Chapter 304: Survival in Desperate Straits

He Yuzhu had long since locked onto him, and a bullet pierced directly through his chest.

The soldier's body tilted, and the Rocket fired out of control, hitting one of their own ammunition trucks down the slope by sheer luck, triggering a violent explosion. None of the surrounding soldiers were spared.

On the Volunteer Army side, Tank Company Commander Feng Baoqing was operating a tank cannon in actual combat for the first time; he stared intently at the sight, excitedly adjusted the turret, and upon seeing a British soldier loading a Mortar, he pressed the firing button hard.

"Boom!" That British soldier and the Mortar were blown into fragments together.

The British Army collapsed; the panicked soldiers no longer listened to John's orders and began to scatter and flee for their lives.

John raised his gun and shot a deserter, attempting to kill one to warn the hundred.

A soldier nearby was stunned with fear and stopped in his tracks.

Just at this moment, another precise sniper shot rang out.

John's head exploded like a rotten watermelon.

A British soldier stared blankly for a moment, then rushed up and kicked his corpse fiercely, cursing, "You son-of-a-bitch American hillbilly! You're the reason all my brothers are dead!"

The remaining hundred-plus British soldiers completely lost their will to fight and retreated like a receding tide.

"All units, attention! Pursue!" He Yuzhu saw the opportunity and issued the order for a general offensive.

Five Tanks roared out of their hiding spots, firing fiercely at the retreating soldiers.

Zhang Guowei's Firepower Company and the soldiers of Li Xiaobiao's Infantry Company were like tigers released from their cages; they leaped out of the Dark Bunker and launched a swift and violent pursuit against the enemy.

After pursuing for a distance, He Yuzhu saw that it was time to stop and immediately ordered the retreat.

He knew well that this place could not be lingered in; if they were blocked at the mountain pass by the enemy's follow-up troops, the consequences would be unimaginable.

He ordered the troops to quickly clear the battlefield and evacuate immediately.

Just three hours later, He Yuzhu's team had once again set foot on the marching route.

This battle, from preparation and ambush to clearing the battlefield, was a lightning strike. The results were brilliant: over eight hundred enemy troops were killed or wounded, while they themselves sacrificed only seventeen men and thirty-some were wounded; they also captured a large amount of firearms, ammunition, medicine, food, and cotton-padded clothes, including over twenty vehicles.

At this moment, He Yuzhu's battalion had already traded their bird guns for cannons, becoming a mechanized unit in the true sense of the word.

After a day of marching, they finally caught up with the main force.

Army Commander Song personally boarded the truck driven by He Yuzhu, and after hearing He Yuzhu recount all the details of the battle, he patted his shoulder hard and said, "Little He, to be honest, if it were me, I might not have let the army retreat back to the base; doing so was truly too risky. Once blocked at the exit by the enemy, it would be like catching a turtle in a jar."

"Actually, I hadn't failed to consider that possibility," He Yuzhu touched his nose, "The reason I did this was for two reasons. First, when we were scouting, we discovered that this group of soldiers was the British 41st Independent Commando; historically, British soldiers didn't fight well during World War II, and their combat effectiveness was relatively weak. Second, it was because those American special forces previously managed to infiltrate the base from our southern slope, which gave me some inspiration. Since they could come up from the southern slope, why couldn't we retreat from the southern slope when we had no other way to go? With this retreat route, I felt confident."

"You are courting death to find life! You have the heroic spirit of Chu Bawang," the Army Commander praised.

"You flatter me!" He Yuzhu said modestly.

"Wait until we return to headquarters to receive your reward!" the Army Commander laughed.

"How is the fighting going over at Changjin Lake? When can the New First Division where my father is stationed return to the country for rest?" He Yuzhu asked with concern.

"Soon! It won't be more than half a month!" the Army Commander replied.

"That's good. I actually came to participate in the war to protect my father, but ended up running to headquarters instead..." As He Yuzhu spoke, his eyes turned a little red.

"Your father and the others aren't on the main attack, there's no danger!" the Army Commander comforted him.

He Yuzhu smiled and said, "We captured quite a few things this time; we can provide some supplies to headquarters."

"Good lad, I just love your selfless quality!"

As the rear-guard unit, He Yuzhu's troops always maintained a distance of twenty or thirty li from the main force.

The first day of marching was calm and peaceful.

At noon on the second day, the scout Ma Qian returned to report: "Battalion Commander, a mechanized unit is following us. Shall we fight?"

He Yuzhu observed the surrounding environment and carefully checked the map, then decisively ordered: "Advance quickly. We will enter the mountains in five kilometers; we will set an ambush there."

He Yuzhu's Tanks and trucks moved at full speed, emitting bursts of black smoke.

Upon reaching a small hillside, he immediately carried out combat deployment: hiding 23 Bazookas in a small grove; positioning the Anti-aircraft Gun and Anti-aircraft Machine Gun on the dirt slope, aimed at the intersection; the remaining soldiers hid behind the dirt slope.

Soon, a US Army force led by over a dozen Tanks came charging over aggressively.

"Rocket Launcher detachment, fire!" He Yuzhu issued the order via Walkie-talkie.

Twenty-three rocket launcher operators, draped in white cloth and blending into the snowfield, leaped up from the snow simultaneously, aimed, and pulled the triggers.

In an instant, twenty-three fire snakes darted out from the woods, dragging scorching tail flames as they lunged toward the US Military's steel beasts!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Deafening explosions rang out one after another, and ten Tanks were instantly swallowed by flames.

The US Military was left dizzy and disoriented by this sudden blow.

Before the soldiers on the trucks could even jump off, the shells from He Yuzhu's Anti-aircraft Gun whistled in.

The trucks immediately burst into flames, and the American soldiers cried out as they jumped from the vehicles. Many had their bodies set on fire, and after jumping down, they rolled on the ground.

"Tank Company, charge!" He Yuzhu said.

Five Tanks were like tigers released from their cages, roaring out from the flank of the high ground and launching a fierce assault on the remaining enemy troops, relying on the advantage of their high position.

Amidst the rumbling of cannons, the surviving US Military soldiers hurriedly organized a counterattack.

The Machine Guns on He Yuzhu's side also opened fire.

"Da-da-da..." Dozens of light and heavy Machine Guns roared simultaneously.

The US Military had never expected that this seemingly ordinary Volunteer Army would possess such fierce firepower.

They were smart; after leaving behind hundreds of corpses and over a dozen burning vehicles, they fled in a panic.

As the smoke gradually cleared, Ma Bingchao led men to clear the battlefield, looking at the trucks that had been burned down to their frames, he shook his head regretfully: "Battalion Commander, it's a pity about the equipment inside; it's all burned up."

He Yuzhu did not reply; his gaze was drawn to an undamaged bulldozer.

He nimbly jumped into the driver's seat and drove it forward.

Ma Bingchao walked over and asked: "What use is this thing?"

"This is a real treasure!" He Yuzhu said excitedly, "With this, after we enter the mountains, it will be of great use for building fortifications and clearing roads!"

After continuing to march for two days, the main force finally arrived at Yuquan Cave. This so-called "cave" was actually a train tunnel over two hundred meters long.

Before He Yuzhu's unit could get close, they were intercepted halfway by Secretary Liu.

"Little He, your tanks and vehicles are too large a target," Secretary Liu said, pointing at the map, "there is a valley seven kilometers ahead; you will station yourselves there. You have two missions: air defense and preventing infiltration by special agents."

He Yuzhu immediately understood: "I guarantee the mission will be completed!"

He led his unit to the designated location and couldn't help but gasp—this was no valley; it was clearly a mountain ravine thirty to forty meters wide between two snow-capped mountains, with snow knee-deep and jagged rocks everywhere.

He Yuzhu didn't even dare to speak too loudly, fearing he might trigger an avalanche.

"These conditions..." Ma Bingchao shook his head repeatedly.

He Yuzhu said: "Before we had the bulldozer, I really wouldn't have dared to guarantee that you could live well. With this thing, we don't have to worry."

"Really?" Ershuan asked, half-believing and half-doubting.

"We are going to dig down!" He Yuzhu said firmly.

Over the next two days, He Yuzhu used the bulldozer to dig pits, while the others went out to cut down trees.

He dug one and a half meters deep in a low-lying area, used logs as crossbeams, and covered them with soil and loose rocks; in just three short days, an orderly row of Earth Pits quietly took shape.

Each Earth Pit accommodated one squad, with the floors covered in dried grass and captured blankets, becoming a warm little nest.

After the housing problem was solved, He Yuzhu began to improve their living conditions.

He directed the soldiers to build "Smokeless Stoves," ensuring they could eat hot meals every day.

During this time, an enemy aircraft came for low-altitude reconnaissance.

But because the tanks and vehicles were all parked in underground fortifications, and with a fresh heavy snowfall, the entire camp was perfectly hidden beneath the vast white snow.

The enemy plane circled twice, found nothing, and left dejectedly.

One morning, Ma Qian ran hurriedly to He Yuzhu's room, "Battalion Commander, I caught two suspicious people; they claim to be hunters. But they don't look like it to me!"

"Out hunting in this heavy snow?" He Yuzhu immediately became alert, suddenly remembering what Secretary Liu had told him about counter-espionage, "Where did you lock them up? I'll go over and take a look right now."

"I tied them to a tree!" Ma Qian chuckled.