Beside Highway 86, Anthony had just inspected the ambush positions and returned to the command spot when his deputy, Sacre, started to complain to him.
"Captain, it's so late, and we're still not allowed to sleep; what is our boss really up to? Does he not know how hard we fought during the day? My legs are practically falling off."
As he spoke, he glanced back and added, "Everyone's got a huge grievance. At this rate, I reckon we'll all collapse in no more than three days."
"Collapse? That's still better than being dead," Anthony said. "Our principal's words can't be wrong. You'd better not complain here. If the governnt army really does proceed north along the road tonight, it will be too late by the ti we notice in the morning."
"Principal..."
Sacre's tone carried a hint of disdain.
"Ever since you ca back from two months of training in Venezuela, you've been all about this 'principal'... I heard he's a China Person. Are China People really that impressive?"
Anthony gave Sacre a disdainful look. "You don't know anything! There were 50 of us who went to the school in Venezuela, and at first, no one took him seriously, but by the ti graduation rolled around, not one person was unimpressed. The man's got real skills!"
Sacre yawned, stretched, then flipped over to lie on his back, gazing up at the bright moon above, and murmured, "We've already ambushed a governnt army convoy here during the day; do you really think anyone would be so stupid as to co here again and let us attack them a second ti?"
Sacre's words made Anthony pause.
He had a point.
For a mont, Anthony didn't know what argunt to put forth.
In the end, he could only fall back on Song Heping's words: "Following orders is a soldier's duty. Where's all this nonsense coming from? Just execute the orders!"
Despite his words, Anthony's heart was still unsettled, the troops had been fighting moving battles all day.
This tactic, though effective for pinning down the governnt army's main forces, was also extrely draining.
Sacre was reflecting the truth; everyone was tired.
If they couldn't get sufficient rest at night, they truly might lack the strength the next day, which could indeed affect their combat effectiveness.
But he also knew that if Song Heping's prediction was correct and they didn't set up defense here tonight, by the ti they woke up tomorrow, it might be too late.
If chanized units penetrated to their rear and the governnt army from Ta attacked them from the south, they wouldn't have any chance of victory.
Tired as they might be,
he thought,
they would deal with tomorrow's issues tomorrow.
"Sacre, keep watch; I'm going to close my eyes and rest for a bit."
Overwheld by fatigue, Anthony couldn't help but yawn himself.
Sacre blurted out, "Captain, if you can't keep up, then the brothers are even worse off..."
"What's with all the nonsense? If it's too much, we'll take turns. I'll rest for half an hour, then you rest for half an hour, alternating rest periods. Pass the word along; everyone rotates rest like that. Assign sentries to watch over the situation on the road."
"Fine..."
Reluctantly, Sacre responded to Anthony's commands and then sent them down the line through the radio.
After transmitting the orders, Sacre looked up at the stars and moon, yawned again, cursing the Chinese military commander he had never t.
"Damn it, I don't know what the boss is thinking, having a China Person command us in battle..."
He murmured to himself, yawning uncontrollably once more.
Anthony was shaken awake.
It was Sacre who had awakened him.
"Captain! They're really coming!"
"Huh?"
Anthony was still groggy, squinting at the face that had leaned in close to him.
"What's coming..."
"The enemy! The governnt army!"
At that mont, Sacre showed no signs of his earlier exhaustion.
"That China Person was right; the governnt army is coming! They're just two kiloters away, heading this way!"
Because there were sentry posts set up approximately two kiloters outside the ambush circle, any movent on the road would be detected.
Anthony sat up with a start, snatched the radio receiver, and began to issue commands: "Everyone, pay attention! Those who are still half asleep, wake up! The enemy has arrived; they're less than two kiloters away. Get ready to et them imdiately! Demolition team, keep a close watch on the connected explosive points at sites A and B, proceed with the plan!"
To pull off this ambush, Anthony had really put so thought into it after receiving orders from Song Heping.
Firstly, he only had over five hundred n under his command, split into two parts: one part continued to defend the nearby jungle combat line, while the other half he brought here for the ambush.
Though an ambush could an victory with fewer against more, the thought of facing an unknown number of governnt army chanized troops with just over two hundred n made him sowhat anxious.
It wouldn't be a problem if they were in complete formation.
But they now had considerable casualties, and it was his duty as a commander to maximize the combat effectiveness of the little over two hundred n he had left at his disposal.
Song Heping had ntioned in their conversation to make more use of IEDs.
The ELN forces had gone from a small guerrilla squad to a significant force within Colombia, in no small part due to a few particular skills.
One of these was their bomb-making, which was second to none.
Because, in the early days when they were just starting and funds were scarce, ELN mbers often kidnapped governnt officials, local tycoons, or executives from foreign oil companies operating in the area to extort ransom money to maintain their army.
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