The Red Era: Living in Seclusion in a Siheyuan as a Boss

Chapter 500: Large-scale military reduction and reform!!!

In his post-war summary, Liu Zhiye found that in this counterattack, Xia Jun's casualties were in a "dumbbell shape."

In the first few days of the war, due to their excess of bravery and lack of experience, they suffered heavy casualties;
It is a fact that many people were missing or captured during the later period of the withdrawal due to the enemy's pursuit and blockade.

Liu Zhiye has read many battle summaries of the participating troops, and without exception, they wrote very little about the retreat operations, and without exception, they all said that the troops had "withdrawn completely."

It is untrue to claim without exception that "not a single wounded soldier or martyr's body was lost."

Liu Zhiye’s favorite - the electronic reconnaissance team was directly airlifted back to Chuncheng after returning to China.

Meng Kangmei and his men rested for more than a month before disbanding, mainly to summarize, evaluate their merits and recuperate.

During this period, leaders of the front command, military regions at all levels and senior leaders of other participating troops visited and expressed their condolences many times.

But no local leaders at all levels or news or art organizations have ever come to visit. This is the rule in the electronic investigation industry: you have to be an unsung hero.

In the merit evaluation, most of Meng Kangmei's soldiers were awarded second-class merit, a few were awarded first-class merit, and the worst was third-class merit. The team leader suffered the most.

The brother units recommended that he be awarded the special merit, and Meng Kangmei and his team also recommended the special merit. After balancing the two, the front command reported the first-class merit.

But their unit gave him a second-class merit award for "failing to strictly follow orders from superiors."

Team members including Meng Kangmei didn't understand, but Captain Yu never said anything.

Later, Meng Kangmei went to the Beijing Military Science Academy to study for a master's degree. He often went to Captain Yu's unit on Sundays to play, and only then did he realize that there was another hidden story behind this matter.

It turned out that when Captain Yu was a teacher in the teaching team in their unit, he had taught a female student. After graduation, this female student was assigned to work under the captain.

While working together, her admiration for the captain turned into love, and they were both in first love, so they had a very good relationship.

Captain Yu and others only knew that she was an ordinary military officer's child.

Who would have thought that...afterwards, her father went out to work and became a high-ranking officer in the army, and her mother also became the head of the Organization Department of the headquarters of the captain's unit.

But Captain Yu and others still don't know about this situation.

Last year, the lady brought a group of secretaries and staff to Captain Yu’s unit to secretly inspect him and was very satisfied with the results.

Without Captain Yu's knowledge, it was decided to transfer Captain Yu and her daughter to a unit at the headquarters.

When Captain Yu heard about it, he went to ask his leader, and the lady happened to be present.

She made the situation clear and arrogantly announced some "eight rules" to the captain.

This hurt Captain Yu's self-esteem, and he would rather retire than live under someone else's roof and become a royal consort.

The noble lady was embarrassed on the spot. Such "ingratitude" certainly sowed bad consequences.

The girl, on the other hand, was gentle in character and fearful of her mother like a tiger. She returned to the capital with her mother crying.

Later, Captain Yu was transferred to work at the Beijing headquarters due to his outstanding performance, and he did not contact the girl. The couple ended up being a pair of lovebirds!
When the Party Committee of the team leader's unit discussed the first-class merit, some people from the Political Department voted against it.

However, with the mediation of the main leaders, he was awarded a second-class merit.

After the war, Captain Yu continued to work on the front lines, participated in many major operations, and his whereabouts were unknown.

It was several years later that Meng Kangmei met him for the last time.

One year he returned to Beijing to visit his parents, and Captain Yu hosted a welcome party for him at a Moscow restaurant.

Tell Meng Kangmei that his job is going to be transferred and it will be inconvenient to contact him in the future.

Because the job he does is the kind of work that "you see with your eyes, hear with your ears, remember in your mind, rot in your stomach, and take into your coffin."

Meng Kangmei didn't ask any more questions and completely lost contact with him from then on.

A few years later, Meng Kangmei heard from someone that Captain Yu was seen wearing a colonel's badge and appearing in the Xishan area.

……

Shortly after the counterattack ended, the Xia Kingdom did something that was incomprehensible, which was to "cut the army by one million."

Although the Xia Kingdom won this counterattack, the Xia army also suffered heavy casualties in this war.

The reason for this result is the army's lack of combat experience.

Liu Zhiye submitted a summary report to the higher authorities after the war.

For example, the "Liangshan Battle" and the "Jie Lao Battle" that broke out during the counterattack.

In these two battles, the Xia army suffered relatively heavy casualties.

And there are often some emergency situations in battle.

For example, artillery shells make no sound when fired, or tanks are often knocked down by enemy armor-piercing shells.

In fact, all of this happened because the Xia army soldiers at that time lacked combat experience.

They were experienced veterans, so they could only use human wave tactics to fight the enemy, which led to the bloated number of Xia’s army during the counterattack.

In this self-defense counterattack, we must talk about the combat effectiveness of the Xia army, from the quality of individual soldiers to the coordination of arms to battlefield command, which can be summarized in a few sentences;
A series of issues related to the military's leadership system, organizational system, combat training, officer-soldier ratio, cadre age structure and quality requirements have become the focus of his thinking.

At this time, many people were puzzled as to why so many soldiers had to be laid off?
According to Liu Zhiye, "the quality of soldiers is more important than the quantity."

At this time, some people are still worried, "Will our military strength decline if we cut so many troops?"

And this money can be used to buy new equipment for the remaining soldiers.

The warriors who stayed behind were carefully selected elites.

Wouldn't it further enhance our military strength if it is packaged with advanced equipment?
So, this "million-strong reduction" event seems to have reduced the number of our military personnel;
But in fact, it has greatly improved the combat effectiveness of our army.”

In fact, disarmament is not an option.

At the end of last year, the total number of military personnel was 512 million.

This year, the number of military personnel has increased due to border self-defense counterattack operations.

By the end of the year, the total number of troops had once again exceeded 600 million.

Based on the opinions, the headquarters finally made a decision at the enlarged meeting.

The army was streamlined and reorganized, with a focus on reducing infantry personnel.

Increase the proportion of technical arms to improve the troops' air defense, anti-tank firepower and mobility.

We have vigorously streamlined the organization, reduced the number of non-combat personnel and support troops, and simplified the organization of some troops.

The headquarters officially issued the "Plan for the Streamlining and Reorganization of the Army."

The Plan stipulates that: Army corps and divisions should increase the proportion of special forces, strengthen air defense, anti-tank firepower and assault capabilities, and improve mobility;
Change some field divisions from full-strength divisions to simplified divisions; streamline coastal garrison forces;

The independent divisions of the provincial military region will be abolished; some troops responsible for internal security duties will be transferred to the public security department.

……

That autumn, Wang Sicheng stood at the gate of a military camp on the southern Xinjiang front.

Looking at the fluttering August 1st Army flag, he felt mixed emotions.

Wang Sicheng, who was supposed to leave three days ago, changed the time of his departure because of what his company leader Lao Zhou said.

But he didn't expect that this decision would completely change the trajectory of his life.

Wang Sicheng was a rural soldier from a small mountain village in Xinyang, Nanhe.

When he joined the army, he was still a simple and honest country boy who knew nothing except farming.

During the three years in the army, Wang Sicheng transformed from an ignorant boy into an excellent communications soldier, and also became a well-known technical expert in the company.

In mid-September, Wang Sicheng received a notice of discharge from the army.

According to regulations, Wang Sicheng should leave with other comrades on the 20th.

Wang Sicheng felt extremely complicated when packing his luggage.

The military camp is Wang Sicheng’s second home, and every tree and blade of grass here carries the memories of his youth.

Just as Wang Sicheng was packing his luggage, Company Commander Lao Zhou came to his bed.

He is a man from Northeast China in his early thirties who speaks directly.

"Xiao Wang, wait a minute, I have something to tell you." Lao Zhou's voice was a little hoarse, revealing a hint of anxiety.

Wang Sicheng put down his backpack and followed him to the company office.

There was a telegram on the desk. Old Zhou pointed at it and said to Wang Sicheng, "The superiors have informed us that an important communication device will be delivered to our company next week.

However, the technician in charge of equipment installation and commissioning was unable to come due to some emergency.

I know you're about to be discharged from the army, but could you please do me a favor and postpone your discharge for three days?"

Looking at Lao Zhou's expectant eyes, Wang Sicheng was speechless for a moment.

His family had already received a letter saying that the town's textile factory had reserved a technical worker position for him and was waiting for Wang Sicheng to report back.

If he postponed his return, this opportunity might be lost. But he thought again that in the past three years, Lao Zhou was not only his superior, but also like a brother.

Wang Sicheng remembers that when he first joined the army, he was upset because he missed home.

It was Lao Zhou who talked to him in the middle of the night and helped Wang Sicheng get through the most difficult days.

Later, Wang Sicheng became interested in communication equipment, and it was Lao Zhou who specially got him a lot of technical information and often took time to guide him.

Seeing Wang Sicheng's hesitation, Lao Zhou continued, "I know this is embarrassing for you. But you are the most skilled in our company, and this batch of equipment is related to a major military operation at the beginning of next year.

If you can help me with this, I will feel relieved. "

Wang Sicheng took a deep breath and nodded: "Captain, don't worry, I will stay."

Hearing Wang Sicheng's answer, Lao Zhou patted his shoulder hard and a gratified smile appeared on his face.

In this way, Wang Sicheng postponed his discharge from the army by three days.

During these three days, while waiting for the arrival of the equipment, Wang Sicheng silently and carefully examined every corner of the military camp.

The row of targets on the shooting range that were once pitted by Wang Sicheng, and the equipment in the machine room that he was familiar with, all seemed to be telling him every detail of these years.

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Late at night the next day, the equipment finally arrived.

It was a latest model of field communications command system, much more advanced than the one Wang Sicheng and his team had originally used.

Wang Sicheng and several of his comrades began installation and debugging overnight and were busy for a whole day and night.

Just when Wang Sicheng and his team were about to complete the debugging, an accident happened.

The chief of staff of the front command, Liu Zhiye, suddenly came to their company. The leader came specially to inspect and accept the equipment.

Liu Zhiye was surprised when he learned that a soldier who was about to retire was in charge of this work.

Wang Sicheng carefully introduced the performance and operating points of the equipment to Liu Zhiye.

During the meeting, Liu Zhiye interrupted Wang Sicheng from time to time and asked some professional questions.

Relying on the experience accumulated over the years, Wang Sicheng answered questions fluently.

A look of approval gradually appeared on Liu Zhiye's face.

"Comrade Xiao Wang, you are very knowledgeable about communication technology." Liu Zhiye said, taking out a notebook from his jacket pocket and carefully recording something.

At this time, Wang Sicheng did not know that this accidental encounter would become an important turning point in his life.

On the evening when the equipment acceptance was completed, Liu Zhiye specially called Lao Zhou and Wang Sicheng to the conference room.

"Xiao Wang, are you interested in joining the electronic reconnaissance team of the front command?" Liu Zhiye asked straight to the point.

Wang Sicheng didn't react for a moment and couldn't believe his ears.

"Chief, what does this mean?" Wang Sicheng asked stutteringly.

Liu Zhiye explained with a smile that the front command was forming a new field communications technology unit based on the electronic reconnaissance unit.

A group of technically savvy backbones are needed. Wang Sicheng's performance made Liu Zhiye very satisfied. He hoped that Wang Sicheng could stay in the army and continue to serve.

This sudden news caught Wang Sicheng off guard.

Wang Sicheng looked at Lao Zhou, and there was a gleam of relief in Lao Zhou's eyes.

"Xiao Wang, this is a good opportunity!" Lao Zhou's voice was a little excited. "The electronic reconnaissance unit is the technical leader of our entire army. If you go there, you will have plenty of room for development in the future."

Many images flashed through Wang Sicheng’s mind.

His parents are old and hope that Wang Sicheng can go back to work;

Work in the town's textile mill had also been promised;

However, the friendship in the military camp and this hard-won opportunity "Commander, can you give me a day to think about it?"

After returning to the dormitory, Wang Sicheng stayed awake all night.

He recalled that before he joined the army, his father held his hand and said, "Son, being a soldier is a good thing, but you must come back after serving. The work at home and in the fields is still waiting for you."

But in the past three years, Wang Sicheng is no longer the young man who only knows how to farm.

Communications technology gave him a new direction in life, and Wang Sicheng gradually fell in love with this field that required constant learning and breakthroughs.

Wang Sicheng thought about it over and over all night.
The next morning, Wang Sicheng called home.

On the other end of the phone, the mother's voice was full of worry: "Sicheng, have you really thought it through?"

Wang Sicheng replied in a firm tone: "Mom, you and Dad, don't worry, I won't let you down."

In this way, Wang Sicheng accepted Liu Zhiye's invitation.

Before leaving, Lao Zhou called Wang Sicheng to his office and handed him a notebook: "This is the technical information I have compiled over the years. Take it with you. It will definitely be useful in the future."

Wang Sicheng solemnly took the notebook. The thick book was filled with handwritten notes, and some of the pages had turned yellow.

"Company commander, this... this is your hard work." Wang Sicheng said with a sob.

Lao Zhou waved his hand and said: "You have more prospects than me, so you must not disappoint the leader's expectations.

If you become a technical expert in our army in the future, don't forget your old company commander!"

A few days later, Wang Sicheng officially joined the front-line field communications unit.

The equipment here is much more advanced than that in the company, and there are new techniques to learn every day.

Wang Sicheng carried Lao Zhou's notebook with him and took it out to study when he encountered something he didn't understand. Gradually, he gained a foothold in the new army.

Years later, Wang Sicheng was selected to study at the Academy of Military Sciences.

Only then did he understand why Chief Liu Zhiye had paid special attention to him.

It turned out that the military was carrying out a modernization reform of communications and urgently needed a group of technical talents who were familiar with both practical combat and theory.

One day, Wang Sicheng made a special trip back to his old company.

Old Zhou is still the company commander there, but his temples are already starting to turn gray.

Seeing Wang Sicheng appear in the company headquarters wearing a cadre uniform, Lao Zhou was so happy that he dragged him to drink for the whole day.

"Remember when I asked you to stay for three more days, you hesitated." Lao Zhou was drunk and his face turned red. He patted my shoulder and said, "People are like this sometimes. A seemingly unintentional choice can change the trajectory of their lives."

“You are lucky, you all didn’t want to stay, but you all stayed.

Some people cried and shouted and didn’t want to leave, but eventually had to go home…”

Wang Sicheng knew that the "you" that Lao Zhou was referring to included not only himself but also Lao Yan.

Some time ago, Old Yan saw that there was no hope of promotion, and he also received news from home that his father was in poor health.

After much consideration, Lao Yan decided to retire and go home.

After completing the discharge procedures, Old Yan took the 117 yuan discharge fee, packed his things and walked towards the station.

Old Yan didn't want to leave, but the army has recently started to streamline its personnel and administration.

Not only has it become more difficult for soldiers to be promoted, but hundreds of thousands of ordinary soldiers are also facing the problem of demobilization.

Under this circumstance, it is not easy to continue staying in the army.

Old Yan is in charge of propaganda work in the regiment, and has already started writing while studying in the army.

Although his talent in literary creation was recognized by his superiors.

But his rank was not high, and it was not easy for him to stay in the army.

Old Yan is facing a choice in his life.

Seeing that there was no hope of promotion, news came from home that his father was seriously ill.

Old Yan was torn between his future in the army and his father's illness, and finally decided to retire and go home.

At this moment, the head of the regiment personally chased to the station and told Lao Yan that he would be promoted after returning.

This news surprised Old Yan. He didn't expect that the army would attach so much importance to him.

Old Yan originally thought that he would start a new life after retiring from the army, but he didn't expect that the regiment commander was still thinking about him.

Time has come for Old Yan to stand at the station, holding his retirement pay tightly in the cold wind, his heart full of contradictions and entanglements.

This war made Old Yan understand the importance of family and country, but it also made him cherish his family more.

The head of the group seemed to see Lao Yan's hesitation, so he said to him: "You can go home and think about it carefully, but you have to do it as soon as possible."

The commander's meaning was very clear. If Lao Yan was willing to continue staying in the army, he had to reply as soon as possible and treat this trip home as a vacation.

Old Yan was deeply touched by his superior's tolerance, but he couldn't make a decision at the moment, so he went back to think about it.

(End of this chapter)