Starting from the deputy company commander of the Soldier Assault Team

Liang Xi looked around. The positions that the 77th Regiment had meticulously prepared yesterday were now filled with white, yellow, and red smoke, and the soldiers were quite disheartened.

As if speaking to someone, yet also as if talking to himself, his tone was full of grief and indignation: "Stop the confrontation? I'd like to confront them."

But who am I supposed to fight? Who am I supposed to fight with, with my 2,800 men in the 77th Regiment?

How can I fight back? What can I use to fight back?

Two thousand eight hundred people prepared meticulously for a day, and what was the result?

In just ten minutes, my 77th Regiment was almost completely wiped out.

No, to be precise, it was only five minutes, just five minutes, and my 77th Regiment of 2,800 men was already completely outmatched.

"We didn't even see a shadow of our opponents, just a few helicopters, and that was it."

Zhou Junlin and Chief of Staff Mi Yangfei, who were standing around, felt very sad as they listened to what Regiment Commander Liang Xi said.

Chief of Staff Mi Yangfei, known for his fiery temper, kicked the dirt hard and said angrily, "Commander, the Blue Team has done something terribly wrong. Before the exercise started, they not only sabotaged our communications, but also poisoned our water supply."

Explosives were even buried under our howitzer and mortar positions, as well as the intersections of wired communication lines.

The exercise started at six o'clock and was immediately detonated. Wired communications were interrupted, wireless communications were suppressed, and heavy firepower was completely destroyed. We were basically unarmed and helpless, blind and deaf. How could we fight this battle?

That's not all. They didn't even send out infantry; they just sent helicopters to bomb us. How could we, with our lightly armed infantry, possibly win against these armed helicopters? We simply couldn't win.

Why not just tell the exercise command that this kind of exercise is unnecessary? Wouldn't it be easier to just have our 77th Regiment stand there and let them fire their submachine guns?

And also, didn't we agree that we were the attackers and they were the defenders?

What were they defending?

Political Commissar Zhou Junlin was also suppressing his anger, but when he spoke, his voice had become calm and steady, "Old Liang, Old Mi, calm down first."

Given the current situation, when we protested and complained about their sabotage of water sources and cable TV, the directing department must have known about their bombing problem.

Since the director said they hadn't violated any rules, it meant he tacitly approved of their planting of explosives.

Attacking side? Defending side?

Does it matter? Didn't you yourself say that offense is the best defense?

Zhou Junlin glanced around at the still-smoking positions and the somewhat dejected soldiers, his voice growing clearer, "Losing is a fact, and we're all just as frustrated."

The entire regiment of 2,800 men worked hard to dig trenches, set up fortifications, and prepare for combat, but they didn't even see the enemy's main force. They were breached and destroyed in five or ten minutes. Everyone felt like they were being stabbed in the heart.

But as the commanding officers, we have to take the soldiers' emotions into consideration. If we can't manage them, what will happen to the 2,800 officers and soldiers below us?

I think the reason the commanding officer told us to gather and stand by in place was because he took this factor into consideration.

Moreover, I feel like I've gotten a bit of a feel for this exercise. Now let's hurry up and make arrangements, organize ourselves, and review this exercise.

What if the opponent is the same kind of adversary in the next exercise?

What if the next one isn't a drill, but a real-world situation like this?

We must quickly come up with a solution; we can't afford to lose the foundation of our old Red Army regiments.

Zhou Junlin's words, though not loud, struck Liang Xi and Mi Yangfei like a heavy hammer. He was originally an excellent commander; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to serve as the commander of a main motorized infantry regiment like the 77th Regiment.

However, what happened in just ten minutes after the exercise began was too surreal, and the two old officers who loved the 77th Regiment to the core couldn't accept it for a while.

Liang Xi and Mi Yangfei's eyes cleared instantly, and a layer of cold sweat broke out on their backs. The political commissar was right. What if this were a real battle?

"Old Zhou, you're right. It's a good thing you're here, otherwise I don't know how many mistakes I would make," Liang Xi said, patting Zhou Junlin on the shoulder.

Then he turned around and shouted towards the regimental command tent, "Cui Xiaoke."

"Here!" Communications staff officer Cui Xiaoke rushed out.

"Order the entire regiment to assemble at my command post. The water tankers don't need to come any further; they should return the way they came. Inform the quartermaster that there will be a luncheon with plenty of good wine and meat for the soldiers to enjoy and relax."

"Yes," Cui Xiaoke replied and headed straight for the radio station.

"Haha, that's more like it," Zhou Junlin laughed. "Old Liang, I was just saying that. You're the backbone of our regiment, and the soldiers are all looking to you."

"I'm sorry, Commander, I apologize. As the Chief of Staff, I performed very poorly today," Mi Yangfei said in a low, serious voice.

"Old Mi, don't say that, I'm the same way," Liang Xi patted his old partner, Chief of Staff Mi, on the shoulder. "In any case, what we need to do now is to regroup the troops and reassure the soldiers."

As for the details of this exercise, the exercise command will eventually give an explanation. Even if the exercise command doesn't, we can still contact the army commander.

Let's get busy now, we can deal with the rest later.

"Yes, Commander," Chief of Staff Mi Yangfei gave a standard military salute and then strode away.

He has a lot of work to do: assembling troops, taking inventory of personnel and equipment, arranging campsites, leading debriefings, writing exercise summaries, and later being responsible for training, rectification, and addressing shortcomings, among other things.

As the messages spread, the 77th Regiment regained some vitality, although it was vastly different from its initial imposing and spirited demeanor.

But at least the confusion and bewilderment have lessened considerably. Now all that remains is frustration, resentment, and guilt, which also makes it easier to go back and further strengthen the training.

……

While the 77th Regiment was cleaning up the mess, Zhang Anbang was resting against the cabin wall on the helicopter.

As Qi Huan looked out the window at the receding white clouds, he suddenly remembered the somewhat lost figure he had seen before putting away his binoculars.

Qi Huan knew that was the commander of the 77th Regiment, an old officer, similar to the regiment he came from with the Red Army tradition. He turned his head to look at Zhang Anbang, who was resting with his eyes closed, and shifted his body.

Zhang Anbang noticed Qi Huan's movement immediately and looked at the guy who was approaching with some curiosity. "What are you doing?"

"Hehe, it's nothing, Vice Captain. Don't you think it's a bit too cruel of us to do this? That's the 77th Regiment, which has the old legacy of the Red Army."

"So what? I don't think there's anything wrong with this tactic. That's how war is. You've seen the information about the Gulf War, haven't you?"

Zhang Anbang knew that Qi Huan's soft-heartedness had resurfaced, probably triggered by the scene and reminded him of his old unit.