The Ultimate War Of The Apocalypse-Chapter 398 - 391 Where is the Enemy?

Upon discovering new enemy intelligence, reconnaissance had to be conducted.

Why not use drones for reconnaissance? The reason was simple. Gao Yuan and his team weren’t facing some backward tribal forces, but rather the Sanitation Worker, equipped with gear that couldn’t be considered top-notch but was certainly comprehensive enough to potentially detect drones with radar.

Four people, four different preferred methods of advancement, four kinds of hand signals, four accustomed ways of conducting recon, and even their focal points during reconnaissance differed.

Every country has its own military-building philosophy, and every army has its own combat ideology, which is reflected in equipment and tactics. Therefore, from the top down, there are almost no two people with identical habits.

In the current reconnaissance mission, the four individuals each had their own focus.

Ralph wanted to know why these tanks had come here, what they had done after arriving, whether they had established a temporary forward base or a temporary advanced outpost, and whether they had withdrawn voluntarily after completing their mission or had been forced to return to their point of departure.

Sirte’s focal point was the exact number of tanks in the convoy, where they came from, how many people were at the enemy’s main base, and how strong their equipment was. As a mercenary, he knew most of his battles would have no backup, so understanding the enemy’s strength was crucial before deciding whether to fight or retreat.

Yuri’s reconnaissance goal was particularly simple. He just wanted to know where those tanks came from and where they went. Thus, while the other three carefully observed the tire tracks, he rushed forward following them, only to stop and wait helplessly when he realized the others weren’t following.

As for Li Jingang, he was the most comprehensive yet most indecisive scout.

In terms of combat experience, Li Jingang was the least experienced because he hadn’t been through war, a circumstance dictated by his country’s situation.

Li Jingang was part of the special forces, but as an army special forces member, his unit was not only tasked with serving large troop formations in combat but also had to be ready for small-scale special operations. So, compared to the other three, he had the most solid theoretical basis and mastered a greater variety of skills. However, now he didn’t know which direction to take.

But Li Jingang quickly found his role, which was to act as a moderator among the other three.

Ralph observed meticulously and soon began to share his observations with Li Jingang.

"The enemy has three tanks, two armored vehicles, two trucks, but no personnel disembarked. The tanks deployed here in a standard protective formation to engage the enemy, with the armored vehicles and trucks stopping about a hundred meters to the rear. Then, the convoy regrouped and returned. I believe this was the enemy’s standard response upon receiving a temporary order to establish a forward observation and alert position," Ralph said.

Li Jingang nodded and replied to Ralph, "Yes, I agree. But the fact that no personnel disembarked indicates that the alert position wasn’t considered high-importance. They just executed the most basic precautions, not actually expecting the presence of enemy forces, so their measures were very simple."

Ralph said seriously, "There’s a problem. According to my understanding, if trucks and armored vehicles accompanied the tanks, there should be infantry. If this was a guard position, the infantry should at least disembark to build a defensive position, but I saw no sign of this. Therefore, I think the enemy’s discipline is poor."

Li Jingang nodded again, "Yes, I agree with your conclusion."

At that moment, Sirte approached, waved his hand, and said with an air of ease, "The enemy has tanks and armored vehicles, but no infantry got out. If it’s not because there are no infantry units, it’s due to poor troop quality, or maybe these people just came here, took a look, and left. There isn’t anything here worth their notice, or a glance was all they needed. From my experience, a mixed combat team received orders to scout this place, they came, and they left, just like that."

Ralph frowned, and Li Jingang thought for a moment before saying, "That possibility is indeed quite large..."

Li Jingang was frustrated because Ralph and Sirte made sense, but according to their previous combat experiences, they made judgments with different focal points.

Ralph dealt with regular armies, and it was unlikely for the armed forces he interacted with to have tanks, but what about Sirte? Having encountered numerous types of armed groups, he tended to face undisciplined forces that simply arrived after orders, scouted the area, and then returned to report.

At this time, Yuri waved from ahead and shouted, "Are you done looking? If you’re done, let’s move. Wouldn’t it be better to check out where the enemy’s nest is? Don’t waste time here."

The three men had different expressions. Ralph looked disdainful. Sirte appeared to think this was only to be expected, and Li Jingang felt a bit embarrassed.

Ralph muttered, "Utter lack of technique."

Sirte responded indifferently, "That’s how Russians should be."

Li Jingang whispered, "Simple, direct, brutal. Let’s go."

The three approached Yuri, who had an impatient look, and said, "We’re not scouting the movements and objectives of a fighting squad. We’re scouting the enemy’s lair and scale. Get your priorities straight, okay? You’re wasting time." fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

The three of them were accustomed to meticulous operations and believed in the iron rule of warfare of knowing oneself and the enemy. But Yuri, the stereotypical Russian, didn’t care at all about that.

Where is the enemy? How many enemies are there? What’s the enemy’s intention? What threat does the enemy pose? Who supports the enemy from behind? Does the enemy plan to infiltrate and carry out terror attacks? Ralph’s recon had to clarify all of this because his country was small and surrounded by enemies. Once an enemy situation arose, he had to obtain all this information.

Where is the enemy? How many are there? How strong is their combat ability?

This was imperative for Sirte’s recon, because as a mercenary, it’s nearly impossible for him to engage in a protracted war. He had to determine whether he could fight this particular battle. If he could, they would engage, if not, they would retreat. That was his way of scouting.

Where is the enemy? What is the enemy’s objective? Which unit does the enemy belong to? What’s the operational direction? How’s the logistical support? Where’s the headquarters? These were generally the main points Li Jingang needed to cover in his reconnaissance. As part of the army’s special forces, if his mission was just reconnaissance, then these were the things he needed to find out.

Because behind Li Jingang stood a major nation that was unlikely to experience war on its soil. So, if he had to carry out special operations combat, he would receive substantial intelligence. If his role was as a scout, then that was all he really needed to scout for.

Where is the enemy?

That was the full extent of Yuri’s reconnaissance.