Chapter 2989
Although it is already December, there is no winter in the tropical island of Cebu, and the daytime temperature is still around 30 degrees. Fortunately, the rainy season has ended, and it is now in the long dry season. There is no need to worry about frequent rainfall affecting the efficiency of the troops' marching operations in the mountains and forests.
After leaving the city and entering the mountains, there are no ready-made roads, and the group can only be led by local guides who are familiar with the terrain.
Although the environment in the mountains is extremely hot and humid, in order to prevent the ubiquitous snakes, insects, rats, and ants from invading, the soldiers did not dare to take off their clothes to dissipate heat. They tied their trousers tightly and wore leggings, and applied insect repellent to their collars and cuffs.
Zheng Agui was also sweating profusely at this time. Not only the clothes on his body were wet, he could feel that the shoes under his feet were also wet. There was less than half of the jug of water he carried on his back when he set off, but because he didn't know when he would be able to stop and replenish supplies, he didn't dare to drink all the water easily, so he could only endure his thirst and continue marching.
The conditions of his men were also similar. Each of them carried a marching load of about thirty kilograms. They had been walking in the mountains and forests for several hours, and the physical exertion was quite large.
Before the operation, the Haihan Army had gathered all the local pack horses in Cebu, but the number was only more than a hundred. Almost all of them were used to carry various logistics supplies, and the soldiers still had to carry their own individual equipment. .
Finally, the order to rest came from the front. Zheng Agui quickly found a flat and dry place to sit down and unloaded the heavy backpack on the ground so that his sore shoulders could relax.
Qin Bo, who was following him, was so tired that he lay sprawled on the ground, breathing heavily. It took him a while to recover.
"By the time we reach our destination, everyone will be exhausted. How can we fight this battle?" Qin Bo complained.
Zheng Agui said: "Hurry up and regain your strength. I guess this is the last time to stop and rest before starting the fight."
In order not to expose their whereabouts too early and alert the enemy, no fires were allowed during the march, so there was no hope of a supply of hot food and hot water at this time. The soldiers could only eat some dry food in the cold water to fill their stomachs.
However, the military rations distributed before this operation were more advanced than before, including compressed biscuits and dried meat packaged in oil paper. After eating a little and drinking some water, it is easy to feel full. Even a hungry player like Qiu Yong can be almost 70% full after eating two or three compressed biscuits.
When everyone was seizing the time to eat, they saw a group of people approaching quickly in front of them. An officer was shouting to give way, so they quickly stood up and made way for them.
The military uniforms worn by this group of people are different from the gray cloth military uniforms worn by Zheng Agui and others. They are colorful and mottled. Their heads, backpacks, and even the rifles in their hands are covered with grass leaves, and their faces are covered with grass. Use green or brown oil paint to make the facial features difficult to distinguish. As he burrowed into the forest, it was really hard to see his figure clearly from a little further away.
Zheng Agui knew that this military uniform was called camouflage uniform, and only a very small number of elite troops in the army were qualified to wear it. Most of them were the top soldiers who went out to perform reconnaissance missions in such special clothing.
Sure enough, when I got closer, I found that they were carrying a prisoner on a tree branch. The prisoner's hands and feet were tied, strung on a branch, and his mouth was tightly gagged. The four people carried him as fast as flying, like a hunter returning with a full load.
"The scouts have arrested him alive. It seems that he will be sent to the headquarters for sudden interrogation." When Zheng Agui saw this, he had already deduced what happened. "Squad leader, have you seen that the rifles they use are different from us!" Qin Bo said with envy.
Zheng Agui said: "Not only are they rifles, they also carry two crossbows on their backs. I have seen officers from the battalion try out these crossbows on the shooting range before. They are extremely lethal and are specially used to snipe and kill sentries."< br>
Although the Luzon Region's military strength is not at the first-rate level among the various overseas regions, and its actual combat experience and equipment level seem to be obviously insufficient, there are actually a few elite troops who are well-equipped in the army.
The unit responsible for carrying out the forward reconnaissance mission this time is the reconnaissance company directly under the Guards Battalion of the Luzon Management Committee. It has only 200 personnel, but its military expenditures even exceed the entire Bangui Battalion.
In addition to the seven-shot volley gun, the main weapons installed in this reconnaissance company also include the Type 50 rifle, which is still in the testing period. This is also the first bolt-action rifle manufactured by Haihan Ordnance Industry. It adopts a rotating bolt action structure and uses copper-cased rifle bullets filled with smokeless gunpowder. It is fundamentally different from various rifles manufactured by Haihan in the past. difference.
Although this rifle has only five rounds of ammunition, which seems not as good as the seven-shot rifle previously installed in elite troops, the power and accuracy of the Type 50 far exceed that of its predecessors, and its effective range is as far as two hundred feet. .
Of course, the design of this rifle has long been stored in the database of Haihan Ordnance. The main reason why it took so many years to start trial production is that the cost of manufacturing and use is too high, and the price/performance ratio is not cost-effective. .
It was not until Haihan's industrial level improved in recent years that the precision and cost of machining reached a new balance point that the plan to develop a new rifle was put back on the agenda of the Ministry of National Defense.
However, due to cost and production capacity, this advanced weapon cannot be mass-produced in a short period of time. It can only be trial-produced in small batches and then given to some elite troops for trial use.
If trial candidates were to be queued and selected based on pure military strength, the Luzon garrison would probably not be able to get their turn. However, the trial of new weapons must take into account various environments and be used in a wider geographical range as much as possible to achieve comprehensive results. Therefore, the Luzon region guarding the southeastern border of the empire was given the opportunity to trial the Type 50 rifle.
Even so, the high purchase price and strictly limited supply can only allow the Luzon garrison to equip a very small number of elite soldiers selected from a thousand miles with this new weapon.
Zheng Agui actually didn't know the value of the rifle carried by the scouts, because it was the first time he had seen this new type of rifle, and the gun was also covered with branches and leaves, making it impossible to see it clearly. In contrast, it is the scout's special outfit that attracts more attention.
They were envious, but everyone also knew that their strength was far from that of these scouts, and they were not qualified to use the same weapons and equipment. Not to mention anything else, looking at people carrying prisoners and still walking as fast as flying, and looking at myself as tired as a dog just by marching, I don't know how long it will take to practice hard to make up for this physical gap.
Soon after, the latest intelligence and orders were conveyed to each company. Their current resting place is only about three miles away from the enemy's station. Next, each company will disperse and march to form a fan-shaped surround of the target before launching an offensive.
(End of chapter)