Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 135 Chief of Staff Candidate

"Commander...you're back?"

After Su Yaoyang returned to the camp, people he encountered along the way saluted and greeted him, and he smiled and nodded in return.

Before he could even enter the main tent, he saw Li Gaoyuan rushing over. "Commander... has there been any progress on the matter you asked me to handle last time?"

"What's wrong?" Su Yaoyang asked, somewhat bewildered, not quite understanding what was going on.

"It's about the chief of staff you asked me to keep an eye out for last time," Li Gaoyuan said urgently. "You haven't forgotten, have you?"

"What...you found it?" Su Yaoyang was overjoyed upon hearing this.

These days, although Su Yaoyang has created the Nanjing Security Corps with the help of the material converter, only he knows how much he has paid to maintain this group.

Over the past six months, he has endured countless hardships for the development of the security regiment. He has to personally handle almost everything, from logistics and supplies to combat and training, which is extremely difficult for a novice like him.

Take the tank company for example. The M24 Chaffee tanks equipped by the tank company may look imposing, but the daily maintenance, upkeep, and marching tasks can drive a layman crazy.

For example, what is the fuel consumption of the Chaffee tank when driving on the road, and what is the fuel consumption when going uphill? How often does the tanker need to refuel the tank? How are the wear and tear of parts and components calculated on a daily basis?
If the fuel consumption is 150 liters per 100 kilometers on the highway at a speed of 40 kilometers per hour, then you will need to refuel approximately every 7 hours.

For example, how many kilometers should a tank track travel before it needs major repairs or replacement?

However, the actual battlefield situation was quite different.

In fact, the situation on the battlefield is much more complex. In combat, the wear and tear on spare parts and ammunition will increase many times over compared to normal times. All of these things will fall on the shoulders of the logistics department and even the regimental commander. The tedious work can drive a normal person crazy.

In fact, Su Yaoyang hadn't had a good night's sleep for two months in a row, and his mind was full of trivial matters as soon as he opened his eyes.

In addition, without an excellent chief of staff and a group of qualified staff officers to coordinate and plan various aspects such as daily troop training, ammunition consumption, soldier morale, and the formulation of combat plans, problems are bound to arise when the time comes.
This is why Su Yaoyang urgently needed an excellent chief of staff to help him. Now that he heard there was a suitable candidate, how could he not be happy?

Seeing Su Yaoyang's delighted look, Li Gaoyuan nodded:

His name is Pi Jingchuan, a native of Sichuan. He is 33 years old this year and graduated from Virginia Military Institute in the United States. He has outstanding personal military capabilities. Six years ago, after returning to China, he served as the chief of staff of the 1st Regiment of the Training Corps. During a live-fire exercise, he was shot in the leg and was injured. He had no choice but to retire and stay at home.

Yesterday I happened to hear that his whole family had moved to Xuzhou, so I immediately went to visit him. After I revealed my intention to recruit him, he said he was willing to come. Now it's up to you.

"What else is there to say? Let's go find him right now," Su Yaoyang said without hesitation.

As the security force grew larger, he found it increasingly difficult to manage and desperately needed a good assistant. Now that he had finally found a good advisor, there was no reason for him to refuse him.

Moreover, the vast majority of Chinese students who go abroad to study and return after completing their studies are truly talented elites, completely different from the mediocre students of the 4+4 program in later years.

"Let's go...go find him?" Su Yaoyang waved his hand and was about to step out the door.

"Wait..." Li Gaoyuan grabbed him. "Go find him now?"

"Of course, our regiment is retreating tomorrow. Why wait until the New Year if we don't go now?"

“Why don’t I go find him and have him come to see you? After all, you’re the regimental commander.” Li Gaoyuan asked after hesitating for a moment. “Nonsense… Back then, Liu Bei had to visit Zhuge Liang three times to invite him to his thatched cottage. What am I, a mere regimental commander?” Su Yaoyang didn’t care at all.

Left with no other choice, Li Gaoyuan could only follow them out and get into the car.

The jeep sped out of the military camp and headed towards Xuzhou City.

The car quickly entered the city of XZ. Under the direction of Li Gaoyuan in the passenger seat, the car made several turns and entered a secluded alley.

The wheels rolled over the stagnant sewage at the alley entrance, splashing mud everywhere.

The brick walls on both sides of the alley were mottled and yellowed, with rotten leaves and garbage piled up at the base of the walls. A foul stench seeped in through the gaps in the car windows, and the people in the back seat subconsciously covered their mouths and noses with their sleeves.

In the rearview mirror, several stray cats darted out from behind the trash can, their gleaming green eyes flashing by.

Seeing the environment here, Su Yaoyang thought to himself, "It seems that this person's living conditions are not good after leaving the Training Corps."

When the car finally stopped in front of the peeling gate, the engine's hum startled the sparrows under the eaves.

Perhaps the noise of the car startled the homeowner, because soon the door was pushed open, and a man wearing a worn gray shirt and blue trousers appeared in front of the two.

The man was in his thirties, with a thin and cold appearance. In particular, his eyes always seemed to be squinting at people. Su Yaoyang even noticed that his foot seemed to be slightly lame.

Upon seeing the newcomer, Li Gaoyuan jumped out of the car, walked up to the man, and laughed heartily: "Old Pi, I told you we'd meet again soon, now you believe me, right?"

After saying that, Li Gaoyuan turned to Su Yaoyang and said, "Commander, this is the old Pi I was talking about. Pi Ruoyu graduated from the Virginia Military Institute and served with me in the training unit. He is the best in both character and military ability."

"Old Pi... this is the regimental commander I told you about. He's a generous and forthright man. He just led us to a great victory at Taierzhuang a few days ago."

As Li Gaoyuan was introducing them, Su Yaoyang also got out of the car, walked up to Pi Ruoyu, and smiled as he extended his right hand.

"Let me introduce myself, Su Yaoyang... Nanjing... um, he should be the head of the Shanxi militia now."

I've come uninvited today because Old Li told me about a very talented former colleague who had to leave the Training Corps for some reason. So I dragged him along to see if I could find a suitable position. I wonder if Brother Pi would be so kind as to take on the role of Chief of Staff in our militia?

“I am a down-on-his-luck man, how could I have the right to refuse?”

Pi Ruoyu spoke, his voice hoarse and with a gritty quality.

"Nowadays, I am destitute and cannot even support my family. I am grateful for the Commander's kindness and will gladly serve him."

"Okay... I think I'm appreciating you more and more."

Su Yaoyang laughed heartily, both expecting and somewhat excited that Pi Ruoyu had agreed so readily.

Once a comprehensive staff system is established, his work will be much easier.

(End of this chapter)