Who taught you to be a recruit like this?

Chapter 1241 Hoping for a smooth journey, hoping for a triumphant return.

Clang, clang, clang...

On the railway, a train is traveling from north to south.

Except for the locomotive, the train is mostly sealed containers.

The various tanks and artillery behind them were covered with camouflage tarpaulins, which were black and dirty, making them look like coal trains.

Meanwhile, anti-jamming troops were also on board to ensure that satellites could not detect the train's true movements in a short period of time.

Inside a sealed container, many soldiers were sitting. Battalion Commander Zhou Fujun was holding a flashlight and spreading out a map of a part of southern Xinjiang, carefully observing something on it.

Instructor Xu Tiancai brought over a self-heating rice bowl and asked curiously, "What are you looking at so intently?"

Zhou Fujun had just reached out when he was burned: "Ouch, it's so hot!"

Xu Tiancai chuckled: "It's only just gotten hot. If you hold onto it, you'll be fine. Just put it aside and let it cool down."

"Ah."

"What are you researching?"

"I'll study the assessment items again."

"Hasn't the project content already been announced? It's a simulation of combating armed drug trafficking forces on the border, right? We tested you on this topic before you came."

"You passed the exam?"

Zhou Fujun seemed somewhat surprised; he really didn't know about this.

At that time, Ge Zhiyong was the battalion commander of the Steel Knife Battalion, and Guo Haitao was the political instructor.

It was after that incident that the two of them were promoted and left the Steel Knife Battalion.

Zhou Fujun sat down in a corner, trying to avoid others, and pulled Xu Tiancai aside to ask, "Then let me ask you, what was the situation back then, and what exactly happened?"

Xu Tiancai recalled that it happened several years ago.

A new and powerful drug trafficking force has suddenly emerged in the Golden Triangle area.

Not only did they integrate all the local drug trafficking forces, but they also seemed to have a desire to dominate the area.

This scene provoked strong dissatisfaction from neighboring countries, who sent troops to suppress it, but all attempts ended in failure.

Furthermore, it triggered a series of chain reactions, and it is said that some warlord forces in the old country also got involved, making things very complicated and resulting in constant fighting.

This action seriously affected the safety of residents in towns and cities near the border in Yunnan Province. Therefore, the Steel Knife Battalion was ordered to conduct live-fire exercises in the vicinity.

While deterring them, we are also protecting our civilians from being accidentally injured by missiles or stray bullets from the other side.

As a senior talent who graduated from military academy and worked in multiple units, Zhou Fujun naturally understood the deeper meaning behind it.

However, for minor skirmishes, deploying a combined arms battalion would be sufficient as a deterrent.

What does it mean to bring an entire combined arms brigade to Laowushan this time?

"What, you think this is serious?"

"Ah."

Zhou Fujun pointed seriously at the map: "Although there are no substantial reports and you can't see anything on the map, look at this line I drew. This line divides the mountain range."

"What do you mean?"

"It means that the north and south sides of the mountain range belong to different regions. One side is ours, and the other side is the Maro's."

"Isn't this normal?"

Xu Tiancai shrugged.

The division of boundaries is not something that can be so naturally determined.

Many regions are bordered by neighboring countries; there's nothing that can be done about it.

That's why so many border guards protect the frontier, building a solid wall on the outermost edge of the motherland.

Zhou Fujun usually enjoys watching current affairs and political news programs, reading newspapers and periodicals, and reading expert commentary.

Although he was only a battalion commander, he was able to deduce some things from many clues, including changes in the unit's training policy and various details such as Qin Feng's personnel transfers.

Because he wasn't positioned high enough, many things were shrouded in mystery and elusive to him, requiring him to guess or simply bewilder.

People like Qin Feng, Wei Shanhe, and Ge Hongbin have high enough standing that they can speak frankly and openly about many things.

This is the huge difference brought about by rank and position.

But Zhou Fujun was a smart man, and he vaguely guessed the changes in the external situation.

So, I squeezed the self-heating rice, and seeing that it was ready to eat, I tore it apart and used a spoon to feed it little by little into my mouth.

During the meal, he spoke in hushed tones with Xu Tiancai about his discoveries and the truth behind this combat-oriented assessment.

"I think this assessment will be similar to the previous live-fire exercises on the Yunnan-Yunnan border."

"Ok?"

Xu Tiancai widened his eyes, glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention, and then continued to ask quietly.

"You mean, this area in southern Xinjiang...?"

He gestured with his finger in the air to indicate a whirlpool in the water, which was then stirred up.

Zhou Fujun chewed on his beef-flavored self-heating fried rice and pointed to the Laowu Mountains on the map: "There has always been talk about this place. I also looked up a lot of information on my phone on the way here."

"On the surface, this is our territory, and we have outposts stationed here. But it's not recognized internationally, especially given the recent news from Maluo, which is spreading some unfavorable information."

Xu Tiancai was shocked: "You even use a VPN to access foreign websites?"

Zhou Fujun asked in surprise, "What, you don't know how?"

"Of course I won't!"

"How did you do that? Teach me!"

"I heard we need to use a ladder, how do we do that?"

Zhou Fujun rolled his eyes, indicating that they would discuss this matter later.

The point he wanted to make was that this assessment was not just a simple assessment.

Although it is currently described as a level-two state of emergency preparedness, there is no guarantee that it will be adjusted to level-one once we arrive on the ground.

“But…” Xu Tiancai didn’t understand: “Our assessment task is to eliminate drug trafficking gangs and the local warlord forces that collude with them, and maintain the stability of our region, right?”

Zhou Fujun laughed and stuffed a hundred yuan into his hand: "You are a robber."

"?"

Xu Tiancai was a little confused and didn't understand what it meant.

Zhou Fujun explained, "My money is in your hands. If I were to say you're a robber, how can you prove you're not?"

Xu Tiancai was taken aback at first, then suddenly realized something and pointed at him with a smile: "My great battalion commander, it's such a waste of your talent to have you as the battalion commander of our Steel Knife Battalion."

"Your intelligence is on par with Qin Feng's. You should become the brigade's chief of staff, or follow Director Qin to work in the training department!"

Zhou Fujun laughed heartily: "Don't flatter me. This is just my guess. We'll have to get there to know the specifics. But..."

He stopped smiling, his heart sinking: "If it's as I think, then we have to be prepared to sacrifice ourselves at any time. When I boarded the train earlier, I saw the logistics staff carrying several large boxes into the last carriage."

Xu Tiancai's expression also turned serious; he seemed to have guessed what was inside those boxes.

He glanced at the soldiers around him, memorizing their lively faces and smiles.

Xu Tiancai sighed deeply: "I hope the assessment goes smoothly!"

Zhou Fujun nodded: "I hope we can return in triumph!"

......

Meanwhile, in the armed police building in the town closest to Laowushan.

The office was filled with smoke, and both the armed police and Gao Tianxiang, a high-ranking police officer, were smoking.

Both sides remained silent, neither speaking first, until the ashtray was stuffed full of ashtrays.

Gao Tianxiang then spoke up: "Our police work in the early stages has been completed."

The senior officers of the Armed Police nodded in agreement: "Our border guards are mainly responsible for maintaining domestic security, and we cannot go any further inland."

The two men said solemnly, "The rest is up to our big brother, the army!"