Chapter 563: Depth Strategy, Trading Space for Time

Report, Commander: the front‑line C position has been ambushed and is currently under a fierce Red attack!

Report: west of Area A of the front‑line beachhead position, Red amphibious landing vehicles have launched two successive probing charges; in about half an hour a large‑scale landing is expected, and our defenses may be unable to hold.

Report: near the farmland in G sector, two furtive locals were found; suspected of being Red reconnaissance soldiers infiltrating to gather intelligence, our sentries have captured and interrogated them!

Supplementary report: the furtive locals were not Red scouts but two dog thieves; they were beaten and handed over to the villagers for disposal...

Behind the position, the Blue Army Headquarters has just finished setting up, and all departments have moved into their stations to commence work promptly.

Unexpectedly, just as the command communications system was erected, a series of adverse reports began arriving one after another.

Wang Zhongxi stood before the sand table, a cigarette between his fingers, his brows slightly furrowed: "The Red offensive is more ferocious than we imagined; no wonder they're the premier sea‑and‑land unit, their skill is truly exceptional."

Tan Yuanzhou: "The staff argues for concentrating more troops to hold the forward positions; as long as we can keep the Red forces confined to the coastal area and prevent them from breaching the outer defensive positions, the rear will have greater maneuvering space."

Wang Zhongxi took the several operation plans handed over by the division Chief of Staff, skimmed them quickly, and ultimately shook his head.

Division Chief of Staff: "Commander, the Red forces are surging, clearly aiming to break through our outer defenses in one push; at this moment, if we do not reinforce the front‑line defenses to blunt their advance..."

"If they manage to break through, the rear will become precarious; then the Red reconnaissance units could infiltrate, and the General Headquarters would also be in danger."

Wang Zhongxi kept smoking, his brows tightly knit, gave no answer, and instead posed a question.

"Why, even though we have already adjusted our operation plan, can the Red side still discern our dispositions and launch targeted attacks?"

"This issue is inexplicable; no matter how many troops we pour to the front, it's of no avail."

The division Chief of Staff didn't know how to answer; he too had just sensed something amiss, but could not pinpoint it.

Tan Yuanzhou also could offer no explanation; after all, the exercise had only just begun, making it hard to obtain concrete intelligence.

To discern a pattern, more combat and intelligence data are needed for verification, not merely speculation or guesswork.

Wang Zhongxi suddenly asked: "Has Lu Yang's side made contact?"

"No contact."

"Keep trying; notify me immediately if there's any news."

"Understood."

The division Chief of Staff left, and Tan Yuanzhou came up, anxiously asking: "Logically they should have contacted us by now; with no word yet, could they have been hit by the Red forces?"

Wang Zhongxi exhaled a thick plume of smoke: "Given the current situation, the likelihood is high; but with Lu Yang's cleverness, a total annihilation seems unlikely."

"So the radio shutdown was also for safety, to evade tracking?"

"Probably, but we'll know for sure only once contact is reestablished."

Suddenly, a communications soldier at the control console shouted toward us.

"We have news: Company Commander Lu has proactively contacted Headquarters."

"Connect immediately!"

Wang Zhongxi sprinted forward, taking the headset and microphone in one swift motion.

"Hello, this is Wang Zhongxi. What's the situation on your side?"

"Report, Commander."

On the other end, Lu Yang was slightly out of breath.

Carrying all that gear on a forced march, even he was thoroughly exhausted.

Lu Yang was now resting in place, briefly recounting the earlier events over the radio.

Tan Yuanzhou leaned in, and after hearing the report, his voice rose an octave: "What did you say, you shot down a Red armed helicopter?"

Lu Yang: "It was Zhou Kaidong and Guo Yongwen who downed it with surface‑to‑air missiles..."

"Good, good, good!"

Wang Zhongxi and the others were overjoyed.

They had assumed Lu Yang's side had suffered a loss.

But it turned out the opponent's loss was no less than ours.

An armed helicopter on the battlefield can cause massive destruction; against troops without air‑defense weapons, a division could wipe out a company in ten minutes with ease.

This news greatly boosts morale, thereby indirectly raising the combat effectiveness of the Blue Army's soldiers!

Wang Zhongxi asked: "Where are you currently positioned?"

Lu Yang: "Commander, we did not follow the planned route to the xx position to link up with friendly forces; instead we abandoned the vehicles and marched on foot along an alternate path."

"Why do that? It costs several hours and heavily drains your stamina."

"Commander, I have a suspicion; but before that, may I ask how the front line is faring now?"

"Not good."

Wang Zhongxi said gravely: "The Red side has already launched its attack, and their targeting is precise; not only have they avoided our pre‑set traps, they're launching targeted assaults on several key positions, just as if..."

Lu Yang cut him off: "Like opening a 'Heaven's Eye', right?"

Wang Zhongxi's heart thumped: "You suspect..."

Lu Yang: "I suspect the Red side employed information‑technology—like a global‑view system that can pinpoint our location and movements with precision."

"Our battalion's marching route, before departure, no one besides me knew."

"We even took only minor paths for safety, and randomly chose a side road along the way."

"In other words, which road to take and which direction to go were decided on the spot; for enemy aircraft to still lock onto us for a surprise strike, this is the only explanation."

Tan Yuanzhou: "But the Red regiment we're fighting has no electronic warfare or information‑technology troops; we already had their capabilities figured out, so how could they suddenly grasp the whole picture?"

Wang Zhongxi said in a steel‑cold tone: "Force‑fed in!"

"How despicable!"

"Is this not a violation?"

"If the directing department didn't call a stop, it's not a violation."

"The current issue is how to resolve this; if we keep sending troops to the front while the opponent continuously intensifies its attack, they will eventually breach a gap, and the loss of rear positions is only a matter of time."

At the Headquarters, when everyone was caught in a dilemma, Lu Yang over there put forward his suggestion.

To be precise, it was the conclusion he and Gao Feng, Ma Qing'an, and He Zhen Tao reached after discussion.

"Chief, the opinion we jointly discussed is to adopt a deep strategy; trade space for time!"