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墨書 Inktalez
They were all Engineers, so the two units felt particularly close when they met. After chatting for a while, everyone began to divide the work. Throughout the morning, we were busy laying out Pyramids (stones) and Triangular Stakes along the Beachhead. The triangular stones were mainly placed in positions convenient for tanks and vehicles to land, forming a Tactical Formation; the Triangular Stakes were primarily used to organize enemy tanks and air cushion landings. We dug Obstruction Trenches around the forward support points and defense gaps, typically 4.5 to 8 meters wide and 2 to 5 meters deep. The trenches were surrounded by barbed wire and Landmines, with some sections reinforced with stones to prevent collapse, while others contained about one meter of water. For Anti-Infantry Obstacles, we mainly set up Glass Mountains, Iron Stakes, Iron Fences, and barbed wire. The Iron Fence was made of crossed steel bars, standing 18 meters high, placed on the flat Beachhead at the High Water Line to facilitate infantry movement. The barbed wire was erected with gaps and stood 16 meters high, using double rows of stakes. In short, as per Glasses' words, we did whatever damage we could. I suddenly realized that my subordinates had quite a knack for mischief. For instance, regarding the Glass Mountain, they smashed glass bottles collected from who knows where and spread a layer of cement about 5 to 10 centimeters thick on the rocky shore and flat ground at the Beachhead. They then embedded the broken glass into the cement, which would form a surface-level Anti-Infantry Obstacle once it dried—this left me utterly astonished.
Glasses was also busy, curiously riding an Assault Boat along the shore; it seemed unlikely that anyone stationed in the military district would have a chance to do this.
Meanwhile, the Engineer Brothers took several Assault Boats out into the sea for about one or two kilometers to lay Sea Mines. The Engineer Company was quick on their feet; by the time we finished setting up obstacles along the beach and turned our attention inland, they had already made a round trip and started laying mines in waist-deep water.
Our tasks were nearly complete as we sat near the Passage watching them work diligently. Suddenly, Murong Qian asked, "Hey, what if these Landmines are buried and the Red Army really comes to land? Will there be casualties?! What about civilians encountering Sea Mines?"
Jinghe scoffed and replied, "The coordinates have already been announced on the radio and in news reports before the Drill; fishermen won't be appearing in those areas. Besides, Engineers will recover any mines laid down. There are even fake Sea Mines; overall, their danger is minimal. Furthermore, Red Army troops will surely find ways to breach our obstacles; it will just come at a cost of casualties. How significant that cost is depends on how the Control Department calculates it with their formulas. Our mission is simply to do our best to block and inflict damage on the Red Army; everyone should focus on that core objective while leaving everything else to the counterattack forces that will follow."
Everyone looked at me expectantly, so I could only smile in agreement. "Jinghe is right; everyone should work hard and do well so we can relax and watch our brother units engage in battle. The harder we work, the greater the Red Army's casualties will be, which means a bigger victory for our Drill."
And indeed it was true.
By this time, it was nearly eleven o'clock. As we approached the final assembly time for all units, a buzzing roar suddenly came from the Passage.
We all turned towards it and saw a sand-colored tank slowly emerging from the Passage.
"Tank!" Sheng Xiong shouted. It was no wonder; none of us had ever seen such a thing before. The soldiers were all excited beyond measure; if I hadn't stopped them, they would have rushed over to get a closer look.
After driving out of the Passage and moving a short distance towards us, the tank came to a halt. Its hatch opened, and someone wearing a full helmet popped out. Upon emerging, he took off his helmet and shouted, "Hey! Who's in charge here?! We're having a video conference; hurry up to the command post!"
The Instructor quickly approached him; after exchanging a few words with that guy, he hurried back to me shouting, "I'm off to a meeting! You all continue here and make use of all the equipment issued! I'll return to assign the next phase of tasks." With that said, he called for his driver to take him away in a Jeep towards the Passage.
Once Instructor left, this group of kids erupted like bees from their hive, swarming over to gather around the tank. Some even reached out to touch it; Fatty Jinghe even tried to climb up onto it! This startled the person perched on top of the tank who exclaimed, "Hey! Is there no officer around here?!"
I scolded Fatty from the side but laughed at him saying, "Brothers are curious; we've never seen a tank before—let them take a look."
This Brother grimaced as he replied, "I've never seen such curious folks; it's just a tank!"
I pushed through the crowd and climbed up myself. I said to him, "Is it hot inside there? Come out for some fresh air! By the way, what are you doing here? Are you planning to position this tank on the beach to snipe at landing troops?"
"You wouldn't understand!" This Brother looked lean but sprightly as he climbed out while proudly explaining to me: "I'm here to survey this terrain in case enemy tanks land here. I'm assessing whether they can deploy fully across this area and how they would pass through the Passage."
"Oh, who are you?" I asked curiously.
"I'm Shi Xiuwen, from the direct tank unit One Continuous Long. And you?" The Height Brothers straightened his chest and took off his helmet.
"My name is Wang Wei. I'm with the Engineering Corps and also a Company Commander. By the way, are your tank units going to guard this Passage too?" Since we were of similar ages and ranks, it brought us closer together.
"No need for that. The Passage is narrow; if the enemy comes, we can easily let them into the Passage. Our tanks can spread out in an arc at the exit of the Passage to block the Red Army and take them down slowly. Moreover, once we block them, the entire landing area will be exposed to helicopter strikes and artillery coverage. That should be enough to drive the Red Army back into the water."
"Wow, that's impressive," I sighed. "Looks like the Drill won't involve us anymore."
I thought for a moment and added, "By the way, there's a question: while you're thinking about strategies, how do you know if the Red Army will choose to land here?"
"It's just three points. To simulate real combat, the Red Army is designed to have half our strength, which means they can't land all at once. There will definitely be one main attack point. To guess the Landing Point, we need to analyze comprehensively." His confident tone piqued my curiosity.
"How do we analyze comprehensively?" I pressed on.
"Let's first discuss this Military Exercise. How much do you know about it?"
I scratched my head. "Not much; I just know they do it every year, with the Red Army fighting against the Blue Army, and in the end, the Blue Army gets defeated!"
Shi Xiuwen scoffed. "For years, how battles are fought has been echoed in training, but real confrontational drills sometimes feel like a performance. Especially in information system-based simulated confrontations, where everything follows a script—pressing specific buttons at certain times, deploying troops according to predetermined tactics—it's all too common. The outcome of 'Red wins, Blue loses' has always been the final template for these drills. This completely 'formatted' approach to confrontation essentially binds participants and seeks self-satisfaction."
I nodded in agreement. "That's true; I often see on TV that the Red Army wins! I wonder if this time's Military Exercise will be like that?"
Shi Xiuwen continued confidently, "Without rules, nothing can be established. Simulated confrontations also require a complete set of specific rules. This ensures that drills operate orderly, effectively, safely, and develop healthily while maximizing the simulation system's efficiency and improving drill outcomes. However, regulated drills can never replace real combat's unpredictable nature; there exists an insurmountable boundary between them. War has general laws and rules for victory but also special laws and rules. The success of the U.S. military during the Incheon landing in 1950 serves as a reminder that clinging to conventional thinking on the battlefield can come at a bloody cost. Therefore, while adhering to general laws and rules in simulated drills, it's crucial to leave space for participants to apply their understanding of 'war' combined with their initiative during exercises to reflect real combat's complexity and variability; seeking irregular and non-directional confrontational drills that force opponents to use their best moves in hard-hitting competitions. This is how we maintain 'training consistent with combat' and actively push confrontation drills closer to real combat scenarios. Conversely, if we forcibly intervene in processes for appearances or task completion—presetting tactics or dictating outcomes—it undermines the confrontational nature and realism of drills, turning them into mere 'show battles' rather than genuine 'confrontational battles.' This makes it difficult to test commanders' operational capabilities or train soldiers' physical fitness, intelligence, and psychological resilience—not to mention improving combat effectiveness!"
I was greatly impressed; this Brothers had quite a lot of insights. "Brother, did you come up with this yourself?"
Shi Xiuwen blushed slightly and said sheepishly, "Hehe, I just read books and thought about it."
"You’re so impressive! Take a guess: will the Red Army actually choose to land here?" I teased him.
Shi Xiuwen hesitated for a moment. "I feel it will be here, which is why I drove the tank in to take a look."
"Oh, what makes you think that?"
Shi Xiuwen sighed. "Brother, you say Point A is good and that it's very advantageous for the Red Army. Everyone knows that the Blue Army must have increased their defenses at Point A. But the key issue is that we are back-to-back with the Red Army. What if the Red Army takes an unconventional approach? Wouldn't we be in a passive position?"
"Then how about defending together at Point A? Haven't we also done a lot of preparation work there?"
"Heh, you really haven't seen the big picture, have you? Do you know how much force has been committed to Point A?" He whispered in my ear, "Aside from the helicopter units maintaining mobility at Point B, half of the garrison at Point A has been reassigned to Point A."
"How do you know that?" I was taken aback.
"Hey, half of our tank units have been sent over there!" He shot me a glance. "What if the Red Army doesn't play by the rules?"
I glanced at the narrow Passage and muttered to myself, "Not playing by the rules, not playing by the rules." Suddenly, I had a premonition that this place would not be quiet.
(To be continued, more exciting content tomorrow!)
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