Starting from the deputy company commander of the Soldier Assault Team

Without hesitation, Zhang Anbang shared his idea with his section chief, Wang Haiyang, during lunch.

Wang Haiyang naturally did not object and readily agreed. Zhang Anbang's most important task now was to complete this short-term winter field training with the reconnaissance battalion.

He hasn't taken on any other work in the department yet, so whether he goes a day earlier or a day later won't make much of a difference.

After lunch, Zhang Anbang did not take a nap. He packed his materials and personal belongings and prepared to set off.

The division's reconnaissance battalion was not far from the division headquarters, but because it needed a mountainous, concealed reconnaissance training ground, it was deployed separately in a wasteland two kilometers away from the division headquarters.

Because he was going there early, and since he would be stationed there for at least twelve days, and it was near the end of the year and government vehicles were in short supply, he planned to walk there with his backpack.

That's right, he doesn't have a personal car. Although he is the deputy head of the training department, his rank is still far from that.

In the entire division-level headquarters, only the division commander and political commissar are provided with a fixed car and a dedicated driver, while the deputy division commander, deputy political commissar, and division chief of staff, who are at the deputy division level, have their own dedicated work vehicles.

Even the section chief, Wang Haiyang, a lieutenant colonel at the regimental level, uses official vehicles from the headquarters' vehicle pool.

These vehicles are used by multiple people in rotation, and are not owned by any individual. There are no dedicated drivers; the vehicles are dispatched by the vehicle dispatch office according to the task and temporary drivers are assigned.

In this respect, it is not as convenient for the offices to use vehicles as for the front-line companies. When he was the deputy company commander, he could just drive the company's car whenever he needed to go.

Now that I'm in an administrative office, it's not as convenient for me to use a vehicle as it is in the front-line units; I have to fill out a vehicle application form.

In front-line companies, there are basically vehicles: jeeps, command vehicles, and troop carriers.

If the company commander or political instructor needs anything, they can be called upon at any time without needing layers of signatures and approvals. Of course, this refers to official business.

It's like routine tasks such as delivering supplies, hauling vegetables, transporting wounded and sick soldiers, short-distance reconnaissance of training grounds, short-distance missions within the camp, and tasks around the base—you can go whenever you need them.

Of course, it's not all about convenience. There are stricter restrictions on vehicle use, and if problems arise, the lower-level supervisors will be held accountable. Also, the vehicles are in poor condition, the models are limited, and there are no comfortable official cars available.

While working in a government department is inconvenient, the advantages are also obvious: better vehicle resources are available for long-distance travel between units, official business at the division level, attending meetings, and long-term fieldwork.

The division headquarters' vehicle dispatching scope covers the entire division, supported by official vehicles in better condition. The only drawback is that daily short-distance travel is strictly controlled, and official vehicles cannot be used casually.

Zhang Anbang was new to the job, and today was only his third day in the training department. He didn't want to stand out because of a car request.

Two kilometers is nothing to him; it's only a fraction of the distance he runs every morning.

The backpack I carried was also very light, weighing no more than three kilograms, which is at most ten percent of a lightly armed five-kilometer run.

Wang Haiyang, seeing that Zhang Anbang hadn't submitted a car-use application, stopped him just as he was about to leave, holding a signed car dispatch form in his hand.

"Anbang, you're the deputy head of our training section, and this is your first time on a field mission. You just ran there without even looking yourself. How embarrassing!"

As he spoke, he turned to Zhao Zerui and said, "Zhao, call the logistics motorcade and ask them to send a car over to take the deputy section chief to the division reconnaissance battalion's base."

"Yes, Section Chief."

Zhao Zerui responded and immediately dialed the phone next to him.

Zhao Zerui quickly hung up the phone. "Section Chief, the motor pool has made arrangements. The car will be in front of the building in three minutes. Just send the vehicle request form directly to the driver they sent."

"Okay," Wang Haiyang replied, and shoved the application form into Zhang Anbang's hand. "It snowed a couple of days ago, and quite heavily. There are still many icy spots on the roads outside. Go quickly."

Zhang Anbang took the application form and said with a smile, "Okay, thank you very much, Section Chief."

With the official vehicles provided by the logistics motorcade, Zhang Anbang arrived at the entrance of the division's reconnaissance battalion's camp in just ten minutes.

The moment the sentry at the gate stopped the car to check his ID, Zhang Anbang almost laughed. A sentence, no, it should be a lyric, suddenly popped into his mind. It must be a special kind of fate, absolutely a special kind of fate.

The sentry in winter training uniform and wearing a Type 87 fleece-lined three-eared cotton cap was an acquaintance. Apart from the people from the old Seventh Company, he was the person he knew best in the division's reconnaissance battalion, although they had barely spoken a few words to each other.

If he remembered correctly, he had seen this first-term sergeant leading his men on duty at the gate three times during his visits to the division's reconnaissance battalion, whether it was at the base or during field training.

Normally, a first-term sergeant is either a squad leader or a professional and technical backbone. Their core tasks are to oversee training, mentor new recruits, and maintain specialized equipment.

The battalion and company leaders would not allow them to spend a lot of time on repetitive gate duty.

The two-person fixed sentry post at the camp gate is on duty every two hours. Privates or corporals are given priority when they are on duty. First-term sergeants are also the backbone of the post and serve as the team leader.

The squad leader does not have a fixed post at the gate. He is usually responsible for leading the new recruits to change shifts every two hours, checking their weapons, patrolling the camp gate, warehouse, and mobile sentries along the wall, or checking the sentries' uniforms, dealing with outsiders, and handling emergencies.

Only during periods of special or short-term deployments, such as holidays, inspections by superiors, the completion of training exercises, or when there is a shortage of personnel before new recruits are assigned to their units, will non-commissioned officers be temporarily assigned to fill the positions.

In severe weather, the military will assign non-commissioned officers to take the toughest night shifts to prevent new recruits from getting frostbite or becoming lax in their duties.

Another issue is that when new recruits are lax in their conduct and problems frequently arise at their posts, the grassroots supervisors will arrange for a non-commissioned officer to stand guard and mentor them for a few days. Once the problems are rectified, they will be replaced with conscripts.

The sergeants in the reconnaissance battalion are quite different from those in ordinary companies; they are mostly backbone personnel specializing in reconnaissance.

The tasks of field infiltration, map reading, infiltration, and equipment operation are extremely demanding, and daily training is at full capacity.

As the deputy battalion commander of the division's reconnaissance battalion, Gao Cheng, given his personality, would never waste key personnel by arranging for a first-term sergeant to be stationed at the camp gate for an extended period.

Even under these circumstances, Zhang Anbang encountered this sergeant on duty three more times, which was truly a special coincidence.

With a creak.

The car came to a smooth stop in front of the Division Reconnaissance Battalion's office building. Zhang Anbang got out of the car, waved goodbye to the motor transport driver, and turned around to see Gao Cheng looking at him at the door.

Gao Cheng raised an eyebrow and curled his lips slightly. His expression was, well, a half-smile, with a hint of teasing in his eyes. "Oh my, what a rare guest! Isn't this the ever-busy Deputy Section Chief Zhang from the Training Section?"

Are the division leaders here to inspect and guide our work? Welcome, welcome!