From the 7th Steel Company to the Synthetic Division

The 7th Steel Brigade.

Upon receiving the order from above, Wang Qingrui immediately summoned Chen Jun to his office.

"Brigade Commander, why did you call me here in such a hurry? What's the matter?"

Chen Jun walked in with a smile, as if he were strolling through his own office, completely uninhibited and moving with effortless grace.

"Of course it's good news! Come, have a seat."

Wang Qingrui didn't mind Chen Jun's casualness. After all, he had worked with Chen Jun for so many years and gone through so much together. Their relationship had long since transcended the usual superior-subordinate dynamic.

After Chen Jun came over and sat down on the sofa, Wang Qingrui picked up a document, walked over, and handed it to Chen Jun, saying, "The thing you wanted most has been delivered. Take a look."

"Has the official order to expand enrollment been issued?"

Chen Jun glanced at the words on the paper and said happily, "This is really good news. Besides this order, is there any other news?"

"The request you made me submit earlier to transfer a few key personnel from other field units has been approved in principle by Chief of Staff Shen," Wang Qingrui said.

"Has Hong Yi's matter been brought up?" Chen Jun asked, voicing his biggest concern.

"I mentioned Hong Yi's matter to him. Chief of Staff Shen said it was possible, but we had to ask Hong Yi himself first. He also said that Hong Yi was, after all, a backbone member of the 909th Brigade, and not only the brigade but also the army had to agree."

After Wang Qingrui finished explaining, he joked, "Chen Jun, Hong Yi is the person you insisted on having. I think it might not be appropriate to send anyone else to consult Hong Yi. I'm afraid you'll have to make the trip yourself."

Moreover, you not only have to persuade Hong Yi, but also the 909th Brigade headquarters to agree to release the people before this matter can be properly handled.

"Shouldn't Staff Officer Shen coordinate things at the army group level? The 909th Brigade will have to rely on itself."

After Wang Qingrui finished speaking, he paused for two seconds and added, "If the 909th Brigade doesn't want to release the personnel, then we'll probably have no choice but to use the temporary transfer method."

Chen Jun was very familiar with the procedures for troop withdrawals, so he wasn't surprised to hear this.

He smiled without any pressure and said, "A temporary transfer is impossible. We must bring over an outstanding military talent like Hong Yi."

I already spoke with Hong Yi last time, so there shouldn't be any problem talking to him this time; he definitely won't refuse me.

Chen Jun basically understood Hong Yi's thoughts and knew exactly what conditions Hong Yi wanted. Taking him down was practically a piece of cake.

“I’ve heard some news that Hong Yi has submitted a transfer application, but Chu Zhangang did not agree. The success rate of persuading him to come to the 7th Steel Brigade is very high. The most difficult part is whether the 909th Brigade headquarters agrees to release him.”

Wang Qingrui frowned and suggested, "Why don't you first find out their political commissar, Xu Xiaocun, and find out their brigade headquarters' attitude towards Hong Yi?"

If their brigade headquarters were willing to release him, then getting Hong Yi over would be much simpler.

"The brigade commander is very thoughtful."

Chen Jun chuckled and offered a compliment: "Then I'll go talk to their political commissar first, and then talk to Hong Yi after I've figured things out."

"Okay, then I'll wait for your good news."

Wang Qingrui had no doubt whatsoever about Chen Jun's military capabilities, but he didn't have much confidence in this kind of undermining.

However, since Chen Jun strongly desires this person, it is only natural for Chen Jun to handle the entire process.

……

Conference Room of Brigade 909.

A design sketch lay on the table, which Chu Zhangang was examining closely, while Chief of Staff Ding Kai stood beside him, bending down to carefully accompany him.

"This is the third draft that the design institute just sent over. It's completely in accordance with our requirements. What do you think, Brigade Commander?"

Ding Kai smiled obsequiously, just like a eunuch serving the emperor, completely lacking the demeanor and image expected of a chief of staff.

"what do you think?"

Chu Zhangang straightened up, picked up his teacup, and turned the question back on Ding Kai.

"I think……"

Ding Kai glanced at the design drawings, then suddenly remembered Chu Zhangang's habit, and immediately took back his words, saying with a fawning smile, "Let the brigade commander do it."

"You..."

Chu Zhangang glanced at Ding Kai with dissatisfaction, frowned and said, "To put it bluntly, he's a hopeless case."

You're the chief of staff, why don't you make the decisions? Why do you have to wait for me? You decide, I'll just approve, and then report to the political commissar. This little matter will be all settled, won't it?
There's no need for so much trouble. I only have one requirement: as long as it doesn't exceed the budget, it's fine.

Ding Kai was trained into this state by Chu Zhangang, but now Chu Zhangang thinks Ding Kai is too useless, which is actually a bit ridiculous.

In reality, given Chu Zhangang's autocratic personality, if Ding Kai dared to express an opinion that differed from his own, Chu Zhangang would still be dissatisfied.

What Chu Zhangang wanted was a "smart person" who could lighten his burden but also be on his side.

Obviously.

Ding Kai is not that kind of person.

"It didn't exceed the budget, it definitely didn't. In fact, it saved us 2.4 million," Ding Kai said ingratiatingly.

"Oh? You saved two million four hundred thousand?"

Chu Zhangang looked thoughtful, and Ding Kai immediately flattered him, saying, "I was the one who forced them. I told them that after our auditing department reviewed the case, we believe that we can save at least another 2.4 million. If you can do it, then do it; if you can't, we'll find another company."

When they heard me say that, they had no choice but to relent. I thought that with the 2.4 million yuan saved, we could do so much more: replace the entire network bus in the command center, install heating in all the soldiers' dormitories, and so on.

"Isn't this quite capable of doing the job?"

Chu Zhangang glanced at Ding Kai with surprise, then praised him with some satisfaction and said, "Good, as long as it can be improved and doesn't exceed the standards, it's fine to do it."

"hey-hey."

Ding Kai smiled obsequiously and flattered, "My abilities are nothing compared to yours, Brigade Commander. I only learned these skills after following you around for so many years."

After flattering Chu Zhangang, Ding Kai got back to business and said, "After the renovation of Dongying District, an additional 110 acres of green space will be available."

Three more apartment buildings for officers and non-commissioned officers will be built in the West Camp area. The main gate has also been redesigned, and the parking areas on both sides have been enlarged. From now on, local vehicles, vehicles used for official receptions, etc., will all have parking spaces right outside the camp gate.

"Thoughtful, very good."

Chu Zhangang praised Ding Kai again, and then said, "This is the idea of ​​construction and development. I heard that the troops will be rotated every three to five years. The reason we are building and renovating the barracks today is to take into account the troops that will be rotated in the future."

Your design is excellent, I agree, let's proceed accordingly.

at this time.

After finishing their conversation, Political Commissar Xu Xiaocun and Zhu Rongsheng made their way to the conference room.

As soon as Chu Zhangang saw Xu Xiaocun enter, he immediately instructed Ding Kai, "Come on, the political commissar is just in time. Quickly, quickly show the design drawings to the political commissar." Ding Kai quickly put away the design drawings, ran over and placed them on the table next to the political commissar, spread them out and said, "Political commissar, brigade commander, you two talk to me, I'll go out first."

"Go."

Chu Zhangang nodded and pulled Xu Xiaocun to explain the design drawings: "Political Commissar, look, this is the planning map of our new camp area. It has been revised three times and was just delivered."

Ding Kai did a pretty good job this time; he tricked us and saved us 2.4 million yuan, haha.

Chu Zhangang was in a very good mood, thinking about the new camp that would be built soon.

Xu Xiaocun had just returned from learning about the situation, and he had no interest in listening to any plans for the new industrial park, or even glancing at the plans.

He went straight to the point and asked, "Old Chu, there's something I want to ask you."

"What is it?" Chu Zhangang asked casually.

"When the army group came to assess the firing at maritime targets last time, the Second Company hit the target eight out of ten times. Is that true?" Xu Yazhou asked seriously.

"Of course it's true."

Chu Zhangang answered without even thinking, clearly unaware that hiring someone to do the beating was a mistake.

"Are you sure it was the soldiers from the Second Company who fired the shot?" Xu Xiaocun asked specifically.

"Second Company? Heh."

Chu Zhangang laughed and complained, "The Second Company doesn't have that kind of skill. I specifically asked a veteran who came back as an instructor to go and shoot it. How about that, is it okay?"

Chu Zhangang was smug about his fabrication, showing absolutely no shame whatsoever.

Xu Xiaocun stared at Chu Zhangang for a moment, stunned. He hadn't expected Chu Zhangang to have such a mindset. Then, with disbelief in his eyes, he said, "How could you do this? How could you do such a thing?"

"What happened to me?"

Chu Zhangang's smile vanished, replaced by impatience and displeasure. "Look at your astonished expression. Have you heard some rumors again? Is someone gossiping about me behind my back?"

"Do you really think this is the right thing to do?" Xu Xiaocun asked seriously.

"What's wrong with that? Veterans are soldiers too. Besides, this is just a routine military assessment, not an award or ranking. As long as we get through this and don't take away our advanced training unit's red flag, it's fine."

Chu Zhangang spoke nonchalantly, even thinking his move was quite clever.

"But do you know what? Yesterday, the Second Company's live-fire target practice results didn't even pass." Xu Xiaocun brought this up to remind Chu Zhangang that it was a sham.

Chu Zhangang, however, was completely unaware of this and smiled nonchalantly, saying, "This is entirely within my expectations. But don't worry, under my training plan, the Second Company will catch up quickly."

In fact, everyone in the Second Company knew very well that I wanted to show the soldiers of the Second Company how the veterans achieved their results.

"Those veterans who achieved such results are your role models. If you were given another six months and still couldn't achieve the same results as Wang Jinman, you wouldn't have the face to stay in the army."

Chu Zhangang's excuses for his fraud sound plausible, but they are actually completely nonsensical.

"Old Chu, you're falsifying your grades, deceiving your superiors. What you're doing is wrong, understand?" Xu Xiaocun had no choice but to point it out directly.

"Old Xu, my political commissar, when did you become so impatient? Haha."

Chu Zhangang grinned, completely ignoring Xu Xiaocun's speechless expression, and reached out to pat Xu Xiaocun's chest to calm him down and catch his breath.

He continued, "Actually, the nature of the incident isn't as serious as you think. I know the results of this assessment aren't entirely accurate."

But it's not a one-time assessment that determines your future; there will be many more assessments in the future. As long as the Second Company catches up in the subsequent assessments, won't that be enough?

"Hey hey~~"

Xu Xiaocun listened to Chu Zhangang's crooked and unorthodox ideas and could only sigh repeatedly, speechless.

"Alright, my political commissar, come, come, sit down and rest for a while, take a look at the planning map, and see the future of your 909th Brigade."

Chu Zhangang wasn't angry; he still smiled and pulled Xu Xiaocun to sit down.

"you??"

Xu Xiaocun's eyes widened immediately upon hearing this key phrase.

As the brigade commander, shouldn't you be talking about "us"?
"That's right, it's you."

Chu Zhangang's smile vanished. Pointing to the planning map, he said, "I won't be staying here long. After I leave, won't this 909th Brigade belong to you?"

After saying that, Chu Zhangang suddenly realized something, scratched his head and laughed, "Oh dear, look at my mouth, I think I spoke a little too soon."

"So, it's already confirmed that you've been transferred to the army group as deputy chief of staff?" Xu Xiaocun asked in astonishment.

"Ah."

Chu Zhangang nodded and said, "The commander of the theater army has already spoken with me. Of course, the specifics will depend on the orders that will be issued later."

"Political Commissar, if our 909th Brigade fails the assessment at this critical juncture, it will affect me to some extent."

Chu Zhangang then played the emotional card, a tactic that is very effective in the military.

As the commander of the same unit, Xu Xiaocun certainly hoped that everyone in his brigade could go further and achieve greater success in the military.

So when he heard Chu Zhangang say that, his expression immediately changed and he said, "Indeed, this opportunity is very important to you, and you must not miss it."

"Of course, I'm almost due, and if I miss this opportunity, I won't have another chance," Chu Zhangang said, feigning distress.

"You're right, but..."

Xu Xiaocun agreed with Chu Zhangang's words, but he also had his own principles to uphold, so he still argued, "I don't think your promotion would be affected by a single assessment result from a grassroots unit. That's impossible."

"No no no no."

Chu Zhangang waved his hands repeatedly and said, "At such a critical moment, we cannot afford any accidents. I must ensure that the people evaluating me cannot find any flaws and that I am impeccable, so as to strive for a unanimous vote."

"Old Chu, in this respect, I'm really not as good as you."

Xu Xiaocun shook his head with a wry smile and said, "I don't think as much as you do, nor am I as thorough as you think. It's just that I feel your approach is not honorable."

“Political Commissar, I have a different view from you. There is no such thing as honorable or dishonorable.”

Chu Zhangang retorted, "If this is an important assessment, a rating and award for the entire army and the entire theater, then we must be absolutely certain of it."

But that's not the case, and besides, doing so actually has a positive effect on the Second Company.

I heard that some people in the Second Company are getting restless and have started secretly competing with each other. This kind of motivation and stimulation has turned a bad thing into a good thing, hasn't it? (End of Chapter)