From the 7th Steel Company to the Synthetic Division

After a three-and-a-half-day march, the entire 7th Steel Brigade arrived at the Darongshan training base on schedule.

The first special operations company to arrive here arrived by helicopter on the very first day, and in the past two days, they have been conducting reconnaissance of the terrain and data.

The Darongshan training base covers an area of ​​tens of kilometers, encompassing various terrains and topography, all of which fall within their data collection range.

Chen Jun and Gao Cheng followed the brigade headquarters, which arrived with the main force via the highway, making them the last group to arrive.

When the brigade headquarters arrived at the base, the support battalion had already set up the command post.

Although they were all temporary military tents, the orderly and well-organized deployment made them look quite professional, resembling a brigade command post.

Upon arriving at the training base, Chen Jun, Wang Qingrui, and Tian Baoguo immediately went to the base command center.

The training base has dedicated personnel in charge, with the highest-ranking officer being a senior colonel and military officers being base staff members. When the 7th Steel Brigade comes here for training, it must hand over responsibilities to the base.

When Chen Jun and his two companions arrived at the command center, the base staff were already prepared.

He personally greeted the three at the main entrance and led them to the conference room. After a brief chat over tea, they got straight to the point and discussed the training arrangements.

"According to the instructions of the Theater Army Staff, your brigade's training plan is as follows..."

Colonel Li approached a map, pointed at it, and began to explain: "The brigade command post and the combat support battalion are located below Xiaoya Ridge."

The special operations battalion and the anti-missile and air defense battalion were deployed on the northern slope of Darong Mountain.

The two mechanized infantry battalions and two armored assault battalions need a large training ground, and the tank training ground on the western slope of Darong Mountain is more suitable.

The remaining artillery and aviation battalions will have to be stationed at the base, which has a helicopter landing pad, making your training much more convenient.

Colonel Li's arrangements at the base were quite reasonable, taking into account the characteristics of each unit, proving that he is sufficiently professional.

Therefore, Chen Jun and the others did not say anything.

Seeing that no one objected, Colonel Li from the base added, "This is a task temporarily assigned by the theater army; there was no plan for it before the new year."

Many support facilities at the base are under repair, and conditions are not ideal, so this is the only arrangement we have. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Chen Jun, Wang Qingrui, and the others were naturally very pleased with Colonel Li's excellent hospitality.

"We're looking for a place lacking logistical support to conduct battlefield survival training support. This little difficulty is nothing to us," Wang Qingrui said with a smile.

"The situation in the Darongshan area is quite complex. It is a deep mountainous area where three counties meet. Apart from the support troops within the base who can provide direct support, the northern and western slopes are uninhabited areas, and communication coverage is not complete..."

Colonel Li from the base pointed out many important points to prevent accidents from occurring during the upcoming training.

Chen Jun, Wang Qingrui, and Tian Baoguo listened carefully and kept these details in mind so that they could be used as a reference in subsequent training.

After learning about the situation from Colonel Li at the base and completing the necessary coordination procedures, Chen Jun and his team returned to the command post.

Hong Yi and Gao Cheng did not go to the base together, but were instead assigned to the brigade command post to oversee the work so that the training could get back on track as soon as possible.

When Chen Jun and his two companions returned by car and pushed open the tent to come in...

Gao Cheng immediately came over and reported to Wang Qingrui with a smile: "Brigade Commander, Political Commissar, Chief of Staff, the brigade command post has been deployed and all units have begun operations. We can start night training tonight."

"Good, well done. I'll leave the night training to you." Wang Qingrui instructed.

The 7th Steel Brigade had just arrived at the Darongshan training ground, having traveled 1,500 kilometers without rest, and was scheduled to begin training that very evening.

It might sound a bit illogical, but it's actually all in the training program.

It's important to understand that the 7th Steel Brigade is here for special training, aiming to increase the overall training intensity and cultivate stronger combat capabilities under higher intensity conditions.

Marching 1,500 kilometers to get here is practically a perfect prerequisite.

It would be a huge waste not to start training immediately.

These were all written in the training syllabus, and everyone in the brigade's leadership was very clear about them, so Gao Cheng didn't say anything and immediately went to carry them out.

No sooner had Gao Cheng left than Deputy Chief of Staff Hong Yi lifted the curtain and entered from the outside.

"Brigade Commander, all companies in the Special Operations Battalion are in position. The Special Operations Company and the Electronics Company have completed their preliminary work, conducting aerial reconnaissance and high-definition photography of the northern and western slopes of Darong Mountain," Hong Yi reported as he entered.

"The special operations battalion is incredibly efficient; they completed such a large workload in less than two days," Political Commissar Tian Baoguo praised with satisfaction.

"When will the collected data be sent over?" Chen Jun asked expectantly.

"We're already preparing to send it to the brigade headquarters. We should be able to send all the data over a little later," Hong Yi said.

"Row."

Chen Jun looked at Qiu Ming beside him and said, "Staff Officer Qiu, once the special operations battalion's data arrives, organize it and show it to me as soon as possible."

"Okay," the intelligence officer nodded.

The matter was basically resolved. Wang Qingrui patted Hong Yi on the shoulder and said, "Deputy Chief of Staff Hong, come out with me for a moment."

Hong Yi, unaware of what was going on, followed Wang Qingrui outside the tent with a puzzled expression.

“Isn’t your home in Chenghai City? Darong Mountain is less than 100 kilometers away from Chenghai City. You’ve been away for so long, why don’t you go back and visit?” Wang Qingrui said.

Hong Yi had previously changed his mind about becoming the head of the municipal bureau, which is why he was able to join the Seventh Steel Brigade.

There will inevitably be some emotional tension at home.

Wang Qingrui had this in mind, which is why he hoped Hong Yi could go back home at this time and take this opportunity to ease tensions with his family.

Only after resolving all his concerns could Hong Yi fully dedicate himself to the spring training exercises.

"It's alright, my wife is doing well at home. I can go back after training here is over," Hong Yi said with a smile, politely declining.

Hong Yi is a typical workaholic; he doesn't want to let personal matters interfere with his work.

“You haven’t been home since you came to the Seventh Steel Brigade, and you and your wife have been separated for several months. Even if you don’t want to, your wife does.”

Wang Qingrui made a few jokes and then advised again, "The training can't be fully launched these two days. The special operations battalion's preliminary work has been completed and it's on track. Whether you're here or not doesn't really make a big difference."

The political commissar also has business to attend to at the 909th Brigade. Since he's visiting an old comrade, he should drop by, right? You can come along, and then we can come back together.”

Seeing how well Commander Wang was taking care of him, and that he was going there with the political commissar, and also because he was indeed missing his wife, Hong Yi was moved.

So he didn't insist any further and nodded in agreement.

While the political commissar was still inside giving instructions, Regiment Commander Wang casually asked, "You've been in Chenghai for so many years, you must be very familiar with this area."

"I'm not really familiar with this." Hong Yi smiled awkwardly and said, "The 909th Brigade's defense zone only extends to the Darongshan Base. This area is under the base's jurisdiction, and we rarely come here further west."

I'd liked to bring my reconnaissance battalion here before, to do some special operations training or something, but I never had the chance.

Previously, when he was in the 909th Brigade, Chu Zhangang never listened to him, and no matter how many ideas Hong Yi had, he couldn't implement them. Now that he has joined the 7th Steel Brigade, he can finally get what he wants.

Hong Yi was in a pretty good mood.

"Deputy Chief of Staff Hong, let's get ready to leave."

Seeing that the two were having such a good conversation, Tian Baoguo guessed that Hong Yi must have already agreed, so he simply didn't ask Hong Yi whether he would go back or not.

"Alright, then you should get going." Wang Qingrui added.

"Alright, brigade commander, I'm off then."

Hong Yi saluted Wang Qingrui, then followed the political commissar to the military vehicle parked nearby.

The 7th Steel Brigade has already shown enough respect by conducting training on the 909th Brigade's "territory," and the political commissar even made a special trip to the 909th Brigade to "pay respects."

The current brigade commander, Ding Kai, and political commissar, Xu Xiaocun, warmly welcomed Tian Baoguo's arrival.

Ding Kai is a mild-mannered person, and he didn't hold a grudge even after losing the exercise. As for Xu Xiaocun, the political commissar, his ideological awareness is even more so.

Only Chu Zhangang, who had already been promoted, was not welcoming of the arrival of the Seventh Steel Brigade.

Even if they don't say it, they hold a grudge in their hearts.

Chu Zhangang still remembers the scene when the Seventh Steel Brigade wiped out his entire army in the exercise, causing him to lose face in front of his superiors. He hasn't forgotten it for even a moment.

Chu Zhangang has always been thinking about revenge.

After becoming the deputy chief of staff of the army group, this idea not only did not disappear, but became even stronger than before because of his higher position.

Under the influence of such emotions, the way of thinking about problems can also become distorted.

The 7th Steel Brigade came here purely for training, but in Chu Zhangang's mind, the 7th Steel Brigade came to show off their military might.

His coming to his territory to show off made him even more intolerant.

I'm so angry I could scream.

At that very moment, a thought suddenly swept over him like wildfire, impossible to extinguish, and eventually took over all his thoughts.

The idea was that we must find a way to conduct another confrontation exercise with the 7th Steel Brigade.

We must not only fight, but also win.

He wanted to capture Chen Jun alive, deliver his previous words to Chen Jun in front of him, and completely wash away this stain on his reputation.

Is Chu Zhangang able to use his abilities to organize another exercise between the two brigades?

It is currently unknown.

However, the new round of combat exercises for the 7th Steel Brigade came suddenly without anyone's expectation.

Just over two months after the 7th Steel Brigade had been training intensively at the Darongshan training base.

The head of the J Committee's exercise working group, accompanied by Chief of Staff Shen, suddenly appeared at the Steel Seventh Brigade's training ground without prior notice.

Wang Qingrui and Tian Baoguo were both startled and immediately called Chen Jun back to take charge of the situation.

Neither Wang Qingrui nor Tian Baoguo felt confident in dealing with such a powerful figure from the top of the pyramid, and both believed that Chen Jun was more experienced in this area.

After all, Chen Jun had seen the world and his actual influence far exceeded that of the two of them.

Chen Jun was leading training at the training ground when he received the notification and rushed back. Chief of Staff Shen was already sitting in the command post tent with Tan, the leader of the working group. Almost all the senior officers of the brigade were present.

"Chen Jun, you're here. Let's begin."

When Chief of Staff Shen saw Chen Jun return, he gestured for him to sit down next to him, and then presided over the meeting and said, "Team Leader Tan is here for the first time at the Steel Seventh Brigade and wants to learn more about the construction of the specialized adversary force."

Chen Jun, in a moment, you can show him around and give him a brief introduction.

Chen Jun has the most extensive knowledge and theoretical understanding of combined arms brigades and adversary units, making him the most suitable person to entertain Team Leader Tan.

Although Team Leader Tan and Chief of Staff Shen had the same rank, both wore two gold medals on their shoulders.

However, Team Leader Tan came from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and was sent down as the leader of the working group, so he was naturally a step above Chief of Staff Shen.

Chen Jun naturally dared not be negligent in the slightest towards such a top-tier existence.

He immediately said enthusiastically, "Our Steel Seventh Brigade has been established for less than a year. To be precise, it is a PLA brigade that specializes in fighting the PLA."

"It is an honor for our Seventh Steel Brigade that the commander-in-chief could come and inspect our work."

Chen Jun spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly, and concisely pointed out the core issue. Team Leader Tan was quite satisfied, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

"Although you're currently conducting field training, I've heard that urban warfare is a key focus of your training, and you've even built a special street within the base for training purposes?"

Team Leader Tan had clearly prepared beforehand, and the questions he asked were very concise and to the point.

"Yes."

Chen Jun nodded and said, "We believe that with the rapid pace of urbanization around the world, future wars will inevitably take place primarily in cities."

Large-scale field battles like those in World War II will only become less and less frequent, and the probability of them occurring will decrease.

Urban warfare, precision strikes, and the struggle for control of streets, buildings, and underground pipelines are inevitably key focuses of modern warfare.

Therefore, we focused our training primarily on urban warfare.

Chen Jun spoke about the core of the Seventh Steel Brigade, and everyone present agreed with this theory. Hong Yi also spoke from the heart, following Chen Jun's words.

"Sir, street fighting is not only for major battles, but can also be used in peacetime."

Hong Yi had studied abroad for a period of time, so he had a deeper understanding of terrorist attacks. He said based on his knowledge: "As my country's international status continues to rise and its sense of being a great power continues to grow."

Our military will undoubtedly participate more and more in international anti-terrorism and peacekeeping missions. It is imperative for the military to go abroad to carry out missions and safeguard national interests.

Therefore, a modern military force must have the capability to carry out various missions overseas, which naturally requires necessary routine training subjects.

In this way, when the country needs us, we can always stand up and fulfill our responsibilities and mission as soldiers. (End of Chapter)