Starting from the deputy company commander of the Soldier Assault Team

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"Please welcome Comrade Wang Qingrui, Commander of the 702nd Regiment, Comrade Ding Jie, Political Commissar of the Regiment, and Comrade Wang Yuanchao, Chief of Staff, to present the Second-Class Merit Medals and certificates to Comrades Zhang Anbang, Shi Jin, and Wu Liuyi! Play the 'Review March'!"

Amid solemn and steady music, the three leaders rose and went to the podium, where they were awarded military medals and certificates of honor.

"I hope you will continue your efforts, carry forward the fine traditions of the People's Liberation Army, and make new contributions to the country and the people," Wang Qingrui urged.

"Yes"

The three men stood at attention and saluted Wang Qingrui.

"Slap slap slap"

As the three men received their medals, the applause in the auditorium grew louder and lasted longer, especially from the soldiers of the Seventh Steel Company, who stood tall and proud.

The Second-Class Merit Medal and the First-Class Merit Medal are very different, not only in size but also in design.

The current Second-Class Merit Medal is the 1979 model, with a gold-plated copper upper layer and a chrome-plated copper lower layer. The main body has a diameter of 38 mm and is shaped like two intersecting five-pointed stars.

Below is a design of Tiananmen Square, above which is an image of a Dongfeng missile being launched. The outer edge is a five-pointed star, and the back bears the inscription "Second-Class Merit Medal of the General Political Department of the Chinese People's Liberation Army" and its serial number.

Zhang Anbang recalls that until 2011, when the Second-Class Merit Medal was redesigned, the medal was changed to consist of a main medal and a secondary medal. The main medal was redesigned with elements such as military emblem, brocade knot, and laurel leaves, while the secondary medal consisted of elements such as honor ribbon and award commemoration. The diameter of the main medal was also changed to 47 millimeters.

……

Gao Cheng and Hong Xingguo looked at the three people saluting on the stage with smiles on their faces.

Gao Cheng thought that now Squad Leader Shi was really safe. Xiao Qi's method was in line with the current requirements of the army. With this second-class merit as a safeguard, plus Shi Jin's previous third-class merit and personal honors, the chances were almost certain.

"A medal of honor represents a heart of unwavering loyalty. Now, please welcome Comrade Zhang Anbang, a representative of the Second-Class Merit Recipients, to the stage to speak. Let's give him a round of applause!"

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"Comrades, honor illuminates our journey, and responsibility forges loyalty. Now, let us welcome Comrade Ding Jie, Political Commissar of the 702nd Regiment, to speak!"

"...

All units should organize officers and soldiers to earnestly study the advanced deeds of the three comrades, learn from their spirit of fearlessness in the face of danger and their willingness to shoulder heavy responsibilities, and learn from their fine style of unity, cooperation and overcoming difficulties.

To further inspire the enthusiasm of officers and soldiers for training and combat readiness, to firmly establish the ideological foundation of wholeheartedly serving the people, and to strive to maintain local stability, protect the lives and property of the people, and advance the overall development of the armed forces!

……

"The awarding ceremony for the Second-Class Merit Citation of the 702nd Regiment has now concluded! Leaders on the podium, please proceed to the next area. All units must maintain discipline, keep in formation, and leave in an orderly manner!"

……

After the solemn award ceremony concluded, the assembled troops, led by their officers, departed one by one from the regimental headquarters auditorium.

"Shi Jin, how's it going? Are you sure when they're leaving?"

On the jeep back to the base, Gao Cheng asked as he drove, "That's right, Gao Cheng is the driver again today."

"Company commander, I heard from a fellow soldier in the military affairs section that the order has been issued to the company headquarters. It should be with the political instructor, and it should be issued in the next day or two."

"I don't think it will be in the next day or two. When I went to the regimental headquarters last time, the regimental commander said that this matter was quite urgent. It was delayed for a few days because of the award ceremony. Now that the ceremony is over, I guess I will have to leave once the transfer order arrives."

"Deputy Company Commander, so fast?" Wu Liuyi was a little surprised.

Zhang Anbang turned to look at Wu Liuyi. "Fast? How fast? Shi Jin's pilot program was designed to verify the relationship between the psychological issues of new recruits and their ability to quickly integrate into the army and improve their performance."

"The new recruits have already been assigned to their units, shouldn't we get started? Are we going to wait until they're all veterans before we begin?"

"The deputy platoon leader is right, but what will happen to the third squad now that the squad leader is gone?"

"What, what should we do? Well, we still have you, right? You've been the deputy class monitor for almost two years now. Don't you know the procedures for all the big and small things in the class? Why don't you just take over?" Gao Cheng didn't even turn his head and gave Wu Liuyi a lecture.

"Hehe, I'm used to it, aren't I? The squad leader takes care of everything so well, I'm still a little unaccustomed to him leaving so suddenly." Wu Liuyi chuckled.

Shi Jin also advised, "If you're not used to it, just get used to it quickly. The third shift is yours now, so you'll have to be more careful with your impatience in the future."

Fortunately, this time, there weren't many new recruits in the third platoon, just Bai Tiejun. He has a good attitude, so Xiao Ning can mentor him.

"Okay, it's settled then. Let them know when we get back. You'll be taking over Shift Three." Gao Cheng made the final decision.

"Company Commander, please keep an eye on things when we get back to the unit for training. I'm planning to do some research recently."

Gao Cheng suddenly became interested. "Oh, researching something? What's on your mind this time? Last time I gave you a mission, you said you'd do some research, and you ended up with a first-class merit. What big thing are you planning to do this time?"

"It's nothing major. The military is currently calling for large-scale training using technology, and the entire army is gradually advancing information technology construction. You know that grassroots companies are starting to pilot tactical simulations and electronic equipment records, right?" Zhang Anbang asked.

"I know about this. After the Gulf War, the whole world started military reforms, and our country also began military reforms. Our military region's ** Group Army Air Defense Brigade and ** Division are the pilot units, right? I'm really envious."

Gao Cheng paused for a moment and then continued, "I saw the demonstration of the 2,000-strong sword-forging team last October, and it was quite impressive. They saved a lot of time in every aspect, and the improvement in combat power is remarkable."

Unfortunately, although our company is an elite unit of Army Group C, our equipment is inadequate and doesn't meet the pilot program requirements. Perhaps you have some other ideas?

Zhang Anbang smiled and said, "We do have some ideas. It's really difficult for us to upgrade our equipment with information technology, but we can still come up with some things in other areas."

Gao Cheng chuckled and urged, "Liu Yi, quickly offer the deputy company commander a cigarette. Xiao Qi, tell me what you're planning to do. I trust your abilities. If you say you can do it, it must be something."

Gao Chenggen is a complex military officer with an old-fashioned background and a modern core. His attitude towards information technology and new technologies is neither blind rejection nor mindless pursuit. His consistent approach is to be pragmatic.

Just like when Zhang Anbang first came to the Seventh Company, he knew that Zhang Anbang was a talented person, but he was even more afraid that Zhang Anbang was just there to gain experience.

He initially seemed somewhat resistant, but after Zhang Anbang voluntarily joined the army and quickly adapted, his attitude towards Zhang Anbang changed rapidly, and the two became close friends who could talk about anything.

Zhang Anbang likes to be friends with people like this, or rather, most people like to be friends with people like this—they say what they mean and express everything directly.

They're so much better than those people who smile on the surface but whose true nature is unknown. Having friends like them makes me feel very at ease.

Gao Cheng's upbringing deeply influenced him with the traditional infantry and armored warfare concepts, and the indomitable spirit of the Steel Seventh Company—never abandoning or giving up—is the foundation of his character.

He emphasized the importance of courage, discipline, physical fitness, and tactical coordination, and placed greater emphasis on soldiers' willpower and combat skills.

He firmly believed that infantry was the backbone of war and valued the traditional advantage of combined arms warfare. However, he placed even greater emphasis on the pragmatic nature of the battlefield, believing that improving combat effectiveness was the only correct approach.

He had also studied the Gulf War for a long time and had discussed it with Zhang Anbang. He agreed with Zhang Anbang's view that modern warfare is a system confrontation and that informatization is an inevitable trend.

However, he firmly believes that technology cannot replace spirit. No matter how advanced the information equipment is, it cannot replace the soldiers' fighting spirit, will, and the spirit of never giving up.

They also firmly believe that actual combat is the only standard for testing technology. Any new technology or equipment must prove its value in exercises or actual combat, otherwise it is just a facade.

Zhang Anbang had to admit that Gao Cheng was currently short-tempered and immature, but he had a good sense of perspective. The military was in a critical period of information technology transformation, and people like Gao Cheng were bound to be the backbone of it.

Zhang Anbang was speechless. This Gao Cheng was really an extremely practical guy. "Electronic ledgers, I'm going to set one up. Our armory is still using manual accounting, which is a bit slow and troublesome to find things."

Our company happens to have computers, and now that I have more free time, I'm planning to set up an electronic ledger for the weapons and equipment, making it easier for the armorers to use.