From the 7th Steel Company to the Synthetic Division

At this critical moment.

Inside the command post at the rear, the communications staff officer shouted, "Reporting to the brigade commander, an urgent order has arrived from headquarters and has been transmitted to our computers."

Director Wang and the others immediately rushed over, crowding around the computer to watch.

The entire command was at least five or six hundred words long, filling the already small laptop screen, and explaining the matter thoroughly.

Finally, two solutions were provided.

First, the exercise command issued a statement ordering the 7th Steel Brigade to immediately release the detained expert group; if this is agreed, the exercise will resume as normal.

If the 7th Steel Brigade does not agree to release the expert group, then we will take the second route.

A joint operation by the Tsunami Assault Brigade and the Mountain Eagle Brigade is underway to ensure the safe return of the expert team members and journalists to the command post by this evening.

"Brigade Commander Wang, do you believe Chen Jun can release the prisoners?" Chief of Staff Su asked after reading the document.

"Nobody would believe that," Commander Wang replied without even thinking.

"Do I think it's necessary for us to wait for the command headquarters to issue the official order?" Chief of Staff Su asked.

"What are you waiting for?"

Commander Wang glared and said, "You immediately inform your Commander Xiahou that we will launch a joint encirclement and annihilation operation in twenty minutes."

"Row."

Chief of Staff Su nodded and left.

……

The 7th Steel Brigade.

After Chen Jun and Brigade Commander Wang finished their discussion, they were immediately entangled with Sun Zhu as soon as they entered the command post.

"Chief of Staff Chen, why did you refuse to carry out Deputy Commander Qian's order to release the people?" Sun Zhu asked, holding a voice recorder and adopting an interview stance.

“I haven’t imprisoned you or detained you. You’re still free. If you want to leave, go ahead. I don’t need to give any orders,” Chen Jun mocked.

"Then you can tell Deputy Commander Qian the truth as it is, that you did not detain the expert team and that their safety is assured."

Sun Zhu then played the good guy, teaching Chen Jun how to handle the situation.

"I'm telling you the truth."

Chen Jun looked at Sun Zhu with amusement and said with a smile, "If it weren't for the fact that you are a veteran reporter in the military, I would have detained you long ago."

"Detain me?" Sun Zhu was startled.

"Yes, we're detaining you to stop you from bothering us. You've never done anything productive, you're just like a fly buzzing around our ears."

Chen Jun's bluntness amused Gao Cheng and the others.

"Now I see it clearly. The one who really caused trouble and sabotage in this exercise was not even the 7th Steel Brigade, but you, Chen Jun."

Sun Zhu was so angry at Chen Jun's blunt words that her lips trembled as she spoke.

"Really? I can tell. You're pretty good."

Chen Jun was clearly being sarcastic, but Sun Zhu took it as a compliment and said smugly, "If you can't even see that, what qualifications do you have to be a chief reporter?"

There were more than ten reporters who came to cover the event, and his ability to be the chief reporter is truly commendable.

Let me tell you the truth.

Seeing that Sun Zhu's comprehension was limited, Chen Jun simply stated frankly: "There is only one reason why I refuse to carry out the orders given by Deputy Commander-in-Chief Qian."

That means his role has changed. He is no longer an impartial referee and commander; he is now a fourth party, just like us.

To be more precise, he's a troublemaker, just like us.

"You mean, Deputy Commander-in-Chief Qian is also causing trouble?" Sun Zhu was greatly shocked.

"That's right, but he himself doesn't know. Since you're a senior reporter, you should have covered many exercises and have a lot of experience. Have you ever seen an exercise where the command center would suddenly stop the exercise because the expert group lost contact for less than two hours? Terminating a perfectly good exercise, isn't that just disrupting things?"

Chen Jun explained it in a very simple and easy-to-understand way; even a fool could understand it.

Sun Zhu understood, and frowned, remaining silent.

He's clearly thinking.

Chen Jun seized the opportunity to add fuel to the fire, saying, "If you don't believe me, you can listen to the experts' opinions. The experts are all here, and you can ask them anything."

After listening to Chen Jun's reasonable and well-founded words, Sun Zhu's heart was actually somewhat shaken.

To verify whether Chen Jun's words were true, Sun Zhu immediately looked at the person with the most authority to speak and said, "Deputy Director Liu, may you speak?"

With Chen Jun acting as a go-between, Deputy Director Liu gave Chen Jun face and did not refuse Sun Zhu's interview this time.

"Comrade Sun Zhu, as a military expert, I would like to say a few words of truth. The biggest highlight of the Warrior Action exercise is the involvement of a third party."

The reason for the emergence of the 7th Steel Brigade is that one side intervened and disrupted the exercise, making it more than just a routine formality.

Moreover, as the exercise has progressed and evolved, the situation has completely changed, transforming from a performance-style exercise into a normal, autonomous confrontation.

This is exactly what we want to see, and it's the training method that's closest to real combat.

However, some people lack the awareness and mindset for reform and still want to drag him back to the era of acting and going through the motions.

Chief of Staff Chen is right. This exercise started with the disruption by the 7th Steel Brigade, and by the time we joined the 7th Steel Brigade, it had already created an unexpected situation where an expert group was detained by an unidentified armed group.

This triggers a joint search and rescue operation between the Tsunami Assault Brigade and the Mountain Eagle Brigade. Will the two sides succeed? What actions will the joint rescue operation involve? Will the rescue be successful? And how will the Steel Seventh Brigade counter their actions?

These unknowns, which cannot be determined in advance, create a compelling dramatic suspense.

The reality of war lies in its outcome, which is often unexpected, unpredictable, and full of randomness, requiring troops to adapt more quickly.

If we want the exercises to closely resemble real combat, then we should not allow the outcome to be presented too easily.

Is it useful to develop contingency plans before the exercise even begins, and to know who will ultimately win before the battle even starts? Does such an exercise truly have any meaning?
The current situation has evolved into a two- or three-way battle between three opposing forces in an autonomous confrontation, and the battle is about to begin.

With Deputy Commander-in-Chief Qian issuing instructions and orders, how could the troops possibly be allowed to fight independently?
A three-way confrontation, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms—what a spectacular drama this is! But the director insists on jumping in and acting himself. Isn't that just stirring up trouble?
I see that Chief of Staff Chen's refusal to carry out Deputy Commander-in-Chief Qian's so-called order is precisely a measure against fourth-party intervention. And you..."

Deputy Director Liu's expression turned serious as he stared intently at Sun Zhu and said, "You're just a reporter. You don't understand combat, so don't get involved anymore. Just do what you're supposed to do and do your job."

As expected of the deputy director from the research institute, his words are indeed sharp and domineering.

Chen Jun only spoke cryptically.

Deputy Director Liu directly criticized him to his face.

Deputy Director Liu won the favor of the people at the Seventh Steel Brigade headquarters with his down-to-earth words, and they respected him even more.

Chen Jun mentally gave a thumbs-up, saying, "This is a real expert! Not just a 'pseudo-expert'!"

Sun Zhu was indeed in an awkward position after being sprayed in the face by Deputy Director Liu, but what Deputy Director Liu said also made him clearly aware of his situation.

His previous assessments of the Seventh Steel Brigade and Chen Jun may have indeed contained a great deal of prejudice.

He might have really made a mistake!

To determine whether they had made a mistake, and to find out the truth, what the future direction of the military should be, how the reform should proceed, and whether the existence of the 7th Steel Brigade truly has great value.

Sun Zhu braced himself, completely lowered his stance, and joked, "Although I am a reporter, the director's command clearly states that I am now one of the hostages you are holding. That means we are all in the same boat, right?"

Sun Zhu, who had always kept himself separate and refused to associate with the Seventh Steel Brigade, was able to name people who were in the same boat, which meant that he had already made his stance clear.

Chen Jun and Brigade Commander Wang were both very magnanimous and unwilling to argue with a reporter.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Brigade Commander Wang readily suggested, "Reporter Sun, since that's the case, why don't you join us in playing along with this charade? What do you say?"

Wang Qingrui, as the brigade commander, made the request, which was tantamount to giving Sun Zhu a way out.

Having clearly changed her mindset, Sun Zhu naturally wouldn't refuse out of low emotional intelligence, and readily accepted, "Okay, then let's act out this play together."

The Seventh Steel Brigade eliminated the last problem by bringing even the notorious hater Sun Zhu into their ranks.

On the other side, closer to the Black Pine Forest, the Tsunami Assault Brigade, the main ground offensive force, was also rapidly assembling its army.

Brigade Commander Wang Hu and Chief of Staff personally went to the scene and presided over the meeting.

In order to facilitate better cooperation between the two sides and to convey the ideas between the two brigades in a timely manner, Chief of Staff Su of the Mountain Eagle Brigade also came along.

"The Seventh Steel Brigade's strategy in coming to the Wufeng Mountain area this time is very dangerous. It is clear that they want to sow discord and provoke trouble between the Red and Blue factions."

Wang Hu got off the military vehicle and walked forward while discussing with Chief of Staff Su.

"Let us two fight like the snipe and the clam, so he can hide behind and reap the benefits. What a brilliant plan!" Chief of Staff Su mocked.

"Therefore, we must not fall into their trap. We must unite closely and take down the Seventh Steel Brigade first."

The annihilation of the surface-to-air missile unit of the Tsunami Assault Brigade made it the brigade with the greatest losses. Wang Hu is now furious with the Steel Seventh Brigade.

His desire to kill the piano girl was stronger than ever before.

"Our brigade commander has discovered the secret camp of the 7th Steel Brigade through satellite reconnaissance. The satellite location has been sent, and our attack aircraft have already taken off, just waiting to join forces with your ground forces to form an encirclement," Chief of Staff Su said.

"Where is the 7th Steel Brigade command post located now? Is there a specific location?" Wang Hu asked curiously.

"Right here."

Chief of Staff Gui took out a map, spread it out, and pointed to one of the locations, saying, "It's in the Longchi Valley of Division Five. We've reconnoitered this area before and found nothing unusual."

Today, the Mountain Eagle Brigade discovered unusual activity; there's been frequent radio activity. I'm absolutely certain it's a secret camp set up by Chen Jun, and the expert team is definitely there.

Chief of Staff Gui was also from the Tsunami Assault Brigade, and his anger towards the Steel Seventh Brigade was no less than that of Wang Hu.

"Chen Jun's detention of the expert group is really going too far. Moreover, Deputy Commander Qian ordered them to release the people, but the 7th Steel Brigade ignored him. Fortunately, our joint research plan between the two brigades has been approved, so we can act quickly and rescue the experts and reporters before dark," said Brigade Commander Wang.

"If it really is in Longchi Mountain, then that's good news for us." Chief of Staff Gui smiled, his eyes brimming with confidence.

"Just tell us your good ideas already, don't keep us in suspense at a time like this," Commander Wang urged.

"Send a reconnaissance company into the Black Pine Forest and follow the route the experts were taken, tracking them from west to east. Then send our 2nd Armored Battalion, which is closest to Longchi Mountain, to infiltrate Longchi Mountain and occupy the northern slope. We will then take the national highway to the southern slope of Longchi Mountain and encircle it from the northwest and south..."

Just as Chief of Staff Gui was speaking enthusiastically, a communications soldier carrying a radio ran over and said, "Reporting to the brigade commander, Brigade Commander Xiahou wants to speak with you."

"Hello, this is Wang Hu."

Without hesitation, Brigade Commander Wang took the microphone and blurted out his name.

"Are you all ready?" Xiahou Lan asked.

"Everything is ready. We'll set off immediately. My troops will advance rapidly towards Longchi Mountain from the northwest and south. In an hour, we can encircle the 7th Steel Brigade's stronghold and trap them like turtles in a jar," Wang Hu said.

"I look forward to your actions and will cooperate in real time."

Xiahou Lan stopped mid-sentence, his tone shifting, and said, "However, in order to ensure a successful rescue, the final operation will likely require you to use your trump card."

"You mean my Tsunami Special Forces, right?" Commander Wang immediately guessed.

"That's right. Don't hold back at crucial moments. Your Tsunami Special Forces are your most elite troops. No one else is more capable than them for the rescue operation."

Xiahou Lan made a point of emphasizing this and even flattered him, clearly with ulterior motives.

Wang Hu was able to stand out in the massive naval system and become the commander of the first Blue Force brigade in the navy, which shows that his emotional intelligence and IQ are both on point.

He hadn't forgotten that after taking down the Seventh Steel Brigade, there would be a major battle between the two women.

Xiahou Lan wanted him to deploy all his elite forces and reveal all his trump cards. Wang Hu wouldn't be foolish enough to listen to him, but he also wouldn't openly refuse.

After all, the two sides still need to work together.

So Wang Hu rolled his eyes twice and said confidently, "Brigade Commander Xiahou, our two brigades are joining forces to fight the Steel Seventh Brigade, and we're even sending out the Tsunami Special Forces. Isn't this a bit too much? Are we using a sledgehammer to crack a nut?"

"of course not!"

Xiahou Lan had already prepared an excuse, saying, "This is a demonstration and a live-fire exercise. I know that your Tsunami Special Forces team has completed many rescue missions."

I believe that with their help, rescuing the expert team is a sure thing. (End of Chapter)