From the 7th Steel Company to the Synthetic Division

Wang Kezheng boasted loudly, but still couldn't explain how he was captured.

Chu Zhangang wasn't there to listen to boasting. Wang Kezheng's refusal to address the issue he cared about most made Chu Zhangang a little unhappy.

But since they came here to ask for help, it wouldn't be good to offend someone instead of getting things done.

Chu Zhangang could only force himself to suppress his temper and said in a half-flattering and half-open tone, "Brother, I believe in you. If you can get to Wolf Mountain smoothly, the Seventh Steel Brigade is nothing in front of you."

But as an excellent commander like you, I'm very curious about what method they used to take you all down without firing a single shot.

To be honest, I'm a little scared, so I'd appreciate it if you could help me out.

Chu Zhangang had already made his point clear, specifically asking by name what was going on, leaving Wang Kezheng no room for maneuver.

Having been flattered so much, Wang Kezheng really couldn't continue with his subtle and indirect writing style.

He could only suppress the humiliation in his heart and, in a very disdainful tone, briefly described how he and He Yazhou had been arrested.

"What they did was outrageous. Not only did they impersonate people from the Army Aviation Brigade, but they also impersonated local road administration staff to block roads. It's simply lawless."

Chu Zhangang was shocked by the audacity of the Seventh Steel Brigade, and at the same time, he broke out in a cold sweat.

Ask yourself honestly...

The methods of the Seventh Steel Brigade were too unexpected. If he were in this situation, Chu Zhangang felt that he would not be spared either, and would most likely be captured alive.

"Yes."

Hearing that others shared his experience, Wang Kezheng perked up immediately, puffing out his cheeks and glaring, "Tell me, if all exercises are conducted this way, won't things get chaotic in the future? I absolutely disagree with that."

For traditionalists who follow the established procedures and go through the motions of drills, following a set route.

A playstyle that deviates from the norm is indeed outrageous.

"Brother, I agree with what you said, and I know you're a person who doesn't give up easily."

Chu Zhangang finally got what he wanted, and the conversation became more objective. So he quickly changed the subject and said, "But to be honest, even in that situation, you really didn't need to confront them directly."

"Just because of that moment of anger, you've taken such a heavy punishment upon yourself, especially at a crucial time when you were about to be promoted to senior division commander. I truly feel you've been wronged."

"Sigh, never mind."

Wang Kezheng waved his hand and said solemnly, "If we're talking about injustice, mine is nothing at all. Our Political Commissar He is the one who was truly wronged."

"You mean, the whole army was given a circular criticizing this?" Chu Zhangang confirmed.

"That's all there is to it."

Wang Kezheng said angrily, "The brigade commander of the 708th Brigade has already received a disciplinary action, and now the political commissar has been reprimanded. The 708th Brigade has really been exposed. Brother, tell me, isn't it a very humiliating job for me to be the brigade commander?"

"Sigh, it seems things are really different after the military reform."

Chu Zhangan picked up the wine, poured two glasses, handed one to Wang Kezheng, and they both spat out a glass. Then he asked, "I'm very curious, how did the Steel Seventh Brigade know your and Political Commissar He's positions? And with such precision?"

This was a question that Chu Zhangang cared about very much, and it was something he couldn't understand.

When a brigade of several thousand men marches at the same time, the entire force is so vast and impressive that finding a single individual within it is extremely difficult.

Even just confirming the approximate location is extremely difficult.

At least Chu Zhangang's troops couldn't do that!
Wang Kezheng's 708th Brigade couldn't do it either, and he hadn't understood it before, but being captured alive made him understand completely.

Since Chu Zhangang had specifically asked about this point, he decided not to hide anything anymore.

"As soon as the troops set off, I was in charge of leading the way, and Lao He was responsible for bringing up the rear. We were about two kilometers apart, and we had the cover of a large force. I can't be sure exactly how we were found, but..."

Wang Kezheng's tone changed, and he continued, "My air defense battalion shot down a drone. I suspect it was being monitored by their drones."

Furthermore, the fact that they detected my call for a helicopter suggests that our communication channels were also being monitored, and that they intercepted all our communications.

Wang Kezheng was quite knowledgeable; he guessed the answer pretty accurately.

“If your communications are being monitored and blocked, try changing the frequency band. Try different channels, high and low frequencies, long waves and short waves, and see how they monitor you,” Chu Zhangang said hindsight.

"Why switch to which frequency? We're on the march, and the war hasn't even started yet. Who would have thought he'd strike on the road? He's just trying to take advantage of the situation."

Wang Kezheng got angrier and angrier as he spoke, just then the waiter Xu Sanduo brought over some crayfish, and he immediately changed the subject, saying, "Let's not talk about it anymore, let's eat crayfish."

Chu Zhangang seemed stumped by Wang Kezheng's words, frowning as he pondered without saying anything more.

While skillfully peeling the lobster shells, Wang Kezheng reminded him with concern, "Old Chu, you'd better be worried this time. That Chief of Staff of the Seventh Steel Brigade named Chen Jun is very cunning and hard to guard against."

"I will keep your words in mind, brother."

Chu Zhangang picked up his glass and raised it, saying sincerely, "Thank you so much. This information of yours is very important to me."

"What are you thanking me for? I should be thanking you. In my current state, I'm a negative example for the theater army, and I'll probably be deserted from now on. The fact that you still came to see me is a huge honor for me," Wang Kezheng said, raising his glass.

After saying that, the two clinked glasses and each took another sip of strong liquor.

"Honestly, you don't need to be so pessimistic. You should hurry up and try to find some connections, lest it affect your promotion to senior division commander," Chu Zhangang kindly reminded him.

"To be honest, I really didn't think of it that way. The chief of staff criticized me so badly this time, I guess I'm doomed. To hell with it, I'll just leave it to fate," Wang Kezheng said, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Brother, this way of thinking won't work. You need to find some time to have a good talk with the leader. Seriously, once you get over this hurdle, your future will be bright and smooth sailing." Chu Zhangang advised anxiously.

"Ouch~~"

Wang Kezheng shook his head with a wry smile, wanting to say something but ultimately remaining silent, letting out a long sigh. He then changed the subject, saying, "Oh, by the way, the exercise has already started, shouldn't you hurry back to the brigade headquarters to take charge?"

“A sharpened sword never wastes time as a woodcutter.”

Chu Zhangang remained completely calm, tapping the table as he said, "I benefited greatly from meeting you this morning. This afternoon, I still have to make a trip to the war zone headquarters to see a few more acquaintances."

"Hey, what's so great about running around to the war zone headquarters? Do you expect me to pull strings?" Wang Kezheng said disdainfully.

"You wouldn't understand, I'm taking your pulse," Chu Zhangang said mysteriously.

"Taking your pulse?"

Wang Kezheng was confused and couldn't understand what was going on.

"Brother, you're undoubtedly capable, but you're not good at understanding the leader's pulse. If you had figured out the leader's expectations for this exercise earlier, you wouldn't have ended up in such a mess."

Chu Zhangang looked heartbroken, then changed to a serious tone and said, "To be honest, you said Chief of Staff Shen doesn't like you, but he's never given me a kind look either. He only went to the 909th Brigade once, and I, your brother, specially went to the seaside to catch a sea fish for him."

But after inspecting the equipment and the barracks, he didn't eat a single bite of food when it was time to leave. He got on the vehicle, dusted himself off, and left without giving anyone any face.

I realized that the leaders now are completely different from those before.

The phrase "sycophancy" shouldn't be used in the military; it doesn't match the tough and masculine atmosphere of the army. Yet, Chu Zhangang is the epitome of it.

If Wang Kezheng is a typical veteran soldier, then Chu Zhangang is a corrupt official who has gone astray.

"What's the point of bringing up so many connections?"

Chu Zhangang and Wang Kezheng have completely different personalities. Chu Zhangang spoke earnestly for a long time, but Wang Kezheng retorted with a dismissive remark.

Wang Kezheng simply couldn't read minds or flatter people in the military.

His strong personality also made him disdain doing such a thing.

Chu Zhangang was speechless when he realized that his good intentions had been taken for granted and that Wang Kezheng was not buying it at all. He didn't know what to say for a moment.

"Oh, right, putting everything else aside, don't forget what you promised me," Wang Kezheng reminded him.

"Uh? What did I promise you?"

Now it was Chu Zhang's turn to be confused. He thought for a while and really couldn't remember agreeing to anything.

"Defeat the Seventh Steel Brigade!" Wang Kezheng said angrily.

"Hey bro, there's no need to make it so dramatic, huh? I already have a pretty good idea of ​​how to fight, so don't worry." Chu Zhangang was all set up as if to say, "Just watch my performance."

"Okay, I'm relieved to hear that." Wang Kezheng grinned.

After Chu Zhangang and Wang Kezheng finished discussing important matters and all the dishes they had ordered were served, the two spent the rest of their time eating shrimp and drinking wine.

Inside the headquarters of the 7th Steel Brigade.

The eavesdropping had come to an end. As the brigade commander, Wang Qingrui looked around at everyone and said, "You've all been listening for so long, so let's hear what you think and what your opinions are."

"These two are quite interesting."

As the political commissar, Tian Baoguo was the first to stand up and say, "Wang Kezheng is more true to himself, with a simple and direct mind, while Chu Zhangang is more shrewd and cautious in his actions. He is probably much more difficult to deal with than Wang Kezheng."

Given how much effort Chu Zhangang put into the battle beforehand, gathering intelligence and consulting with his former superiors, taking him down will certainly not be easy.

"I really dislike Chu Zhangang. His mind is full of sycophantic ideas. Is he even a soldier?" Gao Cheng frowned, his face full of displeasure.

Gao Cheng was also a pure soldier, so naturally he was very averse to soldiers who flattered others.

Commander Wang and the other staff officers remained silent, but their expressions clearly showed that they did not have a good impression of Chu Zhangang.

But in this almost unified atmosphere, Chen Jun suddenly said, "I actually quite like this Chu Zhangang."

"????"

Everyone was filled with questions.

Gao Cheng couldn't wait to ask, "Why? How could such a hypocritical guy catch your eye? I don't think he's even qualified to be your opponent."

"Haha, Lao Gao, don't worry."

Chen Jun smiled and then said, "We've encountered plenty of serious opponents. When we occasionally run into an outlier, doesn't that create an opportunity for competition?"
I'm quite curious about the kind of troops that this sycophantic person leads. Honestly, aren't you all curious too?

As the saying goes:
The quality of a general determines the quality of his soldiers.

Chu Zhangang, whose personality is completely different from that of a traditional military officer, must have had his strengths to become a brigade commander. He couldn't possibly be a complete incompetent.

So how will his combat style and leadership style change under his influence?

It's definitely something to look forward to!
"That's a pretty good reason."

Wang Qingrui pondered and said, "Wang Kezheng is straightforward and outspoken, decisive in his actions, and his emotions are easily expressed, making him relatively easy to control."

So in the first phase of the exercise, we used a little trick to defeat him.

However, based on the information revealed by Chu Zhangang during the wiretapping, his speaking style, and his way of thinking, it is clear that he is a shrewd, meticulous, shrewd, and quite good actor.

Facing someone like that, the methods used to deal with Wang Kezheng will likely be ineffective. Defeating the 909th Brigade will not be an easy task.

Wang Qingrui frowned as he spoke, clearly feeling the immense pressure.

Gao Cheng, Tian Baoguo, Ma Tianxiang, Qiu Ming, and others also realized that Chu Zhangang was a formidable opponent, and the pressure on them increased.

"Old Chen, you're the best at dealing with these kinds of people. What do you think we should do next?"

Gao Cheng himself couldn't do anything about Chu Zhangang, but he had unconditional trust in Chen Jun, believing that there was no opponent Chen Jun couldn't defeat.

When Chen Jun was still a platoon leader, he commanded the Steel Seventh Company to fight against the Old A Blue Army.

He has grown all the way to where he is today and has never tasted defeat.

Gao Cheng has every reason to blindly trust!
"Chu Zhangang is indeed an outlier in the army. His fighting style is certainly very different from others, but he is not invincible."

Chen Jun saw the immense pressure everyone was under, so he first comforted them and boosted their morale.

Then he instructed, "Qiu Ming, from now on, you will be in full charge of the intelligence center. Keep a close eye on this Chu Zhangang, and you must tell me his every move."

I need to find the opportunity to defeat him from all his actions.

Wang Kezheng was right. Our 7th Steel Brigade is far inferior to the main brigades of the theater command in terms of strength. It is still just a newborn tiger.

Although it has already displayed its tiger-like ferocity, its fangs and claws have not yet grown, making it unable to hunt in the jungle.

Once the entire 909th Brigade is deployed to Langshan, the 535 defense line will certainly not be able to withstand the 909th Brigade's attack, and a forced defense would likely result in heavy losses.

Therefore, our core tactic now is to do everything possible to prevent the main force of the 909th Brigade from reaching the Langshan assembly point.

In other words, the route that the 909th Traveling Army took was the final battlefield for our decisive battle.

Even if we can't kill them on the road, we must severely damage the 909th Brigade there, significantly weakening their strength and gaining an advantage in the defensive war. (End of Chapter)