Chapter 251 Boring Vole
In fact, it was not that Chen Chen failed to consider this situation before the battle began.
Because he knew that with the support of the Burmese army, the enemy's familiarity with the terrain would be far greater than his own.
But even so, the strategy he expected was just that the enemy would take advantage of the "route" to seize the opportunity to maneuver quickly, and then reach the final evacuation point before his own side.
Or to put it further, the enemy may use the favorable terrain in the jungle to launch an ambush against the enemy, dragging the battle into an "entangled" rhythm, killing the enemy's pursuit team along the way, and solving all problems once and for all.
But the only thing he didn't expect was that the enemy would actually drill holes.
This is not because he has not considered it carefully, but because in his view, this is a policy where the risks outweigh the benefits.
Even if you know where a cave is, how can you ensure that the cave is not a dead end?
Even if it's not a dead end, how can you guarantee that you can successfully cross it without a guide after entering the cave?
No commander would be stupid enough to make such a mistake, because under these two conditions, drilling a hole is actually equivalent to suicide with a high probability.
Theoretically speaking, as long as one's side stays at the entrance of the cave and is in a stalemate with the opponent, there is a very high probability that it can turn passivity into initiative and block them in the cave.
——
However, all these risks of drilling holes are only based on the situation of even competition.
Now, knowing that the Dongfeng Corps has a powerful pursuit group, the commander of the Shadow Corps has realized that he has no way to escape in the jungle.
Therefore, he launched the backup plan without hesitation, using the most decisive and desperate strategy to fight for that glimmer of hope.
I have to say that this person is really a very powerful opponent.
His judgment of the battlefield situation, his grasp of fighter opportunities, and his ability to break out from a disadvantage have all reached extremely "rare" standards.
This made Chen Chen very uncomfortable. He had tried his best to mobilize all resources and used local advantages to reduce the opponent's space for maneuvering as much as possible. But in the end, the opponent actually used an "impeccable" tunnel combat move to prepare himself All good means are blocked.
In a sense, Chen Chen simply felt that he was playing a game with himself.
Because if you think about it from his perspective, the strategy he will adopt is almost exactly the same as that of his opponent.
Looking at the people on guard near the sinkhole, Chen Chen took a deep breath and asked Bai Gou:
"You guys used to move around a lot near Jingdong. Do you have any impressions of this cave?"
Hearing Chen Chen's words, Bai Gou shook his head and replied:
"I have no impression. Our main scope of activities is still in Mengyang. Jingdong is only a temporary residence. It is impossible to understand the surrounding terrain in detail."
"But one thing I can guarantee is that this cave is definitely not that extending in all directions, because caves that extend in all directions are usually built on the basis of a large mountain."
"You also know the situation here at Wan Kao Mountain. It is very close to the Mekong River and has a very rich underground water system."
"This will lead to an increase in the number of caves, but at the same time, it will also reduce the 'suitable for survival' space in the caves."
"We have drilled many holes before in Mengyang. Generally speaking, the closer to the water, the smaller the depth of the cave."
"It is very likely that after entering from the entrance of the cave, there will be at most a not-so-long tunnel, plus a few small cave halls. If you want to go deeper, you must use professional diving equipment."
"It's impossible for those in the Shadow Corps to have professional diving equipment. It's certainly impossible for them to evacuate along the cave."
"I personally think that drilling holes doesn't mean they have a backup plan, it just means they have reached the end of their rope."
"At times like this, we should try all possible means as quickly as possible."
"Whether it's a fire attack, a smoke attack, or a direct assault, you have to give it a try."
"We don't have much time. They will definitely call for reinforcements. The longer we delay here, the more dangerous our situation will be."
"On the contrary, quick action is the most likely way to achieve success."
Hearing Bai Gou's words, Chen Chen nodded in agreement.
In fact, Bai Gou had the same idea as him. Both of them believed that a raid should be launched as soon as possible, but the question was, by what method?
Chen Chen raised his own question, and everyone, including Bai Gou, was on alert while discussing on the radio.
"A fire attack is unlikely. Judging from the entrance, this hole has an upward trend at the entrance. We have no way to throw fuel into the interior of the tunnel."
"It's not impossible, but people have to go in."
"If people want to get in, why attack with fire? You can just hit them in."
"Where's the water pump spraying gasoline?"
"Don't talk nonsense. The situation this time is different from last time. Due to the limited terrain conditions, most of the liquid fuel will flow back into the hole. Putting aside the danger to ourselves, the effect will be greatly reduced."
"The truly effective method is to bomb it with a large number of cloud bombs, or to attack it ourselves."
"Come on, we don't have a heavy-duty explosion-proof shield. We just go in to deliver food. Poison gas is better."
"Poison gas? Where did you find so much poison gas? You said poison gas, why not just let out smoke?"
After hearing this, Chen Chen actually made a judgment in his heart.
Yes, relatively speaking, the only reliable methods at present are smoking and direct attack.
The latter is very difficult. Since the enemy wears anti-infrared equipment, we can only use low-light night vision devices, and the night vision effect is greatly reduced. Whether in narrow caves or spacious cave halls, we have no advantage at all.
——
In fact, this point was already verified by the United States during the Vietnam War.
They specially formed a gopher army to combat the Vietnamese tunnel warfare, but this well-equipped unit was still at a huge disadvantage when fighting against the well-prepared Vietnamese personnel.
According to relevant reports, starting from its first combat mission in June 1966, the Gopher Army's casualties exceeded 100 within three months, while the casualties they caused on the Vietnamese side did not exceed 20.
What they do most is install C4 and destroy tunnels.
And even for this goal, they did not accomplish it very well, because in the next year, the Vietnamese tunnel system represented by the famous Cu Chi Tunnels continued to expand, and the total scale was even larger than before the Gopher Army was established. doubled in size.
Therefore, Chen Chen does not intend to step on the thunder that the old American has stepped on again. He has almost determined that he will use the "smoke method" to solve the problem.
Then, there are only two outstanding questions left:
First, where can I find so many smoking materials?
Second, where can I find such a large pump that can pump smoke into the tunnel?
Looking at the people who were still discussing heatedly, Chen Chen once again put forward his opinion.
However, his two problems were solved immediately.
The person who answered him was the mouse who was extremely good at things related to "holes".
He replied:
"Actually, we don't have to think as complicated as we think."
"You are overestimating the breadth of the underground cave - but to put it simply, isn't it just a bigger mouse hole?"
"I don't know if you have ever hunted voles, but the size of the vole holes is also very large."
"There are caves, several rooms, storage rooms that are huge enough to hold more than ten kilograms or even dozens of kilograms of grain, and there are many different entrances and exits."
"If we really have to calculate it, the total space can reach the level of cubic meters."
“But all it takes to smoke out the vole inside is a bunch of firecrackers.”
"A small bunch, as long as the palm of your hand, is enough."
Chen Chen was stunned.
He was stunned for several seconds before he asked:
"You mean, we throw firecrackers in there?"
"Isn't it possible? I really can't think of any better smoking materials we can get in a short time."
"Firecrackers, fireworks, how wonderful this is."
"It has its own oxidant and can burn in an oxygen-free environment. Not only will there be smoke, but there will also be a large number of scattered debris particles."
"Well, if we blow up the entrance and seal it up, we should be able to suffocate them, right?"
"."
Chen Chen was speechless.
He knew that the mouse plan was not a good one and might not work.
However, it's definitely worth a try.
Because the cost of trial and error is too low and the difficulty of implementation is too low.
So, he decisively ordered:
"Contact He Bangxiong and Cheng Lei and ask them to bring some gunpowder from Mengbin Fireworks Factory."
"That's right, don't set up any fireworks, just give me black powder!"
"The less pure the better! The bigger the smoke, the better!"
"By the way, sprinkle some water and soak it. We just need to burn, not explode!"
At the same time, deep in the cave.
Connor leaned on the ground and gasped hard. His chest rose and fell rapidly, but not much oxygen was actually absorbed by the lungs. This made his whole body fall into a state of chronic suffocation, which also made him feel Extremely intense dizziness and powerlessness.
He had already been given morphine, but it did not improve his condition much. He knew very well that his open pneumothorax injury would not last long, and he had to find a way to escape as soon as possible and perform surgery as soon as possible.
But the problem is that now he really has no choice.
Because he knew that if he continued to flee in the jungle, the terrifying "jungle hunter" of the Dongfeng Corps would bite him like a humanoid hunting dog, and then be eaten by his team bit by bit with the help of the cover of the helicopter. .
This was a huge mistake I made, that is, I underestimated the abilities of people who grew up in this jungle.
I have heard before that some rainforest hunters in Brazil can chase down any target they want in the rainforest, and even the Brazilian BOPE invites them to give lectures and train.
Although I didn't question it at that time, I always believed that such people were definitely a "tiny minority" of people living in harsh environments, just like the Sherpas on Mount Everest. Appears widely within the scope.
But it turned out that I was wrong.
Wherever there is a jungle, there will be people like this!
Because this kind of people live in the jungle!
This was a lesson, a lesson that almost cost me my life.
But fortunately, his adequate preparation saved his life in the end.
Although the cave the team is currently in is not large in scale, the tunnel is complex and narrow, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. No matter what method the enemy uses, it is impossible to break in in a short time.
What we have to do is to make some repairs in the vast cave hall. After the outgoing investigation team finds out the way out of the cave, we can call for support at the new cave entrance and then evacuate with everyone.
No matter what kind of genius he is, it is impossible to find a flaw in this plan.
Fire attack is not effective, and the terrain will prevent the flames from spreading to the interior.
Poison gas won't work, because they can't find so many smoking devices and smoking materials in the short term.
storm? That would be even more of a joke.
All he needs is two hours, and after two hours, everything will be over.
Connor's body is getting weaker and weaker. The surviving medics in the team have cut open his clothes, tore open the sealing membrane and dug out several broken shrapnel with a scalpel.
But there was nothing he could do about the shrapnel deeper inside his lungs.
Fortunately, the number of shrapnel that cannot be removed is not too many.
——
Thanks for that tree!
Connor prayed silently, and then asked with difficulty:
"How is the situation of the investigation team? Can they find the passage?"
The military doctor didn't even raise his head. After wiping away the blood with gauze, he applied the sealing film to Connor again, and then replied:
"I don't know. The radio signal is very poor. We won't know until they come back."
"Don't worry, the air here is circulating, which means there must be an exit."
"Just wait quietly. Your condition is not as bad as you think. It's an open pneumothorax and no valve has formed. Just hold on tight. You won't die so quickly."
Connor took a deep breath tentatively. The severe pain made him almost cough, but in the end, he held it back.
The military doctor gave him a shot of morphine, and Connor did not refuse. But just when he felt that his spirit had improved, a dull explosion suddenly came from outside the cave.
The other team members clenched their guns vigilantly, and Connor also struggled to get up.
But after that explosion, there was no other movement at the entrance of the cave.
The machine gunners posted on guard in the cave did not respond, and there was no new movement from the booby traps they had set.
It seems that this is just a test.
And his enemies should have retreated after the temptation.
Connor lay down again, feeling vaguely that he finally had hope of living.
An hour has passed since entering the cave.
In a few minutes at most, the explorers would return and escape with them.
However, before he could wait for the explorers to return, he suddenly smelled a pungent smell of gunpowder.
What kind of inferior gunpowder did the Dongfeng Corps use?
Connor coughed slightly, and then the next second, a scene that made him tremble appeared in front of him.
——
Under the illumination of the camping lamp, a ghostly white mist floated into the cave hall.
The size of the white mist was so large and the density was so thick that it almost seemed to have substance.
And just a few seconds later, under the disturbance of the chaotic airflow in the cave hall, the white mist instantly dispersed and turned into light blue smoke.
The suffocation feeling became stronger instantly, and Connor coughed violently.
At this moment, he fully understood.
He knew what his enemies had done, and he also knew.
I really can't survive.