Chapter 316: The Fake Goods Make Their Appearance
Steel Seventh Battalion’s two reconnaissance squads took the order and vanished into the vast grassland under the cover of night.
As battalion commander Gao Cheng continued commanding the troops, completing various deployments of all sizes, with special emphasis on ensuring logistics supplies were in place.
Chen Jun was mainly responsible for tactical command, but now intelligence hadn’t come back yet, and both sides were still in the pre-battle phase.
He was temporarily relatively idle.
So he specifically took responsibility for going to the frontline to inspect the preliminary preparatory work of each unit.
Chen Jun first came to the most important frontline, the left frontline responsible for Armored Company One, to check Armored Company One’s deployment and vigilance.
And without notifying company headquarters, he went straight there in sudden attack mode.
Passing by Armored Company One’s position, Chen Jun carefully observed through the car window and found that the preliminary work was going very well.
Company headquarters was set up half-underground as required, and the tanks had very professional camouflage covering.
Below was the anti-infrared camouflage cloth developed by Chen Jun, with a layer of camouflage net in the middle, and another layer of grass on top, blending seamlessly with the surrounding grassland overall.
Even if the Blue Army had high-altitude infrared detection means, they couldn’t easily spot this layer of camouflage.
Unless close-in reconnaissance within 100 meters low altitude!
But the Blue Army wouldn’t make such a low-level mistake; in this era without small drones, aerial reconnaissance could only rely on large drones and helicopters, etc.
If large aircraft dared to approach within 100 meters, anti-aircraft artillery could easily teach it a lesson.
The precautions against aerial reconnaissance were very much in place; next, only ground troops remained, conducting close-in reconnaissance through infiltration.
This was also the point Chen Jun was most worried about!
Chen Jun raised his wrist to check his watch; time had already reached eight o’clock in the evening, so he got out and walked on foot toward a sentry post on the frontline.
Sitting in the car, Chen Jun couldn’t be identified, and the sentry didn’t leave his post without authorization.
But now off the car, it was different; Chen Jun’s uniquely tall and burly figure in the entire battalion, along with his special temperament, immediately caught the sentry’s attention.
The two-man sentry post left one person, while the other immediately trotted over to Chen Jun.
He raised his hand in salute and reported: “Report Deputy Battalion Commander, Armored Company One Second Platoon warriors Xu Xiaoguang and Liu Zhicong are executing sentry duty; please give instructions.”
“At ease.”
Chen Jun returned the salute and asked: “What is the slogan?”
“Invincible in battle.”
The sentry answered loudly without even a second’s hesitation, immediately standing straight.
“Young fellow, good spirit, energy, and mind.”
Chen Jun patted the sentry’s shoulder; receiving encouragement from his idol, the sentry stood even straighter, thoroughly enjoying the feeling.
But the next second, Chen Jun’s tone changed instantly, sternly admonishing in a severe tone: “You are the sentry; for anyone who comes over, no matter who, you must proactively ask the password, not report the slogan.
If just now it was a Blue Army scout pretending to be one of our Red Army cadres or directing staff, and you give away the slogan upon asking, wouldn’t our frontline become for show?
Once the enemy sneaks in, it will cause great sabotage to our Red Army; this situation must be completely prevented…”
Chen Jun said a lot, and very sternly.
The sentry himself knew what to do, but seeing it was Chen Jun, he momentarily forgot the procedure and proactively reported the slogan first.
Having made such a big mistake in front of Chen Jun, the sentry suddenly became nervous.
His heart pounded wildly!
This explanation had no meaning; having done wrong, the best was to promptly admit it, immediately replying: “I know I was wrong; thank you Battalion Commander for the guidance.”
“You help me pass it on: no matter who comes over, no matter what military rank, no matter what unit, even if it’s the king of heaven, you all must ask the slogan; those whose slogan doesn’t match, detain them all first, understood?”
Chen Jun sternly instructed; anti-espionage secrecy awareness must be taken seriously.
“Understood!”
Seeing no punishment, the sentry secretly breathed a sigh of relief and shouted loudly in response.
“Go back.”
Chen Jun didn’t dwell on the minor issue, waved his hand to let the guard return to his post, and continued to other places for patrol to see if there were any omissions.
A little over half an hour later.
After Chen Jun finished patrolling Armored Company One’s frontline, on the way driving to Armored Company Two, he suddenly spotted a small situation ahead.
A group of Second Company warriors were surrounding a jeep, and Company Commander Yang Wenqing could also be seen negotiating.
“Drive the car over and see what’s going on.”
Chen Jun ordered the driver to drive over, and when the car stopped outside the crowd, he opened the door and got out, standing in place without moving.
When Chen Jun’s off-road vehicle arrived, it immediately drew the attention of everyone there.
Seeing the real-power deputy battalion commander get out of the car, Company Commander Yang Wenqing immediately trotted over, saluted, and greeted with a smile: “Deputy Battalion Commander good; how do you have time to come over.”
“I’m doing frontline patrol and just happened to check here; what’s the situation with you all?” Chen Jun asked.
“Report Deputy Battalion Commander…”
Yang Wenqing roughly explained the whole story to Chen Jun.
The general meaning was that about five minutes ago, the sentry here intercepted a car with directing staff yellow flag, routinely stopping it for questioning.
But the other side didn’t produce a work permit, only verbally claiming to be directing staff, with something left in the Red Army position that needed to be retrieved inside.
And their attitude was very aggressive, acting as if offending the directing staff would mean the exercise would give them trouble.
The sentry didn’t dare offend directing staff people, but couldn’t just let them in, so he called Company Commander Yang Wenqing over to make the decision.
Yang Wenqing also didn’t dare offend the directing staff, so he came over and could only negotiate politely.
And so.
Yang Wenqing had just said a few words to the other side, and the matter wasn’t resolved at all, when Chen Jun coincidentally brought people here.
“Heh, directing staff? Left something behind without taking it?”
After hearing the whole process, Chen Jun laughed; this fox pretending tiger’s might to deceive the heavens to cross the sea little trick was indeed quite effective for scaring people in this era.
After all, the Red-Blue confrontation mode had only been in China for a few years, and many places hadn’t been developed yet.
But for Chen Jun, who came from later generations and had conducted who knows how many exercises, this trick was simply outdated.
No need to look to know it was Blue Army in disguise, wanting to sneak in to steal intelligence.
“I’ve only sent people to sneak in stealthily, and you even dare to play this trick; Sun Dongping ah Sun Dongping, you really surprise me.”
Chen Jun secretly smiled and shook his head, deciding to personally expose the fake trick.
Seeing Chen Jun walking toward the car, Second Company’s surrounding warriors automatically made way, clearing a path straight to the few people standing by the door after getting out.
As Chen Jun walked over, he sized them up and found this group had disguised quite convincingly.
The leader was a first lieutenant team leader officer, followed by two non-commissioned officers, one private first class; the setup seemed quite authentic.
The car they came in had a yellow flag, and they also wore yellow directing staff armbands.
According to this exercise’s rules, cars with yellow flags belonged to the directing staff, and warriors with yellow armbands were directing staff.
If it were directing staff referee, they wore red armbands on the shoulders with the three words “referee” written on them.
“No wonder it’s the local Blue Army brigade; directing staff equipment is available whenever they say; if it were us, in this godforsaken deep Inner Mongolia grassland, give me two days and I couldn’t get this set.”
Chen Jun inwardly despised the Blue Army’s trick; having such a big advantage and still cheating.
His face showed a stern expression as he came before the first lieutenant officer.
“Brush~”
The first lieutenant officer’s eyes flickered slightly but didn’t lose composure, raised his hand in salute and said: “Report leader, we are directing staff and need to go in; please make way.”
Though the first lieutenant officer spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly, really putting on some directing staff airs.
But no matter how well he acted, even some frontline fresh meat couldn’t match him; unfortunately, being fake made him guilty, and facing Chen Jun this practical lieutenant colonel officer’s emanation of fierce aura, he couldn’t fully stay calm.
There was obvious panic and nervousness in his eyes, especially his left hand that didn’t salute, unconsciously fidgeting, clenching then relaxing.
This was the stance revealed from excessive nervousness!
Seeing that even with this lieutenant colonel here, the Blue Army group was still holding out verbally, Chen Jun no longer held back, directly coldly and sternly berating: “According to the exercise rules, directing staff except referee personnel, anyone entering Red-Blue positions must notify in advance.
I am the Red Army deputy battalion commander; I just came from battalion headquarters and confirmed they received no directing staff notification; you still dare claim to be directing staff?”
If it were an ordinary person threatened face-to-face by Chen Jun, they would definitely be scared into confessing everything on the spot.
However, this little first lieutenant, even with obvious pupil flickering, still withstood the pressure, stubbornly persisting: “Leader, we really are directing staff; the exercise started, and we left something in the position without taking it; this is very serious dereliction.
We worried about being criticized by superiors, so we thought to come privately to retrieve it, thus didn’t report up, so battalion headquarters had no notification for you.
Leader, please show mercy; we guarantee to take the thing and leave, won’t hinder you.”
This reason the first lieutenant came up with was indeed very reasonable: because of the mistake and fear of superior criticism, didn’t report up, so directing staff didn’t notify Red Army.
If it were someone softer-hearted who didn’t spot the trick, they might really be fooled.
“No wonder they can gather the entire army’s elites; soldier quality is truly top-notch one by one; given time, with a reliable brigade commander, Zhu Rihe’s First Blue Army Brigade really might become a terrifying troop.”
Whether a troop’s combat effectiveness is strong can actually be seen from the small soldiers; First Blue Army Brigade’s soldier quality really made Chen Jun envious.
If Steel Seventh Battalion could become Zhu Rihe’s troop, Chen Jun was confident in forging the world’s strongest combined arms brigade.
Unfortunately, that’s impossible!
Seeing the fake directing staff staff still holding out, Chen Jun decided to turn up the intensity on them.
Raising his morale again, he said: “Since you are directing staff but can’t produce work permit, then show your officer’s certificate.
This exercise requires officers’ certificates to be carried at all times; you definitely have it on you.”
The officer’s certificate is every officer’s ID, as important as soldier’s certificate, with extremely strict management regulations.
Privately forging fake officer’s or soldier’s certificates is extremely serious violation in the army.
Even in exercise, faking is not allowed.
Whether the first lieutenant officer really was directing staff or not, one look at the officer’s certificate would tell; any words would work.
The first lieutenant definitely didn’t dare show it; showing it would be ironclad proof.
He indeed hadn’t made a fake certificate.
Facing Chen Jun’s aggressive pressure, the first lieutenant could no longer stay as calm as before, his eyes showing more dodging, not daring to meet Chen Jun’s gaze formally.
But still making a final sophistry: “I went out in a hurry and forgot to bring it.”
“Heh heh.”
Chen Jun sneered twice, pointing at the other three and saying: “You three won’t also tell me you went out too hurriedly and forgot yours too, right.”
These three non-commissioned officers had worse mental quality than the first lieutenant; after all, there’s greater suppression between officers and soldiers.
They didn’t dare lie in front of Chen Jun, yet didn’t dare admit not being directing staff, so could only play deaf and dumb, pretending not to hear and holding out.
Seeing the other side almost couldn’t hold, Chen Jun added another fire, threatening: “You pretending to be directing staff, the idea is good, but your loopholes are too many; you underestimated my intelligence quotient even more.
I can already 100% confirm you are Blue Army scouts.
If smart, confess yourselves; otherwise…”
Chen Jun specially paused here, his cold eyes sweeping every Blue Army soldier, sinisterly threatening: “This confrontation exercise taking actual combat as standard inevitably involves some hands-on; if you get marked, don’t blame our Red Army for not giving you a chance.”
Yang Wenqing really knew how to play along; hearing Chen Jun’s words, he immediately started cooperating.
He gave an eye signal to Second Company’s warriors around; the sentries here plus people Yang Wenqing brought, a large group surrounded them with unfriendly faces.
“Don’t, don’t, wait.”
Seeing the other side really about to act, and clearly unable to sneak in for reconnaissance anymore, the Blue Army first lieutenant finally got scared, no longer holding out, and obediently took out his officer’s certificate.
“Wanting to play 72 transformations in front of Sun Wukong, you’re still a bit green.”
Chen Jun patted the first lieutenant’s shoulder, smoothly took his officer’s certificate and opened it; the troops establishment written on it became the ironclad evidence.
“Alright, the evidence is already here.”
Having dealt with this group of imposters, Chen Jun didn’t want to waste more time here, waved his hand and arranged: “Company Commander Yang, these officer’s certificates are the evidence; keep them safe, and send the people together to battalion headquarters.
These are the first batch of captured Blue Army scouts; definitely not the last; keep them first, might be useful later.”
“Yes!”
Yang Wenqing saw Chen Jun resolve this group of imposters swiftly and decisively in three moves, admiring him even more inside, promptly leading people to clean up.
Then Chen Jun returned to the car and used vehicle communication to contact Gao Cheng, having him notify to strengthen vigilance.
The Blue Army could even get directing staff equipment; this had touched Chen Jun’s sensitive nerves—who knows what else they could get.
To prevent the Blue Army from stealing home, it was entirely necessary to strengthen frontline vigilance.
