Chapter 250: Annihilate The Blue Army In Two Hours!
The Blue Army command post was thrown into chaos, but the Red Army’s attack continued.
Gao Cheng, who executed Chen Jun’s breakthrough tactics with high intensity, easily captured two small hilltops of the Blue Army with the First Company, boosting his confidence.
And he became more proficient as he fought!
At this moment, he was in the zone.
Let’s get it done quickly!
Gao Cheng, already in high spirits from the fighting, eagerly urged the intelligence staff officer to quickly screen intelligence information and find suitable Blue Army positions for attack.
Not only the next third objective, but also the fourth, fifth, and sixth objectives later on…
List all the targets and take them down one by one.
With the overwhelming intelligence from the Special Reconnaissance Company’s on-site reconnaissance, the Electronic Warfare Company’s interception and monitoring of communications, and the jamming and suppression of radio signals.
Coupled with the Armored Company, proficient in lightning warfare, and the Artillery Company, with first-class artillery skills.
Most importantly, these companies have undergone six months of integrated and coordinated training, forming combat synergy.
Even without anyone directing on the field, they could complete the battle in sync.
Let alone Chen Jun’s tactical guidance, Gao Cheng’s real-time control from the battalion headquarters, and the now accomplished Man Guangzhi assisting as chief of staff.
In this regiment-level confrontation on the battlefield, the Combined Arms Battalion was like a Siberian tiger entering a group of wild cats.
A naked dimensional strike!
When time reached past 2 PM, the exercise had only been underway for six hours. In a normal traditional exercise, both sides would still be deploying or sending small units to probe each other at this time.
However, in this Area 74, the smoke of battle had already filled the air.
Dozens of battles, large and small, had taken place.
The clashes between the reconnaissance units in front of both sides’ positions were small in scale but frequent, accounting for the majority of engagements. There were casualties, and some engagements were stopped short.
An inch longer is an inch stronger, an inch shorter is an inch more dangerous.
Reconnaissance squads that require close-in reconnaissance face the highest risk.
And in positional warfare above the small unit level, Gao Cheng’s Combined Arms Battalion had gone on a rampage, successfully capturing eight Blue Army positions, and eliminating or capturing over 180 Blue Army personnel.
This does not include those who were wounded and retreated.
In addition, seven main battle tanks and a total of eight armored vehicles and infantry fighting vehicles were captured.
A large number of jeeps, off-road vehicles, and trucks.
The Red Army, apart from a few scouts who were injured and rescued by their comrades, still had a total of zero casualties in the Combined Arms Battalion.
They gave the opposing Blue Army no opportunity; every battle ended cleanly and decisively.
They struck like lightning and retreated like lightning.
The Blue Army, having lost eight small positions consecutively, was left with only a few main positions exposed in the front, with their flanks having lost their cover.
To prevent being flanked from three sides by the Red Army, the other large positions, which held the strength of an entire company, were also swallowed by the Red Army’s ghost-like attack method.
The Blue Army had to abandon these main positions and retreat to the rear to form a consolidated defense line.
This retreat extended for 10 kilometers, and the battle line that was originally in the middle of the two armies completely shifted towards the Blue Army.
The Blue Army’s operational space was compressed, putting them in a very passive situation.
The Red Army, on the other hand, had a larger operational space, allowing for more flexible tactical deployment, and their advantage was very clear.
Most importantly, pushing the battle line towards the enemy meant being ten kilometers closer to the enemy’s battle flag.
If nothing unexpected happened.
As long as this rhythm continued, the Blue Army would become a frog boiling in warm water, gradually being nibbled away by the Red Army.
Real warfare is actually like this.
It is not like ancient large-scale warfare, where hundreds of thousands of people are piled together, fighting on a vast plain, where victory or defeat is decided in one go.
Instead, it involves continuous small-scale advances, slowly capturing positions and intersections.
Until the final victory of the war is achieved!
Gao Cheng’s Combined Arms Battalion was in a frenzy, having struck terror into the hearts of the Blue Army. Some Blue Army soldiers on their positions were even afraid to get out of their vehicles.
Clearly, they were prepared to flee at any moment to save their lives.
Fear before battle.
With the morale of the soldiers so low, the Blue Army had already lost.
The Blue Army regiment commander also knew that a major problem had occurred. He was well aware that if the Combined Arms Battalion’s attack could not be contained, their final outcome would be a crushing defeat.
And an unprecedented crushing defeat at that.
Unfortunately, after racking their brains, the entire regiment headquarters could not come up with a viable solution.
In the end, they had no choice but to bet all their chips on the Armored Reconnaissance Company, making a breakthrough in intelligence reconnaissance.
As long as they could suppress the Red Army in terms of intelligence, they could obtain the Red Army’s movements at any time.
Especially the Combined Arms Battalion.
As long as they could track the movements of the Combined Arms Battalion and know where they would attack next, the Blue Army could increase their defenses in time.
They could even set up an ambush in advance and severely trap the Red Army’s Combined Arms Battalion.
This was the Blue Army’s last resort.
In fact, this move was indeed feasible, as it was the best response to this kind of lightning-fast attack.
As long as the Combined Arms Battalion could be monitored, it would be exposed. No matter how fast they were, they could not carry out lightning-fast surprise attacks.
Even if it was always battalion attacking platoon, with absolute superiority in troop strength.
As long as the Blue Army knew the Combined Arms Battalion was coming and knew which point they would attack next, there were many ways to counter it.
Even if they didn’t have enough time to mobilize many troops for support, they could use the Artillery Company for long-range support.
If the Red Army could launch a saturation strike during the Combined Arms Battalion’s tank assault, dozens of heavy artillery shells would turn tanks into scrap iron.
And the Combined Arms Battalion only had one Armored Company; they could not withstand such losses.
Therefore.
The key to the Combined Arms Battalion’s rapid lightning strike was actually intelligence suppression, relying on the advantage in information confrontation.
If either of these aspects lost its advantage, the power of the lightning breakthrough tactics would be greatly diminished.
After all, these were just conventional basic combined arms tactics, not sophisticated advanced tactics.
They had obvious flaws, which was completely within reason.
The Blue Army command post did indeed have experts. They found a solution in a short period and even dared to adopt a “break the cauldrons and sink the boats” spirit.
This is very important!
Knowing that the Red Army’s Special Reconnaissance Company was formerly the Steel Seventh Company, a reconnaissance combined arms company with extremely strong combat effectiveness, the 384th Regiment’s Armored Reconnaissance Company would likely not be able to gain a reconnaissance advantage against it.
If they could not gain an advantage in reconnaissance, they would not be able to achieve the desired effect and reverse the passive situation they were in.
The commander of the 384th Regiment gritted his teeth and made up his mind, deploying the regiment’s only security force, the Signal Company, to confront the Steel Seventh Company along with the Armored Reconnaissance Company.
Only a Tank Company, an Infantry Company, and an Anti-Aircraft Company were left as the regiment headquarters’ security force.
And also the last mobile force!
The Signal Company itself was a security and communications company. Its frontal combat capability might be average, but it had a foundation in reconnaissance.
After all, if they did not have a certain level of reconnaissance capability, they could not use counter-reconnaissance to protect the regiment headquarters and prevent enemy reconnaissance units from infiltrating.
Even if they were not as strong as professional reconnaissance companies, the gap would not be too large.
Even if we estimate conservatively…
A Signal Company plus an Armored Reconnaissance Company would, in any case, amount to one and a half reconnaissance companies.
Using one and a half reconnaissance companies against the Steel Seventh Company, from a literal data perspective, would have an overwhelming advantage and would surely regain the initiative in frontline reconnaissance.
This sudden deployment by the Blue Army was broadcast in real-time to the directing staff.
Seeing the Blue Army’s “break the cauldrons and sink the boats” spirit, many attending leaders expressed their approval and looked forward to this upcoming “battle of reconnaissance.”
Would the Signal Company and the Armored Infantry Company dominate ground reconnaissance on the battlefield?
Or would the Steel Seventh Company, with its title as the army’s first combined arms company and its reputation as a formidable steel force, be able to overpower the strong enemy in this special battle?
All the leaders of the directing staff were looking forward to it, their eyes fixed on the television screen.
The Blue Army’s adjustments were quickly reflected on the battlefield.
The combat personnel in a regiment-level operation were only about a thousand, with only a few hundred deployed to the front line; the rest were logistics support and command personnel.
The nearly two hundred Blue Army scouts joining the front line did achieve an effect at first with their risky move.
The reconnaissance crew of the Steel Seventh Company did not expect the Blue Army to deploy the Signal Company as well, and the double force instantly created an absolute suppression.
Several reconnaissance squads were caught off guard and suffered significant losses at the hands of the Blue Army.
The first casualties also appeared!
The reconnaissance personnel of the First Platoon’s Third Squad of the Steel Seventh Company, divided into two groups to scout around Hill 45, were discovered and surrounded by three reconnaissance squads of the Blue Army.
One reconnaissance platoon surrounded one reconnaissance squad, with support from the Blue Army’s ground fire.
Under normal circumstances, a reconnaissance squad would find it difficult to survive.
Fortunately, the soldiers trained by the Steel Seventh Company were not cowards; they all possessed excellent skills, and the acting platoon leader, Shi Jin, was also very experienced in combat.
Despite being ambushed by the enemy first, they still displayed strong combat resilience.
In the end, they managed to escape from the encirclement of three Blue Army squads at the cost of only two deaths, and they even made a small profit during their retreat.
By firing a precise anti-tank rocket, they destroyed a Blue Army infantry fighting vehicle that was pursuing them.
A 2-for-10 exchange, not a loss at all.
Perhaps feeling that the Red Army’s one-sided domination, where the Blue Army could only struggle passively, was no longer exciting, or perhaps wanting to further extract the maximum combat effectiveness of the Combined Arms Battalion.
The director, who had not made any moves until now, appeared at this critical juncture.
A sudden event occurred!
The Blue Army called for air support from headquarters and also deployed satellite reconnaissance, locking onto the Electronic Warfare Company and carrying out an airstrike.
This resulted in all vehicles of the Electronic Warfare Company being destroyed, completely losing their combat capability.
Although this sudden event was unreasonable, and in reality, even with satellite reconnaissance, it would not be so easy to find the camouflaged Electronic Warfare Company.
However, the director had the authority to do so, and his existence was annoying.
“The reconnaissance company has been suppressed by the Blue Army, and now they’ve taken out my Electronic Warfare Company. This isn’t a sudden event; I think it’s deliberate targeting. If you want me to lose, just say so, and I’ll obey your orders. There’s no need for these tricks.”
Hearing about the sudden event from the directing staff, Regiment Commander Wang, who was in a good mood, became furious, his mustache bristling. He slammed the table and was about to go to the directing staff to argue.
“Regiment Commander, don’t rush. It’s not that easy for us, Seven Zero Two, to lose. Even without the Electronic Warfare Company, I still have a trump card.”
Chen Jun quickly calmed the enraged Regiment Commander Wang and said confidently, “Since the directing staff wants to play games, we’ll play a big one with them.
The Blue Army has already been intimidated by our Combined Arms Battalion. They have lost more than two companies’ worth of troops, and we currently have an absolute advantage in troop strength.
I suggest we immediately order the First, Second, and Third Battalions to launch a full-scale attack on the Blue Army.”
“Full-scale attack?”
Chen Jun’s strategy was too sudden, and everyone in the entire regiment headquarters was caught off guard.
Even Regiment Commander Wang, who was almost choked with anger, was startled by Chen Jun’s bold suggestion and sobered up with a shiver.
He frowned and said, “The Blue Army has a total of seventeen regular companies, with fourteen deployed in combat.
Although the combat strength of two companies has been eliminated, there are still twelve units remaining in the front line.
Although our casualties are negligible, we only have fourteen units deployed in combat.
While fourteen companies have an advantage in troop strength, the Blue Army has the advantage of defending terrain. Launching a full-scale attack would likely result in significant losses for our side.”
“That’s right.”
The Chief of Staff also agreed with Regiment Commander Wang and analyzed, “I think the previous tactics were quite good, and the results were also outstanding. A 1-to-100 loss ratio is unprecedented in the entire army. If we continue like this, no one will be able to deny the Combined Arms Battalion.
We just need to continue using the same approach, let the First, Second, and Third Battalions maintain their formations, and let the Combined Arms Battalion continue to attack the Blue Army with superior numbers, gradually eroding them.
Ultimately, we will achieve victory in this confrontation exercise with excellent results.”
Regiment Commander Wang and the Chief of Staff’s analyses were both correct. Both cherished the current exaggeratedly good loss ratio and did not want to fight with risky actions.
It’s like playing a game with 10 kills and 0 deaths; you really want to maintain that 0-death record.
You would be extra cautious and prudent when fighting.
“Regiment Commander, Chief of Staff, you’ve misunderstood.”
Chen Jun’s suggestion was refuted, but he wasn’t angry. Instead, he said with a mysterious smile, “The full-scale attack I’m proposing is merely a feint.
If I calculate the time correctly, the trump card I’ve laid out should be in position by now.
As long as we cooperate with the feint attack from the outside and draw all the Blue Army’s attention, the confrontation exercise can be concluded in at most two more hours.
Conversely, if we continue to drag this out, we might not win even in two days.
After all, we’ve lost the Electronic Warfare Company, and we no longer have an overwhelming advantage in frontline reconnaissance. It won’t be as easy for the Combined Arms Battalion to carry out lightning-fast surprise attacks.
If we just wear them down like this, given the director’s tendencies, who knows what other tricks they’ll pull.
Therefore, I still insist on my idea. To avoid being tricked by the director, let’s trick them first. We’ll end the exercise with the speed of sweeping away fallen leaves before they even realize what’s happening.
We’ll give them a surprise at the very end.”
What Chen Jun said was reasoned and well-analyzed.
The Regiment Commander and Chief of Staff, who were initially insistent on the old tactics, thought about how the director didn’t play by the rules and how the Electronic Warfare Company mysteriously disappeared.
If they really dragged it out for two more days to win, who knew what tricks the director would pull.
What if the Special Reconnaissance Company was also taken out?
That would be a big problem!
Compared to the potential troubles of prolonging the conflict, if Chen Jun could indeed end the exercise within two hours, it would definitely be more advantageous than the former.
Even if it came at a certain cost, it was entirely within an acceptable range.
