From the 7th Steel Company to the Synthetic Division

Perhaps sensing the change in Chu Zhangang's attitude, Xu Xiaocun opened up completely, saying things without any restraint.

He explained the root causes of all the problems in one go, in their entirety.

When Chu Zhangang was criticized to his face, he felt only guilt and no anger. He reflected on himself and said, "At that time, I was indeed very dissatisfied, and Wang Kezheng's 708th Brigade was also dissatisfied."

However, his ideological education and training work was completely activated because of this, which is something that shocked me.

"But we become dejected when we talk about failure, and full of energy when we talk about success."

The problem that Chu Zhangang identified was most evident in him at the time.

"This clearly shows a lack of education on honor and shame. It can only highlight achievements and does not know how to rise up in failure. Without the confidence to rise from failure and setbacks, we dare not carry out this kind of knowledge education. In the end, we can only listen to the good and not the bad. We can definitely learn from the 708th Brigade's education on shame."

Xu Xiaocun is the second brigade cadre in the 909th Brigade to realize the importance of improving the unit's atmosphere, and he naturally wants to actively promote it.

"Old Xu, I think it's like this..."

Chu Zhangang composed himself and said seriously, "Take the main members of your team and a few regimental-level cadres and go to the 708th Brigade."

Take a look and learn first. After all, it's not realistic to copy everything at once. You can first find the problems that have the greatest impact on training and solve them accordingly.

Don't be shy about speaking up just because I'm a veteran brigade commander. Your attitude right now is quite good.

Half of my bad habits are because you spoiled me.

Chu Zhangang's last words were quite humorous, and Xu Xiaocun was amused, acknowledging and reflecting, "My responsibilities go beyond this."

"And then there's Ding Kai, who's been influenced by me a lot. If you have any difficulties at work, just tell me and let me speak to him. The goal is the same: we absolutely cannot let the 909th Brigade fall out of the ranks," Chu Zhangang said seriously.

"Old Chu, your attitude is excellent." Xu Xiaocun was genuinely pleased.

"Sigh, it seems I'm a persistent ghost."

Only now did Chu Zhangang realize how significant the negative impact he had brought about.

Actually...

Xu Xiaocun took a deep breath and said, "Old Chu, as the political commissar, I also bear some responsibility. I read about Wang Kezheng's deeds, thought about He Yazhou, and compared myself to them."

As political commissars, while we deeply analyzed ourselves, we weren't as earnest or thorough as Wang Kezhen. We had too many distractions and too many concerns.

"So many concerns?" Chu Zhangang asked, puzzled.

“Yes, the problem is that we haven’t seen or thought about it, but we’re afraid to face it. We don’t have the courage to completely correct it. Do you think we dare to erect a monument of shame in the 909th Brigade?” Xu Xiaocun asked.

"Don't dare."

Chu Zhangang shook his head and said in a deep voice, "When I stood in front of that monument to shame, my heart almost felt crushed by it. It shocked and horrified me."

I was asking myself, why didn't I think of these things?
Then I thought, even if I did think of it, would I dare to do it? I know I wouldn't. Later I told Wang Kezheng, "I admire him, but I couldn't do it."

Chu Zhangang's words were sincere and heartfelt, without a trace of affectation.

Xu Xiaocun was also moved by the emotions and said with eyes full of approval, "But you still brought back the study materials so that we could study them."

"I also need to learn."

Chu Zhangang took a deep breath and said, "I don't think I can do what he did, but I still want to learn from Wang Kezheng's spirit."

Even if we only learn half or a third of what he taught us, we can still make progress.

"Knowing shame leads to courage, and enduring hardship to achieve one's goal"—these ancient Chinese military maxims, though seemingly simple and unadorned, remain highly relevant even today.

……

As Chu Zhangang and Xu Xiaocun walked and talked, more than half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.

After touring the training grounds of the other battalions, Chu Zhangang and Xu Xiaocun returned to the entrance of the brigade headquarters building and reunited with Ding Kai and the others before leaving.

"I just had a long talk with Political Commissar Xu. I didn't have such a thorough discussion when I was the brigade commander. You should learn from the deeds of the 708th Brigade and Wang Kezheng. I will come again when I have time, and we will work together to do a good job in the 909th Brigade."

Chu Zhangang earnestly instructed everyone present. This time, it wasn't just superficial politeness, but a heartfelt exhortation.

"Reporting to Deputy Chief of Staff Chu, the military headquarters called to inform you that the Theater Army wants you and the commanders of the 909th Brigade to come to the Theater Army tomorrow to attend the autumn exercise coordination meeting."

Just then, a staff officer on duty ran over and loudly reported to Chu Zhangang.

"So fast?"

There's still some time before the autumn campaign, so the fact that a coordination meeting is being held now is quite surprising to Chu Zhangang.

"Does that mean our 909th Brigade will definitely participate, since they're sending the commanders of our brigade together?" Ding Kai asked, his eyes filled with surprise.

“I submitted it last month. The theater army asked the group army to submit a plan first, which included recommending the main force to participate in this exercise. The first one I submitted was the 909th Brigade, but now…”

Chu Zhangang, who was full of confidence before yesterday, hesitated when he spoke about this.

"Deputy Chief of Staff Chu, are you afraid we'll lose again?" Chief of Staff Zhu asked.

“I’m worried that you’re not well prepared,” Chu Zhangang said.

"What aspects are lacking?" Xu Xiaocun asked.

"It's hard to say right now, but I feel there are many shortcomings. If we encounter the 708th Brigade, our chances of winning are less than 60%," Chu Zhangang said with a frown.

"What if we encounter the Seventh Steel Brigade?" Ding Kai asked an even more difficult question.

"The 7th Steel Brigade? Hmph."

Chu Zhangang snorted twice, strode towards the military vehicle, took two steps and then stopped, turned around and said loudly, "I think I'm 80% sure."

After saying that, Chu Zhangang opened the car door and got in. The military vehicle then started and left the 909th Brigade.

Recalling Chu Zhangang's words before he left, Ding Kai, Zhu Rongsheng, and Xu Xiaocun had different expressions, but all of them hid a sense of helplessness.

Xu Xiaocun and the other two knew very well that Chu Zhangang was obviously just saying things out of anger.

Chu Zhangang still harbors resentment over the loss to the Seventh Steel Brigade.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have said something so irrational. You have to understand that the 7th Steel Brigade defeated the 708th Brigade, and in the end, they even made Wang Kezheng of the 708th Brigade admit his shortcomings and take the initiative to surrender to the 7th Steel Brigade.

The 708th Brigade admitted that it was inferior to the 7th Steel Brigade, which is why it trained so hard to redeem itself.

What gives Chu Zhangang the confidence to say that he has less than a 60% chance of winning against the 708th Brigade, but can increase his chance of winning against the Steel 7th Brigade to 80%?

This logic is clearly flawed.

However, Xu Xiaocun and the other two were already very satisfied with the changes Chu Zhangang had made, so they did not continue to discuss the matter.

Instead, they focused their attention on more important matters concerning the future of the 909th Brigade.

"Are we being asked to attend a meeting at the war zone tomorrow? When will the official notification be delivered?" Xu Xiaocun asked the staff officer.

"The official notification will be delivered tomorrow," the staff officer replied.

“Based on the experience of the 708th Brigade, we need to improve in many aspects, but we don’t have much time left and we must hurry up and move forward.”

After analyzing the current situation, Xu Xiaocun made the following arrangements: "Brigade Commander Ding, Chief of Staff Zhu, I think it's best if you two go to the meeting, and I'll stay home and reorganize the relevant political study documents."

"Okay, let's do it."

Ding Kai and Zhu Rongsheng readily accepted, and the matter was settled.

……

the next day.

Capital Theater
Leaders from three brigades of three army groups gathered in the conference room. The three top leaders of the Capital Theater Command personally led this meeting.

"With approval, the Joint Staff Department of the Capital Theater Command will organize a joint amphibious landing and coastal defense exercise involving the army, navy, and air force forces under the theater command."

The tactical maneuvers in this exercise were complex, involving numerous subjects and frequent transitions between offense and defense, fully demonstrating the variability and uncertainty of the battlefield.

Next, I would like to invite Commander Xing Zhiqiang to explain the organizational structure, tasks, and requirements of this exercise.

Chief of Staff Shen led the opening remarks of the meeting, briefly summarizing the content and participants, and then steered the discussion to Xing Zhiqiang, the commander of Theater A.

Quack, quack, quack…

A round of enthusiastic applause erupted, then stopped after three seconds.

"This exercise, codenamed 'Land and Sea One,' is part of our theater army's autumn campaign exercise. The main forces participating in the 'Land and Sea One' exercise include..."

Xing Zhiqiang read aloud from the computer on the table: "The 909th Brigade of the C Group Army and its attached units of the Capital Theater Command, the 708th Brigade of the V Group Army and its attached units, the 7th Heavy Assault Brigade of the K Group Army, some ships of the Theater Command Navy, and aviation units of the Theater Command Air Force participated."

As the exercise progresses and the war situation develops, the Rocket Force and Strategic Support Force will also participate in some combat operations.

The exercise was divided into two phases. In the first phase, the 7th Steel Brigade and the Navy and Air Force of the theater launched a joint amphibious landing operation against the Chenghai defense line defended by the 909th Army Brigade of the C Group Army and its attached units.

The mission was divided into two parts, A and B. Part A involved an attack group organized by the 7th Steel Brigade launching a landing operation against Nanshan, which was 160 nautical miles away and defended by the 201st Brigade.

The objective is to capture the core position in the area within five hours, using it as a springboard for launching an attack on the Chenghai defense line, thus completing Part A of the mission.

If the 7th Steel Brigade fails to capture Nanshan within five hours, it will be considered that the 7th Steel Brigade has failed to complete Part A of the mission and will be withdrawn from the exercise as the losing side.

If the 7th Steel Brigade successfully captures Nanshan, it will automatically enter Part B, where the 7th Steel Brigade will continue to launch a landing operation to break through the 909th Brigade's Chenghai defense line. After breaking through the Chenghai defense line, it will choose an opportunity to occupy Chenghai City.

The overall commander of the defending forces was Deputy Chief of Staff Chu Zhangang.

Part B has a three-day time limit. The joint land, sea and air combat group commanded by the 7th Steel Brigade must capture the main position of the Chenghai defense line to be considered a victory; otherwise, the landing operation will be deemed a failure.

The final victor of both sides then transitioned to urban defense operations in Chenghai, commencing the second phase of the exercise.

Commander Xing Zhiqiang took a sip of water after saying this, and gave everyone a chance to digest what he had just said, since he had shared a lot of information in a short period of time.

After a few seconds, he continued, "In the second phase, the 708th Brigade of the V Group Army and its attached units will be under the command of Wang Kezheng."

The starting point for the 708th Brigade to enter the exercise is the day after the winner of the first phase enters the defense of Chenghai City, which is either the day after the 7th Steel Brigade Group breaks through the Chenghai defense line, or the day after the 909th Brigade Group successfully holds the Chenghai defense line for three days and successfully crushes the enemy's landing offensive.

The 708th Brigade and its attached units are required to conduct a long-distance maneuver of 2,000 kilometers across the Yangtze River to the south without any support, to complete the encirclement of Chenghai City, and to launch an attack on Chenghai City, with the goal of capturing the Chenghai Municipal Government Building.

The attack period is also three days; the defending force that fails to capture the target within three days wins.

The exercise plan and deployment for the "Land and Sea No. 1" have been explained. Now, I will say a few requirements, which everyone must carefully remember.

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to a new page in their notebooks, ready to record the leader's instructions.

"First, the participating troops are required to begin serious preparations for combat today, for a period of fifteen to twenty days. After fifteen days, the troops will enter a state of standby."

The theater army will no longer provide any prior notice and will issue the order to begin the exercise at any time.

Second, the number of troops assigned to this exercise cannot exceed one-quarter of the main force's strength. The specific plan should be submitted in advance by the three participating units to the exercise command based on their own operational needs, regardless of the branch of service, and must be completed within fifteen days.

Third, apart from the aforementioned planned tasks and milestones, the command will not issue any further contingency plans for this exercise.

Fourth, in this exercise, the commanders of the headquarters and the various military branches of the theater command will participate in and observe the exercise. The entire process will be systematically evaluated by computer, and the situation will be reported in real time.

These are the four requirements for the exercise. Have all three participating units understood?

After Xing Zhiqiang finished speaking, he demanded that his gaze be like a torch, sweeping over the brigade leaders of the three units attending the meeting, requiring a definite response from the three units.

"The 7th Steel Brigade understands."

"The 708th Brigade understands."

Wang Qingrui and Wang Kezheng stood up to answer, their answers concise and to the point, without a single superfluous word.

"Xing SLY, Chief of Staff Shen, I am full of confidence in participating in this exercise and I am determined to win this most complex confrontation exercise in the history of the theater army."

However, I believe that the timing of the exercise was too rushed, leaving too little time for the participating troops to prepare, which may affect the effectiveness of the exercise.

Also, we need to know in advance where the viewing platform will be set up—whether it's on the Chenghai defense line or near the Chenghai Municipal Government building—so that we can make preparations and ensure the smooth organization of the event. That's all I have to say.

Chu Zhangang rattled off a long string of words, sounding as if he had considered things more thoroughly, but in reality, his words concealed many other intentions.

For example, they tried to buy more time for the 909th Brigade, and they still hadn't changed their old habit of trying to curry favor with their superiors. (End of Chapter)