Military career: Starting with a recruitment letter

Chapter 254 Allocation Planning: The Road Ahead is Long.
We moved to another dining table, where most of the officers from the camp were present.

Chen Mo took out his planning notebook and placed it on the table. After quickly eating a few bites of food, he said, "Let me briefly describe the situation at the military region today."

Upon hearing the battalion commander talking in the mess hall, several officers who had been chatting casually immediately sat up straight and adopted a serious posture.

Everyone present knew that holding a meeting in front of so many soldiers was definitely a good thing.

Bad things are usually not so blatant.

"First."

Chen Mo turned his head and glanced at Lao Man, who had followed him over and was sitting next to him. He didn't know what was wrong with the dark-skinned man, but he kept laughing incessantly.

"Be serious." Chen Mo raised his hand and tapped the table: "Tonight, select some key personnel in air defense from the list of people filling out the publicity materials. Officers are fine, non-commissioned officers are fine too. In short, the number should be small, and the personnel should be elite."

"There's also a guy named Wang Jianbin from Xiangjian. Regardless of whether he signed up or not, he should be on the list."

"In addition to air defense, it would be best to select some professional radar troops as well. In short, the most sought-after technical personnel should be selected from the two subordinate units, 27 and 38."

"Give me the list after it's finalized."

“Okay, no problem.” Man Xuexi patted his chest, then asked with some doubt, “Battalion Commander, getting manpower is no problem, I have experience in asking for it. But will anyone be willing to provide personnel for air defense and radar units, or even units like the Arrow Reconnaissance Brigade?”

These are all new units that emerged during the second phase of mechanization.

Many of them haven't even figured out how to operate the system themselves, and they've finally managed to cultivate a handful of key personnel. Who wouldn't treat them like family heirlooms, keeping them safe in their hands?
"You don't need to worry about that. Remember, be careful when registering. Better to have fewer but better candidates. Only the best are accepted."

Chen Mo waved his hand, then looked at Qin Xiaojun and Xu Zhanqi: "You should have heard some of my conversation with Commander Wang just now."

"Recently, a company of Type 98 main battle tanks will be deployed. They will be transferred from the General Armament Department to the Sergeant Academy. The battalion will be established starting with your two armored infantry companies and tank companies."

"I estimate that the equipment will arrive first, but the ammunition will not be allocated until engineers and designers have gone to the academy to teach about the new equipment."

“Unified outbound processing, no matter how you calculate it, will take at least a week. So your task is to go to the academy as soon as possible and set up the two companies for me.”

"Currently, in the battalion and the academy, you can pick any backbone personnel you want and assemble any group of personnel you want. Regardless of whether the engineers are here or not, as long as you can get the tanks moving, you should first conduct no-ammunition training to get the armored vehicles moving. I won't emphasize the basic infantry coordination tactics; you've all heard them countless times."

"In short, the first two companies to be established should focus on training style and team cohesion. I'm only giving you one month."

"If you can't get the form right, I'll replace you when the time comes, understand?"

Looking at the battalion commander's solemn expression.

Qin Xiaojun and Xu Zhanqi exchanged a glance, both feeling a chill in their hearts. The excitement they had felt when they took on the role of company commander was now replaced by a heavy burden weighing on their shoulders.

One month.

Time is too tight.

But they themselves also know that the 9th Company of the 1st Battalion, even excluding the reconnaissance company, includes the medical detachment, which are already established companies.

That was the size of the first battalion and the seventh company. If the first two companies, with the most backbone members and the most abundant personnel, still couldn't achieve results, then that would be truly unacceptable.

This will significantly delay or even hinder the progress of subsequent work.

"Yes, Battalion Commander, we understand."

Qin Xiaojun and Xu Zhanqi responded in unison.

Seeing the serious expressions on their faces, Chen Mo put away the notebook on the table and smiled: "Don't be too nervous. I'm not the kind of person who only makes the horse run but doesn't let it eat grass."

"A generous reward will surely bring forth brave men."

"I can promise you all right now that during the battalion's establishment period, there will be thirty promotion slots for officers in our entire battalion. As long as you are not over the age limit and have done a good job, you can go to Chief of Staff Cheng to apply."

"In addition, aside from the thirty promotion slots, there are ten slots for advancement, ten slots for third-class merit, and one slot for second-class merit. The promotion and merit evaluation will adhere to the principles of fairness and openness."

“Our battalion already has a political instructor, Comrade Fang Peijun, who came from the Propaganda Bureau of the Military Region Political Department. He is not here at the moment, but all subsequent arrangements will be implemented in a solid and effective manner.”

"As for the issue of accompanying the troops, we don't have a unit number at the moment, so I can't make too many promises, because the camp location may be changed later."

"But what I can guarantee is that as long as our unit stabilizes, I will do my best to apply for welfare housing for those who are qualified, ensuring that no one is left behind. For those who are not qualified but want to apply for low-rent housing, I will also do my best to ensure everyone's welfare."

"This is my promise, is that clear?"

"Yes, Battalion Commander!!"

Inside the canteen, a group of cadres sitting around the table stood up and responded loudly.

We used to talk about building a camp, which sounded very inspiring, but many people would have some doubts in their hearts.

After all, these people didn't have unit numbers, so they were essentially "unregistered" residents of the military region, and their names might be registered somewhere else entirely.

No matter how passionate the camp is, nothing is more exciting than a tangible welfare unit.

Thirty promotion slots are not very attractive to the current demonstration camp.

Because the entire battalion consisted of either officers or veterans from the reconnaissance company, all of whom were over the age limit for promotion, very few met the requirements.

With only ten promotion slots available, it's enough to drive everyone crazy with competition.

The benefits of ten third-class merits and one second-class merit are almost equivalent to the number of positions that a brigade-level unit can transfer to at the end of the year.

Now that everyone is in a battalion, the opportunities they have are much greater.

Who is not moved?

When it comes to allocating welfare housing, none of the officers in the entire battalion have reached the rank of battalion commander yet, so they are not qualified.

But many people can apply for the low-rent housing for non-commissioned officers. As long as the problem of family members accompanying the military can be solved, who wouldn't rush to apply?

Not only were the cadres at the meeting excited, but even some of the veterans sitting around the room blushed when they heard the news.

Ten third-class merit awards.

This is the goal of many veterans.

"Battalion Commander, when will the equipment arrive? I'll go to the academy over there in Taishan right away and select a group of students to form a tank company."

Qin Xiaojun rubbed his hands together, looking eager to get started.

"I estimate within the next week, you can go ahead and do your thing," Chen Mo replied after thinking for a moment, though he wasn't sure about the exact timeframe.

However, since the leaders of the major military regions have already given their approval, it shouldn't be delayed for too long.

Having settled the welfare matter, Chen Mo didn't linger in the cafeteria. He felt uncomfortable around there when people were gossiping.

Anyway, it's a good thing, let them talk.

Chen Mo came out of the cafeteria, followed by Man Xuexi, Qin Xiaojun, and Xu Zhanqi.

"What's wrong? Is there something else?" Chen Mo turned his head and looked at the three of them.

No one else responded.

Qin Xiaojun awkwardly turned his head to look in the direction where Wang Song was sitting. When he realized that the other party was not paying attention to him, he lowered his voice and said, "Battalion Commander, it's no problem to go to the academy to select people."

"But now, many of the students in the academy are from the 61st Division. Can we select those people to form a battalion?"

"Why can't I choose?" Chen Mo asked, frowning.

"Remember this: what's wrong with using other people's people to do our own things?"

"Since they've come, there's no reason not to use them."

"That's true," Qin Xiaojun said awkwardly, rubbing his hands together and forcing a dry laugh. "But if all those people go back later, won't the newly formed company be completely drained?"

"Then it depends on your ability. If you can retain people, then retain them. If you can't retain people, then retain your skills. Do I need to teach you this kind of thing?"

Chen Mo raised his hand with a half-smile, patted Qin Xiaojun on the shoulder, and then turned and left.

This newly graduated cadre is still too naive in his thinking.

At this critical juncture, it doesn't matter which division they belong to; as long as there are vacancies, just bring them in to fill them.

Having a choice is better than having none, right?

Besides, you all came all at once, and here we take care of your studies, food, and lodging. How can we expect you to leave so easily?
Seeing Qin Xiaojun standing there looking completely bewildered, Lao Man couldn't bear it any longer and instructed, "Company Commander Qin, you should first sort out the problem of the company's personnel. The people from the 61st Division are all backbone members, free backbone members. What are you worrying about?"

"How about we switch places? You come to the staff headquarters, and I'll lead the tank company?"

"Dream on, what are you thinking?" Qin Xiaojun rolled his eyes. He didn't dare to argue with the battalion commander, but he could still say a few words to Lao Man, that dark-skinned guy.

He didn't care about studying, chuckled, and quickly caught up with Chen Mo.

Just as she was about to play her role as a "matchmaker" and continue to gather information, she looked up and found Chen Mo staring at the camp area, looking around.

"What are you looking at, Battalion Commander? When are we going to the academy?"

"Not urgent."

Chen Mo stood there with his hands on his hips. He had been so busy lately that he hadn't had a chance to properly explore the camp.

"The logistics department hasn't been delivering beer to us. Do you know where there's a beer reseller nearby?"

“That’s a long way off.” Man Xuexi pointed southwest and said, “This camp used to be used for frequent grenade launches, so it was built in a very remote location to prevent disturbing the residents.”

"During the day, locals would come by on their tricycles to sell cigarettes and soft drinks, but now you have to go to a town more than ten kilometers away to find a store."

"Are there any other units stationed nearby?" Chen Mo asked casually.

"Yes, Chief of Staff Cheng and I have been around the area. The Hedong City Grain Depot is only six kilometers away from us, and there is a direct unit of the 7th Brigade on duty there."

"If we go any further, the main force of the 7th Brigade, the 1st Battalion, is nearby, but it's still more than ten kilometers away from us."

"Aren't there any service centers for soldiers nearby?" Chen Mo asked, his mind starting to race.

He just made some boastful remarks in the canteen, saying he would solve the problem of family members joining the army, but such things are not so easy to arrange.

If he can't even handle a division-level unit, let alone a half-baked battalion commander like him. No matter how important the demonstration battalion is, the higher-ups are unlikely to solve these problems for him.

Fortunately, the demonstration battalion is currently directly under the command of the military region, and there are no regiments, brigades, divisions, or other units above them.

If you want to do a side job, that's not out of the question.

For example, the camp logistics department could set up some vegetable gardens and pig and sheep farms, allowing military families to buy the animals and feed them. The camp would then purchase the animals, which would bring some income to the families, enough to sustain their lives.

For example, one could apply to the military region for a plot of land and use the battalion's budget to build small shops, restaurants, barbershops, etc., which could then be rented to military families to help them start small businesses and solve their livelihood problems.

After all, a demonstration battalion plus a grain depot-affiliated brigade would require at least a thousand people, and a supply and demand relationship could be established.

"There really aren't any nearby. This area is either a grain depot or a howitzer testing range; it wouldn't be built in a densely populated residential area."

Man Xuexi shrugged. He had already figured these things out long ago, and he was following the company commander of the reconnaissance company.

If you can't even get this much information, then you've wasted your time.

"alright."

As Chen Mo spoke, he took out a few dozen yuan in small bills from his pocket and stuffed them into Lao Man's hand, saying, "Hey, drive to the convenience store and buy some beer and snacks to go with it."

"These are two comrades from the second battalion who were new recruits. We've been so busy that we haven't had a chance to get together. Since the political instructor is here, we're having a get-together tonight."

"And at the same time, arrange the follow-up work."

"Yes!"

Man Xuexi agreed and quickly turned and ran towards the parking lot.

Chen Mo pushed a bicycle (whose owner he didn't know) from the front of the camp administration building, rode it out of the camp area, and wandered around the neighborhood.

Previously, there were no supportive policies from above; everything remained just talk.

Now that the policy has been given, there are many things to consider in terms of construction and camp management, and Chen Mo himself has become a general manager.

I took a stroll around to see if the nearby land was suitable for clearing wasteland or for building some commercial structures.

On the way back to camp.

They ran into Wang Songhe and Wang Luyi head-on.

The father and daughter seemed to have a pretty good relationship. If you got close enough, you could hear the old man giving advice about how to get along with classmates in college.

Chen Mo glanced at Wang Luyi, who looked younger than he remembered.

Her fair face radiated youthful energy.

He sighed inwardly.

No matter how good the memories were, Chen Mo felt that they were all in the past. Besides, he really didn't know that the other person's father was also in the military.

I'd never heard of that before.

"Hello, Chief!"

Chen Mo got off the bicycle, stood by the roadside, and straightened up while holding onto the bicycle.

Wang Songhe nodded without saying anything, but Wang Luyi waved politely and greeted him, "Hello, Battalion Commander Chen."

"Hello there!"

"The little girl is quite pretty."

Chen Mo grinned, pushing his bicycle, then turned and ran.

Wang Songhe's eyebrows nearly stood on end at the sight; this brat had gotten too bold.

Old Wang watched Chen Mo walk away before lowering his voice and saying, "Lu Yi, you've grown up. You'll have your own life when you go to university, and your family won't interfere."

"But you have to be clear that if you encounter someone like the one I just mentioned, stay away from them and don't choose that kind of person."

"Why, Dad? I think Battalion Commander Chen is a good person." Wang Luyi was a little puzzled. She turned her head to look at the person who had already run far away. She didn't think there was anything wrong with him. She just felt that he was a good person.

"It's pretty good."

Wang Songhe nodded: "But such people are too capable, too career-oriented, and too goal-oriented."

"He is qualified as a soldier, but that doesn't mean he's suitable to be the pillar of a family."

"People who are too capable are often too strong and easily broken. After experiencing setbacks and blows, they are more likely to give up on themselves than others."

"Now that you've been admitted to medical school, you've found your own path. It would be best if you could become a teacher or a lawyer, or at the very least a doctor. Just don't go into the military."

“I’ve been a soldier for half my life. Look at our family. Is there really any harmony between your mother and me?”

Wang Lu listened attentively, but she did not respond.

In my own family, my father was a soldier and my mother worked at the Academy of Agricultural Sciences. The older generation's marriages were all arranged by policy at the time.

It's not exactly harmonious, but it's not terrible either.

When she was little, she had no memory of her parents being home very often. It wasn't until she got older that she was able to selectively live in the house assigned to her by her father or mother for a period of time.

She usually listened to her father, but this time, it was the heaviest topic she had ever heard since she became an adult.

Right now, I can't think that far ahead.

"Ah sneeze!!"

As Chen Mo pushed his bicycle to the front of the administration building, he suddenly sneezed.

After parking his bicycle, he raised his hand to rub his nose. Before he could even mutter a few words, Man Xuexi hurriedly got off the military vehicle next to him.

"Commander, the beer's here. Where are we going?"

"Let's go to my dormitory. Take the wine over there first. Go and call Chief of Staff Cheng, Deputy Company Commander Hou, Political Instructor Huo, and our new Political Instructor Fang."

"I'll go to the dormitory and call someone from there."

"Okay!!"

Lao Man agreed, quickly got into the car, and drove towards the cadre dormitory building.

Chen Mo tidied his clothes and headed towards the dormitory where Lao Pao lived.

Once the Type 98 main battle tank arrives, the military factory and the General Assembly will inevitably send engineers or technicians to assist the unit in adapting to the new weapon.

The veteran is an expert in armored vehicles, and when a tank company is formed, he will definitely need to go there in advance to learn and get familiar with the technology.

This will facilitate the training of more maintenance personnel in the future.

After all, he was his former squad leader. He had been so busy lately that he hadn't had a chance to chat with his old squad leader. He took advantage of this free time to get together with both new and old officers from the reconnaissance company.

Let's cheer each other on for the work ahead.

After Zhu Gaituan and Feng Junling were transferred here, they were always arranged to live in the same dormitory as Lao Pao, as they didn't know many people here.

Living in the same room as my squad leader during my basic training period meant I could look out for him.

When Chen Mo arrived at the location and pushed open the dormitory door, Hou Zhanye, the former deputy company commander of the reconnaissance company, Zhao Wuliang, the communications officer, Lao Pao, and Zhu Gaituan were playing cards together.

Judging from the situation, Zhao Wuliang must have lost the most miserably; his face was almost covered with sticky notes.

Old Hou and Old Pao sat diagonally opposite each other, a posture that suggested they were likely cheating and easily made eye contact.

Zhu Gaituan was alright; he didn't lose much, but his card-handling technique was off, and he needed his strategist Feng Junling to help him arrange the cards.

Even so, the two of them were still busy and flustered.

This relaxed scene was exactly the same as when Chen Mo first arrived at the Kuchi Reconnaissance Company.

"Oh! Judging by this, I'm late."

Chen Mo walked into the dormitory with a smile.

"Hello, Battalion Commander!!"

"battalion commander!!"

When the scholar arrived, they all stood up. After all, they were of different ranks. Chen Mo could greet him casually, but the others could not.

"It's alright, it's nothing."

Chen Mo smiled and waved his hand: "I have some beer prepared, let's go sit down for a while."

"Also, Company Commander Hou, you'll be going to the academy with the armored infantry company tomorrow. Xu Zhanqi is too inexperienced, so please help look after him."

"You'll lead the reconnaissance company from now on. First, set an example for the armored infantry company and teach them how to practice coordination."

"Squad leader, take Lao Zhu and Lao Feng to the tank company tomorrow. The Type 98 main battle tank has arrived, and we can't do without you."

"Tomorrow we'll go to the academy in batches to officially set up camp."

"OK, no problem."

The group exchanged glances and immediately accepted the task.

For these people, being idle is definitely more comfortable than having a specific job assigned to them.

During the period of building up the camp and striving for progress, as long as the scholars arranged work for them, they would naturally be rewarded according to their merits in the subsequent evaluation and selection.

Everyone understands this principle.

(End of this chapter)