133: Both sides believe that "our army will win this battle", so what should we do?

“Gentlemen, how should we fight this battle?”

Inside the Anti-War Army mountain base, Fang Le convened a high-level meeting to ask his generals.

Yue Hanshan: “The American military's total strength is estimated at 150,000, while the People's Army currently numbers 15,000, exactly a 10-fold difference.”

“It's not cost-effective to directly confront an American military that is 10 times our size. Moreover, the American military, like us, occupies mountainous terrain and has constructed a large number of fortifications, though their fortifications are not as complete or as deep as the People's Army's.”

“I think it's best to use strategy.”

Fang Le: “Uh, in modern warfare, are strategies still useful?”

One reason ancient strategies were prevalent was the backwardness of communication methods and inefficient reconnaissance. However, in modern warfare, as soon as your troops move, they might be detected by the American military, so strategies can basically only be used at the tactical level.

Yue Hanshan: “As long as the American military does not have full control over the People's Army's intelligence, strategies can be formulated, and in this battlefield, the People's Army happens to have such a huge advantage.”

Fang Le: “Then tell me how to use strategy.”

Under Yue Hanshan's explanation, Fang Le's thinking became clearer and clearer.

Fang Le thought to himself, so that's how it is. It seems the People's Army will surely win this battle.

—

“The People's Army will surely win this battle!”

At the U.S. Military's Suppression (suppression headquarters), the newly appointed Commander-in-Chief Douglas said with conviction.

At this moment, high-ranking military officers of the suppression headquarters were gathered in the command center.

Among them, there was a large sand table covering the entire MacDonnell Ranges.

Now, after various summary analyses, the sand table was covered with small flags, and after multiple wargame simulations, the final results all showed the U.S. Military's blue flags filling the entire mountain range, completely devouring the Anti-War Army's red flags.

Douglas was clearly a general with a strong desire to perform. Throughout his analysis and narration, his voice, tone, and movements were highly infectious, making the listening generals go from confusion to sudden enlightenment, and then finally to full confidence, as if all the problems discovered before were no longer problems.

“The People's Army will surely win!”

They also started shouting along.

Only one person did not shout along, and he didn't smile much throughout.

Douglas announced the meeting adjourned and kept the person who hadn't smiled behind.

“General Aris, do you have any opinions on my analysis?”

This—

Aris was, after all, a deputy general, and this was a very important war, so he had to explain:

“No, Commander-in-Chief Douglas, your analysis is largely correct, but I must remind you that we are not facing local armed forces from the Middle East, but the Anti-War Army. This army once survived the previous Darwin City offensive and defensive battle.”

Douglas's face showed disdain.

“General Aris, you'd best not mention your Darwin City offensive and defensive battle. In that war, if you hadn't been so hesitant in the early stages, slowing down subsequent attacks because of excessive losses on the first day, why would it have taken so long to capture, and allowed the American military to find an opportunity to reverse the situation? Everyone says you're a hawk, but I don't think you are.”

Aris choked.

He had reflected countless times after that war, wondering if, if that war were to restart, he would have used city-destroying attack methods from the very beginning.

But reality offers no second chances.

Seeing Aris's discomfited look, Douglas felt secretly pleased.

This guy, of impure blood, actually satirized him, saying that the experience he relied on was only commanding and participating in wars in the Middle East, which is what many people online criticize as so-called counter-insurgency warfare.

He wanted to prove that the Anti-War Army and the Middle East armed forces were no different in essence!

It's just mountain warfare, what, is there no mountain in the Middle East?

Even when it comes to guerrilla tactics, he, Douglas, is an expert!

Aris reluctantly clamped his mouth shut.

Douglas was waiting for the United States' troops to finish their offensive deployment when he received a report from his chief of staff:

“General, the Anti-War Army has attacked.”

Ah?

More proactive than me?

Douglas: “Is it still that kind of harassment warfare as before?”

Chief of Staff: “No, it's the Anti-War Army's long-range artillery units attacking the People's Army.”

Douglas: “Bring up the satellite images for me to see.”

Soon, multiple sets of satellite views appeared on the multimedia large screen.

One could see that within the Anti-War Army's general territory, which is the central area of the MacDonnell Ranges, there were many missile and artillery shell contrails.

In some previously normal-looking mountain peaks, valleys, and mountainsides, many hidden artillery positions and even missile silos had appeared.

Douglas burst into laughter.

After taking over the U.S. Military, his biggest frustration was the lack of intelligence on the Anti-War Army.

Those bandit troops seemed to possess the ability to vanish into mountains and burrow into the ground; they couldn't be found during the day, but at night they appeared and disappeared like ghosts, moving freely.

At this moment, the American military finally exposed their hidden firepoints!

A chief of staff asked: “Why is the General laughing?”

Douglas: “I laugh at the bandit troops' lack of strategy.”

Next, the chief of staff reported the trajectory and bombardment effects of those artillery shells and missiles.

“General, the missiles and artillery shells launched by the American military targeted some of the People's Army's mountain fortifications deep within the mountainous interior. About 80% of the attacks were intercepted by the People's Army's air defense fire, with the remainder hitting their targets.”

“General, should the People's Army launch a counterattack?”

Douglas: “Hmm, wait a little longer.”

Next, Anti-War Army firepoints appeared in multiple other locations and began long-range attacks.

For a time, artillery shells and missiles flew towards the U.S. Military's forward positions.

And those U.S. Military forward positions were hit one after another, being damaged or even destroyed.

Douglas remained unmoved until all of the Anti-War Army's long-range fire finally ceased.

Douglas instructed: “Record the coordinates of all Anti-War Army firepoints, especially the locations of those fixed artillery positions and missile silos, to use as calibration references for our next wave of counterattack firing data.”

Aris had already understood Douglas's intention and did not interject.

Douglas clearly intended to use those U.S. Military forward positions as a decoy, to expose as many of the Anti-War Army's hidden firepoints as possible, so that the U.S. Military could then target and destroy them in a counterattack.

Those U.S. Military forward positions were originally prepared for long-term stationing in the mountains, and most were not yet completed, so their destruction had little impact. However, since the Anti-War Army had been operating in this mountain range for a longer time, they had set up many hidden firepoints in advance, which still posed a threat to the U.S. Military. Now, sacrificing the less useful positions in exchange for the American military's firepoint locations was very cost-effective.

But Aris always felt that things were not that simple.

He was someone who had directly engaged with the Anti-War Army; logically, the Anti-War Army's high command wouldn't be so foolish as to expose their trump cards at the very beginning of the war.

Therefore, he couldn't help but speak up.

“Your Excellency General Douglas—”

Douglas turned his head to look at him.

“What is it?”

Aris: “Uh… I just wanted to ask, what do you plan to do next about these exposed Anti-War Army firepoints?”

Douglas had thought Aris was going to question his decision again, but now that he had backed down, he confidently replied:

“Of course, we will leverage the People's Army's firepower advantage and use those ‘high-power weapons’!”

Previously, in the pre-war analysis meeting, Douglas did not simply consider the U.S. Military's numerical superiority as the primary advantage, but rather the U.S. Military's firepower.

According to existing intelligence, the Anti-War Army's equipment basically came from the U.S. Military, and it was all conventional weaponry and ammunition. To be honest, their firepower ceiling was not high, and the U.S. Military had not given truly terrifying things to the Anti-War Army.

Now, this was the U.S. Military's advantage.

“Fire—”

Douglas issued the counterattack order.