In this counter-ambush, if Wang Yan had not been there, it would inevitably have become an ambush by the Vietnamese forces. The troops advancing along the main road toward Lao Cai would certainly have suffered devastating losses.
In fact, even with Wang Yan joining the battle, the losses had still been severe. He had discovered the enemy first and called in artillery support, yet the result after an hour of fierce fighting was far from ideal.
One tank had fallen into a pit, another had been disabled by mines, and two more had been blown up by Vietnamese suicide squads who had traded their lives for the attack. The remaining tanks had also suffered varying degrees of damage and had taken a severe pounding from mortar fire.
As for personnel, more than twenty infantrymen following the tanks had become casualties, while Wang Yan's men had lost eighteen. Of the entire force advancing on Lao Cai, only six tanks, thirty-two armored troops, and one hundred eighteen infantrymen remained—and that included Wang Yan's company.
Twelve tanks had been assigned two platoons of infantry, and nearly an entire platoon had been wiped out. Wang Yan's unit had not been at full strength to begin with. They had already lost men in earlier battles and had never received replacements. This time, they had lost another dozen or so.
Of course, "casualties" did not necessarily mean dead. Most had suffered injuries of varying severity that affected their mobility. Counting the armored troops as well, fewer than twenty had been killed outright by gunfire or explosions.
That was only because Wang Yan had led the assault up the hill and knocked out the fire positions on the high ground. Otherwise, after this battle, they would likely have been crippled and forced to retreat. The plan to