44: War begins: Xinhua News Agency!

Mengshi Composite Brigade Station.

The morning mist had not yet dispersed, but the Mengshi Protected Assault Vehicles and Lynx All-Terrain Assault Vehicles had already assembled.

Rows of armored vehicles stood like an iron wall, their bulletproof armor reflecting a cold gleam.

Three thousand young warriors’ eyes burned with a silent flame, awaiting the order to depart.

During these days of combat training, the Mengshi Composite Brigade had also kept abreast of border movements through newspapers and radio.

When they learned that the Viet Cong dared to forcibly occupy Dragon Country territory, move Dragon Country border markers, and kill and slander Dragon Country border militias,

They wished they could directly tear apart the ungrateful wolf pups of Yue Hou Country!

Now, they finally received the emergency assembly order.

“The order was issued yesterday!”

“Is everyone ready?”

After Chief Consultant Peng Lin arrived at the station and saw the formation, he couldn't help but ask loudly.

“Always ready!”

Three thousand warriors of the Mengshi Composite Brigade shouted in unison.

At the same time, they all removed their caps, revealing three thousand shaved heads.

After receiving the order issued by Chief Consultant Peng Lin yesterday, every member of the Mengshi Composite Brigade, from the brigade commander to the last warrior, had shaved their heads overnight.

Shaving heads before battle was something only the sharpest assault companies did.

This was done to facilitate rescue by medics if they were severely wounded.

Because the assault companies had another nickname, “Daredevil Squad,” and they carried out life-or-death combat missions like blowing up bunkers.

Now, all three thousand warriors of the Mengshi Composite Brigade had made the same preparations as a “Daredevil Squad”!

“Good!”

“Brothers, our Mengshi Composite Brigade will use the best equipment to fight the toughest battles, and at the same time, achieve the greatest merits!”

“Building achievements and establishing a family lineage, it’s all in this battle!”

“Depart!”

Chief Consultant Peng Lin shouted.

Subsequently, all the warriors ran and jumped onto the mengshi and Lynx assault vehicles.

The mengshi convoy formed a wedge, its V-shaped mine-resistant chassis plowing through gravel, its rubber tracks sparking on the stones, and a thirty-meter sandstorm rising from its rear.

The even larger Lynx All-Terrain Assault Vehicle convoy followed closely behind, heading together to the railway station.

With a major war imminent, all railway lines leading to the Southern border had been urgently requisitioned.

Whether in the North or the Central regions, train cars were transporting troops and supplies to the front lines.

The Mengshi Composite Brigade would also be transported by train to the Lingxi border.

As for the Z-8 helicopter fleet, it would transport a large batch of new weapons, equipment, and ammunition from the Changhe General Factory, arriving at the front line ahead of time... 20 hours later.

Chief Consultant Peng Lin and the Mengshi Composite Brigade finally arrived at the border of Lingxi Province.

Here, there was a continuous border line of over seven hundred kilometers with Yue Hou Country.

The Eastern Front Operations Command was also located here.

After disembarking from the train, Chief Consultant Peng Lin immediately took a Z-8 transport helicopter to the Xiyuan Guesthouse in the suburbs of Ning City.

This was the general headquarters for the Eastern Front operations.

When Chief Consultant Peng Lin, dressed in military uniform, entered the command room, he found it covered with battle maps.

Operations staff moved back and forth throughout the command room, coordinating logistics and troop movements.

In addition, telephone rings and reports intertwined.

Everyone was working efficiently in preparation for the war.

Led by General Xu Liyou’s guard, Chief Consultant Peng Lin met the Old General, who had a stern expression and was intently studying the battle map.

“Report, Commander!”

“Chief Consultant Peng Lin reporting to you!”

He stood at attention, saluted, and shouted loudly.

Upon hearing Chief Consultant Peng Lin’s voice, General Xu Liyou suddenly snapped out of his thoughts.

He looked at Chief Consultant Peng Lin, his eyes beaming with joy.

“Excellent!”

“Our ace army has arrived!”

“Our Chief Consultant for operations has also arrived!”

“Now I finally feel much more at ease!”

The Old General said with a hearty laugh.

Although he was joking, anyone with a discerning eye could see that his expression had indeed lightened considerably after Chief Consultant Peng Lin’s arrival.

“Chief Consultant Peng Lin, come and see, this is the Southern port of Yue Hou Country.”

“Through here, the Soviet Union has transported a total of 20 MiG-21 fighter jets, over 400 T-54/55 tanks, 50 BM-21 rocket launchers, over 100 anti-aircraft guns, and thousands of anti-aircraft missiles to Yue Hou in the past few days!”

“This equipment has already made Yue Hou Country the first country in Southeast Asia to possess third-generation fighter jets and mechanized armored formations!”

“Furthermore, I estimate that the Soviet Union is also using satellites and electronic reconnaissance to spy on our army and provide deployment information to Yue Hou!”

General Xu Liyou explained to Chief Consultant Peng Lin using the map.

At this moment, Chief Consultant Peng Lin finally understood why the Old General was so worried.

Because in this war, although Dragon Country was ostensibly fighting Yue Hou Country,

In reality, the Soviet Union was fighting a proxy war.

Through equipment and material support, as well as battlefield intelligence, they had already armed the Yue Hou Country forces to the teeth.

And most importantly, the Soviet Union had actually supplied Yue Hou with thousands of anti-aircraft missiles.

This was not good news for Dragon Country.

After all, according to the plans of General Xu Liyou and Chief Consultant Peng Lin, they were preparing to use Z-8s to engage in air-delivered tactical warfare with the enemy!

“These supplies shouldn’t have reached the front lines yet, right?”

Chief Consultant Peng Lin asked.

According to his estimate, no matter how fast the Soviet Union acted, they would have only become alert and taken action roughly after Zheng Gong’s visit to the USA.

So even if these supplies had reached Yue Hou Country, it would likely take some time to transport them from the South to the North.

“That’s right, they were first stored in the Southern armories, and relevant troops began training.”

“Once these troops are familiar with the Bear-supplied equipment, they will be deployed to the front lines.”

General Xu Liyou said.

“That’s good then.”

“Our top priority is to reconnoiter the location of this batch of Bear-supplied arms.”

“As long as we know the location, everything will be easy!”

Chief Consultant Peng Lin replied after some thought.

Once the battle began, this batch of Bear-supplied arms would undoubtedly be the top priority target for the sickle suicide drones!

After destroying the enemy’s anti-aircraft missile armories, the Z-8s could then relatively safely deliver the Mengshi Composite Brigade to the rear and heartland of Yue Hou.

And they could continuously deliver logistical supplies to support the Mengshi Composite Brigade’s sustained operations!

“Have the deployment situations of the Yue Hou front-line troops been reconnoitered yet?”

Chief Consultant Peng Lin asked again.

The Mengshi Composite Brigade was an ace in their hands and must play a decisive role in the war.

Therefore, before that, Chief Consultant Peng Lin had to understand the relevant battlefield situation to make effective judgments.

“Chief of Staff Li, please brief Chief Consultant Peng Lin on the Yue Hou front-line deployment situation.”

General Xu Liyou looked to the side and said.

“Yes.”

“First, let me explain our army’s deployment. Our operations are divided into the Eastern Front and Western Front, with the Eastern Front in Lingxi Province being the main attacking force.”

“The Western Front is in Caiyun Province, responsible for feint attacks and blocking two divisions of Yue Hou’s reinforcement troops.”

“Yue Hou has deployed a total of 9 combat divisions, 8 production divisions, and over 30 independent regiments along the Northern border.”

“Among them, the 346th Division, 3rd Division, and 316A Division, three ace divisions equipped with Soviet-style equipment, are strategically deployed in key directions such as Cao Bằng, Lạng Sơn, and Sa Pa.”

“According to defensive depth, they have divided their defense line into three tiers.”

“The first tier, within 20 kilometers of our border, mainly consists of militias and local forces, setting up ambush points in mountain passes, with a platoon of troops deployed every 3-5 kilometers.”

“The second tier, 20-50 kilometers from our border, deploys mobile field units, ready to support the first line at any time.”

“The third tier, beyond 50 kilometers from our border, has a large number of defensive fortifications built.”

Chief of Staff Li drew three lines on the map, explaining Yue Hou’s defensive deployments one by one.

In this battle, the military command’s order was to swiftly advance directly to the Viet Cong Capital, Hanoi City, to force Yue Hou to withdraw troops from Cambodia and Laos.

It was about rapid maneuver warfare and capitalizing on time differences, not a protracted war of attrition.

It had to be a quick victory!

But to reach the Viet Cong Capital, the first thing to break through was these three defense lines.

General Xu Liyou had promised the military command that the defense lines would be breached within two weeks of the battle commencing.

Therefore, they had to quickly formulate decisive and powerful breakthrough tactics.

Subsequently, Chief Consultant Peng Lin, General Xu Liyou, and the other operations staff all ate and slept in the command room.

They discussed operational plans and tactical applications day and night.

In the previous life, both civilians and the military had conducted extensive reviews of the self-defense counterattack.

And the Z-8, Sniper Grenade, Individual Thermobaric Weapon, sickle suicide drone, and Mengshi Composite Brigade were all weapons and equipment developed by Chief Consultant Peng Lin specifically for operations against Yue Hou Country.

So, one astonishing tactical plan and related contingency plan after another were all brought up by Chief Consultant Peng Lin.

Over the next few days, General Xu Liyou and the operations staff continuously simulated Chief Consultant Peng Lin’s tactical plans on the sand table.

But no matter how many times they simulated, they all came to an astonishing conclusion.

Only seven days!

No!

If Chief Consultant Peng Lin’s operational plan was resolutely executed,

It would even take only five days for the Dragon Country army to reach the gates of the Viet Cong Capital, Hanoi City!

Within five days, defeating Yue Hou Country’s boast of being the world’s third military power!

This conclusion couldn't help but shock General Xu Liyou and the operations staff at the command center!

Chief Consultant Peng Lin’s modern mechanized composite force combat style completely overturned their traditional combat thinking!

That day.

When all the meticulous operational plans were finalized, General Xu Liyou reported to the military command.

The next day, Zheng Gong and the military command approved the plan overnight and immediately responded:

The troops would rest for one day, and at noon on the second day, the self-defense counterattack would begin!

Time, minute by minute, flowed by.

Most of the personnel in the operations command were dozing, getting their last bit of energy.

Large-scale army operations were most exhausting, and they might not have a chance to sleep for days and nights.

Front-line combat units entered their final mobilization.

Warriors wiped their equipment, and trucks transported letters home.

At the same time, trucks of Maotai were transported to the barracks.

This was the wish of many warriors.

They always heard people talk about Maotai liquor, Maotai liquor, and they wanted to taste what Maotai liquor was like before going to the battlefield!

The army bought all the Maotai liquor in the entire province and sent it to the barracks.

After a night.

Chief Consultant Peng Lin, well-rested, woke up in the command room.

At the same time, Xinhua News Agency began broadcasting to the entire nation and the world!

Unbearable, no need to endure anymore!

The self-defense counterattack, has begun!