Chapter 23: The Budding Sniping Consciousness

  This afternoon, Liu Yimin spent in the sniper squad. When he came, the captain of the sniper squad, Wang Tongsheng, was leading the soldiers to practice shooting postures.

  Looking at the warriors practicing seriously, Liu Yimin was very satisfied. After a while, he called Wang Tongsheng over and asked about the training situation. Wang Tongsheng reported that after the whole army was reorganized, there were 8 more people in the platoon, now totaling 30 people. The original 22 people were all good hands from the Red 18th Regiment and the 34th Division's sharpshooters, with good marksmanship. The new 8 people were found from the reorganized Red Army on the banks of the Xiangjiang River, all old Red Army soldiers with good marksmanship as well. However, since the establishment of the sniper platoon, they had not undergone actual combat testing and had not fired at targets, so the specific situation could only be known through battle.

  Liu Yimin asked Wang Tongsheng how his shooting level was, and Wang Tongsheng smiled awkwardly, saying that within 100 meters he could hit the target with a shot, at 150 meters it depended on the situation of the target, and at 200 meters the target must be fixed. Liu Yimin knew this was an expert, because the Red Army didn't have professional sniper rifles, and being able to shoot to this level with ordinary rifles was already very difficult.

  Liu Yimin asked other soldiers if they could all reach this level, and Wang Tongsheng still said that it would have to wait until the next battle to test. Liu Yimin told Wang Tongsheng that when the fighting was not too busy, he would write a professional sniper manual and lead the soldiers in training together. For now, with combat missions at any time, the focus is on training how to find and establish sniper positions, how to discover key targets in the first place, and clarify the order of sniping.

  Wang Tongsheng said I gathered the warriors together, and asked Captain Liu to give a brief introduction. Liu Yimin said it was okay.

  After a while, the soldiers surrounded Liu Yimin. Liu Yimin asked everyone to sit down on the spot and told the soldiers how to choose a sniper position, how to camouflage and hide, and how to transfer positions, paying attention to mutual cover between two people. Then he told everyone that on the battlefield, the order of targets for snipers is: first, enemy snipers, but now the National Army does not have a concept of sniper warfare, so it is impossible to have professional snipers, at most there are individual expert marksmen. Therefore, when fighting against the National Army, the first target of the sniper squad is the commander, especially the highest commander on the battlefield. Given that the National Army, especially the Central Army, has a weak sense of combat and cohesion, killing the enemy's highest commander can easily cause chaos and even lead to defeat. Thus, timely discovering and eliminating the enemy's highest commander on the battlefield is the primary task of the sniper squad, and one should assign the first sniper team to undertake this task. Next are the enemy's mid-to-low-level commanders who lead the charge, killing a company commander may immediately stop the charge of that company, so it is necessary to discover and kill these mid-to-low-level commanders in the first place, causing chaos in the enemy's organizational system. The second target is the enemy's artillerymen, the enemy's big guns pose the greatest threat to the Red Army, killing the enemy's artillerymen and using them for ourselves is an important part of winning the battle. The third target is the enemy's machine gunners, especially heavy machine gunners, who must be eliminated in a timely manner during combat. If the above combat mission objectives are completed, our army will be invincible.

  "A warrior asked: 'If these targets are eliminated, can we withdraw?'"

  Liu Yimin said: "Yes. But specific situations require specific analysis. If both sides are in combat, the sniper squad should immediately conduct covering fire and eliminate all targets that have a significant impact on us. Think about it, the sniper squad is the elite of the troops, you can say one bullet is one enemy, basically no wasted shots, under the circumstances where the enemy has no defense, your squad's one round of shooting can take out an entire enemy squad, if each person fires ten rounds, that's almost three companies of enemies. Therefore, the deployment of sniper squads in combat is crucial."

  Another soldier said: "In that case, when our troops charge forward, we can't aim and shoot like that when we're in close combat with bayonets."

  Liu Yimin said: "Sniper training is calm shooting, accurate shooting, using bullets to talk to the enemy. At any time, no one is allowed to order the sniper squad to participate in charging and bayonet fighting. The lives of 100 enemies cannot be exchanged for the life of a single sniper. Of course, you are still far from the requirements of a sniper, and can only be considered as a first-class shooter. When our Red Army rebuilds its base in the future, we will find a way to purchase professional sniper rifles with scopes and silencers, conduct professional training, and strive to eliminate all targets that we think should be eliminated within 1000 meters. Now the conditions are not available, there is no good equipment, and it is impossible to conduct professional training, can only rely on learning in combat and accumulating experience."

  "1,000 meters? My god, what kind of gun is that?" a soldier exclaimed.

  "Many countries with developed military industries in Europe and the United States produce sniper rifles. For example, the Soviet Union's Mosin-Nagant sniper rifle has a 4x magnification scope and a combat firing rate of 10-20 rounds per minute, with a killing range of 2000 meters. Germany's sniper rifle is the K98 rifle, which is similar to our Type 79 rifle and belongs to the Mauser rifle family, the difference being that it comes equipped with a scope. With the 4x scope-equipped K98 sniper rifle, targets at 400 meters can be easily shot, while choosing a 6x scope allows for shooting targets at 1000 meters." Liu Yimin replied.

  Wang Tongsheng's face was filled with envy, as if there was a brand new sniper rifle in front of him. He rubbed his hands together and spat a mouthful of saliva into his palm. Liu Yimin couldn't help but laugh and said: "Wang Tongsheng, are you itching for something?"

  "Captain, you don't know, if we had such good guns, we could fire from two miles away. By the time the enemy finds out their commander has been shot, we can quietly slip away. Where would they go to chase us?"

  Liu Yimin said, "Without a professional sniper rifle, we can make one ourselves. Wang Tongsheng, go find a pair of binoculars and ask the craftsmen to think of a way to split it into two monocular telescopes, then fix them on the rifle and see how it works."

  Wang Tongsheng said: "Exactly, how come I didn't think of it?"

  Liu Yimin said: "A good sniper is an intellectual warrior, who must always be calm and composed, observe more, think of ways. Go to the new recruit camp to see if there are Miao or Yao ethnic minority soldiers who can use bows and arrows, find a few to come and teach our soldiers, the sniper squad doesn't just use guns, it can also conduct silent combat with bows and arrows."

  "Yes, I will resolutely carry out the order."

  A warrior said: "I think, the commander's sniping is what we call shooting a cold gun. We also use it in battle, but it doesn't have much effect."

  Liu Yimin said: "Wrong. Sniping and shooting from behind have essential differences. Shooting from behind is to play the role of a first-class shooter in combat, occasionally doing so. Sniping is consciously cultivating snipers, consciously targeting key targets and objectives. Most of the time, snipers are detached from the main force and act alone. You may not know that an excellent sniper can sometimes change the outcome of a battle, or even the outcome of a war."

  The warriors' gaze sparked Liu Yimin's interest and he started to bluff.

  Here is the translation:

  "Let me tell you a story, this story is called "The Unfired Shot". During the American Revolutionary War, there was a famous British gun designer named Patrick Ferguson, who was also an excellent sniper. At that time, he used an old-fashioned muzzle-loading flintlock rifle with an effective range of 73 meters. In contrast, the American snipers were using Kentucky rifles with an effective range of 180 meters.

  The most fatal weakness of the flintlock rifle was that it had to be loaded from the front, which made loading slow and impossible while lying down, making it easy for the target to expose itself. The difference in equipment made Ferguson always at a disadvantage when facing American snipers.

  In one battle, Ferguson failed to hit his target due to the limited range of his rifle, and instead exposed himself by firing, getting wounded by the enemy. This led him to decide to develop a breech-loading rifle with a range over 180 meters.

  Later, he successfully created the world's first breech-loading rifle, the Ferguson Rifle, which is the ancestor of all modern rifles. In 1776, Ferguson demonstrated his rifle at a British armory and hit the eye of a cow from beyond 91 meters.

  The British high command decided to produce 100 Ferguson Rifles and form an elite unit equipped with them. Ferguson led this unit and inflicted heavy casualties on the American forces. Once, they were surrounded by the Americans, but Ferguson ordered his men to adopt a new tactic - firing while lying down - and broke through the encirclement without suffering any casualties.

  After breaking through, Ferguson spotted an American officer riding away and quickly took aim at the back of his head. The distance between them was only 114 meters, making it an easy shot. But just as he was about to fire, Ferguson suddenly lowered his rifle and ordered his men to retreat.

  Do you know who that American officer was? It was George Washington, the first President of the United States."

  "Good heavens! If he had fired, would there have been no United States?" exclaimed a soldier.

  Liu Yimin glanced at this warrior: "History has no assumptions. However, historians also acknowledge that Ferguson gave up an opportunity to change history."

  "Why didn't he fire then?" the soldier continued to ask.

  Why didn't he fire? We are not parties to the matter and do not know his true thoughts at that time. However, many people believe that Washington was facing away from Ferguson at the time, and the British gentleman's demeanor made Ferguson unwilling to shoot Washington in the back. Whatever the reason, Ferguson ultimately did not fire that bullet. Ironically, Ferguson was killed by American snipers at a distance of 411 meters during the Battle of Kings Mountain on August 7, 1780.

  That warrior shook his head and said "What a pity".

  "What's your name?" Liu Yimin asked the soldier.

  "Reporting to the team leader, sniper squad warrior Li Shuiniu of Red 18th Team is reporting for duty. Please give instructions."

  Looking at Li Shuiniu's standard military posture, Liu Yimin's eyes were filled with smiles. In just a few short days, the soldiers of the 18th Regiment had all learned the standard military posture from him, and the power of a model is boundless. After returning the courtesy, Liu Yimin said: "Comrade Li Shuiniu, do you know that during the American Revolutionary War, the US sniper Murphy killed British General Simon Fraser, who was leading a reconnaissance team, causing the British army's breakout plan to fail? This battle was a turning point in the American Revolutionary War, and Murphy fired perhaps the most valuable shot in human history. Therefore, if you want to become an excellent sniper, when completing tasks, you can't talk about gentlemanly demeanor. Snipers learn to shoot at the head, regardless of whether it's the forehead or the back of the head."

  Li Shui Niu said: "Don't worry, Captain. My bullets are specifically for hitting the enemy's skull, scaring them to death."

  Liu Yimin said to the soldiers, "Think about it, if next time our army and the enemy encounter each other, the sniper squad can quickly establish a hidden sniper position, then the enemy officers, artillerymen, and machine gunners will be killed one after another. Can the enemy still fight us? I'm afraid they will collapse soon."

  Wang Tongsheng said: "That's right. The soldiers of the White Bandit Army were basically all pulled from Latin America, and their combat consciousness was extremely poor. If there were no officers leading them, the troops would quickly disperse. Suppose the enemy is a regiment, suppose we enter the battlefield first to prepare, after one round of shooting, it's very likely that we'll take out the enemy's company and battalion commanders. In that case, the battle will be over."

  Liu Yimin patted Wang Tongsheng's shoulder: "You're in charge. You need to work with the soldiers to figure out how to camouflage, so that the enemy can't detect us, such as dyeing our clothes the same color as the dry grass and leaves, how to find a suitable position, how to organize and match up to play to your shooting strengths, etc. Remember, soldiers entering the sniper squad not only require high cultural level and high shooting level, but also high secrecy awareness, can't let the enemy know our new tactics."

  Wang Tongsheng said: "If we do it this way, that would be a completely new way of fighting, and our equipment needs to be improved."

  Liu Yimin felt that Wang Tongsheng had a strong ability to accept, and it seemed that he was equipped with special combat qualities. He said: "Next time we have spoils of war, the sniper squad should be equipped with binoculars, pistols, daggers, and watches first. Other equipment can be added slowly. In fact, equipping a qualified sniper requires spending a lot of money. We are currently in transit, and conditions do not permit it. You try to figure it out yourself, especially taking apart the binoculars and installing them on the rifle. Try it out immediately. If it works, we can use it first. When conditions improve in the future, we will re-equip according to standard."

  Taking advantage of the time available, Liu Yimin taught the soldiers sign language. Unexpectedly, these old Red Army men had a good ability to accept it, and in a short period of time, they all basically mastered it.

  Liu Yimin instructed Wang Tongsheng to lead the soldiers in continued practice and discussion, following the previous instructions, with a two-man team formation being the best. Wang Tongsheng said please don't worry, Commander, they are all old soldiers, they understand at once, and will practice seriously. Liu Yimin smiled, patted Wang Tongsheng's shoulder, and then returned to the brigade headquarters with the communications officer.

  After dinner, Liu Yimin was discussing with Cai Zhong how to speed up the production of dry food and shoes and socks. A communication officer from the Red Army headquarters came running to tell Liu Yimin that Chairman Mao wanted to see him and Commissar Cai. After a brief discussion with Cai, Liu Yimin instructed Liu Jianli to strengthen vigilance and then left with the communication officer.