From the 7th Steel Company to the Synthetic Division

When Chief of Staff Shen wanted to find the big boss, the big boss had already ordered an emergency meeting, summoning all the heads of units related to the exercise.

So Chief of Staff Shen and the political commissar went directly to the conference room to wait.

Because this matter was so urgent, no one dared to slack off in the slightest.

In less than ten minutes, all the heads of departments within the war zone headquarters arrived at the conference room, each with a serious expression.

While waiting for the commander of the war zone to arrive, everyone in the conference room was discussing something.

"Such a complete and detailed attack plan could not have been carried out in less than two months. How could there have been no sound at all?"

"Yes, the Seventh Steel Brigade must have planned this in advance; it's absolutely outrageous."

"Some people, once they've achieved some success, start to get arrogant. If this continues, the Seventh Steel Brigade will inevitably cause trouble sooner or later."

……

As everyone was chattering away, the big boss was the last to walk in. The people who were still talking immediately stopped and stood up in unison.

"Is everyone here?"

The big boss had just entered when he loudly inquired.

"Except for the brigade commander, political commissar, and chief of staff of the 7th Steel Brigade, everyone else is present," the political commissar replied.

"Alright, let's begin then. Please have a seat."

The big boss didn't wait for the 7th Steel Brigade. The 7th Steel Brigade's base was a bit far from the war zone, and it would take time to get there by helicopter.

After everyone was seated, the political commissar said, "Now I've gathered the leaders of your units here, mainly to hold a meeting to discuss what happened last night."

Just last night, the 7th Steel Brigade conducted a small tactical exercise. The units attacked were two headquarters units under the C Group Army, as well as units directly under the theater command.

Because no prior notice was given, many colleagues expressed dissatisfaction and questioned the situation.

At the same time, this matter also alarmed the Army. The J Commission has issued an order to the war zone, requiring us to thoroughly investigate the situation and report it to the Army.

Regarding what happened last night, everyone is welcome to speak freely now.

Everyone present was a victim of this exercise, and each of them was seething with anger, desperately needing an outlet to vent it.

Therefore, as soon as the political commissar of the war zone finished speaking, a bunch of people couldn't help but start criticizing.

"An exercise? This is no exercise; it's more like a terrorist attack!"

"They act recklessly and fearlessly, attacking government agencies without prior notice. If we let them continue like this, they'll become uncontrollable."

“I don’t oppose military reform, but it must be done in a systematic and orderly manner, step by step. Can they improve combat effectiveness by doing it this way?”

"Exactly, I just can't stand it."

……

Almost all those present were officers of the rank of senior colonel or above. The few who were not senior colonels were even more formidable, holding considerable power.

As each of them criticized the Seventh Steel Brigade, the atmosphere in the room became heated.

It seemed as if it were about to form a flame and burn the Seventh Steel Brigade to ashes.

Seeing the severity of the situation, and knowing that even his presence wouldn't be enough to calm things down, the political commissar of the theater command could only whisper, "Commander S, you should speak first."

"I invited everyone here today simply to hear your thoughts and opinions; consider it a tea party," the war zone's big boss said expressionlessly.

His meaning was clear: he wanted everyone to speak freely, and he would listen attentively to whatever they said.

With the war zone's top leader's personal statement, everyone present relaxed even more. Just now, only the senior colonels were criticizing, while the wheat and stars remained silent.

Now that the big boss has spoken, Mai Sui, the first person on the left, said, "Such a big incident, an oil depot storing hundreds of tons of oil and a military vehicle depot with hundreds of vehicles, were almost wiped out overnight. Is it really over with a tea party?"

This single ear of wheat is very strong, and it represents the thoughts of everyone present.

The underlying meaning in the words was quite obvious...

That means the Seventh Steel Brigade has caused such a huge disaster, and the war zone doesn't want to easily fool everyone. They must be given an explanation for this matter.

"It's definitely not going to be over yet. I just wanted to hear your thoughts first. Consider this a victim's appeal."

The big boss looked to the right and directly called out, "Vice-Chief Yuan, you go first."

"it is good."

The first person with a wheat ear on the right said, "We have reported the situation truthfully, and we do not object to conducting the exercise."

If there had been prior notice or a contingency plan, we would have prepared actively and done our best to assist, even if it was just to get a heads-up with our military leadership. But the way things are going now puts us in a really passive position.

As soon as Deputy Commander Yuan finished speaking, the senior colonel chief of staff sitting next to him chimed in, "We know that the 7th Steel Brigade is a key unit cultivated by the theater command, and we have high hopes for it, but we can't be too lenient with it."

Upon hearing what the two men said, Chief of Staff Shen frowned immediately.

Without it.

The problem lies in the fact that these two high-ranking officers from the army group are clearly the most typical old-fashioned thinkers, only knowing how to follow outdated and corrupt practices.

The political commissar of the war zone also showed some displeasure at the two men's utterly incompetent opinions.

He asked in a cold voice, "Does anyone else have any opinions? Please speak up."

"The opinions they expressed are also my views."

Another 1-star raptor criticized: "Wartime and peacetime are different. I think this kind of surprise attack is just a publicity stunt."

The Seventh Steel Brigade defeated the 708th and 909th Brigades not because of their real ability, but because of their unorthodox methods.

If everything could be done this way, what would be the point of morality, rules, and discipline? An exercise is just an exercise; there's no need to make such a sensational spectacle.

It was yet another speech by a high-ranking military officer, still carrying that strong old mindset and style.

The political commissar couldn't take it anymore and let out a long sigh.

The big boss's expression remained unchanged, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking. After listening to the speeches of several senior executives, he turned his gaze to Chief of Staff Shen.

"Chief of Staff, were you aware of Shandong Steel's 7th Brigade's plan beforehand?"

Faced with the questioning of the war zone's top leader in public, Chief of Staff Shen, who was unaware of the situation beforehand, answered without hesitation, "I know." This was Chief of Staff Shen's favoritism towards the Steel Seventh Brigade; by answering in this way, he was essentially taking all the responsibility upon himself.

Otherwise, if he answered that he didn't know, it would mean that the Seventh Steel Brigade had acted in violation of regulations by acting without prior notice, which would inevitably lead to more intense questioning from everyone present.

"Since you knew in advance, you should have spoken to the leaders beforehand, or even just the leaders of the army group. Now everyone is embarrassed and full of complaints about the Seventh Steel Brigade."

The big boss spoke calmly, making it impossible to tell whether he was giving a reminder or holding someone accountable.

"Commander S, Political Commissar."

Chief of Staff Shen looked at the two leaders seriously and said in a very earnest tone, "The task of Operation Alarm Bell was originally assigned to them by me."

As Chief of Staff Shen uttered these words, the discontent among those present intensified.

Several people resorted to petty acts of venting their anger.

For example, slamming a cup down or slamming a pen on the table—these small actions were used to express dissatisfaction with Chief of Staff Shen.

Since it's a subordinate confronting a superior, they don't dare to confront them directly, so they can only resort to these underhanded tactics.

Chief of Staff Shen could naturally sense everyone's little complaints about him, but he was not angry about it. Instead, he looked at everyone seriously and said, "As a professional adversary force, we must selectively target and attack certain weak points of the forces under our command in the theater."

This is to sound the alarm, and only in this way can it serve as a warning.

After more than two months of investigation, the General Staff of the Theater Army discovered that some coastal defense forces, units directly under the Group Army Headquarters, and units directly under the Theater Army Headquarters, etc.

"Both have many vulnerabilities in terms of security and confidentiality, which is why this special wake-up call was launched..."

"How can this be?"

The first officer on the right, a one-star cadre with a wheat ear, interrupted him with great dissatisfaction, but Chief of Staff Shen did not reply, as if he had not heard him.

He continued, "Actually, the war zone issued a notice about the 'Alarm Bell' exercise a few days ago. It's not that we didn't give them advance notice, but we didn't specify the time. It's not that we didn't give them a heads-up."

However, this has precisely drawn the attention of some organizations, who are still waiting with wishful thinking.

If the theater army were to go a step further and tell you exactly which unit the 7th Steel Brigade was to attack at what time, and what method of attack it would take...

If that's the case, do you think this exercise still has any meaning? Wouldn't it just become a formality?

Are the vulnerabilities we urgently need to guard against still so obviously exposed? Will the problems existing in your respective units receive your attention?
This was just an internal drill. If it were a real attack by foreign hackers, you can imagine how heavy and enormous the losses and consequences would be..."

Just as Chief of Staff Shen was using his own strength and a stern, questioning tone to suppress everyone's output.

Upon receiving the notification, Chen Jun and his two companions rushed to the Army Aviation Battalion and arrived by helicopter at top speed. They had already arrived by car outside the building where the conference room was located.

If helicopters weren't restricted from entering the combat zone, they would probably have landed on the parade ground.

Staff Officer Wang, who was waiting by the gate, saw Chen Jun and the others arrive in their car and immediately walked over and said, "Brigade Commander Wang, Political Commissar Tian, ​​Chief of Staff Chen, Chief of Staff Shen has been called to the conference room by the Commander. We're waiting for you now."

"Didn't Chief of Staff Shen ask us to come see him? Why did he go to a meeting?" Wang Qingrui asked in confusion.

"Commander S, the political commissar, the finance department, the cadre department, the intelligence department, and the leaders of the following army groups and logistics departments are all in the conference room. The meeting has been going on for quite a while. You should come with me now."

After finishing his sentence, Staff Officer Wang turned and walked inside, his expression and pace appearing very hurried.

"It seems I was right, this matter has caused quite a stir."

Tian Baoguo knew something bad would happen, and he did disagree with doing it at first, but now that things have already happened, he has no intention of bringing up the past or shifting the blame.

Instead, he looked at Chen Jun and Wang Qingrui and instructed them, "I am more at ease in this situation than you are."

"When we go inside and meet the leader, or if there are other people holding you accountable, both of you should try not to say a word. I'll handle everything."

As a political commissar, Tian Baoguo is better at verbal communication and has a higher sensitivity to politics.

His arrangement is absolutely correct!

“Everything else is fine, but I’m in charge of military training and command. It wouldn’t be good if I didn’t say anything.” Chen Jun didn’t want Tian Baoguo to shoulder the responsibility alone.

One person does the work, one person takes the responsibility.

Since it was his decision to do this, he is not afraid to bear the consequences.

Moreover, Chen Jun has enough confidence and assurance that nothing will happen to them today, and they may even be able to promote the development of the combined arms brigade because of this incident.

Tian Baoguo didn't know what Chen Jun was thinking, but he really wanted to save the Seventh Steel Brigade.

So he persisted, saying, "The nature of this matter has completely changed now. It's no longer a military or command issue, but a matter of discipline. This is something I, the political commissar, should handle, and party officials should step in."

"Old Tian, ​​I think this was something that the chief of staff and I brought up, so the responsibility lies with us. You have no responsibility at all, so you should just leave it alone," Wang Qingrui advised.

"As long as I am the political commissar of this brigade, I must do my job well."

After finishing speaking, Tian Baoguo turned around and walked inside without waiting for Chen Jun and the other man to reply. At the same time, he said, "Alright, do as I say. This is my order to you two as a Party official."

"This……"

Tian Baoguo invoked his identity as a Party official, and Chen Jun and Wang Qingrui really couldn't do anything about it. They could only smile wryly and helplessly jog after him.

Just as Chen Jun and his two companions were heading to the conference room, Chief of Staff Shen was still launching a strong counterattack inside.

"The Y Group Army is responsible for combat missions in the Capital Theater and important strategic coastal areas. It is also the distribution center for electronic intelligence and network information in this forward fortress area, with many computers and nodes."

Online investigations have revealed numerous security vulnerabilities, which is an indisputable fact.

A few days before the exercise began, the 7th Steel Brigade's hacker group easily exploited these vulnerabilities, but did not take any concrete action at the time.

Your own back door was kicked down, and you didn't even notice. Who gave you the audacity to hold the Seventh Steel Brigade accountable?

Chief of Staff Shen's last words were delivered with a heavy tone, his angry gaze sweeping over the members of the Y Group Army, including Mai Sui, who had just interrupted him.

The cadre who had been speaking so confidently and daring to interrupt just moments before didn't dare to meet Chief of Staff Shen's gaze.

He lowered his head in shame!

Chief of Staff Shen, who had forcefully seized the initiative at the meeting, continued in a strong tone: "The theater command has granted the 7th Steel Brigade a certain degree of autonomy in this exercise."

Tactically, the 7th Steel Brigade made its own decisions, and it should be said that the 7th Steel Brigade did not violate any rules.

If one were to nitpick, the only flaw would be that their execution method differed from the conventional exercises we are accustomed to. (End of Chapter)