Military career: Starting with a recruitment letter

Chapter 241 The Post-mortem Meeting: You're Also Half a Protagonist
Emerging from the auditorium, Chen Mo, who had just been beaten up, felt refreshed and invigorated.

His mouth was so wide with joy that it almost stretched to his ears.

After the exercise ended, he could finally relax and sleep in. He was originally the acting battalion commander of the Blue Army battalion, but now that the troops were wiped out, his position as acting battalion commander was no longer valid.

But Wang Songhe's mood was particularly strange.

The military region's leaders asked him to write a combat report, which clearly indicated that it was related to his insights on information-based warfare.

They even wrote a reflection after defeating them, but I won't go into that.

The question is, what should the division do?
The Seventh Theater was designated as an experimental zone. As the Blue Army, it suffered a defeat, which is understandable. However, this exercise also carried the important task of testing the second phase of mechanization transformation.

For this test, the directing department specially selected a special operations unit from the Kyoto Military Region to guide the exercise.

As a result, so far, I haven't seen a single sign of the special operations forces, and the entire unit has almost been scattered.

What the hell is this?

"Hey!"

Wang Songhe sighed, remained silent for a long time, and just kept walking with his head down.

When they reached the entrance of the dormitory building, Chen Mo noticed that Commander Wang looked worried. He stopped and waited for a while until Wang Songhe walked up to him.

Chen Mo greeted him with a smile, "Commander, are you still angry?"

"roll!"

"It's just a little setback, it's normal." Chen Mo shrugged, looking completely innocent.

His intention in greeting someone wasn't to upset them; as the saying goes, it's better to resolve conflicts than to create them.

Chen Mo wasn't sure whether Lao Wang was still in the leadership team of the Jincheng Military Region.

However, as long as Wang Songhe, a Class A division leader, does not make any fundamental mistakes, he will almost certainly be able to advance further in the future.

Since Chen Mo intends to develop his career in the military, he should try his best not to make any enemies with people who have stars on their shoulders.

"Is that a setback?" Wang Songhe looked at the young man who came to advise him, and while marveling at how thick-skinned the kid was, he simply followed his anger and cursed, "Naive, childish!"

"What do you know, kid?"

"Do you even know what the second phase of mechanization transformation test is? Your Kyoto Military Region has deployed a special operations force across nine operational zones."

Do you know what a special operations force is?

"You don't understand anything, kid. When it comes to testing mechanization, do you really think you can produce the best data on organizational reform and mechanization transformation all by yourself, without the organization and participation of the directing department?"

"Or do you really think that an exercise that costs one-tenth of this year's military budget and involves 100,000 people is only participated in by two army groups?"

"You don't know anything, you're just messing around. Exercises are meant to test the troops' combat capabilities, not to imitate actual combat."

Old Wang rattled off a string of words, and inexplicably felt a sense of satisfaction.

Damn it, I couldn't get a word in edgewise in the auditorium just now, but now I've finally outshone this damn young man in terms of expertise.

After being scolded, Chen Mo blinked; he really didn't know the combat intelligence unit had intervened.

The Blue Army battalion participated in the exercise primarily for experimental purposes; many things were not communicated to them from above, and they had to rely entirely on their own ingenuity.

Although he was unaware of the details of the combat units, Chen Mo knew about their missions.

To put it bluntly, it means that the head of the directing department personally commands the operation, acting as a third-party main force, and using different firepower.

They came to personally inspect the troops being inspected.

Winning a battle against a combat unit is practically an unparalleled honor; you can walk around with impunity from then on. It's truly impressive.

"Commander, do you think you can win against the combat intelligence unit from the command headquarters?"

Chen Mo stopped and stood at the entrance of the dormitory building, asking a question.

"What do you mean?"

Wang Songhe spoke in an unfriendly tone, took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit one for himself, and then plopped down on the cement edge next to the dormitory building entrance.

"Means nothing."

Chen Mo squatted down next to him: "The directorate has a thorough understanding of the coordinates, firepower, organization, and even the personalities of the commanders of each unit."

"The Seventh Theater Command's Blue Force deployment is a linear layout, with the battle line stretching nearly a hundred kilometers. If we encounter combat troops, Commander, can you guarantee we can win?"

"A linear layout is fine for infiltration, but in localized high-intensity warfare, there's not even enough time to provide support."

"Stop talking nonsense. You have no idea how important testing is."

Wang Songhe spewed thick smoke from his nostrils and responded with curses.

"I may not understand it, but I do understand the future of information technology," Chen Mo said confidently.

"What do you mean?"

Wang Songhe was taken aback for a moment.

Seeing that Commander Wang was interested in his topic, Chen Mo smiled and deliberately kept him in suspense.

They waited for Lao Wang, their eyes wide with surprise.

Chen Mo hurriedly said, "Think about it, Commander. Your Blue Army Division did not encounter combat troops, but it did encounter informationized troops."

"What, do you think I should thank you?"

"No need for that, but if we encounter informationized forces, we will have grasped the core of informationized warfare."

“Mechanization has been talked about since the early 1990s. There are plenty of military regions that have done a better job than yours.”

"But information technology is different. It's a newly established system. As long as this report is well done, we can clearly recognize the importance of the new system."

"After that, who in the entire military region can compare with you, Commander Wang? Whenever there is an information technology pilot project, your unit will inevitably be involved."

"Furthermore, the Kyoto Military Region's information technology battalion is about to be established. According to JW's instructions, all seven military regions must establish information technology battalions."

"Won't your division still benefit the most in the end? As long as it becomes a pilot project, you can ask for equipment, personnel, and quotas from above. Who can refuse to give them to you?"

Chen Mo spoke slowly and persuasively.

At first, Wang Songhe completely disregarded his words, but as he listened, he gradually began to understand.

That seems to make sense.

When it comes to the transformation from mechanization to informatization, the latter is definitely more promising. Currently, Kyoto and other continental research institutes are all involved in related research.

No matter what else.

Just look at how a lieutenant can lead an information battalion, quickly gain entry into the Director's Conference, and even win a Medal of the Republic.

Based on this alone, it's easy to see the potential of information technology in the future.

Wang Songhe couldn't believe it because he had been too far removed from these things before. As the commander of a motorized infantry division, his unit's weaponry was not yet fully mechanized.

It's too early to be interested in information technology.

Now, after Chen Mo said that, he really felt like he had suddenly realized something.

Old Wang breathed a sigh of relief: "You're right, kid. The combat report does need to be polished up."

After saying that, Wang Songhe turned around to look for Chen Mo, only to find that Chen Mo was nowhere to be seen.

That kid has already kicked up his heels and run away.

What's even more infuriating is that when Old Wang bent down to look for cigarettes, they had all disappeared, along with the matches.

"Hey?"

"You son of a bitch, you took the cigarette, fine, but you want my matches too?"

"Damn it, what kind of stupid habits are these?"

Wang Songhe got up cursing, having just begun to feel a slight sense of agreement with Chen Mo.

In an instant, it vanished without a trace.

Chen Mo's dormitory was assigned to the second floor. As soon as he entered the dormitory, he heard Old Wang cursing angrily downstairs.

However, he didn't care at all.

Shouldn't you receive some compensation for giving someone guidance?
A pack of cigarettes isn't expensive; look at how stingy Old Wang is.

Chen Mo made up his bedding, took a basin to the washroom and took a comfortable bath, then lay down on the bed to rest.

The exercise is over, and there's basically nothing more for him to do afterward.

Time passed by little by little.

Soon, it was late August.

During this period, Chen Mo did not see anyone from the Blue Army camp again. He did not know whether they were being held in the prisoner-of-war camp established by the Blue Army or had been gathered together in one camp.

Anyway, he lived a comfortable life at the 184th Regiment's garrison. He didn't have to do morning exercises or attend meetings, and he could go downstairs to eat whenever he wanted.

Apart from the constant sound of artillery fire in the distance day and night, it has virtually no other drawbacks.

However, I stayed in the director's office.

Chen Mo occasionally went to the canteen for meals and could hear some cadres discussing the situation of the exercise.

Overall, the exercise codenamed "Revival 1999" was carried out without major problems.

After all, it was a confrontation between the two toughest army groups in the north, so factors such as morale, training, and equipment disparities were avoided.

The data is not bad.

The entire exercise was extremely intense due to the addition of combat units. After the Seventh Theater Information Battalion withdrew from the battlefield, the three sides began to engage in a series of intense battles.

It's possible that the directing staff could set aside their focus on information technology and concentrate their energy on other areas, such as directing combat troops to join in.

This led to a proliferation of various tactics and war plans across the battlefield.

It has tactics, and it's capable of everything from brutal confrontations.

They conducted nearly five large-scale tank battles, and the combat experiments between mechanized infantry regiments were even more frequent.

Neither side showed any intention of holding back.

This resulted in the military exercise, originally scheduled for half a month, being moved up by several days.

Chen Mo wasn't entirely clear on the specific details, but it was said that the data obtained from this mechanization transformation experiment could be considered as the highest standard indicator for the current new training system.

In other words, it was a great success.

After all, in such a large-scale confrontation, which escalated to such an intense level, the total casualties on both sides exceeded 30,000 personnel, and more than 8,460 vehicles and equipment were lost, with the loss of five army aviation regiments of fighter jets.

The army's air force firepower was basically wiped out, and the amount of artillery fire and ammunition consumed was in the thousands.

The fighting raged throughout Qinglong Gorge, and even after the battle subsided, the air was still thick with the smell of gunpowder.

They achieved the ultimate in mechanization. Under these circumstances, the final debriefing meeting was finally held.

8:00 AM on October 21th.

No one needs to be notified at all.

Throughout the 184th Regiment's garrison area, officers dressed in grimy gray uniforms, their faces etched with the marks of time, gathered in front of the dormitory building.

During large-scale exercises, not only did the soldiers lack water to wash their faces and take showers, but the officers did as well.

The notice stated that the meeting would be held promptly at 10:00 AM. The extra two hours were to allow these cadres to change their clothes and take showers.

Otherwise, the smell in the entire conference room would be unbearable for most people.

Even Lieutenant Chen Mo was notified to attend a meeting at 10 o'clock.

Fortunately, it's still early.

He brewed a strong cup of tea in a white porcelain jar in his dormitory, sipping the tea while reading his combat report.

So far, the higher-ups haven't arranged for this thing to be taken away; it's most likely just a formality.

In any case, this exercise proved to be a very successful test of the transformation, and the debriefing meeting will likely focus on commendation.

"The tea smells quite good."

After drinking half a pot of tea, Chen Mo stared at the tea leaves for several moments.

He had no connections or acquaintances in the 184th Regiment, so he had no way of getting his hands on tea.

The little bit of food in the cup was taken from Wang Songhe's dormitory last night.

There's nothing we can do; these old men know how to enjoy life, and it makes us all envious.

Recently, the relationship between the two has improved considerably.

While they weren't exactly best friends, at least they wouldn't bar their teeth and hurl insults at each other the moment they met.

Just as Chen Mo was comfortably sipping his tea, the dormitory door was suddenly pushed open with a loud bang.

Wang Songhe strode in.

Old Wang's expression was initially calm, but when he saw Chen Mo holding a water cup, the aroma of the tea inside was so familiar.

He paused for a moment, took a few steps forward, and craned his neck to take a single glance.

My temper flared up instantly.

His eyes narrowed, and he cursed, "You little brat! I was wondering why my tea leaves were missing. Turns out it was you, you son of a bitch, who stole them?"

"Damn it, do you even know anything about tea? Why are you brewing so much at once?"

"Damn it, this is the tea my daughter bought for me when she came of age. I can't bear to drink it like this."

Wang Songhe felt a pang of heartache; he was right, it really was something his daughter had bought during her summer vacation.

Unexpectedly, Chen Mo bought it at rock-bottom prices and even brought back the jar.

"Hello, Chief!!"

Upon hearing the insults, Chen Mo quickly stood up and saluted.

He hadn't expected Commander Wang to come to his dormitory. After all, he usually went to the enemy's dormitory to write combat reports.

Even if they're not in the same unit, there are no hierarchical restrictions, and no senior colonel, why would someone take the initiative to approach a lieutenant?

"Sir, I didn't know you were coming, haha!!"

Chen Mo's smile was somewhat awkward.

"What? You knew I was coming early, so you hid the tea leaves?"

Wang Songhe snorted coldly, grabbed the jar, hugged it to his chest, and said irritably, "You son of a bitch, learn some good habits! Stealing other people's tea leaves, I haven't had enough yet."

"By the way, when you go to the conference later, wear your regular uniform. I heard you received a second-class merit and a third-class merit, didn't you?"

"Put on all your medals, including the First-Class Combat Hero Medal."

"I didn't receive any notification."

Chen Mo was taken aback, somewhat confused about what Wang Songhe meant by that.

Wearing casual clothes is understandable, since a debriefing meeting is a formal occasion.

Wearing military medals would be too conspicuous.

Besides, he was taken away from the battlefield, so apart from the badge of a first-class combat hero, he would also carry his previous medals and awards.

They're all kept in the closets in the base's dormitories.

Who would carry that thing around all day and wander around like that?

"Do you really not understand or do you pretend not to understand?"

Wang Songhe frowned, somewhat displeased, and said, "You usually seem pretty clever, don't you?"

"What can a lieutenant like you do at the 'Revival 1999 Exercise Debriefing Meeting'?"

"It's precisely because of the information technology experiment that we've achieved a phased victory and the successful completion of the second phase of mechanization that the third phase of transformation will inevitably be mentioned at the conference."

"Similarly, informatization will gradually get on track. Today, you will not only attend the meeting, but also be promoted and speak on behalf of the success of the first phase of the experiment."

"Similarly, the Kyoto Military District will also announce the formal establishment of an information technology battalion."

"You're not stupid, are you? How come you can't see through this little trick? If you want to be entrusted with important responsibilities, with people from both military regions around, you need to show your achievements and stand on the stage to block others' doubts."

"And the best achievement is the honor badge on a soldier's chest."

"understand?"

"I understand, I understand."

Chen Mo nodded. Although Old Wang spoke a bit hastily, it was clear that he genuinely cared and had come over to offer a reminder.

The debriefing meeting is also a kind of merit-recognition and award meeting, but most of the time, it only results in being scolded and criticized.

After all, very few actual exercises can satisfy those in power.

However, this does not negate the importance of the debriefing meeting.

It's quite possible that the higher-ups are planning to announce the official establishment of the Information Technology Battalion at this conference.

This is of epoch-making significance, and it is no exaggeration to say that it is quite a grand occasion.

Seeing the worried look on Commander Wang's face, Chen Mo felt a little guilty. Old Wang was so concerned about him.

The exercise was indeed a bit too intense. If I had known it would turn out this way, I should have treated Lao Wang a little more gently.

"Once you understand, hurry up and change your clothes."

Wang Songhe waved his hand impatiently, then turned and left the dormitory briskly.

Chen Mo was left standing there, scratching his head.

I'm feeling conflicted.

Old Wang was right. If someone specifically notifies you to come to this kind of occasion, it's very likely that there's something to announce.

But what if?
If they don't announce it, and you go there adorned with a bunch of medals, looking like a conspicuous bag, wouldn't that backfire?
Besides, I didn't bring any other medals with me.

Chen Mo was somewhat undecided.

However, his dilemma did not last long.

Old Wang just left; less than five minutes have passed.

The dormitory door was pushed open again, and Luo Yaowu, the director of the Strategic and Operational Studies Department of the Army Academy, entered the dormitory one after the other, led by one of the staff officers.

"Chief?"

"Greetings, sir. What brings you here?"

Chen Mo noticed the newcomer and was quite surprised. Some time ago, several leaders from the Army Academy were indeed here, but they returned after only two days.

Why are you here again all of a sudden?

"Heh heh, you little rascal."

Luo Yaowu looked up and glanced around the dormitory a few times, then smiled and said, "How could I not come at such an important moment?"

"Go and change into your everyday clothes."

"You'll be a key figure in the debriefing meeting later. This is a medal I brought for you. Xiao Pei, who shares a dorm with you, specifically reminded you that you didn't bring your medal."

"Yes, Chief!!"

If Wang Songhe's reminder had given Chen Mo some reservations, then Director Luo's words completely dispelled any worries he might have.

Chen Mo quickly changed into his casual clothes.

When he took out his medals one by one, he realized that the number was wrong. He originally had only one second-class merit, one third-class merit, and one military region commendation with a badge.

The brigade's commendations didn't come with actual badges during the recruit training period.

Today, the number of commendations and third-class merit awards remains unchanged.

He has received two second-class merit awards.

"Sir, isn't this a bit off?"

Chen Mo opened the small red box and looked at it with some confusion.

"What's wrong?" Luo Yaowu shook his head: "Don't forget, your name is still registered at the academy, you haven't graduated yet."

"Given the great success of this experiment, you will not be able to apply for a first-class merit, because the Kyoto Military Headquarters has just approved your honor as a first-class combat hero."

"But the academy can still award a second-class merit."

"Put it on, this is your honor."

"Yes!"

Chen Mo straightened his chest, quickly took out his medal, and pinned it to his left chest.

Wear the badge of a first-class combat hero around your neck.

These medals are not particularly heavy in themselves, but when worn on the body, they seem extremely heavy.

This is a responsibility, and even more so, a soldier's duty!
P.S.: Today's chapter is short. The exercise is over, and it's time to move on to the next major phase of the plot. I need to think more about how to write it.

After sorting out my thoughts, I'm presenting this long chapter as soon as possible. Thank you to all the readers for your support.

My thoughts are not flowing smoothly, and I haven't planned out Chen Mo's future path, making it too difficult to write.

(End of this chapter)