One night passed.
As the sun rose above the horizon on January 25th, the clear and bright sky was cloudless. Under the radiant glow of the setting sun, by a little after eight o'clock, the towering peaks were covered with a golden film. The snow reflected the sunlight in a dazzling light, so much so that the Golt soldiers hiding in their concealed positions would even feel their eyes sting when they looked up at the snow-capped mountains.
Under the blazing sun, the azure sky was undoubtedly a beautiful sight, and the soldiers felt as if their bodies were warming up. However, when the wind blew on their exposed skin, the biting cold still made their teeth chatter.
The snow was melting under the sun, which meant the temperature would continue to drop, but if a few more sunny days came, the temperature in the mountains would slowly rise, the soldiers hiding in the dark mountain valleys and dense forest caves thought with such anticipation.
In a place known as "Pine Forest Ravine," Colonel Sylvie and his troops were lying in ambush. It was a pine forest growing on a slope, with a rushing river below. They had been lying in ambush here for several days. Although they had not yet engaged the enemy, the harsh environment had exhausted them both physically and mentally. The night that had just passed had tormented them even more.
Yesterday during the day, the Yan people had already entered the mountains and then scattered to various parts of the mountains. Sylvie knew that the enemy was scouting the mountain environment, and Songlinjian was only a few kilometers away from the entrance to the mountains. If the enemy's reconnaissance was swift, then he believed that it would not be long before they found Songlinjian.
Therefore, he remained on high alert, waiting for the enemy to appear in his field of vision so that he could command his soldiers to launch an attack, but that moment never came.
The less the enemy showed up, the more nervous Sylvie became, because it meant that the enemy was being very cautious. The slower and more careful their reconnaissance was, the more thorough it was. This kept Sylvie awake almost all night, fearing that the enemy might sneak up on them under the cover of darkness.
"Oh, this damn weather, my bones are freezing."
"That's a clever move, letting us stay here, haha."
The sudden sound of complaining caught Sylvie's attention. He looked in the direction of the sound and saw a rather burly man huddled up and trembling in a haystack made of pine needles and weeds under the shade of a pine tree not far away.
Sylvie's brows furrowed, his complaints filled with intense dissatisfaction—complaints Sylvie had heard far too many times last night.
He patiently ignored them, remaining motionless in the haystack, his gaze fixed on the main road in the distance. The main road was below Songlin Ravine; if the enemy took that road, they could launch an immediate attack from the high slope.
However, it seems unlikely that the Yan people will take the main road directly. They will eliminate any dangers while they are lurking in the mountains before sending their main force onto the main road.
Furthermore, their own forces could hardly be considered to be in an ambush from the shadows. As long as the Yan people conducted a thorough investigation, they would definitely find their way here. Sylvie sensed that a sudden encounter was about to take place.
This encounter was unavoidable. Songlinjian was a uniquely advantageous location for our side. Fighting the enemy here would allow us to fully utilize our geographical advantage, so we could not retreat. Even if it was an open secret, we had to play it.
If they encounter each other, the side that strikes first will definitely have the initiative. Therefore, no one should reveal their position before the fight begins. Instead, they should wait until the Yan people appear in their field of vision first.
"Oh my god, who could stand this?"
"We'll freeze to death before those damned Yan people even arrive."
The complaints came again, and Sylvie gritted her teeth, her anger churning within her.
"It's so cold..."
Along with another complaint, a rustling sound reached Sylvie's ears. He quickly turned around and saw the man turn over the haystack, sling the gun over his shoulder, and then stomp his feet and rub his hands together.
Sylvie raised an eyebrow and immediately growled:
"What are you doing?! Get back to your seat right now!"
"Sir, my hands are almost frozen stiff, I can't even pull the trigger. I need to get some sun to warm up."
The man, looking languid, walked towards a bare rock in the woods as he spoke. There were no pine trees near the rock, so the sunlight shone directly on it, making it gleam with golden light and appear scorching hot.
Seeing the man's indifferent attitude, Sylvie's forehead veins bulged, and he continued to growl:
"Tachino! You idiot! Stay where you are and don't go anywhere!"
The man was Tachino. After following the Fourth Army into the mountains, he was temporarily assigned to Sylvie's troops by Zoyer. Zoyer then ordered Sylvie to ambush Sylvie's troops in Pine Forest Ravine. Tachino, as one of them, was very unwilling, but he still had to follow the troops there.
Now, after hearing Sylvie's reprimand, Tacino couldn't help but roll his eyes and say:
"Sir, it's a rare sunny day. We should take advantage of this time to bask in the sun and warm ourselves up. If we continue to hide under the dark pine trees, we'll freeze."
“Sir, look up. Even this guy knows it’s time to come out and stretch his legs.” As he spoke, Tachino pointed to the pine tree above Sylvie’s head, where a red-bellied squirrel was climbing on the trunk, looking around.
After Tachino finished speaking, the soldiers hiding elsewhere became restless, and Sylvie also heard the small commotion around them.
This fueled his anger, and before he knew it, his body began to warm up.
"Get back here right now! The Yan people are searching the mountains. Do you want to be shot dead by them?!" Sylvie shouted through gritted teeth.
The Yan people didn't search this place at night, so they will definitely speed up during the day when the temperature is higher and the visibility is better. So now is the critical moment. If everyone runs from their hiding place to an open area to sunbathe, it would be suicidal.
Not only are they courting death, but they're also exposing others!
Sylvie knew his men would never do something so stupid, but this temporary recruit, Tachino, was incredibly stupid. If it weren't for the circumstances that forced him to unite all available manpower, he should have shot this fool dead last night.
"How could that be, sir? We're on a slope, and at an upper position. If the Yan people had come closer, our lookouts would have spotted us long ago, and they would have sent out a signal to warn us."
"You don't need to worry about my safety. To be honest, if my body isn't warmed up soon, I'll freeze to death even without bullets."
Tachino waved casually and continued walking towards the rock.
This infuriated Sylvie to the point of bursting his chest; his face immediately turned red, and he gripped the gun tightly in his hand.
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