Chapter 568: Old Huang, you

At the seaside, more than two hundred meters to the left of the flattened beach‑position that Lu Yang had pushed over, in a dense thicket of weeds, lay a Red‑side battalion‑level command post.

Near the sea, the air was humid, the grass plentiful, and mosquitoes many; the chemical‑defense troops had already sprayed insecticide nearby, but the effect was not very good.

At that moment, a jeep and a troop‑carrying truck came speeding in from outside.

The car doors opened, and Huang Honghui stumbled out, panting heavily and looking somewhat embarrassed.

"Deputy Battalion Commander is back!"

The one left in charge of the headquarters was a lieutenant company commander.

Huang Honghui took the water flask he was handed and gulped several mouthfuls: "Where is the battalion commander?"

The lieutenant replied: "The battalion commander has gone up to the front line."

"How far has the battle progressed?"

The Blue Army's outer C and D positions had been taken by us one after another half an hour earlier, still from the spot where you had previously blocked the communication trench; the battalion commander concentrated forces and launched an attack, and the defending soldiers on the Blue Army positions could not resist at all, only able to retreat in disarray.

As the lieutenant said this, his face was full of a relaxed smile.

Huang Honghui also finally let out a breath of relief, finally hearing good news.

This was surely because he had successfully pinned down Lu Yang and his men, depriving the Blue Army's ace of any room to maneuver, allowing the front‑line battlefield to gain an advantage so quickly.

That's how war is—no unit can always sail smoothly; there are always headwinds and tailwinds.

The lieutenant glanced at the figure stepping down from the vehicle, obviously having just gone through a major battle, and, seeing his comrade covered in dust and grime, asked curiously.

"Deputy Battalion Commander, how did your ambush go? Did you wipe out all those sly, sly Blue Army guys?"

Hard to put into words.

Huang Honghui really didn't know how to begin; this ambush had truly been a disgrace.

Although they reacted quickly and managed to kill some of the enemy, overall our losses were greater.

On the way back, he kept reviewing where things had gone wrong; after summing up, he felt they had still underestimated the enemy and relied too much on so‑called information technology, making many complex matters seem too simple.

"Then, did you at least cripple them?"

"......"

Huang Honghui was put on the spot again, and could only brush him off hastily, telling him to go attend to other matters and not to ask what he shouldn't.

Just then, a communications soldier from the headquarters suddenly shouted over here.

"Deputy Battalion Commander, a call!"

"Whose?"

"It's from the headquarters."

Huang Honghui felt a gulp in his throat; he knew this couldn't be hidden, so he steeled himself and walked over to the communications soldier to pick up the radio.

But everyone else thought it was a commendation call and, intentionally or not, gathered around wanting to listen.

"Chief, this is Huang Honghui."

"Huang Honghui, you'd better pay more attention!"

From the other end of the radio came the Red‑side commander's angry scolding, full of disappointment.

The voice was loud, causing everyone in the command post to turn and look, including the lieutenant company commander from before.

"Air strike, air strike—was an armed helicopter shot down by them?"

"Ambush, ambush—we almost got our whole pot taken by them?"

"Two platoons went out, and fewer than twenty came back; if I hadn't promptly sent an armed helicopter to reinforce them, you might not have made it back either!"

"What on earth are you doing—did you cut out a hemorrhoid and take out your brains with it? From the start of the exercise to now, the Night Tiger's former ferocity and bravery—where have they gone?"

Huang Honghui's face filled with self‑reproach: "Chief, it was a mistake in my decision‑making and actions; I relied too much on information technology, and I indeed underestimated their methods; I didn't expect the ambush position to be exposed so thoroughly……"

"You didn't think of this, you didn't think of that—there are just far too many things you didn't anticipate!"

The Red‑side commander on the other end shouted: "Huang Honghui, I know you have a grudge against the Red‑side's Lu Yang, you've suffered quite a bit, and you want to get rid of him quickly; but that kid isn't some soft persimmon anyone can knead."

"You've fought him before—he's like a spring; the harder you press down, the stronger he rebounds."

"All those targeted plans of yours are cancelled; we also won't waste focus on him."

Huang Honghui felt a bit anxious: "But as long as that guy is alive, the battlefield will present variables, and……"

The Red‑side commander cut him off directly: "These aren't things you should worry about; the battlefield won't be swayed by just one or two people; moreover, we're not ignoring him—we're dealing with them as part of the bigger picture."

"Before, you always took the initiative, but ended up leaving openings that they exploited; now it would be better to change your approach, wait for them to make a move, and then the flaws will naturally show up."

Huang Honghui thought about it, and the chief's words actually made sense.

He was too eager to take down Lu Yang, too eager to give him a lesson.

The more anxious he was, the more he sought quick results, and the more likely he was to make omissions.

This is his summary of the previous two failures, so the chief's suggestion is actually not without reason.

The Red‑side commander's tone eased a little, saying: "Although you haven't gained any advantage here, the losses are kept within controllable limits and aren't serious enough to hurt muscles or bones."

"From now on, your main task is to cooperate with the main force in advancing forward and completing pre‑battle reconnaissance."

"With the Night Tiger's capability plus the precise positioning of information technology, against the Blue Army's regular defensive units it amounts to a top‑to‑bottom dimensional strike."

Huang Honghui sighed: "Yes, chief, I will adjust the battle plan and act together with the main force."

The Red‑side commander gave an affirmative hum: "Actually, we've all been overcomplicating this battle; the Second Brigade's strength alone is enough to easily overcome the opponent, with no need for those complicated plans."

"At present, our situation is excellent; the Blue Army's defenses are incapable of resisting, and they keep retreating."

"If things continue as they are, at most three days will suffice for us to annihilate the Blue Army, seize all of their territory, and win the final victory."

"Take a short rest, adjust your condition; tonight we will launch an assault on the Blue Army's second defensive line, and at that time you will be the main reconnaissance force."

"Yes, chief!"

After hanging up, the command post, which had just seemed to hit pause, sprang back into activity.

Huang Honghui raised his head; everyone around was busily pretending to work on their own tasks, and nobody dared to ask about the previous matter.

The Night Tiger Reconnaissance Battalion's principle is: if they don't act, fine; but when they do, it's astonishing. Suffering consecutive losses like this is extremely rare, and indeed it leaves people feeling stifled.

Fortunately, the Red Side overall holds the advantage; from now on, what they need to do is no longer to act alone, but to cooperate with the main force and operate as a whole.

Huang Honghui walked outside, raised his hand and suddenly slapped himself hard twice; the lieutenant company commander not far away, along with several of his subordinates, hurried over to persuade him.

"Deputy Battalion Commander, you mustn't do something foolish; the hit lands on you, but the pain is in my heart!"

"Although we've taken a small loss now, the old saying holds that suffering loss is a blessing; besides, we still hold the overall advantage!"

"Besides, you're fighting while wounded; your combat strength must be at least halved—no, at least reduced by seventy percent. If you were at peak strength, those kids wouldn't stand a chance against us!"

Seeing a group of soldiers oddly coming to comfort him, Huang Honghui spread his hands, his face full of question marks.

He revealed two small black dots on his hand bearing white patterns, plus a hint of red.

"I just swatted a mosquito, and you all come over chattering a bunch of nonsense?"

"Alright, everyone get back to your duties; in battle there are always wins and losses—next time we meet them, we'll just win it back."

Everyone nodded in agreement, each saying, "Senior Brother is right," and quickly adjusted their mindset to get back to work.

Huang Honghui also received an order from the Battalion Commander to immediately proceed to a certain command post on the front line to discuss upcoming work arrangements.

As for the beachflat position, it will next serve as a logistics post, responsible for receiving supplies shipped by sea to supply the front line.

At the same time, Lu Yang and the others have already arrived at their destination, completing the combat deployment work.

At the same time, Lu Yang also received an order to proceed alone to the Blue Army Headquarters to meet with Wang Zhongxi.

"Reporting, Commander, First Battalion Third Company Company Commander Lu Yang reporting for duty!"