The combat troops advancing in order from different directions are penetrating deep into the core of the city like knives according to Su Hao's conception.

Huang He walked beside Su Hao, observing the surroundings with a cold and solemn gaze, constantly adjusting the position of the muzzle aim.

This was the main direction of the assault of the 11th Separate Army, about four kilometers from the central square of the city.

There is no fancy way of progressing, and it is still moving forward slowly like the operation of the project. For some buildings that are too large and have been detected by their minds to contain mutated creatures, the soldiers will follow Su Hao's order to first seal the entrance with flamethrowers, and then throw a large number of grenades from the windows to gradually clear them.

The air smelled of burnt flesh and fat, and mutated creatures that had been injured by the explosion were constantly jumping out of the room. They screamed and scurried around with flames. The soldiers were not going to miss this great opportunity, as they rained down bullets from several directions, killing the badly wounded monsters one by one, and the gladiators swung their battle axes to split the corpses and collect the silver bones and hedrons.

"Don't let go of a building."

"Search every room carefully."

"Pay attention to the protection of the engineering troops, close all pipes and entrances, and do not miss any dead ends."

The truck carrying the cement had been running back and forth several times, and the ground behind it was littered with wet gray cement. Soldiers lined up in battle formations walked into the low-slung shops on the street, and explosions and gunfire rang out all around. The roller shutter door was firmly sealed off with steel nails and cement, and a one-touch mine was set up near the glass window. In particular, every window below the sixth floor of a high-rise building is either secured with stickybomb sills or strung between the perimeter walls, connected to powerful fragmentation grenades.

This advance was slow, but the effect was obvious———— mutated creatures could no longer sneak behind the positions as recklessly as they once did. Although they possess genes from rats and cockroaches that allow them to crawl like geckos on smooth, upright walls, explosion traps are set up in these places, and even if they are not killed on the spot, they will alert those left behind and mobilize soldiers to fight back in a short time.

This is the equivalent of turning an entire city into a three-dimensional minefield.

No one can deny that this method of warfare is very effective, but the disadvantages and disadvantages are equally obvious.

It must consume a huge amount of explosives to block the path of mutant creatures and other paths for attacking troops. Because, except for the main highway where the bombs were not planted, all side routes and roadways were no longer passable.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, the sun was still releasing strong light and heat, but it was already moving west.

Su Hao looked at the watch on his wrist and ordered to Huang He, who was waiting beside him: "Order all squadrons to withdraw to the starting position, we have enough work today." Next, it's time for a break. ”

Although the county seat of Lujiang is not very large, it is still entrenched in tens of thousands of mutated creatures.

The 517th Division had been blocked outside Lujiang City for several months, and although Su Hao had advanced tactics that had been explored by countless people in the future world, it was still impossible to occupy the city in just one day.

Most of the people in the Eleventh Independent Force were recruits after all, and Su Hao was very satisfied that he was able to advance nearly two roads in such a short period of time.

What's more, his combat materials are quickly depleted, and cement and explosives are urgently replenished.

300 tons of special products are faster than cement, and 500 tons of various explosives.

Looking at the material allocation application form in front of him, Liu Jiangyuan couldn't help but squint his eyes slightly and fell into deep thought.

The short and stout head of the division's logistics department stood beside him, his puffed face full of anger, and occasionally gritted his teeth fiercely with unfairness.

Two hours ago, the Eleventh Separate Force sent an application form for the supplies needed in the near future. In addition to a series of consumables such as food and ammunition, the largest number is the two rows of items listed at the top of the table.

"What do they want so much cement for? It didn't take that much to build the fortifications. Do they understand the structure of the building? Do you understand what plate preset is? Without steel bars, what's the use of just cement? Also, a full 500 tons of high explosives, this thing is not 500 building blocks or children's toys, a little carelessness is enough to blow up half of Lujiang County————"

The anger of the Director of Logistics was not without reason.

At present, the transportation capacity is very tight, and most of the railways are used for troop deployment and transportation of important resources. More than 90 percent of the supplies such as ammunition and food are supplied by the base cities. Due to the short time and the lack of construction in place, there is a serious shortage of production workshops in many base cities, which to a certain extent has also led to an exponential increase in the logistical pressure of neighboring theaters.

Speaking from the heart, for the Eleventh Independent Army, which has more than 1,000 troops under its command, 300 tons of cement and 500 tons of explosives are indeed not much. Especially under the premise of high-intensity work, the consumption is only enough for one week or six days at most.

However, the 517th Division has nearly 20,000 soldiers under its jurisdiction, and there are dozens of large and small units at all levels...... As the chief officer in charge of the distribution of supplies, the chief of logistics knew very well what kind of lawlessness would happen to the officers who had killed the red-eyed officers in front of them if their demands could not be met.

In the face of madmen, God can only retreat.

Since he didn't dare to refuse and couldn't solve it, he could only kick the problem to the division commander as a ball, and Liu Jiangyuan was responsible for handling it.

can be a brigadier general, Liu Jiangyuan is naturally not a combination of fools and straw bales. He could more or less see through the careful thinking of the logistics chief, but as the most senior commander, he was also interested in this material application form from the 11th Independent Force.

In addition to cement and explosives, there are a few other things listed on the form.

Iron wire, small batteries, different types of engineering components, consumables for vehicle repairs, and extremely large quantities of grenades and mines.

In contrast, the amount of food and ammunition required was much smaller, just below the baseline of the corresponding troop figures.

Liu Jiangyuan was very clear: the 11th Independent Army was all infantry and was not equipped with armored fighting vehicles.

Moreover, this force is made up entirely of new recruits.

What did they think about when they opened their mouths and asked for so many things at once?

For a moment, the air in the division headquarters became solidified, and breathing from between the mouth and nose could be clearly heard

Next to him, a rather young staff officer approached Liu Jiangyuan and whispered in a whisper.

This officer had a few acquaintances at the Xincheng base, and had more or less heard about Su Hao.

"All excellent results in the combat assessment? Kill more than 1,500 mutated creatures? ”

Hearing this, Liu Jiangyuan's cold face was slightly moved: "Is this true?" ”

The staff officer nodded affirmatively: "It is said that this guy named Su Hao is very good at fighting. He was a former civilian and had a deep knowledge of mutated creatures and zombies. He is very young, and if he climbs to the position of lieutenant colonel by relying on connections and nepotism, he will definitely get a relatively comfortable and non-dangerous position. Coming to the front with a group of recruits speaks volumes in itself. Since we don't know why he asked for so many supplies, why didn't he go over and see for himself? Perhaps, you can get some kind of unexpected gain? ”

When Liu Jiangyuan led the guards into the defense area of the 11th Independent Army, it was dinner time.

The chubby secretary of the department, Ling Hao, wanted to cook something delicious for the soldiers, but the supplies were scarce, and he had no better way. In addition to the canned braised beef cooked in the soup, it is the pickled vegetables brought all the way from the base city of New Chengdu.

Of course, the rice is still enough.

Liu Jiangyuan and Su Hao are not very familiar with each other, and after a few polite questions and answers, the topic goes straight to the point.

"Why do you need so much cement and explosives?"

"I'm not refusing your request, but I just think it's a little weird."

"What's your plan?"

When Liu Jiangyuan asked a series of questions, Huang He had already led people into the makeshift tent with a food cart full of food. In doing so, it is easy to liven up the atmosphere and bring each other closer.

Su Hao did not hide his secrets.

While eating, he carefully explained on a sophisticated military map. As his fingers continued to move on the paper, the entire county town of Lujiang was gradually framed by the red line representing the control area, forming an irregular but impermeable circle.

Sealing the road surface with special cement?

Locking the space with a large area of minelaying?

Liu Jiangyuan stopped chewing and looked at the staff officers around him.

I have to admit that these words that came out of Su Hao's mouth were unheard of at all, and they were simply incredible.

The young staff officer couldn't help but exclaim: "This, is this plan feasible?" Those mutated creatures move extremely fast, and they can penetrate from many unexpected locations. We've been here for almost three months and haven't been able to go deep into the city. Each attack was aborted due to various unexpected situations behind the defensive line. Wouldn't this be too hasty? If ......"

Su Hao waved his hand and interrupted the staff officer's words.

He pointed to his forehead and said seriously: "Actually, the key is not in the plan itself, but in our almost rigid thinking concept. ”

This sentence sounds a little inexplicable, and has nothing to do with the previous question itself.

Su Hao looked around, his voice was still gentle and steady, and he couldn't hear any emotional fluctuations.

"This is a biological war unlike any time in history. Our opponents are not humans, nor do we have the ecological characteristics known to most mammals. From the beginning, a lot of people got the basic concepts wrong, including me. Although we all know that they are new creatures that have never existed before, the subjective consciousness still treats them as human beings. Yes, we are afraid, we are afraid of death, but we don't know what is actually going on in the minds of mutant creatures. They act in a very different way than we do, and buildings and obstacles have little effect on them. Cockroaches, mosquitoes, rats...... When the genes in these inconspicuous little things spread aimlessly, cities have become their best hiding places. We don't have artillery, we don't have an air force, we can't even carpet bomb a fixed area. What else can we do other than set up large minefields and close pipelines? ”

As he spoke, Su Hao walked quickly to the blackboard with the map and drew a big arrow on the paper with a red oil-based pen.

"The 11th Separate Force cleared four streets today. In the seventeen main buildings we passed, we lost two hundred and nine mutant creatures. I don't know if you have paid attention to the probability of these monsters appearing, the location and number of their hiding places seem to be centered on the city square, scattered and radiating in all directions. I applied to the military department for a satellite remote sensing map, based on the actual number and area of houses in Lujiang County, plus the probability of my personal evaluation, and through computer calculations, I got this number. ”

Su Hao opened the map casually, picked up chalk, and wrote the big word "1059" on the blackboard

"More than 100,000 mutated creatures, more than 100,000 mutated creatures entrenched in the heart of the city."

Su Hao turned around and accentuated his tone: "This number may not be accurate, but the difference will never be too big." One of the most important aspects of victory or defeat in a war is to assess the strength of the opponent and one's own side, and then concentrate superior forces to fight a war of annihilation. ”

"The mission of the 517th Division is to occupy the Lujiang River, with less than 20,000 armed soldiers, against more than 100,000 mutant creatures, can we win?"

"That's right, we now have a good position to surround the city from different directions. But on the other hand, don't mutated creatures have a terrain advantage? They stay in the city, hidden inside the building. Without artillery and air support, we would have to pay with blood and lives for every step we took forward. ”

"There is a huge disparity between the outnumbered, and the strength of the enemy is not proportional at all, how should this battle be fought?"

Su Hao threw out a lot of questions one after another, and asked the officers of Yiyu, including Liu Jiangyuan, to be speechless and silent.

It's not so much asking questions as it's debating.

This is the way Su Hao is most familiar with talking about it. When I was at the Academy of Sciences, there were often similar debates among researchers, and the atmosphere was lively and the way of thinking was eclectic.

Many combat methods that have been applied in reality have been transformed from scientific research theories. As Su Hao said before———— our enemy is not a human being, but another kind of life.

Su Hao firmly grasped the rhythm of the conversation, and in the face of a series of sharp and complex questions, no one answered.

"My approach may be stupid, but it works."

Looking at these thoughtful officers in front of him, Su Hao smiled slightly: "Although they have insect genes, they are still carbon-based life forms in essence. The explosion of the type of chemical substance can have a lethal effect on them. I don't know why they are entrenched in the center of the city? But we can create large minefields, gradually shrinking the area where mutated creatures can operate, while putting obstacles in the main passages where there are no explosives, and if they want to leave, they must fight in the area we designate, as we ask. It's like a mind game, and only the smartest people get the highest scores. ”

Liu Jiangyuan got up from his chair and walked to the blackboard to stare at the map for a long time. In the direction of turning his back to the others, there was a faint look of excitement in the depths of his pupils.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that Su Hao's words were not unreasonable, the previous battles of the 517th Division were simply a waste of time and resources, and the loss of human lives in vain.

However, as the commander of the First Division, Liu Jiangyuan will not easily admit defeat, nor will he change the established battle strategy at every turn.

After a long time, the brigadier turned around slowly, looked at Su Hao with an extremely complicated gaze, and after nearly half a minute, he asked in a deliberative tone: "You...... How sure are you? ”

"Seventy percent."

Su Hao has become accustomed to the precision of percentages, rather than the commonly used "seventy percent" in colloquial language.

He added earnestly: "Of course, in order to achieve the goal, there is a necessary premise, as well as an expected premise. ”

A glimmer of light flashed in Liu Jiangyuan's eyes: "Let's hear it." ”

"I need adequate supplies, especially cement and explosives."

As he spoke, Su Hao paused: "As for the preconceived premise, you can understand it as a suggestion———— we have to surround them from all sides and trap them tightly, leaving no passages and gaps. If we do that, we will be able to further compress the battlefield and close off their space for movement. ”

Liu Jiangyuan frowned slightly: "I understand what you mean." But have you thought about it? A space that is too confined will cause a violent backlash, and once those mutated creatures gather in large numbers, it will form a unilateral huge numerical advantage. If they attack from a certain direction, we simply cannot stop it, and the defense line will collapse in an instant. ”

Su Hao smiled faintly.

"Yes, it's a big hassle."

"And you're still sticking to your plan?"

"Opportunities and risks always go hand in hand. If you rely on infantry to search and fight, you won't be able to kill them all in three months, not even three years. We've lost enough of it, and instead of wasting human lives irresponsibly, we should lay down layers of minefields and let those damn mutated creatures fall into the net. ”

Su Hao's last sentence aroused the approval and resonance of the officers present.

Liu Jiangyuan's face showed obvious excitement. He struggled to control his emotions and throw out the most difficult questions

"Lieutenant Colonel Su, your bold insights are truly admirable. However, in terms of specific battles, I think you should be aware of the ban of the military headquarters. ”

Su Hao smiled and nodded: "Yes, I understand." The use of neutron bullets, cloudburst rounds, and similar weapons of mass destruction is strictly prohibited in combat. ”

Liu Jiangyuan's expression slowly relaxed: "So, the five hundred tons of high explosives you asked for......"

Su Hao replied: "I will split them up and set them up as individual bombs with a limited explosion range." As long as it is not concentrated in one point to detonate, it is not a violation. Rest assured, there will never be any mistakes in the implementation. ”