Chapter 1411 Cruising in the Snowfield
"Our first task this time is to understand the geographical environment of the plain outside the mountain and prepare for the spring offensive. But I hope you remember that you are snipers, not scouts, so your goal is Find suitable combat positions in this area, such as commanding heights and hiding spots, and take the time to familiarize yourself with the terrain. In addition, this operation is not aimed at destroying the enemy, and you are not allowed to fire at will when there is no security situation."
Morgan looked around at everyone and continued in a deep voice: "Battalion Commander Takahashi will lead the brothers from the special operations battalion to sit in the rear and provide us with cover. However, everyone knows that we will invest very few troops this time, so we should keep a low profile as much as possible during the operation. Don’t draw out Hou Jin’s army.”
A soldier asked: "Chief, why don't we come here to practice our skills by killing some enemies?"
Morgan responded: "Things are happening the same way. If you want to kill the enemy, are you afraid that you won't have a chance? When this reconnaissance operation comes to an end, there will be corresponding arrangements."
Although Morgan has high hopes for his snipers, he does not intend to train them all into decathlon generalists. The combat thinking that snipers, a special unit of arms, need to develop is inherently different from other arms. Always give priority to hiding in the dark to launch attacks, maintaining a combat distance and hiding your whereabouts. This is the unique combat method of snipers.
Even when performing reconnaissance missions, the purpose and mode of action of snipers will be significantly different from that of real scouts. No matter how hard this sniper team works locally, it is impossible to replace the reconnaissance operations of the special operations battalion. Morgan specifically emphasized this point because he was worried that a few of his inexperienced students would take it upon themselves to open fire on the enemy during the operation. When to fire to kill the enemy, and when to hide and wait, all depends on the purpose of the battle.
After the preparation meeting, Takahashi Nan saw that it was already getting late, and thought that Morgan should wait until the next day to take action. When he was about to leave, Morgan stopped him: "Batalion Commander Takahashi, gather your people. Prepare for action at night.”
"Are you going to attack tonight?" Takahashi Nan was slightly surprised.
"Are we still waiting for another time?" Morgan smiled and said, "Let's go out tonight to adapt to the environment, so that everyone can have an idea of the night conditions here."
Takahashi Nan nodded and quickly informed his subordinates to make corresponding preparations. Although the special operations battalion does not need to attack together, it must provide rear cover for the sniper team, so it is impossible to rest in the camp.
When night fell, Morgan led the sniper team over the ridge and into the plains. In order to prevent them from going in the wrong direction in the dark, Takahashi Nan sent several soldiers who were familiar with the local environment to act as guides for them.
Although there are no lights as far as the eye can see on this plain, it is not pitch black. The moonlight in the sky shines on the vast snowfield, and the visibility is actually not bad. The snipers under Morgan are all people with excellent eyesight, which is enough to maintain a good fighting condition in this environment.
This team of more than ten people are all wearing snow camouflage uniforms, and even their backpacks and guns are camouflaged. As long as they are separated a little further, it is difficult to distinguish them from the snowy field in the background, let alone this kind of It's a night with limited visibility. In the open field, the soldiers could only hear the sound of their own feet in the snow, as if they were marching in no man's land.
Morgan dared to lead a team of snipers regarded as treasures by the Ministry of National Defense to attack at night, so he naturally relied on him. The night vision device on his helmet is an advanced piece of equipment he brought over when he traveled through time. Although it has been eight years, it is still fully functional due to careful maintenance. However, the dry batteries I brought with me at that time have long since disappeared, so now I am using earth batteries made of copper and iron in this time and space for power. Although they are not as convenient as dry batteries, they can still be used.
This kind of battery uses the principle of chemical reaction to wrap several layers of highly absorbent paper around thick iron wire, then wrap it with copper wire, then soak it with salt water, and then wrap it with waterproof material. The iron wire serves as the negative electrode and the copper wire serves as the positive electrode. By adjusting the thickness ratio of the copper to iron wire, the concentration of salt water, etc., you can determine how to achieve a relatively stable voltage. Although the power supply capacity of this kind of battery is very limited, it is extremely convenient to obtain materials and make, and it is not a big problem to use it in a DC device such as a night vision device in a short period of time.
With night vision goggles and low-light binoculars, it is enough to ensure that the visual distance of this team at night is far greater than that of the opponent. Even when encountering in the wild, Morgan can react one step faster than the enemy. Of course, the Hou Jin Army is not a powerful army with strict military discipline and advanced combat concepts. It is unlikely that patrols will be dispatched at night to fields dozens of miles away from the base camp. This would not only train the soldiers' anti-freeze ability Other than that, it doesn't have much practical significance. Moreover, Hou Jin also knew that Haihan did not have a large number of troops stationed in the mountains, and he might not be able to find anyone during a night attack, so he simply gave up the night operation.
So seriously speaking, most of Morgan's methods can only serve as a precautionary measure, and they may not really come in handy. However, Morgan will not make fun of his own safety. Nowadays, even generals like Qian Tiandun rarely come to the front line to command operations, and there are even fewer senior generals like him who personally lead their troops to the combat zone for training. Naturally, you have to take good care of your own safety first.
At the pre-war preparation meeting, Morgan had already planned a marching route with Takahashi Minami, and he chose to conduct a tentative operation at night. Part of the reason was to explore the road first and set up several signs along the way. location, so you don’t need to spend too much time determining your location when you move during the day.
The snipers worked in pairs, with a distance of about ten meters between each group, maintaining a serpentine advance formation, covering each other as they moved forward one by one. Before these snipers were selected to receive training under Morgan, they were already soldiers serving in various armies. Some of them were even officers with official positions. Therefore, their own military qualities allowed Morgan to save a lot of money. Trouble, at least in the current field operations, Morgan has made arrangements in advance, and will rarely give orders as long as he does not encounter enemies during the march.
However, Morgan considered that the two days of marching in the mountains would consume a lot of physical strength, so he did not plan to train all night. After marching about four or five miles in the snowy wilderness and identifying several marked locations, Morgan then ordered to return to his base in the mountains.
This back and forth lasted more than three hours. After returning to the station, Morgan looked at the time and saw that it was already past nine o'clock in the evening. He immediately ordered the disbandment and let his snipers take time to rest. But he himself called Takahashi Nan together again to discuss some issues discovered during the march in front of the fire. Because the sniper's combat method is too special, and this time they are on a single line and do not operate with the special operations battalion, Morgan must communicate with Gao Qiaonan in advance. If an emergency occurs, Gao Qiaonan's troops must How to set up and cover. Fortunately, Takahashi Minami is also a commander with very rich combat experience. He can basically quickly understand Morgan's requirements and put forward some suggestions for improvement based on his own experience and insights.
On the morning of January 15th, the snowfall that had been interrupted for two days reappeared, but Morgan's sniper team was not hindered by the weather and quietly disappeared into the snow before it was fully dark. This time, he reduced the number of guides in the special operations battalion to two in order to reduce the size of the team as much as possible and avoid exposing their tracks due to too many people.
After the sniper team set off, they marched northeast along the route discovered last night. Morgan's tentative target was a mountain forest ten miles away on the map, which was also the hilly area closest to their starting point. Although the area was only a few miles away, it was a rare commanding height on this plain. I probably explored half of this journey last night, but in fact the remaining half of the journey was the same. The entire journey was in the snowy wilderness.
As the sky gradually grew brighter, the soldiers began to become more alert to the surrounding environment. Although they were not worried about encountering Hou Jin's patrol, it was always better to be careful. What's more, according to the intelligence obtained by the special operations battalion, Houjin Cavalry patrols will patrol the plains from time to time. If they are discovered by the cavalry, it will be more or less troublesome. As long as they shoot, they will easily alert the enemy and expose their ability to penetrate deep into the snowfield. situation.
Marching in the snowy wilderness to the place where they turned back last night, Morgan ordered to stop and take a rest, and then determine the direction of the next march.
Morgan took a sip of water, then raised his wrist to check the march time. Today's time was shortened by nearly half compared to last night. This was of course because he had become familiar with the route in advance and had a better daytime view. And thankfully, apart from encountering a few gray wolves probing their heads along the way, they did not find Hou Jin's patrol nearby. After a short rest, the team continued to set off, and after traveling for an hour, they arrived at the scheduled first destination.
The highest point of this hill within a radius of several miles is only thirty or forty meters, but it is enough for snipers to monitor the movements within a radius of several miles. However, even Gao Qiaonan didn't know whether there were Houjin troops stationed in this mountain forest, so the sniper team was extremely careful when approaching this place to beware of enemies lurking in the forest.
Morgan asked the main force of the team to stay hidden in a dry river ditch about 300 meters away from the hills. He divided them into multiple sniper positions to set up fire points, and then ordered his two most experienced snipers and the two accompanying team members. Soldiers from the special operations battalion went into the forest to investigate the situation.
These soldiers hunched over and walked through the few shelters in the snowy field as quickly as possible. Fortunately, the camouflage clothes they wore hid their figures very well. Morgan believed that it would be difficult to tell what these objects that moved from time to time were from a hundred meters away with the naked eye.
Several soldiers crisscrossed and quickly entered the forest, while others were waiting for the signal outside. There was no sound in the forest for a long time, but Morgan felt relieved. If the enemy was discovered, they might have already fired to seize the initiative. If there was no movement, it was most likely a normal reaction to not encountering an enemy in the forest.
Sure enough, about half an hour later, I saw a piece of red cloth dancing in the forest. It was the agreed safety signal, indicating that the pioneers had cleared the forest. Morgan then directed his team to come out of the hiding place and quickly enter the forest.
The soldiers who had previously entered the forest immediately reported the situation to Morgan. They did not find anyone in the forest, but they did find a fire and an artificial snow shelter. However, judging from the snow conditions at the fire and the nearby Judging from the food remnants found, those people should not have left in the past day or two.
Morgan went to the scene to confirm it in person, and then asked the two people in the special operations camp for their opinions. He judged that the patrol team of the Hou Jin Army had stayed here, and most likely spent the night. Otherwise, it would not be possible to explain that the fire had burned. Use up a lot of firewood.
Morgan frowned. This was not good news for the sniper team. Although the enemy may have left for several days, it showed that they were also using this place as a campsite to hide their movements. This means that next time the Houjin patrol comes near here, it is very likely that they will habitually choose this place as their campsite.
"We will rest here until noon, and then continue to set off." Morgan made a decision, and then immediately assigned tasks and set up sentries.
After assigning the tasks, Morgan took out the map and began to compare it with his plan and consider the next march route. In the more than 40 miles from the mountainous area controlled by Haihan to the Golden State Isthmus, there are only a few hills suitable for the sniper team to hide and monitor the surrounding situation. Therefore, Morgan designed the reconnaissance plan to visit these hills in person. Once, to determine whether the local environment is suitable for use as a sniper firepower point in spring combat operations. The marching route of the sniper team naturally connected these target locations.
This kind of march route is of course extremely risky. Even if the Jin army did not have the special existence of snipers, it is still possible to deploy sentries at these high points, or use them as campsites for patrols in the wild. However, Morgan is also considered to be a very skilled and daring person. He believes that with the various high-tech equipment in his hands and his well-trained subordinates, he will be able to complete this special reconnaissance mission under the eyes of the Houjin people.
After reading the map, Morgan didn't bother to rest, so he started walking around the hills, checking the terrain, choosing observation points with good views, considering how to deploy firepower points, and the route to evacuate the place in case of emergency. There are not many rules to follow in these matters, and judgments mainly have to be made based on experience on the battlefield.
(End of chapter)