From the 7th Steel Company to the Synthetic Division

The celebration dinner on the first night after the Seventh Steel Battalion returned was a great opportunity for the soldiers to relax after such a long period of hard work. The atmosphere at the dinner was absolutely fantastic.

The regiment was very cooperative and gave the 7th Steel Battalion a three-day holiday.

Not only is there no need for training, but there's not even a roll call.

Whether the soldiers want to lie in bed and sleep for three days, take leave to go to the city to shop and have fun, or do whatever they want at the base, they can choose to stay.

Either way!

Nobody cares!
Such leave is very rare in the military. Even on National Day, there are roll calls and certain restrictions, so absolute freedom is not possible.

This special three-day holiday for the 7th Steel Battalion was definitely a special reward given to them by the regiment.

The soldiers were able to completely relax and rest, doing whatever they wanted without violating discipline, while Chen Jun and his officers were extremely busy.

Not only do we need to organize the information about this exercise, but we also need to write a detailed report on the exercise.

It's not just Chen Jun who needs to write.

Gao Cheng had to write, Man Guangzhi had to write, and even every staff officer and company commander had to write.

Because each person is responsible for a different position, they play different roles in the exercise, and their tasks and responsibilities are also different.

So while the soldiers were having fun, the officers were gruelingly writing reports.

Although the exercise only lasted for a little over a day, the 7th Steel Battalion did a lot during the exercise, and everyone had a lot of materials to write.

Even Chen Jun, who was the fastest at writing, took a full day and a half to finish.

Some of the company commanders, who were not particularly good writers to begin with, didn't finish their work until late on the third day, and didn't get to enjoy their three-day holiday for even a minute.

However, even without enjoying a holiday, everyone's enthusiasm remained high.

Because doing this kind of work is tiring but also enjoyable.

Even if officers from other battalions wanted to stay up all night writing reports, they wouldn't have the qualifications to do so; they could only envy this immense honor.

The three-day rest period passed in the blink of an eye, and finally the most important part arrived.

Fourth day.

A massive convoy of dozens of vehicles drove into the headquarters of the 702nd Regiment, and the sheer scale of the procession revealed that the people who came were no ordinary individuals.

Having received prior notice, Regiment Commander Wang and other regimental leaders were already waiting at the regimental headquarters gate to greet them.

The convoy stopped in the regimental headquarters compound. First, fully armed guards got out, followed by high-ranking officials.

Sparkling gold stars were everywhere.

Among them, Commander Wang's old friend, Commander Gao, was not qualified to take the main seat. They could only run over with smiles on their faces and accompany a middle-aged or elderly leader.

When Regiment Commander Wang saw the old commander approaching, his eyes widened.

No wonder the convoy that arrived was so grand; it turns out that the second-in-command of the war zone came in person, which shows how much importance the higher authorities attach to this award.

Even Commander Gao could only follow him around like a servant, let alone someone of Commander Wang's rank.

It's difficult to even meet them on a normal day, let alone receive them in person.

The first thing the old commander did after getting out of the car was to come to Commander Wang with a big smile and a very friendly attitude, which made Commander Wang feel like he was dreaming.

My body, which had been so tense and stiff, finally had a little respite.

The old commander was here to preside over the award ceremony, so he didn't linger at the regimental headquarters for long. He had a cup of tea, listened to a brief work report, and once he confirmed that the ceremony preparations were complete, he led his men straight to the base of the Seventh Steel Battalion.

Chen Jun and Gao Cheng's group had been waiting for the old commander and others at the intersection of the main playground for a long time.

When such a high-ranking leader comes to the camp, if this were in any other unit, the sanitation work would have to start at least half a month in advance.

Not to mention that you have to use a toothbrush to clean even the cracks in the toilet, you have to wash every single leaf on the roadside.

The entire base must be kept spotless.

The Seventh Steel Battalion has returned with honor for the country, and they've worked hard. The regiment has given them a few days off, and their hygiene standards haven't actually dropped much.

The regiment assigned other companies to do errands, sending more than 200 people to help with cleaning and setting up the venue.

In addition, although the soldiers of the Seventh Steel Battalion were resting, they did not really just rest and do nothing; they also took time to help out.

Today, the Seventh Steel Battalion has been completely transformed, with every place spotless.

All the soldiers of the Seventh Steel Battalion, except for the sentries, had assembled on the parade ground.

Nearly a thousand people and more than a hundred combat vehicles formed various neat square formations on the parade ground, which looked very magnificent and spectacular.

As soon as the old leader's motorcade entered the parade ground, Chen Jun and others, who had been waiting at the entrance, immediately stood up straight and saluted to welcome him. The motorcade continued until it had all entered the parade ground and stopped one by one on the right side of the rostrum.

Battalion Commander Gao Chengcai followed the military procedure and ran over to report to his old superior.

Seeing the Steel Seventh Battalion full of energy and burning fighting spirit, the old commander nodded repeatedly to express his satisfaction, and the accompanying commanders also praised them one after another.

"As expected of the combined arms battalion known for its strongest combat power, their spirit and morale are extraordinary."

"The wave of reform has swept across the entire army. The fact that the Seventh Steel Battalion has developed so well shows that the direction of reform is correct. This is something to celebrate."

"The combined arms battalion is already this strong. If it can go even higher, it would be something to look forward to."

……

Amidst the various exclamations of the leaders, the old leader and the officers of the Seventh Steel Battalion came together and expressed their high praise for Gao Cheng and his men.

In particular, the old commander showed special concern for Chen Jun, who was already famous throughout the army, by asking him several questions.

There are endless expectations for young officers like Chen Jun.

After completing this basic procedure, the old leader led a group of leaders wearing gold stars to the specially constructed platform and took their seats.

With all personnel in place, the awards ceremony commenced.

Chen Jun has attended so many award ceremonies that he can hardly count them on his fingers.

But this was the first time in his life he had ever witnessed such a high-level award ceremony, with so many J Army soldiers participating, and held at the battalion headquarters.

This was not only Chen Jun's first time, but also the first time for the vast majority of people present.

Therefore, everyone present was very excited, and their expressions and demeanor were more solemn and dignified than ever before, while also being more tense than ever before.

They were even afraid that if they breathed too heavily, it would affect the solemn award ceremony.

Amidst the excited yet tense atmosphere of thousands of people, the award ceremony, personally presided over by the former leader, solemnly commenced.

First, leaders at all levels took the stage to speak, with Chief Gao being the first to speak. The son, who had distinguished himself in the awards ceremony, waited in the audience to receive his award, while the father, who was also his son's direct superior, gave a speech on stage.

Gao Cheng was very excited at this scene.

This shows that he did not disgrace the Gao family, nor did he disgrace his father. He was not a second-generation military officer who rose through connections, but through his own abilities.

The father was also very excited. The happiest thing for a father is to hope that his son will really become a dragon.

Commander Wang, a man who understood the relationship between the two sides, felt nothing but joy, envy, and jealousy upon seeing this scene. He wondered why his own son wasn't as outstanding.

Chief Gao's speech was short, but his words were very comforting to listen to.

These all represent higher expectations for the future of the Seventh Steel Battalion!
After Chief Gao finished speaking, several other leaders came up to speak. The whole process lasted for more than ten minutes and ended with a speech by Regiment Commander Wang.

The 7th Steel Battalion is the main force battalion under the 702nd Regiment, so the regimental commander naturally had to go up and say a few words.

After the opening remarks by the leaders, there were no further tedious steps, and the event proceeded directly to the core segment: the formal awarding of prizes to the winners.

The performance of the Seventh Steel Battalion this time was so outstanding that everyone expected the reward to be extraordinary.

It was indeed incredibly shocking!
The 7th Steel Battalion participated in this overseas exercise as a whole and ultimately created two miracles. Since the entire battalion was involved, they naturally received a collective award.

Being able to achieve merit at the national level has already reached the standard of a first-class merit.

Therefore, the first award the Steel Seventh Battalion received was a collective first-class merit, making this unit, which was less than two years old, a glorious first-class merit battalion.

Although the "honorary title" of this battalion is not as high as the first-class merit during the war.

However, in peacetime, it would be even more impressive.

In peacetime, when there is no war, there are many ways for individuals or small groups to win awards, such as participating in international competitions.

However, it is extremely difficult for a battalion to win a collective first-class merit.

The fact that the Seventh Steel Battalion was able to obtain it makes it even more valuable.

Gao Cheng, the battalion commander, was grinning from ear to ear!

For a military officer, being able to lead a new unit from scratch to become a first-class merit battalion is more important than his own first-class merit.

The most important quality for officers is their ability to lead troops, and superiors will definitely prioritize this aspect when selecting officers.

Gao Cheng was able to lead a battalion to the rank of First-Class Merit. Putting aside his other awards and merits, this one achievement alone was enough to put him on par with his father.

Whether it can surpass them is another matter, but reaching the level of an army group is definitely not a problem.

If we add his other meritorious achievements, and with the prodigy Chen Jun growing alongside him, Gao Cheng will only have more opportunities to shine in the future.

It was destined that Gao Cheng would surpass his ancestors in the Gao family lineage.

The Seventh Steel Battalion received a collective first-class merit award, followed by individual awards for meritorious service.

Everyone assumed that the first person to receive the award must be the true soul leader of the Steel Seventh Battalion, because without him, there would be no Chen Jun of the Steel Seventh Battalion.

The result was quite unexpected; Chen Jun was not the first individual to receive an award.

Instead, it was Gao Cheng, Man Guangzhi, and Ma Tianxiang.

As the three core members of the 7th Steel Battalion, the higher-level unit believed that they performed exceptionally well in this exercise, demonstrating the qualities that a young Chinese cadre should possess, and leading the unit to achieve outstanding results.

All three of them were awarded a first-class merit and were each awarded a first-class merit medal.

Gao Cheng had received second-class and third-class merit awards before, but this was his first time receiving a first-class merit award. He was all smiles when he went up to receive the award.

Man Guangzhi and Ma Tianxiang were overjoyed, as this was their first individual first-class merit.

Especially for Man Guangzhi, who had just come here from the research institute, this was his first personal merit award, and starting with a first-class merit, which made him feel like he was dreaming.

The process of walking from the audience to the stage to receive the award felt like a dream, a surreal experience.

It wasn't until the old leader who presided over the award ceremony personally pinned the First-Class Merit Medal on his chest that he finally came back to his senses from his daze.

He immediately straightened his back, saluted, and then shook hands with the leader.

The sight of the Grand Commander holding three golden stars, a scene that only appeared in dreams, had now come true. Man Guangzhi was so excited that his fingers were trembling.

The old commander could sense the young man's excitement, patted him on the shoulder, and said a few words: "Keep up the good work."

Man Guangzhi, who was already excited, became even more excited.

It's not that Man Guangzhi is too young and impatient; it's just that the leader standing in front of him is of a very high rank. Anyone would be uneasy if someone at the very top of the pyramid gave him words of encouragement.

Take Gao Cheng and Ma Tianxiang, who were standing next to him, for example. They were both older and not much better off.

They were just as excited, their faces turning bright red!

The soldiers of the Seventh Steel Battalion standing on the parade ground below, seeing the First-Class Merit Medals hanging on the chests of Gao Cheng and the other two, felt both envious and inspired with boundless fighting spirit.

I hope that in the future I can be like Gao Cheng, and through unremitting efforts and hard work, I can obtain my own medal of honor.

The fact that the soldiers of the Seventh Steel Battalion had this idea was the main reason why the higher-ups held the award ceremony at the Seventh Steel Battalion, allowing all the soldiers to witness this moment.

The goal is to use the power of role models to further inspire the soldiers' fighting spirit and make the unit even stronger.

Especially at this critical juncture of information technology reform, the power of role models is more important than ever, enabling military reform to proceed more smoothly and effectively.

After Gao Cheng, Man Guangzhi, and two others received awards, a large number of second-class and third-class merits followed.

In this exercise against the Russian army, the battalion headquarters did play a key role, but the performance of the individual companies below was equally outstanding.

Regardless of the Special Reconnaissance Company's extensive reconnaissance efforts, they managed to gather all the intelligence on the Blue Army.

The 3rd Infantry Company was at the forefront, eliminating an enemy force several times their size.

Or perhaps the heavy artillery company's fire support destroyed several key positions of the Blue Army, giving the Steel Seventh Battalion a huge advantage in its subsequent offensive.

The tank company, special operations platoon, army aviation company, information company, and logistics support company were also excellent, all performing exceptionally well.

At the crucial moment, they all stood up.

No one messed up.

Therefore, the commanding officers of these companies, as well as outstanding individuals, all received the honors they deserved at this award ceremony.

In the end, the number of second-class and third-class merits awarded was as high as more than thirty.

The number of medals awarded in one ceremony was more than the total number awarded to the entire 84th Group Army in a year, not even including the First-Class Merit Citation.

The 7th Steel Battalion has truly risen to prominence this time; the Russian army has delivered an overwhelming windfall. (End of Chapter)