Chapter Summaries

Jiang Yan Hai began a rematch and examined the upgraded battle simulation, which added civilian facilities, realistic infrastructure, and adjustable time fast-forwarding. After reviewing the new features, he turned to choosing his forces and wondered what General Bai would select.

• Jiang Yan Hai accepted the rematch request and learned that the other party had approved it.
• Jiang Yan Hai examined the updated map, which included populated towns, civilian evacuation rules, roads, and strategic bridges.
• Jiang Yan Hai considered how both sides would have to account for civilians during the simulated battle.
• Jiang Yan Hai reviewed the time fast-forward system and its tradeoffs, including the risk of being unable to withdraw orders once time was skipped.
• Jiang Yan Hai saw that the command center would display realistic attack animations, then wondered what General Bai would choose for his forces.

Jiang Yan Hai and Bai Zhipeng finalized their forces for the simulation, each anticipating the other's strategy. The battle began with both sides targeting enemy satellites and preparing their naval forces, leaving the generals in the observation room to watch the opening moves.

• Jiang Yan Hai kept his existing fleet composition with only minor adjustments, reasoning that Bai Zhipeng would try to distract his fleet while concentrating on ground forces.
• Bai Zhipeng chose a strategic nuclear submarine and prepared to target Jiang Yan Hai's satellites, confident he could prevail in conventional warfare if both sides lost satellite support.
• The generals in the observation room placed bets on the outcome, with Han Jianjun backing Bai Zhipeng against Liu Qiang.
• Jiang Yan Hai ordered satellite searches, anti-submarine operations, civilian evacuations, and troop concealment as the simulation began.
• Bai Zhipeng ordered satellite searches and coastal radar activation, then prepared his submarine to launch missiles at satellites.
• Jiang Yan Hai's three surface vessels and submarine deployed for combat as both sides began moving, and the observers debated whether his fleet or Bai Zhipeng's plan had the advantage.

Jiang Yan Hai and Bai Zhipeng maneuvered their fleets and tried to force the other side’s submarine to reveal itself. Bai Zhipeng then shifted his satellites toward Jiang Yan Hai’s satellite paths, suggesting he intended to destroy both sides’ orbital advantage.

• Jiang Yan Hai detected no enemy submarines, while Bai Zhipeng’s forces spotted a small enemy fleet southeast of their shore-based radar.
• Jiang Yan Hai ordered the Type 095 to surface and prepare four Cruise Missiles, hoping to bait the enemy submarine into launching.
• Bai Zhipeng sent aircraft into the air and prepared his forces to launch missiles at Jiang Yan Hai’s satellites.
• The Type 095 launched four Cruise Missiles, and Bai Zhipeng ordered his Strategic Nuclear Submarine to launch missiles and evade afterward.
• Jiang Yan Hai learned that Bai Zhipeng’s satellites were rapidly changing orbit toward his satellite paths and realized Bai Zhipeng might be trying to make both sides fight without satellites.

Jiang Yan Hai and Bai Zhipeng fought a naval battle after both sides’ satellites were destroyed, with Jiang Yan Hai anticipating a coastal missile strike. The fleet survived the attack, and Jiang Yan Hai’s cruise missiles were headed for the enemy launch sites.

• Jiang Yan Hai ordered anti-submarine rockets to attack the enemy submarine, while Bai Zhipeng directed shore radar and drones to prepare a counterattack.
• Bai Zhipeng’s satellite self-destructed, destroying Jiang Yan Hai’s four satellites with its debris.
• After learning that the satellites were gone, Bai Zhipeng ordered the shore-based anti-ship missile units to reveal themselves and fire eighteen missiles at Jiang Yan Hai’s fleet.
• Jiang Yan Hai’s ships used drones and helicopters to track the attack, launched forty-eight air-defense missiles, and fired six cruise missiles toward the enemy launch vehicles.
• Three anti-ship missiles evaded the initial defense, but the Type 1130 CIWS destroyed them before they could hit the Type 095 submarine.

Jiang Yan Hai destroyed Bai Zhipeng’s submarine and ground-based missile defenses, then launched a large missile salvo after both commanders accelerated time. Bai Zhipeng dispersed his armored forces for air defense, unsure how Jiang Yan Hai had chosen his targets.

• Jiang Yan Hai’s anti-submarine rockets destroyed the enemy submarine, while Cruise Missiles struck its radar and missile launch vehicles.
• Bai Zhipeng realized Jiang Yan Hai had prepared defenses against his anti-ship attack and considered how to protect his forces and airfields.
• Bai Zhipeng sent two armored battalions toward Areas 332 and 435 to seize them if they were lightly defended.
• After both commanders used Time Acceleration, Bai Zhipeng received a report that the enemy fleet had launched at least thirty missiles.
• Bai Zhipeng ordered his units to prepare for air defense and disperse the main armored regiments.

Jiang Yan Hai used a salvo of Cruise Missiles to destroy the bridges blocking his enemy’s advance, then sent the remaining missiles toward Bai Zhipeng’s Military Airport. Bai Zhipeng reorganized his defenses and ordered reconnaissance, while wondering how Jiang Yan Hai had located the airport.

• Jiang Yan Hai launched thirty-six Cruise Missiles, and Bai Zhipeng waited to see what they would target.
• Twenty-eight missiles dispersed toward seven important bridges, and Bai Zhipeng realized their destruction would delay his armored forces and open the way for enemy Special Forces.
• Six bridges were destroyed and the seventh became unusable, drawing applause from the generals in the observation hall.
• The remaining eight missiles targeted Bai Zhipeng’s Military Airport; its defenses intercepted five, while the other three struck nearby without damaging it.
• Bai Zhipeng ordered reconnaissance units to guard against Special Forces, pontoon bridge units to build a crossing, and aircraft and drones to scout enemy areas.

Bai Zhipeng recognized that Jiang Yan Hai had found his airfield and launched a massive Cruise Missile attack, then ordered his aircraft and artillery into action. Jiang Yan Hai committed his entire air force to force an exchange, while Bai Zhipeng prepared to counter with long-range rocket artillery.

• Bai Zhipeng chose three likely enemy locations and ordered reconnaissance before accelerating the simulation.
• Bai Zhipeng learned that Jiang Yan Hai had launched dozens of Cruise Missiles and ordered air defenses and aircraft to respond as the missile count climbed.
• Bai Zhipeng ordered reconnaissance drones to locate Jiang Yan Hai's airfield and prepared his self-propelled howitzers and Long-Range Rocket Artillery Battalion to strike.
• Jiang Yan Hai sent his entire air force, including two Early Warning Aircraft, into the operation, while Bai Zhipeng launched his larger fighter force.
• Bai Zhipeng expected the air exchange to leave both sides relying on ground forces, and Hu Shao Fei praised Jiang Yan Hai's decision in the observation room.

Jiang Yan Hai and Bai Zhipeng committed their remaining air forces to a final exchange as missiles converged on both sides. Jiang Yan Hai’s 48 air-to-ground missiles targeted Bai Zhipeng’s Air Defense Regiment, whose location had been discovered again.

• Jiang Yan Hai launched his final 96 Cruise Missiles, while 12 changed course to make a low-altitude approach.
• Jiang Yan Hai ordered air defenses to shoot down two reconnaissance drones, and Bai Zhipeng learned that an enemy Air Defense Missile base was 220 kilometers away.
• Bai Zhipeng sent his fighters to meet Jiang Yan Hai’s approaching fighters and ordered his Long-Range Rocket Artillery Battalion to prepare to attack.
• Jiang Yan Hai’s 24 fighters launched 48 air-to-ground missiles and then charged toward the enemy formation as the opposing fighters exchanged missile fire.
• Bai Zhipeng’s Air Defense Regiment detected the incoming missiles and raised dozens of Air Defense Missiles after realizing the attack was aimed at the regiment.

Bai Zhipeng’s forces destroyed Jiang Yan Hai’s airfield and eliminated his air force, but Jiang Yan Hai had anticipated Bai’s next move and kept twelve Cruise Missiles hidden. The chapter ended as those missiles sped toward Bai’s Long-Range Rocket Artillery Battalion, which had no air defenses remaining.

• Bai Zhipeng’s Air Defense Regiment intercepted many incoming missiles, but Anti-radiation Missiles destroyed most of its radar vehicles.
• Bai Zhipeng ordered his fighters to find and destroy Jiang Yan Hai’s airfield, while his airfield defenses withdrew and the enemy missiles destroyed the airfield.
• Bai Zhipeng’s remaining fighters eliminated Jiang Yan Hai’s air force, then located his airfield and fired their remaining missiles at it.
• Jiang Yan Hai ordered his air defenses to engage as Bai Zhipeng’s Long-Range Rocket Artillery Battalion fired all 216 rockets at the airfield.
• Jiang Yan Hai’s Reconnaissance Drones revealed the location of Bai Zhipeng’s rocket battalion and guided twelve hidden Cruise Missiles toward it.
• Bai Zhipeng realized Jiang Yan Hai had anticipated his attack and that his rocket battalion had no way to defend itself from the incoming missiles.

Jiang Yan Hai defeated Bai Zhipeng in a simulated battle, prompting Bai to end the engagement after the system judged his odds of victory below 10%. Jiang explained that he had used civilians and a hidden cargo airport, and Han Jianjun volunteered for the next exercise.

• Bai Zhipeng saw that Jiang Yan Hai still had aircraft, reconnaissance drones, and an airport, and accepted the simulation’s offer to end the battle.
• Bai Zhipeng and Jiang Yan Hai entered the observation room, where the generals applauded their closely coordinated command exercise.
• Bai Zhipeng asked how Jiang Yan Hai had located his forces and whether he had planned to use two airports from the start.
• Jiang Yan Hai explained that the defending side could use civilians for reconnaissance and revealed that his territory contained an old cargo airport omitted from the visible map information.
• Bai Zhipeng admitted he had underestimated hidden battlefield details, and Han Jianjun volunteered to take part in the next exercise.

Jiang Yan Hai defeated all seven generals in a day of battlefield simulations, earning their respect before turning to force construction and engine designs. A week later, he and a delegation of seventy-two people prepared to fly abroad for a multi-area military contest, though he still did not know when the fighter confrontation would take place.

• Jiang Yan Hai won every simulation match against the seven generals, demonstrating how air superiority and information warfare could decide a battle.
• The generals recognized Jiang Yan Hai's ability, and the class moved on to analyzing the simulations instead of holding more matches the next day.
• Jiang Yan Hai, Master Kang, and Fan Tian Lei worked on force construction, logistics personnel, and plans for an information team while Jiang Yan Hai designed engine blueprints.
• A week passed, and Li Ruo Bai regretted that Jiang Yan Hai was away but assumed he was busy with minor matters.
• Jiang Yan Hai and the others arrived at a military airport to fly abroad with a seventy-two-person delegation for a contest that would include ground crew, while the fighter confrontation remained unannounced.

Jiang Yan Hai and five rookie pilots traveled to the Polar Bear Country for a confidential friendly aviation exchange. They arrived at a large Russian airbase and learned that the exchange would begin with a written examination the next day.

• Jiang Yan Hai received travel documents bearing his name and a detailed flight history that drew on his time at Aviation School.
• Jiang Yan Hai and the five rookies flew aboard an Il-76, escorted first by six of their country's fighters and then by six Russian Su-35s.
• Jiang Yan Hai and the others landed at a remote Russian airbase, where the delegations met and the pilots were shown to their dormitories.
• The team leader explained that the exchange would begin the next day with a jointly prepared and sealed written examination.
• Jiang Yan Hai suspected that the colonel leading his delegation did not know about his confidential circumstances, then spent the rest of the day reading in his dormitory.

Jiang Yan Hai and the Chinese team met the Russian pilots before the twenty-seventh friendship competition began. After the teams exchanged greetings and endured Russian taunts, officials opened the first round of assessments, and the competitors began their exams under close supervision.

• Jiang Yan Hai and the Chinese team met the Russian team, whose captain, Stokov Novsky, greeted him in English.
• Stokov questioned Jiang Yan Hai's age and experience, while Russian pilots privately mocked the Chinese team.
• Fledgling One warned Jiang Yan Hai that the Russians were insulting them, but Jiang Yan Hai told him to answer them through the competition.
• The generals from both sides announced the start of the twenty-seventh friendship competition and outlined four assessment subjects.
• The generals opened the exam papers, and the competitors began the first assessments in the monitored meeting room.

Jiang Yan Hai finished a difficult written test in just over forty minutes and went to rest in the lounge. While reviewing the Phantom Engine blueprints, he considered developing a series of engines and decided he could not reveal the full designs to others.

• Jiang Yan Hai quickly completed the test and announced that he was ready to hand it in.
• The generals allowed Jiang Yan Hai to submit his paper and wait in the next-door lounge.
• A soldier noticed that Jiang Yan Hai had filled in his test without using his blank scratch paper.
• Jiang Yan Hai detected hidden listening and monitoring devices in the lounge but chose not to investigate them.
• Jiang Yan Hai studied the Phantom Engine blueprints and realized its design could support a series of engines with different sizes and purposes.
• Jiang Yan Hai decided he would need to explain the engine to domestic experts without revealing everything and might develop the engine series himself.

Jiang Yan Hai dominated the first day of exams, earning full marks across four subjects, then began a physical assessment that revealed a Russian trainee could match his pace. The assessment continued with the two men neck and neck on sit-ups.

• After the first exam, Jiang Yan Hai answered the Fledglings’ questions and explained that he had known the answers.
• Jiang Yan Hai finished the rest of the day’s exams quickly and spent the evening reading an advanced mathematics book.
• The Russian general announced that Jiang Yan Hai had scored 400 points and taken first place, while Sergei Erikson placed second with 395.
• The group began a physical assessment involving push-ups, sit-ups, frog jumps, barbell lifts, and a ten-kilometer run.
• Jiang Yan Hai completed 200 push-ups almost at the same time as a Russian trainee, then kept pace with him through 200 sit-ups.

Jiang Yan Hai dominated the physical fitness assessment, then realized the Russians had assigned specialists to different events to maximize their chances. He encouraged Fledgling One and the others to recover their confidence before the afternoon individual combat event.

• Jiang Yan Hai led the frog jumps, barbells, and ten-kilometer run, finishing in 42 minutes, 18 seconds, and 32 milliseconds.
• Jiang Yan Hai recognized that the Russians had prepared specialists for the written test, physical assessment, and likely combat events.
• The physical fitness rankings confirmed Jiang Yan Hai's overwhelming lead and left the Russians looking at him with new respect.
• At lunch, Jiang Yan Hai explained the Russians' strategy to Fledgling One and the others and urged them to perform normally in the remaining events.
• Fledgling One and the others regained some confidence, while Jiang Yan Hai prepared for the afternoon individual combat event.

Jiang Yan Hai began the combat sparring event and defeated the Russian fighter Lev in a single exchange. The Russian team realized they had badly underestimated him, and Jiang Yan Hai asked to continue fighting the next opponent immediately.

• Jiang Yan Hai volunteered to fight first, and the Russian team sent Lev to face him.
• Russian officers discussed Jiang Yan Hai’s background and the competition’s strategic importance.
• Jiang Yan Hai quickly pinned Lev, who surrendered, and the referee declared Jiang Yan Hai the winner.
• Jiang Yan Hai asked to proceed directly to the next match, and the generals agreed.
• A Russian teammate nervously wondered who would fight Jiang Yan Hai next.

Jiang Yan Hai and his team dominated the free combat event, leaving the Russians to pin their hopes on aerial combat. After the aerial-combat rules were announced and both teams chose their order, Er Dan warned Jiang Yan Hai that someone had leaked it outside the base.

• Stokov fought Jiang Yan Hai in free combat and was quickly overpowered, like the other Russian pilots who faced him.
• Jiang Yan Hai finished his five matches swiftly, and Fledgling Three placed third in the overall free-combat rankings while Lev took second.
• Before the aerial-combat event, Jiang Yan Hai told Fledgling One that the team should learn from the Russians and exchange ideas.
• The instructor announced that each pilot would fight every opponent in both J10Cs and Su-35s, prompting Jiang Yan Hai to wonder whether the rules hinted at fighter-jet cooperation.
• Jiang Yan Hai and Fledgling One took the first two spots in their team's order, while Stokov led the Russian lineup.
• Er Dan warned Jiang Yan Hai that someone had secretly transmitted his team's order of appearance out of the military base.

Jiang Yan Hai prepared his J10C and entered the designated airspace to face Stokov in a free dogfight. After both pilots confirmed they were ready, the Control Tower started the match, and Jiang Yan Hai charged toward his opponent.

• Jiang Yan Hai monitored enemy communications after Er Dan warned him of a possible threat at the airbase.
• Jiang Yan Hai inspected his J10C, confirmed its missiles were locked and its cannon was prohibited during the free dogfight, then signed for the aircraft.
• Jiang Yan Hai and Number 1 took off in formation with Stokov and another pilot and flew toward the training area.
• Jiang Yan Hai arrived in his assigned airspace and waited for Stokov, while Number 1 headed to a separate area for his own match.
• The Control Tower began the dogfight, and Jiang Yan Hai advanced toward Stokov's fighter.

Jiang Yan Hai defeated Brown Bear in a simulated dogfight, but the competition was abruptly interrupted when hostile fighters and an SA-11 missile battery attacked. He warned the other trainees to accelerate and deploy chaff, and two missiles detonated after striking the false radar targets.

• Jiang Yan Hai outmaneuvered Brown Bear and locked onto his tail, winning the simulated dogfight.
• Control Tower ordered all trainees to end the competition after two hostile fighters approached, and Jiang Yan Hai's cockpit warned that an SA-11 missile had locked onto him.
• A concealed SA-11 launcher on a mountain ridge fired four missiles at the trainees' fighters.
• Jiang Yan Hai told the pilots to accelerate and release chaff, then repeated his instructions in Chinese and Russian.
• Two missiles pursuing Jiang Yan Hai and Brown Bear detonated in midair after mistaking chaff clouds for their targets.