From the 7th Steel Company to the Synthetic Division

Perhaps in an attempt to impress the brigade commander, the four soldiers delivering the supplies were unusually fierce.

They sprinted up the 1,980 steep steps in less than ten minutes, taking two steps at a time.

As Hong Yi received the food and water, he was quite startled to learn that the brigade commander was actually going to climb up himself.

After all, if a normal person were to climb such a steep path, it would be extremely difficult. Even if they could only climb one ladder per second and maintain that pace, it would still take at least half an hour.

If it were Wang Qingrui, who is over fifty years old, climbing this mountain, he would be exhausted.

Therefore, Hong Yi dared not be negligent in the slightest. He arranged for the soldiers who brought the supplies to rest on the side, and he himself quickly jogged down the mountain.

Wang Qingrui was walking very slowly. Hong Yi ran downhill for several minutes, covering more than half the distance, before finally catching up with Wang Qingrui.

"Brigade Commander, just tell me when you get here. I'll come down and report to you. Climbing up here is too tiring."

When Hong Yi saw Wang Qingrui so exhausted that he was standing with his hands on his hips, he felt terrible and quickly ran over to help Wang Qingrui up from the other side of Gaocheng.

"We've come this far, so let's go up and check on the soldiers."

With someone helping him, Wang Qingrui climbed much more easily. Even though his lungs were burning, he decided to keep going and not give up halfway.

"Okay, then walk slowly."

Hong Yi and Gao Cheng exchanged a glance, both knowing that there was nothing they could do about his temper.

"How did you discover this observation point?" Wang Qingrui asked as they walked.

"We figured it out step by step through satellite reconnaissance images and progressive searches using drones."

After answering, Hong Yi went on to explain further: "A terrain structure like this would definitely be a good artillery observation post if a battle broke out."

So I brought a reconnaissance platoon to conduct on-site reconnaissance.

Hey, I didn't expect to find this. It's an artillery observation post left over from the 1950s, and its location is very well hidden, allowing you to observe the entire Dongping Mountain from the side.

Furthermore, the only road leading to Dongping Mountain has a bend that is clearly visible from the top.

Therefore, as long as we control this observation point, the movement of all Red Army vehicles and the deployment of troops can be kept under our surveillance.

They were able to find such a good observation position without the 909th Brigade even realizing it.

It's hard to say whether Hong Yi was just incredibly lucky, or whether the 909th Brigade's defenses were simply too poor, allowing such a huge vulnerability to slip through their fingers.

"Have you discovered anything?" Wang Qingrui asked expectantly.

"So far, we haven't found the motorized infantry battalion of the 909th Brigade on the mountain, nor have we found their artillery battalion," Hong Yi said.

That's quite strange.

Wang Qingrui frowned, wondering if there was something fishy going on.

The three of them chatted as they walked, climbing at a leisurely pace. After about half an hour, they finally arrived at the observation point.

"Comrades, you've worked hard..."

After greeting the soldiers of the reconnaissance platoon, Wang Qingrui went to the observation post and looked at the Chenghai defense line of Dongping Mountain in the distance through the high-powered observation lens.

"Today we've collected all the data in this direction, and we have a pretty good idea of ​​the troop deployment at the Dongping Mountain position..."

While Wang Qingrui was observing the position, Hong Yi acted as a guide.

After Wang Qingrui had looked at the map for a while, Hong Yi led him to the map and continued to explain: "Brigade Commander, look at this. We have discovered that there are many fortifications and bunkers hidden behind the Red Army's positions."

Moreover, the firing positions are densely packed and intersecting, all hidden among the rocks, making them easy to defend and difficult to attack.

The map was marked with many red markers, each representing a Red Army firing point, covering every area of ​​the position.

"It seems that our plan to launch a surprise attack from the back of the mountain is unlikely to succeed," Wang Qingrui said regretfully.

"Sigh, it's practically impossible," Hong Yi added with a sigh.

"Deputy Chief of Staff Hong, given your situation, we need to return to the command center immediately and readjust the operational plan," Wang Qingrui instructed.

"There's no need to be in such a hurry," Hong Yi said.

"No no no."

Wang Qingrui said seriously, "We must hurry up and come up with several workable contingency plans before Chief of Staff Chen Jun returns."

There's not much time left before the battle starts; we must act quickly and efficiently.

Wang Qingrui wanted to lighten Chen Jun's burden, since he didn't know how long Chen Jun would be gone, and it wasn't a good time to formulate a plan hastily.

"Brigade Commander, you're right."

Hong Yi was persuaded by Wang Qingrui and agreed, saying, "More options mean more decision-making basis. With the chief of staff back, at least we can avoid going back to the same old path."

"Alright, let's not delay, let's go."

Wang Qingrui was known for his decisive and swift actions, and he immediately got up and headed down the mountain.

Gao Cheng followed closely behind, and after Hong Yi gave some instructions to the reconnaissance platoon leader, he jogged and quickly caught up with Wang Qingrui.

……

All three parties were making intensive preparations, and a month passed in the blink of an eye.

On this very day.

Just as previously mentioned, the Capital Theater Command issued a notice suddenly without any prior announcement that the "Land and Sea Exercise No. 1" would begin at 9:00 AM tomorrow.

Although the order came very hastily, only half a day in advance.

However, at the previous theater meeting, it was clearly stated that the exercise would not be announced in any way, so none of the three participating parties were surprised.

Upon receiving the exercise notification, all troops immediately mobilized and began the exercise.

Over the past month, the work of the officers from the three brigades participating in the exercise has been quite similar: they have all tried their best to prepare for the exercise.

The biggest change at the 7th Steel Brigade is that the digital command system has begun trial operation.

Unfortunately, the exercise started too quickly. Although the digital command system was already in trial operation at the 7th Steel Brigade, it couldn't bring much benefit.

After all, it had only been running for less than a week when the order to begin the exercises in the capital theater was issued.

Such an exceptionally complex command system allows the brigade commander at the top to command the soldiers at the bottom. From the brigade headquarters at the top to the company headquarters at the bottom, everyone needs to operate on this command system.

It's impossible to manage even a month, let alone just a week.

It would be good enough if we could figure out what procedures are involved.

Furthermore, this exercise was conducted in cooperation with the Navy, and communications are inherently cross-service, which digital command systems are powerless to address.

To achieve system interoperability across the entire military, it will probably take at least another decade or more of development. We're just getting started.

Don't think about it.

So even with such a powerful weapon in hand, the 7th Steel Brigade couldn't convert it into combat power and had to rely on the old system for the time being.

909th Brigade Command.

The brigade's top officers and Chu Zhangang gathered for a meeting to plan the upcoming battle. The high-pressure atmosphere before the battle permeated every corner.

"Chief of Staff Zhu, what's the Blue Army's activity?" Chu Zhangang asked.

"There haven't been any concrete actions yet, but the small team's reconnaissance activities are very frequent," Zhu Rongsheng replied expressionlessly.

Clearly, the observation post that Hong Yi set up was not discovered by them.

"What about the command center? Have they given any notification?" Chu Zhangang then asked.

"Have."

Zhu Rongsheng nodded and said, "I just received a notification from the exercise command that all the commanders of the participating troops have taken up their respective command positions."

The command ship of the 7th Steel Brigade Group, also known as the Blue Army Group, has weighed anchor and left the anchorage, heading towards the starting point of the exercise.

The naval fleet participating in the exercise is assembling from several bases in Sea Area 5 of the outer sea. Command anticipates the exercise will officially begin in one hour.

"it is good."

Chu Zhangang, with a serious expression, instructed, "Brigade Commander Ding, I would like to know Chen Jun's current location."

“Signal tracking indicates that Chen Jun is very likely on the command ship,” Ding Kai replied.

"Is it already on the ship?"

Chu Zhangang frowned and didn't say anything more. He bent down to look at the map and began to study it.

After studying for a long time, he finally raised his head and said slowly with feigned profundity, "The Chenghai defense line was called Dongping Fortress in ancient times. Since the Ming Dynasty, this has been the front line for our Chinese nation to resist foreign invasion."

Now that we are in charge of this defensive line, it won't be easy for the 7th Steel Brigade to break through this barrier. We are determined to win this battle.

Chu Zhangang is trying to boost morale, which is something everyone, including himself, needs right now.

Don't be fooled by his tough talk; he's actually quite insecure inside.

Ding Kai was rather blind and brainless. He was confident just like Chu Zhan, and he said in agreement, "It is said that the ancient fort on this mountain was built by Qi Jiguang, the anti-Japanese hero, during the Jiaqing period of the Ming Dynasty."

"Yes."

Chu Zhangang clearly knew this well, adding: "In July of the nineteenth year of the Daoguang Emperor's reign, Deng Tingzhen, the Governor-General of Fujian and Zhejiang, built a fort here and purchased foreign cannons, and recruited Nie Yong to go to sea to search for and capture him."

He personally oversaw the construction of the naval forces, which repelled the attacks of the British invaders.

I believe that the higher-ups' selection of the Chenghai defense line, with Dongping Mountain as its main location, as the primary battlefield has profound significance.

From the Ming to the Qing dynasties, every foreign invader who attempted to breach the Chenghai defense line ended in a shameful defeat at Dongping Mountain. It can be said that there were predecessors and successors.

Our 909th Brigade is stationed here; this is our blessed land.

Chu Zhangang's words were indeed very well-crafted. He borrowed a Qing Dynasty allusion that is still in use today, giving a real example to demonstrate his belief in victory.

Everyone present was indeed infected by the positive energy, and their confidence grew dramatically that night.

"Deputy Chief of Staff Chu is right."

Zhu Rongsheng said with a smile, "Our long-range artillery can strike more than 100 kilometers deep, and our first line of defense is set up on the sea surface 50 kilometers from the coast."

As soon as the naval landing ships of the 7th Steel Brigade enter the 50-kilometer interception line, my long-range rocket artillery will sink them into the sea.

Moreover, our strike will be swift and decisive, with a redundancy of tens of kilometers, leaving them no time to turn back; they will be entirely within our effective strike range.

Hearing Zhu Rongsheng's confident words, the smiles on everyone's faces widened even more.

……

Chen Jun was indeed on the ship at this time. Not only Chen Jun, but also the majority of the troops, including the headquarters of the 7th Steel Brigade, were already on the ship.

The Seventh Steel Brigade base is over a thousand kilometers away from Chenghai City, which explains why it was able to be deployed so quickly.

The reason is that, in order to adapt to the sea more quickly and better, and to make full preparations for the upcoming amphibious operations, the entire 7th Steel Brigade had already been brought to the fleet for training.

Because they were already conducting field training near the fleet, they were able to quickly enter exercise mode after receiving the exercise order.

of course.

Bringing all the troops here is not just for that purpose; it's also to ensure that the troops can be deployed quickly for the exercise.

After all, the directorate only gave them a three-day deadline for the attack. If the 7th Steel Brigade hadn't arrived in advance, they probably would have spent all three days traveling.

The directing team doesn't care where you are right now; they've already explained the rules clearly beforehand.

If they cannot get to their positions in time, the responsibility lies with the 7th Steel Brigade.

The exercise was about to begin, so the 7th Steel Brigade naturally held a pre-battle meeting, set up a temporary command post on the ship, and had all the high-ranking officers in place.

"Based on satellite and drone reconnaissance and cyber intelligence, the 909th Brigade's frontal defense situation is roughly as follows..."

Hong Yi stood at the front of the conference table, taking over Qiu Ming's previous task, and summarized the intelligence, saying: "From the beach to the front line of Banpo, the 909th Brigade has deployed a motorized infantry battalion."

The permanent fortifications on the mountain consist of a reinforced company, with a reserve battalion behind the mountain. The forward tunnels contain coastal artillery positions, capable of indirect or direct fire at near-to-medium range targets at sea.

What truly poses a significant threat to us is their long-range rocket artillery battalion.

"Have you figured out where their long-range rocket artillery battalion is deployed?" Chen Jun asked.

"Based on my estimation, they will likely be deployed in the hills and dense forests on the north side of the mountain," Hong Yi said.

"Do you have any specific intelligence?" Chen Jun pressed.

"The satellite has been scanning the area 24 hours a day, but unfortunately, no targets have been found. We only found signs of engineers clearing roads and building positions in the Jiulong Mountain area," Hong Yi said helplessly.

"Then why not send drones?" Gao Cheng asked curiously.

“The Red Army’s radar system is very comprehensive, and it has already achieved all-round control over the entire Chenghai defense line, making it very difficult for air units to get close,” Hong Yi replied.

"Ding Kai and Zhu Rongsheng, who are under Chu Zhangang, have both fought against us at the Langshan base. Zhu Rongsheng, in particular, was the artillery regiment commander we took down at Langshan."

Hong Yi looked a little strange as he spoke, even though he was in the 909th Brigade back then.

However, he only paused for a moment before regaining his composure and continuing, "Perhaps he learned from his mistakes and became shrewd, his firepower deployment was extremely cunning and treacherous."

In particular, the long-range artillery battalion's concealment and camouflage were extremely effective; they still haven't been able to pinpoint his exact location. (End of Chapter)