In the name of supernatural powers

Chapter 38 Banquet
Lu Jinshan clearly didn't want to listen to Chen Hongtao's advice anymore, and set the tone by saying:
"Besides, Lu Zhao can't stay in the position of platoon leader for flood control forever. We need to train new people."

Chen Hongtao looked at Lü Jinshan, whose righteous and indignant demeanor was perfectly clear to him, but before he could utter a word—

"Lieutenant Chen, there's no need to say more. I've already made my decision."

Chen Hongtao was speechless. Although he and Lü Jinshan were at the same level, Lü Jinshan had powerful backers, and he could not fight against him alone.

He could only bow once before leaving the office.

Inside the stationmaster's office, only the tapping sound of Lü Jinshan's fingers on the table could be heard, his green bean eyes revealing shrewdness and calculation.

What he wanted was to remove Lu Zhao from the front lines and sever his connection with Zhang Like.

Yesterday they dared to collude with all the junior officers; tomorrow they'll dare to sideline me!
Unlike Lu Zhao, Zhang Like, as a company commander, was subject to the final decision-making power of his superiors regarding his formal appointment, promotion, or transfer to another unit.

He only has the right to make suggestions, unlike Lu Zhao who can arbitrarily transfer people.

Lu Jinshan was willing to risk a minor setback during the flood season to immediately remove Lu Zhao from the front line, even if it meant sending him to the special task force.

Letting Lu Zhao leave the border post might not offend the Chen family. After all, he had worked hard for four years and deserved recognition even if he hadn't achieved anything.

Everything else pales in comparison to the imminent challenge to power.
-
The evening glow shone through the window, casting a warm golden hue over Lu Zhao's office.

Zhang Like pushed open the door to Lu Zhao's office, knocked lightly twice on the open door, and then entered uninvited.

Lu Zhao looked up from a pile of documents, his dark gray eyes glancing at him briefly, like a passing breeze, before he lowered his head again to focus on processing the documents.

It seems to be a border station training program; he started working on the very day he took over, and his execution is truly admirable.

Zhang Like sat down on the sofa next to him, crossed his legs, and said, "Tsk tsk tsk, Staff Officer Lu is really thriving now, he's even started sitting in an office enjoying the air conditioning."

With a teasing tone tinged with scrutiny, Lu Zhao sat quietly behind his desk, his brows revealing a genuine air of authority.

This kid is a real gem; he's useful no matter where you move him.

Lu Zhao ignored his sarcasm and simply picked up a form, saying, "Captain Zhang, our station's assessment standards have been a bit low these past two years. We've basically been just meeting the minimum standards set by the Provincial Administration Bureau, just trying to pass. I think it's necessary to improve the quality of our troops."

Zhang Like's expression froze slightly, then he patted the armrest of the sofa and laughed, "You learn pretty quickly, kid. You've already picked up Liang Fei's tricks in no time."

"At the victory celebration banquet later, do you want them to toast you? Anyone who doesn't come should have their performance bonus deducted. That'll show your authority as the chief of staff, won't it?"

The position of training staff officer itself has little power, but as long as Lü Jinshan supports it, its power can expand to the point of controlling the performance evaluation of all troops.

Lü Jinshan cleverly used this position to sever his ties with Lu Zhao; he might even be plotting to take Lu Zhao under his wing.

But based on Zhang Like's understanding of Lu Zhao, the fact that Lu Zhao didn't kill Lü Jinshan was already a testament to Lu Zhao's loyalty to the Federation.

However, Lu Zhao's expression did not soften, and he said seriously, "I'm not joking."

"..."

Zhang Like was stunned for a few seconds. He originally thought that Lu Zhao had learned to joke, but now his expression didn't seem like he was joking.

Given his personality, it seems he is indeed capable of doing it.

"Stop, stop, don't actually do this. We've worked so hard to win over the junior officers, and if you pull this stunt, aren't you just turning against yourselves?" Lu Zhao said seriously, "Soldiers will become dull if they aren't trained. We can't train soldiers with the mindset of just passing a test. Look at my reinforced platoon, it may not be comparable to special agents or regular troops, but it's not bad either."

“Can training fifty people be the same as training a thousand people?” Zhang Like said speechlessly, “These fifty people of yours are the good seedlings that I carefully selected. The remaining nine hundred soldiers are just here to get by. For most of them, this is a job.”

The federal border defense system is divided into military and police forces. Ant Ridge belongs to the police force, and its jurisdiction sees a maximum of more than ten strange beasts appearing each year.

Those who remain here are mostly working-class people who cannot accept the high-pressure military life.

The reinforced platoon needs to be stationed on the front line, facing the threat of the Miye Sanjiang River, which is why it needs to have qualities comparable to the regular army.

"Putting everything else aside, your reinforced platoon's salary and life-sustaining rations are twice that of ordinary soldiers. Can you convince the higher-ups to give all of the station's more than a thousand people double the salary and double the life-sustaining rations?"

Zhang Like's basic salary was 1,000 yuan less than that of a reinforced platoon soldier.

“This is indeed a problem.”

Just when Zhang Like thought he had finally given up on this unrealistic idea, Lu Zhao suddenly changed the subject and said:
"Therefore, in order to solve this problem, I have decided to propose to the Organization Department tomorrow that all officers and soldiers who have met the targets receive an additional subsidy of 500 yuan."

A subtle smile curved his lips.

“Our station now has air conditioning, so there’s no reason not to give our brothers a raise. I hope Captain Zhang can ask the officers and soldiers at the grassroots level for my opinion.”

After saying that, he signed a letter of opinion and pushed it to Zhang Like.

Zhang Like suddenly realized what was going on and understood.

No one likes extra training alone, but it's a different story when you pay extra.

This was within the scope of the training staff officer's authority and did not constitute overstepping authority or disrupting order. Whether Lü Jinshan agreed or not was unimportant; as long as Lu Zhao could win over the hearts of the people, that was enough.

This kid immediately grasped what I had just said.

This surprised Zhang Like. Lu Zhao wasn't as rigid as he seemed; he could be quite ruthless when he got his hands dirty.

He asked, "You've already started by trying to sow discord between Lü Jinshan and him. What if he retaliates? As a training staff officer, it's unlikely you can outmaneuver an administrative officer like him."

As always, Lu Zhao spoke in a calm and resolute tone: "It's never wrong to throw a punch when you can. It doesn't matter if you lose. There's a long road ahead. Just consider it as accumulating experience."

As night fell, the food stalls in the small town near the border post were brightly lit and bustling with activity.

This is the venue for tonight's victory celebration banquet, where almost all the frontline border officers from the duty company, mobile company, and support company are present.

As the battalion commander, Zhang Like had been stationed at the border post for more than ten years, and he had promoted almost all the front-line officers.

Just like Chen Wuhou, he also had similar connections in the western part of the South China Sea.

The atmosphere was a bit stiff at first, but then Zhang Like started pulling people to toast Lu Zhao.

"Liao Lang, Liang Chao."

Without waiting for a reply, he pulled Liao Lang and Liang Chao up and said, "What are you all standing there for? We're all here today because of Lu Zhao. Don't you two always like to set an example? Take the lead today and offer a toast."

(End of this chapter)