It's better to conquer them than to command the steel torrent

Chapter 235 | Twelve Hours to Go (The Big One Is Coming)
Early July.

As the comprehensive assessment of the '20th Division Plan' began, convoys of vehicles stretched out across the vast plains north of the Yanshan Mountains, with dense formations of aircraft weaving through the blue sky and white clouds.

Dust billowed, banners fluttered, and camps stretched as far as the eye could see.

This "major test" will be conducted in rotation, with two divisions undergoing the assessment, two divisions preparing for the assessment, and two divisions en route. The twenty armored infantry divisions are expected to take a month to complete.

The assessment includes five categories: marching, encounter battles, offense, defense, and delay. The scale varies, ranging from large-scale air-ground coordinated attacks at the division level to small-scale operations at the platoon or even squad level.

In fact, the evaluation committee composed of the General Staff and the General Headquarters is very rigorous, leaving no detail overlooked.

Because the assessment content is numerous and varied, it is scheduled very closely together.

During these three days, Mr. Shang, as the head of a division, barely slept a wink, probably only getting a few hours of sleep in total over the three days and two nights.

So when the assessment was over, without waiting for the results and comments, he went straight back to his tent and fell into a deep sleep, sleeping from noon until dawn the next day. After waking up, he asked the division's cooks to make him a big bowl of lard and egg noodles.

The assessment process for the 8th Mechanized Infantry Division went smoothly. There were no mishaps or outstanding performances. No one died due to accidents, and only more than 30 people were injured or sick.

As the saying goes, the absence of any surprise is the greatest surprise. Mr. Shang finally felt relieved and thought that passing the assessment smoothly was a good thing.

The evaluation committee has a professional and meticulous methodology for assessing the combat effectiveness of the troops, which is divided into five dimensions. The 8th Mechanized Infantry Division achieved an impeccable and comprehensive score with no weaknesses.

Reconnaissance capabilities: Speed ​​(Grade A), Detail (Grade A), Accuracy (Grade B)
Organizational capabilities: Speed ​​(Grade B), Completeness (Grade B), Flexibility (Grade A)
Mobility: Speed ​​(Grade A), Agility (Grade B), Obstacle Clearance (Grade B)

Protective capabilities: Fortifications (Class B), Camouflage (Class A), Chemical protection (Class C)

Support capabilities: Ammunition (Class B), Fuel (Class A), Medical care (Class B), Equipment maintenance (Class B)

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The evaluation committee believed that four months of training time was sufficient; however, seven or eight of the nineteen armored infantry divisions could only be considered barely qualified.

Of the nineteen divisions excluding the 1st Mechanized Infantry Division, the 11th Mechanized Infantry Division and the 8th Mechanized Infantry Division performed the best, but there were slight differences between the two.

The 11th Mechanized Infantry Division performed exceptionally well in all five assessment dimensions, demonstrating solid fundamental skills. Its fortification construction was rated as Grade A, and its chemical protection was rated as Grade B. However, its adaptability was a level lower than that of the 8th Mechanized Infantry Division, as the 11th Mechanized Infantry Division's performance in encounter battles and offensive operations appeared rather 'dogmatic' and not as agile as the 8th Mechanized Infantry Division.

The generals attributed this situation to the fact that Shang was, after all, a ruthless man who had been on the battlefield.

There's no way around it; those with real combat experience are different. Some details simply can't be learned through training and exercises alone.

The evaluation committee wrote a short comment for each unit, pinpointing the situation incisively.

So far, the worst performing unit is the 4th Mechanized Infantry Division. The assessment is: "The troops are in high spirits and act swiftly, but they are also impatient. Their action plans and organization are rather crude. They do not have a sufficient grasp of tactics, are making the slowest progress, have poor artillery accuracy, and are weak in attack. They are unable to undertake offensive missions and need to reflect on their performance."

In comparison, the evaluation of the 8th Mechanized Infantry Division was much better, stating: "The troops reacted quickly, acted swiftly, were adaptable, and displayed a cunning and flexible style. The various branches of the armed forces cooperated closely. However, there is still room for improvement in some areas, and the officers and soldiers of the unit exhibited a sense of pride and complacency."

Some say that the style of a unit is largely determined by the style of its commander, and this has proven to be very true, as the evaluation committee’s assessment of the 8th Mechanized Infantry Division was exactly the same as the advisory group leader’s evaluation of Mr. Shang.

Furthermore, given that the 4th Mechanized Infantry Division was not the worst when the General Headquarters sent people to inspect it before, there will inevitably be some units whose performance in subsequent assessments will be quite surprising.

While the army was busy with its work, the navy was not idle either.

The army has so many new units, and the navy has a lot of new toys.

The waters east of the Mariana Islands.

On the vast blue sea, the Federal Navy is also conducting large-scale joint training exercises in the Western Pacific.

What form will naval warfare take? This has been a common concern among all major powers in recent years.

Aircraft carriers possess far superior perception and strike range compared to battleships, combining the advantages of 'wide field of view' and 'long reach'. However, the power of carrier-based aircraft is still insufficient—dive bombers are not enough to sink capital ships, and torpedo bombers are too cumbersome. Every sortie results in the loss of some carrier-based aircraft, and the total number of carrier-based aircraft that can be carried is limited.

Perhaps in the near future, aircraft carriers will be able to stand on their own, but at present, they cannot dominate naval warfare.

The Pacific Fleet of the National Defense Navy deployed a total of seven aircraft carriers (three small and four large), along with five fast battleships (battlecruisers) and dozens of warships of various sizes. The scale of this joint training exercise was unprecedented and exceptionally spectacular.

Despite having been informed of the situation in Washington beforehand, the American Pacific Fleet remained somewhat tense and maintained a close watch on the situation.

Despite the tension, Sunday is still a day off.

Who works on Sundays for no reason? Weekends are for rest!
So what is the most enjoyable form of entertainment in this era? Without a doubt, it's taking a luxury cruise.

On the last day of mid-July, the Bremen cruise ship, flying the Union Jack, sped across the icy North Atlantic at a speed of over twenty knots.

The Bremen is currently approaching the Nova Scotia peninsula and will soon enter the St. Lawrence River.

In this vicinity, not far to the south is the territorial waters of America (Maine), and to the north is the territorial waters of Canada (Nova Scotia).

Acting Captain Ryan Turner gazed into the distance, surrounded by his crew and several plainclothes agents with hawk-like eyes.

At that moment, the lookout reported that two American warships were approaching.

Soon after, it was determined that they were two patrol boats from the American Coast Guard, which used light signals to demand that the Bremen stop for inspection.

Turner felt a sudden tightness in his chest, but he quickly forced himself to calm down.

The intelligence chief beside him said, "Captain, ignore the Americans and speed up into the St. Lawrence River."

"What if they open fire? They might have already noticed something amiss."

"No, the Americans have no evidence, they cannot use force."

"But……"

Turner was about to say something more, but the head of the intelligence service abruptly interrupted him, saying bluntly, "If they really wanted to sink this ship, it wouldn't just be the Coast Guard here."

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□ Subsequently, Turner ordered a succinct response using light signals, rejecting the other party's request.

"No, this is international waters. My ship will maintain its current course."

Two patrol boats veered off course, attempting to overtake the Bremen and force it to stop.

However, the Bremen began to accelerate, with the steam turbines running at full capacity, and this behemoth of more than 40,000 tons gradually increased its top speed to more than 30 knots!
The luxury cruise ship sped along at a speed equivalent to that of a light cruiser, easily overtaking the coast guard patrol boats and plunging headlong into the St. Lawrence River.

The Bremen is a new super liner built by Walland, with a displacement of 4.2 tons and a top speed of 33 knots. It won the Atlantic Blue Ribbon Award ten years ago.

On the eve of the defeat at Varland, the Bremen attempted to escape, but was unfortunately intercepted by the Royal Navy en route.

As for now... it was a false alarm.

Captain Ryan Turner pointed to the nautical chart and said, "We have entered Cannavaro."

The intelligence chief nodded and said, "The Americans must be suspicious, Captain. War may break out soon."

Turner sighed and said quietly, "I seriously doubt whether we're on the right track."

"Who knows, Captain? Can we prepare our 'passengers' to disembark now?"

"No, the speed will decrease significantly once we enter the inland waterways. We will arrive in Quebec City late tonight, and our 'passengers' will still have time to have dinner."

In the past, the passengers of the Bremen were either wealthy upper-class people or lower-class people who immigrated to the Americas with their families with the intention of getting rich.

This time, however, the Bremen did not carry ordinary passengers.

A long queue formed at the elevator entrance because only one food cart could be accommodated at a time, so the waiters were all waiting in line.

Before long, a waitress pushed a food cart to the seventh floor. All the guest room doors were open, and the corridors were bustling with noise, filled with the cacophony of Russian, as Imperial Russian soldiers chatted and smoked.

Looking around, one sees a large crowd and swirling smoke.

The Bremen carried 4328 officers and men of the 2nd Kerch Naval Infantry Brigade of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, along with corresponding weapons and equipment and approximately 400 tons of ammunition.

This was the dirtiest and most chaotic flight the Bremen had ever experienced. She wondered how much effort it would take to restore it to its original state upon its return. The flight attendant thought to herself.

Of course, what the waitress didn't know was that the Bremen was actually intended by the Royal Navy to be a high-speed troop transport ship, but there wasn't enough time to convert it yet. All the supporting entertainment facilities and luxurious decorations would be removed after the ship returned to port.

That night.

London authorities have learned that the Bremen has successfully arrived in Quebec.

This is not the first time the United Kingdom has secretly transported troops to Cannavaro; in fact, it is the third time.

To date, the United Kingdom has reinforced Cannavaro with one United Kingdom Army infantry brigade (regiment) and two Imperial Russian Navy infantry brigades through similar means.

The total number of troops who secretly arrived in Cannavaro was approximately 1.2, including about 3000 British troops and about 9000 Imperial Russian troops.

Washington has never been a monolithic entity. The decentralized system has led to poor inter-departmental communication, and without specific instructions from the White House, it would be difficult to maintain stable administrative efficiency.

Fortunately, Washington was quite vigilant and closely monitored the secret talks between the Ivanrod Empire and the United Kingdom, as the two sides seemed to be getting too close lately.

A week ago, the FBI received an anonymous tip-off that the writer claimed to have seen a large number of soldiers boarding the Bremen cruise ship, which was bound for the Americas.

As is well known, the FBI is an internal agency, and theoretically this matter is not under the FBI's jurisdiction. Fortunately, Director Hoover was cautious and investigated the matter in detail.

You wouldn't believe it until you look into it. The Bremen was intercepted by the United Kingdom a few months ago and its operations were suspended. Why is it suddenly restarting operations this time?

According to publicly available maritime information, the Bremen is now being operated by Carnarvon White Star Line and is currently on a voyage to Quebec.

Although no evidence could be produced at the moment, the FBI informed the Navy and Coast Guard about the matter. However, the Navy did not take it seriously, and only the Coast Guard sent patrol boats to intercept and inspect the vessel.

Upon learning of the Coast Guard's failed interception, Chief Hoover sensed something was wrong and immediately contacted the Navy while ordering agents and informants in Quebec to closely monitor the situation on the St. Lawrence River.

These days, America has neither a CIA nor a DIA, and even the OSS hasn't been established yet. Its intelligence agencies are weak and fragmented. The FBI only has a few undercover agents abroad, mainly responsible for tracking down transnational smuggling.

Two days later, an agent rushed back to the Department of Justice with film, bringing irrefutable and deadly intelligence—the passengers who disembarked from the Bremen were actually fully armed soldiers.

Sweating profusely, Director Hoover called the White House directly and eventually met with the president in person.

Meanwhile, the Army Chief of Staff and the newly appointed Secretary of the Navy also learned of this earth-shattering news.

The president calmly asked, "I would like to know more specific details."

The director stated in as much detail as possible: "Mr. President, the day before yesterday morning, an agent investigating smuggling came to the mountains north of Quebec. Through his binoculars, he saw many soldiers carrying rifles disembarking. He then took some photos and immediately returned home. The agent estimated there were one or two thousand men, but considering that the Bremen is a giant cruise ship, we have reason to suspect that the actual number of soldiers is much higher."

"I don't understand why the Navy knows nothing about this?" The president's tone was calm, but it clearly carried a questioning tone.

"I'm sorry, Mr. President, I'm handling a handover process and no one has reported any such intelligence to me," Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox replied helplessly.

Although Knox is a Republican, he was personally invited by the president to become a hawk and only took office as Secretary of the Navy last week.

Army Chief of Staff George Marshall's eyes gleamed as he solemnly declared, "This is an extremely dangerous sign, Mr. President. There has been ongoing talk that the Britons might continue their alliance with the Ivan Rus' and then invade the Americas, and this is no exaggeration."

The scene fell into deathly silence.

The president stared ahead absentmindedly for six or seven seconds before speaking: "We should prepare for the worst, including taking the initiative to avoid being put in a passive position."

Decisive indeed! Truly a good president of the United States!

Marshall inwardly applauded and nodded, asking for instructions: "Mr. President, I recommend that the Louisiana exercises be suspended immediately and preparations be made to execute the 'Red War Plan.' The Michigan and Maine National Guards are ready within forty-eight hours."

"I then signed a presidential decree to immediately inform the Chinese people of this matter. Then, I will question the United Kingdom embassy about what they intend to do. The United States needs a response from them within twelve hours."

"Yes!"

(End of this chapter)