most numerous.

  When they first arrived in Vietnam, everyone came with the idea of making a name for themselves and being rewarded. Of course, this included Bao Yulin. After all, before the war, they had received a lot of education on patriotism and heroism. However, after several battles, not even the shadow of the enemy was seen (not counting corpses), and their own platoon's casualties were nearly half. Unfortunately, the only radio in the platoon was blown to pieces by a landmine along with the operator on the first day of executing an infiltration mission. At this point, they should have retreated, but the unfortunate newly graduated platoon leader had grand ideals and ambitions, completely disregarding the personnel casualties, insisting on completing the task according to plan despite more than half of the personnel being wounded. Looking back, this decision was agreed upon and firmly supported by all comrades at the time, everyone holding their breath, thinking only about how to avenge their fallen comrades. It wasn't until years later that Bao Yulin learned that under normal war rules or exercise conditions, when the main officer is killed and more than half of the personnel are wounded, the unit's establishment would be cancelled. In other words, this unit had lost its combat effectiveness, and on the battlefield, it was usually judged that this unit had been annihilated or defeated. At the time, the situation on the battlefield was so complex, their platoon hadn't contacted headquarters for several days, of course others thought they were all killed in action.

  This was something Bao Yulin, of course, did not know. Ten years of the Cultural Revolution had not taught him anything, but the heroic education he received made him feel that he must resolutely complete the tasks assigned by his superiors and the Party, and do everything possible to eliminate the enemy, with a belief in being willing to sacrifice himself, overcome all difficulties, and strive for victory. In private, Bao Yulin had also discussed this with his deputy Liu Yonghua. Liu Yonghua was from the same hometown as Bao Yulin and usually took care of him, so he dared to speak his mind to Bao Yulin. He remembered Liu Yonghua saying at the time: "Little Bao, you must remember that this time on the battlefield is an opportunity for us. If we can make a name for ourselves in battle and get promoted, it's very likely that we'll be able to become officials. If that happens, we'll have made it big and won't have to go back to that godforsaken place again." At the time, Bao Yulin was deeply moved by these words.

  Actually, everyone is afraid of death, and Bao Yulin is no exception. I remember that the first time he encountered the enemy, he fired three clips in one breath, as for where the bullets went, only God knows. However, after several battles, even the most timid person would change. Silently counting the marks on the gun handle, Bao Yulin knew that he had already eliminated 4 enemies. Unfortunately, his own ammunition was almost gone. Before conducting reconnaissance, he counted again and found that all his remaining ammunition was only 9 bullets in the gun and one hand grenade on his waist. There were plenty of ammunition on the battlefield, but if he went to get those ammunition, perhaps he would have to pay with his life.

  "Damn it, these bastards, don't they know I'm still here?" Baoyulin cursed the artillery in his heart. But this time he didn't hide in a shell hole like usual. He had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time and knew that the enemy's guns were much stronger than his. However, he was just as afraid of cannons, and once the bombardment started, he would definitely have to take cover. The key now was whether he could spot the enemy in the instant they shifted to defensive fire.

  Almost at the moment when the shell fell, Bao Yulin found that within 20 meters in front of him, a small tree with a trunk as thick as a bowl mouth was blown off by cannon fire. Several inconspicuous little grasses on its side suddenly retreated into the crater.

  "Son of a bitch! So you're here!!" Bai Yulin's blood seemed to boil up all at once, his eyes almost turning red. He dared to be certain that this guy had killed at least 15 of his comrades, including his deputy squad leader Liu Yonghua.

  Going back three days ago, Bao Yulin's unit was connected to the superior's phased task of infiltrating in batches. They were required to spend one day crossing 20 kilometers of tropical rainforest and crossing the Jinjiang River, taking advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness to seize the Changhong Bridge on the river. It wasn't until later that Bao Yulin learned that the so-called Changhong Bridge was just a stone slab bridge less than 5 meters wide, which couldn't even be driven by tanks.

  Three platoons marched in batches, as they adopted the wartime formation. When marching, Bao Yulin's platoon had more than 60 people, which was equivalent to two ordinary platoons. The platoon leader was a newly graduated Li from military school who "parachuted" into this position. Bao Yulin couldn't remember his specific name, but it didn't matter as long as everyone knew who the platoon leader was when he was called.

  I remember that just before departure, Li Pai Zhang gave a brief pre-battle mobilization speech to the whole squad, roughly saying that everyone should uphold our army's glorious tradition on the battlefield, be brave and fight bravely, rather die standing than live kneeling, and obey all commands... etc. These things had been said so many times in pre-battle mobilizations that everyone knew them by heart, so nobody listened very carefully. However, he then said something that made everyone look at him with new eyes. Bao Yulin remembered Li Pai Zhang saying: "Once we're on the battlefield, you all watch my actions. I definitely won't be like those Nationalist officers who shout orders and then hide in the back. If that happens, just shoot me in the back and kill me. But if I order someone to go up and they don't, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

  Once on the battlefield, Li Pai-chang was indeed impressive. Wherever it was most dangerous, his shadow could be seen there. Where the enemy was thickest, he would appear there. Unfortunately, such a young officer who had just graduated from military school and became platoon leader for only three days was shot in the head by that scoundrel on the opposite side yesterday and left this world forever.

  Bao Yulin and his team suffered their first casualty on the evening of the day they set out, when Liu Yonghua was talking to Bao Yulin. He told Bao Yulin that there were still 10 kilometers to go before they could cross the forest and rest by the river. Bao Yulin remembered that when he heard this, his heart sank, and he couldn't stop cursing the tropical rainforest of Vietnam in his mind. It was known that their superiors had given them a deadline to cross the 20-kilometer forest within one day and then cross the river to occupy the bridge. But how could those staff officers who only knew how to draw straight lines on maps know that the forests of Vietnam were not suitable for human passage? Along the way, there was not only dense undergrowth, but also trees blocking out the sky, countless leeches, and poisonous snakes emerging from time to time. The people responsible for opening up the path had already been replaced several times, but this damned forest still had 10 kilometers to go.

  Just as they were talking, the vanguard who was responsible for leading the way in front brought back good news: They saw a road.

  Not far away, some felled big trees were lying in disorder, and a very inconspicuous forest path appeared before everyone's eyes. It was probably the small road opened by the mountain people to go up the mountain to cut wood. Everyone's mood improved a lot with the discovery of the path. Because this means that everyone doesn't need to work hard to open the way, they can reach the river bank at a faster speed.

  Just as everyone was feeling a bit more comfortable and moving quickly along the forest path, something unexpected happened. About two kilometers into the journey, the guide who was leading the way excused himself to relieve his bladder, but then suddenly vanished without a trace, leaving everyone baffled. Because local guides are usually rewarded for their services - the troops would typically give them some money and supplies, with the promise of more compensation after completing the mission - why did he run off like that? Did he not want what was promised to him later on?

  Squad leader Lin Bowei didn't seem as refined as his name suggested, he was a rough and unpolished man, but fortunately, he had a keen eye for detail. He was the first to stand up when he sensed something was amiss. After consulting with Li Pai Zhang, Li Pai Zhang issued an order.

  "Everyone stay alert on the spot, and a squad leader leads a squad to take a look around."

  At this time, no one realized that disaster was about to strike.

  A group of brothers, led by Lin Bo Wen, searched all around and the remaining people basically found a felled big tree to sit down and rest. Because they didn't move, Bao Yu Lin squatted down, wanting to pull his pant leg out from his sock, making his feet more comfortable. At this time, a burst of thunder exploded with a deafening roar, and immediately afterwards he was knocked to the ground by the air wave produced by the explosion.

  It was unknown how long it took, but when Bao Yulin came to, the explosion had already ended. Looking around, the scene could only be described as desolate. His comrades were lying all over the ground, and the blood and flesh scattered everywhere, along with the cries of the wounded, turned a row of resting places into a hell on earth.

  It turned out that the guide had led them into a pre-designed minefield. It was certain that the locals knew about this minefield, otherwise there wouldn't be so many fallen trees scattered around here.

  Fortunately, this minefield was an offensive minefield, and after the explosion, there was basically no more danger. But in that instant, a squad of over 60 people was killed or injured by more than half, and the only radio was also blown to pieces.

  After some rescue and sorting, the whole row still had 37 people who were intact and unharmed. Of course, Bao Yulin was one of them. Li's arm was cut open by a shrapnel, but after bandaging, he could still move. In theory, a row can use combat casualties and inability to contact as reasons to withdraw from the battle, especially Li, who could have used his injury as an excuse to take the wounded back to the barracks. Generally speaking, in such situations, once they arrive at the barracks, they will be immediately transferred to a hospital in the rear of the country, and by the time he recovers from his injuries, this war would have nothing to do with him anymore.

  After emergency treatment on the battlefield, Li, the platoon leader, called out to the whole platoon and expressed his thoughts. He said: Although our platoon has fallen into the enemy's ambush and many comrades have been killed or injured, we still have more than 30 people left. In peacetime, this is a full-strength platoon. Although there are still second and third platoons carrying out this mission, I think that one more person means one more share of strength. I believe that our first platoon still has the ability to complete the tasks assigned by our superiors. Therefore, I have decided that except for arranging some comrades to send the wounded to the rear, the rest of the comrades will follow me to continue completing the tasks given to us by our superiors.

  They were all a group of hot-blooded young people, none of whom realized the risks of this trip. However, in Bao Yulin's view, even if everyone knew there was danger, they would still go without hesitation, because this was for the sake of fighting for their country.

  When the remaining people in the row encountered an ambush by the enemy on the second day, everyone finally understood that they were too impulsive. This was not to say that they shouldn't have come, but rather that they were inexperienced and had acted rashly without detailed planning. They hadn't thought that the guide who led them on their previous trip knew their destination. The guide could lead a row into a minefield for the first time, of course, he could also tell their enemy about their route.

  A two-day ambush battle began like this.

  。。。。。。