Military career: Starting with a recruitment letter

Chapter 346 New Recruits Join Their Units, A Special Lantern Festival Gift
Time quickly came to February 17, 2000.

This day marked the first time the armored regiment conferred ranks upon its new recruits, around eight o'clock in the morning.

The new recruits were packing their luggage in the dormitory. A group of greenhorns called out to each other with tears in their eyes, putting on a reluctant posture.

Saying goodbye.

Anyway.

During the recruit training period, people from all over the country gathered together, coming from the inland areas to the frontier, growing step by step from local youths, and experiencing the rigors of training together.

Growing together.

It's normal to feel reluctant to part ways when you're suddenly notified that you'll be awarded ranks and assigned to different companies.

Moreover, having spent a long time in the Ironclad Regiment.

These new recruits have become exceptionally cunning. During this time, they have learned about military ranks and realized that there are too many veteran soldiers in the regiment.

Even cadres are as numerous as hairs on a cow; you can run into a group of them anywhere.

It's not a big deal if they don't go to the unit. Veteran soldiers basically don't come to the recruit training area. In the recruit platoon, usually eight or nine people are enough to take care of one veteran soldier.

But if you're assigned to a shift, then one person has to serve eight or nine people, and you have to salute everyone you see on the street.

Just think about what happened to the lower-ranking officers, how could they not shed tears!
The new recruits are saying goodbye, while the administration building is the other side.

Man Xuexi was finally relieved of his responsibility of training new recruits. The guy grinned from ear to ear, like an old loofah with its skin dried out and its flesh showing.

He was incredibly smug.

He stood in the open space with his hands on his hips, leading a group of squad leaders from the new recruit company, setting up the site for the commissioning ceremony.

"Old Zheng, the banner is crooked. Move it a little to the left. Hey! Right, keep it like this."

"Damn it, you there, what are you doing? It's crooked, move to the right a bit."

The entire open space in front of the administration building was filled with Lao Man's loud and boisterous voice.

Chen Mo and his instructor Fang Peijun were discussing the details of the spring ideological education campaign, the construction of the camp in the new year, and the arrival of family members with the troops.

The noise from downstairs makes it impossible for me to concentrate.

"Let's go down and take a look. Old Man never stops," Chen Mo said, rubbing his temples with a helpless expression as his head throbbed from the noise.

The administration building has only three floors.

His office was on the second floor, and Manxue's mouth was stretched wide like a gourd, with a megaphone practically sewn onto his mouth, making it hard not to be noisy.

“Training new recruits must be quite stressful, and it’s understandable that he’s been holding on for months. It’s only natural that he’s happy that it’s finally over,” Fang Peijun said with a smile.

When the two of them came downstairs.

The venue is basically set up.

One by one, the new comrades, dressed in their uniforms, carrying backpacks and bags, gathered in the open space under the leadership of their squad leader.

Chen Mo did not plan to participate in the commissioning ceremony for the new recruits. Cheng Dong was authorized to speak on behalf of the Blue Army Battalion to offer encouragement.

That's a good saying.

New recruits are assigned to their units, while veterans celebrate the New Year.

Throughout the entire conferment ceremony, the veterans who were not on training missions around them were like a pack of wolves, their eyes fixed on the group of new recruits who were about to be assigned.

He was practically drooling.

Chen Mo raised his hand and patted his forehead, unable to bear watching any longer. He shouldn't interfere too much in this kind of thing.

This is the prevailing atmosphere in military camps today.

Without a doubt, the new recruits going to their units will have a very tough time in the next six months.

Such a scene is conceivable.

No matter which company or platoon you were assigned to, once you pushed open the door, you'd find at least two or three first-class sergeants, one or two second-class sergeants, and two third-class sergeants in the entire dormitory.

This is still the most common phenomenon.

Just a little bit more luck.

If you were to push open the door and enter the platoon, you would first see five or six sergeants of the third rank, along with two or three officers of the rank of lieutenant, who would act as soldiers in the platoon.

This kind of class combination makes the feeling of new recruits going to their units and entering the class almost equivalent to suddenly falling from a devil's camp into a hellish class.

How can it possibly be easy?

When Chen Mo put himself in that position, he felt a chill run down his spine.

He strolled over to the curb, sat down, took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and watched as the company assigned new recruits.

Then I saw the veterans beaming with joy, as if they were embracing a precious treasure, leading the bewildered new recruits to their platoons to report for duty.

Until the allocation is completed.

Man Xuexi led Li Zhiang and Yang Dali to where Chen Mo was sitting.

"Battalion Commander, I have not failed you!"

“These two brothers have always performed very well during their basic training. I specifically kept them in the company without assigning them to a unit. Do you think it would be suitable for them to go somewhere?”

Man Xuexi chuckled, then sidled up to Chen Mo, swiped a cigarette from him, lit it, and puffed away.

Li Zhiang and Yang Dali, who enlisted in the same year as Chen Mo, have indeed performed very well after their second enlistment.

It has a style reminiscent of Chen Mo from back then.

During these past few months in the company, I've been brave and hardworking. After being tempered in society for a year, I've become more tactful and more able to endure hardship.

They understood better than other recruits how much a good performance in basic training would benefit them when they were assigned to their next unit.

After all, isn't the squad leader a perfect example?
Therefore, during the three months of training in the border region, the two of them never relaxed for a moment. They had long since shed their remaining local habits, and their hands were covered with dense, cracked sores from the cold, with their palms swollen to twice their normal size.

His cheeks looked as if they had been smeared with rouge, a reddish-purple hue, clearly indicating that he had suffered a lot.

But despite this.

Neither of them complained. Now, when they were brought before Chen Mo and looked at their former squad leader, they didn't grumble either.

Like two javelins, they were planted on the ground, heads held high and chests out.

Chen Mo saw his old comrades coming over, stood up, offered them both cigarettes, and said with a smile, "Okay, not bad."

"Don't be so reserved. Which company do you want to go to? I'll take you there."

Hear the words.

Li Zhiang and Yang Dali exchanged a glance.

Except for their dormitory areas, the companies in the armored regiment are basically all in the same area, and the regiment can see the training of the subordinate companies.

Now, if Chen Mo wanted to arrange things for them, it would indeed be a matter of just a word.

You can join any company you want; it's not difficult.

Li Zhiang hesitated for a moment, then scratched his head: "The squad leader, Lao Zhu and Lao Feng are both in the logistics company. I don't want to go to the logistics company. The training there isn't challenging."

“The reconnaissance company has now been transformed into a radar unit and a drone unit, which has reduced the difficulty of training. I want to go to the company that trains the most rigorously.”

Chen Mo, from the company with the most rigorous training, couldn't help but chuckle.

The armored regiment is now an information mechanized regiment, and its training focuses on coordinated combat capabilities. The requirements for individual soldiers are definitely not as high as those of the former Kuchi Reconnaissance Third Company.

After all, the focus has changed.

But this doesn't mean that the veterans in the reconnaissance company have lost their abilities.

If those veteran reconnaissance soldiers heard these words, they'd probably grimac and come over to give the two new recruits a memorable physical training session.

“You want to go to a company with tough training. There are two options: an mechanized infantry company and a guard battalion.”

Chen Mo truthfully stated, "The mechanized infantry mainly trains infantry squad coordination, while the guard battalion, apart from the military police squad, trains other squads and platoons in bayonet drills, individual combat skills, shooting, and individual physical fitness."

"Which one do you want to go to?"

“The Guard Battalion!” Li Zhiang responded without hesitation.

Chen Mo knew that he was a bit stubborn. After joining the reconnaissance company, he had always worked hard, trying to catch up with the veterans.

It's a pity that the order to reduce the number of troops was issued too suddenly. Just the day before, he was on the training field with his squad leader, working hard to hone his reconnaissance skills.

The next day, I received a notice to take off my military uniform and go home.

This obsession with competing with veterans, now that more than a year has passed, will likely only intensify if he enlists again.

Fortunately, Li Zhiang had only just enlisted and didn't need to worry about his future yet.

Just go.

Chen Mo nodded: "Okay, then you can go to the guard brigade. But I have to remind you, Captain Zhang of the guard brigade comes from the Xiangjian special forces."

"The squad members of the brigade are also excellent. They are all non-commissioned officers transferred from the 42nd Army of the Yangcheng Military Region, the military reconnaissance battalion, and the army's directly subordinate guard regiment. There are no new recruits or privates in the entire brigade. If you go there, you will probably suffer."

"Don't worry, squad leader. I didn't join the army to enjoy life. If I were afraid of pain and hardship, I wouldn't have joined the army."

Li Zhiang's voice was loud and clear, full of confidence.

He's the kind of pure warrior who has no distractions and only focuses on training.

It was only because Chen Mo knew too much about the military beforehand that he was able to maintain his advantage. If the recruit training period were extended to six months, it would be hard to say who would be stronger between them.

"Ah."

Chen Mo turned to look at Yang Dali.

Before he could even ask, Lao Yang grinned and said, "Squad leader, I don't want to go to the guard battalion. I want to follow Company Commander Man. I'll drive a tank or an artillery piece, it doesn't matter."

"Wherever the company commander goes, I'll go!"

When Man Xuexi heard that a new recruit was willing to follow him, his eyes immediately lit up.

Excitedly, he patted his bottom and stood up, saying with great joy, "Good lad, you have good taste. You can come with me to the engineering company. I've made a mistake recently and am now the deputy company commander in the engineering company."

"Don't worry, I won't treat you badly when you get to the engineering company. By the end of the year, as long as you perform well, we'll give you everything you need."

Old Man chuckled and put his arm around Yang Dali's shoulder, their affectionate gestures resembling those of twin brothers.

Yang Dali, however, was completely bewildered and stood frozen in place.

Damn it.

You've tried to flatter someone but ended up hurting them.

When he first entered the recruit training company, he heard Man Xuexi introduce himself as the deputy company commander of the tank company, but later before the new year, he went to the artillery company.

When the hell did I get reassigned to the engineering corps again?
During their basic training, they could occasionally see the engineering company busy at work. Under normal circumstances, this company would not have the opportunity to drive tanks or artillery.

Most of the time, they practiced building bridges, clearing mines, laying mines, digging trenches, constructing command posts, and setting up camouflage or false targets for training in the field.

Although the company had quite a few tanks, and they were all large enough, that wasn't what he was after. "Squad leader, it's me."

Yang Dali looked at Chen Mo with a pained expression and pleading eyes.

Honestly, he didn't want to go to the engineering corps.

Chen Mo acted as if he hadn't seen it, raised his hand and patted Lao Yang on the shoulder, laughing, "Good, you have high aspirations."

"Then you should go with Deputy Company Commander Man to report to the engineering company. It's springtime now, so take a look around the camp and see where the grass hasn't sprouted yet. Plant some more. The credit for building the camp rests on your shoulders."

Done.

Chen Mo bent down, picked up the bag that Li Zhiang had placed on the ground, and led him toward the area where the guard brigade was located.

He didn't even turn around to see Yang Dali's constipated expression.

They walked quite a distance.

Li Zhiang cautiously said, "Squad leader, actually, Lao Yang probably doesn't want to go to the engineering company."

"I know."

Chen Mo said with a smile, "But the armored regiment is such a large unit with many different types of soldiers, and each company has different responsibilities. We can't all expect them to drive tanks and artillery vehicles, can we?"

"What about the other companies?"

"Also, do you know why our battalion has a separate medical unit?"

"I don't know." Li Zhiang shook his head honestly.

“The medical unit is also part of a battalion. Without it, the Blue Army battalion is not a complete tactical unit, and the same goes for the engineer company.”

"Different responsibilities, but indispensable. The existence of the army is to prepare for war. Going to different companies to get used to it is not a bad thing."

“You should have taken the courses for professional non-commissioned officers. Our regiment will continue to follow this approach in the future. Not only will Lao Yang go to the engineer company, but once you are familiar with the guard battalion, you will also go to the engineer company one day.”

"Including other new comrades, the regiment wants to train multi-skilled non-commissioned officers. Do you understand what I mean?"

"Yes, got it."

Li Zhiang nodded.

Chen Mo said this to persuade Li Zhiang not to blindly pursue individual combat capabilities.

The armored regiment needs to improve and reform, and the easiest group to change are these new recruits. The regiment needs to be expanded, which will take at least another two years.

During this period, new recruits will definitely arrive at the regiment, and the new reforms will be taught by the veterans and learned by the new recruits.

When the new recruits learn the skills and start working.

Veterans are generally able to change their mindset and free up officers' energy so they can devote more time to command.

In Chen Mo's eyes, the armored regiment was a company commander who, no matter who was randomly selected from the entire regiment, was no less capable in command and adaptability than the old company commander of the artillery company.

Instead of all cadres being immersed in trivial matters all day long, which is the job of battalion-level officers, not regimental-level officers.

Of course.

It's not a bad thing for Yang Dali to go to the engineering company and learn from Man.

If I tie these two together, I won't have to worry about them anymore, and they shouldn't treat Lao Yang unfairly if he studies hard.

There are some long-term things that Chen Mo can see, but he can't say them out loud.

Otherwise, it would make him seem too opportunistic as a battalion commander.

We can only do it step by step.

The two arrived outside the camp, at the training area of ​​the guard battalion.

now.

Battalion Commander Zhang Chuan is organizing the battalion, excluding those on guard duty and patrols, to practice bayonet drills and shovel-gun combat.

The shouts ignited the atmosphere of the training session.

The entrenching tool and the Type 81 rifle with bayonets clashed together with a loud clang. Neither side held back, their eyes fixed solely on the enemy.

You either knock the enemy to the ground or you get taken down yourself.

The most formidable warriors of the Ironclad Regiment are almost all here: the men from the Arrow Regiment, the military reconnaissance battalion, the military's direct guard regiment, and Xu Dong and his few scoundrels.

The guard battalion's mission is to patrol and stand guard along the Zhuri River, and occasionally to cooperate with the border defense in carrying out missions.

Enemies may be encountered at any time.

Therefore, they basically don't play tricks here; they practice their skills in killing enemies.

Chen Mo paused and watched for a while, then turned his head and saw that Li Zhiang, facing the assassination drill and the confrontation with the shovel and spear, not only did not show any hesitation, but his eyes were shining.

It was like a lone wolf finding its pack.

Chen Mo gave up on trying to persuade him further and waved towards the distance: "Captain Zhang!"

"To!"

Upon hearing the shout, Zhang Chuan quickly turned around, raised his fists to his ribs, ran to Chen Mo, snapped to attention, and saluted!

"Chen Ying!"

"Ah."

Chen Mo returned the greeting, then gestured to Li Zhiang and said, "I'll assign a new recruit to your battalion. You can see which squad he'll be assigned to and take him under your wing for now."

"New recruit."

Zhang Chuan glanced at Li Zhiang's military rank, a hint of hesitation in his eyes.

The main reason was that the guard battalion simply didn't have the energy to spare anyone to train new recruits, even though he knew the new recruits in front of him had been performing well in the past few months.

The recruits in the basic training company were good, but if they were placed in the guard battalion, they wouldn't even be considered the worst.

"Chen Ying, this new recruit..." Zhang Chuan looked troubled, but before he could finish speaking, Li Zhiang took the initiative to salute and said in a clear voice, "Reporting to the captain, I guarantee I won't hold back the guard brigade after joining."

"If I ever complain of being tired or admit defeat, I'll pack my bags and leave. Please allow me to join!"

Well.
Having said all that, Zhang Chuan looked at Chen Mo and saw that Chen Ying nodded slightly, indicating no objection.

He stopped being pretentious.

He turned his head and shouted loudly, "First Platoon Leader!"

"To!"

"Take the new comrade to the dormitory, settle him in, and then give him a gun to join the bayonet drill in the second squad. I'm handing him over to you, but the second squad's performance can't fall behind. If it does, come and explain to me."

"Yes!"

Zhang Chuan was actually saying this to Chen Mo, meaning that even newcomers would be trained very rigorously and without mercy.

Treat veterans the same as everyone else.

Because he knew about Li Zhiang's relationship with the battalion commander, but after giving his instructions, he looked at Battalion Commander Chen without making any comment.

The new recruits simply saluted and left with their luggage, so Zhang Chuan didn't dwell on it.

He said hello and returned to the line to supervise the training.

Chen Mo stood at a distance and watched for a while, until Li Zhiang joined the assassination drill team and began to practice in a very professional manner.

Then he turned and left.

Yang Dali and Li Zhiang have now officially joined the Ironclad Regiment.

Even if I go to Zhongpei later, with Cheng Dong there, I don't think there will be any problems.

As for Wang Luyi and his specialized soldiers, they had already been assigned to various companies, so he didn't need to worry about them.

Chen Mo strolled to the entrance of the camp, put his hands on his hips, and was just about to light a cigarette when...

Speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao arrives without warning.

Liu Min, the leader of the medical team, led Wang Lu and another person and ran quickly from a distance.

"battalion commander!"

Liu Min, looking a bit dirty, stood at attention and greeted him.

Not only her, but Wang Luyi also had this kind of criticism.

However, this "dirtiness" wasn't about being dirty, but rather about having a lot of flour stuck to your face, hands, and body.

Chen Mo found this strange.

"You two went to the cafeteria to steal steamed buns again?"

"What do you mean you went to steal again? No, we didn't." Liu Min hurriedly pulled Wang Luyi over and shouted, "Battalion Commander, our medical team's young soldiers want to give you a gift."

"Take it out quickly," Liu Min urged.

"oh oh!"

Upon hearing the urging, Wang Lu took out a dark object from his small satchel.

It is about the size of an adult's palm.

I can't quite make out the exact shape, but it has a head, a tail, and two legs standing on it. Judging from the shape, it looks like a pasta dish.

"Battalion Commander, this is for you!"

Wang Lu, her face flushed, reached out and held the pastries.

Chen Mo stared wide-eyed, took it and looked at it, then asked hesitantly, "Is this thing shaped like Godzilla?"

"what!"

"This is a rooster, a Chinese rooster, one of the twelve zodiac animals in the traditional Lantern Festival in Tianshui."

Liu Min's eyes were filled with disdain: "What Godzilla? It's clearly a rooster."

"This is a glutinous rice ball that Comrade Wang Luyi specially made at the canteen. I'm giving it to you. It's Wang Luyi's birthday in a couple of days, so you can give him one too, Battalion Commander."

Liu Min, in a gossipy manner, urged him on.

Upon hearing this, Chen Mo was taken aback, as if a long-buried memory had suddenly awakened.

Yes, the Lantern Festival is Wang Luyi's birthday. He celebrated it for her a few times in his previous life.

He also knew the unique features of the Lantern Festival in Tianshui, which featured the twelve zodiac animals.

That's why I didn't recognize you earlier.

This rooster looks way too much like Godzilla! It doesn't have any of the characteristics of a rooster at all!

(End of this chapter)