The War of Resistance: My Expedition, My Country

Wu Yuanjia was actually a little worried. He knew that these guerrillas, while brave, lacked formal training and equipment. However, he also understood that this was a rare opportunity for them to be trained and grow in actual combat.

Seeing the surprise in Chief of Staff Li's eyes, Wu Yuanjia quickly explained, "This battle will be a test for the People's Army. I firmly believe that we will win. These guerrillas will also need to experience the test of fire and blood in this battle. We will then regularize our forces and integrate them into regular units."

After listening to Wu Yuanjia's statement, Chief of Staff Li smiled with satisfaction. He stepped forward, walked up to Wu Yuanjia, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "It's been a few years since we last met. You've matured. You look like a commander. Very good, I'll follow your advice!"

Chief of Staff Li was full of trust and expectation for Wu Yuanjia. He knew that Wu Yuanjia had outstanding command ability and firm belief, and believed that he would be able to lead the troops to victory.

Chief of Staff Li continued, "The future of South Vietnam belongs to you. Only when you grow up can our cause move forward. I believe that this day is not far away."

In the dark night, on the rugged mountain road 70 kilometers north of Banchai, Zhenxiang kept looking at the luminous watch on his wrist. Time, time.

He was still dissatisfied with the speed of the troops' movement. Commander Wu personally led the 311th Detachment in a truck to rush forward. They only had more than 1000 people. If his 102nd Division could not arrive in time, not only would the battle objectives not be achieved, but the commander would even be in an irretrievable situation.

Zhenxiang turned to the communications officer and asked, "How's the progress of the 103rd Division?"

The communications officer replied: "They arrived at Maiduoga 10 minutes ago and are 8 miles ahead of us."

"The 102nd Division must not lag behind!" Zhenxiang made a secret decision. Then, he ordered the communications officer: "Order the troops to travel light and march quickly!"

Like two sharp swords, the 102nd and 103rd Divisions raced through the darkness, their target 30 kilometers away: Maro Bay, a perfect location for ambushing the 21st Division and a necessary enemy route.

Wu Yuanjia and Ruan Jingguo led the 311th Detachment and the headquarters guard team to arrive at the ambush point three hours ahead of schedule. While seizing the advantageous terrain, they deployed their direct heavy firepower.

Wu Yuanjia looked at the time and whispered with the combat staff of the command headquarters. He knew that the 102nd and 103rd Divisions were rushing over at full speed. According to the current speed of advance, there should be no problem in arriving as planned.

He nodded, beckoned Ruan Jingguo over, and whispered, "Commander Zhen and Commander Ruan's troops are approaching quickly. We must understand the enemy's situation clearly. You must immediately organize a reconnaissance team to scout along the enemy's route and keep a close eye on their movements!"

After Manager Ruan left, the combat staff took over and said to Wu Yuanjia: "Commander, the staff team is also in front. I think Captain Ruan's team should search this line. I am worried that the enemy will send out an advance team. If they appear here, it will have a certain impact on our ambush."

Wu Yuanjia used his flashlight to see the location the staff officer pointed to, nodded, and said, "Very good, your prediction was correct. Go immediately and tell Ruan Jingguo to dispatch a squadron, and you will lead it yourself. We must not let anything go wrong here."

Wu Yuanjia and the People's Army deployed their forces methodically, completing all preparations by 9:4 AM. Wu Yuanjia and his men were also well prepared, arriving four hours early to set up an ambush. The French 21st Brigade also suddenly sped up their efforts last night, arriving five hours early.

The 24th Brigade did indeed send out an advance party, a reinforced platoon, but they were very afraid of being attacked by guerrillas in the jungle. Upon arrival, they conducted a simple fire search and then stopped.

The combat staff calmed down and, seeing that the enemy showed no signs of continuing to act, they made a bold decision to leave a small team behind to monitor and the rest to retreat to the main position.

At 3 p.m., the 21st Brigade appeared at the ambush site in Maro Bay. Maro Bay has a unique terrain. The Zambia-Malaysia Highway winds through a valley between two mountains. It is surrounded by a typical Southeast Asian tropical rainforest. The jungle is so dense that even sunlight can hardly reach the ground directly.

As usual, the French army divided up several search platoons, conducted a simple search of the two mountains, and after contacting the advance team, retreated to the main road. The entire brigade lined up and entered one after another.

After Wu Yuanjia and other French troops completely entered the encirclement, they issued attack orders to all units.

"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh--", countless mortar shells flew into the sky, with a shrill whistle sound, and flew rapidly towards the marching enemy.

The commander of the 21st Brigade also crawled out of the flames of war. He immediately realized that it was an enemy attack. With so many artillery shells, he must have been ambushed!

He shouted to his men: "Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

Then, countless explosions echoed in the valley. The 21st Brigade was confined to the narrow road line and could not move freely. Due to the enemy's intensive artillery bombardment, the 21st Brigade could not organize an effective counterattack at all. Many soldiers had already rushed into the dense forest to save their lives.

"Da-da-da, thump-thump, bang-bang-bang."

Bullets were fired at the French army from all over the dense forest, followed by countless explosives of all kinds, such as grenades, hand grenades, detonators, homemade explosive packs, etc. There were explosions and screams everywhere, and the French army was in chaos...

The 21st Brigade also had elite personnel. These professional soldiers quickly organized themselves and, under the command of some low-ranking officers and sergeants, began to counterattack in an orderly manner. Some blindly impulsive People's Army soldiers were knocked down by the enemy's accurate shooting.

Some French artillery pieces were also adjusted, and the surviving armored vehicles and tanks began to launch a barrage of fire into the jungle. Suddenly, a sea of ​​fire appeared deep in the two valleys. . .

"Boom!" A shell exploded not far from Wu Yuanjia, and the guards bravely threw themselves on him. After the explosion, Wu Yuanjia stood up with the guards' help and calmly looked toward the enemy in the valley. The People's Army's firepower was still insufficient to suppress the enemy's tanks and field artillery.

Wu Yuanjia was furious and ordered his staff: "Order an all-out attack! Push forward!"

With a shrill call, the People's Army rushed out of the dense forest like a tidal wave, charging the enemy. After paying a heavy price, they finally engaged the enemy in a fierce battle. With advantages in both numbers and terrain, the People's Army quickly surrounded the enemy. The enemy's tanks and artillery were no longer able to exert their advantage, and they were quickly defeated.

The commander of the 21st Brigade, seeing the situation was hopeless, was about to commit suicide by drawing his pistol, but his adjutant held him down and snatched his pistol. With no other choice, he ordered the troops to cease resistance and lay down their arms in surrender.