In the second half of the night, it was Shen Rusong's turn to sleep in the tent for a few hours, driving out those who were sleeping soundly and warm to stay vigil to blow the cold wind. This means that no one in the company can get a full night's sleep, and no one has a good rest.
It was good for someone like Shen Rusong who could go into the tent to warm up for a while. In order to guard the horses tied up in the forest, several old cavalry had to hide among the horses all night. Otherwise, there would be no one to control the horses. If one of the horses goes crazy from the cold and starts biting and kicking like crazy, the whole herd will break free and run away!
By dawn, the blizzard was still showing no signs of abating. Even if you brought solid fuel for temporary heating, if it is consumed easily, it means that you will not be able to eat a bite of hot food in the next few days. Eating cold food in the snow will be too cold, and once you get sick, Dysentery is equivalent to a death sentence!
After struggling until dawn, taking advantage of the weakening of the snow and the reduced wind, after counting the number of people and horses, the company commander ordered everyone to break camp and set off immediately! All materials except rations, ammunition, and basic tools were thrown away. Precision instruments such as artillery scopes, seismic detectors, exoskeleton repair components, etc. were casually buried. Heavy weapons were rendered harmless and then discarded. The fuel tanks of flamethrowers were removed and thrown away. Go down the cliff. All the baggage that slows down the speed is useless no matter how expensive it is!
Travel light!
The blizzard at night severely blocked the radio signal. It was not until early in the morning that the field radio connected to the regiment headquarters. The company commander forced himself to report to his superiors that the troops had encountered an unprecedented snowstorm and had to advance at full speed to the Ganjingzi Military Station. In order to save time, he had to abandon it. A lot of baggage.
The regiment headquarters was well aware of the dangers of late spring cold and recognized Xia Xiaoyuan's prompt decision to abandon useless supplies. The regiment headquarters stated that all the troops operating in the Qianshan Mountains encountered abnormal frost and snow, but only the 2nd company in the deep mountainous areas was not easy to retreat. It would be best if they could get out of trouble on their own. If it was difficult to move forward or communication was lost, the regiment headquarters would allow the company to Make your own decision.
The previous light snow had made the snow on the mountain road as thick as the sole of a boot. Now the snowstorm that lasted for a day and night deepened the snow directly to the depth of the calves. Although the dwarf draft horses are cold-resistant, their limbs are short and thick. The depth of the snow seriously affects their speed. In the end, What was terrible was that the direction of the wind that was supposed to go with it turned into a headwind. No matter how tenacious the packhorse was, it could not pick up any speed.
People riding horses have to endure the severe cold wind. Even if they bend down and hug the horse's neck, they can't avoid the bone-piercing frost cold. Basically, the company is composed of recruits who grew up in the underground city. How can they withstand such a severe test? , the physical strength is exhausted very quickly, and the equestrian skills are not good. In order to avoid falling out of the team, the whole company has to stop the whole team almost every one or two kilometers.
"Can't you rest at the next stop?" Shen Rusong asked.
Xu Bowen pulled down his cold-proof towel. His eyebrows were filled with ice and snow. He pulled out a map, pointed at the complex contour lines and said: "The sites behind are not on the way to the military depot, and they are all too small! None of them are similar to the previous cave safe houses. Likewise, there is almost no material reserve left, and it can’t accommodate so many people!”
Xu Bowen knew what Shen Rusong wanted to say. He turned around and pointed to the top of the mountain that he couldn't see at all. He swallowed and said: "The cave at the back is closer. We have to climb the mountain again! It's difficult for horses to climb that slope. , do you remember that pass where the wind blows through the hall? You can't stand it!"
"If you want to go back, you should go back yesterday!"
Shen Rusong's eyes were worried. He looked at the recruits who had to support each other to move forward. These seventeen or eighteen-year-old children were still too young. A week of continuous marching and a battle in the middle had worn away their energy. Now, No matter how hard you urge them to go faster, it won't work. They are not veterans and have never experienced life and death. Where do they get their resilience?
With the current speed of the snow sinking into the knees and falling every step, it is still a rugged mountain road. It can be reached in two days and one night, which is not bad, provided that the weather does not worsen!
After a short rest, the whistle sounded shrilly, and the company commander ordered the march to continue.
The clock turned to nine o'clock in the morning, and the wind and snow quickly increased. The extremely thick snow and fog covered the path down the mountain. The weaker ones had to pull the tail of the pack horse to stand up. On the steep mountain road, if anything went wrong, they would fall down the mountain path. The end of a puddle of flesh and blood. It is true that the team reached the leeward slope, but the mountain wind was still fierce! Turbulence, cross winds, longitudinal winds, all kinds of crazy winds blew the team around.
"We can't stop! The wind speed will be even stronger at night!" Several veterans who grew up next to Yanqi kept asking the company commander to continue setting off.
"Stop and wait for everyone to rest? No one can leave!"
Xia Xiaoyuan gritted his teeth. He couldn't bet on how long the snowstorm would last. He had to make a choice!
There is precedent for this! In January 2071, an infantry company stationed near Longshan was undergoing winter training. It encountered a snowstorm while hiking through the Longshan branch. The commander of the unit was at a loss. He stopped for a while, turned back, and then moved forward. In the end, the entire company was almost destroyed! When the snowstorm that lasted for four days and three nights abated, the search and rescue team arrived and found a total of 199 frozen corpses, of which only 11 people were rescued.
Either dig a snow trench on the spot and hold on until the wind and snow is over, or go back and find a suitable camp to spend the winter, or go forward to the end!
What's more, the whole company only carried a week's worth of rations. The plan was to replenish supplies in the reserve warehouses of each station. Now it has been two and a half days since the last replenishment. They will not be able to reach the next station within five days at the latest. They will starve even if they don't freeze to death. Die in the snow!
But in a snowstorm, it takes five days to complete a journey that originally took two days. This is easier said than done! In the vast snow-capped mountains, do you expect the plane to accurately drop supplies or rescue people one by one? !
"Company Commander! We can't guess God's temper! We can't guess how many days or weeks this snowstorm will blow. We can't wait!" Ma Yuanguo advised.
Last night, Ma Yuanguo and two veterans were guarding the horses. Without him, not a single animal would be able to escape. Xia Xiaoyuan could not care about the opinions of his new platoon leader, but he could not ignore Ma Yuanguo's opinions.
Xia Xiaoyuan has served in the army for more than seven years. He has climbed Longshan Mountain, crossed the Huihe River, fought in bloody battles in Fenglin, and wiped out bandits. He fought hard but failed to take his life, and he still withstood the severe cold. He suppressed the panic in his heart, calmed down, bit his lip, and silently counted the supplies and horses currently owned by the entire company.
He looked up at the dark sky, then lowered his head and glanced at the sparse woods at the foothills around him. The hot steam he exhaled condensed before he pulled up his collar, and what rose up was cold steam. He breathed it into his nose, making it painful from the cold.
The temperature has dropped to its lowest point, down to minus 30 degrees Celsius. At this temperature, it is difficult to leave and even more unbearable to stay!
"Go forward! Go to the foot of the mountain! At least we can build a camp against the forest!" Xia Xiaoyuan gritted his teeth.
"Tell the whole company! Even if you can't walk, squeeze the strength from your bones and walk!"
"If you don't leave! You'll freeze to death!"
