kvmb Chapter 380 Report!
Chapter 380 Report!
A few days later, thanks to the blessing of the miraculous spring, his wound healed quickly, and he was able to walk again. Zhong Yuemin went to another ward in the same department and met Yuan Jun.
Pushing open the door, they saw Yuan Jun lying stiffly on the hospital bed by the window. He looked far worse than the others, his entire body wrapped in snow-white bandages, resembling a modern-day mummy.
His right leg was suspended in mid-air with a thick cast, rendering him completely immobile; only his eyeballs could still move freely.
"Battalion Commander Yuan, your look is quite unique. I hope your leg won't end up with any disability? Otherwise, it might affect your chances of finding a partner!"
Zhong Yuemin tried to keep his tone light as he walked over, pulled up a chair, and sat down on the edge of the bed.
When Yuan Jun saw Yue Min approaching, his eyes lit up. He tried to move, but the movement aggravated his wound, causing him to grimace in pain. He cursed irritably.
"Yuemin, stop talking nonsense. You're not much better off than me. I'm lucky to be alive. I'd be lucky to escape with my life. Even if I were crippled, or even if I lost a leg, it wouldn't be a big deal."
He paused, his eyes dimmed, and his voice lowered.
"Sigh...it's just a pity for my comrades...Tiezhu...and Commander Ji..."
Zhong Yuemin's smile faded, and he gently patted his shoulder, offering words of comfort:
"Don't overthink it, and don't blame yourself. I understand how you feel. We're alive thanks to our fallen comrades, so we can't be depressed or give up on ourselves. We have to be strong and keep going, right?"
Yuan Jun nodded. He knew that Yuemin's small team had also suffered heavy casualties; even Man Tun had been killed. He had seen him once before, but he never imagined it would be their last meeting.
Zhong Yuemin asked seriously,
"What exactly happened? Your tank unit, protected by steel armor, shouldn't have suffered such heavy losses during the retreat."
Even when we clashed head-on with the enemy before, we never saw you suffer such heavy losses.
Upon hearing this, Yuan Jun immediately became agitated, his bandaged chest heaving violently, his voice filled with barely suppressed anger and resentment.
"Damn it, don't even mention it! It's all those stupid orders from above that have ruined my life!"
Taking a deep breath and trying to calm himself, he explained:
"Our tank units, and armored vehicles and other mechanized vehicles, should have retreated along the main roads and highways."
With the highway network allowing for rapid maneuverability, it would be difficult for the enemy to stop us. But the higher-ups, I don't know who had their head caught in a door, insisted that we ignore the main roads and instead take those rugged and difficult mountain paths and trails!
Zhong Yuemin frowned:
Why must we take the mountain path?
"Why?!"
Yuan Jun's voice suddenly rose, filled with sarcasm and resentment.
"They said we couldn't retreat so easily, it would be such a pity. We must 'expand our gains' and 'annihilate as many enemy remnants as possible.'"
So instead of taking the perfectly good main road, they insisted on making us take a long detour, doing some kind of 'fight and retreat' maneuver, trying to kill two birds with one stone, and what was the result?!
Yuan Jun was so excited that he tried to gesture with his hands, but this aggravated his wound, causing him to gasp in pain. After a moment, he gritted his teeth and said:
"As a result, we walked right into an ambush set up by the enemy, in that godforsaken valley. There were mountains on both sides, and our tanks couldn't deploy at all; they were like iron coffins."
The enemy's rocket launchers and anti-tank guns rained down from the hilltop with incredible force. We were fucking sitting ducks, completely surrounded and riddled with bullets; we were the ones who got caught in the crossfire.
Yuan Jun grew increasingly agitated as he spoke, his eyes reddening, whether from the pain of his wounds or from remembering his fallen comrades and the pointless losses was unclear.
"Tiezhu... Commander Ji... So many good brothers... lost their lives in that damned ravine because of such a foolish order. Tell me... what kind of mess is this?!"
Zhong Yuemin listened silently, able to sense the almost overflowing pain and anger in Yuan Jun's voice.
He himself had just crawled back from the brink of death and knew all too well how much blood was needed to make up for a wrong decision on the battlefield.
Zhong Yuemin patted Yuan Jun's uninjured shoulder again and said in a deep voice:
"Alright, stop thinking about it. Just be alive. Remember this debt. I think the headquarters will definitely investigate thoroughly. Whoever is responsible for the dereliction of duty will not escape punishment."
The two talked for about half an hour, not lingering any longer. Yuan Jun needed to rest, and the incident of his tank unit being ambushed by the enemy had suddenly reminded him of an important matter. Even though he wasn't fully recovered...
After leaving the hospital, they went straight to the temporary base of their reconnaissance regiment, and after inquiring, arrived at the office of the regimental commander, Liu Yonghua.
Liu Yonghua was studying something on a map when he looked up and saw Zhong Yuemin walk in. He was taken aback at first.
"Zhong Yuemin, what are you doing running away from the hospital?"
His face immediately showed a mixture of heartache and anger, and he slammed the pencil in his hand on the table.
"You're really too much of a troublemaker! Your injury hasn't fully healed and you're already running around everywhere? Do you think you're made of iron? Get back to the hospital and lie down right now!"
Zhong Yuemin didn't bother with lengthy explanations and cut straight to the point.
"Commander, I have important information that I must report to Commander Li immediately. It concerns a possible large-scale ambush attempt by the enemy against our retreating troops."
"Are you referring to the incident where a battalion under a tank regiment suffered heavy casualties in an ambush by enemy forces?"
The higher-ups are already aware of this and have determined the nature of the incident. It was entirely due to the division headquarters' reckless command and the issuance of incorrect operational orders; it was a human error. After the battle, there will be a thorough investigation. No one will escape responsibility or dereliction of duty. Don't worry.
"Commander, that's not what I meant. If things go wrong, there might be a worse situation. I need to report to Commander Li immediately."
"It's even worse, what's going on?"
"It's extremely urgent, let's go together, you'll find out then."
Seeing that Zhong Yuemin's expression was serious and not feigned, and knowing Zhong Yuemin's keen sense of smell on the battlefield, Liu Yonghua pondered for a moment, then waved his hand helplessly.
"Alright! You little brat... I can't control you anymore. Come on, I'll take you there. But you better remember this: after you report, get back to the hospital immediately. That's an order!"
Liu Yonghua personally led Zhong Yuemin all the way to the headquarters of the western front troops.
This is a large, heavily fortified and guarded shelter, densely packed with telephone lines and radio antennas, with people moving about in a hurry, creating a serious and tense atmosphere.
To his surprise, Liu Yonghua led him directly into the core command room.
Inside, not only was Commander Li present, but also Commander-in-Chief Yang, the commander of the western front, along with several deputy commanders and senior staff officers, who were gathered around a huge sand table discussing something.