Military career: Starting with a recruitment letter

Chapter 176 Departure, Another Challenge

"Beep-beep!!"

At exactly six o'clock on the morning of May 29, a piercing whistle rang out in the hallway.

"get up!!"

"Everyone, wear hats and belts and assemble downstairs."

Hearing the whistle, Chen Mo struggled to open his slightly sore eyes. Unlike other veterans, he didn't have a mechanical watch with him.

Last night, when I came back from the audio-visual building, I had no idea what time it was or when I fell asleep. I just felt that as soon as I closed my eyes, the whistle went off.

Lack of sleep can cause severe headaches and dizziness.

"Scholar, stop slacking off and pay attention. There's an assessment today. Did the leader praise you separately last night?"

Wang Bo, who was on the lower bunk, jumped to the ground and put on his pants. He didn't forget to look up at Chen Mo, who was on the upper bunk, and casually urged him on.

"Of course we have to praise him. If it weren't for the scholar, we might have been fighting with someone in the mountains for who knows how long last night."

Ding Zeliang, who was in the next bunk, also got up and said with a grin.

The reason everyone is talking like this is clearly because they want to get information out of the college, to see if there are any rewards or anything like that.

Chen Mo rubbed his temples and said while getting dressed, "I didn't really praise him much, I just asked him some other questions."

"Brothers, I might have some other things to do today, so I might have to go somewhere else."

"If you're busy, just do your thing. If you need any help, just let me know."

Xie Yong responded casually.

Inside the dormitory, no one took Chen Mo's words seriously, since this wasn't the first time he'd changed dorms.

They'll be back in a few days, all excited.

They were all veterans, preparing for the mid-year assessment, and no one realized that Chen Mo's words were actually a farewell.

According to Director Luo's statement last night, those who apply to change their major will be leaving with the first group of people, and it will be difficult to see these friends they have only known for a short time again.

But that's nothing.

The military camp remains, but the soldiers come and go; revolutionary soldiers are the same wherever they are.

After calming himself down a bit, Chen Mo hurriedly got dressed, grabbed his hat and belt, and followed the crowd downstairs to gather.

The open space in front of Building No. 3.

Fang Huai, the captain of the trainee squad, was staring at the time on his wristwatch, waiting for the trainees to assemble.

Looking up, he saw Chen Mo coming down to assemble with the crowd. He raised his head and shouted, "Hey, you scholar, didn't Director Luo say you needed to write a report?"

"You don't need to attend the meeting today. Go ahead and do what you need to do."

"Other comrades, check if everyone is present in your squads. Hurry up, because there will be a meeting at the military sports field later to summarize yesterday's assessment."

"Hurry up, everyone."

Fang Huai was shouting from the front. Chen Mo knew that Luo Yaowu had already arranged for someone to inform him about his change of major.

During the formation, he turned to look at Xie Yong, Wang Bo, and the others, grinned, and then patted Lao Xie on the shoulder, saying, "Squad leader, keep it up."

"Hey, don't worry, we're not going to back down."

"Go on and get back to what you're doing."

Xie Yong pushed Chen Mo out of the line and looked at the group of veterans in front of him, who were lined up with focused expressions, each of them striving to follow their own path.

Chen Mo watched for a while before hurriedly leaving.

Instead of returning to his dormitory, he went to the Jing'an Teaching Building to inquire about the necessary preparations for changing his major.

After all, even if Luo Yaowu speaks up, it's considered to be going through a fast track.

It's definitely much simpler than submitting it yourself, but you can't just grab any piece of paper and write down an application.

The necessary process still needs to be followed.

However, the process wasn't as difficult as Chen Mo had imagined.

Special cases are handled specially, and it is indeed much easier with Luo Yaowu's intervention.

When Chen Mo arrived at the office of the instructors of the Reconnaissance and Command Department, no one asked him what he wanted, and he handed over the application form.

As for the process of changing majors, things like faculty evaluation and public announcement are all omitted.

After filling out the application form and getting it stamped by the vice dean, then having it filed by the Armored and Communications Department, and finally making a trip to the Political Department of the Army Academy to finalize the process, the whole procedure is complete.

Until noon.

After finishing his work, Chen Mo went to the cafeteria for a meal.

While I was packing my things in the dormitory, Pei Shuaijun, the assistant I had met the night before, ran to the door of dormitory 402.

He first peeked inside and saw that Chen Mo was packing up bedding, quilts, mats, and everything else provided by the academy.

Pei Shuaijun strode into the dormitory and said with a smile, "I was just thinking of coming over to remind you that there aren't any supplies available at the base, so you'll need to pack up and bring some extra with you."

"How did the transfer to your new major go this morning?"

"Good morning, Captain!!"

Hearing the noise, Chen Mo quickly got up to greet them before replying, "Everything went smoothly, the application report has been submitted to the Political Department."

Pei Shuaijun nodded: "Okay, as long as it goes smoothly. Once you're all packed, let's go. We need to get to our destination before dark."

Assistants like him are people who follow the leader around. Pei Shuaijun said last night that he had a connection with Chen Mo, and that was not an exaggeration. His job is not just equivalent to a clerk.

Just like a confidential secretary, she knows quite a lot.

As Chen Mo packed his things, he looked up and asked, "I heard Director Luo say yesterday that we were going to the base. Where is our base?"

"It's not far from your old workplace, just southwest of Jinyang. It used to be a missile silo with a radar early warning station, but it was abandoned. This time it has been rebuilt and put into use."

southwest of Jinyang
Chen Mo looked up and thought for a moment, but he really didn't have any recollection of anything like launch silos.

However, that area has many mountains and even more abandoned military bases, some of which were bunkers and secret passages built during the War of Resistance against Japan, and the troops stationed there later withdrew.

Some military facilities need to be updated and upgraded as technology advances, so they are simply moved to other locations.

This location is difficult to estimate.

However, judging from Pei Shuaijun's words, the issue of choosing a base location alone has probably been the subject of several arguments at the higher levels.

At first, the only idea was to use which military region for the experiment, but last night, Director Luo said that it was necessary to reach some consensus with the 6th Armored Division of the 38th Army.

Now they've built the base in Jinyang, where the 63rd Army is located. It sounds like the relationships are a bit complicated, but it's really just that simple.

After all, those in power aren't gods.

They were extremely cautious in every step they took, sometimes arguing fiercely, and sometimes surprisingly agreeing on everything.

Anyway, we're just figuring things out as we go.

Chen Mo had previously served as a confidential secretary, and he knew best that those in higher positions were far less mysterious than the grassroots cadres imagined.

In this era, the only constant in many policies is that they are constantly changing; there's nothing surprising about it.

After packing his things, Chen Mo slung his backpack over his shoulder and carried his handbag.

Turning to look at the upper bunk, at his empty bed, Chen Mo sighed.

He hadn't been in the army for very long, but he had already been transferred several times. Luckily, he wasn't a sentimental young man.

Otherwise, it would be really hard to adjust these emotions in a short time.

Tao Village recruit company has memories of its recruit period, and Kuchi reconnaissance company also has memories of its post-recruitment period.

Although we haven't known each other for long in dormitory 402 of the Army Academy's No. 3 student building, there are members of the Night Tigers, members of the Garrison Command Guard Division, and veterans from other heroic units.

People who come out of prestigious organizations often share a common trait: while they may be arrogant, they don't bully others like some veterans in ordinary organizations.

I've been living here for a month now, and the atmosphere and everything else is pretty good.

I was really reluctant to leave.

Chen Mo closed the dormitory door. Since it was during the assessment period, he didn't know where his roommates had been assigned.

Since I couldn't even come back for my lunch break, I naturally couldn't say goodbye.

We're about to set off.

Pei Shuaijun led the way, with Chen Mo following behind. The two went straight to meet in front of Building No. 1 of the Army Academy.

This so-called Building No. 1 is a seven-story government office building, about 100 meters long, which looks even more impressive than the Jing'an Building.

There are four towering cedar trees on each of the east and west sides of the gate, standing proudly and evergreen throughout the four seasons. Not far from the cedar trees, there is also a fountain.

Perhaps because it's the mid-year assessment period, other colleges and even higher-ups will be coming over, and the fountain, which doesn't usually spray water, is spraying exceptionally hard today.

The water columns resembled giant dragons, shooting straight into the sky.

Even though Chen Mo had lived through later generations and seen even more magnificent buildings, in the 1990s, this kind of facility still gave people a strong sense of disconnect.

The school motto, "Unity, Progress, Pragmatism, Innovation," stands proudly on the south eaves of the rooftop.

Chen Mo glanced at the school motto, then at the large fountain, and was staring at it intently.

Pei Shuaijun reached out and tugged at him, gesturing towards Building No. 1 in the distance.

At this moment, Luo Yaowu, the director of the Strategic and Operational Studies Department, and Zhang Jinnan, the vice president of the Army Academy, came out of Building No. 1, followed by dozens of people in a dark mass.

Judging from their appearance, some were faculty members of the college, while others were students taught by faculty members. I glanced around and didn't recognize anyone.

Chen Mo hurriedly reached out and tugged at his military uniform, trying to make himself look as presentable as possible. He stood at attention and saluted the approaching crowd!

"Heh, you little rascal."

When Zhang Jinnan walked over and saw Chen Mo, his smiling expression immediately turned sour.

If it weren't for the assessment, he would have really wanted Chen Mo to stand guard at the college gate for two days.

Unexpectedly, this idea hasn't even been implemented yet.

Chen Mo led his team to achieve merit again during the mountain climbing assessment.

Zhang Jinnan had seen students who both caused trouble and made contributions in a single day, but he just felt a bit annoyed with the person in front of him, a feeling he couldn't quite put his finger on.

He always felt that this young man did many things with a purpose, and that his purpose was very strong.

"Hello, Vice Dean."

Chen Mo saluted again, his posture even straighter than before.

"Alright." Zhang Jinnan waved his hand: "Don't cause any trouble after this, and focus on your studies."

"Director Luo thinks highly of you. Now that you've changed your major, study hard over there. Before the staff from the base arrive, the academic affairs personnel will have to undergo an assessment to officially start their jobs."

"Understand?"

"Yes!" "Okay, let's go."

Zhang Jinan waved his hand, seemingly unwilling to say more to Chen Mo.

Led by Luo Yaowu, the group lined up and boarded two blue buses.

The number of people who set off first was not large, but it was not small either, a total of seventy or eighty people.

They either had roommates from the same department waving goodbye, or school leaders waving with smiles.

Chen Mo, all alone, carried his bag and walked straight to the back of the bus.

Fortunately, the treatment was not bad when traveling with the leaders. There was no air conditioning in the dormitory of the Army Academy students, but the bus was quite well-lit.

He didn't know anyone else, so he simply placed his backpack and handbag on the back seat, pulled the curtain next to the car window, and was just about to tilt his head and rest for a while when...

Pei Shuaijun, carrying a stack of brown paper bags, swayed as he walked to the back seat.

He plopped down in front of Chen Mo, grinned, and stuffed the entire brown paper bag into Chen Mo's arms, saying, "Director Luo asked me to bring this to you."

"After changing majors, you need to pay more attention to academic subjects. This is a project that the Armored and Communications major has been working on in recent years. The director said that you have a weak foundation in these areas, so you need to put more energy into your studies."

"I will take advantage of this internship opportunity at the base to complete the transformation from a soldier to a commander."

"Also, don't think I'm being long-winded, but these are all things the director said. Not only do we need to pay more attention to academic subjects, but the difference between being a soldier, an officer, and a commander, and between being managed and being managed, is a completely new field."

"Anyway, to put it bluntly, it's about studying more, you know?"

Chen Mo was carrying a stack of brown paper bags. He didn't dislike studying; after all, he knew his own situation.

He's still mostly in the theoretical stage, and he'd probably struggle a bit if he actually tried to put things into practice. It wouldn't hurt to learn more.

Can.
Chen Mo flipped through the thick stack of documents and asked with some surprise, "Sir, are there really that many research topics?"

"No, please don't call me 'Chief'." Pei Shuaijun was startled by Chen Mo's address. He looked up furtively, not noticing that the school leader sitting in front of him was looking back.

Old Pei finally breathed a sigh of relief. Damn it, putting everything else aside, there were no less than six or seven colonels on this train alone. How could he, a mere captain, dare to call himself "commander"?
"You can call me Shuai Jun or Lao Pei, or even just my assistant, but don't call me anything else."

As he spoke, Pei Shuaijun pulled out the last few documents from a stack of files and tossed them to Chen Mo, saying, "These aren't research projects; they're the first batch of sergeants already at the base."

"It contains information about them."

"People have arrived so quickly?" Chen Mo was somewhat surprised. After all, Director Luo had just said last night that they were the first batch to arrive. How could there be people who arrived even earlier than them?

"They didn't really arrive; they arrived around the same time as us."

Pei Shuaijun shook his head and explained, "Many things at the base have been completed, but there are many tasks that the academy's instructors and students cannot do, so we have to transfer a group from the military."

"I'll be in charge of arranging the preliminary preparations for these people, so I brought the documents over along."

Pei Shuaijun's words sounded quite nice.

"What kind of faculty do you think you have? The students can't do it," Chen Mo muttered to himself, remaining silent.

There's no job that can't be done. It's just that the base has just been built, and weeds need to be pulled and slogans need to be painted.

Since it is a training base for non-commissioned officers, many things certainly cannot be done entirely according to the academy's standards.

To put it bluntly, the first batch of non-commissioned officers who went there were just there to do the work.

And it's all made to look so high-end.

Just now, Chen Mo was hoping that a reconnaissance company might come over, but now he no longer had any expectations.

However, he still opened one of the veteran's files and skimmed through it.

After just one glance, Chen Mo frowned, realizing something was wrong.

It wasn't that the information was wrong, but rather that the person's background was incorrect. The information he had opened belonged to a third-class sergeant in the 63rd Mechanized Infantry Brigade named Gao Sufeng.

This person is also the only third-level sergeant in the entire company.

According to the records, Gao Sufeng would lead new recruits from December to March every year, take annual leave in April, return to the unit in May to prepare, and then go to the training team in June to lead two-year soldiers who wanted to become squad leaders.

After training for three months until September, I would return to the unit for two or three months to consolidate the veterans who were about to retire. Then, I would go and train new recruits. This cycle repeated itself for at least the past three years.

Looking at the information, Chen Moguang knew that this was not a talent that could be described as just an old hand, but a real shrew.

He looked at the documents again and again, and finally tossed them to Pei Shuaijun, saying, "Commander, is this person among the first batch to arrive at the base?"

"Shh! Shh! Shh!! Damn it, keep your voice down." Pei Shuaijun almost collapsed when he heard himself being called "commander" again.

Even though he rarely swore, he couldn't help but lower his voice and say, "Why don't you understand me? Call me Lao Pei, you hear me?"

While complaining, he picked up Gao Sufeng's file and looked at it: "What's wrong with this guy? He seems to have a lot of experience. Right now, what our base needs most are experienced veterans like him."

"It's quite a lot, but just don't let him drive you crazy." Chen Mo chuckled.

"What do you mean?" Pei Shuaijun was stunned and didn't understand.

However, Chen Mo had no intention of explaining further, because this was something that couldn't be explained.

Pei Shuaijun wasn't in the military, so he didn't understand at all. The only third-level sergeant in the entire company was a highly sought-after position.

The first group of people who came to the academy were there to build a foundation for future development; everyone knows that.

People from the military are just there to do odd jobs; who can't tell that?
Is it even possible to send the only third-level sergeant in the entire company to do odd jobs?

Let's take another look at the information.

This guy spends the whole year either leading new recruits, leading two-year-old soldiers, or on leave; he basically never stays in his own company.

It's obvious that this was a deliberate arrangement by the company; otherwise, who would be willing to push good soldiers away?

After reviewing several documents, Chen Mo rubbed his temples and decided not to continue reading.

Because the first batch of people sent here, not only Gao Sufeng, but also the others, all had some problems.

Chen Mo may have complained, but he didn't think there was anything wrong with it. After all, not all units can see the benefits of the sergeant training base.

Or rather, not all benefits can be delivered to the unit's managers.

There's a rule for poaching personnel within a field army unit: if the other unit agrees, then there's nothing wrong with poaching them; if the other unit disagrees, and your unit is powerful enough, you can get a transfer order from your superiors and forcibly poach them.

But the premise is that the forced excavation must be brought to the table and explained to the person's superior.

Once things are made clear, everything is out in the open, and everyone has to rely on their own abilities.

Otherwise, if someone secretly takes away the good soldiers that others have worked so hard to train, what's the difference between that and eloping with someone else's daughter without their parents' consent?
They've all turned into life-or-death feuds.

The kind of special forces selection depicted in TV dramas, where grassroots companies rush to send their best soldiers, is pure nonsense.

In reality, it's not uncommon for various units to get so desperate for good soldiers that they resort to extreme measures like banging on tables and throwing chairs, practically beating themselves to death.

What makes a good soldier?
They are role models for soldiers in grassroots companies, and they embody faith.

The loss of elite soldiers can have a chain reaction, causing the entire company's combat effectiveness to decline, and ultimately affecting the entire regiment.

Understanding these points will help you understand why Gao Sufeng spends less than four months a year in the company.

This situation has already occurred even before the training base has officially recruited non-commissioned officers.

It's not hard to imagine.

In the future, the officers and instructors of this sergeant base will definitely be highly sought-after by various colleges, because the hype surrounding information technology is huge.

The prospects are vast enough.

Correspondingly, it is difficult to recruit the necessary personnel for training non-commissioned officers.

If not handled properly, the experiment will ultimately fail.

After all, the experiment requires fighting, and those who need to charge into battle are not the instructors or the academic staff, but the soldiers who come to receive training.

After reviewing the materials, Chen Mo felt it was necessary to discuss the relevant issues with Director Luo.

It's not that I'm afraid Luo Yaowu wouldn't think of this; he's a division-level chief of staff, and probably no one knows more about things at the grassroots level than him.

But they know it's their own business.

If you bring it up yourself, that's your own achievement.

But there's no rush. There are many people on the bus now, and Chen Mo plans to discuss this matter after arriving at the base.

Looking out the window at the cars still traveling halfway, he disassembled a section of the project and examined it carefully.

As expected, the topics of armor and communications mostly revolved around the support characteristics of the Han Chinese armored forces during the Battle of Kursk, which combined supply transport with assault tactics.

There is also an analysis of the various characteristics of tank battles during World War II.

Aside from that, there's not much else to learn in this major.

After all, heavy armored forces only emerged in the early 1990s, and we haven't had much contact with them. We also don't have any decent battles to study.

We must keep pushing forward and studying past foreign battles to make up for our own shortcomings.

Last night, Director Luo said that there aren't many people who know how to fight, and that's not an exaggeration.

There really aren't many.

In terms of vision and experience alone, the limitations were too great, especially considering that the first Gulf War had already broken out.

If there is no outbreak.

This research on armored warfare is likely to be even more outdated, as even military academies are studying these topics.

It's easy to imagine that, at the grassroots level of armored units, how many units can currently master the mandatory course on dynamic and static combat coordination between infantry and tanks, gunnery and tanks, and air force and tanks?
Without going through these experiences, those armored units would at best be nothing more than heavily equipped motorized units.

The armored forces cannot exert their full power.

In fact, at the end of the century, the mechanization level of field armies was about 60%.

This is only a statistic regarding equipment, not its application.

If we only consider application, only 10 Class A army groups in the entire army can achieve a decent level of mechanization, while the other 10 Class B army groups are at best motorized.

There's nothing we can do; that's just how the times are, and the country is focused on development.

In many aspects of training, such as fuel, ammunition, and equipment support, the quality is far inferior.

"Get ready, everyone, we're getting off the bus soon."

As Chen Mo was engrossed in his research paper, a sound suddenly came from the front of the bus.

We've arrived.

Chen Mo hurriedly put away the documents in his hand. He drew back the curtains and looked at the red brick wall outside. The wall hadn't even been plastered with cement yet, and it stretched for hundreds of meters, with no end in sight.

Due to the limited height of the vehicle and the distance, he could not see the furnishings inside the base.

However, the newly hung national flag inside was fluttering in the wind, its red color dazzling and eye-catching.

This is the sergeant training base.

Chen Mo quickly packed his things and prepared to line up to get off the bus.

The base we've been waiting for so long has finally arrived.

(End of this chapter)