Military career: Starting with a recruitment letter

Chapter 199 Open-book exam, when did these people become so generous?
This was the hardest night for many officers in the base to fall asleep.

With a task assigned and a specific unit to study at, various anxieties inevitably arise.

One by one, they left the meeting room, their feet barely touching the ground, no longer sleepy, and went to hold small meetings in groups of three or five.

In fact, not to mention the students who graduated from the Army Academy, even veteran cadres like Cheng Dong and Huo Linshan were uneasy.

After the meeting.

The instructors left one after another.

As Cheng Dong walked down the stairs, he was so excited that he almost walked with the gait of an imperial envoy. That guy had such a powerful stride that the entire base could hardly contain him.

But after going downstairs, she completely changed.

He scratched his head, stopped, put his hands on his hips, and kept making "tsk tsk" sounds.

Turning his head, Cheng Dong noticed Chen Mo passing by in the corridor behind him and immediately waved: "Come, come, scholar, don't rush back, come here for a moment."

"What's wrong, Company Commander?"

Upon hearing the call, Chen Mo quickly ran to Cheng Dong and stood at attention.

"Have one." Cheng Dong took out a cigarette from his pocket and handed it to Chen Mo, then lit one for himself.

Then, without saying anything, he walked to the curb and sat down on the ground, ignoring whether the ground was clean or not, and gestured for Chen Mo to sit down next to him.

The smoke from the cigarette rose gently, accompanied by the chirping of crickets beside him. Cheng Dong just kept smoking, not saying a word.

Sitting to the side, Chen Mo suddenly realized that the once spirited Company Commander Cheng from the reconnaissance company, who seemed to care about nothing, was now a shadow of his former self.

At this moment, he seemed to have aged a bit, and gave the impression that he was burdened with worries.

"What's wrong, Company Commander? Are you worried about the joint training that the Chief of Staff just mentioned?"

Chen Mo asked with concern.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Dong sighed after a long pause, "How can one not worry about anything?"

"I've led reconnaissance companies and infantry companies before. Just now, the chief of staff instructed that some of the comrades in the company be transferred to artillery reconnaissance and others be reassigned as engineers."

"Scholar, you son of a bitch, now that you're rich, give us some advice on how to lead these soldiers?"

At first, Chen Mo thought that the specialties of artillery reconnaissance and engineering would be a new challenge for Cheng Dong, and that he was worried about not being able to complete the chief of staff's instructions because his specialties were not relevant.

But upon closer reflection, it dawned on me.

Our old company commander is probably not worried about professional issues at all, or rather, not entirely about that issue.

It's the same old story.

Cheng Dong is 37 years old this year. He has served in the army for nearly 20 years and has always been associated with the Third Reconnaissance Company.

Now that they've suddenly been split into two parts, the old company commander is feeling uncertain, afraid that someone might steal his reconnaissance company.

Try to understand the reasons behind it.

Chen Mo smiled, moved to sit in front of Cheng Dong, and, ignoring the company commander's disgusted and heat-fearing expression, grinned and said, "Company commander, no matter how successful I become, I'll always be your soldier."

"Don't worry, from now on I'll do whatever you tell me to do, and I guarantee I'll complete the mission."

"Besides, with the capabilities of our reconnaissance company, which consists of artillery reconnaissance and engineers, I don't believe that the artillery reconnaissance company and the engineer company are stronger than our Third Company."

"What a load of bull!"

Upon hearing the scholar say that someone was better than him, Cheng Dong was displeased. He immediately glared at him, cursed, and then realized something was wrong.

"You son of a bitch, stop trying to fool me. That's the job of artillery reconnaissance and engineers!"

"Guiding coordinates, digging a hole, building a fortification—that's nothing to our company."

"I could do it myself."

"Yeah, that's no big deal."

Chen Mo hurriedly nodded in agreement, saying, "That's why the Chief of Staff always praises you. Look at all the officers who come from the school; they can only learn from other units."

“We don’t need to learn. The chief of staff has always believed in your abilities, Company Commander. You can easily lead two companies by yourself.”

"If this Northwest military exercise is effective, the reconnaissance company will be the biggest contributor to the vanguard and logistics. Whether it's learning or rebuilding the informationized combined arms battalion, we will be the main force without a doubt."

"The reconnaissance company will always be the reconnaissance company, and we will always be your soldiers."

Chen Mo sat in front of him and kept saying nice things.

Cheng Dong puffed on his cigarette, finishing two in a row before standing up and dusting off his pants.

"Alright, go back and rest."

"I don't need you brat to attend class."

After saying that, Company Commander Cheng left without looking back.

In fact, he knew the principles the scholar was talking about, and he was even more aware that most of what this kid was saying was just empty talk.

But the reconnaissance company was Cheng Dong's life's work, and his only remaining support in the army. At this time, he was under pressure from the exercise and also had to do joint training.

Cheng Dong simply wanted to hear a few comforting words to console himself. It was just as well; it wasn't realistic for the entire reconnaissance company to expect those blockheads to come over and chat.

The scholar's smooth tongue was just right; as the saying goes, flattery will get you everywhere, and a few pleasant words were all you needed.

I feel so much better now.

Watching the company commander's retreating figure.

Chen Mo pursed his lips and stood there for a long time before turning around and walking towards the open space to the left of the base entrance.

There are rows of Type 63 armored personnel carriers parked here, as well as several Type 206 vehicle-mounted drones.

Staring at these chariots, Chen Mo reached out and stroked their armor. The warm touch felt very real, but after standing there for a long time, Chen Mo sighed.

To be honest, he wasn't sure either, even though Dean Lu had made thorough preparations and taken all aspects into account.

The problem is that while equipment is easy to deploy and personnel are easy to assemble, it is difficult to execute an informationized war that satisfies the directing department of the Kyoto Military Region on a large-scale exercise field in the Northwest.

This is not a task that can be accomplished simply by asking whether you have confidence or not.

I stood there for quite a while.

Chen Mo reached into his pocket and realized that Zhu Gaituan and Feng Junling had smoked all his cigarettes.

Since he wasn't sleepy, he simply went to the nearest dormitory and asked another cadre for half a pack.

He climbed alone onto the top of the armored vehicle, smoking and thinking.

I don’t know how long it has been.

Anyway, many of the dormitories where small meetings were being held had already turned off their lights, and Chen Mo was just starting to feel a little sleepy when he got off the car roof and went back to his dormitory to rest.

Suddenly, a series of rustling footsteps came from afar. By the light of the moon and the streetlights, it was discovered that Zhang Jinan and Luo Yaowu were on patrol.

Chen Mo quickly stood up, jumped out of the car, stood at attention, saluted, and said, "Greetings, Commander!"

It was probably too sudden.

Neither of them noticed that there was another person sitting on the roof of the vehicle. The sudden appearance of someone from the pile of tanks in the middle of the night startled Zhang Jinnan.

After taking a closer look at who it was, Vice Dean Zhang said in an annoyed tone, "What are you doing hiding here in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"

"Are you looking for a fight?"

Chen Mo smiled awkwardly. He had no idea that these two old men would be out patrolling so late at night.

Director Luo, who was standing next to him, didn't say anything. He shone his flashlight around at the cigarette butts on the ground before speaking, "You've been sitting here for quite a while, haven't you?"

"Yes!"

Chen Mo nodded, making no attempt to hide anything.

"What's wrong? You're getting old too, can't sleep?" Zhang Jinnan joked with a smile, then walked up to the tank and patted the massive military green vehicle.

"Are you worried about tomorrow's joint training or the exercise?"

"Reporting to the leader, I just couldn't fall asleep. I came out to sit for a while." Chen Mo straightened his posture and didn't talk at length in front of the vice president.

He has no problem speaking when it's his turn, but clearly, the current situation doesn't require him to spout any grand principles.

"Heh heh, you little rascal."

After hearing that Chen Mo had served as commander of the Second Battalion during the day, Zhang Jinnan's impression of him changed considerably.

Previously, Vice President Zhang had always thought that Chen Mo was too goal-oriented and too ambitious, and therefore not suitable for the military.

However, as I got to know him better, my perception slowly changed. Chen Mo was indeed very goal-oriented, but that wasn't a bad thing for him.

On the contrary, it is another manifestation of his sense of responsibility.

To put it bluntly, the change in impressions is based on the greater recognition brought about by ability.

Looking at the young man in front of me, I saw dark circles under his eyes from staying up all night.

Zhang Jinan patted his shoulder: "Go back and rest. The joint training and the exercise are not as serious as you think."

"Sometimes, exams and wars have certain patterns that can be followed, and they are not as difficult as you think."

take an exam?!
When Chen Mo heard Vice Dean Zhang's description, he was momentarily confused.

This exercise can be linked to an exam? Zhang Jinnan had no interest in explaining Chen Mo's question and turned to leave with a smile.

Director Luo, who remained where he was, also smiled: "Chen Mo."

"To!"

Do you know how brutal a large-scale exercise can be on the battlefield?

"No, I'm not quite sure." Chen Mo shook his head slightly.

His words weren't entirely hypocritical, because he hadn't been to the battlefields of exercises much before; at most, he had attended several debriefing meetings and listened to the military commanders argue their points.

This is why he has accumulated so much theoretical knowledge.

"Okay, let's ask it another way."

"What do you think our chances are of defeating the participating units on the Northwest battlefield after we've assembled so many units, mobilized so many weapons, and conducted joint training for half a month?"

Upon hearing Director Luo's question, Chen Mo took a deep breath: "Sir, are you going to tell the truth?"

"nonsense!"

Luo Yaowu's smile vanished: "If I didn't want to hear the truth from you, would I be standing here listening to your storytelling?"

"If you have something to say, then you can say it."

"Yes!"

Chen Mo chuckled and said, "Commander, to be honest, I estimate that if a joint unit were to attack an organized unit, we would probably lose in a direct assault nine times out of ten."

"Especially when I heard that the people coming from each unit tomorrow will be replaced by the most experienced soldiers from each brigade and division, this starting point is not wrong."

"The problem is that replacing all the personnel, even just a portion of them, will have a significant impact on combat effectiveness. Teamwork and coordination cannot be achieved in a day or two, or even a month or two."

"Replacing personnel before battle could severely hamper our unit's overall combat effectiveness."

"Yes, please continue." Luo Yaowu nodded noncommittally, offering neither rebuttal nor comment.

"Sir, I am not clear about this arrangement, but I stand by my opinion. It is acceptable to transfer troops from other units, but it would be best to transfer them as a whole unit and not replace the soldiers from the original units."

"The best soldiers are not always able to exert their strongest combat power."

"That's it?" Luo Yaowu was listening intently when Chen Mo abruptly stopped, leaving no further comment.

“That’s all,” Chen Mo replied affirmatively.

Currently, the time to travel to the Northwest is urgent, with only half a month left at most. If the battlefield of the exercise is too far away, the troops may need to take a special train to depart a week in advance.

That means they likely only have a week left.

In such a short period of time, the biggest challenge is the integration of entire units, not to mention that the personnel from the new units have all been replaced.

If you stitch together the joint battalion to the maximum extent, can such a unit have any combat effectiveness?
"Haha."

Luo Yaowu tilted his head back and laughed a few times, then took out a cigarette from his pocket and tossed one to Chen Mo.

With a smile still on his face, he said, "I understand all the issues you raised, and I've considered them very thoroughly."

"But it seems you didn't understand what Vice Dean Zhang just said."

"Sometimes exams and exercises need to be considered separately. We are sending troops on behalf of the academy, and the military region is cooperating. In the future, information technology will receive more and more attention, and everyone knows this."

"The condition for us to borrow troops from the military region is that the best soldiers in the region are the first to be exposed to this fighting style. Do you really think our academy can transfer people from the military so easily?"

"But."

Chen Mo wanted to argue a few more points.

He didn't want to know about the training of high-level personnel or the trading of quotas.

Chen Mo only wanted this experiment to be successful, and ideally, to cause a great sensation.

"No buts."

Luo Yaowu reached out and patted Chen Mo on the shoulder: "It's no trouble telling you. When we go to the Northwest Military Region to participate in the exercise, the directorate will provide us with a map of the garrison distribution in the exercise area as appropriate."

"Treat this exercise as an exam, and you'll understand."

Done.

Luo Yaowu patted the chariot beside him before waving his hand and saying, "Alright, go back and rest."

"You still have a lot of work to do tomorrow, and you have a heavy burden on your shoulders."

Watching Director Luo's retreating figure.

Chen Mo looked somewhat dazed.

Depend on!
After all that, it turns out that their troops, after arriving at the Northwest battlefield, still had fire distribution maps of the various unit locations.

What's the difference between this and an open-book exam?
However, Chen Mo's excitement did not last long, and he quickly calmed down.

Because there are too many uncontrollable factors in military exercises, the units that can participate in the Northwest Military Exercise are probably some of the most famous Class A divisions.

These are the elite units that survived the major downsizing. Even with a map of the garrison's firepower distribution, it would probably be difficult to deal with such rapid reaction units.

They're not made of wood; they're not going to stand there and let you hit them.

Furthermore, as far as Chen Mo knew, it was not uncommon for the directing department to distribute enemy firepower and garrison maps.

In the past, during exercises, the Red Army and the directing staff were practically inseparable. In those days when the Red Army was destined to win and the Blue Army was destined to lose, these fire distribution maps were essential for the Red Army.

Will it really work if we give it to experimental troops now?
Chen Mo shook his head, thinking that Dean Lu had oversimplified the problem.

However, regardless of the specifics of the negotiations between the academy and the military region, I will definitely give it my all in this military exercise.

He can lose at the Army Academy, and he can continue his studies at the Military Region, but his time is running out.

The next morning, July 29th.

Just like yesterday, all the soldiers at the base have entered a tense combat readiness preparation phase.

The resounding slogans carried for miles, and the air was filled with shouts of killing.

Soldiers prepare for battle.

The officers were not idle either. The Xiaocheng Anti-Aircraft Artillery Brigade and the 188th Division's garrison were too far from the Jinyang Taishan Base. Even if they set off before dawn, it was not easy to get there.

Moreover, they can't mobilize that quickly; they don't have time to transfer or redeploy personnel, or even prepare overnight.

But before the people and equipment arrived, the list was sent to the base first.

"Staff Officer Chen, this is the list sent by the howitzer company."

"Xiuchen, this is the list faxed over by the anti-aircraft machine gun company."

"Staff Officer Chen"

Inside the meeting room, Chen Mo, who had just been assigned to the position of accompanying staff officer yesterday, started his job today.

The military has a very strict hierarchy. When the drums were beaten to summon the troops, Chen Mo was introduced as the chief of staff, which is equivalent to the position of chief of staff.

Even if it's just temporary, one must still assume the responsibility of serving as an accompanying staff officer.

Clearly, with Director Luo absent, almost all miscellaneous matters concerning the joint units were sent to Chen Mo.

As he was called out "Staff Officer Chen" one after another, faxed documents were placed in front of him.

Fortunately, having worked as a confidential secretary and clerk, he wasn't intimidated by this kind of work.

Before long, Chen Mo had finished compiling the list of each unit.

But it would have been better if he hadn't tidied things up. The tidying up gave Chen Mo a fright.

He had guessed that there would be many units coming this time, and the total number of troops would be considerable.

But I never expected that all the units would be so supportive.

Not counting the base's existing 200 personnel, nearly 900 people have been deployed from just the 2nd Tank Battalion, the Howitzer Company, the Anti-aircraft Artillery Company, the Long-Range Rocket Artillery Company, and the Anti-aircraft Radar Company.

The most generous of these is the howitzer company.

According to the original organization, the artillery company could only accommodate a maximum of 120 people, but the faxed list showed otherwise.

The company's artillery crews, ammunition replenishment personnel, communications unit, logistics personnel, and combat personnel all totaled 217 people.

Chen Mo was completely dumbfounded.

Goodness, when did these organizations become so generous?

In the past, units would fight tooth and nail to get a good soldier, but now no one is actively looking for one, yet the number of soldiers assigned to them is so much overstaffed.
With over nine hundred people plus the two hundred from the base, that's practically an infantry regiment!
Chen Mo quickly compiled and organized the personnel lists of all units. He was unsure whether the leaders of the Army Academy knew the total number of troops involved this time.

But this news must be reported as soon as possible.

We can't let the military region run things so recklessly. Such a large battalion-level unit could cause problems just in terms of command.

Furthermore, in an information-based organization, having more people doesn't necessarily mean it will be more effective.

P.S.: First of all, I apologize for the recent instability in updates due to being too busy. However, my family came back today, and my mother is being taken care of, so I'll be free from that now.

Starting tomorrow, I will resume the previous two updates a day. Thank you all for your support recently. I will do my best to write the exciting plot that follows.

Thank you again to all the readers for your support.

(End of this chapter)