418 A triumph (2/2)
Zhang Xiaoman said in amusement, ”Do you think I'm belittling the heroes of the world? No, this is called knowing ourselves and knowing the enemy. If it were the Qing Consortium instead of the Zong Consortium, Commander Zhang might not be so willing to send out troops to open up the trade routes. If these were the Qing Consortium's veterans, I would turn around right now and flee. But there's also the strong and the weak among the consortiums. There must be a reason why the Zong Consortium was shoved aside by the Qing Consortium and the Yang Consortium. It's not that we look down on them, but that they're incompetent.”
Realized dawned upon Ren Xiaosu that in the minds of these boorish men from Fortress 178, the Qing Consortium's troops were several times more capable than the Zong Consortium's troops. To them, only the Qing Consortium was seen as a truly difficult opponent.
As though to confirm Zhang Xiaoman's assessment, the approaching Zong Consortium soldiers continued to obey their orders and advanced forward using the cover of the valley. They did so even though they knew that their enemy possessed heavy machine guns.
They intended to wipe out the Razor Sharp Company with brute force!
Zhang Xiaoman waited for the enemy to enter their range. Once they did, he immediately issued the order to fire. Together with Jiao Xiaochen's six mortar units, they mercilessly bombarded the Zong Consortium troops.
Although it was only a single attack wave, they nearly wiped out one of the Zong Consortium's companies that came charging towards them. Only then was the enemy jolted awake.
The Zong Consortium troops retreated like the tide!
At this moment, Zhang Xiaoman got up and packed his belongings. ”Let's quickly leave this place. The Zong Consortium's fucking mortars will be coming in soon. They should've adjusted the angle of their mortars by now. It'll be too late if we don't leave now.”
Ren Xiaosu was stunned by the sight. He had not said anything since Zhang Xiaoman's decision to stay and fight. But at this moment, Zhang Xiaoman was actually running faster than a rabbit after ”pulling off a big one.” There were no signs of that lofty spirit and soaring determination he displayed earlier.
Right after they retreated from the hill, the Zong Consortium's artillery fire plowed into where they just were.
Zhang Xiaoman breathed a sigh of relief. ”Thank goodness we escaped fast enough. If not, we would've all died here. This time, we achieved great things. Including the companies Ren Xiaosu took out, we've defeated three companies of the Zong Consortium. Haha, that'll be worth another third-class unit citation after we return. Who knows, we might even be given a second-class unit citation this time!”
Ren Xiaosu asked, ”Captain, weren't you worried that they'd attack us with their mortars first?”
”No, they couldn't determine our exact location at the start. Besides, they didn't have enough time to adjust the angle of the mortars, so they couldn't have hit us accurately.”
But Ren Xiaosu suddenly said in seriousness, ”Captain, although I don't know how well you know the Zong Consortium's troops, let's try not to underestimate them again in the future. What if shells rained down before we could make our escape? Wouldn't all of us have died? I really hope that we can all return alive.”
Everyone looked at Zhang Xiaoman. The Razor Sharp Company had always followed Zhang Xiaoman's orders as they braved the dangers on the battlefield. Even during their military exercises, he would specifically do the missions in the most dangerous way as a challenge to themselves.
It was precisely such behavior that made outsiders refer to people from Fortress 178 as those ”damn fucks.”
Ren Xiaosu continued, ”I'm not questioning the Captain's combat methods, but I just hope that we can exercise a little more caution. After all, we might end up dying if we encounter a brilliant opponent. Even if that's a one in a million chance, we still can't afford to take the gamble.”
Zhang Xiaoman remained silent for a moment before saying, ”Alright, we'll do as you say!”
The Razor Sharp Company's soldiers around him were shocked. Others had tried to persuade Zhang Xiaoman, but he never once heeded their advice.
”What are y'all looking at?” Zhang Xiaoman said unhappily, ”Why is everyone staring at me? Am I that handsome? Retreat already!”
Since the Zong Consortium's mechanized infantry could not enter the mountains, they would not have to be afraid of their continued pursuit. The Razor Sharp Company could run faster than the Zong Consortium.