Military career: Starting with a recruitment letter

Chapter 333 New Recruits Gather as Comrades, This Cotton-padded Coat Is Letting the Wind In.

Return to the dormitory.

Chen Mo took off his military overcoat and shook off the snow. He had served in the army for more than ten years in total, spanning two lifetimes.

But if we really have to compare, the winter of 1999 was arguably the toughest year for the troops stationed in this remote border region.

Thankfully, I brought up the idea of ​​building barracks when I went to Kyoto.

Otherwise, stationing troops on this vast grassland with no mountains or shelter would only make the harsh winter months even more unbearable.

Outside, once night falls, howling winds blow all night long, accompanied by blizzards, with temperatures dropping to minus thirty or forty degrees Celsius—something you'd never experience in the inland military regions.

He took Wang Luyi's phone out of his pocket, found a clean summer outfit, wrapped the phone up, and stuffed it into the gap between the heating pipe and the wall.

Try drying it overnight to see if it can be turned on.

In Chen Mo's memory, Nokia products weren't that fragile.

It's either malfunctioning due to low temperature or there's no power.

It won't break that easily.

If it still can't be turned on by tomorrow, we can just hand it over to Liu Tang and those other professors from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. With their abilities, dealing with a phone shouldn't be a big problem for them.

. . . . . . . .

The next morning, before the reveille was blown.

Chen Mo got up early, checked his phone, and found that it was working properly.

He handed it to Wang Jianyong and told him to leave it at the duty post in the administration building and give it to Liu Min when he saw her.

He himself dressed neatly, led a team of veterans from the reconnaissance company and the guard battalion, and carried weapons such as Type 85 assault rifles, squad machine guns, and individual rocket launchers, loaded with live ammunition, to patrol the border area more than 100 kilometers away.

Every year during the period when heavy snow closes the roads, it is the most unstable time for the border, especially since this place is not far from Kyoto, and defense cannot be relaxed.

Chen Mo led his troops out not to inspect the fighting, but mainly to check the situation of the more than eighty sentries on duty at night.

Those who haven't served on duty at the Zhuri River won't understand.

This place is not just grassland; there is a Genghis Khan border wall just tens of kilometers away from the camp.

Near the border wall is the Chaganbao mountainous terrain, to the north and south of which lie the Duxin Grassland and the Wudeng Grassland.

In such a large area, each sentry post has only one soldier on night duty.

The long night was filled with howling winds on the grassland, making it impossible to see anything. The faint light from the flashlight was completely ineffective, as if it were nothing at all.

The howling winds at night, along with the roars of unknown animals, amplify the fear of soldiers on duty.

Before dawn, Chen Mo led a team to each duty post to replace the soldiers on duty one by one; it had almost become a habit.

After all, veterans are human too.

Arriving suddenly in the border region, none of them had any experience.

As the backbone of the entire armored regiment, the battalion commander had to step forward and be at the forefront.

Reassure all the veterans on duty.

During the darkest period before dawn, if you could hear the roar of convoys of tanks or see the familiar faces of your comrades, that would be a wonderful thing.

This sense of redemption for soldiers who have stayed up all night on duty is something outsiders cannot understand.

Chen Mo sat inside the Type 92 armored vehicle, holding a compass in his hand. He looked at the direction of the terminal command system and the sentry post location while also looking at the old-fashioned compass.

The new equipment is indeed useful, but in such extreme weather, it may become ineffective at any time due to weather malfunctions or other unforeseen circumstances.

Therefore, alternating verification is the safest approach.

Soon, the convoy arrived near the first guard post. The top compartments of several armored vehicles opened, and several veterans wearing night vision goggles used flashlights to signal the sentry post.

When the convoy arrived at the sentry post, the soldiers on duty stood upright like javelins, raised their hands in salute, and silently handed over their posts to their new comrades.

Whenever this time.

Chen Mo would always get off at the rear door, watch the shift change complete, exchange salutes with the new soldiers on duty, and then leave by car.

No language communication is required.

There's no need to constantly remind us of our mission.

Everything was done without being said.

After replacing all the sentry posts, we went to the border area to replace the soldiers patrolling the guard battalion, and then began our return journey.

Neither the guard battalion nor the reconnaissance company in the Blue Army battalion had any real combat experience.

Therefore, each team will have someone from the previous Arrow Squad who will act as a guide.

Chief of Staff Xu made a special arrangement to have one member of the special forces team join the armored regiment, and there was a reason for that.

Today, the first batch of cadres who cooperated with the border defense regiment also need to be replaced, namely Xu Dong and Zhang Chuan.

Seeing the two men looking weathered and worn, they crawled into the armored vehicle and rubbed their hands together to warm them up.

Chen Mo smiled and ordered someone to open the machine gun cover on the top of the armored vehicle, offering a cigarette to each of the soldiers sitting in the cabin.

He then looked at Zhang Chuan and Xu Dong and asked, "How have things been these past few days? Have you been cooperating with the border guards on patrols? Have you noticed anything unusual?"

"Harmful"

"What could be unusual? Just a few petty thieves who were doing shady business crossed the border at night and were caught by us and handed over to the border guards. Nothing else."

Zhang Chuan grinned.

Compared to the training and combat frequency he had in the Arrow Special Forces Battalion, being transferred to the Armored Regiment was a real blessing.

"And you, Lao Xu?" Chen Mo turned to look at Xu Dong again.

"I'm fine, I'm doing well."

Xu Dong shook his head slightly, still adhering to the principle of speaking as little as possible if he could avoid it.

When Chen Mo first thought that the headquarters would send people from the Security Bureau to the Ironclad Regiment, he assumed that the regiment would transfer the people back after it had established itself in the border region.

After all, nothing much happens in the military camp.

Besides, it's not easy for the Security Bureau to train elites, and such people won't be wasted in grassroots field units.

When Chen Mo first asked the four of them to help train the guard brigade, it was only to help out; he didn't intend for them to actually join.

Be prepared to transfer four people from headquarters at any time.

Who knew that during this time, there was no movement from headquarters, while Xu Dong and his three companions really got hooked on being part of the guard brigade.

Even though they weren't on duty, they still chose to follow the guard team, patrolling with submachine guns and not even showing their pistols, which they usually carried with them.

They were even more enthusiastic than Zhang Chuan, the brigade leader.

Seeing that the two of them were more fond of cigarettes than their wives, their mouths practically as thick as chimneys, Chen Mo didn't ask any more questions, guessing that smoking was not allowed during border patrols.

He threw the rest of his bag over there.

Then, sitting in the car, I looked out at the gradually brightening sky through the machine gun port.

When we returned to camp, it was almost 9 a.m.

Training has already begun in other companies within the camp.

The daily life of the troops stationed at Zhurihe is quite monotonous, not to mention the duties of the reconnaissance company and the guard battalion.

In other companies, the first thing they do after morning exercises every day is not to tidy up their quarters, but to take advantage of their warm-up time to grab shovels and brooms and clear the snow from the camp and surrounding areas, and then use transport vehicles to haul the snow away to dump it.

To make room for daytime training.

The new recruits continued their training as usual. Now, a month has passed since Wang Luyi and his group joined the armored regiment.

Basic queues and housekeeping are barely up to standard.

These dozen or so technical troops at least have a bit of a military feel to them.

But just then, another batch of new recruits arrived.

December 27th, around 12 PM.

Chen Mo was standing around the vehicle and artillery range with his hands behind his back, checking the equipment sign-in sheet.

Wang Jianyong and Man Xuexi rushed over in their car in a hurry.

"battalion commander!!"

Wang Jianyong was the first to get out of the driver's seat, his face beaming with smiles. "Battalion Commander, the Company Commander and Lao Pao are back. They just called and said the military train will be in town in another half hour."

“Our regiment has new recruits too. Should we go pick them up, or should we have the logistics department send a convoy over?”

"catch!"

"We have to accept it!" Chen Mo smiled; this might be the only good news he'd heard recently.

New recruits represent fresh blood, and their arrival in the regiment can motivate many veterans.

Seeing Lao Man sneaking around peeking from behind, Chen Mo couldn't help but laugh and curse, "You son of a bitch, what are you looking at?"

"You're the company commander of the recruit training camp. I'm entrusting this batch of new recruits to your training. If you can't train them to a high standard, you can pack your bags and go back to your supply platoon."

"Yes!"

Upon hearing that he had to return to the logistics department, Man Xuexi immediately stood at attention and said, "Don't worry, Battalion Commander, there won't be any problems if you leave it to me."

"I mainly want to ask, with so many new recruits coming this time, aren't three platoon leaders enough?"

"At least twenty veterans need to be transferred to serve as squad leaders and deputy squad leaders. Battalion commander, which company should I ask for these people from?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Mo raised his hand and patted his forehead.

Careless.

The main problem is that he has no experience in leading new recruits, and the camp has been very busy lately with various tasks running non-stop.

The instructor was also a jack-of-all-trades, and the only experienced one, Cheng Dong, had gone to recruit new soldiers, so Chen Mo had completely forgotten the basic structure of the recruit training camp.

The company commanders of the artillery and anti-aircraft companies did mention it, but Chen Mo remembered it at the time and then forgot about it.

"In that case, you don't need to go to take on the new task. Go find Company Commander Zheng of the artillery company. You can choose any experienced veteran from any of the other companies, except for the guard battalion and the reconnaissance company."

"Training is suspended for now."

"The camp is making preparations to welcome new recruits."

"Prepare all the old banners and ribbons, and inform the cafeteria that tonight's meal will be New Year's noodles."

"Yes!"

Man Xuexi agreed and turned to leave.

The officers and soldiers of the armored regiment formed two extremes: the soldiers were mostly veterans, almost all of them non-commissioned officers.

The cadre group is too young and most of them lack experience. The overall atmosphere is good. The young cadres know to learn from the veterans. In addition, there are veteran cadres like Cheng Dong, as well as the artillery company and the air defense company to keep them in line.

With Chen Mo providing guidance, there were no major problems within the group.

However, when faced with urgent matters or things that require advance preparation, various omissions are inevitable.

This is the last example.

After Lao Man ran far away, Chen Mo finished checking all the remaining sign-in sheets and sat in the back row, saying, "Let's go, let's go to the logistics department to connect with Zhu Gaitui and Feng Junling."

"Got it!"

Wang Jianyong responded and stepped on the gas, the jeep roaring loudly.

They headed towards the logistics company's base.

. . . . . . . . . . .

the other side.

The newly arrived military train, led by Cheng Dong and accompanied by veterans, slowly came to a stop in Zhurihe Town at 3:30 p.m.

A year later, Li Zhiang and Yang Dali, who had put on their military uniforms again and rejoined the army, had tears welling up in their eyes as they arrived at their place of enlistment.

Looking at the vast grassland covered in snow, I was so excited that my hands were trembling slightly.

No one knew that Li Zhiang, a prospective private, had worked hard in the recruit training camp for three months and whose overall performance was at least in the top ten of the entire company, if not the top three.

The despair of being suddenly notified of being laid off when you've just joined the company and are ready to make your mark as a qualified reconnaissance soldier.

During the two months after he took off his uniform, he missed his life in the military every moment while he was in his hometown.

They were a group of energetic soldiers, growing from greenhorns to mature adults. In this place, they didn't have to think about anything else; grades were the only thing that mattered.

Tired! But very fulfilling.

After the disarmament.

He went home and rested for a few months before going to a restaurant in Gaocheng to find a job killing fish and serving dishes. He thought he would never have the chance to wear a military uniform again in his life.

Unexpectedly, officers from the Armed Forces Department came to their home to inform them that if they were still willing to join the army, they could prepare to register.

Li Zhiang could hardly believe his ears at the time, and he even went to the Armed Forces Department to inquire, only to find out that it was his old unit that was holding the meeting.

Li Zhiang was almost overjoyed.

He practices running in the village every day.

After registering, undergoing physical examinations, and completing all the procedures, when it came time to receive the recruits, he discovered that it was Zhou Yongjie, the squad leader of the eighth squad during last year's recruit training, who was the one the veteran recruited.

I learned from the old squad leader that last year's deputy squad leader is no longer an excellent reconnaissance soldier, but the battalion commander of the Blue Army battalion.

He was even higher in rank than the reconnaissance company commander.

Li Zhiang remained stunned for a long time, unable to react.

He was both looking forward to meeting the deputy squad leader and wondering if the old squad leader was just fooling him.

After all, even if he didn't know much about the ranks in the military, he knew what level a battalion commander was.

All the way, Li Zhiang was anxiously waiting to see the squad leader again.

Unfortunately, the military train the new recruits were on had too low a priority. The journey from Hebei Province to northern Shanxi for their assembly took two full days.

It requires constant yielding to other trains along the way.

When they arrived in northern Shanxi, Lao Pao brought Yang Dali over again; the two of them had both been demobilized from the army.

Meeting again after almost a year was naturally incredibly heartwarming.

Soldiers from Hebei and Anhui provinces joined forces in northern Shanxi and traveled by military train to Zhurihe.

They traveled for another three days.

Finally arrived.

"Attention everyone!!"

"Please take your luggage and line up to get off the bus. I'll repeat myself: when you get off, follow the line. Don't fall behind, and don't wander around." "Line up, take your luggage, and get off the bus."

There were veterans around, constantly shouting reminders.

Li Zhiang and Yang Dali, carrying their bags, obediently followed the group off the train.

When one hundred new recruits walked through the long corridor and arrived at the train station hall to assemble.

Chen Mo has arrived.

His gaze swept over the new recruits entering the station, until he saw two familiar figures appear.

Chen Mo also let out a long sigh of relief.

Actually, when the reconnaissance company was downsized, his comrades from the recruit training camp were going to be laid off, and he was reluctant to let them go.

What's the use of being reluctant to part with it?

At that time, he was just a private who had just joined the company. The overwhelming trend that even the brigade commander could not stop was not something that a greenhorn like him could decide.

If it weren't for the fact that the commander casually mentioned recruiting new soldiers during the last trip to Kyoto, this would have been a piece of cake for the military.

In the era before the re-enlistment policy, this essentially cut off the two of them's path to re-enlistment.

Now, I can finally put my mind at ease.

"Zhi'ang, Dali!!"

“Here here!!!”

Chen Mo, being a battalion commander, was able to maintain his image to some extent and wasn't in a hurry to greet them.

But Zhu Gaituan and Feng Junling behind them couldn't wait any longer and waved and shouted impatiently.

Hearing the commotion, Cheng Dong waved to the two people in line, indicating that they could leave the line temporarily.

Li Zhiang then grabbed Yang Dali and jogged to one side of the train station entrance.

"Deputy squad leader."

The two men placed their bags on the ground, snapped to attention, and saluted.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

The former recruits of the Eighth Platoon of Tao Village's recruit training company have finally reunited.

Although at the beginning, Li Zhiang's aloof personality led to him tattling and causing some unpleasantness, he has since integrated into the group.

All the unpleasantness has long since vanished.

My comrades from my recruit days.

Chen Mo grinned and returned the greeting, then opened his arms and hugged the two of them: "Brothers, welcome back."

"Thank you, squad leader. The company commander has already told us that it was because you applied to the commander that Lao Yang and I were able to re-enlist."

Li Zhiang wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes and smiled with extraordinary joy.

Yang Dali patted his chest and assured him, "Don't worry, squad leader, Lao Li and I won't let you down."

“I’ve been to construction sites and done loading and unloading this year. I’m no longer the greenhorn I used to be. In this year’s recruit training, we must both be outstanding recruits and bring honor to you, squad leader.”

"Our regiment is the armored regiment, the Blue Army battalion, right? When we're assigned to our units, the two of us will be the strongest veterans."

“Okay, it’s a deal.” Chen Mo nodded with a smile.

Ignoring their boastful words, as long as the person is back, everything else is negotiable.

Moreover, these two are not lazy in their training and are generally quite good.

But Chen Mo didn't care. As the battalion commander, he certainly wouldn't make the honors of outstanding recruits or the strongest veterans his goal anymore.

But that doesn't mean the people around don't care.

Zhu Gaituan stared blankly at his two comrades, his lips trembling slightly.

Be nice!

There's nothing wrong with a new recruit shouting "become an outstanding recruit" in an armored regiment; the veterans won't care.

But if you say you want to become the strongest veteran, where does that leave the entire regiment of seven or eight hundred veteran sergeants?
That was a collection of veterans drawn from several military regions, and even across different military regions. So far, in the entire regiment, no company has ever heard of any veteran being particularly fierce or a beast.

There were just too many livestock, so they were barely noticeable.

It doesn't reach the level of scarcity driving up value.

The entire team, fully equipped, ran a 5-kilometer cross-country race. Very few people could finish in more than 23 minutes; most finished in under 23 minutes.

In a place like this, you talk about being the strongest?
Even a fifth-level sergeant like Lao Pao, or a third-level sergeant like Liu Hai, wouldn't say such things anymore.

The military is certainly not lacking in strong soldiers.

It was fortunate that the battalion commander was standing there. The veterans in charge of receiving the soldiers had heard Yang Dali's words, but they only glanced at him and didn't make a move.

Otherwise, Yang Dali might end up squatting on a stool, crying and admitting that he's a scholar and not good at training.

In the late 1990s, before the military reforms, don't expect your old sergeant to be kind to you for a couple of days before turning on you.

nonexistent.

They can turn on each other immediately after being assigned to different classes.

After chatting for a while, Li Zhiang realized his true identity. He was no longer a private first class, but a new recruit who didn't even have the rank of private.

We cannot make exceptions.

Pulling Yang Dali, who was bragging, they said goodbye to Chen Mo and returned to the ranks under the piercing gazes of the surrounding veterans.

"It's over!!"

Feng Junling pouted and looked at Chen Mo: "Squad leader, it seems that Lao Li and Lao Yang will be targeted when they enter the recruit training camp."

"It's alright. They're enlisting for the second time, so they have a foundation in all aspects. They can handle stricter management."

Chen Mo grinned.

It's not that he didn't want to help, but that's just the kind of atmosphere that exists in places like the military.

To survive, you need real strength.

If he specifically asked the veteran to take care of them, the veteran would certainly give him face, but the two of them would be isolated, which was not the outcome he wanted.

Yang Dali and Li Zhiang are both quite capable, and they also had a solid foundation in basic drills, physical fitness, shooting, and parallel bars after several months of basic training last year.

It's only a matter of time before you stand out among the new recruits, so it's only natural that you'll be under a lot of pressure.

I stayed at Zhurihe Station for a while, watching this batch of new recruits line up to board the troop transport vehicles. They were all shivering from the cold, having just arrived on the grassland.

Chen Mo didn't remind him either.

Knowing this was a show of force from the veterans, the logistics department had already prepared thick military uniforms suitable for the local climate. The soldiers were all young men in their teens, full of energy, and wouldn't be bothered by the cold for an hour or two.

After returning to the camp.

The veterans in the regiment acted as if it were Chinese New Year, spontaneously forming a long line outside the barracks, laughing and clapping to welcome the new comrades.

Manxue was even more out of sorts; in such cold weather, he didn't even wear his military overcoat, and instead organized meetings for new recruits in his full civilian clothes.

Chen Mo wandered around for a while and then stopped paying attention to the recruit training.

. . . . . . . .

Time flies!

The armored regiment gradually adapted to the Zhuri River, and soon it was mid-January 2000.

During this period, there has been little change on the grasslands, except that the frequency of snowfall has decreased significantly.

After nearly a month of training, Li Zhiang and Yang Dali did not disappoint, displaying the same flair that Chen Mo had during his time as a recruit.

He dares to challenge veterans at the drop of a hat. Although he is far behind in terms of physical strength and endurance, he is at least full of energy and spirit.

Wang Luyi and his group of new recruits had been training for two months. They belonged to a special type of technical soldier and did not train with the recruit company.

After going through the basic drills, housekeeping, physical training week, and shooting, they were assigned to different companies for practical training based on the knowledge they had learned.

Waiting for the New Year to be awarded ranks along with the new recruits.

In late January, Chen Mo received news that Wang Songhe's training program for the "Critical Star Class" had ended and that he had participated in a promotion ceremony in Kyoto.

This guy really made Chen Mo quite nervous.

Every day, when there was nothing else to do, the reconnaissance company would fly the Silver Sword aircraft in groups, under the guise of experiments, to hover and monitor for long periods of time around the towns and roads surrounding the Zhuri River.

In preparation for being able to escape and go on patrol at any time.

But we don't know if Old Wang has become arrogant after his promotion.

Whether it was a sudden, heartfelt affirmation of his own character or not, Chen Mo remained on guard for five or six days, but no one came.

Not even a single phone call.

On the afternoon of January 28, 2000, during lunch break.

Chen Mo was standing in his office, staring at the map of the Zhuri River, planning the New Year's war preparedness execution plan.

Tomorrow is the Little New Year, and the annual military exercises of the mainland military regions have been underway for half a month.

They haven't received a single letter from them.

With spring approaching, the heavy snow in the Zhuri River has mostly melted, and it's not as cold as before.

The main force can now move out.

Just as Chen Mo was staring intently at the map, studying it, a crisp voice suddenly came from outside the office door.

"report!"

"Enter!"

Wang Lu pushed open the door, peeked inside at the battalion commander, and saw that the commander was looking at a map.

She strode in, stood at attention, and saluted: "Battalion Commander."

"Oh, Lu Yi, what's wrong?"

As Chen Mo marked the location with a marker, he took a moment to turn his head and glance at it.

"Battalion Commander, I'd like to report something to you." Wang Lu raised his hand to press down the brim of his hat, put his small hands behind his back, leaned forward, and said in a low voice.

"So mysterious?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Mo smiled, then put down his marker and pointed to the sofa: "Sit down. How have you been settling into your life with the medical team lately?"

"pretty good."

Wang Luyi moved to the sofa and sat down, looking at Chen Mo with her eyes and said, "Battalion Commander, my dad is coming."

"What the heck?" Chen Mo was taken aback.

"But he didn't come alone."

"What's wrong? You brought your mother along? Are you trying to persuade you to go home?" Chen Mo asked, somewhat puzzled.

Even if Lao Wang gets promoted, he shouldn't be this arrogant, right?

Being discharged midway through military service is no joke.

"What? Why is my mom here?"

Wang Lu shook his head, got up and ran to Chen Mo's side, sat down in front of him, took out his phone from his pocket and waved it in front of Chen Mo's eyes.

"Battalion Commander, my dad just called and said he's coming to see me. He told me to wait five or six days."

"Think about it, it's not far from Tianshui to here by a person, how could it take five or six days?"

"I reckon my dad will bring some people with him."

Looking closely at Wang Luyi's confident expression, Chen Mo suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.

Five or six days is too long for that old bastard to lie to his own daughter.

But this old guy has been back from Kyoto for several days now. Given his rank, surely it wouldn't take him this long to visit his family so close to the New Year?

In short, you can get here by helicopter, or by car it only takes a day.

Five or six days would be enough to bring the main force of the 61st Division over.

and many more!

Main force?!
Chen Mo turned his head to look at the map, and then thought about the recent annual military exercises. He had asked the military headquarters more than once whether there were any military exercises in Zhurihe.

Chief of Staff Xu Hong did respond, but no further information has been released.

Could it be that the 61st Division of Jincheng is coming?
The 61st Division of today is not the motorized infantry division it used to be. It now has an information technology demonstration battalion, a radar battalion, an electronic warfare brigade, and a drone brigade.

In a head-on confrontation, the Ironclad Regiment doesn't have much of an advantage.

After all, the disparity in troop strength was too great.

"Dayong!!" Chen Mo realized something was wrong and immediately called out towards the door.

"Hey, here we come."

Wang Jianyong ran to the office and was stunned to see the two of them sitting side by side on a sofa.

He was a little suspicious. Goodness, they're being so blatant?
Why not sit in one of these many places?
But Chen Mo had no time to care what he was thinking. He said with a very serious expression, "Go, notify all officers in the battalion to assemble in the conference room."

"New Year's combat readiness has been activated ahead of schedule. All companies are hereby notified to begin combat readiness."

"Yes!"

They waited until Wang Jianyong left.

Chen Mo turned to look at Wang Lu, who looked completely bewildered, and smiled, "It's alright. If your dad comes, I'll take good care of him. Don't worry."

"Go back to work first."

"Okay, then call me if you need anything."

Wang Lu got up and left; she certainly wouldn't delay things that needed to be done at the camp.

But she never imagined that this advance warning would cause such a devastating blow to the entire 61st Division.

To know.

The Ironclad Regiment is now fully familiar with the Zhuri River.

It's not like when I first arrived here three months ago.

If we prepare for war in advance, even if the 61st Division sends 20,000 men, they'll probably be in trouble.

(End of this chapter)