Military career: Starting with a recruitment letter

Chapter 203: Calling for Spectators, the Joint Battalion Deploys
"Scholar, what are we checking? Why do we need to wear this tattered thing?"

The scouts who were called over by Chen Mo held up their police armbands, and each of them looked more and more disgusted.

Some even go so far as to pinch it between two fingers, making it feel like they're holding a dead rat in their hands.

His mouth could stretch all the way to his ears.

Because in the Seventh Brigade, the reconnaissance company and the military affairs department were mortal enemies.

They can't stand each other when they meet, let alone take the initiative to do disciplinary work.

"Put it on. It's definitely not to pick on anyone. We'll just ask a few soldiers who their squad leader, platoon leader, and company commander are, and whether they know their comrades in the same squad."

"The work is easy." Chen Mo pinned a thumbtack to his sleeve, while turning around to give instructions.

Listen to what he said.

A dozen or so veterans reluctantly put on the armbands.

Well, it's just a formality. After all, if you don't wear an armband, and so many people suddenly flood into the base, who will know who you are?

It's simply to avoid unnecessary conflicts.

The job is indeed not difficult.

Currently, some people from each company are staying in their dormitories, while some of the more capable officers are taking their entire company to the foot of Mount Tai to find an open space for personnel interaction.

The personnel are scattered.

After assigning tasks to everyone, Chen Mo went to Pei Shuaijun to collect paper and pens for everyone to record the questions. Then, they began to carry out their tasks in pairs.

Wang Jianyong and Chen Mo were quite familiar with each other, so they teamed up to check the armored battalion's personnel.

"Scholar, isn't this just redundant work for you?" Wang Jianyong glanced at the notebook in his hand and said with little interest, "So many people came yesterday, what can you do even if you don't know them?"

"Should we grab them and give their company commander a dressing down?"

“It’s not that cheap.” Chen Mo smiled upon hearing this, and then explained seriously, “Our upcoming joint training will be very tough. As a joint battalion, the most important thing is that we must have the right attitude.”

"Being a little lazy or clumsy is fine. The purpose of the joint training is just to see the mobility of each unit, so as to make it easier to plan and issue specific tasks when we arrive in the Northwest."

"But if the attitude is not right and the training is perfunctory, then the impact will be on more than just one company."

“I know what you’re saying, but what if someone doesn’t cooperate with you?” Wang Jianyong asked, somewhat puzzled. “A battalion comes from four or five different divisions or brigades. I’ve never heard of such a combination before.”

"They've come all this way, but their employment status is still with their original unit. What can you do if they don't follow orders?"

Old Wang's concerns were not unfounded.

Take the reconnaissance company for example. In the 7th Armored Brigade, under Cheng Dong's command, they were all obedient and good soldiers who followed orders.

If you put these people in a different place, try it again.
Those guys, if they didn't hold their heads high and glare at people with their nostrils, it would be considered that the reconnaissance company was very restrained.

"What can we do? Send them all back. If the company commander doesn't listen, send the whole company back. If the soldiers don't obey, send them back one by one. If we don't have enough personnel, our reconnaissance company will fill in. If we don't have enough command, which of the three platoon leaders in the reconnaissance company can't step up?"

"Special measures are needed in special times. There's no time to think about using personal charm to win people over."

Chen Mo raised his hand and waved, his tone carrying a hint of domineering.

But after he said that...

Wang Jianyong, who had initially shown little interest, almost had his eyes light up.

With a tone that suggested he was enjoying the drama, he asked, "Scholar, is what you're saying true?"

"Damn it, if you put it that way, I'm going to ask them one by one."

The 2nd Tank Battalion doesn't have many people. Excluding logistics, a company has at most fifty people, and the entire battalion can be accommodated in five or six dormitories.

In the morning, while Chen Mo was wandering around the base, he learned that the people of the Second Battalion were having a company meeting in their dormitories, so the two of them went straight to the First Company's dormitory.

Knowing he might be fired, and recognizing the challenges of his job, Wang Jianyong was incredibly enthusiastic.

The two walked to the dormitory entrance.

Before Chen Mo could even utter a sound, Wang Jianyong started banging on the door repeatedly.

It would have been easy to solve the problem by simply turning the doorknob, but the person wouldn't turn it. They insisted on pressing the doorbell until someone inside opened it before grabbing their notebook in one hand and pulling down their red armband with the other, saying with a serious expression, "Comrades, let's check the mission."

"Everyone, please cooperate."

"Hey you, yes, you, tell me your squad leader's name and who your platoon leader is."

Chen Mo was in a group with him, and they were supposed to ask around together, but now Lao Wang was blocking the doorway all by himself.

His voice was like a broken gong or drum; he couldn't get a word in edgewise.

Chen Mo stood at the dormitory entrance, patting his forehead in exasperation. Damn it, when he asked these people to wear armbands, they were all unwilling.

Even a dog wouldn't do the job of interrogating people.

If they really got into a fight, what would be the difference between them and those patrolmen on the street who don't carry recording equipment? They'd all be like bandits, and their voices wouldn't be quiet.

After standing at the door for a while and confirming that Old Wang knew the people from the Second Battalion and wouldn't get beaten up,

Chen Mo then peeked out and called Zhu Gaituan, who was huddled in a corner of the room having a meeting.

"Good morning, squad leader!!"

As Zhu Gaituan stepped out of the dormitory, he straightened his posture in a serious manner and spoke with a grin.

"Are you settling in well here?"

"I'm used to it, I'm so used to it. There's air conditioning here, damn, it's much better than our infantry squad's dorm, which only had one broken fan and often ran out of power."

"When I wasn't in the army, I thought the military wouldn't have power outages. Who knew that power would go out like this? The hotter it gets, the more it goes out. You wouldn't believe it, sergeant. Sometimes after training, we would squat in a row outside the canteen to eat dinner."

"For dinner, we had stir-fried salted fish with garlic sprouts. The garlic sprouts were too tough to chew, and there was only a tiny bit of the fish tail left in the salted fish. Sigh!"

Zhu Gaituan became more and more excited as he spoke, occasionally adding some gestures. It was clear that the summer in the tank battalion was indeed difficult.

If we really have to compare, the base here is quite good.

"Yeah, that's pretty uncomfortable."

Chen Mo smiled and patted Zhu Gaituan on the shoulder: "How about this, when you have time, go find our squad leader, or the company commander."

"Tell them you want to be transferred to the reconnaissance company. After this military exercise, a large number of people will likely be trained here. If you are transferred here and learn with the company, you will be able to become a respected senior sergeant, just like our squad leader."

"Hey, that's good."

Zhu Gaituan naturally had no objections; these were the exact words he had spoken to Chen Mo just two days prior.

Unexpectedly, the squad leader still remembered.

"What about Lao Feng, the squad leader? He's been transferred to the logistics company now. Why don't we transfer him to the reconnaissance company too?"

"It's alright, I'll take care of things with Lao Feng. Our former Platoon Leader Liang is now in charge of logistics. Let's see if Platoon Leader Liang can talk to him."

"Got it!"

After chatting for a few minutes, Zhu Gaituan returned to his dormitory.

In the past, there were standards for selecting people for the reconnaissance company. For example, recruits like Zhu Gaituan and Feng Junling, whose performance during their basic training was not good, were not considered good enough even with the help of veteran soldiers.

After all, it's not exactly a good company.

Forcing them in will only make those with weak foundations suffer more.

Things are different now. The reconnaissance company is gradually being integrated into the informationized battalion and is undertaking a variety of tasks.

Do your best to take care of your fellow soldiers, and Chen Mo will definitely do his part in helping them.

Zhu Gaituan was alright; he could survive in an infantry squad and even serve as a machine gunner, which shows that he had good adaptability.

But Feng Junling is in a bit of trouble.

That guy, who was over 1.9 meters tall, wasn't exactly popular in the army. It was only because the requirements for recruiting soldiers weren't strict at that time.

Otherwise, if you are too tall, you will not be allowed to undergo a physical examination.

That height only qualifies someone for artillery battalions, and even then, it has to be a towed artillery piece, not a self-propelled one, otherwise they wouldn't even fit in the driver's cab. Chen Mo plans to wait and see about Lao Feng's situation.

While Lao Wang was blocking the dormitory door and checking people like he was taking attendance, Chen Mo simply changed dormitories.

He wasn't as brutal as those scouts; he used a slightly gentler approach, specifically selecting a few soldiers, pulling them into the stairwell, and offering them a few cigarettes.

Ask which squad or platoon members were kept on duty and who were transferred from other units.

Did the company commander and officers talk to or chat with the people who were transferred here? After clarifying these things.

Chen Mo didn't ask any detailed questions. He reiterated that half a day was not enough to achieve the desired effect, and the problem lay in the execution.

If officers lack the ability to execute, the troops will lack cohesion. The atmosphere of a unit is basically linked to the personality of the commander.

Lax discipline and working in isolation are major taboos on the field.

Inadequate communication and forced training programs can easily lead to a decline in the overall training enthusiasm of the troops.

If the officers don't take it seriously, how can you expect the soldiers below to charge forward with shouts of encouragement?
The way to get rid of woodworms is to take immediate action as soon as you find wormholes, rather than waiting until the tree trunk is riddled with holes before taking action.

After a brief inquiry by the Second Battalion and finding no problems, Chen Mo went downstairs and stood in the place where they had previously dispersed.

They were waiting for the reconnaissance company members who had gone out to collect data to return and report.

About half an hour has passed.

Personnel from all over the base began heading towards the canteen one after another. The food delivery trucks arranged by the Jinyang Logistics Department arrived at the base.

The dozen or so reconnaissance soldiers who went out have finally returned.

Wang Jianyong, Cui Liang, Yao Jinghua, and the others didn't show any change in expression.

The logbooks issued to them were returned clean and blank.

"Scholar, your arrangement is unnecessary. I went to the anti-aircraft artillery company, where there are only three new people. The company commander and platoon leader held a company-wide meeting with these three people early this morning."

"They specifically emphasized the importance of this training session and mentioned that we would be going to the Northwest to participate in military exercises, so as not to embarrass our old unit."

"That's about right. I went to the howitzer company. The people there were quite enthusiastic. They pulled me aside and let me smoke for half an hour until my lips were numb. I didn't get any information out of them, but they were very cooperative."

Chen Mo trusted the reconnaissance company quite a bit; otherwise, he wouldn't have lent them out.

But he was in no hurry to draw a conclusion.

When the work was assigned in the morning, these companies behaved normally and were the type to cooperate actively, so there's nothing to say about that.

"Where is the rocket artillery battery?"

Chen Mo turned to look at Yu Tao from the reconnaissance company, who then went to the rocket launcher to inquire about the situation.

Upon hearing the scholar's question...

Yu Tao, who had been silent all along, raised the notebook in his hand: "This company is not very cooperative. Their company commander is called Hu Xueyan, and he's just a hothead."

"I had a fight with him when I got there, but I didn't ask him much. It would have been pointless anyway. There were basically no new recruits in the rocket artillery company. I roughly counted that there were more than ninety people in the whole company."

"Their logistics were not separated and were all grouped together, so they wouldn't let anyone near the camp."

Yu Tao's face was very grim when he said these words.

After all, no matter what, the companies in the joint battalion, regardless of which unit you come from, are now on a united front.

The reconnaissance company was basically there to support these long-range artillery pieces. As a result, they were only allowed to do some statistical work and weren't even allowed into the camp.

This shows how arrogant the people over there are.

To be honest, Chen Mo could understand why the people in the rocket artillery company were arrogant.

In the late 1990s, many units were still equipped with motorized infantry and lacked any other equipment. Even the most advanced armored units were only equipped with the newly deployed Type 96 tanks.

Do you even know what kind of equipment the WS-1 rocket launcher is?
The entire company not only has artillery vehicles, but also separate command vehicles, and even the logistics transport and loading vehicles must be fixed QY-88 models.

In addition, high-altitude meteorological radar vehicles are standard equipment.

Howitzers are pretty powerful, right? But when they fire extended-range missiles, they only travel about 20 kilometers, while rocket artillery can cover a range of 60 or 70 kilometers with overwhelming force.

In war, no tactics are needed, just bomb.

If Chen Mo were to lead such a company himself, he would probably become a bit arrogant.

But arrogance is a scoring tactic.

Chen Mo's face was somewhat gloomy. He raised his hand and patted Yu Tao's shoulder to comfort him, then turned to look at Feng Shuaijie.

Old Feng, who was doing statistics at the radar and anti-aircraft artillery company, noticed Xiucai's gaze.

Feng Shuaijie shrugged: "Anyway, it didn't go smoothly. Their company commander is called Fu Xiangfei. We didn't argue, but he wasn't very cooperative."

"This radar company has a lot of veteran sergeants, some as good as ours, and they're disciplined, but they're not very cooperative."

“I observed there for a while, and it wasn’t as exaggerated as Lao Yu’s, but what you said this morning, Scholar, was probably not explained properly.”

"Okay, thanks for your hard work, squad leader. I understand what's going on."

Chen Mo nodded; the results of the examination were exactly as he had imagined.

With lunchtime approaching, the baskets of staple foods and the bowls of vegetables on the food delivery truck were being unloaded little by little.

After lunch, the troops were about to depart.

But a problem arose at this critical juncture. Chen Mo didn't care about anything else and turned to run towards the conference room.

Joint ventures are troublesome; the problems are too big.

If things are done this way, Chen Mo doubts whether the subsequent contingency plans can be successfully implemented.

When he arrived at the conference room.

Luo Yaowu, Zhang Jinnan, and a group of instructors from the Army Academy, as well as senior officers from the Operations and Training Department and the General Staff Department, are still formulating follow-up plans for maneuver and joint training.

The group of people had dark circles under their eyes from staying up so late; it was clear that those in charge weren't having an easy time.

Seeing Chen Mo approaching.

Luo Yaowu, who had been sitting in the audience listening to the explanation from the military region's staff, immediately stood up and said, "What's going on? Tell me!"

"Yes!"

Chen Mo straightened his back.

I gave a detailed report on the statistics I had just compiled.

The matter doesn't sound like a big deal; at most, it's just that the grassroots units didn't cooperate.

After hearing the report, Director Luo's eyes immediately narrowed.

It slammed down on the conference table with a "thud".

"furious!"

"The battle hasn't even started, and they're already acting like tyrants within their own ranks?"

"Pass down the order: skip lunch, load everything onto the trucks, and contact the General Staff, the Operations and Training Department, and the 188th Division. Brigade Commander Feng of the Anti-Aircraft Artillery should come and observe the Informationized Battalion's mobile demonstration."

"Let them see if their troops are even qualified to go to the battlefield."

"Notify all personnel, we will depart in half an hour!!"

"Yes!!"

At Luo Yaowu's command, all the officers in the conference room stood up.

In the blink of an eye, some were making phone calls, while others were going downstairs to relay orders.

Even Chen Mo was caught off guard.

No, are we about to start deploying?

If the hidden dangers are not eliminated, can such a large-scale troop movement achieve the expected results?
(End of this chapter)