Chapter 139: Upside-down Big Dipper! A Rat Wants To Eat A Cat?
According to the rules set for the confrontation exercise, Steel Seventh Company has one hour to escape and prevent being caught by Reconnaissance Third Company, which sets off later.
The normal logical reaction is to accelerate, running as fast as possible.
Gao Cheng thought the same.
After Seventh Company’s convoy rushed out, Gao Cheng immediately ordered via vehicle-mounted communication: “This is Gao Cheng, this is Gao Cheng, everyone listen up, the entire company advances at full speed, shake off that Reconnaissance Third Company hard.”
Gao Cheng’s order was normal and the most reliable combat approach.
After all, Reconnaissance First Company and Second Company set off at the same time, and they are now closing in from the sides, while also setting up checkpoints at key intersections to block the road.
If Reconnaissance Third Company cannot be completely shaken off, it can continuously report positions to the other two companies.
Steel Seventh Company will be surrounded by the three reconnaissance companies like dumplings.
As the division direct reconnaissance battalion, tracking traces is the most basic professional skill; on the real battlefield, they rely on this skill to survive.
If Steel Seventh Company cannot shake off Reconnaissance Third Company and maintain sufficient distance between the two sides, creating enough spatial difference through time.
The traces on the ground are equivalent to road signs; no matter where Steel Seventh Company runs, it will be in vain.
But just as all officers and soldiers of the company heard Gao Cheng’s order and prepared to sacrifice some driving safety in order to push the armored vehicles to maximum speed, starting to speed on the Loess Plateau.
Chen Jun, who had been silent in front, suddenly spoke up at this moment.
“Wait, don’t rush first.”
Chen Jun first called to stop everyone’s acceleration, then reported to Gao Cheng: “Report Company Commander, I have an idea that might be more suitable than speeding up.”
“Oh? Is that so? Let’s hear it.”
For others’ suggestions, Gao Cheng might not be interested, but Chen Jun was completely different.
Gao Cheng had unconditional trust in Chen Jun!
And from the moment Chen Jun learned the opponent was the division reconnaissance battalion, he knew that the company was engaging in a cross-level confrontation against a same-branch battalion, and direct confrontation was a dead end.
Not to mention a one percent chance of victory, not even a one-in-a-thousand chance.
So what to do?
From the moment he sensed the difficulty, Chen Jun’s brain went into overdrive, thinking about how to defeat the powerful reconnaissance battalion.
Finally, stimulated by Reconnaissance Third Company and wanting to teach them a harsh lesson, a flash of inspiration led to a plan.
Risks and benefits coexist, the plan with the highest win rate.
“No need to say more about the division reconnaissance battalion’s combat effectiveness; their professional reconnaissance capabilities must also be the most excellent.”
Chen Jun first affirmed the reconnaissance battalion’s combat effectiveness, neither belittling others nor elevating himself; only by facing the enemy’s strength squarely can one defeat the enemy.
Then he analyzed: “Armored vehicles are heavy themselves, plus the strong damage from the tracks; no matter how you run, they will leave track marks on the ground.
The reconnaissance battalion surely understands trace tracking; it’s impossible to shake them off by speed, and we can’t keep driving without stopping to rest.
They have three reconnaissance companies taking turns to pursue, which can wear us down to death, so I think.
Running… is probably a dead end!”
After finishing, Chen Jun paused for a few seconds to give everyone space to think and digest.
And Chen Jun’s voice was clearly transmitted to every vehicle via the vehicle-mounted radio, making all warriors realize the huge threat Reconnaissance Third Company posed to Steel Seventh Company.
Everyone was driving the same model vehicles on the same road, so traces would definitely be left on the ground, equivalent to constant exposure.
Scouts fear exposure the most, which renders all camouflage and concealment methods useless.
How to escape?
“Almost forgot about the vehicle tracks; unless it rains, we really can’t shake them off. Reconnaissance Third Company following the traces will find us no matter where we are; it’s really a big problem.”
Gao Cheng realized the severity of the situation and could only pin his hopes on Chen Jun: “Platoon Leader Chen, I believe you definitely have a solution.”
“I do have an idea.”
Chen Jun organized his words and said: “Instead of being chased everywhere, why not do the opposite and give the Blue Army an unexpected sudden strike.
The Blue Army reconnaissance battalion surely thinks that since we are at a disadvantage, we will try to run as far as possible.
Since that’s the case, let’s simply not run; pick a suitable position ahead to set up an ambush and swallow Reconnaissance Third Company in one bite.
The Blue Army definitely won’t expect us to be so bold, not only not running but daring to ambush them; their vigilance will absolutely be lax.
This is our opportunity, the only opportunity.
As long as we carefully arrange everything and use all our signature skills, it’s not impossible to send Blue Army Third Company away in one wave.”
As soon as Chen Jun’s idea was voiced, the communication channel fell into absolute silence.
The idea was too outlandish; no one had thought of it.
Simply crazy!
And the line between madman and genius is often razor-thin; one step forward is genius, one step back is madman, depending on that twitch in between.
After a brief shock, Gao Cheng felt genuine excitement surging to his face from his heart.
His voice excited to the point of changing tone: “Haha, good, worthy of you, Platoon Leader Chen, what a reversal; let’s do this reversal.
If we can take down Reconnaissance Third Company, it will definitely brake the reconnaissance battalion’s prestige hard.
Platoon Leader Chen, do it as you said; the ambush plan is fully under your responsibility, strive to wipe out Reconnaissance Third Company completely. I’ve long been displeased with them.”
Previously, Gao Cheng didn’t understand the joy of delegating to capable subordinates; now he truly savored it.
Just one sentence, and someone handles the matter neatly.
This feeling is truly refreshing!
With Company Commander Gao Cheng’s support, Chen Jun raised his wrist to check his watch; more than ten minutes had passed, so he hurried to start the layout.
The first thing he did was have Third Squad run ahead to lead.
Not for anything else.
Just to conveniently select suitable terrain.
Coincidentally, after driving about three kilometers ahead, a small woods appeared on the right side of the road; not large in area but sufficient.
Terrain that is too advantageous and rugged would inevitably arouse the reconnaissance battalion’s vigilance.
A roadside small woods like this, unremarkable with nothing special in the other three directions, plain and ordinary, is more favorable for ambush.
“This is it.”
Chen Jun took a liking to this terrain and immediately ordered deployment.
The convoy stopped neatly on the road; the logistics support squad unloaded two boxes of anti-tank mines, with engineer shovels and pickaxes ready at the roadside.
The anti-tank squad, except for the drivers, all got off with weapons.
The four rocket launchers were the main ambush force.
The anti-air defense squad all carried 81-style rifles, and the sniper squad also got off together, entering the woods on the right to find advantageous shooting positions.
The maneuver squad and vanguard reconnaissance squad also got off, likewise leaving only drivers in the vehicles.
All personnel who should get off for combat were in position; Chen Jun kept only two armored personnel carriers, turning them ninety degrees to drive into the woods.
The remaining four empty armored personnel carriers, plus the full-strength firepower platoon, continued forward with company headquarters.
They drove along the small woods, circling to the other side three hundred meters away, finding places to set up all six mortars.
The aiming direction was the position on the other side of the woods where Chen Jun and others got off.
“Steel Seventh Company’s guts are really big; I thought they would desperately run, but unexpectedly, they are preparing to ambush here.”
The directing staff referee who followed by car was shocked by Steel Seventh Company’s audacity.
“This is really gambling with their lives.”
Another referee marveled: “If the ambush fails and they can’t annihilate Blue Army Third Company completely, Red Army Steel Seventh Company will definitely be dragged to death here.
This small woods can’t hide for long; once Blue Army’s other two companies arrive for support, the exercise… will probably end early.
We can also get off work early and go back for some green bottles to drink and relax.”
The two directing staff referees couldn’t understand why Steel Seventh Company was gambling here.
Everyone thought running first was best, at least to survive longer.
The reason they viewed Steel Seventh Company this way was firstly because they didn’t know Steel Seventh Company wasn’t an ordinary company, and secondly because they didn’t know who Chen Jun was.
Not knowing naturally meant inability to understand.
But their analysis was quite correct; if Reconnaissance Third Company couldn’t be completely annihilated here, and quickly at that, it would be a disaster for Steel Seventh Company.
Once dragged by Reconnaissance Third Company and unable to get back in vehicles to leave, they would definitely be surrounded like dumplings by Reconnaissance First Company and Second Company.
Then it would be beyond salvation!
As the commander taking such a huge risk, seeking fortune in danger to ambush Reconnaissance Third Company, Chen Jun naturally understood the critical relationships even better.
To ensure complete annihilation of Reconnaissance Third Company and prevent Steel Seventh Company from possibly being dragged to death here.
He decided to give Reconnaissance Third Company absolutely no opportunity.
In addition to arranging the firepower platoon to set up the mortar array, ready to launch an artillery strike within ten seconds upon his order.
Most importantly, the road along the edge of the woods was completely transformed by him into a “no-escape death array”.
First, the two left-behind Type 89 armored vehicles were parked one in front and one behind at the two ends of this road, camouflaged with camouflage cloth and tree branches.
The vehicle tracks left from driving from the road into the woods were professionally erased.
The vehicle tracks left by the convoy speeding on the road were too long and too time-consuming; the workload was too great to clear them all.
But the ten or so meters from the road to the woods could still be restored.
After the support squad eliminated the tank tracks, with the joint help of the maneuver squad and reconnaissance squad, they quickly deployed mines along the roadside.
And changed the mine fuzes from pressure to pull.
After burying the mines, the road surface was also restored, not only completely removing the disturbed soil but covering it back with the original sod.
Even the folds pressed by the tracks were restored to the maximum extent.
The four rocket launchers were the main firepower, shouldering the arduous task of clearing stragglers, divided by Chen Jun into two groups, with two at the front and two at the rear of the road.
The anti-air defense squad and sniper squad switched to 81-style rifles, plus the maneuver squad and reconnaissance squad who finished helping bury mines.
The four squads deployed in a line in the woods; after the ambush battle erupted, they would focus fire on escaping enemies and eliminate them all.
Under Chen Jun’s command, Steel Seventh Company was making intense preparations for the ambush.
Meanwhile, in the confrontation exercise command center, the division commander stared at the special confrontation exercise screen where the small red dot representing the Red Army had stopped moving.
And it had been stationary for a long time.
He asked puzzled: “What’s going on with the Red Army? We gave them one hour head start to leave first, why are they staying there without moving?”
The division-level confrontation exercise was indeed a higher level, using professional laser simulators.
Every soldier carried a set, and even every combat vehicle participating in the exercise was equipped with a vehicle-mounted laser simulator.
And as the command center watching the confrontation exercise, the facilities and equipment inside were also more advanced.
Although not like 21st-century high-definition screens combined with drones and numerous surveillance cameras for all-around no-dead-angle viewing.
But there was a detailed terrain map with many LED lights.
Through positioning devices on the vehicles, the position of every unit participating in the military exercise could be displayed in real time on this special terrain map.
And at some key positions, like objective points for completing missions, some surveillance cameras were installed.
As long as red-blue confrontation occurred nearby, real-time footage could be called from these cameras and fed back to the display screens here.
The small woods selected by Chen Jun had nothing special, so no cameras were installed.
The division commander couldn’t see the footage of the small woods and didn’t know the situation there; the other leaders present were equally baffled.
With just over half an hour left, Reconnaissance Third Company was about to set off to pursue.
The small woods was only five kilometers from the starting point; Reconnaissance Third Company at full speed would take just twenty minutes.
Meanwhile, First Company and Second Company setting off from midway on both sides were now rapidly heading this way, already only forty-plus kilometers from Steel Seventh Company.
Three or four hours and they could arrive.
For a company-level scale battle, three or four hours was just a moment.
All leaders in the command center thought the time left for Steel Seventh Company was running out; if they didn’t hurry and leave now, they wouldn’t be able to.
Even Regiment Commander Wang couldn’t help but feel nervous, with fine sweat beads on his palms.
The last time Regiment Commander Wang was nervous enough to sweat on his palms was so many years ago he couldn’t remember; it showed how intense his emotions were at this moment.
The division commander asked for a long time with no one able to respond, because everyone didn’t know the situation.
Without on-site footage, they could only use the old method.
That is, the primitive means used throughout 702 Regiment’s confrontation—manual reporting.
The signalman called the accompanying referees via radio to ask what trick Steel Seventh Company was playing by staying there without moving.
When they contacted the two accompanying director group referees and learned Steel Seventh Company’s true intention for staying.
The entire command center was in an uproar!
From the division commander down to the staff officers present, all thought this confrontation exercise was destined to be a cat-chasing-mouse game with the mouse running everywhere.
But now?
What did they see?
The mouse that should have been chased everywhere actually turned the tables with heavenly audacity, preparing to set up an ambush on the road to strike the pursuing cat.
The mouse actually wanted to eat the cat!!
Was this overconfidence or blinded by arrogance?
No one in the entire command center could understand it.
