Without warning, the huge thunder from the southwest of the position surprised the people of the Phras, including Leglis. The dazzling light instantly reflected the fearful faces. It is not difficult for people to judge from the direction and distance that the violent explosion occurred on the stone bridge across the river. The most unfortunate thing would be that their connection with the rear was greatly affected. The combat supply required several kilometers to be carried from the downstream bridge, and the retreat road became complicated and dangerous.

With the battlefield telephone line already paved, the commander on the position soon received conclusive news: the stone bridge was blown up by the North Vietnamese army, and the engineering troops will build a bush on the spot in the shortest time.

It is obvious that the second half of the sentence cannot calm the anxiety in people's hearts. The North Vietnamese army attacked and destroyed the stone bridge, which means they did not go as badly as some optimistic news described. With the protection of the woods and night, they were elusive and everywhere, like cunning and fierce wolves, peeping at their prey in the dark, waiting patiently for the opportunity to launch a fatal blow.

Just when Leglis and his companions were at a loss, a middle-aged officer, a not-tall man came from the north of the trench and said in a steady and powerful tone: "Hey, young people, don't panic. On the Indochina Peninsula, you will gradually adapt to the special environment here, the wet weather, the dense woods, the unique rice and... the difficult opponents. They are like Mongolian troops who are good at riding tactics, but without Mongolian horses, they can pass through the forest quickly. Seeing the enemy's tricks clearly, these are nothing scary. They actually have many weaknesses and must not be defeated! Most of them use outdated manual rifles and are extremely lacking in bullets.

Their victory is achieved by sudden close attacks, and casualties must be several times or even dozens of times that of us in each battle; their soldiers are very brave, but lack modern combat skills and only know a few simple, animal instinct tactics. No matter when they meet them, we only need to remember one thing: calmness. Think of them as wolves that can walk upright. How do we deal with wolves? That is to fight hard, defeat them with fierce, precise, and stable shooting. After repelling them two or three attacks, you will find that they are afraid and afraid to appear in front of you again, and slip away with your tails together!"

Leglis looked at the officer in surprise. He wore a medal of officers of the Order of Honor, which was the highest medal series of France established by Napoleon in 1802. Only those who made outstanding contributions to France were eligible. The officer wore a beret-style beanie, with the rank of Army Major and armored armbands - it seemed that he was serving in the armored force that provided support and cover for paratroopers. He also stayed in the Vietnam battlefield for quite some time and fought with the North Vietnamese armed forces a lot.

Although this unknown major was heroic in language, the paratroopers did not seem to be deeply touched. In the same army, the arms were very different. The armored troops were like ancient heavy cavalry, charging into battle on the battlefield, with unlimited glory. The strong shell of the chariot provided them with an additional source of confidence. In contrast, the paratroopers needed more courage and will to support themselves. Once they entered the battlefield, they were often surrounded by the enemy, so they were more cautious and pessimistic.

"Hold your position and hold your weapons, the enemy is nothing more than..." Before he finished speaking, the messenger ran from the other side of the position. He calmly and seriously conveyed the latest order from his superiors: to draw some platoons to Shiqiao to assist friendly troops in defense. Judging from the number, the forces of these troops accounted for one-third of the defensive power.

Less than 200 soldiers and a small number of armored vehicles were used to defend a field position. The confidence of the officers and soldiers was not sufficient, and reducing one-third of the troops was even worse. There were three or four kilometers of roads from the position to the stone bridge. Although there were other defensive positions along the way, facing enemies like the North Vietnamese Resistance Army, they left the position and marched between the rice fields and the woods. Especially on such a weak night, the officers and soldiers who were transferred were extremely disappointed - the team was finally arranged. When three armored vehicles hidden near the position launched one after another and joined the team transferred to the stone bridge, the people who stayed were lucky!

Leglis stared blankly as he moved along the road towards the stone bridge. At this moment, his heart was not filled with simple worry, but extremely complex emotions mixed with confusion, disappointment, and emptiness. At this moment, Lieutenant Colonel Jerome, the combat commander of this position, patrolled the position with a lack of confidence. The more he said nothing, the more he felt that the officers and soldiers were unsure, and the more he felt that he was a lonely lamb lost in a dangerous area.

In the following time, the paratroopers began to endure the torture of pessimism. The movements on the front line were still sometimes excited and sometimes sluggish. Sometimes, there were basically no sounds of gunfires for half an hour. The road they guarded was still open, and vehicles carrying wounded returned from the front line from time to time. This situation continued until midnight. Nearly one o'clock in the morning, hiking retreaters appeared on the road ahead. Their condition looked very bad, and it was appropriate to describe it as "dumping helmets and armors". Hundreds of infantry retreated in a mess toward the stone bridge. No one among them was ordered or voluntarily stayed to strengthen the defense of the paratroopers. Leglis began to emerge around Leglis

There was a commotion, and he heard some paratroopers affiliated with other companies discussing the issue of retreat, and even loudly argued between officers and soldiers. This temporary mixed force was sliding from the morale to the loss of control and the edge of mutiny. Before Lieutenant Colonel Jerome or other officers came out to improve the situation, flames flashed not far from the north, gunfire and explosions came like heavy rain. Retreat on the battlefield was not only an act that was not allowed by military law and morality, but the terrible consequences of leaving the position rashly prompted the paratroopers to calm down. The messenger quickly brought clear orders to hold on, and the officers gradually got rid of the control of panic and returned to their roles. They led and urged the soldiers to prepare for combat at any time.

As before, the North Vietnamese armed forces attacked quickly and bravely. The French infantry retreated along the road had no way to resist him. The retreat quickly turned into a chaotic escape. The battle spread along the highway like a ignited fuse. Leglis and others could soon see the panic resistance of the French infantry and the fierce attack of the North Vietnamese soldiers with their naked eyes. The French retreat queue was mixed with transport trucks and armored vehicles, and their existence became the fulcrum for the infantry to resist the attack of the North Vietnamese army. However, the North Vietnamese soldiers were skillful in using their skills.

They were destroyed one by one with explosives and burning objects, and flashed or persistent flames were everywhere on the winding roads. Without having time to retreat, many French infantry left the road and rushed towards the paratroopers' defensive positions. The enrichment of the troops should have made the paratroopers happy, but the stormy attacks of North Vietnamese armed forces had no time to think about other things. After the infantry came to the position with dirt and even empty hands, the paratroopers unceremoniously asked them to pick up their weapons or assist in the battle.

Although the positions built by the French paratroopers had omnidirectional defensive firepower, the chaos on the battlefield and the intention of severely damaging the French army still allowed the commanders of the North Vietnamese armed forces to decide to attack. This time, they adopted a standard combat process: artillery attack, machine gun suppression, and infantry charge. Perhaps they used artillery just seized from the French army, or perhaps used artillery that had been retained before, the North Vietnamese army allowed the French soldiers to taste the bombardment by "barbarians".

The taste of the artillery attack was not long, and the accuracy was barely enough, but the shelling formation still made the Leglis and the others both surprised and panicked, and the subsequent mortar bombardment posed substantial threats and injuries to them. Under the cover of light and heavy machine guns, hundreds of North Vietnamese soldiers launched an attack from both the front road and the side rear rice fields at the same time, exerting unprecedented psychological pressure on the French paratroopers, making people feel that the attacking side could conquer the position in one go!

In adversity, the French paratroopers burst out with amazing combat power with the mentality of fighting back and forth. Their positions turned into madmen on the Grim Reaper's sickle. Any North Vietnamese soldier who dared to approach it could not escape the fate of blood splashing three feet. The paratroopers almost shot wildly, and their companions were knocked down by the enemy's bullets, and the rest continued to fire without slowing down. The dense bullets were supplemented by continuous mortar shooting.

An invisible meat grinder was formed in front of the position, and at a terrifying speed devoured a large number of North Vietnamese soldiers who were put into the attack. The shocking battle scenes and unbearable casualties made the commanders of the North Vietnamese army quickly adjust their tactics, and the attacking soldiers quickly retreated, while the French paratroopers were still shooting. They poured guns and bullets onto the fallen North Vietnamese soldiers, just like farmers who worked hard to plow the fields...

The North Vietnamese army temporarily stopped attacking the French police positions, but the battle on the road continued. The French infantry retreated from the front line was bitten like beasts by the opponent in an unexpected and helpless manner, and fewer teams were holding on the spot. It was not until a team of French tanks retreated from the front line arrived at this area along the road that the situation improved. The surviving French infantry gathered around the tank column and slowly evacuated under the protection of tank firepower. Among them, some of them were constantly knocked down by bullets shot from afar.

But most people were able to escape from danger. When this team passed by the front of the position, the paratrooper positions again diverged, and the infantrymen who took temporary refuge basically chose to join the retreating team. For the paratroopers, this may be their best chance to evacuate, but the commander's decision to abide by their duties disappointed many of them. Staying behind means that in the four or five hours before dawn, they may have to face a more cruel and bloody battle, with a tragic ending of annihilation.

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