No one stood around doing nothing; although no one was giving orders, everyone took the initiative to find something to do.
Many more people looked at each other, silently and tacitly separating the foot of the mountain from the camp. They also kept a close watch on the mountain, ready to rush up immediately if any wild animals came down, so as not to harm their comrades and their families behind them.
Cheng Chao's eyes stung.
Qin Qinghuai also stood still.
After several months there, this scene was the most moving for him. There wasn't a single word spoken, yet every person and every ordinary action brought tears to his eyes.
After pausing to suppress the stinging in his eyes, Qin Qinghuai cleared his throat and continued walking inside.
"How is the situation? Is anyone hurt?"
The person in front of him was a platoon leader, who turned to him and saluted upon hearing this.
"Political Commissar, Zheng Aiguo led a team up the mountain to clean up the bloodstains. They've been up there for half a day and haven't made a sound. I'm worried about the danger, so I'm requesting permission to lead the team up the mountain."
"Political Commissar, I want to go too."
"I want to go too."
Looking at the faces before him, some young, some not so young, Qin Qinghuai felt a lump in his throat.
"Aren't you afraid that there might really be wild boars, wolves, tigers, black bears, and other wild beasts around in a little while?"
"Political Commissar, we are not afraid, our brothers are on the mountain."
"Yes, Political Commissar, we can't let these beasts come down the mountain and harm our parents, wives, and children."
"Political Commissar, let us go!"
Qin Qinghuai remained silent, so some people turned their attention to Cheng Chao. He was an old man who came at least ten or eight times a year, so he was a familiar face to them.
"Company Commander Cheng, could you talk to the political commissar and ask if we could go?"
"Yes, Company Commander Cheng, shall we go?"
Cheng Chao sighed, took two steps forward,
"Calm down! What kind of behavior is this? Even in the face of danger, you must remain calm and composed. Have you forgotten that?"
Quite some time has passed since Qin Yi went back to report the news. Zheng Aiguo, who went to chase after people and clean up the traces, also knew the priorities. With Zheng Aiguo's speed and meticulousness, even if he couldn't come back now, he would send someone back to report the news.
However, there was nothing there, and they lost contact as soon as they went up the mountain. This situation is indeed not quite right.
The scene gradually quieted down.
“I know you’re anxious, and I’m anxious too. Your political commissar is too; he’s practically run all the way here. Isn’t he worried?”
Zheng Aiguo is a mature revolutionary fighter with rich experience in fighting the enemy and in mountain warfare. You should have confidence in him.
However, your political commissar just came up with a contingency plan; let him tell you about it.
The situation was urgent, and Qin Qinghuai didn't waste any words, asking directly,
"Anyone here who went up the mountain with Battalion Commander Xu last time? The one who hunted wild boar?"
The people present looked at each other in bewilderment. The next second, sixteen of the twenty people from last time suddenly stepped forward.
"Political Commissar, there are four more men. They went with the battalion commander to inspect the outposts. What tasks do they have? We need to know."
Qin Qinghuai nodded. When they came back from the last trip up the mountain, these people were shocked. They felt that it was shameful for a veteran like himself to be so flustered even with such a simple task as hunting.
Starting the next day, in addition to the routine daily training tasks, I added many extra tasks for myself, and also increased the difficulty considerably.
Later, they even volunteered to join the patrol shifts. At this point, even though they weren't particularly outstanding hunters, they were still far superior to others.
Qin Qinghuai had seen all the suffering they had endured, and they were eager to improve themselves. He had no reason to let them back down from this ready-made opportunity for real combat.
"Okay, I believe in you, I know your determination."
I have seen your perseverance, hard work, and persistence.
This mission may simply be to scout and safely descend the mountain.
Perhaps it's the wild beast from the deep mountains that you've always feared. Do you dare to go?
Several people stood together,
"Mission accomplished!"
"No,"
Qin Qinghuai's usually cold expression also took on a serious tone.
"I don't need a pledge; all I want is to come back safely."
Every single person.
Is it possible?
"Yes! Yes! Yes!"
The voices of the sixteen people, though not loud, were clear and resonant.
The people behind were also getting anxious, but Qin Qinghuai waved his hand, signaling the sixteen people to leave.
"Brothers, I understand how you feel."
However, you, me, and we all know in our hearts that they are indeed stronger than you now. Of course, this is inseparable from the double, triple, five, or even ten times the hard work they have put in. They constantly improve themselves and challenge themselves, so now they have the qualifications.
Brothers, we are soldiers. Protecting our country is our responsibility, our instinct, and our highest aspiration.
However, knowing full well that you are no match for those wild boars and tigers, sending you out would be a dereliction of duty on my part as the political commissar, and an irresponsibility towards your lives.
Cheng Chao didn't say much, watching Qin Qinghuai do ideological work with these people, and it really was quite effective.
Thinking about it, I wanted to go back and complain to the girl, but then...
Where are they?
"Uh, sister-in-law, I went with them."
Cheng Chaoyi beat his hands,
"I knew it, I couldn't keep an eye on them, I simply couldn't."
He had just said he was just coming to take a look, and he should have sent him back. But now there was nothing he could say. He stepped forward and stood side by side with Qin Qinghuai, patted him on the shoulder, gave him a look, and glanced in the direction of the mountain.
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