Chapter 87

"Ha ha ha ha, where did this little kid come from? Where are your parents? Do you know we are in a meeting? How can you just wander around like this?"

"Oh, I didn't hear that anyone brought a junior today. It's one thing to let them see the world, but this is just a lack of discipline. ≥"

"Hey, that's just how kids are these days, no respect for elders."

Hu Wenhai's bold remarks did not anger these experts; instead, they received a round of lectures.

It wasn't surprising, as Hu Wenhai was only eighteen or nineteen, with a fuzz on his upper lip that wasn't even stubble, clearly indicating he was under twenty.

If Hu Wenhai had achieved his current success at thirteen or fourteen, he would have been even less taken seriously due to the age discrimination prevalent in China. After all, a young person's words are often dismissed as mere child's talk.

However, before the experts could finish their lectures, the office door was pushed open again. A middle-aged man in his forties, dressed in military uniform, quietly entered, sat at the end of the conference table, took out a notebook, unscrewed the cap of his fountain pen, and began to take notes without a word.

This low-key behavior immediately changed the atmosphere in the room.

"Mr. Huang... Secretary Huang, why are you here today?"

An elderly expert who had been sitting at the head of the table, who had not spoken, could no longer remain silent. He put down his teacup, adjusted his posture uncomfortably, and asked in surprise.

"Yes, if Secretary Huang had said you were coming, we wouldn't have dared to waste your time. We can send you a copy of the meeting minutes to the office afterward."

"Right, right, Secretary Huang, your time is so precious!"

...

The secretary at the end of the table helplessly screwed the cap back on his pen, closed his notebook, and looked up. "Ladies and gentlemen, don't worry about me. I'm here only with my ears and eyes. I won't say anything else. Comrade Hu has made significant contributions to the country, and so have all of you experts. The leader hopes you can exchange ideas to promote the development of our national defense."

After saying this, Secretary Huang opened his notebook again, unscrewed the pen cap, and put on a "do not disturb" expression, clearly indicating he would not intervene further.

Even though Secretary Huang had made his stance clear, his presence itself was a strong signal that today's meeting was unusual. The previously relaxed and free atmosphere in the room suddenly became solemn.

Hu Wenhai raised an eyebrow at Secretary Huang's "low-key" entrance, not expecting the two sides to meet again so soon—yes, this Secretary Huang was the same one who had met with him secretly at the sanatorium.

However, since Secretary Huang was clearly staying neutral, Hu Wenhai didn't mind this privilege and decided to get straight to the point. "Regarding the equipment level of the Iraqi army in the Iran-Iraq War, I don't think I need to elaborate. It's safe to say that on paper, Iraq's military strength is very impressive, and many of their weapons are even more advanced than our current equipment. However, they have failed to fully utilize these weapons. The reason is that their military thinking is very outdated."

With Secretary Huang present, the experts no longer dared to treat Hu Wenhai as a child. Secretary Huang had clearly stated that Hu Wenhai was a "talent who has made significant contributions to the country"—none of the experts present had been described in such terms by Secretary Huang.

With just that one sentence, Hu Wenhai had earned the right to be on equal footing with them. No one would dare to dismiss his words, as that would be a slight to Secretary Huang and the person behind him.

"That's not quite right. The Iran-Iraq War has shown that high-tech weapons do not determine the outcome of modern wars. As long as the army can bravely and resolutely execute orders, the Iraqi army was also pushed back by Khomeini's light infantry, right?"

"I've already said, it's because the Iraqis are stupid! They have good equipment, but they play a bad hand. And I'm not just talking about Iraq. To be blunt, all the countries in the Middle East are fools! They will only get stupider over the next twenty years. Even if you give them the most advanced American weapons, they will only be a little better than the African troops."

"That's not correct," a middle-aged man in his forties, with neatly combed hair, stood up and said. "Although the Iraqis fought back and forth with the Iranians in the Iran-Iraq War, their economy and population are smaller than Iran's. Given their current achievements, they have done quite well. Especially with the Iranians having F-14s, which dominate the skies. On the ground, the Iranian army is also stronger and more determined. I believe the Iraqi army has done a remarkable job."

"Oh, so you're saying that even if the Chinese army were in the Iraqis' position, they wouldn't do any better?"

Hu Wenhai's question left the experts at a loss. How should they answer? If they said the Chinese army would do better, wouldn't they be contradicting their earlier praise for the Iraqis? If they said the Chinese army wouldn't do better, where would the face of the Chinese army be, considering China is one of the five major powers?

"Alright, let's not make that assumption," Hu Wenhai's words relieved the experts, but it was clear he had a point.

"Let's consider another scenario. If the Chinese army had the same equipment level as the Iraqi army, what would be the chances of defeating the American army?"

Hu Wenhai realized that directly discussing the combat capability of the Chinese army would not be accurate. Self-awareness is important, and it's difficult for an army to accurately assess its own combat capability. Using the Iraqi army as a reference was different; at least admitting failure would be more acceptable for the Chinese.

"There would be no chance of winning, but the Americans would also pay a significant price, right?"

"Exactly, it depends on how many combat forces the Americans are willing to commit. But even in the worst-case scenario, the Iraqis should be able to inflict unacceptable losses on the Americans."

This statement was met with unanimous agreement from the experts. This was also the guiding principle of China's military strategy—while we may not be able to defeat you, we will make the cost of attacking us unbearable.

"Ha ha, I think the Americans' losses would not exceed a thousand."

"That's underestimating the Iraqi army..."

"I'm being generous to the Iraqis!" Hu Wenhai said coldly. "Have any of you heard of the GPS system?"

"GPS? The Global Positioning System?"

"Right, the military-grade GPS used by the U.S. military can achieve a positioning accuracy of one meter. With GPS-guided weapons launched from stand-off ranges, how can the Iraqis defend against them?"

"..."

"Even if we assume the Iraqi armed forces are in perfect condition, can they withstand the multi-dimensional attacks of the Americans?"

"Multi-dimensional attacks?"

"Yes, the Americans have military reconnaissance satellites and the SR-71 Blackbird reconnaissance aircraft, both of which are virtually undefendable by the Iraqis."

Similarly, these were almost undefendable by China, and everyone understood this. Therefore, everyone in the room frowned. Hu Wenhai was clearly using Iraq as a metaphor to point out the vulnerabilities in China's defense system.

Hu Wenhai didn't have an obligation to care about their feelings and continued, "Through satellite and high-altitude reconnaissance, the Americans can easily determine the deployment and key defense points of the Iraqi forces."

"Then, through electronic warfare aircraft, they can simulate attack signals to trick the Iraqis into turning on their radars and moving their forces, recording the radar positions and communication frequencies of the combat units."

"After the reconnaissance, the Americans will first use GPS-guided bombs to strike key defense points of the Iraqis, such as the defense ministry, TV stations, communication centers, and command posts. At the same time, special forces will infiltrate to destroy the early warning VHF radars. Without the VHF radars, the B-1B bombers can penetrate from high altitudes at night, using their onboard precision-guided weapons to strike any military target, destroying the Iraqi command and control centers at the source."

"After dawn, the Americans will continue to deploy carrier-based F-14s to secure air superiority, and F-18s to conduct precision strikes on airfields and other military targets."

"Electronic warfare aircraft EA-6s and attack aircraft F-111s will carry anti-radiation missiles. Any radar that dares to turn on will be reduced to static and quickly destroyed by the anti-radiation missiles."

"Please note the most important point: this is different from the mistake the Germans made at Dunkirk during World War II," Hu Wenhai said seriously. "Traditional air raids can barely scratch the enemy, but with precision-guided technology, radar-guided missiles, GPS bombs, laser-guided, infrared-guided, and TV-guided weapons, at least 70% of the bombs can accurately hit the enemy."

"In other words, in modern warfare, the air force can completely destroy an army on the ground with its own strength!"

Hu Wenhai spread his hands and looked at the experts in the room, who were drenched in cold sweat. He asked clearly, "In such a level of bombing, what kind of army can maintain its morale and engage in combat with the subsequent landing of the armored forces?"