From the 7th Steel Company to the Synthetic Division

Chapter 473 I Want to Change Careers
"Oh, right, you just said you wanted me to save you, what exactly did you want me to save you for?" He Yazhou asked, puzzled by what he had just said.

"Is such that……"

Wang Kezheng took a deep breath and said seriously, "I had a dream. In the dream, I led my team to attack Hill 535. I was feeling very happy when Chen Jun came over and said..."

You didn't even look behind you. I did look, and I never expected there to be such a large sinkhole on Hill 535.

Chen Jun said to me seriously, "I told you not to come up, but you insisted on coming up." Then he shoved me, and I fell into the sinkhole.

I kept falling deeper and deeper, but I couldn't see the bottom. No matter how hard I fell, I couldn't reach the bottom. At that moment, I couldn't even scream. I was finally jolted awake by the sheer terror of it all.

"So you wrote this article after you woke up?" He Yazhou asked.

"I haven't finished writing it yet. It's all fragmented thoughts. I was afraid I'd forget them later, so I wrote them down first. It reminded me of what you said," Wang Kezheng said.

"What did I say?" He Yazhou was confused again.

"Concepts".

Wang Kezheng said seriously, "If the mindset changes, many opinions will change."

"Really? How did it change?" He Yazhou got up and walked over to ask eagerly.

"I think I've become a bit... shameless," Wang Kezheng said dejectedly.

"That can't be that bad," He Yazhou said, frowning.

“I don’t even know what shame is anymore, so I have an idea: to carry out shame education throughout the entire brigade, to instill the idea of ​​knowing shame and then being brave among the officers and soldiers, and to call on the entire brigade to endure hardship and bide our time,” Wang Kezheng said resolutely.

"To revive the glory of the 708th Brigade?" He Yazhou's eyes lit up.

"We must tell all the officers and soldiers of the brigade the reasons for our failure in detail, and mobilize them to investigate the problems and find a way out," Wang Kezheng said.

"Old Wang, you locked yourself up for four days and four nights. Your cultivation results are quite impressive," He Yazhou praised.

"We have no choice but to fix it."

Looking out the window, Wang Kezheng sighed and said, "I've looked at these things I brought back from the Seventh Steel Brigade three times, three whole times, and each time I've gained a lot of insights."

After watching it the first time, I broke out in a cold sweat. I watched it again the next day, and the back of my neck still felt cold.

On the third day, I continued watching, and I couldn't help but break out in a sweat. My whole body was burning hot, as if all the blood in my body was on fire.

At that moment, I finally understood why I had lost to the 7th Steel Brigade.

"Great, great, that's wonderful."

Hearing firsthand that the stubborn and inflexible Wang Kezheng had undergone such a dramatic transformation, He Yazhou smiled with satisfaction. This was the brigade commander he had always envisioned.

The two brigade commanders have reached a consensus, so there will be no obstacles to implementing it.

Subsequently, Wang Kezheng and He Yazhou summoned all officers of battalion and company rank to the brigade headquarters, thus beginning a brigade-wide education campaign on humiliation.

The goal is to shed all sense of superiority and the burden of honor, to sound the alarm for all officers and soldiers, and to learn from shame and strive for progress.

Building a modern 708 Brigade for the new era!!

To demonstrate the importance attached to education on shame, a special monument was erected to record the shame, and an unveiling ceremony was held for this monument.

When all the officers in the brigade saw the huge "shame" character, half a meter in size, on the monument to shame, and the few lines written below it—"Disastrous defeat in the decisive battle 2001 exercise"—they were deeply moved.

All the cadres were suddenly jolted, and their eyes underwent a dramatic change at that moment.

As the brigade commander, Wang Kezheng personally unveiled the monument and made a public statement, saying, "As you all see, my name, Wang Kezheng, and He Yazhou's name are forever engraved on the Monument of Shame."

Having one's name engraved on this monument signifies making a solemn pledge.

If the 708th Brigade cannot turn things around, we will be sinners forever. After all, we are the two current commanders of the 708th Brigade, and we must bear all the responsibility.

I'm making a statement now: from today onwards, I, Wang Kezheng, will only do one thing—turn the tide.

I have only one requirement for myself: to live up to my mission.

For the 708th Brigade, their name will live up to its name and their battle flag will never fall.

From this day forward, everything must be based on the battlefield, everything must be based on wartime standards, and everything must be aimed at winning.

I also demand that, starting today and for one year from now, the 708th Brigade refrain from releasing any further announcements regarding achievements, commendations, or awards. Our motto is—

Shame breeds courage! Endure hardship and bide your time!

When Wang Kezheng said the last eight words, he raised his right hand and shouted them out at the top of his lungs.

Inspired by the enthusiasm of the cadres and staff, everyone raised their voices and shouted out the slogans for the operation at the top of their lungs.

"Shame will spur courage! We will endure hardship and bide our time!"

"Shame will spur courage! We will endure hardship and bide our time!"

"Shame will spur courage! We will endure hardship and bide our time!"

The slogan was shouted three times, each time louder and clearer than the last.

The photo album filled the entire venue, soaring into the sky.

……

The 708th Brigade's slogan was loudly proclaimed, marking the beginning of a new chapter. It is foreseeable that the 708th Brigade will undergo tremendous changes in the coming period.

In contrast to the 708th Brigade, which learned from its shame and then rallied its troops, the officers and soldiers united to fight to wash away the humiliation.

The 909th Brigade, which was also completely defeated by the 7th Steel Brigade, is now not only unable to achieve unity among its officers and soldiers, but also has not resolved its internal conflicts.

Political Commissar Xu Xiaocun realized that this problem was extremely serious for the 909th Brigade.

More than a month has passed, and Brigade Commander Chu Zhangang shows no intention of taking the initiative to resolve the issue, remaining immersed in his dictatorial thinking.

He used his authority as brigade commander to forcefully suppress the troops below him and make them train according to his ideas.

The regimental-level officers, led by Hong Yi and Regiment Commander Zhu, outwardly obeyed the brigade commander's training arrangements, but inwardly harbored strong resentment.

Political Commissar Xu Xiaocun couldn't stand it any longer and took the initiative to go to the training ground to find Hong Yi.

"Political Commissar Xu, what brings you here?"

Hong Yi respected Xu Xiaocun. When he saw Political Commissar Xu's car appear at the training ground, he immediately ran over to salute and greet him.

"I had no choice but to come."

Xu Xiaocun returned the greeting and smiled, "Hong Yi, since returning from Langshan, I've been wanting to find time to talk to you, but I've been too busy to do so."

At the debriefing meeting, I believe your opinions were correct and had positive significance. However, some of your ideas and positions differed from the brigade commander's, leading to some disagreements. At that time, I could tell you were hesitant to speak.

"Yes, I can't go on talking about that situation," Hong Yi admitted frankly.

"why?"

As Xu Xiaocun asked the question, he gestured with his right hand, indicating that the two should talk as they walked.

"It's pointless to say anything."

Hong Yi followed, took off his hat, and said, "There has been no improvement in our work. On the contrary, our conflict has intensified. It's better not to say anything than to say anything, at least we won't offend anyone."

"Do you have a problem with Commander Chu personally, or with the brigade's work arrangements, work methods, ideology, and living conditions?" Xu Xiaocun asked.

"The main issue is with the brigade commander personally."

Hong Yi spoke frankly and openly: "Because the brigade commander's attitude and words directly affect the entire brigade and are related to the future of the 909th Brigade."

Of course, my opinion of him is essentially my opinion of the work within the brigade.

“I really appreciate your frankness. We soldiers don’t play games. If you can explain things more clearly, it will help me communicate between you,” Xu Xiaocun said earnestly.

"I think……"

Hong Yi frowned and said, "He lives entirely in his own world, doesn't understand the rules and characteristics of modern warfare at all, and is unwilling to listen to other people's advice."

I led the reconnaissance team to lie in ambush in Wolf Mountain, where we remained hidden for six days and seven nights.

But he treated the reconnaissance battalion like a motorized infantry battalion. If that were the case, why even form a reconnaissance battalion? He was wasting the reconnaissance soldiers' talents.

Hong Yi was very indignant about this, and his tone was full of dissatisfaction and anger.

“You may have misunderstood Brigade Commander Chu. He certainly knew the reconnaissance battalion’s strengths, but considering the overall tactics, he thought your reconnaissance battalion’s infiltration operations were too dangerous, so he wanted to wait until the artillery regiment was in place and the motorized infantry battalion and tank battalion were deployed before launching the general offensive.”

Xu Xiaocun did not actually communicate with Chu Zhangang; he simply explained things to Chu Zhangang based on his own understanding, hoping to ease the tension between the two.

After saying that, feeling that he hadn't said enough, he added, "Without sufficient artillery preparation to exert enough pressure on the enemy."

Even if you manage to get up there, you probably won't be able to gain a foothold and maximize the value of your tactics.

Xu Xiaocun's explanation sounded reasonable, but Hong Yi didn't buy it at all.

"Isn't this just his old, traditional playing style?"

Hong Yi scoffed, “First, artillery bombardment, then infantry and tanks coordinated assault on the hilltop. It looks exciting, but what is the actual effect?”

This set of materials was already in use during the Liberation War, and it was all in textbooks fifty years ago.

It's as if only you guys know about this offensive strategy, while the 7th Steel Brigade doesn't.

It was a full 1,500 kilometers! It took a tremendous amount of effort to get the artillery regiment up there, and we were hoping they could completely destroy the Blue Army's forward fortifications.

But what happened in the end? They didn't even see the position; in just a few minutes, they were wiped out.

It makes me so angry just thinking about it!!!

Hong Yi recalled the results of the last exercise. The left and right routes were intercepted halfway to Wolf Mountain and all of them were wiped out.

This is how Brigade Commander Chu Zhangang commanded his troops, and he ended up losing them all.

Hong Yi felt an urge to punch Chu Zhangang twice.

"Hong Yi, calm down. What you said makes some sense, but you can't blame Brigade Commander Chu entirely. He had no other choice," Xu Xiaocun continued to say soothingly.

"Our network communications are controlled by them. They set up artillery positions on Hill 303. The Red Army knew this intelligence a few days ago, but they didn't change it immediately. They just kept pushing it uphill. Is there really nothing they can do about it?"

Hong Yi completely ignored Xu Xiaocun's explanation and became increasingly angry as he continued to criticize: "The Red Army's electronic reconnaissance, drone aerial reconnaissance, and satellite reconnaissance in space have been keeping a close eye on us. Doesn't he know that?"

Knowing that everything is exposed to others, yet never thinking of a solution, how can they avoid being devoured?

Knowing the enemy's strengths and advantages, we should actively find ways to deal with them, and if we cannot deal with them, we should take preventative measures.

This is what Hong Yi believes a brigade commander should have done at that time.

"Perhaps the brigade commander didn't consider everything thoroughly, and there are bound to be some things he overlooked." Xu Xiaocun was speechless after Hong Yi's words, but he couldn't add fuel to the fire, so he could only shamelessly try to defend himself.

"Yes, he may be oversighty in this aspect, but he is very thorough in how to put on a good show for the leaders. Isn't this treating an exercise as a performance?" Hong Yi sarcastically remarked.

When Xu Xiaocun was captured, he felt like the sky had fallen when he heard the news.

Chu Zhangang treated the exercise like a performance, which he found very difficult to understand.

So now that Hong Yi has specifically brought this up, Xu Xiaocun, unusually, has stopped defending and explaining, and his expression has become even more unpleasant than before.

Hong Yi has now started talking about sex; he just has to get these things off his chest.

He continued, "In addition to reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance, our reconnaissance soldiers can also undertake combat missions. Our combat principles are completely different from those of ordinary infantry. Our main focus is close-range engagement with the enemy."

We were all lying in wait right under the enemy's nose, yet we were ordered to charge into battle like infantry. This completely violated the principles of warfare.

If he splits the artillery regiment into three battalions and places them in three different locations.

If the 1st Motorized Infantry Battalion could come out with the main force, and if electronic warfare could take the initiative to strike first, it would first implement all-round electromagnetic coverage of the Red Army.

If the command module moves with the command post instead of following the armored battalion to take the train.

There are many more such "ifs," and if the brigade commander had truly given them full consideration, even if only a small portion of them had been used, the 909th Brigade would certainly not be in its current situation.

Hong Yi said so much in one breath, and although it might seem like he was being wise after the event, the fact that he was able to summarize so many issues proves that he does have some skills.

Assuming Chu Zhangang can really do as he says, it would be quite difficult for the 7th Steel Brigade to win.

After all, the 7th Steel Brigade at that time was less than half a brigade in strength.

Xu Xiaocun was completely convinced by Hong Yi and acknowledged Hong Yi's military capabilities. However, his purpose in coming here was to ease tensions, not to help Hong Yi criticize Chu Zhangang. He still had to return to his duties as a political officer.

"Hong Yi, the brigade commander also regrets it. Let's not mention this matter again in the future," Xu Xiaocun advised.

"If you don't mention it, I don't mention it, and nobody mentions it, and everyone acts as a peacemaker, is that what you call a summary? He sets the tone right from the start, who dares to speak up? If things continue like this, we'll still lose to the Steel Seventh Brigade in the next exercise," Hong Yi shouted.

"Okay, I will pass on what you said and persuade the brigade commander."

Seeing that it was no use talking to Hong Yi, Xu Xiaocun had no choice but to stop the conversation and then asked, "Hong Yi, what are your plans for the future? Do you have any ideas? Take this opportunity to say them all."

"I want to change careers."

Hong Yi hesitated for four or five seconds before uttering four words.

(End of this chapter)