Military career: Starting with a recruitment letter

Chapter 332 Wang Lu reports for duty, the Ironclad Regiment takes root in the borderlands.
There are still seven or eight days until the official recruitment, and sending new recruits here at this time makes it impossible to concentrate on training.

Why would the logistics department choose this critical juncture?

Chen Mo, filled with questions, led Liang Hongjie downstairs.

at this time.

A large crowd had already gathered over the tent area. New recruits are a rare sight for all units every year, especially in places like the Blue Army Battalion, where veterans are everywhere.

New recruits represent youthful vigor and can bring vitality to the entire unit.

Therefore, it's not surprising that people gathered around to watch.

But when Chen Mo reached the edge of the crowd, he sensed that something was off.

There were indeed quite a few onlookers nearby, but they all had strange expressions, especially Cheng Dong and Man Xuexi, who looked as if they had been frozen in place.

They stood side by side in front of a group of new recruits, neither forming a line nor calling roll, just standing there.

"What are you doing?"

"Is everything trained?"

Chen Mo frowned and gave a reprimand.

The crowd that had been surrounding them dispersed with a "whoosh".

Upon hearing the sound, Cheng Dong quickly turned around and ran over, his expression somewhat conflicted, saying, "Our regiment is probably in trouble from now on."

"What's going on?" Chen Mo was stunned, somewhat puzzled.

"See for yourself."

As he spoke, Cheng Dong handed over a list.

The first recruit on the list was named Wang Luyi, and that was it in an instant.

Chen Mo's mind went blank for a moment, almost crashing.

Holy crap?!

Why is she in the new recruits' group?

Furthermore, this year is 1999, and as far as I can remember, Wang Luyi only joined the army in 02.

At that time, she had just finished her fourth year of medical school and joined the army in response to the country's call.

Medical school is different from other universities. The fourth year is not considered graduation. At most, students will learn basic clinical experiments. The undergraduate program is five years long. In the fifth year, when students are supposed to do their hospital internships, they can sign up to join the army and participate in medical training.

Why is there such a big time difference this time?

Looking at the list, Chen Mo had no doubt that the names were duplicated.

Because there's no such dramatic story.

Moreover, many people in the camp did not know Wang Luyi's name, but they recognized what she looked like.

They must have seen someone to show surprise.

"Battalion Commander, hold on! Division Commander Wang is probably on his way soon." Man Xuexi stood beside him, chuckling.

All the veteran cadres in the Blue Army camp knew about Chen Mo's embarrassing incident of being chased into the mountains a while ago.

"Fuck off!"

Chen Mo slapped the list onto Lao Man's chest.

He then strode up to the ranks of new recruits.

There were eleven new recruits in total, six female and five male, with Wang Luyi standing on the far left.

After changing out of her civilian clothes and putting on her military uniform again, she looked more youthful than she remembered, but at least she looked the part.

He wore a Type 99 long-sleeved shirt and a beret.

to be frank.

Chen Mo has always thought that this design of military uniform is the most ordinary, to put it bluntly, ugly, not even as good as the Type 87, let alone the Type 04 or Type 07.

Wang Luyi was quite handsome, standing at about 1.62 meters tall. He exuded a bright and lively aura, with a faint blush on his face, a straight nose, rosy lips, and a fair chin.

Her eyes, framed by thick eyelashes, were clear and bright.

He managed to make a plain military uniform look extraordinary.

"This university's recruitment process is really different; they even issue the latest style of uniforms."

Chen Mo shook his head, thinking to himself.

After confirming it was Wang Luyi, he finally understood what Old Wang had been doing earlier.

Damn it, this is just messing around.

He truly couldn't believe that Wang Luyi was assigned to Zhurihe without anyone pulling strings behind the scenes.

If no one gave him instructions, how could the battalion commander not know beforehand that a new recruit was coming?

Even Wang Songhe, who was far away in Tianshui, knew more about this than he did. Everyone else was better informed than him about the trouble this had caused.

"Wang Luyi".

"To!"

With a crisp response, Wang Luyi stood at attention with great composure. Coming from a military family, his posture was much more standard than the other recruits.

"Come here for a moment."

Chen Mo waved his hand, then said to Cheng Dong, "Company Commander, pick a few veterans to prepare the framework for the new recruit company, let Man Xuexi be the company commander, and find a few officers to assist you."

"After a while, when the new recruits are brought back, we will also transfer the instructor of the mechanized infantry to the recruit company. These people will start training first, beginning with basic drills."

"Yes!"

After handing over the tasks, he left the matter of the new recruits to Cheng Dong.

Chen Mo led Wang Luyi straight into the camp office building. Since most of the people in the camp already knew who she was, there was no need to hide it.

Chen Mo wasn't the type to procrastinate.

Wang Luyi, carrying his bag, silently followed all the way to the battalion commander's office.

Chen Mo pointed to the sofa next to him: "You sit down first."

"Yes."

Chen Mo took a clean water glass from the table, poured most of it into a glass of boiled water, and placed it in front of Wang Luyi.

With a rather helpless expression, he said, "I heard you're studying at Jinyang Medical College, aren't you?"

"Why did you suddenly sign up and join the army?"

"I want to join the army," Wang Lu said, holding a water cup in one hand and looking down. "The school is encouraging people to enlist, and isn't your battalion's medical team all female soldiers?"

"I'm also a medical student, so I can be a medic too."

"It's different. Those are graduates of the military medical college, which used to be Bethune College in Shicheng and is now renamed the military medical college."

Chen Mo was both amused and exasperated; the young man was still too naive.

For this reason, he joined the army in his freshman year. It's not that he doesn't encourage it, but medical students don't learn much in their freshman year.

Their professional skills will be very poor, even worse than those of a senior. They should come back when they are in their fifth year and should be doing an internship.

Everything will be much better than it is now.

After all, the military values ​​more than just a college degree; it values ​​real ability.

Without real skills, it's hard to get by.

“I can learn. Even if I don’t graduate from a military medical college, I can start as a conscript, just like you.”

Wang Luyi raised her chin and looked at Chen Mo. She was still the same as before, only she looked weak.

Actually, he's quite stubborn.

Otherwise, in his previous life, Chen Mo had already been transferred to another job for a year, and he was still working in the local department. How could he have received her calls every now and then?

If it were anyone else, they would probably have said goodbye long ago and parted ways amicably.

"Being a soldier is very tiring, especially in an armored regiment."

"I'm not afraid. If others can do it, so can I," Wang Luyi replied arrogantly.

"Does your dad know you joined the army? Does he know you were assigned to the remote grasslands?"

"You probably don't know."

Wang Luyi seemed a little guilty. She lowered her head and took a sip of warm water: "It's the same wherever you are in the army. I know you, and you know my dad. Isn't it better here?"

What a hammer.

Chen Mo shook his head slightly, knowing that he wouldn't get any more information by asking.

He simply turned around and called out, "Dayong!"

"Eh!"

Wang Jianyong strode into the office and was taken aback when he saw Wang Luyi sitting to the side.

Be nice!

Last time, when the scholar was chased into the mountains, it was he who alerted the enemy. This time, however, instead of going into the mountains, they directly abducted him to the camp.

Commander Wang's daughter is not so easy to abduct.

Wang Jianyong clicked his tongue, secretly admiring the scholar's courage, because according to normal thinking, it was impossible for the battalion commander not to know beforehand that a new recruit was coming.

They've made up their minds to pull the tiger's hair out of its head.

Chen Mo didn't care what he thought and simply waved his hand: "Go and take Wang Luyi to find the company commander and bring him back to the unit."

"She was a new recruit who was assigned here."

After saying that, Chen Mo helped her pick up her bag from the ground: "The army is very tough, especially the grassroots units in the field, and the armored regiment is even tougher."

"If you can't make it, remember to contact me, and I'll help you transfer to another company."

"Transfer to a more comfortable department in the mainland."

"Thank you, Battalion Commander. I will look for you, but it's definitely not because I can't make it. You're the only person I know here, and I will definitely persevere to become a qualified female soldier."

After Wang Lu finished speaking, he stood at attention and gave a rather imperfect military salute.

Then she smiled sweetly, took her bag, and followed Wang Jianyong downstairs, glancing back every few steps.

Until the office returned to calm.

Chen Mo took off his military cap, scratched his head, sighed, and sat down in his office chair.

He was also a little guilty.

No matter what, we knew each other before, and our relationship was quite special, so I always felt awkward.

Also, that old bastard dotes on his daughter terribly.

They're probably coming back to attack again now, aren't they?

What a worry!
Chen Mo sat back in his office chair, quietly smoking. He firmly believed that someone was pushing for Wang Luyi's appointment.

To reiterate, unless it was intentional, he would at least need to get the information and the list before he could meet the people.

It's impossible for a dozen new recruits to be suddenly assigned to an armored regiment without anyone knowing.

Now that the person has arrived, the guy behind it will definitely call to inquire about the situation.

He's here, waiting for the other person.

About half an hour later, the landline on the desk rang again.

Chen Mo glanced at the phone, hesitated for a moment, then got up and went to the window to peek out. He confirmed that the old bastard hadn't come and that everything outside was calm.

He then closed the office door, picked up the microphone, and held it to his ear: "Hello, Zhurihe Ironclad Regiment, this is Chen Mo."

"Hey Chen, have you received the new recruits?" Sun Zhensheng's voice came from the microphone on the other end of the line.

"Hello, Chief!"

Chen Mo recognized who it was and jumped up.

Then, realizing who had sent the recruits, he sighed and said, "Sir, you're doing me a disservice! You deliberately suppressed the news and transferred these recruits to my unit, didn't you?"

"Hmph, you're not stupid, are you?"

Upon hearing this, Old Sun snorted coldly: "You son of a bitch, you don't know what's good for you. This batch of new recruits are college students, some with medical expertise, some with communications engineering expertise, and some with computer science expertise. Sending you there is a huge win for you, kid."

"The problem is, there's a daughter of Commander Wang here, and my little temple can't accommodate such a big Buddha."

Chen Mo pursed his lips, wondering if it was because Wang Lu was young or what, but Wang Songhe stared at him like he was a thief all day long.

Who the hell can stand this?

"Hey!" Old Sun sat in his office, puffing out his beard and glaring, "What's wrong with Little Wang's daughter?"

"If it weren't for his daughter being there, would I have been willing to bring all your talent with me? You wish! Don't think I don't know what you've been up to."

"Don't worry, Wang Songhe is currently studying for the aiming class at the National Defense University in Kyoto. He won't have time to cause you trouble in the short term. He hasn't had time for the past two months."

Sun Zhensheng gripped the microphone and grumbled, "Damn it, his precious daughter joined the army and was assigned to our military region in Beijing. He even called the General Staff, the Command Headquarters, and the Political Department, and told me that she couldn't be assigned to your Blue Army battalion no matter where she was assigned."

"Pah! Who does he think he is? When I was a soldier carrying a gun, he, Xiao Wang, was still wearing open-crotch pants."

"You should have some backbone, kid. What's there to be afraid of? What's wrong with taking it?"

Chen Mo:
This old man is quite rebellious.

Moreover.

He genuinely didn't know when he and Old Sun had become so close.

Oh shit.

His words revealed a self-serving tone.

But the older generation is unreasonable, especially people like Sun Zhensheng.

"Commander!"

"Don't thank me, sir. You're too kind to thank me." Old Sun laughed into the microphone, "You son of a bitch, don't you even know how old Wang Songhe is?"

"He's only in his early forties. If nothing unexpected happens, he'll be promoted to that position by the end of this year. He can probably take another step forward before he retires. He should seize the opportunity."

"The commander of a Class A motorized infantry division in the north has a much higher status than you think. Don't think you're something special just because you won once with a lousy battalion against the 61st Division."

"Kid, you're far from good enough. You'd better learn from me."

After Sun Zhensheng finished speaking, he hung up the phone with a "click".

The office fell silent.

But the dust has also settled.

No wonder that old bastard hung up so quickly on the phone; he was studying at the National Defense University.

I don't have time to take care of myself right now.

Chen Mo hesitated for a moment with the microphone in his hand, then switched it onto the landline, sighing to himself.

These are truly turbulent times.

Before the recruit training camp was even built, the recruits arrived first.

In about half a month, Cheng Dong and his squad leader Lao Pao will be going to various places to pick up new recruits. The Kyoto Military Region headquarters only asked them to recruit new recruits, but did not give them specific quotas.

According to Chen Mo's own plan, around New Year's Day, the battalion should train at least a dozen cadres for other military regions, and in the following months, people will be transferred out one after another.

The armored regiment cannot keep so many veterans and officers indefinitely, and there is no room for development here.

At that time, there will inevitably be a shortage of staff.

Recruiting new soldiers at a scale of 100 men per company should be about right.

As for the main provinces for recruiting soldiers, Hebei and Anhui provinces are the top choices. Li Zhiang has already made contact with them recently.

The other person was working part-time at a restaurant in Gao District. After learning that he could rejoin the army, he quit his job and is now actively practicing running in his hometown, following the training procedures he had undergone in the reconnaissance company, in preparation for re-enlistment.

This is good news for Chen Mo.

However, Yang Dali could not be contacted. After being laid off, he stayed at home for half a month before packing his bags and following the migrant workers from the village to work in the big city.

Over the past year, apart from occasionally sending money home, I don't even know how to contact my family.

All I know is how to work in the south.

I'm about to sign up for military service, and I'm afraid I'll miss it again this time.

"Ugh! My head hurts."

Chen Mo sat back in the chair. Old Man Sun made a nice point: Wang Songhe hadn't had time to come over recently, but he would come when he had time.

He probably wouldn't be a senior colonel anymore.

Facing the rage of a senior colonel and facing the rage of someone who has a star on their shoulder are two completely different things.

Feeling irritable.

Chen Mo got up and went downstairs again.

Previously, there were only two three-story white buildings on this side of the Zhuri River. Now, the engineering corps has come and first established more than sixty individual sentry posts on the periphery of the grassland.

The base of the sentry post is made of cement, each covering an area of ​​about three square meters. The walls on three sides are made of glass to block the wind and sand from the outside world, and also to allow for a clear view of the surrounding situation.

After the sentry post was built.

Construction began simultaneously in nearby towns and the military camp, including the construction of dormitories, affordable housing, and artillery ranges. In just ten days, the camp had undergone a dramatic transformation.

We certainly can't move in for the time being, but before the harsh winter comes, at least we can ensure that all the soldiers in the regiment don't have to squeeze into those tents.

Chen Mo strolled around the newly built camp for a while, chatted with the engineers, offered them two packs of cigarettes, and told them not to rush the work.

He then reached out and tugged at his military uniform before arriving at the vast training ground outside the camp.

In the distance, the entire Blue Army battalion was practicing squad coordination, forming squads according to the 313212 formation to move with the main force.

313212, simply put, means a squad consisting of three Type 85 third-generation tanks, one Type 99 tank, three Type 92 infantry fighting vehicles, two troop carriers, one command vehicle, and two artillery vehicles, forming a company-sized unit.

Depending on the division of labor within the main combat unit, some artillery vehicles are paired with anti-aircraft guns, some with self-propelled howitzers, and some with long-range rocket launchers.

Electronic warfare and medical units, as well as logistics vehicles, are added between companies.

The principle of mobility is to link the clusters together to ensure the deployment of assault sequences in combat terrain. This combined unit size, once on the battlefield, can quickly transform into several reinforced companies in a coordinated manner to meet the enemy's large-scale armored maneuvers.

When encountering small, scattered enemy forces, formations can be used to effectively protect logistics and allow for free support and coordination between main combat units.

When encountering a single-unit company, a main combat detachment is enough to take care of the enemy, and other firepower does not need to be deployed at all.

There are many experienced officers in the battalion now, and the veterans are not training for the first time, so there are no problems in any aspect.

Only through extensive practice, mastery, and the development of muscle memory can these skills be effectively applied on the battlefield.

Chen Mo stared at it for a while, but found nothing wrong, so he turned to the other side.

The place where new recruits are trained.

Unlike the training of the main combat units, the training for new recruits was both quiet and boring.

Man Xuexi selected two veterans from the reconnaissance company and a female cadre from the medical detachment to be his platoon leader, while he himself became the new recruit company commander to supervise the new recruits.

Three platoon leaders sat idly on the grass, chatting.

Instead, it was the company commander, Man Xuexi, who stood up straight, put on a stern look, put his hands on his hips, and glared at the dozen or so new recruits who were lined up.

"Stand up!"

"As soldiers, you must first learn the most basic military drill movements."

"Everyone, remember this: here, your food and lodging will be provided by the military; only the skills you acquire will belong to you."

What reason is there not to work hard?

"All of you, stand at attention!!"

The moment Chen Mo arrived at the camp, Wang Luyi, who was in formation, spotted him. Wang Luyi's big eyes darted around a few times before he continued to carry out the formation orders.

"battalion commander!!"

"Hello, Battalion Commander!!"

The three people who were chatting on the ground saw Chen Mo coming over and hurriedly got up to greet him.

"It's alright, sit down and rest."

Chen Mo waved his hand and looked at the new recruits.

Each of them was full of youthful vigor, and their faces were still quite youthful; they were clearly college student recruits who were inexperienced in the ways of the world.

In truth, if we're really talking about seniority, he's only slightly more experienced than these new recruits in the whole battalion, and compared to others, the vast majority are better than him.

It's just that I've been standing in the eye of the storm for too long.

Without realizing it, I started to look at my peers as if they were younger than me.

"Wait a moment, go to the logistics department and get two new sets of military uniforms for the new comrades. These new uniforms don't come with regular service clothes, and it gets cold on the grasslands at night."

"Yes!"

"Okay." Chen Mo nodded: "Pay close attention to the new recruit training. Don't rush the pace. Wait for the rest of the trainees to arrive."

"Our new comrade just arrived today. Let me give a brief introduction to our armored regiment, take him to the hall of honor, and tell him about the process of establishing the battalion. We are a new unit, and the first thing for a new comrade to do is to understand the culture of his unit."

"For accommodation, female soldiers will be temporarily assigned to the logistics and medical unit's tent area, while male soldiers will be assigned to the officers' dormitory building. These are special branches of the military. We will inquire about their special skills and professional knowledge."

"Assessment should be conducted as required; they should not be treated like ordinary recruits."

"Yes!"

The three new recruits, who were also platoon leaders, responded hastily.

Chen Mo stood there for a while before turning and leaving.

Meanwhile, Wang Lu, who had been standing at attention diligently, relaxed her tense posture slightly when she saw the battalion commander come and go, and a hint of disappointment flashed in her eyes that she herself did not notice.

Perhaps it was an attempt to impress this only acquaintance, or perhaps it was something else entirely.

But no one noticed this scene.

"Wow, the scholar has grown up so fast. I remember just a year ago, I was watching him enlist, and now he's such a skilled battalion commander."

Peng Wei, a veteran of the reconnaissance company, said with emotion that he was the squad leader of the third squad in the recruit training company and the same squad leader who recruited Li Zhiang and Yang Dali into the reconnaissance company.

Upon hearing the mention of the scholar.

Another veteran from the reconnaissance company scoffed, "That's because he's a scholar with real talent. Damn it, if you were a battalion commander, you'd be just as good at it."

"Haven't you heard the saying, 'Your position determines your thinking'? You think about what you're in. What's the use of being envious?"

"That's vulgar. Watch your language, there are women here."

The female officer from the medical team rolled her eyes and glared at the two of them.

Peaceful days passed by one by one.

At first, when Wang Luyi first arrived, Chen Mo thought that Old Wang would definitely not give up and would bombard him with three or five phone calls a day.

Even if it's the worst, it should be one a day, right?

After all, because Wang Luyi had spent the night at the Taishan Military Academy, that old bastard had made four false emergency reports in one night, constantly waking him up.

I've never seen such an inhuman elder.

But for some reason, this time his daughter was assigned to the Blue Army battalion, and she stayed in one camp all day.

The old man, instead of making phone calls, stopped.

Aside from a few threatening words that day, there has been no further action.

Chen Mo even suspected that the old man was up to something.

However, Chen Mo couldn't guard against him every day.

It was December 1999.

The conscription registration officially began. During this period, Cheng Dong and Lao Pao went to the Armed Forces Department of Gao District in Hebei Province to make special arrangements, and also went to the Armed Forces Department of the county where Yang Dali was located in Anhui Province to discuss the source of recruits.

Li Zhiang has successfully registered and is going through the process; he is just waiting to go into battle.

As for Yang Dali, Chen Mo had given up hope, but unexpectedly, the guy, who was working away from home, suddenly returned and, persuaded by the conscription officers of the Armed Forces Department, actively signed up again.

Chen Mo has been quite busy lately.

As December arrived, the weather in Zhurihe changed drastically.

The lowest temperature at night can reach minus 30 or 40 degrees Celsius, while the average daytime temperature is around minus 7 or 8 degrees Celsius.

In just over ten days, Xiangshan'ao will be returned to China. The headquarters logistics department has provided the armored regiment with brand-new winter coats, leather hats, and gloves, as well as a lot of national flags and military flags to celebrate this big day.

Inside the armored regiment's camp, in the freezing cold, all the tents were dismantled, and all the soldiers moved into the dormitory area.

In just over a month, dormitory buildings sprang up one after another, and heating was installed in all the dormitories.

The logistics company also selected some veterans to form a boiler platoon, which was specifically responsible for heating the entire battalion and maintaining the water pump room.

Most of the Blue Army battalion members were from inland China, and the harsh conditions of the northern frontier were something they had never experienced before.

It's fortunate that there are many veterans who are highly disciplined.

In addition, the camp has been frequently visiting and helping the villagers recently, especially now that the weather is extremely cold.

Nearby herders would also come to the military camp to help.

Chen Mo rolled up his sleeves and, along with his officers, personally led the boiler crew to work. The coal delivered by the local military region was of very poor quality and barely ignited; almost every time a truckload of coal was burned, a truckload of slag would be produced.

Without any choice.

Chen Mo could only call the logistics department of the 63rd Army and ask Old Sun to transfer high-quality coal from Shanxi Province, transporting it by train.

Otherwise, we won't be able to hold on.

Not only is coal unsuitable, but the Zhurihe River is located at an altitude of about 1000 meters, and the soil structure here is mainly chestnut calcareous soil and saline-alkali soil.

The well was used to pump water for heating in the boiler. Due to the high alkalinity, scale would accumulate inside the boiler and pipes within a few days, requiring the heating to be stopped and the scale to be manually removed.

In short, in order to make everyone in the group adapt and be more comfortable.

Chen Mo has virtually no free time. During the day, he supervises training and tests new weapons, such as the Silver Sword model's flight altitude, endurance, and precise positioning in extreme weather conditions.

Every night, they would patrol the various duty rooms, boiler rooms, and artillery yards, never having a moment to spare.

1999 12 Month 21 Day.

After the first batch of new recruits passed the time of Xiangshan'ao's return, they began to go to the army.

Cheng Dong and several veterans went to pick up the new recruits.

Due to the heavy snowfall and the approaching New Year's Day, the guard battalion needed to conduct joint patrols with local border defense forces to inspect the border line.

The reconnaissance company took over part of the patrol duties.

Strengthen security measures.

With the chief of staff absent, the Blue Army battalion lacking a deputy battalion commander, and the political instructor unable to conduct inspections due to his physical condition, the situation was dire.

Chen Mo was busy until nearly 10 p.m., when the lights were about to go out, before he finally returned to his dormitory wrapped in his military overcoat and tucked into his hat.

"Hello, battalion commander!"

Before we even reached the dormitory entrance, Wang Luyi, also wrapped in a thick coat, stood at the corner of the stairs and called out in a crisp voice.

Chen Mo was startled when he heard the voice.

"Why are you here?"

"The lights are about to go out, don't you know?"

"I asked the captain for leave," Wang Lu replied quietly.

It was only then that Chen Mo noticed Liu Min, the leader of the medical team, standing around the corner.

Wang Luyi was a new comrade and didn't know the battalion commander's temper, but Liu Min knew him well. This guy would make people stand as punishment for no reason, and even make them sing the national anthem.

Few officers in the entire battalion could withstand such punishment. Seeing the battalion commander's pale face, Liu Min hurriedly took out a cell phone from her pocket and said, "Battalion commander, this is not our fault."

"Comrade Wang Lu dropped his phone in a snowdrift during marching drills today. It's his father's birthday today, and his phone isn't working, so he wanted to call you."

"We don't know how to contact Commander Wang."

When Chen Mo's gaze fell on Liu Min's phone, he suddenly realized why that old man had been so quiet lately.

So that's why he spent a fortune on a cell phone for his daughter.

It turns out all my recent precautions have been pointless; they can know my every move just by looking at my daughter.

"How could this kind of phone break if it fell into a snowdrift? It must have been left there for too long, right?"

Chen Mo reached out and took the phone from Liu Min's hand, flipping it over to look at it; it was a Nokia 6150.

This thing isn't cheap.

It would cost seven or eight thousand. Even with Major Chen Mo's salary and various benefits, he could only afford one in a year.

"Yes, it took me ages to find it after it fell."

Wang Luyi lowered his head and said, "This was bought for me by my dad. It's my dad's birthday today, and I wanted to call him."

"Battalion Commander, you're busy all day and on patrol at night, so this is the only time we can come," Liu Min quickly added.

This old man even had a birthday celebration.

Chen Mo thought to himself, but looking at Wang Luyi's appearance, he realized that Wang Luyi was an old friend after all, and not just a new recruit.

Moreover, even if it were any other new recruit, he wouldn't be able to refuse such a request.

"Come on, come to my office."

"However, I heard that Commander Wang is studying at the National Defense University in Kyoto. I may not be able to contact him, but I'll give it a try."

"Okay, thank you, Battalion Commander." Wang Lu nodded slightly, her eyes a little red and swollen.

Chen Mo guessed that it was probably not only because of the phone call, but also because such an expensive phone had been damaged.

After all, Wang Luyi doesn't yet have the ability to earn money independently, and the price of a mobile phone is something that only a small percentage of families across the country can afford.

As Chen Mo turned to go downstairs, he shook his phone and said, "Don't worry about this, just leave it with me."

"As long as the snow water inside can be dried, there shouldn't be a big problem, and you can continue to use it."

"In such cold weather, there probably wasn't much water getting in; it's most likely caused by the low temperature."

"Thank you, Battalion Commander."

Upon hearing that his phone was still working, Wang Lu's spirits noticeably lifted, and even his eyes brightened a bit.

"You're welcome."

Chen Mo shook his head.

The three arrived at the administration building office, just as the lights-out whistle sounded outside.

Chen Mo didn't have Wang Songhe's contact information. The last time he called, the call was forwarded, and it had been almost a month since then.

However, he remembered that Old Sun had said that Wang Songhe had called the 63rd Army's headquarters, staff department, political department, and logistics department.

We should be able to get in touch with the military region.

Chen Mo thought for a moment, then called the 63rd Army and was transferred to the office of the officer on duty.

Throughout the questioning.

Liu Min was curled up on the sofa in the distance. She would stay as far away from Xiucai as possible and would definitely take a detour if she could avoid provoking him.

The battalion commander's attitude towards soldiers and officers is completely different.

Wang Luyi stood beside Chen Mo, waiting expectantly.

She watched as the battalion commander warmed his phone in his hand, then looked at Chen Mo, who was still smiling and calling out to his superiors, asking about the dormitory area and transfer number of Division Commander Wang at the National Defense University.

A faint sense of dependence and warmth began to grow in Wang Luyi's heart, though she herself was unaware of it.

Come to think of it.

Given her family background and being an only child, she probably hadn't experienced much hardship growing up. Suddenly joining the army and being assigned to the frontier, where the environment is harsh and cold, doesn't mean she didn't suffer.

Chen Mo was the person Wang Luyi knew best in the camp, and the first person she met. In addition, Wang Songhe would call her from time to time, reminding her to stay away from Chen Mo.

This kind of education is completely unsuitable for a girl.

Not only will it fail to serve as a warning, it will also fill Wang Luyi's life with Chen Mo's shadow.

Now I see that the other party is going to great lengths to help me.

His father's words of advice became a catalyst, and Wang Luyi's bright eyes kept watching Chen Mo's busy profile.

Liu Min noticed this scene, but simply turned her head away, pretending not to see it.

Chen Mo didn't notice either.

He wrote down the dormitory buildings and transfer numbers he found out in his notebook.

Then dialed the number and held the microphone to his ear.

Beep—beep—beep
The phone rang four or five times before a rustling sound came through the receiver.

"Hello? Who is this?" Wang Songhe's tired voice came through, sounding more like the exhaustion from staying up all night than from sleeping.

Hearing that something was wrong, Chen Mo immediately perked up: "Commander Wang, it's me, Chen Mo."

"what's up?"

Wang Songhe was clearly taken aback; he really hadn't expected this kid to have anything to ask him.

"It's nothing serious. Happy birthday, sir. Wang Luyi is with me. Let her answer the phone."

After Chen Mo finished speaking, he sprang up as if springs had sprung from his buttocks and handed the microphone to Wang Luyi.

Under her dazed gaze, Chen Mo left the office as quickly as possible.

Liu Min also knew the story of the battalion commander and Division Commander Wang, so she didn't dare to linger and ran out with the battalion commander.

"You son of a bitch surnamed Chen, dare you say that again? I'll go and shoot you right now!!!"

Wang Songhe roared angrily into the microphone. His voice sounded not tired at all; on the contrary, it was full of energy.

This startled Wang Luyi, who was holding the receiver.

"dad!"

"Eh."

His voice suddenly softened, and he instantly transformed from his previous furious demeanor into that of a loving father.

The sound was so quiet that even when Chen Mo pressed his ear against the door, he couldn't hear a thing.

"You wait here. After you finish the call, turn off the office lights and take her back to the dorm."

Chen Mo looked at Liu Min and gave instructions.

"Yes, battalion commander."

Anyway, he's made contact with the person, and he doesn't care whether the old bastard is angry or not. You can't expect the magistrate to set fires while the common people are forbidden to light lamps.

Come downstairs.

I ran into Man Xuexi, who was on patrol duty tonight, driving back from outside.

Old Man looked up and saw the battalion commander. He took off his gloves and breathed on his palms to warm them, saying, "This place is really cold and vast. We were on patrol just now when the wind picked up and blew snow everywhere. We almost got lost."

"Battalion Commander, why aren't you asleep yet?"

Chen Mo glanced at Lao Man, who was probably also affected by Wang Luyi's mood. He just smiled and said, "It's okay, you'll get used to it eventually."

Have you ever heard the saying?

"After years away, foreign lands become my homeland; after a long time, foreign lands become my hometown."

"What do you mean, Battalion Commander?" Man Xuexi was stunned.

Chen Mo waved his hand, not wanting to say anything more to this chatterbox.

He turned and walked towards the dormitory building.

What else could it mean? One day, Lao Man will become so familiar with this vast grassland that he knows it better than anyone else.

From then on, that foreign land became my hometown.

(End of this chapter)