From the 7th Steel Company to the Synthetic Division

The Seventh Steel Battalion reaped a great harvest from top to bottom. Those who performed outstandingly received medals of honor, while ordinary soldiers also received collective merit awards or commendations.

But there was one exception.

He is Chen Jun!
First-class merit, second-class merit, third-class merit, and various levels of personal commendations were all awarded from top to bottom, but Chen Jun was never seen going up to receive the awards.

Chen Jun performed the best in the exercise, and his contribution is undoubtedly the greatest.

But Chen Jun was conspicuously absent from the award recipients.

This matter not only puzzled the soldiers below, but even Division Commander Ye Zhengjun couldn't help but frown, curious about what exactly happened.

After thinking for a long time, I still couldn't come up with a solution.

If it were an award ceremony hosted by a military region-level official, Division Commander Ye Zhengjun could still bite the bullet and inquire about it, or quietly ask acquaintances for details.

But now it's the veteran commander of the war zone who's here; that's an extremely high rank.

Division Commander Ye Zhengjun had the will, but not the ability.

To put it bluntly.

I don't even dare to ask.

Amidst this atmosphere of confusion, the award ceremony entered its final stage. The leaders had already gone up to give their closing remarks, but Chen Jun still did not appear.

Now everyone was getting restless and started whispering among themselves.

"What happened? Why didn't Deputy Battalion Commander Chen receive the award?"

"Holy crap, the Seventh Steel Battalion has won so many awards, how come Deputy Battalion Commander Chen is missing? That shouldn't be the case, he's the soul of the Seventh Battalion."

"This is unreasonable, extremely unreasonable. There must be something fishy going on here."

"Could it be that Chen Jun has won so many awards that there's no room left on his clothes to hang new medals, so the leaders simply stopped assigning him any?"

"I've heard that the Seventh Battalion was able to defeat an reinforced regiment this time thanks to Deputy Battalion Commander Chen's brilliant strategy. How could he not receive an award?"

……

The soldiers of the Seventh Steel Battalion talked all over the place, guessing at various possibilities, but no one could be 100% sure what the cause was.

At the same time, because the implementing unit was of such a high level, everyone could only keep their questions to themselves.

If it were in the regiment or even the division, given Gao Cheng's loyal and straightforward personality, he would definitely have stood up for Chen Jun and questioned why Chen Jun hadn't received the award.

But in this situation, even Gao Cheng had no choice but to hold back.

However, while almost everyone in the room was discussing why Chen Jun didn't win the award, Chen Jun himself remained calm.

There is no other reason.

It is not only a matter of trust in the country and the military, but also an absolute confidence in one's own strength.

Chen Jun believed that since he had brought glory to the country and led his troops to achieve amazing results abroad, the army would certainly not treat him unfairly as a meritorious soldier.

The fact that he hasn't received any recognition suggests there must be other arrangements in place.

It could never have been forgotten, much less intentional.

Before leaving, the old leader specifically summoned Chen Jun and asked him if he had anything to say since he hadn't received any awards.

Chen Jun's reply was neither humble nor arrogant; he stated frankly, "I will follow the instructions of my superiors."

These eight short characters represent a high level of awareness.

The old leader didn't offer any specific comments, but he smiled and nodded slightly. That smiling nod was, in fact, the best comment.

"Among the younger generation of cadres, there are not many with your awareness and ability. I am very pleased and satisfied, and I look forward to meeting you again."

After the old leader finished speaking, he strode away, leaving Chen Jun standing there in a daze.

Anyone with half a brain could tell that the old commander was implying something, subtly telling Chen Jun that they would meet again in the near future.

There are usually several major gaps between battalion-level officers and theater commanders.

Unless Chen Jun can demonstrate his formidable strength again and make significant contributions at the national level, he will not be able to earn another first-class merit award.

But will Chen Jun be able to receive a first-class merit award, and when will he be able to receive it?

Chen Jun himself didn't know.

How did the old commander know all this? And how could he predict it in advance? Now he can tell Chen Jun secretly, face to face, that the two of them will meet again soon.

The idea that an outsider could predict the future of the person in question sounds rather eerie.

The old leader spoke to Chen Jun alone; there was no one else around, so Chen Jun couldn't get the information he wanted from other people's expressions.

Seeing the old leader being surrounded by a group of leaders, he couldn't help but frown and fall into deep thought.

"Has it really been arranged for me?"

Chen Jun pondered to himself, feeling that it was possible, and quite likely.

However, Chen Jun couldn't quite figure out what kind of arrangements had been made that could be equivalent to his contribution in this exercise.

It should be noted that Gao Cheng and the others were merely cooperating with Chen Jun, and they were all awarded a first-class merit during this award ceremony.

Chen Jun is undoubtedly the biggest contributor, and the value he generated far exceeds that of Gao Cheng himself by several times. Logically, the reward he should receive should also be several times that amount.

There are many things that are worth several times more than a first-class merit; Chen Jun could easily think of several.

For example, give Chen Jun another promotion.

This is the reward Chen Jun wants most right now. If he could get another promotion, then Chen Jun would have a chance to become the leader of the combined arms group.

With Chen Jun as the head of the combined arms regiment, management will be more convenient, and combat effectiveness can be formed more quickly.

The most important thing is to prevent the chaos that occurred during the formation of the combined arms battalion from happening again, where a new acting battalion commander, Sun Dongping, suddenly appeared and acted recklessly.

Unfortunately, while that's the idea, the likelihood of it happening is slim.

The military's promotion mechanism is a standard pyramid, with fewer and fewer positions at the top, and the difficulty of promotion increasing. The regimental level is a watershed.

Cadres who reach the regimental level before the age of 35 have unlimited potential for future success.

They can all at least reach the rank of army commander!

Regimental-level cadres who have risen through the ranks based on seniority are generally older, and without special opportunities, regimental-level cadre status is their final goal.

Therefore, the younger a person is when they reach the regimental level, the greater their potential for future development.

Chen Jun is not yet 30 years old, but through several consecutive leaps, his speed is as fast as a rocket, and he has already become a lieutenant colonel at the battalion level.

That speed is absolutely incredible!

No matter how defying the heavens, one cannot ultimately escape the rules.

Starting as a lieutenant platoon leader, the promotion process is relatively easy; jumping two or three ranks at a time is feasible, let alone for a prodigy like Chen Jun. Even an average, excellent officer with a bit of luck could achieve it. However, reaching the rank of company commander is at least twice as difficult as becoming a platoon leader.

Once you reach the battalion commander level, the difficulty of consecutive jumps will double again.

Once you reach the regimental level or above, it's almost impossible to get promoted in quick succession. Even if you earn a first-class merit, it's impossible for you to go from regimental commander to division commander.

Chen Jun is very familiar with these rules of the military.

He didn't believe that based on this exercise alone, he could jump two ranks again, from lieutenant colonel battalion commander to colonel deputy regimental commander or lieutenant colonel regimental commander.

It would be even more impossible for someone to jump three ranks to become a colonel-level regimental commander.

If he doesn't give himself another triple jump, then another possibility is that he will be transferred to another unit, which would be the First Blue Army Brigade of the Zhurihe Base.

The Zhurihe training base was built under the leadership of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and holds a pivotal position in China.

Transfer Chen Jun from the Seventh Steel Battalion to the Zhurihe Base, appoint him as the battalion commander of one of its battalions, and have him build another combined arms battalion.

If we disregard all personal factors, this is definitely an award that surpasses even a first-class merit.

Although it may seem like just appointing Chen Jun as a battalion commander, given his ability to build combined arms units, it's practically a pre-selection of him for the position of brigade commander.

As long as Chen Jun agrees to the agreement, he will become the commander of the first Blue Army brigade in the future.

At that time, Chen Jun will stay in the First Blue Army Brigade for a few years, raise his rank to the maximum level of senior colonel, and then produce some outstanding achievements, turning the Blue Army Brigade into a whetstone for the entire army.

When Chen Jun leaves the Blue Army Brigade, his title will likely become that of a general.

He could become a general before the age of 40.

That's not awesome.

He's an incredibly powerful and monstrous genius.

Unfortunately, Chen Jun only wanted to grow with the Seventh Steel Battalion. He had already rejected the offers from the Blue Army brigade commander and Zhu Rihe commander.

So if it's this kind of reward, then it's really a headache for Chen Jun.

Obeying fate is a soldier's duty!

"Please, please don't let it be this reward."

Chen Jun muttered to himself that he was quite worried, but things had already developed beyond his control, and no matter how unwilling he was, he could only pray.

Because Chen Jun really had no other way but to pray in his heart.

Besides these two rewards, Chen Jun also considered several other possibilities.

For example, he could be transferred to a military region headquarters to work as a staff officer, responsible for the information technology reform of the entire army group.

Chen Jun possesses a level of skill in forming combined arms units that far surpasses that of anyone else in the entire army.

It's equivalent to a job that matches your major.

In addition, being transferred from a battalion-level unit to a corps-level unit is a clear promotion. After a few years of training in the military region headquarters, one can easily become a regimental commander in a lower-level unit.

This kind of reward is also something Chen Jun doesn't want, so he hopes he won't end up like that.

There is another possibility that Chen Jun considers the least likely: that he will be awarded an honor higher than the First-Class Merit—an honorary title that all soldiers can only dream of.

It's because honorary titles are so hard to obtain.

The essence of awarding honorary titles is, in fact, to anchor the nation's memory.

This means that everyone who can receive an honorary title must have played a crucial role in the country's development, enough to be considered a "milestone" for the nation.

The standards have been set to the maximum!
Unless it's a monumental contribution that has a significant impact on the country.

It is impossible for an individual to receive an honorary title.

Although Chen Jun was very confident in himself, he believed that this time he had achieved a kill ratio of 0 to 3,000, creating a miracle of wiping out an entire reinforced regiment with a single battalion.

However, he did not believe that this record alone was enough to earn him the "honorary title" that represented the highest honor.

If simply wiping out an enemy reinforced regiment could earn one an honorary title, then that honor wouldn't be so precious.

Considering all the possibilities that came to mind, Chen Jun felt that the other possibilities were unlikely.

On the contrary, the possibility of transferring him to the First Blue Army Brigade at the Zhurihe Base is the highest from all aspects. Moreover, from a national perspective, Chen Jun's move to Zhurihe would be the most valuable to the entire army.

Furthermore, if Chen Jun is to be transferred to the Zhurihe base, he must go through the procedures set by the war zone.

That just proves what the old leader said!

"I hope I'm not afraid of anything, or if it really happens, then all my plans will be disrupted."

The more Chen Jun thought about it, the more troublesome the situation seemed, and he was starting to feel like scratching his head in frustration.

at this time.

Gao Cheng, who had already seen off the old commander's motorcade, quickly came to Chen Jun's side with Man Guangzhi and Ma Tianxiang. Despite having received a first-class merit, there was no joy on his face.

Not far behind Gao Cheng and his group, Shi Jin and Wu Liuyi, along with other old acquaintances of Chen Jun, were also watching this scene with concern from a distance.

If Gao Cheng and his group hadn't arrived first, they would definitely have come to Chen Jun's side as well.

For nothing else.

I just wanted to find an answer, or at the very least, to comfort Chen Jun.

"Old Chen, what's going on above? You've done so much more than us, everyone can see that, why didn't you get an award?"

Gao Cheng is quick-tempered and speaks very frankly, getting straight to the point as soon as he opens his mouth.

“Old Chen, even you didn’t get an award, so I’m really nervous about receiving this first-class merit. I feel like I’m not qualified at all,” Man Guangzhi said earnestly.

"Perhaps there are other arrangements from above. I saw that the leader specifically spoke with you; he must have given you some instructions." Ma Tianxiang's words of comfort carried a hint of curiosity.

"Yeah, I think I saw it too. Is there some special arrangement?" Gao Cheng's eyes widened with anticipation.

Gao Cheng genuinely hopes Chen Jun is doing well and has no jealousy that Chen Jun stole his limelight. Therefore, he also hopes that Chen Jun will have a better future.

The outstanding performance in this overseas military exercise is an unprecedented honor for everyone involved.

The greatest regret would be if Fugui were without Chen Jun.

As everyone gathered around him, each offering their own opinions, Chen Jun felt genuinely warmed.

A sunny smile naturally appeared on her face.

The fact that Chen Jun is receiving so much attention proves that his efforts have yielded the reward he needed most, which is more precious to him than any other prize.

Seeing the concerned and expectant look in these people's eyes, Chen Jun did not intend to hide anything.

Based on his own conjecture, he truthfully told the few people who cared about him, "The commander didn't say much, but I reckon there will be arrangements for me later. It's impossible that this grand event simply overlooked me." (End of this chapter)