The Fourth Council

The Fourth Council (第四届理事会, Dì sì jiè lǐshì huì) is a Chinese Faction in Battery Mode. It is the poorest faction among the Main Five.

## Organization

The Fourth Council's main rifle cartridge is 7.62x63mm and its main pistol cartridge is 7.62x25mm.

### **Rifle Section**

The Fourth Council uses the Standard Rifle Section organization. It generally uses magazine-fed Light Machine Guns and uses mostly Repeater Rifles, though some sections do get some Self-Loading Rifles for increased firepower. Additionally, Carbines are widely issued to Section Leaders in the Fourth Council. The Rifle Section of the Fourth Council usually consists of eleven men.

The Fourth Council's Rifle Section is led by an NCO who is usually armed with a Carbine. It is split into a Gun Group and a Maneuver Group. The Gun Group consists of three men; one who carries and fires the weapon, another who carries spare barrels and ammunition, both of whom are armed with handguns; the third man, the leader of the Rifle Section, directs the gun and protects it with his carbine. The Maneuver Group is led by the Assistant to the NCO (who sometimes gets a Carbine as well, but is more usually armed with a rifle), and consists of seven additional rifleman. One of these men is designated as a Marksman, and usually is one of the most experienced men in the rifle section. He often gets a Self Loading Rifle with an optical scope. Additionally, two other men are designated as Grenadiers and have rifle grenade adapters for their rifles.

## Doctrine

### **Tactical**

#### **Section Philosophy**

The Fourth Council encourages aggressive action by its Rifle Sections, as, in typical Fourth Council style, the Rifle Sections do not get very modern equipment most of the time. To make up for this shortcoming, the Fourth Council encourages extremely aggressive use of rifles, carbines and grenades in all actions. The duty of every man in its rifle sections is to help the section take the attack to the enemy, even when defending. The Fourth Council sees the Light Machine Gun as integral to pushing the enemy out of their position in order for the riflemen to 'destroy the enemy completely' and thereby take their objectives. However, it also sees the Light Machine Gun as a support tool rather than what the rifle section is based around. This means that the light machine gunner is responsible for protecting the riflemen, rather than the other way around. The carbine held by the NCO is usually held back protecting the light machine gun, which helps when the enemy attempts to destroy it by close attack. However, unless the assistant also has a carbine, the fast-firing short range weapon is not available for the final assault. This means that the average rifleman must be very ready to use weapons other than his rifle, as the repeater rifle is not idle for close-in combat. Indeed, the Fourth Council stresses the importance of other weapons, stating 'The bayonet and the grenade usually take precedence in the final attack.' The Grenadiers of the squad are encouraged to lay smoke and bombard the enemy before the final attack commences, and during the attack are encouraged to destroy enemy fortifications with their grenades but must always remember that their duty is to 'assault, rather than to support.' In the attack, the Marksman of the squad usually is directed to 'suppress the enemy with rapid fire,' assuming he has a self-loading rifle; if not, he is directed to follow the riflemen close behind and to 'take rapid, aimed shots at high-value targets' whilst the riflemen rush forward. After the enemy is driven out of their position, the Marksman is directed to 'immediately exploit the gap to eliminate enemy officers and crew-served weapons' before the enemy can respond.

The overall picture is one of somewhat balanced firepower between the Gun and Maneuver Group, though the amount of automatic fire coming from the Gun Group at both short and long range is harrowing to enemies caught in its sight. Comparably, the Maneuver Group contributes a relatively modest amount of fire but this is made up for by the aggressive use of grenades and the bayonet.