Military career: Starting with a recruitment letter

Chapter 235 Only the Blue Army battalion in motion is the strongest battalion.

Yao Jinghua's unusual behavior was noticed by Zhang Baolin, who was standing next to him.

Old Zhang knew in advance that a high-ranking official was coming, so he behaved himself when he came in and didn't look around.

He felt the person next to him stop and reach out to poke Yao Jinghua.

Old Soldier Yao then realized what was happening, his face flushed with embarrassment. He quickly caught up with Chen Mo and stood in the middle of the hall.

Chen Mo didn't notice the red banner hanging above until he raised his hand to salute.

Even though he had been mentally preparing himself the whole way, he was still stunned at this moment, and his heart skipped a beat.

Chen Mo had guessed whether it was a second-class merit or a first-class merit, but he never dared to dream of the honor of a first-class combat hero.

It's important to understand that in peacetime, the title of First-Class Combat Hero is impossible, especially in an era when the titles of Special-Class Combat Hero and Special Merit have been abolished.

The honorary title of First-Class Combat Hero is equivalent to the Medal of the Republic.

This is different from a first-class merit.

A first-class merit can be approved by the military region, while a first-class combat hero requires review and approval at both the military region and the General Staff level, and then must be reported to a higher-level department. Only after the senior leader personally listens to the opinions and reviews the combat process will the honor be approved.

With a three-tiered review process, except for those with exceptionally large contributions, there's no need to even consider it.

In short, being a first-class combat hero is the highest honor a field soldier can receive.

This is different from the "August 1st" Medal, which includes, but is not limited to, field units, and is not as purely symbolic as this one.

Fortunately, Chen Mo was well-informed and experienced. After being shocked for a moment, he quickly regained his composure and straightened his back even more.

A loud voice announced, "Reporting! Acting Battalion Commander Chen Mo of the Blue Army Battalion is reporting for duty. Please give instructions, Commander!"

Under the "August 1st" military flag in the hall.

Deputy Chief of the General Staff Di Huitang, Commander-in-Chief of the Kyoto Military Region Fu Hongyi, Yuan Shansong (who rarely appears at the Army Academy), Luo Yaowu (Director of the Department of Strategy and Operations), and Zhang Jinnan (Vice President of the Army Academy) were all present.

Chen Mo knew all of these people.

If I'm not mistaken, these are the leaders who have been leading the way in recent years, overcoming all difficulties, and persisting in carrying out information technology experiments.

"Blue Army Battalion, what a great codename." Di Huitang stared at the young man standing in the distance. After a moment's thought, he smiled and said, "Battalion Commander Chen, do you know why I called you here today?"

"Report, understood!"

Chen Mo raised his head: "Commander, I am very fortunate that we have not let down the trust of our predecessors. We have succeeded in the information technology experiment."

One word: "Senior," and another: "We did it."

This surprised the deputy chief of the general staff who was asking the question.

After a long pause, he nodded slightly. Yes, he had indeed done it.

Since the information battalion entered the exercise area, the directing staff has been monitoring the entire battalion's operations.

Otherwise, no battalion-level unit could possibly send seven or eight battlefield observers to be stationed around the perimeter and report to the command headquarters at any time.

Why put in so much effort? It's all to figure out what information-based warfare is all about.
For people in later generations, having experienced it, they naturally don't take it seriously and can talk about it with great enthusiasm.

But how many people know that the emergence of every new system requires countless departments to work through the night on research?

Despite years of painstaking effort, I still couldn't grasp the essentials.

Technology was blocked, and we had to catch up in all aspects. We couldn't understand how that battle eight years ago was fought.

Countless elderly people with gray hair can't even sleep soundly.

Even the higher-ups have mentioned more than once that if war comes, we should be prepared for the entire population to be mobilized for war.

Only in this way can we ensure that the country does not perish and the race does not become extinct.

How many people still remember the joint military exercise three years ago, when we didn't even have the courage to participate? What a tragic situation that was.

Once hailed as the pinnacle of light cavalry, this unit had its backbone bent for nearly a decade by a single battle.

How many people can truly understand the hardships involved?

Chen Mo knew best what this small-scale, secret commendation meant.

His words, "We have lived up to the trust of our predecessors," resonated with all the leaders present.

Di Huitang didn't ask any more questions. He glanced at Fu Hongyi beside him. After all, Chen Mo was a soldier from the Kyoto Military Region and belonged to his men.

It would be more appropriate for the announcement to be made by the commander of the Kyoto Military District.

Fu Hongyi nodded, stood up, and began to preside over the commendation ceremony in a loud voice.

"By order of the General Staff Headquarters, in recognition of Comrade Chen Mo's significant contributions during the experimental combat against the new informationized system, which altered the course of the battle, further promoted the application of the new system, earned high recognition from the JW, and facilitated subsequent research, Comrade Chen Mo is hereby awarded the honorary title of First-Class Combat Hero!!"

As Fu Hongyi finished speaking...

Even though Yao Jinghua and Zhang Baolin had prepared themselves mentally, they were still surprised when they learned that the honor truly belonged to Chen Mo.

Still staring wide-eyed in disbelief.

A first-class combat hero! Let alone receiving it, how many people can witness the birth of such an honor?
The two were like an old rooster with its throat being choked, unable to utter a single word, or like fish out of water suffocating, their mouths opening and closing in disarray.

Yao Jinghua knew that Chen Mo also had a second-class merit, which was an honor that countless soldiers would covet.

But at this moment, it seems utterly unappealing and insignificant.

Yao Jinghua is not making a mountain out of a molehill. As a first-class combat hero, if one day information technology is no longer kept secret and no longer needs to be hidden, and can be declassified, he will definitely break the record for field military achievements.

This is a textbook example, synonymous with battlefield honor.

So jealous!
At this moment, Yao Jinghua and Zhang Baolin were truly jealous.

Principal Yuan of the Army Academy clapped first, and then the others followed suit.

Even Chen Mo himself shamelessly joined in the clapping.

After announcing the order, Fu Hongyi picked up a large red box from the table in front of him.

He reached into the box and took out the First-Class Combat Hero Medal with a red ribbon, then strode off the stage and came to Chen Mo.

Chen Mo quickly straightened up and saluted again.

Look serious.

Having lived two lives and experienced all that he had, he had never been more serious than he was at this moment.

"Lieutenant Chen, keep going, keep the motion."

"The initial success of the experiment is only the first step; we still have a long way to go."

"Your suggestion is correct. To move towards informatization, we must establish a non-commissioned officer academy. The organization will reconsider your suggestion and strive to build an army non-commissioned officer academy to train informatization professionals before the end of the year."

"The title of First-Class Combat Hero is JW's recognition of your contributions, but you cannot be complacent or arrogant."

"Due to various reasons, this award will be kept confidential for a certain period of time, but I believe it won't be long."

"Thank you, Chief!!"

Awarded the medal personally by the Commander-in-Chief of the Military Region, Chen Mo once again saluted in the standard posture: "Thank you for the trust of the organization. As a combat hero, I will lead the future informationized battalion from one victory to another, create new glories, and bravely climb to new heights. I will never forget my mission, take the predecessors as a mirror, reflect on myself at all times, maintain a humble and progressive attitude, and never let down the education and training of the leaders and the trust of leaders at all levels."

Chen Mo rambled on and on, clearly understanding what his superiors wanted to hear.

However, this is indeed what he truly felt.

Now that you've found your own path, walk it firmly and steadily.

There will be a sergeant academy, and there will be new informationized units. Chen Mo believes that one day he will lead more than one informationized unit.

In any case, as a soldier, one must never fail to live up to this bright red First-Class Combat Hero Medal engraved with the words "August 1st".

The commendation meeting is over.

Chen Mo was kept in the hall, where he explained the entire operation in detail, including how he interfered with the Blue Army's eastern and northwestern front positions.

How can we utilize the cross-linked satellite positioning system to issue combat orders to each unit? Of course, this is how an informationized battalion can unleash its true combat power.

The first requirement is troop composition; otherwise, no matter how advanced the interference technology you equip on a pure infantry unit, you still won't win a battle.

We had tried so many times before without success; the synthesis itself was already a failure.

Information technology is merely an upgrade of mechanization, not a completely new system, nor can experience be gained simply by imitating foreign militaries.

It's less about staying here to give a report and more about listening to the Army Academy and the Military Region's plans for the next steps.

The sergeant academy was to be built, but the final agreement was that it would be affiliated with the Kyoto Military Region and tentatively designated as a division-level unit.

The program is primarily focused on training and lacks various training and exercise facilities. To put it bluntly, it's purely academic instruction. The admission requirements will be raised in the future, and only soldiers with a high school diploma will be accepted.

The academy and the Kyoto Military District are in discussions to create an information-based battalion.

This time, the camp needs to be established from scratch, without relying on other established units within the military region.

As for the battalion commander, the higher-ups still intend for Chen Mo to take the position. Specific details will only be finalized after the exercise or the military parade.

The meeting lasted for more than three hours.

Aside from being able to recount the battle process at the beginning, Chen Mo spent most of the time listening to the plan.

It was nearly eight o'clock in the evening when he came out of the hall where the awards were presented.

Yao Jinghua lived up to expectations, using the pretext of reserving food for the battalion commander, he made twelve trips to the mess hall during dinner.

In his words, there weren't many people stationed at the 184th Regiment anyway; most of them were officers and staff officers from the directing department, and nobody knew him.

As long as you go to get food, they'll give you food; there's no one to supervise or monitor you.

When Chen Mo came out and found the person, Veteran Yao had already prepared more than 20 kilograms of fish pieces, more than 10 kilograms of cumin lamb, and a large bag of steaming hot steamed buns.

This guy somehow found a sack and stuffed all the packed food into it.

Chen Mo held the bag and saw that the aluminum lunch boxes inside were neatly arranged, and some of the drier ones were packed in paper bags covered with a layer of oil film.

"Why did you pack so much?" Chen Mo was dumbfounded. He had never seen a sack of food packed like this before.

"Eat up! We're tired of eating dry rations every day. Take some back and share with the brothers." Yao Jinghua said smugly, "Battalion Commander, didn't you say you wanted me to pack it up?"

Chen Mo:
This reconnaissance company has such damn good execution!

Because the 184th Regiment's headquarters had offices there, meals were available 24 hours a day, since there were so many officers and it was impossible for them all to come out for meals.

Chen Mo even suspected that if the meeting had lasted an hour longer, a new sack might have appeared out of nowhere.

"Let's go back to camp."

Seeing so much food packed up, even Chen Mo, with his thick skin, felt too embarrassed to go to the cafeteria again.

"Let's go eat something else, Battalion Commander. I was so busy packing up food that my stomach is growling." Yao Jinghua rubbed his stomach and complained with a bitter face.

Zhang Baolin squatted at a distance, smoking, with an expression that said, "I don't know these two country bumpkins."

Chen Mo's lips twitched, and he decisively turned around and walked towards the helicopter.

As they walked, he urged, "What's the point of eating? You've taken dozens of lunchboxes from the canteen. If other leaders find they don't have lunchboxes when they get their meals, we'll all be embarrassed."

"Damn it, hurry up and get out of here, or someone will search your sack later."

"Alright, all set!"

The three dogs stealthily ran towards the helicopter, not daring to linger for even a moment, and hurriedly retreated.

They had come to receive honors, but no one expected the veteran from the reconnaissance company to be so honest, making the three of them leave as if they were fleeing a disaster.

Even though they were already halfway there, Chen Mo couldn't help but sigh, wondering how someone could cause such a huge disaster.

If this matter hadn't been spread, it would have been fine.

Once the news gets out, in the eyes of the Blue Army, the mysterious information battalion will soon be seen as a fat thief stealing food from the director's canteen.

This is utterly embarrassing. It was almost nine o'clock.

Chen Mo and his men then returned to the area where the Red Army division artillery regiment was located.

As soon as he got off the Z-8 helicopter, Chen Mo looked around and noticed that some of the troops stationed around the Red Army artillery regiment were gone.

Meanwhile, dozens of kilometers away, the sounds of smoothbore cannons and individual artillery clashing were not diminished; on the contrary, they were even more intense than before they left.

"Has the Blue Army reinforced their troops?"

Chen Mo frowned, no longer bothering to criticize Yao Jinghua, and strode towards the battalion command post.

When they arrived at the field tents that had been set up, almost all the officers of the battalion were there.

"What's going on? Has the fighting on the eastern front escalated?"

Chen Mo's voice came in before he even stepped into the tent.

Upon hearing the voice, Gao Jin stood up and looked Chen Mo up and down. Seeing no difference from before the departure, he nodded and said, "It's not just reinforcements."

"Based on our reconnaissance this afternoon, the Blue Army's infantry positions on the southern front have begun to advance steadily toward the eastern front, with all of their main forces advancing."

"The initial defensive line of the 417th Regiment of the Red Army Division could not hold, and they kept sending troops. Now the battle between the two sides is in full swing. Several waves of Blue Army reconnaissance soldiers appeared here this afternoon."

"Including the Blue Army's 6th Air Division bomber formation, which continued to be dispatched, fortunately, our Kyoto Military Region's 7th Air Division, which was responsible for intercepting the Red Army, prevented the two sides from fighting each other."

"However, judging from the Blue Army's posture, a large-scale battle is probably not far off."

"Wow, that was fast!!"

When Chen Mo heard that the main force of the Blue Army on the southern front was shifting its entire defense to the eastern front, he clicked his tongue in surprise.

After all, he only deduced the Red Army's intention that afternoon: to restrict the Blue Army's connection between the southern and eastern fronts, forcing the Blue Army to reinforce its troops and abandon the main battlefield in the south.

The tactic employed was to bleed the fish out of the fish.

Unexpectedly, the Blue Army acted so decisively, moving its main force eastward on a large scale during the start of the war and taking the initiative to meet the Red Army's main battlefield. This kind of courage is not something that ordinary people can possess.

It's important to know that the southern front was the initial main battlefield location designated by the Blue Army. Given their familiarity with the terrain, the Blue Army must have studied it for more than just one day, considering both the terrain and the deployment of firepower.

Such an important strategic deployment, are you just going to abandon it like that?
What gives the Blues their confidence?
Indeed, Chen Mo couldn't figure out what gave them their confidence. A motorized infantry division that had lost its armored regiment was already lacking in frontal firepower.

The troops stationed on the northwest front were surrounded by two regiments of the Red Army and could not move. The eastern front was decimated and had no fuel or ammunition, so it was unable to support the northwest front.

In this situation, the Red Army's artillery and anti-aircraft artillery regiments hadn't moved yet, so why did the Blue Army assume that its main motorized infantry force on the southern front could defeat the Red Army's deployment on the eastern front?
unless.

The Blue Army's armored regiments had their firepower replenished; otherwise, there is no reason to explain where the Blue Army's confidence came from.

The problem is that the armored regiment of the Class A division has been lost in less than a day. Where can we find replacements?

Chen Mo spread out his map. As the saying goes, something unusual must be going on. He was trying to figure out the Blue Team's intentions.

While Chen Mo remained silent, carefully analyzing the battle situation...

Yao Jinghua, carrying a sack and baring his front teeth, hopped over.

"Come on, come on, dinner's ready! Braised chicken, cumin lamb, all you can eat, and as many steamed buns as you want."

The officials present were all quite knowledgeable and experienced.

But this was the first time they had ever seen someone bring food in a sack.

Cheng Dong was so shocked his eyes almost popped out: "Holy crap, Lao Yao, this is the food you packed up?"

"Didn't you say you were going to the 184th Regiment for a meeting? Why are you taking so much of their stuff? Won't they cause you trouble?"

"What trouble could I possibly cause?" Yao Jinghua said proudly. "I told you I was just getting food for the battalion commander, who dared to stop me?"

"You wouldn't believe it, but today when Xiucai went to the director's office, a commander with one microphone and three microphones and a commander with one microphone and two microphones personally awarded Xiucai the honorary title of First-Class Combat Hero."

"Company Commander, let me tell you, after the exercise, think about how to put up a monument for Xiucai at the entrance of our reconnaissance company. It would be a great honor for him."

"Besides, there's no one in the 184th Regiment. Only the head of the directing department is there; there's no one else at the base."

While responding, Yao Jinghua took vegetables out of the sack.

But those present were stunned by his words.

Goodness, a first-class combat hero? Alive? And without missing any limbs?
Everyone turned to look at Chen Mo with expressions of shock.

A series of gasps rippled through the crowd; this award truly took everyone by surprise.

But at this moment, Chen Mo was also stunned. It wasn't because of the medal, but because of Yao Jinghua's words: "There's no one in the 184th Regiment. The garrison is empty."

How could it be such a coincidence?

The Blue Army Division was making a big move, seemingly filling the gap in the armored regiment, while the special operations brigade of the 184th Regiment disappeared.

"Hey, scholar, you've really been awarded the First-Class Combat Hero Medal?"

Cheng Dong's voice trembled as he asked the question.

"Company commander, let's talk about this later, we're probably in big trouble."

Chen Mo rolled up the map and sat up straight.

Seeing his serious expression, the officers in the field tent were taken aback, forcibly suppressing their doubts and sitting down on the benches.

Chen Mo didn't waste any time. He took the certificate containing the medal and the box out of his clothes and placed them on the table.

"We'll talk about awarding the medal later."

"Captain Wang."

"To!"

"You're from Xiangjian, you should know about the special forces brigade under the Jincheng Military Region, right?"

“I know.” Wang Jianbin nodded naturally: “The special forces brigade of Jincheng Military Region is directly under the command of the military region, just like us.”

"There are probably two or three thousand people, and their combat effectiveness is roughly the same. They have everything from individual armored vehicles to small-caliber artillery."

"understood."

Chen Mo took a deep breath and then laid the map back on the table.

With a serious expression, he said, "Comrades, you should be able to see the intentions of both sides in the battle between the Red Army and the Blue Army."

"The reason why the Red Army dared to contain the Blue Army was because they took advantage of the fact that the enemy was no longer heavily armed, so they adopted a 'bleeding out' tactic."

"But now, with the Blue Army's main force on the southern front shifted eastward across the board, and the battle situation unclear, and their main force tied down, what gives the Blue Army the confidence to do this?"

"What else could give them such confidence? They must have the ability to disrupt the situation," Gao Jin replied.

"That's right. Since they have the ability to disrupt the situation, it means that the Blue Team's structure has been supplemented."

Who is this new staff member?

"Isn't it the Sixth Air Division that's joining?" Gao Jin was taken aback.

What Chen Mo could analyze, he, as a colonel staff officer in the military region's staff department, could naturally also see.

“No.” Chen Mo shook his head: “Their Blue Army has the Sixth Air Division, and we also have the Seventh Air Division. This is not enough to make the Blue Army move east so decisively.”

“I went to the 184th Regiment today. The entire garrison was deserted. I guessed they were participating in an exercise.”

"After returning, the Blue Army's strategic deployment changed. As you just mentioned, several groups of reconnaissance soldiers were spotted near the camp this afternoon."

"If I'm not mistaken, the Blue Army has most likely incorporated the special forces brigade directly under the General District into their organization, and to prevent us from launching a surprise attack, we will probably be their first target tonight."

"If the informationized battalion isn't destroyed, the Blue Army's division commander probably won't be able to sleep at night."

Chen Mo's last sentence was somewhat joking, but none of the officials present could manage a laugh.

In the age of mechanization, the decapitation strikes carried out by special forces were still in the stage of being mythologized.

A proper decapitation operation is not like those depicted in TV dramas, where a small team of a few people can easily reach the main command center.

That's pure nonsense.

Even if a dozen or so people come, they could work themselves to death and still not get close.

The problem is that the special forces unit is not the kind of unit with only a dozen or so people that you would normally think of; it is a regiment that has been reorganized.

There are two or three thousand people.

These units all possess electromagnetic interference and sabotage capabilities; truly, to discuss...

Even if it's inferior, it's only in terms of the number of actual combat experiences and equipment configuration. After all, with the Kyoto Military Region as its backer, its equipment is definitely not lacking.

Imagine being surrounded and attacked by a special forces brigade of thousands of people in a camp without any preparation. What would that be like?
"It can't be that weird, can it?" Gao Jin still couldn't believe it.

"It doesn't matter anymore."

Chen Mo waved his hand: "Better safe than sorry."

"Order to notify the entire battalion: set off in half an hour."

"Remember, the Blue Army battalion is only the strongest when it is in motion. I don't care if it's a special forces brigade or the main force of the Blue Army's motorized infantry that comes tonight."

"In short, kill one if you see one, and wipe out two if you see two."

"Gao Jin, go and inform the commander of the Red Army's artillery regiment and tell them our assessment so that the Blue Army can take advantage of our weaknesses."

"Row!"

Gao Jin nodded: "Then where should we maneuver? We need a target, right?"

"As I just said, our Blue Army battalion is only at its strongest when it is in motion. Isn't the Blue Army's firepower on the southern front constantly shifting to the eastern front?"

"The main force is also moving, so the division headquarters cannot remain in one place."

"Tonight's mission is to find and take down the Blue Army division headquarters at all costs."

Chen Mo revealed his plan.

This was all it took to completely stunned the dozens of officials present.

Goodness, it's already incredible that a battalion could defeat an entire regiment and win.

So, they've set their sights on the Blue Army Division's stronghold again?
But no one thought there was anything wrong with Chen Mo's order. The information battalion had super reconnaissance capabilities and the ability to destroy anything it found.

With the support of the joint satellite positioning system, the coordination between the various units will not have major problems, and their mobility speed is much faster than that of ordinary troops.

Maybe it really will work.

"What are you waiting for?" Chen Mo stood up and rolled up the map: "Execute immediately."

"As for these meals, we can't just let the officers eat them. We have to distribute them, even if the soldiers in the whole battalion only get one bite each, we have to tell them."

"Let's go all out tonight. If we win, we'll be famous forever; if we lose, it won't be shameful."

"Squad Leader Yao, you'll temporarily take Old Wang's place and stay by my side."

"Old Feng, go and inform the entire battalion that we will all set off in half an hour."

"Yes!!"

Accompanied by instructions.

Within three minutes, all vehicles in the entire Blue Army camp started up and began pre-battle self-checks.

After hurriedly stuffing two steamed buns into his mouth, Chen Mo ran towards the artillery regiment command post.

One cannot fight a war with just enthusiasm.

He needs to ask the artillery regiment's staff how the Blue Army deploys its troops, at least to get a position in the analysis department.

We need to provide some clues.

(End of this chapter)