Chapter 177: When Shi Platoon Leader Finds Old A Headquarters!
Old A gathered under Yuan Lang’s order, quickly completed assembly, lined up, and set off.
Compared to the last time when Yuan Lang personally led the team, this team’s size had shrunk severely, only about one-third, fully counting just around twenty people.
Chen Jun predicted that Blue Army Ground Forces were short on manpower, which was indeed a problem existing in Blue Army.
Old A’s Third Company originally had only over 80 people.
To achieve full strength, they still had to wait for the subsequent Old A selection to pick a batch of new members to join.
In the engagements during the first day daytime and evening, Red Army Second Battalion’s four companies paid nearly two hundred people, successively taking out around ten attacking Old As.
Steel Seventh Company’s Sniper Team took out four people, and Chen Jun led the team to ambush and take out eleven more.
Adding up from all aspects, Old A’s killed in action had reached nearly thirty people.
Now Chen Jun brought five squads to kill in, forcing Qi Huan to take two squads of Old A to intercept.
Plus those left in the frontline position forest, responsible for harassing and attacking Red Army Position’s Old A “eyes”, and the reconnaissance team sent out to monitor and recon Red Army Unit, plus the reconnaissance team searching for Red Army Command Post, they still had to leave two Old As responsible for guarding and watching the camp.
Over eighty people had already gone more than sixty, and the Old As Yuan Lang took out only had two squads left.
To play more tricks with these two squads would extremely test Commander Yuan Lang’s personal ability, whether he could hold the scene in such a situation.
After all, Blue Army had changed from overall superiority to being evenly matched with Red Army.
If not played well.
It would easily collapse entirely at once.
Over 20 Old As might seem like a lot, and in single combat each was a dragon and phoenix among men.
But once surrounded by Heavy Armored Unit…
No different from ordinary infantry!
Over an hour after Yuan Lang led the team away from the camp, Vanguard Reconnaissance Squad appeared 200 meters from the camp, in an unremarkable shrubs forest.
After Shi Jin led the team out last night, they had always been covertly infiltrating deep into Blue Army.
To avoid discovery by Blue Army Ground Forces, Shi Jin specially chose even more difficult paths, avoiding those routes with movement traces but easier to traverse.
Shi Jin judged that routes with movement traces on the ground were paths walked out by Blue Army Ground Forces.
Following Blue Army’s assault route straight ahead would indeed make it easier to find Blue Army Ground Forces’ lair, but would also make it easier to expose themselves.
It was a typical double-edged sword!
Considering that Vanguard Squad’s purpose for this infiltration into Blue Army was not to find Blue Army Ground Forces, but to find General Command Post.
Shi Jin showed the qualities of an excellent captain, firmly sticking to the goal of this trip.
Giving up this tempting cake.
However, fate was so magical; Shi Jin deliberately did not take the road stepped out by Old A, wanting to avoid Old A to go to the rear to find the command post.
And chose the most difficult route that Blue Army was least likely to take.
Even if it took more time!
As a result, the group marched through the forest all night, and in the morning without resting continued hurrying on, still stumbling upon arriving here by chance.
The road that Old As could cover in two or three hours, Vanguard Reconnaissance Squad took one all-nighter plus one morning.
It wasn’t that Vanguard Reconnaissance Squad’s foundation was too poor or physical fitness couldn’t compare to Old A; it was merely that the route was harder to traverse, unable to pick up speed.
Plus remembering the knowledge and experience taught by Chen Jun, in the jungle one must try to “go invisible” as much as possible.
That is, when advancing in the forest, one must pay attention to minimizing traces left behind, avoiding damaging roadside vegetation and weeds as much as possible.
This way could minimize the probability of being discovered by the enemy through traces.
Holding a machete and hacking along the way, chopping off all roadside thorny weeds and tree branches blocking the path, the advance speed could indeed be more than doubled.
But as long as not blind people passing by, they would discover such obvious traces.
What Chen Jun taught was indeed very useful; Shi Jin led people to touch near Old A’s lair without being discovered by any Old A including Yuan Lang.
This meant Shi Jin did very right!
Vanguard Reconnaissance Squad suddenly stopped here, mainly because they received Wu Liu Yi’s warning signal.
To ensure the reconnaissance squad’s safety, even if encountering danger there would be time to react, avoiding the risk of being wiped out at once.
Vanguard Reconnaissance Squad’s formation tactics adopted the 2+n squad tactics taught by Chen Jun.
That is, send two team members to detach from the squad, advancing 150 to 200 meters ahead of the team, responsible for scouting ahead, communicating anytime via walkie-talkie.
This way, even if danger was encountered ahead, the rear would have time to react.
Even in the worst case where only immediate retreat was possible, at most losing the two scouting ahead, the main force behind could be preserved.
As long as someone could survive, there would still be opportunity to complete the goal mission.
And using walkie-talkie for intra-squad communication was also, before finding Blue Army Command Post and launching the final action, the only communication method for the entire small team.
Walkie-talkie had very limited role in field units, usually just used for reporting targets during shoot at the target.
In large corps with frontlines stretched out, distance measured in kilometers.
Walkie-talkie communication distance was truly insufficient.
Though meaningless in corps combat, it was just right used here.
Chen Jun knew Red Army radios were all monitored by Blue Army; if Vanguard Reconnaissance Squad used radio in enemy rear, their position and intention would soon be exposed.
Red Army radio suddenly appearing in Blue Army Hinterland, even fools could guess the situation.
So before Vanguard Reconnaissance Squad set off, specially ordered Shi Jin not to turn on the radio until the last moment, that is, until confirming Blue Army Command Post’s location.
All intra-team communication used walkie-talkie to prevent being intercepted and monitored by Blue Army signals.
Walkie-talkie’s communication power was relatively low, signal much weaker compared to radio.
Blue Army helicopter intercepting from thousands of meters high altitude, with distance between both sides too far, plus dense forest cover, Blue Army helicopter’s communications interception equipment could hardly detect walkie-talkie communication signals.
Using walkie-talkie for communication was indeed safer, but it also had a big drawback.
That was Vanguard Reconnaissance Squad could only rely on themselves, unable to contact Steel Seventh Company in any way, unable to get any help from the company.
Which meant whether the mission could be completed depended on Platoon Leader Shi and Wu Liu Yi et al.’s ability.
Wu Liu Yi and Cheng Cai discovered Old A camp, knew that appearing here could only be Blue Army, but were not sure what troops.
Though they very much hoped it was Blue Army Command Post, both’s common sense told him it wasn’t.
Because here was only over ten kilometers from the frontline, with Blue Army Forward Position not even guarded playing style, plus huge advantage of Army Aviation Force.
Impossible to take such big risk placing the command post so close.
Mainly this adventure was meaningless!
To figure out what the camp ahead exactly was, Wu Liu Yi let Cheng Cai continue watching ahead, while he returned the same way to find Shi Jin to discuss.
Over a hundred meters was just dozens of seconds; Wu Liu Yi soon rendezvoused with the main force.
“What’s the situation ahead? You weren’t discovered, right?”
The group circled together in a huddle, Shi Jin seriously asked Wu Liu Yi.
“No, definitely not discovered; to avoid them noticing, when distance was still fifty or sixty meters, we didn’t continue approaching,” Wu Liu Yi affirmatively said.
“Could it be Blue Army’s Command Post? Found it so easily?” Bai Tie Jun excitedly said.
“You’re dreaming? How possible; you think all Blue Army are as dumb as you? Setting up so obviously, just waiting for us to hit?” Gan Xiao Ning mockingly said.
“You’re indeed dreaming.”
Wu Liu Yi also seriously retorted: “Blue Army has one thing definitely like you, both rats, both like hiding in places atomic bombs can’t reach; even if we’re all gone, you’d probably still be alive.”
“I’m a medic, Deputy Company Commander said, I gotta ensure I’m alive first to save you all, right?”
Bai Tie Jun righteously defended himself; this explanation did sound somewhat reasonable, at least logically no problem.
Wu Liu Yi and Gan Xiao Ning et al. could only give him two eye rolls plus middle fingers.
Bai Tie Jun was indeed quite unique, small stature but flexible, very quick-witted, originally the best assault soldier seedling.
Unfortunately his talents were all in support items, personality also tending toward cautious and timid prudence.
When Chen Jun initially positioned Vanguard Reconnaissance Squad, based on his temperament and ability strengths, could only position Bai Tie Jun as medic and logistics support.
“Alright, stop bickering, talk business.”
Shi Jin saw the topic veering off, timely pulled it back and asked: “Liu Yi, how many people in the camp? Can tell what scale camp it is?”
“Exactly how many unknown; we observed outside for one or two minutes, didn’t even see people, like an empty camp; as for scale…”
Wu Liu Yi thought for a bit and said: “Camp has five tents total, all camouflaged, covered with jungle camouflage net, also four vehicles parked, nothing else special.
I reckon it should be some company of Blue Army’s camp, empty because they went out on mission.”
Wu Liu Yi’s analysis was basically correct, just didn’t expect Blue Army Ground Forces to be just one company.
“No one in the camp, what we waiting for? Hurry over to loot a wave; their equipment so good, gotta grab more while opportunity,” Xie Chong excitedly said.
“Yeah, like the night vision goggles used last night, wearing at night like daytime, really awesome; if we grab more to bring back, give Steel Seventh Company’s brothers one each, wouldn’t we take off?”
Gan Xiao Ning dreamed even bigger than Xie Chong, daydreaming in broad daylight.
“What you two thinking? Stuff is good, but you want your lives? Not afraid have the life to take but not to carry away?”
As the survivalist representative, Bai Tie Jun was first to oppose.
Bai Tie Jun as a small person only had his small goal; his current goal was to live until exercise end, completing mission would be even better.
Thus to live longer, he didn’t want any contact with Blue Army.
Contact meant risk.
Bai Tie Jun only sought safety, which went against his thought purpose.
