The rise of a great power: starting with military industry

Chapter 186: Combined Battalion! Can’t Afford It!
Masupo, Mengdong.

This is the forward command post of the 42nd Division.

Everyone was observing the battlefield with binoculars. The sound of telegraphs and telephones continued to be heard, as various troops were reporting the latest situation.

The staff officer was working on the map based on the latest intelligence.

Commander Wang said with emotion: "I didn't expect that your battalion, which has only been established for less than a year, has such strong combat effectiveness! Now among all the units, your battalion is the one that is progressing the most smoothly!"

42师并不是老牌的主力师，1949年2月才成立的，是以中野4纵队第11、22旅各一个团及起义部队第110师一部为基干组建的，下辖第124、125、126团。

Before the Red Dragon Roar military operation, the 42nd Division was a Type B Army Division. Subsequently, in accordance with the orders of the superiors, the 42nd Division was urgently expanded to a Type A Army Division, supplemented and adjusted a large number of new soldiers and new cadres, and supplemented with guns, ammunition, light and heavy artillery and other weapons and equipment.

However, because it was urgently expanded into an Army Type A Division, the 42nd Division's combat effectiveness was not as good as the 40th Division, the main division, and its performance on the battlefield was also not as good as the 40th Division.

Of course, on the battlefield, the 14th Army had the most brilliant record, and the 42nd Division's record was still brilliant compared to the troops on other lines.

So although unlike the leaders of the 40th and 41st Divisions who were directly promoted to the rank of full army, Division Commander Wang was still promoted one level due to his military achievements.

On the map, the combined battalion has already reached the main peak.

"Commander Wang, this is all because of Comrade Li Guofu's good leadership. I am just the director of Panshan Machinery Factory, and I don't know how to lead troops in battle." Liu Tao said with a smile.

Commander Wang said with a smile: "How about this battalion be incorporated into our 42nd Division in the future. I will organize it into a main force regiment and let Comrade Li Guofu resume his post as the commander of the main force regiment."

Commander Wang also knew Li Guofu. He was brave in combat, daring to fight and able to adapt to battlefield conditions. He led his troops to achieve brilliant results in "Red Dragon's Roar".

Just because of violating discipline, Li Guofu took all the responsibility. Other members of the regiment were promoted, but Li Guofu, the regiment leader, was reluctantly transferred to the local area.

Commander Wang thought that Li Guofu would become the director of the Public Security Bureau, but he did not expect that he would go to Panshan Machinery Factory and form such a strange army.

"Commander Wang, how much is your division's annual budget?" Liu Tao asked instead of answering directly.

Commander Wang was a little puzzled, but still said, "Less than 20 million."

The annual military expenditure of a Type A infantry division is less than 2000 million, which includes weapons, ammunition, and all other necessities for the entire division.

Liu Tao said: "20 tanks cost 2000 million, and 2 self-propelled anti-aircraft guns cost 600 million, which is the cost price!"

"The annual salary is about 100 million." Liu Tao counted on his fingers: "Other weapons and ammunition will cost at least to million a year."

Commander Wang and others were all stunned when they heard this.

The consumption of one battalion was actually more than that of their Type A division.

This is too exaggerated!

Liu Tao smiled and said, "How about it? The 42nd Division also wants to form a similar battalion-level combat unit?"

The combined battalion was nurtured by Liu Tao at great expense.

Although it is not yet complete and can only be regarded as a combined battalion in the initial stage, it is also something that other troops cannot afford to maintain.

The annual budget of an Army Type A division is not even enough to cover the weapons, ammunition and food expenses of a combined battalion.

Not to mention anything else.

Commander Wang shook his head repeatedly.

Can’t afford it!
If he sets up a battalion-level combat unit like this, the leaders will have to shoot him. Liu Tao chuckled, not surprised at all by the reaction of Division Commander Wang and others.

Even if he used the cost price in the most conscientious way, a combined battalion could not be established without an initial investment of 100 million yuan. Even if 100 million yuan was invested to establish a combined battalion, at least another 20 to 30 million yuan would have to be invested every year.

To put it bluntly, a combined battalion is simply not something that China can build today. Without strong economic power, the combined forces cannot be supported.

In the future, exporting a combined force brigade, even with a basic configuration, will cost at least $10 billion, and this only refers to weapons and equipment. If it is a high-end combined force brigade, then it will cost $50 billion!
Even if China can produce weapons and equipment on its own, the cost will be greatly reduced, but a standard combined brigade will cost at least US$20 billion, and the annual maintenance and training costs will be around US$10 billion.

As you can imagine, the combined firepower of the battalion is fierce and its combat effectiveness is strong, but it is also very expensive.

"Your Panshan Machinery Factory is still rich!" Commander Wang said with emotion.

As a military system, they naturally knew that the weapons produced by Panshan Machinery Factory not only met domestic purchases, but were also exported in large quantities to earn US dollars. In just two years of development, the Panshan Machinery Factory had become the largest military factory in the four southwestern provinces, and its output of weapons and ammunition was extremely astonishing.

Even among the entire army's defense targets, Panshan Machinery Factory ranks among the top three in importance.

"With a battalion like this, we can support two Type A divisions." Commander Wang couldn't help but say, "It would be better to form two more Type A divisions."

Liu Tao smiled and said, "Captain Wang, although our battalion only has more than 800 people, it is an experimental unit responsible for exploring the future development direction of the army. And didn't Commander Wang also see its combat effectiveness?"

This is still a primary combined battalion. When it becomes a fully-fledged combined battalion, its firepower will be even more ferocious and its combat effectiveness will be greatly enhanced.

By then, it would be easy for a combined battalion to defeat a Type A division of this era.

Look, 20 tanks destroyed the enemy's artillery position with one round of salvo fire. If this artillery position existed, it would cause great losses to the troops.

Perhaps in the eyes of some commanders, soldiers are worthless, not even as valuable as artillery shells, and the pensions are not much either.

But in Liu Tao's view, soldiers are the most valuable.

He simply couldn't fill the gap with human lives.

At this time on the battlefield, the surrounding bunkers and fortifications had basically been eliminated by the combined battalion.

The only thing left was the main peak of Koulin Mountain, Hill 1705.2, where a reinforced company was stationed.

The infantry company was attacking. At a distance of about 250 meters, the soldiers took off the rocket launchers on their backs one by one. A platoon of soldiers were in a hidden position, aiming at the main peak with a scope.

"咻咻咻~~"

One after another, fuel-air bombs were fired and flew towards the fortifications on the main peak.

At such a large elevation angle, the tank is not suitable for firing. After all, the maximum elevation angle of the 80A tank is not large, and it is not designed for this kind of thing.

Using a rocket launcher is undoubtedly the most appropriate option at this time.

And using rocket launchers to launch fuel-air bombs is the best choice to deal with the fortifications on the main peak.

The power is much stronger than that of ordinary artillery shells.

The soldiers were very skilled and threw away the rocket launcher after launching the fuel-air bomb.

Now everyone knows that this rocket launcher is disposable. It will be thrown away after firing and cannot be used again if kept.

It’s not like at the beginning, when everyone couldn’t get the treasure.

(End of this chapter)