Chapter 1060 - Infiltration
"Let me emphasize: do everything possible to extract Target 01—Sun Yuanhua—alive. Beyond him, Intelligence Team 02 inside the city must also be extracted. I expect all participants to engage with maximum firepower and complete the operation at maximum speed. Leave no survivors, leave no wounded—including yourselves." Chen Sigen's voice was cold and precise. "I trust you have known this rule since the day you joined the Special Reconnaissance Team."
"Understood!" The men snapped to attention and shouted in unison: "For the Exemplar Council and the People!"
"At ease." Chen Sigen gestured. "Although we believe the probability of Sun Yuanhua committing suicide is less than fifty percent, after securing him, we should still restrain his movements and ability to speak. The entire operation, from wall breach to completion, is allocated 120 minutes. Synchronize watches one hour before departure."
With that established, Chen Sigen moved on to the specific operational steps.
"According to intelligence, Sun Yuanhua will most likely be held inside the Governor's office after capture. Therefore, our detachment will infiltrate Dengzhou from the sea." His command baton pointed at the large-scale map spread on the table.
The assault team comprised twelve combat personnel—with an additional four-man squad held in reserve. The sixteen men were divided into two battle groups: the assault team and the covering team. The combat objective remained singular: rescue Sun Yuanhua.
The covering squad consisted of four men, split into two two-man sniper teams. Each team was equipped with one Mosin-Nagant rifle fitted with an infrared scope. The assault squad was further divided into three four-man combat groups. Each assault group carried one walkie-talkie; the sniper squad shared a single walkie-talkie for the entire unit.
"The force will enter combat from one direction—from the sea west of Dengzhou City." Chen Sigen's baton moved, and a tall, powerfully built female orderly placed markers at the positions he indicated. "This is the attack launch point."
He then directed the baton toward the display board. "This is a photograph of Dengzhou's west wall and defensive works—the latest available. Many of you have already executed infiltration missions into Dengzhou and should recognize the specific details. Let me emphasize again: Dengzhou's walls stand twelve meters high; the moat is six meters wide. You must be fully prepared and equipped to overcome this obstacle."
"The naval vessel Bravery Wave will serve as the sea departure point, deploying forces outside the target's line of sight. Four assault boats will transport you ashore from there."
The assault boats were not the small launches but rather motorized lifeboats salvaged from the Fengcheng. The small launches used steam engines that proved too noisy, and their smokestacks emitted light visible at night—both unsuitable for assault operations.
"The specific landing point is here." He jabbed at the position on the sand table. The sniper teams would eliminate threatening targets on the walls. Upon completion of clearance, they would transmit one long and two short beeps via walkie-talkie to the infiltration teams waiting in position. The infiltration teams would then scale the wall, dispose of bodies, and split into four groups to search for targets. Group 01 would rendezvous with Huang Ande at the designated contact point. Group 02 would proceed directly to the Dengzhou prefectural office. Group 03 would remain on the wall to secure the extraction point.
After Group 01 located Huang Ande, they would follow his guidance to find Sun Yuanhua. Simultaneously, they would transmit three short beeps in succession to indicate they had located the secondary target. As soon as any group found Sun Yuanhua, they would immediately notify all combat teams via walkie-talkie. If Group 01 had not yet located Huang Ande by that point, they should report the situation via walkie-talkie. Depending on circumstances, the on-scene commander would grant them a twenty-minute extension to continue searching. If still unsuccessful, they must withdraw.
During withdrawal, if conditions permitted, the original infiltration point would serve as the extraction point. A backup extraction point had also been designated. The first group reaching the extraction point would establish fire control and wait for other group members to arrive. Once all three groups had assembled, they would withdraw together.
After all personnel had exited Dengzhou City, they would proceed west along the predetermined route to coordinates 37.82, 120.73, fire a signal flare, and depart by boat.
Fire support on the water would be provided by four small launches. Additionally, four medium launches carrying a Marine platoon and a machine gun would stand ready for forcible support operations if required.
"That covers the overall situation and mission. Regarding each group's specific tasks and procedures, group commanders will provide further details—I won't elaborate. You've done this many times. I've lost count of the training exercises." Chen Sigen allowed a note of confidence to enter his voice. "I am thoroughly familiar with each of your abilities and have the utmost confidence in all of you. Get Sun Yuanhua out for me. Any questions?"
"No questions, sir!"
"Good. The intelligence section will now brief on specific intelligence details."
After the deployment meeting, Chen Sigen returned to his own tent and drank a cup of "energy tea" prepared by his female orderly. This was a fitness beverage he had formulated himself—mysteriously compounded from various Chinese herbs, though the main ingredient was nothing exotic: beef extract.
Fitness enthusiasts required large amounts of protein to maintain muscle mass, and Chen Sigen was no exception. Knowing that the new timeline would offer no ready-made protein powder and that protein was critically scarce, he had made considerable adjustments to his diet and fitness regimen to adapt to the harsh conditions.
Even so, his body still demanded large amounts of protein. Eating fish alone was clearly insufficient. Fortunately, the Agriculture Commission and food factories were developing high-energy foods specifically for the Special Reconnaissance Team. Chen Sigen had been enthusiastic about this initiative, offering many suggestions. This "energy tea" had been developed under his guidance.
The tent was filled with the aroma of spices and herbs, mingled with the rich scent of meat. It was difficult to call this a pleasant, appetite-stimulating beverage. Chen Sigen sipped slowly from his cup, glancing occasionally at his watch. In another dozen hours or so, with Zhang Tao's stragglers providing agitation and support, garrison commander Geng Zhongming and Battalion Commander Chen Guangfu inside the city would finally join hands with Kong Youde outside. With their inside assistance, Dengzhou's east gate would swing open. The seven thousand soldiers inside the city, the thousand-plus Chinese and Western cannons and muskets, the mountains of grain and silver—all would fall into Kong Youde's hands. Contemporaries would mock it as "paper-pasted Dengzhou."
February 24, 1632—the fourth day of the first month, the fifth year of Chongzhen. Lingao time: 2:00 AM. A desolate beach outside Dengzhou City. The sky hung overcast; gales howled across the frozen landscape.
On the beach lay more than a dozen corpses left from the previous night's battle when the city fell. The blood had frozen solid into dark pools.
Suddenly, a patch of grass near the beach began to rustle, and several wild rabbits bolted out in terror. Immediately after, three "creatures"—humped, three-legged monsters with horns on their heads and glowing green eyes—crawled rapidly out of the grass and moved swiftly toward a small hillock nearby.
The fleeing rabbits gazed in confusion at these strangely mottled creatures—they had never encountered such things in the Great Ming timeline. Of course, if the transmigrator Lando had happened to be on this beach, he would have immediately recognized the movement as the "monkey crawl"—the standard low-profile forward motion through tall cover described in US Army sniper manuals. In this method, soldiers used their strong hand to hold the rifle while propelling themselves forward on their weak hand and both legs. It increased speed while ensuring soldiers would not inadvertently raise their upper bodies and expose themselves. The automatic rifles in the creatures' hands had come from his sunken ship, now fitted with Lingao-manufactured suppressors.
The three creatures charged into a small copse on the hillock by the shore and immediately dropped to kneeling positions, rifles at the ready in defensive posture. Thirty seconds later, the lead man tapped the shoulder of the man behind him with his right hand, pointed to his own eyes with his left, then pointed at his watch and signed "5." The man behind gave a thumbs-up, then pulled an infrared telescope from his pack. The two began conducting detailed sweeps of the left and right flanks.
Five minutes later, as their watches vibrated, both whispered in unison: "Clear." They continued scanning the distant sea with their binoculars.
"Three low-speed thermal flash signals detected on the water. Groups 01, 02, and 03 have completed transfer. ETA twenty minutes."
"Good start. Maintain vigilance." The one who had not moved spoke softly. It was Chen Sigen.
By rights, he did not need to be here in person. But after much deliberation, he could not rest easy and had decided to accompany Group 03.
Chen Sigen glanced back. Just seven minutes, and they were nearly at shore. The boys were well trained. He only hoped Huang Ande was holding up inside the city.
Though Huang Ande had only been temporarily assigned to Dengzhou for intelligence work due to his "social connections," he had clearly performed exceptionally. He was also the linchpin of the entire Treasure Hunt operation. Chen Sigen was therefore deeply concerned about this naturalized soldier's safety.
In the routine communication after the city fell, Huang Ande had reported himself safe. He had also confirmed that the small team he assembled was secure and actively working to track down Sun Yuanhua's whereabouts.
Inside the city, reports remained chaotic. Huang Ande's intelligence indicated that most of the principal officials had either committed suicide or been killed; Sun Yuanhua was on the suicide list, though this remained unconfirmed. Regarding order, though the city had been calm immediately after the rebels' entry, Kong Youde, Li Jiucheng, and the other Liaodong leaders had subsequently sought revenge for the civilians' and officials' killings of Liaodong people. After the city fell, they had armed the Liaodong civilians inside and launched large-scale retaliatory massacres against Dengzhou natives both inside and outside the walls. Mass executions had occurred outside the east gate; corpses now filled the moat.
The wealthy merchants and gentry inside the city suffered even more grievously. Many of the rich traders who had conducted smuggling with Liaodong or undertaken military supply contracts were dragged to the yamen and tortured, forced to "disgorge their ill-gotten gains." The gentry endured an even more devastating blow—adult men and the elderly slain, women raped and abducted, property thoroughly looted.
According to Huang Ande's report, the rebels were currently rallying able-bodied Liaodong men and expanding their forces. They were also accepting Shandong and Southern soldiers who wished to join. Among the latter, rumors spread that the rebels would soon force all able-bodied men to enlist—otherwise, the Shandong and Southern troops would be slaughtered. The entire city, save for the Liaodong population, was gripped by terror.
(End of Chapter)