Military career: Starting with a recruitment letter

Chapter 271 Success or failure doesn't have to be mine, but I will fight with all my might.

Led by instructor Fang Peijun, the team transporting materials is on this side.

Accompanied by the tank company and the logistics and reconnaissance platoon, they charged closer and closer to the dike.

Everyone's hearts sank to the bottom.

They carried steel bars all the way here, supporting each other along the way, and they could endure no matter how tired they were.

Even though the ground was trembling as they approached the levee, facing the unpredictable terror of the heavens, they were willing to do anything.

Soldiers are not afraid of hardship or fatigue, but they are only afraid of having no hope and not seeing any hope.

Fang Peijun and Man Xuexi, supporting each other and carrying heavy loads, trudged forward until they were about 400 meters from the dam, when their view became more expansive.

At the same time, a more practical problem has come to the fore.

That was the sand and soil piled up at the 188th Division's dike reinforcement site, which was less than a thousand cubic meters.

Do you know what this means?

This means that the road collapse has blocked the way, and no matter how much steel reinforcement is brought up, it won't be enough to hold it up, because the amount of sand and soil is insufficient to support the thousands of soldiers working on site for long.

To know.

The sand used to build the dike is not something you can just dig up from the nearby mud, and there isn't that much mud available. It is sand with the required viscosity and density that is brought in from outside.

The reason for not using mud is simple: mud particles are too small, and when soaked in water, they will flow out of the bag, causing the sandbag to deform and the whole area to collapse.

Sand is different; it expands when it comes into contact with water.

Fang Peijun and his group had just come from the nearest town, where there was water, bread, and steel bars, but no sand or soil.

There's definitely no time to make an emergency transfer.

Furthermore, the roads are damaged, and there aren't enough people to carry the loads back and forth.

How could a human possibly outrun a torrent of water?

Rumble!
The ground is shaking.

Looking at the amount of sand and soil, and then at the busy crowd of the 188th Division nearby, he turned pale: "Instructor, it seems that premature flood discharge is unavoidable."

"No matter how much we carry, we can't delay the original flood discharge time; it will only be brought forward, not postponed."

"Shut up!"

Upon hearing this, Fang Peijun glared fiercely at Lao Man.

He could naturally see the seriousness of the situation, but as the team leader, he should not be pessimistic when faced with any difficult situation.

Fang Peijun was well aware that if the floodwaters were released prematurely, the people that Battalion Commander Chen led to rescue, including the evacuated civilians, would be in great danger.

However, we must not dampen morale.

"Comrades, keep moving forward, charge!"

After giving a word of encouragement, Fang Peijun took the lead in carrying the load and rushing towards the embankment.

When the group of over two hundred people was still more than two hundred meters away from the dike, a sharp whistle finally rang out from nearby.

"Kyoto Demonstration Camp, assemble before me!!"

In the distance, a logistics captain from the 188th Division quickly planted a red flag in an open space and pointed to it, saying, "Comrades from the demonstration battalion, just drop off your supplies here."

"You all rest here for a bit."

I heard the calls.

Of the hundreds of officers and soldiers in the demonstration battalion, almost half of them had their legs go weak and barely managed to carry the steel bars to the assembly point.

More than two hundred of them carried eleven tons of supplies and traveled nearly twenty kilometers from the small town.

A dozen tons may not sound like much, but when divided among everyone, the average load is fifty kilograms. There are no roads, just mud and yellow soup everywhere.

Their team had no medical personnel with them, and they relied entirely on their willpower to push forward, burning with their potential and vitality to complete the task.

It was a kind of forbearance and hardship that outsiders could not understand.

Bang bang bang.
Bundle after bundle of steel bars were thrown on the ground.

Fang Peijun waved his hand to arrange for the other soldiers to rest, while he himself reached into his pocket with trembling hands to retrieve a cigarette, only to find it was all soaked. He then tossed it aside.

He staggered to the logistics captain.

"Comrade Major, you've worked hard."

The captain of the 188th Division spoke sincerely: "You have brought more than a thousand standard No. 20 steel piles, each 1.8 meters long. Please rest assured that the dike construction will not stop and there will be enough for us."

Fang Peijun was silent for a few seconds, then pointed to the sandbags in the distance and said in a hoarse voice, "Comrade, the dike construction will not stop, can the flood discharge be delayed?"

"This"

The captain's face darkened.

We're all sensible people; there's no need to spell things out so clearly.

According to the latest news, meteorological experts predict that rainfall will gradually increase. There were some deviations in the previous forecasts, which delayed the rescue efforts. In other words, the water level at the dam is rising faster than expected.

"If this trend continues, the floodwaters will have to be released in at most four hours, leaving us with one hour less time than originally planned for a delay."

Fang Peijun's expression hardened. He looked back at the direction Chen Mo had led his team away in. At this point, due to the weather and the distance, the walkie-talkie had lost its effectiveness.

Looking at the two hundred-plus men he had brought, Lao Fang took a deep breath: "I understand. The demonstration battalion only needs to rest for twenty minutes, and they can join the new battle after the rest."

The logistics captain nodded, then extended both hands: "Thank you, you've worked hard."

"It should."

Fang Peijun looked tired, but his expression was unusually firm.

If they hold out a little longer, Battalion Commander Chen's side can withdraw more troops.

"Everyone has it!"

"Rest here for twenty minutes."

The order was given, and with a whoosh, the breath that had been supporting hundreds of people completely dissipated. Regardless of whether it was raining or muddy, a group of people simply lay down on the ground.

I was so tired I felt like my soul was about to leave me, so I tilted my head back and opened my mouth to catch the rainwater to moisten my throat.

With roads blocked, materials were more important than water resources, so those who went up the dam didn't bring any other loads.

Fang Peijun did not rest, barely managing to keep his body upright while watching the people working on site.

During the break, several engineering and water conservancy experts from the Shanxi Provincial Hydrological Station conducted on-site simulations of the impact force of the flood peak.

The first flood peak at the dam is expected to exceed 12136 cubic meters per second.

Therefore, the reinforcement of the dike requires adjusting the spacing of the steel piles to accommodate a water flow of 12200 cubic meters.

Reinforcing a dike and building a house are based on the same principle.

The foundation's load-bearing capacity determines the height of a building, while the steel piles are the load-bearing structure of a dam.

Fang Peijun followed the group of experts, listening attentively to their design for where to drive the piles, insert the flags, and which sections needed to be fitted with double-layer netting.

He didn't know what he was doing; in short, he only had one thought in his mind.

Learn more, observe more, and do our best to complete the follow-up work to buy more time for the people and comrades in the battalion who are retreating from the rear.

Even if it's just for a second.

After reviewing the water conservancy expert's design, he dragged his exhausted body to the place closest to the dam.

I watched helplessly as a sergeant, with two backpack ropes around his waist for protection and traction, was surrounded by a roaring torrent less than two meters away.

The entire surface of the water seemed to explode like a boiling pot, with turbid waves surging and logs appearing and disappearing from time to time.

The faster the water moves, the faster the debris in it moves.

If a person falls into the water at this time, it is not hard to imagine that the danger caused by a large number of floating objects is no less than that of the flood itself.

Life jackets and similar items offer very limited protection. In turbulent currents and whirlpools, the force of a wave can knock a person unconscious.

Most people wouldn't even consider standing on the edge of a dam and laying down stakes.

Just getting close, hearing the thunderous roar of the torrent, and feeling the tremors of the earth, is enough to make one tremble with fear and their legs go weak.

Although Fang Peijun was not from a field-based grassroots background, he considered himself quite brave, but at this moment, his calves were cramping a bit.

Then, his identity as a soldier forced him to suppress his inner fear.

Fang Peijun stood quietly.

Watching the raging floodwaters crash against the dam, the splashing water was higher than a person, soaking the sergeant's trousers and clothes.

But the sergeant didn't care at all.

The other person had a serious expression, bent his lower legs, and assumed a frog-jump posture. Then, with a sudden burst of strength, he straightened up and swung the wooden hammer in a wide arc, smashing it down hard from above his head.

With a crisp "snap," the steel bar was driven in a short distance.

The large arc of the hammer swing is violent, masculine, and incredibly fierce.

soon.

As water conservancy experts continued to measure the location and plant flags, countless soldiers flocked to the scene, and dozens or even hundreds of pile-driving teams started working simultaneously, with loud "bang bang" sounds echoing everywhere.

Fang Peijun learned how to do it, and then he found two straps for simple protection and joined the hammer-wielding army.

The instructors have already taken action; how can the others remain seated?

Wang Yanjun, the platoon leader of the reconnaissance platoon, was the first to get up from the ground, wipe the mud off his face, and shouted: "Brothers, I know you are all very tired, but look at the brothers of the 188th Division. They have been fighting here for several hours in a row. They are no less tired than us."

"Today, the dike is our battlefield."

"As long as the dike stands, we stand; if the dike falls, we fall. Charge with me! The battalion commander and the other brothers are leading the villagers to evacuate. We will not let this damned flood cross our lines even a second earlier."

"Two words: Hold the line!!"

"I won't say anything else. Officers, reconnaissance company men, and squad leaders from each combat unit, come with me to the embankment and form a stake-breaking assault team."

"Full of learning! Liang Hongjie"

"To!"

"You two organize the deputy squad leader and sergeant to establish a sandbag transport team."

"Everyone, remember this! Even if we don't have enough sandbags, we'll use our bodies to block the flood."

"kill!"

"Kill!!"

Exhausted soldiers, whose legs were almost unresponsive, rose to their feet shouting slogans.

Man Xuexi originally planned to go with them to drive the piles, but Wang Yanjun grabbed him by the collar and threw him behind.

"Get out of here and move the sandbags."

“But I’m a cadre too,” Man Xuexi said, somewhat unconvinced.

The other soldiers were also dissatisfied, and under the influence of this atmosphere, they all wanted to do the most dangerous work.

"Get out!!"

"The veteran cadres aren't all dead yet, so it's not your turn to die!"

Wang Yanjun grabbed his hat, wrung out the water, and put it back on his head.

"Man Xuexi, you son of a bitch, don't think that just because the battalion commander pampers you, I won't dare to beat you up. Do you think making you move sandbags is an easy job?"

"Now you're the logistics captain for our entire battalion. Coordinating supplies is your job, monitoring the condition of the soldiers in our work area is your job, and boosting morale is also your job." "By the way, the 188th Division has ginger soup and hot soup available. Don't let the hell I freeze to death here. That's your biggest role."

"Execute the order!!"

After making the arrangements, Wang Yanjun took the wooden hammer and rushed towards the flag next to the dam, where the floodwaters were less than two meters away.

No one in the demonstration battalion ever said that the battalion was built on the basis of the reconnaissance company, and that the entire company in the battalion had always been the type to work quietly.

But what if something happens when you go out?

The most capable unit is still this reconnaissance company.

Countless people rushed towards the levee; no one retreated, no one was afraid.

Facing the raging torrent, his expression remained unchanged!
In the decisive moment, everyone had only one thought in their minds: success or failure is not up to me, but I must fight with all my might.

. . . . . . . . . .

The final battle horn sounded on the levee.

This side of the flood discharge area.

Chen Mo's work was equally challenging. They encountered more and more people along the way, eventually meeting the evacuating force.

The demonstration battalion provided cover at the rear.

The more people involved, the more complicated the evacuation will be; that's for sure.

The civilians they encountered at the beginning, for whatever reason, had very little to carry. With the help of the entire camp, carrying or supporting them, they were able to manage and evacuate together.

The evacuation of dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of people is far beyond the capacity of even half a battalion to handle.

On the muddy road.

The torrential rain was still washing over them. Chen Mo was holding a flashlight in his mouth, carrying a man in his sixties on his back, and holding the hand of a seven or eight-year-old boy.

These were people who had strayed a little further from the group. Chen Mo brought them back to the main force, placed them among the crowd, and protected them as they waded through the mud and water.

In the late 1990s, cement roads were rare in the countryside, let alone asphalt or tar.

Never heard of it.

The roads become particularly difficult to walk on when it rains, let alone at times like this.

The people of the demonstration battalion were dispersed and escorted in combat squads. As the battalion commander, Chen Mo could have taken it easy and only needed to give orders.

But too many people have fallen behind.

Some must find their families, some must bring supplies; moving forward is not difficult, but calming the distraught public is the hardest part.

The soldiers of the reconnaissance company and the mechanized infantry helped the villagers push their carts, moving forward step by step.

the whole process.

No one complained of being tired, because they had no energy left.

No one complained, because they were soldiers.

Slip, get up, slip again, get up again.

The soldiers, officers, party members, and non-commissioned officers of the demonstration battalion—these elite forces, starting with Chen Mo and including everyone below him—seemed tireless, like perpetual motion machines, like people made of iron, as if they were born to prove that the army will always move forward and that the banner of the soldier will never fall.

This is the battlefield.

That's right.

It was the battlefield of the field army.

In peacetime, a camouflaged torrent marches toward danger.

The US military can't do disaster relief, the Japanese military can't do it, and even the Russian military can't do it, but the People's Liberation Army can do it all.

Perhaps some people usually look down on their own heroes, deliberately belittling and smearing them.

But every time there is an earthquake, flood, mudslide, or wildfire.

Wherever there is disaster, you will always see them.

The so-called field army.

You think this is war? War every day?
No, it is not.

This was an unseen bloodshed, a scene of carnage. In the face of an out-of-control wildfire, the company commander shielded a new recruit by pressing down on him, and the two ended up sacrificing themselves in each other's arms.

They were on the front lines of flood control, and after sacrificing their lives, they didn't even have water to wash their faces.

During the earthquake, supplies couldn't be delivered, and rescue workers were starving because their superiors had given strict orders not to search for food in collapsed buildings.

The soldiers were so hungry their eyes were practically glowing green, and they dared not accept any gifts from the disaster victims. If they were caught doing so, they would be dealt with immediately.

Because they have discipline, and no one can guarantee that if that discipline is broken, the food won't be stolen from the people, so they'd rather go hungry than eat.

Discipline! Iron will! Faith!
There is no turning back; everything is for the motherland.

That's why the dam broke, and the entire platoon of soldiers was swept away.

Therefore, there will be port explosions, and the lonely surviving soldiers will walk against the tide into the smoke of battle.

Therefore, there were also the tragic ice sculptures at Changjin Lake back then.

Liu Min, the leader of the medical team, kept moving among the troops, even though all the squads in the battalion had dispersed to carry out evacuation assistance missions.

She still did not give up on the soldiers in the camp.

This captain, who was usually a bit of a nobody in the camp, and the military doctor who had a bit of an artsy vibe, spent the whole night shuttling around the front lines, constantly searching for the wounded.

Actually, it didn't take much effort, because there were wounded people everywhere.

However, the demonstration battalion fully demonstrated what it means to remain on the front lines even with minor injuries.

They were broken, bruised, their hands and feet were scraped raw, and their shoulders were bleeding profusely, but no one was willing to stop.

Cheng Dong was originally following behind, providing the last layer of protection for the entire battalion. But since they dispersed to carry out their missions, he has rushed to the front.

Old Cheng truly lived up to his title as the reconnaissance company commander, a man of steel. His camouflage uniform was soaked with blood, and he himself didn't even know how he got injured.

When Liu Min discovered it.

Cheng Dong's camouflage uniform was already tattered, with a two-finger-wide and one-finger-long gash on his chest, which looked particularly eerie under the flashlight.

Fortunately, it didn't affect his pushing the cart. He led some of his fellow villagers to evacuate, and he didn't intend to deal with it at all.

A little blood won't kill him, so this tough guy didn't utter a sound.

"Chief of Staff Cheng, you are injured."

Liu Min caught up, her lips trembling as she loudly reminded him, "Cheng Dong, as a military doctor, I order you to stop."

"Go away!"

Cheng Dong roared, his whole being consumed by rage and anger.

He wasn't targeting the medical team, but he knew very well that he couldn't afford to stop in his condition; if he did, all his limbs and organs would rebel.

This left him with absolutely no strength to maintain it.

Perhaps realizing his words were harsh, Cheng Dong shook his head and glanced at Liu Min: "I'm sorry, I can't stop now. If I stop, I'll become a burden."

Watching Chief of Staff Cheng's ever-moving figure, and seeing the dense crowd pressing forward, we saw...

Liu Min stood there, frozen in place.

After a while, another female soldier from the medical team rushed over to report: "Captain, many people are unwilling to have their wounds bandaged and are even cursing at us."

"The battalion commander was also injured, but he refused to get his wound bandaged."

"What should we do, Captain?"

How to do?
Liu Min looked blank for a moment, shook her head, and said very seriously, "I don't know what to do either."

After saying that, she took down her medical kit, handed it to the female soldier next to her, took a deep breath, and rushed towards the people who were moving slower in the distance.

She was an officer, and more importantly, the captain of the demonstration battalion.

Officers, regardless of gender.

Glory is ingrained in my bones and blood.

Since the entire camp no longer needed her ability to save lives, she had to do something.

Perhaps she is not very strong, far less so than the veterans, but at least her passion remains, her uniform remains, and her mission as a soldier remains.

Residents in the flood discharge area continue to be evacuated.

It was 9 a.m. on September 6th.

The first flood peak has arrived.

Upstream at the Gaoyang Dam, a command to "open the floodgates" was given, and in an instant, a deafening sound, like hundreds of aerial bombs exploding, shook the entire area.

The torrent surged straight down.

On the levee, thousands of key personnel wore unusually serious expressions.

Compared to the notified flood discharge time, they fought for a long time but could hardly hold on any longer, and the flood discharge was completed fifty minutes earlier than expected.

Fortunately, the road from the town to the dike was open, so they were not unprepared.

"What are you all standing there for? Are you looking to die?"

"Everyone, get your backpack ropes ready. Keep an eye out for piping. If you spot a piping, immediately surround it with sandbags. Men of the 188th Division's main assault company, check the vehicles."

"For large breaches, use vehicles; for small breaches, use personnel. Everyone else, don't just stand there. Check your life jackets. If they're worn out or damaged, change them immediately."

Near the levee, officers kept giving repeated reminders.

For the first flood discharge, thorough preparations must be made.

The turbid floodwaters of Gaoyang Dam rushed out for thousands of miles, turning the originally muddy and dilapidated roads into a vast expanse of water in an instant.

The floodwaters were moving extremely fast.

In just over ten minutes, they caught up with Chen Mo and his group at their retreating position.

Fortunately, Chen Mo heard the commotion in advance, and since they were already dozens of kilometers away from the dam, the floodwaters were no longer as terrifying by the time they reached this side.

He organized people in advance to use various handcarts to block the rear, and all the soldiers linked arms to form human walls to block the first wave of attack.

Subsequently, the search and rescue operation proceeded like a machine.

No one knows when dawn will break, and no one knows where the end is.

In short, the demonstration battalion used a human wall to cut off the direct impact of the flood on the evacuation team.

Time passed little by little.

Chen Mo himself didn't know how long they had been in the water or how much time they had walked.

In short, as dawn broke in the east, when he himself was almost at his breaking point...

The water beneath our feet was getting shallower and shallower.

On the distant avenue, rows of people appeared, cheers, horns, and words of encouragement mingling together.

Hearing these sounds, even though Chen Mo was too far away to see what was happening over there.

But he knew.

Finally, dawn broke.

The demonstration battalion successfully completed the rescue operation and fulfilled its mission!
(End of this chapter)