Military career: Starting with a recruitment letter

Chapter 158 Tell me, what mischief are you up to this time? (Part 2)

Despite the tension, I gave the military salute.

Chen Mo stood tall and straight ahead, knowing that as a soldier, he couldn't afford to be weak in terms of presence.

Principal Yuan, sitting at the head of the table, looked the students in front of him up and down and nodded slightly.

The person who dared to propose establishing a non-commissioned officer academy is certainly not mediocre, at least not on the surface.

"Your name is Chen Mo, a comrade from the reconnaissance company of the 63rd Army's Hedong Armored Brigade?"

Political Commissar He Jinping placed his fingers interlaced on the conference table, his gaze fixed on the young man in the distance.

"Yes, sir," Chen Mo replied loudly.

"Okay, then tell me why you suggested establishing a non-commissioned officer academy, and what your reasons are."

Chen Mo had participated in debate competitions, and he knew very well that once he entered the self-justification stage from the beginning, it would be impossible for him to win against so many people.

The problem isn't what his reasons were, but why the college objected.

It is important to identify who is opposing the opposition and to distinguish between friend and foe on the scene.

Thinking of this, Chen Mo straightened his back again and said, "Commander, may I ask why this academy cannot be built?"

What are the reasons for the opposition?

As soon as these words came out.

The entire group of old men in the conference room were taken aback.

Hey! You little rascal.

They have always been the ones teaching the students, and they have never seen a student dare to talk back.

Political Commissar He Jinping gave Vice President Zhang a disgruntled look, because there was no clear conclusion yet on whether or not the Sergeant Academy should be established.

The student dared to ask that question because he must have heard about it privately.

Zhang Jinnan was also somewhat embarrassed by the political commissar's glare, so he simply turned his head away and remained silent.

The world is a giant makeshift stage; this metaphor applies everywhere.

Chen Mo glanced at everyone's reactions and basically understood who he was mainly dealing with this time.

Because these old men who do academic work are very emotional, and they don't even try to hide it.

For example, Professor Cao, who was the most vehement opponent, snorted coldly and said directly, "Let me tell you why it can't be built."

"Do you think setting up an academy is as simple as just talking? Do you know how long the initial investment takes?"

"Do you know how much manpower and financial resources it will take to invest? Information technology is the future trend, it's a system. How can a greenhorn like you distinguish between training and experimentation?"

"If an experiment takes at least several years to see results, is it still an experiment?"

"The claim that the school was established is utter nonsense!!"

The old professor became more and more excited as he spoke, and by the end, he almost wanted to slam the lesson plan in front of him down with a loud "bang."

The meeting room quickly fell silent.

Even Chen Mo was like a quail.

He stood there silently, his mouth closed and his nose closed, as if the old man had been shouting for a long time but hadn't spoken to him.

His silence left the group of old men present somewhat puzzled.

Vice Dean Zhang tapped on the conference table and gave Chen Mo a meaningful look.

Damn it, this kid was quite talkative the last time I saw him, so why is he being so hesitant and indecisive when it's time to speak?

Political Commissar He Jinping frowned as well and said, "Chen Mo, didn't you ask for the reasons for your opposition?"

"I've given you this reason, now it's time to tell me yours, right?"

"Yes!"

Chen Mo straightened his chest and stood at attention.

He was still fiddling with the seam of his pants, pretending to be more conflicted than anyone else.

But seeing his expression made Zhang Jinan's scalp tingle. He said irritably, "Why don't you say something? What are you standing there for?"

"Report, I dare not say."

Upon hearing this, Chen Mo deliberately sighed and said, "Everyone here is a senior, and my reason is not pleasant to hear, so I dare not speak."

"I'll show you what to say!!" Vice Dean Zhang raised his hand and slammed it hard on the table. What soldiers dislike most is this kind of timid and hesitant manner.

"Go ahead and speak freely."

Inside the meeting room, Principal Yuan Shansong, who hadn't spoken a word from beginning to end, leaned back in his chair, offering encouragement with a smile.

I felt the atmosphere was ready.

Chen Mo decided to stop pretending. He raised his hand, turned slightly to the side, and saluted everyone.

Then he said loudly, "Reporting to the leader, my reason is very simple: the reason why the school is being opposed is because you are all unprofessional."

Before anyone present could react...

Chen Mo continued, "Learn from the mistakes of others; without analysis and reflection, even the best system will not improve."

"I have read the document 'On Informationized Warfare,' which records in detail all the supplementary viewpoints from 1992 to 1998, as well as the failures of the experiments."

"But all I see is the theory being improved step by step, without a single word about the reasons for the failure. Shouldn't we face up to the problems that arise?"

"If we don't face the problem squarely, it will cause problems sooner or later. Saying that we're wasting money and manpower is just an excuse."

"In order to develop national defense and the military, we have always been willing to pay any price, even sacrifice. The so-called reasons for opposition are nothing more than excuses to evade responsibility."

"Commander, I know you will be angry if I say this, but I still have to say it."

"Experiments are also for the purpose of victory. When an experimental plan is hasty and unprofessional, as a combatant, I have the right to raise reasonable questions and be responsible for the predictable results, according to military internal regulations."

"Are you saying that without building this sergeant academy, the information technology experiment will never succeed?" a senior colonel sitting at the conference table asked in a deep voice.

Being directly criticized by a student for being unprofessional is tantamount to a slap in the face.

"Sir, please wait a moment. If after I finish speaking this plan the construction of the sergeant academy will still be shelved, then I have nothing more to say."

Chen Mo's expression was very serious.

Seeing this, Principal Yuan raised his hand to signal everyone not to disturb him, and the group watched him quietly.

But the silence didn't mean that no one had any objections to Chen Mo; a somber atmosphere permeated the entire conference room.

It could erupt at any time.

Chen Mo took a deep breath. He had the initiative in the conversation. Now it was up to him to figure out how to convince these old men.

"Comrade, please allow me to tell a story."

"Putting everything else aside, do you know what the rapid-fire record for the Type 81 rifle is?"

"150 meters, 40 seconds, hit 40 targets, changed magazines 4 times, all within 40 seconds."

"I believe the commander is not sure about this answer, but I, and every soldier in my reconnaissance company, know it very well."

“There is a concept called high-end duty. When you reach the limit, you will have an exceptionally keen ability. For example, in the field of engineering machinery, when special parts cannot be processed by machine tools and need to be manufactured by hand, there will always be some craftsmen who can process them with a precision of 0.005-0.01mm by hand.”

"Do you know what a level 10 fitter is? Do you know what a rank-10 sniper, armored soldier, or reconnaissance soldier is?"

"I'm just a new recruit who's been in the reconnaissance company for less than six months. But thanks to the basic training, I've been able to learn to sense even the slightest changes in humidity in the air in the shortest amount of time."

As he spoke, Chen Mo pretended to be a charlatan, deliberately stretching his body, and then continued, "At this moment, the air humidity is 6.68, and the error will absolutely not exceed 0.01."

Chen Mo spoke with great certainty.

This amazing ability to sense changes in air humidity with one's body left several elderly men on the scene wide-eyed in astonishment.

It's important to understand that atmospheric science involves such complexity that even the Tianhe supercomputer can make mistakes. Sometimes weather forecasts are not accurate because of humidity, which, as one of the important indicators in atmospheric science, requires specialized measuring instruments to determine.

Listening to him boast like that is like listening to gibberish.

In fact, Chen Mo himself wasn't very confident, but as the saying goes, the bold get rich and the timid starve.

He knew that the people at the scene wouldn't be so bored as to actually use measuring instruments to verify the veracity of this claim.

While everyone was silent,

Chen Mo quickly continued, "Comrade Commander, there are many people like me in the grassroots units."

"To give a simple example, we used to have a pretty good soldier in our armored reconnaissance company, who could also be described as wise in a foolish way."

"He was very ambitious, but not good at talking. Every step he took, every bit of progress he made, was like holding onto boundless hope tightly in his hands."

"His military career was very short, less than half a year, but in that short time at the grassroots level, he put in three times the effort of others. Few people saw his efforts, but he continued to make progress with a simple and almost obsessive dedication."

“He was laid off during the recent military downsizing. He was a fellow soldier with me, from the Shimen area. He ended up returning home dejectedly. His wish was simple: he just wanted to be a good soldier.”

"Comrade Commander, the reconnaissance company has a tough job. To other units, we are a group of omnipotent reconnaissance soldiers, but to ourselves, the mission of a reconnaissance soldier is like a boning knife, constantly reminding us to grow."

“In our company, there is a first-class sergeant whose family is from northern Shaanxi. Before he joined the army, his family was so poor that they didn’t even have a decent pair of pants. They ate wild vegetables and cornbread until their eyes turned green and they would get so tired that their legs would tremble just from talking.”

"Since joining the army and entering the reconnaissance company, he was initially not physically fit and was the worst in the company. The company commander looked down on him, the platoon leader didn't like him, and his comrades thought he was a burden. But he never gave up on his ideals and trained hard. In a competition, he went from being the worst in the company to being among the top three in the whole division."

"From then on, he broke free of his cocoon and soared into the sky, but he was still laid off during the recent military downsizing."

“I remember it very clearly. The night before the veteran left, he told me to cherish the opportunity to join the army. When he left his hometown, the whole village, young and old, came out to see him off. He left home every three steps and kowtowed every five steps to join the army with honor.”

He said he didn't know how to explain to his family that he had been laid off.

Chen Mo's language is very evocative; in just a few words, he paints a picture of a grassroots soldier who, after a successful comeback, is frustrated and ultimately forced to leave due to demobilization.

The atmosphere inside the meeting room, which had been extremely tense just moments before, had vanished without a trace.

After all, everyone present had come from a time of hardship.

Principal Yuan and Political Commissar He remained silent, but after listening to Chen Mo's rambling, they roughly guessed his intentions.

The Army Academy never considered the other purpose behind establishing the Sergeant Academy.

In a debate, every word and every setup has a purpose.

Cao Hongyi seemed to have forgotten what Chen Mo had just said about his lack of professionalism, and simply frowned and asked, "Your name is Chen Mo, right?"

"Your story was very touching, but I'd like to know, does it have anything to do with the question you're about to answer?"

"Disarmament is also for better development. It's no use for you to say that. Whether it's the military or the country, development is always necessary."

“Yes, sir, troop reduction is not something I can discuss.” Chen Mo smiled and continued, “But the establishment of the sergeant academy is not solely for the purpose of building an informationized force.”

“I come from the grassroots and I understand the grassroots. For those comrades I just mentioned, if they don’t meet the requirements for promotion, isn’t the sergeant academy another way out for them?”

"This is a soldier's future."

"Commander," Chen Mo saluted Cao Hongyi and said, "You said that establishing a non-commissioned officer academy is too wasteful of financial resources, manpower, and time."

"But do you remember that, in addition to establishing a non-commissioned officer academy, we could find a temporary base to conduct training? That was my initial suggestion."

"If we narrow down the scope, since we're going to experiment anyway, why not give some eager soldiers at the grassroots level a chance to take control of their future?"

"I believe that as long as we train them properly, the results we achieve will be incomparable to those of any other organization."

"Commander, please give the soldiers a future and give the non-commissioned officers a path to plan their careers."

Chen Mo even brought up the idea of ​​giving Bing a future in the conference room, so what could Cao Hongyi say?

He stared at Chen Mo for a long time before shaking his head and saying, "You're thinking too simply."

"The training base can certainly be set up, but who exactly will be trained? With so many units in our army, how should we decide who to train and who not to train?"

"After the training, how do we conduct experiments? Without a complete organizational structure and without even weapons, how much change can a single base make?"

"Kid, I know you have strong military skills and some psychological abilities, but that's not a tactic for vague questioning."

After Cao Hongyi finished speaking, his deep eyes looked at Chen Mo again.

As a senior professor of military strategy, he was not just as loud and boisterous as he appeared on the surface. Having lived most of his life, he could be said to have eaten more salt than Chen Mo had eaten rice.

Professor Cao knew Chen Mo's purpose all too well. This private cadet, who had entered the Army Academy and was trying so hard to prove himself, had only two objectives.

Firstly, they want to step into the era, actively immerse themselves in the trend, and promote the transformation from mechanization to informatization.

Secondly, it allows one to showcase their talents, gain recognition from higher-ups, build connections, and lay the foundation for a future military career.

Cao Hongyi was aware of all of this.

Furthermore, he acknowledged that the young man in front of him was very capable and courageous, but his suggestion simply meant no.

Investing too much could very well backfire.

Those in the meeting room who heard this knew that the plan to establish a non-commissioned officer academy was going to be completely shelved.

Many good plans are not suitable for the present. This new student's ideas are very advanced, but not suitable for the current Army Academy.

If the conversation had reached this point, anyone else would have been at a loss and would have simply gone back to class.

But Chen Mo is not.

He didn't give up so easily.

In 1999, this Blue Army battalion was determined to get on this fast track, because the formation of the informationized forces would follow immediately, and that was the real big deal.

"Sir, do you usually go to the library?" Chen Mo suddenly asked abruptly.

I don't go there often.

Cao Hongyi shook his head slightly and said, "However, I can tell you that if you're trying to tell me that you've managed to get in touch with the Sergeant Academy through reading and learning, I don't believe it."

As a professor of military strategy, Lao Cao didn't think the young man in front of him could cause any trouble.

Chen Mo didn't care whether he believed it or not, and just said to himself, "Commander, if you often go to the library, you should have found a book called 'Analysis of the Indochina Peninsula War' on the third floor of the fifth row in the public area."

"On page 36, in the second paragraph, there is a record of an introduction to the formation of the US 101st Helicopter Division."

"Sir, you keep talking about experiments, but what exactly is the definition of a successful experiment?"

"Or, after success, does the informatization process stop at the battalion or regiment level and not continue?"

"In fact, the original intention of training talents was not to prepare for the experimental troops at all, but to prepare for success."

"You asked who to train? That's simple. Aren't there several armored units currently compiling exercise data? Once that's done, let those units apply voluntarily for training."

"As for how to conduct experiments and develop weapons after training, these are not contradictory. They come from various armored units. Information technology only changes the operational thinking, not the overall scale of the operation."

“After the training, we can have some trainees return to their original units to take over the weapons and equipment and have a real confrontation with other units. Regardless of the outcome, we’ll have the data, right?”

"When we lose, there are many comrades on the front lines who can help us find the reasons and correct our mistakes. When we win, we win easily, and our combat effectiveness is significantly improved. Isn't this the result we want after changing our combat mindset?"

"As long as the experiment is successful, the trained group of people can be deployed to larger-scale military units at any time. They will be the backbone of the units in the future."

“Even the famous and highly skilled 101st Helicopter Division in the United States uses this model, so why can’t we?”

"Commander, troop reduction is indeed an inevitable trend, and we can't comment on it. But there are still many good comrades at the grassroots level who are just waiting for an opportunity."

Why don't we give them this opportunity?

Chen Mo asked another question.

This also foreshadows another instance of him taking the initiative.

From the moment the idea of ​​establishing a non-commissioned officer academy was proposed, Chen Mo knew that the process would be difficult, because the Army Academy, with its size, would find it hard to support.

After all, the establishment of a college cannot be decided by a few senior professors, but setting up a training base is much easier.

Chen Mo knew that the academy absolutely had this right.

"Commander, you surely understand the future of soldiers, and even more so the passing on of the torch. As long as we give them a chance, this experiment will definitely succeed."

Cao Hongyi frowned, stumped by the question again. He had to admit that he was moved by the words of the young man in front of him.

indeed.

They were always thinking about the experiment itself, but never about what would happen if it succeeded.

This is not to say that the leaders of the Army Academy are so short-sighted, but rather that an experiment in a blue army battalion has been conducted four times in seven years since 1992, and all of them have ultimately come to nothing.

Furthermore, the problems that arise after the experiment is successful are not the responsibility of the college at all; these are matters for those in higher positions to worry about.

Therefore, Cao Hongyi did not think that far ahead.

This debate, though not a grand battle of wits, was nonetheless quite difficult.

Chen Mo stood still, no longer speaking, waiting for the final result.

When Principal Yuan Shansong saw that the debate had ended, he grinned, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the conference room before finally settling on Zhang Jinnan.

After all, the task of conducting the information technology experiment was assigned to Lu Yuan from above, and the college then entrusted the entire matter to Zhang Jinnan.

At this point, he needs to stand up and make a statement.

That's why he's the vice dean; when he noticed the principal's gaze coming his way, he knew there was no resistance from Lao Yuan's side.

Zhang Jinan quickly sat up straight, tapped the conference table with his hand, and said in a deep voice, "Alright, Comrade Chen Mo has already explained his personal thoughts and opinions."

"If anyone has any opinions or suggestions regarding the establishment of a non-commissioned officer academy, please feel free to raise them."

"Hmph, stop trying to change the subject." Cao Hongyi tidied up the teaching materials on the table, stood up and said, "I approve of setting up a base, but don't even think about preparing an academy."

"What qualifications do we have to establish a non-commissioned officer academy? Don't ask me about this again; the attitude will be the same no matter you do."

After saying that, Professor Cao picked up his lesson plan, turned around, and left the conference room. He was in his fifties and sixties, well past retirement age, and didn't care about anything else.

He was devoted to the Army Academy, which was the second branch of the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University back then. He had been in this academy since he was in his twenties and never left despite several changes. His feelings for it were something that others could not understand.

The biggest opponent left, and the remaining old men in the meeting room basically had no objections.

After Principal Yuan adjourned the meeting, no one said a word; they all left with their lesson plans.

In the blink of an eye, only Zhang Jinnan and Chen Mo remained in the huge conference room.

Looking at the cadets who had been standing in front of me for almost an hour, their military posture still upright.

Zhang Jinan grinned, picked up a cigarette from the conference table, and tossed it to the end of the table: "Alright kid, sit down."

"Help yourself with your cigarettes, don't expect me to give them to you."

"Thank you, Chief."

Chen Mo had indeed been standing for long enough. He bent down and rubbed his stiff legs before plopping down in a chair.

But he didn't take the cigarette offered by the vice dean and remained seated properly.

"You little rascal, you're really cunning. No wonder so many people call you 'scholar,' you've got a good mouth."

Zhang Jinan laughed and cursed a couple of times, then sighed with a hint of regret, saying, "The sergeant academy probably won't be built, but setting up a base for training is still no problem."

“Your suggestion is good, and your thinking is also good, but an academy is an academy, and a training base is a training base. The two are not related.”

"Are you so sure that once the college issues a notice, companies will be willing to sign up for the training?"

"Don't worry, sir. Quality over quantity. Someone will definitely go when the time comes."

Chen Mo patted his chest loudly, looking very confident.

How could they lack confidence?

He had the opportunity to advance himself, so he wanted to help the reconnaissance company. Even if other units wouldn't go, he was determined to persuade the people in his own company to go.

"Okay, I'm glad you're so confident."

Zhang Jinnan gave Chen Mo a meaningful look before speaking, "Pay close attention to the lessons and study hard. When you have time, work on a plan for the training base."

"I can't promise you anything right now. It all depends on your own efforts, understand?"

"Yes, Chief!!"

Chen Mo stood up at attention and responded in a loud voice.

He understood what the vice dean meant. Whether it was building an academy or setting up a base, given his current status as a new student, the academy couldn't make arrangements for his future in advance.

But that's nothing.

Once he enters the high-level vision and steps into the information age, he will have countless opportunities to seize.

The most difficult step has already shown initial results, so there's nothing to worry about.

After the vice dean left.

Chen Mo rubbed his hands together and stood in the conference room with his hands on his hips.

Then the dog ran to the landline phone next to it, and furtively picked up the microphone and put it to its ear.

I dialed the phone number of the reconnaissance company's clerical office.

"Hello, this is the Third Reconnaissance Company. I'm Liang Hongjie. What can I do for you?"

Across from them came Liang Pai's familiar voice.

"Platoon leader, it's me, Chen Mo." Chen Mo smiled and scratched his nose. "Where's our company commander?"

"Hey! Scholar?!"

"You dare to make a phone call, kid?" After realizing who it was, Liang Hongjie on the other end raised his voice several decibels higher than usual.

"You son of a bitch, do you know that I'm being dragged away by those main force battalions to do work every day? It's all because of your nonsense suggestions, like making up exercise data. You can ruin our lives even when we're hundreds of kilometers away."

"hey-hey!!"

Chen Mo knew this would be the outcome. He listened with a grin for a while before saying again, "Platoon leader, calm down. Where's our company commander?"

"Wait, I'll go call it for you. I must have owed you something in my past life."

Despite his anger, Liang Hongjie remained efficient, summoning Cheng Dong down from his upstairs office in less than a minute.

Company Commander Cheng doesn't have a good temper.

Knowing who was calling, he grabbed the receiver with his left hand, put his right hand on his hip, and started cursing: "You damn scholar, what do you want?"

"Damn it, just tell me what bad ideas you're up to now."

"Haha, Company Commander, you can't always assume I'm the one who'll cause trouble."

Chen Mo smiled awkwardly, but had to admit that the company commander was very good at judging people.

In fact, suggesting that the reconnaissance company members respond more to the Army Academy's call for training would definitely be beneficial from a personal development perspective.

But it was indeed a bit cruel for the Third Reconnaissance Company, but there was nothing they could do about it.

The troop reduction is still ongoing, and no one knows who will be next. Receiving a transfer notice from the Army Academy is much better than receiving a list of troops to be reduced, right?

"Company Commander, here's the thing, the Army Academy will issue a notice in a few days to establish a training base, and they will be drawing personnel from the armored units of the 38th and 63rd Military Regions."

"In our company, do you think we can encourage more people to sign up?"

"What's the matter?"

Cheng Dong was taken aback upon hearing this. "Why didn't I receive any message?"

"You son of a bitch, are you trying to take over my reconnaissance company again?"

"Spit it out if you have something to say, stop beating around the bush."

"Explain clearly, what exactly happened?"

Hearing the company commander's barrage of questions, Chen Mo pursed his lips.

He signed a confidentiality agreement and cannot disclose the contents of the information documents.

Therefore, I can only give a vague overview of the benefits of this training for personal development.

Unsurprisingly, he got what he deserved by confessing.

It was just a long silence on the other end.

No one responded for a long time.

(End of this chapter)