Military career: Starting with a recruitment letter

Chapter 324 Strategic Deployment, isn't that a bit too much talk?
"What is the problem?"

Yan Zhongyi looked at Chen Mo expressionlessly: "These are the established rules for the military exercise. Do you have any objections?"

"No, no."

Sensing that Old Man Yan was in a bad mood, Chen Mo quickly shook his head. Standing in front of this powder keg, he had to keep his opinions to himself.

"Hmph, you'd better not have any objections."

Yan Zhongyi snorted coldly and said, "In addition to your army, the 34th Air Division is also responsible for transportation and logistics in this exercise, and is a neutral unit."

"The 7th Air Division belongs to the Red Army, and the 15th Air Division belongs to the Blue Army. During the operation, both the Red and Blue sides have the authority to call for air superiority coordination, which is uniformly dispatched by the command headquarters."

"Also, just a reminder."

"In this military exercise, personnel from all seven military regions are observing remotely. There is no directorate here, and no combat plan. You can fight freely, and the position of commander-in-chief of the Blue Army will be given to you."

"Li Jie, Wang Songhe, Wei Jinan, and Tang Haodong will be your advisors. The battle will begin at 10:00 AM tomorrow. The battle plan has been given to you. How to coordinate the plan is up to you as the commander-in-chief."

Yan Zhongyi stared at Chen Mo, intending to hear what the kid had to say.

In fact, it would have been better if he hadn't said those words.

Chen Mo originally thought that the Blue Army, with only one brigade leading a group of battalions, was already insane enough to be compared to the Red Army, which had several brigades leading a group of regiments.

Who would have thought that he was just a battalion commander?

He's actually going to be the commander-in-chief of the Blue Team? Isn't that even more insane than the organizational structure?

Leaving aside Yan Zhongyi, any one of the others would be much stronger than me, right?
He even began to suspect that this Northern Sword A military exercise might be another example of the old trick of "red will always win, blue will always lose".

The reason he was appointed commander-in-chief was probably so that he would take the blame for the defeat.
As someone who's good at shifting blame, Chen Mo is now being forced to take the fall, and he says he feels helpless.

The kid didn't say a word.

Wang Zhongyi looked slightly surprised. He nodded slightly and added, "By the way, there's only one thing: tactics must not go astray during combat."

"For example, a night raid on the Red Army's command post, using fake casualties to disrupt the command post. Electronic warfare intrusion is acceptable, as is eavesdropping and jamming, but you can't just change the content of all the Red Army's communication channels right away, or send people to recite poems or sing in the channels."

"And all those things like deceiving the Red Army's radar, forcibly interfering with the Red Army's main force's operations, releasing false information, and engaging in tactical deception are not allowed."

"Do you understand?"

"clear!!"

Chen Mo straightened his chest and responded seriously.

Even though he was made the commander-in-chief of the Blue Army, such an absurd thing still happened. Even if Old Man Yan told him to bombard the Blue Army now, Chen Mo wouldn't be surprised.

Can we get any more outrageous?

Yan Zhongyi was quite helpless when he realized that Chen Mo only verbally agreed and was still standing there staring at him blankly.

Headquarters wants to see information-based support for combat, so what can we do? We can't let this kid be in command. He leads his battalion in a chaotic battle without any contingency plan. For a unit like the Blue Army battalion, it's like they've entered their own backyard on the battlefield, and they can't control him at all.

He doesn't care how other units fight; he only cares about fighting his own.

In that case, the exercise loses its purpose.

Only by appointing him as the commander-in-chief and enabling him to mobilize a large number of troops can he truly approach the issue from the perspective of supporting the war effort.

As for coordinating tactics and deploying defenses in various units, Yan Zhongyi certainly wouldn't expect a battalion commander like him to understand these things.

With Wang Songhe and Li Jie around, that's enough.

"Now that you understand, let's get ready."

After giving his instructions, Old Man Yan stood up, put his hands behind his back, and strode out of the command room.

This time he leaves.

Li Jie, Wang Songhe, Tang Haodong, and Wei Jinan immediately took action, bringing the map left behind by the commander-in-chief to a nearby table and beginning to examine and study it carefully.

This military exercise was conducted without a pre-planned strategy, but that doesn't mean there was no strategic deployment or that it was just a reckless attack.

As for the deployment of each unit, it is on the map left here by the commander-in-chief.

Wang Songhe, Li Jie, and others inspected and discussed the matter, chatting animatedly, while no one paid any attention to Chen Mo.

Because everyone understands that making him the commander-in-chief is just a nominal title; when the battle begins, all he needs to do is direct the Blue Army battalion to cooperate.

The strategic deployment involving tens of thousands of people is beyond the scope of a battalion commander's authority.

Chen Mo decided not to make things difficult for himself.

Seeing that everyone was studying the map, he glanced at it briefly and hurriedly left the command center.

Come downstairs.

Seeing Wang Jianyong wandering around, Chen Mo walked up to him and gestured towards the tent area in the distance, asking, "Are people living there now?"

"No, I just checked, most of them are empty, there are only metal bunk beds, no one lives there at all."

"However, the tent looks quite new, and there's a strong smell of canvas when you get closer, so it must have been set up by the people doing the exercise."

Hear the words.

Chen Mo did not respond.

Given the weather here on the grassland, there's nothing to hide from, and as far as the eye can see, it's a vast plain.

The temperature difference between day and night is extreme, and the wind blows frequently. If it were set up by a unit conducting an exercise, it would have been there for at least half a month, so it wouldn't look brand new.

The only explanation.

These tents were set up for the Ironclad Regiment, and the entire battalion will probably have to live in these tents for the foreseeable future.

"Hey, go tell the company commander that we're not on standby and there won't be any combat missions today."

"It will officially begin tomorrow morning. Have each company move their armored vehicles out and move into these tents, company by company."

"Waiting for further notice."

"Got it!"

Wang Jianyong responded and drove back to the unit's rest area, while Chen Mo wandered around the tent area, touching the materials and looking at the scale of the setup.

It's basically confirmed that this is the tent that was specially set up for them by the higher-ups when they were being transferred to different posts.

The environment isn't a big problem, except that you can always encounter small animals that look like lizards crawling around on the ground, as well as hedgehogs and wild rabbits running around. Otherwise, there's nothing wrong with it.

Actually, from the perspective of the military...

The poor accommodations weren't a big deal, but the vast plains were too far from the town, and staying in such an extreme climate every day was unacceptable.

Chen Mo sighed. He hadn't expected that the troop redeployment would end up with the Blue Army battalion being moved here.

It's not so bad now that there's going to be a war, but once it stops, being stuck in this kind of environment all day, plus the approaching winter, will be tough to endure.

As the commander of the entire battalion, he was almost like a steward, having to consider various factors, especially morale.

Light a cigarette.

Chen Mo squatted down, picked up a few lizards and looked at them, then tapped the ground with his fingers and looked at the poplars nearby.

I started planning how to develop this place.

Planting trees in large quantities is impossible. Zhurihe is a joint training base, where exercises are frequently conducted. Apart from the area around the barracks, there is no other place to plant trees.

Then we can only plant grass, and we have to apply to the higher authorities to get a batch of grass species from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences that are deeply rooted, resilient, and able to adapt to harsh environments.

If we can get through this winter, next spring we'll see lush green grass everywhere. This will not only help stabilize the soil and improve the environment, but it will also be a feast for the eyes.

More importantly, in their spare time, the soldiers also need something to do. They can personally sow grass seeds and watch the lush grass grow the following year, which will give them a greater sense of accomplishment and belonging.

Transferred to defend the border regions.

The Blue Army battalion is similar to the border defense force.

There's also the issue of family members joining the military, which needs to be addressed. Chen Mo doesn't have the ability to arrange jobs for the families of non-commissioned officers.

However, it would be feasible to apply for a batch of funds to build some service centers for soldiers near the barracks, open shops and restaurants, and build some affordable housing, which would be rented out at low prices to the families of retired non-commissioned officers in each company every month.

It can solve the problem of family members joining the military, and also solve some employment problems.

As for shops and restaurants, they don't need so many family members, so they go to towns or even further away and let the family members feed the cattle and sheep. The logistics department will collect them regularly.

It can solve the supply and demand problem and also allow veterans to go back and reunite with their families.

This is what Chen Mo needs to solve the most.

He had previously told Xu Dong that appointing him as the captain of the guard battalion wasn't just empty talk; there were no permanent troops stationed at Zhurihe before, but now they've arrived.

In such a large area, daily patrols are not enough; we need to build guard posts. Even if each post only occupies one cubic meter, I reckon we'll need to build quite a few.

At that time, the guard battalion will be needed to be on duty.

Since we're already here, we should do something.

Chen Mo finished his cigarette, stood up, and stubbed out the cigarette butt on the ground. He saw that the soldiers in the camp were already carrying their packs and backpacks and heading towards the tent area.

He didn't linger and walked straight towards the white building in the distance.

Anyway.

He was also the nominal commander-in-chief of the Blue Team, and at this time, it was a time for strategic planning and deployment; he couldn't just disappear forever.

We returned to the conference room.

Wang Songhe and his three companions had already hung up the map and were still studying it.

Hearing the commotion, Li Jie turned his head and glanced at the famous Blue Army battalion commander, saying with a helpless expression, "Battalion Commander Chen, you'd better listen during the strategic deployment period."

"What are you planning to do if the fight starts tomorrow?"

"I'm sorry, sir, the troops outside are still preparing for battle. I just went out to give them a heads-up to disband."

Chen Mo chuckled dryly in response. He knew he shouldn't have gone out just now, but the Blue Army had traveled a long way and hadn't even come into contact with their combat equipment yet, so he had to say something.

"alright."

Li Jie clearly didn't want to dwell on these things. He pointed to the map and said, "We're currently classified as the Blue Team. You're new here and don't know the terrain, so I'll give you a general overview of the classification."

"In terms of military exercise tactics and terrain, this operation covers a wide range of terrains including plains, rivers, mountains, jungles, and cities."

"If you don't understand, you can treat it as a simulated terrain, but all participating troops must comply with the changes brought about by the terrain."

"The exercise area covers more than 1000 square kilometers, two-thirds of which is plains. Our camp was designated as Pingcheng, which is also one of the highest tactical targets in this military exercise."

Li Jie pointed to the map and spoke eloquently.

Chen Mo, Wang Songhe, Wei Jinan, and Tang Haodong listened quietly.

Battles are generally fought in this way, involving diverse terrains and different types of troops.

Not only are there cities, rivers, and bridges, but also field hospitals, warehouses, and other things marked on the map.

Because the Blue Army is too small, their main force occupies Pingcheng from the start of the war. The Red Army then advances through various means to occupy and eliminate the Blue Army, which would be considered a victory for the Red Army.

It's easier said than done.

As seen on the map, Pingcheng is surrounded by rivers, which act as a moat and can protect the main force of the Blue Army to some extent, preventing the Red Army from advancing too quickly.

After introducing the strategic deployment of this exercise, Li Jie glanced at Chen Mo, not seeing any sign of confusion on his face.

He then coughed and calmly said, "Well, our 235th Brigade has been fighting here for a while now. Regarding the deployment, let me first share my thoughts."

“Okay.” Wang Songhe nodded, offering no objections.

The other two also expressed their opinions one after another, while Chen Mo was once again ignored by the four.

This wasn't something the group did intentionally; it was simply that the scale of the battle was far beyond the reach of young officers.

It's true that the Blue Army is strong.

It's true that they could fight the 7th Armored Brigade and the 188th Division.

But that's a system-wide battle. If we really follow the tactics of campaign warfare and expand the battlefield, then it's hard to say what will happen.

Seeing that the other three had no objections, Li Jie naturally took the lead. Holding a baton, he pointed it at the map and circled the river around Pingcheng, saying, "Using the river as our route, we will set up our battlefield near Pingcheng."

"Concentrate all of the Blue Army's battalion-level firepower, armor, artillery, and mechanized infantry into a regimental-level force and set up it on the front line of attack. The second line of attack will be backed by the middle section of the river. Air defense, field hospitals, supply distribution centers, and forward command posts for the military exercise will be located here."

"The third line of the tiers, that's where we're stationed. It's called Pingcheng, and it's also the last position in the plains. The fuel and ammunition storage and distribution center provided by the exercise, the reserve force, the general command post, communications, electronic warfare, and radar range are all located here."

"With three vertical lines extending from the north to the south, the straight-line distance is 10 kilometers, and the offensive radiation area can reach 15 kilometers."

"The overall strategy for the exercise is to focus on armored tank battalions on the offensive end, conduct regimental-level land mobile warfare, concentrate the main force on the best tactical points for attack and defense, and strive to obtain a portion of high-weight coefficients first."

"At the same time, the Blue Army battalion has an army aviation unit, and our 235th Brigade has also temporarily transferred an army aviation battalion to give full play to the super mobility of the airborne troops and to cooperate with the front-line regiments in the overall technical capture of points in the form of air assault."

"The goal is to enable our mechanized infantry and armored forces to form an effective battlefield depth system within the terrain after the exercise begins, and to establish a complete defense, support, and assault mechanism."

Li Jie spoke with great confidence.

As the commander of the 235th Motorized Infantry Brigade of the 27th Army, and having studied at a military academy and participated in many exercises over the years, his command thinking can be described as very steady.

Utilizing geographical advantages to plan strategic depth and coordinating ground and air operations to seize key points, the principle is to perfect the combat system before launching the exercise.

Chen Mo didn't know this brigade commander before, but just by listening to his analysis, he could tell that this man was good at fighting tough battles.

His style is very steady.

The Blue Army has a small number of soldiers, so they have to concentrate their forces, which makes sense.

The Red Army had a large number of troops, but they couldn't launch a full-scale attack. The enemy also needed to station troops in many places, such as bridge locations, air bases, supply depots, logistics areas, field hospitals, and so on.

With a large number of people, there are correspondingly more tactical points that need protection. The main force that can be deployed in mobile formations is far less than the total number of people, and the mobile force is even less than half of the total number of people.

Li Jie believes that the use of helicopters for airdrops, as a supplementary force for mechanized infantry and the first force to arrive on the battlefield in this exercise, should be used with caution.

Rapid airdrops were used to form a support system, with rivers serving as tactical markers, rather than dropping people deep behind Red Army lines, to wage a containment and sabotage campaign.

That alone makes it quite stable.

Based on the current situation, if an airborne landing is adopted, the main force of the Blue Army can be deployed to the rear of the Red Army, which can indeed attract some of the enemy's main force to refrain from attacking.

However, since our side already has fewer people, relying solely on this to counterbalance the enemy will inevitably lead to the Blue Team being the first to be worn down.

Therefore, Li Jie is capable of fighting tough battles and dares to fight tough battles, and his steadiness is accompanied by a certain degree of absolute conservatism.

There is one thing to note.

The term "conservative" used here is not a derogatory term, but rather a complimentary one.

Furthermore, according to him, despite being outnumbered, the Blue Army still had no intention of letting go of key tactical points deep within the Red Army's territory.

They also wanted to take advantage of the enemy's offensive to cooperate with the main force in taking over their logistics, fuel, and ammunition depots.

That alone is enough to make them stand out.

"besides."

Li Jie continued to hold the baton and pointed out the river: "Located west of Pingcheng, this No. 1 Peak position is our absolute front line, connecting the middle section of the river. Its tactical coefficient is 5 points. The main peak of the No. 1 Peak position connects one of the three main peaks of the Red Army. Our main force should use the terrain here to fight guerrilla warfare to prevent the main force of the Red Army from infiltrating and outflanking."

"It is recommended that two platoons from the military reconnaissance battalion be deployed here to establish reverse-slope machine gun tunnels and mortar positions."

"Although the peak is a simulation, the Red Army certainly can't arrange for a large armored force to pass through; they can only send small groups of troops. That makes things simple: just take down the tanks one by one."

"The most important tactical location is 17 kilometers east of Pingcheng, which is the field airfield of our Blue Army's 15th Air Division. It is one of the best landing points for the Air Force and Army Aviation. It can be used for both offense and defense, with a tactical coefficient of 10. It is a place that our unit must fight for with the enemy. I suggest that the Blue Army's tank company, reconnaissance company, air defense company, and artillery company be stationed there. We must not let the Red Army succeed."

"Otherwise, losing ten tactical points will severely damage our strength."

"In addition, the vertical lines drawn in the middle of the river represent four bridges. Our rear area connects to the main force area of ​​the Red Army. Since we have fewer people, I suggest we blow up the bridges. As for other road fortresses and tactical points, there is no point in occupying them. We should focus on bombing them with the air force."

After Li Jie finished speaking...

Everyone present couldn't help but clap their hands.

Even Chen Mo had to admit that this person's command ability was truly amazing. Despite the Blue Army being at such a disadvantage, he managed to turn the tide through his reasonable arrangements.

Regardless of anything else, based solely on his capabilities, Chen Mo had reason to believe that the 235th Motorized Infantry Brigade was definitely the most powerful brigade in the 27th Army.

The strategic deployment aligns with the logic of a righteous and honorable army.

A standard war planning scheme.

However, if they play like this, the Blues have absolutely no chance of winning; at best, they might be a bit more resilient.

There's nothing wrong with shrinking the Blue Army, but if they all shrink together and only think about taking advantage of the Red Army's offensive gaps to use paratroopers to occupy the enemy's tactical points.

That's not impossible, but an airport is only worth 10 points. That's the 15th Air Division's base. Even in a simulation, it's impossible for the entire division to be there. It's a division-level tactical point, so it's only worth 10 points.

Most of the other tactical points are 5 or 3 points. When will we be able to score 80 points and win the final victory?
I'm afraid that the areas we've occupied won't be able to be stabilized before the main force of the Red Army takes them back, needlessly wasting our already limited main force.

Playing this way makes sense, but it won't win.

"Commander Wang, Commander Tang, Deputy Chief of Staff Wei, what do you think of this arrangement?"

Li Jie looked at the three of them.

The three of them nodded at the same time, indicating that there was no problem.

Normally, once the tactical arrangements are at this point, the deployment report can be submitted and action can begin.

But Chen Mo is, after all, the commander-in-chief of the Blue Army. Even if it's just a nominal title, he is still the commander-in-chief. Without his approval, no matter how much the others say, it's useless.

Li Jie glanced at Chen Mo politely.

To his surprise, the battalion commander, who should have looked bewildered and nodded blankly, was surprised.

When their eyes met, he merely responded with a polite smile. Their gazes met; both were officers in command of troops.

Li Jie quickly sensed a subtle tension in Chen Mo's eyes.

what happened?

Does the battalion commander still have objections?

Li Jie was a little confused, secretly guessing that he was unhappy because he had split the Blue Army camp into different tactical points and relegated it to a supporting role.
Although the Blue Army battalion needs to be used as a supporting combat unit for testing, supporting combat units don't necessarily need to be grouped together; they can support combat separately.

In fact, ideological differences are quite normal when officers reach the senior officer level. No one will easily back down, otherwise they wouldn't be able to become a brigade commander.

But Chen Mo is at best an outstanding cadre, far from being a senior cadre.

What does he have to argue about?

"Battalion Commander Chen, what are your thoughts?" Li Jie asked.

At this moment, Wang Songhe, Wei Jinan, and Tang Haodong also turned their gazes over.

Chen Mo noticed the gazes of the others and smiled shyly, "I don't really have any thoughts on this."

"First of all, Li's brigade's operational plan was brilliant."

oh?!!
The people present were all surprised when they heard Chen Mo say that.

First of all, even if Chen Mo didn't say it on purpose, it still created a tense atmosphere in the room.

When listening to someone speak, you have to pay attention to the subtext; once there's a beginning, there will inevitably be a turning point.

"Secondly, I personally agree with most of the exercise planning content of Li Lü."

Hearing Chen Mo say that...

Wang Songhe grinned and stood aside without saying a word, wanting to see what tricks this kid had up his sleeve.

Old Man Yan just said that we shouldn't use any overly outrageous tactics, which is equivalent to suppressing half of Chen's abilities. How can he still have any tricks up his sleeve?
Although Tang Haodong and Wei Jinan had both fought against the Blue Army, those were system-wide confrontations, and they were not clear about Chen Mo's personal strategic vision.

Therefore, they simply adopted the posture of bystanders.

Li Jie wasn't angry; he just watched quietly.

Chen Mo continued, "I agree with some, or even most, of these tactics, but this approach is too rigid. It only focuses on deep penetration, holding key tactical positions, and maneuver routes."

"By blocking and compressing the Red Army's land forces and restricting their military operations, we will still lose in the end."

"If you ask me, instead of passively defending, we should take the initiative to attack. Only in this way can we have a chance to win."

After Chen Mo finished speaking,

The four people on the scene were all stunned. No, with this red and blue uniform comparison, you still want to win?

Even headquarters didn't expect you to win; they just wanted to test your support capabilities and deliberately increased the size of the Red Army.

If they win, what kind of expressions will the people on top have?
Even if we send in an entire army group, plus the strongest 7th Air Division of the Northern Air Force, we still can't beat information-integrated warfare.

It's estimated that at the military conference at the end of this year, more than half of the senior officers will need to make profound self-criticisms and write self-criticisms during the Spring Festival.

"Your idea is good, but what about the specific arrangements?" Li Jie asked curiously.

"Li Lü, who is the most heavily armed unit in the Red Army's land forces?" Chen Mo didn't answer, but instead asked about the enemy's most powerful unit.

"That must be the artillery brigade and the 80th motorized infantry brigade. The combined firepower of these two units is about the same as that of our Blue Army."

"Okay, let's attack the 80th Brigade then. The artillery brigade is probably stationed in the rear, so it won't be easy to attack."

Chen Mo said confidently, "The battle will begin at 10 a.m. tomorrow. All other deployments will remain unchanged, but I will be drawing troops from the Blue Army battalion."

"Before 2 p.m., I first wiped out the Red Army's 80th Brigade. With one main combat brigade missing, the Red Army's offensive momentum will inevitably be hindered. We'll see how they deploy their forces and then fight them slowly."

Damn it! ! !

Listening to Chen Mo's boastful claim that he could wipe out the 80th Motorized Infantry Brigade in just four hours, the people present were all taken aback.

Even Wang Songhe was shocked.

It should be noted that the 80th Motorized Infantry Brigade of the 27th Army was an elite force on the battlefield back then, and they were the ones who captured the American polar bear flag.

Their fighting spirit was extremely fierce, ranking among the best in the entire army.

Even though the 80th Division implemented brigade-regiment system reform last year, transforming the infantry division into a motorized infantry brigade, the equipment under its command is not bad, and the entire brigade exudes the fighting spirit of the Jiaodong soldiers.

Even Wang Songhe wouldn't dare say that such a unit could be wiped out in four hours, not even when he's bragging.

Chen Mo spoke so fluently.

Isn't this a bit of an overstatement?
(End of this chapter)