Chapter 276 Reconnaissance Operation

The special operations company formed by Qian Tiandun in Black Tu Port is basically composed of North Vietnamese immigrants. The platoon-level officers are from the crossing troops. Qian Tiandun personally serves as the company commander. The average age of this team is not enough.

At twenty years old, there are more than 180 people including officers. The number has greatly exceeded the existing army company-level establishment of the Military and Police Department. It is basically the size of a semi-normal company. Of course, this kind of super-staffing is also in

What the Military and Police Department has registered is not Qian Tiandun’s wanton behavior.

Since the formation of this company, Qian Tiandun has focused on combat capabilities in the wild environment as the main training goal. The training location of this unit is not located within the port area of ​​Heitu Port, but between Heitu Port and Tu.

Cat Ba Island between mountain peninsulas.

This island with an area of ​​more than 100 square kilometers is the largest island in the Beibu Gulf. Most of the island is covered with stone mountains and virgin forests. The small number of fishermen who originally lived on the island were also consciously relocated by Qian Tiandun

He settled in Black Earth Port and completely turned the island into a field military training base.

The training content formulated by Qian Tiandun is basically based on the field tactics he has learned before, and to a certain extent, it focuses more on the cultivation of individual combat awareness and skills. However, the weapon used is a front-loaded gun with an extremely long barrel.

The flintlock gun, whether loaded or carried, cannot meet the training effect Qian Tiandun wants to achieve. There are still many inconveniences in fighting in jungles and mountains. However, Qian Tiandun has also submitted a report to the Military and Police Department, requesting the military industry department to design and manufacture one.

This kind of weapon has a shorter gun body, is easier to carry, and is more powerful at close range. Of course, before that, Qian Tiandun must first prove the value of his company, at least it must be worthy of the military industry department specially designing and manufacturing a new weapon for this purpose.

arms.

In terms of the quality of individual soldiers, the tactical skills learned by the team led by Qian Tiandun have far exceeded that of the militiamen in the base camp. The only thing they lack is actual combat experience. And this time when they went south to fight, Qian Tiandun

I have already made up my mind to show the results of these two months of training to my colleagues in the Military and Police Department.

After a while, Tom Wang and his friends also came to the dock and met Qian Tiandun's team. The commanders on both sides checked the time together with their watches, and then checked the communication channels of the radio and walkie-talkies to ensure that the communication methods were smooth.

, then each boarded the ship and prepared to set off.

In order to ensure that this operation is foolproof, the Ministry of Shipping and the Military and Police Department jointly equipped the "Exploration" with the strongest personnel. Sun Changmi personally served as the captain, and the crew members were all carefully selected from the existing establishment of the Ministry of Shipping.

The veteran sailors, as well as the artillery company militia and artillery trainees, totaling more than 50 people, ensure that the more than ten artillery pieces on the ship are fully loaded and can enter combat status at any time. In addition, Xie Chun, who attended the combat readiness meeting yesterday, also

I shamelessly found Sun Changmi to get a first mate position overnight, and we will board the ship and travel together today.

Since the "Discovery" was launched, it has carried the most people this time. Even the waterline has been lowered by more than a foot than usual. When leaving the dock, it was obviously not as light as before. The strange appearance of the ship also caused a stir.

A large number of people came to the pier to watch collectively - it was already dark when the "Discovery" arrived at the pier last night, so most people were not able to see the true form of the ship in time.

Not to mention the soldiers in North Vietnam, even Qian Tiandun himself was full of praise after boarding the ship. Because he was negotiating with North Vietnam on the Tushan Peninsula before the New Year, Qian Tiandun did not return to Victory Port to participate in the end-of-year debriefing meeting, so he

This was the first time I saw this new sailing ship, which was regarded as a treasure by the Ministry of Shipping. Xie Chun, who was traveling with him, was much more exaggerated than him. He got on the ship after the meeting last night and never got off the ship all night long.

After Qian Tiandun boarded the ship, Xie Chun immediately squeezed towards him from the crowd on the deck: "Lieutenant Qian, have you seen this ship? Let me tell you, there are indeed many ways on this ship... I

I feel that we can’t just build small boats for fishing all the time, we should apply to the base camp for drawings and craftsmen as soon as possible, and start building this new type of sailing ship in Black Earth Port.”

Qian Tiandun said disapprovingly: "Lao Xie, have you found the wrong person? I am in charge of the military, and you are in charge of shipping! You should draft the report, and I heard that there are many parts on this ship that can only be

Manufacturing in the base camp has very low production capacity. I am afraid that the shipping department does not yet have the ability to open a branch in Black Earth Port."

Xie Chun responded: "If our two departments jointly sign, the chance of the application being approved will be greater! By the way, you haven't seen the gun cabin on the second deck, have you? Come on, I will take you down to see, this time the military industry

The braking system designed by the department seems to be pretty good..."

At 8 a.m., the "Exploration" and the "Speed" left the Yong'an Port Terminal one after another, bypassed the protruding headland toward the northeast, and then turned around and headed toward the southeastern waters.

The reason why they did not choose to go south along the coastline was also due to safety considerations. According to the route planned by the Ministry of Shipping overnight, this reconnaissance fleet will make a large circle in the open sea after setting off from Yong'an Port, first going around the southeast

along the coast of the war zone, and then turn back to the southwest near the coastline behind the war zone to conduct reconnaissance activities. Although this will increase the voyage distance a lot, it greatly reduces the possibility of being discovered by the South Vietnamese troops stationed in the war zone from land.

Since the "Discovery" is currently almost fully loaded, the ship's speed is much lower than usual and can only maintain a speed of seven to eight knots. For this reason, the "Speed" also had to slow down its speed, accompanying the

They were traveling together on the side and rear of the "Discovery". However, for the North American gang on board the "Speed", this trip was more of an opportunity to have fun than a military mission. Among them, except Tom Wang, they often went to sea.

In addition, several other people have less and less time to go to sea because they are busy with various jobs. Roger, Shi Diwen and Qiao Zhiya are all stationed in Tiandu Industrial Zone for a long time, and their opportunities to go to sea are even less.

I just look forward to having this opportunity to go for a ride on the sea.

At noon, the walkie-talkie placed on the slipway rang: "Speed, pay attention, Speed, pay attention, the island three nautical miles ahead to the right is target No. 1. After passing target No. 1, turn to the south, over!"

Qiao Zhiya raised the telescope to check the sea area ahead, lowered his head to check the chart, and said to Wang Tom who was holding the steering wheel: "According to the signs on the chart, the right side is Hunyue Island."

"What kind of island is Henyu Island? Is it very famous?" Shi Diwen asked curiously.

"It is one of the basis for demarcating the maritime boundary between China and Vietnam in later generations." Wang Tom, who made special research on the maritime conditions in the South China Sea before crossing, explained: "The midpoint of the shortest line between Hainan Island and Honyu Island,

It is one of the base points for maritime demarcation between China and Vietnam. There are ten similar base points. However, there is nothing special about Hunyue Island itself. At this time, it is just a small uninhabited island."

Soon the "Speed" arrived at this small island near the east coast of Vietnam. In terms of area, Hunyue Island is much smaller than Fushuizhou Island in the Beibu Gulf. There is no natural harbor on the island shore. It is indeed not

It has little development value. This place is about 20 nautical miles away from Yong'an Port in the northwest, and only ten nautical miles away from the Beiyue Mountain Defense Line in the west. If you stand at the highest point of the mountain defense line, you can directly see this place when the weather is fine.

Two sailboats sailing past Hunyue Island. Of course, the South Vietnamese army, which was under the mountains and almost at the same level as the sea level, did not have sharp weapons such as telescopes, so they would definitely not be able to detect targets on the sea surface ten miles away.

After bypassing Hunyue Island, the fleet turned south and sailed for an hour and a half before adjusting its direction again and heading southwest. Their target was the first key target of this reconnaissance activity, which was located 40 miles behind the battle zone.

The Zhengjiang River enters the sea.

During the decades-long civil war between North and South Vietnam in the 17th century, the Zheng family raised troops to conquer the Nguyen family in the south several times but failed. The Nguyen family relied on the natural barriers of Zhengjiang and Hengshan across the east coast of the Indochina Peninsula to block attacks from the north.

offensive. This time, the South Vietnamese army overran the front line of Zhengjiang and Hengshan. It was also the first time that North Vietnam lost ground since the civil war. Before that, the North Vietnamese army even suppressed the main force of South Vietnam to the Quang Tri area further south. But now this strategy

The advantage has disappeared, and the offensive and defensive momentum of both sides has been completely exchanged.

In the original history, the civil war between North and South Vietnam did not end until 1672 under the mediation of Kangxi, and the dividing line between North and South Vietnam was drawn with the struggle for the Yangtze River and Hengshan Mountains. After that, peace was maintained for a hundred years. Of course,

Well, Emperor Kangxi's intervention in this matter was not out of humanitarianism, but to unite the Zheng family in the north to fight against the San Francisco Rebellion caused by Wu Sangui and others in southern China. The person who reached a cooperation agreement with Emperor Kangxi was none other than

Zheng Zha currently represents the Zheng family in dealing with the Cross-Travel Group, but at this time there are still nearly thirty years before he is crowned king and takes power, and the Cross-Travel Group still has plenty of opportunities to influence the course of history.

After studying the historical data by relevant departments, the conclusion is that in the civil war between North and South Vietnam that lasted for more than fifty years, the battle for the Yangtze and Hengshan lines has always had a very important strategic position. No matter which side's offensive is dominant for a period of time, the final battle situation

will still return to this balance point. On the one hand, the military action taken by the Crossing Group this time will help North Vietnam regain its disadvantage and prevent the Zheng family of North Vietnam from falling due to military failure. On the other hand, it will also make the war between the two sides

The force maintains a delicate balance so that the Zheng family can continue to rely on the military assistance provided by the Crossing Group for a period of time in the future. To achieve such a strategic goal, drive the South Vietnamese army back to Zhengjiang and south of Hengshan, and then use this

It is undoubtedly a good choice to maintain the balance of power between the two sides as a strategic balance point.

Of course, in order to implement the Executive Committee's spirit of "increasing military support for the North Vietnamese regime," this operation must not only repel the offensive of the South Vietnamese army, but also attack its military power to a certain extent, and cannot allow it to be greatly

The troops retreated to the south of Zhengjiang Hengshan without any damage.

Since the outbreak of the Annan Civil War in 1619, the South Vietnamese Ruan family has been operating on the defense line of Zhengjiang and Hengshan for many years. There are many military strongholds stationed on the south bank of Zhengjiang, the commanding heights and passes of Hengshan. This time the South Vietnamese army attacked Zhengjiang

After that, the coastal plains became the most important logistical supply line for the South Vietnamese Army, with small military stations stationed every few miles along the way. Therefore, reconnaissance activities in this area were actually quite dangerous.

Because there was a reference point on the land, the Hengshan Mountains, the fleet easily confirmed its position. About three or four nautical miles away from the coastline, Qian Tiandun used a telescope to confirm the location of the entrance to the Zhengjiang River and followed behind.

The "Speed" conveyed this message.

According to the pre-planned plan, the "Speed", which has a faster ship speed and better weapon configuration, will conduct a close inspection of the Zhengjiang estuary. After confirming the safety situation, the personnel on the "Exploration" will be allowed to disembark to carry out the mission.

The "Speed" quickly adjusted its sails and then sailed towards the entrance of Zhengjiang River. Everyone on the ship had stopped laughing at this time and began to carefully check their equipment and weapons.

In terms of equipment level alone, the North American Gang must be considered the elite among the Military and Police Department. These guys have invested most of their personal property in weapons and armaments, and the equipment level of individual soldiers is far beyond that of the Military and Police Department.

The average level. In addition to all members being equipped with long and short weapons such as HK416 and MK23, helmets, external tactical vests, assault backpacks, and throat shock intercom systems are all standard military configurations. Although this team is only

There are only five people, but their actual combat capabilities are not weak at all, and they are enough to cope with various emergencies.

The "Speed" docked on the coast south of the Zhengjiang estuary. Wang Tom and others jumped directly into waist-deep water and waded ashore. The only person left on the ship was Old Morgan, who was responsible for

His mission is to be a sniper, and an M200 sniper rifle worth fourteen thousand dollars is his companion. From the "Speed", you can use this sniper rifle to effectively attack targets within a range of two thousand meters, and this range is basically

This is the area that this small team needs to reach for its reconnaissance mission.

About 2,500 meters south from the landing point is the branch of the Hengshan Mountains closest to the coast. The average altitude is only about 100 meters. The reconnaissance team does not know whether there is a South Vietnamese stronghold in this mountain range.

, so it must be done with caution.

According to the information learned from North Vietnam in advance, South Vietnam's supply line was not close to the coast, but was located about ten kilometers inland. The supplies were loaded on the upper reaches of a Zhengjiang tributary south of Hengshan, and then moved from south to north

Arrive at the north bank of Zhengjiang River by water transport, and then transport it by land to the fighting zone in the north. Of course, even if the North Vietnamese Army, which lacks sea transportation capacity, knows the supply line arrangement of the South Vietnamese Army, there is no way to project troops from the sea to the coast of Zhengjiang River to conduct harassment operations.

After landing, the team did not rush to explore the inland. Instead, they made detailed records of the water depth, flow speed, and geographical environment near the estuary. Originally, there were some residents on both sides of the Zhengjiang River who reclaimed the alluvial plains here, but

After several years of war, this area has long become a no-man's land, and the former fertile fields have now returned to their original natural features. After confirming that there are no threats within a few miles, Morgan sent a message to the Discovery

signal.

Soon the "Exploration" arrived at the estuary, and Qian Tiandun led the soldiers of the special operations company to quickly land ashore. The next arrangement was for the "Speed" to lead the way, and the "Exploration" followed behind, heading towards

Advance upstream of Zhengjiang River. The special operations company led by Qian Tiandun all advanced on foot along the river bank, cooperating with the fleet to conduct reconnaissance of the areas along the Zhengjiang River. Another reason why they were put on the shore was "

"Discovery" needs to swim upstream, and weight reduction can greatly increase the speed and flexibility of the ship.

The two ships dared to go upstream so boldly because this section of the river was wide, more than 500 meters long. If the South Vietnamese army launched an attack from the shore, they would have ample room to evade, and there would be no need to turn around and go back.

It would be too difficult. Of course, the most important thing is that the river is wide enough so that the lower reaches will not be easily blocked by means of wooden piles or semi-floating boats, making it impossible to escape in the middle.

Walking backward for about ten miles from the mouth of the sea, you arrive at the first river intersection in the upper reaches of the Zhenghe River. There are two main rivers here. One comes from the main stream of the Zhenghe River deep in the Hengshan Mountains to the west, and the other comes from a tributary from the south.

This is where the supply channel for South Vietnam's logistics is located.

Perhaps it was because the South Vietnamese army was fighting so smoothly during this period that they relaxed their rear guard. The reconnaissance team went all the way up the river, but did not even find any South Vietnamese patrol troops. It is estimated that the top brass of the South Vietnamese army also believed that North Vietnam did not project troops remotely through sea routes.

ability, so the defenses in these areas are extremely relaxed.

However, the reconnaissance team did not intend to ambush a South Vietnamese supply team here. The main task of this trip was reconnaissance rather than alerting the enemy. It was to collect the geographical environment conditions here and prepare for the next raid.

The purpose of the reconnaissance mission.

After arriving at the intersection of the rivers, the reconnaissance team spent an hour photographing and recording the conditions of the rivers in detail, and even used telescopes to find the road used by the South Vietnamese Army to transport supplies on the north bank of the Zhengjiang River. At this point, the first mission of this reconnaissance operation

Having been basically completed, the two ships slowly turned around in the center of the river, and then Qian Tiandun and his special operations company returned to the "Exploration" and headed towards the seaport.

The reconnaissance operation ashore was successfully completed without any problems, but no problems meant no performance. Although the special operations company's march during this period also reached the usual training level, Qian Tiandun still felt to some extent.

I have a little regret, I always feel that it would be great if I could have the opportunity to let the special operations company show its combat effectiveness.

However, this regretful mood did not affect him for long, because he soon had an opportunity to perform in front of him. Xie Chun, who was standing on the bow of the ship and responsible for the lookout, sent a report: "Two small boats appeared on the river ahead, about a distance of

Two thousand meters!”
Chapter completed!