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

The snow had completely melted. The ground softened and turned black overnight, and during the day, the sun shone on it, releasing a damp, earthy smell. The night's chill could barely freeze the surface, but as soon as it was light, it was back to ankle-deep, sticky mud. The mountains and forests lost their deathly white, revealing deep brown scars, with only a few timid green buds hiding in the shade.

The roads were completely destroyed. The permafrost had turned into a swampy mess, and the wheels of vehicles would get stuck and unable to move. The only way to march was to tread on hillsides, find rocky ground, or grit your teeth and wade through the half-melted snow. The cotton trousers were wet, cold, and heavy all day long, and the frostbite that had just started to heal was soaked in mud and water again, making it unbearable.

But the soldiers of the reconnaissance battalion, their spirits rising like the earth itself. After more than a month of rest, the wounded returned to their units, new recruits joined, and equipment was replenished. The camp was filled with shouts and laughter all day long, crawling and rolling in the mud, everyone covered in mud, but their eyes shone brightly. The battalion commander, a first-class combat hero, was right in front of them; that honor, circulated throughout the army, was like a flag, needing no urging, everyone was eager to prove themselves.

He Yuzhu squatted on a dry rock outside the battalion headquarters, rolled a cigarette, and smelled it. Looking at the vibrant troops below, the weight of the casualty list on his heart eased somewhat from this burst of energy. Spring had arrived; the battle lines, frozen all winter, should begin to move.

Reports from the division headquarters poured in: the Fifth Campaign was about to begin; the stalemate needed to be broken and the advance southwards. But a dose of reality was also cast: the enemy had become more sophisticated, with deeper defensive lines, more visible and concealed bunkers, and reinforced reserves. Reconnaissance photos showed frequent vehicle activity in the rear, suggesting the stockpiling of something.

The battle began in the early hours of April. The artillery fire was more intense than ever before, turning half the sky blood red. The reconnaissance battalion, acting as the spearhead, charged forward following the explosions. The first line of defense caught the enemy off guard, offering little resistance, and was breached in one fell swoop. The second line was slightly tougher, but relying on the terrain advantage, the reconnaissance battalion still managed to tear an opening, continuing to drill in like an awl.

The smooth progress made He Yuzhu uneasy. Especially after breaking through the second line of defense, the feeling that something was wrong became more and more obvious.

The enemy's retreat was highly organized. They used alternating cover, withdrawing in layers. On the abandoned positions, there wasn't much important equipment, but tripwires, booby traps, and unexploded explosives were scattered everywhere, their delaying effect far greater than direct resistance. What alarmed him even more was the artillery fire—every time they captured a high point, before they could even consolidate it, enemy shells would rain down as if guided by eyes, fast and accurate, not like blind bombardment, but as if the firing parameters had been pre-determined.

During a brief rest, he instructed his communications officer to monitor enemy radio clutter. Amid the interference, he picked up fragments of rapid English conversations, interspersed with clear coordinate codes and words like "maintain contact," "as planned," and "decoy." In the sky, those slender reconnaissance planes appeared more frequently, hovering like flies over the combat zone.

A thought, like a bucket of ice water, jolted his feverish mind: Lure the enemy in? A fire trap?

He immediately ordered his troops to halt their advance and construct makeshift defenses on the spot. At the same time, he dispatched his most capable reconnaissance teams to infiltrate the far flanks instead of advancing further, in order to ascertain the enemy's strength.

Just then, news came from the right flank: a neighboring infantry regiment, eager for victory due to its smooth progress, had crossed the original attack line and was rushing into a seemingly weakly defended valley at an extremely fast speed, widening the distance between itself and the main force of the division.

Upon hearing the name of the valley, He Yuzhu's heart skipped a beat. On the map, the place was flanked by high mountains and dense forests, with a narrow passage—a classic "pocket." If the enemy had indeed laid an ambush…

He grabbed the radio, trying to contact the regimental command post directly, but the channel was garbled and the call couldn't be connected. Seeing that the group of figures had disappeared behind the woods at the valley entrance, He Yuzhu gritted his teeth and ordered Lao Geng, "Take a company and chase after them! Try to stop them! Just like I said, the terrain ahead is unfavorable, there might be an ambush. Make them stop immediately and rejoin the main force!"

Old Geng accepted the order and left. He Yuzhu led his battalion to quickly seize a nearby high point and establish an observation post. Through the binoculars, the valley was suspiciously quiet, with only sporadic gunfire in the distance, which made the silence all the more eerie.

Not long after, Lao Geng replied urgently, "Battalion Commander, we can't stop them! Their regimental commander says we're meddling too much and hindering our chances of earning merit, and he's ignoring us completely!"

He Yuzhu felt a surge of anger, but even more so, anxiety. He glanced at the map, then looked at the desolate valley, knowing he couldn't wait any longer.

"Wu Dayong!" he roared.

"arrive!"

"Take your Second Company and flank them from the side. At any cost, bring that reckless unit back to me! If their regimental commander doesn't obey, bring him here! Hurry!"

Wu Dayong was taken aback—forcibly intercepting friendly forces would be considered disobeying military orders if things escalated. But seeing He Yuzhu's ashen face, he didn't ask any further questions, turned around, gathered his troops, and rushed down the hillside.

Half an hour later, Wu Dayong actually "invited" the infantry regimental commander—a lieutenant colonel with a flushed face and a furious expression—to the observation post. The lieutenant colonel immediately launched into a tirade: "Battalion Commander He! What do you mean? Blocking my troops? Can you take responsibility for jeopardizing our battle opportunity?"

Ignoring the roar, He Yuzhu pulled him to the observation post and pointed to the valley below and the faint signs of enemy activity in the distance: "Commander Wang, look for yourself! This terrain! The enemy's retreat route! And the area they're currently artillery fire over! Is this a rout? This is like them opening a trap for us!"

He grabbed the jumbled coordinates and key words from the conversation he had just overheard, along with a diagram of the aerial reconnaissance aircraft's movements, and shoved it all in front of the other person: "The enemy radio is frequently reporting our position! Their artillery fire is so accurate; they were prepared! If your entire regiment goes in, and we're locked down by fire from both sides of the mountain, and our retreat is cut off, what will the consequences be?"

Commander Wang stared at the evidence, then at the terrain of the valley. His anger gradually gave way to surprise and doubt, but he remained defiant: "This...this is all speculation! Opportunities are fleeting..."

"Fighter jets?" He Yuzhu interrupted, his voice cold and hard. "To gamble the lives of an entire regiment on a fighter jet that might be a trap? You can take that gamble, but I can't, and our soldiers certainly can't!"

Without further ado, he had the communications soldier connect him to the division's forward command post and obtain information about Division Commander Song.

"Commander, this is He Weiguo." He spoke quickly and clearly. "The enemy on the front is retreating in an organized manner, which is most likely a decoy. On both flanks, especially the right flank towards XX Valley, the terrain is treacherous, and the enemy's activities are unusual, suggesting a possible ambush. Our unit has suspended its assault and... halted the advance of the XX Regiment. I suggest the main force immediately slow down, consolidate existing positions, and send strong troops to both flanks to strengthen reconnaissance and vigilance, guarding against a powerful counterattack after the enemy consolidates its forces. Repeat, this is not a rout, it could be a trap!"

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the radio, followed only by the crackling of static. Then Commander Song's voice came through, devoid of emotion: "Understood. Your battalion, stand by, increase vigilance. XX Regiment, immediately withdraw to your designated positions. I will verify the situation."

The call ended. Commander Wang's face flushed red and then turned pale. He glared at He Yuzhu and turned to gather his troops, who had almost gotten themselves into a trap.

He Yuzhu breathed a sigh of relief—the warning had worked. But Commander Song's words, "I will verify," also indicated that his superiors did not fully accept his judgment, and at least would not immediately change the pace of the attack.

He leaned against the earthen wall of the observation post, his back soaked with cold sweat. A spring breeze blew in, carrying the smell of mud and lingering gunpowder smoke, chilling him to the bone.

In his mind, the system notification sounded calmly:

[Participated in the initial breakthrough operations of the campaign, and completed reconnaissance and early warning missions.]

[Gain Battle Points: +80,000.]

Current battlefield score: 4,913,398 + 80,000 = 4,993,398 points.

Based on a keen insight into the battlefield situation and risk warnings, the ability to make early warning judgments and battlefield intuition has improved, and the effective warning range/clarity has slightly increased.

[Relations with some friendly commanders have soured, but trust and communication channels with the direct superior (Division Commander Song) have been strengthened.]

He was only a few thousand points away from five million. But He Yuzhu had no interest in that at the moment.

He pulled out the cigarette he hadn't lit and slowly twirled it between his fingers. The front line was still shrouded in the smoke of artillery fire, and beneath the spring mud, the enemy had set up new, even deadlier winches. All he could do was desperately shout out that warning that might be drowned out, then grip his gun tightly, waiting for the noose to tighten at any moment.