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

Chapter 669: The Grand Competition!!!
"Soldiers and horses have not moved, food and grass go first."

A strong support force is the key to victory on the battlefield. In order to further advance the preparation for war in the new era, we should promote the construction of rear-end support to focus on actual combat;
Recently, the Second Guard Division stationed in Liujiazhuang area west of Beijing organized a rigorous competition for logistics professionals.

Various types of support pioneers competed fiercely on the same field. The atmosphere was warm and the flavor of war was strong.

This competition is closely aligned with the needs of actual combat training and actual job tasks, and revolves around more than ten subjects including "driving, medical care, and equipment."

Competition rules and content are formulated in accordance with combat standards. The subjects have strong continuity and high density, and the focus is on testing the comprehensive capabilities of the contestants.

In order to ensure the fairness and justice of the competition, the garrison area adopted the form of "collective organization, full video recording, and disciplinary supervision", set up an assessment group, an inspection group, and a coordination group, insisted on unified standards, determined the judges, and used the same yardstick to measure everything. The entire process was recorded, the results were announced on the spot, and questions were answered on the spot.

Accompanied by the leaders of the garrison area, Liu Zhiye led a delegation from the Logistics Department to the scene and observed this large-scale military skills competition in its entirety.

In recent years, under the leadership of Liu Zhiye, the logistics system has been determined to reform, and various tasks have achieved remarkable results: material allocation has become more efficient, the support system has become increasingly perfect, and the satisfaction of officers and soldiers has continued to increase.

However, Liu Zhiye knew that reform would never end.

In order to ensure that various policies are implemented, he insisted on conducting in-depth investigations at the grassroots level. Through field visits, discussions and other means, he fully grasped the real needs of grassroots troops and laid a solid foundation for the next step of deepening reform.

At the symposium, Liu Zhiye deliberately let the grassroots non-commissioned officers speak first.

When he heard a sergeant complain that the new training shoes were prone to coming apart, he immediately asked the logistics assistant to record it on the spot.

In the competition arena, the agile figures of the warriors were sweating under the scorching sun.

"ready, go!"

In the weapons disassembly and assembly competition, as the referee gave the order, the contestants immediately got into the game, mastering disassembly and assembly with quick and neat movements, and crisp metal collision sounds rang out one after another.

"Enemy aircraft reconnaissance, small-scale enemy spies harassment, long-range artillery attacks..."

There were constant "enemy situations" and "dangers" in the professional cooking competition field, but the cooks responded calmly. After rushing in fully armed and carrying heavy loads, they immediately surveyed the terrain and dug smokeless stoves.

While expending a lot of physical energy, they competed with each other in time, endurance, and quality. With their superb cooking skills and efficient collaboration, they made delicious dishes in a short period of time and successfully completed the food supply task.

Liu Zhiye's eyes always followed those young faces, sometimes nodding in approval, sometimes whispering with the staff beside him.

When he saw the soldiers in the kitchen squad quickly preparing four dishes and a soup in the field cooking unit, he stopped and carefully asked about the experience of using the new field cooking utensils.

The fully armed medical staff approached the wounded from the rear of the battlefield, cleverly bypassed the enemy's firepower points, hid the wounded with the help of bunkers, and quickly stopped bleeding, bandaged, and carried the wounded...

They keep in mind that they are both medical workers and combatants. Only by adhering to the strategic requirement of "training soldiers according to how the battle is fought", focusing on training elite soldiers in actual combat, and honing their skills to win, can they comprehensively enhance the "combat and protection integrated" combat support capabilities of the rear support detachment.

On the other side of the competition field, drivers were quickly getting on their vehicles, starting them, and swiftly traveling through various complex terrains.

"Reversing displacement, continuous right-angle turns, reversing forward on S-shaped roads..."

The assessment team set up a number of difficult subjects based on the real battlefield environment, which not only tested the driving skills on complex roads, but also tested the driver's emergency response capabilities when faced with emergencies.

"Through this competition, I deeply feel the great responsibility I have. I am not only a driver, but also a fighter. I need not only superb driving skills, but also strong military qualities. In the future, I must not be afraid of hardship or fatigue, study skills seriously, improve my ability level, and be able to drive when I get on the car, repair when I get off the car, and fight with a gun!" said Nie Yong, the first driving squad leader.

The rear-end deployment is not "late", and the military training is only "real".

This competition is not only a comprehensive test of the comprehensive capabilities of the garrison's rear-end troops, but also a rehearsal of emergency support in an actual combat context.

In the next step, the headquarters will apply the results of this competition to training and preparation for war, and comprehensively forge a modern rear-end team that can be used in war and is reliable.

At the same time, a grand competition is about to be held in the Northwest Region.

Since the 1970s and 1980s, the People's Liberation Army has proposed the famous "Six Skills" for the professional training of its staff officers.

This standard is the core requirement for the construction of the military staff's professional capabilities, and aims to cultivate high-quality, all-round staff talents.

Be able to read - be able to accurately read and understand military maps and combat documents, be proficient in using military symbols, and mark maps accurately.

Meeting Note: Has efficient recording ability and can quickly organize meeting content, instructions from leaders and combat deployment.

Good at calculation - Proficient in tactical calculations, including the rapid calculation of data such as troop strength comparison, firepower configuration, marching speed, and logistical supply.

Ability to write - Ability to write combat orders, reports and other military documents in a standardized manner, with clear logic and concise language.

Ability to draw - Skilled in manually drawing battle situation maps, march route maps, defense deployment maps, etc., with accurate marking, intuitive and easy to understand. Adapt to rapid operations under field combat conditions.

Communication - Efficiently convey orders and information to ensure the timeliness and accuracy of information passing down and reporting up.

And be familiar with the use of various communication equipment.

This standard originated from the summary of the actual combat capabilities of staff in the "Unfair Man" counterattack, was systematically promoted, and became a universal norm for military staff training.

In September in Lancheng, the weather is clear and cool, and the sun shines on the Lancheng East Training Ground, a land full of blood and passion.

A contest without gunpowder but concerning honor and mission is about to begin here - the Northwest Regional Logistics Command's first "Six Meetings" competition for combat logistics staff in the region.

Hundreds of staff officers from various field armies, four provincial military regions, and the Lanhou direct branch gathered here with their dreams and beliefs.

They are all top staff carefully selected by various units. They will compete fiercely in the coming days to compete for the honor of the top eight individuals and the title of team champion.

As soon as the news of the competition came out, all units entered into a state of intensive preparation.

Master Zhong Xingguo made his all. Wang Wei, who was acting as the logistics director of the 1X7 Regiment and also served as the division's logistics staff officer, was selected along with several other staff officers.

They knew very well that this competition was not only a display of personal ability, but also concerned the honor of their division.

Finally, the day of the competition arrived.

The Northwest Division held a preparatory meeting at the East Training Ground, which was chaired by Director Yi Yuanchao from the headquarters. He read out the competition rules and requirements, and explained in detail the scoring criteria and the rules for selecting team champions.

"Comrades, this competition is a comprehensive test of the regional combat support staff capabilities. I hope everyone will uphold the principle of fair competition and compete in style and at the highest level!"

Yi Yuanchao's words were so powerful that every participant present felt the heavy responsibility on their shoulders.

After the meeting, the four contestants from Wang Wei’s division gathered together to encourage each other.

On the day of the competition, red flags fluttered in the morning breeze in the square in front of the Bayi Hotel.

The first "Six Skills" competition for combat support staff in the Northwest Region is imminent.

Hundreds of staff officers from various major units lined up and walked towards the examination room, their leather shoes making neat sounds on the concrete floor.

Wang Wei walked in front of the team. He had a well-proportioned figure, walked steadily, and had a faint smile on his lips.

As an outstanding representative of the XXX Division, he was confident about this competition.

"Stand still!" Following the command, the staff officers participating in the competition stood in a neat line in front of the examination room.

The deputy chief of staff of the regional headquarters stood on the steps and announced in a loud voice: "This morning, we will conduct four content assessments, namely, reading, memorizing, calculating, and communicating.

In the afternoon, you will be assessed on writing and drawing.

Tomorrow morning, each major unit will organize its own activities, and in the afternoon, a martial arts competition review meeting will be held in the small auditorium of the hotel."

At 8:30, the invigilator began distributing test papers and homework supplies.

The only sound in the examination room was the rustling of papers.

Wang Wei took the test paper, quickly glanced through the questions, and the smile on his face deepened - he had seen some of these question types in the mock exams at the Logistics Academy.

Staff Officer Chen raised his head and looked around from time to time, as if observing the progress of others.

The tall staff officer Chen's pen paused on the paper several times.

Staff Officer Sun's pen drew smooth strokes on the paper.

When the "calculation" part of the test was handed out, the atmosphere in the examination room became noticeably tense.

This was a complicated logistics supply calculation problem. Wang Wei pushed his glasses which had slipped down, marked all the key data on the test paper first, and then began to calculate, writing each step neatly on the draft paper.

Staff Officer Li's pen hung over the paper for a long time without falling. He read the question over and over again, but got stuck at the last step.

"There are still thirty minutes left." The invigilator's voice was particularly clear in the quiet examination room.

Wang Wei made a final check and calmly stood up to hand in his paper.

Staff Officer Sun finished his homework almost at the same time. Seeing this, Staff Officer Chen hurriedly checked it and also stood up to hand in his paper.

Staff Officer Li looked up suddenly and saw that the three of them had handed in their papers, and he felt a little anxious.

After the morning assessment, the four met in the cafeteria. Wang Wei held the food tray, smiled and nodded, "How did you do?"

"It's OK, but that math problem is a bit tricky."

In the afternoon, the invigilator distributed the assignments and maps one by one. The sound of papers falling on the table was crisp and solemn.

"The assessment begins!"

Hundreds of pens had their caps pulled out at almost the same time, and the rustling sound of the pen tips touching the paper was as dense as drizzle.

The expressions and movements of the staff officers painted a completely different picture in the examination room.

Wang Wei's eyes quickly scanned the key information like a scanner: "Mountain offensive operations, division-level units, and logistics support plans."

His thoughts were clear and his pen hardly ever stopped, only occasionally pausing to think.

When mapping, be clean and neat.

After reading it, Staff Officer Sun made up his mind and even underlined a few key words.

He is used to making an outline first and then filling in the details, just like assembling a precision machine.

When drawing a map, start with the virtual and then the real.

Staff Officer Chen took a look and decided, then wrote a few lines on a piece of rough paper. He wrote the support plan quite quickly.

When drawing maps, "complete first, then optimize", and the military markings on the maps are a bit rough.

Staff Officer Li, the frustration from the morning is still affecting him.

The plan went smoothly at the beginning, but when drawing the map, the rear deployment was not drawn accurately, so they had to erase it with an eraser and redraw it, which resulted in the paper surface being rubbed rough.

With 15 minutes left to the end, Wang Wei was the first to stand up and hand in his paper.

Staff Officer Sun followed closely behind. After Staff Officer Chen handed in his paper, he glanced at Staff Officer Li and a hint of relaxation appeared at the corner of his mouth.

The four of them walked out of the examination room. Wang Wei stretched himself. Staff Officer Chen patted Staff Officer Li on the shoulder with a smile and said, "How was your drawing this afternoon?"

"It's okay..." But Staff Officer Li's eyes were vague and it was obvious that he was unsure.

Wang Wei noticed his uneasiness and was about to say something, but Staff Officer Li had already turned and walked towards the dormitory: "I'm going back to rest first."

The early morning sun shone on the courtyard of the Bayi Hotel, and the tense atmosphere of the competition temporarily dissipated.

Staff Officer Li asked for leave early in the morning and left the hotel in a hurry.

Wang Wei, Staff Officer Sun and Staff Officer Chen met at the entrance of the hotel and decided to take advantage of their free time to visit Lancheng's iconic attractions - Wuquan Mountain and Baita Mountain.

Wuquan Mountain is named after the five clear springs. The mountain is not high, but the view is wide and you can overlook the entire city of Lanzhou.

The three of them walked up the stone steps, unconsciously competing with each other in speed - they were soldiers after all, and even climbing the mountain was a form of competition.

After coming down from Wuquan Mountain, we headed to Baita Mountain.

Standing beside the river bridge, Staff Officer Sun bought three bottles of soda and handed them to the two men: "Drink something sweet to replenish your energy."

Wang Wei drank and said, "Let's go eat beef noodles. I know a time-honored restaurant."

The three of them came to the beef noodle restaurant.

When the hot bowl of beef was served, Wang Wei skillfully added a spoonful of chili oil and vinegar and said, "This Lancheng beef noodles, one clear, two white, three red, four green, is all about this flavor."

Staff Officer Chen said, "I'm tired of eating in the cafeteria these days during the competition. This is still more exciting!"

When the three returned to the hotel, they happened to see Staff Officer Li getting out of a military-branded car, looking much better than in the morning.

When he saw Wang Wei and the other three, he forced a smile and quickly walked into the building.

At 3 pm, a review meeting of the "Six Skills" competition of the regional combat support staff was held in the small auditorium of the Bayi Hotel.

The meeting was chaired by Director Yi Yuanchao from the headquarters and reviewed by the Chief of Staff of the Regional Logistics Department.

The Chief of Staff said: "Just now, I reviewed the overall test paper, affirmed the achievements, and pointed out the existing problems.

Next, I would like to explain the situation of the competitions organized by various major units. "

“Generally speaking, all the major units attached great importance to the competition after receiving the notice of the military district combat staff competition.

The heads of various departments are very concerned about this, and the Combat Support Department has done a lot of work.

Especially the Xxx Division, which pays close attention to training.

The four provinces and regions and the four regional logistics bases have also made a lot of preparations, especially Ning Province, which has focused on selection and training.

According to the rules of the conference, the top eight individuals will be selected, and the team champion will be the one with the most ranked individuals."

"Now, I declare that the winner of the team championship is the XXX Division Team."

The audience burst into warm applause.

"The most of them made it into the top eight, namely, Staff Officer Wang Wei, Staff Officer Sun, and Staff Officer Chen.

The first place in the individual competition was Staff Officer Wang Wei.

Big congratulations to them!"

The review meeting ended successfully with warm applause and the music of "Athletes' March".

Wang Wei, who returned with honor, officially took over the job of logistics chief of the 1X7 Regiment, removing the word "acting".

As soon as Wang Wei officially took over the logistics work of the regiment, he responded to the call of his superiors for a "combat logistics support competition" and took action immediately.

On this day, the 1X7 Regimental Equipment Autumn Competition was held in full swing amidst the continuous heavy rain.

More than 90 professional experts in the fields of ordnance maintenance, medical support, financial auditing, cooking support, transport driving, etc. competed fiercely in more than 10 practical subjects, and fully demonstrated their excellent physical fitness in the competition with high morale and solid skills.

When the five military physical education tests turned into a "three-dimensional battlefield" consisting of subjects such as 3000-meter run, horizontal bar, and sit-ups, the contestants tempered the "qualified" baseline into a sharp edge of "being able to fight and win" in the rainy days of May.

The theoretical test comprehensively covers the party's latest theories and professional content in various fields. Candidates in the examination room are fully focused and write quickly. Relying on their solid theoretical knowledge and daily accumulation, they answer each question carefully.

"Report, the injured person's leg is bleeding heavily, and he needs to be bandaged urgently!"

In the medical competition, the medical workers raced against time, carried simulated wounded people across numerous obstacles, quickly completed injury assessments and emergency treatment, and fully demonstrated their solid first aid skills and good psychological quality.

In order to ensure the fairness and impartiality of this competition, it will be supervised by a culture supervisor throughout the process, and friendly units and local industry leaders will be invited to serve as judges.

Adhering closely to actual combat needs and centering on the goal of "being able to fight, fighting well, and winning", we comprehensively cover multiple dimensions to hone the practical combat capabilities of the logistics team.

In the cooking competition, a "competition on the tip of the tongue" unfolded fiercely.

The participating cooks showed their strengths within the limited time, and beautifully shaped and fragrant dishes were served on the table. The judges strictly evaluated the dishes from multiple dimensions including color, aroma and taste.

With the commands of "Start, Stop!", the competition among the ordnancemen began.

The lightless environment not only strictly tests the ordnance personnel's proficiency in weapon construction, but also tests their psychological quality and ability to respond on the spot.

They use muscle memory as a guide, tempering it into a winning instinct in the lightless battlefield.

For Wang Wei, this competition was not only a comprehensive test of the training results of the entire regiment's rear-end training, but also provided an important basis for finding training shortcomings and meeting actual combat needs.

In the next step, the regiment will continue to push the rear-end support capability to a new level and forge a logistics support vanguard that can “be called upon, support and provide good support”.

At the division training base, Guo Yunfei, then the company commander of the logistics support company, was leading the equipment maintenance team. He ate and slept next to the vehicle, and performed full-time maintenance for seven days and nights, providing solid guarantees for the safe and efficient mobility of the participating troops.

The company was recognized by the region as an "advanced unit in training and preparation for war", adding another item to the wall of honor.

Faced with the "all-terrain, all-weather, and multi-equipment" support transformation in the new era, the company once again rose to the challenge.

Under the leadership of Minister Shao Jiawang, the Logistics Support Company of the Logistics Department is actively exploring the path of military training transformation in the context of combat in the new era of intelligence.

Liu Zhiye's persistence in restructuring and reforming the logistics system for many years has finally borne fruit at the grassroots level.

(End of this chapter)