Siheyuan: I am a trader in both worlds!

Chapter 554 Miserable defeat!

This highly anticipated military exercise, closely watched by both the world of Beijing and future generations, came and went quickly.

It was not much different from what most people expected.

The main force on the Beijing side had just finished its deployment and formed ranks, accelerating step by step.

The guard battalion fired several volleys in quick succession, and the exercise ended abruptly.

Before Ximen Lang and Bai Ling could even react, almost all the tanks and combat soldiers were wiped out.

The white smoke, symbolizing those who had perished and withdrawn from the exercise, billowed out in large swathes.

In just a few minutes, the main force of 3000 men was reduced to a small group of routed soldiers and a small assault team that had been hiding for a long time.

In just a few minutes, the troops suffered nearly 8% casualties!
As Bai Ling was indeed deeply frustrated, Ximen Lang asked in bewilderment.

"Does this mean the exercise is over now? Look, there's just endless white smoke! It only took two or three minutes, just two or three minutes. I wouldn't say that 9% of the casualties were direct, but at least more than half are definitely gone."

"I remember that casualties in conventional troops are usually over 30%, which is enough to determine that they have lost most of their combat capability. We've lost more than half of our troops. Even if our fighting spirit is very strong, we can still continue to fight by relying on our strong will."

"But it's not going to be of much use now, is it? After all, almost everything that could be blown up has been blown up. Look at those tanks, look at those infantry fighting vehicles, almost everything that could be destroyed is gone. All that's left is this small group of infantry, oh, and that small assault team, can that even work?"

This is no joke from Ximen Lang; it is absolutely true that once the casualty rate of conventional troops exceeds 30%, they have indeed lost most of their combat capability.

Even those with poor combat skills and weak will, like a certain bald man, might fire a couple of shots into the air and consider it a decent wage for the low-ranking troops.
Even without exceeding 30%, people can directly experience large-scale collapses.

So, he genuinely felt that it was about time, and continuing the fight would be pointless, which is why Ximen Lang asked this question.

Bai Ling, and indeed most of the people present, generally agreed with this view.

After all, these people are professionals who have both eaten pork and seen pigs run, and have a deep understanding and unique insights into various battlefield situations.

Therefore, they actually see things more clearly and with a longer-term perspective than Ximen Lang.

In fact, they had already prepared themselves mentally for this even before the exercise began.

But when this scene actually happened in front of them, Bai Ling and the others still felt...
"This is outrageous! Absolutely outrageous! What's the difference between this kind of behavior, which relies solely on equipment superiority and firepower coverage, and the rogue United States?! No, you are even more shameless and outrageous than them!"

"At least the rogue US has fought us head-on, but look at you guys, all you do is bomb, bomb and bomb! The battle is almost over, and we haven't even seen a single one of you! Isn't this bullying?!"

Just as I was protesting loudly in my heart, something even more bullying came.

Seeing that drones were taking off in batches, turning on their radars, and beginning a full-coverage scan of the battlefield.

Coordinated with the ground-based robotic wolf squadron, they gave the city of Beijing no chance to catch their breath and immediately began the final cleanup of the battlefield.

He pointed to the drones flying all over the sky, the robotic wolves running around on the ground, and the white smoke that rose up every now and then.

Ximen Lang quickly embarrassed himself in front of Bai Ling.

"Ling'er, look, the final cleanup has begun. It might not be the final cleanup, since the people haven't gone up yet. But even if the final cleanup isn't complete, it's practically done."

"If all else fails, we can just unleash another indiscriminate barrage. We have plenty of shells, so a few more rounds should be fine!" Seeing that the battle had progressed to this point, Ximen Lang still wanted to launch a few more barrages, continuing to bombard the battlefield indiscriminately.

He's practically a living devil!
I'm impressed. Bai Ling is truly convinced this time.

I couldn't help but reminisce about the old days.

"Back then, it took us a lot of effort to take down a pillbox. Not to mention that there were very few artillery shells left in the entire army, we even had to be careful with our hand grenades and bullets."

"But you guys just ate the shells like candy, and so many of them, with such great power, such long range, and such accuracy! We lost, but we didn't lose unjustly! We lost not only because of our weapons and equipment, but also because of our logistics and our rear support!"

Before the fight even started, they had already lost more than half the battle. Wasn't that a fair defeat?

"But this is also good. Discovering the problem early allows us to start solving it sooner. So, although the defeat was a bit crushing and ugly, it's not too bad. At least we learned a profound lesson and saw the direction for the development of the army, so it's not a complete loss."

But seeing that Bai Ling actually saw through it all...
I was truly impressed!

Ximen Lang immediately clapped his hands in praise.

"That's right, war is all about logistics. If you understand that, then you're on the right track! When the cannons roar, gold flows like water. That's no joke! Without sufficient logistical support and a stable rear area, even if every soldier fights with their life on the line, you won't go far."

"Of course, it wasn't the same for Lao Luo and his group. Their lives only started to get better little by little after they established bases one by one."

He also emphasized the importance of logistics to Bai Ling, as well as the advanced war concepts of later generations.

Immediately, Ximen Lang realized something was wrong.

"Wait a minute, how old are you to be talking to me about the old days? When you returned to China, you were at most in your early twenties! Even if you skipped grades, you were at most 20!"

"He'd just graduated from university and returned to China when the war was almost over, and then he immediately transferred to the public security system, fighting spies and catching enemy agents. You want to talk to me about the past? Where would you get any 'past' from!"

"You were just a kid back then, what nonsense are you spouting about? What are you talking about back then?!"

That's right, when things were really tough, Bai Ling was still just a kid!

What could she possibly have back then?
Bai Ling's face immediately turned red.

A sharp pinch would spoil the mood and ruin the atmosphere for Ximen Lang, and the pain made him exclaim in pain.

"Even if you pinch me, I'll still say it: you were just a little kid back then!"

Bai Ling was so angry she couldn't take it anymore.

Then, he simply ignored Ximen Lang.

They turned around and arrived at Gao Cheng's command post.

Ximen Lang, of course, hurriedly followed.

As soon as they arrived, they heard...
"We lost. We had such a big equipment advantage, yet we were dragged out for so long. We lost this battle."

(End of this chapter)