Chapter 232: Battle For Battalion Commander!
After the division headquarters’ order was passed down, the three regiment commanders all attached great importance to it.
For the 701st Regiment and Seventh Regiment Three, this was witnessing the birth of the first combined arms battalion commander, which held extraordinary significance.
Moreover, their own troops being able to participate would allow them to learn and grow during the confrontation process.
After all.
This was the combined arms battalion commander contest. Although the confrontation mode was the traditional confrontation exercise, there were no restrictions on tactical play.
Defeating the opponent to win this selection confrontation was obviously just one of the essential conditions to become battalion commander.
Whether one could employ tactics fitting the current reform background, break out of traditional combat to use new tactical play that amazed everyone, and lead the troops to forge new tactics, determined whether the battalion commander position could be secured.
The combined arms battalion was a brand-new combat establishment. Without bringing out something new, it wouldn’t convince the crowd.
And as long as the two candidates showed their true abilities, the troops under their command would benefit, getting an early glimpse of new tactics and new play.
This held great value for future development.
So the 701st Regiment and Seventh Regiment Three didn’t hold back, treating this as a rare training opportunity, paving the way in advance for forging combined arms units.
They assembled their regiment’s strongest companies together to form confrontation battalions.
Two tank companies plus infantry company, artillery company, logistics company.
Exactly the combination required by the document!
The group army’s reason for this arrangement was clearly to simulate the combined arms battalion as much as possible, allowing the two candidates to fully immerse in the combined arms battalion commander role and maximize their integrated operations capabilities.
Compared to the 701st Regiment and Seventh Regiment Three, who mainly cared about their troops’ growth and whether they could learn something new in this confrontation.
The 702nd Regiment’s focus was completely different.
Regiment Commander Wang and the regiment headquarters leaders, who had always leaned toward their own man becoming battalion commander.
Sun Dongping’s fuss with the chief of staff in the new base, plus his displayed strong ambition and arrogance, made them even more firm in this idea.
No matter how capable you were, not fitting in was a big taboo.
Now with candidate Sun Dongping confirmed, he had real skills up his sleeve.
Both in knowledge and experience, he far surpassed his peers.
Regiment Commander Wang and the chief of staff were well aware that the Second Battalion Commander, this cadre grown from the grassroots, definitely had gaps in knowledge and ability compared to Sun Dongping.
The only advantage was deeper understanding of the grassroots, with more experience in leading troops and training.
But this advantage accumulated over time could easily surpass Sun Dongping in daily affairs, yet had little role in confrontation combat.
It couldn’t bridge the huge gap between him and Sun Dongping in both hardware and software aspects.
They had originally planned to rely on Chen Jun’s help, having Chen Jun serve as Li Fuguo’s staff officer, using Chen Jun’s planning to take down Sun Dongping.
Regiment Commander Wang and Chief of Staff Yang both firmly believed Chen Jun could definitely take down Sun Dongping.
However, perhaps due to some twist of fate, or maybe deliberate action by certain people.
This candidate selection battle happened right at the moment when Chen Jun was away from the 702nd Regiment, unable to participate in the exercise.
Leaving Chen Jun completely unable to return, with no way to help Li Fuguo.
Now coordination work was at a crucial moment, and the quality of coordination personnel directly affected the combined arms battalion’s combat effectiveness. Chen Jun couldn’t forcibly break away to come back.
So Li Fuguo could only rely on himself.
The only help the regiment could provide was assembling the strongest confrontation battalion for Li Fuguo, gathering all the most excellent companies except Steel Seventh Company and Electronic Reconnaissance Company.
The reason Steel Seventh Company wasn’t included was that it was immediately put in the BAN position right from the start.
The pilot combined arms battalion was Steel Seventh Company’s expansion, equivalent to Steel Seventh Company being part of the combined arms battalion, and this was selecting the combined arms battalion commander.
Moreover, the document explicitly stipulated that each confrontation battalion’s establishment must be the same.
Limited to two tank companies, one artillery company, one infantry company, and one logistics company, all three confrontation battalions to this standard.
Steel Seventh Company’s establishment had already become combined arms company, clearly not matching the document’s requirements.
If Regiment Commander Wang added Steel Seventh Company, with its current combined arms company establishment, it would be like using half a combined arms battalion to fight a motley crew battalion.
That wouldn’t be fair no matter how you put it!
If Sun Dongping lost in the end, he’d have ample reason to rebut, claiming the 702nd Regiment played dirty, which was why he lost.
Even if he said he lost to Steel Seventh Company, not to fellow candidate Li Fuguo, then Li Fuguo had no qualification to be deputy battalion commander.
The 702nd Regiment would have nothing to say.
Regiment Commander Wang was someone who valued face immensely, never taking advantage of anyone, upright and unyielding like steel, naturally not wanting to leave such gossip fodder.
Even if adding Steel Seventh Company boosted win rate by thirty percent, Regiment Commander Wang wouldn’t do it.
There was another special company: the Electronic Warfare Company newly added after Great Merit Sixth Company’s disbandment, also unable to join the confrontation battalion.
The reason was the same as Steel Seventh Company, not matching the document’s establishment.
However.
Although due to these concerns, the strongest Steel Seventh Company didn’t join the confrontation, Regiment Commander Wang didn’t miss any other main force companies.
Red Third Company, second only to Steel Seventh Company in strength; Artillery Tenth Company, which had standout performance in the exercise; and the regiment-direct Logistics Support Company.
All brought out.
Together with Tank Company 1 and Armored Infantry Eighth Company, forming the confrontation battalion needed for the exercise confrontation.
Gao Cheng disliked most people more arrogant than him. Learning through grapevine that Sun Dongping was extremely “arrogant,” daring to clash with the chief of staff on his first day.
He was indeed very displeased!
Originally, he wanted to bring Seventh Company into the confrontation, to slap Sun Dongping hard on the exercise field, letting him know what real combined arms unit was, not the “true combined arms unit” he boasted about.
But excitedly rushing to the regiment, he was outright rejected by Regiment Commander Wang.
The reason was also told to Gao Cheng.
Combined arms company and Electronic Warfare Company didn’t meet requirements, unable to join this confrontation, leaving Gao Cheng particularly displeased.
With his personality, he naturally wouldn’t hold it in. If displeased, he’d find a way to deal with him.
So Gao Cheng called Chen Jun.
Even if Chen Jun couldn’t return, Gao Cheng believed with Chen Jun’s genius brain, he could definitely think of a way to solve this problem.
Chen Jun was currently at the artillery brigade, wanting to get a batch of good artillery back, indeed unable to return.
Learning the specifics from Gao Cheng, especially Sun Dongping’s various boasts, made him feel something was off, a faint unease in his heart.
To eliminate Sun Dongping this hidden danger, Chen Jun had to rack his brains.
Based on the various requirements in the document, finding ways to circumvent them while using known quality resources to help the Second Battalion Commander.
Chen Jun thought seriously for nearly two hours before finally coming up with a method.
Simply go for a dark crossing of Chen Cang!
He proactively called Steel Seventh Company’s clerk room, telling Gao Cheng the method he’d thought of.
“Old Chen, as expected of you. This method… this method is simply too shameless, no, wrong, too genius, haha.”
After hearing Chen Jun’s method, Gao Cheng was truly stunned by Chen Jun’s bold idea.
Hanging up, he immediately started acting.
Privately going to Eighth Company to find the Eighth Company Commander, mysteriously closing the door, conspiring with the Eighth Company Commander all afternoon.
Finally, when Gao Cheng emerged, the displeasure on his face had been replaced by a smile.
Because he and Old Eight had pulled off a trick!!
The regiment commander only said Steel Seventh Company’s establishment didn’t match, not that Steel Seventh Company’s troops didn’t meet requirements or couldn’t participate in this confrontation.
Moreover, mutual temporary assignments between units in the troops was very normal.
Extending from these two points, Chen Jun’s method was for Steel Seventh Company to send a batch of “experts,” secretly swapping with Eighth Company’s people.
To ensure even if discovered later, there’d be sufficient reason to extricate.
And in battalion-level combat scale, with equal troop strength on both sides, what kind of help could potentially turn the tables.
After considering all these aspects, Chen Jun’s answer was to form a reconnaissance squad.
The role of reconnaissance on the battlefield was huge, whether it could clinch at crucial moments had been proven in the last mountainous confrontation with Old A.
And Steel Seventh Company’s Vanguard Reconnaissance Squad’s combat effectiveness had been shown in that confrontation.
Though now due to Old A’s training selection, Wu Liu Yi, Cheng Cai, Xu Sanduo and the others were temporarily still at A Brigade not back.
Combat capability would definitely drop.
But Shi Jin as Vanguard commander was still there, the rest had mature combat experience, completing battalion-level reconnaissance mission was no issue.
Without a reconnaissance company on the opponent’s side, they could absolutely hold a huge advantage.
Thus, Chen Jun’s method, which neither violated orders nor failed to maximally help the Second Battalion Commander, was to sneak the Vanguard Squad into Eighth Company.
The 702nd Regiment was now united top to bottom, all supporting the Second Battalion Commander to take down Sun Dongping.
The Eighth Company Commander, as Second Battalion’s man, needed no mentioning.
When Gao Cheng came and explained, the Eighth Company Commander agreed without a second’s hesitation, praising Gao Cheng for having a way.
This time Gao Cheng didn’t specially explain, silently defaulting it as his idea.
Sounded like claiming credit.
Actually protecting Chen Jun.
Sneakily stuffing combined arms company people into infantry company, no matter how reasonably explained, was still exploiting loopholes. Once exposed, even without punishment, it would leave a bad impression on superior leaders.
And in the troops this special collective, superior leaders’ impressions were very important.
Once labeled as sneaky and slippery, not a doer, even if excellent, future promotions would be greatly affected.
Gao Cheng knew well how high Chen Jun’s growth potential was, his future achievements definitely far surpassing his own.
Absolutely no stains allowed!
While Gao Cheng himself had background, was carefree, didn’t care about these, so took it upon himself.
If Chen Jun knew Gao Cheng thought so much for him, he’d definitely be very moved.
Unfortunately, with Gao Cheng’s arrogant personality, that pride in his heart meant even after helping, he wouldn’t say it out, much less seek reward.
What Gao Cheng actually didn’t know was…
The reason Chen Jun came up with this method meant he didn’t care about leaders’ impressions at all. His arrogance was no less than Gao Cheng’s, only more.
Whether offending leaders, he didn’t care. He only cared if the combined arms battalion could be formed.
Any trouble affecting the combined arms battalion’s combat effectiveness formation, affecting his forging of the combined arms unit era, he’d find ways to clear it.
Even if the background was huge, he’d fight to the end!
…
After conspiring with the Eighth Company Commander, using the excuse that Eighth Company First Squad collectively infected with flu virus, unable to participate in the exercise, they did personnel swap that day.
Specially choosing nighttime.
Emphasizing stealthy under cover of darkness, avoiding all informants, each company selected one squad, swapping to the other’s company.
Shi Jin, Bai Tie Jun, Gan Xiao Ning and 8 others instantly became Eighth Company First Squad.
Outsiders staying at 702nd Regiment headquarters, the political instructor and staff officers not yet formally settled, only counting as outsiders, completely unaware.
Five days passed in a flash.
The sixth day was confrontation troops entry time. The three confrontation battalions from the three regiments, per requirements, headed to three locations respectively to take positions.
The 701st Regiment this time played defending Green Side Battalion, responsible for holding Highland
Seventh Regiment Three’s troops under Sun Dongping’s command, formed into Blue Army Battalion, position at Position 3, southeast of the exercise field.
702nd Regiment’s troops formed into Red Army Battalion, commander Li Fuguo, position at northwest direction Area
Victory method was capturing Green Side Battalion battle flag!
Rules were somewhat special…
The three troops dispatched by the three regiments were mutual enemies in this exercise, very different from conventional red-blue sides confrontation.
Equivalent to a Three Kingdoms War!
Adding more highlights and suspense, no one could precisely predict the final result.
Exactly how to capture the green flag, the red and blue sides commanders needed to use their brains, after all Three Kingdoms War was chaotic,They are intertwined; winning is not that simple.
Even one wrong move, possibly neither red nor blue could win, defender Green Side winning in the end.
If really that situation.
Then it’d be awkward.
After the three troops took positions at their respective positions, they had one day to deploy troops, preparing in advance for the upcoming confrontation.
As defending Green Army, they couldn’t initiate attack.
So their deployment simplest, just repair fortifications as solidly as possible, guard key positions.
Highland 1 wasn’t a single mountain, several square kilometers enough to deploy a battalion.
Biggest pressure on Area 2!
Pressure not from terrain, but from people.
Li Fuguo’s psychological pressure enormous. Since learning Sun Dongping studied abroad, definitely a tough nut, he’d been worried and unhappy.
Worried to the point of sleepless nights these days, eyes full of bloodshot veins.
