The Red Team's armored tank formations gradually moved away, and the battlefield fell quiet.
Su Chen poked his head out from his camouflage. In the distance, only a small number of Red Team transport units were following up from behind.
Su Chen sighed. The enemy's offense and support were tightly integrated.
Even if the armored tank formations ran far ahead, logistical supplies could always keep up.
On their side, not only were there few tanks, there were only two truck companies.
They couldn't match the enemy's speed, and their logistical supplies lagged even further behind. The two sides weren't even on the same level!
"This is too much bullying!" Su Chen's face was full of irritation.
If their brigade had even somewhat better equipment, the Red Team wouldn't dare to push forward so boldly all the way.
Su Chen was a top student at the National Defense University, and in his past life he had been a gifted Commander. He knew deeply that if the Red Team ran into the West's elite troops,
under the strikes of an opponent with digitized combat capabilities, this traditional head-on push of the Red Team would collapse within a single day.
They could only bully the Blue Army, which had no heavy equipment to speak of.
Su Chen took a deep breath. Changes had to be made, or this exercise would be meaningless, nothing more than playing house.
"Move out!" Su Chen waved his hand.
Everyone immediately emerged from their hiding places and followed him as they charged toward the enemy's rear.
Su Chen was very familiar with the terrain within five hundred li of this area.
Usually chased and beaten by various units, they had explored every nook and cranny.
With the enemy currently advancing excitedly, no one would imagine anyone dared to sneak into their backyard. So Su Chen's group easily circled around and kept pushing deeper toward the enemy's rear.
Four hours later, the Blue Army command headquarters finally stopped in a mountain hollow.
Ptui!
Brigade Commander Lei Cheng spat out a mouthful of mud and looked grimly at a group of dust-covered subordinates.
"Damn it, they're too unscrupulous!" A Staff Officer snorted angrily. "Before the exercise, they never said they'd bring two divisions, and they even switched to brand-new equipment. Isn't this bullying honest folks!"
Another Staff Officer shouted furiously, "This fight was so frustrating! If the Brigade Commander hadn't ordered a timely retreat, they would have surrounded and wiped us out!"
Lei Cheng's face darkened: "Damn it, what kind of crap battle is this? We're a light mobile force, and having armored forces fight us is simply bullying us too much!"
Everyone was indignant. They were all soldiers, yet none of them had ever felt this wronged.
Being beaten back and forth by every friendly force day after day, they weren't really the Blue Army. They were a target army.
But no matter how angry they were, they were helpless.
Lei Cheng sighed. "Count the casualties in each unit! This fight can't be won. We can only use our advantage of being familiar with the terrain and lead them around. Hold on for one more day. We can't lose too badly!"
"Yes!" All the Staff Officers nodded and immediately contacted each regiment to assess the forces they had left.
Lei Cheng took out a map and began studying what to do next.
But no matter how he looked at it, he couldn't think of a way to shake off the enemy, let alone counterattack.
Just as he was growing anxious, Gao Sheng suddenly came running over. "Brigade Commander!"
Without even lifting his head, Lei Cheng said, "The First Company, which was covering our retreat, has it returned?"
Gao Sheng nodded: "They've returned. Nearly half of them were casualties."
Lei Cheng sighed: "The Red Team's firepower was so fierce. At least they made it back!"
Gao Sheng said awkwardly, "They did come back, but... our 2nd Company is missing!"
Lei Cheng suddenly raised his head: "What do you mean missing? Were they wiped out?"
Gao Sheng shook his head: "I mean... they're just missing!"
Lei Cheng slapped the table: "Did you not order a retreat?"
"I did!" Gao Sheng gave a bitter smile. "But the 2nd Company commander, Su Chen, said at the time that he had a plan to turn the tide. But the situation was urgent, so I ordered him to retreat immediately. Later... later their entire company disappeared!"
"Su Chen?" Lei Cheng frowned, furious and roaring: "Has that kid lost his mind? In this situation, retreating is already good enough, and he still thinks about turning defeat into victory? How did you educate your regiment?"
Gao Sheng looked aggrieved: "Brigade Commander, I've already issued a strict order, but he... you know, he's the only top student in our entire brigade, and his father is also..."
"That bastard! He's studied for so many years, and I think he studied himself into a fool. I don't care who he is!" Lei Cheng shouted angrily. "Even if his father came in person, this kid is still defying orders! If this were a real battlefield, I could have him shot!"
He pointed at Gao Sheng: "Send people to find him immediately! Once found, arrest him at once, and after the exercise ends, he must be put under confinement!"
"And you, once the exercise is over, write me a ten-thousand-character self-criticism!"
Gao Sheng saluted with a bitter face, cursing Su Chen out of his mind: "You reckless kid, what on earth are you trying to do!"
........
Meanwhile, at the foot of a small hill.
Su Chen's group was sprawled out by the roadside, resting.
They had sprinted for four hours, and everyone's physical strength had reached its limit.
"Co-co-commander!" Wang Hai panted heavily. "Th-this Red Team, where exactly is their command headquarters?"
"Yeah, Commander, we can't just run around like headless flies, right?" Zhao Xiaodong asked while wiping his sweat.
Su Chen caught his breath and said, "It should be close! We followed their tire tracks all the way here, and now we can't see their main force anymore."
"That means their command headquarters must be nearby!"
He pointed at a village not far away: "That's Miao Village. Let's go in and ask, and we'll know!"
"Let's go!"
The group struggled to their feet and followed Su Chen into the village.
They had long been active in this region, and the villagers in each town were used to them. Once they entered the village, many of the local residents even greeted them.
Su Chen went straight to the village chief and asked whether he had seen any camps stationed nearby.
"There really is one!" The village chief laughed: "Today I specially took people to collect bottles near the camp. They wear red armbands, right? That's the Red Team?"
Su Chen smiled faintly. The people in this area had seen plenty of exercises, so they knew a little about them.
The village chief immediately pointed out the direction, then looked at Su Chen: "Little comrade, there are quite a lot of people over there, and they even have tanks. You're not planning to go attack them, are you? That's dangerous!"
Su Chen chuckled: "Village Chief, you could work as a Staff Officer in our unit!"
The village chief laughed heartily: "How could I have that kind of ability? I'm just talking nonsense!"
Su Chen stared at him: "Village Chief, I'd like to borrow some civilian clothes, preferably from young women. If you could send a few young women to help, that would be best!"
The village chief nodded vigorously: "Is that even a problem? Military and civilians are one family. This is what I should do. You've been bullied by those people so badly, and it makes me feel wronged on your behalf!"
The people of the 2nd Company all felt a wave of helplessness.
Their service was so frustrating that even the common folk pitied them.
"But what do you need girls' clothes for?" The village chief looked at the group of grown men with curiosity.
Su Chen smiled: "Don't worry about it, just give them to us!"
"Alright, I'll go find some right now!" The village chief didn't hesitate and immediately mobilized the villagers to gather clothes.
Wang Hai and the others crowded curiously around Su Chen: "Commander, what exactly is your plan? We're already here, so can you at least tell us?"
Su Chen smiled mysteriously and roughly explained his plan.
After listening, everyone's faces immediately turned grim.
This company commander is truly a crazy dog!