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

Chapter 671 The last big thing!!!

At that time, Xu Chenglong was very grateful for the attention and trust shown by the school and the leaders of the General Staff Department.

Before this, Xu Chenglong faced three choices after graduation.

The first is to continue working in the division’s communications battalion.

At that time, Xu Chenglong's old company commander had been promoted to work in the division's direct headquarters.

Before Xu Chenglong was about to graduate, his old company commander wrote him a special letter, hoping that he would work in the division after graduation.

The second is to return to the Communications Company and serve as deputy company commander.

This is Xu Chenglong's old unit, so naturally there are no obstacles.

The third is to be transferred to work in the troops in the Central Plains.

Through the introduction of his comrades, Xu Chenglong met Minister Li of the logistics department of a certain army stationed in Zhongdu Division.

After Minister Li learned about Xu Chenglong's situation, he expressed his welcome for him to work in the army's communications department after graduation.

Because Zhongdu Division was the closest city to Xu Chenglong's hometown, working in the 20th Group Army was his main choice after graduation.

Now, Xu Chenglong was fortunately selected as a student to stay in school to teach, which suddenly made him face a difficult decision about his future career after graduation.

After much consideration, I decided to go with Xu Chenglong because of his interest in teaching and research, and because Jiangcheng is not too far from my hometown.

Moreover, considering that I can also take advantage of job opportunities in military academies, I can continue my studies and it will be beneficial for me to carry out academic research on military communications.

Xu Chenglong finally decided to accept the option of staying on to teach at the school.

In addition to Xu Chenglong, there are two other students in their Communications Team 2 who remain in school to work.

One is the captain of the first district, Lao Meng, who was assigned to the school training base to do management work; the other is the leader of the third squad, Lao Chen, who was assigned to the school's Academic Affairs Office as a staff officer.

In August of that year, Xu Chenglong was officially appointed as the deputy battalion-level instructor of the Communications Department of the PLA Advanced Logistics School and assigned to the Communications Training Teaching Group of the department's teaching and research section.

The school assigned Xu Chenglong a 20-square-meter dormitory that month, and he began his new career as a military school teacher...

Since entering the military academy two years ago, Xu Chenglong has been pursuing his hobby of writing in addition to his busy courses.

However, Xu Chenglong's creative direction underwent a new change during this period, gradually shifting from writing news reports to researching academic articles on military logistics communications.

While at school, Xu Chenglong wrote several academic research articles on military communications, which were published in academic journals on campus and at headquarters.

These academic articles mainly involve research on military communications work in terms of peacetime troop communications management and wartime communications support.

The publication of these articles not only brought Xu Chenglong some fame, but also attracted the attention of the leaders of the Communication Department and the Teaching and Research Section.

In recent years, a wave of reforms has emerged in all aspects of the logistics system.

Xu Chenglong was personally selected by Director Xie as one of the student representatives and has participated in many teaching reform research projects organized by the Communication Department.

After class, Xu Chenglong often goes to the department leadership office and the communications teaching and research office to work with department leaders and senior teachers to formulate research topics, discuss research ideas, determine research content, and write research articles.

Some research articles written by Xu Chenglong were discussed collectively by department leaders and teaching and research sections, and after their revision suggestions were made, he would complete the final draft of the articles, which were finally submitted to relevant academic journals of the headquarters and military academies for publication.

During the years he studied in the Department of Communications, Xu Chenglong wrote more than 20 academic research articles, which were published in the name of department leaders or under his own name.

Among them, articles such as "Several Opinions on the Teaching Reform of Logistics and Communications Majors" and "Brief Views on the Reform of Communications Documents" published in the school's academic journals have received high attention from school leaders and have been reflected in the teaching reform.

These articles were first rated as excellent graduation theses by the Advanced Logistics School, and were soon published in abstracts in the journal Communications Research.

What Xu Chenglong did not expect was that this graduation thesis later attracted the attention of Liu Zhiye, the head of the headquarters.

Shortly after the start of the fall semester in 1995, the Advanced Logistics School received a notice from its superiors asking it to use this paper as a case study and to be the first in the military's logistics and command schools to initiate a new attempt at thesis defense.

At this time, Xu Chenglong and his classmates from the class of 1995 had already graduated and returned to their respective units, and he had just taken up the position of instructor at the military academy.

One day, Xu Chenglong suddenly received a notice from the school’s training department, asking him to continue serving as a student in the Communications Department once again, and the school would organize relevant experts to defend his graduation thesis.

For this graduation thesis defense meeting, which was the first organized by the senior postgraduate school, the school's vice president in charge of teaching was personally in charge, and the school's training department took the lead in organizing it. Relevant leaders and senior teachers from the school's basic teaching and research department, management teaching and research department, computer teaching and research department, etc. were selected to form a defense expert group of more than ten people.

This thesis defense was specifically for Xu Chenglong's graduation thesis, and he was the only one defending.

The school’s computer classroom sent someone to record the entire defense meeting.

Xu Chenglong's graduation thesis belongs to the cross-border field of military communications and computer technology.

Although the thesis's viewpoints are very new and forward-looking, Xu Chenglong himself knows that the thesis's arguments and logic of demonstration are still relatively weak and superficial.

Facing such a high-level group of leaders and experts for the defense, Xu Chenglong was timid at first, but as the defense progressed, he found that his worries were unnecessary.

Because this graduation thesis defense was only for me, it was an experimental attempt by the school, and its main purpose was to explore a new model of educational reform in logistics and command colleges.

In other words, this defense was mainly based on demonstration, and the form of the defense was more important than the content.

In addition, the paper written by Xu Chenglong is also a brand new topic for the expert group participating in the defense meeting.

During the thesis defense, Xu Chenglong fluently answered some not-so-complicated questions raised by experts and leaders one by one.

The experts gave more pertinent evaluation and enthusiastic encouragement to Xu Chenglong's paper.

Xu Chenglong still remembers Vice President Xie’s summary speech at the defense meeting.

He commented that Xu Chenglong's graduation thesis was novel in concept and correct in direction.

Although the paper still has problems with imperfect arguments and demonstration methods, it has at least opened up a research space with practical value in the initial integration of military communications and computer technology, which is worthy of recognition and further promotion.

He finally emphasized that this thesis defense meeting set a precedent for educational reform in the military's intermediate logistics command colleges.

In the future, this form of defense meetings will be gradually launched among graduating students from all departments of the school.

I heard from the comrades in the school's electronic classroom that as the first graduation thesis defense held by a logistics command school, the entire videotape of this defense was soon sent to the headquarters archives for archiving.

In the second month after staying at the school, Xu Chenglong officially became the main instructor of the logistics training exercise course of the Communications Department's teaching and research section, teaching the cadre students of the Communications Department.

The focus of the military's combat readiness training must also be transformed towards the strategic guiding ideology of dealing with local wars under high-tech conditions.

In order to adapt to this change, the training and exercise courses, teaching policies and teaching methods of military academies are facing the need for immediate adjustment and reform.

As soon as Xu Chenglong took over the teaching task of this course, he encountered such difficulties: the old textbooks were not applicable and the new textbooks had not come out. How should this course be taught?
At the teaching discussion meeting of the teaching and research department, Xu Chenglong put forward his own teaching ideas.

That is, before the headquarters issues a new syllabus for troop training, the communications training and exercise courses should focus on disseminating the headquarters' new strategic guidelines, broadening the thinking of cadres and trainees, and exploring how to carry out reforms in troop communications training and exercises under the new situation.

Xu Chenglong's suggestion was recognized by the department leaders and senior teachers.

Director Xu assigned Xu Chenglong to write the lecture notes, and then the school and department leaders and experts would listen to his trial lecture of the course first, and after passing it, it would be implemented in actual teaching.

Therefore, Xu Chenglong worked overtime for several days and nights, repeatedly read the resolutions of the headquarters meeting, referred to a large amount of information from our military and foreign military academic journals, and combined with the actual combat readiness training experience he had accumulated in the army, he wrote a nearly 20,000-word course lecture outline.

The content of the lecture outline mainly reflects the following five points: a macroscopic understanding of the changing characteristics of the current international situation and the new challenges facing our army; a deep understanding of the substantive content of the transformation of the strategic guiding ideology proposed by the headquarters;
To truly understand the new combat styles and new communication support methods of modern local wars;

Objectively identify the deficiencies and shortcomings in the current logistics, communications training, and exercises of our military units;
We should emancipate our minds, carry out reform and innovation, aim to adapt to the requirements of modern warfare, and narrow the gap between our army and foreign armies in logistics and communications training as soon as possible.

This lecture outline is basically divorced from the original content stipulated in the school's training syllabus.

This was like opening a new course, and this reform attempt immediately attracted the school's high attention.

Under the current circumstances, this teaching content that deviates from the original teaching syllabus poses certain teaching risks to schools.

It was Vice President Xie, who was in charge of teaching, who personally talked to Xu Chenglong and summoned relevant leaders and senior teachers in the school to listen to two trial lectures by Xu Chenglong, a young teacher who had just stayed in the school.

Afterwards, Vice President Xie organized a discussion on the Department of Communications’ curriculum reform attempt.

After listening to Xu Chenglong's trial lecture, these leaders and senior teachers put forward specific revision suggestions for the teaching lecture outline he wrote, paragraph by paragraph and sentence by sentence.

He also gave me careful and detailed face-to-face guidance on the teaching methods of this young teacher, Xu Chenglong, the control of key points in class, the rhythm of his lectures, etc.

Finally, Vice President Xie made the final decision, and Xu Chenglong's course was approved to be officially taught to cadre trainees...

Many years ago, after listening to Liu Zhiye’s work report, the headquarters leaders proposed: “We will strive to make a big change in the face of logistics work within three to five years.”

In order to implement the instructions of the headquarters leadership, Liu Zhiye proposed to the headquarters and logistics party committee: insist on putting the focus of logistics construction at the grassroots level, conduct in-depth investigations and research in the logistics system, comprehensively rectify logistics work, vigorously solve the practical problems of the troops, and change the logistics landscape of the entire army one front at a time.

The Headquarters fully agrees with the above recommendations.

Therefore, starting from a few years ago, a comprehensive investigation, rectification and construction was carried out in the entire logistics system.

The border and coastal defense forces are often cut off from the inland areas due to their remote location, inconvenient transportation, and even due to heavy snow and high tides. The living conditions are extremely difficult.

In order to improve the logistics supply and support work for the border and coastal defense forces, Liu Zhiye held a meeting with the logistics team at the beginning of that year to study and decide;
Send half of the cadres to the grassroots level to coordinate with the major regions to conduct a comprehensive survey of the border and coastal defense of the whole country.
This requires us to help the officers and soldiers of the border and coastal defense forces solve practical problems in a down-to-earth manner.

Convey the concern of the headquarters leaders and headquarters organs for the border and coastal defense forces to the hearts of the cadres and soldiers.

Just after the Spring Festival, a survey team of more than 10 people, led by Liu Zhiye himself and the leaders of each second-level department, was divided into groups and went to the northwest, southwest, northeast borders and the eastern and southern islands.

Before the various investigation teams set off, Liu Zhiye said at a training session: "Border and coastal defense is our outpost, its strategic position is very important, and the living conditions are very difficult.

The foundation of the army lies in the company. If the roots are not strong, it is easy to fall; if the company is not strong, it is easy to collapse.

This time, we must visit every border point and every fortified island to truly understand the situation, solve the problems effectively, and build our country's border and coastal defense into a steel Great Wall."

The Southeast Border Defense Investigation Team, led by Deputy Minister Li, traveled day and night and visited every border defense company and outpost.

The southern island investigation team, led by Vice Minister Zhang, took a boat to the Dasha Islands.

Due to the strong winds and waves at sea, the ship was shaking violently. Everyone's face was pale from vomiting, but they still had to go through every duty point.

The Northern Xinjiang Border Defense Investigation Team, led by Minister Zhang of the Oil Department, braved the overwhelming sandstorm and arrived at a border defense regiment by jeep.

I saw that some soldiers stationed in harsh environments drank brown water that tasted bitter and astringent, and long-term drinking would cause osteoporosis.
The dugouts where soldiers lived at several border posts were often blocked by sandstorms, and they had to be cleaned every few days, with the sand carried away in baskets.

Due to the many problems in the western Xinjiang direction, Liu Zhiye personally served as the team leader, and the logistics and finance minister Lao Song served as the deputy team leader.

This time, Liu Zhiye led the investigation team to the border of western Xinjiang.

When Director Yi Yuanchao of the investigation team arrived at the Daba Border Defense Company, the soldiers said to him, “When things were difficult here, there was no salt to eat.

Due to heavy snow blocking the mountain, the company has been unable to contact the outside world for more than half a year, and can’t hear the radio or watch TV. "

One soldier said: "The letter my family wrote last year was only received this year."

Another soldier said: "I haven't taken a shower since I entered the point."

Another investigation team led by Deputy Minister Zheng went to the east and west lines of southern Xinjiang and came to Motuo where a highway was under construction.

Here, they saw that due to the lack of oxygen on the plateau and the water and soil issues, the soldiers' fingernails had turned purple and were curled upwards. Their faces were also purple and black, as if they were covered with something.

At a border post called Zada ​​in Motuo, when the investigation team arrived there, dozens of border guards had only two or three hundred kilograms of food left, and they had not had fresh meat for half a month.

The 10 investigation teams traveled a total of more than 20 kilometers. The Western Xinjiang and Southern Xinjiang teams walked more than 1000 kilometers each. They talked to 500 people of all kinds and resolved more than problems on the spot.

Bring back global issues for study.

After summarizing, a report on issues that needed to be resolved urgently was delivered to Liu Zhiye.

Housing: There is a shortage of one million square meters of barracks. Some companies do not even have barracks and live in temporary houses that are dark, damp and leaky.
Some temporary houses are car compartments, and the families of the visiting team are no exception, and all live in the compartments;
Some island soldiers live in tunnels all year round.

In terms of water supply: there are 200 front-line duty points that have to draw water from a long distance or carry water on their backs;
The 30 islands rely on water transported from the mainland, and when the sea is high, they are cut off from water and drinking water;
Most of the border guards in the snow-capped mountains of southern Xinjiang often eat water melted from ice and snow, and have never taken a bath in a year.
In terms of supplies: a considerable part of the company's non-staple food is supplied by the rear, and the long-distance transportation has a large loss and poor storage conditions. In hot seasons, the vegetables delivered will rot and the meat will smell bad.

Transportation: Some frontline border defense companies have no access to roads, making it very difficult to transport supplies and evacuate the wounded and sick;
Some fortified islands have no docks or landing points, and there are few ships. Some islands have not seen supply ships for half a month, and material supplies are often interrupted. Some family members arrive without waiting for the island vacation.

The border and coastal defense soldiers are eagerly waiting, hoping that this investigation will solve their difficulties.

Liu Zhiye watched the videos shot by the various investigation teams and listened to their reports, and felt very heavy-hearted.

He decided to treat improving the practical difficulties of the officers and soldiers stationed at these border and coastal defense bases as the last major event in his military career.

Liu Zhiye said to the comrades of the investigation team: "I have said in the past that we must have the determination not to return until we understand the situation, and we must have the energy not to give up until the problem is solved.

The first sentence has been implemented, and the second sentence requires even greater efforts!"

In order to gain the support of the headquarters leaders and reach a consensus, Liu Zhiye reported the investigation results in detail to the headquarters and played the video footage he had taken.

This release is not a big deal, but it brought tears to the leaders' eyes.

“I was very happy to watch your video report on the inspection of logistics work at the border islands.

Thank you for doing a great thing, organizing so many cadres to travel across mountains and rivers,

I traveled thousands of miles to visit our officers and soldiers who guard the island frontiers of our motherland day and night.
Greeting them, understanding their situation, asking for their opinions, and then reflecting it vividly makes it clear to us and deeply touching.

In the past, I knew that the lives of the cadres and soldiers guarding the islands and borders were very difficult, but I had never seen so truly and deeply that they fought and lived in such a difficult environment.

For the security of the motherland, they contribute their youth and strength. They are the most lovely people. I was deeply moved after watching it.

I think our leaders at all levels should show concern and care for their difficulties when they know about them.

Maybe you have already thought about it, but I will repeat it anyway.

Such as the maintenance of barracks, warehouses, roads, the improvement of food, medical conditions and cultural life, etc. We must try to help them solve some of their difficulties..."

After discussing with other logistics leaders, Liu Zhiye sent a request report on solving urgent border defense issues to the headquarters.

All the leaders attending the headquarters office meeting have watched the video and the agenda was quickly passed.

(End of this chapter)