The enemy's hidden strongholds were actually not easy to find, and one even had to be wary of enemy mines and booby traps.
A single mistake, or insufficient mine clearance, could lead to injury, and the soldiers had suffered considerably during this period.
However, the search continued. The mountainous terrain was complex, and the discovery of the stronghold this time was both good news and a significant challenge for the soldiers.
According to the intelligence received, the number of enemy troops within the stronghold was not large, but there would still be patrols, and the fortifications were merely rudimentary field defenses.
Zhou Liang had finished speaking and his gaze fell upon Gu Xingdong beside him, signaling for him to say if he had anything else to add.
Gu Xingdong's dark eyes scanned the rows of soldiers standing with their backs straight before him. He had wanted to offer a few words of caution, but this was the battlefield, where going in meant a nine-death, one-life certainty. In the end, he said nothing.
"Move out!"
At the command, the soldiers immediately gripped their rifles, their eyes resolute, and set off towards the target.
Gu Xingdong and Zhou Liang divided the soldiers into several teams, stealthily advancing towards the enemy base. Upon reaching the pre-arranged positions, the soldiers crouched in concealment, waiting for the signal. Then, they gently pulled the pins on the grenades in their hands and hurled them with force.
"Boom! Boom!"
With several deafening explosions, the shrapnel from the grenades pierced the bodies of the enemy soldiers, and their screams followed.
The soldiers quickly charged forward: "Kill!"
Immediately, the shouts of battle pierced the sky.
The enemy was caught completely off guard. Although they suffered heavy casualties, cornered, they fought back with all their might.
Soon, several grenades were thrown from the enemy's hiding places, but the soldiers, always well-trained, either ran or lay flat. Despite some injuries, they were all superficial.
The well-equipped and swift-acting soldiers soon gained complete suppression over the enemy. Those who attempted a desperate struggle were collectively mowed down like sieves.
"Look at our battalion commander's expression. I thought this tough nut would be harder to crack."
Seeing all the enemies ahead fall, Wang Dazhu spat a mouthful of dust from his mouth to the side, a relaxed expression on his face.
"Being careful is always good," Li Weimin said, walking towards the fallen enemies not far away to check for any survivors, ready to provide a finishing shot if necessary.
As Wang Dazhu was about to follow, his peripheral vision suddenly caught a movement from a figure lying on the ground ahead. Just as he was raising his rifle to aim, he suddenly felt the opponent's movement was wrong and his expression changed drastically: "Weimin!"
Li Weimin felt his body violently shoved, followed by a thunderous explosion in his ears. His vision went black, and it took him a while to regain clarity.
He felt something pressing against his chest and looked up to find Wang Dazhu.
"Dazhu? Dazhu!"
Li Weimin struggled to sit up and upon seeing Wang Dazhu's back and arm studded with several pieces of shrapnel, the wound areas already stained a deep red, he cried out.
"Dazhu, wake up!"
Li Weimin reached out and patted Wang Dazhu's cheek forcefully. He had never been so panicked before; his heart felt like it had fallen into a bottomless black hole, sinking lower and lower.
If it hadn't been for Wang Dazhu just moments ago, he would likely have become a bloody, mangled corpse just like the enemy soldier not far away.
"Are you calling my soul back?" Wang Dazhu closed his eyes, his voice no longer as vigorous as before, just three words, almost draining all his strength.
"You kid, you kid, damn you, you scared me to death." Finally hearing him speak, Li Weimin was overjoyed, tears welling up in his eyes even though he was a man of iron will.
"My mom calculated that I'm destined for great wealth and prosperity. Huh, Weimin, don't tell me you're still squeezing cat urine."
After a moment, Wang Dazhu struggled to sit up. As he placed his hands on the ground, his left arm went soft, and he almost collapsed back down. Feeling something was wrong, Wang Dazhu gritted his teeth, hiding it from his expression.
Seeing this, Li Weimin reached out and helped him up, his voice filled with relief: "I'm glad you're okay. If something really happened to you, I..."
Wang Dazhu: "You're always the most talkative during training, and now you're still rambling on."
As the two of them just stood up, Gu Xingdong and Zhou Liang led a team to meet them.
"What happened just now?"
"An enemy pulled the pin on a grenade, trying to take us all with him. Thankfully, Dazhu discovered it in time, otherwise I would have met my end here."
Gu Xingdong scanned Wang Dazhu, his gaze finally settling on his obviously pale face, and asked with a frown, "How are you?"
Wang Dazhu grinned: "Don't worry, Battalion Commander, it's nothing serious."
Seeing Gu Xingdong frowning, Zhou Liang said with a smile, "Judging by how they're chatting and laughing, he should be fine."
"Get a couple of men to make a stretcher," Gu Xingdong said directly without any further comment, giving instructions.
"Battalion Commander, I..."
Gu Xingdong nodded: "Now is not the time to be brave."
Wang Dazhu opened his mouth, then obediently lay down on the stretcher.
As it turned out, Gu Xingdong's concern was valid. Wang Dazhu had been hit by shrapnel in multiple places, and the wounds were very deep. If he hadn't been carried back on a stretcher, avoiding further injury, his condition would have worsened by several times.
Jiang Yuning emerged from the medical room, first glancing at everyone, then her gaze settled on Gu Xingdong: "I've provided basic treatment, but conditions here are limited. He needs to be rushed to the town hospital for surgery immediately."
Li Weimin said anxiously, "Dr. Jiang, as long as the shrapnel is removed from Dazhu, won't he be fine?"
"While the other wounds are deep, they are not serious if treated properly. However, one piece of shrapnel struck his left wrist tendons, causing a rupture. If he receives timely treatment now, he might be able to move it well in the future. If..."
Seeing everyone's grave expressions, Jiang Yuning did not finish her sentence.
But everyone had already understood. If he wasn't saved in time, Wang Dazhu's arm would be crippled.
"Dazhu did it to save me."
"I'll go arrange a vehicle." Seeing Li Weimin's self-reproachful expression, Gu Xingdong patted his shoulder and turned to leave.
The medical facilities in the county town were limited, but fortunately, Jiang Yuning and another doctor who had accompanied the team were very professional. After more than an hour of surgery, Wang Dazhu's wrist tendons were reconnected. As for how well he would recover in the future, that remained unknown.
"The doctor said there's nothing serious, so why are you all making such faces? Anyone who didn't know would think you're here to see me off."
Looking at the people in the room, Wang Dazhu joked with a grin.
"Your arm, after we go back, it might..." Li Weimin's voice trailed off, his heart filled with both gratitude and guilt.
"It's just retirement, isn't it? Otherwise, with my condition, I wouldn't have much of a future anyway. Retirement was bound to happen sooner or later. Besides, trading an arm for a brother is nothing to regret."
...
Time flew by, and three days later, the entrance of the 'Shu Se' clothing store was packed with onlookers.
Fearing that the crowd might be unmanageable, Chen Lishu had made arrangements with Liang Chunsheng in advance.
Early that morning, everyone arrived at the store and began their busy work.