From the 7th Steel Company to the Synthetic Division

Chapter 444 A Shot That Draws Crowds
"Chief of Staff Chen is indeed very outstanding, I admit that, but if it were a face-to-face confrontation, you would definitely not be a match for our 909th Brigade."

Xu Xiaocun was indeed convinced, but he was only convinced by Chen Jun's strategies and tactics.

They did not acknowledge the formidable strength of the 7th Steel Brigade.

Seeing that things had already come to this point, and that they had already become prisoners of the Red Army, Xu Xiaocun was still trying to talk his way out of things, which made Ma Tianxiang feel a little uncomfortable.

No longer giving Xu Xiaocun any face, he bluntly mocked him in front of his face: "When the exercise first started, we also thought your Blue Army was very strong, but we didn't expect that there would be such a vulnerable team in the People's Liberation Army."

"you……"

Xu Xiaocun's eyebrows shot up in anger, and he retorted furiously, "Don't forget, you are also members of the People's Liberation Army. You would resort to such unscrupulous means to win a single battle. Do you really think that's honorable?"

“Political Commissar Xu, it’s truly a tragedy for the military that you have such thoughts,” Ma Tianxiang sighed.

"What do you mean? I don't understand." Xu Xiaocun's brows furrowed into a deep frown. Ma Tianxiang's words angered him, but at the same time, they made him uneasy.

"Actually, it's not difficult to understand."

As a political officer, Ma Tianxiang's forte is speaking. He explained fluently: "Our army already has the Zhurihe Combined Tactical Base, which aims to build our army's strongest blue force brigade."

Why did the Capital Theater Command still need to form the 7th Steel Brigade? The reason is actually very simple and easy to understand.

The 7th Steel Brigade is currently the youngest brigade-level unit in the training of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, and it is a unit that is different from other units that fight against the enemy.

The commanders of the war zone wanted to transform the 7th Steel Brigade into a top-notch enemy force.

You can think of it as the Blue Team, both of which exist as a hypothetical enemy, but there are also obvious differences between them.

The Blue Army is a hypothetical enemy that simulates foreign armies, while the Steel 7th Brigade is a hypothetical enemy that creates tactics and explores the most suitable model for our army.

Incidentally, along this journey of exploration, I'll also serve as a whetstone to sharpen and refine you all.

Please don't think of us as sparring partners, and certainly don't treat us as babysitters. We will only be enemies, ruthless enemies who will stop at nothing to achieve our goals.

When you are able to defeat the Seventh Steel Brigade, our mission will be complete.

The war zone commander had already hinted to you that a real enemy had appeared, but you never thought about what kind of enemy this enemy was, how this enemy would attack you, or how to fight against us.

You guys are just a little bit more cautious than Wang Kezheng, the brigade commander, but you're still single-mindedly focused on how to achieve your goal: to breach the 535 defense line.
They never considered how to deal with us, and they never truly regarded us as adversaries.

Ma Tianxiang's speech was quite long, showing that he really put his heart into it, especially the last sentence, which pointed out the key point incisively.

"Isn't it right to pursue victory in exercises?" Xu Xiaocun said blankly.

"No, this is really wrong."

Ma Tianxiang shook his head and said with a smile, "Political Commissar Xu, through our conversation, I can clearly feel that you still value the victory of the exercise very much."

They regard honor as the ultimate goal of training and leading troops, and place it above all else.

I'm referring to narrow honors, such as honors of one's own unit, personal honors of certain cadres, and honors linked to one's professional title.

Rather than national, ethnic, historical, or mission-related honors that drive military development.

Therefore, you will still think of us as the opponents you have encountered in the past, and you will still use your old methods, so you are misleading yourselves.

When we do something that you thought the Blue Team couldn't possibly do, you are surprised, astonished, annoyed, incredulous, completely unreasonable, and completely unable to agree.

The instinctive reaction would be to criticize, "How could they hit like that? How could they be so unreasonable?" Right?

As expected of someone with a background in political work, Ma Tianxiang spoke fluently and systematically, delivering a vivid political lesson to Political Commissar Xu Xiaocun.

"You're absolutely right, that really resonated with me."

Xu Xiaocun did not refute Ma Tianxiang's words because Ma Tianxiang's words were of a very high level of political awareness and there was not a single fault to be found in them.

However, no matter how much they agree with the tactical decision-making philosophy of the 7th Steel Brigade after such a conversation,

Being captured alive is a shameful thing, and his top priority now is to find a way to escape as soon as possible.

"Thank you for giving me such a wonderful lesson. Thank you for your hospitality. It's time for me to go now."

Xu Xiaocun acted as if he were a guest, and after speaking, he jumped up from his chair and made a move to walk towards the door.

"Hey, don't rush, sit down first."

Ma Tianxiang quickly reached out to stop Xu Xiaocun, and said with a smile, "Look, I've been talking to you for so long, and you still don't have any sense of war."

You're still treating this exercise like a game, like children playing house.

Don't forget, I am now your enemy, you are my prisoner of war, and you are not allowed to leave the POW camp until the exercise is over.

"Hey~~"

Xu Xiaocun sighed heavily and could only plop down back down.

"This hotel is your prisoner-of-war camp. Although it's a bit luxurious, as a prisoner of war of our Steel Seventh Brigade, you must be treated with the highest standards."

After saying this with a smile, Ma Tianxiang added, "If Political Commissar Xu gets tired or stressed, there are two rooms here, you can choose any day to rest."

"..."

Xu Xiaocun was so frustrated that he was speechless and didn't know what to say for a moment.

……

The Blue Army's 909th Brigade was unaware that their political commissar had been captured by the Red Army, and all units continued to deploy for the attack in an orderly manner according to orders.

The artillery regiment was originally scheduled to cross the river around noon, but the plan was further postponed due to the abduction of Regiment Commander Zhu's wife.

Later, Political Commissar Xu personally went home to check, and the artillery regiment restarted the river-crossing operation.

However, this stop-start process wasted a lot of time. By the time all three cannon sounds had crossed the river and reached the machinery on the north bank, another day had passed.

I've been working hard all day and haven't eaten yet. I'm so glad I can finally have a hot meal tonight.

The battalion commanders and political instructors of the three battalions, along with a group of officers from the artillery regiment, sat at a table with Chief of Staff Ding Kai, enjoying hot dishes prepared by the mess hall.

"Reporting to the Chief of Staff, Regimental Commander, the first, second, and third battalions, all artillery vehicles have crossed the river. Should we wait for the fuel trucks to cross before setting off together?" a staff officer ran over to report.

"Once the fuel trucks cross the river, all vehicles must be filled with fuel tonight before we leave," Commander Zhu ordered.

"Yes!"

The staff officer saluted and turned to leave.

"Chief of Staff, we've made another mistake."

Commander Zhu put down his chopsticks and said sadly, "We could have crossed the river at noon and reached Langshan before dark."

That would leave a whole day, which could be used to choose a position and conduct reconnaissance.

As a result of all this trouble, we've wasted most of the day. By the time all the vehicles are refueled, it will be at least two or three in the morning. Sigh." Commander Zhu felt more and more upset as he spoke, and he lost his appetite for the delicious hot food.

"Old Zhu, you need to watch your mood," the chief of staff reminded him, worried that Zhu's low spirits might affect the morale of the entire regiment.

But it still had an impact.

"We got up very early, but we arrived late," the battalion commander said helplessly.

“Yes, we started from Chenghai the earliest, and we were forced to take a detour, so we covered the longest distance. We also clashed with the Red Army several times and fought the most battles. We were exhausted from running all the way there, so how could we fight?” another battalion commander chimed in.

"The brigade commander knows better than we do how to fight once we get to Langshan, so there's no need for you to worry."

The chief of staff immediately stepped in to calm things down, and then further reassured them: "Besides, everyone is familiar with the terrain of Langshan. We have conducted more than one exercise there. We have also defended Hill 535 as the defending side."

"By then, we'll know exactly where to position our artillery and what firing parameters to adjust. Even if it's a first-shot hit, it won't be the first time, Commander Zhu."

The chief of staff deliberately brought up everyone's honors to boost morale, and the effect was indeed very good.

The battalion commander, who had just been sighing, perked up as he talked about his family's honors, saying with great enthusiasm, "Back then, we also went to Langshan for an exercise. At that time, the regimental commander was still the battalion commander, and I was a company commander under him."

At that time, Commander Zhu had asked for leave to go home to get married. On the very day his sister-in-law married into the family, he received a notice that the performance had been moved up. Commander Zhu rushed back to the army the next day.

They dragged the artillery battalion to Wolf Mountain for three days and three nights straight, and the first shot was a resounding success—it was incredible!

"I remember that."

The chief of staff chimed in, "He was awarded a second-class merit for this very incident."

When Commander Zhu heard everyone praising him so much, he felt incredibly proud and floaty. He then flipped his hair a few times, thinking he looked very cool.

but.

Although Commander Zhu was pleased by what was said, he was not completely immersed in it. On the contrary, the honor he received made him feel even more pressured.

"Chief of staff, this exercise has been going badly all the way, which is not a good sign. I'm afraid that if a war breaks out, it won't be us hitting the first shot, but us being hit by the first shot."

Commander Zhu's actions, which boosted the morale of others while diminishing his own, immediately displeased the Chief of Staff.

He said sternly, "What kind of talk is that? I don't like hearing that. The success of taking the 535 defense line this time depends on your artillery regiment."

The front line of 535 is a mountainous and forested area, where tanks and armored vehicles cannot be fully deployed. We are counting on your dozens of artillery pieces to open up the situation for us.

How can you call it being hit by the starting lineup? Stop jinxing it and hurry up and eat.

Commander Zhu did not refute the criticism, but the worry on his face only deepened.

Because opening up the situation depended entirely on the artillery regiment, such a heavy responsibility fell on Commander Zhu's shoulders, and the immense pressure had turned into a dark cloud.

Commander Zhu lowered his head and ate his rice without saying a word, and the atmosphere suddenly became cold.

"By the way, will the political commissar be back tonight?" The battalion commander sensed the heavy atmosphere and deliberately changed the subject.

"Tomorrow is the last day, and he will definitely try to get back. The political commissar said before that after we take the 535 defense line, the whole brigade will have a victory celebration banquet, and I will be the first to recommend your artillery regiment for commendation."

The chief of staff painted a rosy picture, which delighted everyone present, who cheered and applauded.

Morale soared once again!

……

Two hours later.

After finishing his meal and psychological work at the artillery regiment, Ding Kai rushed back to the 909th Brigade's campsite in order to adjust the combat plan with the brigade commander that night.

"Chief of Staff, you're back."

Chu Zhangang, who was looking at the map, looked up and saw Ding Kai enter. He immediately asked, "Is it alright for Commander Zhu of the Artillery Regiment to depart tomorrow morning?"

"I've already confirmed with them, the artillery regiment and the 3rd Motorized Infantry Battalion can depart at 3 a.m.," Ding Kai replied.

"Alright, then go and inform them to rest well where they are. They can wait for my notification regarding the departure time later," Chu Zhangang instructed.

"Okay, I'll go in a bit."

The chief of staff accepted the task and then asked, "Has the political commissar not returned yet?"

"Not back yet."

Chu Zhangang crossed his arms, frowned, and asked, "Do you know what time the last flight arrives at this airport?"

"I'm not sure of the exact details, but I'd guess it will land around this time," the chief of staff speculated.

"Once the political commissar returns tonight, we'll finalize tomorrow's battle plan overnight and issue it to the troops before 3 a.m. tonight," Chu Zhangang said.

"Why so late?" the chief of staff asked, puzzled.

"Secret."

Chu Zhangang spoke softly, glancing at the radio station a few more times.

"Oh, I got it."

The chief of staff instantly understood and said helplessly, "The Blue Army's infiltration methods have reached a point where they are ubiquitous, and we really have to be on guard against them."

After saying that, he asked again, "Brigade Commander, why didn't you go to the Wolf Mountain assembly point first before setting up camp? Why did you suddenly decide to spend the night in this inconvenient place? It's only a little over a hundred kilometers away from Wolf Mountain."

"It's so that we can wait for you and the political commissar to return and then finalize tomorrow's battle plan," Chu Zhangang replied.

"Beep beep beep..."

Just then, a two-wheeled motorcycle drove up to the entrance of the campsite.

A thin man dressed in disguise, wearing a straw hat, covered in dust, and with a tired expression, got out of the car.

"Halt! Military restricted area. Entry prohibited."

Two guards immediately went to meet him and stopped the thin man at the gate.

"I have my credentials, I want to see the brigade commander."

The thin man took a red booklet out of his pocket and handed it to the guard who was walking towards him.

The guard opened the officer's ID to check and found that the person in front of him was actually a captain staff officer from their 909th Brigade, named Li Zuo.

"Staff Officer Li, come with me."

Although they didn't know why the other party was pretending to be an ordinary citizen, as long as the other party's documents were in order, the guards had no reason to stop them.

(End of this chapter)