Military career: Starting with a recruitment letter

Chapter 362 Entrance Examination, This Time He Made a Huge Impression!

Having spent a long time in the border region, facing sandstorms and constant gunfire every day, Chen Mo's personality has indeed become a bit wilder than before.

Calling him a troublemaker is not entirely unreasonable.

Noticing someone coming out of the campus, Chen Mo patted his dirty military uniform and walked up to the lieutenant colonel.

The two saluted each other first, and then shook hands.

"Hello, my name is Chen Mo, and I'm here for the training program."

"I've heard so much about you, Commander Chen. My name is Zhou Kaiwei, and I'm the captain of the academy's security team."

The introduction is over.

Captain Zhou looked Chen, the renowned battalion commander from the Kyoto Military Region, up and down.

He chuckled and said, "Chen Ying, if you don't come to report for duty soon, the old dean will probably lose his temper and have us go to Zhurihe to 'invite' you over."

The word "please" was emphasized, showing that Zhou Kaiwei had a deep impression of Chen Mo.

"It doesn't have to be so troublesome, right?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Mo was taken aback.

Judging from Captain Zhou's words, this lateness was likely not only being criticized by the General Political Department.

Even the Army Command Academy harbored resentment, and Chief of Staff Xu's attempt to help them get leave didn't seem to be very effective.

In his mind, it was just a training program; even if he was late and couldn't keep up with his studies, it would only affect his final exams.

If you want to eliminate the potential risk of not being able to graduate.

Just work harder during your studies and try to graduate smoothly. It shouldn't affect others, and it certainly won't alarm the old dean.

"It's very troublesome and serious."

Seeing that Chen Mo truly didn't understand the arrangements for this training session, Captain Zhou sighed and waved to the gatekeeper, saying, "Move the roadblocks over there, and put the car that Battalion Commander Chen drove here in the parking lot as well."

After the explanation.

Zhou Kaiwei then invited Wang Jianyong, who was far away, to bring his luggage and get into his car so that he could arrange a dormitory first.

On the way to the dormitory.

Through Captain Zhou's explanation, Chen Mo finally understood that the so-called Zhongpei was different from the Zhongpei he knew.

The training of intermediate-level cadres was actually required as early as 1991, when the field army's mechanized units were deployed on a large scale.

But at that time, there were very few officers who graduated from military academies.

The vast majority of those who meet the requirements for training are basically volunteers who have become officers, and some are even volunteers who are doing the work of officers. Mechanized warfare is something that even the country is learning by doing.

The training content is extremely limited.

Therefore, at that time, the target group of the training program was mainly scientific and technological cadres, who were the backbone of future development. Their junior and intermediate professional titles were subject to particularly strict requirements.

While there are also cadres in the field army leading troops, the Army Academy under the jurisdiction of each military region does not devote much energy to them.

At best, it remains in a state of being better than nothing.

This situation persisted until 1999, when the evaluation and training of intermediate and senior professional titles for military science and technology cadres gradually became more standardized and institutionalized.

The implementation will be primarily handled by the military branches and institutions.

This would free up the relevant military academies' resources.

Only then did the training of field army officers be truly taken seriously.

The reason is easy to understand.

Since 1994, the policy of converting volunteer soldiers into officers has been abolished, and more and more military academy students have entered the grassroots level.

After six or seven years of accumulation, some officers who have undergone basic training have reached the stage of being able to receive intermediate training.

Therefore, this training program not only brings together cadres who have been formally trained in the last six or seven years, but also many younger and more promising volunteer cadres.

They all came together in this batch.

Almost all the qualified officers from the four armies of the Kyoto Military Region—the 27th, 38th, 63rd, and 65th—came.

Because there were so many people, nearly four hundred, and this was after careful selection, the result of being chosen by the General Political Department.

With so many people participating in the training program, where does the mainland command find the necessary teaching staff to support them?

Therefore, the cruelest rules followed.

Nearly four hundred students were assigned to a class called the "Battle Class," and an entrance exam was held before classes officially began.

The probability of passing the entrance exam for the combat training class is a paltry 30%.

As for the remaining 70%, I'm sorry, they're being eliminated.

The meaning is clear: excellent individual performance is not enough for this training program; candidates must eliminate twice as many competitors during the exam, defeating an average of two to three students from the same cohort, in order to gain admission.

The system of elimination based on performance is even more ruthless in the field command, and at the colonel level, this system will continue to be implemented throughout one's field career.

"Tragic" is an understatement.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it brutal.

To use the words of the former Dean Lu when he received this group of students at their first meeting as an example, it was this: What? In the entrance exam for the military region's campaign, even the students of the same batch could not defeat him.

Want to go even further in the future?
dream!

Want to eat shit?

A piece of trash who can't even talk about war on paper will be easily crushed by the enemy on the battlefield. Don't even dream of advancing any further; pack your bags and get out of here!

Under this premise.

All the cadres participating in the training program arrived, except for Chen Mo, who was late.

Few other trainees complained; after all, being late was fine, and it meant one less competitor, which was a good thing.

Initially, Dean Lu thought so too and actively prepared for the entrance examination.

The headquarters' instruction was simply to wait until everyone was present!

The Army Command is subordinate to the General Staff Department. From the General Staff Department's perspective, they certainly don't care whether an entrance exam is held ten days in advance or ten days in advance.

After all, the people at headquarters have an astonishing workload every day, managing the affairs of seven major military regions. They won't bother with such a small matter; they can just wait until everyone is present before taking the exam.

Headquarters may not care, but Commander Lu does.

Both the military and military academies have always valued efficiency, and assessments that should have started long ago have been repeatedly postponed.

The combat squad was packed with more than 300 people every day. Putting aside everything else, the food and drink of so many people alone consumed a lot of the Army Command's military funds.

Don't think that the old director is rich and doesn't care. With more than 300 people, at a standard of ten yuan per day, that's more than 30,000 yuan in expenses over ten days.

Why spend this military budget on supporting trainees who should be largely discharged and returned to their original units?
Of course, this is only one aspect.

on the other hand.

Those who can participate in the training program must be mid-level cadres who are quite famous in the military region. Staying in the academy is definitely not as efficient as staying in their own units.

Under these circumstances, the old dean endured it for another ten days.

Even Chen Mo had to admit that the old dean had a really bad temper. If it were someone like Sun Zhensheng or Yan Zhongyi, they would have sent the police brigade to arrest him from Zhurihe to Shicheng in three days at most.

While the Blue Army battalion's combat training is important, headquarters also wants to see results.

But for Lu Zhi, this result wasn't that important.

After learning about it, Chen Mo didn't ask any more questions along the way.

Police Captain Zhou drove the two to the dormitory area, greeted the dormitory manager, helped them get the dormitory key, and handed it directly to Chen Mo.

"Chen Ying, I won't take you up to the dormitory. You're late, so the bed and personal toiletries have already been prepared."

"Listen to the whistle early tomorrow morning and go downstairs. Someone will take you to have breakfast, and then you will gather at the War Studies Building for the entrance exam. I wish you all the best in advance."

"Your dorm room is 202, get some rest!"

"Thank you!"

Chen Mo took the keys and was about to go upstairs when Captain Zhou glanced at Wang Jianyong. Da Yong was quite perceptive and immediately picked up his luggage, saying with a smile, "Don't worry, Captain Zhou, I'll go back first thing tomorrow morning after I take our battalion commander to the assessment."

"Well, it's mainly because it's inconvenient for students to make special exceptions. Alternatively, you can wait until the assessment is over and the formal courses begin before going back."

Zhou Kaiwei nodded and said nothing more.

After watching the other person leave, Chen Mo strode into the dormitory building.

But when he passed by the dormitory supervisor, he made a point of stopping, turning around, standing at attention, and saluting!
Then he walked towards the stairs.

Seeing this, Wang Jianyong didn't hesitate. He put down his luggage, stood at attention, saluted, and then followed Chen Mo upstairs.

The dormitory environment is quite nice.

After all, they are all cadres trained by the Central Training Program, and their rank in the unit would not be low; at least they would be at the deputy battalion level.

The dormitory is a standard room, covering an area of ​​about 20 square meters, with a private bathroom and washroom, and is fully equipped with air conditioning and heating.

The environment is much better than that of the Ironclad Regiment.

The beds were bunk beds, and the college had already placed the bedding on the lower bunk in advance. Since both of them were grown men, there was nothing to be particular about.

Wang Jianyong climbed onto the top bunk and laid all of Chen Mo's original luggage on it. Then he busied himself taking things out of the bag one by one and organizing them according to the dormitory housekeeping standards.

Chen Mo was busy on the lower bunk when he heard the noise. He looked up and glanced at the room, saying, "No need to pack that. I guess this is temporary accommodation. We'll probably have to be reassigned to a different dormitory when we officially enroll."

"to make."

Upon hearing this, Da Yong stopped what he was doing, pulled over a stool from the side, lit a cigarette, and asked with a gossipy expression, "Hey, Battalion Commander, I've never been to a military academy either. Do we have to salute the old men who guard the dorms at the school?"

"That depends on how you interpret it."

Chen Mo smiled. He was also quite tired from the long journey. After quickly tidying up, he took off his coat and leaned against the headboard, saying, "Saluting is something you can do or not do."

"But have you ever thought about this? Shicheng Lu Zhi, this place used to be called the Staff College. There's also the Bethune Military Medical College next door, which is where Liu Min graduated from. The family quarters of the several colleges are basically interconnected."

“Military academies usually don’t hire elderly people from the community to work, but an academy is an academy after all. There are duty posts downstairs in the military dormitories, and the academy also has dormitory managers. So where do these elderly people come from?”

"No, it won't, right?"

Wang Jianyong's mind worked quickly. With a cigarette dangling from his mouth, his eyes widened like goose eggs: "You mean these dormitory managers are likely retired veterans from the Staff College or the Military Medical Academy?"

"Most likely." Chen Mo nodded: "After retirement, there's nothing to do anyway. The older generation's enthusiasm for work is something we young people can't understand."

"While I wouldn't say it's an absolute rule, most of the dormitory supervisors are retired senior officials."

"My goodness, this is truly eye-opening," Wang Jianyong sighed and shook his head.

After a while.

As if suddenly remembering something, he stood up, stubbed out his cigarette, and said, "Battalion Commander, you should get some rest. Judging from what Captain Zhou said earlier..."

"Tomorrow's entrance exam will definitely be another tough hurdle. Competing against more than 300 people, with 70% being eliminated, means that at most only about 100 people will remain. Are you confident?"

"Hard to say."

Chen Mo shook his head, not dwelling on the issue too much.

Currently, all information about Zhongpei comes from Zhou Kaiwei.

He was always busy with combat training and never heard anyone mention the entrance examination.

Asking about certainty right off the bat—who can be certain about something like that?
Without knowing the inside story, there's not even a chance for intensive review.

However, since hundreds of people were assigned to the combat squad, it was just like what he remembered, that Zhongpei had to learn about combat command.

While campaign coordination is complex, the data involved is essentially a vast sea of ​​problems, including units, firepower, deployment, logistics, inter-unit coordination modeling, and plans. Let's take a look at some theoretical discussions.

Although he was unaware of the details, he was not worried.

Having led the Blue Army battalion in so many battles, Chen Mo could easily learn information modeling just by watching. However, he was still unfamiliar with sand table simulations.

However, he used to follow his old leaders and had seen many post-war sand table reviews; those veteran cadres were the absolute authorities when it came to playing with sand tables.

I know a little bit about it.

It's just a mid-level training program, not advanced training or a qualifying class. Students at this level shouldn't accumulate too much challenging experience.

Just do it.

To ensure that there are no problems with the entrance examination, we may not be afraid, but we must ensure that we get enough rest.

After lying on the bedside for a while, Chen Mo got up to wash up, crawled into bed early, and forced himself to clear his mind, trying his best not to think about the Ironclad Regiment.

Close your eyes and rest.

. . . . . . . .

6:30 a.m. on March 21.

After washing up, the two stood by the window watching the uniformly dressed students with red badges assembling outside for morning exercises.

A loud whistle suddenly came from downstairs.

"Beep-beep beep!"

"2000 cohort of trainees, assemble downstairs!"

"Let's go, assemble." Chen Mo picked up his hat from the bedside table, grabbed his belt from the table, and strode out of the dormitory.

I arrived late last night and didn't have a chance to visit other dorm rooms. But now that the whistle has sounded, wow, all the dorm doors on the second floor have opened one after another.

A group of lieutenant colonels, and even a few colonels mixed in, joined the crowd coming down from the third and fourth floors and headed downstairs.

Chen Mo glanced around the crowd and noticed that among the people from Zhongpei, there were very few majors; the main force consisted of lieutenant colonels.

He could understand being a lieutenant colonel, but the fact that someone who had been promoted to colonel, a rank equivalent to a regimental commander, was still here was something he truly couldn't comprehend.

Does a colonel still need Zhongpei?

Isn't the whole point of the training program to get promoted to regimental commander?

Although there are still instances of low-ranking officers being given high-ranking positions in the military during this era, such as himself, or high-ranking officers being given low-ranking positions, the proportion is not very high.

He's already a regimental commander, what the hell is he doing?

As the trainees gradually gathered downstairs for the assessment, Chen Mo roughly counted them: there were about twelve or thirteen colonels, more than forty majors, and the rest were all lieutenant colonels.

A large military region, four military regions, with a population of two to three hundred thousand, selected more than three hundred people. If you calculate it this way, the proportion of trainees is not very high.

"Beep-beep!!"

The cadre who had blown the whistle earlier saw that almost everyone had assembled, so he blew the whistle again and said with a serious expression, "Alright, all comrades, quiet down."

"The entrance exam for the Zhongpei Campaign Class will be held this morning. Let's go have breakfast now to avoid the peak dining hours."

"Let me explain first: you are not allowed to move around during meals. You are all officers from your respective units, some are battalion commanders, some are deputy regimental commanders, so I won't repeat the rules."

"Those who fail to appear during the roll call period will be eliminated."

"Disrupting the discipline of the assessment site will result in elimination."

"Alright, everyone line up now and come with me to the cafeteria."

After Lu's officer finished speaking, he led his team on his own, leaving hundreds of people behind him to follow.

Normally, no matter how powerful you are in your own unit, whether you're a battalion commander or a regimental commander, once you come to the Army Command Academy, no one will pamper you here.

In fact.

Everyone, including Chen Mo, was very well-behaved and lined up quietly. Apart from the cadres who were already familiar with each other, they would exchange a few words in hushed tones, while the others followed silently with expressionless faces.

Anyone who manages to reach the mid-level training rank in a field unit will understand one thing.

Those in positions of authority are adept at acting against the grain and putting pressure on their subordinates.

What's reasonable is called training; what's unreasonable is called tempering.

When you come to someone else's territory, you're like a blade of grass being trampled in a storm, weak and powerless to resist.

Only among the "little grasses" can they vent and complain to each other.

One day, when these blades of grass grow up and become people who can hold an umbrella in the rain, they will surely remember the hatred of being "trampled" today and ruthlessly torment the next batch of seeds.

On the way to the cafeteria.

Wang Jianyong, a second-class sergeant, went unnoticed in the crowd, and Chen Mo simply followed the group forward.

A lieutenant colonel walking nearby suddenly spoke up: "That's strange. The entrance exam has been dragged on for so many days, why are we suddenly notified to take it today?"

"Who cares?" Another lieutenant colonel chuckled and took over the conversation, bowing to the surrounding crowd in a very old-fashioned manner, and said in a loud voice: "Comrades from all military regions, elder brothers, please hear me out."

"Entrance exams are a process where only a few will succeed, and most will likely miss this opportunity. But no matter what, we shouldn't let a learning opportunity ruin our relationship."

"If we're assigned to the same group for the assessment later, I'd appreciate it if you senior members could take care of me."

“Yes.” Another person chimed in: “It’s fate that we can gather together today and become classmates. I think we should cherish it. Putting everything else aside, who dares to say that in the next twenty years, not one of the 2000 batch will achieve a three-star or two-star rating? Think about it, when that day comes, will you remember this assessment and remember us classmates?”

"I think that when that day comes, most people will feel relieved and offer blessings. They will even think about how wonderful it was to recall the days when we were young and full of vigor. So please be lenient with me during the test later."

The assessment is approaching, and there are quite a few lively and interesting people among the trainees.

Chen Mo didn't respond to anyone's words, based on his experience watching TV dramas.

Before a major event, the more active a type of person is, the more likely they are to be eliminated.

Of course, this is just a joke.

But one thing is no joke: what does being admitted to Zhongpei mean?
Being eliminated means that when you return to your workplace, you'll have better resources or promotion opportunities, which certainly won't be reserved for those who have been eliminated first.

Instead, it is reserved for cadres who can graduate from the training program.

Having connections and backgrounds is rare; the vast majority have to rely on their own hard work and seizing opportunities.

If you have the ability but no opportunity, the probability of success is zero.

With the ability and the opportunity, the probability of success is fifty percent.

Since Zhongpei was able to come, it means he is quite capable. If he perseveres until graduation, it's an opportunity for him.

Therefore, before enrollment, everyone present wasn't particularly close, since it was all tied to their future.

Those who dare to perform impromptu in a crowd and shout for others to give way to them, it's safe to assume their true intention is not to actually expect others to give way to them.

It's not realistic.

Their main intention is to leave others with the impression that they are easy to bully. These kinds of troublemakers are often particularly ruthless during assessments.

Chen Mo didn't want to respond, but that didn't mean others wouldn't.

The lieutenant colonel had barely finished saying something about being young and promising when someone next to him chuckled and said, "Old Ma is right. I think you have the best chance of being promoted to two stars in the next twenty years."

"I admire no one but you, Old Ma. Let's put this out there: if Old Ma doesn't pass the entrance exam, I'd rather go three days without eating!!"

This is a case of praising someone to death.

Chen Mo shook his head slightly.

The high elimination rate has led everyone to have ulterior motives. If someone suddenly becomes certain that someone can pass with 100% certainty, that person will inevitably become the target during the assessment.

Chen Mo remained silent, thinking that this kind of petty scheming had nothing to do with him. He could just eat in peace, take the exam, and go to school.

But sometimes, even if you don't participate, someone will try to get you involved.

Knowing he was being flattered, Old Ma, feeling slighted, simply curled his lip and shouted, "Bullshit! Even if you didn't eat for ten days, I wouldn't be confident I could get into school."

"The scope of this training program is so broad, but if you ask me, the one I'm most confident about getting into is that battalion commander nicknamed 'Scholar' from the Zhurihe Grassland. I've heard that the assessment has been delayed because Scholar was late."

“I’ve heard about it too. Apparently, that scholar is quite ruthless. He led a battalion to defeat two divisions and a brigade. Our division headquarters had a meeting to discuss him in detail, saying that the fourth phase of mechanization reform will draw on the informationized battalion led by that scholar.”

"What's so ruthless about it? Do you know what kind of equipment the Blue Army battalion has? The entire battalion has a thousand people, half of them are officers and half are non-commissioned officers. They have everything: electronic warfare, radar, and even their drones are equipped with reconnaissance and strike capabilities. They are the darlings of the military region. Fighting them is pointless."

"Damn it, comparisons are really odious. His battalion isn't much smaller than our motorized infantry regiment. But did the scholar come?"

The people around them looked at each other.

They were practically on the hot seat, so Chen Mo could only pretend he hadn't heard anything, keeping a calm expression and following the group as if it had nothing to do with him.

He wasn't afraid of the assessment.

We're not afraid of war.

But that doesn't mean he's willing to be praised and thrust into the limelight.

As the saying goes, "In literature, there is no first place, but in martial arts, there is no second." Those who can come to Zhongpei are all elites. Even if some people admit that the Blue Army has many veterans, good equipment, and is good at fighting.

That means recognizing the entire battalion, not just the person leading the battalion, when it comes to the actual assessment.

They're determined to fight to the death.

What do you mean by not eating for three days? With the mentality of these cadres who consider it a loss if they don't pick up something when they go out, does that mean they can't eat noodles even if they don't eat rice?
Don't believe them!

After arriving at the cafeteria, Chen Mo didn't join the group. He and Da Yong got their food and sat in a corner to finish eating.

The assembled crowd entered the War Studies Building one after another.

The cadre leading the way brought them into the auditorium, but Wang Jianyong did not follow. After finishing his meal, he returned to his dormitory to wait for news.

The auditorium was decorated quite solemnly.

The layout is tiered, with a national flag hanging every ten meters on the surrounding walls, and the national emblem inlaid in the center of the front.

The overall atmosphere was serious and solemn.

Chen Mo chose a seat on the side and sat down, and the others followed suit.

Perhaps knowing that an assessment was about to take place, the people who had been gossiping on the road all shut their mouths and sat quietly.

About five or six minutes have passed.

A slender old man with graying temples strode into the auditorium.

Chen Mo had visited the Lu Zhi Institute in his previous life. He only glanced up and recognized the old man as Principal Li Yazhong.

He was just an acquaintance; whether in the past or later when he led the Blue Army Battalion, Chen Mo had never had any interaction with this old principal.

I thought it had nothing to do with him.

But when Li Yazhong entered, his face was tense, and his fierce eyes first swept over everyone in the hall.

Immediately, he raised his hand and slapped the podium with a "smack".

"Has Chen Mo arrived at the Blue Army camp in Zhurihe yet?"

"Come on, come up!"

"Let this old man see for himself, just how many eyes do you have? Why are you so hard to get an invitation?"

"Get on board!!!"

The entire room fell silent after the old principal's stern rebuke.

Chen Mo sighed inwardly. He had been hiding for so long, and now look what had happened.

So they've been saving it all up for one big showdown, damn it!
(End of this chapter)