From the 7th Steel Company to the Synthetic Division

"Eight days and eight nights without a winner? Haha."

Wang Kezheng smiled bitterly and said unwillingly, "At least the 909th Brigade survived for eight days. I was captured on the same day. Shouldn't I be reflecting on my mistakes?"

“Simply reflecting on your mistakes in front of the wall won’t do any good,” He Yazhou advised.

"I've thought it all through, and I've figured it out. I might as well just kill myself," Wang Kezheng said dejectedly.

"One death is one death? You think you're sacrificing yourself heroically? Nobody considers you a martyr, they even think you're a disgrace," He Yazhou said irritably.

"I said, can you please not be so sarcastic?" Wang Kezheng was quite angry; those words were really hurtful.

“If the 708th Brigade can’t afford to lose, then the root of the problem lies with you, the brigade commander, and you bear the primary responsibility,” He Yazhou continued his attack.

To help Wang Kezheng pull himself out of his despair, we need to give him the strongest medicine.

If you make Wang Kezheng feel pain, you can wake him up.

"How can you say such a thing? Do you even look like a political commissar? I'm a little upset and you don't come to comfort me. I've made some mistakes and you don't step in to smooth things over. From the moment you walked in, you've been insulting and sarcastic, cursing me from head to toe. Are you going to let me get away with this? Do you have any dignity left as a brigade commander?"

Wang Kezheng was truly pushed to her limit by what he said, and she slammed her fist on the table in protest, crying out that she was innocent.

"Good good."

He Yazhou struck a few times with heavy blows, and seeing that it had an effect, he began to sweet-talk, saying, "If you still want to get up, still want to turn things around, and don't want to just smash your head against the wall and die, then let's have a good talk about how to get up."

Hearing about how to turn the tide, Wang Kezheng's emotions calmed down considerably.

He picked up the water glass on the table, took a sip, and looked at He Yazhou very seriously, asking, "Old He, do you think the 909th Brigade can defeat the Steel 7th Brigade?"

“The past few days have been tough, but I heard that today, in the battle of Anxidu, the Red Army was badly beaten and suffered heavy losses from the Blue Army's artillery regiment,” He Yazhou said.

This is the legendary saying, "Three men can make a tiger."

The Red Army was simply making a normal tactical withdrawal, but when the news got out, it was completely distorted, making it seem as if the Blue Army had won a great victory.

of course.

It cannot be ruled out that this was deliberately spread by the Blues, after all, Chu Zhangang is a person who loves vanity projects and is capable of embellishing his own image.

"I knew it! My brother was sure to win. He promised to avenge me and let me vent my anger."

Upon hearing that the Blue Army had gained the upper hand, Wang Kezheng immediately shook off his previous gloom and proudly raised his teacup, saying, "Let's wish the 909th Brigade a victory, haha."

……

909th Brigade Command Post.

Wang Kezheng toasted the victory of the 909th Brigade and expressed his confidence in Chu Zhangang. Meanwhile, Chu Zhangang from the 909th Brigade was also discussing Wang Kezheng.

"I understand now."

After swallowing a mouthful of noodles, Chu Zhangang said with feeling, "The reason why Brother Wang Kezheng failed was not because he underestimated the enemy, but because he didn't understand where the battlefield was or what the enemy looked like."

He was captured without even knowing where the enemy's arrows came from. To be honest, I think he lost very unjustly.

Only by experiencing it firsthand can one truly understand the suffering of others.

Chu Zhangang now understands!

"The brigade commander's analysis makes sense."

After a brief flattery, the chief of staff said, "The key to the 708th Brigade's defeat was its weak psychological resilience. We are different. We have withstood what Brigade Commander Wang has experienced, and we have also overcome what Brigade Commander Wang has not encountered."

I believe that after these eight days and eight nights of trials and tribulations, facing near-death experiences, the officers and soldiers of our 909th Brigade have greatly improved their ability to deal with information stations and their psychological resilience, gaining invaluable experience.”

The chief of staff's words were not an exaggeration; their 909th Brigade had indeed performed exceptionally well.

If it were any other brigade, facing all sorts of difficulties from the Red Army along the way, they would have had a hard time holding on and might have collapsed halfway through.

The Blue Team has managed to hold out until now without suffering significant losses, so they certainly have reason to boast.

"The Red Army gave us a free training session, and we really need to summarize it carefully, which is worth summarizing. We must elevate it to a theoretical level." Chu Zhangang agreed with Ding Kai's words and gave it a positive evaluation.

"Yes, we'll definitely do a thorough review after the exercise," Ding Kai readily agreed.

……

the next day.

The Blue Army artillery regiment began organizing the river crossing at dawn, expecting it to be completed in one or two hours, but the reality was quite different from their expectations.

There are fewer boats on the river at night, and the ferry can carry up to three boats at a time.

But it's different during the day.

The Anxi River ferry crossing has a large volume of business, with many ships needing to load or unload cargo here, but the number of docks that can accommodate ships is fixed.

In addition, the current in this section of the waterway is rapid, and ships traveling on the river can move at high speeds.

To prevent ferries crossing the river from colliding with ships sailing on the river, the maritime authorities have relevant regulations that severely restrict ferries from crossing the river during the day.

This resulted in the ferry company fully cooperating and even specially coordinating a dock for the military to use.

If the artillery regiment's combat troops and logistics personnel, totaling over a thousand people and vehicles, were to cross the river, it would be at least after noon.

This means that what was originally planned as a two-hour river crossing will take six or seven hours to complete.

The time frame tripled.

Regiment Commander Zhu was very dissatisfied with the speed, but after coordinating with the ferry company, there was nothing he could do, so he could only report the situation truthfully to the brigade command.

"It won't be until noon at the earliest? Is it impossible to coordinate? Okay, I'll report this to the brigade commander right away."

Chief of Staff Ding Kai received a call from Regiment Commander Zhu. After learning about the situation, he walked to the conference table and reported, "Brigade Commander, there was a call just now from Anxi Ferry."

The situation during the day is quite special; the artillery regiment's vehicles, artillery, and ammunition all need to cross the river, which will take at least six hours.

"Crossing the river at this speed is far too slow. Why don't you and the political commissar go ahead and take charge of the overall situation? I'll stay here and keep watch."

"Will it take so long?"

Chu Zhangang frowned. He regretted not letting the artillery regiment cross the river last night, but he was making his own decision and no one was allowed to question it.

So they refused to mention the matter and insisted, "Let's wait until the artillery regiment crosses the river before we set off. Even if we're in a hurry, there's no rush."

"Hey."

The chief of staff took off his hat and placed it on the table, then, scratching his greasy hair that hadn't been washed for days, said, "The left flank is advancing smoothly and we should arrive at Langshan Station by tonight at the latest. From there, it will only take two hours to reach Langshan."

......"

Just as Chu Zhangang, Ding Kai, and Xu Xiaocun were discussing things in the command post.

On the other side, the door to the director's command center was pushed open, and the big boss, who had rested all night, strode into the first row and sat down.

Chief of Staff Shen, who was sitting next to him, had arrived ten minutes earlier.

"How's Chu Zhangang doing? Has he arrived at Wolf Mountain yet?" the big boss asked after sitting down.

"Not yet," Chief of Staff Shen said. "What is he waiting for?" the big boss asked.

"He's probably waiting for his artillery regiment to cross the river. That's his core force; he'd definitely feel insecure without artillery," Chief of Staff Shen guessed.

"is it?"

The big boss frowned, somewhat displeased, and leaned close to the microphone, shouting, "Check the situation at Chu Zhangang's command post, and switch the camera over there."

Yesterday, the team's coordinator, along with technical personnel, worked overtime to install cameras at the Blue Team's command post.

Now, with just a single command from the top boss, the director's dispatch center can simply operate a few buttons on a computer and the image of the 909th Brigade's command post will appear on the big screen.

"Is there a plan for the armored battalion's offensive deployment?" Chu Zhangang asked Ding Kai.

"Have."

Chief of Staff Ding Kai nodded, pointed to the map and said, "Once the armored battalion gets off the train at Langshan Station, they will split into three groups and take their positions as ordered."

The 3rd Armored Company was stationed in Liuzhuang Village, the 2nd Armored Company in Dujia Village, and the 1st Armored Company and the Support Company in Hexi Village.

Once the main force is in position, at the command of our brigade headquarters, the three armored companies will launch a simultaneous attack, assaulting the 535 defense line from three directions.

Ding Kai's tactic was clearly meticulously designed, specifically to counter the tactics of the Steel Seventh Brigade.

The 7th Steel Brigade is not lacking in combat effectiveness because its soldiers are handpicked from the entire army group; their personal qualities and abilities are beyond question.

The reason why they are said to be incapable of direct combat is that even though everyone is as good as a dragon, they are completely disorganized and unable to cooperate with each other.

Without integrated training, they cannot coordinate operations.

In other words, the wider the battlefield is divided, the more locations and areas there will be for combat.

As a result, the various battalions and companies under the 7th Steel Brigade would be forced to be further apart due to the vastness of the battlefield, and their communication with each other would be severed more completely.

If things go wrong, they might all go their own way and fight their own battles, completely losing their bearings.

Ding Kai wanted this effect, which is why he divided the armored battalion into three company-level combat units.

Chu Zhangang naturally knew the strengths and weaknesses of both sides, and he was very satisfied with Ding Kai's armored battalion deployment, so he did not find any fault with it.

He then frowned and asked, "Still no news from Hong Yi?"

The reconnaissance brigade's disappearance for so many days had become a major worry for Chu Zhangang. The thought of so many soldiers being unable to be used made him extremely distressed.

"Still no," Chief of Staff Ding Kai said, shaking his head.

"Hey."

Chu Zhangang sighed helplessly, stood up and went to the chief of staff's side, deliberately avoiding the camera and asked in a low voice, "Any news from our inside contacts?"

The chief of staff knew that the brigade commander was avoiding the cameras, so he got up without saying a word and walked out of the tent.

Chu Zhangang followed him out.

"??"

Xu Xiaogang frowned, sensing something was wrong as he watched the two leave one after the other, but because there were cameras watching, he didn't follow them out.

The command center's large screen was looking right at them, and luckily Chu Zhangang had deliberately avoided it, otherwise the big boss would have seen everything.

With only the political commissar left in the tent, there was nothing interesting to see.

The big boss gave another order: "Check what the Red Army is doing."

The large screen camera switches quickly.

Switching to the other side, you see that in the Red Army's command post, none of the other members of the Steel Seventh Brigade are there; only Chen Jun is sitting at the conference table.

And he hadn't done anything important yet; instead, he was leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed, fast asleep.

The big boss took one look.

I couldn't hold back any longer.

"This guy, it's this late, the Blues are about to hit our doorstep, and he's still fast asleep. How can he sleep like that?"

The boss's current state perfectly illustrates the saying "the emperor isn't worried, but the eunuch is."

"He probably didn't sleep at all last night. He's under a lot of pressure, after all, the Red Army is at a disadvantage," Chief of Staff Shen said, speaking up for Chen Jun.

"Too."

Ever since the big boss learned that he had a "prodigy" like Chen Jun under his command, he has grown to like Chen Jun more and more.

After Chief of Staff Shen explained it this way, he believed him and added with concern, "Then let this guy sleep a little longer. The Chief of Staff has done all the work of a brigade commander, he must be quite tired."

Done.

He proactively changed the subject, asking, "What impact will the failure of the ambush at Anxi River have on the Seventh Steel Brigade?"

He had a lot to deal with, so he didn't stay up late last night to watch the Yangtze River Crossing Operation.

After learning about the situation this morning, I came over early this morning.

"There's nothing excessively affecting it. I don't think Chen Jun is under any pressure at all. All units of the Red Army are actively preparing for war," Chief of Staff Shen replied.

"Most of the Red Army units are stationed at Langshan. It seems that Chen Jun is determined to hold the high ground to the death."

The big boss spoke in a flat tone, with a hint of disappointment.

It's hard to say from his position and angle. He wasn't particularly interested in high ground defense operations; after so many years in the military, he had seen enough of them.

The big boss knew that Chen Jun's fighting style was unusual, so he wanted to see Chen Jun come up with a different kind of battle strategy.

If it also turns into pure defense, it would indeed disappoint him.

"The Red Army tried many methods along the way, but unfortunately none of them could stop the Blue Army. Chu Zhangang was quite capable. If the Red Army couldn't stop them, they could only defend."

Chief of Staff Shen spoke calmly, seemingly accepting the outcome.

After all, from the very beginning, this exercise was destined to give the Blue Army a huge advantage, while the Red Army lagged behind in all aspects, so it was normal for them to lose.

"If Chu Zhangang had acted any faster, we could have launched a full-scale attack tonight or tomorrow morning," the big boss said, frowning.

The Blue Team command has been at a standstill for almost a day, and the big boss is actually not satisfied.

"If they can arrive by tomorrow morning, that means there's still a day and a night left. Whether we can take it down is hard to say. Chen Jun hasn't made any big moves, which isn't like him," Chief of Staff Shen said with a smile.

"Hey, you know what, it's true. Who knows what kind of mischief this kid is up to? He might just give us all a big surprise, haha."

The big boss's eyes gleamed with anticipation; he wanted to see new tactics that went beyond the norm.

Only "high-end goods" are available.

Only then can we stir his excited heart! (End of Chapter)