Who taught you to be a soldier like this!

Chapter 552 Chang Dingfang: What am I so happy about? [Please subscribe! Please vote!]

Deputy Chief Wei's voice was like the most powerful rest in a musical score, immediately causing a chain reaction that spread like ripples throughout the entire venue!

The sergeants running around the field, the commanders sitting on the platform whispering to each other, and the cadres from both sides who had just arrived to attend the debriefing meeting—all seemed to receive some kind of order at this moment. Without warning, they stopped what they were doing and turned to look at Zhao Weihong standing at the end of the field!

Silence and curiosity spread throughout the venue as gazes filled the air, instantly making Zhao Weihong, who was standing still, the "protagonist" of the entire scene!

Such a scene seems quite glamorous, with one person drawing the attention of the entire audience—what an honor!

But Zhao Weihong felt no joy at all; instead, she felt a chill that went deep into her bones!

It wasn't that Zhao Weihong was naive or inexperienced and was frightened by such a scene.

It wasn't that he was worried about his shameful and disgraceful deeds being exposed; he simply couldn't face Chang Dingfang later.

Instead, hundreds of people suddenly looked at him, and their movements were remarkably synchronized.

Who wouldn't be scared if they encountered this thing?
Besides that, Zhao Weihong was somewhat puzzled.

This wasn't the first time he had dealt with Deputy Chief Wei, nor was it the first time he had become the center of attention at an event with Deputy Chief Wei present.

In the past, those occasions were either award ceremonies or award presentations. Zhao Weihong was able to stand in the center because of her indisputable performance, and others could only keep their opinions to themselves.

This exercise debriefing meeting was different. The two participating divisions had a total of over a thousand officers, all of whom were of higher rank than Zhao Weihong, a trainee who didn't even have a single star.

To put it bluntly, Zhao Weihong had to call everyone "commander"!

If we also include the commanders and staff of the 149th and 116th Divisions, then Zhao Weihong should definitely not be in the spotlight.

In fact, this is also what many officials are thinking.

Why was Zhao Weihong able to be received by the leader as soon as he arrived?
Is it about performance?
This is too subjective.

Performance in a single battle often does not prove an individual's ability.

For example, those officers in the 149th Division who were assigned to cover the rear. Even though they withdrew from the exercise early on, they might still have an outstanding performance if the fight went on to the very end.

As for contributions? That has even less to do with Zhao Weihong; it should have been the commanders from both sides who went up.

Whether they are polite and courteous or not is their own business.

Although Deputy Chief Wei had shown Zhao Weihong a lot of "favor" in the past, it was all done in private.

This is the first time that Zhao Weihong has been so brazenly placed on a stage that is so disproportionate to his current level.

Therefore, Zhao Weihong was completely confused about what Deputy Chief Wei was up to. As if she was frightened by everyone's gaze, she stood there blankly for a long time without making a move.

"What are you standing there for!"

"Hurry up and go up!"

Seeing that Zhao Weihong did not make a move for a long time, Chang Dingfang, who was standing in front of him, immediately became anxious. He made a move with his right foot, but then stopped abruptly. Instead, he pulled Zhao Weihong and signaled him to hurry up and go on stage.

"Okay, Commander, I'll come find you later."

Seeing that Zhao Weihong still remembered her old regimental commander at this critical juncture, Chang Dingfang was very pleased. The corners of his mouth involuntarily curled up slightly, but he still had to pretend to be indifferent.

"Enough talk, let's run! Don't keep the commander waiting!"

"Yes!"

Zhao Weihong glanced at Chang Dingfang somewhat guiltily, then looked away and, adopting the most standard marching formation, headed straight for the front of the platform.

Those who had been watching him intently began to follow his movements, accompanied by whispers of curiosity, envy, or even jealousy.

Cadres from the 116th Division might be shocked that Zhao Weihong was suddenly called to the stage, but they would not be surprised at all.

In their minds, nothing Zhao Weihong did was surprising.

Otherwise, how could he be called a living father?

On the contrary, it was Zhao Weihong's current unit, nominally "one of their own," that had the most heated discussion about this, and even some complaints!
"Commander, what's going on?"

"He's just a student, and he just walked past us all and got onto the stage, all so fresh and pretty?"

"What? Did Zhao Weihong fight this battle all by himself?"

"Even you, the division commander, have to sit in the audience. Why is he allowed to go up there?"

Guan Jiwu was already seated in the front row below the dais, surrounded by key members of the division headquarters and several regimental commanders under his command.

Among those who voiced their complaints was Zheng Zairong, the commander of the 445th Regiment.

To be honest, he was a very unfortunate and miserable person.

In the early stages of the exercise, they were soundly defeated by the 116th Division, and the southern front positions they were responsible for were breached first.

In the ensuing battles, the 445th Regiment and Zheng Zairong were always the ones "biting the bullet," fighting tough and fierce battles. In the end, even the regimental commander, Zheng Zairong, was killed in action. It was the only regimental-level unit to be completely annihilated in the exercise.

Although no one denies the efforts and sacrifices of Zheng Zaiyong and the 445th Regiment, such achievements still fueled a burning anger in Zheng Zaiyong's heart, which even the final victory could not quell.

After Zhao Weihong was suddenly called onto the stage by Deputy Chief Wei, Zheng Zairong's anger reached its peak!

Seeing this, Wei Tao, who was standing to the side, glared and was about to curse!

Although Wei Tao doesn't usually interact with Zhao Weihong and they don't have much contact in private, when Guan Jiwu was stationed at the company, Wei Tao often "greeted" Zhao Weihong's old squad leader and leader behind her back. Every night, he would ponder over and over what kind of squad leader and leader could have led Zhao Weihong to become the way Guan Jiwu is now, a situation that makes him scratch his head in dismay.

But these are all matters concerning Zhao Weihong and Wei Tao, and even more so, they are "family matters" of the 446th Regiment!

As Zhao Weihong's current troupe leader, Wei Tao feels he has the right to say a few words about Zhao Weihong.

But what is Zheng Zairong good for? How dare he scold Wei Tao's soldiers in front of him?
If Wei Tao doesn't speak up now, and word gets out, he won't be able to stay as the regimental commander!

Thinking of this, Wei Tao glared and raised his eyebrows, pointing at Zheng Zairong's nose, about to start cursing. But unexpectedly, someone Wei Tao never dreamed of would suddenly speak up at this moment.

"Shut your mouth!"

After glancing at the direction of the rostrum and seeing that no leaders were looking in their direction, the chief of staff of the 149th Division lowered his voice and reprimanded Zheng Zairong with a furrowed brow!

"Did the organization appoint you as the head of this delegation and send you to this meeting so you could run wild?"

"Complain? Don't you even know where you are!"

"Don't think that just because you've fought two tough battles, you have the right to put on airs!"

"Let me tell you, even without you, Zheng Zai Rong, we can still fight this war! We can still win the exercise!"

"Before expressing your opinions about your comrades, what you need to do is not to make things up, but to understand them thoroughly!"

Those who can become chiefs of staff of division-level units all have fiery tempers, and are even more frightening to the grassroots officers and soldiers than the two commanding officers.

Xu Feng was like this, and so was the chief of staff of the 149th Division. Looking at Zheng Zai Rong, who remained silent but whose face was full of indignation, seemingly very resentful.

The chief of staff of the 149th Division really wanted to kick him, but he couldn't do so because of the occasion. He could only issue an "ultimatum" to Zheng Zaiyong in a warning tone.

"From now on, unless the commander calls you, don't let me hear you utter a single word!"

"If you can't do it, just say a few words and I'll make you clean the toilets at the division headquarters for days!"

Upon hearing this, Jung Jae-young's eyes widened immediately, and then he seemed to have all his energy drained away, becoming dejected and docile.

Of course, Zheng Zairong was not stupid. He knew that the fact that the chief of staff spoke to him in this manner meant that Zhao Weihong must have made great contributions in this exercise, and his role might even be greater than that of the regimental commander himself!
Zheng Zairong racked his brains but couldn't figure out what kind of merit Zhao Weihong had that would allow her to bypass the more than 1,000 cadres present and be called to the podium by Vice Chief Wei in front of everyone.

Even if the 116th Division's command post were wiped out, there wouldn't be such a grand spectacle, would there?
Throughout this process, Guan Jiwu, as the teacher, remained silent, only staring intently at Zhao Weihong's back with a complex expression.

"Hello, Chief!"

Upon arriving in front of Deputy Chief Wei, Zhao Weihong didn't say anything, but simply gave Deputy Chief Wei a meticulous salute and offered her greetings.

"Oh, so you're still upset with the old man."

"You got to shine in front of so many people, and you still look so unwilling?"

Seeing Deputy Chief Wei jokingly teasing her with a smile, Zhao Weihong's unease dissipated considerably. She immediately put on a bitter face and pitifully expressed her feelings.

"Sir, sir, I dare not risk this!"

"Look at the looks in the eyes of those people behind me. If you weren't here, I might be getting beaten up by them right now!"

Upon hearing this, Deputy Chief Wei immediately looked very surprised and asked in astonishment.

"Oh! Our lone hero behind enemy lines actually has something he's afraid of?"

"Don't be afraid. I'll sit right here today and see who dares to make things difficult for you!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Weihong remained silent, only sighing inwardly.

You can't keep staring at me like that!

Do you know why I called you up here?

Seeing the smile on Vice Commander Wei's face gradually disappear, Zhao Weihong knew that they were about to get down to business, so she immediately straightened her back and said in a deep voice.

"do not know."

The words fell.

Deputy Chief Wei did not speak immediately, but carefully examined Zhao Weihong with his sharp eyes, tapping the table lightly with his right index finger as if he was thinking about something.

It wasn't until Zhao Weihong felt a little uneasy under his gaze that Deputy Chief Wei let out a sigh that only he could hear, and spoke softly.

"do not know?"

"Then let me change the question."

"If you were to fight against yourself, and simultaneously serve as the commander of both sides in an exercise."

Who do you think will win?

Zhao Weihong frowned, thought carefully for a moment, and then gave her answer.

"116th Division!"

The moment she uttered the answer, Zhao Weihong felt a chill run down her spine and sensed something was wrong!

Deputy Chief Wei seemed to have heard the answer he wanted, nodded in satisfaction, and left Zhao Weihong on the podium.

Of course, Zhao Weihong did not take a seat, but was arranged to sit at the "speaking seat" to the right and in front of Deputy Chief Wei.

It would be far too inappropriate to have him, an intern, sitting among a group of leaders with wheat ears.

However, such an arrangement is still very ostentatious.

During the waiting period before the assembly, Zhao Weihong stood on the podium like a statue, watching with mixed feelings as the seats below were gradually filled by the cadres who kept arriving.

The cadres, who had traveled a long way, were first shocked to find that Deputy Chief Wei was already seated when they arrived at the venue. They then looked at Zhao Weihong, who was standing on the stage, with puzzled expressions.

Those who don't recognize Zhao Weihong are wondering who this guy is.

Those who had met this "living father" kept asking the people around them what he was doing.

Why does it look like it's about to make a self-criticism?
Chang Dingfang looked at Zhao Weihong with a proud expression, occasionally showing off to those around him.

See that kid on stage?
I, Chang Dingfang, was the soldier I personally trained!

They've all made it to the podium now!
His smug and overbearing demeanor quickly drew retaliation from others.

"Hey Lao Chang, what are you showing off for?"

"Yes! That kid ran up to the podium, he's really impressive!"

"But what does this have to do with you?"

"No, I should put it another way."

"Didn't you, Deputy Division Commander Chang, ever think about why this kid was allowed to go up on stage at the exercise debriefing meeting?"

The other party deliberately emphasized the word "exercise," making the implication quite obvious.

Chang Dingfang didn't react at first, blinking his eyes in confusion for a long time. The more he thought about it, the more something seemed wrong, and in the end, he almost wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into!
Yes!

Zhao Weihong was able to take the stage only because the 116th Division, as her "background," cooperated so well.
Why am I so happy about this?
soon.

The more than 1,000 cadres who were to attend the summary and analysis conference had all arrived and taken their seats.

The venue grew increasingly silent, the quiet almost unsettling; not even the wind could be heard.

In this increasingly tense atmosphere, Chief Mai, who was in charge of chairing the meeting, jogged over to Deputy Chief Wei. Just as he was about to raise his hand to salute, he was stopped by Deputy Chief Wei's gaze.

Zhao Weihong kept her body still, desperately looking to her left rear. She saw Deputy Commander Wei turn his body and look back at Zhou Kehu and Peng Jia'an in the second row.

"You two."

Deputy Chief Wei looked somewhat surprised, and his index finger tapped the table more and more rapidly.

"What are you still sitting here for?"

(End of this chapter)