Ace Troops Episode 37 Recap
> Ace Troops Recap
Jiang Nanzheng, leading a scientific research team, arrived at the director department to verify and assess the performance of the Mountain Net Number Two equipment. She explained that the team had been instructed to report before the drill but had been delayed by a special mission from the Military Command.
She was informed that the Red and Blue armies were currently in a stalemate, with the Red Army having significant advantages in peripheral firepower, mobile forces, and manpower, outnumbering the Blue Army four to one. The Blue Army was completely trapped on Qiaotou Island, its external coordination and supplies severed. The director department believed there was little chance for the situation to change further.
Jiang Nanzheng, initially anxious upon hearing the dire situation, quickly composed herself and prepared to work, stating her team's main task was to test the upgraded Mountain Net Number Two. She inquired about the commanders, learning that Gu Yiye led the Red Army as the acting colonel of Regiment 700, and Gao Liang commanded the Blue Army as the chief of staff of the Special Operations Battalion, both in full command at the Military Command's discretion.
She was also surprised to learn that Zheng Yuan, the head of the observation team, was on the island as Gao Liang's hostage. Meanwhile, among the observation team, also held hostage by the Blue Army, discussions about the battle were heated. Qin Hanyong passionately asserted that his Tiger Regiment, though not yet fighting with full strength, could have easily captured the enemy.
Song Jianshe retorted, accusing Qin Hanyong of being delusional for thinking Qiaotou Island could be taken in a single day. Zheng Yuan, who had ignored Song Jianshe's offer of a more comfortable bed and was seemingly asleep, suddenly spoke up, telling them to stop arguing and learn how to be proper hostages. Song Jianshe, finding Zheng Yuan's sleeping posture unsettling, suggested pouring water on him, a suggestion eagerly supported by Li Shaobing.
That night, Gu Yiye received a report from his subordinate, confirming that Eaglet had identified fifteen strike targets on Qiaotou Island, including hidden radar, ground-to-air missile sites, and security observation posts, with heat directors set to explode simultaneously at 06:30. Gu Yiye commended the work and asked about the observation team, learning they had officially moved into underground fortifications.
His subordinate expressed surprise that Gao Liang had kept them in the dark for twenty-four hours about the observation team becoming actual hostages, noting that this move also put Gao Liang in a dilemma. Later, a Blue Army officer reported capturing the twenty-seventh intruder, whom Gao Liang ordered to be severely interrogated. The captured scout immediately declared himself "dead" (simulated death) and refused to divulge any information, demanding to be taken to the Battle Damage Battalion.
Gu Yiye learned that Eaglet had missed its contact time, but another infiltrator, little Wangcheng, the Red Army's chief of staff, had successfully landed on the island. Gu Yiye explained to his subordinates that little Wangcheng’s mission was to collaborate with Eaglet to mark enemy firepower, transportation, and supply targets for their destruction. He ordered his troops to enter attacking positions.
On the Blue Army side, Gao Liang was informed that the Red Army had begun its attack and ordered battle updates to be relayed to the "hostages" – the observation team. On the island, Gao Liang confronted little Wangcheng at the island's only freshwater pond, which little Wangcheng had threatened to contaminate with a "fatal substance."
Gao Liang immediately recognized him despite his disguise and threatened him with a beating every time they met if he dared to poison the water. Little Wangcheng taunted Gao Liang, admitting his intention was to stall him and buy time for his troops. Gao Liang then ordered him to be taken away.
Moments later, a Blue Army officer reported that their No. 1 missile site had been destroyed by the enemy's long-range gunfire and Commander Sun was shot, confirming the loss. Jiang Weixing was then designated as the supreme commander of the Blue Army, and he ordered his troops to defend Qiaotou Island at all costs. Gu Yiye's command post, which was initially thought to be on the Yue Mountain ship, was seemingly blown up by Blue Army frogmen.
This led the director department to announce that the Yue Mountain had lost its autonomous capacity, and the Red Army's operational command post, the First Commando, and all associated personnel and equipment were out of the drill. Qin Hanyong was initially overjoyed, celebrating the apparent end of the exercise, while Song Jianshe and Li Shaobing also expressed their delight at this turn of events.
However, Gu Yiye summoned a captured frogman, who expressed disbelief that Gu Yiye was still alive, believing he had been killed in the blast. Gu Yiye then revealed his deception: his command post had moved from the Yue Mountain to the Teng Mountain much earlier. The frogmen had only destroyed the original command post and the First Commando.
Gu Yiye ordered his current command post's new position to be reported to the director department and the second and third commandos to halt their attack and withdraw. The director department verified this, confirming the Blue Army's "Beheading Action" had failed and the drill would continue. A director department staff member, when speaking to the observation team, confirmed that the Red Army’s command post had not been destroyed, and the director department was verifying the situation.
Qin Hanyong expressed disbelief, but the staff explained that Gu Yiye had moved his command post to the Teng Mountain. Song Jianshe and Li Shaobing then cheered.
The director department observed that while the Red Army had lost their chance to attack, Gu Yiye’s meticulous combat logic and past use of "irregular approaches" in operations like the 1999 "997 Action" and 2000 "Guang 20 Drill" indicated a "miracle" could happen within the remaining five hours and forty-two minutes before dark, potentially reversing the situation.
Gu Yiye, despite facing objections from his subordinate regarding the heavy losses they would incur by attacking the reef-filled east and north sides of Qiaotou Island, remained resolute. He stated that while they would lose some men, expanding the landing targets to three would disperse the Blue Army's limited forces, creating vulnerabilities.
He ordered an all-out assault, emphasizing that with the Red Army outnumbering the Blue Army four to one and few Blue Army firing points remaining, he would fight until they were all gone, even if it meant mutual destruction. Gu Yiye delivered a passionate speech, stressing that soldiers are not merchants, and sovereignty is non-negotiable.
He reminded them of the island's history, once lost for seven years, and declared that if the nation and its people needed them to reclaim it today, they would fight to the death. Gao Liang, addressing his Special Forces comrades, announced the final battle of Operation Azure was about to begin. He acknowledged they faced a numerically superior enemy who would fight with similar resolve.
Despite their disadvantage, he explained that twelve elite soldiers had been chosen to shield the main force, a mission he described as a one-way trip to protect national territory and buy time for their comrades to keep the enemy off the reefs. He reiterated the Special Forces motto: "We'd rather go forward and die than step back and stay alive." The fierce fighting continued, with both sides suffering losses.
The Blue Army reported heavy casualties in the second battalion, with over half the forces out of action. The instructor and his men were under immense pressure, with the Red Army forcibly suppressing them with firepower and blowing up reefs. Gao Liang, after being informed that the sun would set in an hour, ordered his Glider Squad to take off.
The Red Army, in turn, detected the twelve powered hang gliders flying towards their landing team and Gu Yiye ordered them shot down. Despite some of their landing ships withdrawing from the fight, Gu Yiye recognized that Gao Liang had exhausted his tricks. He then ordered his reserve forces to forcibly land on the island, successfully establishing a beachhead two hundred meters deep in the southwestern area.
The Blue Army commander reported that the instructor's forces were wiped out and could no longer hold their position. Gao Liang ordered the commander of the Third Company to withdraw to underground fortifications, while the First and Second Companies were to hold out for another half an hour to prevent the Red Army from establishing a supporting beachhead and besieging them.
Gao Liang maintained that they were not being besieged but rather entrapping the enemy, and the outcome would depend on tactics, not duration. With only thirty minutes left until the scheduled end of the exercise, the director department staff commented that a miracle had indeed occurred, but it was impossible for the Red Army to defeat the Blue Army within the remaining time. They stated that the Red Army’s remaining plans could not be implemented.
He Zhigeng, the chief director, prepared to announce the end of the drill, believing the result was less important than the process. However, Zheng Yuan, on a phone call with He Zhigeng, urged him to stop the announcement, calling it a "critical moment." Zheng Yuan pointed out that both armies’ current state was closer to real combat than previous exercises, revealing crucial problems and offering an invaluable learning opportunity for all levels of command.
He acknowledged the risks of continuing without a detailed plan, but argued that ensuring the army’s combat readiness—its ability to fight and win to protect sovereignty and territory—was the paramount "safety." Jiang Nanzheng, overhearing the conversation, voiced her support, emphasizing that the drill's purpose was island control, not a timed exercise.
She highlighted that the Red Army had crippled the Blue Army's external communication and supply, turning Qiaotou Island into an isolated outpost, while the Red Army's supply lines remained intact. She concluded that real wars are judged by results, not time limits. Zheng Yuan praised Lt Col Jiang’s sensible reasons and proposed supplying the Red Army under limited conditions while denying supplies to the Blue Army, allowing the exercise to continue until a decisive result was achieved.
He instructed He Zhigeng to report this to the Military Command as his idea, promising to personally call Commander Zhao to support the decision. He Zhigeng agreed, vowing to call the Military Command immediately and delay the exercise's end until higher approval was granted. Gao Liang, upon hearing the news that the drill would continue, ordered his Special Forces to attack fiercely. Gu Yiye, in response, ordered all Red Army forces to retreat.
Soon, He Zhigeng received confirmation that the exercise had indeed been extended, personally intervened by the Number One Chief of the Military Command, who ordered Vice Commander Meng to lead division-level and above officers to observe the unprecedented event. Gu Yiye stood on the deck as dawn broke, reflecting on two decades of rivalry with Gao Liang. Although he had won most of their past contests, he realized he had never truly "defeated" him. He knew this battle was crucial.
He ordered a report on personnel and equipment needs, dictating requests for extensive firepower support and ordering a search for any remaining Blue Army frogmen around Qiaotou Island. On Qiaotou Island, Jiang Weixing reported to Gao Liang that the director department had confirmed the drill would continue until a result was achieved, but no new supplies or reinforcements would be provided to the Blue Army.
Jiang Weixing complained about their dwindling ammunition and equipment, having lost one-third of their soldiers with no replacements. Song Jianshe echoed the complaints about the lack of food and fresh water (which little Wangcheng had attempted to poison), frustrated that the director department expected them to find solutions themselves. Gao Liang, undeterred, ordered Jiang Weixing to reorganize his troops for a counterattack and to meet him at the main peak’s observation point in half an hour to plan.
He also demanded immediate solutions for supply. Gao Liang then went to check on the hostage chiefs. Song Jianshe immediately resumed complaining about the lack of provisions for the troops, and even for the observation team. Zheng Yuan, however, reminded him that as hostages, they shouldn’t demand special treatment, especially given the harsh realities of combat.
Qin Hanyong, spotting Gao Liang, praised him for holding out against Regiment 700 for two days and challenged him to last another thirty hours, promising a grand celebration if he succeeded. Just then, Li Shaobing noticed a problem with the "supplies" of the soldiers accompanying Gao Liang. Gao Liang responded by listing their remaining meager provisions: two meals a day, three bottles of water, and enough salt, but no showers, assuring them they wouldn't starve.
