From the 7th Steel Company to the Synthetic Division

"The Blue Army command arrived in Linjiang County early yesterday morning, but has not advanced any further. According to information received from the Blue Army, they are organizing a large-scale military operation," the guide explained.

"It seems he's trying to ensure his artillery regiment can pass through Anxi River smoothly," the war zone's big boss quickly realized.

Seeing that the problem had been resolved, the narrator continued his explanation.

……

909th Brigade Command Post.

Now the Blues are focusing all their attention and energy on the right flank artillery regiment crossing the river, and the senior management is holding another meeting to discuss the matter.

"A gun company and two mechanized infantry companies from the 7th Steel Battalion were already assembling at the Anxi River crossing yesterday evening. Their intention was very clear: to block my right flank troops from crossing the river at the Anxi River crossing and to launch an attack on me during my landing process or before I had a firm foothold on the shore."

The chief of staff explained the current situation of the Red Army to the attendees.

He had not yet realized that the two companies of the Red Army that participated in the battle were not the mechanized infantry companies he thought they were, but special operations companies that had undergone specialized training and had stronger individual combat capabilities.

"Where exactly are these two mechanized infantry companies of the Red Army located now?" Chu Zhangang asked.

"It's not clear yet," the chief of staff said.

"Bang~"

Chu Zhangang slammed his hand on the table and roared, "At such a crucial moment, you can't explain it to me clearly?"

"The Red Army's suspicious targets didn't take the main roads, but deliberately chose to travel through hilly and mountainous areas, making it difficult for our satellites to track them," the chief of staff explained helplessly.

"Then send out drones. Notify the Air Force aviation brigade to immediately dispatch drones to track them down. We must find them."

After Chu Zhangang gave the first order, he stood up and gave the second one: "Notify the artillery regiment to accelerate their advance."

"Yes!"

The chief of staff stood exceptionally straight.

The two orders issued by Chu Zhangan of the Blue Team were quickly transmitted to the director's command center.

"This Chu Zhangang is quite decisive," the war zone's big boss said calmly.

“That’s right, Brigade Commander Chu has finally come to his senses. There are less than three days left. If he remains calm and decisive, the battles ahead will be much easier,” Chief of Staff Shen said.

"For many years, the troops have been used to following the established procedures. When they suddenly encounter an opponent who does not play by the rules, they panic and become confused. They either hesitate or become impatient and irrational, forgetting all the tactics they have learned in peacetime. This is how Wang Kezheng was defeated."

The war zone commander offered a succinct assessment, then ordered the command center: "Switch the camera to the Red Army command post, let's see what's going on there."

The Red Army's 7th Steel Brigade, as the defending force, had its command post located at the fixed command post of the Langshan base.

The command post is equipped with surveillance equipment, which is connected to the command center's system, making it more convenient than viewing the Blue Army's command post.

At that moment, the Seventh Steel Brigade was also holding a meeting, and Gao Cheng was explaining the deployment on the right flank.

"The artillery company's five concealed positions were all in place before 3:00 AM, and the mechanized infantry company and special operations company were also in place before 4:00 AM, concealed in the protective forest belt near the river. Once the battle begins, artillery fire can launch an attack within three minutes, and infantry units can reach the riverbank within ten minutes..."

Over the years, Gao Cheng has followed Chen Jun in his campaigns, learning a great deal and growing rapidly, already displaying the demeanor of a great general.

"Where is the 909th Artillery Regiment now?" Chen Jun asked.

"Based on the marching speed of the 909th Brigade Artillery Regiment, they should have reached the Anxi River crossing by now," intelligence staff officer Qiu Ming replied immediately.

"If nothing unexpected happens on the way, his advance team should have already arrived at the ferry terminal and is preparing to load the cargo for the river crossing," Gao Cheng added.

Footage of a meeting of the Red Army's high command was projected onto the large screen in the command center.

After listening to a few sentences, the big boss of the war zone basically understood the content of the meeting. He smiled and said, "It seems that both the Red and Blue sides have their eyes on Anxi River Ferry, this strategic location, and they have come prepared. There is indeed going to be a good show."

He imagined that the first major clash between the red and blue teams was about to unfold before him.

The big boss in the war zone is actually quite looking forward to it.

After all, the formation of the 7th Steel Brigade was a major undertaking by the theater command, and the development of the 7th Steel Brigade was closely related to the theater command's reforms. It was endowed with multiple characteristics, making it hard not to have high expectations.

"The Red Army has the advantage of timing and terrain, but it seems their intentions have been discovered by the Blue Army. I just don't know if there will be any unexpected changes." Chief of Staff Shen frowned, clearly worried.

"It's not enough to just discover the other side's intentions; the most crucial thing is to know how to control and utilize those intentions, and then crush them in one fell swoop," said the war zone's top leader.

"But the Red Army seemed unaware that their plans had been discovered by the enemy, which was the most fatal flaw."

Chief of Staff Shen is absolutely right. It's like a boxing match where the opponent knows you're going to throw a right hook, but you don't realize it. When you finally throw that right hook, the consequences could be very serious.

While saying this, Chief of Staff Shen had some things on his mind that he didn't say aloud.

Based on Chief of Staff Shen's understanding of Chen Jun, Chen Jun's operations have always been known for their rigor, meticulousness, and unpredictability, and every move he makes catches his opponents off guard.

Now that such an obvious intention has been discovered by the other side, it seems completely out of character for Chen Jun.

Therefore, Chief of Staff Shen was very puzzled.

If it weren't for the fact that they couldn't intervene because it was still in the exercise, Chief of Staff Shen would have loved to go to the Red Army command post in person and ask Chen Jun what was going on.

"War is the most unpredictable thing. What you see as danger may be an opportunity to him."

The war zone commander spoke in a profound tone, then smiled and asked with great interest, "Chief of Staff, based on the current situation revealed by both armies, who do you think has a greater chance of winning the battle at Anxi River Ferry?"

That's a very tricky question.

Chief of Staff Shen's position is rather unique. He is in charge of the combined arms brigade project, and his stance is definitely on the Steel Seventh Brigade. However, since the big boss is asking him questions, he must stand on a neutral position and analyze the situation based on his military expertise.

"Cough cough."

Chief of Staff Shen cleared his throat and took a while to adjust before looking at the big boss and saying, "If Chen Jun can effectively implement the blocking plan, then the Red Army's chances of winning will be greater. Chen Jun has never lost when it comes to tactics."

However, if his plan encounters problems, or if the Blues prove to be more skillful and devise a way to break the deadlock, then the Blues' chances of winning will be much greater.

Chief of Staff Shen's analysis was indeed very fair, and he accurately grasped the core points of each analysis.

Whoever meets the standard wins.

The leaders at the command center were having a very enthusiastic discussion, and the meeting on the Blue Team's side had also reached a critical juncture.

"Notify the artillery regiment to remain in place 30 kilometers south of the ferry crossing. Send out a ground artillery company and the 3rd Motorized Infantry Battalion to the Anxi River ferry dock as planned and prepare for loading and boarding," Chu Zhangang ordered.

“If that’s the case, the artillery regiment probably won’t be able to cross the Anxi River before this evening,” Chief of Staff Ding Kai said with a frown. “If the Red Army artillery is indeed lying in ambush on the north bank of the river, the entire Anxi River crossing will be within its artillery range. We’ll send a small contingent of artillery to the dock to prepare for loading onto the ships. This is to coordinate with the electronic reconnaissance unit to conduct electronic reconnaissance of the dispersed and concealed Blue Army artillery positions, and to identify the danger first.”

Chu Zhangang's arrangement was absolutely brilliant; it perfectly countered the Red Army's ambush.

The artillery regiment had three companies that needed to cross the river. Chu Zhangang first sent one ground artillery company across the river, while the riverbank was prepared to search for and locate the Red Army's artillery units at any time.

When the Red Army artillery saw this artillery company crossing the river, they were in a lot of trouble whether they fired or not.

If the Red Army artillery fires at the Blue Army's artillery battery, the Blue Army will detect and lock onto the artillery's position, leaving them with no choice but to run away, or they will face a counterattack from the entire Blue Army artillery regiment.

This means they can only fire a few shots and then run, which means the results of this ambush will be very limited.

Even if the Red Army's artillery batteries were extremely accurate, they would be lucky to destroy one or two ferries in Nanjing or even gain half a company's worth of artillery fire.

However, if we ignore the Blue Army's artillery company, then the Blue Army will follow suit and cross the river company by company, which will frustrate the Blue Army's artillery company to the point of vomiting blood.

They might not even dare to fire a single shot in the end, and can only slink away in shame.

An artillery company plus two infantry companies, in the unique terrain of Xiaomaoshan, could launch an ambush and even have some fun with the Blue Army's recreational troops.

Even if the tactics are well executed, other troops can be dispatched to provide support.

There is a very high probability that they will eliminate the right flank of the south.

But in a relatively flat area like the riverbank, for three companies to face an artillery regiment and a motorized infantry battalion head-on was practically suicide.

The sheer volume of fire from the artillery regiment alone would have been enough to give the Red Army's blocking forces a run for their money.

……

Red Army Command Post.

"Reporting to the brigade commander, our reconnaissance team sent a message that a company of the Blue Army artillery regiment's vanguard has arrived at the crossing," Qiu Ming reported to Wang Qingrui.

"Great! The fish are finally going to get caught in the net!" Wang Qingrui said happily.

"But it's strange, only one company from the artillery regiment came, no other units. The motorized infantry battalion arrived at the ferry together," Qiu Ming added.

"The advance troops should be coming; the rest will arrive soon."

Following standard procedure, Wang Qingrui conducted his analysis and then decisively issued the order: "Immediately notify the ambush troops that as soon as the Blue Army's artillery boards the ship, the five artillery positions that have been set up should immediately move into firing positions."

"Only one company came? I didn't expect Chu Zhangang to be so skilled, he's really good at this."

Chen Jun frowned and pondered to himself. He had realized what Chu Zhangang was up to. If they followed Wang Qingrui's tactics, they would definitely fall into his trap.

Even though he knew it was an enemy trap, Chen Jun did not warn Wang Qingrui.

because.

War is a strange thing. It is true that this was a trap set by the Blue Army, but from Chen Jun's perspective, it was his bait.

Blue Team's Chu Zhangang was all smiles.

Chen Jun was also overjoyed.

Chen Jun was more effective than the brigade commander in speaking at the 7th Steel Brigade. Since Chen Jun had not stood up to object, Wang Qingrui's words were the highest order.

With Wang Qingrui's order issued, the Red Army's right flank began its battle deployment.

Dongjun has completed its pre-battle preparations, and the Blue Army is also following the orders of Brigade Commander Chu Zhangang, methodically beginning its preparations to cross the river.

The ferry company responsible for the crossing dispatched three ferries, which were just enough to transport two companies of people and equipment at the same time.

The artillery company, which had been sent by Chu Zhangang to lure them in, and a motorized infantry company responsible for escorting them, lined up in an orderly fashion at the dock and boarded the ferry in turn.

Because the artillery batteries are all towed guns, loading them onto the ship is a bit complicated.

So what should have taken ten minutes to load the two boats took nearly half an hour to complete. The motorized infantrymen got off the vehicles and prepared for battle on the ferries.

If ground fire is encountered during landing, and it is within acceptable limits.

They could use the ferries as cover to suppress enemy fire on the shore and cover the ferries as they landed.

The ferry on this side began to untie its mooring lines and slowly started to leave the dock. On the other side, the Blue Army artillery, having received the signal, immediately began to deploy.

The process involves driving the vehicle out of the woods to an open area, removing the camouflage covering the gun carriage, starting the vehicle, and turning the gun barrel.

This time, a box-type rocket launcher was sent. Wheeled vehicles are faster than tracked vehicles and are more suitable for long-distance travel away from the position to carry out interception.

Most importantly, rocket launches are more frequent, allowing for large-scale fire coverage in a short period of time.

"Attention all fire teams, launch in two minutes."

As the company commander of the box-type rocket artillery company issued the order, the rocket launchers, which were assigned to five points, all stood tall with their rocket boxes erected at the rear.

The target was the Anxi River ferry crossing, and the coordinates were set for the entire ferry route.

Mobile ferries cannot carry out precision strikes, and the fixed routes for ferries to cross the river are only a few dozen meters wide. The best way for rocket launchers to strike is to carry out large-scale coverage bombardment in a progressive manner.

The ferry slowly left the dock, getting further and further away from the shore.

Meanwhile, the Red Army's rocket launchers were deployed at an extremely fast pace, but the Red Army artillery did not know that they had now been exposed.

The Blue Army's electronic reconnaissance unit, which had been prepared in advance, immediately discovered the Red Army's rocket artillery battery that had been defaced and transmitted the intelligence to the brigade command post.

"Report to the brigade commander: The electronic reconnaissance unit has reported that all of the Red Army's self-propelled artillery targets in the mountainous area on the north bank of the Anxi River have been locked by our side."

"Okay, great."

After listening to the staff officer's report, Political Commissar Xu Xiaocun couldn't help but shout his approval.

"Immediately inform Commander Zhu that the troops that have reached the Anxi River crossing should slow down their crossing speed and make sure to hold back the Red Army artillery."

"Order the Blue Army's air force units to immediately launch an operation and destroy all exposed Red Army targets."

Everything was developing exactly as Chu Zhangang had envisioned, which made him extremely pleased with himself. He promptly issued two orders in quick succession. (End of Chapter)