From the 7th Steel Company to the Synthetic Division

How was Chen Jun's mood after he returned?

Team Leader Tan recognized Chen Jun as a rare talent and paid him special attention. The first thing he asked was about Chen Jun.

Team Leader Tan was genuinely worried that the previous investigation might have a negative impact on Chen Jun's thinking.

If he hadn't happened to be abroad at the time, and hadn't been unable to take care of things in China, Team Leader Tan would definitely have done everything in his power to stop it, and this farce wouldn't have happened.

"He's got a great attitude, just like always," Chief of Staff Shen said with a smile.

"Acting like nothing happened?" Team Leader Tan asked in surprise.

"More or less." Chief of Staff Shen raised an eyebrow.

"When I came back, Deputy Commander Qian spoke to me specifically, saying he wanted to have a private chat with him." Team Leader Tan brought up a very interesting person.

"I'm afraid it won't work today. The exercise has already begun, and he's already directing it on the front lines," Chief of Staff Shen said.

"It may not be today. I've already spoken to Deputy Commander-in-Chief Qian, who is also the deputy commander of this Land-Sea No. 1 exercise. This will allow us to have a more objective look at the role and performance of the digitalized combined arms brigade in the context of a specialized adversary force. You don't need to tell Chen Jun and the others; Deputy Commander-in-Chief Qian is also in the directing staff."

Team Leader Tan considered this very carefully, worrying that Chen Jun and others might become overly suspicious and influenced by the previous "Warrior Operation" commanded by Deputy Commander Qian.

Chief of Staff Shen was obviously aware of this as well, and understood what Team Leader Tan was worried about.

He added, "During the Warrior Operation exercise, the disruption caused by the 7th Steel Brigade really caught Deputy Commander Qian off guard, so it's understandable that he was a little upset."

"Yes, I didn't tell him that beforehand."

Team Leader Tan sighed and continued, "Deputy Commander Qian has led large-scale military exercises and international counter-terrorism exercises on behalf of headquarters."

But this unconventional fighting style of the 7th Steel Brigade was something he had never encountered before, so it's no wonder he was furious.

Team Leader Tan knew that Chief of Staff Shen was on Chen Jun's side, so he gave Chief of Staff Shen a special explanation, which was also to give Chen Jun an explanation.

"You were the one who started this whole thing, haha."

Chief of Staff Shen expressed his attitude on this matter in a joking manner.

“You should say you’re the culprit, haha.” Team Leader Tan laughed as well.

"Commander, you're all here."

At that moment, a voice came from behind them. Chief of Staff Shen and Team Leader Tan turned around at the same time and found that the person walking over was none other than Deputy Commander Qian, whom they had been talking to.

"Deputy Commander Qian, are you still watching tonight?" Chief of Staff Shen asked.

“I’m the deputy commander-in-chief, so I definitely have to be here,” Deputy Commander-in-Chief Qian replied.

"Are there any operations tonight?" Team Leader Tan asked.

"The Blue Army reported a small feint attack, but the purpose was unclear and there was no detailed action plan," Deputy Commander Qian said regretfully.

"Small actions always conceal big conspiracies; this is the characteristic of a professional hypothetical enemy."

Team Leader Tan was very certain, and he actually guessed right.

……

Time flew by and it was evening.

The tide began to rise in the sea in front of Dongping Mountain, and a bunch of speedboats began to appear on the sea, approaching within a 50-kilometer radius at an extremely fast speed.

Inside the headquarters of the 909th Brigade of the Red Army, Chu Zhangang and his men were all on high alert.

"They've arrived as expected," Zhu Rongsheng said, sounding as if he had known it all along.

"But why haven't their ships arrived yet? There are only seven or eight assault boats wandering around at sea, and drones circling in the distant sky. What are they doing?" Ding Kai asked, puzzled.

Since the Blue Army's transport fleet did not appear, the Red Army's long-range artillery could not be easily deployed.

Without knowing how to use long-range artillery, the only way to deal with small and fast assault boats landing on the beach is to rely on the fortifications on the shore.

"Shoot down any drones that approach our position," Chu Zhangang ordered sternly.

"Understood!" Ding Kai replied solemnly.

"201, 201, this is 301. The Blue Team's assault boats are coming from three directions."

Upon hearing the call from the radio, Ding Kai immediately picked up the microphone and replied, "Open fire as soon as they enter effective range, and take them all out."

"understand!"

Upon receiving orders from headquarters, the Dongpingshan coastal defense line immediately entered combat readiness.

Around 10 p.m., the landing speedboats dispatched by the 7th Steel Brigade arrived at the shore and began their beach landing and assault on the Dongpingshan defense line.

The Red Army troops on the coastal defense line immediately launched an attack on the landing force.

While the defensive forces of the 909th Brigade were focused on the war breaking out along the coast of Dongping Mountain, little did they know that this was a feint attack.

The real threat to them, the "ultimate killing move," had already quietly circled around to the rear of Dongping Mountain.

A transport helicopter carried a special operations squad, all of whom were the most elite veterans of the special operations company.

Among them were Wu Liuyi, who was already a company commander, Cheng Cai, a platoon leader, and Xu Sanduo, among others. All ten people who participated in the operation were experts who had participated in the Old A special training.

If it weren't for the fact that his current position was no longer appropriate, Deputy Battalion Commander Tuo Yonggang would have wanted to participate in this mission personally.

Upon arrival, they rappelled from the helicopter into the woods and then began infiltrating and reconnaissance into the area where the long-range artillery battalion was located, in accordance with the established combat plan.

"The latest good news is that the reconnaissance team has landed safely and has not been detected by the Red Army troops," Chen Jun announced happily to everyone.

"Okay, great!"

"That's really good news, haha."

"It has to be the commander-in-chief. This move was brilliant. Chu Zhangang would never have dreamed of it."

……

Everyone was delighted to hear the news, and the entire meeting room was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

"Commander-in-Chief, our plan has succeeded. Shouldn't the attacking troops withdraw now?" Hong Yi asked excitedly.

"No rush. We have to put on a good show. Let them continue to come ashore and harass us. Don't make us seem too opportunistic. Let's stall the reconnaissance team a little longer," Chen Jun said.

"It was just a feint anyway, I think that's enough," Hong Yi said.

“They’ve already reached the shore. If we retreat now, we’ll be attacked from both sides and suffer heavy losses. Staying on the shore is safer and will also keep the Red Army’s attention occupied, giving the reconnaissance team more time,” Chen Jun insisted.

"Okay, then listen to you."

Hong Yi felt that Chen Jun's words made sense, and that the reconnaissance team was the key point. So he followed Chen Jun's advice and issued orders via radio.

The speedboats responsible for the beach landing were also operated by special operations soldiers from the special operations company.

For high-risk missions like this, special operations are the most suitable. Otherwise, whether it's an armored battalion or a mechanized infantry battalion, without core equipment like tanks and armored vehicles, their combat effectiveness in amphibious landings would be very limited.

Special forces teams can hold out during a beach landing, and some may even survive if they execute the maneuvers well.

Other military branches had no chance of survival.

The special operations team of the 7th Steel Brigade landed by speedboat. The speedboat sped more than ten meters on the beach, and there were many bunkers around them after they got off the speedboat.

In addition, the poor visibility at night makes it easier to hide, giving night vision goggles a huge advantage.

Although the Steel 7th Brigade's special operations team consisted of only one platoon, it was not an easy task for the Blue Army's coastal defense to eliminate them.

"201, 201, the Blues have landed, and we are doing our best to stop them."

Upon hearing the report from the coastal defense line, Ding Kai, from the Blue Army command, exclaimed in shock, "They've already landed? Are they really going to launch a full-scale attack?"

"impossible."

Chu Zhangang shook his head and said, "With just a few soldiers, how can we possibly launch a landing operation? Tell them to stay calm, keep them at bay on the coastline, and don't let them lose their composure."

"Yes!"

The commander-in-chief issued the order, and Ding Kai immediately went to carry it out.

The fighting was fierce on the Dongpingshan position, with small groups from both sides completely clashing, while another special operations team had quietly entered the fray.

We advanced forward from the outermost edge of the rear area and reached the edge of the hilly region.

"Company commander, come quick, I've found something."

Xu Sanduo truly lives up to his reputation as the chosen one of this world; his luck is far better than that of ordinary people. Even in places that appear perfectly normal, he manages to find something suspicious.

"They are tire tracks. A typical artillery vehicle wouldn't have tires that wide."

Wu Liuyi ran over quickly, lay down on the ground, measured the tires on the ground with his hand, and exclaimed in surprise, "Tires this wide can only be heavy-duty units, it must be a long-range rocket transport vehicle."

The marks look quite fresh, and the time frame is probably no more than a day old, so the distant fire is likely nearby.

We're unfamiliar with the terrain around here, and there's bound to be a lot of sentry posts deployed by the long-range artillery. Acting rashly might alert them. So, we'll camp here tonight and scout ahead tomorrow morning.

Ground reconnaissance was the last chance, so Wu Liuyi decided to prioritize stability.

I don't care about speed, and I don't want to take any risks.

The only goal was to find out the location of the enemy's long-range fire camp as much as possible under the limited conditions, so as to eliminate this biggest threat for the main force to attack Chenghai City.

……

909th Brigade Command.

"201, 201, the Blue Army has been defeated by us, and the remaining troops have fled back to the sea."

Upon hearing the battle report from the Dongping Mountain front, Chu Zhangang placed his hands on the table, frowned, and asked in confusion, "The main force is not moving, while small groups of troops come and go in a hurry. What is the intention behind this?"

"I think they're still reconnaissance and probing," Zhu Rongsheng guessed.

"What are you testing?" Chu Zhangang asked.

"The most obvious intention is reconnaissance by fire. We just discovered night vision cameras among the drone wreckage we collected. I'm certain that the Blue Army conducted detailed photography of our frontal defensive fortifications, and the image signals have been sent to the Blue Army command," Ding Kai analyzed.

"That's very likely, and I predict the Blue Army will definitely launch a landing operation tomorrow," Chu Zhangang said.

"Tomorrow? Why tomorrow? The Blue Army's attack deadline is 9 a.m. the day after tomorrow. They still have plenty of time to attack," Zhu Rongsheng asked.

"If we don't act tomorrow, they'll be too late the day after tomorrow. And the day after that, there's only one night left, so we're going to start close reconnaissance tonight."

Chu Zhangang was certain that his judgment was correct, and decisively ordered: "Immediately notify the Long-Range Artillery Battalion to be on guard against infiltration and aerial reconnaissance."

"Yes!"

This matter cannot be taken lightly, so Chief of Staff Zhu hurriedly went to carry it out.

……

The headquarters of the 7th Steel Brigade.

Although it was already late at night, the command center was still brightly lit, and everyone was working hard to do their best for this battle.

"The reconnaissance team just sent a telegram."

Hong Yi, holding a piece of paper, ran excitedly to Chen Jun's side and said, "The telegram says that we have found the tire tracks of the long-range rocket vehicle. It would be best to mobilize the long-range rocket vehicle first thing tomorrow morning."

To prevent communications from being intercepted by the enemy, since they had already penetrated deep into enemy territory, Wu Liuyi's reconnaissance team did not use radio communication.

Instead, they resorted to the more traditional telegraph, and without a decipherable copy, even intercepted signals were useless.

"I think that, judging from the current situation, the Red Army's long-range artillery battalion is not far from their hiding place. It's just that they are well disguised and hard to find. Company Commander Wu and his men must be hoping that we can make a feint to lure the long-range artillery units out of their hiding places so that they can make their move."

Based on the contents of this telegram, Takagi extended and interpreted it in a more in-depth manner.

"This is indeed a good idea. As long as the Red Army's long-range artillery battalion leaves its concealment and opens fire, it will be completely exposed, making it much easier to find them. We must cooperate with them."

After a brief analysis, Chen Jun gave the order: "Captain Wu, please notify the fleet to assemble at four o'clock in the morning and head towards the coast of Dongping Mountain as soon as it is light."

Deputy Brigade Commander Gao, you are responsible for notifying the Air Force to take off at dawn and send fighter jets to carry out at least two rounds of attacks on the Red Army's forward positions.

They should adopt the posture of launching a landing operation, and make sure this performance is carried out convincingly.

Upon hearing Chen Jun's combat orders, Captain Wu and Gao Cheng nodded in acknowledgment and then strode away to make arrangements.

……

It's about six o'clock in the morning.

Having received prior orders, the Blue Army's air force and navy sprang into action at this critical juncture of dawn, with their fleet and fighter jets simultaneously swooping down on the Dongpingshan position.

The offensive posture was so convincing that there was no sign of any "fakeness".

The reconnaissance team, which had already infiltrated deep into enemy territory, also began its operation under the leadership of Wu Liuyi, setting up various reconnaissance and detection equipment.

The 7th Steel Brigade possesses the most advanced equipment in the entire theater, including many high-tech detection devices.

Wu Liuyi's reconnaissance team brought with them equipment specifically designed to detect sound waves and vibrations, enabling them to better detect the movements of rocket launches.

While a scout's eyes, ears, and experience are essential skills for reconnaissance, humans are ultimately inferior to machines in many ways.

Only by equipping top-notch reconnaissance soldiers with high-tech detection equipment can the strongest special operations reconnaissance system be created.

The Blue Army's 7th Steel Brigade has already laid out the bait, and its real killing move has also been quietly unleashed, just waiting for its prey to obediently jump out.

The Blue Army command, which was being targeted by its prey, was unaware of the trickery involved and failed to uncover the Seventh Steel Brigade's plan.

However, they received notification at 4 PM last night that the Blue Army fleet was planning a large-scale operation, which put everyone, including Commander-in-Chief Chu Zhangang, on high alert. Everyone was present by early this morning. (End of Chapter)