Military career: Starting with a recruitment letter

Chapter 267 New Formation, Second Air Raid Alarm
As Wang Jianbin continued to explain the performance of the new tank, many people in the surrounding crowd couldn't help but widen their eyes and gasp.

It's not hard to imagine from the data alone that the main battle tank formations of the field army will reach an unprecedented level of integrated offense and defense.

With its brand-new composite armor, the Type 98's survivability is increased by approximately 60% compared to the Type 96.

The 1500-horsepower engine is also one-third more powerful than the 1000-horsepower engine.

The speed limit for motor vehicles on highways has been increased to 80 km/h.

Do you know what this means?

With a road speed of 80 km/h, it can run almost as fast as a transport vehicle, making it arguably the fastest tank in the world today.

Its maneuverability per unit time is 15% higher than that of the American M12.

Of course, these detailed comparative data were all analyzed by Wang Jianbin himself. Many cadres on site could only see the data, and their knowledge of the equipment was insufficient.

The details of the comparison are unknown.

After saying all that,

West Campus gate.

Everyone's breathing quickened, and their eyes couldn't help but turn to the distant artillery and vehicle range, where the new tanks that had been delivered a few days ago were parked.

In short, the new main battle tank is powerful in every aspect.

without any exaggeration.

The Type 98 main battle tank, based solely on its specifications, surpasses the T-90 and M12 in many key areas, including firepower, mobility, protection, air defense, and coordination.

The true king of land warfare, number one in the world!

Tanks are undoubtedly the lover of armored commanders—those steel monsters with their camouflage paint, futuristic curves, imposing smoothbore cannons, and heavy tracks.
These massive lovers, weighing tens of tons each, are quite adorable.

"Scholar, can we test the new tank now?" Liu Hongyun, a lieutenant colonel, led a few key personnel from the 7th Brigade, acting like a child who had just finished school.

He grabbed Chen Mo's arms with both hands, his eyes gleaming.

"Let go!" Chen Mo slapped Liu Hongyun's hands away impatiently, turned to look at the surrounding crowd, and said in a low voice, "Liu Ying, you are a cadre, have some self-respect. This is uncivilized."

"I'm so refined, what am I?"

Liu Hongyun wasn't buying it. He said urgently, "You said before that I could try out new weapons here."

"I've been here for a week now, haven't I?"

"Damn it, we clean the new guns every day but haven't fired a single shot. We look at the tanks every day but aren't allowed to touch them. Now the data from above has arrived, indicating that we're allowed to test them, but we can't even move them?"

"It's not that you can't move."

Chen Mo corrected him seriously, "The new equipment is too complex. We need to move it in a planned way and make contact with it in a structured manner. At least we should wait until the engineers arrive before we can talk about it."

The group chatted as they walked toward the cafeteria.

The scholar was not a stingy person.

The new equipment was not allowed to be used for several reasons. Firstly, the Type 95 rifle, the first generation of rifles, had a bad reputation in later generations, and there were reasons for that.

With heavy training tasks and too many new recruits at the moment, Chen Mo didn't want to cause too much unnecessary discussion because of equipment issues.

As for tanks.

No new equipment is new to Chen Mo. Whether he has driven it or seen it before, the Type 98 main battle tank has no appeal to him.

But Liu Hongyun is no good.

That bastard is after the new equipment. If he figures it out and understands everything, what if Old Liu leaves the demonstration camp?

With such a large operation involving both infantry and tank companies, where could they find officers knowledgeable in these areas to provide instruction?
After finally calming down a group of agitated cadres, we had dinner.

Chen Mo left the West Campus and headed towards the administration building office on the East Campus.

In his spare time, he could always be seen wandering around the staff headquarters or his own office, but this afternoon, ever since he gave Lao Man some advice...

I haven't seen him for most of the day.

Chen Mo was a little puzzled and turned to look at Wang Jianyong: "Squad leader, did you see Lao Man when you were eating just now?"

"No."

Wang Jianyong shook his head. He thought about it carefully: "But I did see him in the afternoon. He seemed to be carrying a stack of things and wandering around the rest area, chatting with five or six veterans."

“Even the old man who used to sell soda in the neighborhood every day on his tricycle has switched to a motorcycle and is coming over. I saw Lao Man chatting with that old man this afternoon.”

"What old man?!"

Chen Mo was speechless, but he already had a vague guess.

The old man Wang Jianyong mentioned is likely a fellow villager who sells things near the howitzer battalion's camp. Goodness, if it really is him, then he has come to Jincheng from Hedong City with the army.

They're really going all out to sell a few packs of cigarettes and some drinks.

It's over 300 kilometers, and 700 kilometers round trip. Selling that little bit of stuff probably wouldn't even cover the gas money for the round trip.

Wang Jianyong must have sensed Chen Mo's mood, because he shrugged and said, "I talked to that old man before. He has no children and just sells odds and ends all day."

"On the howitzer battalion side, apart from the grain depot in Hedong City which is guarded by personnel from another unit, we have the most people."

“When our people came to Jincheng, he asked around among the other comrades and came along too. He should be renting a place in a nearby town and also selling things. The cigarettes and beer that Liang Pai bought a few days ago were from this old man.”

"Battalion Commander, you're looking for Lao Man, should I go find him?"

"No need, let him be."

Chen Mo waved his hand: "Recently, I transferred Lao Man to the logistics supply platoon as platoon leader. Let him do whatever he wants."

"Yes!"

Chen Mo didn't ask any further questions about Manxue's studies.

On the contrary, the fellow villager who was selling goods mentioned earlier gave him a lot of thought.

The demonstration battalion will eventually have to return to the howitzer battalion's base. Once it returns, all the benefits for family members serving in the military will be implemented.

Building a public service center might actually be helpful for this kind of elderly man who is always on the go.

Return to your office.

Chen Mo immediately tidied up his desk, took out the topographic map that the reconnaissance company had drawn during their recent trip, and spread it on the table.

Examine it carefully.

Currently, the demonstration battalion, including mechanized infantry, tanks, reconnaissance, and medical units, has been engaged in the construction of the site.

Starting from the basics aims to familiarize the soldiers in each company with the tasks and give the officers more opportunities to adapt.

But the entire battalion consists of veterans, and they can adapt to regular training quickly, in as little as a month or half a month.

The demonstration battalion is a combined-size unit, and it certainly won't train according to the fixed company size indefinitely, as that would deviate from the original intention.

Therefore, Chen Mo must, in the shortest possible time, assemble all the military units except for those for air defense, grenade launchers, and long-range rocket artillery.

Complete the previous size of the Blue Army battalion, eliminate the existing companies, and completely establish tactical modules based on platoons.

But this step is the most difficult.

The size of a squad is not suitable for all battles. When necessary, it is also necessary to form a reinforced company-sized combat unit to undertake corresponding tactical tasks.

While logistics are being rebuilt, other units cannot be put on hold.

For example, chemical defense and engineering units should appear in the form of detachments, with a size smaller than a company but larger than a platoon.

In addition, regardless of whether the weapons have arrived or not, tactical missile units, electronic units, and radar units also need to be planned.

The battalion may not be able to achieve this for the time being, but as the battalion commander, I must plan ahead.

Logistics will be handled by Liang Hongjie, and with Lao Man's assistance for the time being, there shouldn't be any problems.

The engineers and chemical defense personnel
Chen Mo stared at the map, his brows furrowed, looking quite troubled.

There are many cadres in the demonstration camp, but very few are truly capable of shouldering heavy responsibilities.

The higher authorities have allocated quotas for promotion and advancement.

The question is, who should receive these benefits?
Chen Mo mentally reviewed all the officers in the battalion, and suddenly his eyes lit up. He thought of Wang Yanjun, the platoon leader of the reconnaissance company.

This guy is a ruthless person.

To be able to serve as a platoon leader in a reconnaissance company, you need to have some real skills.

“Old Wang!!”

"Old Wang!!!"

Chen Mo shouted loudly without even raising his head. His intention was to call Wang Jianyong over so that he could learn more about this platoon leader.

They heard footsteps and went inside.

Just as Chen Mo was about to ask a question, he looked up and realized that Old Wang had indeed arrived.

But it wasn't Wang Jianyong, it was Wang Songhe.

"Hello, Chief!!"

Chen Mo awkwardly stood up at attention and saluted!

It wasn't until then that Wang Jianyong rushed to the door, stopped abruptly, and stood there blankly at the office door.

Somewhat at a loss.

Chen Mo gestured for Wang Jianyong to leave first, then quickly ran to the coffee table and moved a chair over.

He placed it next to the desk and offered the main seat to Wang Songhe: "Commander, please sit!"

Old Wang didn't stand on ceremony. He glanced at the map on the table, pulled up his trouser legs, and sat down in his office chair.

"The military exercise in southern Guangdong has begun. Some of the troops stationed at Qinglong Gorge are returning to their posts. I will also be going back tomorrow."

Wang Songhe got straight to the point and explained his purpose.

Chen Mo's face lit up with joy, secretly thinking, "This is great news!"

After all, there is a clear hierarchy in the military. The people in the sergeant academy are temporarily managed by the operations and training department. Those people basically don't interfere with the affairs of the demonstration battalion and rarely wander around.

But Old Wang is different.

His mission here was to study, and he wandered around all day, his figure could be seen everywhere.

It feels like a group of friends going out to play, but there's always a homeroom teacher following behind them, which is particularly awkward.

However, despite his joy, he couldn't show it too obviously. Chen Mo rubbed his hands together with a regretful expression: "Leaving so soon."

"I'm hoping to learn more from the leader."

Wang Songhe didn't believe a single punctuation mark in what Chen Mo said.

To come up with ideas about non-wartime combat losses during a military exercise—is that the kind of thinking and methods a normal person should have?
I'm too lazy to argue with him any further.

Wang Songhe tapped the map directly: "I saw the people in the camp preparing the training grounds this afternoon. Are you really planning to cram so many companies into the informationized battalion?"

"With a battalion-level size, how can it mobilize so many different types of troops?"

Old Wang had asked Man Xuexi about the same topic that afternoon, and now he was asking Chen Mo about it again.

"more than."

Chen Mo shook his head. Wang Songhe's original intention was to study and prepare for the establishment of the Jincheng Military Region.

Therefore, Chen Mo didn't need to hide anything, because many systems couldn't be managed by someone in the Jincheng Military Region just because he said so.

"Sir, what you see are infantry and tanks, medical, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare equipment, but that's only one aspect."

"Following this are air defense, howitzer, long-range rocket artillery, engineers, chemical defense, and other units."

"So many?" Wang Songhe frowned. He had heard Chen Mo's plan for a battalion with nine companies before, but planning and implementation are two different things.

According to Wang Songhe's prediction, as long as a few companies are established in the demonstration battalion and equipped with information technology equipment for combat, it can also be considered an information technology battalion.

But clearly, Chen Mo's appetite was much bigger than he had imagined.

"Sir, there aren't many."

Chen Mo took a deep breath: "The fixed company structure will definitely be abolished in the future, and tactical modules based on platoons will be established."

"The commanders should have seen the performance of the Type 98 main battle tank. With the deployment of this equipment, the manpower of the battalion will definitely be further reduced."

"reduce?"

Wang Songhe was initially a little confused, but he quickly realized that it was indeed a reduction.

Since the mechanization of equipment in the 1990s, the field army has been continuously downsizing. The main reason for this is the upgrading of equipment, which originally required millions of troops to meet the needs of national defense.

It has been declining ever since.

These are not difficult to understand; take the border guards for example.

In the earliest days, border defense troops were stationed in units at the army level. At that time, the same defense area relied on mules and horses for maintenance.

In the 1970s, motorization gradually replaced the use of mules and horses, and the largest unit in border defense changed from the army to the division.

In the late 1980s, a large number of military transport vehicles and armored vehicles entered the border defense, and the vast majority of pack animal and cavalry unit designations disappeared permanently.

The border defense division became a border defense regiment.

The replacement of field army equipment represents a transformation, and the departure or retention of personnel is not uncommon throughout the army.

Let's return to the demonstration camp.

Chen Mo's words are not hard to understand.

Based on the performance of the Type 85 main battle tank, a task that might require fifty vehicles to complete could be accomplished by the Type 96, while a task that would require thirty vehicles could be accomplished by the Type 96.

The Type 98 can now be completed with just twelve vehicles.

The Type 98 even greatly reduced the frequency of infantry coordination, and even infantry line-crossing operations were significantly reduced.

This is just a new type of tank.

Don't forget, the demonstration battalion also has drones, which reduces the number of reconnaissance soldiers, and high-tech equipment such as radar.

All things considered, having many battalion-level units and companies doesn't necessarily mean having a large number of personnel.

"Your kind of squad-based thinking is very similar to the combined arms thinking that was mentioned in the military in the 1980s."

Wang Songhe responded while thinking: "Xiaoman also mentioned this to me this afternoon. He said it's not because the demonstration battalion can drive so many branches of the military, but because information technology brings these people together."

"You could say that."

Chen Mo remained silent.

He had nothing to refute; only with the right technology could a synthetic unit be formed.

Even if he's incredibly skilled, he can't possibly combine synthetic units using a semi-mechanized communication system that relies on radios or shouting.

"You're a talented person! You should belong to the Jincheng Military Region!"

Wang Songhe shook his head, and seeing Chen Mo's wary look, he grinned and took out a pen from his pocket.

"You little brat, even if I wanted to bring you to the 61st Division now, I probably couldn't. Kyoto won't let you go."

"Fine, I'm going back tomorrow. Tell me the size of your squad."

“The size of a tactical squad isn’t fixed, sir. There’s no point in telling you.”

Chen Mo shrugged; what he said was true.

There are various forms of detachments, some of which are adjusted according to the capabilities of the officers, while others are designed to facilitate terrain training.

"Stop talking nonsense. Just tell me the most common one, the one you plan to build the Kyoto demonstration camp on. Pick one that's reasonable for me."

"alright."

Old Wang is an expert; he can't be fooled, and Chen Mo didn't intend to fool anyone either.

He got up and walked to the filing cabinet, took out a draft he had prepared long ago, and handed it to Lao Wang: "Commander, this is one of the four combat detachments I plan for the entire battalion."

"Take a look."

Wang Songhe didn't stand on ceremony; he reached out and took the manuscript, examining it carefully.

This combat unit is not difficult to understand; the whole team consists of 85 people and a total of 28 vehicles.

When this design was made, the Type 98 main battle tank probably hadn't arrived yet; Chen Mo was writing about the Type 85 third-generation main battle tank.

Six tanks, each with an 18-person crew; six armored vehicles, each with a 12-person crew; plus 30 mechanized infantrymen, were assigned to two crews.

The fleet includes one logistics ammunition vehicle crew (4 people including the driver and gunnery sergeant major), two troop carrier crews (4 drivers), one reconnaissance vehicle (5 reconnaissance soldiers), two drones (2 operators), two engineer mine-clearing vehicles (8 engineers), one field repair vehicle, one crane vehicle (12 repairmen), one medical vehicle (5 people including the driver and field medics), and one chemical defense vehicle (5 personnel).
to be frank.

Wang Songhe can be considered a veteran of the battlefield. A person who can become the commander of a Class A motorized infantry division in the north is definitely not an ordinary person.

But looking at this list of detachments, he really got a feeling about it.

That is, if the demonstration battalion were organized according to this structure, he really wouldn't be able to lead it.

"This is what you designed?" Wang Songhe asked incredulously.

"That's it."

Chen Mo nodded: "However, sir, with the addition of the Type 98 main battle tank, we may need to cancel some individual soldier or vehicle units later on, depending on the situation."

"With the addition of other new weapons, the organizational structure will also change."

"Of course, some units will not be dispersed and merged into the main combat units. For example, the military region may give me helicopter units, tactical missile units, electronic units, radar units, etc. My plan is for them to be independent."

Listening to Chen Mo's eloquent explanation of the process.

A sense of desolation welled up in Wang Songhe's heart for no apparent reason.

The reforms during the mechanization phase have been ongoing, and now information technology has made such a strong debut.

This veteran soldier was surprised to find that he didn't quite understand the thinking of the younger officers. This was a real blow to him.

This is only one battalion.

Will we see groups, brigades, or divisions emerge in the future?

By then, will these old guys still have the opportunity to contribute their remaining energy?

Thinking about it.

Wang Songhe put down the manuscript, sighed softly, stared at the map on the table for a long time without saying a word.

The Jincheng Demonstration Camp can be built, but can it be built into a unit comparable to the Kyoto Demonstration Camp?
In the afternoon, Xiaoman mentioned that the definition of informatization from above has never been very clear.

Some people prefer auxiliary combat, some prefer combat power, and some prefer to have both combat power and replicability.

At the time, the man surnamed Man even said that the Kyoto demonstration camp was replicable.

Now that Lao Wang has seen the squad organization, he's like, "How the hell can you copy this? Can you copy one and let me see?"

But this feeling didn't last long.

Wang Songhe suddenly remembered that he was supposed to bring Man Xuexi back with him. He looked up at Chen Mo and asked, "By the way, where is Man Xuexi?"

“Jincheng needs him to build the camp, so I’m taking him with me.”

"do not know."

Chen Mo shook his head without any emotional fluctuation.

Thinking to himself, Old Wang is really overthinking things. You're a division commander, and you think you can lead people out of the Kyoto Demonstration Camp?

The reason you're allowed to leave is because you're old and there's no point in keeping you here. Not only will the military region not let you go, but the Academy of Sciences probably wouldn't be happy for you to leave the demonstration camp at this time when you're fully engaged in learning.

How could you not know?

Wang Songhe glared at him, about to raise his hand to slam the table and reprimand Chen.

A deep, resonant sound echoed throughout the entire Sergeant Academy.

Woo.
The air raid siren blared, and the chilling sound startled Chen Mo.

He quickly got up, not even having time to say goodbye to Lao Wang, and ran downstairs.

Damn it, this is the second time.

The second time, even he, the battalion commander, was unaware of what was happening, the air raid siren sounded, and only a week had passed between the two incidents.

It's also thanks to Chen Mo's big heart and strong ability to withstand pressure.

Otherwise, who could stand it if it happened so often?
"what happened?!!"

Come downstairs.

Chen Mo saw the soldiers running towards him from the west campus and hurriedly asked them what was going on.

"Reporting, Battalion Commander, an order has come through the fax machine in the operations duty room."

"Bring it!"

"The 63rd Army Headquarters issued an order that tremors were felt in multiple areas of Datong and Xiaocheng, requiring all military units stationed in the military region to enter a state of first-level combat readiness."

"earthquake?!!"

"Will there be an earthquake in Shanxi Province?"

Chen Mo looked up, recalling with a puzzled expression. He didn't seem to have experienced an earthquake in his previous life.

Of course, he wasn't in Jincheng at this time in his previous life, and too much time had passed, so he forgot whether there was an emergency assembly, but he definitely hadn't experienced an earthquake.

While one may remember the orders, the military region's orders cannot be disobeyed.

"Go and notify Company Commander Liang of the logistics department to open the rear warehouse, distribute individual rations to the entire battalion, and ensure that all vehicles are fully fueled."

"The broadcast tells all soldiers to assemble at the training ground and await orders. Once assembled, they are not allowed to enter any buildings."

"Yes!"

Chen Mo handed the faxed order to the veteran, who immediately ran back.

This time it wasn't an accident; there was a real order being issued.

"Company commander, quick, go and draft a maneuver plan, be ready to deploy at any time."

"Wang Jianyong, go and connect the TV signal from the conference room to the training ground and broadcast a local news and current affairs talk show."

"Other cadres, do a good job of reassuring them and don't panic."

"Logistics, medical, external liaison, communications, all prepare yourselves!"

"Yes!!"

Every time Chen Mo saw a cadre coming to assemble, he would issue instructions based on the plan in his mind.

This was his first time serving as a battalion commander.

This level of combat readiness is also something we've never encountered before.

We can only rely on conventional procedures and take it one step at a time.

Soon, the entire battalion was neatly assembled on the training ground.

The soldiers were unaware of what had happened, and Chen Mo did not exaggerate or publicize it.

Since the military region only asked them to stand by and didn't call, it was good news in a way.

Hopefully, no further orders will be issued!
(End of this chapter)