Chapter 320: The True Peak Showdown
The Blue Army brought out two aces right at the start of the battle, truly giving the Red Army a head-on blow.
The first move was targeted at the Red Army scouts, who might have infiltrated last night to obtain intelligence and transmitted it back.
After all, not a single Red Army scout who infiltrated has been caught yet.
The intelligence leak is certain.
The Blue Army command isn’t stupid; they couldn’t just allow it.
The most effective measure against scouts is to start from the core of intelligence—timeliness. Intelligence closer to the timeline is more valuable, and the longer it ages, the more its value plummets.
Thus, the first card the Blue Army played was to make all the scout intelligence outdated.
This card is simple!
At the start of the second stage, they immediately began mobilizing all their companies, changing the garrison position of each company.
Anyway, from the Red Army’s departure to reaching the Blue Army defense line, there are more than 40 kilometers in between.
The Red Army first assembles troops for mobilization, then implements the tactics to each company, and arrives at the Blue Army first defense line based on the tactics.
Even at the fastest speed, it takes more than two hours.
And there’s the second card played, which can delay the Red Army a lot of time in between—conservatively estimated to delay more than three hours.
With such a long buffer time, it’s fully enough for the Blue Army to complete adjustment of deployment.
To ensure that after all troops finish adjusting, the new garrison intelligence won’t immediately be transmitted back to the Red Army, the Blue Army also implemented targeted defensive measures.
During the period when each company transferred garrison defense positions, the Blue Army specially dispatched helicopters to circle over the position.
Not seeking to find Red Army scouts, just to intimidate and suppress.
This move was quite effective.
The desert grassland originally had little cover, and the Red Army’s two reconnaissance squads relied on digging holes and hiding underground to escape the Blue Army’s counter-reconnaissance.
In broad daylight with excellent visibility, Blue Army searching on the ground and helicopters hovering in the sky.
Whether it was the vanguard squad led by Shi Jin or the elite squad led by Tuo Yonggang, they could only peek from shelters and didn’t dare to easily emerge for reconnaissance.
Seeing the Blue Army troops completely changing defenses overall, they were truly at a loss.
Unable to report the new positions of Blue Army units, the only thing they could do was transmit the Blue Army’s major defense change back to the Red Army headquarters first thing.
Chen Jun had already made preparations, just waiting for the heavy artillery company setting out to arrive at position.
Once the Blue Army rear entered the effective range of the heavy artillery, first target the Blue Army’s anti-air heavy artillery company, taking out the Blue Army’s only anti-air heavy artillery unit.
But right at this critical juncture, the latest intelligence from the elite squad came back.
“The Blue Army troops have all changed garrison positions? This move is truly clever. This Sun Dongping, unexpectedly has some real skill.”
Chen Jun admired the Blue Army’s decisive action; the originally formulated plan could only be temporarily shelved.
The positions of all Blue Army troops had changed; even adjusting just a few hundred meters could effectively avoid Red Army heavy artillery strikes.
Without detailed coordinate positions, no matter how fierce the air force heavy artillery, there’s no way to deal with the Blue Army.
Not long after Tuo Yonggang transmitted the key intelligence, the vanguard squad also reported another Blue Army action, forcing Chen Jun to issue a new order.
Have the heavy artillery company that had accelerated forward temporarily stop and wait for subsequent orders.
The Blue Army’s second card was extremely ingenious.
Pure defense is completely indefensible; only by maintaining positive passive defense while retaining some active offensive capability can defense combat power be maximized.
Back then, in order for Steel Seventh Battalion to pass assessment, Chen Jun specially taught the ten combined arms tactics to Steel Seventh Battalion, one of which was called “mobile defense tactics.”
The second trump card used by the Blue Army was almost a copy of “mobile defense tactics.”
While comprehensively defending as the defending side, they also organized a highly mobile defense detachment to begin active harassment strikes against the Red Army.
This mobile defense detachment composed of light tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, automatic anti-aircraft artillery, etc.
Their main mission was to actively strike, attacking Red Army troops on the way while the Red Army was just rushing forward.
Not seeking to eliminate much Red Army strength, just to prevent the Red Army from advancing peacefully.
The Blue Army mobile defense detachment’s troop configuration consisted entirely of high-mobility units, which on this grassland could come and go without a trace.
When it sneaks attacks a Red Army troop and wants to run, the Red Army really isn’t convenient to pursue.
Not only does it not have speed advantage, making it not easy to catch up, but also unknown if the Blue Army has follow-ups; rash pursuit is likely to fall into a trap.
For the Red Army with only two days to attack, the mobile defense detachment is simply a “shit-stirrer.”
It doesn’t kill much, but makes you very uncomfortable.
Chen Jun was worried about the forward heavy artillery company; if it encounters the Blue Army mobile defense detachment on the way due to going too fast, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Without the heavy firepower support of the heavy artillery company, attacking the Blue Army position would become a joke.
As for why the tactic used by the Blue Army was so similar to what Steel Seventh Battalion learned, and obviously copied the key essence.
The reason is the same as the previous configuration: Central YJ Commission has all data on Steel Seventh Battalion.
The ten basic combined arms tactics personally designed, developed, and researched by Chen Jun, known only to Steel Seventh Battalion, being transmitted to Zhu Rihe-affiliated troops by superiors is very normal.
“Being countered by my own designed tactics, this fucking really gives a headache.”
Chen Jun felt the superior’s arrangement was reasonable; Zhu Rihe carried the hopes of the entire army’s future development, so naturally gathering the entire army’s support.
But though this matter sounds reasonable, thinking about being thwarted by his own tactics.
This feels in the heart…
Still a bit off!
Even without looking, Chen Jun could guess that the Blue Army combined arms battalion, relying on this mobile defense detachment alone, had already made quite a few Red Army opponents flustered.
If there’s no good countermeasure, during the Red Army’s offensive rush, there would likely be considerable losses.
Fortunately, after all, it was a tactic developed by Chen Jun; although it could create considerable trouble for Chen Jun, it was far from enough to leave him helpless.
Chen Jun, who deeply knew the weaknesses of mobile defense tactics, quickly came up with a targeted method.
That is to assemble troops together for marching: two tank companies plus one infantry company, escorting the heavy artillery company in the middle, with the support company following behind.
Even if the Blue Army mobile defense detachment has strong mobility, they have no way to deal with the Red Army at all.
Not to mention they can’t chew through the main battle tank company—main battle tanks have thick skin, tough flesh, and fierce firepower; a frontal charge wave would crush them to dust.
Even if the mobile defense detachment dares to appear, whether they can escape is unknown.
The armored infantry company can’t beat them? No problem. The heavy armored company can’t catch up? No matter. The heavy artillery company can solve it— no matter how fast the vehicles run, shells fly faster.
The fully mechanized heavy artillery company’s deployment is very fast; from setting up guns to aiming and firing takes just minutes.
The Red Army’s quick response countermeasure made it impossible for the Blue Army mobile defense detachment to strike effectively, so Sun Dongping could only helplessly issue a new order.
Giving the mobile defense detachment a new combat mission: prepare a “grand gift” for the Red Army in advance.
The Red Army’s four vanguard attacking companies thus safely passed through more than 30 kilometers and arrived outside the Blue Army’s first defense line.
Shi Jin’s deployed “human surveillance points” played a key role at this time.
One group of the vanguard squad was right behind the Blue Army defense line, with every move inside the defense line under the eyes of this group of scouts.
All deployments on the Blue Army first defense line were promptly transmitted back to Commander Chen Jun.
Confirming no helicopters on the Blue Army first defense line, no heavy artillery troops deployed, and not even minefields on the main attack route.
Chen Jun ignored other Blue Army situations for now and decided to first take down the Blue Army first defense line.
“Long Wall, Long Wall, this is BJ. Wild Wolf One operation officially begins. Accelerate charge to Blue Army Point 8; must take it down in one wave.”
With Chen Jun’s decisive order, the Armored Company One, codenamed Long Wall, took the lead in launching the attack.
“Wild Wolf operation” is the Red Army offensive codename, setting a total of six wild wolves, from No. 1 to No. 6, respectively representing the Red Army’s six combat plans, pre-issued to all company chief officers.
Using codenames to command combat units saves a lot of command orders.
As long as the six Wild Wolf orders are issued, the troops receiving them know what to do and can immediately carry out combat according to the orders.
Compared to traditional communication transmission, which still requires informing specific combat methods and playing styles.
It not only prevents calls from being intercepted by the enemy, but even if the enemy intercepts the communication content, they can’t understand the so-called Wild Wolf operation and can’t quickly make emergency reactions.
It also saves time in transmitting orders, making command transmission more concise.
Tactics that take at least one or two minutes to arrange are compressed into a few short codename words, and command transmission is very frequent during combat.
The time saved in each link adds up to a considerable amount.
Refining the command post personnel numbers and simplifying command transmission time to make orders more efficient is one of the cores of informatized combat.
This method of pre-shrinking tactics into codenames is destined to become the mainstream of future armies.
After issuing instructions to Armored Company One, in order to completely destroy the Blue Army first defense line, Chen Jun then issued instructions to other troops.
Among the series of troops receiving orders, the first to appear was the heavy artillery company that had maneuvered up and was garrisoned 10 kilometers away.
“Open fire! Open fire!…”
With the heavy artillery company’s successive orders, the six heavy guns already set up and adjusted with firing data uniformly launched a fierce bombardment toward the Blue Army first defense line.
To prevent being locked by the Blue Army’s artillery radar and subjected to precise counterattack by dispatched heavy artillery troops.
The Red Army heavy artillery company adopted mobile firing: after every three rounds of salvo, immediately quick maneuver to change position and continue firing.
Maintaining a rhythm where the Blue Army can track but can’t lock and counter.
The heavy artillery company’s strike was just the first wave of attack. After two rounds of bombardment, the armed reconnaissance aircraft taking off from the Red Army rear had also arrived.
“Whoooosh…”
Rockets rained down from the sky, beginning to wash the Blue Army position.
The Red Army armed helicopter attack was fierce, but the entire tactic was very cautious, striking from several kilometers away without approaching the Blue Army position at all.
Making it so the Blue Army, even with individual soldier anti-air missiles, had no way to deal with the Red Army armed helicopters.
They didn’t even dare to move anti-aircraft artillery to the frontline.
Not to mention moving anti-aircraft artillery to the frontline would make it a live target for the opponent’s heavy artillery company; even the time to move it over, the armed helicopters would have finished striking and run off.
After the armed helicopter’s second wave offensive, the Red Army’s armored tank flood formed the third wave offensive.
First conducting artillery strikes on the periphery, waiting until the Blue Army firepower on the high ground was mostly eliminated, then forming a charge momentum straight for the Blue Army defense line.
Under the Red Army’s three waves of attacks, tanks and defenders were continuously destroyed.
The battle lasted less than half an hour.
Across the entire Blue Army defense line over 2 kilometers wide, more than twenty large and small white smoke plumes rose, representing more than twenty Blue Army units destroyed.
The Blue Army being beaten so badly by the Red Army wasn’t just passively defending.
They were also actively reacting.
To resist the Red Army’s steel flood charge, the Blue Army’s armed helicopters took off from the rear area and soon appeared over the first defense line.
But before the Blue Army armed helicopters could show their power, the Red Army seemed to have predicted it in advance.
The missile platoon camouflaged with camouflage cloth in the army suddenly uncovered the camouflage and locked onto the Blue Army armed helicopters, launching several air-to-air missiles in succession.
The Blue Army didn’t expect the Red Army to be so bold, daring to send their only missile platoon to the frontline, not afraid of mishaps in the high-intensity frontline combat being bombed by Blue Army artillery, losing a precious trump card.
Because they hadn’t prepared sufficient countermeasures in advance, they were caught off guard for a moment.
In one encounter, one armed helicopter was shot down.
The other armed helicopter that came together was scared by the ground-to-air anti-air missiles, immediately dropping to ultra-low altitude and fleeing in disgrace.
The Blue Army’s armed helicopters were thwarted, with combat effectiveness plummeting by 30 percent.
The Blue Army had only three armed helicopters in total.
To take out the damn anti-aircraft platoon, the Blue Army’s heavy artillery troops also joined the battle, beginning to lock onto the Red Army heavy artillery company for counterattack.
Unfortunately, the Red Army heavy artillery company kept maneuvering in combat, so the Blue Army heavy artillery simply couldn’t precisely lock on.
They couldn’t counter it at all.
Perhaps dazed by the Red Army’s ferocious momentum, or some tactical withdrawal, the Blue Army began gradually pulling back from the forward position.
Abandoning the outermost first defense line, the entire force retreated to the second defense line to continue defending.
To cover the main force withdrawal from the first defense line, the mobile defense detachment that had shown its face earlier and disappeared reemerged at this time.
Launching harassment operations from the left side against the Red Army, restraining the Red Army at peak momentum to cover the Blue Army main force withdrawal.
The entire deployment seemed flawless; for the Blue Army to prevent being relentlessly pursued by the Red Army, dispatching the mobile defense detachment for cover was reasonable.
However, things were far from that simple; this concealed the Blue Army’s big killer move.
