"You stay here and command the attack, I'm going to check on the Colonel."
Song Heping crawled out from under the car and looked around to see thick smoke everywhere.
Caught off guard by the turn of events.
This time, Song Heping truly experienced the combat power of the Mexican drug lords.
These desperadoes were cornered, and they were really playing for keeps with his team.
Donning night vision goggles, Song Heping crouched and hurried towards the direction where the Colonel was last seen.
Occasionally, the sound of artillery shells falling could still be heard, along with the shouts of the Mexican Marines and the ping-pong of gunshots.
The command sequence of the Marines seemed to be in disarray, the scene somewhat chaotic, as if they were headless dragons.
However, there probably weren't too many mortars inside the villa, so the attack wasn't too intense.
Soon, he made it to the Colonel's side.
One look at the situation here, and he immediately understood the root of the chaos.
On the battlefield, luck does play a role.
It seems the Colonel did not check the almanac today, as an artillery shell landed less than five meters away from him, and before he could react, he and several officers were killed instantly.
After squatting down next to the Colonel for a look, Song Heping knew this guy was beyond saving.
A shrapnel had pierced directly through the left side of his head, a wound the size of a baby's mouth was spewing blood, and brain matter was visible.
"Damn it!"
Song Heping quickly called for Wilson.
"The Colonel's dead! Damn it!"
"What?!"
Wilson was shocked.
"Dead?!"
"Yes! The Marines here are in total chaos; someone needs to take command. Tap into their frequency, declare your command, have them follow your orders. First, secure the front gate to prevent any breaches, and the Marines on other sides just need to hold the defensive perimeter to prevent escape. I'm going to check the artillery positions."
"Okay, I'll organize things. You find the artillery position as soon as possible and organize a counterattack. We can't keep taking hits like this!"
Wilson, a veteran of the battlefield, remained calm despite the surprise attack.
He immediately broadcasted a message on the channel.
"I am Wilson, the commander of this operation. Your Colonel is injured, and I am now taking command. From now on, everyone listens to me! All guard troops on the north, west, and east sides, hold your defensive lines. Do not engage in offensive operations. Troops near the south gate, take cover on-site for now, organize your firepower to block the gate, and do not attack until my orders!"
"Yes, Sir!"
"No problem, Sir!"
One after another, the responses came through the channel.
Wilson quickly stabilized the situation.
In battle, morale is key.
The loss of a commander can easily damage morale, leading to chaos.
Having someone with a high rank take command is like a dose of reassurance for everyone.
After all, these Mexican Marines were also rigorously trained and not a disorganized mob, so Wilson's calm commands quickly stabilized the force.
While Wilson took over command, Song Heping was racing through the forest.
He quickly found the artillery position the Marines had just established at the foot of the hill, more than ten mortars were set up on a relatively flat patch of grass.
But there were no soldiers in sight.
After scanning the area, he noticed it had just been bombed, with two mortars laying on the ground and two bodies beside them.
Apparently, they had been hit by the drug traffickers' mortar fire from the villa.
"Where are the people!?"
Song Heping shouted loudly, "Come out!"
Sure enough, as he shouted, people emerged from behind the nearby trees.
"Are you from the artillery unit?"
Thankfully, he had learned some Spanish from Dominic, which came in handy at this moment.
The soldiers nodded, "Yes, we're from the artillery unit."
"Where's your commander?" Seeing that they didn't look like officers, Song Heping quickly inquired about their commanding officer.
Artillery units require unified command.
Each gun has a gun commander, above them a platoon commander, and above them a battalion commander.
Salvo fire must be commanded in unison, and the same goes for sequential shooting which requires a unified command for firing position adjustments.
No wonder they all ran without a commander.