Chapter 216: When Out, One

The Type 63 Armored Personnel Carrier is amphibious, with a total weight of 12.6 tons, armor thickness of 14 mm, capable of withstanding conventional small‑caliber fire.

It has an inline six‑cylinder water‑cooled diesel engine, and its main weapon is a Type 59 12.7 mm machine gun.

The crew consists of two operators, and it can transport 11–13 soldiers onto the battlefield.

In the Seventh Company maintenance workshop, Gao Feng clapped his palm on the steel plate and introduced the vehicle's performance to Lu Yang.

He then opened the rear door and invited him inside for a look.

"Come, let me take you inside for a look!"

Gao Feng was the first to crawl in, and Lu Yang followed closely into the cabin.

The interior space was far larger than he had imagined, all cold, hard steel plates.

A skylight overhead served as the machine‑gunner's firing position, while the front area was where the driver and observer stood.

"How does it feel?"

"Very secure."

Lu Yang's answer made Gao Feng burst into laughter.

With bullets flying everywhere on the battlefield, hiding inside such an iron lump naturally feels very secure.

"But compared to protective performance and armor thickness, against a tank this is just paper‑thin."

"Also, I need to correct you: the term 'Type 63 Infantry Fighting Vehicle' you used earlier is inaccurate."

"Huh?"

Lu Yang was a bit surprised; as far as he knew, everyone called it that.

Gao Feng sat in his seat and gave Lu Yang a serious briefing: "Many people confuse infantry fighting vehicles with armored personnel carriers, thinking they are the same, but they are not."

"When I first entered the military academy's mechanized command program, I couldn't tell them apart; the two models look so similar at first glance."

"In reality, infantry fighting vehicles have thicker steel plates, stronger protection, and usually side doors; they are designed to accompany tanks in assaults."

"An armored personnel carrier, as the name suggests, is primarily used to rapidly transport rear‑area troops onto the front line; transport is its main role, with follow‑up combat secondary."

As he acquired this new knowledge, Lu Yang's mental picture of the two concepts became clearer.

In fact, not only he, but many veterans also tend to mix them up.

For light infantry, any vehicle with armor—regardless of thickness—is an immovable iron turtle.

But this raised a question for Lu Yang: "Since the Seventh Company mainly uses Type 63 Armored Personnel Carriers for transport, why do you call yourselves an armored company instead of a mechanized infantry company?"

"Your question hits the nail on the head."

Gao Feng grinned broadly, his smile especially bright: "The Seventh Company used to be a mechanized infantry company; after I took the post, I persuaded the Regiment Commander to acquire three tanks, greatly boosting firepower."

"Although they are the oldest‑model tanks, this setup barely meets the threshold for an armored battalion."

Lu Yang was surprised: "So you're saying the ones that gave us a hard time in the exercises were actually mechanized infantry? If the Seventh Company were a properly organized armored unit, could the firepower be even stronger?"

Gao Feng chuckled: "That's the idea, but the Regiment lacks the funds for upgrades, so we make do with armored personnel carriers; after all, most ordinary soldiers don't know the difference."

Lu Yang was also exasperated; together they spent time stalling, and the units they eliminated weren't genuine armored forces.

Instead, they forcibly used tanks to boost firepower while the mechanized infantry remained primarily a transport force.

As for why Gao Feng wants to lump mechanized infantry onto the armored side,

the answer is obvious.

Because "armored troops" sound fierce and hard.

It reminded him of a World‑War‑II anti‑Japanese TV drama he had once watched.

The military district commander Chen Dàléi had three battalions under him: the first and second were still being formed, only the third existed; within the third battalion there was only a third company, while the first and second companies were pending construction.

Gao Feng's move was analogous, because when you're out in the world, your identity is self‑assigned.

Whether the Seventh Company is mechanized infantry or armored troops, you can at least say they have tanks, armored transport vehicles, and many armored fighting vehicles, right?

If a half‑hearted armored company like the Seventh Company struggles this much, imagine a fully equipped armored unit with self‑propelled artillery, tanks, and infantry fighting vehicles.

In an exercise, our defensive positions would likely be blasted open at first sight.

That feeling made Lu Yang uncomfortable, even giving him an inexplicable sense of crisis.

Within the unit, opposing‑force exercises are held annually to test the soldiers' combat proficiency.

Another regiment‑scale opposing exercise is scheduled for next year, but the opponent is still unknown.

If the Special Third Regiment, which is primarily light and mechanized infantry, were to face a genuine armored infantry regiment, the outcome would be predictable.

Lu Yang asked, "Company Commander, on the battlefield, when light infantry meets armored troops, do they really just wait to be run over? Is there any way to turn the tide, or any weakness of armored vehicles?"

Gao Feng seemed to anticipate his question: "That's why you came to get a close‑up look at the tank, right?"

"Exactly!"

Having gone through exercises, Lu Yang understood roughly what a battlefield looks like.

If war actually broke out, he hopes to be able to do something on the battlefield.

Rather than, when support doesn't arrive, helplessly watching a herd of steel beasts crush comrades' bones and trample the land he fought to defend.

Although in the next decade or so drone technology will advance rapidly, even becoming a nightmare for tanks and armored vehicles on the battlefield.

But at present drone tech is still nascent; aside from aerial suppression, it is hard to find anything that can truly threaten tanks and infantry fighting vehicles.

Gao Feng didn't hide anything; he led him to the driver's compartment of the armored personnel carrier and pointed to a narrow slit that barely revealed the outside.

"Do you see this? It's called the observation port, fitted with a piece of bullet‑proof glass; the driver and observer use it to check direction."

"There's also a periscope for confirming the heading; if you can destroy both, you'll deprive the armored vehicle of direction, and the same applies to tanks."

"However, against a tank, a sniper rifle isn't enough. You'd need anti‑sniper gear and special armor‑piercing rounds."

Afterward, Gao Feng took him outside and pointed to the machine‑gun firing position on the tank's roof.

"During the exercises you knocked out our machine‑gunners several times; have you ever considered this question?

"If you could accurately fire a cluster grenade, a rifle‑grenade, or a mortar round into that spot, would it also cause internal damage?"

"I get it!" Lu Yang suddenly realized: "When dealing with armored units, don't try to smash the armor itself; you have to find a way to bypass the armor and kill the people inside!"

"Hahaha, you understand it thoroughly, that's exactly it!" Gao Feng: "However, this difficulty is far greater than precise shooting; opportunities on the battlefield flash by, not so easy to seize."

"The opponent isn't stupid either; they won't give you a grenade that blows up everyone in the vehicle. So, I personally think having extra anti‑tank weapons is definitely the right move."

"In your last exercise, you were a bit light on it; the 40mm fire can threaten armored vehicles, but its lethality is limited."

"Especially in combat, I always put the tank at the front and the armored personnel carrier behind; hitting that thing on the tank is just a scratch."

"And once a tank fires a shell, it can easily destroy one of your fire‑support points..."

After chatting with Gao Feng, Lu Yang truly felt he had benefited greatly.

Knowledge gained from books remains shallow; true mastery requires personal practice.

This trip wasn't in vain; the milk, fruit, and cigarettes weren't bought in vain either.

Not only did I learn the difference between infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers, but also discovered some of the tank's weaknesses.

Gao Feng, hands on hips, said with a smug grin: "How about it, have you now witnessed the strength of the Hard Bone Company? Iron Foot, no matter how you maneuver and interlace, you still can't break our Golden Bell Shield."

"When you have time later, you can come over more often; I'll let you feel the tank's condition when it starts moving."

"The premise is you mustn't get motion sickness, otherwise I'll have to give you a plastic bag to prevent you from vomiting from head to toe, hahaha."

Lu Yang doesn't get motion sickness, but the diesel smell inside the cabin is indeed strong; a motion‑sick person would find it hard to endure.

Just as Gao Feng was taking him into the tank to experience it, Guo Yongwen jogged over.

He announced that the small Cafeteria's meals were ready, and they could go eat.

"Let's go eat first, then we'll look again later."

"The tank is parked here for maintenance; it can't run away."

"I'm not bragging, but our Cafeteria definitely cooks better than yours in the Sixth Company."

"Lu Yang, why has your shoulder insignia become a Non‑commissioned Officer Rank?"

In the small Cafeteria's dining hall, Ding Tengfei's eyes widened in shock before he even sat down.

Before Lu Yang could explain, Guo Yongwen spoke first: "Lu Yang distinguished himself in the exercise, earned the Four‑Excellence Outstanding Soldier medal, was promoted early by the Regiment to Non‑commissioned Officer, and now serves as their First Platoon Leader."

"You must work hard and strive to be like this fellow villager of yours."

Ding Tengfei looked at him in disbelief: "What? You, you became a Platoon Leader?"

Lu Yang smiled and said: "Acting, just acting."

Ding Tengfei was utterly shocked.

They say a day apart makes you look at each other with new eyes.

It's only been a week since we last met, and Lu Yang has risen from Deputy Squad Leader to Acting Platoon Leader, also receiving the Four‑Excellence Outstanding Soldier.

This rate of progress is truly like riding a sky‑leaping monkey—so fast!