Starting from the deputy company commander of the Soldier Assault Team

Time was ticking closer to six o'clock.

The entire 77th Motorized Infantry Regiment's position was like a suppressed volcano, just waiting to erupt.

At 5:58, the 77th Motorbike Regiment pointed out.

Regiment Commander Liang Xi withdrew his gaze from the sand table, clenched his fists tightly, and said in a deep voice, "Communications Staff Officer."

"arrive!"

Communications staff officer Cui Xiaoke immediately responded in a loud voice, and then quickly stepped forward.

"Pass on my order! At 6:00 AM sharp, the howitzer company and the mortar company will each conduct a test fire to correct any deviations, followed by a rapid-fire of ten rounds to completely cover the forward positions of Hill 034!"

"Yes, Commander, six o'clock sharp, howitzer company..."

Cui Xiaoke picked up the notebook, didn't even look at it, and quickly repeated the command.

"Yes!" Liang Xi nodded and continued to order, "Test fire, then switch to a gradual barrage after the rapid fire is completed, with the artillery fire gradually extending to cover the infantry assault!"

"All infantry companies, launch your assault precisely at 6:02 AM! Move quickly and fiercely! I will take Hill 034 in one fell swoop, leaving no room for retreat! Over!"

"Yes, Commander, test fire..."

Cui Xiaoke repeated the order without error, then turned around and rushed to the radio. His fingers flew across the dial, and he relayed the order verbatim to each battalion and company position without missing a single word.

As soon as the order was given, the entire 77th Regiment's position instantly entered the final sprint.

On the artillery positions, after receiving their orders, the gunners immediately barked at their gunners, "Ammunition handlers, fire rapidly and prepare ammunition!"

"Aim at the hand, set the target coordinates!"

"Attention, class! Prepare for test firing!"

……

Inside each infantry battalion command, the three battalion commanders acted identically: they checked their watches and repeatedly confirmed their information over the radio.

"Is the artillery coordination in place?"

"Confirm the infantry assault route one last time!"

"Communication is working smoothly, please report back immediately!"

……

On the forward infantry positions, company and platoon leaders shouted in low voices, "One last check of weapons and ammunition! Organize equipment!"

"Charge into formation, don't look up!"

"Await orders and be prepared to strike at any time."

The soldiers lay prone in the trenches, quickly checking their rifle magazines and grenades, making all the necessary preparations before the charge.

On the artillery position, each gunner stared at their wristwatch and shouted in a low voice, "Attention, platoon! Ready—!"

Upon hearing the command, the aiming hand remained motionless in front of the scope.

The loader shoved the practice round into the breech and slammed the breech shut with a click.

The ammunition handler had already grabbed the next shell, ready to pass it on at any moment.

炮长嘴唇微动，一字一顿，「5——4——3——2——1——」

"put!"

A plume of gray smoke suddenly spewed from the muzzle of the reference gun, followed by a muffled thud.

Before they could make any further moves, a series of muffled thuds rang out simultaneously from the entire howitzer position, along with the mortar positions in the distance.

The next second, thick plumes of white smoke rose wildly from under each gun position.

Not only were the howitzer and mortar positions filled with smoke,

Even the six Type 74 37mm twin-barreled anti-aircraft guns of the nearby anti-aircraft artillery company responsible for providing cover, along with their crews, simultaneously emitted red smoke that signified "death or failure."

All officers and soldiers on the position remained in a ready-to-fire posture.

Everyone froze on the spot, completely dumbfounded.

That wasn't the end of it. The cable soldiers had painstakingly re-laid the cables, and there was nothing wrong with them. But the problem was that white smoke was rising from every single intersection with a popping sound.

In less than two seconds, the battalion commander and company commanders came over, picked up the phone, and were about to report to the regimental headquarters to verify, but there was no sound.

Switching to the radio only produced static, making it impossible to contact the regimental headquarters.

"Communicator, run! Run to the regimental headquarters to report and verify."

At six o'clock sharp, Zhang Anbang, on one side of Hill 034, looked through his binoculars at the 77th Regiment's position. Of course, he couldn't see the howitzer positions, nor could he see the mortar positions; they were all too far away.

He was watching to see if white smoke would rise from the 77th Regiment's forward positions to bomb their armored lines.

As he saw the white smoke, a report came through: "Dagger, Dagger, B1 calling, enemy mortar position destroyed, over."

"Dagger, dagger, C1 calling, enemy howitzer position destroyed, over."

The observation post outside the two artillery positions of the 77th Regiment reported back: "Spearhead received, concealed and awaiting support, over."

The 77th Regiment headquarters was also stunned. Just one second past six o'clock, all communications were cut off, and the wiring harnesses that the wiremen had repaired before the exercise started were broken again.

The radio was filled with hissing sounds, clearly jammed and unusable.

"Correspondent, walk to each department to verify the information."

As soon as Regiment Commander Liang Xi issued his order, the referee team issued a formal judgment to the 77th Regiment Command and all destroyed positions through a dedicated exercise channel.

"Attention all units! All howitzers and mortars in the 77th Regiment's artillery battalion's positions have been subjected to simulated bombing attacks by the enemy. All artillery pieces have been deemed inoperable, and all personnel at the positions have been killed."

Anti-aircraft firepower was determined to be destroyed based on the range of the simulated explosion.

Then another order was issued to all the battalion and company command posts of the regiment.

"All wired communications in the 77th Regiment are down and cannot be restored within two hours! All electronic communications are down and cannot be restored. Over!"

boom!

Liang Xi slammed his fist on the folding table. "These bastards not only cut off the water and communications before we started, but they also planted time bombs. Damn it, I underestimated how despicable they are."

"Protest! We must protest! We're a motorized infantry regiment. All our artillery has been destroyed. How can we fight? Relying solely on infantry charges is just suicide!"

Chief of Staff Mi Yangfei's angry voice rang out.

Regiment Commander Liang Xi remained silent, but Political Commissar Zhou Junlin spoke up.

His voice was low and deep. "What's the use of protesting? The exercise has started. According to the directing staff, that means war has begun. All the artillery has been used up. Protesting is useless."

"Whether it's useful or not, we'll protest. Besides, even without artillery, we still have infantry. We can take a piece of their flesh even if we charge straight at them."

Liang Xi's voice remained firm, but her tone was filled with a sense of loneliness.

He can only rely on the battalions and companies below him to carry out the decision and launch the attack. From his regimental command, in just two minutes, with communications cut off, there is no way he can contact the battalions and companies below him.

In just over two minutes, the situation changed dramatically, leaving the old regimental commander momentarily stunned.

At 6:02, the sounds of gunfire and whistles rang out.

The infantry companies of the 77th Regiment quickly launched an assault on Hill 034.

The first, second, and third battalions each dispatched two companies in combat formation to launch an assault from the front and left and right flanks of Hill 034.

There were no assists, only direct attacks, all aimed at taking down Hill 034 in one fell swoop.

The remaining infantry company from each battalion, which was intended as a reserve force, was also ready to launch an attack.