From the 7th Steel Company to the Synthetic Division

Chapter 438 Anxi River? No! It's a "meat grinder"

Anqi River Ferry.

The Red Army's mechanized infantry received orders from the command post to do everything possible, at all costs, to prevent the right-wing Blue Army from crossing the river. The longer the mission lasted, the better, so they did not withdraw from the north bank.

The special operations company was assigned a new mission by Chen Jun: to secretly evacuate from the north bank and disappear from public view.

The second mechanized infantry unit was ordered to proceed to the army aviation battalion, where transport helicopters were dispatched to airdrop the aircraft to the north bank of the Anxi River as quickly as possible.

The Blue Army assumed that the Red Army's artillery battery had been destroyed and that they would no longer dare to defend the north bank.

Continuing to hold out would be tantamount to suicide.

Therefore, all three companies of the motorized infantry battalion boarded the boats and began crossing the river in three separate ferries.

The soldiers on the boat were relaxed and did not expect to be attacked during the crossing. They had already begun planning how to pursue the retreating Red Army after crossing the river.

As a result, just as the ferry reached the center of the river, the Red Army's 1st Mechanized Infantry Company switched from concealment to attack.

In order to prevent being wiped out by the artillery fire of the Red and Blue armies and to withstand the Blue army's artillery fire for a longer period of time, the Mechanized Infantry Company made targeted deployments.

The Type 86 infantry fighting vehicle, equipped with a 30mm main gun, has the capability for long-range artillery strikes.

Therefore, they were simply regarded as eight cannon points.

The specific arrangement was that the entire company would fight in squads, and the tactics of separating personnel and vehicles would be implemented. All the infantrymen would get off the vehicles, find cover and open fire, while only the drivers and gunners would remain on the vehicles as mobile artillery points to attack the ferries.

The entire company dispersed to different positions, with personnel and vehicles operating separately.

This means that in the area on the north bank, while still being able to attack the ferries, the troops should be dispersed as much as possible, and the tanks should maintain mobility.

After such targeted arrangements, the threat posed by the Blue Army's artillery can be greatly reduced.

The wider the scope.

The less likely the artillery is to explode, the harder it is to detonate.

Once all the squads of the mechanized infantry company were in position, the Blue Army's ferry had reached the middle of the river. Give them another five minutes, and they would be able to reach the north bank dock.

"The target has entered the firing range. Vehicle-mounted firepower should begin interception first. Infantry firepower should open fire as the target approaches. Make sure to block the ferry on the river." The company commander of the 1st Mechanized Infantry Company decisively gave the order.

"Bang bang bang bang..."

Upon receiving the company commander's order, each tank squad, with the tacit cooperation of the gunners and drivers, aimed at the targets on the river and began their attack.

"The Red Army didn't flee? They're still putting up a stubborn resistance on the north bank?"

The Blue Army motorized infantry battalion on the ferry was frightened, and the battalion commander immediately reported the situation to headquarters.

Upon hearing this news, everyone at the Blue Team command headquarters showed expressions of shock.

Brigade Commander Chu Zhangang, in particular, suddenly stood up.

The artillery fire during the exercise used blank rounds, and the extent of the damage required calculation by the on-site referees and directors; nothing could actually be seen with the naked eye.

It was precisely because they couldn't see with their eyes that they could only hear the sound of cannons firing.

This made the sounds of gunfire even more terrifying.

No one in the Blue Army wanted to suddenly receive a notification from the command headquarters that their ferry had been hit by the Red Army's artillery fire, capsized in the middle of the river, and the entire company had been wiped out.

The ferry used for the transport was a civilian vessel, not a military transport ferry designed by the military.

It was never designed to withstand artillery fire.

Their ability to withstand blows is very weak.

"Artillery cover! Immediately provide artillery cover!"

Chu Zhangang didn't want any problems to arise with the motorized infantry battalion, so he immediately issued instructions according to the plan.

Two minutes after the order was given, the artillery fire on the north bank did not stop; it continued to fire, and the command headquarters also issued a notification.

"The Blue Army's ferries were hit by Red Army artillery fire. Ferries No. 1 and No. 3 have been damaged. If they are hit by another shot, they will be deemed destroyed and sunk."

"What's going on? What's the artillery regiment doing? Are they all just sitting around doing nothing? They can't even suppress a single company of tanks and artillery on the other side?"

Upon hearing the news, Chu Zhangang slammed his fist on the table in anger, his face turning extremely grim.

Before he could even question the artillery regiment, bad news came from there first.

The Red Army's vehicle-mounted artillery was highly mobile and could change locations very quickly, firing only two shots before moving to a different spot. The Blue Army's towed heavy artillery was simply not in the same league in terms of speed.

It was like an old lady playing whack-a-mole; she couldn't keep up with the Red Army's pace at all.

"No, this won't do."

After a quick analysis, Chief of Staff Ding Kai realized that if things continued this way, some ferries would definitely be hit, and the motorized infantry battalion would suffer heavy losses.

Unlike on land, troops on the river cannot be killed in action if the ferry sinks.

Ding Kai quickly advised, "Brigade Commander, we can't continue like this. The enemy's tanks and artillery are too small targets. It's like using a cannon to kill a mosquito. It's hard to catch them. We must make them withdraw immediately."

Chu Zhangang's expression shifted between light and dark as he began to quickly analyze the current situation.

After analyzing it, he realized it wasn't worth it.

Putting aside the fact that the opponent's target is too small to be hit, even if you can take out one or two of the opponent's nine scattered targets, it doesn't make much sense.

On the contrary, if their own ferry were sunk, the loss would be an entire company.

Use one battalion to exchange for one of the enemy's companies.

We've lost so much money!

Therefore, Chu Zhangang listened to Ding Kai's suggestion and decisively issued the order: "Order the ferry to return to port, and notify the first and second battalions of the artillery regiment to open fire at full capacity, concentrate firepower to attack the Red Army, and cover the safe return of the ferry."

"Also, notify the air force helicopter squadron and request their assistance in another attack on the north bank. All Red Army positions on the north bank must be destroyed before nightfall."

Chu Zhangang issued several orders in succession, and almost all units of the Blue Army on the right flank were mobilized.

The artillery regiment unleashed a barrage of fire from two men, indiscriminately covering the area where Red Army vehicles were moving. They also bombarded the fortifications previously built by the Red Army on the riverbank, completely destroying the trenches.

The Red Army Mechanized Infantry Company 1 was transferred from an old unit. Most of its members were infantrymen from the original Steel Seventh Battalion. They followed Chen Jun in battles both at home and abroad, accumulating rich combat experience.

They have mastered the essence of Chen Jun's tactics and know how to fight flexibly and act at the right time, and will never fight a dead-end or stagnant battle.

Therefore, when the Blue Army's ferry turned back, all the tanks stopped attacking and moved back into the mountains and forests at top speed to camouflage and hide.

Preserve your own strength and avoid unnecessary sacrifices.

This way, when the Blue Army attempts to cross the river again, there will be enough artillery fire to continue the resistance.

It was precisely because the Red Army's mechanized infantry dodged quickly that the Blue Army's subsequent artillery barrage failed to cause any damage, and the armed helicopters also missed their target.

Even one of the armed helicopters was caught off guard due to carelessness and bad luck.

The soldiers of the mechanized infantry company found an angle, seized the opportunity, and decisively fired two salvoes of the Vanguard 1, taking them down.

The attack helicopter dodged the first shot, but unfortunately, it couldn't avoid the second. With smoke billowing in the sky, the helicopter had no choice but to find an open space to land and withdraw from the exercise. The loss of the Blue Army's attached attack helicopter formation gave Chu Zhangang a real scare, and it also made him realize the gravity of the situation.

The Red Army infantry are equipped with man-portable air defense missiles, so armed helicopters are not an absolute nemesis. The use of armed helicopters must be carried out with caution.

After this battle between the enemy and ourselves, the noisy river finally returned to calm.

Chu Zhangang realized that forcibly crossing the river during the day would definitely come at a great cost, so to avoid this situation, he could only wait until night.

So, a little over an hour later, night fell and it became completely dark.

Chu Zhangang once again organized the motorized infantry to cross the river.

Furthermore, the revised plan became more cautious.

They repeated the same tactic they had used before, sending only one ferry with one company to cross the river.

This means using this one company as bait. If the Red Army attacks this ship, then the artillery on this side will provide full coverage of the Red Army.

In the face of extremely poor visibility at night, the accuracy of Red Army tanks and artillery is already poor, and the hit rate will drop further, especially with the full firepower cover of the Blue Army's artillery regiment.

If the Red Army wanted to destroy this ferry, it would be at least twice as difficult as during the day.

The probability of the Red Army turning the boat into a ferry was already very low.

Once a company crosses the river first, it can launch an attack on the Red Army mechanized infantry company, making it impossible for the Red Army to stop the Blue Army from crossing the river.

Even in the worst-case scenario, the ferry was struck and sank while crossing the river.

The Blue Army essentially traded one company for one Red Army company, and with the Anxi River crossing now unobstructed, other troops could quickly cross the river.

This deal is also very worthwhile!
have to say.

Chu Zhangang was indeed a man of some talent. After his arrangements, the pressure on the Red Army's mechanized infantry company on the north bank increased significantly.

With multiple targets crossing the river together, it's definitely easier to fight when there are more targets.

There is only one target, and it must be aimed precisely.

This is uncomfortable.

The mechanized infantry unit received Chen Jun's death order: they had to hold the line no matter the cost, and even if only one soldier remained, they were not allowed to leave.

The mechanized infantry company had no choice but to launch another attack under cover of darkness, braving the Red Army's artillery fire.

In addition, there were two armed helicopters, which cooperated with the Blue Army's river crossing and were lurking in the nearby sky, ready to pounce at any time.

After defending for more than ten minutes, three of the mechanized infantry vehicles were destroyed by the Blue Army's artillery fire.

Two of them were shot down by armed helicopters.

Having learned from the lesson of losing one helicopter during the day, the two armed helicopters deployed this time were much more vigilant, using air-to-ground missiles from a distance of two or three kilometers.

The Red Army's 1st Mechanized Infantry Company had a limited number of vanguard units, making it impossible to cover every direction or lock onto distant targets at night when visibility was poor.

In order to reduce the probability of being attacked by the Blue Army, the frequency of firing had to be reduced.

They could only fire one shot before immediately moving to another location.

This resulted in the remaining six artillery vehicles having a significantly lower firepower density than before, posing less than a third of the threat to the Blue Army's ferries during the day.

They were completely suppressed by the Blue Team and were at a significant disadvantage.

Fortunately, the Red Army still had about a hundred infantrymen.

Just as the ferry approached within 100 meters of the north bank, the mechanized infantry soldiers hidden on the shore rushed out and, using the destroyed fortifications on the shore as cover, unleashed a barrage of fire on the ferry.

The multiple rocket launchers, interspersed among them, provided cover for firing at the ferry with the most accurate possible precision.

Only rockets can penetrate the hull of a ship; rifle bullets are ineffective.

The fierce attack by the Red Army's more than one hundred infantrymen, coupled with the enormous threat posed by rocket launchers, forced the Blue Army's ferry to turn back even after it had traveled three-fifths of the way.

The second encounter between the two sides thus came to an end.

The Red Army paid a heavy price, suffering losses in tanks and personnel. The Blue Army paid a price in terms of time, as the end of the exercise was drawing ever closer, and the later they arrived at Langshan, the more disadvantageous it would be for them.

So less than ten minutes after the second engagement, Chu Zhangang ordered another crossing of the river.

The tactics and strategies remain unchanged.

It was simply a different ferry, with more intense firepower positioned on its front to suppress the Red Army on the shore when they reached the land.

Chu Zhangang's goal was to wear down the Red Army on the shore as quickly as possible through intense fighting.

The Red Army had limited supplies and ammunition.

The Blue Army, on the other hand, far surpasses the Red Army on the north bank in both numbers and firepower.

This is the Blue Team's greatest asset.

However, just when Chu Zhangang was full of confidence that the third ferry crossing would definitely defeat the Red Army and allow the motorized infantry battalion to control the north bank,

The 2nd Mechanized Infantry Company of the Red Army successfully parachuted and landed two kilometers away in a transport helicopter.

This was to avoid the Blue Army's armed helicopters. Although the group was escorted by two armed helicopters, Chen Jun did not want to reveal his hand at this time.

So avoid it if you can.

The Blue Army's attack helicopters had already returned to base and had not yet joined the third wave of combat, so there was no clash between the air forces of the two sides.

When the Blue Army's ferry reached the middle of the river again, the third wave of fighting broke out between the two sides.

The Red Army's 2nd Mechanized Infantry Company, which had been advancing at full speed, arrived at this critical moment and joined forces with the 1st Mechanized Infantry Company to begin a joint blocking action.

Although the 2nd Mechanized Infantry Company did not bring any tanks, they brought a great deal of heavy firepower.

With the addition of rocket artillery and man-portable air defense systems, the Red Army's defensive capabilities on the north bank have increased significantly, making any attempt by the Blue Army to defend it at this point nothing short of wishful thinking.

When Chu Zhangang learned that the Red Army had added another company, his face immediately turned extremely ugly, turning a deep liver color.

The third attempt to cross the river ended in failure once again.

Chu Zhangang must capture the Anxi River ferry crossing, as it is the only passage for the right-wing artillery regiment to reach Langshan, and it must be captured before dawn.

Otherwise, even if the artillery regiment could reach Wolf Mountain, they wouldn't have enough time to launch an attack.

Ever since.

Chu Zhangang had no choice but to harden his heart and speed up the pace of the battle.

Not only did they deploy all three battalions of the artillery regiment into the battle, but they also took turns bombarding the Red Army positions incessantly, using sheer numbers to compensate for their lack of mobility.

At the same time, air force bombers were called in to conduct targeted bombing raids on the areas where Red Army infantry were located.

After making these two arrangements, Chu Zhangang issued the order for the fourth crossing of the river, and the ferry, fully loaded with a Blue Army company, set off again.

(End of this chapter)