From the 7th Steel Company to the Synthetic Division

Upon receiving Gao Cheng's order, the drone operator, in collaboration with the technician beside him, transmitted the real-time footage captured by the drone's high-resolution camera to the main screen at the front of the cabin.

"Qiu Ming, you explain."

Brigade Commander Wang wasn't very familiar with the scene shown on the screen, as well as the geographical location and other information, so he asked his most skilled intelligence officer to explain it.

As a staff officer specifically responsible for intelligence gathering, Qiu Ming indeed possessed the most comprehensive intelligence.

Upon receiving the order from Commander Wang, Qiu Ming immediately began to explain skillfully: "The road in the picture is the A321 expressway. The main force of the 708th Brigade is currently traveling on this section of the road. This is also the most convenient and fastest route to Langshan."

"I need to pinpoint the location of the Blue Team's commander. Have the drone descend and approach him," Commander Wang ordered.

"Yes!"

Upon receiving the order, the drone operator immediately took control of the drone to begin execution.

The 708th Brigade's convoy stretched for more than 1.5 kilometers. Even ignoring tanks, armored vehicles, and supply trucks, it would still take some time for the drone to scan the off-road military vehicles that officers could ride in.

The brigade's senior officers, who were in the command helicopter, took this opportunity to hold a discussion.

"The 708th Brigade is pretty arrogant, making no attempt to conceal themselves. The main force just marches straight in like that. It would be a disservice not to ambush them, don't you think?"

Gao Cheng's personality is rather arrogant; all sixteen members of the group dare to say things that even my boss would say.

He doesn't like anyone being more arrogant than him.

“You can tell from their subordinates that the 708th Brigade really looks down on us and doesn’t take us seriously, giving us an excellent opportunity to ambush. But I think we need to carefully consider where to ambush them,” Tian Baoguo analyzed.

Although the political commissar is primarily responsible for the political center, the political commissar of a combined arms brigade must also be a combat officer.

"The enemy's underestimation of us is our opportunity, but the enemy is not stupid either. This is likely the only opportunity we'll have, and we absolutely cannot waste it. I guessed that they would underestimate us, which is why I devised the offensive ambush strategy."

After a brief analysis of the current situation, Chen Jun suggested after a moment's consideration: "If we are to set up an ambush, I think the best ambush point should be seventy kilometers ahead."

There is a Huaiyang River Bridge there; I had researched and checked relevant information beforehand.

The bridge is 2,206 meters long. The bridge deck in the center is 50 meters above the water. The bridge deck is a two-way, two-lane road, and the space for maneuvering is limited, making it difficult to make a U-turn.

When the 708th Brigade was still five kilometers away from the bridgehead, four of our armed helicopters approached the bridge from both sides and hovered below the horizontal line of the bridge surface.

Given the mechanical capabilities of our armed helicopters, the bridge surface is fifty meters above the water, which is enough for them to hide under the bridge.

When the 708th Brigade convoy reaches the center of the bridge, our ambushing armed helicopters can launch a surprise attack and carry out a targeted strike on the convoy.

The main focus is on eliminating the enemy's Wang Kezheng at the outset, thus depriving the enemy of its supreme commander.

As a mechanized heavy brigade, the 708th Brigade's main components were similar to those of the original 702nd Regiment, representing a typical traditional combination of military branches.

This type of force lacks electronic warfare capabilities and has no strong air defense early warning capabilities.

Despite lacking its own air defense capabilities, the brigade command post led a large force directly from the highway instead of traveling with the attached air defense units.

have to say.

Wang Kezheng said it that way, and he really thought it that way; he didn't take the Seventh Steel Brigade seriously.

Given their lack of training, the 7th Steel Brigade's combat effectiveness is certainly inferior to that of the veteran enemy unit. If they can seize this opportunity to launch a good ambush, they will definitely be able to regain a significant advantage.

Therefore, Gao Cheng and Wang Qingrui had high hopes ever since Chen Jun proposed the tactic of attacking instead of defending and ambushing on the road.

"This plan is quite perfect, but if we only take down their brigade commander Wang Kezheng, I don't think it will be enough to deal a fatal blow to the 708th Brigade. The political commissar and chief of staff must have played a significant role in his five consecutive championships."

As a political commissar himself, Tian Baoguo's analytical and judgment perspective is even more unique.

"That's really a problem."

Wang Qingrui nodded in agreement and continued, "Both the political commissar and the chief of staff can take over from the brigade commander in combat. If they cannot be eliminated together, it will not cause a major blow to the command system."

"Once our ambush is exposed, the 708th Brigade will definitely be on guard, making it much harder to strike again."

The people present had all served in the military for many years and knew that the "Regulations on Political Work of the Chinese People's Liberation Army" clearly stipulated a mechanism for the succession of command authority.

It is also known as the "three-level command succession mechanism"!
In the order of military command at the brigade level, the first is the military commander, the second is the political commissar, and the third is the chief of staff.

The three-tiered command structure is fixed and does not require any meetings, discussions, or voting.

Everyone must obey orders unconditionally.

After that, the deputy brigade commander, deputy chief of staff, deputy political commissar, and senior battalion-level military commanders are appointed, and the remaining people make decisions and recommendations as needed.

The key is the continuity of command at three levels, which is the core of the command of the combat unit.

The remaining officers and cadres who take over command have far less influence than the brigade commander, political commissar, and chief of staff. Even if they can take over command, the combat effectiveness of the troops will be greatly reduced.

That is to say...

To execute this armed helicopter ambush tactic effectively, one must win over the brigade commander, political commissar, and chief of staff to inflict heavy damage on the 708th Brigade.

Otherwise, even if only one person is left alive, they can take over and continue to command the battle.

The 708th Brigade has been established for more than three years, and its companies and battalions have developed a tremendous advantage of perfect teamwork, which will make it very difficult for the Steel 7th Brigade to deal with.

"According to our reconnaissance data, the 708th Brigade also has an armed helicopter squadron and an air defense missile battalion among its attached units. The helicopters are less than 100 kilometers away from the main force of the 708th Brigade and can arrive to provide support within half an hour at the shortest time."

Intelligence strategist Qiu Ming inserted key intelligence information at appropriate times based on the conversation.

"This information is indeed very important. If our helicopters spot us, our aerial ambush plan will be in big trouble. We are too far from our defense line to engage in a direct confrontation with them."

Wang Qingrui frowned, unsure of what to do.

If the "three-level commanders" cannot be eliminated at the same time, then this ambush plan will not be of much significance. It would be better not to alert the enemy and leave a backup plan, so that there will be another opportunity to ambush later.

But the bridge was the perfect ambush point, and missing it would leave one feeling regretful.

"That's the situation. It seems we have no choice but to prepare for both possibilities."

Seeing that everyone had finished their discussion, Chen Jun realized that the enemy convoy was less than 20 kilometers away from the bridge, and they didn't have much time left.

They decided to end the discussion and said, "If we can locate the commander, political commissar and chief of staff of the 708th Brigade before the 708th Brigade arrives at the Huaiyang River Bridge, then our decapitation ambush will proceed as planned."

If their location cannot be located in time, the ambush plan will be temporarily cancelled, a new plan will be devised, and an ambush will be planned for the rest of the journey.

Chen Jun explained his two plans, and Gao Cheng and the others felt there was no problem with them.

So they began to follow Chen Jun's plan. "How's the situation with the drones?" Brigade Commander Wang asked the drone operator.

"The eagle has conducted a preliminary search of the enemy convoy and found several cars and ambulances at the front and rear of the convoy. The location of the enemy commander has not yet been determined," the operator replied.

"Huh??"

Upon hearing the report, Commander Wang asked in confusion, "Only ambulances? What about their ammunition and fuel trucks? Weren't they found?"

A mechanized heavy brigade marched a long distance without carrying ammunition or fuel trucks.

That's really quite strange.
"No ammunition vehicles or fuel supply vehicles have been detected so far," the operator replied.

"That's impossible. How could such a big operation, such a long-distance maneuver, not carry fuel?" Gao Cheng was also puzzled.

Gao Cheng, the battalion commander, knew all too well how much oil the Seventh Steel Battalion consumed back then.

An entire brigade was mobilized, but they didn't bring any fuel.

It's utterly baffling no matter how you look at it.

"According to the information we have collected, in the five exercises in which the 708th Brigade participated, Brigade Commander Wang Kezheng paid great attention to conserving ammunition."

Intelligence staff officer Qiu Ming interjected again, explaining: "This habit is said to be related to his family education. His grandfather was a veteran of the New Fourth Army, who required him to be frugal in everything he ate, wore, and used, saying that every bullet was the blood and sweat of the people."

Therefore, when he participated in exercises, the advance troops were responsible for carrying a full load of ammunition and fuel, while the main force carried its own fuel for the march and only three days' worth of ammunition.

He would only resupply with ammunition and fuel if the target couldn't be captured within three days.

Intelligence officer Qiu Ming explained very clearly that all the information collected by units such as the electronic warfare unit and the reconnaissance unit should be collected, organized, and kept for future use, so that it can be retrieved in a timely manner as data when needed for meetings and discussions.

This is the basic work that an excellent intelligence officer needs to complete.

Obviously.

The newly appointed intelligence officer, Qiu Ming, is currently in good standing.

"Leaving aside his command abilities, Wang Kezheng is a master at managing daily life, even saving fuel and ammunition like this," Wang Qingrui joked.

"Judging from the vehicles in their convoy, the 708th Brigade has brought out all its equipment, but without enough fuel, the mechanized forces could be paralyzed if they fail to defeat the enemy on the battlefield," Political Commissar Tian Baoguo said with a frown.

"Is it possible that Wang Kezheng looks down on us and thinks that taking our 535 Hill is a piece of cake and won't even take three days?" Chen Jun speculated.

"Heh, this guy's pretty arrogant, even more arrogant than me. This is going to be interesting." Gao Cheng laughed in exasperation.

Don't blame Gao Cheng for being so angry.

After all, the predecessor of the 7th Steel Brigade was the 7th Steel Battalion, which was also very famous in the whole army. This was the first time that it had been looked down upon like this.

"This Wang is indeed very arrogant, but he certainly has the right to be arrogant."

Chen Jun frowned and said seriously, "The intelligence reports from the front show that the engineer battalion attached to the 708th Brigade has already begun constructing artillery positions at a certain location on Langshan Hill 303 in front of the 535 position."

This means that the artillery battalion of the 708th Brigade will definitely arrive at Hill 303 before the main force.

Once his main force arrives at Langshan with the command post, they may launch an artillery barrage against position 535.

Moreover, as you can see from the drone's feedback footage, the 708th Brigade's mechanized infantry battalion and tank battalion are at the forefront, which means they have already set up their attack formation.

Once the artillery bombardment ends, the 708th Brigade's infantry and tank battalions can immediately launch an attack and assault our defensive 535 front.

It's highly likely that the entire process, from arriving at Wolf Mountain to launching the attack, will take no more than an hour.

After listening to Chen Jun's detailed analysis, everyone present suddenly understood, and the 708th Brigade's attack plan and intentions became clear in their minds.

"They actually want to finish this quickly and use the methods we're best at to deal with us??" Gao Cheng chuckled to himself.

The Seventh Steel Battalion was originally best known for its blitzkrieg tactics, which eliminated enemies swiftly and decisively. Now, however, it has become the target of blitzkrieg tactics.

Gao Cheng saw this as "showing off one's limited skills before an expert," which is why he couldn't help but laugh.

"Old Gao, don't laugh at them. If we can't pull some tricks on the road and cause them a lot of trouble, we might not be able to stop their offensive."

Chen Jun did not want to belittle himself, but the facts were right in front of him.

Gao Cheng knew what Chen Jun was talking about.

He couldn't help but smile wryly.

indeed.

If it were a confrontation between the 7th Steel Battalion and the 708th Battalion, the 708th Battalion would be committing suicide by using this tactic, and the 7th Steel Battalion could easily withstand it.

Unfortunately, it's now a battle between the 7th Steel Brigade and the 708th Brigade.

The 708th Brigade is a veteran force with rich combat experience and mature battlefield skills, while the Steel 7th Brigade is a newly assembled "ragtag brigade" whose members are not yet recognizable.

The latter launched an attack with full combat power. What could the "ragtag" Steel 7th Brigade possibly use to stop them?

No matter how good the equipment, tactics, or troop composition, it doesn't matter.

You have to know how to use it!
In this situation where the advantages and disadvantages of both sides are obvious, Gao Cheng and Chen Jun, as well as Wang Qingrui and Tian Baoguo, are all very clear about one thing.

That means we must do something big to the 708th Brigade before the battle even begins.

However, the location of Wang Kezheng and others has not yet been determined, and the drone cannot see through the windows of each car to see who the passengers in the small vehicles are.

This means that as long as Wang Kezheng and the others don't get off the bus, the assassination plan is basically impossible to succeed.

Unless Wang Kezheng and the others get off the bus for a rest along the way.

However, Chen Jun felt that waiting for such an uncontrollable opportunity was inappropriate in itself, so he decided to temporarily change the battle plan.

"Staff Officer Qiu, what's the situation at the 708th Brigade's barracks? Do you have any relevant information?"

Chen Jun's sudden question about the enemy's lair aroused everyone's suspicion.

I wonder what Chen Jun is up to.

The key is to know that the entire 708th Brigade has been deployed and is aggressively heading towards the defensive line held by the 7th Steel Brigade. The crucial question is how to stop this massive army. (End of Chapter)