Late Ming Dynasty: Special Forces in 1645

Each commando chose two warhorses, one to carry equipment and the other for riding.

Because they have to fight in complex terrain, commandos not only have to learn to drive various vehicles, but horseback riding is also an essential skill!

As darkness fell, the eight men rode their horses, preparing to find a place to rest for the night.

Sniper Chen Shaoping: "We've walked about sixty kilometers today, haven't we?"

Machine gunner He Mingqiu: "Probably not, about 50 kilometers, but I was almost exhausted. 100 pounds! Do you know what it feels like to cross 50 kilometers carrying 100 pounds?"

Correspondent Zhou Lei: "Hehe, we all are, but Captain, did you carry this much weight when you actually went on missions before?"

Li Chengming shook his head: "In actual combat, the load will be controlled within 60 jin (30 catties), but the marching distance can exceed 100 kilometers, taking half a day!"

The other team members were somewhat dismissive when they heard about the 60-pound load, but when they heard about the 100-kilometer march in half a day, everyone fell silent.

Li Chengming continued, "Don't complain about the heavy load this time. According to the plan, we will enter the first firing zone tonight. After firing this time, we can use up a lot of ammunition, which will reduce the load considerably."

Demolition expert Huang Longkun asked doubtfully, "This is the first time I've received so much live ammunition. Are the higher-ups really that trusting of us?"

Commando Liang Zicheng: "With seven or eight sensors all over your body, and satellites monitoring you in real time, how could you possibly have any other ideas? Before you even reach your firing position, even if you fire just one shot, the command center will immediately question you!"

Demolition expert Huang Longkun: "I was just saying that. After all, in previous exercises we only used rubber bullets. As for live ammunition, although we've used it quite a bit, it's always done in designated areas, and the management is very strict!"

Li Chengming, however, seemed thoughtful and said, "Those sensors aren't very useful now, but we shouldn't throw them away. Collecting them might be useful later! We shouldn't easily discard any of the components we carry; we should collect them all. For example, I told everyone to pick up the spent shell casings left over from the battle earlier. This should become a routine. If we have the opportunity, we can try reloading bullets, although we don't have the conditions for that yet!"

The assault team found a sheltered pavilion to rest in!

After carrying heavy loads for fifty kilometers, witnessing firsthand the corpses scattered across the village after the massacre, and finally accepting the fact that he had traveled through time, he annihilated a Manchu cavalry unit.

What happened that day was more unbelievable than anything that had happened in my entire life.

Exhausted, both physically and mentally, is a true reflection of the commando team members' condition.

After a quick clean-up of the makeshift pavilion, the assault team members even sat down on the ground, leaning against the wall and resting with their eyes closed.

Li Chengming knew everyone was tired, not only physically, but also because they needed time to truly accept the fact that they had transmigrated, so he didn't say much.

Li Chengming personally kept watch for the other team members!

At the same time, they began to think about what to do next:

"Now Li Zicheng has also fled to Jiugong Mountain. It is unknown whether he is still alive. He is being pursued by Ajige's troops and the traitor Geng Zhongming."

Meanwhile, the Hongguang regime in Nanjing was embroiled in internal strife. Dodo led his troops on a major southward campaign, winning battle after battle, capturing Zhenjiang, Yangzhou, and then... Nanjing!

The Hongguang regime in Nanjing is already on the guillotine, just waiting for Dodo's blade to fall. Such a regime... is not worth saving!

As for Li Zicheng, he would help out if he could. The saying goes, "Sea pirates guard the country's gates, and bandits die for the state." Whether it was Li Zicheng's army or Zhang Xianzhong's army, they performed better than the Southern Ming regime in the face of foreign invasion!

If we want to have a foothold in this era, we must have our own team, we must build up a team... After rescuing Li Zicheng, let's see if we can borrow an elite force from him!

With just our eight-man commando team, we are confident that taking the enemy general's head amidst a vast army would not be difficult. However, we cannot exhaust our ammunition in a single battle, so it is important to build up our own team!

Tomorrow, we will begin our operation, rescue Li Zicheng, establish our own army, and develop our own base of operations...

The next day, after a night of rest in shifts, the assault team members had eaten dry rations and their mental and physical strength had almost recovered.

Observer Yan Huidong is vigorously shaking the generator to charge the drone.

Commando Liang Zicheng: "How much longer do you plan to keep shaking this to fully charge it?"

Observer Yan Huidong said irritably as he shook the device, "It will take at least two hours to fully charge. Hey, don't just stand there, my hands are getting sore from shaking it. You take over."

Li Chengming looked at the still cloudless sky and said, "The weather is nice today, and there's not much wind. Once your reconnaissance drone is fully charged, search the area one spot at a time. Judging from history, Li Zicheng will really pass through this area in the next couple of days!"

"Captain, are we really going to save Li Zicheng?" Commando Liang Zicheng took the hand-cranked generator and asked as he cranked it, "His historical reputation isn't that good."

"You mean to say that Li Zicheng was just a bandit, right?" Li Chengming smiled helplessly. "In this day and age, where are there any truly good people? The Manchus slaughtered their way from beyond the Great Wall to the interior, and then to Jiangnan, leaving rivers of blood flowing. Let's not even talk about them. Take the Southern Ming, for example. Even with a formidable enemy at hand, they were still fighting amongst themselves. Instead of thinking about uniting against the common people, they only thought about eliminating their own factions. Did they ever consider the common people who died in the war? They were also peasant uprising armies, but Zhang Xianzhong and his ilk treated human life like dirt every time they conquered a place. How were they any better than the Manchus and the Southern Ming?"

"Although Li Zicheng's strategic vision was not very good, and his military campaigns caused countless people to be displaced, he at least had a bottom line. He was more lenient towards ordinary people, not bloodthirsty, and would not kill simply because he wanted to."

Commando Liang Zicheng nodded: "Compared to Zhang Xianzhong, Li Zicheng has a much better reputation. Although he ultimately failed, he was still a formidable figure for a time!"

"If we can rescue Li Zicheng, the remnants of the Shun army can still muster a force of over 100,000 and resist the Qing army for some time, buying us some time to develop!"

Liang Zicheng suddenly asked, "Captain, with our current equipment and strength, it wouldn't be difficult for us to secretly infiltrate the Forbidden City and kill all the high-ranking Manchu officials, would it? Why go through all that trouble?"

The other commandos agreed, chiming in, "Yeah, Captain, to catch the thief, you have to catch the king first. We've practiced decapitation strikes countless times. Let alone the early Qing Dynasty, even in the Middle East or Africa before we time-traveled, decapitating the high-ranking officials of a small country wouldn't be difficult for us. Why not decapitate the Qing Dynasty high-ranking officials here?"

Li Chengming turned to look at Liang Zicheng, and also glanced at the other assault team members. Seeing their gazes and expressions, Li Chengming knew that Liang Zicheng wasn't the only one thinking this way.

We need a unified opinion!

After a moment's thought, Li Chengming said, "Sure, if we're going to carry out a decapitation operation, we can find a dark and windy night, sneak into the Forbidden City, and send Dorgon and Shunzhi away in one fell swoop. Then, shall we continue by sending away the rest of the Manchu high-ranking officials?"

"Dorgon and Shunzhi are in Beijing. After killing them, we still need to deal with Ajige and Dodo who are moving south, as well as other Manchu princes and nobles. Let alone whether we can completely eliminate the Manchu forces, even if we can completely eliminate the Manchus, will the land of China no longer be in chaos? Will the people be able to live and work in peace?"

Seeing that everyone seemed to be deep in thought, Li Chengming continued, "With the ammunition we have, we cannot completely eliminate the Manchu forces, we can only eliminate the high-ranking officials. But once the current high-ranking officials die, someone will soon replace them and become the new high-ranking officials."

There were also the Southern Ming, Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong and other forces. Which of these forces had the ability to seize power and quell the chaos?

No! They will only make the world more chaotic. We have run out of ammunition and lost our support. It will be more difficult to develop our own power from scratch, and the situation will be even more unpredictable!

That's why I emphasize having your own team, your own base, and then understanding the world to change it!

Seeing that everyone was deep in thought, Li Chengming didn't say anything more. These assault team members were not people who were all brawn and no brains. On the contrary, they were not only physically strong, but also intellectually strong. In terms of education alone, they all had at least a bachelor's degree!

For example, medical worker Song Yourong and correspondent Zhou Lei were specially recruited into the army by graduate students from prestigious universities. Although Li Chengming had an ordinary undergraduate degree, he also passed the entrance exam for a part-time graduate program in mechanical engineering through his own efforts.

Thinking about it from a realistic perspective, everyone realized that what Li Chengming said was indeed correct.

The ultimate purpose of everyone coming into this world is to establish a new order. Although the modern weapons in their hands give them great destructive power, they cannot rely on them to establish order!

Only by establishing one's own power and winning the support of the majority of people in this era can one truly pacify the world, establish a new order, and create a peaceful and prosperous era!

"Captain," Liang Zicheng said, completely convinced, "you're right! Although we have the ability to take shortcuts, we can't rely on them; we have to develop our own strength from scratch!"

Correspondent Zhou Lei: "The captain is right, I support the captain! If we had unlimited ammo, we could wipe out all the disobedient forces, but unfortunately we don't, so we need to plan carefully!"

Medical worker Song Yourong: "I also support the captain. The world was in chaos before the decapitation operation. If it's still in chaos after the operation, then wouldn't our decapitation have been for nothing?"

Observer Yan Huidong: "It can't be called a pointless decapitation strike; at least we'll have used up a lot of ammunition..."

Demolition expert Huang Longkun: "The ammunition we carry won't last for many operations. Without it, we'll lose our very foundation for survival, and developing our strength will become much more difficult!"

The other team members all expressed their opinions and showed their support for Li Chengming!