Military career: Starting with a recruitment letter

Chapter 269 Sending the Army Off to War: Not a Single One Can Be Left Behind

"Give me!"

Chen Mo reached out and took the order telegram from the communications officer; it was still sent via fax.

[Order from the headquarters of the 63rd Army of the Kyoto Military District: All units under the Army Sergeant Academy are to be immediately deployed! Arrive at the border of Gaoyang and Dongguan in Xiaocheng by 22 PM tonight.]

Chen Mo glanced at the telegram order, pulled a pen from his pocket, signed his name in a flamboyant manner, and then handed the document to the communications officer.

These combat readiness orders must be stored in a dedicated confidential room.

"All battalion assembled!!"

Chen Mo turned around and roared.

Crash.

The soldiers who were writing their wills stood up in unison, and the squad leaders moved through the ranks in an orderly fashion to collect all the wills. There was no time to spare, so they just needed to sign them and hand them all over to Huo Linshan for safekeeping.

With tense expressions, all the officers and soldiers began to line up according to their respective squads, platoons, and companies.

The night sky, which had been clear just moments before, was suddenly filled with a light drizzle.

And the rain kept getting heavier.

Chen Mo looked up at the sky; the camp lights were dim, and his heart was far from calm.

To be honest, he had listened to many exercise debriefings before leading troops into battle, so he had some experience.

Chen Mo himself had never led a rescue team before. Fortunately, the entire battalion consisted of veterans, which made coordination easier.

"It seems that the idea that it rains whenever something big happens in TV dramas isn't entirely a hoax."

As Chen Mo felt the raindrops getting bigger and bigger on his body, he couldn't help but mutter to himself.

"Count!"

"one two three"

"Report! The armored infantry company is fully assembled!!"

"Report! The entire tank company is assembled!"

"Report! The reconnaissance company is fully assembled!!"

"Report, the medical team has assembled!"

"Report."

A cacophony of sounds erupted, and two minutes later, Cheng Dong rushed to Chen Mo to report: "Comrade Battalion Commander, the entire battalion has assembled. Of the 617 men expected, 596 are present. The staff and sentries will remain on duty. Please give your instructions!"

"Take a break!"

"Yes!"

Cheng Dong turned around, gave the order to stand at ease, and ran back to the ranks.

The resounding command echoed through the night sky.

Chen Mo strode to the front of the line, took the megaphone handed to him by Wang Jianyong, and scanned the crowd with his eyes: "Attention!"

"Comrades, I have already stated the requirements that I was supposed to make."

"The military region has ordered that my battalion's specific task is to work with the Xiaocheng Anti-Aircraft Artillery Brigade to ensure the safe evacuation of people downstream of the flood discharge area at the border of Gaoyang and Dongguan."

"Evacuating over 100,000 people over an 80-kilometer stretch is an arduous task. The requirement is to spare no effort to protect the people and ensure their safe evacuation. Do you have the confidence?"

"Have!"

All the officers and soldiers roared.

But everyone knew in their hearts that six hours was not enough time for hundreds of thousands of people with their families.

Even the reconnaissance company, which has the best physical fitness in the entire battalion, would find it virtually impossible to trek 80 kilometers in that kind of terrain, even if they were lightly equipped.

Even if it's just a training exercise, and there's no disaster, covering 80 kilometers in 6 hours is extremely difficult. They only hope that the affected area can be smaller and smaller.

If rescue vehicles can get in, then everything will be fine.

"it is good!"

Chen Mo called out loudly, "Let's get dressed and get ready to go!"

"Wang Yanjun!"

"To!"

"You will lead the reconnaissance platoon and the logistics company to form a temporary logistics team, ready to take over the rescue efforts from other companies at any time. Man Xuexi and Liang Hongjie will assist you. You will be the team leader for this mission."

"Yes!"

Wang Yanjun was Chen Mo's preferred candidate for the engineering company commander. He was a veteran platoon leader who had been promoted to officer, and he was more experienced than Liang Hongjie and Man Xuexi in carrying out rescue missions or logistics work.

The rescue work cannot be delayed, and there is nothing wrong with being temporarily assigned the task.

Everything is arranged.

In the queue, everyone rechecked their equipment: individual rations, flashlights, life jackets, and raincoats.

One minute later.

The group returned to calm.

Chen Mo took a deep breath: "Comrades, kill!"

"kill!"

The entire army responded with a devastating roar.

This is the bugle call to battle, and it also demonstrates the strong will of the entire battalion.

"Get on the bike!" the order was given.

In an instant, all the team leaders ran towards transport vehicle 142.

Rescue work is different from combat and exercises. In this kind of disaster relief, only transport vehicles can be used, and it is best to choose those with canopies.

Tanks and armored vehicles are meaningless at this time. Unlike some countries, we don't need to carry guns to maintain order.

Fortunately, the demonstration battalion was not poor, and they were willing to use the sealed equipment warehouses. The academy was also backed by the training department, a division-level unit.

The entire battalion has 142 transport vehicles, and hundreds of people can sit comfortably without having to squeeze in.

One after another, transport vehicles set off, along with the Steyr flatbed trailers carrying engineering vehicles, their headlights turned on, and the steel torrent drove out of the camp according to the mobility plan.

The lead vehicle was a Dongfeng off-road vehicle carrying Chen Mo, which served as the command post for the entire battalion's mobile advance and was responsible for assessment and observation.

Political instructor Fang Peijun was at the rear of the convoy, while Cheng Dong and Hou Zhanye, the company commander of the reconnaissance company, were in charge in the middle.

Originally, most of the staff officers were recent graduates, but according to the contingency plan, the entire staff, including Cheng Dong, was required to remain on duty.

But given Lao Cheng's personality...

Others could choose simple tasks, but he couldn't. Cheng Dong forced Huo Linshan, the political instructor of the reconnaissance company, to stay at the staff headquarters and coordinate needs from the rear.

He set off with the main group.

"Watch out for the road conditions. The rain is getting heavier and heavier; it must be rain drifting in from the Gaoyang area."

Chen Mo sat in the back seat of the car, keeping an eye on the road conditions while constantly reminding Wang Jianyong.

Braving heavy rain and driving hundreds of kilometers in the dark to reach the disaster area for rescue is extremely risky.

Simply.

The battalion has a large number of officers and the soldiers are all veterans, giving them an advantage over the officers. This is the biggest source of their confidence as a demonstration battalion.

A rainy night with a rumbling sound.

The sky was so gloomy it was suffocating. At the foot of Mount Tai in Jinyang, rows of convoys stretched as far as the eye could see.

Knowing in advance that a rescue might be needed.

The transport vehicle behind Chen Mo had long since been marked with the flag of "Kyoto Military Region Disaster Relief Force," and the sides of the truck bed were covered with banners with slogans such as "The bond between the military and the people is as close as fish and water," "When one place is in trouble, help comes from all sides," and "Adversity strengthens the nation, forging ahead with determination."

Many organizations stockpile these items in advance.

After all, if a large force were to move out during the day, banners would be the best way to avoid causing public panic.

At that time, sections of the Beijing-Kunming Expressway and the Qingdao-Yinchuan Expressway were not yet completed, so most people traveling from Jinyang to the disaster area could only take provincial highways.

along the way.

Passing private cars quickly moved aside to make way for the military vehicle, stopping on both sides of the road. From above, it looked like a long dragon, dramatically swaying its tail.

Order! Harmony! Silence!

The news of the disaster was no secret; many people knew about the evacuation from the flood-prone areas through radio broadcasts.

The evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people was to protect the city and many other areas.

Some car owners remained silent.

They recalled last year, the disaster of 1998, which claimed the lives of many soldiers and innocent civilians.

Drop drop!
A private car parked on the roadside honked its horn in salute, and the driver rolled down his window and saluted the convoy.

Judging from the way he saluted, he must be a retired veteran.

The honking seemed to be infected, and in a short time, it turned into a cacophony.

One car after another rolled down their windows, got out, and, despite getting soaked in the rain, gave a half-hearted military salute.

"Keep it up, comrades in the People's Liberation Army!!"

"You must come back safely, come back alive!!"

"Please promise me you'll take care of yourself."

"Comrades of the People's Liberation Army, please take good care of the disaster area. We will provide support from the perimeter. The people of the whole country are standing behind them. We will not fall."

Rainwater, mixed with many sounds, squeezed into the carriage. Many soldiers craned their necks to look outside, their bodies soaked but feeling no chill.

Because my blood is boiling at this moment.

Field assault.

The soldiers went into battle.

Along both sides of the road, countless car lights turned on their hazard lights and high beams, shining brightly to illuminate the advance of the field troops.

For my skilled army.

For my people who have suffered disaster.

To open the widest possible rescue channel for the little girl's mother behind those cold, hard numbers of losses.

A black Santana was parked on the side of the road. The owner was a young man. If he could afford to drive this car in 1999, his family must have been well-off.

The young man took out several unopened packs of cigarettes from the trunk, spotted one of the delivery trucks, and threw it forcefully into the truck bed.

The passenger in the front seat was probably the young man's girlfriend. Seeing the cigarettes being thrown in, she also picked up a few bottles of alcohol and threw them into the car.

The young man turned pale with fright and hurriedly reached out to stop him: "Are you stupid? It's not that you can't drink, but this bottle is so heavy, what if it hits someone?"

In another car.

A father held his little boy in his arms as he sat in the back seat, the boy looking curiously at the convoy outside.

"Dad, what are those soldiers doing?"

The father smiled and patted his son's head, patiently saying, "They're going to help with disaster relief."

What is disaster relief?

"Disaster relief." The middle-aged father looked up and thought for a moment: "Disaster relief means that some children your age have lost their homes and need the help of soldiers, and some children's lives are threatened and need the protection of soldiers."

"I see." The little boy's eyes flickered, his expression a mixture of determination and worry.

How could there be no home?
If we don't have a home, what will happen to Mom and Dad? Will we still have new clothes? Will we still have toys?

"dad."

The little boy's voice trembled slightly.

The middle-aged father sensed his son's fear and regretted saying those things, as his child was still young.

But soon, he was surprised.

Because he was holding his son in his arms, he said in a very firm tone, "Dad, shall we go and help with disaster relief too?"

"I can also protect other children."

The man was silent for a few seconds, then said earnestly, "Child, we can't go. The soldiers have already surrounded many places to protect us. They've put the danger on their own."

"If you want to go, you have to wait until you grow up."

"So, do I want to become a soldier too?"

"Yes."

"Okay, when I grow up, I want to become a soldier, a brave soldier."

"Okay!" Similar scenes kept playing out on the way to rescues.

Chen Mo kept waving back at the local vehicles; national morale is intangible.

It only shows up at crucial moments.

As for the usual noise, that small group of dissenting voices is utterly worthless, complaining that their country is no good in this way or that way, wishing they could change their skin and color.

Development inevitably involves growing pains.

The greatness of unity and concerted efforts is something that those people can't truly understand.

About twenty minutes later.

Transportation officials appeared, and the rooftop sirens flashed red as they began clearing the way for the demonstration camp's convoy.

With the assistance of local departments, the progress has been much faster.

The closer you are to the disaster area, the more information you will receive.

Inside the communications vehicle's radio, Chen Mo arranged for someone to connect to the command channel. Real-time disaster information, regional coordination, and on-site coordination were being relayed. A flood of telegrams arrived like snowflakes and were transferred to several key officers in the battalion via a terminal.

Currently.

The evacuation is progressing slowly. The aftershocks have stopped, but the rain is getting heavier and heavier, and the expected flood discharge time may even be brought forward.

The rescue efforts were already under considerable pressure, and this has only increased the pressure even further.

Chen Mo leaned half his body against the car door, his eyes showing worry. With people from the transportation department leading the way, he had already ordered all the soldiers in the battalion to rest in the carriage.

Save your energy.

This is likely the last chance for rest before, or even for a long period after, the flood discharge.

Once the team enters the disaster area, it's no different from entering a battlefield, and continuous combat is unavoidable.

The further they went, the more intense the downpour became.

The heavy moisture made the interior of the carriage feel extremely damp; vehicles of that era weren't very well sealed.

The car Chen Mo was in was fine.

The canvas canopy on top of the transport vehicle was soaked; you could easily wipe off a couple of ounces of water with a simple touch.

Disasters don't give soldiers a chance to catch their breath.

The sergeant academy was actually only a little over 100 kilometers away from the location required by the higher authorities, but due to the extremely bad weather, the escorting personnel had to leave after the academy was closed.

The entire battalion was caught in a dilemma.

One reason was that they were unfamiliar with the area, and another reason was that many of the units that were supposed to provide support along the way were temporarily reassigned to reinforce the dike.

The problem is that reinforcing the dike is not simply about stacking sandbags; it also requires driving in wooden or steel piles, ranging from a few meters to more than ten meters apart, which are then strung together to form a net to secure the sandbags.

Only in this way can the dike be solid.

Otherwise, simply stacking sandbags would be like a rootless duckweed, easily washed away by a torrent of tens of thousands of cubic meters per second.

At that time, it would truly be a case of the dike collapsing and people dying.

The demonstration battalion had just arrived at the edge of the disaster area and had not yet organized rescue efforts when it received a notice that all vehicles that had arrived for rescue in the vicinity should be uniformly allocated to the 188th Division for transporting materials.

The only way forward is to wade through the road on foot with tools.

Delay the flood discharge as much as possible to make adequate preparations for evacuation.

When they arrived at the area where the 188th Division's logistics department was receiving vehicles, a lieutenant colonel wearing a raincoat was anxiously looking around, indicating that the other party had been waiting for a long time.

The place where Chen Mo and his group were located was on the edge of a small town under the jurisdiction of Gaoyang, more than 20 kilometers away from the dike.

All residents of the town have been evacuated.

Meanwhile, the town was temporarily used as a material storage site for the Gaoyang Dike Joint Command Center.

Inside the town, diesel generators roared, waterproof light bulbs swayed wildly in the rain, and several loaders worked simultaneously.

Dispatchers directed the machinery to load all the materials needed for frontline flood control efforts, which had piled up like mountains, onto trucks.

Then I saw another new convoy approaching.

The lieutenant colonel hurriedly turned on his flashlight and waved it to signal for the car to stop.

Chen Mo put on a raincoat and got out of the car. The lieutenant colonel quickly stepped forward and looked at the major in front of him with red eyes.

Before the military reform, the ranks were somewhat chaotic. A major and a lieutenant colonel were not necessarily of lower rank. It was not uncommon for a lower rank to be associated with a higher position.

Seeing that Chen Mo was young but had brought so many people, the logistics lieutenant colonel of the 188th Division was taken aback at first, then stood at attention and saluted, saying, "Hello comrade, I am Li Hongbo, the leader of the temporary dispatch group of the 188th Division."

"Hello, I am Chen Mo, the battalion commander of the Kyoto Demonstration Battalion." Chen Mo returned the greeting.

"Team Leader Li, what exactly is the situation now?"

The chaos at the rescue site was far beyond Chen Mo's imagination. The rescue troops were constantly having their routes and missions changed along the way.

Chen Mo needed to understand the current situation.

"Here's the situation." Li Hongbo was also taken aback by Chen Mo's title of "Commander of the Kyoto Demonstration Battalion," a unit that had previously defeated one-third of the main force of the 188th Division.

"One kilometer ahead of us, the road has been washed away by a mudslide caused by heavy rain and an earthquake. Our engineering corps is organizing repairs, which are expected to take two hours to complete."

"All vehicles requisitioned must transport materials to the dam as soon as the emergency repairs are completed."

"So, your demonstration camp has no choice but to run to the rescue."

"Understood." Chen Mo nodded.

The supplies were supposed to be transported to the dam for reinforcement without interruption for two hours. But now that the road is destroyed, we have to race against time and arrange more vehicles to be on standby, otherwise we won't have enough time.

"Also, Battalion Commander Chen, you need to leave some of your men for us. The reinforcement work cannot stop, and some materials need to be delivered by manpower."

Li Hongbo spoke again.

Normally, Chen Mo would never suffer any loss, let alone give someone a car.

But now, there's nothing to say.

"Old Fang!"

"coming."

Instructor Fang Peijun broke away from the convoy at the rear and walked quickly over.

"Old Fang, let's discuss this." Chen Mo raised his hand to wipe the rain off his face: "The levee needs to be reinforced, and some of our vehicles and people need to stay behind."

"Alright, you stay here with the tank company, the logistics team, and the engineer company to assist. I'll take the rest of you and organize the rescue."

"I'll go to the rescue, you stay here."

Fang Peijun stepped forward, his words uncompromising, a rare occurrence for the easygoing man to argue with Chen Mo.

The reason is simple: reinforcing the dike, though dangerous, only delays the flood discharge; once it can no longer hold, the flood will definitely be discharged.

However, the situation is different for those conducting rescues in the flood discharge area, where the risk is even higher.

"Stop talking nonsense. Disaster relief is like fighting a war. I'm in charge of all the arrangements."

Chen Mo waved his hand, then looked at Wang Jianyong: "Go and inform Liang Hongjie, Qin Xiaojun, Man Xuexi, and Wang Yanjun to be prepared and obey the arrangements of the instructor and the dispatch team."

"Old Fang, I'm entrusting the 267 soldiers of the demonstration battalion to you. You must bring them back safely, not one of them can be missing."

After Chen Mo finished speaking, he nodded to Li Hongbo.

He turned and walked towards the flood discharge area, intending to lead his men to catch up with the evacuating crowds and assist more people in getting out.

"Xiucai!"

Fang Peijun gritted his teeth. He had only been at the demonstration camp for a short time and had always called him Battalion Commander Chen, never this nickname.

But now, he shouted.

Watching Chen Mo continue his departure, Old Fang's eyes turned red, and he shouted, "Scholar, the 329 people in the demonstration camp are in your hands, including yourself. No matter what, bring them all back to me, not a single one can be missing!!"

"understood."

Chen Mo responded without turning his head.

The two supervisors reached an agreement.

The entire battalion split into two groups: one group stayed behind, while the other, under the organization of the cadres, followed Chen Mo and set off along the flood discharge area.

Their location wasn't far from the main force; after all, it was already 20 kilometers from the dam, and the local residents had evacuated early, essentially leaving the central area.

However, it would still be dangerous if the floodwaters were released.

There were thousands upon thousands of bottles of mineral water piled up in the town, along with plenty of bread. Chen Mo didn't hesitate as he passed by, tearing open a loaf and stuffing it into his backpack.

"Besides the comrades who stay behind, organize personnel to replenish the ranks of other cadres as soon as possible, and let them eat and drink as much as they can."

"Take as much as you can with you, eat and drink your fill, and be prepared for a 10-kilometer trail run."

"Everyone, fill your water bottles with water and take as much as you can to bring back to the villagers."

"When we set off, all cadres should go to the medical team to collect glucose, two bottles each. Drink it before you leave, and leave the rest in the car."

"The requirement is that all personnel should plan their load carefully, and everyone should be mobilized without leaving anyone behind."

Chen Mo himself had no experience, but he knew that he had to appear confident and composed.

The battalion commander gave the order.

Reconnaissance, infantry, and medical personnel all rushed to the supply pile to load supplies. Many knew that these were not for their own consumption, but for the people in need of rescue.

Even if their small group didn't have nearly enough supplies, they could still do what they could.

Despite the ongoing downpour, the rainwater is extremely dirty and cannot be used as an energy source.

By the late 1990s, the concept of "acid rain" was rarely heard anymore.

But a decade or so ago, development was sacrificed for environmental protection; acid rain and sandstorms were commonplace.

soon.

After receiving their supplies, the soldiers gathered together, and everyone frantically stuffed bread and bottled water into their mouths.

They were all veterans, and even if the battalion commander didn't require it, they knew that physical strength was the most important thing for a rescue operation.

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, they were each given two more bottles of glucose to drink.

This habit is a remnant from when we were training the Blue Army battalion. Back then, the training tasks were too intense and the training volume was too large, so the whole battalion used sugar to replenish their physical strength, and the effect was quite good.

"Listen to the command!"

"The squad leader and deputy squad leader, one in front and one behind, keep an eye on the soldiers, turn on all flashlights and walkie-talkies, don't try to save batteries, make sure safety is guaranteed."

"The whole battalion, march forward!"

Cheng Dong, holding a megaphone, was shouting wildly in the crowd; he was definitely going to follow the scholar.

The soldiers you command, no matter how high their rank, you must protect yourself.

"Wang Jianyong, you son of a bitch, are you still eating? Follow the scholar and walk in front. If you bump into anything, I'll twist your balls off."

"Hold!"

Old Wang was munching on bread when he heard the sound. He felt a chill in his crotch and ran away as fast as he could.

Of course, this was just a minor incident.

With the cooperation of the officers, the demonstration battalion quickly transformed into a pure infantry battalion, and several hundred men began to advance.

"The pack carriers, follow up."

"Look how fast the scouts are running! Are you lame? Hurry up!"

"Those behind, follow up."

A dense crowd braved the heavy rain, carrying supplies, their bodies covered in bottled water like hand grenades, and shovels and other tools, running towards the direction where the crowd was evacuating.

clap clap!

The rescue effort was well-intentioned, but the road conditions were terrible.

At the very beginning, someone fell into the mud, their supplies scattered. The veteran next to them helped the person up, picked up the supplies, hung them on his own body, and carried them forward again.

The company commander, platoon leader, female medical team members, and squad leaders of combat platoons constantly moved around their respective areas of responsibility, encouraging, cheering on, and observing the soldiers' condition.

If anyone is found to be in an abnormal condition, the weights will be adjusted immediately.

"Run! Everyone run! Every second we are a second faster means the people of Gaoyang will see hope a second sooner."

"Go even faster. Even if you do nothing, just showing up at the scene will give the people the greatest confidence."

"Comrades, the hope of the people in the Gaoyang flood diversion area rests on us. Let's show the spirit of daring to fight to the death and charge!"

Chen Mo led the team, occasionally shouting out slogans.

To carry out a high-intensity forced march.

(End of this chapter)