Among them, only the two guards had accompanied the division commander to see Crimson Sky No. 1. Everyone else was seeing mechs for the first time.
Every last one of them was shocked out of their wits.
"Clack-"
"Clack-"
The cockpit hatches of both mechs opened simultaneously.
Wang Yixue and Tong Yao were lowered to the ground by the mechs' huge hands, then strode up to Li Guozhong.
"Greetings, Division Commander!"
Dressed in camouflage uniforms, the two saluted in unison.
They cut quite a dashing figure.
Only when he saw the two women approaching did Li Guozhong suppress the turmoil within him.
"Women are every bit the equal of men. Thank you both for your hard work."
"Division Commander, we're ready for combat. Please give us our mission!"
"No rush. You're the key to our victory in this exercise. I'm going to use you two steel blades to deliver a killing blow when the red side lets its guard down!"
The two women were like towering nuns scratching their heads, utterly bewildered.
One was a raw recruit who had only just enlisted; the other was rear-echelon personnel specializing in electronic warfare.
Neither had ever properly participated in frontline operations involving such large formations.
Li Guozhong smiled mysteriously without explaining further. He simply had his men cover both mechs with black cloth.
Then he had Wang Yixue and Tong Yao conceal themselves nearby, ready to sortie at any moment.
After briefing them, Li Guozhong hurried back to division headquarters.
His trump card was ready. Once dawn broke, the military exercise would officially begin.
At the same time.
Outside the city.
The Third Mechanized Infantry Division of the Eastern Military Region.
Over ten thousand fully armed troops formed a dark, dense mass.
Tanks, armored vehicles, attack helicopters, and more stood ready for battle, rumbling as they rapidly moved into their designated positions.
They made no attempt whatsoever to conceal their movements.
They intended to draw up their battle lines and clash head-on.
Far behind the formation, at red-side division headquarters.
A confident smile curved Division Commander Kong's lips.
Over the past few days, he had practically grinned his mouth crooked.
An urban offensive and defensive battle, with him on the attacking side, no less.
He practically had every advantage of timing, terrain, and manpower.
If they were slugging it out head-on in open terrain, he might have been a little wary of Old Li's three tank regiments.
But in urban warfare like this, once he broke into the city...
Tanks would be of little use. Moving through the city streets, they would be nothing more than blinded tigers, nothing to fear.
In street fighting, his exoskeleton armored regiment was the strongest!
It was also his ultimate trump card.
This time, he would teach Old Li a lesson he would never forget.
Those who lagged behind would get beaten!
In modern warfare, technology was king!
Whichever side commanded advanced technology would have the scales of victory tip in its favor.
Just then, the headquarters telephone rang.
After answering it, the chief of staff reported,
"Division Commander, the entire exoskeleton armored regiment has reached its designated positions. They're awaiting your next combat instructions."
A sharp gleam gathered in Division Commander Kong's eyes as he said solemnly,
"Tell Regiment Commander Ye, orders from division headquarters: everyone is to maintain silence. Shut off all radios and other communications equipment. Until further instructions, no one moves. Even if they have to shit, they'll damn well do it in their pants!"
"Yes, sir!"
The chief of staff immediately relayed the order.
Gazing at the night sky outside the window, Division Commander Kong muttered to himself,
"Old Li, don't blame your brother for being ruthless. You've already lost this exercise!"
"I can already picture you flying into a rage. Hahaha..."
Not far from the exercise base.
A small two-story building stood.
An area the size of a basketball court had been cordoned off around it.
A strict rule prohibited anyone from either the red or blue side from entering.
Five large Chinese characters written in red on the wall read: Exercise Observation Post.
The second-floor hall was brightly lit.
A huge terrain sand table occupied the center.
A massive monitor on the side wall was divided into ten smaller screens, displaying combat strength data for the various forces participating in the exercise, along with live camera feeds.
Most movements across the battlefield were under their surveillance.
Two gray-haired elderly men stood before the sand table, pointing things out.
They were none other than Zhu Guodong and Luo Bing, two senior commanders from the Southeast Theater Command.
"Old Zhu, it looks like there's no suspense left. Heavy tanks are at far too much of a disadvantage in street fighting! And Kong Erleng supposedly just equipped an entire regiment with exoskeleton armor. It's practically the perfect weapon for street fighting."
"Exactly. Young Kong really does have victory in the bag! And judging by the red side's current deployment, that Young Kong is a crafty one. He certainly won't give the blue side a single opening."
Having said that, Zhu Guodong stroked his graying beard and looked at the elderly man who had spoken first.
"Old Luo, what do you say we simply call off the exercise? Does such a one-sided exercise really have any meaning?"
"The arrow is already on the string. It has to fly!"
Luo Bing shook his head, pursing his lips.
"All we can do is give Young Li some comfort once the fighting ends. This will also be a major test of his troops' ability to withstand defeat."
"Only a force that can stand back up after defeat can truly withstand being dragged down without collapsing and being battered without breaking!"
The next day.
Dawn was just breaking.
A red signal flare burst in the sky.
The Southeast Military Region's red-versus-blue military exercise officially began!
Speed was paramount in war.
Only five minutes into the exercise.
Li Guozhong's headquarters received a call for help from the forward positions.
The frontline positions were being carpeted with artillery fire.
More than half their fortifications had been destroyed.
They requested artillery support.
His face dark and still as water, Li Guozhong immediately ordered their artillery battalion to return fire.
Hit the enemy firing positions. Give those bastards hell!
After an hour-long artillery exchange.
The red side's tank and armored regiments rapidly advanced.
They closed in on the residential buildings along the city's edge.
The phones at Li Guozhong's headquarters rang nonstop. Every position except the rear was requesting reinforcements.
A staff officer beside him finally could not hold back and suggested,
"Division Commander, should we consider splitting off some of the rear troops to reinforce these positions in crisis?"
"You're wrong. The rear may not have fired a single shot yet, but in my view, that's where the real crisis is!"
"What do you mean, Division Commander? I don't understand."
"You'll understand soon enough!"
After speaking, Li Guozhong looked at the staff officer and said gravely,
"Orders from division headquarters: the First Tank Regiment is to stay nailed to the rear. Without my orders, they are not to move a single step! If their negligence costs us that position, I won't let their commander off!"
"The enemy they'll face will be ten thousand times more terrifying than the enemy our frontline positions are facing now!"
"Yes, sir!"
The staff officer immediately relayed headquarters' orders.
Li Guozhong gazed out the window, his eyes steady.
His clenched palms were slick with cold sweat.
He wondered how the reconnaissance team he had sent out was doing.
Whether they could locate the red side's division headquarters would play a crucial role in the battle.
Four hours later.
The frontal assault grew increasingly frenzied.
The pressure was too great.
Their positions were almost impossible to hold.
The east was in crisis!
The south was in crisis!
The west was in crisis!!
Just then, the telephone rang.
Even more shocking news arrived.
The red side had actually airdropped large numbers of paratroopers to conduct infiltration operations.
Even airborne special forces had already been spotted among residential buildings not far from division headquarters.
Li Guozhong's expression remained unchanged as he issued one order after another in a low voice.
He secured a tight defensive perimeter around division headquarters.
As long as headquarters remained safe, the so-called infiltration would have little significance!
Elsewhere.
Division Commander Kong leaned back in his chair at headquarters, holding a military-issue enamel mug.
He gently blew twice over the rising steam.
"Slurp-"
A mouthful of hot water went down, leaving his whole body feeling comfortable.
Then he slowly said to the staff officer beside him,
"Relay orders from division headquarters: the exoskeleton armored regiment is to attack. They must capture the blue army's division command post within one hour!"