Military career: Starting with a recruitment letter

Chapter 315 Going Home, Can This Be Considered a Triumphant Homecoming?

Noticing the shocked expressions on Cheng Dong and the others' faces, Chen Mo didn't explain. The truth is, the reason they didn't notice the guards wasn't because the guards were well hidden.

These men came back with me yesterday; the sentries at the camp gate saw them.

However, the guards always carried guns, making it inconvenient for them to wander around the camp.

They hadn't gone downstairs much, except for today's commendation ceremony when there were more people around, which is when Chen Mo noticed them wandering around the neighborhood.

It wasn't something I deliberately hid.

Of course, if these people really wanted to hide, they certainly had the ability; the guards sent by the military region should be quite capable.

“They arrived yesterday and will be coming back with me this time.”

Chen Mo looked at Wang Jianbin and instructed him, "Old Wang, the higher-ups may be sending a group of people who understand electronics over soon. You'll be in charge of receiving them and making proper arrangements for the new comrades. They're here for our security after the relocation."

"And Company Commander, could you work hard these next couple of days to transfer all the names in the battalion that are still registered with other units to the Blue Army Battalion?"

"The transfer may happen even earlier than I said last night, about a month away. We could receive orders to depart at any time."

"After I get back, the entire battalion will be on high alert and defenses will be strengthened. Comrades, see you after the transfer. I hope that by then, not a single one of you will be missing."

"Don't worry, there will be plenty."

Cheng Dong, Wang Jianbin, Man Xuexi, Qin Xiaojun, and Fang Peijun quietly waved goodbye as they watched the battalion commander get into the car.

The two vehicles from the military region were also in service, and the one Wang Jianyong was driving was also driven away. There were a total of three military vehicles, sandwiching Chen Mo's seat in the middle.

They quickly drove away from the camp.

The battalion commander left, and he left very secretly. Many officers in the battalion did not know the exact time of his departure.

Even though Cheng Dong and his team didn't know the details, they knew that this system-wide confrontation would bring considerable trouble to their Blue Army battalion.

Otherwise, Chen Mo wouldn't have mentioned that the military region would send electronic warfare personnel to help with security, nor would he have specifically mentioned that the transfer would be brought forward.

If my guess is correct, the place where they are being transferred is probably already under construction, but it hasn't been made public yet.

"Comrades, now that the battalion commander is not in the battalion, we have a wider range of options."

Cheng Dong smiled and looked at Fang Peijun: "Old Fang, why don't you, as the instructor, go back to the political department and hide for a while?"

"Only when you and the scholar are not here can we act freely."

"Do not bother me."

Fang Peijun reached out and tugged at his major's epaulet, laughing, "I don't have the same reputation as Xiucai. I'm just a major, so I don't have much influence in the Ironclad Regiment."

"Do whatever you want. Anyway, it's no use anyone coming to me these days. I have no authority to release people. Just let the people at headquarters hold the line."

"The headquarters has no right to release him."

Cheng Dong and the others exchanged glances and then all laughed.

They weren't the top military and political leaders of the Blue Army Battalion, so they didn't care who came to study. Without the battalion commander's order or the military region's notification, they could simply stop people from entering the West Campus.

Reasonable and compliant.

The military region would certainly not issue a similar notice, or rather, it would turn a deaf ear.

After all, the 1st Independent Information Mechanized Combined Regiment is directly under the command of the Military Region, and in principle, only the Military Region Headquarters can issue the order to allow it to proceed.

Even the Jinyang military headquarters did not have the authority.

This is the source of the confidence behind the code name.

The Blue Army battalion at this time was no longer comparable to the Blue Army battalion of the past; its cadres had become much more assertive.

. . . . . .

the other side.

Sitting in the car, Chen Mo looked at the scenery rushing past outside, feeling both the disappointment of suddenly leaving the military region and the joy of returning home.

I still remember when I joined the army last year, it was December. Time flies, and now ten months have passed. He went from a raw recruit who wasn't even a private to a complete greenhorn.

He rose to become the battalion commander of the Blue Army Battalion of the 1st Independent Regiment of Information Mechanized Combined Arms in Kyoto, and was also the only battalion commander in the entire regiment.

Even when returning to their hometowns, they could enjoy the privilege of being escorted by guards.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he returned home in glory.

Based on the time calculation, it's more than 500 kilometers from Jinyang to Yingcheng, and the journey would take at least six or seven hours.

It's 3 PM now, I probably won't get home until 10 PM.

Chen Mo was in a vehicle driven by Xu Dong, with another guard sitting in the passenger seat.

Judging from Chief of Staff Xu's words, these men will be part of the armored regiment's guard platoon from now on.

Chen Mo leaned forward and asked with some curiosity, "Old Xu."

"What is it, Battalion Commander Chen?" Xu Dong looked around in the rearview mirror before turning to ask.

"It's okay, let's chat with you two."

"Are you the bodyguards of Chief of Staff Xu?"

"No, we came from the General Staff with Chief Fu and belong to the Security Bureau."

Xu Dong responded calmly.

Having asked this many questions, Chen Mo basically understood what was going on.

The Guard Bureau is a second-level unit under the General Staff. It's likely that the arrangements for the Commander-in-Chief of the Kyoto Military Region had already been decided before he went to Jinyang yesterday.

No wonder Commander Fu was so certain yesterday when he mentioned the troop redeployment.

It's estimated that even the people in the military region weren't aware of the specifics, since Political Commissar Liao Hongjun had only instructed them to stay with him for half a month.

Looking back now, it was probably not as simple as just half a month. During the period of concealment, these few people from the security bureau would have been with him.

"I've become a hot commodity too!"

Chen Mo shook his head with a sigh. A battle of systems had directly led to a change in the overall situation.

This was something he hadn't expected.

If the guards were in ancient times, they would be considered bodyguards with swords. I never thought that someone who is at most a captain or centurion would be assigned bodyguards with swords.

It's really strange.

"By the way, did you know that this mission is a long-term one?"

Chen Mo asked casually, but regretted it as soon as he asked; the question was somewhat unnecessary.

Chief of Staff Xu said he would go with them for the relocation, how could these people not know?

"I know, I'll just stay with you."

Xu Dong nodded.

At this point, Chen Mo lost interest in chatting. The guy who opened the door for him had absolutely no talent for conversation.

Fortunately, their profession is special, so they are probably the quiet and reserved type.

After losing interest.

Chen Mo stopped asking questions and simply leaned back in the back seat, pretending to doze off, while pondering how to bring up the matter of accompanying his family to the army when he got back.

This is no small matter.

If parents who have lived in the village for most of their lives suddenly say they want to leave the village within half a month and live in an unfamiliar city, most people in the countryside would probably not be willing.

Although they are only 500 kilometers apart, for parents who have never even left their county, this distance is no different from going abroad.

However, there may be no choice but to accompany the troops this time. The system confrontation has only been going on for a short time, and the possible consequences are not significant.

And with the relocation, who knows which nook or cranny they'll be relocated to?

If the land is moved to the snowy mountains or Xinjiang province, it's unlikely that they'll be able to return within the next two years.

Given the transportation conditions of that era, a round trip would probably take more than a month.

Even if it weren't for such a remote location, coming back wouldn't be easy.

Security at the military compound is at least not a problem, and you can call home anytime, so there's no need to bother the village chief every time.

Chen Mo closed his eyes and pondered, and with the car swaying back and forth, he soon drifted off to sleep.

. . . . . . .

Around 6 PM.

Xinglong Village, Shiqiao Town, Fengxian County, Yingcheng, is the third house from the east end of the village entrance.

Chen Mo's father, Chen Xuejun, was squatting on the ground, grabbing handfuls of sawdust from a urea bag and scattering it onto the chicken coop next to him.

He pursed his lips and made "pop pop pop pop" sounds to call the chickens over to eat.

The sawdust in my hand was mixed with some bran. This stuff was fed to the chickens, and it would bring in a few eggs every day to improve our lives.

If the children at home had a craving, they could take eggs to the door and exchange them with the street vendors for some tofu or sweet fruit.

In the countryside, besides wheat and soybeans, eggs were also considered a form of hard currency for bartering.

Behind Chen Xuejun.

Smoke curled from the kitchen chimney as Chen Jing, a small girl, huddled in front of the stove to help her mother tend the fire, while her mother, Liu Fenglan, busied herself cooking.

Today is Saturday, and Chen Feng is at home. The second son of the Chen family, who is already in the first year of high school, is sitting at the door of the main room with a table, doing his homework by the dim light of the courtyard lamp.

"It's time to eat, it's time to eat."

Liu Meilan peeked at the father and son outside: "Xiaofeng, collect all the homework books on the table and come get the food."

"Xuejun, wash up and have some soup."

As Chen's mother greeted them, she placed a plate of golden-brown scrambled eggs on the table.

I got up, took my bowl, and went to the main room to prepare some shredded mustard greens as my second dish.

Dinner was simple; the scrambled eggs were for my second son and youngest daughter as they were growing.

Shredded mustard greens, along with sweet potato porridge cooked until sticky, constituted the couple's meal.

Actually, the Chen family was already quite well-off. Their eldest son joined the army and received over six thousand yuan for meritorious service, which was enough for the family to use for a long time.

Furthermore, the county's armed forces department would send rice, flour, cooking oil, and some pork belly and lard every month, which was more than enough to improve their daily lives.

They could eat quite well at least three meals a day in the village. But the elderly couple were used to being frugal.

With their eldest son approaching marriageable age, the couple planned that after he returned from serving in the army for two or three years, they would find a wife in their hometown, use the money to apply for a plot of land in the village, build a three-room brick house, and then they could start a family.

Money should be spent sparingly.

"Mom, I want to eat eggs." Chen Jing came out of the kitchen with a small bowl in her hand. Ignoring the soot on her face, she shouted that she wanted to eat the fragrant scrambled eggs.

Chen's mother smiled and took her youngest daughter's hand: "Go wash your face first, the eggs will be eaten later."

At this moment, Chen Xuejun finished washing his hands, casually tossed them aside, picked up the bowl, slurped a few mouthfuls along the edge, picked up some pickled mustard greens, and stuffed them into his mouth, munching away.

"Hey, it's Xiaofeng back at Xuejun's house. They've improved their living conditions."

“I could smell it from right outside the door.”

At the gate, a burly, dark-skinned man, also carrying a bowl, walked into the courtyard with a smile.

This is their next-door neighbor.

"What's the point of improving our lives? I just got a couple of eggs for the kids to treat themselves. Come on, Tiezhu, sit down. Have you finished shelling all the corn?"

Chen Xuejun greeted him with a smile, and Chen Feng, who was standing next to him, hurriedly gave up his chair and ran back into the house to move another one.

Chen's father moved the mustard greens aside and placed the scrambled eggs in front of Tiezhu: "Try it, it's fried in lard, it smells delicious."

When Chen Jing heard that someone was eating her eggs, she reluctantly pouted while washing her hands and face, looking sullen.

Tie Zhu just peeked over and said, "Hurry up and take it. Do you think I can compete with a child for food?"

"Besides, I have vegetables here."

Tie Zhu shook his head, holding his bowl and eating heartily, saying, "I'm not trying to criticize you, Xuejun, but with your eldest son joining the army, there's one less person to feed. County leaders often send things to your family, so your life should be improved. How come you're eating worse than me?"

"Look at the food in my bowl, it's even more oily than yours."

Tie Zhu's bowl contained stir-fried pumpkin, which is a type of squash. Apart from being a bit oily with a layer of oil floating on top of the soup, it wasn't actually that much better.

He just couldn't stand his neighbor's life, which was too hard.

Everything they do is for their children; they can't even bear to eat eggs themselves.

"What's the big deal about food? We can just make do."

Chen Xuejun didn't take it seriously. He was in poor health and could only do odd jobs. He couldn't do most of the farm work and planted very little.

After paying the grain tax, there wasn't much left.

Good things should definitely be saved for children who are still growing.

As the two were chatting, a loud "bang" came from outside the door.

The people at the east end of Xinglong Village are very familiar with this voice; in the entire village, only the Chen family has leaders driving cars to their homes.

Tie Zhu was startled by the noise.

I thought to myself, "Could it be such a coincidence? I just mentioned the county leaders, and the leaders have arrived right after I said that?"

But this timing is wrong. They just delivered something a few days ago during the National Day holiday. It can't be this soon.

Chen Xuejun was also drawn by the noise, and he subconsciously got up.

Just then, Cao Deming, the head of the Fengxian Armed Forces Department, and Dong Guoqiang, the political commissar, strode into the courtyard.

Seeing Chen Xuejun's family having dinner, Cao Deming hurriedly stepped forward, grabbed Chen's father's hands, and said with undisguised excitement, "Brother Chen, my brother, your family can finally enjoy a good life."

Tie Zhu, who was eating nearby, quickly got up and gave up his chair. Chen's mother also let go of her youngest daughter and busied herself moving chairs and making tea to entertain them.

However, the two leaders' rambling words confused Chen Xuejun.

"Boss, what do you mean by that? You're confusing me."

"What kind of luxury do we have?"

"You didn't know?" Cao Deming was also taken aback: "Your eldest son is back. The leaders of the Jinyang Military Region made a special call to our Feng County, saying that the unit should cooperate with the family to settle their farmland and house in their hometown."

“Your eldest son is going to take you to live in the Jinyang Military Region Family Compound. The jobs there have been arranged, and the school for your child has also been contacted.”

"Brother Chen, your family will be a working-class family from now on."

Is Xiao Mo coming back?
Chen Xuejun turned to look at his wife and saw that Liu Fenglan also looked bewildered.

He was even more confused.

I spoke with the military on the phone just two days ago, and they didn't mention coming back. How could things change so quickly? Not only are they coming back, but they're also going to take them to live in a big city.

That's impossible.

Besides, which family's child can come home from the army after only a few months of service? I heard from a veteran in the next village that you have to serve for three years before you can come home once.

"Sir, has Xiao Mo gotten into trouble in the army?"

Chen Xuejun was an honest man, with the simple and honest nature of the older generation. He felt that his child must have gotten into trouble, but the leader couldn't say it directly in front of the neighbors.

"Hey, Brother Chen, you can't just say things like that." Seeing that Lao Cao couldn't explain it clearly...

Political Commissar Dong Guoqiang smiled and said, "Your eldest son has made great contributions in the army and is now a battalion commander, in charge of several hundred men."

"According to military policy, Chen Mo's rank is high enough that his family members can join the army with him. This is a good thing, allowing him to enjoy a comfortable life."

battalion commander?!!!
He became a battalion commander so quickly?

Tie Zhu, who was standing next to him, was dumbfounded. He might not even know what kind of high-ranking leader it was.

But the battalion commanders in the army are not unfamiliar to people in the countryside. In addition, there are people from nearby villages who have joined the army. It is said that there is even a deputy company commander from Wangmingzhai in the next village.

That guy, when he went back to his hometown, people would stand on his doorstep to propose marriage. He was over thirty years old, but he still managed to find a wife. It was quite a hot topic a few years ago.

That guy is still in the army. I wonder who has a higher rank now, him or Chen's eldest son.

Battalion Commander, good heavens.

Even if he doesn't hold a higher official position than the person in the next village, several years have passed, and that person will likely be promoted, but that's still a significant position.

Tie Zhu slurped up the rice in his bowl and hurriedly left.

The eldest son of the Chen family has become a leader; this is a big deal.

Upon hearing that her son was coming home, Liu Fenglan, the mother, didn't care about the battalion commander or anything like that; all she knew was that her child was returning from the army.

"Boss, when will my child be home?"

"I really don't know." Dong Guoqiang shook his head slightly: "But it should be today. It's about 500 or 600 kilometers from Jinyang to here. If we take the train, we can leave in the morning and arrive by tonight at the latest."

"However, I heard from the Jinyang Military Region that Chen Mo is not coming back by train, but by military vehicle, so it should be faster. He might already be in the city by now."

Damn!

Upon learning that her eldest son was coming back, Liu Fenglan forgot about her meal and hurriedly pulled out two five-yuan bills from her pocket, handing them to Chen Feng: "Xiao Feng, ride your bike to the market and see if there's any cooked meat. If there are still meat stalls open at this time, buy some fresh meat, preferably fatty pieces."

"I know, Mom."

When Chen Feng learned that his brother was coming back, he was so excited that he ran away as fast as he could.

Chen Jing stood timidly to the side. She was young and had only been in the preschool class for a short time. In her memory, she did have an older brother who was very close to her.

But in my memory, there are hardly any traces of my older brother anymore.

She used to love listening to Chen Mo's voice over the phone, but ten months isn't a long time for an adult, but it's a long time for a child.

It's unfamiliar enough.

But at this moment, no one cared about a little child's thoughts. Chen's mother was busy making some new dishes, and carried her daughter to a small stool to the side, letting her eat by herself first.

Chen Xuejun and two leaders sat under the eaves chatting, while Chen Feng was assigned to be a scout at the village entrance.

Tiezhu spread the news to his neighbors, and Old Chen's door was almost broken down as many idle people from the village came to join in the fun.

I want to see what it's like for the eldest son of the Chen family to become a leader.

But by 8 p.m., which is quite late in the countryside, they still hadn't seen anyone, so some villagers took their children and went home first.

Nine o'clock.

Even Chen Jing kept yawning, and every now and then she would look up and ask her mother when her brother would come back and what he looked like.

Most of the villagers who had come to join the fun had left, leaving only a few neighbors who were still there.

ten o'clock.

Even the two men from the Armed Forces Department thought Chen Mo wouldn't be able to make it back today.

Chen Feng, who had been standing at the village entrance as a scout for three hours, suddenly ran into the yard and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Dad, Mom, my brother is back!"

"Where is where?"

Liu Fenglan, Chen Xuejun, Dong Guoqiang, Cao Deming, and the few remaining neighbors who were still holding on, all got up and walked to the front door.

Three military vehicles slowly turned and entered the village.

It stopped in front of its own house.

Bang bang bang.
After several doors slammed shut, four soldiers in uniform got out of the three cars. They calmly surveyed their surroundings and instinctively positioned themselves to block the area in front and behind them.

Then, another young officer got off the vehicle.

It was Chen Mo who rushed back.

The group of people who ran to the door to greet him saw Chen Mo, dressed in civilian clothes and wearing the rank of major. Compared to last year, he exuded a strong martial spirit, revealing a powerful and masculine aura from the inside out.

So much so that a group of people almost didn't recognize him.

This wasn't Chen Mo deliberately putting on airs. Anyone who leads a thousand-strong army for a period of time will have their own temperament subtly influenced.

"Dad, mom."

"I am back."

Chen Mo spoke excitedly, then strode towards his parents.

The military region has worked hard for more than half a year, and all the hard work and glory have been achieved.

At this moment, I see my parents.

Even bitterness can turn into sweetness.

(End of this chapter)