In the battle at the front lines, more than 2,000 barbarians were sent in an attempt to break through the defensive line. In the end, they were all killed.
But after the battle, the other Pyro Company officers realized this was only a strategy the barbarians had used to lure the main forces of the Pyro Company into the forest. It seemed that sacrificing those 2,000 barbarians was no big deal for them.
Those barbarians had gotten their hands on Stronghold 176’s heavy weapons, yet they deliberately chose not to use them. Instead, they made the Pyro Company get accustomed to their no guns combat style and waited for their main forces to give chase before springing a beautiful ambush on them.
Meanwhile, P5092 used the lives of several hundred Pyro Company soldiers in exchange for this important intelligence.
It was as though the two sides were competing on who could be more ruthless. Although the chess pieces in front of them were all human lives, the commanders did not get emotional about it.
Some people said that after the battle, P5092 had spent the night alone in his command tent and did not sleep, speak, or eat. It was like he was quietly thinking about something, but no one could verify that. Honestly, most people were not bothered by it either.
They only knew that P5092 was the superior tactician this time. He took out nearly 2,000 of the barbarians’ troops during the feint for almost nothing and even obtained an extremely important piece of intelligence.
Ren Xiaosu and the others at the medical center did not rush to the front lines on that day. They had to wait for the supplies in the forward operating base to be fully loaded onto the vehicles before heading north with them.
It was very time-consuming to load the supplies onto the trucks as the quantity required by more than a 100,000 soldiers was far greater than one could imagine. Several thousand people and countless vehicles were deployed during this period just to transport these supplies.
Only after war had begun did everyone realize there were not enough resources.
On the same night that everyone from the Qinghe Group had arrived at the forward operating base, the Qinghe University students started setting up a makeshift stage in the base. They even brought along some audio equipment in preparation for putting on a cultural performance for the frontline soldiers who were on their rotational breaks.
Come to think of it, it was not like these university students could go into battle anyway, so that was all they could do.
Interestingly, while the other organizations had their own cultural troupes made up of civil officer corps, the Pyro Company did not have any such entertainment “soldiers.”
The role of cultural troupes was not only to entertain the soldiers. Usually, their shows, sketches, and songs would be filled with political agendas too.
The performances were all stories of fearless leaders leading by example, and the songs they sang were in praise of heroes. The cultural troupes would motivate the troops before a battle, and this was also one of the necessary ways to improve political awareness.
But the Pyro Company did not bother with such things. Their troops’ political and ideological training was already complete when they first joined the military, and it had become deeply rooted in their subconscious.
This made the Pyro Company soldiers even more ruthless, and they would never become deserters in wars. This was an advantage the other consortiums did not have.
During the war between the Pyro Company and the Kong Consortium, although many deserters had fled south, none of them were from the Pyro Company.
However, after the stage was set up, the Pyro Company soldiers who were on their rotational breaks would also watch curiously like normal people. They would check out the performers who already had their makeup done, especially the women entertainers in their short skirts.
The show had not started yet. When an actress came out from backstage to look for an employee, the Pyro Company soldiers started wolf-whistling at her with their arms around each other.
If one were to only look at this scene, it would be really difficult for them to imagine how these Pyro Company soldiers would look when they headed into battle.
Ren Xiaosu asked, “Mr. Ji, are you the one leading the Qinghe Group this time?”
“Other than the garrison troops, I’m indeed the one leading the party. After all, I also hold a position at Qinghe University,” Ji Yi said with a smile.
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“Oh, then please tell everyone to be careful.” Ren Xiaosu muttered, “The front lines are different from school. I also once studied at Qinghe University, so I know that the teachers have never taught the students how to face an enemy.”
Ji Yi was stunned. “But we’re at the rear, and it’s not like I’ll take them to the front lines. But before we set off, I already reminded everyone. There’s only one rule for everyone to observe on this field trip, and that’s that our party will not accommodate one person more or one person less.”
This time, it was Ren Xiaosu’s turn to be stunned. He wondered what Ji Yi meant by one person more.
Ji Yi patiently explained, “We’ll be spending several months together in the North this time. As there will be male and female students mixing with each other every day, what if…”
Ren Xiaosu felt a sense of respect for him. “Mr. Ji is an insightful man indeed.”
The commander of the forward operating base, P31921, came over and said with a smile, “Since the two of you are here, I’d like to inform you that the first group of troops transporting the supplies will set off tomorrow. All of you will also be heading north together with the group.”
When Ren Xiaosu saw P31921, he said, “I don’t think it’s a good idea to put on a cultural show at this time. Although that FOB is at the rear, all of the Pyro Company’s main forces have already headed to the front lines. In fact, the defensive forces here are even weaker than before.”
Ren Xiaosu was now one of the few people who had fought against the barbarians. The barbarians’ craftiness displayed at Mt. Dashi was still fresh in his mind. Back then, even he had almost thought the barbarians could be taken out in one fell swoop in Longtan Canyon. In the end, they were so bold they actually attacked the camp.
Had it not been for P5092’s preparedness, it might really have spelled big trouble for the Pyro Company.
Although Ren Xiaosu managed to arrive in time back then, the barbarians had almost broken through the machine gun position in that attack.
So Ren Xiaosu became more vigilant after the battle at Mt. Dashi. In the future, he could not assume there was any place that was absolutely safe when facing the barbarians. Only then could he survive the war.
Ji Yi, standing next to Ren Xiaosu, was stunned. But as he was only a reporter, it was not convenient for him to express his opinions on this matter. After all, he did not understand the concerns.
However, the commander of the forward operating base, P31921, explained with a smile, “Miracle Doctor, you’re probably still unaware that the barbarians in Mt. Dashi have been annihilated by the main forces led by Commander P5092. We’re safe here. Moreover, Commander P5092 specifically requested that the Qinghe Group put on this cultural show. As subordinates, we have to carry out the orders of the commander seriously.”
“Oh, I see.” Ren Xiaosu did not say anything else.
When the cultural show began, it got off to a rousing start. With a youthful spirit, the female university students onstage sang and danced energetically in their short skirts.
The stands around the stage were filled with Pyro Company soldiers. Other than a few soldiers who were on rotational duty, almost everyone attended the show with their folding chairs under the command of their respective platoon commanders.
They sat in a very orderly manner while watching the show. The spacing between them was exactly identical, so it truly looked quite spectacular.
The onstage students looked dazzling and glamorous, but their shows had nothing to do with politics. Someone even started singing Li Ran’s new song that was about a romance.
But while Ren Xiaosu was watching the show, he got an ominous feeling that kept growing stronger.
When Yang Xiaojin noticed his frowning, she asked, “What’s the matter?”
Ren Xiaosu suddenly said to the people from the Trinity Institute, “Everyone, get into a vehicle and hide inside. Hurry up! Liang Ce, if anything happens, just drive off with everyone and wait for us on the route to Mt. Dashi!”
“What’s the matter?” Wang Jing asked in uncertainty, “Is something going to happen? But there’s no movement from the Pyro Company troops. Aren’t they also watching the show?”
“There’s no time to explain. All y’all need to leave.” After that, Ren Xiaosu went to look for P31921 to cancel tonight’s cultural show. Although he was unsure if the other party would listen to him, he still had to let him know.
It was not that Ren Xiaosu was being overly suspicious, but that this cultural show was too loud. With the speakers amplifying the sound, anyone could hear it from several kilometers away. As long as someone took a look from the mountains in the distance, they would know what was going on at the forward operating base.
The barbarians had infiltrated from the North. What if they had not been totally wiped out at Mt. Dashi? From a different perspective, if the barbarians were already aware there was a forward operating base here and Mt. Dashi was the supply line, would it be possible that they might still have some barbarians secretly keeping watch on this place?
If they did, it would be the best opportunity for them to conduct a sneak attack tonight. Because the Pyro Company soldiers who were watching the show were not even carrying any weapons.