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墨書 Inktalez
Intuition is one of humanity's earliest survival instincts, often referred to as the fifth sense. It is said that women have a more accurate intuition than men. While I won't delve into the truth of that statement, I do have a strong premonition that this place will be a key target for the Red Army's offensive, even though I can't explain how they would cross the narrow trench.
“Beta!” Once we became familiar, I started calling this brother Beta, because his Tank Hat reminded me so much of Beta from the childhood show Shuke and Beta. After a strong resistance proved futile, Shi Xiuwen reluctantly accepted this nickname.
“Do you think it’s possible for this place to become the main battlefield for the Red Army's attack?” I probed.
“Logically speaking, no. But from a strategic psychology perspective, we can't rule out that possibility,” Beta replied ambiguously.
Beta lit a cigarette and said while smoking, “Honestly, I feel a bit uneasy. Almost all Mechanized Units have been pulled away to prepare defenses at Point A; this area is actually quite empty.”
I looked at him in surprise. “No way! Tell me the truth—how many tanks do you have defending here?”
Beta exhaled a puff of smoke and replied despondently, “Just my company, about a dozen tanks.”
“What!?” I nearly jumped in shock. “Just one company!? What if the Red Army forces a landing here?!”
He gave a wry smile. “Well, maybe everyone feels pretty confident that this place is relatively safe.”
“What are you planning to do?” I asked anxiously.
Upon hearing this, he grinned slyly. “Of course, I’ll do my utmost to defend it.”
“Defend? How will you defend? Are you planning to block all your tanks in the Passage?” I asked in confusion.
“That would be a foolish method. While it could hold them off for a while, the Passage is narrow. Even if the Red Army can only send one tank through at a time, they could wear us down with their numbers. Plus, according to Drill rules, the Red Army can tow away any destroyed tanks,” Beta said, his spirits lifting as he spoke about his domain.
He waved his hand in the air. “I plan to position all my tanks outside the Passage in a fan shape, with their barrels facing it. This way, if the Red Army comes through here, we can take them out one by one as soon as they show their heads. They’ll be instantly annihilated, and any incapacitated tanks will block the Passage and hinder further movement behind them. That’s how we can achieve the best results.”
Beta grinned widely, confidence radiating from his face. “You know what? The person I admire most is Guderian, the father of armored warfare in World War II Germany! Hehe, I want to be that kind of amazing person.”
Lost in his own imagination, Beta was pulled back to reality when I coughed a few times.
“Are you from the tank company?”
"Yeah, what's up?"
"Well, it's just that you all seem to be quite elite. How did you end up here?" I asked curiously.
Beta's face showed an unmistakable sense of dejection. "Sigh, don't mention it. I modified the tank a bit, and then my superior scolded me for it, demanding that I admit my mistake. What mistake did I make? I was just trying to improve the tank's combat survivability."
I was shocked. "What exactly did you modify?"
Beta replied proudly, "The original Type 96 was purely a single-command fire control system; only the gunner had stabilized fire control, while the commander didn't have a dedicated aiming device—just an observation periscope. The commander would observe the target and pass it on to the gunner for engagement. Later, as hunter-killer fire control technology became widely used in foreign tanks, our tank's shortcomings became more apparent. So after the year 2000, most Type 96 tanks were equipped with a commander's periscope sight. Hehe, I managed to get a friend to make me one of these treasures."
"I'm not really familiar with that. By the way, Brothers, how do you determine if one tank has hit or destroyed another?" I asked to change the subject.
"Look over there," Beta pointed casually at something on the side of the tank turret. "All our tanks and those of the Red Army are equipped with a system. When our laser targeting device hits a tank fitted with this system, that tank will automatically cut off its fuel and electrical circuits, losing combat capability. If they want to restart their tank, they need a controller to re-code it before it can be put back into action."
"I see!" I couldn't help but be astonished. It's truly amazing how advanced technology is; I sighed inwardly.
"Hey," Beta said, puzzled as he pointed at some people not far away. "Are those your troops?"
I turned around and saw that the Engineers had returned, curiously surrounding Jinghe. They must be looking at Jinghe Shoulder's Pudding.
"Oh, they're from the Engineer Company, assigned to us," I said nonchalantly.
"Engineer Company!? Hey! That's fantastic! Brothers, can you do me a favor?"
"What favor?"
"I have a tank with a broken track; it can't turn properly. Can you ask them to help me fix it? It's just outside Passage."
"I thought it was something serious; we have the Technical Company who can take a look for you."
"Really?! That's great! Let's go!"
Unable to resist Beta's persistence, I had to find a few technical companies to repair the tank's chassis, allowing them to accompany Beta.
By this time, it was almost noon, and a light drizzle began to fall. I hurriedly directed everyone to find a spot near the cliff to take shelter from the rain and grab a bite to eat.
As we were eating and chatting, the Instructor returned. With a stern expression, the Instructor ordered me to gather all the officers for an important briefing regarding the military exercise.
When leadership gives orders, subordinates must comply. I quickly blew my whistle to assemble all the officers, including a few from the Engineer Company. We found a sheltered spot and gathered around the Company Commander, waiting for the Instructor to speak.
The Instructor, looking serious, said, "This military exercise has been named Thunder by higher-ups. The intention is to test the combat capabilities of various military districts through this unstructured confrontation and to change the existing war mindset from top to bottom." He glanced at everyone and continued, "The purpose of this exercise is for both sides to operate freely. Specifically for us, our task is to actively defend and create obstacles to block any potential attacks."
At this point, the Instructor's voice suddenly lowered, "Although it's unlikely that the Red Army will attack from here."
I couldn't help but interject, "Instructor, who can say for certain that the Red Army won't come here?"
The Instructor looked at me with a hint of mockery and said, "Are you smarter than the staff at headquarters? They've already determined that the Red Army's attack direction is at Point A, with special forces infiltrating at Point B. We are destined to be supporting characters." It seemed that the Instructor was frustrated about not being able to participate in the battle.
The Deputy Company Commander from the Engineer Company timidly asked, "Instructor, what should we do now?"
The Instructor looked out at the rain. "Everyone should withdraw from the Passage and find a place to wait until the drill ends."
Everyone fell silent and quietly dispersed to organize their gear and prepare to leave.
The rain intensified as nearly two hundred of us slowly retreated from the Passage. Once we emerged from it, an expansive wilderness lay before me.
Visibility in the rainy wilderness was quite limited; I could vaguely see several mounds scattered ahead. At first, I thought they were just hills, but after a while, I realized these mounds were actually camouflaged tanks, all their gun barrels pointed toward the Passage. This must be Beta's Tank Company; he had certainly put in a lot of effort.
As our convoy exited the Passage, the Instructor's lead vehicle turned right and drove along the edge of the cliff. After stopping, he used a walkie-talkie to inform everyone to prepare appropriate concealment measures. According to him, once it passed one o'clock, all drill units would be in position and begin their corresponding maneuvers and deception operations. In this weather, any sizable convoy moving could easily be detected; it was better to find a place to hide on-site. Additionally, being closer to the beach would facilitate equipment retrieval after the drill concluded.
After getting out of the vehicle, I suddenly noticed something unusual near us at the foot of the mountain—a protruding tree trunk that seemed out of place. As I approached it, I discovered it was actually a cannon barrel! There was even a tank here.
Just then, I heard someone calling my name. Looking up, I saw Beta grinning as he emerged from one side. "What are you doing here?" he asked cheerfully. "The tank is under maintenance; I had no choice but to conceal it here—this is my lifeline," he said affectionately as he stroked the vehicle's body.
I curled my lips and said, "This time, even the baby won't be of any use."
"Hehe, maybe not. I've prepared myself anyway. I hope what we both anticipate will happen."
I forced a smile and replied, "Let's hope it doesn't happen. Right now, the Blue Army's defense focus is at Point A. If something goes wrong, we'll all be in trouble together!"
"True," Beta said thoughtfully as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it.
After a while of busying ourselves, we finally covered all the vehicles with camouflage nets. Some soldiers hid inside the vehicles, while others crouched outside looking for cover to enjoy the scenery.
"Hey, Brothers, if the Red Army lands here, do you think those obstacles can hold them off?"
I pondered for a moment and replied, "They should hold for now. What our forces lack the most is effective equipment to breach the beachhead. With just us here, it's mostly manual labor, which takes time and is quite unsafe. You see, the military has been laying obstacles along the coastline where our forces might land for over fifty years. Therefore, we need to seriously address this when our forces plan to conduct amphibious operations in the future. I think they won't break through our obstacles anytime soon. Even if they do land here, we should be able to respond quickly, right?"
"Let's hope you're right," Beta sighed as he took a drag from his cigarette. "It feels terrible to leave our fate in someone else's hands."
"Yeah," I agreed.
(To be continued, more exciting content tomorrow!)
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