From the 7th Steel Company to the Synthetic Division

Chapter 453 Fight! ! !
The suggestion from Staff Officer Ding to have the reconnaissance battalion carry out the decapitation strike did indeed sound very appealing.

Furthermore, given Hong Yi's temperament and abilities, he is clearly a ruthless individual who enjoys unconventional tactics and leverages reconnaissance capabilities to conduct operations behind enemy lines.

In addition, when Staff Officer Li came to report the situation, he mentioned that they had discovered a hidden route.

It could bypass the Red Army's defenses and strike directly at the Red Army's rear.

And most importantly, Hong Yi has a relatively strong personality. He dares to confront Chu Zhangang directly, let alone when he is in the field.

Other battalion commanders wouldn't dare to do something without orders, but Hong Yi faced no obstacles whatsoever.

Therefore, if they could lure out the main force of the Red Army or significantly weaken the Red Army's rear defenses, they would have a certain probability of success.

"That's great, that's wonderful!"

Chu Zhangang's eyes lit up, and he said excitedly, his face turning red, "Then let's do it this way. Let's find a way to lure the main force of the Red Army over. The Red Army definitely wants to annihilate us, so let's give them the chance."

Originally, Chu Zhangang only wanted to present a brilliant image of "heroic defeat" in front of his superiors.

Unexpectedly, Ding Kai had thought further ahead than him. After Ding Kai's guidance, Chu Zhangang realized that while performing well, there was still a chance to turn the tide.

If they can turn the tide under these circumstances, how many points will that earn them in the leader's eyes?

Chu Zhangang couldn't even imagine it!
Once the tactical plan for the next phase was determined, which focused on luring the Red Army to send a large force to encircle and attack, Chu Zhangang's subsequent deployment became simpler.

He looked around the area using a map and found a terrain that was most suitable for his tactics.

Therefore, a decisive order was issued to immediately relocate to this location.

Under Chu Zhangang's influence, the atmosphere at the Blue Army brigade headquarters changed from its previous decadence and depression to one of high morale and fiery passion.

As orders were issued from the command post, all troops along the central route began to move.

At around 4 a.m., we quickly packed up all the supplies and equipment in the dark and proceeded methodically to a location 10 kilometers to the left.

The changes on the Blue Team's side were so significant that the images and information were transmitted to the command center.

The big boss, who was originally very disappointed with Chu Zhangang, saw that Chu Zhangang had recovered his fighting spirit so quickly and even figured out a way to deal with him.

His tense face relaxed noticeably, and even showed a hint of a smile.

I think there's still hope for Chu Zhangang.

At the same time, I began to look forward to the ending.

Whether it was because the Red Army failed to realize the danger and fell for the Blue Army's diversionary tactic, resulting in their home being stolen from their advantageous position.

Even though the Blue Team tried every means possible, they still lost to Hongjun.

So……

Did the Red Army realize the danger?
Obviously not.

The Red Army's high-ranking officers, including Chen Jun, were not mind readers or able to see things from afar, so they could not possibly have accurately discerned the truth.

Although the Red Army was unaware of the Blue Team's diversionary tactic, they had all seen through the Blue Team's actions.

Under the reconnaissance of high-altitude drones, the Blue Army's hasty departure in the central direction was captured on camera at the Red Army command post and witnessed by Chen Jun and others.

At first, Chen Jun thought that the Blue Army did not want to give up and would still attack Wolf Mountain even though the left and right wings were gone.

I also admire Chu Zhangang for being truly fearless.

He is a ruthless person.

As a result, the Blue Team advanced two kilometers before exiting the highway prematurely, deviating from the route to the right and entering the mountains west of Xiaochong Village.

They set up their formation here, adopting a defensive posture.

"What are they going to do?"

Chen Jun and all the other high-ranking officers of the Steel Seventh Brigade couldn't understand what the Blue Army was doing.

However, Chu Zhangang was right about one thing: the Red Army now has an absolute advantage, and taking down the Blue Army's middle lane is as easy as drinking water. They can't possibly let this piece of meat go to waste.

The exercise concluded with the complete annihilation of the Blue Army's 909th Brigade and the successful defense of the 535 defense line.

Not a concept at all.

The former's sense of honor and accomplishment far exceeds that of the latter by several times.

Therefore, no matter what moves the Blue Army makes, the Red Army must do everything possible to take down the Blue Army's central area on the last day of the exercise.

"The terrain where the Blue Army is currently stationed is surrounded by mountains, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. They deliberately chose this location after coming down from the highway, clearly intending to use this place to put up a last-ditch effort and preserve their last central force," Gao Cheng analyzed first.

"That's not right."

Tian Baoguo offered a different perspective, saying, "If the Blue Army only wants to preserve the middle lane and doesn't want to be completely annihilated by us, they can simply turn around and retreat."

“Making a U-turn on the highway is indeed fast, but can it be faster than a helicopter?” Qiu Ming explained.

"Political Commissar, I think the Blue Army must have considered turning back from the highway, but why didn't they do it? The reason is very simple, just two points."

Gao Cheng extended an index finger and spoke eloquently: "First of all, Chu Zhangang is a person who cares a lot about his reputation. Turning around and retreating on the spot is like running away. As an attacking force, he was beaten into a rout by the defending force."

If this gets out, people will laugh themselves to death. Chu Zhangang would rather die than accept this humiliation.

Secondly, Staff Officer Qiu was right. It is true that you can travel fast on the highway, but no matter how fast you go, you can't outrun a helicopter, and even if there are air defense forces, it won't help.

Because all we need to do is send helicopters around to the front to destroy the highway.

Once the road ahead is destroyed, the Blue Army troops will be forced to block the highway, with no cover nearby, and will become sitting ducks.

Once our ground troops have pursued them all the way, the Blue Army's central route will inevitably be annihilated.

Therefore, compared to turning back and fleeing, deliberately choosing a favorable location to construct defensive fortifications in the shortest possible time is actually the wisest choice.

Gao Cheng analyzed the whole matter very thoroughly, which shows that he has grown remarkably over the years.

The reckless company commander who only knew how to fight positional battles back then has unknowingly grown to a very high level and has begun to show some of the demeanor of a brigade commander.

Listening to Gao Cheng's analysis, Wang Qingrui couldn't help but nod in satisfaction.

"Holding the middle lane without retreating is indeed the only thing Chu Zhangang can do, and it's the only way he can save face, but..."

Wang Qingrui abruptly changed the subject halfway through his sentence, saying, "If we just let the Blue Army stay there and waste the last bit of the exercise time, we could indeed win according to the exercise rules, but we wouldn't win decisively."

The exercise was designed for real combat. The 909th Brigade has lost its offensive capabilities; it's just a last-ditch effort. Since they are the enemy, they must be eliminated.

Wang Qingrui paused here, turned his gaze to Chen Jun, and said, "Chief of Staff, what do you think?"

As the brigade commander, Wang Qingrui could indeed give orders directly, but everyone assumed that Chen Jun was the commander-in-chief, so giving orders directly would be seen as disrespecting Chen Jun.

Therefore, Chen Jun's consent must be obtained to highlight his status. "The 909th Brigade must be eliminated. The remaining central route poses no threat to us; they are like meat on a chopping board. We cannot leave them there uneaten. This is the first exercise for the Steel Seventh Brigade, and we must continue our tradition."

Everyone understands the tradition Chen Jun mentioned, at least those who transferred from the Seventh Steel Battalion do.

"However, we need to carefully study how to fight. We must not act recklessly and cause accidents. Don't forget, the Blue Army's reconnaissance team has not yet appeared. This is an elite force of several hundred men, which is enough to deal us a fatal blow."

Chen Jun emphasized a reminder to everyone present, immediately pulling them back to a more sober state of mind from their euphoria of victory.

"I almost forgot about the Blue Army's reconnaissance battalion. According to my investigation, this is no ordinary reconnaissance battalion. Their battalion commander, Hong Yi, is no ordinary person either. I heard that he even went to Europe to study with special forces. He has extremely strong capabilities in guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines," Tian Baoguo said with lingering fear.

"Wow, good for you. A reconnaissance battalion commander from the special forces. No wonder we haven't been able to find him for so many days. He's got some skills." Qiu Ming praised.

"In that case, we definitely need to be wary of him. I don't want to be caught off guard," Gao Cheng said seriously.

"I've come up with a strategy for dealing with the current situation of the Blues. I'll tell you about it now, and you can take a look and see what you think."

Chen Jun walked to the sand table in the middle, picked up the flags symbolizing the various units, and began to make arrangements.

"Given that the Blue Army's reconnaissance battalion has not shown up, I have decided to leave the Special Operations Company, the Mechanized Infantry Company, and the Armored Company to defend Hill 535. With these three companies defending it, the safety of the hill can be guaranteed."

At the same time, in order to prevent the Blue Army from using decapitation tactics, I decided to send the entire brigade headquarters out with them, leaving only the political commissar at home.

Moreover, the political commissar does not need to stay at the brigade command post; he must go to the 535 defense line, where he is protected by the troops stationed there, ensuring his safety.

Everyone else rode with me in the command vehicle, joining the main force to attack the Blue Army's central route.

In this way, even if Hong Yi had extraordinary abilities, he could only destroy an empty Red Army command post, making all their efforts in vain.

After hearing about the trap Chen Jun set for the Blue Army reconnaissance team, everyone couldn't help but picture it in their minds.

Thinking of how the Blue Army reconnaissance team had gone to great lengths to hide from the Red Army for more than eight days before finally managing to sneak into the command post, they thought they were about to make a fortune.

When they rushed in, they found it completely empty; there wasn't a single person in sight.

That picture...

It's absolutely hilarious.

The Blue Army reconnaissance team must be furious.

Gao Cheng and the others laughed when they thought of this, and their eyes became more and more admiring as they looked at Chen Jun. They could never have come up with such a clever trick.

The most crucial point—the safety of the family—was handled with absolute certainty by Chen Jun.

The next step is to plan the attack.

Given the Blue Army's troop composition in the middle, armed helicopters are definitely out of the question; that requires an entire air defense battalion, and even a whole army aviation battalion wouldn't be enough to take them down.

Therefore, the mission of armed helicopters is only one: to perform surveillance and reconnaissance along the route.

It is essential to ensure that no unforeseen events occur along the way after the main Red Army force departs until it reaches the current location of the remaining Blue Army forces.

Using armed helicopters for reconnaissance is making the best use of them.

Except for flying places, which were inconvenient to go to, the Red Army ground troops had absolutely no restrictions.

In order to crush the remaining Blue Army forces in an overwhelming manner, Chen Jun decided to bring all the troops he could.

The first thing is to move all the artillery battalions there, just to conduct advance mobilization training.

Imagine a whole battalion of artillery set up there, with the barrels pointed high and aimed at the Blue Army's mountain pass. Just thinking about it is exhilarating.

To prevent the Blue Army from calling in air power to launch an air raid on the artillery battalion and causing heavy losses.

Chen Jun decided to bring the anti-missile and air defense battalion along as well.

With sufficient air defense capabilities, Chen Jun was no longer afraid that the Blue Army would call in armed helicopters or bombers; his only concern was that the Blue Army's air power would not be enough to fight back.

The remaining one and a half armored battalions and mechanized infantry battalions are the main assault and attack forces, and they are definitely indispensable.

As for the remaining companies of the special operations battalion and the combat support battalion, they will be selectively brought along depending on the situation; those without a strong need will not be brought.

With everyone stationed at home to assist in guarding 535, having more eyes means more opportunities to spot things, and perhaps even find the reconnaissance team ahead of time.

……

After Chen Jun finished explaining his battle plan, he gave everyone present enough time to discuss it and raise any questions they might have.

As a result, there was no need for discussion at all; under Gao Cheng's leadership, everyone unanimously passed the resolution by raising their hands on the spot.

"Okay, that's settled."

Since everyone was so supportive, Chen Jun didn't hesitate any longer and made a decisive decision, then began issuing orders.

Instruct relevant officers to notify all units under their command to arrange for all personnel to rest for three hours to fully recharge.

Wait until eight o'clock in the morning.

After the entire brigade finished breakfast, all units immediately sprang into action according to orders.

All units responsible for attacking the Southern army must complete all preparations and assemble at the designated location before departure by 9:00 AM.

……

Chen Jun made orderly arrangements, and orders were transmitted through radio. The 7th Steel Brigade officially entered the final counter-offensive phase.

These scenes were all being watched by the leaders on the large screen in the director's command center.

"The defensive forces turned into an offensive force, the inferior forces turned into a huge advantage, and even intended to annihilate the offensive forces. It really opened my eyes."

The big boss in the war zone had a strange look in his eyes, and he was really feeling a mix of emotions.

A newly formed unit was deployed, and no one was optimistic about its prospects at the start of the exercise. In fact, as long as it didn't suffer a crushing defeat, everyone was willing to accept it.

As a result, the first phase cut off the rear of the 708th Brigade and also kidnapped the two commanding officers.

The 708th Brigade had neither supplies nor anyone to command it, and ultimately, it was declared a failure before anyone even arrived.

Now that we've reached the second phase, things have gotten even more outrageous than I expected.

The 909th Brigade had made thorough preparations for their arrival, but just as they were about to reach their doorstep, two of their three routes were suddenly cut off.

The Blue Army, which had an overwhelming advantage, suddenly fell into an abyss.

This 7th Steel Brigade...

Is it really that outrageous?

(End of this chapter)