Soldiers Assault: Starting from the 7th Steel Company

Chapter 223 I hope you won't be afraid to die then.
The scores on the theoretical exams were all about the same; the officers who were able to come to this academy for further study were all top performers.

However, when it comes to military skills, the gap begins to appear at their level, because mid- to high-ranking officers do not participate in daily training, which results in their physical fitness being generally average.

Chen Jiang and Qi Huan are two outliers. Qi Huan was in the Old A Special Forces, so he naturally had no shortage of training. But after Chen Jiang was transferred to the headquarters, he still did not give up his physical training. Carrying 5 kilometers with weight every day was a must-do exercise. Therefore, his physical advantage was highlighted in school.

Needless to say, his shooting skills are outstanding. Qi Huan's shooting is already abnormal enough, scoring full marks, but Chen Jiang's rate of fire is even higher. He barely aimed before firing all his bullets. When he looked at the target, wow, all of them were 10 rings. Is this even human?

They were unaware that Chen Jiang's perception had been upgraded again. Now, he could almost hit any target within 200 meters, and shooting from a prone position at 100 meters on the shooting range was like slicing vegetables.

Zhao Zhenguo did not do well in the theoretical exam because he was only good at the armored corps part and was a complete novice when it came to the knowledge of the navy and air force.

Lin Xiaoxiao excelled in the theoretical exam, ranking first in the class, but in terms of physical training, the requirements for pilots might not be as high, so she was surpassed by Chen Jiang.

The final result was predictable: Chen Jiang was far ahead and deservedly became the class monitor.

The biggest advantage of becoming class monitor was that he was responsible for roll call and lining up the entire class during outdoor training, essentially acting as an assistant class teacher. Commanding a bunch of lieutenant colonels—the feeling was indescribably awesome.

However, Chen Jiang is indeed qualified to lead them in outdoor training. Despite being the youngest, he can crush them in any individual event, which makes them admire him.

This made everyone feel resentful and they wanted to compete with Chen Jiang in class.

The opportunity finally arrived. The school invited General Martin from a famous Western military academy to give a lecture on Western military thought, which was also a way to gather everyone's ideas.

General Martin's ancestors fought in both World War I and World War II, bravely battling in the European and Pacific theaters, and even in the Korean War. He himself participated in the Vietnam War and served as a commander in Operation Desert Shield. He was a highly experienced and distinguished senior general.

I happened to be visiting China and was invited to give a lecture to these young officers.
Frankly speaking, he looked down on these officers to the core because his country's military strength was unprecedented and its reputation on the world battlefield was unchallenged. In contrast, the weapons and equipment here were relatively outdated. Even if they were advanced in some aspects, they were still lagging behind the times overall.

Under such circumstances, how much they can learn depends entirely on God's grace.

Therefore, as soon as General Martin started his class, he disregarded the feelings of the students and went straight to talking about the great military achievements of the United States and NATO.

"In today's world, when evaluating a country's comprehensive military strength, quantity is no longer the most important factor. In the Gulf War, the thousands of tanks that the Iraqi army was so proud of were completely useless and were destroyed by us on the road. This shows how important the air force and a strong naval aviation force are."

"We have a powerful missile force that can easily destroy enemy air defense facilities. We also have numerous overseas bases that can deploy F-22 stealth fighters, which you call 'fifth-generation fighters,' to quickly seize air superiority through 'door-kicking' operations. In addition, we have F-18 Hornet carrier-based aircraft that can provide support from hundreds of kilometers away at sea. Faced with such powerful naval and air strength, any resistance from the enemy is futile."

Martin's words deeply stung the Chinese soldiers present. How could they not know that what he said was true, and a bloody truth at that? But weren't his words also a veiled criticism of themselves?

The sheer number of overseas bases capable of mobilizing troops and preparing for battle within 24 hours is a testament to their formidable military strength, leaving everyone feeling breathless.

If it weren't for their homeroom teacher Qin Dong constantly using his eyes to stop them from causing trouble and encouraging them to listen patiently and learn about war from the experience, they probably would have already gone berserk.

Martin, unconcerned, continued to boast.

"Strategic missile nuclear submarines are the most powerful 'trump card' of all major powers today, but such a great power weapon will not be used easily. They will only stay quietly on the seabed. Compared with shore-based nuclear missiles, they are more stealthy and have a greater chance of being launched suddenly."

"For example, if you launch a strategic nuclear missile from a land-based silo to a distance of 10,000 kilometers, no matter how fast you are, it will take a relatively long time to reach the target. Unless the enemy is completely incompetent, they will have ample time to activate their air defense system. The success rate of intercepting such a large nuclear missile is very high. However, if a nuclear submarine launches the missile from near the enemy's coast, the reaction time left for the enemy will be very short. This is the greatest value of a strategic missile nuclear submarine."

"The core technologies that limit nuclear submarines are stealth, nuclear missile range, and the number of nuclear missiles. Stealth is easy to understand; it's about making the submarine as quiet as possible so that enemy destroyers can't detect it. As for range, it's essentially the amount of solid fuel stored. On land, you can increase the range by making the missile body and length larger, and you can even add liquid fuel. But this isn't possible on submarines because to achieve the fastest launch speed, launching close to the sea surface is the best option. Therefore, all nuclear missiles must be launched vertically. In other words, the diameter of your submarine's hull determines the length of your missiles, which is the range!"

At this point, Martin remarked with no small amount of pride,

"Currently, only our country possesses this technology, and our integrated molding technology for super-large hulls is the world's best."

Hearing this, someone finally couldn't hold back any longer, "Isn't Russia's Typhoon-class strategic missile nuclear submarine also quite large?"

When everyone looked, they were surprised to see that it was Zhao Zhenguo.

Everyone shook their heads inwardly; Zhao Zhenguo didn't understand the navy.

Sure enough, Martin chuckled, “Typhoon-class? That thing uses double-hull technology, which means it uses the hulls of two submarines tied together. Although it looks much bigger, it actually doesn’t carry many missiles and has very poor combat efficiency. Moreover, the maintenance cost of this kind of deep-sea behemoth is extremely high, not to mention that it is easy to be detected and destroyed. So the Russian bear country has already phased it out.”

Zhao Zhenguo was speechless for a moment, but he was indeed not good at this, so he could only endure it and continue listening.

Perhaps sensing the emotions of the Chinese trainees, Martin changed the subject.
"Compared to strategic missile nuclear submarines, aircraft carriers are the core weapons in conventional warfare. With them, we can quickly achieve asymmetric strikes. Few countries in the world can withstand a saturation attack from an aircraft carrier battle group. Of course, I know that your country's aircraft carrier program is still in its early stages, which is good. Although it is a second-hand aircraft carrier, you are welcome to join the aircraft carrier club!"

If people could still listen to what Martin said before, then what he just said was completely sarcastic and mocking, and now everyone couldn't hold back anymore.

"Mr. Martin, then why were we able to withstand your aircraft carrier attacks on the Korean Peninsula back then? You know, you dispatched a large number of veterans who participated in World War II, as well as ground artillery support with overwhelming superiority." Lin Xiaoxiao was very familiar with the history of air force warfare, and he took the initiative to challenge them.

This time, Teacher Qin Dong didn't stop him; he couldn't take it anymore either.

Martin probably didn't expect anyone to ask such a pointed question. After a pause, he began to answer, "I admit that your country's volunteer forces are very strong and their fighting spirit is admirable. You are probably one of the few countries I'm talking about that can withstand them."

After all, that war left a deep impression on every American soldier, and faced with irrefutable facts, they could not deny it.

Lin Xiaoxiao sneered, "Oh, just a few countries? Who else?"

Martin quickly calculated in his mind that, indeed, under the overwhelming firepower of the navy and air force, it seemed that no one except the Chinese People's Volunteer Army could withstand it. Even the German army, which had swept across Europe in the past, paled in comparison in "Operation Overlord".

"Well, like the Battle of Iwo Jima during the Little Days."

Lin Xiaoxiao was furious when she heard the other person use this example.

"The Battle of Iwo Jima was nothing more than digging some tunnels, yet your army fought the only battle in the Pacific theater where the casualty ratio exceeded that of the enemy. You must know that your army had overwhelming naval and air superiority."

"Indeed, we underestimated our enemy and were too eager to finish the battle quickly, so our preparations were not thorough enough," Martin began to explain, but these reasons were clearly somewhat far-fetched.

"But no matter what, we eventually won against the small fry, including the Battle of Shanghai when you faced them. Even with an overwhelming numerical advantage, we couldn't hold out. Oh, by the way, that was the army of old China, not like yours."

Martin suddenly had a good idea: to bring up your own history, unaware that this War of Resistance against Japan was also a painful experience for Chinese soldiers.

Chen Jiang finally stood up. "Mr. Martin, although the Guo army and we have different beliefs, all Chinese soldiers with blood in their veins share the same goal of defending their country. Although they did not win in the Battle of Shanghai, they did indeed make the Japanese invaders pay a heavy price and slowed down the enemy's advance. We have never denied this."

"As for the Battle of Iwo Jima that you mentioned, whether it was due to underestimating the enemy or insufficient preparation, I don't think these are the fundamental reasons why the battle turned out this way. The core issue is that the commanders of the small island had figured out your attack patterns, which is why they chose to use that tactic for defense. If their support hadn't been so limited and their preparation time hadn't been insufficient, you probably would have paid an even greater price."

Martin felt extremely frustrated after hearing this. Although the Chinese officer's words were aggressive, he also understood that they were indeed true. Back then, even with such a small number of heavy weapons, the Chinese army had inflicted heavy losses on the American army. If they had had more artillery and the combined fleet had not been destroyed, the outcome of this battle would have been truly unpredictable.

"As for the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea that our classmate Lin Xiaoxiao just mentioned, it was also a case of the weak defeating the strong, and it was also a case of facing your absolute advantage. But we demonstrated our national power and military might. The most fundamental reason is not only that we were not afraid to die, but that we had hundreds of millions of people supporting us and backing us up. This power is something you cannot understand, and it is something that your reconnaissance planes and intelligence departments will never be able to figure out."

Chen Jiang's words resonated deeply with everyone in the class; the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea has always been a source of pride for every Chinese soldier.

So everyone started clapping.

Martin's expression was visibly grim. He really couldn't understand these things. Their American army could sweep across any war zone in the world. Even in the Vietnam War, which was recognized by the world as a "quagmire of war," they still managed to gain enough advantage before retreating at their own ease.

However, in the Korean Peninsula, a place of deep sorrow, they were utterly defeated, suffering heavy losses and losing the first war since the founding of the nation.

The commander lamented: "I am the first commander in history to sign an armistice agreement without achieving victory."

To this day, countless Western military experts have studied this war to find out what enabled the Chinese People's Volunteer Army to win despite such a disparity in strength.

Unfortunately, they argued about it endlessly, but never reached a conclusion.

It is said that the Chinese People's Volunteer Army was not afraid of death, but the soldiers of that time were not afraid of death either; it is said that the individual skills of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army were extremely high, but were the German soldiers of that time not good enough?
Therefore, there was never a definitive conclusion until he heard Chen Jiang's argument, which gave him a refreshing feeling.

"Furthermore, your country's weaponry is indeed very advanced, but even the most advanced weapons must be operated and upgraded by people. I believe that as long as all of our Chinese compatriots work together, we will have what you have in the future, and we will even have more advanced and stronger weapons. Back then, we had nothing, but with just a fearless spirit, we managed to get you to sign the armistice agreement. When we have weapons as advanced as yours, I hope you will also have a fearless spirit."

After Chen Jiang finished speaking, he smiled faintly and then sat down.

applause!

A long round of applause!

A long and enthusiastic round of applause!
Qin Dong looked at Chen Jiang with admiration; this student was indeed quite different.

General Martin on the stage was quite embarrassed. His face turned bright red, but he couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal and could only admit defeat in the end.

In the following lessons, he no longer dared to boast about the strength of his country, but instead honestly explained to everyone the actual development of Western military equipment.

(End of this chapter)