Siheyuan (traditional courtyard house): Starting with the Korean War, returning home to take charge

By the time the reconnaissance platoon returned to their base, it was nearly dark. The cooks, unusually, had prepared a thick porridge, with bits of oil and scraps of meat floating in the pot—whether it was spoils of war or a special treat from the division headquarters was unclear. The soldiers sat around the campfire, bowls in hand, heads down, drinking the porridge. No one spoke, but a palpable sense of relief, of having won a battle and escaped unscathed, shone brightly on their tired yet radiant faces.

He Yuzhu squatted by the fire, slowly swallowing his food, his mind replaying every detail of the day: the crisp sound of Wang Xiaochuan snapping the branch, the speed at which the military dogs pounced, the location of the reinforcements… There were too many loopholes. Just then, the regimental communications officer rode a clanging old bicycle into the camp and went straight to him.

"Platoon Leader He, the division headquarters has ordered you to report for duty immediately."

All eyes immediately turned to them. He Yuzhu wiped his mouth and stood up: "Do you know what happened?"

The communications officer shook his head: "It's a call from division headquarters, it's urgent."

He Yuzhu's heart tightened. So fast? The battle report had probably just been submitted. Was it a commendation, or... what had Wang Fuli reported this time? He composed himself, instructed Lao Geng to arrange for rest and guard duty, went back to his shack to change into a slightly neater uniform, and set off with the communications officer.

The division headquarters was located in a larger mountain village, with several intact brick houses serving as command posts, crisscrossed with antennas. He Yuzhu was led into a room where a charcoal brazier was burning brightly, warmer than outside, but also filled with smoke. A huge battle map on the wall was covered with red and blue arrows.

Besides Commander Song, whom I had met before, there were two unfamiliar officers, both with distinguished bearing, presumably from the Corps or higher levels. Wang Fuli was also there, sitting against the wall with a notebook open in front of him. When He Yuzhu entered, he adjusted his glasses but remained silent.

"Report! He Weiguo, platoon leader of the division's direct reconnaissance platoon, reporting for duty!" He Yuzhu stood at attention and saluted.

Commander Song, who was looking at the map, turned around. His face was expressionless, and he simply nodded and said, "Sit down." He pointed to the only empty bench in the room.

He Yuzhu sat down halfway on the stool, his back ramrod straight.

"I've read the briefings for your platoon's two most recent operations, and so have the comrades in the corps," Division Commander Song said bluntly. "The bridge bombing and radar station destruction were handled efficiently. The results have been reported and are being taken note of by the higher-ups."

The older commander of the corps sized up He Yuzhu a few times and said, "Comrade He Weiguo, very young. But you're a seasoned fighter. The night vision equipment you're using... did you get it from the enemy?"

"Reporting to the commander, these were captured, modified, and tested. The quantity is extremely small, and they will only be used at critical junctures," He Yuzhu replied cautiously. The system's secrets must never be leaked.

"Hmm." The corps commander remained noncommittal, then turned to Division Commander Song, "Old Song, your division's little knife is sharpened to a fine point."

Commander Song didn't reply, but instead looked at He Yuzhu: "I called you here today not just to praise you. At this point in the battle, both sides are adjusting their strategies. I want to hear your thoughts on the next tactics, as a frontline commander who specializes in hitting the enemy's weak points." He walked to the map, tracing the Han River with his finger. "In particular, where do you think the enemy is most vulnerable right now, and most afraid of us hitting them?"

The room fell silent instantly, broken only by the occasional crackling of the charcoal fire. Wang Fuli stopped writing and looked up. The two commanders of the Production and Construction Corps also stared at He Yuzhu.

He Yuzhu's heart suddenly raced. He could rattle off a few tactical details; but the overall battle situation? That was beyond the scope of a platoon leader. But he immediately realized: this wasn't casual conversation, it was a test, and perhaps an opportunity.

He took a deep breath and turned his gaze to the map. The winding roads and the symbols for enemy supply depots stretched out like a spider web. Scattered pieces of knowledge out of step with this era—about logistics, mobile warfare, and asymmetric harassment—collided and merged violently with months of bloody combat experience.

"Reporting to the division commander and other officers," he began, trying his best to keep his voice steady, "I believe that the enemy's greatest weakness is not the number of troops and artillery deployed on the front line."

"Oh? Where is it?" the corps commander asked with great interest.

"Behind it lies that thin supply line." He Yuzhu stood up, walked to the map, and traced the dotted lines of several major highways with his finger. "They are highly mechanized, and their food, shells, and gasoline all rely on road transport. The journey from Busan and Incheon ports to the front lines is long, like a taut rubber band."

He paused briefly to gather his thoughts: "When we blew up the bridge and attacked the radar station before, it was like cutting a couple of times on this rubber band. It will hurt, it will contract, but it can quickly reconnect and even become stronger. To make it truly break, or suffer sustained pain and incapacitation, you can't rely on just one or two heavy blows."

"Then what do you rely on?" Commander Song pressed, his gaze sharp.

"Using many small awls, we continuously pierce its joints and blood vessels." He Yuzhu's tone grew stronger. "We don't aim to destroy a certain number of vehicles or annihilate a certain number of enemies at once. The goal is to ensure that this road is never peaceful. For example, we form elite squads of three to five or ten people, equipped with sufficient explosives and landmines. We don't attack fortified strongholds, but focus on the roadside. Today we remove dozens of meters of rails, tomorrow we lay booby traps at a crucial pass, and the day after tomorrow at night we sneak up on the convoy's rest stop, fire a few sniper shots, throw a couple of grenades to detonate the oil drums, and then retreat."

His thoughts became clearer, and he spoke faster: "This will force enemy convoys to avoid traveling alone, keep patrols busy, and increase the number of checkpoints, which will only disperse their forces. It will make their road construction speed unable to keep up with their sabotage progress. In the long run, frontline artillery shells will have to be conserved, gasoline will have to be carefully managed, and soldiers will have to eat in fear. Eventually, even the strongest fist will become powerless. This is less costly and may have a more lasting effect than concentrating forces to directly attack their strong defenses."

The room was silent, save for his slightly hoarse voice and the faint crackling of the charcoal fire.

Division Commander Song stared at the map, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the table. The two corps commanders exchanged a glance, one of them nodding slightly.

Wang Fuli lowered his head again and quickly took notes in his notebook, the scratching sound of his pen tip was particularly clear.

After a long while, Commander Song finally looked up, his gaze falling back on He Yuzhu, his eyes showing an expression he hadn't seen before—a scrutinizing look, or perhaps the burning intensity of a certain decision.

"A small awl... keep stabbing..." Commander Song repeated, his lips twitching almost imperceptibly. "That's an interesting way of putting it. Instead of pounding thick flesh, you target the tendons and joints, making him feel uncomfortable all over."

He paced back and forth a couple of steps, then suddenly stopped and looked at the corps commander: "Old Li, what do you think?"

The commander, known as Old Li, pondered for a moment and said, "The idea is bold, and good. But its implementation will place extremely high demands on the troops' independent combat capabilities, tactical flexibility, and the quality of their personnel. It's not something that ordinary troops can handle."

"Then use the troops that are capable!" Division Commander Song's voice wasn't loud, but it was resolute. He turned to He Yuzhu, his gaze piercing: "He Weiguo!"

"arrive!"

"The division headquarters has decided to use your reconnaissance platoon as the backbone, drawing the best reconnaissance soldiers and combat veterans from various regiments, supplementing their equipment, and expanding it into a division-level reconnaissance company, organized as a reinforced company! You will be appointed as the company commander, and promoted to captain!"

He Yuzhu's mind went blank for a moment, a sudden realization dawning on him. Company commander? Captain? This promotion was too fast!

Commander Song didn't allow him to process the information and continued, "Your company's mission will proceed as you just described! You won't be assigned to fixed defensive lines, nor will you participate in frontal assaults. Your battlefield will be in the enemy's supposedly safe rear! Your mission is free hunting, focusing on supply lines, resupply points, and communication nodes! Use every means possible to make that 'rubber band' of the enemy feel pain and confusion! Can you complete the mission?"

He Yuzhu's throat went dry, but his blood rushed to his head. He straightened his chest, suppressing all hesitation and shock, leaving only one clear thought: a bigger stage, heavier responsibilities, and... a more dangerous road.

"Yes!" The voice was dry, but unusually firm.

"Good!" Commander Song patted him heavily on the shoulder. "The staff office will coordinate the specific personnel and equipment immediately. Comrade Wang Fuli," he turned to the special envoy by the wall, "you need to cooperate in implementing the ideological mobilization and discipline education."

Wang Fuli closed his notebook and stood up: "Yes, Commander." He looked at He Yuzhu with a complicated expression, but in the end he just nodded.

Stepping out of the division headquarters, a gust of cold wind calmed He Yuzhu's feverish mind. Company commander, captain, free hunting... each word weighed heavily.

The system notification sounded calmly in his mind:

[Promotion: Platoon Leader of Reconnaissance Platoon -> Company Commander of Division-Directly Subordinate Reconnaissance Company]

[Rank Promotion: Sergeant First Class -> Captain. Receive a promotion points bonus of +35000.]

[Leadership experience has been significantly enhanced based on in-depth tactical thinking and strategic advice.]

[Leadership reaches intermediate level: Morale and cohesion are significantly enhanced, and tactical command capabilities are initially established.]

[Unlock Auxiliary Ability: Basic Tactical Command (Knowledge Transfer)]

Current battlefield score: 304398 + 35000 = 339398 points.

Main quest progress: 339398 / 100,000,000 ≈ 0.339%

Points have increased again. The newly unlocked "Basic Tactical Command" knowledge stream is slowly integrating into consciousness; it contains systematic content on company-level dispatch, coordination, and logistics.

But He Yuzhu had no time to investigate further. He looked back at the brightly lit division headquarters, then at the distant, dark mountains.

The awl has been sharpened; now, it will stir up even greater storms. And those watching him are likely not just his own generals.