133: Chapter 43 Sweeping Away the Remaining Enemy

Three days after the surrender at Eagle Beak Rock, Li Ling received an urgent report from the intelligence department.

"Your Majesty, according to satellite reconnaissance and interrogation transcripts from prisoners, the Allied forces still have two important strongholds along the southeast coast." Chen Zhiyuan pointed to the two locations on the map. "One is on a small island off the coast of Southern Zhejiang, where over a thousand people are stationed, equipped with several coastal defense guns and a few small boats; the other is in an abandoned mine shaft in Northern Fujian, where over eight hundred people are lying in ambush, serving as the Allied forces' final reserve."

Li Ling looked at the map, his brows slightly furrowed: "There are that many people left?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Chen Zhiyuan said. "These people are the elite of the Allied forces, mostly coming from the Marine Corps and Special Forces. Their original mission was to act as internal support after the main Allied force landed, coordinating with the main force to capture our coastal cities. However, because the United Fleet was destroyed prematurely, they were trapped in these strongholds, unable to advance or retreat. The garrison on the island has been out of food for three days, and the situation at the mine shaft is slightly better, but they won't last much longer either."

Li Ling pondered for a moment: "How are they resolving the supply issue on the island?"

"They have stored about three months' worth of rations and ammunition, and the island has fresh water, so they can be self-sufficient. But if we don't take the initiative to attack, they can hold out on the island for a long time. Furthermore, satellite photos show that they have recently been reinforcing their fortifications, clearly preparing for a long-term defense."

"What about the group in the abandoned mine shaft?"

"The mine shaft has old ventilation systems and underground water sources, and the stored food is enough for about two months of consumption. Moreover, the terrain of the mine shaft is complex and easy to defend but difficult to attack. If we launch a frontal assault, the casualties will be high. What's more troublesome is that the area around the mine shaft is filled with landmines and traps, which the enemy set specifically for defense."

Li Ling stood up and walked to the window, looking at the gray sky outside. The sea was calm, and a few fishing boats were returning in the distance; the fishermen's chants could be heard faintly, long and ancient. Everything looked so peaceful, but he knew that beneath the surface of calm, the enemy was still lurking in the dark like a venomous snake, ready to strike at any moment.

"We cannot delay this," he turned around. "The longer we delay, the more troublesome it becomes. If the coastal defense guns on the island are not cleared, they will threaten the safety of our shipping lanes. If we ignore the enemy in the mine shaft, they could come out to cause trouble at any time and ambush our supply lines."

He walked to the nautical chart: "Pass the order: the Navy will dispatch a Cruiser squadron to coordinate with the Marine Corps to take that island. The Air Force Reconnaissance Squadron will fly over first to take some photos and mark the enemy's coastal defense gun positions clearly."

"As for the mine shaft," he paused, "send in the Special Forces. The terrain in the mine shaft is complex, and large troops cannot enter; only Special Forces can handle that kind of environment. Tell them to be careful, not to act recklessly, and if they can solve it with smoke grenades and tear gas, do not use bullets."

"Yes!"

After the orders were issued, the two units set out simultaneously, like two sharp swords piercing toward their two targets.

The battle to attack the island proceeded quite smoothly.

Six Cruisers arrived near the island at dawn. The sea was shrouded in thin mist, and the morning light shone through the gaps in the clouds, dyeing the sea a silver-gray. The funnels of the Cruisers were emitting black smoke, the hulls rising and falling slightly in the waves, and the main guns were slowly rotating, pointing toward the targets on the island.

"Main guns prepare," the voice of the squadron commander rang out on the communication channel. "Target: enemy coastal defense gun batteries. Three-volley salvo, fire!"

The main guns of the six Cruisers fired simultaneously. The huge roar was deafening, and a cloud of gunpowder smoke rose on the sea. The shells tore through the morning sky, dragging a sharp whistle as they smashed toward the gun batteries on the island. In the first salvo, two shells hit the targets, and the massive explosion tore a huge hole in the battery, with concrete fragments and steel debris flying everywhere.

"Adjust firing coordinates, second salvo!"

When the second round of shells fell, the coastal defense guns on the island had all been destroyed. The gun barrels were twisted like twisted dough and collapsed in the ruins, the fortifications were razed to the ground, and several barracks caught fire, with thick smoke drifting in the morning breeze, obscuring half the sky.

Immediately after, the Marine Corps' assault boats were lowered from the transport ships, and the roar of engines resounded over the sea. Hundreds of Marines rushed toward the beach against the glimmer of dawn. They wore dark blue combat uniforms, helmets on their heads, and the rifles in their hands gleamed with a cold metallic light in the morning sun. The assault boats drew white arcs on the sea, like a flock of swift seabirds.

The moment the landing craft reached the shore, the ramps dropped with a clatter. The Marines rushed onto the beach shouting war cries, their military boots making dull thuds on the wet sand.

The island's garrison tried to organize resistance, but their defensive line had already been destroyed by artillery fire. Machine gun nests were collapsed, trenches were filled in, and soldiers hid in foxholes, not even daring to raise their heads. Some fired back at the risk of their lives, but the bullets flew wildly with no accuracy. The first wave of the Marine Corps landing force rushed onto the beachhead with almost no decent resistance and quickly occupied the beachhead position.

"Charge! Charge! Charge!" The commander waved his pistol. "Don't stop! Advance into the depths!"

The Marines, carrying automatic rifles, stepped on the soft sand and quickly advanced inland. They split into small teams to clear out the remaining enemy strongholds; some were strafing with machine guns, some were blowing up bunkers with Hand grenades, and others were searching every suspicious corner one by one. A trail of deep footprints was left on the beach, looking like marks of victory carved into the sand.

The battle on the island ended in less than two hours. Of the more than one thousand defenders, over a hundred were killed, over eight hundred were captured, and the rest surrendered. A few who tried to escape by small boats were chased down by the Cruisers; a single warning shot fired in front of the small boat kicked up a huge water column, scaring them into immediately turning back.

The island clearing operation was clean and efficient, but the progress at the mine shaft was not as smooth.

The mine shaft was located in the midst of barren hills, surrounded by dense forests and rugged mountain roads, where large troops could not enter at all. Commander Zhao Tieshan, the leader of the Special Forces, took twenty team members and traveled in three trucks disguised as logging trucks, arriving near the mine shaft in the middle of the night. The trucks were loaded with bundles of logs as camouflage, with the Special Forces' equipment and weapons hidden underneath, having bumped along for nearly six hours.

"This is the place." Commander Zhao Tieshan squatted behind a giant rock, observing the distant mine shaft entrance by the moonlight.

The entrance to the mine shaft was very narrow, only two meters wide, and was blocked by several layers of barbed wire. Trenches were dug on both sides of the entrance, with two Heavy Machine Guns mounted, their cold barrels gleaming in the moonlight. The beam of the searchlight swept back and forth on the mountain wall, making the originally pitch-black night flicker between light and dark, like a giant eye blinking in the darkness. The ground near the entrance was covered with landmines and tripwires, which would be triggered at the slightest carelessness. Several empty tin cans were hung on the barbed wire, clinking when the wind blew, clearly an early warning device set up to prevent sneak attacks.

"Captain, a frontal assault won't work." His deputy lay beside him, lowering his voice. "The enemy has at least dozens of people guarding the entrance, plus machine guns and landmines. If we charge hard, the losses will be heavy."

Commander Zhao Tieshan was silent for a while, then pulled a yellowed old map from his backpack: "This is the mine shaft blueprint I found in the local archives, which I exchanged for two packs of cigarettes. This mine shaft has another exit on the back of the mountain, about two kilometers away. Although that exit is also sealed, it isn't sealed very tightly, and we can enter from there."

"Enter from the back of the mountain?" The deputy frowned. "That would require crossing this mountain, which would take at least four or five hours."

"It's worth it." Commander Zhao Tieshan put away the map. "If we charge from the front, all twenty of us might end up here. If we go around the back of the mountain, although it's a bit tiring, we can at least complete the mission alive."

He made a few hand signals, and the team members followed silently behind him, disappearing into the night. Their figures wove through the trees like a group of ghosts in the night, light and silent.

At three in the morning, they crossed the mountain top and found the abandoned back exit. The exit was sealed with rubble and a rusted iron gate; the hinges on the iron gate had rusted shut, and it squeaked when pushed, sounding particularly harsh in the silent night. But the blockade was not tight, and a few people working together could push it open. The pile of rubble was covered with moss and weeds, clearly having not been used for a long time.

Commander Zhao Tieshan listened for a while to confirm there was no movement inside, then signaled the team members to start the operation. Several people pushed the iron gate together; the rubble tumbled down with a clatter, and the iron gate made a harsh friction sound, sounding exceptionally loud in the silent valley.

Commander Zhao Tieshan took the lead and crouched into the mine shaft, his suppressed submachine gun glowing slightly in the dark. The mine shaft was very dark and quiet, with only the sound of water droplets falling from the ceiling, one by one, tick-tock, tick-tock, infinitely magnified in the silence. The air was filled with a damp, moldy smell and the scent of rust, the ancient wooden support pillars were covered with white fungi, and the gravel path underfoot made a faint crunching sound when stepped on.

They walked for about a few hundred meters when a faint light appeared in front, like a cluster of flickering ghost fires.

"There's a situation." Commander Zhao Tieshan raised his hand to signal a stop.

He pressed against the rock wall and poked his head out. Ahead was a larger cave chamber, brightly lit. A dozen Allied soldiers were sitting around a campfire; some were playing cards, some were dozing off, and some were drinking canned beer. The campfire cast their shadows on the rock wall like a group of swaying ghosts. There were several ammunition boxes and a radio transceiver stacked in the cave, and an officer was leaning against the boxes dozing off, the medals on his chest flashing in the firelight.

"See that officer?" Commander Zhao Tieshan pointed to the guy dozing off. "That's their commander. Take him out first, and the others will be in chaos."

He made a gesture, and two snipers silently set up their guns, the muzzles glowing faintly in the dark.

"Bang!" "Bang!"

Two bullets left the barrels almost simultaneously, making a dull sound in the mine shaft. The bullets accurately hit the officer's chest and head. The officer hadn't even had time to open his eyes before he slumped to the ground, and the campfire cast his silhouette onto the rock wall, tilting slowly until he finally fell.

The soldiers by the campfire were stunned. Some dropped the cards in their hands, and some spat out the beer they had just drunk. Then they exploded like a stirred-up hornet's nest. Some went to grab guns, some rushed to the cave entrance, and some shouted in panic, the voices echoing in the mine shaft, hitting the rock walls and bouncing back, forming a chaotic noise.

But the Special Forces did not give the enemy any chance. In the narrow mine shaft, their suppressed submachine guns and suppressed pistols exerted maximum power. A dozen bullets swept through accurately, knocking down those soldiers who hadn't reacted one by one. The muzzle flashes flickered in the dark like brief lightning, illuminating the blood splashing on the rock walls.

"Everyone, get down! Surrender and you won't be killed!" Commander Zhao Tieshan shouted with a loudspeaker, his voice echoing in the mine shaft, making the cave walls hum and causing rubble to fall from the ceiling.

A few soldiers tried to fight back with rifles, but their bullets flew wildly in the dark, hitting absolutely nothing. The Special Forces returned fire immediately, the gunshots echoing in the mine shaft, dull and rapid. A burst of bullets flew over, and the few resisting soldiers screamed and fell, blood flowing on the stone ground, the campfire reflecting the dark red bloodstains particularly vividly.

The remaining enemies completely lost their will to fight. They threw down their weapons one after another, held their heads with both hands, and squatted on the ground. Some were trembling, some were sobbing softly, and some were kneeling directly on the ground begging for mercy, their bodies shaking like chaff. A young soldier even cried out, tears streaming down his dirty cheeks, washing out two white streaks on his dust-covered face.

"Report, Captain, the scene has been cleared!" A team member ran back from several other passages. "No enemies were found in the other passages, only some empty ammunition boxes and a few boxes of rations. There are no other exits; the enemy has been completely controlled."

Commander Zhao Tieshan walked up to the dead officer, squatted down, and checked his identification: "It's a Lieutenant Colonel from the Meijian Country Navy. It seems this unit was indeed the last reserve of the Allied forces. They had planned to hide here for half a year and wait for the right moment to coordinate with the main force."

He stood up and looked around: "Everyone, take the prisoners out, count the numbers, and collect all documents and materials. Do not touch the explosives; move all the weapons and ammunition here."

"Yes!"

The mine shaft clearing operation took less than forty minutes from entering the scene to the end. The Special Forces killed over twenty resisting enemies, captured nearly eight hundred people, and seized a large amount of weapons, ammunition, and radio equipment. From the seized documents, the intelligence department confirmed the mission of this reserve force—if the main Allied force encountered resistance during the landing battle, this reserve force would launch an attack from the flank to disrupt Li Ling's rear.

If they had succeeded, the consequences would have been unimaginable. The enemy planned to blow up Li Ling's three main supply lines, paralyze his logistics system, and leave his army on the front line in a situation of running out of ammunition and food.

But now there are no "ifs." After the two strongholds on the island and the mine shaft were removed, all armed forces of the Allied forces remaining in the Qingxia Kingdom were completely cleared. The intelligence department wrote in the report: "There are no organized enemy troops in the coastal area, the remaining armed forces are less than two hundred people, and they have lost their combat capability. The remnants have gone underground and cannot pose a substantial threat."

Li Ling finished reading the report and wrote a few words at the end: "Continue monitoring to ensure no dead ends are left. Intelligence work cannot be relaxed; the enemy is always looking for opportunities."

"System," he whispered in his heart. "Do you think this counts as a complete victory?"

"It does," the system's voice was calm and firm. "From a military perspective, the Allied forces no longer exist. What remains are just scattered stragglers that cannot stir up any trouble. The host can safely prepare for the Northern Expedition. However, the host should be aware that although the great powers have failed for now, they will not be reconciled. Next, they may exert political pressure or support new proxies."

Li Ling let out a long breath, feeling the stone that had been pressing on his chest finally fall away completely. He leaned back in his chair, looking at the ceiling, the faces of the soldiers who had sacrificed themselves on the battlefield appearing before his eyes. He remembered Wang Tiezhu, Chen Ergou, and those whose names he didn't know but who had also traded their lives for victory. Their faces overlapped in his memory, then gradually blurred.

He knew that the road ahead was still long, and there were many tough battles to be fought. But at least, on the sea and in the coastal areas, he no longer had any worries. He could free up his hands to deal with those warlords in the north with all his might. Those local warlords who entrenched themselves in one region would soon face his true power.

Outside the window, a seabird streaked across the sky, its wings flashing silvery-white in the sunlight. Li Ling's gaze followed it until it disappeared into the distance. That was a new direction, and also the battlefield he was about to head to.