Military career: Starting with a recruitment letter

Chapter 272 Come on, the battalion commander will take you home.
Dozens of kilometers away from the flood discharge area of ​​Gaoyang County, on the outskirts of Chengguan County, rows of medical tents and rescue vehicles are neatly arranged.

Stretchers moved through the crowd.

Early in the morning, a motorcade led by Zhang Canshan, the commander-in-chief of the Jinyang Military Headquarters, and a group of local officials slowly arrived at the scene to express their condolences and inspection.

As soon as Zhang Canshan, the commander-in-chief of the 63rd Army, Liao Hongjun, the political commissar, and Qin Quan'an, the chief of staff, got out of their car, a colonel from the convoy ahead quickly walked up to them, stood at attention, and saluted.

"Sir, should we notify the troops to evacuate?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Canshan glanced coldly at the colonel without saying a word.

Qin Quan'an waved his hand, "Don't notify them. Comrades who have been fighting all night are finally able to catch their breath. What's there to notify them of?"

Chief of Staff Qin also looked somewhat displeased.

In this situation, why would you want to take up soldiers' rest time just to say a few polite words? Or to put on a show for a photo op?

They came here for more than just this.

According to standard inspection procedures, after the first flood discharge, they should have gone up to the levee to check the situation, but news came from the levee that the first flood peak was shorter than expected.

Subsequently, as the flood discharge proceeded smoothly and the torrential rain subsided, the situation was brought under control. In addition, the evacuation of residents was still within a manageable range, so the pressure of the second flood discharge was no longer as great.

That's why Zhang Canshan and his team chose to come and check on the situation at the rescue site as soon as possible.

But the scene was far from deplorable.

More and more stretchers were brought in from other places. Qin Quan'an only stood at the scene and glanced around before he saw that the pupils of many of the wounded lying on the stretchers were dilated and their lips were an eerie white.

Even those who could barely stand had a grayish-brown face, indicating an extremely tense rescue situation.

Among them were many young children wearing military uniforms.

This scene.

Even Qin Quan'an, who had spent half his life on the battlefield, couldn't help but turn his head, his eyes brimming with tears.

But he paused for a moment.

Chief of Staff Qin was still searching for something.

Last night's rescue operation was urgent, and the Kyoto Demonstration Battalion was temporarily dispatched to take over. Because of this decision, the higher authorities called several times in the middle of the night to remind the military region to pay attention and take care of the situation.

The implications are self-evident.

While rescue efforts are crucial, the development of information technology is equally indispensable. In the face of natural disasters, we must do our utmost to protect human life and prevent losses.

This is also human nature.

According to the unit's dispatch last night, some members of the demonstration battalion remained on the levee, while others were assigned to the last positions in the flood discharge area.

Qin Quan'an left the inspection team, wearing a thick raincoat to cover his military uniform and rank, and disguised himself as an ordinary old man, standing by the roadside.

They kept an eye on the large force retreating from the direction of Gaoyang.

This stop lasted for more than half an hour.

During this time, Chief of Staff Qin was deeply moved. He saw too many passing soldiers whose camouflage uniforms were mostly worn out, with tattered strips hanging on their bodies.

On his hands, festering blisters stretched out in patches.

Occasionally, when cadres passing by recognized him, Qin Quan'an would remind them not to greet him or salute him, so as to avoid disturbing the soldiers who were withdrawing.

Finally, around eight o'clock in the morning.

There were almost no people in the direction of Gaoyang; all that could be seen was a vast expanse of turbid water, with new ripples appearing in the muddy water.

Behind the ripples, a young soldier appeared, walking with faltering steps.

Behind him, another densely packed crowd appeared in view, numbering nearly a thousand.

Being at the back of the line is not a good job.

The strong and able-bodied evacuees had already run to the front, while only the majority of the people who were physically weak or elderly were left behind.

Countless soldiers waded through the water, pulling carts, some carrying supplies and belongings, others carrying elderly people and children.

They supported each other and reached the finish line.

Leading the way was Chen Mo, who was using a corn stalk as a crutch to support his body as he guided the entire unit.

I walked all night and shouted all night.

Even a body made of iron couldn't withstand it; he had just heard the horn blaring, mixed with shouts.

Unexpectedly.

It took a full half hour from hearing the sound to coming out.

But at least, I'm out now.

In a daze, Chen Mo looked up and saw many medical team members wading through the water towards his direction.

Through the gaps in the medical team, Chen Mo saw an old man wearing a thick raincoat, looking at him with concern.

"This old man really looks like the chief of staff!"

Chen Mo grinned and glanced back at the camp. Many tasks had been taken over, and Cheng Dong, Liu Min, Xu Zhanqi, and many other cadres had been taken away by medical staff.

His anger dissipated, his vision went black, and he completely lost consciousness.

. . . . . . . . . .

Daylight broke, and the sun shone comfortably on the earth.

Chen Mo felt a warm, comfortable feeling all over his body. He stretched and prepared to get out of bed.

Man Xuexi, Fang Peijun, Liang Hongjie, Wang Yanjun and the others lifted the tent flap and craned their necks to peek inside.

I saw Chen Mo open his eyes.

Man Xuexi grinned and said, "Hey, the battalion commander is awake. Come on, get some glucose to drink. Captain Liu said it's great for restoring strength."

As he spoke, Lao Man took out more than a dozen bottles of glucose from his wet clothes and placed them on the small table in front of the hospital bed.

Fang Peijun, Liang Hongjie, Wang Yanjun, and Qin Xiaojun stood at the tent entrance, grinning foolishly.

But he didn't step inside.

They were filthy, their uniforms had obvious cuts from steel bars, and their clothes were soaked with blood.

"Why didn't you wash all the clothes? The sky's all clear now, have some self-awareness."

Chen Mo frowned. His intuition told him that something was wrong with the scene before him, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"hey-hey!"

The people standing at the tent entrance remained silent, except for Man Xuexi, who scratched his head, stood up, and laughed, "Commander, there's no time to wash up."

“We were worried about you. Last night, the flood discharge started 50 minutes earlier than expected. After the discharge, some areas experienced piping, and the floodwaters seeped into the dike, gushing out like a fountain from the back.”

"There aren't enough sandbags on site, so we can only use vehicles to block the large piping openings and people to block the small piping openings in an attempt to reduce the water volume."

"The political instructor and I were quite worried about the battalion commander. Now that we see you're alright, we'll head back now."

Upon hearing this, Chen Mo's tightly furrowed brows suddenly froze. He had always felt that something was amiss, and now he finally realized what exactly had happened.

A bad feeling rushed to my heart in an instant, and my heart suddenly felt suffocated and spasmed.

"You son of a bitch, you surnamed Man, you get the hell back here."

"Old Fang? Liang Pai? Qin Xiaojun, you son of a bitch, get your asses back here."

"return!"

Chen Mo woke up with a start. He raised his hand and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with a look of surprise and uncertainty. Then he immediately looked around.

He was indeed inside the tent, but Man Xuexi, Fang Peijun, and the others were nowhere to be seen. There was glucose, though, but only one bottle.

He was the only person in the entire tent.

Perhaps hearing the shouts, Wang Jianyong, with a cigarette still in his mouth, hurriedly led a medic into the tent.

"Battalion Commander, what's wrong?"

Old Wang's eyes were a little flustered. He looked the battalion commander up and down to make sure there was no problem before he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Don't worry, Battalion Commander, all 329 of us are here. There are just over 30 people with more serious injuries, and the military region has arranged for vehicles to take them to the 301 Hospital."

"The company commander is right next door. His snoring is louder than a water buffalo. Captain Liu and Company Commander Hou are both fine."

Wang Jianyong quickly reported everything he knew.

"When did you come back?"

Chen Mo composed himself and asked.

"I took Xiaowu to town and watched him get taken away by a truck carrying supplies before I came back." Wang Jianyong shrugged. "I just couldn't catch up with you guys along the way, and I didn't run into any other villagers either."

"I wandered around in the water pit for most of the night, and couldn't find the main road without a flashlight. When the flood was being released, I climbed a tree and was found by a helicopter rescue team. After asking my unit, they sent me here."

Old Wang spoke with a relaxed expression, but it wasn't hard to tell.

This guy's experiences last night were quite eventful.

The accompanying medic checked Chen Mo's condition and, after confirming that there were no problems, left with the medical kit.

There were no outsiders here.

Chen Mo pulled on his pants, unscrewed the glucose bottle, gulped down a few mouthfuls, and after a long silence, mustered up the courage to say, "Da Yong."

"To!"

"How's it going on the other side of the dike?"

"Old Man, political instructor, and your platoon leader Wang, and Tank Company Commander Qin, any news?"

As Chen Mo asked these questions, his heart sank deeper and deeper, and at the same time, he became afraid.

This man, who was usually scolded by the military region for being all bravado from the neck down, was now genuinely afraid.

In fact, it is not shameful for soldiers to have fear.

Rescue operations are like this, and so is the battlefield. Grenades run between your legs, bullets fly close to your scalp, you dance on the edge of a knife, and you keep company with death.

Even iron has fear, let alone flesh and blood.

However, faith and responsibility greatly suppressed this fear.

There's a truth that needs no explanation: soldiers should go to the battlefield, tigers should roam the mountains, and dragons should stir up the ocean.

It is this belief that drives countless soldiers to bravely face the call of their motherland.

But that doesn't mean they aren't afraid or worried.

Upon hearing the question, Wang Jianyong hesitated for a moment, until he looked up and saw the battalion commander's murderous expression.

Old Wang hurriedly waved his hand and said, "Battalion Commander, don't misunderstand." "I also heard that piping occurred after the flood discharge last night. It was under control at first, and piping is not uncommon."

"But whether it was due to the waterway's terrain or an underwater current, about five minutes after the flood discharge began, high waves appeared in the flood peak. The overlapping of those two waves is the last thing we want to see in flood control and disaster relief."

"It is said that there was no gap between the two waves, less than 20 meters apart. In the instant the waves collided, a riot broke out on a section of the dike, and the reinforced dike was torn open by the rushing waves."

“The sandbags were washed away by the water, and people standing on the embankment were swept dozens of meters away. The breach area expanded from two meters to six or seven meters in the blink of an eye.”

"So. So."

Wang Jianyong stammered and fell silent. He was just an ordinary soldier who knew these things from the people on the helicopter and from the discussions among some cadres after arriving here.

He simply had no concrete way to find out.

But a breach means an unexpected event has occurred.

Chen Mo didn't even need to go to the scene to see it. Just from Lao Wang's account, he could imagine how many soldiers risked their lives to hold sandbags and plug the breach after the dike broke.

It was a scene that was both brutal and violent.

It's no exaggeration to say that it's a battle between man and nature. Even if the breach can be plugged, someone will still have to jump into the water to drive the piles afterward.

This job sounds simple, but in reality, even a company might not be able to stand firmly in a gap that's only a few meters wide, let alone have enough space to stand.

It's a job that requires continuous effort and dedication.

If it were just about reinforcing the dike, Chen Mo wouldn't be worried about the instructors at all, because disaster relief is not a matter of disorder.

Especially tasks like reinforcing dikes.

There is definitely a danger, but it's not that great. As long as there is no risk of the dike breaking or collapsing, other units don't need to go up at all.

They were all supported by pre-arranged mobile teams, and the order was very clear, unlike what is shown in TV dramas where a whole group of people rushes in at the drop of a hat.

The demonstration battalion was dispatched late. By the time they received the news and arrived in the town, the dike reinforcement work had already been underway for half a day, so the mobile team definitely wouldn't be able to get their turn.

This is why Chen Mo felt confident entrusting the dike reinforcement work to the instructor.

But who would have thought.

A planned dike reinforcement and evacuation operation has been marred by so many unexpected events.

"So you don't have any concrete information either?"

Chen Mo forcibly suppressed his worries, and his emotions calmed down slightly.

As the saying goes, concern leads to confusion. He didn't think Wang Jianyong was lying. Besides, if what happened in the dream really happened, it would be a major rescue accident.

The news couldn't possibly be kept secret, could it?
Before Wang Jianyong could respond, Chen Mo got up and put on his coat: "No matter what the situation is with the dike, we have to go and check it out."

"Can we go now?"

"There's flooding everywhere. We could probably get here by helicopter, but we can't get one."

Old Wang scratched his head. He understood the battalion commander's concerns. Wang Jianyong himself was a member of the reconnaissance company. Although he had previously been in the eighth squad and was not part of the first platoon, he still had the same worries.

Just as the two were discussing how to get there.

The tent flap was lifted again, and Qin Quan'an strode in. He saw that Chen Mo was already dressed and there had been no accident.

Old Qin breathed a sigh of relief.

This is the backbone of the Kyoto Demonstration Battalion, a first-class combat hero awarded by the General Staff. If something goes wrong during this rescue, the military region will have no way to explain it to its superiors.

"Hello, Chief!!"

Chen Mo and Wang Jianyong stood at attention and saluted!
"Ah."

Qin Quan'an nodded, stepped forward and patted Chen Mo on the shoulder: "You did a good job. You arrived at the dike in time and rescued many villagers. The motherland will not forget you, and the military region will give you a reward as appropriate."

"Tell me, Chen, how are you planning to negotiate with the military region this time?"

Chief of Staff Qin spoke casually, but Chen Mo was not naive. His usually meticulous superior actually took the initiative to ask them what they needed.

Even if he were incredibly stupid, Chen Mo understood what was going on.

During this rescue operation, some members of the demonstration battalion lost their lives.

That dream wasn't a dream.

Chen Mo felt a wave of dizziness and his vision went black. He struggled to keep his balance.

He opened his mouth with difficulty, his voice hoarse, and said, "Commander, can you tell me a few?"

“One.” Qin Quan’an sighed, his hands behind his back.

"He was seriously injured when the dike broke and was discovered too late; he was a soldier."

"Tell me, what are the requirements for your demonstration camp?"

Chen Mo stood there, silent for a long time, perhaps two minutes, perhaps one minute.

In short, it took Chen Mo a very long time before he finally said in a hoarse voice, "Our battalion needs a refrigerated transport vehicle from the funeral home. I want to take the soldiers home."

"can!"

Chief of Staff Qin nodded: "The military region will handle this entirely and ensure the soldiers return home in glory."

"I need a helicopter, right now, to go to the dam and take a look."

"We have to go and see what the dike looks like after guarding it all night. Everyone in my unit should go and see it, and the martyrs especially need to go and see it."

"Of course." Qin Quan'an did not object: "I will notify the road to be closed and cleared, and dispatch a helicopter to take you there."

"Thank you, sir, but I need a gun!"

Qin Quan'an thought for a moment and said, "No problem, everything will be arranged."

Chen Mo relaxed after hearing that all his requests had been granted.

The two did not talk for long.

Not long after Qin Quan'an left, four Z-8 transport planes were dispatched.

Most of the soldiers in the demonstration battalion were resting in nearby tents. Some of the more seriously injured were taken to the 301 Hospital, while those with minor injuries were also taken there for care and treatment.

There weren't many people left at the scene.

Four Z-8 helicopters can get everyone to the dike in at most three trips.

This kind of thing can't be hidden.

After Chen Mo came out of the tent, the others also packed up, lined up, and boarded the transport plane one by one.

There were no questions asked, no noise made, and everything was in perfect order.

Cheng Dong, who had been snoring loudly next door, woke up with his chest wrapped in bandages and boarded the helicopter with Chen Mo.

Along the way, someone who was familiar with the process of reinforcing the dike told Chen Mo in detail what happened last night.

As the battalion commander, he has the right to know.

. . . . . . . . . .

the other side.

Of the 267 soldiers led by Fang Peijun of the demonstration battalion around the Gaoyang dike, only 266 remain.

One of the sergeants, a second-class sergeant, lay motionless on a stretcher, his abdomen pierced by a steel bar.

The heavy rain finally stopped.

The sky cleared, but the waves behind them still surged.

But at this moment, there is no longer any danger of the dikes breaching, nor is there any responsibility to release floodwaters.

The soldiers, covered in mud like mud monkeys, sat slumped on the ground. The mud on their camouflage uniforms, after being exposed to the sun all day, had dried and hardened, like a layer of armor, and emitted a strange, fishy smell.

But the soldiers on site could no longer smell it; they had long since become accustomed to the fishy odor.

Fang Peijun, Man Xuexi, Qin Xiaojun, Wang Yanjun, and several others sat on the ground, expressionless.

The pain had robbed them of the ability to cry; the result of a busy night was something no one could accept.

Sudden.

Boom! ! !
Four Z-8 helicopters flew in from a distance and landed directly on the open ground of the dam.

The helicopter came to a stop, and the cabin door opened.

The moment Chen Mo strode down from the helicopter, the soldiers who had been sitting helplessly on the ground suddenly had a gleam in their eyes.

The battalion commander is alright, that's good news!!
Gradually, more than two hundred people began to stand up and stand at attention. The hundreds of people were like one, and there was an invisible sense of strictness.

After the queue is set up.

Wang Yanjun, his lips trembling, staggered to Chen Mo, stood at attention, and saluted!
This was the first time a reconnaissance company officer had ever hesitated or stumbled during a formal report.

"Reporting, reporting to the battalion commander!"

"The Kyoto Demonstration Battalion was expected to have 267 members, but only 266 were present. One person was killed!"

"Take a break!"

"Yes!"

Wang Yanjun let out a long breath, turned around almost as if fleeing, gave the order to the ranks, then lowered her head to hide her reddened eyes, and strode into the ranks.

Through the crowd, Chen Mo saw the soldiers lying in the distance.

He was also feeling uncomfortable.

But at this moment, he had to remain serious; he needed to bring the team's morale back and reassure the entire unit.

As the battalion commander, he had to take responsibility for bringing the remaining men back, as one of them had fallen behind.

Take it all back completely.

If he has an emotional breakdown, then the entire team will collapse.

P.S.: I made many changes to this part of the story.

I started writing this because I considered that the demonstration battalion was about to enter its glorious moment, with the entire battalion united in its efforts to conquer the southwestern border.

However, since the people in the demonstration camp are not trained by the camp itself, the sudden emergence of an overly harmonious atmosphere and a shared sense of hatred would make the plot seem particularly abrupt.

So I wanted to use disaster relief to unite the entire camp's storyline. Initially, I thought of having the demonstration camp protect the dike. But after carefully reviewing the outline, I realized that protecting the dike was indeed easy to write, it was also passionate, and it could highlight the demonstration camp, but the sacrifice was unavoidable.

In reality, I can't do that. Since it's a novel, let's reduce the sacrifices and not unfold from the protagonist's perspective.

This section serves as a transition in the plot, a transition in cohesion and execution, and it's nearing its end. Honestly, I don't even know what I'm saying; it was just difficult to write, and I revised it a lot. So, I'm just giving you all a brief update on my thinking!

(End of this chapter)