Military career: Starting with a recruitment letter

Chapter 291 Field Army, Doesn't Believe in Excuses
Inside the information command center of the East Campus, everyone's smiles remained, and even Chen Mo seemed to be in a much more relaxed mood.

But it only made me feel a little more relaxed; I wasn't completely at ease.

After the initial maneuver phase of night training, the heavily armed convoy gradually departed.

Chen Mo's expression turned serious again.

Being able to drive tanks out from the vehicle and artillery range is just the beginning of the entire night training operation.

Further on, there are enemy-simulated minefields and various assault obstacles waiting.

Chen Mo knew that the first large-scale training session for the entire battalion wouldn't go so smoothly.

The reason why the mobilization from the camp went smoothly was because all the soldiers in the company were familiar with the terrain of the campus. Even newcomers could wander around the area with their eyes closed after a while.

But outside.

A vast world doesn't necessarily guarantee smooth collaboration.

The larger the site, the higher the required communication frequency, and the more difficult it is for troops to deploy.

If it's just a narrow passage, at most two tanks can drive out side by side; they just need to queue up, and there's nothing difficult about it.

Outside, it's hard to say.

At this moment, outside the West Campus.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh.
The reconnaissance company began launching hand-launched drones, which took off one after another into the night sky to conduct forward reconnaissance. At the same time, radar vehicles were spinning wildly, on alert for any possible air attack.

Rumble!
Rumble!
The earth trembled, accompanied by the deafening roar of high-powered engines. One after another, Type 98 and Type 85 main battle tanks rapidly spread out, their heavy steel tracks relentlessly crushing the ground.

Because of the late autumn, the withered grass swaying in the wind was completely crushed into the dust and merged into the earth.

The massive train crew is being deployed.

In mid-September in Jinyang, it was cold outside, but inside the tank, the air was unusually hot and dry. The air, mixed with the smell of diesel engine oil, filled the cramped space, and all the crew members had serious expressions.

There wasn't even time to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

As the vanguard of the demonstration battalion and also responsible for the battalion's defense, the tank crews had their requirements made by their company commander and Battalion Commander Liu long before the night training began.

If the lead team wants to do well, to be the first to achieve results, and to have the opportunity to earn merit or be promoted, then they need to be outstanding.

In order to maximize combat effectiveness, the commander, driver, and tank gunner/missile operator must achieve a high degree of coordination.

Driving a tank is far more difficult than driving other vehicles because these mechanized toys produced by the army were designed for combat from the day they were created.

A lifelong battle.

"Attention! Forward command tank 1, there is an obstacle at the 12 o'clock position ahead of you. Over!"

The tank crews, which were dispersing and maneuvering, heard an alarm from the reconnaissance company.

Inside the command tank, the commander, who was responsible for auxiliary observation, immediately began nighttime infrared observation of the area directly ahead.

"200 meters ahead, at the 12 o'clock position, there is a target obstacle, an anti-tank cone. Move the vehicle halfway to the left."

"Roger that!"

The driver responded with a cold gaze. Even with the infrared sensor on, the main field of vision in the tank's driver's compartment is only 60 degrees. Therefore, most of the tank's orders are given by the commander, who has a wider field of vision.

The sergeant driver, with precise control levers, steered the vehicle forward while simultaneously reducing its speed to two-thirds of full speed. His honed military maneuvers, even in a new armored vehicle, remained crisp and efficient.

Boom boom boom!
In the final 100 meters, the massive steel monster made a close run, successfully passing the first obstacle with minimal deflection – an anti-tank cone made of reinforced concrete.

But this was only the beginning of the night training.

Next.

There will be a series of obstacle courses to test our skills. Not only the leading tank company needs to pay attention, but the reconnaissance company also needs to provide timely warnings based on the movement routes of all companies.

The West Campus gate is not far from the simulated target at Hill 3, at most a few kilometers away, since Chen Mo has ordered a three-hour maneuver mission.

That means the journey will not be peaceful.

Soon, the lead convoy arrived at a point 500 meters from the blocking trench, which was designed to protect the entire battalion. Behind the trench lay an anti-tank minefield.

The ditch is 16 meters long, 8 meters wide, and 3 meters deep. No vehicle can cross it as long as it is on the route.

The reconnaissance company is responsible for early warning.

Based on the coordinates and speed indicated, the engineering company precisely drove their engineering vehicles to the necessary route, wasting no time. Using composite steel plates, they built a simple steel bridge over the trench, designed to accommodate the width of the tank's two tracks.

Rumble.

The monster, weighing tens of tons, slowly and steadily drove past.

Inside the information command center.

At this moment, Chen Mo, Cheng Dong, and Wang Jianbin did not show any signs of relief.

This is the first night training exercise for the entire battalion. We don't need to fire the cannons yet, as the companies don't have the coordination capabilities. Currently, the tank crews have already taken the lead and rushed to the obstacle course that the tank company built during its basic training.

This is no easy task.

If any aspect, such as reconnaissance, communication, or technology, goes wrong, the destruction of the entire obstacle course is a minor issue; the key problem is the disruption of coordination, with other crews making mistakes in speed and teamwork.

There is a risk of chain collisions, and the car may even drive into a ditch, causing training injuries.

But it's okay.

The worst fears did not come true.

When tanks are used for mobility, their flank defense and their route of travel are quite different from other vehicle crews.

From trenches to minefields.

All the tanks, whether charging, assaulting, accelerating, maneuvering, or reversing to avoid minefields, operated in an orderly manner.

One obstacle after another separated the heavy vehicle crew further and further away, and the tanks ran faster and faster.

什么10×5米巷战窄巷，什么90度直角极速变向坡，什么20×0.5米浅水沟。

The 98 and 85 train crews on both flanks were handling the situation with ease.

No wonder.

The entire battalion is on the move and is currently at the tank obstacle course. The tank company is not only commanded by Liu Hongyun, a veteran commander, but also by Qin Xiaojun, the company's oldest member, who has led many men in training here.

I'm familiar with the venue now.

The unexpected turn of events during the night training occurred after the tanks on both flanks had crossed half of the obstacle course.

Chen Mo watched helplessly as the tank company grew further and further away from the rear crews, almost exceeding the maximum distance required for coordinated operations.

He knew that this was not a mistake by the tank company commander. The tanks were fast because these men were familiar with the terrain, while the ones behind were slow because their evasive maneuvers and other reactions were not as good as those of the soldiers driving the tanks.

Even with advance warning, and even if there are far fewer obstacles than the tank company encounters, it won't work.

The formation was about to break, and the companies behind couldn't keep up.

Chen Mo frowned and turned to Cheng Dong: "Activate the enemy's simulated anti-tank missiles to increase the difficulty for the tank company."

"clear!!"

Cheng Dong nodded, then walked to the side, took out a walkie-talkie, and gave the order.

Only six seconds had passed.

The simulated enemy attack devices on the obstacle course were deliberately activated.

The reconnaissance company had no time to react to such a suddenly activated device, let alone provide advance warning.

It can only rely on radar and fire control for autonomous response.

"alarm!"

"alarm!"

The tank, which was originally charging forward, suddenly had its red lights flashing in the driver's cab and its fire control system alarming frantically.

The reconnaissance company's radar, which has the highest communication authority during wartime, also came into play at this moment, disseminating all alarms to the command vehicle groups of all companies in the battalion immediately.

The quiet atmosphere of the night training session was completely shattered.

"Emergency evasion, target at 2 o'clock, distance 870 meters, man-portable anti-tank missile locked, evasive maneuver at 10 meters and 270 degrees."

The tank commander shouted urgently.

The most crucial part of the night training has arrived.

It's important to understand that the anti-tank missile simulator on the obstacle course isn't designed for just one vehicle; it's applicable to all crews.

Furthermore, the ambush distances are all different.

For example, if a tank command vehicle is locked on, the commander must determine whether there are any friendly tanks behind him based on the attack trajectory.

If so, it's not about evasion, but about using the composite armor on the side of the tank to rotate and withstand the attack, actively meeting the missile and providing cover for the vehicles behind.

if there is not.

An 870-meter anti-tank missile leaves them only three seconds to react.

Of course, the absence of friendly vehicles behind them does not mean that they cannot withstand missiles. Rather, the commander must determine the maneuver and evasion procedures and methods based on the enemy's direction.

Choose the best approach within a short timeframe.

In addition, when necessary, weapon operators may need to launch heat-generating flares.

An evasive maneuver is a test for the entire crew.

Originally.

The purpose of this training method in the demonstration battalion is to simulate the tense atmosphere of actual combat, avoid fixed routines, and allow officers and soldiers to truly experience the crisis of combat losses in war.

Develop all crews' rapid response, rapid calculation, and rapid evasion capabilities in real combat.

But one point was overlooked.

The simulated attack device is area-of-effect; any tank entering this area will receive an early warning.

One second!
Two seconds!

Three seconds!

Tank crews that maneuver on both flanks generally employ evasive maneuvers.

Some chose to turn and evade, while others chose to withstand the attack with composite armor.

The entire company reacted within three seconds, achieving a 90% evasion rate and suffering very few tank losses.

But the problem is.

The missile was withstood by the tank, but the crews behind it were thrown into chaos by the sudden fire control alarm.

Some tanks crashed into obstacles in the chaos, while others remained stationary and were deemed damaged in battle.

Even more outrageous, some crews, in their frantic efforts, actually shut down communications, causing their tanks to lose all contact.

"Hello! Hello, hello, hello!!!"

When Wang Jianbin discovered that more than a dozen pieces of equipment in the Joint Satellite Positioning System had lost their signal source, his face turned pale.

Grab the communicator and shout loudly.

It is important to understand that when the entire battalion is on the move and hundreds of tanks are concentrated, if some tanks cannot receive communication messages, have poor visibility, and poor lighting conditions, they will be at risk.

Misjudging the direction of movement and following distance could lead to a large-scale car crash.

At best, equipment will be damaged; at worst, a large number of soldiers will be injured, or even training accidents may occur.

"Scholar, there's trouble! Communication has been lost for over a dozen vehicles!!!"

Wang Jianbin looked anxious and turned to look at Chen Mo.

But Chen Mo didn't seem too nervous. He stared at the footage projected by the drone from mid-air, then looked at the area where the tanks had lost communication, and patted Wang Jianbin on the shoulder with a smile: "Don't worry, you've been in Xiangjian for too long and haven't encountered any particularly stupid soldiers."

"The communication device was turned off by the soldiers in the midst of their frantic efforts."

"No matter the reason, the tanks cannot continue to advance. We must fire a signal flare to suspend training. It's too dangerous." Wang Jianbin insisted on his opinion.

Chen Mo shook his head slightly, then looked at Cheng Dong: "Simulated air raid, ground mobile team required to immediately isolate heat sources and camouflage the ground."

"Yes!"

Cheng Dong offered no suggestions, only carried out orders.

He picked up the walkie-talkie and gave instructions.

Not long after, the radar equipment of the reconnaissance company once again emitted a series of piercing alarms.

In the communications equipment, the sergeant in charge of guarding the radar shouted a reminder to all companies to disperse, stop the vehicles, turn off the engines, and deploy ground camouflage.

This time.

The shortcomings of the demonstration camp's first night training session were fully exposed.

After the air raid warning was issued.

The tank company was the first to react. They were already patrolling the flanks of the mobile formation, and all they did was continue to increase the distance, stop the vehicles, turn off the engines, and cover the tanks with canvas-like camouflage to insulate them from heat sources.

Subsequently, all tank crew members dispersed away from their vehicles, lay down on the ground, and performed individual camouflage.

The reconnaissance company controlled the hand-launched drone to land at a distance, then emerged from the infantry fighting vehicle and evacuated as a whole.

However, other companies, when they dispersed, repeatedly encountered problems with coordination, resulting in collisions or several vehicles retreating in the same direction.

The situation was chaotic.

There was a major problem with the scheduling.

Even after the air raid warning time had passed, more than 40 percent of the tanks in the entire battalion were still off, but they were not camouflaged.

Not to mention the idea of ​​releasing heat source decoys; that's pure nonsense. The first day of night training has come to this point.

Undoubtedly, it ended in failure.

They didn't even get past the obstacle course, received two warnings, and suffered over 50% casualties in their main force.

The condition for determining whether a unit has been completely annihilated and rendered combat ineffective is when its casualties reach 70%.

Once everything has calmed down.

One soldier after another got up from the ground. The company commanders searched for the staff officers who were assigned to give scores, but couldn't find them.

Everyone knew that the night training was over.

The planned three-hour night training session only lasted one hour.

As for the task of capturing the oil depot at the northern end of the enemy's Hill 3, that goes without saying.

It's simply impossible to complete.

"Notify all companies that night training is over and they are to return to camp!!"

Chen Mo left only this sentence before turning and leaving the information command center.

Wang Jianyong sighed. The staff headquarters and the information command room were both included in the battalion commander's command sequence. He felt that he also bore responsibility for the mess that had occurred during the night training.

Cheng Dong said nothing, turned around and went out, and instructed his men to fire a white signal flare into the air.

The night training session has been cancelled.

. . . . . . .

. . . . . . .

Twenty minutes later.

The team, which set off for night training at seven o'clock with great pride and high spirits, returned a little after eight o'clock.

Rumble!
The ground continued to shake, but a gloomy atmosphere hung over everyone's hearts.

Entrance to the artillery range.

"T11 command tank, reverse to the left!"

"T12 to follow!"

"T14, make a half turn and give way to the row of T13s."

The sergeant majors commanding each company were using flag signals to coordinate heavy equipment and maintain order.

After vacating the camp for less than an hour and a half, the mechanical steel monster, which had been causing a ruckus, returned to its position.

No one needs to specifically remind them.

No special notification is needed.

After parking the tanks and storing the equipment,

All soldiers, organized by company and by squad, obediently gathered in the open space in front of the flagpole on the training ground.

There was no one on the flag-raising platform.

But everyone, including the officials, was convinced that they had messed up this time.

The dim streetlights and bright exit lights intertwined.

The reflection showed thousands of people standing quietly on the training field, no one whispering or making noise.

Everyone waited for a good five or six minutes.

Chen Mo, Cheng Dong, Wang Jianbin, and several staff officers came straight to the flagpole from the direction of the East Campus.

"Take a break, stand at attention!"

When the battalion duty sergeant saw the battalion commander approaching, he gave the order to the assembled ranks, raised his fists to his belt, ran seven steps, and then slammed his feet together, making a crisp sound as his combat boots struck the ground.

"Commander, the entire battalion is engaged in night training. All companies have assembled. Please give your instructions!"

Chen Mo's expression was cold and stern.

"At ease, please speak."

"Yes!"

The duty sergeant jogged back to the formation.

On the flag-raising platform.

Chen Mo's tiger-like eyes swept across the audience.

He knew in his heart that it was normal for his performance to be poor during his first night training session, especially since it was a surprise mission.

It's already quite an achievement that the formation only started to break down after reaching the obstacle course.

Otherwise, Chen Mo wouldn't have felt relieved because the camp exit went smoothly; his standards weren't that bad after all.

Recently, we have been replenishing our ranks. Whether it's academic classes or memorizing manuals, even though everyone is studying with great eagerness, the high-information, highly collaborative, and rapid-fire attack pace cannot be mastered in a short time.

The number of cadres left over from the Blue Army camp is, after all, a small minority.

It's futile for this group of people to try and lead such a large camp, no matter how hard they shout.

For example, during the night training just now, a small number of officers were experiencing high-paced training for the first time and were completely overwhelmed by the complex communications. In their haste, they even managed to turn off their communications.

This led to a sharp decline in overall performance.

The casualties reached half immediately.

Even more impressively, some of the infantry fighting vehicles in the armored infantry company managed to lose contact with the command tank.

This is supposed to be a coordinated effort? What kind of coordination is that?

To be honest, Chen Mo wasn't angry. At this stage of the demonstration camp, everyone was being forced into things and figuring things out on their own.

It's normal to go through all sorts of hardships and challenges, to forge new paths and create new opportunities.

These are objective factors in reality.

However, no matter what factors are involved, it doesn't mean that Chen Mo won't wield the big stick he's holding.

The field army's brutal and unreasonable style, isn't that what it's all about?
Only by pointing out problems in a way that touches the soul can officers and soldiers grow.

Field armies do not believe in reasons.

“Starting from the Blue Army battalion, we have experienced all kinds of training, including full battalion maneuvers, combat simulations, detachment training, and night training, more than once.”

Chen Mo held a megaphone in his hand but did not use it. He simply said in a loud and stern voice, "We have many officers from the Blue Army here, as well as many officers from the academy."

"You've memorized quite a few command manuals, and you've been leading troops for quite some time now, haven't you?"

"Okay, very good!"

“The resumes they wrote were even more impressive than lists of meritorious officials.”

"But can anyone tell me what kind of surprise training they're going to give us tonight?"

"A three-hour assault mission, less than an hour in and more than half the troops were lost; nine simulated enemy situations, but only two resulted in near annihilation!!"

"This is the first time in our information battalion's training that our casualties have exceeded the 50% threshold due to intensive training. You guys have really given me a big surprise."

"I've never gotten such a bad grade before!"

Chen Mo wasn't exaggerating when he said that.

Neither the Blue Army battalion nor the Demonstration Battalion had suffered such heavy losses, not even during the military exercises with the 188th Division.

The only instance where the casualties exceeded 50% was during a military exercise in the Northwest, but even then, the results were remarkable.

"Mechanized Infantry Company!"

"To!"

Xu Zhanqi, the company commander of the armored infantry company, responded loudly. His bloodshot eyes were wide open, and he looked extremely haggard.

He graduated in the same batch as Qin Xiaojun, but the tank company performed exceptionally well today, the best in the entire battalion.

In the past, he and Company Commander Qin often compared and competed with each other in private, neither willing to concede to the other.

But this time it was a big blow to him.

Unless you're in command and participate in the entire battalion's maneuvers, you'll never know the exhaustion of worrying.

However, worrying doesn't necessarily bring results.

Chen Mo's voice was as cold as ice.

"Company Commander Xu, your mechanized infantry company has disappointed me greatly."

“During the maneuver, you guys have the longest average time spent handling special situations per unit of time.”

"The air defense camouflage was inadequate and not solid enough, the reaction was slow, and the team coordination was poor. During the bombing, you lost 1/10 of your equipment."

"During the assault, the equipment's digital networking efficiency was only 41%. Is it really that difficult to lead an infantry company?"

Faced with the battalion commander's questioning.

Xu Zhanqi's face was full of bitterness. It wasn't that he lacked ability, but that the tank company had Battalion Commander Liu Hongyun in charge of the overall situation, coordinating the infantry and tanks. As a new officer, he certainly couldn't keep up with the veteran officers who also led a group of key personnel.

But would he dare to say such a reason?

Moreover, Chen Mo didn't give him a chance to explain. After questioning him, he directly cursed, "I can beat you even in mechanized mode."

"Yes." Xu Zhanqi said dejectedly.

"And the air defense company, what guarantees did you give me before the night training?"

"When the air raid siren sounds, other companies are stopping their vehicles, turning off their engines, isolating themselves from heat sources, and camouflaging themselves. What are you camouflaging for?"

"You don't even know what an air defense company does?"

"I won't mention that. If it was a disguise, then what was it before the disguise?"

"The battlefield firepower distribution mode is chaotic. Company Commander Feng, are you trying to tell me that there's a problem with the computer fire control model code being written because of the Red Arrow system?"

“Your air defense company doesn’t need to make any excuses.”

Chen Mo rebuked without holding back: "From the very beginning, when your entire company launched a mechanized assault, you encountered problems such as insufficient formation deployment, transitions, coordination, and organizational capacity when facing a dynamic battlefield."

"This also caused you to be several points slower than other units when the air raid came."

"Even if I gave you advanced equipment, you wouldn't know how to use it."

"Don't lecture me anymore. Just focus on doing your job well and reflect on your actions."

"Yes!"

Feng Xiaodong, the air defense company commander, had lost his previous arrogance. He was the youngest and least experienced of the three new company commanders.

Previously, in the air defense battalion directly under the 38th Army, I had never seen the equipment of the demonstration battalion. They used anti-aircraft machine guns as their main combat equipment and had never been in contact with missile vehicles, so it is normal that I could not react quickly.

But Chen Mo didn't care about that.

He continued to question, "To the companies that weren't mentioned, don't get your hopes up. You all know how this training camp went, right?"

"The biggest problem is the delay in exchanging combat information."

"Reconnaissance company, engineer company, logistics company, tank company."

"To!"

After calling on several companies in succession, only Liang Hongjie from the logistics department took the initiative to stand up and be beaten. After all, the early bird catches the worm, and he had to show his attitude of admitting his mistake.

Chen Mo glanced at him and continued, "Your companies are all very individualistic."

"Excuse me, where is the coordination?"

Where is the collaboration?

“When something happens, the reconnaissance company is only responsible for issuing a notification. For a full hour, no company communicates with other companies more than 10 times.”

"The average delay in intelligence exchange is 20 seconds."

Are you all brainless idiots? What are you thinking?

"ah?!!!!"

"Have I told you before that the battlefield is a unified operation? Even though the cluster movement chain is a whole, each company encounters different situations during the simulated combat scenario."

"The mechanism for exchanging combat information is crucial."

"Not only is their reconnaissance company obligated to conduct reconnaissance and report, but are all of you mechanized infantry, air defense, logistics, and engineering personnel mute?"

"Why the hell are you pretending to be so aloof in front of me?"

"If anyone thinks they can't do the job, get the hell out of here and stop disgusting me."

The battalion commander's voice grew increasingly cold.

The entire training ground was filled with thousands of people listening quietly.

Although each company had its own valid reasons and excuses, no one was willing to speak up, and no one dared to speak up.

Again.

Field armies do not believe in excuses.

A defeat is a defeat. After reviewing the game, we can learn from the experience and make improvements.

This is the concept of a field army.

(End of this chapter)