Sometimes dividing the troops is a helpless move, such as the Battle of Saarhu, but sometimes dividing the troops is necessary.
Zhou Changfeng divided the six teams of the First and Second Battalions under his command into twelve "mopping up teams" equivalent to the strengthened platoon level; while the three teams of the Third Battalion remained stationary and only took their turn after confirming the traces of the bandits. Attack.
The troops were divided into twelve groups, and the first Marine Regiment's sweep was as wide as fifty miles. Each sweep team was separated by four miles to the left and right, and they tried to move forward in unison, leaving no opportunity for the cunning bandits to take advantage of.
The dense trees in the deep mountains and old forests will affect the radio signal. The voice communication distance of the trial 36-type radio phone is therefore reduced from 3km to about 2km. This is why the distance between each detachment is four miles.
Six of the detachments have also been reinforced with an additional dog team to enhance search capabilities as much as possible.
It is now the second month of the lunar calendar and the beginning of March in the Gregorian calendar. In mid-spring, the temperature in the mountains of western Hubei is still low, and the humidity is very heavy in many places.
The officers and soldiers trudged one step at a time, and in just a moment, their boots, socks, and clothes were soaked with dew. They were all wet and uncomfortable.
The frequent appearance of snakes and insects made everyone miserable. In just half a day, nine of the twelve teams were bitten by venomous snakes.
"Ah! Grass! Damn it! There's a snake!"
A stocky soldier covered his left hand and shouted. Everyone looked around and saw a snake spitting out a letter in the grass next to him.
Flat round head, circles of white patterns... Is this a bungara snake? !
What could be more unfortunate than being bitten by a frightened bungara snake while crawling through the bushes in the forest?
"Medic! Someone has been bitten by a snake!" Someone shouted sharply.
Without saying a word, the medical soldier who rushed over took out the tourniquet from the first aid kit he carried with him and tied the soldier's upper limb tightly.
Then he took out a small aluminum cylinder that only looked like the back half of a syringe, placed it directly over the two small wounds bitten by the snake, and then pulled the piston head hard.
The soldier screamed in pain. Because it was not transparent, everyone could not see what was going on inside. In fact, the small piece of skin was sucked out by the huge pressure difference.
After sucking out the venom, washing the wound, and taking snakebite tablets, the unfortunate soldier was then sent to the rear; if the situation worsened, he may have to be sent to Yiling State Hospital for injection of antivenom.
This situation happened to several teams. The ubiquitous snakes and insects made all the officers and soldiers of the regiment feel helpless. They had to be careful, careful, and careful again.
Even more unbearable are molluscs, such as... leech.
Sometimes after burrowing through a bush, a few locusts would hang on the body. These gray-black or brown-colored, finger-thick things stick to the skin and suck blood; and because of the leech secreted by their mouthparts, people don't feel the sensation at all. No pain or strangeness.
Just imagine how horrifying it would be to have several of these molluscs hanging on your arms, calves, and neck sucking blood. Some soldiers who grew up in the city were so disgusted that they trembled all over.
Faced with many difficulties and obstacles, the twelve teams struggled to search and move forward among the mountains.
In the evening, the damp and wet people spent the night in the mountains. Everyone gathered around the campfire to roast their clothes and check each other's shirts.
The soldiers who grew up in the city did not dare to touch it, so they had to ask others to help them pick it up.
The soldiers who came from rural areas were not afraid. They picked up the locusts hanging on their bodies and threw them into the bonfire, and then they heard a "shoo" sound.
The search continued the next morning.
Although it was difficult to see the sun in the dense mountain forest, it was estimated that at about three o'clock in the morning, the leading team of the fourth mopping up team encountered two young men dressed as mountain people.
They were led into the procession.
"Sir, these two are sneaky and don't look like good people."
The leader was none other than Zhao Rong, who was known for his taciturn but sharp wit and calmness. After returning from Batavia with Zhou Changfeng, he followed him to the 1st Marine Regiment and was now the deputy captain of the 1st Battalion and 2nd Team.
He looked at the two young mountain men and said, "This area was declared a restricted area a few days ago. Why are you still here?"
"No...we don't know..."
"What do you do?"
"He who goes into the mountains to collect herbs."
Although there was no contradiction in their words, and they were indeed dressed like mountain people gathering medicine, Zhao Rong was keenly aware that the two men looked a little flustered.
This kind of panic is not the fear of common people meeting Qiu Bahou, but the kind of anxiety like the fear of being discovered after doing bad things.
Zhao Rong calmly reached out and grabbed a few herbs from the basket carried by one of them, then turned around and walked to the side of a sergeant.
The two whispered for a few words, and then Zhao Rong came back and asked casually: "The Atractylodes macrocephala and Gastrodia elata you two collected are of good quality. Have you been collecting herbs in the mountains since you were young?"
The two young men quickly nodded and bowed, and quickly replied: "Yes, they have been doing this for a living since they were six or seven years old."
Because of the dialect and accent, Zhao Rong could only understand roughly, but it did not prevent him from making a judgment.
Damn it, those herbs just now were Baiju and Qi Ai, which have nothing to do with Atractylodes and Gastrodia!
"You can't tell the difference between herbs, but you have been collecting them since you were a child?" Zhao Rong snorted coldly and said calmly: "Take it down! Question!"
It turns out that these two grandsons want to get away with it?
All of a sudden, several soldiers around him swarmed forward, punching and kicking them, "Pretend, why don't you pretend?"
As the saying goes, "How can you always walk by the river without your shoes getting wet?" The two bandits were in trouble.
These herbs were collected by the brothers who knew herbal medicine among the gangs, and were used as cover for those of them who went out to explore in disguise. This trick has never been suspected in the past, but today it is really unlucky.
At first, the two wanted to argue, but they couldn't survive the beating.
The soldiers who had suffered all the way were so angry that they knocked out several teeth of one of them with the butt of their rifle.
After a while, the two confessed, frankly speaking about the stronghold located northeast of the main peak of Lijia Mountain.
"If you don't cry until you see the King of Hell, you are talking about you." Zhao Rong waved his hand and the two of them were dragged behind.
Immediately, this team reported the situation to other teams via radio.
This gang of bandits also sent people in disguise to explore their progress?
After learning about this, Zhou Changfeng looked at the map and pondered for a while, then pointed at a point on the map and said: "Let's go here."
Xie Wancheng on the side thought he had made a mistake and said doubtfully: "But this is different from what the captured bandit said."
"Do you think they might only send two people to investigate? Now there is a high probability that they know that the stronghold has been exposed, and they will definitely move it immediately." Zhou Changfeng replied matter-of-factly.
Zhao Hanfeng also nodded in agreement, "This group of stubborn bandits must be capable of fighting wits and bravery to survive to this day. If they still go to that hiding place now, I'm afraid they will be in vain."
(End of chapter)
