From the 7th Steel Company to the Synthetic Division

Chapter 472 This is the gap

The relationship between the 708th Brigade and the Steel 7th Brigade underwent a dramatic change after Wang Kezheng personally visited the Steel 7th Brigade.

Wang Kezheng also gained the most valuable enlightenment and insights from this chance encounter.

foreseeable.

With the awakened brigade commander Wang Kezheng and the exercise materials personally written by Chen Jun, the 708th Brigade will surely undergo a qualitative change in the days to come.

Chu Zhangang, who received the summary report first, hasn't even opened it to read a single word.

Chu Zhangang remained immersed in his own world, completely refusing to accept any outside advice, and continued to improve the troops according to his own ideas.

Chu Zhangang was quite determined to improve the combat effectiveness of the troops.

The amount of training given to each unit has almost doubled compared to before.

On the very day Wang Kezheng observed the Seventh Steel Brigade, Chu Zhangang was already organizing his troops in full swing, conducting joint combat training among various branches of the armed forces.

Although Chu Zhangang disdained to read Chen Jun's report, his current training methods clearly showed some influence from the Seventh Steel Brigade.

However, Chu Zhangang was stubborn and refused to admit it, neither in his heart nor in his mouth.

After a whole morning of training, Chu Zhangang was very dissatisfied with the results, which led him to give the chief of staff a good scolding.

The problem lies in communications.

Chu Zhangang tried to imitate the tactics of the Steel 7th Brigade in the exercise, and had the various units under the 909th Brigade coordinate their operations, but they could not achieve the same smoothness as the Steel 7th Brigade at all.

Not only was communication extremely slow, but after the brigade headquarters issued orders, the units below that were coordinating operations could not keep up with the speed at which they received the orders, and even communication between them became a major problem.

Chu Zhangang hadn't realized it was a systemic problem; he always thought it was a lack of execution by the troops below.

So I kept practicing repeatedly.

However, this training method is essentially rote learning. Without improving the core system, no matter how much he trains, he will never achieve the same level of skill as the Seventh Steel Brigade.

Whenever Chu Zhangang read the summary report, he could pinpoint this problem precisely.

Unfortunately, he didn't see it.

This caused him to miss the most valuable opportunity.

Chief of Staff Ding Kai noticed that Chu Zhangang was in a very bad mood due to poor training results, and wanted to ease the atmosphere, so he said, "I recently heard some explosive news, Brigade Commander, would you like to hear it?"

"What? You brought grenades?" Chu Zhangang teased, his interest waning.

"I heard that Chen Jun from the 7th Steel Brigade went to the 708th Brigade, but Wang Kezheng blocked him from entering. Chen Jun got angry and beat Wang Kezheng up badly. I heard he was badly beaten, with multiple fractures all over his body, and he'll have to stay in the hospital for at least half a month," Ding Kai said vividly.

What is a rumor?

What does "three men can make a tiger" mean?

Ding Kai provided the most intuitive demonstration.

"Who told you that?" Chu Zhangang asked, looking incredulous.

"I'm always well-informed, you know that."

Ding Kai, like a seasoned gossipmonger, continued to say in order to prove the reliability of his source: "There's another explosive thing. Wang Kezheng was disciplined and was originally promoted to deputy chief of staff of the army. The order had been announced, but it was later revoked."

The fact is that the military has this order, but it has been delayed and has not been issued yet because Wang Kezheng was disciplined.

As a result, when the news reached Chief of Staff Ding's ears, it took on a completely different meaning.

"Your version is mostly true, but isn't there a bit too much exaggeration?"

Chu Zhangang glanced at Chief of Staff Ding, put his hands on his hips, and said indifferently, "My sources of information are much more reliable than yours."

The truth is that the two had a fight, and Chen Jun knocked Wang Kezheng unconscious in three moves. Wang Kezheng was not injured and woke up quickly.

As for the order to promote Brigade Commander Wang to deputy chief of staff, it was only delayed because he was disciplined during the last exercise.

"Uh……"

Chief of Staff Ding gave an awkward laugh and said, "Brigade Commander, is this official news?"

"Quasi-official".

Chu Zhangang only said three words, but the expression on his face clearly showed his smugness.

This was clearly a message to Chief of Staff Ding: my relationship with the military and the theater command is something you can't compare to; don't try to play tricks on me.

"A delayed announcement is not good news. It might just be postponed until it's over. Wang Kezhen is really unlucky. If the exercise had been delayed any longer, he would have gone up already," Ding Kai said.

“I also want to teach that kid Chen Jun a lesson, but we can’t make the same rash and low-level mistake as Wang Kezheng. Am I right?” Chu Zhangang said fiercely.

"Yes, that's absolutely right. I must learn from you on this point, and study hard," Ding Kai flattered.

A perfectly good chief of staff has been turned into a sycophant.

Ding Kai is truly a talented individual.

"What should we study?" Chu Zhangang asked.

“Look, when Chen Jun came over before, your enthusiasm for him was extraordinary, which shows that you can turn enemies into friends. You were so humble and modest, without any airs at all. If it were me, I simply couldn’t do that.”

Ding Kai was flattering him earnestly, but Chu Zhangang didn't seem pleased.

He said calmly, "Is it as good as you say?"

Because Chu Zhangang knew better than anyone that his act was just for show for Chen Jun, and in reality, he loathed and was furious with Chen Jun more than anyone else.

"Of course, with the level of hospitality you provide, Brigade Commander, no one could find fault with it. And you even personally saw them off at the door. That's such a high standard," Ding Kai said earnestly.

"hehe."

Chu Zhangang smiled but didn't say anything. He took off his coat and hat and walked towards the beach.

Ding Kai, who had become a professional sycophant, didn't need Chu Zhangang to say a single word; he instantly understood that Chu Zhangang was going fishing.

He hurriedly arranged for the soldiers to retrieve the fishing gear from the vehicle, while he himself went over to continue flattering them.

"Brigade Commander, you always handle these issues with such grace and demonstrate such high wisdom. I really need to learn from you for many years to come."

"You can do it without learning it."

Chu Zhangang, perhaps having heard too much flattery, showed no emotional change and calmly said, "Chen Jun and the others are carrying out the instructions of the war zone commander."

Although we do not welcome them, we must cooperate in implementing the leader's instructions.

Welcome them when you should welcome them, treat them to a meal when you should treat them to a meal, and see them off when you should see them off. Etiquette is also a form of civilization. Don't underestimate them just because they are not high-ranking; they have quite a background.

It won't do me any good to argue with them. If they report us to the higher-ups, we'll be the ones who suffer in the end.

"It would be better to just accept the materials he brings, listen to whatever he says, only heeding what's useful and ignoring what's not, and just go through the motions."

Chu Zhangang had only grasped three-tenths of the essence when he added, "By the way, Chen Jun's troops immediately focused on information and intelligence. That's a ruthless and brilliant move. Do you have a countermeasure?"

The last exercise proved extremely difficult due to communication and intelligence gaps, and Chu Zhangang must plug this hole. Otherwise, they will suffer greatly again next time they encounter such a situation.

"I set up a special Cheetah Team in the intelligence department and stored all the information about the Steel Seventh Brigade in the database, especially the information about Chen Jun, which was specially marked."

Ding Kai became confident as he spoke, declaring, "With this information as a foundation, we'll make sure the Steel Seventh Brigade suffers the consequences next time we meet them."

Unfortunately, according to the theater command's exercise mechanism, it will probably take at least two or three years before the 7th Steel Brigade is deployed in the next round.

No matter what it is, once you lose to the other side, you will definitely want to win back. Since you lost to the other side in the exercise, the 909th Brigade will naturally want to avenge your defeat.

This is called a gambler's mentality!

"He's lucky Chen Jun. Once the opportunity to avenge his defeat arrives, we'll launch a precise strike and eliminate him. We must retaliate in kind and make Chen Jun a prisoner of our 909th Brigade." Chu Zhangang said with high spirits.

"Yes, we must capture him alive. We'll have to use the same trick they use: bring him back and lock him up first, then personally deliver him to the debriefing meeting later."

Ding Kai's eyes lit up as he spoke, as if capturing Chen Jun alive was already a certainty.

……

708 Brigade.

Ever since Wang Kezheng returned from the Seventh Steel Brigade, he seemed to be under a spell, spending several days in his office studying reports and documents day and night.

For the first two days, He Yazhou was happy about Wang Kezheng's eagerness to learn.

They exclaimed that the trip to the 7th Steel Brigade was truly worthwhile.

In order not to disturb Wang Ke's pursuit of progress, we should absorb the experience gained from this study trip and strive to build a better 708 Brigade.

He Yazhou did not disturb Wang Kezheng at all, but only instructed the civil servants to take good care of him.

However, two whole days passed, and Wang Kezheng did not step out of the office once. He ate, drank, and relieved himself all in the office.

Fortunately, there was a small private room in the office, which had a small bed and a bathroom.

He Yazhou sensed something was wrong.

Everything should be done in moderation. Staying in the room all day and night studying materials could easily lead to trouble.

Wang Kezheng is not young after all; it's not impossible for a forty-year-old to die suddenly.

While worried, He Yazhou wanted to go inside to check, but as soon as he opened the door and stepped in, Wang Kezheng, who was engrossed in reading documents on the table, impatiently chased him out.

He said this was a crucial moment and we absolutely must not disturb him.

Seeing that Wang Kezheng seemed to be in good spirits, He Yazhou figured that this was perhaps a crucial moment, so he didn't disturb him, said a few words of concern, and then left.

However, two more days passed in the blink of an eye, and Wang Kezheng still stayed in his office and didn't come out.

He Yazhou is now genuinely worried.

No matter how big the problem is, he was determined to persuade Wang Kezheng to give up his work and go home to rest.

When I arrived early in the morning and opened the door, I found Wang Kezheng fast asleep on his desk.

He Yazhou's eyes showed heartache, thinking of letting him sleep a little longer. He was about to leave when the sound of the door opening woke Wang Kezheng.

"Political Commissar, you've come at the perfect time. If you hadn't come, I would have gone looking for you."

Wang Kezheng saw the political commissar standing by the door, waved for him to come in, his voice weak, which, combined with his pale face and the long beard he had grown, made him appear much more attractive.

He looks terrible!
"What do you want?" He Yazhou closed the door behind him and walked over, puzzled.

"Political Commissar, I... I want you to come and save me."

Wang Kezheng rubbed his eyes, got up and walked to He Yazhou and said.

"You must be talking nonsense. I came to see you a few days ago, and you told me not to bother you, saying you needed to look at some information. Now you want me to come and save you?" He Yazhou said speechlessly.

"You know what? I fell into the abyss, really." Wang Kezheng said in a daze.

"Hey, look at you now, all scruffy and unshaven, you don't look like a brigade commander at all. Go wash your face and shave while you're at it, make yourself look neat and tidy, I have something to tell you."

He Yazhou then took action, pushing Wang Kezheng towards the small room inside.

"Hey~~"

After Wang Kezheng went inside to wash up, He Yazhou sighed deeply, went straight behind the desk, and sat down in the spot where Wang Kezheng had just been.

I really couldn't stand the pile of documents on the table, so I decided to help organize and summarize them.

However, after removing the summary report, He Yazhou found a notebook underneath, filled with dense notes.

Looking up at the computer screen in front of me, I saw that the open document was also filled with text.

Curious about what was written inside, He Yazhou scrolled the document to the top, where the title displayed several unexpected words in large print—

My Reflections and those of the 708th Brigade!

It reads below:

After the "Decisive Battle 2001" confrontation exercise with the 7th Steel Brigade, our 708th Brigade suffered a crushing defeat.

As the saying goes, one should examine oneself three times a day.

I must deeply reflect on the reasons why the 708th Brigade suffered this defeat. The greatest victory is to overcome oneself and reflect on one's mistakes.

Excessive pride has made us complacent and blindly arrogant, blinding us to the true nature of the new military revolution and preventing us from recognizing the looming crisis of future warfare.

This defeat was a good one; I want to thank the 7th Steel Brigade.

If it weren't for this devastating defeat, I might still be continuing down this path of decline; if it weren't for this defeat, the 708th Brigade would never have experienced a true renaissance.

From this day forward, I, Wang Kezhen, will only do one thing—

Lead the 708th Brigade to a decisive victory!

……

He Yazhou carefully read this chapter, and the more he read, the more his mouth curled up like an AK, and his chin kept nodding in satisfaction.

From this reflective article, He Yazhou truly saw Wang Kezheng's "rebirth".

They also saw hope for the future of the 708 Brigade.

Unfortunately, before He Yazhou could finish reading, Wang Kezheng had already shaved and washed his face, leaving him no time to continue reading.

However, this did not stop him from joking, teasing, "Commander Wang, who crawled out of the abyss, your article is really well written."

So his writing style is a bit lacking, and the sentences aren't very fluent, but the meaning is quite profound, and I like it very much.

Upon hearing that He Yazhou liked his article, Wang Kezheng smiled and said, "Okay, with your words, Political Commissar, then we've reached a consensus."

(End of this chapter)