Starting from the deputy company commander of the Soldier Assault Team

Gao Cheng grinned. "That's more like it."

After a pause, Gao Cheng continued, "I was planning to hold a banquet at 936, but after what happened with Zhao Defa, we definitely can't just use the banquet as an excuse to hold it directly."

I figured that although it was a purely accidental safety incident caused by force majeure, there would be no accountability and no record of safety issues for the company, it was still inappropriate to have a celebratory dinner.

However, it wouldn't be appropriate to skip the meal. After such a long field training exercise, it's normal to have a meal together afterward. Canceling it would disappoint all the soldiers in the camp.

We've already held a safety rectification and review meeting, so I think we should just have a meal together, but we can't call it a meal anymore. Let's change it to a training and rest meal to show our appreciation.

Only meat, vegetables, and fruit will be served; no alcohol will be provided, and there will be no toasting or lively celebrations. A brief pre-meal talk will be given, starting with a mention of Zhao Defa's situation, and everyone will be reminded to prioritize safety during mountain training.

Let me tell you about how hard everyone has worked during this training camp. After lunch, each squad will write a letter of appreciation and arrange for two sergeants to deliver it to him at the division hospital first thing tomorrow morning.

We need to strike a balance—not to discourage the soldiers, nor to make it seem like we're celebrating after something's happened. What do you think?

Seeing Gao Cheng's conflicted expression, Zhang Anbang naturally understood his dilemma. Everyone was upset that a soldier was injured, but canceling the meal would also make the remaining soldiers unhappy.

After all, they have been stationed in the training ground by motorized vehicles since the beginning of April, and have been setting up tents in the field until the end of June, conducting continuous tactical, reconnaissance, live-fire, wilderness survival, and long-distance marches.

The training includes, but is not limited to, subjects such as ambush and capture, mountain infiltration, night reconnaissance, live-fire shooting, long-distance maneuver, and field camping support. The final comprehensive exercise, safety debriefing, and site withdrawal will be completed by the end of June.

Although there was a regular dinner on May Day, and two additional dinners in mid-April and early June to summarize the progress, everyone was still looking forward to the dinner at the end of June.

This is where Gao Cheng is struggling. Zhang Anbang understands his predicament, "Company Commander, I think you need to look at this matter from two perspectives."

After returning to camp this time, in early July your entire reconnaissance battalion will conduct a final review and comprehensive preparation of equipment and supplies, including a special review of training accidents and in-depth safety rectification.

Although a fall in the wild is considered an act of God, the first thing to do upon returning to camp is still to conduct a camp-wide review of safety vulnerabilities during mountain training.

The survey process, the division of responsibilities among safety officers, and the shortcomings in the emergency transport of the wounded were all addressed, and each shift wrote a self-inspection report on safety.

The battalion systematically reviewed and rectified the records, regularly arranged for key personnel to take turns visiting wounded soldiers in the hospital, and organized collective efforts to write letters of condolence and deliver gifts.

Then there was the major overhaul and inventory of field equipment and training supplies. Over two months, all field tents, camouflage equipment, reconnaissance gear, vehicles, and radios were brought to the vehicle yard for inspection and maintenance.

The accounts for lost ammunition, supplies, and first-aid medicines were reconciled and written off; damaged tents, ropes, and anti-slip protective gear were uniformly scrapped and replaced; and the inventory was reported to the authorities for the application of new supplies.

In addition, you need to restore order in your camp. After long-term field training, you should return to camp to tidy up the barracks, housekeeping, and hygiene, clean up the mud, sand, and equipment brought back from the field, standardize the daily routine, and correct any bad habits.

Finally, there is the writing of work summary materials for the first half of the year, with each company, platoon, and squad writing a half-year training, management, and safety summary.

The battalion commander and political instructor compiled the battalion-level summary, summarized the training achievements and problems exposed from April to June, and reported them to our operations and training section.

In the middle of the month, we will begin remedial training, a six-month military assessment, and the July 1st themed education. I have reviewed the past training plans, which is a long-standing tradition of your division's reconnaissance battalion.

After returning from field training, it has become a long-standing practice to conduct high-temperature acclimatization training during the hottest days of summer to address weaknesses in areas exposed in the field, such as mountain climbing, battlefield first aid, and cliff mobility.

They especially liked to avoid the midday heat and instead use the early morning and evening hours to practice subjects such as capture, covert infiltration, and armed swimming after being given heatstroke prevention medicine.

After all that is done, there is the division's unified six-month military assessment, which includes a full range of tests: basic physical fitness, light weapons shooting, reconnaissance operations, squad tactics, and safety protection.

In particular, the mountain safety subject, which resulted in an accident during this training exercise, will be a key area for spot checks.

At the same time, we must also take into account the political education series related to the July 1st Party Founding Day, including Party classes, Party history study, heart-to-heart talks among Party members, and the evaluation of Party member vanguard posts.

Soldiers who performed outstandingly during the training and made meritorious contributions in rescue and relief efforts were commended. At the same time, ideological assessments were conducted, with a focus on the wounded soldiers' classmates and soldiers who experienced significant psychological stress during field training.

The logistics and barracks were inspected, summer heatstroke prevention supplies and food supplies for the sick were inventoried, the records of wounded and sick personnel stationed for training were reviewed, and the hospital was coordinated to follow up on rehabilitation treatment.

The latter part of the month is also not easy, as there will be work planning for the second half of the year, rectification of work style and discipline, and preparations for the August 1st Army Day.

The training plan for August to December has been finalized, including autumn comprehensive exercises, year-end assessments, and arrangements for new recruit training. In response to the safety risks exposed during field training, safety guidelines for field maneuvers and mountain training have been revised.

Next, a concentrated rectification of the work style and discipline of the entire battalion was carried out, with strict investigations into leave applications, internal affairs, and post duties to prevent complacency and laxity upon returning from training.

There are also preparations for the August 1st Army Day, including planning small-scale cultural and sports activities and seminars within the battalion, arranging visits to wounded and sick soldiers, veteran sergeants, and soldiers in need; and organizing the reaffirmation of the enlistment oath.

At the same time, it is also necessary to analyze the thoughts of non-commissioned officers (NCOs) being promoted, applying to military academies, and those recommended for NCO positions; compile statistics on leave and family visit plans for the second half of the year, conduct rotations of key personnel, and carry out personnel assessments.

Gao Cheng felt increasingly overwhelmed as he listened. That's just how people are; they know the work is there and can be done one thing at a time.

I have a general idea of ​​what's to come; every job I do is one less I can do.

However, if someone were to list out all your to-do items one by one in front of you, laying all the pressure bare before your eyes, you would instantly feel suffocated by the thought that there is never enough work to do and all the burdens are on your shoulders.

Gao Cheng waved his hand, "Stop, stop. I just wanted to ask for your advice, not for you to ramble on about my work schedule for July."

"I'm perfectly familiar with all those subject-specific tasks, so I don't need you, the leader of the training department, to explain them to me. I just wanted to ask your thoughts on changing this banquet into a 'comfort meal'."

"Hehe, Company Commander, look how anxious you are," Zhang Anbang picked up a bottle of water and took a sip. "If I had to say, you're absolutely right, Company Commander. Changing the celebration dinner to a meal to show our appreciation is very appropriate."

The banquet will proceed as planned, but with a few adjustments: celebratory remarks and victory speeches will be cancelled, and the theme of a successful conclusion and mission completion will be changed to a training summary and a message of appreciation to the officers and soldiers.