Military career: Starting with a recruitment letter

Chapter 366 A formidable foe enters the fray; I'll take on three!
As Chen Mo began to take action.

The air inside the large model room was extremely oppressive.

The old men and trainees around them had no sense of social distance and all crowded around.

Watch the sand table being made.

It's truly rare to see a battalion commander handling all of this.

Chen Mo was also under considerable pressure. The large screen clearly displayed the military operation requirements, which included creating a sand table and simulating the course of the war.

The terrain is very broad, and the army is required to conduct a unified assessment of the terrain.

He had never made a sand table himself; he had only watched others make them and seen what they looked like after they were completed.

Following the example blindly, under the watchful eyes of so many people, beads of sweat gradually appeared on Chen Mo's forehead.

In practice, creating a sand table is actually secondary.

The assessment did not require a high degree of accuracy in the simulation, nor did it provide a specific map for comparison with real-world terrain.

If you know how to do it, do it nicely; if you don't, do it roughly.

As long as the scale is correct, the deployment is based on the combat situation, and the materials are used in the right places, there shouldn't be any major problems.

The real challenge in the practical exercise is that candidates need to create a sand table based on the war situation, and at the same time, they need to develop a series of complex battle plans for their own units, including troop strength, firepower, logistics, communications, rescue, medical care, air and ground artillery fire, etc.

One solution is not enough.

Since it is a confrontation, at least one or two additional combat backup strike plans should be prepared and submitted to the referee.

Put it simply.

In the process of creating the terrain, not only must the positions of the 116 small flags be arranged reasonably so that all units can form a complete combat force, but additional combat plans must also be formulated.

Ensure that you have backup plans to handle situations when the opponent attacks.

Campaign combat tests officers' ability to design actual campaign plans and their ability to organize and implement them.

Chen Mo held a small shovel in one hand and a scale ruler in the other, trying hard to recall the relatively clear shape of the sand table in his mind.

He currently lacks the ability to innovate; he can only imitate sand tables he has seen before and remembers, replicating them as much as possible.

The assessment should include the conditions of the battle situation.

The group of old men watching remained expressionless; their attention was solely focused on Chen Mo's process of making and installing the flags.

As for whether it's aesthetically pleasing or not, that's not important, as long as it doesn't violate regulations.

But the expressions on the faces of the group of cadres trained by the central government were quite interesting.

They hoped that Chen Mo could successfully complete the practical exercise, and that he could at least make them look good in front of the older generation.

She was torn between not wanting this scoundrel to steal the spotlight again.

After all, if one person is too capable, the others will seem dull.

Comparing people to each other is so irritating.

Of course, many of the cadres present were not focused on whether Chen Mo could complete the task, but rather on why he would create a sand table.

To know.

The leap from grassroots cadres to senior-level cadres is not significant; they can simply gain experience over a few more years.

But the things that need to be mastered from the intermediate training stage to senior management are terrifying.

Many officers were stuck at the lieutenant colonel level, unable to be promoted, and eventually had to leave the military.

The lack of available positions is part of the reason, but another part is that many battalion commanders are simply not qualified to take over the duties of regimental commanders and above.

Especially in the 1990s, when the education, ability, and knowledge of military officers were generally not high.

The transition from theoretical discussion to hands-on practice may seem like just a step, but in reality, the difficulty increases dramatically.

Other cadres will need ten years or even longer to complete this process.

And talent is also required.

But the battalion commander of this Blue Army battalion has only been in the army for a little over a year, right?
How did he do that?
Is this guy's memory that incredible, spanning over a year?

Not only did he train the Blue Army battalion, but he also memorized books on campaign topics such as "Army Campaign Studies," "Army Command Textbook," "Field Army Communications Organization and Implementation," "Characteristics of Field Army Command Plans," and "Combined Use of Arms."

Because there are no shortcuts in strategy studies, except through personal experience.

All that's left is to memorize dozens of textbooks and thoroughly understand them before one is qualified to stand on the stage of theoretical discussion.

As for how difficult it is to memorize, let me put it this way.

An ordinary book titled "Organizational Communication Implementation," which merely represents a professional officer's familiarity with procedures, contains 200,000 words.

The reason why the cadres who participated in the training on-site could be so certain is because they had gone through this process step by step.

An officer who has been in command for a year or two might not understand the most basic things, such as communication procedures, authority, channel allocation, backup channels, and frequency switching of communication equipment.

They weren't qualified to stand at the Army Command Academy and were selected to participate in the training program.

Even those who understand these things can only remain spectators.

To stand in the position Chen Mo was standing in, simply knowing about communication is useless.

They also need to be able to thoroughly study all the relevant operational theory content under specific terrain conditions, and be able to make an army group truly move on the sand table.

Furthermore, it forms an efficient, tightly integrated, and well-controlled command system, ensuring powerful offense and defense, and creating a truly seamless mechanized group combat system.

That's very difficult.

Time passed little by little.

Chen Mo's sand table construction speed is very slow. If his battle theory score is 80, then his sand table construction speed would be considered good if he could get 8.

But what's strange is that the group of people around him were exceptionally patient.

It was past midnight, and the entire Lu Zhi Academy was shrouded in the silent night.

Chen Mo felt dizzy, and sweat dripped from his forehead.

Zhou Kaiwei, the captain of the police detachment, made a special trip to the supply room of the battle building to get him a towel to drape over his shoulder.

Easy to wipe away sweat.

Setting up these things is really too time-consuming; building a sand table is different from a child playing in the sand.

During the setup process, Chen Mo had to rationally construct the latitude and longitude lines based on the troops represented by the 116 flags and the two terrains he randomly selected. Everything had to strictly conform to the principles of the army group's garrison and the conditions of the battle.

For example, where is the logistics transportation line, how is it concealed, and how can supplies be transported to the front line in the shortest possible time?

What is the ratio of the location of the air force command to that of the artillery?

If the ratio of real time to time in the sand table is 1:10, that is, if one minute passes in reality, ten minutes pass in the sand table simulation of the battle.

How far apart should the rescue teams be to ensure timely return to their posts?

These problems had no advisors to devise solutions for; they had to be addressed by one person alone.

There were no reference points during the process.

If there are any mistakes or improprieties in the production process, the old men nearby will point them out, but they won't help correct them.

No one dares to be careless when it comes to becoming a lecturer, even a temporary one.

No one can help Chen Mo get through this hurdle; he wants to shoulder an even heavier burden.

First, you need to demonstrate the corresponding strength.

It's normal that he can't do the sand table exercise; the old men under Commander Lu had already expected it. In fact, Chen Mo's performance was in line with their guesses.

But that's not important. What's important is that from beginning to end, from production to commanding a large-scale battle, as long as you can pull through, the future holds endless possibilities.

Time passed little by little.

It took a little over an hour, which was around 12:30 a.m. on March 22.

The reinforcements for the 27th Army have finally arrived.

Three senior colonels walked into the simulation room, chatting and laughing. Among the trainees were officers from the 27th Army. Upon seeing the three enter, they quickly made way for them.

Coincidentally, Chen Mo knew all three of the outside helpers who were brought in.

One of them was Li Jie, the brigade commander of the 235th Motorized Infantry Brigade, the only brigade assigned to the Blue Army during the Northern Sword A military exercise.

Chen Mo had dealt with the other two as well, but had never met them. One was Jin Fugui, the brigade commander of the 80th Motorized Infantry Brigade, who was surrounded by poultry, and the other was Yang Lunan, the brigade commander of the Eastern Front Red Army Mechanized Infantry Brigade, whose motorized infantry battalion Chen Mo had replaced.

Since September 1998, when the 27th Army took the lead in responding to the policy of streamlining armored forces, the entire army no longer has any division-level units.

The four most powerful main combat divisions under the 27th Army back then have now had their designations changed or been transferred to the People's Armed Police.

All that remained were the 235th Motorized Infantry Brigade and the 80th Motorized Infantry Brigade.

Commander Lu ordered someone to call and borrow men. The 27th Army certainly wouldn't be fooled, so they specially arranged for their two most capable fighters to come over.

Li Jie's abilities are beyond question. He was able to arrange all the Blue Army's deployments all by himself, and he obtained the unanimous approval of Wang Songhe, Tang Haodong, and Wei Jinan.

He's definitely a formidable player.

As for the mechanized infantry brigade, it was simply because their location was nearby, and they were brought along by the military region after being notified.

The three entered the simulation room. Li Jie glanced at the sand table and saw Chen Mo bending over, sweating profusely as he set it up.

A group of old men from Commander Lu's crew were watching him closely.

Li Jie couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.

This scholar is really something else. How did he manage to disturb those old men, like Director Lu, who are usually never seen?
Despite his doubts, he immediately went to Li Yazhong to greet the former principal.

Who can imagine.

Before he even got close enough...

Li Yazhong raised his hand to stop the three from speaking, then pointed to the battle situation display on the big screen and gestured to the giant sand table with his eyes.

These three are all deputy division-level cadres, unlike the group from Zhongpei. They've seen it all.

Just by looking at the old principal's actions, they understood the mission they had come for.

As for sand table simulations, that's a piece of cake, after understanding the old principal's meaning.

Li Jie, Jin Fugui, and Yang Lunan nodded, and as they passed Chen Mo, they gave him a strange look.

Only Li Jie has met Chen Mo in person, and the two worked together for a period of time.

The remaining two brigade commanders have never met in person, but not having met them doesn't mean we can't guess.

Young, a major, appeared in the Army Command's Operations Department building in the middle of the night, attracting the attention of a group of authoritative old men in operations studies.

Taking all factors into account.

Apart from that Blue Army battalion outside the Great Wall, there is currently no other person in the entire army who can attract such great attention.

They noticed the questioning looks in the eyes of the two people.

Li Jie nodded slightly, which was tantamount to acknowledging Chen Mo's identity.

Upon learning that this young man was the same Blue Army battalion commander who had caused trouble for him with a rooster and sheep last year, Brigade Commander Jin immediately picked out a red flag from the sand table.

Stand in the spot closest to Chen Mo and begin setting up the sand table.

Li Jie chose black, while Yang Lunan chose cyan.

If Chen Mo had been extremely clumsy for the previous hour or so, measuring and building bit by bit with a ruler, then...

Then the speed of these three people is extremely exaggerated.

Only a dozen minutes had passed.

The three men had already completed half of their sand table, and the number of flags in their hands was decreasing. Clearly, they were used to this kind of work for many years. The sand tables they had built could be at least six hundred, if not a thousand.

Their eyes are their rulers; the scale is only used for special terrains, while ordinary terrains are simply marked out with a small shovel.

With a formidable rival entering the fray and the gap between the two sides so obvious, many of the training cadres temporarily set aside their prejudices.

I started to worry for Chen Mo.

If the four of them started simultaneously, Chen Mo would have no chance to react and would be killed by any one of the three at top speed.

There's no need for any strategic alliances or maneuvers; one person is enough to handle this novice.

Because whoever completes the sand table simulation first, deploys their forces, and submits their backup combat strategy can take the lead.

We don't need to worry about whether the opponent has finished setting up.

This is in line with actual battlefield conditions; the enemy will not ask us whether we are ready.

Just as everyone was worried, they inadvertently discovered that Chen Mo's movements had become faster.

That's right, it's gotten faster.

His original building speed was about as slow as a tortoise, but now the finishing touches are clearly accelerating.

He placed the small blue flags one by one into their corresponding positions.

Chen Mo was indeed quick.

Actually, we really have to thank Brigade Commander Jin Fugui. In his memory, making a sand table was something that happened in his previous life, and many of the procedures had become very vague.

It requires constant recollection and reflection on the details.

As it turned out, the results were minimal!
But ever since Commander Jin arrived, and started working a few meters to his side...

Setting up a sand table is nothing special. Chen Mo couldn't remember some things at first, but after glancing at Commander Jin's setup, he only watched for half a minute.

Many details then came to mind naturally.

How could it not be fast!

He didn't know Jin Fugui personally, and they were only acquaintances in theory, but without a doubt, Jin Fugui was a good person!

After Chen Mo finished setting up the sand table, he placed several non-fixed firepower units, such as satellites, fixed radars, reconnaissance radars, air units, and air defense units, onto the sand table.

Immediately, he grabbed a towel to wipe away his sweat, turned around, and, despite the aching and numbness all over his body, shouted loudly, "Report, the Blue Army has completed its deployment. I request permission to open the reconnaissance visibility range."

This open reconnaissance range is a permission that needs to be granted by the referee during sand table simulations, but it is only required at the beginning of the war.

When the battle becomes intense, it is necessary to obtain enemy intelligence from the referee based on the progress of one's own main force.

Upon hearing the request, the referee in charge of the scene turned to look at the principal.

The other three hadn't finished setting up yet, but they were almost done, so it wouldn't have a big impact.

Lee Ah-jong nodded to the referee, indicating that the reconnaissance could proceed.

If the simulation operation process is strictly followed, after the sand table is built, the judges need to give a basic deployment score, and then give a campaign plan score and a campaign command score.

Finally, combine all scores to assess overall ability.

But for someone like Chen Mo, forget about basic deployment points; he'd be lucky if they weren't negative.

The principal agreed.

The referee nodded and walked up to Chen Mo: "Please submit your battle plan, and I will grant you access to the reconnaissance area."

"plan?"

Chen Mo reached out and wiped the sweat from his face. The fatigue from before had long since disappeared, replaced by a faint excitement.

Those three things aren't even fully assembled yet, what kind of solution do you need?
"Report, my plan is to launch a simultaneous blitzkrieg against the red, black, and blue sides on all three lines."

"I need to engage three targets; please grant me access to the reconnaissance area."

As soon as these words came out.

The cadres who had stayed up all night in the simulation room were all dumbfounded.

What? Three of them?

Damn it, no wonder everyone says the Devil's Camp beyond the Great Wall is full of dogs, not people.

So you can't wait that long?
It's a sand table simulation. The other three sides all have army-level firepower. Who would dare to fight three against one?

Others haven't even discussed forming alliances yet, and you're already making noise.

Don't say that others are speechless.

Even the old principal's face darkened instantly when he heard that he wanted to fight three people at once.

This kid... he's really hard to describe.

Seeing that others haven't finished building, you're already trying to take advantage of them. Aren't you afraid of them retaliating?
(End of this chapter)