Military career: Starting with a recruitment letter

Chapter 144 Promotion, Shimen Lu Academy

Reconnaissance Company.

Around noon, Cheng Dong was sitting on his bunk bed in his dormitory, holding his head in his hands and lost in thought.

"Dong dong dong."

There was a rapid knocking on the dormitory door.

"Damn it, can't you be gentler?!" Cheng Dong was in a bad mood at the time, and when he heard a loud noise, he couldn't help but curse.

Despite his cursing, he still put on the camouflage vest he had left on the bedside table, walked to the door with a gloomy expression, and opened the door.

"Talk about something!"

Standing outside the door was Liang Hongjie.

Seeing that the company commander's expression was off, Lao Liang's initial excitement subsided considerably. He quickly stood at attention and said, "Company commander, the headquarters has sent a notice saying that the notice for the scholar to be promoted to officer and enter the academy has been issued."

"What?"

"They really came down?"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Dong was taken aback.

Although the military region has been talking about adjusting the list of officers to be promoted recently, the political department has not issued any notice, so there's no point in guessing.

Ultimately, the final result should be the primary consideration.

"What did they say on the phone?"

"Where's the scholar? Go to headquarters to get it. What are you doing here?"

"I heard that the scholar went out with the old squad leader, but I don't know where they are." Liang Hongjie shrugged. He was the first person to come and tell the company commander after receiving the phone call.

"Never mind all that, go to headquarters and get the documents back first, this is a good thing."

Cheng Dong waved his hand.

He turned around, grabbed his camouflage uniform, draped it over his shoulder, and hurriedly left the dormitory.

Right now, the unit has just gone through a downsizing, and morale is low. We urgently need some uplifting news to dispel this gloom.

When I ran downstairs...

As Cheng Dong saw Liang Hongjie about to leave, he seemed to remember something and instructed Liang Hongjie, who was driving away, "By the way, Liang, once you get the notification document, go find the political commissar and get the scholar's trophy back for me."

"Damn it, I don't care what method you use, even if you live in the political commissar's office, you have to get those two trophies back from me."

"Go for it!!"

After giving his instructions, Cheng Dong took off his hat and smoothed his hair.

He stood with his hands on his hips next to the company's bulletin board.

Clearly, the arrogant and vain company commander from before has returned.

As the old saying goes, some things are nothing on the scale, but once they're on the scale, they weigh a ton.

In previous years, there had been instances of officers being promoted within the company, but Cheng Dong had never paid much attention to it.

What are the things to pay attention to when applying for a promotion?
If you need to take the exam, take it; if you need to leave, leave. That's the instructor's problem to worry about.

But this time it's different; we must use this opportunity to boost the morale of the company.

Think of this.

Cheng Dong ran to the office of the quartermaster Liu Rengao, took out a cigarette and tossed one to him. He took one for himself, held it under his nose, and said while sniffing it, "Old Liu, get ready this afternoon, and we'll have a dinner party tonight."

"A banquet?"

Hearing this, Liu Rengao was a little puzzled. He tapped the filter end of his cigarette against the table a few times and said, "Company Commander, it's not the day for the banquet yet, why are you suddenly bringing this?"

"What the hell is all this nonsense?" Cheng Dong cursed. "The headquarters has sent a notification saying that the matter of Xiucai being promoted to officer has been finalized."

Have you ever seen a private promoted to officer?

"Let's have a feast to make the company more lively."

"Okay, I understand."

Liu Rengao smiled and said, "I've never seen a private promoted to officer, but I've never seen a new recruit receive a second-class merit. Damn, this kid is really lucky."

"I'll make preparations this afternoon, don't worry, Company Commander."

The news of the promotion notice spread throughout the company.

Chen Mo, the person involved, didn't return with Lao Pao until almost lunchtime.

Chen Mo ate some of the dumplings the cafeteria made for dropping someone off in the morning, so he didn't feel hungry and didn't plan to eat lunch.

After greeting the old man, I went straight back to the clerical office.

at this time.

Liang Hongjie, who was resting in his office with a cigarette in his mouth and his eyes half-closed, saw Chen Mo suddenly appear in front of him.

He stood up with a bang, casually stubbed out his cigarette, and strode over to Chen Mo, looking him up and down: "Scholar, where have you been?"

"What's wrong?" Chen Mo was also confused by Liang Pai's loud and boisterous actions.

"What else? Your promotion notice has come down."

As Liang Hongjie spoke, he pushed Chen Mo upstairs to find the company commander.

"I have to say, you're really carefree. You're getting promoted, you know? You can go back to school now."

"which school?"

Chen Mo was taken aback upon hearing this, and his heart began to beat faster involuntarily.

Is it really his turn to be promoted in May?
"Nonsense, it's definitely the Shimen Army Academy. Our Kyoto Military Region's corresponding junior military academy is located in Shimen, Hebei Province."

Liang Hongjie pursed his lips, speaking as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Chen Mo was somewhat surprised, because this was still different from the academy in his previous life.

The previous life was in November 1999, when the massive demobilization of 11 troops was basically completed, and the military parade had just concluded perfectly.

The military region launched a vigorous campaign, organizing a group of soldiers to be promoted to officers and assigning them to the Shimen Army Command Academy for further study.

When it comes to military academies in Shihmen, it's easy to get confused. The Army Academy and the Army Command Academy are not the same school.

The former is a junior military academy, a school specifically for students preparing for the college entrance examination, military officer promotions, and military personnel taking further education.

The latter is an intermediate command academy, and those who can go there are basically officers at the battalion level or above.

Basically, if a military academy's name contains the word "command," it's not through the national college entrance examination or promotion process; you can get in through the military's entrance exam.

In his previous life, Chen Mo was able to go to the Army Command Academy because the academy was recruiting students in July.

Having just merged the Staff College and the Armored Forces College, he had a strong faculty, and because there were too many people from the Kyoto Military Region who had come before him, he was assigned to the Army Command College.

During the era of the seven military regions, each military region had its own army academy.

Unlike later armies that had a unified headquarters, the current army was divided into seven military regions, each with its own unique strengths and characteristics.

Even after several rounds of downsizing, the elite troops remain diverse and dazzling.

This time, however, things went off track again, this time leading to the Army Academy in Shangzhuang.

When Chen Mo learned which academy he was going to, he blinked, genuinely surprised.

In fact, for him, whether it is a junior military academy or an intermediate military academy, the impact is the same.

He's just a private; he goes anywhere for further training.

Why did Chen Mo consistently refuse to choose the path of studying in the military?
In fact, the reason is very simple.

In the late 1990s, although the difficulty of the entrance exams was much simpler compared to later years.

The problem is that it takes four years to graduate from a military academy, and the military is currently in a period of great upheaval.

Four years! By the time he came out, the 63rd Army was gone.

They will likely face being reassigned to a new job after graduation, having to rebuild their network from scratch, and thus losing their age advantage.

This is not the result Chen Mo wanted.

Promotion, on the other hand, is different; one can return to their former position in a few months, or at most a year.

At that time, his old unit will still be his old unit, and with an extra three years, he will have enough time to make a name for himself in the military.

Often, ability is far less important than time and being in the right place at the right time.

As for the shortcomings in promotion, it's not a difficult issue for someone like Chen Mo who has a winning hand.

The real difficulty was that, as a private, he had no access to many things and no opportunity to use his skills. The two hurriedly arrived at the company commander's office, but when they opened the door, no one was there.

Liang Hongjie scratched his head, and after a while, he suddenly realized and said, "Go to the Hall of Honor. When I went to the headquarters to get your notification documents, the political commissar told me to bring back all the trophies in the company, as well as all the banners that had been confiscated before."

"The company commander is definitely in the hall of honor right now."

Liang Hongjie guessed correctly.

At this moment, not only Cheng Dong was in the Hall of Honor, but also the instructor and a group of veteran squad leaders from the reconnaissance company, almost all of them had gathered there.

"It's crooked, move it to the left, just a little bit, it's crooked again."

Cheng Dong stood at the entrance of the Hall of Honor, directing the hanging of the banners.

This is the happiest thing for him.

"Damn it, if we can't do it, let's move the company flag of that battalion's model medical company, we can take it down first."

"Company Commander, if you don't want this battalion's model sanitation company flag, why not give it to our squad? I'll hang it up in the first squad." Seeing that the company commander was now somewhat dismissive of the model sanitation flag, the first squad leader immediately stepped forward with a grin and offered the suggestion.

Hearing someone bargain with him, Cheng Dong was stunned for a moment, but quickly glared at his mercenary eyes and glanced at the squad leader: "Fine, when you have the ability to upgrade the First Merit Squad to the First Merit Company, I'll give it to you."

What a joke.

In all his years, only the political commissar dared to snatch banners and trophies from Cheng Dong. If anyone else wanted the company's honors, he would get angry with them.

I heard they're going to upgrade Class 1 to Company 1.

The veteran platoon leader grinned. "What a load of rubbish, First Platoon! Their platoon has never received such an honorary title. The company commander is just insulting him."

However, the squad leader was quite familiar with Cheng Dong and was also very eloquent.

With a quick glance around his eyes, he continued to haggle, saying, "Company Commander, how about we take a few of our platoon's trophies back with us? Our company's honor room is really full."

"You worthless bastard, what are you thinking? Get out of here."

Cheng Dong pushed aside the old soldier who had been babbling in front of him and started jumping around giving orders again.

"Move that flag a little to the right."

"We'll just leave the trophies on the ground for now, and then build a shelf specifically for them later."

The walls of the honor room are covered with banners of all kinds.

From hygiene pacesetters to conduct pacesetters to training pacesetters, it covers all aspects.

This small detail reveals the glory and passion of the Third Reconnaissance Company.

The two trophies Cheng Dong was holding belonged to Chen Mo: a training pacesetter commended by the military region, a third-class merit awarded by the brigade, and a second-class merit banner awarded by the military region. He had taken them all.

Looking at the wall.

Of the honors received recently, one-third were won by Chen Mo.

Cheng Dong had been a company commander for seven or eight years and had never encountered a private like this before. He was thinking about how this kid was about to leave.

Company Commander Cheng felt a surge of unease. His excitement at receiving the banner instantly crumbled. Looking down at the trophy in his hand, he grinned and cursed, "You damned scholar, where are you running off to?"

"arrive!!"

"Company Commander, you wanted to see me?"

Cheng Dong was about to curse, "Where did that damn scholar go?", but before he could finish, a loud response came from behind him.

The sudden commotion startled Cheng Dong.

Turning around, I saw a private in front of me, his sharp features and gleaming eyes perfectly blending his untamed spirit with the iron will of a soldier.

Cheng Dong sighed, "You're here."

"Yes, Captain."

Chen Mo straightened his chest and didn't forget to raise his hand to greet the group of veterans present.

Upon seeing the scholar return, the expressions on the faces of the group of veterans became somewhat unnatural.

The main reason is that all the new recruits in the company have been laid off, leaving only this one, who is also about to leave.

This is so boring; there won't be any new comrades to entertain them anymore.

Cheng Dong didn't say anything, but patted Chen Mo on the shoulder to signal him to follow. The group of people went to the office.

He opened the notification document issued by headquarters and threw it on his desk.

Cheng Dong's expression turned slightly serious as he said, "Promotion order: After a thorough review, Comrade Chen Mo meets the promotion criteria. Due to the urgency and necessity of the preparatory work, it has been decided to cancel the regular promotion publicity process."

"This order is effective immediately. Upon receiving the departure notice, immediately assemble at the Political Department of the Military Region."

"Understand?"

"clear!!"

Chen Mo stared at the document on his desk, stamped with a red seal, and straightened his posture once again.

"Damn it, we finally found a clerk, and now he's running away again."

Cheng Dong picked up a cigarette and tossed one to each person present, cursing under his breath.

"The document clearly states that the academy you are going to this time is the Shimen Army Academy in Hebei Province, where you will undergo a ten-month training program."

"After it's over, I should be able to report back to our company."

"Go ahead and pack your things. You don't need to bring too many uniforms. Just the one you're wearing will suffice. The academy will issue you a cadet officer uniform when you get there."

"Don't be so cocky when you get to school, son of a bitch. Be humble. It's not like our own company there, you know?"

"Yes, company commander!"

Chen Mo stood at attention and saluted.

Although it was indeed easier to get promoted to officer in the late 1990s compared to later years, not to mention promotion, there were many cases of volunteers being converted into officers without any training.

The sudden issuance of this notice caught the reconnaissance company somewhat off guard.

The military region's political department issued a notice to depart, but no one knew exactly when they would arrive.

However, ever since the notice of the scholar's promotion came down, the veterans in each squad have all become suspicious.

Many veterans even began to secretly plan to run 10-kilometer runs in full gear a few more times before the scholar left, to vent their anger.

You know, this bastard really gave those old comrades a hard time when he first joined the company.

A group of veterans often thought about revenge, but they were always delayed by competitions, assessments, and changing uniforms, so they never had the chance to do so.

Right now, we must seize this opportunity.

Otherwise, once this troublesome training is over and he returns to the reconnaissance company, the status of officers who are recommended for admission will be quite different from that of Liang Hongjie, who graduated from the military academy.

Chen Mo was unaware of the veterans' "plot" for revenge.

I came out of the company commander's office.

Chen Mo held the promotion order in his hand, glanced at Liang Hongjie, and said somewhat awkwardly, "Platoon leader, this is quite embarrassing."

"I haven't even taken over all the paperwork yet, and I'm already troubling you again."

"Wait until I come back from my studies. If I can come back in time, I'll help you out."

The scholar thumped his chest loudly.

Liang Hongjie shook his head, unsure whether to congratulate the scholar or worry about him.

This time, the usual public announcement process for promotion has been cancelled, and many procedures before promotion have been waived.

The problem is that there's no opportunity to choose the major one studied for promotion.

People sent out by reconnaissance units are called the reconnaissance department.

The reconnaissance department at Shihmen Army Academy requires students to undergo rigorous physical training, in addition to their academic studies. This training is even more demanding than that of regular reconnaissance companies.

Let's just put it that way.

Does the 400-meter steeplechase seem difficult? International competitions only have the 500-meter steeplechase.

The reconnaissance department of Shihmen Army Academy has a training program called: the kilometer obstacle course.

That's how hardcore it is.

After all, none of those who manage to get promoted are cowards.

Liang Hongjie even doubted whether a scholar like Xiucai, a mere soldier, could endure the hardships of academy life.

(End of this chapter)