The Red Era: Living in Seclusion in a Siheyuan as a Boss

Chapter 518 Xia Bei Exercise (Revised)

These days, the situation on "Blue Planet" where the "flower growers" live is still very complicated.

At that time, on the stage of "Blue Star", the "duo act" between the two giants Sam and the polar bear became more and more intense.

The "polar bear" also cast its eyes towards the southeast with a covetous look.

Two years ago, the "polar bear" relied on its strong body to beat up the desert "camel".

This incident caused an uproar among the animals in "Blue Star Village".

Faced with the "polar bear's" aggressive and domineering attitude, some of the "flower growers" began to worry that the bear might go crazy.

These people clearly realize that since the establishment of "Flower Planting House";
Although there have been significant improvements and enhancements in weaponry and combat proficiency over the past few decades, and good results have been achieved in various large and small battles;
But in Liu Zhiye's opinion, we "Rabbit" are still a relatively traditional team after all;
Each branch of the military is relatively independent and has few opportunities for coordinated combat, so relevant experience is relatively scarce.

Super giants like Sam and Polar Bear have sophisticated weapons and equipment and team combat experience.

Once such an army goes to war, it will inevitably form a strong offensive with intensive firepower, which is a considerable threat and hidden danger to the "rabbits".

Therefore, be prepared to fight back and prevent it before it happens.

To ensure that the subsequent reform and opening up of the "flower growers" can proceed smoothly has become an urgent task currently facing the "rabbits".

The preliminary plan of the exercise is to organize a defensive combat exercise in the Xiabei area within three years, conduct positional defense warfare, mobile warfare and guerrilla warfare in the western region, and mainly conduct anti-landing exercises in the Bohai direction.

The meeting ultimately decided to place the first year of the "Three-Year Plan" in the Xiabei region.

The initial plan is to conduct a military exercise in the Zhangkou area of ​​Xiabei.

The main purpose is to study the implementation of defensive operations and the defense of a campaign scale.

Therefore, the troops responsible for this "Xiabei Military Exercise" are mainly from the Yanda Military Region.

Such an important exercise mission fell on the shoulders of Liu Zhiye and others. The task was very arduous and they dared not slack off at any time.

So, how big will this exercise be?
What to do?
This became a key issue that Liu Zhiye and others in charge of the exercise had to consider.

To this end, in January of this year, the headquarters went to inspect Yanjing University, which was responsible for this live-fire exercise.

Here, I also discussed this matter repeatedly with Liu Zhiye and others.

The Yanjing University side, led by Liu Zhiye, believed that the scale of this exercise should be larger.

The front-line defense campaign exercise mainly includes drills in four aspects, namely simulation of enemy cluster tank attack, airborne and anti-airborne, defense of army division's solid positions and anti-assault of campaign reserve.

It is estimated that more than 100,000 troops will participate in the exercise, with more than 8,000 vehicles, more than 1,000 tanks, armored vehicles and artillery, and hundreds of aircraft.

Both Deputy Chiefs of the General Staff Ma and Zhang expressed their agreement with the plan proposed by the Yanda Military Region.

They also believed that the visitors to this military exercise were basically leaders of various military regions, and that an exercise of too small a scale had no practical significance.

Therefore, they also advocated larger exercises.

But others disagreed.

Because these days the military budget is stretched to the limit.

These comrades who expressed dissenting opinions believed that the budget for such a large-scale military exercise was too high.

Therefore, I don’t have the energy or the ability to do this.

There were considerable differences of opinion on whether to conduct large-scale military exercises, and the situation remained deadlocked.

In early February this year, Liu Zhiye took the lead in putting his plan for a large-scale exercise on the desk of the headquarters leaders.

Soon, the specific tasks for the summer Peking University exercise were given, and the headquarters instructed the participating Yan University to come up with a rehearsal plan as soon as possible.

It was not until early March that the Academy of Military Sciences came up with two plans for army group size and division size.

Including the plan for the scale of the Yanda Military Region’s front army, there are a total of three plans: large, medium and small.

Among them, the second plan is to conduct defensive battle exercises within the front army.

Compared with the first plan, this plan has fewer training subjects and the scale of the exercise is reduced by more than half. The number of troops planned to participate in the exercise has been compressed to more than 5.

The third plan is the smallest of the three plans, and it plans to only conduct training but no exercises.

At the beginning of March, Mr. Zhang went to the leader’s home and reported to him the details of the three plans and the discussion process of everyone.

Mr. Zhang said: "Leader, regarding this military exercise, some people are worried about whether it will have an external impact. If we follow the rehearsal plan, can the finances support it?"

After listening to Mr. Zhang’s report, the headquarters leaders immediately made a decisive decision: “Our exercise is conducted on land, which is different from the sea exercise.

So don't worry too much about how other people will react.

What’s more, our neighbor to the north has conducted many military exercises, but there has been no reaction from the outside world!”

In addition, the headquarters leader also pointed out: "We haven't conducted such a large-scale exercise for a long time. Therefore, conducting such an exercise can not only allow our team to get practical training."

As for the question of the cost of the exercise, he thought about it and said directly: "Let's go with the first plan, save a little and do it better."

Finally, the leader wrote on the request letter brought by Mr. Zhang: "Agree with the first option and strive to save money."

In mid-March, General Manager Zhang announced the leadership's instructions in the first conference room and announced the code name for the exercise. Then began four to five months of preparation and training.

After receiving instructions from superiors, Yan University quickly assembled all departments and soon entered into preparations for the exercise.

The usual training content gradually turned into exercises, and the training gradually shifted from barracks life to field training.

This military exercise was unprecedented in scale, but Yanda needed to complete some preparatory work in just four or five months.

It can be said that Liu Zhiye and his team were under time pressure and had a heavy task.

To this end, all the troops have fully demonstrated the spirit of hard study and hard training.

As the weather gets hotter, the troops participating in the exercise have to conduct long training marches outdoors under the scorching sun.

When the weather is sunny, I'm covered in sweat; when it rains, I'm covered in mud.

The length and intensity of the preparatory training for this military exercise are beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

During the preparation period for the exercise, the soldiers participating in the exercise had to run an average of 40 to 50 kilometers a day and cross more than 400 deep ditches and high ridges.

The troops participating in the parade trained for more than 10 hours a day and traveled a total of more than 30 kilometers.

In addition to reviewing the training of the troops, the organization and support work for the training and visits are also being carried out in full swing.

The exercise was planned to be carried out in four venues. The construction team worked day and night, and in a very short time, four observation platforms were built.

In addition, the road on the mountain was repaired and the guesthouse where the relevant personnel stayed was completely renovated.

This large-scale military exercise is a joint land and air operation.

Therefore, except for the navy, almost all branches of the military made their appearance, and the electronic warfare force that the military region had just established also showed up.

All types of tanks and artillery in the troops' equipment were deployed, and the ground forces' activity range was more than 2 square kilometers. In addition, more than a dozen types of aircraft were deployed from more than a dozen air force stations, and the exercise area reached more than 30 square kilometers.

Among them, nearly 3 officers and soldiers from the Air Force also participated in this exercise training, flying more than 2 sorties and nearly hours.

In early January, the 2nd Guard Division received an order to participate in the exercise, and the division commander Peng Guoan came down to make a mobilization statement.

At the mobilization meeting held in the auditorium of the Fourth Regiment, Peng Guoan made the following memorable remarks: "This exercise and military parade is an extremely glorious event. It shows the importance the military region attaches to our division. We must do it well and not mess it up. If we mess it up, we will not be able to hold our heads up for decades."

Xia Jun attaches great importance to the historical heritage of his unit and regards honor as the life of the unit.

This is also the specific soul of Xia Jun. He also proposed a sixteen-character policy of "high standards, strict requirements, detailed work, and good results". Soon, the regiment was divided into two parts. After selecting some cadres and soldiers, they began to practice marching (commonly known as thigh-throwing), while most people were involved in the preparations for the exercise.

During the May Day holiday, the 2nd Guard Division held a military parade in Liujiazhuang at the May Day Square in Liujiazhuang, which caused quite a stir among the people of Liujiazhuang.

First, several infantry columns marched past with automatic rifles equipped with bayonets, followed by various motorized artillery columns.

But there were no tanks or armored vehicles because they were afraid of damaging the square.

Although such a scene could not be compared with the scale of the military parade in Beijing, it was the first attempt of the Xia army. It displayed itself in front of the people with a mighty posture, which achieved good results and gave great encouragement to its own troops.

There was an interesting detail. Just after the military parade ended, several ordinary people were still standing on the roadside discussing enthusiastically, describing the rocket mine-laying vehicle as a certain type of missile.

The military parade of the 2nd Guard Division was very successful, and it also served as a rehearsal for the subsequent military parade at Zhangkou Airport.

In mid-May, the troops of the 2nd Guard Division took a train to the exercise area.

There was one thing that left a particularly deep impression on Liu Benming later.

In order to ensure that the troops could have meat to eat when they arrived in Zhangkou area, Chief Li of the Regimental Management Section asked Deputy Company Commander Liu Benming to take several soldiers to drive a big fat pig onto the train.

Liu Benming and his comrades took great pains to lift the big animal weighing more than 200 pounds from the pig. It took them an hour to get the pig onto the train.

After all this ordeal, the guy was scared.

The next morning, shortly after the train started, a soldier reported to Section Chief Li that the pigs were dying.

The military train stopped at Tongda Station, and the soldiers in the kitchen squad discovered that the pig was dead.

There was no other way! Section Chief Li immediately ordered the skinning and bleeding of the people in the sealed carriage.

Liu Benming had experience in killing pigs, so he, the reconnaissance squad leader Lao Hu and several soldiers started to work.
At this time, a passenger train came and stopped next to the military train. Coincidentally, the carriage opposite to the "pig slaughtering" scene of Liu Benming and his team was full of tourists named Old W.

When Old Ws noticed this, they all took out their cameras and wanted to take pictures. Section Chief Li quickly asked someone to close the car door on that side, and finally the "ugly" thing was covered up.

When they arrived at the base, the weather was getting hotter and the pork had not been bled enough, so the pork Liu Benming and his team ate had a fishy smell, but they were reluctant to throw it away.

Later, someone suggested that the fat pigs should be sold locally and the money brought to Zhangkou to buy meat. This was purely hindsight.

Not to mention that the army is not allowed to sell pork to local people, and no one knows if there is a place to buy meat in the mountains of Zhangkou?
Liu Benming and his colleagues just wanted to raise the fat pigs in the rural area where they were stationed and kill them for meat on August 1st. Who could have thought that the guy who was slaughtered would be so "ungrateful"!
This incident typically reflects the status quo of the Xia army's logistics supply at that time, that is, they were self-sufficient in both staple and non-staple food, and there was no centralized supply.

The troops maneuvered over long distances, and when the military train arrived at the station, there were often not only fully armed companies but also a few live pigs getting off the train. This can be considered a characteristic of the "Flower Planting Family".

Liu Benming and his regiment's base was in the mountains. There was no asphalt road, only a bumpy dirt road and a dry riverbed for vehicles to pass.

This is also the only channel for the small mountain village to maintain contact with the outside world.

There is a well house at the entrance of the village, which can pump water up for use by the entire village.

Whenever soldiers come here to wash clothes, there are always a few young girls and wives who come to join in the fun.

It can be seen that there are few outsiders coming to this small mountain village, so the villagers are very curious about the troops.

The current commander of the Second Division Artillery Regiment, Lao Ma, is also a veteran who participated in the war and made military achievements.

Except for the small mountain village where the regiment headquarters was located, the other battalion and company troops were scattered in several surrounding mountain villages.

The main battlefield for anti-airborne operations was located in an open area at the foot of the mountain not far from the base.

There are several small hills around it, but its main peak is very prominent and is marked as "Mantou Mountain" on the map.

The training conditions at that time were completely different from those in later generations. The troops in later generations had special tactical training bases, which were equipped with all the terrain, tactical background and logistical support, and did not interfere with the local residents.

During these years' field training, the leading team sometimes stayed at the homes of fellow villagers in rural areas, which inevitably had some impact on the local area.

At the gun position of the 152mm howitzer, as soon as the cannon was fired during live-fire shooting, the ground shook and the sound was deafening, and the windows of nearby houses were shattered.

Therefore, before the exercise, every household in the village was required to stick tape on the glass windows. Of course, all expenses and losses would be borne by the troops.

The order of the exercise in which the artillery regiment participated was roughly as follows:

First, various artillery pieces bombarded the main peak of Mantou Mountain, and then the Air Force sent bombers to drop bombs on it.

Later, the airborne troops carried out parachute landings in the open area in front of the mountain. After the paratroopers withdrew, the infantry launched a charge.
And all of this must be within the sight of a viewing platform built on the top of a small hill opposite, because the leaders will then go up to the viewing platform.

Since the exercise scene needs to be clear at a glance and have an ornamental effect, various artillery and other heavy weapons are piled up relatively densely, which does not meet the requirements of fighting.

Some troops have responded and raised the question of "Should we train for combat or for demonstration?"

Later, the troops conducted a study session and conveyed the instructions from the superiors, clarifying that "we should train for both combat and observation, but the emphasis should be placed on training for observation."

This is because it is necessary to create a greater momentum and expand the impact, and it is also a publicity need.

After several joint practices, the results became better and better.

The regiment also conveyed the speech of the deputy chief in charge of the army's training to the officers and soldiers of the artillery regiment, saying: "Your artillery fire is very accurate. The first shot covered all the targets..."

In fact, if you think about it carefully, the target on the hilltop is fixed, the coordinates of each artillery position have been locked long ago, and it has been practiced many times. It would be strange if we can't hit it!

In order to highlight the effect, the troops also placed gasoline barrels next to the impact point, which would create a fire and billowing thick smoke when they exploded.

During one joint training exercise, due to bad weather, the clouds were low and thick, and later it started to drizzle, and the originally scheduled bombers did not show up.

Liu Benming asked the regiment's chief of staff, Lao Liang: "Commander, what if the weather is bad when a war breaks out? Will the air force not be deployed?"

Lao Liang shook his head and said, "If a war really breaks out, do you still rely on the air force? We have to rely on ourselves."

This is said somewhat jokingly, but it is the truth.

During this period, the valley was bustling with the sound of war, horses, carriages and people coming and going during the day.

But at night, it became quiet, lights were twinkling in the mountain village, and the troops went into rest.

Anyone who has served in the military knows that the management in the barracks is very strict and the daily schedule is also very tight.

However, it is different in rural areas. Training is generally not arranged after dinner. In later times, it is considered leisure time.

Comrades played chess and poker together, and could also take a walk on the river beach before sunset.

Jiang Weiguo, director of the political department of the artillery regiment, likes to pick up stones while taking walks. He is a lover of rare stones.

There are indeed many beautiful pebbles in the gullies between valleys and on river beaches, but these strange stones are not valuable these days.

During training, the troops would occasionally show one or two movies, all of which were black-and-white combat feature films.

Every time this happens, the children in the village are always excited.

First, I stared with wide eyes at the troops marching in an orderly manner, and then I followed the duty officer's command and shouted: Company XX is entering, sit down.

There is an unwritten rule in the army that everyone must go to the movies at night and no one is allowed to stay in the room alone to avoid trouble.

The field troops lived a simple life. When living in the countryside, the regiment leaders ate in the same communal kitchen as the soldiers.

Even the small kitchen in the camp did not supply alcohol, and the canteen only added a few more dishes to the banquet, but no alcohol at all.

Sometimes, the Comrades Art Troupe would send a small team to perform consolation shows for the various units in the mountains.

The performances are held in the afternoon on a stage built on an open area outside the village.

Many fellow villagers from several surrounding villages came with their elderly and children, and the atmosphere was very lively.

(End of this chapter)