Chapter 276 Reconnaissance Operation
The personnel of this special operations company formed by Qian Tiandun in Black Tu Port were basically composed of North Vietnamese immigrants. The platoon-level officers were served by crossing troops, and Qian Tiandun personally served as the company commander. The average age of this team is less than twenty years old, and there are more than 180 people including officers. The number has greatly exceeded the existing army company-level establishment of the Military and Police Department, and is basically the size of a semi-normal company. Of course, this kind of overstaffing was also registered with the Military and Police Department, and it was not Qian Tiandun's wanton behavior.
Since the establishment of this company, Qian Tiandun has focused on combat capabilities in the wild environment as the main training goal. The training location of this unit is not within the port area of Heitu Port, but between Heitu Port and Tu. Cat Ba Island between mountain peninsulas.
This island with an area of more than 100 square kilometers is the largest island in the Beibu Gulf. Most of the island is covered with rocky mountains and virgin forests. The small number of fishermen who originally lived on the island were consciously moved by Qian Tiandun to settle in Heitu Port, turning the island into a field military training base.
The training content formulated by Qian Tiandun is basically based on the field tactics he has learned before, and to a certain extent, it focuses more on the cultivation of individual combat awareness and skills. However, because the weapon used was a front-loaded flintlock gun with an extremely long barrel, neither loading nor carrying it could meet the training effect Qian Tiandun wanted to achieve. There were still many inconveniences in fighting in jungles and mountains. However, Qian Tiandun has also submitted a report to the Military and Police Department, requesting the military industry department to design and manufacture a weapon with a shorter gun body, easier to carry, and more powerful at close range. Of course, before that, Qian Tiandun had to prove the existence value of his company, at least worth it for the military industry department to design and manufacture a new weapon for this purpose.
In terms of the quality of individual soldiers, the tactical skills learned by the team led by Qian Tiandun have far exceeded that of the militiamen in the base camp. The only thing they lack is actual combat experience. As for this time going south to fight, Qian Tiandun had already made up his mind to show the results of more than two months of training to his colleagues in the Military and Police Department.
After a while, Tom Wang and his friends also came to the dock and met Qian Tiandun's team. The commanders on both sides checked the time with their watches, and then checked the communication channels of the radio and walkie-talkies to ensure that the communication methods were smooth before boarding the ship and preparing to set off.
In order to ensure that this operation is foolproof, the Ministry of Shipping and the Military and Police Department jointly equipped the "Exploration" with the strongest personnel. Sun Changmi personally served as the captain, and the crew members were all carefully selected from the existing establishment of the Ministry of Shipping. There are more than 50 veteran sailors, as well as artillery company militia and artillery trainees, ensuring that the more than ten artillery pieces on the ship are fully manned and can enter combat status at any time. In addition, Xie Chun, who attended the war preparation meeting yesterday, also shamelessly found Sun Changmi to get a first officer position overnight, and will board the ship and travel together today.
Since the "Discovery" was launched, it has carried the most people this time. Even the waterline is more than a foot lower than usual. When it leaves the dock, it is obviously not as light as before. The strange appearance of this ship also caused a large number of people to come to the dock for collective viewing. It was already dark when the "Discovery" arrived at the dock last night, so most people were not able to see the true nature of the ship in time. body.
Not to mention the North Vietnamese soldiers, even Qian Tiandun himself was filled with admiration after boarding the ship. Due to negotiating matters with North Vietnam on the Do Son Peninsula before the New Year, Qian Tiandun did not return to Victory Port to participate in the year-end debriefing meeting. Therefore, this was the first time for him to see this new sailing ship, which was regarded as a treasure by the Ministry of Shipping. Xie Chun, who was traveling with him, was much more exaggerated than him. After the meeting last night, he got on the boat and never got off the boat all night.
After Qian Tiandun boarded the ship, Xie Chun immediately squeezed towards him from the crowd on the deck: "Lieutenant Qian, have you seen this ship? Let me tell you, there are indeed many ways on this ship... I I feel that we can’t just build small boats for fishing. We should apply to the base camp for drawings and craftsmen as soon as possible, and start building this new type of sailing ship in Black Earth Port.”
Qian Tiandun said disapprovingly: "Lao Xie, have you found the wrong person? I am in charge of the military, and you are in charge of shipping! You should draft the report, and I heard that there are many parts on this ship that can only be Manufacturing in the base camp has very low production capacity. I am afraid that the shipping department does not yet have the ability to open a branch in Black Earth Port.”
Xie Chun responded: "If our two departments jointly sign, the chance of the application being approved will be greater! By the way, you haven't seen the gun cabin on the second deck, have you? Come on, I'll take you down to have a look. This time the military industry The braking system designed by the department seems to be pretty good..."
At eight o'clock in the morning, the "Exploration" and the "Speed" left the Yong'an Port pier one after another, bypassed the protruding headland toward the northeast, and then turned around and headed toward the southeastern waters.
The reason why we did not choose to go south along the coastline was also due to safety considerations. According to the route planned by the Ministry of Shipping overnight, this reconnaissance fleet will make a large circle in the open sea after setting off from Yong'an Port. It will first go southeast around the coast of the war zone, and then turn back to the southwest near the coastline behind the war zone to conduct reconnaissance activities. . Although this would increase the voyage distance a lot, it would greatly reduce the possibility of being discovered by the South Vietnamese troops stationed in the warring areas from land.
Since the "Discovery" is currently almost fully loaded, the ship's speed is also much lower than usual, and it can only maintain a speed of seven to eight knots. For this reason, the "Speed" had to slow down its speed and accompany the "Exploration" on the side and rear. However, for the North American gang on the "Speed", this trip is not so much a military mission as an opportunity to have fun. Except for Wang Tom, who often goes to sea, several others are busy with various tasks. There is also less and less time to work and go to sea. Roger, Shi Diwen and Qiao Zhiya have all been stationed in Tiandu Industrial Zone for a long time, and have very few opportunities to go to sea. They have long been looking forward to such an opportunity to go for a ride on the sea.
At noon, the walkie-talkie placed on the slipway rang: "Speed, pay attention, Speed, pay attention. The small island three nautical miles ahead on the right is target No. 1. After passing target No. 1, turn to the south. Over!"
Qiao Zhiya raised the telescope to check the sea area ahead, lowered his head to check the chart, and said to Wang Tom who was holding the steering wheel: "According to the signs on the chart, the right front is Hunyue Island."
"What kind of island is Hunyue Island? Is it famous?" Shi Diwen asked curiously.
"It is one of the basis for demarcating the maritime boundary between China and Vietnam in later generations." Wang Tom, who made special research on the maritime conditions in the South China Sea before crossing, explained: "The midpoint of the shortest line between Hainan Island and Hunyue Island, It is one of the base points for maritime demarcation between China and Vietnam. There are ten similar base points. However, there is nothing special about Hunyue Island. At this time, it is just a small uninhabited island.”
Soon the "Speed" arrived at this small island near the east coast of Vietnam. In terms of area, Hunyue Island is much smaller than Fusuizhou Island in the Beibu Gulf. There is no natural harbor on the island shore. It is indeed not. It has no development value. This place is about 20 nautical miles away from Yong'an Port in the northwest, and only ten nautical miles away from the Beiyue Mountain Defense Line in the west. If you stand at the highest point of the mountain defense line, you can directly see the two sailboats sailing past Hunyue Island on a clear day. Of course, the South Vietnamese army, which was located below the mountain ridge and whose sight was almost level with the sea level, did not have sharp weapons such as telescopes and would certainly not be able to detect sea targets ten nautical miles away.
After bypassing Henyu Island, the fleet turned south and sailed for an hour and a half before adjusting its direction again and heading southwest. Their target was the first key target of this reconnaissance activity, the Zhengjiang estuary located 40 miles behind the war zone.
During the decades-long civil war between North and South Vietnam in the 17th century, the Zheng family raised troops to conquer the Nguyen family in the south several times but failed. The Nguyen family relied on the natural barriers of Zhengjiang and Hengshan on the east coast of Indochina to block the attacks from the north. offensive. This time, the South Vietnamese Army crossed the line of fighting for the river and Hengshan. It was also the first time that North Vietnam lost ground since the civil war. Before that, the North Vietnamese Army even suppressed the main force of South Vietnam to the Guangzhi area further south, but now this strategic advantage has been lost. Wu Cun, the offensive and defensive momentum of both sides has also been completely exchanged.
In the original history, the civil war between North and South Vietnam did not end until 1672 under the mediation of Kangxi, and the dividing line between North and South Vietnam was drawn based on the struggle for the Yangtze River and Hengshan Mountain. After that, peace was maintained for a hundred years. Of course, Emperor Kangxi's intervention in this nosy was not out of humanitarianism, but to unite the Zheng family in the north to fight against the San Francisco Rebellion caused by Wu Sangui and others in southern China. The person who reached a cooperation agreement with Emperor Kangxi was Zheng Zha, who was now representing the Zheng family in dealing with the Cross-Travel Group. However, there were still nearly 30 years until he became king and took power, and the Cross-Travel Group still had plenty of opportunities. to influence the course of history. After studying the historical data by relevant departments, it was concluded that in the civil war between North and South Vietnam that lasted for more than 50 years, the battle for the Yangtze River and Hengshan line has always had a very important strategic position. No matter which side's offensive is dominant for a period of time, the final battle situation will still return to this equilibrium point. The military action taken by the Crossing Group this time is to help North Vietnam regain its disadvantage and prevent the North Vietnamese Zheng family from falling due to military failure. The Clan can continue to rely on the military assistance provided by the Crossing Group for a period of time in the future. To achieve this strategic goal, drive the South Vietnamese army back to the south of Zhengjiang and Hengshan, and then use this as a strategic balance point to maintain the balance of power between the two sides. , is undoubtedly a good choice.
Of course, in order to implement the Executive Committee's spirit of "increasing military support for the North Vietnamese regime," this operation must not only repel the offensive of the South Vietnamese army, but also attack its military power to a certain extent, and cannot allow it to be greatly The troops retreated to the south of Zhengjiang Hengshan without any damage.
Since the outbreak of the Annan Civil War in 1619, the Ruan clan of South Vietnam has been operating on the defense line of Zhengjiang and Hengshan for many years. There are many military strongholds stationed on the south bank of Zhengjiang and the commanding heights and passes of Hengshan. After the South Vietnamese Army attacked Zhengjiang this time, the coastal plains became the most important logistical supply line for the South Vietnamese Army, with small military stations stationed every few miles along the way. Therefore, investigation activities in this area are actually quite dangerous.
Because there was the Hengshan Mountains as a reference on land, the fleet easily confirmed its position. About three or four nautical miles away from the coastline, Qian Tiandun used a telescope to confirm the location of Zhengjiang's entrance into the sea, and conveyed this information to the "Speed" following behind.
According to the pre-planned plan, the "Speed" with a faster ship speed and better weapon configuration will conduct a close inspection of the Zhengjiang estuary. After confirming the safety situation, the personnel on the "Exploration" will be allowed to land to carry out the mission.
"Speed" quickly adjusted its sails and then sailed towards the entrance of Zhengjiang River. Everyone on the boat had stopped laughing at this time and began to carefully check their equipment and weapons.
In terms of equipment level alone, the North American gang must be considered the elite among the military and police establishment. These guys have invested most of their personal property in weapons and armaments, and the equipment level of individual soldiers far exceeds the average level of the military and police department. In addition to all personnel being equipped with long and short weapons such as HK416 and MK23, helmets, external tactical vests, assault backpacks, and throat shock intercom systems are all standard military configurations. Although this team only has five people, their actual combat capabilities are not weak at all and are enough to cope with various emergencies.
The "Speed" docked on the coast south of the estuary of Zhengjiang River. Wang Tom and others jumped directly into the waist-deep water and waded ashore. The only person left on the ship was old Morgan. His mission was as a sniper, and an M200 sniper rifle worth fourteen thousand dollars was his companion. From the "Speed", you can use this sniper rifle to effectively attack targets within a range of two thousand meters, and this range is basically the area that this team needs to reach for its reconnaissance mission.
About 2,500 meters south from the landing point is the branch of the Hengshan Mountains closest to the coast, with an average altitude of only about 100 meters. The reconnaissance team did not know whether there was a South Vietnamese stronghold in this mountain range, so they had to be careful.
According to the information learned from North Vietnam beforehand, South Vietnam's supply line was not close to the coast, but was located about ten kilometers inland. The supplies were loaded onto ships at the upper reaches of a tributary of the Zhengjiang River south of Hengshan, and then transported by water from south to north to the north bank of the Zhengjiang River, and then transported by land to the war zone in the north. Of course, even if the North Vietnamese Army, which lacked maritime transportation capacity, knew the South Vietnamese Army's supply line arrangements, there was no way to project troops from the sea to the Zhengjiang coast to conduct raids and harassment operations.
After the team landed, they did not rush to explore the inland. Instead, they made detailed records of the nearshore water depth, current speed, and geographical environment near the estuary. Originally, there were some residents on both sides of the Zhengjiang River who reclaimed the alluvial plains here. However, after several years of war, this area has long since become an uninhabited land. The fertile fields in the past have now returned to their original natural features. After making sure there was no threat within miles, Morgan sent a signal to Discovery.
Soon the "Exploration" arrived at the estuary, and Qian Tiandun led the soldiers of the special operations company to quickly land ashore. The next arrangement is for the "Speed" to lead the way, and the "Exploration" to follow, heading towards the upper reaches of the Zhengjiang River. The special operations company led by Qian Tiandun all walked along the river bank and cooperated with the fleet to conduct reconnaissance of the areas along the Zhengjiang River. Another reason why they need to be put ashore is that the "Discovery" needs to go upstream. The weight reduction can greatly increase the speed and flexibility of the ship.
The two ships dared to go upstream so boldly because this section of the river was quite wide, more than 500 meters long. If the South Vietnamese army attacked from the shore, they would have ample room to escape, and they would not have to turn around and go back. It would be too difficult. Of course, the most important thing is that the river is wide enough so that the downstream cannot be easily blocked by means of wooden piles or semi-floating boats, making it impossible to escape in the middle.
After walking backward for about ten miles from the mouth of the sea, we arrived at the first river intersection in the upper reaches of the Zhenghe River. The two main rivers here come from the main stream of the Zhenghe River deep in the Hengshan Mountains to the west, and the other is a tributary from the south, which is where the supply channels for South Vietnam's logistics are located.
Perhaps it was because the South Vietnamese army was fighting so smoothly during this period that they relaxed their vigilance in the rear. The reconnaissance team went all the way up the river, but no South Vietnamese patrol troops were found. It is estimated that the senior leaders of the South Vietnamese Army also believe that North Vietnam does not have the ability to project troops remotely through sea routes, so the defenses in these areas are extremely relaxed.
However, the reconnaissance team did not intend to ambush a South Vietnamese supply team here. The main task of this trip was reconnaissance rather than alerting the enemy. It was to collect the geographical environment conditions here and prepare for the next attack. That's what reconnaissance missions are all about.
After arriving at the intersection of the rivers, the reconnaissance team spent an hour photographing and recording the conditions of the rivers in detail. They even found the road used by the South Vietnamese Army to transport supplies on the north bank of the Zhengjiang River through telescopes. At this point, the first mission of this reconnaissance operation has been basically completed. The two ships slowly turned around in the center of the river. Then Qian Tiandun and his special operations company returned to the "Exploration" and headed toward the seaport. heading in the direction.
The reconnaissance operation ashore was successfully completed without any problems, but no problems meant no performance. Although the special operations company's march during this period also reached the usual training level, Qian Tiandun still felt to some extent. I have a little regret, and I always feel that it would be great if I could have the opportunity to let the special operations company show its combat effectiveness.
However, this regretful mood did not affect him for long, because an opportunity to perform soon appeared in front of him. Xie Chun, who was standing on the bow of the ship and was responsible for the lookout, sent a report: "Two small boats appeared on the river ahead, about two thousand meters away!"
(End of chapter)