Soldiers Assault: Starting from the 7th Steel Company

Chapter 189 Desperate
Tang Xinyi continued chatting casually without showing any emotion: "It must be tough not being able to make a fire on the grassland, but your base should have hot food available, right?"

The young tank crewman was about to answer when the lieutenant suddenly interrupted him warily: "Enough! This involves military secrets!" He glared fiercely at his subordinate, then turned to Tang Xinyi and said, "Beautiful lady, please don't try to extract information. My men and I are all genuine professional soldiers, and we would never do anything that would damage the honor of a soldier."

Tang Xinyi pouted, feigning grievance, and said, "I'm just concerned about your diet." She suddenly switched to Russian and spoke a few sentences quickly, which made the three Russian soldiers burst into laughter.

Chen Jiang asked in a low voice, "What did you say to them? Why are they suddenly so happy?"

"I told them we had a few bottles of fine liquor in the car, which we were originally planning to give them," Tang Xinyi winked mischievously. "Now..."

Although it's unclear why Tang Xinyi packed several bottles of strong liquor in her luggage, it's undeniable that having those bottles in front of the other person had an immediate effect.

The three Russian guys immediately took out their treasured peanuts from the tank, took the bottle of liquor with familiarity, and were immediately captivated by the mellow grain-brewed liquor. They couldn't bear to put it down.

These Russians are truly addicted to alcohol. After incredulously confirming that Chen Jiang and the others didn't drink, the three of them, like starving ghosts reincarnated, downed the entire bottle.

After a hearty meal and drinks, he finally became sworn brothers with Chen Jiang and the others.

The lieutenant put his arm around Chen Jiang's shoulder and let out a burp that almost made Chen Jiang faint from the stench.

"Listen, my brother! Although I can't tell you the location of the base, our tanks still have enough fuel to travel about 80 kilometers." He pointed to the northwest, afraid that Chen Jiang wouldn't understand.

The lieutenant's English was poor, but Chen Jiang still understood him.
Using this information, Chen Jiang quickly retrieved the military map.
"That Russian lieutenant said their tanks are only capable of traveling 80 kilometers, which means their destination is within 80 kilometers, otherwise they'd all be out of commission. Following the direction he pointed, this is the most likely location for a supply depot!"

He Chenguang immediately marked the location on the map. "Yes, this location is perfect for armored convoys to assemble and resupply. There's also a river running through it, making it an excellent camp location."

Everyone agreed with Chen Jiang's assessment.

Chen Jiang ordered, "Erniu, leave some of the spare rations in the truck for them. We're really grateful for Director Tang's wine this time. Everyone else, set off immediately!"

"Wait, Battalion Commander, what if their rescue team arrives and finds they've been drinking? Won't they then know we're there? What if..."

He Chenguang patted Li Erniu on the shoulder, "Don't worry, they'll have their reasons. They definitely won't betray us, otherwise they know very well what awaits them. Besides, isn't there a saying: 'If the Russians want to drink, they can steal it even from God'?"

"Hahaha~"

Everyone laughed heartily.

A few minutes later, the armored infantry fighting vehicles of the 7th Company sped off in the northwest direction.

As Jiang drove, he asked doubtfully, "Battalion Commander, could this be a trap?"

“Possibly. I’m also on guard against them.” Chen Jiang stared at the electronic map. “So we need to scout ahead first. He Chenguang, Wang Yanbing, once we arrive, you two will lead the reconnaissance team to get off the vehicle in advance and conduct close reconnaissance on foot.”

It must be said that the people of Russia still have a sense of honor and don't have the bad habit of denying responsibility after drinking.

The information given to Chen Jiang was relatively reliable, because even from a distance, they could see countless vehicles forming a steel dragon driving in and out. If they said this place wasn't a supply base, someone would have to believe it.

To ensure everything went smoothly, He Chenguang and his team, under Chen Jiang's orders, disguised themselves and infiltrated.

When they entered the base, they were utterly astonished by what they saw—hundreds of tanker trucks were refueling the armored units that had come to refuel.

Not far away, there were piles of supplies and equipment, indicating that this place was not only a fuel supply base, but also the lifeline of the Blue Army's supply in the entire Northern Theater!
“Falcon calling Vulture,” Chen Jiang picked up the walkie-talkie, “Rabbit burrow located, coordinates are. Request immediate execution of the 'barbecue' plan.”

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the radio, then Long Kaifeng's excited voice came through: "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely confirmed!"

"Good lads! You've done a great job. I'll recommend you for commendation when we get back!"

Despite the Blue Army's air superiority, the exercise command determined that 85% of the Blue Army's fuel supply base was destroyed in a full-scale attack by the Red Army, which concentrated all its missile and air force bomber units. In other words, the Blue Army's logistics supply was completely paralyzed!

At this moment, in the Blue Team's command post, S was furious.

"What are you doing? How could the Red Army discover such an important base?"

"Report! The Red Army has deployed all its bomber units and surface-to-surface medium-range ballistic missiles this time, which clearly indicates that they have confirmed our supply base," a subordinate colonel hurriedly explained.

"Yes, otherwise they wouldn't have gone to such lengths."

"Alright, alright," Commander S waved his hand, "What's the point of saying all this now? The officers from the Russian Bear have already called me, questioning whether we can even continue fighting."

"Report: We have suffered heavy losses in fuel, but we still have a backup fuel supply base in the south, and the necessary supplies will allow our army to launch a counterattack. However, this requires us to retreat in large strides!"

"Where to retreat to?" S asked, his long eyebrows furrowing.

“If we retreat to this point, the Red Army’s supply lines will be greatly extended, and we will still have a chance to turn the tide.”

Unlike the Blue Army command post, in the Red Army command post, Commander S gave Chen Jiang and his team a very high evaluation of their sneak attack. If they win this exercise, Chen Jiang's small unit will definitely deserve the most credit!
With the Blue Army's supply lines severely damaged, the entire northern offensive line suddenly lost its ability to sustain an offensive, giving the Red Army the opportunity to launch a full-scale counterattack.

One after another, fruitful results came in, all good news about the annihilation of a large number of Blue Army troops, which made the commanders and soldiers in the command post extremely happy.

After a brief period of revelry, Chen Jiang found himself somewhat disheartened.

Although the Blue Team's supply lines were severely damaged, they reacted extremely quickly and began a large-scale retreat.

He could only watch helplessly as the Blue Army retreated, unable to do anything about it, because the Blue Army was extremely cunning and left behind a battalion to encircle and annihilate Chen Jiang and his men.

We vowed to wipe them out and avenge our defeat.

"Falcon, the Blue Army is flanking us from multiple directions."

"Falcon, the Blue Army has tanks! Several! All Type 99."

One piece of bad news after another arrived, and Jiang's palms were sweating with nervousness.
"It seems the Blues are determined to eliminate us, which fully demonstrates that we've dealt them a heavy blow."

Although Chen Jiang said that, he actually regretted it. If he had led the team to retreat immediately, they might not have been in such a passive position.

"Company Commander Jiang, you lead your team eastward, take this route, make a big detour, and retreat."

"And what about you?" Jiang had a bad feeling.

“I’ll take one car to distract them and buy you time to escape,” Chen Jiang said with a smile. “What?” Everyone was stunned. Wasn’t this Chen Jiang sacrificing himself to ensure everyone’s survival?

"No, what's the difference between this and sending someone to their death?" Tang Xinyi firmly disagreed.

"Obey orders! Unless you have a better plan. Our infantry fighting vehicles are no match for main battle tanks; our only chance of winning is to escape by speed, one vehicle at a time! Execute!"

Under Chen Jiang's orders, Jiang Fahui could only lead his team to lie in wait. Chen Jiang's vehicle number one, along with two other vehicles, served as bait to draw fire, thus giving the main force a chance to survive.

Originally, Chen Jiang wanted Tang Xinyi, He Chenguang, Wang Yanbing, and others to follow Jiang Fazhi's main force, but they insisted on staying with Chen Jiang. Chen Jiang didn't have time to waste talking to them, so he had to back down.

Fortunately, they had already filled the fuel tank with fuel from all the spare fuel cans, so the vehicle had enough fuel to support their retreat.

"rush!"

At Chen Jiang's command, Li Erniu frantically stepped on the accelerator, and the diesel engine of the infantry fighting vehicle roared out, followed by two other vehicles positioned on the left and right.

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

The Blue Team's tanks opened fire.

Three shells exploded around the tank, the shockwaves causing it to shake violently. Chen Jiang gripped the handrail tightly, watching through the observation window as three Type 99 main battle tanks flanked him from the flank.

"Fire smoke grenades!"

Chen Jiang calmly gave the order.

"Tum! Tum! Tum!"

Several smoke grenades exploded between the armored infantry fighting vehicle and the Blue Army tank, quickly creating a smoke-protected zone.
"Evacuate at full speed!"

Chen Jiang grabbed the walkie-talkie and shouted at the top of his lungs.

The three chariots sped off like rabbits with their tails on fire.

But their good fortune didn't last long. Once they left the smoke-filled area, the enemy tanks unleashed their power once again.

"boom!"

The infantry fighting vehicle on his right flank was already emitting white smoke, indicating that it had been "destroyed".

"Chen Jiang, the Type 99A main battle tank is equipped with a stabilized fire control system, which can achieve precise aiming while moving by stabilizing the lower reflector. Our only chance of winning is to constantly change speed and direction."

Tang Xinyi loudly reminded him.

"Erniu, it's up to you now!"

"Battalion Commander, just you wait and see!" Li Erniu pushed vehicle number 01 to its maximum speed, but would occasionally change gears. Sometimes he himself didn't know whether he was driving left or right. When he himself was unsure of the next trajectory, the Blue Army's tanks had even less chance of locking onto it.

One high-explosive bomb after another exploded around it, creating rolling waves of mud.

"boom!"

Vehicle number 3 has also been scrapped, so now only vehicle number 1 remains.
Although Li Erniu drove darting left and right, there were several enemy tanks, and under the crossfire, they still had a hard time escaping.

"Smoke grenades, are there any more smoke grenades?" He Chenguang shouted to remind them.

Li Erniu suddenly realized what was happening and immediately fired the last two smoke grenades from the car.

Chen Jiang knew that if things continued like this, even if he wasn't blown up, he would be dizzy from the motion sickness. Li Erniu was a truly amazing driver; he was insane. Even a veteran like him was getting carsick.

As for Tang Xinyi and the others, they vomited profusely.

The car was a complete mess.

But Chen Jiang couldn't care less about that now.

Suddenly, he noticed a patch of green ahead.
Good guy,
It turned out to be a forest!
It's worth noting that trees are rare on the vast grasslands of Inner Mongolia, let alone large tracts of forest like this.
"This should be a windbreak forest!" He Chenguang had heard his grandfather say that some places in the north use sand-proof forests to prevent sandstorms, but this forest is really magnificent in scale.

"Erniu, don't damage the trees. Be careful," Chen Jiang instructed.

These sand-fixing forests are the result of several generations of people working on sand control and prevention. They must not be destroyed unless absolutely necessary, as this is a sign of respect for our predecessors.

The pursuing Blue Army probably realized the problem too, and actually stopped, even ceasing their firing.

Those in the know understand that if these things are destroyed, it would be a miracle if they didn't get punished when they got back.

The Blue Army's tanks were practically out of fuel. Each tank only had about half a tank of fuel left when they came out to pursue Chen Jiang and his men. Compared to fuel consumption, the main battle tanks were practically running out of fuel, consuming three to four hundred liters per 100 kilometers. So if they didn't go back soon, they really wouldn't be able to get back.

However, at this critical moment, Chen Jiang's infantry fighting vehicle experienced engine overheating and could no longer move.

"Damn it! Why did it have to happen now of all times?" Li Erniu was annoyed. He frantically fiddled with it for a while, then could only look at everyone with a long face.

Chen Jiang looked through the periscope and, to his surprise, the enemy infantry, riding in trucks, had also caught up with them.

"Let's go, abandon the vehicle and walk, hurry up! Pack up, don't leave any important information for the other side!" After giving the order, Chen Jiang immediately opened the hatch. He didn't have much to take; apart from his equipment, he stuffed half a bottle of water and a few compressed biscuits into his backpack.

Tang Xinyi was the most troublesome, as she also had a laptop, which was quite heavy to carry on her back. Fortunately, He Chenguang helped her out, so she only needed to carry a few personal belongings.

The four men, along with several other soldiers, abandoned their infantry fighting vehicle and plunged into the vast desert.

Chen Jiang knew that doing so was dangerous, but they had no other choice. If they ran along the sand-prevention forest, they would definitely not be able to outrun so many Blue Army pursuers, not to mention they didn't know if the other side would set up interception forces ahead.

They ran towards the desert, hoping the other side would back down. After all, this was just an exercise; they shouldn't be risking their lives like this, right?
However, Chen Jiang clearly underestimated the determination of these Blue Army infantrymen to make a name for themselves. They hadn't gotten much fighting in this exercise, and the armored units had been the ones taking the lead. Now that they had finally encountered a small raiding force led by Chen Jiang, how could they not capture them and earn a third-class merit?

The most crucial point is that they share the same thought as Chen Jiang: this is an exercise, you wouldn't dare to go too deep inside, would you?
(End of this chapter)