From the 7th Steel Company to the Synthetic Division

The feeling when the Seventh Steel Battalion came out could be summed up in four words: ambitious.

Now, returning home in glory, the most fitting sentiment is nothing other than joy and elation.

The bumpy and uncomfortable journey of thousands of kilometers seemed to transform into a wonderful and comfortable trip under the stimulation of this joyful mood.

The smiles on everyone's faces were impossible to hide, and every carriage was filled with laughter and joy.

Before the Seventh Steel Battalion had even returned, while they were on their way back by train, news of their incredible, legendary achievements had already reached the country.

One battalion wiped out an entire reinforced regiment.

They achieved a kill ratio of 0 to 3253.

These two pieces of information are like atomic bombs; wherever they are transmitted, they will trigger a major earthquake, and their impact and reaction back in China will be sensational.

From the General Staff and General Political Department of the Central Committee to the old comrades of the 702nd Regiment.

They were all stunned, then burst into laughter.

What was astonishing was the incredible record achieved by the Seventh Steel Battalion, which was so exaggerated that it felt like a dream. I was so happy and proud that I smiled until my wrinkles appeared.

It is not worth boasting about one’s prowess in civil wars, but true strength lies in making a name for oneself in foreign wars.

The news sent shockwaves through the military, and military newspapers at all levels across the country were as busy as if it were New Year's Day, launching a barrage of reports.

Not only did the various deeds and achievements of the Seventh Steel Battalion once again make headlines on the front page of military newspapers at all levels.

This solidified the 7th Steel Battalion's status as an indisputable benchmark unit in the country's sweeping informatization reform.

Even the troops and leaders of the Seventh Steel Battalion became the subjects of interviews by military reporters.

It's clear that the goal is to delve deeper and create a model unit for reform.

The fact that the Seventh Steel Battalion could cause such a sensation must be because it received approval from the top leadership in order to further promote the informatization reform of the entire army.

The reform has now reached a critical juncture. As a new type of unit born after the reform, the Steel Seventh Battalion is invincible in the domestic army and its combat power is even more explosive abroad, achieving amazing results.

By forcefully promoting the 7th Steel Battalion as a benchmark and encouraging other units in the army to learn from it, the pace of reform can be significantly accelerated.

after all.

The military is a place where strength reigns supreme, and every unit commander desires that the combat effectiveness of their troops increase day by day.

However, many of these units have made outstanding military achievements, and their leaders are traditionally conservative and extremely resistant to information technology reforms.

These old-fashioned people stubbornly believe that reducing troops is equivalent to reducing combat effectiveness.

With fewer troops and personnel, their combat effectiveness is actually stronger.

They don't agree with this idea at all.

Reform and troop reduction are carried out simultaneously. The nationwide rollout of reforms inevitably leads to large-scale troop reductions. The presence of voices opposing troop reductions will affect the reform process.

The current vivid example of the Seventh Steel Battalion is like the most powerful advertisement in the world.

After reforms, a battalion of a few hundred men was able to wipe out an enemy force several times their size without suffering any losses, demonstrating overwhelming dominance on the battlefield.

This is equivalent to presenting the most useful proof that times have changed and having more people on the battlefield is not necessarily useful.

It's like announcing it to the whole world.

The battlefield has undergone an epic transformation; information technology is the key to the future.

If they continue to be stubborn and inflexible, they will become like the Russian army that was utterly defeated by the 7th Steel Battalion, with an entire reinforced regiment being wiped out by a single battalion.

The most real cases are right in front of us, and the media is bombarding us with reports...

Even the most traditional and stubborn old troops will have their beliefs shaken after seeing the performance of the new Steel Seventh Battalion.

This psychological shift among the "old fogies" was precisely the goal that the higher-ups wanted to achieve in their propaganda campaign for the Seventh Steel Battalion.

Given the extensive publicity efforts, what kind of reward and recognition should the Steel Seventh Battalion receive for its outstanding achievements?

The answer is extremely generous!
This can be considered the highest-level commendation and award since the reform of the entire military, and it is also the most unique in terms of the form of commendation.

Normally.

There are corresponding commendation ceremonies for meritorious service and awards. People will be organized to hold the meeting in a special place. The higher the level of commendation and award, the higher the place where the award will be received.

The Seventh Steel Battalion's achievement of bringing honor to the nation is tantamount to bringing glory to the country at the national level.

According to the relevant regulations on meritorious service and awards, Chen Jun, Gao Cheng, and others had every reason to believe that they would at least receive a first-class merit this time.

However, it is currently impossible to determine whether it is an individual or a group.

There is only one thing that can be completely confirmed.

The reason why the 7th Steel Battalion was able to achieve such a victory and make a great name for the Chinese army in the world was mainly due to Chen Jun's outstanding command.

Without Chen Jun's almost supernatural military tactics, he would have quickly mastered various strategies to perfection.

No matter how good the equipment of the 7th Steel Battalion is, how complete and reasonable its troop types are, how hard it trains, or how excellent the quality of its soldiers is.

It's practically impossible for a single battalion to wipe out an entire reinforced regiment.

It is because of Chen Jun that miracles can be created again.

Therefore, from Battalion Commander Gao Cheng and Political Instructor Ma Tianxiang down to every soldier in the Seventh Steel Battalion, everyone believed that Chen Jun would definitely be able to win another First-Class Merit.

Moreover, if we calculate the cooldown period for Chen Jun's first-class merit award, there are only two or three months left.

After following the steps above, there shouldn't be any major problems.

Thinking that Chen Jun would soon have two first-class merits, a whole bunch of second-class merits, third-class merits, and all sorts of collective merit awards.

No one in the Seventh Steel Battalion dared to imagine how high Chen Jun would go in the future.

Since this award ceremony will inevitably include a first-class merit, the award ceremony will normally be held in the auditorium of the provincial level or the war zone.

But this time, the leaders chose to conduct the exercise at the base of the Seventh Steel Battalion.

Awarding a first-class merit in the garrison area of ​​a battalion-level unit is unprecedented in the entire army, at least in the 84th Group Army.

The fact that the higher-ups were giving the Steel Seventh Company special treatment caused a sensation once again after it was reported in the military newspaper.

As members of the Seventh Steel Battalion, every soldier felt immense pride and secretly vowed to train even harder to live up to the trust placed in them by their superiors.

Compared to the excitement and euphoria of the entire Seventh Steel Battalion, Chen Jun, the greatest contributor, remained the most composed.

For Chen Jun, who has so many medals that he has so many that he can barely hang them on his clothes and wear them as bulletproof vests, the awards and commendations he receives no longer hold much significance.

He is now completely focused on the Seventh Steel Battalion, thinking about how to help them achieve even greater success.

The information about the "Steel Seventh Regiment" has been submitted for a long time, but more than a year has passed and there is still no accurate response. Chen Jun is actually very anxious.

So while others were thinking about making contributions and receiving awards, and feeling proud of winning glory for their country abroad.

Chen Jun was filled with the thought that since things had gone so well this time, the plan for the combined arms regiment would definitely be approved, and he was excited and looking forward to the day when the combined arms regiment could be established.

Chen Jun is probably the only one in the entire army who isn't particularly interested in even a first-class merit award.

Fortunately, Chen Jun only thought about it in his heart.

It was never said out loud.

Otherwise, everyone would be treated like Versailles by him, and their defenses would be completely broken in a second.

Because the award ceremony was held at the Steel Seventh Battalion base, the train did not stop on its way back from the Steel Seventh Battalion and went directly to the T Division base train station.

Having learned of the news in advance, Division Commander Ye Zhengjun, along with Political Commissar Zhou Yunhai, a group of high-ranking officers from the division headquarters, and Regiment Commander Wang of the 702nd Regiment, along with over a hundred others, personally went to the platform to welcome the triumphant 7th Steel Battalion.

As the military train slowed down and began to enter the platform, the military band on the platform began to play powerful music.

Amidst rousing and celebratory music, the military train slowly came to a stop on the tracks at the platform, thus beginning the grand welcoming ceremony that T Division had never held before.

The soldiers of the Seventh Steel Battalion never imagined they would receive such a high-level welcome.

They were all excited and wanted to climb to the window to get a good look at the grand scene below and satisfy their curiosity and vanity.

As soon as the soldiers moved, the officer in charge shouted from behind.

"What's all the noise about? The leaders are down here. What's going on with this mess? Everyone go back to your seats and sit down. No one is allowed to move without orders."

The leaders of each carriage shouted at each other almost simultaneously, and the chaotic scene inside the carriages disappeared in an instant.

The more awards a unit wins and the better it performs, the more it cares about honor. The soldiers of the Steel Seventh Company in each carriage did not want to damage the company's image in front of their leaders or affect their own company, so they all showed their best side.

They sat upright, backs straight, eyes fixed straight ahead, ready to greet the highlight of their lives.

The military train came to a steady stop on the platform tracks. Battalion Commander Gao Cheng was the first to get off the train alone and ran to the division commander with an unprecedentedly standard running posture.

"Reporting to the division commander, the 7th Steel Battalion has successfully completed the mission assigned by its superiors and has now returned in full force. They should proceed to..."

Gao Cheng snapped to attention and saluted, then loudly reported to Division Commander Ye Zhengjun in a voice that was both clear and proud, enough to echo throughout the entire train station.

"On behalf of Division T, I congratulate you on your triumphant return. You've all done a great job..."

Division Commander Ye Zhengjun is a serious person, but at this moment he couldn't contain his excitement. He was proud of the amazing Steel Seven Sounds he had trained, and his excitement and joy were evident in his eyes.

After a long and eloquent speech of praise, Division Commander Ye Zhengjun gave the order: "Organize everyone to get off the bus."

"Yes!!"

Gao Cheng saluted again, turned around and shouted: "Each company should quickly organize to disembark and return to their respective companies, awaiting further instructions."

Upon receiving the battalion commander's order, corresponding slogans immediately rang out in each of the train carriages.

"First shift, get off; second shift, get off..."

Following the commands of the officers on duty, the soldiers disembarked from the train in an orderly fashion and then lined up on the platform corresponding to their respective carriages.

The soldiers were led back by the officers on duty, while Chen Jun, Man Guangzhi, and other officers from the Seventh Battalion also got off the train in an orderly manner.

Regiment Commander Wang Qingrui was already waiting under the carriage. When he saw Chen Jun get off the train, his eyes lit up. Instead of acting like a commander, he walked up to Chen Jun with a smile in his eyes.

"Hello, Captain!"

Chen Jun, Man Guangzhi, Ma Tianxiang, and other cadres immediately saluted and greeted Commander Wang.

"You did a good job this time, you didn't embarrass yourselves."

Wang Qingrui patted Chen Jun's arm affectionately and said with special emphasis, "Especially you, kid, you really gave me a big surprise, wiping out a regiment, and a reinforced one at that..."

Commander Wang didn't say anything more, but his repeated nodding conveyed the answer.

"We originally wanted to wipe out a division, but unfortunately, we didn't have enough men to fight for us. It's such a pity. We'll definitely make up for it for you, Commander, next time."

Chen Jun was in a very good mood, and his relationship with Commander Wang was quite familiar. In addition, the occasion was festive, so he made a small joke out of the mood.

"I told you you're fat, and you're still panting?"

Commander Wang suddenly glared at them with a stern face, but the next second his expression melted away as he laughed, "However, I like what you said. I'll be waiting for you, hahaha."

As Commander Wang burst into hearty laughter, Chen Jun, Man Guangzhi, and the others also laughed.

The atmosphere on the scene became very harmonious. After chatting with Man Guangzhi, Ma Tianxiang and others for a few more minutes, Commander Wang led everyone to the division commander's side.

When Division Commander Ye Zhengjun saw Chen Jun approaching, his smile became even more pronounced.

Ye Zhengjun knew how outstanding Chen Jun was. From the combined arms company to the current combined arms battalion, Chen Jun's abilities had completely won him over.

He thought he had thought highly of Chen Jun, but now he realized he had underestimated him.

Chen Jun's potential exceeded his imagination.

Upon seeing Chen Jun, the top contributor, arrive, Ye Zhengjun showed him the utmost respect and recognition, and, like Commander Wang, took the initiative to greet him.

The battalion commander went to see the division commander, and the division commander took the initiative to step forward.

That's enough to save face.

Not to mention the entire 84th Group Army, even looking at all the units in the army, there are probably only a handful of people who have this kind of prestige.

As a seasoned veteran in the military, Chen Jun's temperament had matured to an extreme degree.

Unlike many young people who become arrogant because of their achievements, he maintained a humble yet assertive attitude and quickly became close with the division commanders.

The platform was just the first step in the welcoming ceremony. Next, Chen Jun, Gao Cheng, and other officers from the 7th Battalion, along with high-ranking officers from the 702nd Regiment, proceeded to the division headquarters to begin the second half of the ceremony.

Let's start the celebration early!

There's no alcohol on the table unless there's a specific reason, and a casual drink during a meal is unheard of in the military. But when something happens, alcohol is definitely the main attraction.

Either don't drink at all, or show off like crazy.

The military's drinking culture is that simple and brutal; everyone from the top to the bottom of the soldiers is the same, which is also the main reason for the ban on alcohol.

The division headquarters hosted a banquet for Chen Jun and his battalion-level officers, while the soldiers of the 7th Steel Battalion also had a meal together.

Finally back in their home base, the soldiers of the Seventh Steel Battalion could finally let their guard down completely, and their big green batons were all on full display.

And this is just the beginning...

The best is yet to come! (End of Chapter)