Military career: Starting with a recruitment letter

Chapter 149 Forced into a position, this official is even more powerful than the squad leader!
Putting aside the ups and downs, the group of 402 got together after Chen Mo confronted the instructor.

I was able to get into the queue as I wished, instead of blocking the dormitory entrance and being stared at like a monkey.

The major who had been picking a fight earlier glanced at the queue, and by the time he reached the speaker's seat, he wasn't in a very good mood.

Is it even possible to get better?

If he were to punish a new recruit for openly contradicting him, it would be tantamount to admitting that he was using his rank to suppress the new recruit.

This matter could be a big deal or a small deal. If it gets blown out of proportion, he might not be able to withstand such criticism.

After all, it's okay to give them a warning in private, but you can't really make a scene at the school level.

Shimen Army Academy is the only academy in the country with a reconnaissance department.

The new recruits come from seven military regions. Those who can be promoted to officers are not only those with strong abilities, but also some special cases.

I adjusted my mood.

With a cold face, the major faced the ranks and said in a booming voice, "Comrades, first of all, let me introduce myself. My name is Fang Huai, deputy battalion commander of the 1st Motorized Infantry Battalion of the Army Academy's Training Regiment."

"He is also the captain of your new cadet platoon for the reconnaissance department this year."

"I congratulate you comrades on standing here. I also acknowledge that you are all outstanding for standing here. You are the proudest soldiers in your unit, tough guys whose voices can be heard for miles around."

"But let me make this clear from the start: no matter how powerful you are in the military, or how much the officers pamper you, always remember, this is the Army Academy, not your unit."

"Did you think that just because your military region's political department recommended you for further study, everything would be fine, and you could easily get through a few months and go back to become an officer?"

"Let me tell you, anyone who has such thoughts should give up that idea as soon as possible. The academy has its own rules. Today you can come in all the glory, but tomorrow you can go back to where you came from."

"Don't think I'm threatening you. I won't say any welcoming words. Whether you can stay here or not depends on your own performance."

"Nobody should try to show off your old soldier status here."

Fang Huai made a few symbolic threats, then looked up and fixed his gaze on Chen Mo, who was standing behind him with his head tilted back, a smile appearing on his lips.

"Alright, now I'd like to introduce a new student to everyone."

"Chen Mo!"

"To!"

"Get out of the queue."

"Yes."

The man who had just been fighting Fang Huai was suddenly called away.

The students in the second squad, who were standing in line, all watched as Chen Mo ran from the back to the front.

The second detachment of the reconnaissance department consists mostly of students who have recently enrolled. There are only five classes in total, with fewer than forty people.

The first team came before the Lunar New Year and has been here for almost half a year. They are currently focusing their energy on their research projects and usually don't get involved with the second team.

Although their cadet squads are nominally affiliated with the 30th Company, the two have virtually no interaction. One is a reconnaissance unit stationed at the academy, while the other consists of cadets majoring in reconnaissance.

The entire squadron only mobilizes together during large-scale training exercises or field training.

Normally, everyone does their own thing.

Chen Mo was also puzzled as to why the squad leader was calling him at this time. In front of so many people, the other party was not going to beat him up, was he?

As it turns out, it really is not possible.

Not only could he not, but when Fang Huai saw Chen Mo run to his side, the previously serious Captain Fang immediately became exceptionally enthusiastic.

In response to Chen Mo's salute, he returned the salute earnestly before patting Chen Mo on the shoulder and addressing the assembled crowd: "Comrades, let me formally introduce this comrade to you."

"Many of you probably don't know him, right?"

"But I want to mention something that you've probably heard about: on New Year's Eve last year, a private in the armored brigade of the 63rd Army stationed east of the river successfully captured and stopped three armed spies during a patrol."

"This private is Chen Mo, known as the Scholar, a title recognized by the entire military region."

Fang Huai's introduction did not make Chen Mo feel proud at all.

Instead, a chill ran down my spine and I felt goosebumps rise all over my body.

The veterans standing in formation all stared at Chen Mo, feeling like an elite selected from various reconnaissance units of the seven military regions.

That feeling is not pleasant at all.

This feeling is nothing short of unbearable.

Damn it, "Xiucai" is just a nickname that many people use casually. When did the military region recognize it?

Ignoring the gazes of the people in the queue, Fang Huai smiled again and said, "Our college's second squad is divided into two districts. Comrade Chen Mo has performed well in his unit."

"He is also politically sound. In order to carry out our work better in the future, I appoint Comrade Chen Mo as the squad leader of the second squad of the second detachment of our reconnaissance department."

"Comrades, come on, let's give the scholar a round of applause."

Bang bang bang.
Fang Huai took the lead in clapping, and the trainees and veterans in the ranks cooperated, but the applause was very short-lived, lasting only two rounds before it stopped.

The second detachment of the reconnaissance department consists of five classes.

The first three classes formed one platoon, while the last two classes, namely dormitory 401 and dormitory 402, formed another platoon.

The appointment of Chen Mo as the district captain means that, despite being a newcomer, he already holds a higher rank than the squad leader.

In name only, he can manage two classes.

This sudden appointment caught Chen Mo off guard.

He had been to the Shihmen Army Command Academy and knew that, for the sake of management, the academy usually selected platoon leaders from among the more well-known students.

Whether it's a team leader, platoon leader, or squad leader, they are all "officials" in training, and have little to do with academic subjects.

Its role is merely to assist the college in management.

But damn it, they can't choose him between the two dormitories. The military values ​​seniority the most. How can a private be a squad leader for a group of veterans?

Wouldn't that mean it's completely numb?
"Reporting to the captain, I..." Chen Mo originally wanted to decline, saying that he was not up to the task.

He came here to learn, after all, and didn't want to waste his time on these trivial matters related to training.

"What is a soldier's duty if there are only incorrect orders, not incorrect commands?"

Fang Huai interrupted Chen Mo's next words and asked with a cold face.

"Yes, Captain."

Chen Mo puffed out his chest. He couldn't just give up being the district captain.

His words to Fang Huai had just come back to haunt him so quickly, hitting him squarely in the backside.

What to do? Just take it! Damn it.

Seeing the scholar fall silent and stand aside, Fang Huai finally felt a little better.

Do you think their coaching staff wants to be captains for the reconnaissance majors?

What a load of rubbish.

These people are constantly receiving awards such as Second-Class Merit Citation, Third-Class Merit Citation, or Four-Good Awards; their resumes are all incredibly impressive.

Of all the majors at the Army Academy, the reconnaissance department is the hardest to manage. It's a tried-and-tested method to let them manage their own people and have the academy staff supervise them.

This method really works.

At least for now, the people in dormitories 401 and 402 have been glancing at the newly appointed squad leader at the front of the line from time to time.

The platoon leader does indeed wield more power than the squad leader. Whoever performs well is evaluated at the end of the month, and the platoon leader reports the scores to higher authorities.

In other words, the college doesn't know how well you perform; they only look at the data and the reports, and these reports are in Chen Mo's hands.

This thing is a double-edged sword; you might end up hurting yourself first.

Fang Huai saw that the meeting was almost over.

He simply waved his hand and said, "Have none of the new comrades had dinner today?" "They're not familiar with the college yet, so let's run ten kilometers to warm up and get acquainted with the environment on the playground. Then, each class leader will lead their team to dinner."

"Tomorrow is the awarding of ranks, and we'll go to the classroom to familiarize ourselves with the buildings. Today, let's just do a ten-kilometer run as a token gesture."

"Attention everyone! Four columns, heading towards the parade ground! Run forward!"

"Well, the scholar district captain is in charge of supervision."

After delivering his final, chilling statement, Fang Huai acted as if nothing had happened. He straightened his hat, gave Chen Mo a slight smile, and strode away.

What is supervision?

To put it simply, you don't need to run those ten kilometers; you're just responsible for checking the lap times.

He watched as several classes lined up in four columns, their footsteps thumping past him.

Even with Chen Mo's extensive experience, he had never encountered such a direct and forceful approach.

Wang Fuming, the class monitor of 402, deliberately glanced at Chen Mo as he passed by.

Damn it, this academy is really tough to get by.

Chen Mo muttered something, but didn't actually stand there to watch the show.

He quickly followed the ranks of his class and set off with all the veterans in the class.

For newly admitted military academy students, running ten kilometers would leave them feeling completely exhausted, and probably very few could actually persevere.

But for those who were promoted, it wasn't too difficult. What was really tough was running in regular clothes, as the weather in early May was already hot enough.

Even at night, I feel particularly uncomfortable.

The fabric of his regular clothes didn't absorb sweat, and the feeling of being restricted made Wang Bo take off his peaked cap and fan his head with it before even reaching the playground.

"Scholar, heavens above! You're in big trouble, I'm telling you! You came here and offended the captain right away. What were you thinking?"

"Shut up, you."

Chen Mo had just caught up with the queue and hadn't even said a word when Ding Zeliang, who had just been arguing with Fang Huai, gave an annoyed reply.

Regardless of the circumstances, the scholar's words just now helped the whole class out of a predicament, which also helped him out of a predicament, so he naturally became the first person to support him.

Wang Bo was taken aback by the sudden reprimand. Although he wasn't the most senior in the class, he was still a first-class sergeant.

How can one bear to be scolded like that?
Old Wang immediately rolled up his sleeves, revealing his chubby face with features almost all bunched together.

"What do you mean? You want to practice?"

"Fine, let's train then. Do you think I'm afraid of you?"

Seeing that Fatty Wang was about to make a move, Ding Zeliang also rolled up his sleeves, glared at him, and got into a fighting stance.

It wasn't that the two of them were reckless.

That's just the prevailing atmosphere in the Army Academy during that era.

This isn't their own workplace, so even if they're assigned to the same class, they don't really get to know each other. They're all like powder kegs.

"Alright, alright, Wang Bo, calm down." Xie Yong from dormitory 402, noticing the tense atmosphere, immediately ran and squeezed between the two.

"The fact that the scholar was made district captain is just that Fang guy deliberately setting him up. Can't you even see that?"

"If it weren't for Xiucai's help, would we have gotten through so easily? From now on, our dormitory must stick together."

"I'll state my position first: I firmly support Xiucai in taking on the role of district captain."

“I’ll also say the same as Lao Xie.” Ding Zeliang glanced at Fatty Wang and raised his left hand.

With these two men from the Night Tigers Company taking the lead, Lai Wei, Liu Mujun, and Sheng Donghao all nodded, and no one said anything.

After all, anyone can see that being a squad leader is no easy job. It involves things like evening roll call, morning roll call, taking leave, and performance evaluations.

People who come here for further studies don't plan to stay long; it's only for a few months. It doesn't matter who does it.

Of course, this is on the premise that someone they like does the job.

Everyone in the class has expressed their opinion.

Only Wang Bo remained.

He turned his head and glanced at Chen Mo, who was jogging slowly alongside him, then poked him twice with his elbow and said, "Scholar, what are you thinking?"

"I don't really want to, I'll just take it!"

Chen Mo shrugged.

When soldiers come, we'll block them; when water comes, we'll build earthen mounds. What's there to be afraid

Perhaps because they were newcomers, when running 10 kilometers on the college track, none of the five classes tried to show off; they all ran in a very conventional manner.

Besides the fact that regular clothes were really unsuitable for exercise, some veterans took off their jackets and ran in just a shirt, carrying their clothes in their hands.

If it weren't for the fact that the Army Academy is different from the military, and that there are not only male cadets on the parade ground, but also a few female cadets passing by from time to time.

I reckon these seasoned veterans from the reconnaissance department will have to go shirtless.

Nothing else was unexpected.

For these veterans, going for a run, getting some fresh air, and adapting to a new environment might not necessarily be a bad thing.

There's not much to say after that.

The show of force failed to materialize, and the 10-kilometer run essentially shattered the veteran's arrogance for the time being.

Each class monitor led their team to the cafeteria to familiarize themselves with the location and have dinner.

Military academies are different from the military. You eat by swiping your campus card, and a fixed monthly allowance is deposited into your card.

After the other trainees finished their meals, they could go back to their dormitories to rest and wait for further arrangements.

But Chen Mo can't do that.

This guy became the district captain, but whether he's actually gotten any benefits or not, we don't know yet.

After dinner, Fang Huai notified the two platoons of the reconnaissance students, along with all the squad leaders and platoon leaders, to hold a meeting.

There was nothing confidential about the meeting; we were just learning the school rules.

To put it simply, no matter which unit you come from, once you come to the Army Academy, you must abide by the Army Academy's rules.

Study the regulations, apply the regulations, and implement management in accordance with the regulations. Do not focus on formalities or play tricks. Adhere to consistency between education and discipline, and emphasize self-discipline.

During their time at the school, students must strictly abide by all regulations. This applies not only to newly arrived students but also to the college's faculty members, regardless of whether they are military or civilian instructors. They must participate in drill training and morning exercises.

The training program adheres to higher and stricter regulations and standards than the military.

The meeting lasted until almost nighttime roll call before it ended.

However, Chen Mo did not come away empty-handed.

At least he knew that the academy would award them, this group of students, the rank of one-bar student tomorrow.

Promotion is different from taking an exam.

New students admitted through the National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao) need to undergo at least two months of rigorous training.

From the school's perspective, these people really didn't need any further refinement.

In addition to the conferment of ranks, the first reconnaissance professional course will also begin.

This is the area that Chen Mo is most looking forward to and is also most skilled in.

"tomorrow."

Chen Mo, with the meeting minutes book issued by the college in his hand, walked upstairs with his hands behind his back, looking quite smug. He was thinking about tomorrow's arrangements.

I have to say, no matter how you got your position as a district captain, it feels pretty good to be an official.

(End of this chapter)