Military career: Starting with a recruitment letter

Chapter 214 The exercise has ended, and the reconnaissance company is in the worst shape.

As the main force of the 188th Division withdrew, it attempted to deploy armored vehicles to cut off the combined battalion's infantry and tank offensive.

Battalion Commander Liu of the Second Battalion immediately gave the order.

The entire battalion withdrew to create distance, continuing to encircle the enemy from a distance in a "U" shape, coordinating with army aviation firepower to force the enemy's main force to continue maneuvering.

When the tanks of both sides closed the distance to 800 meters again, the 2nd Battalion, in company units, maneuvered around the left flank and coordinated with the right flank to penetrate and cut through enemy fire.

The battle shifted from small-scale skirmishes to tank dogfights and bayonet charges.

The atmosphere at the scene was extremely suffocating.

Despite the small number of personnel in the joint battalion, the 188th Division was a large unit.

Unfortunately, the Second Battalion had armor protection, and its ordinary machine guns and individual weapons posed no effective threat to the armor of the Type 96 tank.

The distance was increased.

Even the 188th Division's strongest asset, the infantry, lost its advantage.

They were constantly being worn down by the combined firepower of the army aviation from the long air.

Seeing the enemy's infantry fighting vehicles move out again, they dispersed and advanced.

Inside a tank crew of the Second Battalion.

A second-class sergeant served as the observation vehicle commander, constantly issuing orders.

"800 meters, 1 o'clock position, enemy vehicle 2 assigned, automatic loading complete, 1 round, fire!"

boom!
In the distance, a Type 63 troop carrier behind the main force of the 188th Division was blown up.

White smoke billowed out, and the entire train crew was rendered obsolete.

Ten seconds later.

"650 meters, 10 o'clock position, target the enemy's left flank, vehicle 2. Automatic loading complete, 1 round, fire!"

Boom! Another car explodes!

Within thirty seconds, the enemy infantry fighting vehicle was hit by the same tank in succession.

This resulted in the elimination of nearly thirty infantrymen from the main force of the 188th Division, and this was only one aspect of the battle.

On the battlefield, clusters of smoke and fire filled the air.

Zheng Decheng, the battalion commander of the 188th Division, initially planned to attack the left flank of the combined battalion in an attempt to cut off the firepower of the tank formation chain, but he could not hold out for more than a few minutes.

The Second Battalion then distanced themselves from the enemy and, in coordination with the Army Air Force, wiped them out completely.

The intercepting firepower is gone.

The remaining dozen or so tanks of the Second Battalion began to pursue the 188th Division from behind.

With Z-9 attack helicopters providing support in the air and tanks maneuvering, circling, and cutting through enemy lines on the ground, they were truly unbridled.

It was obvious that they were taking advantage of the fact that the 188th Division didn't have heavy equipment to support them.

A fierce pursuit.

From the drone's perspective, the Second Battalion looked like a fiery short spear, relentlessly pursuing and piercing the steel formation of the 188th Division, which stretched for several kilometers.

The casualty ratio rose sharply from 3:1 at the beginning to a terrifying 1:13.

What is this concept?
It was equivalent to the main force of the 188th Division, which, in a long-range attack, required more than a dozen tanks and dozens of soldiers to exchange for the loss of one tank of a combined battalion.

Without heavy armored cover, the remaining main force of the 188th Division completely collapsed in terms of organization.

Command was almost completely lost.

Even though the 188th Division had tanks, their numbers were too small, and they were surrounded by the main force of the 2nd Battalion to within 50 meters, with both sides exchanging fire in a circular pattern.

In situations where one is fighting two, or even one is fighting three or four.

There's no advantage to speak of.

Zheng Decheng looked at the battle situation behind him, his heart bleeding.

He could only keep telling himself to persevere, and persevere some more.

As long as the troops are spread out, they can get rid of the unbridled infiltration of heavy tanks from the rear and allow their own forces to spread out their lines.

We can definitely take down this damn tank.

pity!

Battalion Commander Zheng's idea is good.

But Operation Zone 5 was the battlefield that Chen Mo had tailored specifically for them.

It's not that easy to make them switch from a rescue mobile formation to a combat formation.
The main road was flanked by towering cliffs on the left and by a joint battalion coordinating with the army aviation on the right, chasing after them from behind.

Just when their main force had finally managed to disperse and gain the capability for mobile warfare, they arrived at the crossroads that Chen Mo had planned from the very beginning of the battle plan.

After receiving the report, Battalion Commander Zheng didn't think much of it. In any case, the purpose of the troops was to spread out, and as long as there was enough space, they could exert sufficient combat power.

The few dozen armored vehicles remaining from the 188th Division drove into the side roads on both sides.

The already limited firepower was further dispersed.

Meanwhile, the howitzer company, which had moved ahead of time to five kilometers from the exit of the right-hand fork, had been waiting for a long time.

Company Commander Chen Haitao, holding binoculars, stood on a high ground two kilometers away from the artillery position, watching the main force of the 188th Division emerge from the side road.

Company Commander Chen's face trembled with excitement as he ripped off his hat: "Damn it, they're finally here."

"Order: Fire the first shot from the reference gun, calibrate the direction, and fire a salvo from the entire company!"

"Yes!"

Get orders.

The sergeant behind Company Commander Chen immediately turned around and began signaling with flags towards the artillery position.

The howitzer company arrived earlier and knew in advance where to fire, so there was no need for much adjustment.

With a loud thud, clouds of dust erupted from the bottom of the artillery vehicle.

boom!
The 188th Division, which came out from the right side road, was maneuvering at high speed when it was hit by a howitzer shell five meters in front of it without any preparation.

"Pfft! Pfft!"

Two plumes of smoke billowed out as the first two armored vehicles in the line exploded, rendering the entire crew obsolete.

"Damn it, you fired too early! It's off by five meters. Adjust to the right by five meters. Prepare for a volley! Fire!"

Chen Haitao, holding binoculars, grinned and shouted.

The flag bearer waved the command flag again and gave the company commander's order to the artillery position.

The deputy company commander of the howitzer company noticed the flag signal.

He immediately grabbed the communicator and yelled: "Sighting man, watch down 532, elevation down 3, direction 005 to the right. Loader, watch out, grenade, instantaneous fuse, three rounds rapid fire, begin loading."

"Get ready, let go!"

Boom boom boom! ! !
Clouds of dust erupted from the artillery positions, engulfing the entire area.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the enemy troops coming out from the right flank of the 188th Division had two infantry fighting vehicles that had been destroyed before they could be moved because the side road was too narrow.

Another round of bombing has arrived.

Nearly thirty armored vehicles were covered by artillery fire. The mobile force that rushed into the right side road had no time to react, and the losses were already seven or eight out of ten.

The left side wasn't much better.

The anti-aircraft machine gun company of the joint battalion had also been waiting for a long time.

As soon as the enemy appeared, several anti-aircraft guns were leveled and began firing at the enemy convoy on the left.

Da da da.
The sound of shell casings hitting the tank, mixed with the smell of gunpowder in the air and the surrounding diesel fumes.

The battle eventually came to an end.

Taishan base.

Inside the meeting room, the leaders watched helplessly as the last main force was driven into a fork in the road, and the main force dispersed.

Tanks and land-based aircraft were pursuing them from behind, while anti-aircraft machine guns and grenades blocked their path from the front.

The main force of over a thousand men was mobilized to Operation Zone 5, originally with the purpose of a rescue.

But no one expected it.

The main rescue force suffered such a crushing and complete defeat.

From beginning to end, it was as if an invisible thread was pulling the course of the entire battle.

Although many on the scene were unwilling to admit it, one-third of the 188th Division's firepower was swallowed up by the so-called informationized battalion in four hours.

Can't we just deny that it works?
In the footage projected by the reconnaissance aircraft.

The two main forces that had maneuvered to the fork in the road had suffered over 70% casualties. Countless soldiers, with white smoke rising from their heads, got off their tanks, looking completely bewildered.

Even if the main force did not suffer any losses, they were merely struggling to hold on.

Especially on the right side of the road, a salvo from the howitzers left many soldiers with no chance to fight back.

One by one, the soldiers opened the rear hatch of the armored vehicle and looked around blankly.

In war, the most feared losers are the new recruits, because they have little experience and are the hardest to accept defeat.

A private, looking dejected, reached out to touch his uniform, then glanced at his squad leader's helmet, which was emitting white smoke.

He asked timidly in a low voice, "Squad leader, have we been defeated?"

heard asking.

The squad leader's already dark face turned even darker: "Shut up, you call this a defeat?"

"The enemy was too cunning, launching a surprise attack when we were unprepared. We were caught off guard and had to fight back hastily. It should be said that the victory was not obvious, or that we did not win at all."

How can you say they were defeated?

The private, who had just been lectured by his sergeant, was filled with mixed emotions, and a wave of bitterness washed over him.

Even if the victory wasn't significant, it was still a defeat.
Gradually, the private's eyes turned red with grievance, and tears involuntarily fell onto his dusty uniform.

This isn't crying; it's resentment and defiance!
The Strategic Assault Division, from the very first day the new recruits entered the camp, has been promoting the great 188th Division. Last night, they were marching off to the battlefield with high spirits and great vigor.

They shouted slogans to annihilate the enemy.

Unexpectedly, the battle was repeatedly thwarted from the start, and within just a few hours, the 188th Division, which the privates considered invincible, had already been defeated.

Even the usually all-powerful squad leader was smoking.

The battalion commander of the 188th Division was also on the right fork in the road and was eliminated in the same round of bombing.

He got out of the car, his whole body trembling with anger. What kind of damn information warfare unit was this? It was truly bizarre.

The timing of the operation was perfect, perfectly timed.

Even he didn't know there was a fork in the road here, and he was completely outmaneuvered by the other side. The question is, when did the other side's main force linger here?

Zheng Decheng had many doubts.

However, as a battalion commander, he knew that now was not the time to vent his anger, much less to admit defeat.

Even if you lose, you must lose with dignity.

The 188th Strategic Assault Division does not believe in tears.

As Battalion Commander Zheng passed by the private who had just been crying, he glared at him and said, "What are you crying about?"

"Hold it back! And you guys, what are you doing, pissing yourselves like that?"

A fierce and ruthless voice echoed.

This calmed the previously bewildered hearts of the soldiers.

Zheng Decheng pounded his chest hard, gritting his teeth as he said, "What the hell are they doing, wailing and crying?"

"We still have people left, even if there's only one person left, we still have a way of playing as one person."

"Crying is cowardly, it's shameful. Don't you dare embarrass yourselves here."

"Remember this, even if Chu has only three households left, it will surely be Chu that destroys Qin. Even if our battalion fights to the last man, we will die on the way to the front."

"Are there any survivors?"

"Give me a breath, then keep going, kill!"

"Forward! Kill!!"

Those soldiers who were not eliminated picked up their guns and charged out of the side road without fear of death.

The chariots are gone, but the people remain.

Field Army, never retreat!
boom! !

The second salvo from the howitzer company has arrived.

Smoke billowed and dust filled the sky.

The soldiers who had just charged forward looked blankly at their comrades beside them, as wisps of white smoke rose from each of them.

Lost!

No one survived.

This scene was witnessed by the leaders in the conference room.

Perhaps it was a coincidence, or perhaps Chen Mo chose the location too accurately.

The moment the 188th Division was completely annihilated.

He arrived at the last battlefield in a military vehicle driven by Liang Hongjie.

Many people enjoy admiring their own masterpieces.

Chen Mo was no exception. He had been planning this battle from beginning to end, and even this No. 5 combat zone was a place he carefully selected.

Now that the battle is over, he couldn't contain his excitement and went to the battlefield to watch.

Chen Mo got off the military vehicle and stood about a hundred meters away from the fork in the road on the right.

Watching the last remaining troops of the 188th Division being wiped out, he stood still, his gaze calm. Chen Mo looked at the annihilated main force of the enemy.

Inside the conference room, numerous leaders watched Chen Mo get out of the car through the reconnaissance planes hovering overhead.

Fu Hongyi, the commander-in-chief of the Kyoto Military Region, or rather the director of the Northwest Battlefield, stared at the commander who had not shown his face from beginning to end.

His expression was somewhat complicated.

Just now, a private from the 188th Division was captured crying. He was scolded by his squad leader and then by his battalion commander, but he didn't dare to say a word in the end.

And this kid, who wears the rank of lieutenant but doesn't even have an armband or collar insignia, if we really want to assess his seniority...

He should be a private, too.

They're both privates, so why is there such a big difference between them?

If Chen Mo hadn't arrived at the battlefield and appeared on the big screen at that moment, Fu Hongyi wouldn't have had such a profound experience.

The comparison makes the feelings more profound.

"Is this the brat in charge of this operation?"

Fu Hongyi looked up and gestured to the figure on the big screen.

"it's him."

Luo Yaowu was too embarrassed to admit it, but Wang Songhe responded through gritted teeth.

seriously.

If Commander Wang were given another chance, he would never resort to hiding troops.

He would definitely command the armored group to launch a frontal assault into the battlefield, even though as a motorized infantry division commander, he was not good at commanding large-scale armored assaults.

But considering the overall situation of this battle, and how we were inexplicably led by the nose.

Changing tactics will definitely have different consequences.

Unfortunately, no if.

A defeat is a defeat!
After a moment of silence, some people were processing the result, while others seemed lost in thought.

In short, this system showdown brought a different feeling to everyone present.

"Notification: The 188th Division is responsible for cleaning up the battlefield. All companies of the Information Battalion are to return to base."

“After Chen Mo returns, bring him to my office.”

"Prepare for the awards ceremony first thing tomorrow morning."

After saying these words, Fu Hongyi turned and left the conference room.

The officers were left looking at each other in bewilderment. After a long while, a staff officer set off to announce the end of the exercise via the public channel, requesting the entire battalion to return to base.

Chen Mo, of course, received the news immediately.

He glanced at the battlefield again, smelled the mixture of diesel and gunpowder, and only after memorizing the smell did he turn around and open the car door.

"Let's go, platoon leader, let's go back first."

"The other companies should have received the message by now, so they can go back and rest."

"Okay!!"

Liang Hongjie grinned in response, stepped on the gas, turned around, and sped off towards Taishan.

en route.

He had intended to chat with Chen Mo for a while and talk about the war. After all, Lao Liang had been at the base for several months and he knew very well what a sensation it would bring if the information technology experiment succeeded.

Although this exercise was not large in scale, it can still be considered a success, right?

But when I turned around, I found that Chen Mo had been asleep with his head tilted against the passenger side window ever since he got in the car.

I slept very soundly.

He didn't even wake up when his head hit the car window due to the bumpy ride.

There's no other way; commanding operations is too exhausting.

On the surface, it seemed that Chen Mo did nothing; most of the work was done by drones.

But if we really want to calculate it in detail...

Commanding is not so easy.

Before the start of a war, a commander must be familiar with the battlefield and the front lines, and study the enemy's operational thinking and firepower deployment.

Without this ability, one wouldn't even be qualified to be an advisor.

The joint battalion does not possess full combat capability; logistics alone is a major problem, and it is simply unable to withstand large-scale combat conflicts.

The only option is to use a clever tactic, like the story of Tian Ji's horse race, to use the fewest troops on one side to confront the enemy's strongest firepower.

It was also thanks to Wang Songhe's method of hiding troops that nearly a hundred tanks were concealed inside transport vehicles.

if not.

If the enemy were to actually use tractors to pull tanks into the battlefield in a large force, the combined battalion might not be able to retaliate.

No matter how powerful a system is, it is impossible to destroy a large-scale mechanical army without sufficient strength.

Chen Mo had to carefully plan every step of the way. One wrong step could delay the battle, allowing the enemy to react and their main force to converge ahead of schedule.

That would be a completely different situation.

Because Chen Mo was sleeping so soundly, Liang Hongjie simply slowed down the car. It should have taken a little over an hour to reach the base.

He drove for more than three hours on the way, trying to give Chen Mo as much sleep as possible.

Around 8 PM.

Cheng Dong led the reconnaissance company back to base first. If we were to say who made the biggest contribution in this exercise, it would probably be these reconnaissance soldiers.

It's not just about the effort put in.

The reconnaissance company set off from Jinyang and rushed to the 188th Division's garrison in Xiaocheng overnight, digging holes and retreating along the way.

Cheng Dong had just returned to the Huanglongwangou camp during the day when Chen Mo assigned him to fight against the tank regiment. Upon hearing this, Cheng Dong realized that he had been digging pits all night, and they were filled with enemy tanks that had not yet been assembled.

With only a small number of logistics soldiers guarding the area, how could they not take credit for it?
So he immediately led his men to fight desperately.

They risked their lives, and completed the mission quite well.

But he also got beaten up quite a bit.

The 188th Armored Regiment did not have many combat personnel, but it had a lot of logistical support. When the battle started, everyone fought their own battles, and if they were eliminated, they accepted it, since there were observers patrolling in helicopters all the time.

Few dared to cause trouble openly.

But when Chen Mo gave the order for the reconnaissance company to withdraw and be replaced by the rocket artillery company.

The problem was then exposed.

Come on, it's easy.

Withdrawing won't be so easy.

With so many soldiers in the 188th Division's logistics department, how could they just stand by and watch the reconnaissance company go over and cause a ruckus, and then safely retreat?

Therefore, during the retreat, although Cheng Dong had made preparations in advance, he did not even need the infantry fighting vehicles that had initially moved forward, and ordered the entire company to disperse and run in all directions.

But the soldiers who were eliminated by the 188th Division were chasing after them with their backsides covered.

Goodness, what a scene!

Hundreds of people scattered and chased after dozens of others.

If it weren't for the fact that the reconnaissance company's regular training focused on footwork, they probably wouldn't have made it back safely.

This is not.

Around 7:40 PM on June 1st.

Cheng Dong led his men back to their Huanglongwangou base first. Upon hearing that the exercise was over, he drove several logistics trucks back to the base.

As soon as the group got off the vehicle, the horrific scene startled the soldiers on duty at the base.

In the entire reconnaissance company, out of more than ninety men, not a single one had clean clothes; bruises and swelling were commonplace, and another twenty or so had bandages wrapped around their bodies.

Cheng Dong's lip was bruised and swollen from the beating; every time he opened his mouth to speak, it was pulled painfully.

"Damn it, count the number of people and see if everyone is here."

Cheng Dong put his left hand on his hip and touched the corner of his mouth with his right hand, hissing in pain from time to time.

Seeing that the people in the company didn't seem to be seriously injured, and that the military doctors in the camp's logistics department were quite skilled at bandaging, he turned his head left and right to look around the base, which didn't seem to be bustling with activity.

He then walked up to the sentry and asked, "Comrade, may I ask if the scholar has returned yet?"

"A scholar?" The sentry was a little confused.

"It's Staff Officer Chen."

"Oh, him? He's not back yet. When we were handing over our duties just now, I specifically told him to go to Instructor Luo's office when Staff Officer Chen came back, saying that a leader was looking for him."

"That's it."

Cheng Dong waved his hand, just about to go to his dorm to lie down for a while, and then turned around.

Liang Hongjie drove back, swaying and staggering.

Through the windshield, Company Commander Cheng saw Chen Mo sitting in the passenger seat, and he immediately exploded.

He ran quickly toward the military vehicle.

Liang Hongjie, who was driving, noticed that the company commander was in a bad mood, so he quickly stepped on the brake, pulled the handbrake, and got out of the car.

When Liang Hongjie arrived in front of Cheng Dong, he was also startled by the company commander's imposing appearance.

Staring in disbelief, he asked, "Company Commander, who beat you up?"

"Damn it, how dare you talk like that? Did I get beaten up?"

Cheng Dong pointed to his cheek: "You son of a bitch, didn't you see? Six or seven bastards from the 188th Division tried to hold me down, but they couldn't."

"They're in a much worse situation than me. If I weren't in a hurry to leave, I would have given them a good beating."

"Where's the scholar? Make him get off the carriage!!"

Cheng Dong pointed to Chen Mo, who was still fast asleep with his head tilted to the side in the passenger seat.

Even if Liang Hongjie had no experience at the grassroots level, he could guess that his company commander had been chased by enemy soldiers during the retreat.

As for whether there are seven or eight people, Liang Hongjie thinks that number should probably be halved.

But he dared not say it. If he dared to expose the shortcomings of the proud Company Commander Cheng to his face, he would probably be beaten even worse than the Company Commander.

He could only explain, "Company commander, the scholar has been commanding for a whole day and night, and he's too tired to get up now."

"Can't get up? That son of a bitch is always working like he's on steroids, how could he get tired?"

Cheng Dong clenched his fists, looking like he was cursing.

Chen Mo probably heard the noise, and after sleeping on the swaying ride, the sudden stop made it hard for him to sleep soundly.

I quietly opened my eyes.

Following the light from the streetlights, I saw the bruises on the company commander's face, and several other reconnaissance soldiers in the base were also wrapped in bandages.

Chen Mo secretly grinned, knowing that the company commander had come to settle scores with him.

There's no way to avoid it.

Chen Mo thought of a plan, then pretended to have just woken up, stretched, and got out of the car.

Seeing Cheng Dong standing in front of the car, Chen Mo was stunned for a moment, then his face lit up with joy. He rushed up and hugged Cheng Dong tightly: "Company Commander, we meet again."

"Our reconnaissance company made a great contribution this time. Chief of Staff Luo said that our company contributed the most."

“I saw it all. When you were retreating, more than a dozen people were chasing you, and you took them down one by one. When it comes to fighting, you still have to be in our reconnaissance company.”

"Of course." Upon hearing Chen Mo say that more than a dozen people were pursuing him, Cheng Dong's expression immediately softened considerably.

He had no idea how many people were chasing him; he was just focused on running. Who in their right mind would look back?

In drills where large-scale brawls break out, the fighters are ruthless; only a fool wouldn't run.

"Company commander, the second-class merit is a sure thing, it's ours, it has to be ours."

Chen Mo let go of Cheng Dong and patted his chest to assure him.

Just then, the sentry at the base gate ran over, stood at attention, and saluted, saying, "Staff Officer Chen, Instructor Luo said that you should go to his office as soon as you return."

"understood."

Chen Mo returned the greeting with a salutation.

Before Cheng Dong could react, he hurriedly said, "Company Commander, I'm going there, I'll be right back."

After saying that, Chen Mo took off running towards the base.

Cheng Dong only realized something was wrong after the others had run quite a distance away.

He stood with his hands on his hips, having also been without sleep for a day and a night, so his mind wasn't quite sharp. He stood there stunned for a long time before glaring and saying, "Hey, damn it."

"You brat, did I come here to ask you about this?"

"It almost got me all confused."

"You son of a bitch, come back here!!"

Listen to the company commander berate the scholar.

A group of reconnaissance soldiers, who had just finished taking attendance, were squatting inside the base, staring blankly at the two men.

They were not quite sure what had just happened.

But it's not hard to guess that the company commander has been fooled by the scholar again.

Nobody found it strange.

It's not like it's the first time.

(End of this chapter)