Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

Hao Ge hid behind the boulder, listening to the dense gunfire around him, and his anxiety grew.

He knew that if he continued to drag this out, and the militia outside received reinforcements, he might lose even the last chance to break through.

He raised his hand and switched the fire selector of his AK to automatic fire, then growled at the remaining seven or eight men around him: "Leave two of you to hold off these traitors."

"The rest of you come back with me and hitch up the sleds. We'll force our way through."

At first, he was just reluctant to part with the food, but now that he knew there was no chance, that hesitation in his heart vanished instantly.

But he didn't expect that just as he was squatting behind the rock assigning tasks, two heavy engine roars suddenly came from the entrance of Jiaolong Gorge.

Two military trucks screeched to a halt, their tires leaving deep black tracks in the mud as they churned over gravel.

Before the car door was fully opened, a tall figure jumped out of the passenger seat, his military boots slamming heavily on the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Haha, Gu Dayong, as soon as I heard the name Jiaolong Gorge Militia Team, I knew you must be here."

The headlights swept straight over him, and Gu Dayong saw the person's face clearly. His face instantly showed a look of surprise and joy.

He quickly took two steps forward and raised his hand in a standard military salute: "Old leader? Why are you leading the team here personally?"

"As soon as I heard that the accident happened in your village, I knew that you and your son were both there, so I just wanted to see how you were doing."

As Lin Guoqiang spoke, he glanced at Gu Jiacheng, just as Gu Jiacheng had returned to call for help.

"Uncle Lin." Gu Jiacheng took a step forward, his voice still slightly panting from the journey.

"Good lad, you're even more steady than your dad was when he was young."

Lin Guoqiang chuckled and patted him on the shoulder, his gaze sweeping around the room before he raised an eyebrow slightly: "Where's Zhou Rui? Didn't he come with you guys?"

"He's keeping an eye on things over at the valley entrance," Gu Dayong quickly replied.

"You've come at the right time. The group in the valley has started fighting amongst themselves. Zhou Rui sent Jiacheng back to report that we need to hurry up and take their place, because the people inside might escape soon."

"Then we've come at just the right time." Lin Guoqiang reacted very quickly, turning around and calling out, "Platoon Leader Sun."

An old soldier carrying two crutches strode forward from behind, his voice booming: "Present! The second platoon should have thirty-one men, and they are all present..."

"There's no need to go into these minor details," Lin Guoqiang waved his hand.

"Gu Dayong, quickly explain the terrain around here to Platoon Leader Sun and have him deploy his men immediately. Don't let the people inside take the opportunity to escape."

There was no table or map, so the three of them sat around a patch of muddy ground in an open space, drawing lines on the ground with a twig, and started a makeshift war meeting.

Gu Dayong hadn't been idle for the past few hours either. He had thoroughly explored the terrain outside the valley and even sketched out a rough outline of some places inside the valley based on his and Chen Ye's memories.

In just two or three minutes, everything was explained.

"Commander, please give us your instructions on how to proceed." Platoon Leader Sun stood up, his back ramrod straight.

"Just a few petty thieves, and you want me to personally command them?" Lin Guoqiang didn't give orders directly, but instead looked at him with a smile, showing that he trusted this Platoon Leader Sun very much.

"Then I'll make the arrangements myself?"

"You will be in charge of this battle." Lin Guoqiang's expression turned serious.

"I have only one request: get all the grain back, and don't let any of these criminals escape."

He emphasized the words "not a single one can escape," showing none of his usual gentleness, but only the ruthlessness of a soldier.

"Yes, sir! Mission accomplished!" Platoon Leader Sun shouted at the top of his lungs, the veins on his neck bulging.

As soon as Platoon Leader Sun finished speaking, he turned around and rushed back to the truck.

In just a few words, the thirty-one soldiers instantly sprang up like scattered steel nails, following the path that Gu Dayong had drawn on the muddy ground and crept towards the mountain ridges on both sides.

There were no shouts of battle, and even the footsteps were kept extremely low. Only a series of shallow footprints were left on the snow, which were quickly covered by fine snowflakes and almost invisible.

Lin Guoqiang stood under the car headlights with his arms crossed, a cigarette between his fingers but not lit, his eyes fixed on the entrance to the valley.

The militia members and villagers nearby were dumbfounded; they had been guarding the area for more than three hours without daring to breathe.

As soon as this group of regular troops arrived, without making a sound, they had already quietly occupied all the high ground on both sides.

"Is Zhou Rui still behind the stone pier at the valley entrance?" Lin Guoqiang suddenly turned his head and asked Gu Jiacheng.

"Yes, he said he wanted to keep an eye on what was happening inside, in case someone crawled out through the side ditch."

Gu Jiacheng pointed to the dark pile of rocks on the left, and before he could finish speaking, a muffled thud suddenly came from the direction of the valley entrance.

It was the AK in the criminal's hand that fired first.

A group of about ten people, driving six sleds loaded with grain, rushed out of the woods.

The gun barrels sprayed bullets toward the valley entrance, sending mud splattering everywhere on the snow.

The sacks on the two sleds were swept with several holes, and golden rice grains fell down through the holes, leaving a yellow line on the snow.

On the foremost sled, two burly men with bloodshot eyes were pulling the triggers of AKs, firing a barrage of bullets at the militia sentry post at the valley entrance.

They originally thought that the group blocking the outside was still the same group of peasants who had never seen blood, and that they could tear open the gap with a single charge.

But after the first magazine of bullets was fired, what came back from the other side was not a sparse barrage of shotgun fire, but a series of neat and short bursts of fire.

The two men, armed with AKs, fell off the sled without uttering a sound, instantly staining the snow a dark red.

"They're regular soldiers from the Armed Forces Department." The driver was so shocked that the reins slipped from his hand and hit the snow.

The bandits who had been shouting that they were going to break out suddenly went weak in the knees when they caught sight of the rows of gun barrels exposed on the ridge.

They dared to act arrogantly when fighting the militia, taking advantage of the terrain, but when faced with a well-trained regular team, their ruthlessness was instantly shattered into nothingness.

Many people simply threw their guns into the snow, raised their hands, and rolled off the sleds without even daring to lift their heads.

A few hotheads dared to raise their guns and fight back, but after a few crisp gunshots from the ridge, they fell down without even uttering a sound.

Within minutes, the gunfire in the valley completely ceased, leaving only the neighing of frightened livestock and the wails of wounded robbers.

"The squad should immediately move forward to clear the area and confiscate all weapons. Anyone who dares to raise a gun to resist should be shot on the spot."

The platoon leader's voice, carried by the mountain wind, filled the entire battlefield, devoid of any superfluous emotion.