From the 7th Steel Company to the Synthetic Division

The fact that the command center took the initiative to call Wang Kezheng really surprised him.

Without daring to slack off, he jogged over a few steps, took the microphone from the staff officer, and said in a clear voice, "I am Wang Kezheng from the 708th Brigade. Please give instructions from headquarters."

"Commander Wang."

The reply came quickly from the other end of the phone: "The exercise command has formally informed you that, according to the exercise command's decision, the Blue Army brigade headquarters has been captured by the Red Army."

The Blue Army's ammunition and fuel supply system was paralyzed, and its logistics supply lines were completely cut off by the Red Army. The Blue Army has completely lost its ability to continue fighting.

Therefore, the command unanimously decided to predetermine the Red Army's defeat.

It is hereby announced that the 708th Brigade of Army Group V, namely the Army Engineer Battalion 1, Rocket Artillery Battalion 10, and Army Aviation Battalion 15, which are attached to the Blue Army, are hereby announced.

Upon receiving the notification, all personnel are to withdraw from the "Decisive Battle 2001" combat exercise and remain on standby, awaiting further instructions.

The order announced by the exercise command was too sudden, and its content was far beyond Wang Kezheng's expectations, causing him to completely break down at that moment.

He retorted with dissatisfaction, "Withdraw from the exercise immediately? Are you kidding me?"
It was clearly the Red Army that violated the rules first, running around outside the exercise area and causing a ruckus. How did it become our exercise failure? I think your ruling is wrong.

I cannot accept this. I absolutely cannot accept it.

Seeing that Wang Kezheng had lost control of his emotions, the command headquarters had no choice but to say seriously, "Brigadier General Wang, this is a decision made by the Command Headquarters of the Decisive Battle 2001 Exercise after careful study, and it has been reported to the Army Staff Department of the Theater Command. Please comply with it."

This ruling was like a bolt from the blue, and the fact that it had been reported to the theater command was tantamount to a death sentence.

Wang Kezheng was instantly stunned.

Political Commissar He Zhou, who was listening in, was also dumbfounded.

The defeat came so suddenly, like a nightmare, that the two commanders of the 708th Brigade simply could not accept it, or even tolerate it.

"Brigade Commander, what are you thinking?" Political Commissar He Yazhou asked with a gloomy face.

"This ruling is a complete mistake, and I cannot accept it no matter what." Wang Kezheng's face was ashen, and his eyes darted around rapidly.

He was frantically racking his brains for ideas, trying to see if there was any way to turn the situation around.

The invincible legend of the 708th Brigade must not end here.

In contrast to the two commanders of the 708th Brigade who were furious, Chen Jun and his entourage, who were returning by command helicopter, were in a festive mood.

"I didn't expect the results to come out so quickly, and that we could defeat the 708th Brigade so easily," Tian Baoguo exclaimed.

He thought this was just the beginning; the main force of the 708th Brigade had not lost a single soldier, and a fierce battle awaited them.

Unexpectedly, the exercise command acted decisively and preemptively declared the 708th Brigade's defeat.

"We must thank our Chief of Staff Chen for enabling us to reverse the situation and achieve this impossible victory. Without his surprise attack tactics, it would not have been an easy task to take down the 708th Brigade."

Wang Qingrui was both happy and relieved that Chen Jun had seized this valuable opportunity.

otherwise.

If they were to actually fight the 708th Brigade head-on on the battlefield, given the current state of the 7th Steel Brigade, with almost zero coordination and understanding among its various units, the chances of winning would be less than 30%.

"This is what they call winning by surprise. Winning means that our Steel 7th Brigade is stronger than the 708th Brigade, haha."

Gao Cheng didn't care whether this victory was honorable or not; for him, as long as he won, that was a victory, and the process was completely irrelevant.

"Our main advantage this time was our equipment and our absolute superiority in intelligence, which is why we were able to launch a successful surprise attack."

Chen Jun analyzed the reasons for this victory, then composed himself and said seriously, "This battle may make it more clear that future wars will be wars of technology, and the value of information technology reform is still increasing."

Therefore, in the upcoming training, we must not only strictly manage and control the equipment, but also strive for excellence in technology and develop the performance of the equipment to its fullest potential.

Only by possessing the most advanced weaponry and equipment, coupled with the most sophisticated tactical systems, can we develop a sufficiently powerful, world-class military capable of deterring the world in this rapidly developing, technologically explosive new era.

Chen Jun's words were very insightful and thorough, causing Gao Cheng and the others to put away their excitement and begin to seriously confront the problems that had been exposed.

With its superior equipment, the 7th Steel Brigade was able to easily defeat the elite 708th Brigade.

Doesn't that mean that the current military powers have far more advanced military technology than us, and that they could easily take down the 7th Steel Brigade?
This is a very serious issue!

Realizing the magnitude of the problem, Gao Cheng, Wang Qingrui, and others felt immense pressure, and their joy of victory vanished.

All that remained on my mind was how to make the 7th Steel Brigade a truly strong army in the upcoming training.

A world-class existence!

At this critical juncture, intelligence officer Qiu Ming received the latest news and immediately reported: "Brigade Commander, something is wrong."

The 708th Brigade did not follow the command's orders to remain in place and await further instructions.

Instead, they maintained a consistent direction and route, continuing their advance towards the 535 defense line at Langshan. At this pace, they would reach the designated assembly point before nightfall.

"What? Still moving forward? What is Wang Kezheng trying to do?"

Chen Jun, Gao Cheng, and the others were all very surprised and could not believe that Wang Kezheng would dare to openly defy orders and continue the attack despite the ruling.

……

The 708th Brigade.

Wang Kezheng was indeed blinded by anger. He couldn't accept this humiliating defeat and decided to escalate the situation in an attempt to salvage the situation.

"Old He, you lead the troops to continue advancing, and notify the long-range firepower battalion to enter the position as originally planned."

I will immediately go to the commander of the theater command and ask him to give us a proper explanation. My 708th Brigade will not suffer this injustice in silence.

I simply refuse to believe that the exercise command is acting recklessly, and there's no one to reason with them.

Wang Kezheng angrily issued new orders. No matter what, he had to fight for his troops; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to swallow his anger.

"Yes, that's right."

Political Commissar He Yazhou fully supported Wang Kezheng: "Even if we lose, you must lose clearly and decisively. If we just turn back halfway, how can we explain it to the troops below? Where will we put our faces? How can we lead these soldiers in the future?"

After saying that, he specifically suggested, "How about I go to the war zone to find the commander, and you take charge of leading the troops to continue? You're better at combat than I am."

"No, it's better if I go."

Wang Kezheng did not accept the suggestion and explained, "I am more familiar with the leader, and the leader knows my temper. Even if I go too far, he will still give me some face."

Before this military reform, whenever a military region leader came to our Capital Theater Command to take up a post, he would always visit our 708th Brigade. We certainly brought honor to our theater command.

Lao He, this battle is extremely important to us; we really can't afford to lose.

Our 708th Brigade is a glorious unit. Thousands upon thousands of veterans are watching us, and we cannot let them down.

Once you reach the rendezvous point at Wolf Mountain, proceed with the planned tactics. Wait for my response.

Wang Kezheng's speech was very long, which shows how much emotion he was experiencing at that moment, and how hard he had to make this decision.

"Don't worry, Lao Wang, this time I will definitely not hold you back. Even if the sky falls, I will still fight on the 535 defense line," He Yazhou said confidently. Wang Kezheng went to the war zone to demand an explanation, but the cat faced far greater risks than he did.

He Yazhou absolutely cannot be allowed to falter.

"Furthermore, I have already issued an attack order to the 10th Artillery Battalion. In ten minutes, they will begin artillery barrage on the 535th defensive line of the 7th Steel Brigade, destroying all of its fortifications," Wang Kezheng added.

"What? So fast? We'll be launching an artillery barrage on the 535 defense line in ten minutes?" He Yazhou was surprised.

After all, their main force has not yet arrived. Launching artillery bombardment on the 535 defense line now, without the support of ground troops, will not be very effective.

Especially now that they have no logistical support, they need to be more "refined" in their use of ammunition.

The most important point is...

The command has now decided that the 708th Brigade will withdraw from the exercise, and the main force of the 708th Brigade will continue to advance towards the assembly point. The seriousness of the situation is not high.

However, if they were to attack the positions of the 7th Steel Brigade, that would be a completely different matter.

"Yes, I'm not willing to give up like this. I have to take them down," Wang Kezheng said angrily.

"But we've already been ordered to withdraw from the exercise..."

"Don't listen, the command center is just messing around." Wang Kezheng interrupted He Yazhou.

“Our mechanized heavy troops are still on their way. Even if we can destroy the forward fortifications of the 7th Steel Brigade, we will not be able to organize our forces to capture the 535 defense line. They will have time to repair it, so wouldn’t it be a waste of bombing?” He Yazhou advised.

"Repair? Heh."

Wang Kezheng said with a sneer, "As long as you bomb Hill 535 flat, those fresh-out-of-the-class students of theirs won't be able to rebuild it in three days and three nights."

Once my vanguard enters Wolf Mountain, we can launch a full-scale attack on the 535 defense line.

Taking over the mere 535 defense line will be a piece of cake, won't it?

Wang Kezheng remained inexplicably confident, still believing that the Steel Seventh Brigade was just a paper-thin combined arms brigade that looked intimidating but was actually easily broken.

Once his 708th Brigade arrives at the position, annihilating the Steel 7th Brigade will be as easy as taking candy from a baby.

"Is this okay?"

Political Commissar He Yazhou was indeed very dissatisfied with the result, but he was not completely blinded by anger. His remaining rationality was sending warning signals to his head.

"Why not? Their 7th Steel Brigade dared to launch a sneak attack on my brigade headquarters, so why can't I launch an attack on the 535 defense line?"

Wang Kezheng had gotten stuck in his own thoughts and couldn't get out of it at all. After saying that, he added, "Old He, don't worry about this. Just do as I say, and I'll take full responsibility for the consequences."

I'll definitely get an explanation from the commander. Just wait for my news.

Done.

Before He Yazhou could say anything more, he turned to the staff officer next to him and ordered, "Staff Officer Du, immediately call the Army Aviation Brigade and have them send a helicopter to land at the Longquan Ferry exit ahead and wait for me."

I need to go to the theater army staff headquarters; have them send me there as quickly as possible.

Wang Kezheng's persistence, which turned him into an unreasonable and headstrong "stubborn guy," actually has a deeper meaning.

This battle was indeed very important for the 708th Brigade, but it was even more practical for Wang Kezheng himself.

Before becoming the commander of the 708th Brigade, Wang Kezheng had already served as the deputy division commander. His transfer to the 708th Brigade as its commander was essentially a lateral move.

In total, he had been in the position of deputy division commander for a full six years.

In the current context of reform, a large number of troops have been demobilized and a large number of cadres have been laid off, resulting in intense internal competition.

Wang Kezheng, who has already reached his sixth year, is right at the point where he will be stuck at the end of his term.

If I can't get promoted this year, then I'll have to retire.

Therefore, the outcome of this exercise became a difficult hurdle in Wang Kezheng's military career, and he had to find a way to overcome it.

But now, he was judged to have lost halfway through the performance, making it impossible for him to overcome this hurdle.

It was precisely because it concerned whether he could stay in the army that Wang Kezheng was so anxious, and he was determined to go through with it even if it meant violating rules and regulations.

Because Wang Kezheng really can't afford to lose!

There are actually quite a few brigade commanders in the army at this time who are in a similar situation to Wang Kezheng. Among them, Chu Zhangang, the brigade commander of the 909th Brigade who has been competing with the 708th Brigade for the past two years, is in the same situation.

Like Wang Kezheng, he faces the same predicament of being stuck with a card; if he doesn't achieve something this year, he'll have to retire.

but.

Chu Zhangang did not participate in this confrontation exercise, luckily escaping the nightmare of being humiliated by the Steel Seventh Brigade. Being an outsider is much more pleasant for him right now.

They can even wear casual clothes to the beach and are now leisurely fishing.

of course.

Just because this didn't happen doesn't mean it won't happen in the future.

No one can guarantee that one day, the 909th Brigade and the 7th Steel Brigade will have a showdown between the strong, and at that time, it will be hard to say whether Chu Zhangang will still be able to relax.

Just as Chu Zhangang was enjoying his fishing life and savoring the tranquility of life...

A military vehicle drove up and stopped on the shore.

A staff officer with the rank of captain ran down, carrying a file bag. He ran up to Chu Zhangang and loudly reported, "The military just sent us a report on the exercise, and I am required to deliver it to you, sir, as soon as possible."

After speaking, he handed over the documents. Since Chu Zhangang was wearing civilian clothes, he did not salute.

"Don't look at it."

Chu Zhangang waved his hand and said confidently, "The result will definitely remain the same. Brigade Commander Wang Kezheng has won another brilliant victory this time."

Since the 708th Brigade was reorganized from a division to a brigade, it has never lost a combat exercise.

That's why Chu Zhan was so confident just now.

"No, that's not it. The 708th Brigade was defeated."

"Ok??"

Chu Zhangang, who had been gazing at the distant sea with his hands behind his back, striking a pose of divine calculation, suddenly turned around after hearing the staff officer's correction.

He exclaimed in disbelief, "How is this possible? How could the 708th Brigade have lost? Who defeated them? Who could possibly defeat the 708th Brigade?"

"Steel Seventh Brigade".

The staff officer uttered only three words, yet they filled Chu Zhangang with doubt. (End of Chapter)