Chapter 21 Chapter One

A huge, slow-moving crab-shaped cloud engulfed the west-slanting moon, and the night in the vast area of ​​Gongmu Mountain became dark. On the north side of the Dashan Gorge behind Maoerling, in a semi-underground frontier observation post with a civil structure at the top of the leg of Laoyeling, the army commander stood facing a rectangular observation hole facing south, without a telephone receiver in his hand. He put it in his ear, but held it far away, so his conversation with the commander of Division L clearly rang through every corner of this field fortification, which was dull due to the implementation of radio silence before the war.

"Mr. Chen?" "Commander, it's me!" "How's the situation there?" "Reporting to the commander, since 20 o'clock last night, all units of our division have started to act according to the planned plan. Currently, except for the detour unit of Liu Daoming of the B regiment who is still on the way, the rest of the units have arrived at the designated positions and completed the battle preparations. Now everything Good luck, please give instructions!" Since the army commander's forward observation post was less than three kilometers away from the war zone, the division commander's forward command post was pushed to the reverse slope on the west side of Mao'erling further ahead.If the moonlight is always bright, the division commander's command post and the army commander's observation post can be seen from a distance with the naked eye; but once the moonlight dims, what the army commander sees through the lookout hole is the southernmost Qipan Ridge and the darkness of No. 001 highland outline.

After the division commander finished speaking, the army commander still stood motionless.The division commander on the other end of the phone was aware of the commander's silence, just like when he went to the command post of regiment A yesterday morning, he couldn't grasp the commander's thoughts again. "Commander, what instructions do you have?" He asked again across the wide gorge. The commander seemed to be awakened from some kind of subtle and unpredictable thinking, and his feet moved.Guards moved a folding chair behind him, but he remained standing. The division commander finally heard the old voice of the army commander on the phone:

"Mr. Chen, how is the situation of Group B?" "The telegram signal Liu Daoming sent back just now indicates that they have reached the boundary marker 435 of Vulture Peak, which is the turning point, and they are going to cross the boundary marker and turn around to the highland No. 001 in the northeast!" "What about Group A?" "I called just now and asked, and the situation is normal!" The commander was silent again.The teacher felt that his breathing was also heavy. "Where is your reserve team?" "Reporting to the army commander, the C regiment—less than a battalion—has now entered Dongjiachong, the original assembly point of the B regiment. I let them rest for a few hours. As soon as the battle starts at dawn, they will move forward immediately and listen to orders at any time Support the battle of Group B!"

The army commander was silent for a long time this time, and the division commander was not sure whether he should put the phone down.In the observation post on the north side of the canyon, people felt another kind of heaviness: the army commander seemed to be making the final decision on some of his deployments. Sure enough, when the commander spoke again, his tone was obviously decisive and heavy: "Mr. Chen?" "it's me!" "At the next contact time, you convey my order to Liu Daoming: If you cannot reach the starting position of the attack on time without exposing the target, I will allow him to forcibly advance without hesitating to expose the target! If all the troops cannot be in place at the same time, they will be dispersed into several roads. As long as one of the roads is in place on time, I will consider him to have completed the roundabout mission!"

"yes!" "I also want to tell you that behind your division, I have ordered the two regiments of Division D to advance to the original assembly area of ​​Regiment C and Regiment A to stand by. This is the second echelon of troops I prepared for the battle to recover the Gongmushan area .I hope I can not use this army. Apart from you and your political commissar, no third person should know about this matter!" The teacher felt his throat dry. "clear!" "One last thing: from now on, the two of us—me and you—" he emphasized the last three words, "unless there is a special and absolutely necessary reason, we must not interfere with Group A again." And the combat command of the B regiment...do you understand what I mean?"

"I..." The teacher hesitated for a moment, then answered honestly, "I don't understand!" "I don't want any explanations. I just want you to carry out your orders!" "yes!" "Goodbye!" "Goodbye, Commander!" The phone on the south side of the canyon was the first to hang up.It took a while for the army commander to hand over the microphone to He Yan who had been standing beside him.After that, he neither walked away from the lookout hole, nor sat on the folding chair behind him.He was still standing, staring intently at the lofty mountains in the south of the canyon shrouded in darkness.

After all, the moonlight is no longer bright in this forested Grand Canyon.He Yan, who had been standing with the old man all this time, suddenly had a thought: it was not easy for the commander to make the last decision; since he made that decision, the commander will not leave this lookout hole until all the battles are over tomorrow. .