Chapter 1035 Field Investigation
"I agree with the combat plan proposed by Morgan." Yu Yao first expressed his attitude and then explained: "But even if we launch an offensive from the front, I think it is still necessary to conduct pre-war reconnaissance of the area to avoid unnecessary casualties."
Tom Wang shook his head and said: "You mean to send a small force into Maolishe's sphere of influence to explore the way? This is very dangerous. I don't recommend taking this risk when our side has an obvious advantage."
"This task can be carried out by my troops." Chen Yixin interjected: "My people are specialized in doing this."
The other three people stopped when they heard this and turned their attention to Chen Yixin. The Annan special combat battalion formed by Qian Tiandun is undoubtedly the ace unit of the Haihan Army. Its specialty is fighting in mountainous jungle environments. Although there is only one platoon of the troops that went south with Chen Yixin to participate in the founding celebration parade this time, If it is just to perform reconnaissance missions, a platoon's establishment is indeed sufficient.
Chen Yixin continued: "You also know that most of the people I brought back to Sanya this time were to receive merit and rewards. These people are all experienced soldiers who have performed missions in various unfamiliar environments. If you want to deal with For reconnaissance near Maolishe, I think there should be no more suitable candidates than my subordinates here.”
In fact, Morgan had considered using Chen Yixin's troops when formulating the combat plan, but the special operations battalion had always acted independently and only accepted combat instructions from the Ministry of National Defense. It was not something he could use if he wanted. But now that Chen Yixin has taken the initiative to ask for a fight, Morgan will definitely not object to this proposal.
Wang Tom said: "Considering the current situation of the local natives, I still think that the risk of this kind of investigation operation is too great. If you insist on doing this, then I must make it clear that you cannot lead the operation in person. Otherwise, if I can’t explain what happened to the base camp.”
Although in the early military operations, time traveler officers would take the lead and lead the troops in the front line, but with the increasing scale of the Haihan Army, high-ranking time travelers have become increasingly rare and rare in the front line. This is not because they have become greedy for life, but the role of time travelers in the army has gradually changed. Organizing and commanding the huge armed force of the Haihan Army is far more important than going into battle to kill the enemy in person. Once something happens to a senior officer, it will have a great impact on the entire military deployment of Haihan.
Although Chen Yixin is still only Qian Tiandun's adjutant, considering his age and future development space, both the Ministry of National Defense and the Executive Committee have made him a key training target. Although there is no clear instruction on this point, the top military officials know it well. Wang Tom brought Chen Yixin to Miaoli. Although he is needed to play the role of a commander in wartime, he absolutely does not want him to conduct field reconnaissance like this. dangerous mission.
Chen Yixin still wanted to persist, but Morgan also advised: "Don't underestimate the natives here. Their fighting will is very determined. We have been here for half a month and we don't dare to be careless, so don't be stubborn anymore. ”
After some persuasion from everyone, Chen Yixin finally gave up his plan to take action personally and handed over the task to his subordinates. Calculating the time, the reconnaissance operation can just allow the large troops who hurriedly arrived here to rest and prepare for war for one to two days, and to deduce and improve the combat plan. This operation requires the deployment of more than one battalion of troops to a place twenty miles away from the camp in a short period of time, and the operation in the field may last for more than a day. This means that in addition to the operation plan itself, there are also Transportation, supplies and other logistical arrangements must be made in advance.
After the morning combat meeting, Chen Yixin immediately went to the camp to gather his subordinates and announced to them the headquarters' decision: "...the purpose of this reconnaissance mission is to explore the surrounding environment of this tribe and prepare for the subsequent major events." The troops attack and collect intelligence. I ask you to avoid fighting with the natives as much as possible and not to alert others. However, if the situation threatens your own safety, the headquarters authorizes you to make your own decisions and evacuate the area as soon as possible. It’s much more valuable than the natives here, do you understand?”
Someone asked: "Do we need to bring them back alive?"
Chen Yixin said: "Actually, we have captured many prisoners before we came, but unfortunately the information we can obtain from these prisoners is very limited, so we need to arrange an investigation operation. So unless you capture one of the elders of this tribe, Important people of this kind, there is no need to arrest him alive under other circumstances.”
"Then when will we take action?"
"You will set off this evening. There is still half a day left for you to organize your equipment, familiarize yourself with the map, and perfect your plan." Chen Yixin explained to his subordinates: "If your trip goes well enough, you can return here before sunset tomorrow. In addition, the local area The garrison will dispatch two platoons to meet you on the outside, but I hope you can show the strength of our special operations battalion without resorting to friendly forces!”
The soldiers did not appear particularly excited or nervous after listening to the instructions given by Chen Yixin. For them, this kind of task was just routine. Field penetration reconnaissance has always been a fixed training subject in the special operations battalion during daily training. Similar tasks have been performed many times in actual combat. The island of Taiwan is actually not unfamiliar to them. During the Haihan Army's operation in Taipei last year, the special operations battalion was also one of the participating troops. Most of them participated in the attack on Tamsui and Jilong last year. During the battle, I stayed on Taiwan Island for nearly three months, and my adaptation to the environment here was even better than the troops from Sanya currently stationed in Miaoli.
As for how ferocious the natives here are, it is not a big problem for the soldiers in the special operations battalion. They know very well that their strength is definitely better than the natives. If there is an encounter in the wild, they are sure that their abilities are enough. Deal with these uncivilized natives.
A platoon in a special operations battalion consists of four squads. If dozens of people act together, their whereabouts will be exposed more easily. Therefore, Chen Yixin planned to let his subordinates enter the target area in squad units, but the distance between them should not be too wide, so that when an incident occurs, they can promptly notify their companions, support each other, and act together. Moreover, this can increase the area of investigation, search a larger area in the same time, and improve the efficiency of investigation operations.
According to the map, the area for reconnaissance and search this time is about five square kilometers. Fortunately, most of it is plain terrain, which does not consume too much physical strength of the soldiers. Because the purpose of the mission is reconnaissance rather than continuous combat, individual soldiers do not need to carry too much equipment and combat supplies, and can stay light on the battlefield. The most important issue at the moment is still the selection of marching and retreat routes. One is to ensure the safety of the personnel involved in the operation, and the other is to not leave too many blank areas in the investigation of this area. After lunch, Chen Yixin called Morgan together and started planning a march route with several of his officers based on the map. The only two people who were relatively familiar with the Miaoli area were Morgan and Yu Yao. Yu Yao was busy arranging the troops that had just arrived today, so he could only let Morgan explain the situation in this area in detail.
Sun Zhen served as the squad leader in the temporary establishment of the southward trip to Sanya. According to the arrangements for the reconnaissance operation, he would lead a separate team to participate in the operation, so he also participated in the pre-war preparation meeting. But for him, he had already participated in a series of combat operations in Taipei and Zhejiang after joining the army, so he didn't feel much nervous about receiving this mission.
Sun Zhen didn't know why the Ministry of National Defense deployed troops in the barren mountains of Miaoli to wipe out an indigenous tribe he had never heard of, but he was convinced that after this operation, this land would also be included in the sea. In the land of Han. One of the missions of the army that Sun Zhen understood was to open up territory for his country, so he believed that the combat operations against the indigenous tribes in the Miaoli area should also be for this purpose.
Although the set departure time was in the evening, the preparation period in one afternoon was still a little short. After Chen Yixin convened everyone to discuss the action plan, it was almost dinner time, and now he had to seize the time to pack up supplies and equipment, which was a bit hurried.
Sun Zhen felt that he was only six minutes full when he heard the whistle of the gathering. At that moment, he could only sigh and pour the remaining half bowl of rice porridge into his mouth, then stuffed a steamed bun and bit it. In his mouth, he stood up and signaled his subordinates to prepare to set off. However, he knew that the supplies shipped to the front line also included dry food, so he could fill his stomach with some more on the ship later.
In addition to the special operations battalion platoon, this reconnaissance operation also has two local army platoons cooperating to provide cover. In addition, considering the all-out offensive that will be launched later, the supplies to be shipped far exceed the special operations battalion this time. The quantity required for the action. For this reason, Yu Yao arranged two fleets to transport this team and related combat materials. Some of the materials will be transported to the No. 1 stronghold in the upper reaches of Houlong River for temporary storage, and will be used when the large force moves later.
The soldiers filed into the boat. After Sun Zhen got on the boat, he put down his backpack and rifle. When he turned around, he saw Chen Yixin and Morgan watching on the dock. It seemed that they were here to see off the expedition troops, so they quickly stood at attention and gave a military salute.
The steam engine whirred, and the boatman used a bamboo pennant to push the tugboat away from the river bank. Then he adjusted the transmission of the steam engine so that the propeller blades under the water began to rotate, slowly pushing the tugboat and pulling the barge behind it forward. It has to be said that the noise of this kind of steam barge is very loud, and the movement of this machine can be heard at least one mile away. Therefore, in order to ensure that the whereabouts of the reconnaissance force are not exposed prematurely, the fleet will not sail as far as Maoli Society. They would only dock at the nearest river bank, but would dock before arriving at Stronghold No. 1 to allow them to land, and then walk to the target area to carry out their mission.
Although the troops participating in the war have to add about seven or eight miles to their field march, they will actually save some time in military operations, because if they take a boat to go to Longxi through the river bend of the No. 1 stronghold, they will go to the nearest Maolishe If the river bank is located, then it will take about ten miles more waterway. The land route chosen now is equivalent to one side of the triangle, and the distance traveled by waterway is the sum of the other two sides.
Of course, there is another reason that cannot be ignored, that is, the fleet cannot sail long distances on Houlong River in the dark. It can only reach the No. 1 stronghold before dark, and it will definitely be too late to go further. Even if the fleet ventures upstream, it will be difficult for this force to move inland without exposing its tracks after landing.
After about two hours of marching from the coastal camp, the fleet arrived at the intended landing point. As the main force carrying out this mission, Sun Zhen's platoon only needs to bring its own equipment and leave the shore. Subsequent combat supplies will be transported by friendly forces cooperating with their actions.
It was around seven o'clock in the evening. Although the sky was not completely dark yet, the visibility in the wild had dropped significantly. If we didn't set out as soon as possible, we might not be able to reach the scheduled area when it gets dark. At this moment, Sun Zhen did not dare to delay, and quickly called his men to land and prepare to set off.
According to the plan, the team of the special operations battalion will arrive at a place about two or three miles away from Maolishe tonight, set up camp and rest for the night, and then go out early tomorrow morning to conduct reconnaissance in the surrounding areas of Maolishe. But depending on the weather, they had to speed up their pace, otherwise they would have to walk in the dark at night.
In addition to the clothes worn by the special operations battalion, the current individual equipment of the special operations battalion also includes a large-caliber single-shot rifle with fixed ammunition and a dagger. Officers above the platoon leader will be issued a rotating five-shot flash cap. pistol. Each soldier's tactical backpack contains thirty rounds of ammunition, a day's rations, drinking water and first-aid medicine. Each squad will be equipped with compasses, ropes, water purification potions, flints and other items. For operations like today that require camping in the wild, every Each squad must at least bring enough rope hammocks and waterproof canvas so that the soldiers can cope with the environment of the rainy season and successfully spend the night in the wet field.
After a brief handover with the friendly forces in charge of logistics, Sun Zhen's troops quickly moved into the southern interior. The natives who were active in the wild at this time should all have returned to their tribes. There is nothing interesting in the forest after dark, so the soldiers of the special operations battalion do not need to worry about bumping into the natives during the march. After setting the direction, we moved forward quickly, and the journey of seven or eight miles took only a little more than an hour to complete.
However, in this jungle with a lack of reference objects and extremely limited vision, the soldiers could only roughly judge their location based on the marching direction and speed. The specific location they had to wait would not be confirmed until dawn.
(End of chapter)