The town of Basht is located on the border of Khuzestan and Fars provinces in southwestern Persia.
In a two-story Islamic-style building, Yang Jiuxiao paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, a look of anxiety on his face. Lieutenant General Ma Yuanjiang, political commissar of the front army, and Major General Wang Buchan, chief of staff, stood in front of the map, relatively silent, obviously also concerned about the current situation.
The situation is hopeless.
To be honest, most people still can't believe their eyes. The *** people are really generous, filling dozens of kilometers of trenches with oil. This behavior is too wasteful and difficult to understand. At least if the fire is burned down,
Crude oil worth tens of millions of dollars was gone, and its purpose was just to hold back our own troops for ten days to half a month.
At this time, Major General Xiao Ruofei, commander of the Guard Corps directly under the Corps, walked into the room, followed by Colonel Wu Che, commander of the engineering brigade.
After Xiao Ruofei and Wu Che saluted Yang Jiuxiao and the others, Xiao Ruofei said helplessly: "According to the situation at the scene, the flames jumped twenty or thirty meters high, and the hot breath could be felt two hundred meters away. The troops originally considered
The idea of having engineers gradually blast away and then using bulldozers to slowly push sand and gravel into the trench to fill it up is not realistic."
Civil engineering expert Wu Che further added:
"The enemy's trench is forty to fifty meters wide, and the pit is about twenty meters deep. Judging from the height of the flames, the imported oil is extremely sufficient. We can only wait for it to burn out. It is very difficult to put out the fire. Oil is something like this.
Once ignited, unless it is isolated from contact with air or introduced into a large
Otherwise, simply pouring water to extinguish the fire is just adding fuel to the fire. Our bulldozers and excavators all use high-power diesel engines. Once the outside temperature is too high, the engine may be damaged, or the locomotive may spontaneously ignite.
, causing the entire car to be scrapped, so we had to find another way!"
Yang Jiuxiao frowned displeased: "Are we really going to be blocked by this wall of fire for ten days and a half? Since the establishment of our Corps, we have never fought such a useless battle, and we were actually blocked by a wall of fire.
, I'm afraid people will laugh out loud if I tell you... Commander Xiao, is there really no other way around the fire wall?"
Xiao Ruofei smiled wryly and shrugged: "According to the special team members who are proficient in Persian and visited the local mountain people, we learned that this area used to be a barren land and there were no roads connected to Khuzestan. Later, the British came to Gachisalan
After oil was discovered, roads were successively built through the Solkh Mountain and the Saifeed Mountain...Small groups of troops can go around the mountain trails to get behind the fire wall, but large groups absolutely cannot."
"If that's the case, I think we can go around it from the southern coast."
Wang Buchan suggested: "The reason why we did not choose the coastline as the main attack direction was that there were swamps everywhere, which was not conducive to the passage of mechanized troops. For the current plan, we can only cut down as many trees as possible, tie them into rafts, and throw them to the
The swamp is for vehicles to pass through. This way we can at least buy more than a week to enter Khuzestan."
"this--"
Ma Yuanjiang hesitated for a moment and reminded: "But Commander Hu, Chief of Staff Huang, and the others, if we really can't find a way to get over the fire wall, let us take a break and be the main force in the next phase of the battle...
.Detouring around the southern coast from here can only buy us seven days, which is of little significance to us, because it comes at the cost of cutting down trees and destroying the ecological environment.
"In southern Persia, due to the unique geological conditions, it is difficult for trees to grow. The mature trees now play a decisive role in protecting the soil and ensuring that water and soil are not lost. Once cut down, it will be difficult to restore them! From a long-term perspective, the gains outweigh the losses!
"
Ma Yuanjiang's words quickly silenced the room.
Yang Jiuxiao took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket with some boredom, threw one to each of the tobacco bugs, lit one for himself, took a deep puff, coughed a few times, walked to the window, and opened the window
, looking at the sky to the west. Although it is more than thirty kilometers away from the front line, the thick black smoke is clearly visible, and one can imagine how big the fire is ahead!
Wu Che took a few puffs of cigarette and suddenly said: "Commander, political commissar, senior officers, maybe we can use our brains on the Zohre River! The Zohre River originates from Solh Mountain, in the oil center of Gachi.
The mountains to the east of Salan turn, winding southward, and flow into the Persian Gulf. According to the hydrological conditions, this river actually flowed all the way westward, passing through Gachisalan, Hendijan and other places, and started from the eastern area of Musabar Bay.
flows into the Persian Gulf.
"The wall of fire built by the enemy stretches across the north and south of Gachisaran, the oil center. If we return the Zohre River to its old channel through blasting, the oil in those gullies will be diluted by the river water and then rush downstream.
It has been flowing into the Persian Gulf. When the oil is diluted to a certain extent, it will burn out very easily, and we can easily dissolve the enemy's fire wall defense!"
Yang Jiuxiao was interested when he heard it, and quickly walked to the map to check it carefully, and then asked: "Is it the river southwest of our town?"
"Yes!"
Wu Che pointed to a high mountain to the west of the river on the map: "It should be a high-intensity earthquake that caused the valley to close. After the river water accumulated to a certain height, it turned south and washed out new mountains.
The river rushes out of the valley and breaks out of the river bed on the southern plain, and merges into the Persian Gulf. If we blast out that canyon, just the river water hanging in the mountains will be enough to dilute all the oil in the trench.
"
Ma Yuanjiang, Wang Buchan and Xiao Ruofei all came to the map. Xiao Ruofei asked in surprise: "How come I don't know about these situations? The special brigade has no relevant information to report..."
Wu Che scratched his head and said with some embarrassment: "I saw traces of riverbeds in the area east of Gachisaran, and felt puzzled, so I asked some locals to inquire carefully, and found out that it was Zuohe.
The old channel of Lei River. However, I haven’t had time to go to the canyon for on-the-spot investigation, so I don’t dare to speak nonsense, but seeing that the commander and political commissar are so distressed, let’s just mention it, it’s hard to say whether it will work or not!”
After reading the map, Ma Yuanjiang nodded:
"If we can make the Zohre River return to its original path, this river heading west will form a 'cross' with the enemy's wall of fire. As the river water continues to pour into the trenches, it will definitely greatly weaken the power of the wall of fire. We
Thought it was worth a try.”
"Dingle bell——"
The phone rang, and Wang Buchan, who was about to express his opinion, walked over quickly, picked up the phone, and said a few words briefly, with a smile on his face. After putting down the phone, Wang Buchan said to Yang Jiuxiao:
"The tropical typhoon from the southern Indian Ocean made landfall on the coast near Karachi at around 11 a.m. and is expected to affect southwestern Persia tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. There will be heavy rainfall! If Brigadier Wu's plan can succeed, then
Coupled with this heavy rain, the enemy's defense line will be easily broken!"
Yang Jiuxiao made a decisive decision: "In this case, without further delay, Brigadier Wu, you immediately take people to conduct on-site investigation. If there is hope of success, immediately organize construction, and strive to blast the mountain before the heavy rain comes, prompting Zohre to
The river returns to its old course.”
"yes!"
Wu Che solemnly saluted several officers, turned and left.
Yang Jiuxiao picked up the military cap from the table, patted it and put it on, and said: "Let's go and have a look..."
...
At the Karachi Military Port shrouded in a tropical storm, the visibility was only five or six meters away. The thick clouds were like a pot lid, covering the sky tightly. The rain was like a torrent that burst its embankments, pouring continuously towards the sea.
The violent winds set off huge waves more than ten meters high. The warships kept rising and falling with the huge waves. The situation was extremely dangerous.
Huge waves hit the deck of the battleship from time to time, making a deafening sound. The broken water droplets caused a faint pain to the exposed skin of the naval officers and soldiers wearing raincoats on the deck.
If you hold on to the windproof rope tightly, many people will definitely be thrown into the sea by such violent jolts.
This wave of tropical cyclones came with ferocious force. Originally, the wind and waves in the military port should not have been so violent. However, as the seawater in the Arabian Sea went crazy and continuously hit the Monola Island and Cliff Peninsula that protected the military port in the south,
At the entrance of the bay, a violent torrent like the spring tide of the Qiantang River formed. This torrent was not obvious at first, but as the external pressure increased, it finally caused the water surface in the bay to form waves one after another.
Huge waves.
Almost all the ships were sinking in the stormy waves.
A big wave came and the battleship rocked violently. The sailors who were busy on the deck were swaying this way and that, staggering and falling, in a state of confusion.
Life on a ship is indeed not something that ordinary people can bear, let alone encountering such a fierce tropical storm. Even when there is no wind, the waves on the sea are like hills, coming one after another, and the ship is
In the waves, ups and downs, swaying from side to side, even if you are not on the deck but in a narrow cabin, with the roar of the machine and the increase in temperature, most people will suffer from severe seasickness symptoms.
A tropical storm is coming today. Although the ship is stranded in the harbor, such powerful wind and waves are still unprecedented. There are waves of vomiting sounds in the cabin, even though many of these sailors have served for nearly a year.
, adapted to life at sea, but normal physiological conditions cannot be changed through habits. Seasickness and vomiting are still inevitable phenomena.
In the wind and rain, the "Taishan" aircraft carrier with a standard displacement of up to 20,000 tons was originally a behemoth, but now it was like a small boat in the wind and waves, fighting on the cusp of the storm!
In the command cabin of the "Taishan", the captain, Rear Admiral Lin Shen, tightly grasped the iron railing in front of him with both hands and calmly issued orders. When he received the report, he knew that the carrier-based aircraft parked in the hangar and on the deck had been tied up.
After the fixed lock was safe, he breathed a sigh of relief, and then said to the French first mate Colonel Vieira standing next to him:
"Colonel, go down and check on the new recruits, especially the naval aviation. They have been training on land for a long time, and it is probably the first time they have suffered so much. Each of them is an elite selected from a hundred, but they cannot be on our ship.
Something went wrong on the ship."
The "Taishan" aircraft carrier is the former French "Joffre" aircraft carrier. It is 236 meters long, 35 meters wide, and has a draft of 6.6 meters. It has a main engine power of 120,000 horsepower, a maximum speed of 33 knots, and can cruise 7,000 nautical miles at a speed of 20 knots. It is equipped with
It has eight 130mm guns, eight 37mm anti-aircraft guns and 28 13.2mm machine guns, and carries 70 officers and 1,180 sailors.
Among the 1,180 sailors, there were 120 recruits and 200 naval aviation officers and soldiers. Lin Shen encountered such a big storm not long after boarding the ship, and Lin Shen's worry was obviously not unnecessary.
The so-called sailors who are not born with seasickness are just a joke. Every sailor who is not seasick basically started with seasickness. Seasickness is the first lesson that sailors must learn. Only when they get used to it will they gradually reduce their seasickness.
There are almost no sailors who are truly free from seasickness. A sailor is truly qualified only if he can vomit without hindering the fight.
It is precisely because of the hard work on the ships that the French senior officers of the fleets rationally chose to go ashore. Otherwise, it would be very difficult for Nanhua to truly control these ships.
"yes!"
Colonel Vieira, who was also grabbing the iron handrail with both hands, nodded. He couldn't bear the shaking of his body. He pointed at the iron bucket on the side of the command cabin and vomited for a while. He felt that his chest and abdomen felt better, and he quickly took out the hanging iron bucket.
After filling up the kettle on the bulkhead, he held on to the iron railing, walked out of the command cabin, and went down to the cabin below to check the situation one by one.
Generally speaking, when a sailor gets seasick, he will usually vomit water and undigested food residue first, and then start vomiting gastric juice and bile. If water is not replenished in time, he will vomit blood until the body convulses and becomes comatose due to lack of water.
At this time, inside the ship where most of the recruits and naval aviation personnel lived, the dirty air filled the entire space. The recruits and aviation personnel in the cabin, who were originally lively and energetic, were already sallow and vomiting. Before Colonel Vieira arrived,
, officers and veteran sailors have put water bottles filled with fresh water into the hands of new recruits and airmen, allowing them to drink water to relieve the symptoms of seasickness.
After Colonel Vieira completed the inspection, he reported the situation to the command module through a closed-circuit phone. Lin Shen was slightly relieved after hearing the report, and then continued to send people to observe the situation of the carrier-based aircraft.
Aircraft carriers are different from ordinary warships. Under bad weather conditions, fighter planes cannot take off for combat. Therefore, aircraft carriers generally do not conduct training at this time. If they encounter enemies in actual combat, they can only find ways to escape or rely on other warships.
to protect yourself.
However, for the battleships, cruisers and destroyers that escort aircraft carriers, they must always be ready for combat no matter how bad the situation occurs, and most battleships are now doing similar training.
The light cruiser "Li Jing" assigned to the aircraft carrier formation was formerly the French Navy "Love Bertin". The ship has a full load displacement of 8,480 tons, a length of 177 meters, a width of 16 meters, a draft of 6.6 meters, and two
Steam turbine, 6 heavy oil boilers, 4-shaft propulsion, 102,000 horsepower, speed of 34 knots, carrying capacity of 1,360 tons of heavy oil, endurance of 15 knots, a sailing range of 3,600 nautical miles, and a crew of 700.
The light cruiser "Li Jing" is one of the first French ships to undergo electronic transformation. It is equipped with a sea-to-air search radar and an integrated electronic support system, a buoy-type antenna, an air-to-air illumination radar and a quadruple-mounted
Elevating semi-active sea-to-air missile launcher turret with a range of ten kilometers.
In order to better escort the aircraft carrier, it is also equipped with active sonar, passive sonar, towed sonar and other sonar systems to monitor the ghost under the sea level - the ship. At the same time, the firepower system of the warship has also been modified, and all
The artillery fire is controlled by multiple tactical, fire control, voiceprint analysis and processing and navigation computers composed of 8-bit integrated circuits. The degree of automation is already very high.
The captain, Rear Admiral Li Junxin, whose ancestral home is Huangshan, Anhui Province, is also paying attention to the situation of the recruits on the battleship. After receiving reports from more than 80 recruits who were vomiting with joy, he still decided to conduct actual combat training: "Now the battle signal is issued! First officer, second officer
Deputy and all professional and technical officers, check the preparation time!"
"Woo-"
An alarm sounded on the radio in the cabin and deck. The sailors in the cabin were startled for a moment, then stood up, quickly rushed out of the cabin door, ran through the passage between cabins, and ran to their respective posts. The recruits who were vomiting
, hurriedly filled his stomach with water, and stumbled behind the veteran, unable to take into account his physical discomfort. For a while, in addition to wind and rain, there was the sound of running on the ship.
Although these recruits are fighting an unprecedented dizziness in their lives, it does not mean that they have to lie in bed and rest. For a qualified sailor, the storm is not an excuse to stop training, but a signal to fight.
!
Perhaps only in the constant ups and downs of the sea can people truly feel the power of the sea. The warships were swimming back and forth in the waves. The wind was blowing so hard on the deck that it was almost impossible to stand. The ships were pulled up from front to back.
Windproof ropes, people walking on the deck must hold the windproof ropes, otherwise they will fall into the sea.
Private Gao Qingfeng, who was wearing a raincoat and had a pale face, was walking on the deck amidst the strong winds and waves, holding the windproof rope with one hand while rushing towards the turret he was responsible for.
His face was almost deformed by the strong wind, and he almost fell into the sea several times because his hands were not steady. Gao Qingfeng only had one wish in his heart, and that was to rush to his post as soon as possible. Unexpectedly, his chest and abdomen surged again.
, his throat relaxed, and a jet of water spurted out from his throat and spat onto the deck.
As a new recruit, Gao Qingfeng's main task was to carry artillery shells for the artillery. As soon as he walked into the turret, Gao Qingfeng felt weak all over and stumbled to the floor.
"Stand up! I don't want cowards here. If you can't stand it, write me a discharge report tomorrow!" The soaked gunner looked at how useless his ammunition hand was and scolded him sternly.
This is a key place for the growth of new recruits. Only by persisting bravely and successfully defeating oneself can one become a true sailor.
Gao Qingfeng gritted his teeth and stood up, walked to the place where the ammunition was transported, stretched out his hand and pressed the button!
"Dingle bell!"
The No. 1 turret is ready, the No. 2 turret is ready, the No. 3 turret is ready... After each battle position is ready, report to the command module one after another.
"Card--"
After receiving the last "ready" report, Major General Li Junxin, the captain of the "Li Jing", who was holding the railing tightly with both hands, the French combat staff next to him pressed the stopwatch. Li Junxin leaned over and took a look at the results, with a smile on his face.
A hint of smile.
At this moment, it seemed that the storm outside the cabin was no longer so annoying.
Li Junxin ordered: "Disarm the combat readiness now! Tell the brothers that they have exceeded the scheduled time by thirty seconds! If they are on the battlefield, they are now in danger and must take a good look at it!"
The French staff officer smiled slightly, knowing in his heart that under such climate conditions, this result was already very good. But all commanders are the same, striving for excellence is their pursuit, so every training always uses the most demanding conditions
Come and demand your own soldiers so that they can display their due strength in real battles.
"Ding ding ding——"
As the electric bell rang, the combat readiness order was officially lifted. Except for the sailors on duty, the rest of the sailors could return to the cabin to rest.
Private Gao Qingfeng returned to the cabin almost holding on to the wall. He lay weakly on the bed, breathing heavily.
At this moment, the gunner who had been fierce before brought him warm water with salt grains and forced him to drink it, then covered him with a quilt.
However, he didn't lie down for long. As the ship swayed back and forth, he couldn't control his body even if he was sleeping on the bed. His whole body was shaking. After a while, Gao Qingfeng felt that his body was dry, and his whole body was sweating like pulp, and his throat was wet.
The sour water came out of my stomach, so I turned over and vomited it into the iron bucket placed next to the bed.
The naval officers and soldiers of Nanhua slowly tempered themselves and gradually grew up in such a harsh environment.