Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 321 Hanbei's Annual Examination

At the beginning of the twentieth century of the Bethlehem era, from bolt-action firing to gunpowder-powered automatic firing, recoil-operated cannons began to gradually transform into barrel-operated cannons.

Whether it's Xie Ming on the other side of the ocean or Xuan Chong reclaiming land in Hanbei, they are both tackling the major issue of "military reform" in an era where "firepower density" has increased dozens of times.

Transforming a military system requires two types of capabilities: first, an understanding of all the professional systems of the old army, and second, a great deal of energy to calculate.

The current Han army is a modern army, with a high degree of professionalism in logistics, warehousing, and personnel mobilization. It is several levels higher than the troops Xuan Chong previously assembled in Da Yao, but! There is no significant generational gap.

Xuan Chong had already grasped 90% of the subcategories under the major categories of the current Han Dynasty military system by the end of the Great Yao Plane. He could understand all of these subcategories; he only needed to study a few new projects within the existing framework of the current Han Dynasty.

After studying modern Chinese military theory and comparing it with Da Yao's experience in leading troops, Xuan Chong identified several "key projects" that affected military combat effectiveness, and then improved efficiency in these projects.

The current Ministry of War believes Xuan Chong's lack of systematic training and unorthodox approach to military affairs. Little do they know—there is no one whose study of the military system is more systematic than Xuan Chong's!

The first history lesson Xuan Chong received at Weidu School started from scratch. Within the curriculum, Xuan Chong had led over 400,000 troops, not just on the front lines, but also learning about the reserve mobilization system.

In terms of the cost of learning, Xuan Chong's military talent was far superior to that of the "formally trained officers" of the modern Han Dynasty.

…Xuan Chong's military tactics became increasingly sophisticated during this period…

In the command center of the "Model Regiment," the fire control team is one of the sixty outstanding teams from the exercises and training. They have achieved hourly response times at the regimental information processing level. Their longest record for processing a single set of data is twenty-eight minutes.

This base number represents the fifty sets of data relayed by fifty airships after reconnaissance. The process of integrating all the information from these fifty modules is like a speedrun in a computer Minesweeper game.

Of course, the above are just the basics. In actual combat, things won't be so dogmatic; there will be more complex mechanisms.

After the airship conducts reconnaissance, it will automatically mark important reconnaissance intelligence as high-level and unimportant intelligence as low-level, ensuring that the rear can handle it with priority.

For example, after the first full-map scan, once the highest commander identifies the enemy group, the overall firepower decision-making authority is delegated to the lower-level camps, reducing the chain of reconnaissance and decision-making, and shortening the time from discovery to firing from half an hour to fifteen minutes.

Xuan Chong no longer cares if the orcs learn the mechanics. Since the people in Yandu are pushing him to go in, let the war evolve and change as it may.

...Xuan Chong: waaagh! …

With air and signal superiority, the 1st Armored Infantry—a force consisting of a large number of tracked and motorcycle vehicles—is advancing along the Dale River, heading towards Lake Beihai.

On the way to the assault, they often saw mushroom clusters like nurseries. Whenever they encountered these swaying mushroom clusters, the Han army adhered to the "scorched earth" policy. A petrol bomb was dropped, and the smoke from the cluster of mushrooms, like grasshoppers startled by a sudden gust of wind, caused the little devils and underdeveloped monsters to hop around in the firelight.

During the march, tugboats towed a large amount of temporary mechanical repair materials to assist in maintenance. The ratio of auxiliary vehicles to combat vehicles was approximately 2:1. (The lack of logistical vehicles was a clear indication of the poor performance of the Russians on Russian soil, with tanks breaking down one after another along the way.)
On the west side of Beihai Lake, the Hanbei troops arrived at the battlefield with the help of vehicle-mounted "magnetic storm equipment" for stealth and isolation.

The stealth effect created by ground-based geomagnetic storm equipment is not as effective as the complete distortion of light over the sea, which would make it appear as a blank space several kilometers away, but rather as a hazy fog.

Protected by vehicle-mounted electromagnetic shielding equipment, artillery crews were dispersed throughout the battlefield; under communication coordination, they conducted artillery fire and repositioned at coordinates determined on the map. (Xuan Chong: This type of firepower distribution seems to be called a mosaic distribution.)

The motorcycle assault teams, on the other hand, break out of cover and conduct highly mobile assaults.

These three-wheeled motorcycles were driven by one person and operated by another, their organization comparable to that of an artillery team. The wireless telegraph equipment, about the size of a cabinet-sized air conditioner, was carried on a half-track vehicle.

The intelligence from the front lines converged in the operations command center. Xuan Chong watched as the staff gathered information and then made decisions, a scene reminiscent of the Great Yao era.

Currently, the speed at which a brigade-level staff can "process combat information" is more than 20 times that of a division (5,000 to 8,000 men) in the later stages of the Great Yao Plane Mission, and more than 7 times that of other corps in the present Han Dynasty.

While the artillery under this brigade could not fire in large-scale salvos, its firepower response to the scattered Ork formations appearing at the front line was improved to the ten-minute level.

…firefights began along a stretch of over a hundred kilometers…

As the artillery and convoy formation unfolded, Xuan Chong listened intently and confirmed that the opposing Orks did not have his waaagh! Hmm, their tactics were lagging behind his own.

The shelling began, with volleys of shells raining down on the distant Ork. In reality, it was a barrage of artillery fire every twenty minutes.

The density of the shells coming and going was like the sound of firecrackers going off every ten minutes on New Year's morning. The soldiers firing had no idea what the shells looked like hitting the Ork group; they were just going through the motions, quickly deploying their firepower within the allotted time based on the coordinates provided in the telegram, and then immediately withdrawing.

To an onlooker, such sporadic artillery fire may seem weak and ineffective, but from a god-like perspective, with health bars displayed on both sides, the impact, though minor, is nonetheless substantial.

Almost every volley of shells flew through the sky and crashed into the distant earth, killing a large number of Orcs.

The 120mm heavy mortars deployed by the Han army at the front lines produced a resounding echo in their barrels, like the ringing of a bell, after firing. However, the sound of distant shells landing was inaudible.

In terms of the overall battle situation, the nearly three thousand Orks' charge near the North Sea was thwarted. Although the Orks adopted skirmish formations to minimize exposure during the charge, the shelling was relentless, lasting for a full five hours. As long as the Orks dared to regroup and charge, the shells rained down relentlessly.

The Orks attacking the North Sea were quickly torn apart, their fangs knocked off by the shockwave. Their gas canister-launched cannons couldn't even fire.

This scene resembled a snowball fight in Northeast China, where a group of well-trained national defense students used their physical strength to seize the high ground and flexibly flank from both sides. Some students threw snow, while others carried buckets of snow to provide continuous firepower. The national defense students were able to keep the other side pinned down for half an hour, bombarding them until they couldn't even lift their heads.

As for the "snowball fight" on the east side of Beihai Lake, well, the artillery battle lasted from morning until sunset, and then the Xuanchong troops withdrew.

To cover the artillery retreat, mainly because some artillery pieces that had broken down needed to be towed back by logistics vehicles, motorized units closed in to within a kilometer and used machine guns to suppress and strafe.

Oak was covered in smears and watched helplessly as the object they could "waaagh!" ran away, making him furious. But—Xuan Chong: Go home and eat, come back after you've eaten.

People need to eat, and machines need to be maintained...

The war was fought around Beihai Lake, meaning the Han army's logistics line went upstream along the major river system.

The Angara River flows out of the North Sea Lake and then into the Lena River. At this time, diesel-powered transport tugboats carried heavy equipment back and forth between the rear and the front lines on this waterway.

On the fourth day of the frontline artillery battle, at a temporary dock on the Dale River and the Ang River, tanks that had been withdrawn from the front lines were being maintained.

These vehicles lifted jacks to raise the broken-down tanks; strong soldiers used wrenches to remove the tracks, remove the worn steel wheels, and replace the fatigued torsion bars.

Tracked vehicles have strong traversal capabilities on complex terrains, but their "motor hours" (total engine running time) are only one-tenth that of lightweight motorized vehicles.

In the past, the large eight-wheeled vehicle-mounted artillery was very popular with soldiers, largely due to its ease of maintenance; "motorcycle hours" could easily exceed 100,000. The most demanding task for tank crews in that era was battlefield maintenance. They needed to constantly monitor the metal fatigue levels of vulnerable components in the vehicle. Excellent tank crews could tell if their chassis components were nearing the end of their lifespan just by listening to the vibrations in the suspension when the tank cornered. Therefore, before entering the battlefield, they would conduct a thorough inspection, much like changing horseshoes for ancient cavalry.

In the 21st century, an important indicator for an armored division is "armor availability," which determines the armor's operational readiness rate.

The Russians are quite low in this regard, while the Beacon is about 80%, and the East maintains a high training rate of up to 90%.

…Always face the enemy with fierce determination…

The next day, as soon as the sun rose, Xuan Chong led his troops to repeat the operation from the previous day.

Last night, the mechanized artillery, which had been rapidly regrouping, roared through Xuan Chong's ears. The sounds of the Orks shouting "waagh!" were like they had been slapped dozens of times in the face, and had begun to grow weak.

Once the opportune moment was determined, Xuan Chong ordered the First Marine Brigade to launch a pincer attack. Before the grass on the grassland had even sprouted, the large rubber tires had already rolled over the land, and at the same time, they had rolled over the mushroom-shaped head of the Orknafa.

On the afternoon of September 2nd, after a fierce three-hour battle, most of the subordinate waaagh! were annihilated.

Xuan Chong led his team to launch a surprise attack on the Oak Group's warboss in this area.

At night, Xuan Chong and his combat squad, traveling in an airship, launched a surprise attack on the leader of the Ork War.

After ten minutes of fierce fighting, Xuan Chong looked at the head of the Ork boss, shattered by an armor-piercing shell, took a deep breath, and felt a sense of satisfaction. It was like climbing a tree and picking a lot of fruit, swimming in the water and catching a lot of fish, or entering the forest and catching a bunch of pheasants.

For a moment, Xuan Chong had an urge to cut off Ouk's head and hang it on his body.

Meanwhile, Lu Changfeng's side has already taken care of things here.

When Xuan Chong asked him, Lu Changfeng said shyly: "After killing so many powerful enemies, if we wanted to keep some for the count, we would skin and hang up the tigers we killed back home."

Xuan Chong: Come to think of it, that makes sense. We can't exactly frame these orcs' broken guns and present them as war trophies to future generations to show off our bravery, can we? Our own trash weapons are fine to collect as relics, but as for weapons captured from the enemy, the more advanced the better.

…The culture of killing exists at the front, but those behind don't understand…

In the year 2113 of the Han calendar, the Ork Group, which was preparing to gather with the Beihai Lake forces to find waaagh!, was preemptively dismantled. In this round of testing, the Hanbei Protectorate achieved a perfect score.

Compared to other forces in the world that also undertake the task of suppressing the Orks.

Although the Northern Iron Alliance won in the north, the Ork slaves they gathered there frequently rioted. After the Ork riots, they would run south and wreak havoc. This score is 60.

As for the southern front of the present-day Han Dynasty, the only option is to defend. Several offensives this year have all been "unsuccessful due to overwhelming odds." So much so that even though the Han Dynasty has clearly controlled the Orks in the Xiongnu Plateau, and has repeatedly assured the people that the problem could be resolved this year—in the end, they still have to besiege them.

The day after the war ended, some photos had already appeared before the emperor and on the desks of the three high officials.

These photos were taken by inspectors sent by the Han Dynasty and then quickly transmitted back through the Dragon Group's channels.

After reading it, the emperor said nothing, only glanced at the people from the Ministry of War, and said: "Since the 'Demon-Slaying Formation' in the north has been set up, send that thing there to suppress it."

"The Demon-Slaying Formation" is a plot element from the Zhenhan Zaju (a type of Chinese opera). The Zhenhan dynasty originated in the northern grasslands, conquered the entire country after its southward expansion, and then incidentally swept away its northern relatives and in-laws—the grassland tribes. To legitimize its rule, the Zhenhan created this "Legend of the True Martial Emperor of the North Pole Slaying Demons." Therefore, the concept of the "Demon-Slaying Formation" is as widely known as the "Five Finger Mountain" in the main timeline of Journey to the West.

...Demon, human, monster...

At the fortress stronghold of Shihu Ridge, the "Nuwa" who had been relocated there was residing inside a cylinder, with a large LCD screen outside the cylinder that was ahead of its time. This thing was clearly an advanced product obtained from within the Lin Group.

Compared to the projection display equipment in other superpowered base facilities, the large LCD screen here, which makes the displayed content clearer and more distinct, reflects the importance of this project.

"Wa Shi" is able to sense the "waaagh!" force fields between Orks; the Orks' force fields spread across the Earth like invisible mycelium in a large petri dish.

Even Oak himself didn't understand the reasons behind the internal "organization" and the emergence of various strange technologies. Just like ants and bees don't understand pheromones, they simply act on instinct.

At this moment, the screen displays a map of the area north of the Great Wall of Han Dynasty, with red, wavy dots spreading out like ulcers, resembling pimples. Currently, this area is still under control.

In this ancestral temple, the Dragon Group can see whether each legion is slacking off, and whether the waaagh! of the Orks in the region has been weakened in each battle report. All of this is displayed on this LCD screen.

…The antique clock beside it, its bronze pendulum swaying rhythmically. …

The current top leadership of Wuhan University feels a sense of urgency.

Because Liu Yi only needed to swipe slightly on the LCD screen to see that the ulcers caused by the irregular distribution of the "Orcs" in the Caspian Sea region further west had merged into one.

The current Han Chinese military corps and the Abbasid Caliphate are attempting to forcibly suppress this inflammation. In recent years, despite the deployment of numerous military corps, it has become increasingly difficult to curb the spread of this "red rash" across the Xiongnu plateau.

A large number of new Orc warbands are forming. These new warbands have developed slowly since the main "Kordic" warband was wiped out two years ago. Due to their insufficient "waaagh!" force field, they will remain in a melee weapon state for several months or even a year. They can be quickly destroyed as soon as they are discovered and will not be able to gain any real power.

However, as the Arabs began fighting the Orks under the guise of a "new holy war," these newly formed warbands began to evolve rapidly.

By this time, four powerful war gangs had emerged in the west. These gangs were already capable of manufacturing "iron carts" and airships.

A modern Han military expert said: "The Orks' vehicles cannot be described as armored vehicles. These iron vehicles are dilapidated in appearance, reminiscent of the modified tanks used by the Great Mao and Second Mao in Xuan Chong's previous life. Some are stuffed with a bunch of iron fences, while others are covered with steel bars like hedgehogs."

Furthermore, the Orks began to emulate the Cannibalistic merchant guilds and started trading frequently. The smuggled goods from these trades allowed these small warbands to transition from cold weapons to firearms.

The Han troops currently stationed in the west clearly feel that the fighting power of the Orks they are dealing with has increased significantly. —If the Orks in the Western Regions were to connect with the Xiongnu Plateau, the situation would drastically worsen.

Liu Yi focused the screen's view on Hanbei. A month ago, Xuan Chong's preparations for a major battle on the eastern side of Beihai Lake attracted the attention of the Northern Desert Orks. The Orks dragged a lot of high-level equipment to the north, attempting to "welcome" the newly formed Hanbei Legion.

As for the outcome of this battle, it's already out. Looking at the red "fluid" that had subsided, Liu Yi sighed and said: He really did something.

However, he turned his head to look at the "Nuwa" in the large petri dish behind him and slowly said: The new master here will take you in.

The spore-like entity inside the tank, "similar to a human female, but four meters long," opened its eyes. However, it didn't open its eyes because of those words, but because it suddenly felt its interior being rewritten by a certain force.

(End of this chapter)