“You’re right. I’m not too busy right now, so I’ll go over and keep an eye on things myself.”
The old king said solemnly.
But whether he was really there to keep an eye on things, Xia Yu was too embarrassed to call him out on it.
"In just over a month, it will be the 9th Warrior Competition International Special Forces Competition, but no amount of competition can compare to a real battle."
The two continued chatting, and soon the conversation turned to the old king's proudest matches.
Ordinary people who are interested in special operations typically know a great deal about the establishment and development of special forces in various countries and collect related merchandise through various channels.
The king, who is fond of special operations, will hold a special forces competition, inviting renowned special forces forces from around the world to compete for the top spots.
But just as His Majesty the King said, competitions can determine who is superior, but real combat only determines life and death.
As a privately owned commercial company, past practical experience is the best resume.
"Back then, I also wanted to become a special forces soldier, but unfortunately I was still a bit short of it."
Xia Yu also remarked with emotion.
But he should stick to vehicle combat; special operations require talent.
"This must be fate! If you had become a special forces soldier, the concentrated fire defense would not be what it is now."
The old king was right. After retiring from special operations, given Xia Yu's restless nature, he'll have to start his own business.
Because there is no room for development in China, they may go abroad to find opportunities and start a PMC company that focuses on special operations and vehicle combat.
After all, without a system, there's no way to do any major modifications or integrations, and the vehicles equipped are most likely to be cheap and durable Soviet-made products.
Having a T-72 or BMP-2 is like having a treasure, and these are the main targets that Jihuo Defense is currently eliminating.
After hanging up the phone, Xia Yu found Old Ye to discuss the next steps of the operation.
"That's the situation right now. My men have to leave for at least a week, but the offensive can't stop."
Even if it's just a probing operation, the offensive to seize Balmira has already begun, and it cannot be stopped without a good reason.
During this period, the frontal feint attack will be carried out by Grenadier and the government forces, while the armored vehicle convoys responsible for concentrated fire defense will provide support.
"I understand, watch us!"
Old Yev said with great confidence.
They also had a way to get through quickly without removing the observation posts at Barmila Castle.
For example, these two TDA-3 self-propelled smoke generators were just transferred from the T-4 base.
Smoke generators modified from aircraft engines can cover the entire battlefield more effectively than smoke grenades, not to mention that they release thermal smoke screens that even thermal imaging cannot penetrate.
"If you ask me, it would be better to just blow up that castle. It's just blocking the way and getting in the way."
Standing in front of these two smoke-generating vehicles that had just been delivered and equipped last year, Old Yev couldn't help but complain.
"Ace will definitely be happy for us to do this, so we can't let them have their way. It's a bit of a hassle, but so be it!"
Xia Yu comforted Old Ye Fu.
In fact, this real battlefield is also the best testing ground for new equipment.
Old Yev may have complained about the trouble, but he was also curious to see how feasible this new tactic was.
Looking at the Oslo people's self-propelled smoke generator, Xia Yu couldn't help but think of a piece of equipment from his hometown that was much more efficient than this thing.
To deal with this situation, we can develop newer tactics.
This type of smoke-generating vehicle releases a thermal smoke screen to conceal itself, while a rocket smoke-generating vehicle can conceal the enemy.
Although designed to block out the sky and interfere with laser-guided weapons, laying the directional tube flat and firing thin-shell smoke rockets into Barmila Castle would essentially blind the enemy.
Leaving aside whether these anti-tank rockets can even hit their targets accurately, the heavy machine guns can only spray bullets ineffectively, offering no precision or suppression whatsoever, and are extremely insulting.
Xia Yu was quite envious of these thin-shell smoke rockets and wrote a report to prepare to buy some.
Firefighting operations do not require conventional smoke generators, but these rocket-propelled grenades are still necessary.
The BM-21 Hailball can also print 9M43 smoke rockets, but those are not suitable for close-range firing, and the formula is a bit outdated.
"Then we will launch our attack tomorrow."
"Okay, I'll be back tomorrow to join the attack on the city."
Xia Yu sent the person to the meeting and said he would be back the next day. After all, he didn't have much say in special operations, so it was best not to give unsolicited advice.
As long as you maintain regular output, your sales performance will be good.
That night, Andrei drove the Super Hornet to take Xia Yu and Lao Ke, along with 12 others, to the T-4 base.
Li Deling and Wang Kai had confirmed the status of C-160 and retrieved 14 sets (two extra sets as backups) of high-altitude low-opening parachute equipment from the container. All personnel boarded the plane to prepare for their journey to Yogi.
Although he is not very good at special operations, Xia Yu is still willing to invest a lot in this area as a gear enthusiast.
Especially after the deployment of the C-160 tactical transport aircraft, Jihuo Defense had a high-altitude delivery vehicle, so he bought 15 sets of dedicated Halo equipment.
Oxygen masks, oxygen cylinders, and high-altitude, high-load parachutes are priced in tens of thousands of US dollars per set—truly expensive.
But to do something well, you must first have the right tools. If the infiltration operation behind enemy lines is successful, Old Ke and his team can recoup their investment in equipment many times over.
After receiving clearance from the control tower, the C-160 took off and flew towards Yantai.
The flight was short, but instead of going directly to the airport, Lao Li flew over the King Abdullah Special Forces Training Center using the coordinates Xia Yu provided.
"Buzz"
The tail hatch opened, and Xia Yu, secured by a safety rope, watched as his crew jumped down one by one.
They'll start by jumping low and opening low to get a feel for it. They have a week to improve, so they'll take it slow.
Apart from Xia Yu, the boss, all the combat employees participating in this operation jumped out, transforming into parachutes in the low sky and converging towards the training center.
The C-160 turned and headed towards the airport; it was there to pick up cargo as well.
As a neighboring country with a stable situation and no war, Yogi is a good point for resupplying supplies.
Transporting goods via two jumps from Kongluga is too troublesome; it's better to spend a little more money and solve the problem locally.
After having dinner with the old king, Xia Yu learned that Paztan had completed the transfer of two F-16s, so he stayed overnight in Anman.
Lying in bed, he was thinking about what kind of pilots to assign to the two red Fighting Falcons once they were modified.
The aircraft types are all different, so their hometown can't help. But there seems to be a country whose pilots are not only very familiar with the operation of the F-16, but also very familiar with Chinese avionics, and have served as air force substitutes in the Middle East for many years.
Yes, that's the transit point for those two F-16s.
Their air force pilots are internationally renowned, a stark contrast to their arch-rivals, who have been exporting labor for many years.
Xia Yu could easily find two Pakistani pilots, but there's no rush. We can wait until the fighter jets are modified before making a decision.
After having breakfast with Lao Li, the two returned to the airport and watched a refrigerated container being loaded into the cargo hold before preparing to take off and return home.
The refrigerated container is filled with chilled meat and fresh vegetables, enough to last the company for at least a week. Old Wu has another opportunity to put his skills to use.
After returning to T-4 base and conducting intermittent artillery attacks throughout the morning, Grenadier and the government forces were finally ready to launch their offensive into the city after lunch.
Xia Yu arrived just in time and climbed into the combat compartment of the red cheetah. This time, he was a member of the Snow Leopard crew, and the driver had been changed to Domi.
Because Grenadier deployed armored units, the concentrated fire defense force did not deploy its full force this time; they replaced the Leclerc UAE with the Leclerc ARV.
Hans and 06 both went to that armored repair vehicle, which can be considered as providing backup for friendly forces.
Old Yev's T-72B1 is in good condition. With such a foundation, it can be upgraded to a T-72B3 later. So if it breaks down, the Leclerc ARV will help tow it back.
As for the T-64B1M of Jihuo Defense, it has always performed admirably. Xia Yu has reduced the frequency of maintenance, but it still maintains good reliability and has never broken down.
The Marder S30 infantry fighting vehicle is resting today, and the armored vehicle fleet has been reduced to 4 vehicles, which have been incorporated into the 15 vehicles in the Gardner fleet.
Their 2 T-72B1s, 5 T-55s, 3 BMP-2s, and 5 BTR-80s were all deployed, making it look like a decisive battle, but in reality it was a feint attack.
If the concentrated fire defenses don't exert their full strength, even if Gna's armored forces consist of elite crews, they should be prepared to lose more than half of their vehicles if they want to break through the main city of Balmira.
This is the most realistic depiction of urban warfare: if you don't spend money to build up defenses, you have to use human lives to compensate. The two battles of Grozny fully demonstrate this point.
Coincidentally, some of Yev's men did have a crew that had fought in Chechnya.
I wonder if they can find that same feeling again today in Balmyra, driving the same tanks.
With the addition of concentrated fire defense, such a tragic scene will never be repeated.
"Set off!"
Old Yev announced this to everyone over the radio.
"Buzz"
The idling diesel engines began to output power, and a convoy of armored vehicles with a very inconsistent style headed towards the main city of Balmira, more than ten kilometers away.
He didn't go with them. He wasn't a professional like Xia Yu. As the boss, rushing to the front line would have been counterproductive. It was more appropriate for him to stay and guard the artillery position.
"Knock knock knock"
Several D-30 howitzers opened fire in succession, announcing the arrival of the convoy to Ace.
Their plan for this feint attack was simple: not to capture a few streets or occupy a few buildings, but purely to deplete the enemy's manpower.
If we can take down 100 of Ace's men, this sortie won't be a loss; anything more will be a bonus.
Therefore, their activities are limited to the outskirts of the city. Only when Lao Ke and the others return can they venture into the core area.
"Calling Jamil, those Ossiers have intensified their shelling. What's the situation on your end?"
Hussein, who was taking shelter from the shelling inside the building, asked.
"There's nothing yet... wait, they've appeared, more than 20 vehicles, mainly Grenadier's armored vehicles, with several vehicles from another company also scattered throughout the convoy."
Jamil reported while peering through his binoculars at the other side.
Despite being completely repainted in desert colors, these military vehicles still look quite conspicuous to professionals.
"They're getting serious now. Prioritize attacking those Ossiers' tanks; take down as many as you can."
Hussein immediately issued the combat orders.
They had clashed with Grenadier last year and destroyed several of his vehicles.
Under the members' jihadist offensive, the advantage of conventional armored forces was gradually leveled, and they, like the government's armored forces, were not gaining any advantage.
"Yes, Commander!"
As Jamil loaded the new TOW-2A missiles onto the launcher, he directed his men to aim and prepare for the attack.
"Sizzle"
White smoke rose up, like a smoke dragon, gradually obscuring the entire entrance to the city.
The TA-6A gas turbine in the TDA-3 self-propelled smoke-generating vehicle provides the vehicle with electricity and heat to heat the gas. The mixed liquid used for smoke generation is injected into the hot gas, turns into powder, and is then pulverized and sprayed outward to form a thermal smoke screen.
This aerosol thermal smoke screen not only blinded Jamil and others, but also rendered the thermal imaging integrated on the missile launcher completely blank.
Because this AOS-IR powder can achieve infrared shielding, anti-tank missiles simply cannot aim at it.
"Calling commander, the situation is bad. Two vehicles in their convoy can create smoke, so we can't see them. The missile targeting system is also malfunctioning. They're rushing to the outskirts of the city."
Jamil immediately reported this to his superiors.
"What"
Hussein was horrified.
The opponent had so many tricks up their sleeve that all his hard work had come to naught.
"Then you guys keep an eye on the surroundings and don't let them attack."
He gave Jamil a final word of advice, fearing that the other side would remove his observation post, which was located on a high point outside the city. However, neither Xia Yu nor Old Yev had such a thought.
Only by keeping this observation post can we create a false impression and deceive everyone.
After ending the communication here, Hussein immediately contacted the commander of the first line of defense he had set up on the perimeter, instructing them to stop the enemy's offensive.
"Knock knock knock"
The BMP-2's 30mm gun began to roar. Its accuracy at long range was not quite enough, but it was more than enough to hit enemy strongpoints at close range.
The infantry fighting vehicle crew that fired first destroyed the newly deployed 12.7mm heavy machine gun emplacement with a single long burst.
When Xia Yu and his team came last time, they didn't have this firepower point. Hosseini specifically reinforced it, but this caliber only posed a slight threat to the team's last BTR-80. It was really a wasted effort.
But in the very next second…
"call out"
The rocket launcher gunner, who charged out with the resolve to die, pulled the trigger and fired an RPG-29 heavy round.
"Pfft!"
The flames from the explosion rose ten meters away from a T-72B1 tank, and the scattered fragments struck the Kontakt-1 explosive reactive armor on the tank's hull with a crackling sound, leaving not even a white mark.
It was the Weasel S3 following behind that fired the interceptor missile; otherwise, it could only withstand the Kontakt-1 missile from the RPG-7, but it could not withstand the tandem warhead of the RPG-29.
"Get out of the vehicle! Get out of the vehicle! Eliminate all personnel targets within your field of vision!"
One of Gna's commando captains led the way out of the vehicle.
As a veteran mechanized infantryman who had been dealing with the BMP series for almost a decade, he felt that the outside was safer than the cramped inside the vehicle, unless they were given a BMP-3.
"Da da da"
The AK's signature gunshot rang out, and he raised his hand and fired a burst, taking down an Ace member who was carrying a grenade launcher and trying to attack the fragile BTR-80.
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