Chapter 1: The Accident

  The west corridor of the river in January is bitterly cold, with a bleak landscape, and a heavy snowfall makes the earth a vast expanse of whiteness, houses, trees, fields, and deserts blend into one, revealing an even colder atmosphere.

  In the northwest of Linze County, outside the ancient village of Gobi, it was a sea of steel, with the sound of engines roaring. One after another, Type 59 tanks accompanied by Type 63 armored vehicles crossed trenches, charged up sand dunes, forded sandy rivers, avoided enemy fire, and covered their comrades' charge...

  At this time, several officers stood on a high slope at the edge of the exercise field, looking down at the entire exercise field with binoculars. A colonel nodded and said loudly to the lieutenant colonel next to him: "Little Chen, I really didn't expect that your men are really good at it. It's only been more than half a month, and they're almost as good as my soldiers."

  That middle school principal put down the binoculars in front of him and chuckled: "They are all well-trained by the regimental commander, these soldiers are all elite troops selected from various units in the military region, with high cultural level, strict discipline, hard training, and a high elimination rate. If they can't complete the training plan within the specified time, they will be sent back to their original unit. How can they not work hard?"

  "It's okay, I've opened my eyes, with all of you great people going to Ali, we don't have to rush over there."

  He turned his head to a lieutenant colonel beside him and said loudly, "Battalion commander, they are going to Ali for combat readiness tasks. You must bring out all your skills and strictly require them, especially the driving skills in complex terrain and accurate shooting capabilities. Don't hide anything, let them become qualified tank soldiers as soon as possible."

  "Please be assured, Colonel," the lieutenant said hastily, standing at attention. "These soldiers can endure hardship, are willing to study diligently, and have quick reflexes. They grasp weapons and technical movements quickly. In their free time, they also teach us wilderness survival and capture techniques. Everyone is very grateful for them and admires them. As long as they are willing to learn, there's nothing we won't teach."

  He scratched his head and said, "It's just that fuel consumption is too fast, you have to give special approval for some."

  "Alright, I'll have the logistics department send it over tomorrow." Several people said as they walked down from the dune.

  It turned out that the senior colonel was the commander of the 46th regiment of the 12th tank division stationed in Linze, and the lieutenant colonel beside him was Chen Hai, the chief of staff of the 183rd special forces brigade of the military region.

  It turns out that Chen Hai is also an old Linze, in 1998 he joined the army from Jiangsu Xuzhou to the then stationed in Linze Motorized Infantry Fifty-Fifth Brigade, as a soldier's family, his physical quality was good, his personality was calm and steady, his cultural foundation was solid, his brain was quick-witted, and he quickly stood out from the new recruits.

  Half a year later, he entered the instructor team and was recommended to the Xi'an Army Academy from the instructor team. After graduation, he was assigned to the 183rd Regiment, thus starting his arduous and stimulating special forces career.

  In 2005, the special forces team represented China's special forces and participated in the "Eagle" international scout competition, bravely winning the championship, he was a member of Team No. 1. Now he leads the first battalion of special warfare to come here for pre-war adaptive training, which is also a revisit to his old haunt.

  For half a month, I studied the training plan with the training group on the map, drove to inspect the terrain of Linze, learned tank technology while practicing special warfare assault, and led the special forces team to march, camp, snipe, and charge in various unfamiliar environments. Even at midnight, we sneaked into the 46th regiment headquarters, making the regimental commander so angry that he scolded the guard company for being useless.

  A few people came to the assembly point of the exercise field, and the tanks and armored vehicles that had just shown off their might had returned, lined up neatly on one side, with four phalanxes standing quietly in front of the tanks.

  Seeing several people approaching, an officer in front of the square shouted: "Everyone is present, at ease, attention!" Eyes as sharp as a knife swept across the formation, turned left in unison, ran to five meters in front of Commander Gao and stood at attention, saluting with his hand "Report to the commander, Special Warfare First Battalion is conducting tank driving training, please comment. Battalion Commander Wang Jie."

  The team leader raised his hand in response and ordered: "Please take a short rest." Then he walked quickly to the front of the formation and shouted: "Comrades!" A uniform "At attention!" echoed, accompanied by the sound of heels clicking together.

  After bowing, Commander Gao continued, "Seeing your driving skills has surprised and delighted this old tank. It shows that you are all good stuff."

  "Tanks are the main assault force on the battlefield, the key to victory or defeat in a campaign, and an important means of fighting for you in the future. I hope you will carry forward the fine tradition of special forces who can endure hardships and fight bravely, learn from the scientific and rigorous combat spirit of tank soldiers, cooperate with each other, make use of the advantages of weapons, reasonably utilize the terrain, become a real iron fist on land, do you have confidence?"

  "The first battle with me, I will win." The loud slogan echoed in the entire exercise field, adding a soaring passion.

  Chen Hai walked to the front of the team, swept his gaze over the faces of his subordinates who were beaming with joy, and said loudly: "Commander Gao has praised everyone, do you feel very proud? Why did Car 206 stall when crossing the river? Why did Car 304 almost collide with the car in front when landing ashore? Why didn't Car 306 take evasive action when charging forward to meet the enemy... How did Car 602 provide cover from the flank...

  Battle cannot be separated from coordination, bravery must also be meticulous, could you have completed the raid mission just now, how many people would have died as a result, and how many troops would have been unable to advance on schedule. The battlefield cannot afford mistakes, every exercise should be treated as a battle, because you are special forces, need to cultivate the habit of fighting at any time, let seriousness, responsibility become a kind of instinct.

  Everyone has worked hard, and it's not easy to achieve this in half a month. But compared to the tasks you undertake, they are nothing. Remember that you are the vanguard of the military region, the iron fist that maintains national honor. Only by making yourself more comprehensive and excellent can you save yourself, kill the enemy, and win victory.

  "Next, Captain Wang and the deputy captains of each company organized a thorough summary of each platoon's performance, identifying shortcomings. All team members must learn from each other with humility, exchange experiences, make up for weaknesses, and continuously improve. The second practice will begin in half an hour."

  King Jie concluded the training, accompanying Gao Tuanzhang to the jeep. Gao Tuanzhang said with emotion: "No wonder your troops have achieved great victories in Xinjiang and Qinghai, killing the Eastern Turkistan *** elements until they are terrified. Your requirements are indeed strict."

  "These are lessons in blood. I don't want them to make unnecessary sacrifices."

  "Alright, you may train now. If there's anything you need, just contact the logistics department." After exchanging salutes, the Warrior vehicle drove away from the training grounds with the 46th Battalion personnel on board.

  Leaning against his own Warrior vehicle, he lit a cigarette. In the distance, the tank armored vehicles started up again, and a new round of training began.

  Chen Hai also drove into the Warriors, started the car and drove deep into the training ground. Commanding in front and observing closely is his consistent style.

  Looking out of the car window, he saw the iron monster advancing straight ahead under the control of the warriors, making various standardized movements. He couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and muttered to himself, "Ah San, you guys just add some sacred oil and make the fire burn more fiercely, I'll take this group of brave soldiers to kick your ass."

  In front is the Liyuan River, also known as the Dasha River by locals, which is the largest tributary of the Heihe River originating from the Qilian Mountains. After entering the Hexi Corridor from Liyuankou, it continues to erode downward and washes out a deep ditch in the Gobi Desert.

  Chen Hai stopped the car at the back and walked alone to the edge of the ditch near the ferry point, watching his subordinates rush up and down on the temporary slope blasted out on both sides of the steep riverbank, crushing the ice layer and stirring the river water more than one meter deep into a muddy mess.

  Another tank rumbled in, the ground trembling slightly. Perhaps it was a recent massive explosion nearby, or perhaps the tank's crushing force made the inner sandstone riverbank unbearable, and several cracks appeared behind Chen Hai, constantly expanding.

  One after another, they successfully rushed to the other side and advanced in depth. Chen Hai turned around with satisfaction, but involuntarily looked back, only to find that the large river embankment he was standing on was separating from the ground and collapsing into the river.

  Chen Hai, an elite special forces operative, was caught off guard by the sudden natural disaster and his powerful kung fu skills were unable to save him as he fell into the darkness, buried under a torrent of sand and rocks.