The Rise of Australasia

Perhaps, to elite soldiers, the border conflict between Argentina and Chile seemed like child's play.

In battle, less than one in ten had the courage to stick their heads out from behind cover, let alone calmly aim their shots.

But for the Argentine and Chilean soldiers at the time, this was a real war, a war where people could easily die.

Even if it was a game of make-believe, they held not sticks for fire-making, but real, sophisticated firearms created by human intelligence.

As the saying goes, whether it's a man, woman, or child, the power of the firearms in their hands is the same.

For the current large-caliber rifles, touching meant injury, and contact meant death - this was no joke.

The clash lasted over twenty minutes, and with time running short, the Argentine army had no choice but to hastily withdraw into the forest under the command of their leader.

This place was, after all, within Chilean territory, and when it came to reinforcements, the Chilean army would certainly be faster.

Continuing the stalemate now would not benefit the Argentine army, and at least now, before the military, weapons, and strategic resources were in place, Argentina did not intend to launch a full-scale war.

Seeing the Argentinians at the foot of the mountain slowly retreating, Edward Montalvo shouted to his comrades, "Stop them! They're withdrawing!"

Although Edward Montalvo's performance in the conflict made his comrades willing to follow his command, it did not mean that others were willing to sacrifice themselves for their country.

Shooting from a position of terrain advantage was one thing, but pursuing the enemy meant giving up their cover and exposing themselves to the Argentinians, didn't it?

Even after Edward Montalvo shouted twice, not one person was willing to stand up and follow him in pursuit.

After exhausting all his bullets, Edward Montalvo had no choice but to return, deeply disappointed in his comrades.

When the reinforcements arrived, it was already more than ten minutes later. During this time, the patrol team had conducted a preliminary clean-up of the battlefield, and calculated the casualties on both sides.

"Sergeant Edley? Sergeant Edley!"

After the reinforcements arrived, they called out for the patrol squad leader, Edley.

But unfortunately, as one of the first casualties, patrol squad leader Edley was destined to not hear the call.

"Squad leader Edley is dead, sir." Edward Montalvo replied.

"What happened? Soldier." Hearing that Edley was killed, the commander of the reinforcements was surprised for a moment and then turned his gaze to the soldier who answered the question.

"We encountered the Argentine army during our patrol. Squad leader Edley was killed in an ambush by the Argentinians. Afterwards, we counterattacked and engaged in war with the Argentine army in this area." Edward Montalvo answered methodically.

"The Argentinians again? Those damned bastards, do they really want to start a war?" The commander of the reinforcements cursed under his breath and then looked at Edward Montalvo, continuing to ask, "What were your combat results? Soldier."

"We used up almost all of our bullets and killed a total of three enemies. The rest of the Argentine army has retreated to the forest at the foot of the mountain. On our side, we suffered the loss of two comrades, including Squad Leader Edley, and two were injured." Edward Montalvo continued to report.

Edward Montalvo's performance in the war earned him the respect of his comrades, and with the death of Squad Leader Edley, Edward Montalvo had effectively become the person with the highest authority in the patrol squad.

In fact, that was indeed the case, as, apart from the original squad leader Edley, only Edward Montalvo was a veteran with over three years of service.

As for the other soldiers, most of them were new recruits, which explained why they were so flustered when facing the Argentine army.

"How many are in the Argentine unit approximately? Did they carry heavy weapons? What was their general direction of retreat?" After hearing the details of the incident, the person in charge of the reinforcements clearly took it more seriously and asked solemnly.

Each question concerned the severity of the situation; the infiltration of such an Argentine unit on the border would pose a threat to both nearby cities and rural villages in Chile.

The situation between Argentina and Chile was tense, and if this group of Argentine soldiers were to do something foolish, the Chilean border guards would be unable to bear the responsibility.

"The Argentine army we fought consisted of about several dozen troops. At least during the engagement, they didn't use heavy weapons. They escaped to the west of the forest at the foot of the mountain, about 20 minutes ago from now." Edward Montalvo recalled in his mind, made sure his memory was accurate before answering methodically.

"What's your name? Soldier." The commander nodded, satisfied with Edward Montalvo's detailed answer.

"Edward Montalvo, sir. My father was a veteran, and he was unfortunately killed in the previous conflict with Argentina." Edward Montalvo replied firmly.

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