Military career: Starting with a recruitment letter

Chapter 356 Strategizing and Leading the Enemy into Battle
After the discussion on the two-front operation was completed, the staff of the 182nd Regiment began to analyze the feasibility of the entire tactic.

Some plans seem perfectly reasonable when discussed on paper.

Or, from a strategic and overall perspective, there's nothing wrong with it.

However, a closer analysis will reveal the loopholes.

When Peng Jiawei, the chief of staff of the 182nd Regiment, conducted pre-war military modeling and simulated the entire battle situation, he discovered that his side was at a disadvantage in almost all three elements of modern warfare.

For example, regarding weaponry and equipment, even if the Chagan Aobao hinterland were occupied by our side, and we arranged for the First and Third Battalions to break the raid, the 182nd Regiment was, after all, an infantry regiment.

Even if the First and Third Battalions had artillery companies, tank companies, and mechanized infantry companies under their command, their overall strength was far inferior to that of the Blue Army Battalion.

If the raid is poorly commanded, it will not only fail to contain the Blue Army, but will instead become easy prey delivered to the enemy.

Furthermore, regarding the second of the three elements of combat tactics, how enemy units fight and the extent to which information technology is applied are completely unknown to our side.

A rash attempt to fight on two fronts could result in the complete annihilation of the entire unit in the blink of an eye with just one mistake.

The most crucial of the three elements is the organizational structure.

The organization and command structure of the army determine the efficiency of resource allocation and coordination. They were completely unfamiliar with the terrain of the Zhuri River. With two battalions deep inland, resource allocation was likely to run into problems.

If logistics can't keep up, even if they send an alien fleet, it won't work.

Without fuel and bullets, a tank is just a useless piece of junk, and a gun is just a stick to burn.

What will we use to fight this war?

If all three elements of pre-war military modeling are at a disadvantage, then implementing this tactic would mean facing enormous risks.

Peng Jiawei reported the modeling results to Commander Jia.

As Jia Guoqiang was studying the map closely, he heard that the odds of winning in a two-front war were still not very optimistic.

This tough man in his thirties stared blankly for a long time before finally letting out a wry smile and saying, "Damn, times have really changed."

"When the main force of a regiment goes to fight a battalion, not to mention the hesitation and uncertainty, they may not even be able to win."

"Can we get in touch with Night Tiger?"

"We can't get in touch with them." Chief of Staff Peng shook his head and said, "Zhurihe is the territory of the armored regiment. Our division suffered a great loss there. Reconnaissance operations are carried out in the most primitive way. We can only wait until noon to see if the Sixth Company has any news."

"No need to wait."

Jia Guoqiang waved his hand and said, "The Blue Army has always had an aggressive fighting style, but there has never been a precedent for stealing the flag before."

"Now that our regimental flag is lost, it's highly likely that the Night Tigers launched a surprise attack, causing some trouble for the Blue Army battalion, and they retaliated in kind."

"The night tiger is likely to be in grave danger."

Dual-front warfare
Jia Guoqiang tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his eyes fixed on the modeling results, but his mind was racing with thoughts of how to launch an attack.

But after thinking for a long time, I still couldn't come up with a good solution.

"The Blue Army's battalion and detachment size has only one weakness: communications. And what they excel at is attacking enemy communications. Mechanized units are no match for a tiger without communications; even the greatest advantage will vanish."

"But cutting off the Blue Army's communications is easier said than done," Jia Guoqiang sighed, looking up at the sky.

And what the hell is this talk of combat training? The division chief of staff confidently asserted that it would enhance the combat capabilities of the main regiment.

How to improve?
The main force hadn't even arrived when the regimental flag was lost.

They knew the enemy's weakness, but this weakness happened to be the Blue Army's strength.

Jia Guoqiang even suspected that he brought the 182nd Regiment here purely as a training partner.

They came all this way just to get beaten up!
"Commander, I just remembered something that I think could deal a heavy blow to the Blue Army battalion."

Just as the atmosphere inside the command vehicle froze, Peng Jiawei suddenly interjected, "As long as we pay a certain price, we can directly destroy the Blue Army's communication chain."

What the hell?
Commander Jia was taken aback.

Disconnecting the communication link, that's really impressive?
What the entire 61st Division couldn't accomplish back then, can now be accomplished by just one main force regiment breaking the command chain of the Blue Army battalion?
"Tell me about it." Jia Guoqiang looked at Peng Jiawei with great interest, his gaze eager.

The two have been partners for many years, and he knows very well that Lao Peng wouldn't speak up about anything he wasn't sure about at this time.

Damn it, even the regimental flag has been stolen. If we can't turn the tide again, the 61st Division will probably be nailed to the pillar of shame for the next two years.

As a result, much of the division's resources will be taken away by the other divisions.

Peng Jiawei didn't keep him in suspense. He carefully sorted out his thoughts before speaking: "The core of the Blue Army's battalion and squad size is not the officers, but their information processing vehicles."

"We requested the division headquarters to transfer the attack helicopter squadron and adopted the kite flying tactic. As long as the attack helicopters fly at extremely low altitudes, they can avoid radar."

"Before engaging in a two-front war, infiltrate and breach the Blue Army's air defense and reconnaissance system."

"Wait a minute." Jia Guoqiang frowned and interrupted, "Your line of thinking is correct, but you should know the radar search parameters, right?"

"For an armed helicopter to maneuver and evade, it cannot be more than two meters above the ground. Although the Zhuri River is a plain, it still has undulations. With an armed helicopter cruising at a speed of over 300 kilometers per hour, it could crash into the ground if it is not careful. How could you not know the consequences?"

"Hey!"

Hearing the regimental commander's question, Chief of Staff Peng chuckled and said, "No wonder Division Commander Qin said that our thinking is too limited."

"Commander, have you forgotten how the Blue Army battalion deliberately sent helicopters to draw fire along the way when they launched a surprise attack on the division headquarters during the Qinglong Gorge military exercise last year? Do you remember how they did that?"

"You mean...?" Jia Guoqiang's scalp tingled, and he turned his gaze to the map, saying, "Take Highway 203?"

"Correct!"

Peng Jiawei smiled and said, "Use their own methods against them. The attack helicopter squadron, along with the electronic warfare personnel of the 181st Regiment, will fly along Highway 203, approach the Blue Army battalion's area, break through the reconnaissance, quickly climb, lock onto the location of the enemy's information processing vehicle, and exchange the Blue Army battalion's communication processing vehicle for the cost of the entire squadron."

"As long as we put them in a state of no communication, no matter how powerful the Blue Army is, they will be rendered powerless."

Chief of Staff Peng's suggestion was unanimously approved by the regimental officers.

As a core organizational mechanism of the armed forces, communications are crucial; if they are compromised, even the most elite unit will be rendered powerless.

The best thing about a squad isn't that the command can be relayed to the end, but that soldiers can temporarily act as commanders, right?
Without communication, how can you command?

Are you suggesting we shout it out?

. . . . . . . . . .

With the 182nd Regiment's dual-front operation strategy finalized, members of the Tianshui Division's Helicopter Battalion and Electronics Battalion began to be deployed one after another.

Inside the armored regiment's barracks.

Around 1 p.m., Chen Mo finished catching up on his nap.

As soon as he came out of the dormitory building, he noticed that a lot of people had gathered in the direction of the training field.

A reconnaissance company and a guard battalion were watching.

Getting closer.

Chen Mo then noticed that it was next to the flagpole of the Ironclad Regiment and the Blue Army Battalion.

The regimental flag of the 182nd Regiment is being raised.

The words "Red Army Division, Iron Hammer Regiment" were particularly eye-catching.

Chen Mo, who had just woken up, was a little confused by the sudden appearance of the flag.

He completely forgot about the flag theft while eating breakfast.

A flag represents the dignity of an organization.

It is the bottom line that an army is determined to defend to the death.

Now that the regimental flag has been raised over the Zhuri River, it has instantly angered all 2,500 members of the 182nd Regiment.

This training exercise will likely need to be upgraded.

When Chen Mo saw the regimental flag, he was only stunned for a moment before regaining his composure and starting to think of a solution.

He's the kind of troublemaker who's fearless and reckless, so let him level up.

Combat training is not a peaceful training method; the more intense the fighting, the better.

I didn't pay attention to the matter of the Youth League flag.

Chen Mo quickly arrived at the information command center.

At this moment, Cheng Dong, Man Xuexi, and the others had all gathered, and the people present were not stupid.

The moment he learned that the regimental flag had been stolen, he immediately ordered all detachments to raise their combat readiness level.

Be ready to respond to any attack from the 182nd Regiment.

Chen Mo walked into the command room and glanced at the clock on the wall; it was 1:15.

"How is the 182nd Regiment's maneuver going? Have they arrived by land yet?"

"arrive."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Dong picked up his baton and pointed to an area more than 20 kilometers southwest of Zhurihe Town: "The 182nd Regiment's land-based command post and supply convoy arrived an hour ago."

"We are currently setting up the command center in this area."

One hour ago
Chen Mo stared at the map and said, "The other side hasn't sent anyone to negotiate."

"Should we just choose to camp in the wild?"

“No.” Cheng Dong shook his head: “But their Chief of Staff Lin from the 61st Division has already gone there.”

"We stole their regimental flag, so this feud won't be easy to resolve."

Cheng Dong was also somewhat helpless.

After all, combat training is not an exercise. It is to test the combat capabilities of the troops. The two units are not in an adversarial relationship and should generally negotiate.

Now, let alone negotiation.

It's likely that in the early stages of training and combat, the two sides will have to engage in a head-on confrontation.

Fight until death!

"If we can't reconcile, then we can't reconcile. Let's have a fight instead."

"Old Man".

"To!"

"You go to the forward command post and keep an eye on things. Chief of Staff Cheng will command from the rear."

"You are fully responsible for this combat training."

"Let's leave aside the flag theft for now, but the 182nd Regiment came to Zhurihe. They weren't doing an exercise, but rather cooperating with our combat training. As the battalion commander, I have to go and see for myself, both morally and logically."

"Remember, in combat training, you only need to go all out. Winning or losing doesn't matter much. The main thing is to develop the combat capabilities of your unit."

"After I go to Zhongpei, the Blue Army Battalion will develop according to the size of a detachment, and we will make good use of this combat training opportunity to cultivate them."

"Yes!"

Inside the command center, all the officers and staff puffed out their chests and responded loudly.

The battalion commander's instructions were tantamount to delegating authority.

Then they will have to shoulder the heavy responsibility of this combat training.

Chen Mo indeed meant that; he was going to Zhongpei anyway, so there was really no need for him to continue managing all the work arrangements for the Blue Army Camp.

The creation of an organization might only require the ability of one person, who can lead a group of cadres to act recklessly.

However, if the new organization wants to develop, it needs a group of capable people to support it; relying on just one or two people is far from enough.

After walking around the command center and finding no other problems, Wang Jianyong drove Chen Mo straight to the southwest of Zhurihe Town.

along the way.

Chen Mo was observing the combat readiness of each squad, and there were basically no problems.

Even without reconnaissance and jamming vehicles, Silver Sword aircraft, or early warning radar, the Blue Army battalion is still an enhanced battalion.

Their mechanized warfare capabilities are not bad.

In addition, the 182nd Regiment is an infantry regiment with some heavy equipment, but not much. It can handle the situation at the squad level without much trouble.

It was around 2 PM.

Chen Mo arrived near the 182nd Regiment's command post.

At this moment, the enemy's logistics personnel were setting up oil tanks and tents.

Rumble!
The sky was filled with the roar of propellers.

Three armed helicopters from the 61st Division's Helicopter Squadron, arranged in a triangular formation, conducted ultra-low-altitude cruise tests along Highway 203, the eastern section of the Zhuri River.

Chen Mo saw all of this, as he had used similar tactics to launch a surprise attack on the 61st Division before.

Therefore, this time, just a glance was enough to understand that the 182nd Regiment was going to use surprise attacks during the combat training.

In order to evade radar detection.

When testing ultra-low-altitude cruise, the helicopter maneuvers forward with its fuselage almost touching the ground, and its wide belly maintains a vertical distance of about 1.2 meters from the ground.

This altitude is the limit for the ace air knight's low-altitude cruise.

Boom! Boom! Boom! The helicopter rotors spun, generating a powerful noise and wind. Along the flight path, the withered grass on both sides of Highway 203 was flattened, and the already fragile dead leaves could not withstand the tearing force of the wind, their veins splitting and breaking off in jagged pieces.

For a while.

Where the three armed helicopters passed, grass clippings flew everywhere, causing the grass to be flattened, and some small lizards were blown dozens of meters away.

Chen Mo was engrossed in watching.

Soldiers from the reconnaissance company patrolling near the headquarters of the 182nd Regiment finally spotted the two men.

It's not surprising that they were so unvigilant, taking so long to notice someone had arrived.

The main reason was that at this time, the entire regimental motor transport company, repair shop, engineer company, communications company, and even some artillery battalion soldiers were busy nearby.

Everyone was wearing similar military uniforms. They were only spotted because Chen Mo and Wang Jianyong weren't doing any work; they were just staring at the helicopter in the distance, which drew attention.

"Hello, Major, what can I do for you?"

The police reconnaissance company soldier glanced at Chen Mo's rank and asked with a wary expression.

"Oh, Hello."

Hearing the noise, Chen Mo took out his officer's ID card from his pocket, handed it to the other person, and said with a smile, "I am Chen Mo, the battalion commander of the Blue Army Battalion. Welcome to Zhurihe for combat training."

"I'm looking for your Commander Jia."

Upon hearing that it was the Blue Army battalion commander, that notorious devil...

The soldiers from the reconnaissance company glanced at it several times, muttering something under their breath, and carefully checked the officer's ID to make sure there were no problems.

He then stood at attention, saluted, and said, "Hello, Battalion Commander Chen, I'm here to give a report to the regimental headquarters."

"Okay, please."

Chen Mo put away his officer's ID card and looked at the helicopter in the distance again, secretly wondering what kind of surprise attack the 182nd Regiment would take.

The soldiers from the police reconnaissance company took out walkie-talkies and walked to a distance to report in a low voice.

I waited for about four or five minutes.

A lieutenant colonel in his thirties ran quickly from the direction of the camp. He was probably seeing the commander of the Blue Army battalion for the first time as well.

After scrutinizing him for a while, he laughed and said, "So it's Battalion Commander Chen! Haha, what a rare guest!"

"My name is Peng Jiawei, and I am the chief of staff of the 182nd Regiment."

"Hello, Chief of Staff Peng."

Chen Mo grinned and shook hands with the other person.

He can laugh, and his laugh is radiant.

But Peng Jiawei was heartbroken.

Damn it, our own regimental headquarters has only been there for an hour.

The supply depot and oil tanks hadn't been set up yet, and even the command center had just been erected when the battalion commander of the Blue Army came to visit.

To know.

Their 182nd Regiment's garrison is more than 20 kilometers away from Zhurihe Town.

Such a distance is nothing for a large army fighting a war, nor is it anything for the vast grasslands.

However, if you only consider the distance, it is definitely not short.

The fact that the Blue Army was able to find their own location so quickly and accurately shows that the enemy had already established an intelligence network along the Zhuri River and even in the surrounding area.

According to the map, this place is at least 80 kilometers away from the Blue Army camp.

Peng Jiawei asked himself these questions.

If there is a troop stationed 80 kilometers away from the Longxi regimental headquarters, it would be difficult for them to determine the coordinates within an hour.

Against this kind of force, the 61st Division's previous defeats weren't entirely unjustified.

Feeling dejected, he led Battalion Commander Chen to the regimental command post.

along the way.

No one mentioned the group flag.

After all, combat training is combat training, and personal relationships are personal relationships.

The 182nd Regiment and the Armored Regiment do not belong to the same military region. When their military commanders meet, it is only out of courtesy. If they were to raise their regimental flags at this time, it would probably lead to a real-life confrontation.

Enter the regimental headquarters.

Lin Yifeng, chief of staff of the 61st Division, and Jia Guoqiang, commander of the 182nd Regiment, were both studying the map of the Zhuri River.

Chen Mo came in.

Lin Yifeng greeted him with a smile, "Little Chen is here, haha, come, come, let me introduce you. This is Jia Guoqiang, the commander of the Iron Hammer Regiment of the 182nd Regiment."

"Old Jia, this is Chen Mo, the battalion commander of the Blue Army."

"Greetings, Commander Jia!"

Chen Mo stood at attention, saluted, and looked quite serious.

As junior officers, no matter how the battle unfolds on the battlefield, we must not neglect the proper etiquette.

But Commander Jia was not in a good mood.

He casually raised his hand as a return gesture, then glanced at Chen Mo and sneered, "Commander Chen's intelligence work covers quite a wide area."

"Our group just arrived, and you're already here?"

"Haha, I came here with Chief Lin." Chen Mo chuckled, not caring about the other party's attitude.

He turned to look at the sand table and map at the regimental headquarters.

When you see the area near Chagan Aobao, you see a dense array of colorful flags planted there, and there are also many flags planted near Zhurihe Town.

There's no need to ask any further questions.

Chen Mo understood the 182nd Regiment's intention: they were going to fight on two fronts.

Furthermore, the Second Battalion and the Artillery Battalion were both stationed near Zhurihe Town, which meant that the two-front war was being fought, with the area near the town being the main battlefield.

Chagan Aobao, located in the heart of the Zhuri River region, was only used for diversionary tactical purposes.

"Commander Jia, is your helicopter squadron outside used to evade radar, raid information vehicles, and cut off unit communications?"

Chen Mo turned to look at Jia Guoqiang.

Just this sentence.

Lin Yifeng, Jia Guoqiang, Peng Jiawei, and all the members of the 182nd Regiment's staff were stunned for a moment.

Be nice!

This was a plan that their team had spent half a day developing and finalizing, but Chen Mo saw through their strategic intentions in less than a minute after he arrived.

The group wasn't worried that Chen Mo would figure out their tactics or have a countermeasure.

Because combat training is specifically designed to train the opposing force battalion.

It is normal for both command headquarters to jointly develop scripts and operational plans to train combat units.

Just as the Blue Army battalion's platoon deployment map was not kept secret from the 182nd Regiment, their operational plans also did not need to be kept secret from the Blue Army battalion headquarters.

But here's the thing.

An entire command team spent hours developing a plan, only to have it seen through at a glance by a major.

And this was done on a sand table, without any indication of a helicopter squadron.

Is it because the 182nd Regiment's operational plan was too simplistic, or has Gou Xiucai's understanding of tactics become ingrained in his bones?
"How did you know?" Jia Guoqiang frowned.

He had absolutely no liking for this scoundrel of a scholar.

"It's very simple."

Chen Mo smiled, and then, quite naturally, he picked up the baton and pointed it near the Zhurihe Chagan Aobao.

"There are two battalions of yours here, located in our heartland. They appear to be in a battle formation, but the main force of these two battalions is primarily mobile and lacks artillery. In addition, the transport of supplies in the heartland is limited, so they do not have the characteristics of long-term combat."

"It is simply not suitable as the main battlefield."

"In a two-front war, there has to be one main battlefield, which will definitely be the mobile battalion and artillery battalion near Zhurihe Town."

Chen Mo picked up his baton and pointed it near the town, continuing, "But in terms of mobility, firepower, support speed, and familiarity with the terrain, your unit is at a disadvantage in the main battlefield when it comes to dealing with our detachment."

"I just saw helicopters outside practicing low-altitude patrols. Attack helicopters have no advantage against our Type 99 tanks, or even Type 92 infantry fighting vehicles and Type 90 anti-aircraft guns."

"A surprise attack would have no effect."

"The only possibility is to sacrifice the attack helicopter battalion to destroy our communications vehicles, disrupt the communications capabilities of all units, and throw the entire battle into disarray, so that we can gain an advantage on the main battlefield."

After Chen Mo finished his analysis, the entire regimental command room fell into a deathly silence.

The group of people stood there dumbfounded and didn't say a word.

I had only heard that the Blue Army battalion had no bottom line in fighting, and that the battalion commander was an even more ruthless scoundrel who would stop at nothing in his tactical arrangements.

But looking at it today, while the rumors are true, they are not comprehensive.

At the very least, Battalion Commander Chen's lack of scruples likely stemmed from his absolute control over the battle situation, leading him to devise the optimal solution against the enemy.

if not.

Which commander could come over and reveal their entire battle plan just by glancing at a sand table map, or even an incomplete one?

"Commander Chen, how feasible do you think this combat plan is?"

Peng Jiawei, chief of staff of the 182nd Regiment, asked in a deep voice.

Chen Mo didn't respond immediately, but instead walked around the sand table, acting as if he were the commander.

After staring at it for a while, he finally spoke: "There is no good or bad in a battle plan, only the control and application of the timing."

When do you plan to make your move?

"The military train will arrive in half an hour. It is expected that the main force will be able to assemble in Chagan Aobao and the town by 5 p.m., and the attack plan can be implemented around 5:30 p.m.

Peng Jiawei explained truthfully.

“Then you will surely lose.” Chen Mo shook his head slightly: “It gets dark at around 5:50 in Zhurihe. Twenty minutes is enough time for your helicopter battalion to advance dozens of kilometers.”

"Do you think the Blue Army camp is blind and deaf for those tens of kilometers and can't see such a large helicopter operation?"

"As soon as our main force unit discovers it, the message will be relayed to the entire battalion within seconds. At that time, the air defense of the position and the push-out operation of the individual anti-air defense line will be upgraded to the maximum."

"Your armed helicopters don't even need to come over. Each squad will find a way to lock onto your helicopters and destroy them by any means necessary."

"And helicopters that fly close to the ground are not as combat-capable as an armored vehicle. If a detachment spread throughout the Zhurihe River area were to simply place a Type 90 towed anti-aircraft gun on the road, would you be able to manage?"

"Then let's go at seven o'clock, and wait until it's completely dark before we move out." Peng Jiawei's tone became more serious, clearly carrying some emotion.

After all, it was his idea to attack the Blue Army's communications vehicle, and now he's being utterly dismissed by the dog scholar.

Anyone who hears this will not feel comfortable.

“After dark, there are hidden sentries everywhere on both sides of the road. With such a big iron bird flying close to the ground, even a fool would know what you’re up to.”

Chen Mo shook his head again, rejecting the other party's suggestion.

"So how do you say we fight?"

Jia Guoqiang stared wide-eyed and couldn't help but speak.

Damn it, our battle plan has been rejected time and time again. Even a clay figure has some temper, right?
They could tell that the other person in charge was in a bad mood.

Chen Mo chuckled dryly, "Commander Jia, please don't be angry."

"Warfare is all about speed. On the battlefield, rhythm control is especially important, and time differences can be fatal."

Throughout history and across the world, there are countless examples of disastrous defeats caused by just a few minutes of conflict.

"Speed ​​and efficiency are the lifeline of an army."

"Since you intend to replace our communications vehicles with attack helicopter battalions, why do you have to wait for your main force to arrive before taking action?"

“The main force of the 182nd Regiment came from Longxi. Not only do you know the exact time, but we can also calculate it.”

"Wouldn't it be more effective to launch a surprise attack at this moment?"

Hearing Chen Mo's suggestion.

The people in the command room looked at each other in bewilderment.

Goodness, this guy is insane; he always manages to find the perfect angle.

Indeed, launching an attack at this time caught not only the Blue Army battalion off guard, but even the 182nd Regiment itself was caught off guard.

But the problem is.

What does Battalion Commander Chen mean by this?
He came to the regimental headquarters just to give the enemy advice and plan how to attack his own unit.
He can't be that bored, can he?
(End of this chapter)