Military career: Starting with a recruitment letter

Chapter 323 No, is this how you fight in an exercise?
The armored regiment was mobilized, and a torrent of armored vehicles was unleashed, alarming the entire grassland.

On the ground, countless small lizards and hedgehogs scurried away, clinging to the ground.

At the camp where the 27th Army of the Red Army was stationed, large drones could be seen flying low overhead from time to time. The soldiers on duty would look up at the planes with frustrated expressions.

The exercise just ended, and the new round of military exercises hasn't even started yet. Which son of a bitch is so blatantly spying on military intelligence?

The locations of the Red Army's armored brigades, motorized infantry brigades, artillery brigades, mechanized infantry brigades, anti-aircraft artillery brigades, and other units were exposed almost simultaneously.

On the Blue Army's side, the Wild Dog command system continuously inputs new terrain, firepower, and organizational information, with infrared thermal imaging and drone scanning as support.

Even the number of people was constantly being added to the command system.

Just two hours.

The entire battalion covered the entire terrain in less than 30 kilometers of maneuver.

Zhurihe Camp, also known as the Blue Army Command Post.

When Yan Zhongyi received the report from his subordinates, even this hot-tempered old man was speechless.

Damn it, when someone is on a motorbike, they're rushing as fast as they can, afraid of missing the deadline, and trying to conceal their movements as much as possible.

This armored regiment, on the other hand, made a big show of advancing at a snail's pace as soon as they arrived, as if they wanted to bring out a giant megaphone, stick it in their mouths, and shout to the whole world that they were here.

Aren't they afraid that other organizations will find out their secrets by acting so blatantly?

But then I thought about it.

The Blue Army Battalion was formerly the Kyoto Demonstration Battalion. Any commander could easily find out detailed information about its numbers, firepower, and so on by asking around.

Indeed, there's no need to hide it.

"Who notified the Ironclad Regiment?"

"Is this some kind of mobile drill? Get the guy over here right now."

Hearing the commander-in-chief angrily cursing in the operations room, the officer on duty at the door shrank back, completely bewildered, not knowing who to call.

But at this point, we need to find a capable leader to take charge.

Of all the troops stationed at the Zhurihe camp, only Brigade Commander Li from the 235th Brigade was present, so we definitely had to call him.

Li Jie was sitting in a lounge with Lao Wang and the others, discussing defense arrangements.

The officer on duty rushed over, stood at attention, and saluted: "Reporting to the commander, the commander-in-chief said to notify the mobile officers of the armored regiment to go over there."

"what happened?"

Wei Jin'an stood up with a serious expression and looked at the person who had come.

"I'm not quite sure either." The officer on duty shook his head. "I think I heard the commander receive a phone call saying that the armored regiment deliberately delayed its maneuver on the way to scout other outposts."

"Nonsense!!"

Upon hearing this, Lao Wei's face darkened.

The 27th Army Commander-in-Chief was overseeing this military exercise, and the Political Commissar had clearly warned Chen Mo. Why is he still so forgetful?

Reckless and arbitrary behavior?

During the maneuver, deliberately delaying to take the opportunity to spy on the locations of various units—any one of these actions alone would be enough to warrant a severe scolding.

The exercise hasn't even started, so spying isn't important. Does a soldier not understand the principle that military orders are paramount?

“Isn’t acting recklessly just his nature?” Wang Songhe looked up and asked, “Old Wei, what time did you tell them to arrive here?”

"Four o'clock in the afternoon."

Wei Jinan explained, "When we asked the officers accompanying the armored regiment, they replied that the equipment had not yet been completely unloaded from the military train."

"It's about 80 kilometers from the station to here. After deducting the time spent inspecting and maintaining the tanks, it would be reasonable to arrive before 4 o'clock."

"Hey, you still don't understand that kid."

Wang Songhe shook his head helplessly: "You can't judge the Blue Army battalion by conventional standards. I suggest we change the order and have them arrive before 2 o'clock."

"Otherwise, this kid would probably cause trouble on the way."

"Commander Yan, I'll go explain. You should notify them as soon as possible and stop this kid from causing any more trouble."

After saying that, Old Wang stood up.

This time, after all, we were helping the Jincheng Military Region test its system, so we naturally had to take it seriously. But to be honest, if it weren't for the headquarters' requirement, we would have been eager to get the comparative data in advance.

He genuinely didn't want Chen Mo to command the Blue Army battalion and be responsible for data collection.

With that kid's unconventional thinking in warfare, once he gets the data out on paper, he could probably push it to the limit of the same system.

What if the Jincheng Military Region's demonstration battalion fails to reach this level of training?
Is it because of his incompetence, or is the system only suitable for one person to command?

That's hard to explain.

It wasn't that Wang Songhe lacked confidence in himself, nor that he overestimated Chen Mo. In fact, he wasn't the only one; a large group of people were also studying the commander of the Blue Army battalion.

To know.

For the past few decades, the development of field armies has been largely a matter of working in isolation. In terms of military concepts, from the three-three system to motorization and then to mechanization, this period has been a process of learning by doing.

The transition from mechanization to informatization is essentially a process of learning from the US.

We are currently in the early stages of two intensive transformations, on the eve of information technology reform, when suddenly a "blue team" battalion commander emerged, advancing with sweeping reforms.

Even the headquarters' plans were disrupted.

I have no choice but to hide my true abilities.

Not only does Lao Wang think highly of the Blue Army Battalion, but many others above him also hold it in high regard.

Otherwise, the Blue Army battalion wouldn't have been allowed to replace the Jincheng Military Region's testing system, and the Jincheng Military Region wouldn't have raised any objections, but would have just actively cooperated.

The more Wang Songhe got involved with the information technology demonstration camp, the more he realized that this bastard was a real genius.

But geniuses are destined not to be honest and upright.

If I don't make some noise, that bastard won't stay still.

. . . . . . . .

the other side.

Chen Mo sat in the command vehicle, holding a map in his hand, marking all the locations, firepower, and organizational structures detected by the drone.

As the saying goes, war is all about intelligence.

What's the point of fighting if you're completely in the dark? Even the best troops can't operate effectively without intelligence.

Actually, Wei Jinan didn't need to remind him.

Seeing that the markings were almost complete, Chen Mo immediately grabbed the radio and gave the order: "Order: the entire battalion, switch from a half-advance to a full-speed advance."

"Ground guidance vehicles lead the way, forming a standard assault formation, target: Zhurihe Barracks."

Accompanied by instructions.

In the Blue Army's mobile formation, several jeeps suddenly accelerated and led the way.

The tanks on both flanks of the horizontal formation gradually slowed down and moved closer together, protecting the other armored vehicles in the center, all within about five minutes.

The convoy, which had been moving in a straight line, changed into an inverted "V". Amidst the turbulent winds and thunder on the vast grassland, it kicked up clouds of dust for miles as it marched forward in a mighty procession.

Chen Mo's idea was the same as Old Man Yan's; he wasn't afraid that the Red Army would discover the Blue Army's organizational structure.

Battalion-level tactical units mostly operate in concentrated formations, making their organizational structure easily identifiable. Furthermore, given their relatively well-known status within the Kyoto Military Region, what's the point of concealing their operations?

It's better to pull it out and scare them first.

Chen Mo held the marked map in his hand and examined it carefully for a moment, dividing all these garrisons into areas 1 to 27, and then handed it to Cheng Dong who was standing next to him.

"Send this map to the makeup team as well. Once we know the location of the Blue Army, the rest of the map will basically be the location of the Red Army."

"Even if they move, the tire tracks can't be erased in a short time, so they can be easily found."

“Okay, I’ll find an opportunity to verbally explain it to them.” Cheng Dong nodded.

He had already divided the map into areas before setting off, but this scouting map would make it more intuitive.

To facilitate the operation of the makeup team.

"By the way, Wei just informed us that the mobile plan has changed, and we need to arrive at the camp two hours earlier, at 2 pm."

"It's alright, I know."

Chen Mo responded once, and then fell silent.

The Blue Army's high-profile entry, scanning the battlefield before even arriving, made him guess that Old Man Yan was probably slamming his fist on the table in anger.

But, let's just take the pictures.

That's not what war is about. If both sides abide by battlefield discipline, there's nothing wrong with it, since it's just an exercise.

But if we stick to old rules and regulations that restrict the development of new systems, then there's really no need for that.

The emergence of a new system is not intended to cater to mechanization or to force mechanization to adapt.

Instead, let them learn and experience this sense of pressure along the way.

"By the way, Lao Wang, Chief of Staff Xu said earlier that he was going to send a group of electronic warfare people over. What level are they?"

"How many people exactly came?"

"Hmph, I thought you could hold back for as long as you wanted to ask." Wang Jianbin sat in front of his military-grade rugged laptop, and when asked, he pushed up his glasses with an extremely arrogant expression.

"I'm talking to you, scholar, this time..."

"Is this the people from Xiangjian?" Chen Mo suddenly interrupted with a smile.

"how do you know?"

"Old Cheng, did you snitch again? Didn't I tell you not to tell the scholar yet?"

Wang Jianbin, his face full of resentment, turned his anger towards Cheng Dong.

Chen Mo curled his lip and glanced at Lao Wang: "I don't even need anyone to tell me. Judging from the way you were just now, your tail was practically wagging in the air. Apart from Xiang Jian and your old subordinates coming down, you son of a bitch, why would you be so happy?"

"I can tell what you ate yesterday just by looking at your butt. Besides, if Chief of Staff Xu is going to transfer people who are proficient in electronic warfare, apart from your Xiangjian unit which was the first to get in touch, which other unit in the entire Kyoto Military Region can transfer a group of them at any time?"

Wang Jianbin opened his mouth, but couldn't find the words to refute it for a long time.

In the end, he could only soften his tone and say, "You're so smart, that's right. It was Xiangjian who arranged for them. There are twelve of them. Adding to our original nine, the electronic warfare team now has twenty-one people."

"Our level can't match those people at the Academy of Sciences, but we're good enough at eavesdropping, intrusion, and jamming. We're not good at electronic fraud, not even the 'Sound Arrow' technology."

"But I also have to tell you some good news. Chief of Staff Xu has not only transferred twelve electronic warfare personnel, but also an 18-person squad."

"Captain Zhang Chuan, who is a squad leader in the First Battalion of Xiangjian, has brought his squad of 17 members here."

"Special operations team?"

Chen Mo was slightly surprised: "Why hasn't anyone mentioned these to me? With these special operations teams, the Blue Army battalion is now equivalent to a battalion with ten companies."

"Depend on!"

"I want to say you have to give me a chance. You son of a bitch, you've taken so many days off, have you even made a single call to the information operations room?"

"Damn it, I finally got back, and he went to catch up on sleep before I could even say a word. How could I possibly have a chance to speak?"

Listening to Wang Jianbin's complaining tone.

Chen Mo smiled and didn't say anything more. For the Ironclad Regiment, having a special forces team was better than not having one; it was like adding wings to a tiger. It wouldn't be a big loss either. It wasn't exactly a lifeline.

Putting aside the fact that it's only a battalion-level unit, there's no need to send special forces to behead them.

Let's say we'll have them behead them, but those squads need to be able to get close enough for that to happen.

The Blue Army's radar and drones are not just for show; their sentries, both visible and hidden, are not just for show.

With the full firepower of the battalion, if they were to get serious, all the special forces brigades from the seven military regions could hold out on the front lines for at least ten minutes.

Even if we assume the worst, it would be very difficult to defend against an active phased array early warning radar combined with infrared thermal imaging detection.

In any case, under the current circumstances, Chen Mo has no plans to arrange anything for this suddenly appearing special forces team.

At full speed.

By 1:20 p.m., the main force of the Blue Army had already approached the Zhurihe camp.

The convoy slowly came to a stop.

Chen Mo got out of the command vehicle, walked to the front, and looked at the Zhurihe camp in 1999.

His first impression of the place was desolation.

Nothing else.

The slogan "From here to the battlefield" has not yet appeared.

Everywhere you look, there are green canvas barracks, standing in neat rows within the camp area.

At the entrance to the camp, a simple wooden archway was erected, with six red flags fluttering in the wind at the top. The slogan above the entrance read "Ironclad Heroes," the slogan on the left read "Carry Forward the Glorious Tradition," and the slogan on the right read "Redisplay the Might of Ironclad Warriors."

On one side of the tent area, there are two three-story white buildings side by side.

Right next to the building on the left, there is a model of the Great Wall. On the wall's tower, there is a rifle with a bayonet, its tip pointing straight to the sky.

In front of the Great Wall model is a huge national emblem, as if it were embedded in the ground.

Apart from that, there is only an outer wire mesh surrounding the area, and outside the wire mesh are rows of poplar trees.

The conditions here are far inferior to those of the Sergeant Academy, and even to those of Huanglongwangou back then.

"The Zhuri River in 1999."

Chen Mo sighed, turned around and waved his hand: "Notify all companies to rest in place. Without orders, no one may remove their wartime equipment."

"Perform pre-battle maintenance on the tanks as soon as possible. A major battle is likely imminent. Be on high alert."

"Yes!"

After the explanation.

Chen Mo waved and arranged for Wang Jianyong to drive him through the archway, through the tent area, and straight to the white building.

At this moment, Wang Songhe, Tang Haodong, and Wei Jinan were already waiting downstairs.

After all, such a big commotion at the Blue Army camp couldn't possibly go unnoticed.

When Chen Mo saw the three of them, he was also taken aback. He only knew that Wei Lü had come, but he hadn't heard that Old Turtle and Division Commander Tang were also there.

But despite the doubts, basic courtesy must still be observed.

Chen Mo quickly straightened his uniform, raised his fists to his sides, ran to the three men, stood at attention, and saluted: "Greetings, sir."

"Wow! Your Blue Army battalion is quite impressive."

Wei Jinan asked coldly, "I told you to arrive at the camp at four o'clock this afternoon. What have you been doing the whole way?"

"Military orders are absolute; do I need to teach you such a simple principle?"

"You must have gone through almost every Red Army unit along the way, right?"

"Reporting to the commander, no, I was just looking around."

Chen Mo straightened his chest and responded with a serious expression.

However, he had already understood the implication in Wei Lü's words: the units he had scouted along the way were all Red Army units, so who the hell was the Blue Army? Just himself?

Is this some kind of scam?

Chen Mo was a little confused.

Even he could tell that Wei Jin'an was deliberately giving a heads-up, using the pretext of reprimanding to tip him off in advance. How could Wang Songhe not hear it?

He waved his hand: "Alright, alright, come in with us to see Commander Yan. There are special instructions for this military exercise."

"Yes!"

Chen Mo responded matter-of-factly, indicating that Wang Jianyong should wait there, before following the three leaders into the building.

Seeing Wang Songhe walking at the very back, Chen Mo scurried up to him and said with a grin, "Commander, what brings you here too?"

"What? Can't I come?" Wang Songhe rolled his eyes at him, annoyed.

"No, no, no, that's impossible."

Chen Mo chuckled dryly. He behaved himself for a moment, then followed up and lowered his voice, saying, "Chief, are you playing the villain again this time?"

It took Wang Songhe a while to react to this question before he raised his hand to slap the brat to death.

Damn it, who are you calling the villain?
Who the hell is the villain? No respect for elders.

However, this time Chen Mo dodged even faster, quickly disappearing to within five meters and following with a serious expression, as if he hadn't said those words.

The two whispered to each other behind him, leaving Tang Haodong and Wei Jinan looking at each other in bewilderment.

It's clear that Chen Mo, though young, is quite vengeful.

If he hadn't provoked Old Wang, Wang Songhe, at his age, wouldn't have bothered to lower himself to the level of a junior.

The four of them arrived on the second floor.

Only when they were in the large war room did Wang Songhe regain his serious expression, and even Chen Mo stopped provoking him.

Because he knew that with Old Man Yan in charge here, that guy was not to be trifled with.

Enter the conference room.

The first thing you see on the wall is a huge map of the Zhuri River.

Yan Zhongyi sat by the desk on the side, drinking water from a porcelain cup.

The other three were of higher rank, and since they had been to the conference room many times before, there was no need for them to go over and salute.

But Chen Mo just arrived.

He quickly straightened his uniform, stood three meters in front of the conference table, snapped his boots to attention, and saluted: "Reporting, sir! Chen Mo, battalion commander of the 1st Battalion, 1st Information Mechanized Combined Arms Regiment of the Kyoto Military Region, is here to report for duty. Please give instructions!"

Yan Zhongyi glanced at the young man in front of him, but had no interest in questioning him further.

He casually pushed a document on the conference table over.

Chen Mo picked it up and examined it.

Subject: 1999 Northern Sword A Military Exercise.

Participating parties: 27th Group Army/Kyoto Military District Information Mechanized Combined Arms Regiment 1.

Objectives: To comprehensively examine the transformation of the army from a strategic defensive to a strategic offensive force, to assess the gap between mechanization and informatization concepts, to evaluate the army's combat training capabilities, to build mutual trust, and to establish regular military activities and tactical exchanges.
Location: Zhurihe Joint Training Base.

Participating Red Army units: 80th Motorized Infantry Brigade, Artillery Brigade, Anti-aircraft Artillery Brigade, Armored Brigade, Mechanized Infantry Brigade, Tank Regiment, Mechanized Infantry Regiment, Infantry Regiment, Army Aviation Regiment, Radar Regiment.
Participating Blue Army units: Informationized Blue Army Battalion, 235th Motorized Infantry Brigade, Army-directly-subordinate Engineer Regiment, Army-directly-subordinate Long-Range Rocket Artillery Battalion, Army-directly-subordinate Reconnaissance Battalion, and Army-directly-subordinate units.
Looking at the documents, the Red Army frequently referred to itself as the main force regiments and main force brigades. Good heavens, there were motorized infantry, artillery, and mechanized infantry, almost concentrating the firepower of an entire army group.

Now let's look at the Blue Team's side: one brigade and one battalion.

How come all the remaining poor guys—the engineer regiment, the military reconnaissance battalion, the rocket artillery battalion—were assigned to the Blue Army?

Chen Mo was speechless for a moment.

No, are exercises divided like this?
The military directly subordinate units that lack combat capability, such as engineer regiments, military reconnaissance battalions, and rocket artillery battalions, all belong to themselves.

And what happened to the powerful units, the Army Aviation Regiment and the Radar Regiment, that ran to the other side?
Chen Mo didn't look down on the engineering regiment, the military reconnaissance battalion, and the rocket artillery battalion; the key issue was that the difference between them was too great.

On a battlefield of this scale, adding these few units would be utterly useless.

They wouldn't even need a single charge before they'd be completely wiped out.

The Red Army's main force consisted of five brigades leading a number of regiments, while the Blue Army's main force consisted of one brigade leading a number of battalions.

Even favoritism shouldn't be this extreme, right?
Chen Mo felt it was reasonable for him to be assigned to the Red Army, since he was on the Blue Team.

"Sir, isn't there a problem with the allocation?"

Chen Mo mustered his courage and looked at Old Man Yan.

He is still unaware that headquarters intends to use their Blue Army battalion to test the combat effectiveness of the auxiliary combat units of the Jincheng Military Region.

Even if you know.

Even support heroes aren't supported like this, are they?
Even if a few thousand people were fighting against tens of thousands, their heads wouldn't withstand that kind of firepower, even if they were made of stainless steel.

The difference between the red and blue teams is too great.

(End of this chapter)